Car App of the Week: Waze, FREE GPS Application

Life has been made simpler with the emergence of smartphones.  Need to find a great place to eat? There’s an app for that.  Want to set up a reminder to pick milk after work?  There’s an app for that.  Want to begin your plan for world domination by taking over your city with one swift button?  There’s NO app for that, yet…but who knows what's in store for the future!

The iPhone app store has a plethora of GPS apps that range from $.99 to $100, all allowing for a step-by-step guide to get from point A to B.  Our app of the week, Waze, a new navigation system that provides step-by-step directions on a 3-D map, combining crowd-sourced info as well as accurate GPS, is the perfect solution. Also, the app is totally free!  According to 148Apps: “Waze is a free, social, mobile crowd-source navigation and real-time traffic application for iPhone that gives its users a "real-time," live description of the road/driving conditions around them. It's a free, useful, fun application everyone should download and experience!”

Waze features:

• Constantly-updated road map
• Real-time traffic updates
• Automatic rerouting
• Live reports from users on the road
• Turn-by turn directions
• Road tweets – Twitter integration
• Foursquare integration
• Automatically learned frequent routes
• Picture sharing from the road
• User contribution scoreboard

Download ASAP! For more, visit: http://www.148apps.com/reviews/waze/ and http://www.waze.com/download/ to download

How To Efficiently Test-Drive A Vehicle

We have to admit, we love the test drive.  Seeing a potential driver leave our lot, smile intact, back poised, and prepared for the road ahead, makes us feel like an integral part of their life.  Test-driving a car is important because it solidifies your buying decision.  There’s a series of questions potential buyers ask themselves.  At our dealership, we’re here to help.  In today’s blog we’re going to discuss the best ways to test-drive your car and the questions you should ask yourself when you’re driving.  

Most purchasers start their research online.  By checking out our automotive dealership website, you can consider what features you would like your new vehicle to have.  The options are endless, including: color choice, specs, and features.  Also, keep in mind that these are based on your individual preferences and you should never settle for a vehicle you’re not “sold” on.  Once you come into the dealership, it’s time to “feel the wheel.”  You saw what you liked online, and now you want to see if that translates into your true experience.  These are some questions you should ask as you step behind the wheel of your dream car:

Is it easy for me to enter and exit the vehicle without banging my head?

Is the driving position comfortable?  Is my seat positioned too high or low when I’m in the passenger seat?

Are all of the controls easily accessible when I’m in a driving position?

Are the controls easy to use?

Do the gas and brake pedals match my body type and are they adjustable?

Some other tips include checking out the vehicle from a spectator point-of-view.  Listen for the noise level inside the car, as well as the acceleration, braking, cornering, suspension, seat comfort and cargo space.  These are all major factors that can help your buying decision.  Your test-drive is meaningful to us and we want you to enjoy your experience as much as possible.  Happy Shopping!

Awesome Automotive Blogs to Follow (2013 Edition)

It’s about that time again!! As we roll into the summer, it’s a time of BBQs, drop-top beach fun and cruising with a significant other.  As auto aficionados, we love to see the newest vehicles, cool innovations and awesome photos of the newest cars.  In today’s blog, we’re listing the TOP automotive blogs to fuel your automotive passion.  If your favorite blog isn’t listed, feel free to comment below!

BoldRide - http://www.boldride.com/

Boldride is an awesome one stop-shop for automotive photos and news.  It’s a new-age hub of organized content that includes photos of the newest vehicles, quick notes that detail pivotal information about vehicles and a comments area for users to talk about new cars and style changes.

Autoblog - http://www.autoblog.com/

Autoblog is extensive.  It offers a plethora of information about vehicles from all over the world.  They also provide hi-res photos and downloadable content and wallpapers.  Autoblog also has an Enthusiast section for hardcore car lovers.  It includes a list of recalls, spy photos of new cars, rumors and new technology.  Autoblog is a one-stop shop for car minds.

Jalopnik - http://jalopnik.com/

Jalopnik doesn’t take itself too seriously.  It’s an often comedic automotive blog that has really cool information about quirky car topics, bizarre craigslist auto ads and classic topics that range from the coolest old-school tuners, to the hottest car commercials.

Dub Magazine - http://dubmagazine.com/dubdaily/

For tuner fans who LOVE rims, the flashy lifestyle and the magazine that bears the same name, their passion would be fueled by this website.  It provides insight into the newest automotive trends from an urban perspective.

There are TONS of auto blogs worth mentioning, feel free to list your favorite below! 

Awesome New Automotive Technology

When I close my eyes and picture the future of the automobile, several things come to mind.  Maybe a vessel that moves like a flying saucer that only George Jetson could maneuver, or a hovercraft that can traverse both land and sea? The state of vehicle technology has amazed me with each passing day.  In today’s blog, we discuss the future of car technology and how it will affect the way we roll. 

Emergency Steer Assist

To begin, this system does not take over and steer for you, it’s designed to compliment emergency braking systems.  According to Popular Mechanics: “ESA works with your electric steering rack to vary the torque by direction, thus very convincingly "suggesting" the proper steering wheel motion. Suppose you need to swerve left—the torque in the clockwise motion is greatly increased (resistance), but it's ridiculously easy to turn the wheel counterclockwise. Similarly, during the maneuver recovery phase (you may know this as the tank slapper), the inverse is true, the steering working in tandem with ESC (electronic stability control, mandatory on all cars in 2011) to control the aftereffects of the swerve.

Adaptive Cruise Control

ACC is only available on a few select vehicles, but by utilizing radar sensors on the front of a vehicle, adaptive cruise control can tell when an object is in front of it and if that object is moving and how quickly.  Thus, maintaining a constant speed, but also maintaining a set distance between it and the car in front.  Brilliant!

Self Parking Cars

Advance parking Guidance Systems use sensors all around the car to guide it into a parallel parking space.  So, if you’re in the drivers seat, and you remove your hands from the steering wheel and your feet from the gas pedal…viola! There are a couple stipulations, however.  One, the spot has to be at least 6 feet long, and you have to position the vehicle and tell it where to go, but still…this is something you would expect to see in a sci-fi movie! Thumbs up!  There are countless other new devices in the market!!  Feel free to add any that you’ve seen.