The New Porsche Boxster 2009

You may or may not have heard about this new creation out of Pforzheim, Germany. This little town in Germany is world-renowned for its jewelry and watch making industry, but is now famous for something a little bit more extravagant.

Enter the new gold-plated Porsche Boxster. Visualis, a company situated in Pforzheim, hired an artist to create the gilded car. It is unknown how much the vehicle costs, but one thing is a certainty, it is going to be going at a pretty penny. In addition to the original creation, a further nine gold plated models will undergo this unique gilding process. The vehicle was originally created to attract visitors to a jewelry museum opening, and it was a huge success. Porsche saw a gap in the market and a potential demand for this extravagantly luxurious vehicle.

Although you may be dazzled at first by the bright exterior, which is plated in 22 carat gold, that is not where the gilding stops. All the major interior components are also gold plated, including the steering wheel and door knobs. To complete this luxurious vehicle, the alloy rims are also plated in 22 carat gold.

There have been mixed reactions regarding this extraordinary vehicle. There are many who appreciate and covet this golden Porsche. The wealthier end of society may take it as the ultimate status symbol. As if owning a Porsche Boxster is not flashy enough, they can now drive around in gold! It is definitely not the car for someone who wishes to blend into the crowd, because this car will most certainly turn heads. On a particularly bright and sunny day, it may even turn heads in the opposite direction! Now naturally, there are the cynics. Perhaps composing of those who love it but can't afford it? Not necessarily. Some Porsche enthusiasts feel that this car lacks class, and removes from the original ranking of the Porsche brand. Some people even feel that despite its luxuriousness, the car is ugly!

Let's weigh up the pros and cons of this gilded Porsche. It cannot be denied that plating a Porsche Boxster in gold is a tedious and meticulous task. Some people love gold, and opulence, and Porsches too! In this case, this is definitely the car for those people, if they can afford it. There is no doubt that a gold plated Porsche Boxster is a very valuable investment car. Even if the value of the car depreciates, at least they will be able to get a return on the value of the gold!

Some of the cons, well first of all, you have to think about how much it is going to cost to repair the car should you scratch it! Or have an accident in it for that matter. Perhaps we should be more realistic, as the risk of having an accident in this car is quite low. It will be quite a difficult car to miss on the road. This being said, it does pose the risk of causing accidents on a sunny day should fellow road users be blinded by its reflection in the sun.

For more pictures and reviews on Porsche Cars visit http://www.porsche-car.com

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Best Used Car this 2009

Most people are trying to save money when they buy a used car. Used cars are cheaper to buy, insure, register and pay tax on. A key reason for many people is the first year depreciation of a new car. A new car can depreciate as much as 30% in the first year.

Used cars are popular choices for parents buying a car for their kid. They want something safe and reliable but aren't as particular about how it looks so that dings and dents aren't that important. They mainly want to avoid buying a used car that will need major repairs.

A good place to start is to come up with a list of cars you are most interested in. Cars like the Toyota Camry which are considered very reliable and have a long history of lasting for years can be a good choice. This list will naturally depend on what type of car you need. If you live in a snow belt you may want to get a 4 wheel drive vehicle or at least a front wheel drive vehicle which handles well in the snow. You may need a pickup to haul things around. Once you know what type of vehicle you need make a list of the models you want to look for.

The internet has lots of resources you can use to build your list and to check on the fair market value and technical specifications of the cars you are interested in. Review the lists of the most reliable cars over time. Car and Driver has an annual list of the top five cars in each category. See which cars they have recommended in past years and review them. Kelley Blue Book (www.kbb.com) and Edmunds.com provide information on the fair market value, technical specifications and reviews of used cars, trucks and SUV's.

Once you start looking at used cars make sure you find out if the car has ever been in an accident and it's great if the seller has repair records and the maintenance history. If you are buying from a used car dealer ask if there is a warranty.

Do a good inspection of the car, the exterior, interior and the engine. Is the engine clean? Are the fluid levels good? Do you see signs of any leaks underneath the vehicle? Make sure you test drive the car, the longer the better. Leave the radio off so you can hear any strange noises. Notice how the car takes bumps, how many rattles you hear and engine noises. Check underneath particularly the exhaust system.

When you find the used car you want and have agreed on a price with a used car dealer make sure you read the fine print of anything you sign. Once you sign it is a done deal. A lot of people dread dealing with used car dealers but if you do your homework, inspect and test drive the car you will avoid most of the pitfalls. Also, dealing with a reputable used car dealer you can trust can make the process enjoyable.

Greg Chapman of Greg Chapman Motors is a knowledgeable and leading provider of used cars, trucks, and SUV's. Since 1959, Chapman motors has supplied reliable used cars in Austin and the surrounding area and is known as one of the bad credit car dealers in Austin. For more information please visit http://www.gregchapmanmotors.com.

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The New Mitsubishi Colt Turbo?

The Mitsubishi Colt is yet another hatchback that has found itself lumped in with a myriad of others in the saturated supermini market. This market is very much sink or swim recently and to stay afloat your car has got to have something a little different or special to attract interest. So will the Mitsubishi Colt be riding along on the crest of a wave or sinking irretrievably amidst the gloomy waters of supermini failure?

The first impression is suitably impressive as the exterior ticks boxes you wouldn't expect it to, as it manages to look solid and chunky yet you can be sure that you will be able to fit it into all but the very tightest of parking spaces. It has a tall roof that means that there will be enough room to comfortably seat at least 4 6-foot+ adults; reassuring news if you were ferrying guests to a medical giant's convention.

The interior is relatively basic, but looks smart enough and appears to be of a high manufacturing standard and all the plastics are rigid and will stand up to ham-fisted testing. The seating is perhaps a little too firm, which makes long journeys a little undesirable, but as these cars are primarily designed for short city driving, this isn't too much of a pressing concern.

The Colt is available in 3 door, 5 door and cabriolet editions and the engines range from 1.1 Litre to 1.5 Litre Petrol, which is proof if any were required that Mitsubishi have no delusions of grandeur about the Colt being adapted into some kind of racing car. No, it is a fairly slow car and you'll get bored of counting the seconds it takes to get from 0-60. That really isn't the point of the Mitsubishi Colt though. This car has been designed with practicality in mind, so the evaluation criteria should be more a question of handling, boot space, economy and ecology.

In these terms the Colt does pretty well. The handling isn't exactly pin-point accurate, but is more than fit for purpose on a car of this ilk. The boot is actually smaller than you would expect, but put the passenger seats down and you have an impressive capacity that will manage to accommodate most shopping trips. Economically speaking the Colt is a triumph on two counts; firstly, with the basic Colt model starting from £7,799, it is very competitively priced for a new car. Secondly, with economical engine, you should find yourself achieving very high and wallet-friendly miles per gallon ratios. Tying in with this, the ecological implications of owning this car are almost negligible; the Colt produces one of the lowest CO2 emissions for its class and will not cause too much damage to the environment.

So far, so good for the little Japanese Mitsubishi, but there is one small flaw in its conception; the Mitsubishi Colt lacks a gimmick. Whereas the Ford Fiesta, Vauxhall Corsa and Fiat 500 have got stylish good looks in there corner, the Mitsubishi just has fairly bog-standard practicality stamped all over it. The Colt can't compete in performance terms with the Volkswagen cars so its difficult to see where it can fit in the over-crowded marketplace.

However, if you are looking for a basic, no-frills, reliable and cheap city car, the the Mitsubishi Colt is definitely worth your consideration.

About the Author

Pete J Ridgard is a writer and a car enthusiast. He currently writes for the automotive industry. Here he discusses how the Mitsubishi Colt is going to fit in a crowded marketplace.

Porsche Was Driven Out of Formula One?

Whenever Porsche entered races, people where blown away by its performance. The Porsche car usually took first place, and if not first, it was always in the top three. Some races were deemed to be mind-blowing by critics, and Porsche enthusiasts were in their element! It was only a natural progression that the Porsche moved on to Formula One.

Porsche's first entry into Formula One took place in the season of 1961 to 1962. Porsche fans were a little perturbed to say the least. Porsche only managed to achieve one championship win thanks to Dan Gurney at the end of the French Grand Prix in 1962. Porsche did win another race, but it was a non-championship cup. At the end of its first season competing, Porsche retired from Formula 1. They cited that the reason for this was the high cost of their participation in the races. Naturally, this was because they were not winning anything in order to get their money back for the amounts they had invested in their venture.

In 1983 Porsche reentered the world of Formula One. This time, they supplied engines manufactured under the name TAG for the McLaren Team. Luckily for Porsche, TAG was a huge success. The Porsche powered cars won two titles for construction, and in addition to this, three drivers were crowned in championships in the years 1984, 1985 and 1986.

In 1991, Porsche returned as an engine supplier to Formula One. Unfortunately, the results were not as satisfactory as they had been before. Porsche entered their cars under the name Footwork, but failed to score any points. In over half the races they participated in, Porsche even failed to qualify at all! Since this disastrous year, Porsche has not returned to Formula One. There has been much speculation as to why they did not return again. It could very well be because Porsche was a very successful brand with a good reputation. If they continued to participate in Formula One, and experienced these embarrassing failures for the world to see, the Porsche brand would begin to lose its status.

Despite Porsche's failed attempt at a successful entry into Formula One, they still continue to dazzle on the race track. Nowadays, Porsche participates in smaller, more localized races. There are special Porsche races for enthusiasts that are hugely successful. In other larger races, the Porsche is normally modified, but still does well. Unfortunately for Porsche, the only real professional category that they participate in these days is the Porsche Michelin Super Cup. This cup is raced as a support category at the European Formula One.

In retrospect, there can be many thoughts on why Porsche did so badly in Formula One. Logically, it was the wisest decision for them to retire. Porsche is well renowned for its class, sleek lines and powerful engines. The Formula One is one of the biggest marketing campaigns for car manufacturers in the world, and naturally Porsche did not want to be advertised as being failures with less than championship level engines.

For more pictures and reviews on Porsche Cars visit http://www.porsche-car.com

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The Little Red Corvette

Deemed as the bona fide backseat make out song of Prince's 1983 album titled 1999, Little Red Corvette combines Prince's sultry lyrics filled with innuendos with synth-saturated click track rhythms to make one flirty little number.

Although prior to this song, Prince was known for his blatantly sexual lyrics mixed with a raw and funkier sound, which resulted in most of his earlier recording not getting any radio play. This song was just obscure enough to not have offended anybody thus resulting in radio play.

In the song, Prince narrates a one-night stand with a beautiful but promiscuous woman, metaphorically named "Little Red Corvette," throughout the song he claims to enjoy the experience but urges her to slow down, find a love that is going to last before she destroys herself. The exact nature of the song is left to the imagination being that Prince is never quite clear as to whether he is talking about a car or some red hot minx. In addition to "Little Red Corvette," Prince uses several other automobile metaphors, including comparing their interlude to riding in a limousine.

It is rumored Prince got the idea for the song while he fell asleep in Lisa Coleman's Edsel or Mercury Montclair, depending on who you talk to, after an exhausting all-night recording session. Lisa Colman was Prince's keyboardist for both his 1999 album and Controversy albums and did backing vocals for Little Red Corvette. According to the rumor, the lyrics came to Prince in bits and pieces during that particular catnap and others that followed and eventually he was able to finish it without sleeping.

Little Red Corvette became one of Prince's best known songs and helped put his name on the music charts. This song was his biggest hit at the time, and the first to reach top ten status in the United States peaking at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, which is the US music industry standard singles popularity chart issued by Billboard magazine. Little Red Corvette was one of his first singles to perform better on the pop chart then the R&B chart, due to the pop/rock format of the song.

The same Little Red Corvette inspired another musician, Stevie Nicks who got the idea for "Stand Back" after hearing Little Red Corvette. She heard Prince's song in her car, wrote "Stand Back" that night, later called Prince who came into the studio when they recorded the song to play keyboards.

Little Red Corvette is one of those songs that will forever stand the test of time. In 2001, Chevrolet put up billboards with a picture of a red 1963 Corvette Sting Ray that stated, "They don't write songs about Volvos." In 2003, Chevrolet used that statement in a commercial that aired for the first time during the Grammys. The ad showed old footage of The Beach Boys performing "My 409" followed by Don McLean singing "American Pie" ("drove my Chevy to the levee"), and then Prince performing "Little Red Corvette."

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