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Sticker Shock-looking at fuel costs

New fuel economy label in 2008 shows estimated...
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What are consumers looking for on a car sticker when it comes to fuel efficiency? A poll that was recently conducted by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and the DOT (Department of Transportation) sheds some light on that particular question.
The top three, according to the poll, were fuel economy ratings, annual fuel costs, and fuel economy letter grade. Surprisingly the annual fuel costs was the most important, and the others followed meagerly behind.
The EPA and DOT conducted their survey according to the redesigned vehicles coming up, and the stickers that will be placed in the window of them on a car dealers lot. The EPA estimates that these new stickers will begin to be displayed on vehicles by the year 20112.
More than 55% of the consumers polled believed that fuel efficiency per city, highway, and combined miles per gallon (mpg) was a mandatory number that they looked for when choosing a vehicle.
Secondly was the annual fuel cost. A mere 15% of the consumers polled looked at this particular number. Some believe that if you are purchasing a $10,000 car that the annual fuel costs of $2,000 (for example) should be put on the sticker as well. Also, another surprising fact those that found this aspect important also would rather see monthly estimated fuel costs instead of annually. The EPA estimates that to fuel a vehicle for 5 years, the cost be around $10,000. Looking at those numbers definitely put a different focus than the normal things that potential buyers look for.
When it came to the letter grades on the sticker, most consumers didnt really take it into account when making a decision. From those consumers polled, it was an overall consensus that the letter grade aspect was confusing to them.
Lastly, surprisingly the least worried about point was greenhouse emission. Most customers polled didnt even take into account the environment or the pollution issue

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Importing a vehicle into United States

There are steps that must be adhered to be able to legally import a vehicle into the USA. In addition, the buyer must comply with all safety regulations, bumper standards, and pass air pollution controls testing.

It is the purchaser’s responsibility to make prior arrangements when it comes to having the auto shipped into the United States. An important step is to get the carrier/shipper to notify the importer on expected date of arrival to help expedite clearing customs in a timely manner.

There is also certain documentation that is required before importing. The buyer must have the carrier/shippers original bill of lading, bill of sale, and foreign registration. Other forms that must be completed are the EPA form 3520-1, and the DOT form HS-7 covering the emissions and safety provisions.

The United States Department of Agriculture mandates that all imported cars must be free of all hazardous material before being shipped to the U.S. Another aspect of importing is factoring in the cost of the necessary duty fees. Some determination factors used to figure the cost is whether the vehicle is new or in used condition, and if the vehicle will be used for personal use or for resale only.

To qualify for duty free imports it is required to be a non-resident. However, there has to be proof that the vehicle will be used for personal use for a time period of at least a year after the owner’s arrival to the United States. The exception for United States residents is for citizens working abroad or employees of the government and military that are returning to U.S. on TDY (temporary duty) or voluntary leave.

Importing a vehicle is a serious process. If you have questions call your local auto club or an international automobile federation with guidance on how to obtain the needed documentation.

Filed Under: Contract and Agreements Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

MPG, EPA, what they do

Most consumers in the market for buying a vehicle look at multiple things, but one of the main ones is the fuel efficiency. With the economy, gas prices are volatile and continue to be, for those customers looking to buy or lease an automobile take into account the best gas mileage.
Trying to understand the gas MPG (miles per gallon) can be a confusing process, but the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) measure mileage by the MPG’s and has two ways they classify this method. They are city mileage and highway mileage. In the city the vehicle uses more fuel due to the frequent stops and starts with stop signs, stop lights etc. The highway mileage is typically better mileage due to the constant steady speed without all the stops and starts.
There are some other factors that play a part in the amount of miles per gallon your vehicle gets. Some of those are the following:
A manual transmission generally gets better gas mileage than an automatic transmission.
A 4 cylinder engine is typically more fuel efficient.
The 4-wheel drives generally have poor fuel efficiency compared to a 2-wheel drive.
Certain automobile tires will affect your MPG’s as well. Terrain and snow tires use more fuel than basic highway tires due to more rolling resistance when operating.
A few ways to help you improve your vehicle on mileage is to monitor the tire air pressure, it is recommended to us octane-rated fuel, try to avoid excessive idling, and avoiding frequent stops and starts. However, the fuel efficiency is important, be sure not to overlook other amenities that you may need such as vehicle capacity, cargo space, safety ratings and so forth.
There are a few rated automobiles that are coined as good mileage picks:
Small compact cars- Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid, Honda Fit. Midsize cars-Toyota Camry Hybrid. Small SUV’s (sports utility vehicle)-Subaru Forester, Toyota RAV4. Mid-sized SUV’s-Lexus RX400h, Ford Escape Hybrid.

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Choosing The Right Model For Your Family Some Useful Tips

Choosing the right automobile can be a very stressful task. You will be interested in performance and power. Your spouse will probably be interested in appearance. Your kids will probably want a cool automobile that they can show off when you drop them off at school.

In such a scenario, people often end up choosing the wrong make and model. If your family consists of 2 adults and 3 young kids today, going in for a small vehicle can backfire unless you are prepared to replace your vehicle with a bigger car in the future. The small vehicle may be suitable for your needs today.

However, what about five years from now? Unless you have a replacement plan, you may end up stuffing all your family into the small vehicle. In such a scenario, a trip in the family car may turn out to be an embarrassment instead of a fun experience.

Secondly, you will have to consider your budget and your income capacity as well. Fuel prices are not going to come down any time in the near future. Fuel consumption, despite your best efforts, will not come down beyond a certain level. In such a scenario, going in for an expensive gas guzzling car can sound the death knell for your finances. On the other hand, choosing a model that offers fantastic fuel economy can make a huge difference to your finances.

If you intend to have just one automobile for your home, it must be very reliable at all times. If it breaks down every stone very often, your entire domestic life is thrown out of gear very often. You may end up spending a lot of money making arrangements for alternate transportation. In such a scenario, identifying the most reliable model with the help of the web and other sources makes more sense.

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Filed Under: Tips for Buying a Car Tagged With: , , , , , , ,