Archive for June, 2009
Car Audio Video You
There are some who consider buying a car is more important than buying a house. After all a car provides mobility and could help one to earn while a house is considered by some as a dead investment I could imagine hearing howls of protest from our friends from the real estate business. After all buying a car as a business tool is capital while buying a house to live in is expense. But this is an entirely another story.
If you are one of the former then you would agree that besides keeping your car in optimum performance it would not hurt to put some comfort in it right? OK you may call this part already as an expense if you wish. I’d call this as ‘tool upgrade’ with a straight face here.
‘OWNING’ YOUR CAR
Let us say you bought a preowned car. Mostly the first things owners of a newly acquired car would do besides putting it to a joyful ride is to put in some stuff accessories or ‘blings’. This process is called ‘claiming ownership’. You know it’s yours and to prove it you do put in your ‘markings’. It’s almost like a brief but sweet turnover ceremony of sorts often private no one around would notice. This is usually done immediately after payments are done and just before you happily and triumphantly drive ‘your’ car out of the car dealer’s. This personalization of the car could be as simple as removing that pineshaped car freshener to something major as repainting the entire body work.
CAR AUDIO SYSTEM
Installing a decent audio system could be one if not the most of the best ‘personalization’ you could do to your car.
By decent we don’t mean giving your arm and leg for it. You can easily put together one with less than 1000. You can easily find bargains over the internet for a good head unit with a CD player amplifiers equalizer replacement for the factory speakers and subwoofers etc. You may want to invest on a professional technician to ensure you get the best resulting sound quality. But if you are the more adventurous type you may DIY.
CAR VIDEO
If you opt for those kickass video kits you are assured of quality and satisfaction but you must be prepared to shell out about 500. If you wish you can also buy cheaper by buying the different components separately. You can buy an indash monitor for a little more than 50 and an equally cheaper DVD player. Just make sure you have a qualified if you are not comfortable doing it yourself technician to install the components for you.
YOUR CAR AUDIO VIDEO AND YOU
Besides emphasizing the usability convenience and efficiency of your car we should not disregard the main reason for its existence: you. A car could also provide some measure of comfort for both you and your passenger. A good audio system could help ease up a long and tiring trip. Driving the wife for groceries? You could park in the shade and wait in the car watching your favorite DVD. Tired of endless ‘Are we there yet?’ questions from impatient and irritable kids on a long drive? Pop in a Hannah Montana DVD or High School Musical movie and these will keep your kids occupied backseat you’d even forget they’re there.
About the writer: Mark Robinson writes for AutoLoans.GuideFin.com. Visit his website for information about used car loans.
Car Accessory: No Less Important Than The Car
One of the ardent desires of every man is to own a car. That glorious machine that not only reduces the commuting problem but also adds tremendously to status symbol as well. No wonder it has always been on top of the wish list of people since ages. Any new addition to the already existing varieties of cars creates a flutter amongst people and they queue to buy the new model. This has been happening since ages. Right from the earliest times people have wanted to buy the latest version of these vehicles. However they will do well to realise that the role played by car accessory is no less important. Car accessory or car parts go a long way in maximising the utility of car greatly and therefore deserve far more attention than they get.
Whichever car part one might consider they all play an exceedingly important role in the over all performance of the car. Take the case of car stereo. It does not have any bearing on the smooth functioning of the car but its utility can simply not be doubted. It goes a long way in reducing the stress and boredom during long journeys. The longest of journeys are rarely felt as time just flies by with the stereo on with the person not getting any time to feel bored.
Similar is the case with another car accessory like car mats. Though it is popularly believed to be not of much use but it is high time that people wake to their utility and understand that their worth is far more than what they normally think. They after all protect the cat from dust and give cushion to feet. All that people are expected to do is to wash and wipe the mats.
The above account should clarify that the role of car accessory is extremely important and therefore they deserve to be given due importance.
About the writer: Garry Kelkar is an expert writer specializing in the automobile industry. He has been writing extensively on topics like car parts and also specialized areas of car styling like car modifying.
The History Of The Corvette
During the postwar area the design for the Corvette began in 1951 after General Motors’ chief stylist Harley Earl visits a Watkins Glen sports car race and becomes impressed with the foreign sports cars that watched in the race. His decision to create an American sports car later to become known as the Corvette earned him the name “Father of the Corvette.”
A prototype was created in 1952 made of fiberglass with balsa wood floors both of which the Corvette is still known for today. The light weight of the body was created to increase speed. Now that the car was taking shape it needed a name. Myron Scott then a member of the General Motors’ Public Relations department came up with “Corvette” which means Royal Navy Warship representing strength speed and maneuverability.
With great anticipation the Corvette first made its debut during the 1953 New York Motorama Show at the famous Walforf Astoria hotel ballroom. Little did the public know that General Motors’ employees were scrambling to replace the car’s logo just a few hours before the show. The original design sported a checkered racing flag crossed by a patriotic American flag. A member of the General Motors’ legal staff realized at the last minute that the American flag is copyright protected from commercial use and it had to be pulled quick. The Chevrolet “fleur de lis” was put in its place and no one ever knew the difference.
Despite the minor bump the public responded well to the car and production began in a small thrown together assembly plant in Flint Michigan rolling off 300 Corvettes within a six month time frame. The sticker price at the time was only 3000.
To keep costs down and to increase production time all 300 Corvettes were created exactly the same. They were all Polo White with Sportsman Red vinyl interior and a black top. Most of the cars surprisingly were sold to celebrities and other highly visible personalities like town mayors and other public officials. This strategy was done as a marketing technique to get this sport car into the public’s eye.
Unfortunately the cars launch didn’t take off so well. People were skeptical since it was pricey for its time and somewhat impractical being that it was a twoseater. Sales didn’t take off all that well and numerous times through the car’s history it almost was yanked from General Motors line up. It was the people behind the car though that really fought for its existence and thankfully won.
Zora ArkusDuntov was one of those people. He was hired early on in the life of the Corvette and become the Corvette’s Chief Engineer and known to some as the godfather of the Corvette. His experience and improvements to the car really improved its image. The car was a labor of love to him his entire life even after he retired in 1974. His ashes now remain on display at the National Corvette Museum a final wish before he died that’s how much he loved the car.
With Duntov’s influence and opening up sales to the general public the car’s popularity began to take off. So much so that production moved to St. Louis MO the second of only three places the Corvette would made in its history.
Seven generations or body styles later Corvettes are now made in Bowling Green KY known as the “Home of the Corvette.” Between the Assembly Plant and The National Corvette Museum across the street the two have created a network of Corvette lovers helping to increase sales and the car’s popularity. It looks the American Sports Car is here to stay.
About the writer: Neil Lemons represents Corvette Gear USA a leading retailer of officially licensed C5 C6 leather accessories. For more information on Corvette merchandise and Corvette gift ideas visit http://www.corvettegearusa.com.
