Acronyms
(NAPSI)-There is some good news about high gas prices and a slow economy: They are putting the brakes on vehicle sales, which makes it a good time for shoppers to find great deals on cars.
Among car shoppers, hybrids and subcompacts remain popular because of great gas mileage, but there are many factors beyond fuel efficiency that affect the cost of driving. RoadandTravel.com and State Farm Insurance® suggest three simple tips for those shopping for vehicles:
Homework is key
Because sales have been so slow, dealers are competing aggressively for shoppers’ business, making it easier to bargain. The Internet provides numerous Web sites to compare makes, models and pricing, including Edmunds.com, MSN Autos and RoadandTravel.com. Coming to dealerships with the most current information puts the shopper, not the dealer, in the driver’s seat.
Budget blind spots
Car buyers often don’t research expenses that can impact the cost of car ownership, including maintenance, financing and insurance. For instance, they may assume they have no choice other than to finance their cars through the dealerships. Often, the bank down the street or an insurance provider offers better deals on financing a car. Additionally, interest rates can be based on credit history, so shoppers who know their situations can more easily recognize a reasonable deal.
Finally, it’s important not to get caught up in the emotions of buying a car. Being practical and planning to spend at least a few days shopping helps people avoid making rash decisions.
Insurance options
There are a number of factors that influence insurance rates, beyond car models. Car buyers should ask about discounts for good driving records and good grades for teen drivers. For instance, State Farm has a Good Driver Discount®. Also, some companies offer discounts on premiums to customers who purchase other policies, such as life or homeowners insurance. When deciding on the right insurance provider, car buyers should keep in mind that, in addition to cost, it’s important to find a company that will offer the right level of personal service.
For more information, visit www.RoadandTravel.com.
Ms. Caldwell is editor in chief and founder of Road & Travel Magazine
Aston Martin’s rooflines are some of the hottest numbers in car couture—they’re low cut, tight fitting, and steaming with sex appeal. Cutting off one is like shearing the blond locks off a Barbie doll. Alas, the lovely V-8 Vantage goes headless with the new Vantage roadster, on sale now and priced for the still-working rich at $126,400.
Aston is simply being prudent. The Vantage counts among its rivals the
, the
, the Jaguar XKR, and the
. All are offered with put-away tops. Indeed, Aston expects half of Vantage production to be roadsters.
Recall that the Vantage shares its all-aluminum, glued-and-riveted VH chassis with the larger two-plus-two DB9 and
(Aston’s other convertible). Intent on preserving the Vantage’s much-applauded handling, Aston stiffened it for sun-scooping duty with 44 pounds of additional bracing.
The major change is to the longitudinal box sections at the cockpit’s perimeter. They are extruded with thicker walls and extra webbing inside. To fight steering-column shiver, gussets on the door posts tie them more securely to the fire wall, and a thicker brace stretches from the fire wall to the prop-shaft tunnel, a fix that so pleased Aston it’s being added to the coupe.
The extra structure, including two underbody shear panels that lace together the front- and rear-suspension subframes, helps the roadster approach the Vantage coupe’s torsional stiffness—and it actually surpasses the DB9 coupe’s, says Aston. During a drive in southern France, the Vantage roadster was jiggle-free as it galloped through corners with confident handling, slack-free controls, and the juiciest exhaust snort this side of a Ferrari’s. The cammy 4.3-liter V-8 only lacks bottom-end torque, the big power not arriving until after 4000 rpm.
Packaging a folding hardtop stack would have puffed out the tail and ruined the lines on that delectable bod, Aston says, so it chose a snug-fitting clothtop that collapses under a body-color panel sculpted with seat fairings. The top and its push-button machinery add another 110 pounds. It sound-insulates the cockpit nicely and preserves the Vantage’s suggestive roofline as best it can, but it also cuts visibility with expansive blind spots.
The roadster’s introduction heralds Aston’s new paddle-shift transmission, called Sportshift. All Vantages use Italian-made Graziano six-speed manuals mounted ahead of the rear axle. The Sportshift incorporates a Magneti Marelli hydraulic shifting system virtually identical to those used by Ferrari and Lamborghini. Shifts feel slightly slower than they are in Ferrari’s latest F1-SuperFast but are still quick and accompanied by the requisite throttle blipping on downshifts.
Ford’s sale of Aston Martin to a consortium of private investors was announced only a week before the roadster launch in March. Aston’s management, headed by Ulrich Bez and credited with breathing new life and real performance into the brand, remains unchanged, and work on the four-door Rapide, which was delayed by Ford, has resumed in earnest with a launch predicted in 2009.
Article source: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/car/07q3/2008_aston_martin_v-8_vantage_roadster-first_drive_review