National Car Rental

Good manners when driving on public roads are an aid to safety and reduce personal stress. Follow these simple hints and observations to make your driving day more pleasurable.

1. In heavy rain do not use your emergency light or High-Beam. If the emergency light, is partly obscured, it could give an other driver a turning signal thus causing an accident. The glare from the High-Beam could blind an oncoming driver. Use your normal “dipped” headlight, stay to the curb side of the road and double your normal “safe stopping” distance from the car in front of you until the road is dry.

2. Use of “flashing” High Beam as a signal to other drivers.There is NO written law about this. It is a practice that varies from country to country. In Europe, if a car flashes you from behind, he is asking you to yield (give over) so that he can pass. It is also used to tell cars in other lanes that you will yield so that they can get into the traffic stream. Example in Thailand the reverse happens. A Thai driver will warn others that he is “coming-through” so then flash you to ask you to “hold back”. This is because the Thais do not have Right of Way rules. Further, it is customary in most countries to wave a hand or nod the head by way of thanks for being let-in or let through the traffic. Taking your hand off the wheel, however, or breaking your attention to the traffic is dangerous, so DON’T DO IT unless you have a clear road ahead.

3. Parking your car for a short-stay, with emergency lights blinking, is not respected in Thailand or most other countries. You just cause inconvenience to others and will get a traffic fine.

4. Braking.
European drivers are trained to look into their rear mirrors before applying the foot brake. If you keep a “safe stopping distance” between you and the car in front (double on a wet road) then there should be no problem. If a driver enters your path from a side road or a motorway lane… decrease speed until a new “safe stopping distance” is achieved. Don’t expect him to speed-up. He may have a slower car than yours.

5. Reduce speed in a built-up are and go even slower when passing a school or a children’s play area.

6. The yellow (Amber) traffic light.
The green light changes to red after the amber has given warning that the light will change soon. Slow down and prepare to stop on the amber light, you’ll just live longer.

7. Keep to the edge of the road. Most oriental people have bad peripheral vision so tend to stay in the middle off the road. When the have to turn a corner they cut across the corner risking a collision with on-coming traffic. When turning corners in Thailand be very careful as the oncoming drivers may not see you.

Driving manners and practices are very important. It is best to let the other car go first and wait. Patience and consideration for others is absolutely essential

Written by www.carrentalbudget.com

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Filed under: nationalcarrental.car-rental-zone.info on June 4th, 2008 | No Comments »

Each year experts in the automobile industry come up with their lists of the top ten vehicles of the year. Some experts put the vehicles through a series of tests, while others create their lists purely on market and consumer response. Vehicle choice is certainly a personal one, but experts like Cars.com, Consumer Reports magazine, Automobile magazine, and Car and Driver magazine, are certainly worth listening to. What did they have to say this year?

Well, the Cars.com list of most popular vehicles in 2005 was topped by the Honda Civic. Cars.com analyzes the vehicular market to come up with the most popular new car models based on consumer interest (i.e. on the number of email requests for price quotes sent to dealers) and not car tests. Here’s their top ten list for 2005:

1. Honda Civic

2. Honda Accord

3. Toyota Corolla

4. Honda Odyssey

5. Toyota Camry

6. Toyota Prius

7. Toyota Sienna

8. Honda CR-V

9. Toyota Highlander
10. Toyota Tacoma

The Consumer Reports magazine list was also topped by a Honda, only this time it was a Honda Accord Hybrid, but the method of choosing the top cars is very different. Consumer Reports magazine took 200 vehicles and put them through 45 tests. At the end they chose the top cars according to nine categories. For example, the Subaru Forester was the best “Small SUV“, the Lexus RX330 was the best “Midsized SUV”, the Lexus LS430 was the best luxury sedan, the Subaru Impreza was the “most fun to drive”, and the Toyota Prius was the best “green car.”

Meanwhile, Automobile magazine chooses the top vehicles in 13 different performance categories, such as, Coupe, Family Car, Luxury Sedan, Minivan, Pickup, Small car, Sports car, Sport sedan, amongst others. They come up with one “ultimate vehicle” and this year it was the Chrysler 300C.

According to Car and Driver magazine, the Chevrolet Corvette topped the list as a best “performance car” and the Ford Mustang was the best “muscle car”.

Dylan Miles, journalist, and website builder, lives in Texas. He is the owner and co-editor of http://www.autocarplanet.com on which you will find a longer, more detailed version of this article.

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Filed under: nationalcarrental.car-rental-zone.info on June 2nd, 2008 | No Comments »

Buying a car needs not just investment but deep thought. The market is overflowing with choices and temptations. Buyers need to think, what kind of car and can I afford it?

Think, what do I need transportation for right now and what will I need two years from now? Do I want a car as a status symbol or as something that makes my life easier? Will the car be a commuter vehicle, or to transport children? Would a van with cargo space and high clearance be more suitable for a growing family? Should the car be a two-wheel or four-wheel drive? What kind of terrain will I be driving in most of the time? Go through auto magazines as well as consumer reports to get a clear picture of the world of cars.

1. Work on your finances and determine what you need to spend each month on transportation. A car should not cost more than 10% of your net pay per month. If it is more, then consider leasing a car instead of buying one.

2. Before you finalize anything, find out what the target price is. Four figure discounts are available with almost every make.

3. Never sign an arbitration clause or blank financial forms. Try and get finance from a separate source, a bank or financial institution.

4. Haggling will get you a good deal apart from shopping around for finance. The market is competitive be sure to check dealer fianc

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Filed under: nationalcarrental.car-rental-zone.info on May 31st, 2008 | No Comments »