Buy Used :: Avoid Abused

Recently there was a repeat showing of Top Gear on BBC America about the Honda Civic Type R that was updated for the UK market in 2007. It reminded me of how a slightly used older generation of the same model can be a better investment and even a better drive but it is also important it is to take care to have a used car inspected by a trust worthy 3rd party inspector.

In our relevant tale of the 2001 Honda Civic Type R vs. the 2007 Honda Civic Type R, the 2007 did well in terms of its power, speed, etc but had some flaws in handling & finish. The 2007 was about £17,000.00 while its 2001 predecessor could be had for a handy £10,000.00 with reasonable mileage. Considering that the spoiler on the 2007 was right in the line if sight in the rear view mirror (just like the 2009 Nissan 350Z NIZMO's spoiler), that could be a deal breaker for some buyers looking for a sporty car. Also, a 2001 has gone through the biggest loss in depreciation while the 2007 will dump about 40% in the first 18 months. So... buy the 2001, right?

Well, don't be so fast, Speedracer! There are many things to consider when buying used and especially with cars that have a tendency (ahem- just speculating here) to be involved in street racing.

Newer cars that tend to be tuners like the Type R may appear to be well cared for on the surface but often they are driven hard regardless of the age of the previous owner (but lets be real- they tend towards the younger and younger thinking crowd).

Hire a 3rd party inspector to do a full check

• Accidents will be found
• Original parts will be checked
• Non-original parts will be listed

Lets put it like this:

You find a gorgeous 350z that (you could almost swear) the seller had you in mind when they customized it.

• Your insurance company won't cover your injuries because of the aftermarket seat belts!

That Scion Xb looks like the perfect price and the thing to keep your tuner heart humming!

• But they neglected to mention the wreck. And the insurance fraud.
  

And that darling CRX has a modified system to die for!

• And your car may not be street legal.

Just buy smart and enjoy your ride.

Michelle Naranjo

PS- Thank you to @CitizensforJeff for the title!

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Diesel Vs. Hybrid: When Will Diesels Hit Our Shores?

I've been curious to see a test comparing the real-world mileage of a modern Diesel and a hybrid. Fortunately, the team at Popular Mechanics just published a head-to-head comparison of the new VW Jetta TDi and a Prius. The results aren't totally surprising (spoiler alert): The Prius did better around town where the electric-only propulsion was used to maximum effect and the Jetta eaked out an advantage on the freeway. The Jetta also wins when it comes to driving dynamics. They do a few calculations about purchase price vs. higher Diesel fuel cost but forget to add in the apparently common dealer markup on the rare new Jetta oil-burner.

I haven't driven the new U.S.-bound TDi but did spend some quality time with an Audi A4 2.0 TDi rental in England last summer. I was handily impressed by the quiet and torque-happy nature of this engine. I'll admit that I'm a fan of modern Diesel engines and am swayed by the promise of an available manual transmission, a wagon body-style, the reported longevity and low maintenance requirements of Diesels, and the simpler nature of a car with a single propulsion system rather than two plus an expensive battery pack. Then again, the Prius is an amazing piece of engineering and the rumored 2010 plug-in hybrid Prius promises to expand the car's dominance in around-town driving efficiency. Watch this space... we definitely live in interesting times when it comes to automotive technology.

I also just stumbled upon an interesting article in Winding Road's latest online edition that outlines in detail the new Diesel-powered vehicles which are confirmed or rumored to be coming to the U.S. Market in the next couple of years. It's an interesting read, particularly given the lack of interest in the technology by most of the American manufacturers, at least when it comes to passenger cars rather than light-duty trucks. Since it was GM who is often blamed for single-handedly destroying the reputation of Diesel engines in the U.S. with their poorly executed engines during the last big fuel crunch of the 1970s and 1980s, I guess one can't blame them for being too gun-shy.

Steve Haas

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Don't Put Sugar in Your Gas Tank, Sugar

Question: If you put sugar in the petrol tank does if give you a boost?
Would you put gasoline in your coffee? Same difference. Sugar is for people, gasoline is for cars. So no, don't put sugar in your gas tank (or gasoline in your coffee).

Ok, I'll explain this a bit. Putting sugar in your gas tank will, not might, will cause problems. The least damage it will do is plug the fuel filter and cause the engine not to work. The most it will do is destroy the engine. How much damage happens depends on the age of the car and the winds of fate. Todays cars are designed to run on very refined, low particulate gasoline and as such have filters in them that strain tiny amounts (Usually 2 microns). Older cars have a mesh screen, or no filter at all in them because they were designed to run on higher particulate gasoline (remember leaded gasoline?). So a new car with sugar in the fuel would get a clogged fuel filter. Older cars that would let the sugar continue into the engine are a different story.

Back story #1- In any gasoline engine a mist or spray of gasoline is atomized and combined with air to produce an extremely volatile and explosive mix which is what the engine uses to produce power. In a standard 4-stroke engine the fuel is compressed by the pistons and ignited by spark plugs producing a controlled explosion which produces power. If the air/fuel mix ignites too early the result is knocking, pinging and in some cases detonation. If it ignites too late the result is lots of smoke, excessive engine deposits and in some cases, hydro-locking the engine. So it is a delicate balance that the engine has to use to get the most power out of each explosion of each cylinder. Carburetors and distributors controlled this balance on older cars, engine control modules control it on new cars and these controls can adjust the engine a little bit to make up for irregularities in gasoline quality and octane rating, ambient temperature, etc.

Adding sugar to the fuel mix causes gasoline, a light evaporative fuel, to become sticky, thick and, worst of all, raises the ignition point massively. So you have an engine that produces anywhere between 118psi (8:1 compression ratio, 350cid) and 185psi (12:1 compression ratio, 350 cid) trying to compress a fluid (instead of a gas) and ignite it.

Back story #2- Hydraulics uses a liquid to move a load through pressure generated by a pump and a prime mover. The only reason why hydraulics works (and is capable of some amazing force. Like a hydraulic, hand operated jack being able to lift 4 tons. Or the 100 ton press I have in my shop that I use to squish pennies) is because force required to move the load is less than the force required to compress the hydraulic fluid, destabilize the frame of the piston or stop the pump. Basically, it is generally agreed than you cannot compress a liquid. (You can but only under great force and only a tiny bit)

So the sugar/gas mix that is in your engine has transformed a pneumatic (compressed air) system into a hydraulic (compressed liquids) system. Engine blocks are exceptional at many things but containing the 1/2 ton or so of pressure created when trying to compress a liquid isn't one of them. One of four things will happen: The side of the engine will blow out, the crank will snap, the cylinder head will blow off, or the valves will bend and seize. Basically turning the engine into a really heavy paper weight.

So don't put sugar in your gas.


The Motachanic

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High Performance Carbon Fiber & How Tuners Might Help the Environment

The other day, after returning from a trip out of town, I went to pick up my dogs from the kennel (they like to call it summer camp). As I parked on the street in this semi-industrial, older area of Long Beach, I happened to glance across the street and did the complete cartoon double take. Wha?

Sitting in front of this strip of anonymous looking workshops was a Datsun 2000, a gorgeous new Mazda RX-8 and a kitted out custom RX-7. I was drawn across the road like a magnet and was walking around all 3 cars like a complete idiot. How many girls dressed like a cross between Olive Oyl and Frida Khalo show up at a tuner shop wanting to see more? Not many, I would imagine. A young employee came to the bay door and asked me if I wanted to come inside and see more. Of course, I did! Inside was a small army of mostly RX-7's stripped down and just waiting to be gussied up into the high performance sexy beasts that they can become. Ah- the smell of Bondo on a warm afternoon! The shop is called Asuka Designs. Here is a great video of the owner of Asuka explaining the benefit of carbon fiber bodies:

Now the interesting aspect of carbon fiber bodies is that they aren't just for the tuner crowd anymore. The Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, along with Ford, GM and Daimler Chrysler are working to bring carbon fiber bodies to all cars at a lower cost. In an article by Physorg.com, spokesman Bob Norris for Oak Ridge Labs said:

"Whereas today the cost to purchase commercial-grade carbon fiber is between $8 and $10 per pound, the goal is to reduce that figure to between $3 and $5 per pound," said Norris, leader of ORNL's Polymer Matrix Composites Group. At that price, it would become feasible for automakers to use more than a million tons of composites – approximately 300 pounds of composites per vehicle – annually in the manufacturing of cars.

Carbon fiber is 1/5th the weight of ferrous counterparts used in automobile manufacturing while it has the same strength properties which if used in even half of the structural and semi-structural elements in a car can reduce the weight by 60% and reduce fuel consumption by 30%. Greenhouse gases and emissions could be reduced by as much as 10-20%.

Not only would these cheaper and strong fibers be made of recycled plastics, lignin from wood pulp and cellulose so therefor better for the environment, safety tests with the new fibers are showing that they are just as strong, if not stronger than ferrous materials. Cars made with plastic elements are neither as strong, good for the environment (PVCs keep us relying on the oil industry) and to a real car enthusiast- plastics, in my opinion, do not allow for good design integrity. Additionally, the better that they learn to make low-impact carbon fiber, the cheaper it will become which will inevitably lead to less expensive car that utilize any fuel source- especially alternative fuels.

Interestingly, although carbon fiber will eventually go down in cost to the manufacturer, don't expect to be getting a Tesla Roadster for any less than current retail price. Part of the development and sales of that vehicle are counting on lower manufacturing cost of both the carbon fiber body and the batteries so that eventually, they will be actually able to make a profit on the high performance Roadster.

So while you may chuckle at the kids and older kids driving around in a tricked out tuner with a tail end that makes their car look like a grocery cart with a really big handle, many of the components that they are experimenting with to make their cars more high performance can change the way that all of our cars are made eventually to be lighter, meaner and greener.

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Transponder Keys: My Car Key Costs How Much?

If you have bought a car recently you may have asked that very question when you try to get a copy made. Most cars now have some sort of a key transponder system. Early models had a visible resistor chip in the blade of the key. Then manufacturers went to a chip hidden in the head of the key that carries a code. When you turn the key the car goes to a computer module and checks to see if the code is in the memory. Some new cars now have a key that you can keep in your pocket. The car requests a code, then the key sends a signal out that unlocks the doors and tells the car it can start.

Now I will give you some tips that could save some time and money.

• If you're looking at buying a car ask if it has a transponder. This way you won't be shocked if you try to get a spare.
• If you buy a car ask how much it would be to get extra keys. I know when I bought a new van it was cheaper to order it with two extra keys than get extras made later.
• Try to always have three working keys for your car. This way if you lose one you still have two working keys and can add an extra key without hooking a computer to the car. Most businesses charge extra for hooking up the computer. This is not true for all cars.
• Most cars have a non-transponder key that can be cut. These keys will open the doors but will not start the car. They normally cost just a couple dollars. If you are someone who hides a key outside your car this is the key to hide. If someone finds this key they can't drive away with your car.
• If your car has a remote built into the key ask if there is a non-remote transponder key. A key with the remote can cost four times more than a non-remote key. This key will still open the doors and start the car.
• Compare prices! Don't think you have to go to a dealer for a key. Many locksmiths can cut and program transponder keys. Sometimes the dealer is cheaper, sometimes not. Do some quick checking.
• If you lose a key, ask if the memory can be cleared and the existing keys reprogrammed. This way the key that was lost will not work if found. If you find the key you can have it programmed back in.

Hopefully this will be helpful to you.

Jesse E. Piehl

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Catch a Ride to BlogWorld 2008: So You Want To Be An Automotive Journalist?

Yeh- you heard the calling in the title and how it spoke to something deep inside: you have often thought of how you would make a great automotive journalist? Details on how to break in after you read my wee monologue:

Here is the deal: my career to date was accidental and a dream but I do get the heart of the automotive industry and the enthusiasts. I make no bones about who I am, my story and how I got here.

Next week I am honored to be a panelist at BlogWorld and, after compassionate discussions with Dan Gray, aka @mpgomatic, he put together a topic near and dear to, not only my heart, but other online writers about breaking the gray-lady vein of tradition and how, as citizen/enthusiast/geeks, we can gain credibility. Co-panelists also include Scott Monty of Ford, Muhammed Saleem and Joe Neuberger.

Here is the gist of all of this:

If you are an enthusiast of cars, motorcycles, ATV’s (and that does include those who hate all of the aforementioned and just want nothing that rolls with a motor and just want to write about how you detest them all) and you think that you can put your heart into conveying a message in 300-500 words in the vein of a “new school” automotive journalist, please submit your entry to michelle at missmotormouth dot com and the 2 best entries who can be in Los Angeles at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles by 2PM Friday, September 19, 2008, will be selected to ride to BlogWorld Expo in Las Vegas with me, with complimentary admission to BlogWorld, lunch to and fro Vegas (and maybe a little dinner & drinks if I find you as fascinating as my favorite upstart Andy Mrozwinski) and a ride back to Los Angeles ~ all round trip in a new GM White Diamond Acadia (yeeeah! We’ll be ridin’ like gangstas!) which I will be driving to review.

The only thing that you have to provide is your own hotel room but hey!- its Vegas- what will cost you is your cheap Vegas room and losing at the tables! (Oh and any medical care if you should need that. I can’t possibly pay for that.)

Judging of potential winners is being done by myself and 2 uber-secret people who can make or break whether you ever get cars to review in your new future career and the deadline is 11:59 PM, PST, Wednesday, September 17, 2008.

The winning writer’s will get their blogs published on Mota.net, the site where I get to edit some amazing writers and contribute to with my own efforts and give full props to giving me my start in my accidental career and, I guess you could say that I gave birth to their blog.

Start your brains-a-whirling! This contest opens now!

XOO,M

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Chevy Uplander: Call It A MiniVan PLEASE & Not A CrossOver!

I recently wrote about a friend’s search for a new vehicle to carry his growing family of soon-to-be three kids… all in baby seats or boosters at the same time. We concluded (and he later purchased one) that a new Honda minivan met his needs the best. A van’s balance of roominess, ease of entry and exit, cargo loading ease, comfort, and relative fuel efficiency won the comparison.

This week, while traveling on business I found myself behind the wheel of a Chevrolet Uplander minivan. The brain trust at Chevrolet, however, seem somewhat embarrassed to just call it like it is and suggest that this should be called a “crossover sport van.” Forget that the only thing “crossover” about this vehicle compared to their previous effort is an added on ungainly snout and a slightly raised ride height. And the only thing even remotely sporty about it… well I give up.

My thoughts throughout my two-day drive kept coming back to the same thing: that General Motors wasn’t even trying hard when they designed this car. Were the people behind this project just so bummed at being reduced to working on a mere minivan rather than a new Hummer SUX6000 that they just phoned in the details? Was an assignment to the minivan design team the automotive equivalent of graduating from the police academy only to get assigned to traffic control at the local airport?

I always try to look at the positive side of every vehicle and this does have a few decent details. The dashboard materials appear to be high quality and are sufficiently elegant in appearance, the engine and road noise are muffled, and even though it matches nothing else on the car, the upper door panels have real (!) stitching on the faux leather that actually looks nicely finished.

But then you turn to the details that make other minivans so endearing to millions of American families and you just have to wonder what happened:

Fuel Economy… I averaged only about 15 mpg during my brief time with the car… vs. EPA ratings of 16/23 city/hwy which themselves are nearly identical to the ratings for the larger and heavier 2009 Traverse SUV that claims 24 mpg on the highway. What’s the point of driving an “unhip” minivan if you can’t even rationalize that you are saving money on gas?

Comfort… the front seats were fine, if nothing to write home a about, and the standard cloth upholstery was pleasant and looks durable. However, the middle seats were tiny… seemingly undersized for the car. I suppose that this lets them claim more legroom that actually exists. The rearmost seats were larger… a split bench, but again, compared to the multi-adjustable units in vans from competitors weren’t even a decent effort. The middle row seats were crammed all the way over to the sides near the doors which left them feeling cramped but did allow, I suppose, for a larger space in the middle to walk-through to the rearmost seats.

Flexibility… those rearmost seats again, unlike nearly every other van on the market, neither fold flat into the floor when not needed nor do any other neat tricks like turn into a rear facing bench. To utilize the full cargo capacity one needs to remove the heavy seats and find a place to leave them for the duration. The ONLY storage space for storing odds and ends like baby wipes, cell phones, and other detritus that usually fill up the family truckster was a Pep-Boys style bungee net strung between the front seats. There was no convenient enclosed storage areas for anything. The only place I found to rest my cell phone was inside the cupholder that extended from the dashboard. Seriously? You’ve had 25 years to try to copy features from nearly every family hauler on the market and you missed the most basic needs of families with small children? I won’t even go into the fact that nearly every other van out there also has second-row seats that slide, fold, retract, and will probably milk a cow.

I can’t imagine anyone in the market for a minivan test driving models from multiple manufacturers and deciding to buy an Uplander

So I end with the thought that GM’s half-hearted effort, if you can even call it that, at competing in this segment is a symbol of why the company is struggling so much. In the hyper-competitive vehicle business if you don’t even enter the game aiming for best-in-class you might as well just give up and go home.

Fortunately for GM, I believe that much has changed at the company and newer vehicles like the new Traverse, the Malibu, and some others represent more competitive offerings. I just hope that the attitudes that permitted a car like the Uplander from seeing the light of a dealer showroom have been exorcised as well.

Steve Haas

Editors note: I think that this rental displeased Steve! XOO,M

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Mota's Blog Nominated for an Award! Please Vote For Us!

We are all very proud to announce that Mota's blog has been nominated for the Divine Caroline Love! This Site Award in the Careers and Money category.

Please consider following the Divine Caroline badge on the right (below the archives) and vote for us or you can vote here. All of the Mota writers have been working very hard to bring expert advice and opinions and this could mean us buying the rest of the Mota Team $250 in snacks! Anyone who knows web developers knows that they can be very hungry from all of the late nights that they work!

Thanks for your continuing support!

XOO,M

Michelle Naranjo

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How To Avoid Losing 73% Of Your Vehicle’s Value!

Financial giants such as GMAC financial Services and Ford are cutting back the amount of leases in the US; GMAC stopped leasing in Canada and Chrysler said it will cut them out completely.

Leases are simply a terrible product for the manufacturers. Chrysler Financial loses, on average, 5k on each lease turn in - probably a wise move to plug that hole.

Another major reason is the low residual values released by the company setting the baseline for the industry, Automotive Lease Guide. Their new residual values are based on the forecast of gasoline being as high as $6 per gallon in the upcoming years. This anticipated forecast is the reason for lower residual value on new vehicle. Low residual values make the manufacturers more uncomfortable than Shaquille O’Neil trying to driving a Smart car.

I wonder if Automotive Lease Guide CEO John Blair gets invited to many new car industry functions? He’d probably be the guest of honor at a used car function though. As lease options dwindle, residual values plummet and new car prices continue their rise - automotive shoppers will surely turn more of their attention to shopping for the best used car values possible. The Northeast and the Midwest may see the highest concentration of shoppers considering their options within the used market. (28% of sales in the Northeast are leases; 24% in the Midwest)

Obviously the hardest hit vehicles are Pickup trucks and SUV’s. Small cars will actually see an increase in their residual values. Check out the these new value projections after 36 months: (incl. ‘07 residual values after 36 mos.) Source: Automotive Lease Guide.

Full Sized Pick Up Trucks

Nissan Titan: 2007: 41% | 2008: 30.2% [projected worth; % of sticker price after 36 mos.]
Dodge Ram 1500: 2007: 35.9% | 2008: 26.5%

Full Sized SUVs

Ford Expedition: 2007: 44.3% | 2008: 32.6%
Chevrolet Tahoe: 2007: 42.1% | 2008: 31.7%

Mid-Sized SUVs

Ford Explorer: 2007: 42.7% | 2008: 31.8%
Chevrolet Trailblazer: 2007: 35.2% | 2008: 27.2%

Small Cars

Honda Civic: 2007: 51.8% | 2008: 57.5%
Ford Focus: 2007: 37.7% | 2008: 46.7%

Automobile consumers have to ask themselves: “Do I want to throw away up to 73% of my vehicle’s value?”

Eric Miltsch

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The Strange Case of the Stolen Ferrari

Those of you following the world of classic cars this week may have heard of the recent recovery of a rare Ferrari 250 PF, reportedly worth $4-5 million, which was stolen 15 years ago. The car was reported stolen in Spain and recently "found" in the garage of a wealthy collector in the U.S. The law in situations like this is interesting, and in this case potentially complicated by the international travels the car has completed since its disappearance.

Typically, the owner of a stolen car is reimbursed by his or her insurance company for the market value of the car when it's stolen. In this case, the car would have been worth about $500,000 at the time. The new owner of the car, whether or not he was aware of the stolen status of the car, is basically out of luck and would need to pursue civil damages with the dealer or individual from whom he bought it. In such a case, the insurance company would actually own the car.

In this case, however, the owner from whom it was stolen reports that he did NOT accept payment by his insurance company because he felt that due to the rarity of the vehicle it would eventually be found. Granted, as a very expensive Ferrari and one of only 50 made, this was a likely scenario which has proven true. Most regular stolen cars would likely have been broken down for parts but one doesn't just sell a Ferrari 250 engine without a bit of explaining.

Making matters more curious, however, is that the folks at Sports Car Market Magazine who follow the market for collector cars closely, have created a detailed history of the car. It helps that one of their own writers is a classic car dealer who once sold this very car (before it's theft). Since it was stolen, it was not exactly hidden away in secret storage... it had been shown publicly at numerous concours d'elegance, restored by noted shops in the U.S., openly advertised for sale, and changed hands four times (!) before ending up in the collection of the most recent unlucky owner. The excruciating details of the car's history can be found online along with a legal analysis here. This should be interesting to watch.

Steve Haas

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Automobile Tech 101 – What is a Turbo? Supercharged?

Hybrid-electric cars have obviously received a lot of attention as a way to reduce fuel consumption. Higher fuel prices have also increased interest in an older technology like Diesels and turbos (a.k.a. turbochargers). Ford, in particular, is branding a new line of turbocharged engines tuned for fuel-efficiency as “EcoBoost.”

Some readers may remember turbocharged vehicles from the last fuel crisis as they were quite common in the late 1970s and 1980s. Since then, however, few manufacturers have been pushing turbocharged engines. Two obvious exceptions include Saab which has been a big proponent of the technology for economy and Porsche, which has offered crazy-fast turbo 911s on and off over the years. It’s also hard to leave out Subaru and Mitsubishi who make performance versions of the Impreza and Lancer with turbochargers… like the Porsche, these aren’t primarily intended to save fuel. Diesel fans also know that turbos and Diesel engines go together like red and Ferrari.

I imagine that there are a lot of car buyers who really don’t know what a turbocharger is, how it works, and how it helps to improve fuel efficiency. I’ll try to answer these questions. Additionally, I want to clarify the difference between a turbocharger and another common device the supercharger.

Basic Mechanics
To explain how turbos work we need to start with some basics of the internal combustion engine. Very basically (and overly simplified for this purpose), car engines function as air pumps… a certain volume of air enters the cylinders and is mixed with fuel. This fuel then ignites, expands, and pushes the piston, thus rotating the crankshaft allowing for propulsion of the vehicle. Again, very generally, the bigger the volume of the engine the more power it creates.

Superchargers and turbochargers both aim to increase the ratio between the volume of the engine (aka “displacement”) and the power it can create. They do this by compressing the air that enters the combustion chamber, thus pushing more air into the same space which can be mixed with more fuel making more power with each ignition cycle. So an engine of a certain size can produce more power by forcing more air and fuel into each cylinder than the same engine without a turbo.

Another way to understand this is to think about airplanes. Early in the 20th century, piston-powered airplanes were limited in the altitude at which they could fly because the thin air at altitude made for less power the higher one flew. Prior to WWII, aircraft engines started to employ turbochargers to compress the air entering the engines, thus making up for some of the power losses due to the altitude. Similarly, turbocharged cars tend to suffer less than normally aspirated vehicles at higher altitudes.

Turbo vs. Super
The manner in which this compression is created is the difference between a turbocharger and a supercharger. Superchargers are driven mechanically by the engine… commonly by a belt driven off of the crankshaft. This then turns the supercharger’s compressor which speeds the air entering the cylinders.

A turbocharger, on the other hand, makes use of otherwise wasted exhaust pressure to turn a compressor. The exhaust gases are routed through a turbine which in-turn is connected to the blade that speeds up the fresh air entering the engine. Because of its use of waste energy a turbo is ultimately more efficient than a supercharger. Here’s a good diagram of the internals of a turbo.

Efficiency
But wait, you ask, if you are simply pushing more air and more fuel into an engine, how does this save gas? Well, the answer is that the turbocharger isn’t running all the time. At wide open throttle (WOT) or when you need extra acceleration like entering a freeway, the turbo can run. At other times, say cruising at low speed or on a long stretch of freeway, you don’t need the turbo. The turbo basically allows you to use a smaller engine than you would normally need while allowing for performance equal to that of a larger engine. And smaller engines, all else equal, are more efficient when you are cruising. This is similar in thought to cylinder deactivation schemes employed by some manufacturers which run an 8-cylinder engine on only 4-cylinders when conditions allow.

Of course, there are other efficiency benefits to a small turbo charged engine over a cylinder deactivation system. One is that smaller engines can also weigh less than a bigger engine. A V8 running on 4 cylinders uses less fuel but you still have to carry around the other 4 cylinders all of the time. Engines with fewer cylinders also have fewer moving parts and thus lose less energy to friction.

Downsides to turbocharged engines
If turbos are so terrific, then why aren’t they used more often? There are downsides. Turbochargers themselves are expensive. They get extremely hot and turn at high speeds so they need to be made to very tight tolerances to survive.

Additionally, all of that extra air pressure puts more stress on the rest of the engine parts. Early turbocharged engines kept self-destruction to a minimum by reducing the compression of the engine from its normally aspirated form. However, this led to reduced power when not under boost (while the turbo was compressing the intake air).

The term “Turbo Lag” that you might see in enthusiast magazines refers to the delay between pushing on the throttle pedal and the engine providing full acceleration. Traditionally, turbocharged engines suffered from this lag which made driving around town or on a race track somewhat tricky. The reduced off-boost compression in turbocharged engines made this weak off-idle acceleration even more pronounced that in non-turbocharged engines of the same size. Further exacerbating turbo lag is that the turbocharger needs a flow of exhaust gas to turn quickly. Acceleration from idle or slow speeds caused a delay while the turbine in the turbocharger could receive this flow and start to rotate. This is one reason that superchargers are popular in some applications (like drag racing, for example). Because they create boost through a mechanical link with the engine they don’t need to “spool up” with exhaust gasses, they can help create more power nearly instantaneously.

These days, manufacturers claim to have largely solved many of these downsides. Some newer cars with turbos use two smaller turbochargers in place of one large unit. The theory is that smaller lighter turbines can accelerate more quickly than a large one. They can also be used in sequence, thus allowing for tuning at different levels of rpm. Ford’s aforementioned EcoBoost V6 uses twin superchargers, as an example.

Modern engine control electronics also allow for longer life without the need to reduce engine compression as much as in the old days. Direct injection (spraying the fuel directly into the combustion chambers rather than further upstream into an intake manifold) makes for increased efficiency and also allows for a cooler fuel spray into the engine, keeping that heat down.

Long-term reliability will be seen, but the basic idea of a modern turbocharged engine seems like a great way to increase fuel economy without reducing performance or increasing weight and complexity as with a hybrid-electric car. Surely this is another example of an old technology coming back to help with a modern problem.

Steve Haas

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Teenagers & Building Their Financial Future & Credit

The importance of managing money
Many teens have no idea on how to manage money. Mention the importance of saving it and how it doesn't grow on trees and their eyes glaze over. Even more important is the complete lack of understanding of credit and how it works. What are its advantages and disadvantages? Is a low balance credit card good for teenagers in helping them understand credit's pitfalls? Understanding how credit works is crucial for young people, especially as they look at buying their first car or home.

Here's a few tips to help your teen understand the importance of their finances from Brady Smith at TrueCredit:

• Understand finances - Students need to understand exactly where their finances stand. Regularly reviewing financial statements along with their credit reports from all three credit reporting companies is a good way to understand where they stand at any given time.



• Watch for danger signs - Negative records such as late payments and collection accounts can remain on credit reports for 7 years. Students can keep their future finances healthy by avoiding these problems from the beginning. Library, cell phone and video store late fees can sometimes be turned over to collection agencies who may then report them to the credit reporting companies. So graduates should keep an eye out for these as well.



• Create a spending plan - Developing a monthly spending plan can help students understand how much they need to pay toward their debts and how much they can afford to splurge. Generally, low interest rates make it possible for graduates to spread their student loan payments over the life of the loan, but they should focus on paying off high interest credit card debts as soon as possible.



• Prepare for emergencies - A few preparations for the worst-case scenario can help students and recent graduates avoid financial problems in an emergency. To start, they should build up enough savings to cover their expenses for two to three months. If they find themselves out of a job or unable to pay back their debts, graduates should immediately call their creditors and lenders to explain the situation. Many federal loan programs have deferment and forbearance programs that allow borrowers to put their debts on hold temporarily.

Save, save, save
Anytime you educate someone about credit you should start by teaching them how to save money. With teens, teach them the importance of setting money aside, such as a savings in case of an emergency.

"I recommend educating teens about the basic priorities in life – paying for housing, basic food, and basic utilities first, not DVDs, concert tickets, ring tones on your cell phone, or the hottest fashion unless you have money to spare," explains Kathy Jo Pollack, a certified life coach and trainer.

Teach them "...how to read and understand bank and credit card statements, and balance a check book. These are things that parents or another adult can do."

She suggests starting teens with a checking account and a debit card before making the leap into credit.

"Have the teen make deposits and withdrawals, while making sure they document each transaction and balance their monthly statement immediately. This will be a good foundation. Many banks offer a student type checking account with a debit card. Let them get experience with their own money first before they learn the hard way with someone else's," Pollack said. A low balance credit card is a good start, but make it mandatory that the balance be paid off each month.

Credit: Taking the good and the bad
To the everyday man or woman, credit becomes a part of life. But it doesn't need to become a problem. Good credit means you have the upper hand during negotiations. Bad credit leads to high interest rates and becomes a hindrance to paying off debt.

If you're responsible with your credit card, the card company will report you in good standing to the credit agencies that track credit reports. This helps build a good credit score. It's one of the fastest and easiest ways to build credit.

Consequently, there are monthly payments that don't do anything to build credit. Paying rent, medical and utility bills on time don't do anything for your credit. Only if you pay late. Then, instead of helping your credit, their reports of late payment can damage your credit for years.

So your teen wants to buy a car...
As I've explained, good credit is the basis to any positive experience when borrowing money. Making payments on time and keeping credit card balances low are two ways to excellent credit. You've probably heard someone tell you to pay in cash and stay away from credit cards and loans. Unfortunately, not many of us can pay cash for a car, at least not something reliable. Not many parents are comfortable with their teen driving a beater to school or work.

With all of this in mind, buying a car is a big step. Is your teen responsible? Do they understand the importance of making the payment, as I've discussed here? And maybe the most important question, can they make the payment? Only you and your teenager can make these decisions. Many teens only work part-time, especially if they are in school. Are you prepared, as the parent, to make the car payment for them if they can't?

If everyone is happy waiting six months or a year, your teen can get a low balance credit card and work on building their credit. Monitor their purchases and check that the balance is paid off every month. With several months of on-time payments under their belt, you and your teen can start checking into car loans. With credit established from the credit card, your teen should be able to get a good interest rate. But don't buy more car than they need. As I mentioned above, something reliable for school and work is the goal without going overboard.

Keeping your teen's feet planted and everything in perspective will help keep them out of credit trouble. As a parent, take the time to explain the in's and out's. It will only benefit your kids now and in the future.

Andy Mrozinski

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