Get auto insurance quotes

One of my friends was planning to buy a used car and asked me if I had some tips. He was so surprised when he learnt about the road tax, the MOT tests and of course the cost of insurance. If you are buying from a dealer, they will usually try to convince you to get the insurance from one of the companies they partner with. Naturally these are not necessarily the cheapest or the best.

In the US, if you are buying your first car, you need to buy the insurance even before you can drive away from the dealership with your new car. I think it's unethical for some dealers to force down their insurance policies on some unsuspecting customer. I mean not all customers will want a full coverage and would rather go for the legal minimum required. You have to note that different American states have different rules and most require you to have an insurance if you drive.

There are several sites where you can obtain and compare quotes and all you have to do is enter your Zip code. Getting a auto insurance code has never been easier. And of course you get to save some money.

Most efficient cars

Yahoo! Cars UK has come up with a list of Five of the most efficient cars. This was based on fuel uses and emissions. They are listed under 5 different classes :

City slickers
Fiat 500



Compact superminis
SEAT Ibiza Ecomotive & VW Polo Bluemotion

Family hatchbacks
Ford Focus Econetic

D-segment saloon cars
BMW 318d

Compact SUVs and crossovers
Ford Kuga



Read "Five of the most efficient cars in their class"

The Dacia revolution

Check out the ad for the Dacia Logan. See whether you can recognise the prominent revolutionary figures portrayed in the clip. I heard it caused quite a stir.



The "revolution" apparently refers to the fact that, due to it's aggressive pricing, the Logan MCV is a real "car for the people".

For your information, Dacia is a subsidiary of Renault and the car is manufactured Dacia's automobile plant in Mioveni, Romania.

Thanks to Kathrin and Timothy from Nordpol for the info.

Least fuel economical cars

Forbes has compiled a list of the "World's Worst Gas-Guzzling Cars". It's not surprising that some of the most desirable cars are also the ones on top of the list. This includes the Lamborghini Murcielago and the Bugatti Veyron.


Lamborghini Murcielago


According to the report:

"Drivers of both can expect to pay $5,025 a year in fuel costs."

Bugatti Veyron

Check out the slide show on the Forbes site.

Nissan GT-R demand outstrips supply

There has been an overwhelming demand for the Nissan GT-R here in the UK. They were swamped with 700 orders within 48 hours of the official opening for orders on 2 April 2008, even though the cars would only be delivered in March 2009.

Nissan UK even had to request an additional supply for UK in order to meet the demand.

Read the full report: "NISSAN GT-R GOING EVEN FASTER THAN EXPECTED".

The car is available exclusively through 10 Nissan High Performance Centres in various parts of the country.

1. Alex F Noble GT-R, Edinburgh
2. Benfield GT-R, Newcastle Upon Tyne
3. Hursts GT-R, Belfast
4. JFE GT-R, Exeter
5. Marshalls GT-R, Cambridge
6. Middlehurst Motorsport GT-R, St Helens
7. Motorline GT-R, Tunbridge Wells
8. Sims GT-R, Oxford
9. Westover GT-R, Bournemouth
10.WLN GT-R, Mill Hill, London

In case you are interested, you can also place a reservation online at www.gtrnissan.co.uk.

Regarding the Nissan GT-R

Powered by a 480 PS twin turbo 3.8-litre V6 engine, the Nissan GT-R is a full time four-wheel drive which can go from 0 to 62 mph in around 3.5 seconds. It's potential top speed is 195 mph (provisional figure).

The GT-R features a paddle shift six-speed transmission that allows the driver to manually shift gears via paddles located behind the steering wheel or they can instead opt for automatic transmission.

As for comfort, all models come equipped, with eight-way adjustable front seats trimmed in leather and perforated Pearlsuede, dual zone automatic climate control and cruise control.

For those who love their music, the car comes with a AM/FM/CD audio system as standard, with six speakers, RDS and MP3/WMA CD playback capability, and features an HDD Music Box system capable of storing 9.4 GB of your favourite sounds.

Regarding safety features, it is equipped with six airbags, special wide-beam xenon headlamps, a tyre pressure monitoring system, Intelligent Key, and a Thatcham-approved anti-theft system.


Just check out the 20-inch alloy rims.

On-the-road pricing for the GT-R is as follows:

* Nissan GT-R £52,900
* Nissan GT-R Premium Edition with automatic headlamps and digital Bose® audio system £54,200
* Nissan GT-R Black Edition with exclusive Kuro black paint, gunmetal grey alloy wheels and black leather and Pearlsuede interior with red leather highlights £55,500

Th!nk cars in the UK soon

With the petrol prices way up, it's becoming quite a burden to drive the car. I really do wish I had a hybrid or electric car> Anyway, was just reading about the Th!nk cars from the Norwegian company Think. They recently launched the TH!NK city and concept TH!NK Ox at the 78th annual international Motor Show in Geneva.



The TH!NK city is totally emission free and looks like a fun car. Moreover, the body is 95% recyclable. Talk about environment friendly.





On a full charge it can go up to 200 kilometres (124 miles) in city driving, with a top speed of 100km/h.



However, I have to say, the 'Ox' definitely looks way better than the 'City'.

UPDATE:

According to various reports the Th!nk cars will go on sale during the last quarter of this year at a retail price of around £14,000.


Read more on Autobloggreen.com and on the Channel 4 websites.

Proton recalls Savvy

Malaysian car manufacturer Proton is recalling its Savvy cars to address a possible wheel bearing problem.



According to the Proton press release: "This recall is purely a precautionary measure as the convenience and safety of its customers is PROTON's highest priority."

The company is encouraging customers to contact the nearest Proton Edar or EON service branch for an appointment to have their cars inspected. Not sure whether this recall affects cars in the UK.

Following the recall, Proton Holdings Bhd. shares were trading lower on the Kuala Lumpur Composite Index (KLCI) down 2 sen at 3.84 ringgit ($1.20).