The FCX Clarity hydrogen car is now available for lease from participating Honda dealers for Southern California residents who live in Santa Monica, Torrence or Irvine.

The FCX Clarity lease runs at$600 per month which includes maintenance and insurance costs. Honda is currently limiting the lease to residents who have access to fueling service areas.

The 270 mile range car runs off a hydrogen fuel cell and is refillable at designated filling stations provided by Honda. Honda has also partnered with Plug Power Inc. to develop a Home Energy Station which is small enough to fit in the home owners garage.

Whether to buy a new car or buy a used car is often times the first decision that needs to be arrived at before you can actively begin perusing purchasing your next vehicle.

Let’s take a look at some tips, pros, and cons when it comes to making this decision.

First of all, having been in the automotive business for many years, I almost always lean toward finding a good used car that fits what I am looking for. For me, I believe that used cars offer the best value for your dollar. In most cases, you’ll find used car departments are much more used to and willing to negotiate the price that they have posted on the car. From a negotiating standpoint, most used cars won’t have all of those superfluous dealer ‘add-ons’ stuck on the window either that will just never do.

In the automotive market, used cars will most certainly come with a lower initial price tag than a comparably equipped new car. And not only will the price be lower, you may also find that so is your cost to insure the used car as well as the tags, and taxes. Depreciation being what it is; means that with a car a couple of years old, the biggest depreciation hit has already occurred. And from a tangible perspective, you may have a better chance of getting those upgrades you’d like to have on the used car that you couldn’t otherwise afford going with the new.

Yet, with all of this, buying a used car isn’t for everyone. Finding a used vehicle that fits one’s entire car buying criteria can be a tough exercise in balancing what you want with the value versus risk inherent when it comes to used cars.

Not so many years ago, reliability was a major concern when purchasing a used car… and rightfully so. Today however, reliability problems are a fraction of what they used to be. Today’s vehicles, when properly maintained will easily go for 100,000 miles and it’s not uncommon for vehicles to be motoring along as they approach 200,000 miles or more. And with all of the information now available online, the risk factor is again reduced even a bit more.

Even though more reliable today, buying a used car for people means buying a car that is probably out of its original bumper to bumper warranty. This alone, is enough to repel many potential car buyers back to the new car side of the dealership.

As you know, if you are looking at buying a used car, you are probably looking at a car that is outside the factory warranty or at least would have very little remaining. With no warranty you’ll be on the hook to pay for any needed repairs out of your own pocket. However, the biggest expense for most all cars today are the things that aren’t covered by any manufacturer’s warranty anyway; items such as brakes, tires, alignment, batteries, etc.

Of course nobody can guarantee that you won’t encounter a lemon. No matter what the make and model, no manufacturer can produce a vehicle that can withstand years of neglect and/or abuse. Always, always, always give the used car a thorough inspection both by yourself and a qualified mechanic; doing this will catch most problems that may be looming on the horizon.

When it comes to financing the purchase of a used car, you find that the going interest rates will typically be higher than new car rates. This is definitely a piece of the puzzle you’ll want to check out. There is no rule of thumb as to what the difference in the interest rate will be between the two because there are just too many determining variables involved such as; the economy, rebates and incentives involved on the new car side, your credit, length of financing, and even the type of used car you’re looking at. Be sure to crunch the numbers for both sides.

With used cars, insurance can save you some money as well because you’ll typically pay less for your insurance on a like model from a few years past. The reason is simple; less cost of replacement for the insurance company and used cars are generally not high on the stolen lists.

And finally, (the latest) safety features could be a concern if you’re looking at used car (particularly if you’re going back a few model years).

All in all, if the touch, feel, and smell of a new car, isn’t a top priority for you, I think you’ll find that a well thought out used car purchase you can get more car and features and still be within your budget.

So you are it yet again, cruising down the highway in your stylish Porsche 911 Turbo, with the sun roof open and the wind blowing through your hair. Its Friday today, and you’re all stoked up as the weekend lies ahead. Everything seems just perfect! But, then it happens. There it is again, that menacing sound struggling to drown out your CD player. Just when you shoot a quick glance at your rearview mirror, that perfectly happy face turns into a tight frown. Sure we all know that mean…oh boy! you are been pulled over. How you wish it was not those annoying red and blue lights again. Perhaps you change lanes and hopes he goes the other away, but as it turns out he’s in fact chasing you.

Ah, those wonderful speeding tickets. Sure, you were going 76 in a 65 lane. Or maybe you were simply trying to keep up with the flow of traffic. Hey, whatever you do, “thank you” is the last word you need to say, after he passes you the ticket. Now who doesn’t hate speeding tickets, that’s for sure everyone does! Personally, no matter who you are or how wealthy you are, no one wants those dreadful speeding tickets. Sure, I remember the first time I received one when I was 19 years old. I was cruising home from college in my neat little Mazda Miata, which was one of those fun cars to drive in. Unfortunately cops are always looking out for sports cars. And apparently the colors red and black seem to get the worst.

Though it may have seemed quite inevitable, I was pulled over and handed the lousy speeding ticket. No matter how much I dreaded and hoped, I still got stuck with it. Now what to do? The next thing I did was talk to my older brother about speeding tickets, and then decided to show up in court and plead it out. My court date arrived and I must admit that I was quite nervous.

Luckily the judge turned out to be rather compassionate. I pleaded with her and she said it will not go against my record. At the end, I had to pay up a ticket fee and court costs, but that was the end of it. Showing up at court was a better choice rather than simply sending in a payment. In any case when it comes to speeding tickets, you clearly and simply don’t want them. This can cause your insurance to shoot up! Now, that’s not good for the old bank account.

How many speeding tickets have you received over the years? I hope there aren’t too many. Despite the consequences, you should try and have your ticket resolved as best you can. Of course if you can avoid it going on your record, you’re doing well. Obviously the best way is to not get speeding tickets by sticking with the posted speed limit. On the other hand if you do receive a ticket and you feel as though it was wrongly issued, I suggest pleading it out. No mater what make the officer prove it was you speeding past his radar gun.

>From 1st July 2007 the UK bans smoking in enclosed public places with as many as 600,000 people forecast to quit smoking as a result. This article looks at if charging people to drive will have similar results for the Motor Trade.

In The Beatles classic song Taxman the lyric goes, “We’ll tax your feet”. Whilst the government hasn’t yet decided to do this it seems the introduction of “pay as you drive” schemes may soon be hitting the roads of the UK but what impact (if any) will this have on the UK Motor Trade.

Well there appears to be a few factors that road users might want to consider:

1. If you’re a driver who drives infrequently or at less busy times you could end up paying less. 2. Or you might drive an average number of miles but due to you driving at rush hours (on you way to/from work or school) you will end up paying more money 3. You may want to use public transport more often 4. You and your friends may set up a car pool scheme so you take it in turns to drive 5. If you spend a lot of time on the road travelling to see friends and family maybe you won’t be able to visit them as often as before 6. If you spend time travelling for work maybe you won’t be able to visit customers as much or worse still increased transport costs may mean your less competitive or jobs have to be cut

And what about people in the Motor Trade itself?

If the smoking ban just announced makes people stop smoking then maybe forcing people to pay more to drive will mean people will simply drive less often. Therefore less cars are needed, less people are needed to service and repair them and jobs are lost in the Motor Industry.

Of course these are all what if’s as nobody really knows what impact this decision will have on the transport system, the motor trade or indeed modern life.

If maybe a positive move with a journey to work being halved due to less vehicles on the road. It may mean a change in the opening hours for businesses or schools so not everyone is fighting to get to and from work as the same time as the school run is being done.

It may mean more money is invested in public transport so we have buses, trains, tubes and other forms of transport that are reliable and we’d be happy using.

Or of course it may mean nothing changes apart from the fact that we have less money in our pockets.

If the results of this survey conducted by Northern Counties Insurance Brokers are anything to go by.

People were asked what impact will having to pay per journey have on you?

- 40% said no impact as they couldn’t live without their car

- 13% said they would stop driving altogether

- 6% said they would drive less often

- 21% said they would use public transpoty more often

- 11% said they would car share to cut costs

- 5% said they would walk more often

- 3% said they would still drive as often but at different times

Whatever your thoughts are on the governments new “pay to drive” schemes the chances are it will happen and the impact on the motor trade could be massive

If you finally decided to get rid of your old and ugly car, don’t jump into a car buying without calculating.

It’s o.k. that you already know what you want. The latest Ferrari model, of course. The red one you saw at http://thecarofyourfantasies.com. But maybe you should reconsider it. By the way, did you know that red cars and sports type cars are stopped more often?

Purchasing a new car is a complicated financial operation and a highlight of your life. Take it seriously.

First, have a look at your family budget. Sit down and check all your household expenses, as well as cash on hand and your take-home pay and determine what you can reasonably afford to pay for a new car. According to the experts you shouldn’t spend on your car more than 20 percent of your monthly income.

Afterwards check your credit. Start this process months before you plan to purchase, if possible, because if you have incorrect or outdated information that’s lowering your score - and therefore raising the interest rate you’ll have to pay - it can removed, but it takes at least 60 to 90 days.

To calculate monthly payments, you should factor in proposed purchase price, the down payment, interest rate and term of your loan. All will affect how much you can afford to spend on your car.

Don’t worry if you can’t get a standard loan, there are alternatives. If the banks, building societies and credit unions won’t lend to you because you’re self employed, newly arrived in the country or have a poor credit history, consider the booming non-conforming and "low doc" loan market.

A number of non-bank lenders offer loans which especially cater for this type of borrower. The interest rates on non-conforming loans are generally higher but come down after a few years of on-time repayments.

Think about all the expenses of a car: Insurance rates, fuel costs, maintenance, repair and not only the purchase price. Some luxury cars and not American-made cars cost more to repair.

Decide if you want to buy a new car or a used one. Both have pros and cons. A used car costs significantly cheaper but there is no comprehensive new-car warranty, not as many safety and convenience features but a questionable maintenance.

As for the timing, the two best times of the year to buy a car are the end of December (when dealers are competing for Christmas shoppers) and between July and October (when dealers are making room for new models).

You should also consider what’s the primary use of the car, who’ll drive, where will you use the car and so on.

Many companies offer services for car hire in Murica or at the airport. San Javier airport in Murica is located at the northern shore of the Mar Menor. Since 1996, this airport has experienced tremendous growth in flights for tourists. This has resulted in more car hire companies operating in and around the airport.

Car Hire Murica Planning

Consider the size of the car you will need. An economy car is cheaper in terms of rental rates as well as fuel costs. A smaller car will get better gas mileage. If you are travelling with your family or a larger group, you may need a larger vehicle. Otherwise, a compact is a good choice.

Consider insurance when you are planning a car hire. You may have coverage with your car insurance or credit card company. Check with your broker before your tip. If you are already covered, you can save between $5 and $10 per day on your rental costs.

Book in advance for any car hire. You will pay more if you don’t reserve in advance. In addition, your choices may be limited. If you are travelling in the busy season, which is summer, you may not get the car you need. In the very busy weeks, you may not be able to get a car at all.

To hire a car, you will need the proper documentation. Most companies will ask for your driver’s license, proof of insurance and a credit card. Find out in advance which cards are accepted. Many companies have a minimum age requirement for rentals.

Inspect the car before you leave. Take not of any scratches, dents or areas where the paint is chipped. Call these to the attention of the company’s representative. Be sure all damage is noted on the rental agreement. If possible, take pictures with a digital camera to record the damage. You don’t want to be blamed later for damage that was already there when you picked up the car.

Comparing Companies for Car Hire Murica

The rates for the same car can vary considerably from company to company. Compare basic rates and the fees for extras. Some offer all inclusive rental packages, while others charge for extras. These extras can include insurance, mileage, the cost of additional drivers, airport taxes and other fees.

Find out what is included in the price you are quoted. If the company charges a basic rate with add on fees for extras, have the clerk calculate all expenses at the time you are given the quote. This will give you a more reliable comparison.

Get the agreement in writing and be sure to get a confirmation number. You don’t want to go through all the work of comparing prices only to end up paying a higher price later. A quote in writing with a confirmation number for your reservation will help you avoid headaches later.

Compare the cost for picking the car up at the airport or renting in the city. In many cases, there is no real difference in cost. In other cases, you may save money by hiring a car in the city. Most companies will provide transportation to and from the airport. In general, it is cheaper if you pick up and drop off the car in the same location, whether it’s in the city or at the airport.

Compare daily and weekly rates with each company. The weekly rates are often cheaper. If you are staying five days, it may still be less expensive to reserve the car at the weekly rate. You can still return the car early and save money.

Look for coupons or discounts for your car hire. If you book your flight through a travel agent, you may get a discount on a car hire. Organizations such as AAA or travel clubs often offer discounted rates to members. Travel magazines sometimes contain coupons for rental fees. Find and use any discount you can to save money.

What You Need to Know After an Auto Accident

The worst thing has just happened to you. You have had an accident. There’s never a good time to have an accident but it always seems to happen at the worst possible time. So what do you do? First off you need to stay calm. It’s a totally natural reaction to lose your head or panic right when you need to be rational. Just after the accident is the time you should be taking note of all the information you will need to ensure that you are fully compensated and covered for any damage done to your property or to you. Talk to witnesses, get their contact details, make notes and take pictures if possible at the time of the accident. You’ll be glad you did as it will be difficult to accurately recall all of the details as time passes. Finally remeber not to admit that you caused the accident, even if you did.

Right after the accident this will all be the last thing you think of so make a checklist and keep it in the car.

While you are at the Accident Scene, note the following details You will need:

Driver Details of everyone involved in the accident. Don’t forgrt to add yours too. These details should cover the Drivers Name, driving license details and driver insurance details including the insurance company name, policy number and contact details. Finally remember to get the car license plate number.

If you are carrying a camera take pictures of the accident scene, the damaged vehicles and any injuries that were caused by the accident.

Note the contact details of any witnesses such as name, address, phone number and email address so that you can follow up with them later.

Post Accident Follow Up

Complete your own fully detailed description of the accident as soon as possible after it occurred. You can fill this in with the details and any pictures that you took at the scene of the accident. If you were injured then take pictures of your injuries.

Follow up with the witnesses to the accident and get their written details of the accident. If the Police attended the scene of the accident ask for their report.

After the Accident

If you were injured you will need to keep track of the following medical expenses and visits:

Any hospital visits and treatments at hospitals such as MRI, x-ray, physiotherapy and laboratory services.

Over the counter and prescription medications.

You should keep track of the dates, times and reasons you had to visit a doctor or the hospital and keep a note of the time off of work due to the accident. If the time off caused a loss of income you should get a letter detailing all of the lost income from your employer. Similarly if you are still in school you should keep track of all of the hours of missed schooling due to the accident.

While you are undertaking medical treatment you should take pictures of your injuries to show their progress over time. Keep a log of the date and time of the picture and add details of any pain that you are experiencing, how you are feeling, and any distress or discomfort that you experience as a result of the accident.

Keep track of all other expenses related to the accident. These will incluse some of the following: Property damages such as car repairs, damage to barriers, fences and signs.

Some other indirect expenses may also occur such as a cancelled vacation due to injuries sustained in the accident or the cost of a rental car while yours is repaired.Finally there are other miscellaneous costs, such as ointments,lotions to treat your injuries and bandages.

Finally

Never reply to any questions or queries from any other party involved in or related to the accident, such as insurance companies or attournies without first consulting your attourny. Do not settle any bills or sign any documents until you are sure of the extent of current and future medical expenses related to the accident, and have agreed it with your attourney.

We sincerely hope you never need this advice, but if you are involved in an accident it’s comforting to know that we are here!

Adding a teen driver to your auto policy can be a painful experience. One, you don’t want to let them drive your brand new car and two, your rate is about to double or triple. Yes, I did say triple. Especially with a new car. The newer your cars are the higher the rate increase.

Here are some tips to help you avoid this financial headache.

Do your kids have to have a brand new car?

This one surprises me all the time. Parents complain about how much insurance costs for a teen driver and then I ask them what kind of car they are looking at and it’s a brand new 2006 or maybe even a 2007 model. You say it’s loaded with all these new safety controls and has 12 airbags. Those safety features will protect you but they also cost a lot to fix and replace so that’s why the insurance is high. Cars are easy to replace, people are not.

There are many reliable late model cars out there that are just as safe as the brand new models and will cost less to insure. If your teen wants a newer model to look cool, tell them to start working for it.

Another benefit to having a late model car is you can choose not to put comprehensive and collision coverage on it. This will drastically reduce the cost of your premiums. Keep that in mind when shopping for a car.

Make sure you get all the discounts your teen driver is eligible for.

A ‘B’ or better average will usually qualify them for a Good Student Discount. Have your teen take a driver’s training course. These two discounts can take a nice chunk off the insurance. And they also encourage safe and responsible driving. Make sure you remind them that driving is a privilege not a right.

Two other discounts you may be eligible for are for when they go away to college or overseas to study abroad. Both of them give you a discount for limiting your teen’s access to your cars. The logic is they don’t have access to your vehicles so they should not affect your premium. You have to make your insurance company aware of these situations when they arise. Most companies are not going to be proactive about lowering your rates if they can help it. It’s up to you to make sure you get all the discounts you and your teen are eligible for.

Most states allow teens to have a permit. Use that to your advantage.

This one is a little sneaky but when you can save a few hundred dollars every 6 months every little bit helps. When your teen has a learner’s permit most insurance companies do not charge you for this. Only when they get their actual driver’s license do your rates go through the roof. The idea is to keep them with their permit for as long as possible. Understand that with a permit there are restrictions such as driving supervised and not driving at night. So as long as you don’t mind supervising your teen as they gain more experience by all means go ahead.

And once they do get their actual license you have to let the insurance company know about it or risk a claim they cause being denied.

Insuring a teen driver is expensive no matter how you slice it. Follow these tips and you can start getting the best teen car insurance rates available.

Parting with something valuable or dear is not the easiest thing for anyone, and if that thing happens to be your newly purchased dream car, that anxiety can be all the more intolerable.

To make matters worse, if you happen to be relocating, or you bought your car in some other state other than yours, you would actually have to entrust some stranger or some service to transport your car back to you.

To reunite with your beloved car, you must make sure to use the services of a fully licensed and insured car transport company that specializes in transporting cars. Doing thorough research on the various car transporter companies and car transport service before deciding on one will minimize the risk of any damage or mishap to your car:

* Just like any other industry, the auto transport industry is marked by myriad prices and multiple car transport options. Your first task involves choosing the right kind of auto transport. Depending on the value of your car, and how badly you want to lessen the risk of damage, you have the option of an enclosed, open or fabric covered auto transporter to ship your car. The covered trailer type carriers are definitely the safest and costliest options. If you have a tight budget, you can consider transporting your car on the multi-layer carriers used by car dealers. As your car will be just one of many cars of their total cargo, they will charge you less, but your car will still remain protected during shipping nonetheless.

* You also need to decide whether to go with a car transport company or with a car transport broker. A car transport broker typically does not have his own trailer while an auto transport company does. The broker has to make arrangements with the bigger car transport services to transport your car on their trucks. Brokers typically ask for an initial deposit, while the rest of the car transport payment is made, upon safe delivery of your car, to the car transport service that actually shipped your car.

* Insurance is a must if you are considering transporting your car over a long distance. Generally your own auto insurance company covers the car, but sometimes the car transport companies offer a package in which the insurance costs are included. In any case, be clear of what is covered by insurance and what is not.

* It is safest to deal with an auto transport company that does offer a satellite tracking service. Most major transport companies offer this service for free. Keeping a constant tab on the route and the move helps keep you informed every step of the way during the car shipping, and reassured that your car will arrive home safely.

Even though lower car insurance quotes are occurring through competition from warring insurance companies vying for new business, as well as increasing online quote houses, millions of consumers are still paying dramatically more for their car insurance than they have to, to the tune of millions every year, and hundreds of dollars per household.

Online quote houses, such as Insurance-Info-Center.com, states on its site that on average, customers can save $451 on their car insurance by comparing car insurance quotes with them.

But these typical savings won’t affect the average consumer unless they take action and compare their rates, both online, and with national and local agents in their area.

All auto insurance is not the same. In one study by a major insurance company conducted between 1999 and 2004, a six-month auto insurance policy fluctuated between a low of $481 to a high of $586. This translates to a year policy costing as low as $775, to as high as $1256 for the exact same coverage.

This means one thing: for consumer to save, find good service, and get a good rate on their auto insurance, they need to shop, shop, shop.

It may seem simple, but according to studies by a major online carrier, only 20% of the people surveyed actually get more than one quote before buying their insurance.

Experts agree that getting a mix of quotes from large as well as small insurers will give you a good mix. Insurance-Info-Center.com lets you pick from a wide variety of national insurers through their automated providers.

Experts also suggest that, even with the convenience and speed of online quotes, you should consult local providers as well.

In the long run you should shop around, and get quotes from as many places as you can before making a final decision. In the end, it will save you big money.