Cars have long since been held as a fascinating piece of engineering and the vehicle has come a long way since the invention of the wheel. Boys and to some extent girls are into playing with cars from a young age and for many this fascination goes on to become a hobby. Some collect, others learn to drive and drive as much as they can, yet others turn their driving passion towards racing and other car oriented sports. In the sporting arena we have the sports car enthusiasts who will do anything to be with their cars.

Another category is the sports car fan and drivers who have graduated to actual production of these cars. They will go on to build cars from scratch to resemble some of the most valuable and rare cars in the history of cars. These are called kit car owners who go the distance to make quality replicas of the original vehicle. Now the end product looks almost indistinguishable from the original. Take the famous Cobra - it has a lot of takers.

There is something to be said about getting the tool box out and building your own replicar. Some actually revel in the challenge that this hobby brings with it. You also get to create your dream car without spending a fortune on it. Replicars facilitate building your own car ground upwards using a kit body along with a common mainstream automotive base and other parts. In itself the world of replicars is a different world altogether which comprises builders and fans. They hold rallies and get togethers where there is a lot of interaction and a lot of ideas are exchanged and most tend to find parts that they need and another does not. Not only does this hobby encourage more socializing with like minded people it also brings with it a heady mix of people from different walks of life and one gets a chance to learn about different aspects of replicars and others’ experiences.

A personally-built car means you have a very clear idea of your car’s capability and limitations. So the success of your car depends on your ability to have understood what you have made and to use it to its optimum strength. Of course there is always the option of buying your favorite classic model and driving it around but to build a replicar and then use what you have put together is a feeling only true enthusiasts can understand. These classic cars models sure make heads turn and they come with interesting stories too. Replicar enthusiasts and kit car builders are the ones who really know what driving is all about as they are both the creators and the users.

Drag racing became a sanctioned sport back in the 1950’s, and has remained popular ever since. The World Wide Web gives an excellent, authoritative definition that reads as follows: “Drag racing is a form of auto racing in which cars or motorcycles attempt to complete a fairly short, straight and level course in the shortest amount of time. Drag racing originated in the United States and is still the most popular there. The most common distance is one quarter of a mile, although one eighth of a mile tracks are also popular, especially in the southeastern United States.”

While many people believe that drag racing is a popular sport only in the United States, there are numerous other countries where drag racing has quite a fan base. These countries include Canada, South Africa, Mexico, Malta, Australia, Brazil, Japan, New Zealand, Greece, England, the Caribbean, as well as many Scandinavian and European countries. At any given time, there are approximately 325 drag racing strips fully operational worldwide

Drag racing is essentially two cars racing against one another down a straight track to see who can cross the finish line first. Since there are no hair pin turns involved, this may sound like an easy feat, however, the driver must be able to have quick reactions times and be able to handle the car effectively. In addition, the car must be tuned to near perfection and operate well under extreme circumstances.

While many people are content to simply haul their dragster down to the local track every Saturday night and compete for bragging rights and trophies, there are many drag racers that take drag racing seriously and attend sanctioned events to compete for big titles and big money.

In professional drag racing, there are only five main categories, and these include Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Modified, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Bike. In the upper racing divisions, dragsters can reach speeds of up to 330 miles per hour! This means that a car performing at this rate of speed could travel the distance of a quarter mile track in a mere 4.45 seconds. If you have never witnessed this in person, it is an awesome sight to behold.

Drag racing has turned into a multimillion-dollar business; with companies paying for ad space on the racecars, as well as race promoters vying for television and radio time, drag racing is enjoying wide exposure. If you have yet to be exposed to drag racing, grab the family or a few friends and head on down to your closest racetrack! A night of drag racing will afford the entire family a wonderful time, as well as a unique experience.

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.

The advice is all the same for auto repair scam prevention. You’ll be told to find an ASE certified shop. Ask around. Check out several different repair facilities first. Are they clean and neat? Do they provide written estimates? Check with the BBB. Is it AAA certified? Some will even advise to “ask for the parts back.”

Traditional tips and suggestions merely put a band-aid over an infected, gaping sore. Strong antibiotics are required to address the root source of the problems in the repair industry. To provide repair customers with the above advice is like sending a soldier into combat dressed in a pink tutu. We have to stop scratching at the surface.

There has not been any “new” advice in decades. More importantly, no one has answered why car repair scams have reached an estimated 40 billion dollars per year. Moreover, why is there still no solution to stop car repair scams?

The first hurdle to conquer is the perception of the frequency of auto repair scams. Many folks just don’t believe that car repair fraud is all that bad. Some even argue that the vast majority of repair shops do an honest day’s work, and that a few bad apples are making the rest look like crooks.

This is an interesting argument, and raises a number of questions.

1) If it is only a few “bad apples,” where are they hiding the 40 billion? 2) If most repair shops are honest, why does every state warn against car repair scams? 3) Why are auto repair shops at the top of consumer complaint lists every single year, in every state?

This is even expanding across the continents. For example, just last week Australia listed car repair scams at number 4 on their top 10 consumer complaint list.

The perception of frequency gets distorted because there are a number of levels to repair scams. There are the blatant rip-offs covered in the news. For a great video visit “Repair Scams Caught on Video” @ www.repairtrust.com. Then there are the common scams such as exorbitant prices and estimates, and aggressive scare tactics to get service customers to perform services. These occur every day.

The repair scams uncovered by RepairTrust not only found the tactics listed above and more, but a powerful undercurrent of scamming at the foundation of the automotive service industry.

In reality, most car repair scams go unnoticed by the service consumer. Service customers just have no idea that they were ripped-off. This under-the-radar scamming occurs in dealerships, local shops, and franchises. Affiliation with ASE, AAA, BBB, NADA makes no difference.

An ASE patch on a technician’s arm, or an AAA or BBB sticker on the door of a service center means absolutely nothing in terms of a scam-free facility. Word of mouth recommendations can be just as devastating, as even shops that “seem” honest aren’t.

Check out “Car Repair Prices: There Are No Honest Mechanics” @ Isnare or RepairTrust for further discussion on this. Also, for NEW and FREE scam prevention tips visit the Car Repair Scam Articles @ RepairTrust.

Traditional tips are ineffective in today’s service industry. Service facilities have found new and ingenious ways of ripping people off. In truth, many of the old tips and suggestions have actually become weapons allowing service centers to indulge in car repair scams more than ever.

The car repair playing field must be leveled. Service customers need solid answers, and they need to be equipped with information, understanding, tools, and an insider’s view of the who, what, when, where, why, and how of price-gouging.

Navigating the dim underworld of today’s service centers with outdated information will cost a fortune.

America’s hotrod scene has been one of its most unique features and subcultures since the earlier 1900s, and most notably in the 1950s. Enthusiasts would spend countless time and money modifying, tuning, and driving their cars so that they could be the fastest, the most dangerous, and gain the most respect. A resurgence of this culture appeared when small economy cars were modified, and in the 1990s, the “Tuner” crowd was born.

Now the same enthusiasts are shifting from speed and power to efficiency and distance.

One-by-one, back yard mechanics and former racers are beginning to modify their cars for gas mileage instead of horsepower. In this game, less is more, and the person with the smallest car, the smallest engine, and the fewest horses powering their vehicle usually win. Surprisingly, it’s not just the fiscally responsible adults that are concerned about fuel economy, but young enthusiasts are also jumping on the bandwagon.

A quick look at websites like http://GasSavers.org will show you hundreds of people all interested in modifying their cars to make them more efficient. That is where Matt Todhunter, who at one time spent more than $12,000 to make his car fast, now goes to talk about making his car efficient.

“I wanted to be unique again,” says Todhunter, “…and I wanted to straighten up my finances. I knew that I’d never be able to stop modifying cars, so I figured I’d do something that was much less expensive yet still goal oriented. I still get to tinker with my car, it’s ALWAYS a challenge, and I haven’t gotten a speeding ticket in a long time.”

Enthusiasts like Matt Todhunter are becoming more and more common, and they are even beginning to earn the respect of the hotrodders, who are often amazed by the accomplishments these fuel economy fanatics are capable of achieving.

Many of the crossovers from the racing crowd are able to apply the same principles to fuel economy. “Most of the modifications are the same,” says Joe Gardner, another fuel economy enthusiast. “Racers and people interested in fuel economy both want lighter, smaller cars that are aerodynamic and ultra efficient. The only major difference is that we want small engines and they want big ones.”

Considering the similarity in process, procedure, and mentality of modifying for speed and gas mileage, it is also no surprise that many speed enthusiasts are beginning to have two cars: one car modified for fuel economy as their daily driver, and another car modified for speed for their “fun” car.

While America’s obsession with speed will most likely never end, this new breed of auto enthusiast will most certainly be a driving force in their future choice of transportation. As the fuel economy movement gains more momentum, it would be no surprise at all of this became the next “big thing” for car lovers.

Time has passed, and the same old crumby job greets you each day as it has for the past several years. When will life change its fortunes towards you? The answer to this question is when you decide to save money, and go to auto mechanic school. Attending school is not an easy task for one that has a family, with bills to pay, and therefore it is necessary for one to save enough money before attending auto mechanic school.

While creating a budget might not be a strong point for the family, it is one way to save for auto mechanic school, and catapult your career to the next level. Unfortunately for most, no one will simply provide for one to go to auto mechanic school, it is one of those things that requires cash, and free cash for most Americans requires saving money. This is why creating a budget is so important. With a fixed budget and some discipline, a small fortune can be saved in a less than a year for most working professionals.

Creating a budget won’t be easy, and takes a focused effort and strategic planning to make happen. Attending auto mechanic school most likely will depend on your personal ability to create and abide by a budget. Attending a training program is something that takes work, and must be made a priority. When creating a budget for your auto mechanic school fund, simply look at what costs can be cut. Treat your auto mechanic school budget as a business with a bill each month that must be paid. This will help put the concept of saving into perspective, and allow you to look at the auto mechanic school savings as a third party.

For example, you love doughnuts and coffee, and have decided that you can save nearly $10 a week by not eating at the doughnut shop for breakfast every morning. You should look at this cut back as one step closer to achieving your goal to attend auto mechanic school. Thinking about the new budget in a positive light will greatly enhance the experience, and help you to keep going towards your goal of attending auto mechanic school.

Creative budgeting is another way to save for auto mechanic school. Utilizing creative budgeting will make it easier, and more feasible to attend auto mechanic school sooner than one would think possible. Creative budgets are ones that are created around unique ideas that will allow for the saving of money through the replacement of paid activities with free ones. An example of creative budgeting would be to stop spending $10 at the video store each week, and rent movies from the library for free, and put that $40 a month towards auto mechanic school tuition instead. By doing this, one will save the money needed for attending school.

While most people look at budgeting as a negative, or repressive act that is not fun to engage in, others that love to save money look at it as a way of life. If you stop thinking like the former, and start to believe in the latter, auto mechanic school is not but a few months of saving away. Even for those that don’t earn a substantial income, it is all about saving. Whatever is saved, can be used towards auto mechanic school, which often offers a tuition payment plan for those that need it.

To most people, the most obvious way to save gas is buying a new car that gets better gas mileage. But before you head to the dealer to make your trade-in, you should know that there are easier ways to save money on gasoline.

Do you stop short at traffic lights and then make a jack-rabbit start? Do you weave in and out of traffic? Driving more sensibly can save you 5%-33% on your gasoline costs. Driving the speed limit can save you another 7%-23%. It is estimated that every 5 miles you drive above 60 miles per hour is comparable to spending an additional $0.20 on gas. Using your cruise control can also save gas since it regulates your speed. Additionally, using your overdrive gears when climbing hills can help. Excessive idling wastes fuel as well so you might want to consider turning off your car if you need to wait for someone or are completely stopped in traffic.

If you’re carrying around a lot of junk in your trunk, now is the time to clean out your car. Every extra pound you carry in your vehicle reduces your gas mileage. This formula applies more accurately to small vehicles rather than larger ones, but the total savings of reducing the weight in your car by 100 pounds is 1-2%.

Keeping your car properly maintained can improve your gas mileage as much as 19%. Visit your mechanic to check if your car is properly in tune and that there are no major mechanical problems detracting from your gas mileage. Discuss a schedule for changing your air filter, as this can improve mileage by up to 10%. Perhaps the simplest mileage savings comes from keeping your tires properly inflated. Purchase a tire gauge at your automotive supply store and learn to use it!

Many employers are now offering their employees the ability to telecommute and work from their home offices. Telecommuting just one day out of ten will obviously save you 10% on your gas costs. Carpooling, ride-sharing and public transportation are also ways to save gas, but these things may not an option for you due to scheduling conflicts. You can still save gas by avoiding rush hour commuting, combining errands into one trip and arranging your route to avoid backtracking.

Many families are unwilling or unable to give up their annual driving vacation, but can save money by making sure their car is properly maintained as described above and by driving the speed limit. Additionally, using a top carrier causes drag and can reduce efficiency by as much as 5% in addition to the reductions caused by carrying extra weight.

To ensure car manufacturers meet the expectations of the mainstream customer, many of today’s cars leave the factory with low-velocity, ultra-quiet exhaust systems. As a result, exhaust flow (along with power and torque) is restricted. But our performance exhaust systems release this stranglehold on your engine. By using patented technology to boost exhaust flow velocity, our exhausts systems unleash the power and optimize your cars performance.

What’s more, you will gain a non-raspy distinctive euro exhaust note. And while stock exhaust systems tend to discolor and lose their showroom appearance quickly, our systems ads fine motorsport styling to your vehicle, designed to endure years of heavy use. Precision manufacturing using aircraft quality T-304 stainless steel prevents corrosion, and keeps your exhaust system looking new. Each system includes a variety of trademark engineering enhancements. Including ultra-smooth mandrel bends for maximum flow and power.

Sport Exhaust Systems:

If you are interested in modifying you VW/Audi for better performance, the exhaust system should be the first step. A good sport exhaust will provide more power for the money than any other modification you can consider. Plus, a sport exhaust makes your car sound that much better. Usually, both horsepower and mileage go up when you upgrade the exhaust.

Note: Failure to change the exhaust before making other performance modifications can hurt performance. Some cam and chip upgrades just do not work properly without upgrading the exhaust system.

The cast iron dual outlet manifold lasts and lasts and is quieter than a tubular header. In most cases, your stock cast iron exhaust manifold or a cast euro-manifold will offer excellent results when used with a Techtonics Tuned downpipe or euro-downpipe and sport exhaust system. (The exceptions to this are the ‘82 & up Scirocco, ‘83-’84 GTI/GLI single outlet manifolds.) The difference in power output between the best headers and the stock or euro-manifold/Techtonics Tuned downpipe combination is quite small.

Techtonics Tuning has a downpipe for use on the early VW’s with stock catalytic converters. A direct replacement on early cars with a stock dual outlet manifold or cars that have been fitted with the dual outlet manifold, this downpipe will "keep you legal" while adding about 8% more horsepower to a stock motor. Something else to consider: Due to the rocking motion of a transverse mounted engine, it is difficult to make a header that will hold up well. Tubular headers just do not last for most people.

BBM is very pleased to offer you Techtonics Tuned Exhaust for the earlier VW’s. This system doesn’t make as much "advertised" horsepower as our competitors claim their’s does. However, in terms of "real" dyno tested power Techtonics Tuning systems have the competition marking their words.

Another plus for the TECHTONICS TUNED exhaust is that all parts for the system are available separately. How do they fit? With more than 20 years of refinement TT systems fit better than the competitions. All systems have a resonator as well as a muffler to dampen out harsh sound levels.

Stainless Steel Exhaust Systems:

Simply the best fitting and longest lasting exhaust system available for your VW. With over 20 years of refinement and upgrading we are able to offer a * Limited Lifetime Warranty on all stainless steel cat back exhaust systems. Our latest systems are made of 304 stainless steel. This includes the tubing, clamps, resonator, and muffler. Perfect for "salt belt" dwellers. Nobody gives you the options that TT offers. You can choose the sound level by ordering the system with 0,1 or 2 resonators (available for the Mk2, Mk3, Passat 16V & Corrado G-60).

You have probably heard theses gas saving tips from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and whoever taught you to drive. Yet very few people actually bother to implement them.

Why is that? Are people tired of hearing them? Have these gas saving tips been said so many times that people tune them out? Well, you are going to hear them again in this series of articles, along with the reasons why they DO work!

Gas Saving Tip #1: Know Your Vehicle’s Fuel Efficiency

The actual fuel efficiency of your car will probably differ from that stated on the price sticker. Variables such as make, model, weather, city or interstate driving, and driving habits will affect the fuel efficiency. Efficiency is measured in miles driven per gallon of gasoline used (miles per gallon or mpg).

That is why you should periodically calculate your vehicle’s fuel efficiency. If you see it decreasing, you know that something’s not right with the engine and can take quick action to fix it.

Some people are unaware of how to properly calculate fuel efficiency. It is more than simply dividing miles by gallons. For example, if someone drives 500 miles and then buys 1 gallon of gas, the fuel efficiency is not 500 miles per gallon!

Here is the proper method to calculate fuel efficiency in mpg:

1. Fill up your gas tank. Do not top it off. 2. Write down the starting mileage. 3. Drive until the tank is almost empty. 4. Fill the tank up again the next time you need to buy gas. 5. Write down the ending mileage. 6. Write down the number of gallons of gas it took to fill up the tank. 7. Calculate the Miles Traveled as the Ending Mileage minus the Starting Mileage. 8. The fuel efficiency in mpg = Miles Traveled / Gallons Used

Example:

A driver fills up her tank when the odometer reads 25,000 miles. When the tank is almost empty, she fills up with 18.5 gallons, and the odometer reads 25,500 miles.

Starting Mileage = 25,000 miles Ending Mileage = 25,500 miles Miles Traveled = 25,500 - 25,000 = 500 miles Gallons Used = 18.5 gallons Fuel Efficiency = 500 miles / 18.5 gallons = 27 mpg

If her next efficiency calculation under similar driving conditions is only 20 mpg, she knows that something is wrong with the vehicle.

As gas prices go higher, the need to save gas and save money on fuel is greater than ever. More gas saving tips can be found at the website below.

With gas prices across the nation at or near all time highs driving is becoming increasingly expensive. Everyone is looking for a way to save a little money on gas. Because of this, we have comprised a list of five very practical steps you can take to significantly increase your gas mileage.

5. Check your tire pressure. Under inflated tires will not only cause you to go through tires more quickly, but it can also cost you gas mileage. For every 1 PSI under-inflated your tires are you loose 0.4% gas mileage. If your tires are 5 pounds under-inflated, your loosing 2% of your gas mileage.

4. Maintain a steady speed. Accelerating uses more gas than maintaining your current speed, and every time you brake, you�re wasting the momentum you have burned gas to build up. By anticipating traffic and avoiding constant acceleration and deceleration, especially in stop and go traffic you can significantly reduce gas consumption and increase the life of your car.

3. Get a tune up. Regular maintenance will help your care run better, last longer, and can improve your gas mileage up to 25%.

2. Use the octane level your vehicle manufacture recommends. If your car does not require higher octane gas, don�t buy it. Many people believe that buying the premium gas will make their car run better but in reality is can make your engine run too hot and do more harm than good. By decreasing from premium to regular unleaded you can save 20 cents or more per gallon.

1. Use a credit card to save on gas. There are many credit cards available that will pay you between 5-8% cash back on gas purchases. There are even cards that will give you rewards points for every mile you drive in your car. By using these benefits to your advantage you can save $0.15 - $0.25 cents per gallon on gas.