A Women’s Point of View: Gas Pumps and Handi-Wipes

by Colette Cooley, Cars for Keeps Office ManagerI was talking to a customer the other day when she made the comment that the worst thing she has to do is pump gas. Most women would agree that pumping gas is not high on our list of fun things to do. It's one of those chores where we have to mentally go to our happy place while doing it. It takes courage to grab that pump handle not knowing who last used it and what they had on their hands, leaving behind residue of…..? Then we check the direction of the wind so we can stand upwind of those noxious fumes. Then we find out that we have picked the only pump that refuses to shoot out our receipt....

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Ford Mustang

The Ford Mustang is a car manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. It was initially based on the second generation North American Ford Falcon, a compact car. Introduced early on April 17, 1964, the 1965 Mustang was the automaker's most successful launch since the Model A. The Mustang created the "pony car" class of American automobile sports car like coupes with long hoods and short rear decks and gave rise to competitors such as GM's Chevrolet Camaro  AMC's Javelin, and Chrysler's revamped Plymouth Barracuda. It also inspired coupés such as the Toyota Celica and Ford Capri, which were exported to the United States. The Mustang is...

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Posted in Mustang

Group 3E Series Production Cars

Group 3E Series Production Cars is an Australian motor racing formula for production based cars competing with limited modifications. Group 3E cars currently contest the Australian Manufacturers' Championship and Australian Production Car Championship titles and the annual Bathurst 12 Hour endurance race. Regulations for production car racing in Australia were first formalised in 1964 when the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport introduced the Group E Series Production Touring Cars category. This was abandoned at the end of 1972. “Series Production” made a return to Australian motor racing in 1981 when a new set of Group E regulations...

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Posted in 3E Series Production Cars

Got Heat? What Your Car's Radiator Output Says About Problems Under the Hood

by Rob Hopp, Cars for Keeps OwnerIf you hold your fingers above the defrost vents with the temperature set on high, as a general rule, you shouldn't be able to leave your fingers there for very long without them getting pretty uncomfortable - if the heating system is working well.When we perform routine inspections (aka "Pit Stops"), we usually check the heat output at the center vent; a good heater thermostat will put out 150° temps.We have seen them run as high as 160°f. At 130°f degrees you may start getting a few complaints, though it’s still pretty livable, at 120°f people are getting unhappy, the coats are staying on and below 110°f NO...

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Jetcar or Jet Cars

Jetcar is a brand of small car manufactured by Jetcar Zukunftsfahrzeug GmbH in Neuruppin, Germany. The company was established in 2000. The car has two seats, with the passenger sitting behind the driver. It is built using carbon fibre and costs between 48,000 to 58,000 euro including taxes in Germany The manufacturer has limited production of the vehicle to 100 cars. The car consumed 2.8l of diesel per 100 kilometers (82miles per US gallon) during an official TÜV test. Top speed for the car is 160 km/h (100mp/hr). The drivers seat looks similar to a cockpit, which may be the reason for car's name. The engine is the diesel engine from a...

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Posted in Jetcar

Smart Forfour

Smart Forfour was a supermini produced by Smart between April 2004 and June 2006. Unlike the other models of the marque, the Forfour was a more conventional five-door hatchback with a relatively roomy interior, available as a four or five seater. The car was produced at the NedCar factory in the Netherlands in conjunction with Mitsubishi Motors. This is the same factory that produced Volvo 300 cars in 1970s and 1980s and the Volvo V40s in the 1990s. To save production costs, the Smart Forfour shares most of its components with the 2003 Mitsubishi Colt. This includes the chassis, suspension and a new generation of MIVEC petrol engines, ranging...

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Posted in Smart Forfour

Smart electric drive

Smart fortwo electric drive (or smart ed) is a battery electric vehicle version of the Smart Fortwo micro car. This electric car was formerly known as Smart fortwo EV. Field testing began in London with 100 units in 2007, followed by Berlin in late 2009, and testing in the U.S. will begin in October 2010 with 250 units, which are part of 1,500 cars that will be tested in several European cities, Canada and selected markets in Asia.  Mass production is scheduled to begin in 2012 and it will be available in almost 40 Smart marke...

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Posted in Smart electric Car