I’d like to introduce you to someone.  Her name is Zoe.

Zoe is my 1983 Nissan 280ZX.  She is the second of these cars that I’ve owned — I bought her after my first one was smashed in a hit and run in 2005, after a dedicated partnership of 8 years.

Yes, I get rather attached to my cars.  When I bought Zoe, I promised her that I’d always have a garage to keep her in.  (I did at the time.)  My old car had suffered rust and other damage from the elements, so I was determined to keep Zoe beautiful.

Sadly, it was not to be.

When my husband and I bought our house three years ago, it didn’t have a garage.  We were planning to build one, but never got around to it.  Then Zoe quit running reliably, with a crazy-making electrical problem that has literally taken me years to track down.  It’s tough working on a car without a garage to keep it in!

If I had it to do over, I probably would have put my car in a self storage unit to keep her out of the elements.  It would have been a bit pricey, but it would have been worthwhile in the long run.  Now I’m looking at probably $3,000 to fix all the rust.

Don’t let the same thing happen to your baby!  Learn from Zoe’s plight.  Keep your car garaged — or,  if garaging isn’t an option, look into self service storage.

Technorati Tags: 280ZX, self service storage, self storage unit

A recent business trip had a sudden but not unpleasant stop over in Cancun, Mexico. For some mechanical reason our flight from Mexico City was required to land, and we discovered that there was going to be at least 24 hours of delay. The first thing I did was to seek out the Cancun airport car rentals and hope they would have something for me to get into.

Rental cars in Cancun Mexico is apparently a booming business. And this makes sense considering the sheer volume of tourists that come to the area every year. My only concern about the Cancun rental cars was their availability especially since no one on my flight had a reservation. How could we have one, we didn’t even know we would be stopping over!

Getting to the car rental area as fast as I was able to, I was pleasantly surprised that car rentals out of Cancun airport were slow this week. This meant there were a high numbers of available vehicles to choose from.

The unexpected pleasure came from the fact that the airline had given any passenger that got rental cars in Cancun a free double upgrade. This meant that I paid for a compact but I was able to drive around in a sweet convertible. It was unexpected, but greatly appreciated. I may be coming back, soon!

Technorati Tags: Cancun airport car rentals, Cancun rental cars

There are many reasons to add a tonneau cover to your pickup truck, like protection from the weather or in order to improve the fuel economy. Tonneau covers add such an extra beauty to the vehicle that it almost makes you forget that it is also practical and functional. These covers come in many different styles from hard fiberglass to a soft vinyl that can optionally match the paint color of your truck. Safety is another reason to add a tonneau cover, because it will keep your valuables out of sight and hopefully out of the mind of a potential thief. Truck accessories like grill guards and mud flaps offer protection from the elements as well.

Gas mileage improvement is another excellent reason to add the tonneau cover to your truck. Studies have proven that the tightly placed cover helps to reduce tailgate drag because the air has nothing to get hung up on. It may be a significant gas mileage improvement or a smaller one, depending on what type of truck that you own. The fact remains that industry specialists all agree that approximately 5%, as a minimum, could be saved on your gas mileage. Some say that you can save up to 10% when you add a tonneau cover and the amount of savings will pay for the cost of purchasing it quickly.

Technorati Tags: grill guards, Tonneau cover, truck accessories

So my girlfriend had been talking about trading her car in for a truck. Granted, her car was kind of a piece of junk. It was a little Nissan Altima. And I know what just flashed through your mind since there is a stereotype that says that people with Altimas are inherently horrible drivers. In her defense, she is a good driver. My only beef with her trading in her car for a truck was that I already have a truck which she knows she can use anytime she needs to (not that I like getting stuck with her Nissan mind you!).

I figured that when push came to shove, that she would want me to go to the dealership with her. After all, I figure if she walked in alone the salesmen would circle like hawks with fresh meat in their eyes. Nope, she came home with a used truck yesterday. And it has all kinds of truck parts and accessories already installed on it. And I’m talking about more than just some cheesy bed mat too. It has been lifted, has bigger tires, a roll bar with Piaa lights on it, and electric step bars that come down when you open the doors! And if I am sounding jealous, it is because I am!

Technorati Tags: bed mat, Nissan Altima, Piaa lights, truck parts and accessories

Do they have some sort of 12 step program for people who are addicted to truck accessories? Seriously, it started out with just a bull bar. Then, I got the fender flares. Last week, it was the new exhaust system. Now, I’m thinking about adding a brand new tool box.

I’m seriously out of control. All I can think about is adding new toys to my truck. I think I’m putting more money into my truck than it is actually worth. I could probably have a brand new truck with all I’ve spent on accessories. I need to be stopped!

Does anyone else out there share my love for truck accessories? I just love them because they give my truck a unique look. Why settle for the standard look that everyone has when you can add a bunch of items to your truck to make it your own?

In all seriousness, I think I’ll be done for a while after I buy this tool box. There isn’t really anything else I need. Heck, I don’t think I even have room for anymore accessories on my truck! Maybe now I can focus on adding some stuff to the interior of the truck. I could go for a new stereo and speaker system.

I love my truck!

Technorati Tags: bull bar, fender flares, tool box, truck accessories

Cars are such an exciting hobby!  There are many great cars to choose from, for one thing.  From sports cars to sedans, pickup trucks to SUVs, there just about something for everyone out there.  And hey, if you’re not so much into cars — if you want to cut down on fuel and car loan expenses, for example — motorcycles and scooters are just as much fun!

One of the most exciting things about cars is how many accessories there are to choose from.  Aftermarket accessories are pretty hot, as people who are into cars usually love to customize their vehicles.  You can get almost anything you can think for your car — special headlights and tail lights, fog lights and driving lights, performance parts to make it run better and faster, and interior accessories such as custom steering wheels and catch alls.

Perhaps it’s this availability of stuff to do to your car that makes it such an appealing hobby for many people.  It can be a lot of fun to tinker on your car, to add special parts that will make it go faster, sound better, or give it a nice cosmetic touch.  Here we’ll explore some of the different things you can do on your car – but be forewarned, it really is an addictive hobby!

Technorati Tags: aftermarket accessories, cars, interior accessories, performance parts, pickup trucks, sedans, sports cars, SUVs