Category: Cars

We cover everything about cars from learning to drive a car to car buying to car maintenance.

  • Customize your own car

    customize car
    Yes! There are many ways to customize your own car but what is the best way to do it so that your car looks cool? You want your car look cool and you have the needed budget for all the accessories but what you need to do is find the best way to customize it. A car will still look ugly even lots of money have been spent. An old car can look unique as long as it has something that other cars don’t, for example, a cool air brush on the body. Here today we are going to share you some tips to design your own car in the best way with least money.

    First of all, it is always the first impression – the body color and the outlook. A great car will shine your eyes with perfect body colors. Choose properly the color you prefer and try to use the stimulation online programs to see the car virtually. This can avoid any regrets. Choose some special and unique colors such as white pearl, black silica, silver metallic, hot chili red, orange metallic, or any color you think it is unique. If colors does not satisfied you enough, putting a nice airbrush on the body will make it outstanding. If you have seen how Tokyo drifters design their car with air brush, you will fall in love with it. Apart from body paint, eye-catching accessories including door handle, signal lamp cover, crystal-style headlamp, and customized front grille are something cannot be done without. Chrome accessory is a must especially classic car.

    In order to make a car look distinctive, a set of cool sport wheels is a necessity. Many cool ready-made wheels are available in the market and you can easily get a set of four for your car. Advanti Racing, American Racing, ASA, Avarus, Axis, BBS, ENKEI, Kosei, Lorenzo, Reaction Alloys, Focal, Foose, Asanti, Motegi Racing, Sparco, DUB, and Ultra are a few famous brands that manufacture car wheels. The key to make a car look cool is to find the best wheel size. Too small make the car look ordinary while too big make it look ugly. A little offset will make it look unique too. On the other hand, you can look for custom wheel builders to build custom wheels for your car. A set of custom wheels will make your car look stunning.

    Now you have settled the exterior, it’s time to move on to interior. It is odd that a car looks good from the outside but nothing special inside. Things will be easier if you have already had a theme you love in your mind. Some people love Harry Potter while some prefer Twilight. This is one way to customize your car interior by changing the seat cover, steering wheel, dashboard design, arm rest, head rest, gear knob, and pedal according to the theme you love. In a nutshell, five main things to customize your own car are body color, air brush, accessories, wheel, and interior.
    customize car interior
    Customize Interior

  • Defunct British Car Manufacturers

    Do you know that there were 381 British car manufacturers born in the United Kingdom over a century? 40 car manufacturers among them are still manufacturing cars and export worldwide today but the remaining 341 manufacturers have become history. Some of the defunct manufacturers appeared in the history for a few decades while some just last for a few years due to many reasons. Indeed, some of the British car manufacturers produce very limited cars in a short period of time. This is one reason why there are very unique British antique cars appear in some major antique car shows and you may not be able to recognize the car brand through the logo. Let’s see the list of car manufacturers in the United Kingdom from A to Z which on longer in business today. See also: list of car brandslist of Chinese car brands.

    A

    Abbey (1922)
    ABC (1920-1929)
    Aberdonia (1911-1915)
    Abingdon (1902-1903)
    Abingdon (1922-1923)
    Academy (1906-1908)
    Accles-Turrell (1899-1901)
    Ace (1912-1916)
    Achilles (1904-1908)
    Adams (1905-1914)
    Adamson (1912-1925)
    Addison (1906)
    Advance (1902-1912)
    AEM (1987)
    Aero Car (1919-1920)
    Aeroford (1920-1925)
    Africar (1982-1988)
    AGR (1911-1915)
    Airedale (1919-1924)
    AJS (1930-1932)
    Albany (1903-1905)
    Albany (1971-1997)
    Albatros (1923-1924)
    Alberford (1922-1924)
    Albert (1920-1921)
    Albion (1900-1913)
    ALC (1913)
    Alex (1908)
    Allard (1899-1902)
    Allard (1937-1960)
    Alldays & Onions (1898-1918)
    Allwyn (1920)
    All-British (1906-1908)
    Alta (1931-1947)
    Alvechurch (1912)
    Alvis (1919-1967)
    Amazon (1921-22)
    André (1933-1934)
    Anglian (1905-1907)
    Anglo-American (1899-1900)
    Anglo-French (1896-1897)
    Angus-Sanderson (1919-1927)
    Arab (1926-1928)
    Arbee (1904)
    Archer (1920)
    Arden (1912-1916)
    Argon (1908)
    Argyll (1899-1928)
    Argyll (1976-1990)
    Ariel (1898-1915; 1922-1925)
    Arkley (1970-1995)
    Armadale (1906-1907)
    Armstrong (1902-1904)
    Armstrong (1913-1914)
    Armstrong Siddeley (1919-1960)
    Armstrong Whitworth (1904-1919)
    Arno (1908)
    Arnold (1896-1898)
    Arnott (1951-1957)
    Arrol-Aster (1927-1931)
    Arrol-Johnston (1896-1928)
    Arsenal (1898-1899)
    Ascot (1904)
    Ascot (1928-1930)
    Ashley (1954-1962)
    Ashton-Evans (1919-1928)
    Asquith (1901-1902)
    Aster (1922-1930)
    Astra (1954-1959)
    Astral (1923-1924)
    Atalanta (1915-1917)
    Atalanta (1937-1939)
    Atlantis (1981-1986)
    Athmac (1913)
    Atkinson and Philipson (1896)
    Atomette (1922)
    Attila (1903-1906)
    Aurora (1904)
    Ausfod (1947-1948)
    Austin (1906-1989)
    Austin-Healey (1952-1971)
    Autotrix (1911-1914)
    Autocrat (1920s) (see Hampton)
    Autovia (1936-1938)
    AV (1919-1924)

    B

    Baby Blake (1922)
    Baker & Dale (1913)
    Bantam (1913)
    Barnard (1921-1922)
    Barnes (1904-1906)
    Batten (1935-1938)
    Baughan (1920-1929)
    Bayliss-Thomas (1922-1929)
    Bean (1919-1929)
    Belsize (1901-1925)
    Berkeley (1956-1961)
    Bifort (1914-1920)
    Billings-Burns (1900)
    Black Prince (1920)
    Blériot-Whippet (1920-1927)
    Bond (1948-1974)
    Bound (1920)
    Bow-V-Car (1922-1923)
    BPD (1913)
    Bradwell (1914)
    Brotherhood (1904-1907)
    Brough Superior (1935-1939)
    Breckland Technology (2000-2009)
    Britannia (1913-1914)
    British Salmson (1934-1939)
    Broadway (1913)
    Brooke (1901-1913)
    BSA cars (1907-1926; 1929-1940)
    Buckingham (1914-1923)
    Buckler (1947-c.1962)
    Burney (1930-1933)
    Bushbury Electric (1897)

    C

    Calcott (1913-1926)
    Calthorpe (1905-1926)
    Cambro (1920-1921)
    Carden (1912-1923)
    Carlette (1913)
    Castle Three (1919-1922)
    CFB (1920-1921)
    Centaur (1974-1978)
    Chambers Motors (1904-1929)
    Charawacky (1894-1914)
    Chater-Lea (1907-1922)
    Chota (1912-1913)
    Christchurch-Campbell (1922)
    Clan (1971-1974)
    Clan (1982-1985)
    Clarendon (1902-1904)
    Climax (1905-1909)
    Cluley (1921-1928)
    Clyno (1922-1930)
    Connaught (1952-59)
    Coventry Motor Company (1896-1903)
    Coventry Premier (1912-1923)
    Coventry-Victor (1926-1938)
    Crossley (1904-1937)
    Crouch (1912-1928)
    Crowdy (1909-1912)
    Croxted (1904-1905)

    D

    Dalgliesh-Gullane (1907-1908)
    Dawson (1919-1921)
    Deasy (1906-1911)
    Dellow (1949-1959)
    De Lorean (1981-1982)
    Diva (1961-1966)

    E

    Eadie (1898-1901)
    Economic (1921-1922)
    Edismith (1905)
    Enfield (1969-1973)
    Ekstromer (1905)
    Electric Motive Power (1897)
    Electromobile (1901-1920)
    Elswick (1903-1907)
    Elva (1958-1968)
    Emms (1922-1923)
    Endurance (1899-1901)
    Esculapeus (1902)
    Evante (1983-1994)

    F

    Fairthorpe (1954-1973)
    Frazer Nash (1924-1957)

    G

    Galloway (1920-1928)
    Garrard (1904)
    Garrard & Blumfield (1894-1896)
    Geering (1899-1904)
    Gerald (1920)
    Gibbons (1917-1929)
    Gilbern (1959-1973)
    Gilbert (1901)
    Gilburt (1904-1905)
    Gill (1958-1960)
    GN (1910-1925)
    Godfrey-Proctor (1928-1929)
    Gordon-Keeble (1960-1961; 1964-1967)
    Grose (1898-1901)
    Guy (ca1919-1932)
    GWK (1911-1931)
    Gwynne (1922-1929)
    Gwynne-Albert (1923-1929)

    H

    Hampton (1911-1933)
    Healey (1946-1954)
    Hewinson-Bell (c.1900)
    Hill & Stanier (1914)
    Hillman (1907-1976)
    Horstmann Cars (1914-1929)
    HRG (1936-1956)
    Hubbard (1904-1905)
    Humber (1896-1976)

    I

    Iden (1904-1907)
    Imperial (1901-c.1906)
    Imperial (1904-1905)
    Imperial (1914)
    Invacar (1947-1977)
    Invicta (1900-1905)
    Invicta (1913-1914)
    Invicta (1925-1950)

    J

    James and Browne (1901-1910)
    Jappic (1925)
    Jensen (1936-1976; 1983-1992; 1999-2002)
    Jensen-Healey (1972-1976)
    Joel-Rosenthal (1899-c.1902)
    John O’Gaunt (1901-1904)
    Jowett (1906-1954)

    K

    Karminski (1902)
    Kieft (1954-1955)
    Kingsburgh (1901-1902)
    Kyma (1903-1905)

    L

    LAD (1913-1926)
    Ladas (1906)
    Lagonda (1906-1964)
    Lambert (1911-1912)
    Lammas-Graham (1936-1938)
    Lanchester (1895-1956)
    Land Master (1970s-1980s)
    Lee Stroyer (1903-1905)
    Lems (1903-1904)
    Lester Solus (1913)
    Leuchters (1898)
    Leyland (1920-1923)
    Light Car Company/LCC
    Lloyd (1936-1950)
    Lonsdale (1982-1983)
    Lotis (1908-1912)
    Lucar (1913-14)

    M

    Madelvic (1898-1900)
    Maiflower (1919-1921)
    Marauder (1950-1952)
    Marcos (1959-2007)
    Marendaz (1926-1936)
    Marlborough (1906-1926)
    Maudslay (1902-1923)
    MG (1923-2010)
    Mini (1959-2000)
    Morris (1913-1983)
    Motor Carrier (1904)

    N

    Napier (c.1900-1924)
    Napoleon (1903)
    Neale (electric car) (1896)
    New Carden (1923-1925)

    O

    Ogle (1960-1972)
    Omega (1925-1927)
    One of the Best (1905)
    Oppermann (1898-1907)
    Orpington (1907-20s)

    P

    Palm (1922-1923)
    Palmerston (1920-1922)
    Panther (1972-1992)
    Paramount (1950-1956)
    Paydell (1924-1925)
    Payze (1920-1921)
    Peel (1955-1966)
    Peerless (1957-1960)
    Perry (1913-1916)
    Phoenix (1903-1926)
    Phoenix (1905)
    Piper (1967-1975)
    Projecta (1914)

    Q

    Quadrant (1905-1906)
    Quasar-Unipower (1968)
    Queen (1904-1905)

    R

    Railton (1933-1950)
    Railton (1989-1994)
    Ralph Lucas (1901-c.1908)
    Rapier (1933-1937)
    Reliant (1952-2002)
    Rex (1901-1914)
    Rickett (1858-1860)
    Ridley (1901-1907)
    Riley (1898-1969)
    Rochdale (1952-1968)
    Rodley (1954-1956)
    Roper-Corbet (1911-1913)
    Rover (1904-2005)
    Rudge (1912-1913)
    Russon (1951-1952)
    Ruston-Hornsby (1919-1924)
    Ryley (1901-1902)
    Rytecraft (1934-1940)

    S

    Santler (1889-1922)
    Scootacar (1957-1964)
    Scott (1921-1925)
    Sheffield-Simplex (1907-1920)
    Sheppee (1912)
    Siddeley (1902-1904)
    Siddeley-Deasy (1912-1919)
    Simplic (1914)
    Sinclair (1984-1985)
    Singer (1905-1970)
    Skeoch (1921)
    Skirrow (1936-1939)
    Smith & Dowse (1900)
    Sports Junior (1920-1921)
    Squire (1935-1936)
    SS (1934-1945)
    Standard (1903-1963)
    Star (1898-1932)
    Sterling (1987-1992)
    Storey (1920-31)
    Straker-Squire (1906-1925)
    Strathcarron (1998-2001)
    Sunbeam (1899-1937; 1953-1976)
    Sunbeam-Talbot (1938-1954)
    Swallow (1931-1934)
    Swallow Doretti (1954-1955)
    Swift (1900-1931)

    T

    Talbot (1903-1938)
    Tamplin (1919-1925)
    Tiny (1912-1915)
    Tornado (1958-1964)
    Tourette (1956-1958)
    Toward & Philipson (1897)
    Trident (1965-1978)
    Triumph (1923-1984)
    Trojan (1922-1936; 1962-1965)
    Turner (1951-1966)
    Tyseley (1912-1914)

    U

    Unipower (1966-1970)
    Urecar (1923)
    Utopian (1914)

    V

    Vale (1932-1935)
    Valveless (1908-1915)
    Vanden Plas (1960-1980)
    Vapomobile (1902-1904)
    Velox (1902-1904)
    Vulcan (1902-1928)

    W

    Warne (1913-1915)
    Warwick (1960-1962)
    Weigel (1906-1909)
    Whitlock (1903-1932)
    Wigan-Barlow (1922-1923)
    Wilbrook (1913)
    Williamson (1913-1916)
    Wilson-Pilcher (1901-1904)
    Wolseley (1896-1975)
    Woodrow (1913-1915)
    Wrigley (1913)

    X

    Xtra (1922-1924)

    British cars
    British Cars

  • Car brands Americans love

    Have you ever wondered what are the car brands Americans love or hate? Here we have done an online research involving 1000 Americans from different states to list out the top ten car brands they love. Fortunately, there are five US car brands appeared to be Americans’ top choices when they are considering buying a new car while the rest are mostly Japanese and European cars. However, some of the top marquee we expected to be appeared in the list did not receive good response according to our survey results. Let’s see what the Americans love to drive and hate to drive. See also: list of car brands, list of Chinese car brands.

    Lexus (Japan)

    Lexus Logo
    In 2011, the total sales of Lexus vehicles in the U.S. are 247,907 units. This amount had outsold Mercedes-Benz by 2,715 units. Today, the Japan born Lexus is the top luxury car brand in the U.S. Most Americans prefer Lexus when they are buying luxury cars. That’s the reason why we see more and more Lexus cars on the street today including the Lexus LS, Lexus IS 250, and Lexus IS350.

    BMW (Germany)

    BMW logo
    Americans love Be-My-Wife, love the Germany born BMW. The BMW 3 Series is BMW’s best-selling model and also one of the most popular cars in the U.S. for many years since 1980s. Besides the 3 Series, BMW X5 is also a popular car in the midsize luxury CUV (Crossover Utility Vehicle) segment.

    Toyota (Japan)

    Toyota Logo
    Ladies and gentlemen, it is the Toyota Camry. In May 2012, the 2012 Toyota Camry is the best-selling passenger car. The Toyota Camry is also a car name that often appeared in the top 10 best-selling cars in the U.S.

    Honda (Japan)

    Honda logo
    Honda is a household car brand that Americans love the most. Honda Accord, Honda Civic, and Honda Fit are top choices for Americans when they consider buying a car, either new or used. This is because 100,000 km does no harm to a Honda Civic engine and we have tested that. As for Accord, the biggest competitors are Toyota Camry, Volkswagen Passat, and Chevrolet Malibu.

    Buick (United States)

    Buick logo
    Yes, Buick is a local car manufacturer born in the United States. The brand received many positive comments from our survey results. Among the brand, Buick Lucerne and Buick Enclave are two most popular Buick cars preferred by Americans.

    Cadillac (United States)

    Cadillac logo
    Cadillac is yet another American car brand founded over 100 years ago and now owned by General Motors (GM). Perhaps the high performance, daring design, long-history, and groundbreaking technology are what make it a successful brand?

    Dodge (United States)

    Dodge logo
    Dodge is an America-based car brand founded in 1900. With a few notable cars such as the Dodge Charger, Dodge Magnum, Dodge Ram, Dodge Challenger, Dodge Viper, and Dodge Caravan, the brand stay on the top list steadily.

    Lincoln or Mercury (United States)

    Lincoln logo Mercury logo
    Lincoln and Mercury are two famous US car brands owned by Ford Motor Company.

    GMC (United States)

    GMC logo
    Try to look for any GMC cars when you are out on the street everyday. The chances of seeing a GMC car is pretty high as they are almost everywhere. In 2007, GMC used to be General Motor’s second-largest-selling cars after Chevrolet.

    Hyundai (Korea)

    Hyundai logo
    Thanks to Hyundai American design center located in California which develops designs specially for US markets, Hyundai cars have received good response in the recent years compared to early days. The Hyundai Genesis was named the 2009 North American Car of the Year and Hyundai Sonata was awarded “Top Safety Pick” from IIHS.

    Based on the results from the survey, we made a conclusion that Americans prefer high quality cars and the price tag must reflect all value found within the car itself and after-sales service from manufacturers. That’s one main reason why we see some biggest car manufacturers are now offering 10 years warranty on their cars. Quality says it all.

  • British Car Manufacturers

    British cars
    Here is your delicious A-list of current British car manufacturers from A to Z you ever hunted. United Kingdom is one of the few countries that built cars before 1900s. The first car brand founded in the UK is Rickett which built steam-powered car in 1860. Since then, more and more British car brands appeared in the history. Without any surprise, there are 381 British car manufacturers since 1858. 40 of them are currently still manufacturing and selling cars. Some of them are now world’s famous car makers including MINI, Rolls-Royce, McLaren, Bentley, Aston Martin, Lotus, Land Rover, Jaguar, Daimler, and Caterham. See Defunct British Car Manufacturers for the list of car brands that is no longer in the business. See also: list of car brands, list of Chinese car brands.

    List of current British car manufacturers

    1. AC (since 1908) – One of the few notable AC cars are AC Cobra.
    2. Ariel (since 1999)
    3. Ascari (since 1995)
    4. Aston Martin (since 1921) – Aston Martin makes cars like no others, otherwise why James Bond always use it?
    5. Bentley (since 1919) – The Bentley was born inEnglandand it builds high-performance cars with discreet British elegance. If it talks, it must have a very sweet British accent.
    6. Berkeley (since 1991)
    7. Bristol (since 1946)
    8. Brooke (since 1991)
    9. Caparo (since 2006)
    10. Caterham (since 1973)
    11. Connaught Motor Company (since 2004)
    12. Daimler (since 1896) – One of the earliest car manufacturers in United Kingdom.
    13. Eterniti Motors (since 2010) – A new comer in automobile industry.
    14. Farboud (since 2004)
    15. Aquada (since 2004)
    16. Ginetta (since 1957)
    17. Grinnall (since 1993)
    18. Invicta (since 2004)
    19. Jaguar (since 1945) – One of the very famous car brands in the world.
    20. JZR (founded 1989)
    21. Land Rover (since 1948)
    22. Lea-Francis (founded 1903)
    23. Lister (founded 1954)
    24. Locost (since 1995)
    25. Lotus (since 1951)
    26. McLaren (founded 1969)
    27. MINI (since 2001, the original Mini was introduced in 1959) – Millions of MINI have been sold worldwide since 2001, anymore to say?
    28. MK Indy (since 1996)
    29. Morgan (since 1910)
    30. Noble (since 1998)
    31. Nova (since 1971)
    32. Prodrive (since 1984)
    33. Radical (since 1997)
    34. Rolls-Royce (since 1904) – Rolls-Royce is a British car manufacturer that produces luxury cars and supply the finest machine worldwide. The factory is currently located at the Goodwood plant in West Sussex, England.
    35. Trident (since 1999)
    36. Triking (since 1978)
    37. TVR (since 1954)
    38. Ultima (since 1992)
    39. Vauxhall (since 1903)
    40. Westfield (since 1982)

    As you can see from the list above, there are several car manufacturers who have been playing a role in the automobile industry for more than a century. Currently, the longest surviving British car manufacturer is Daimler. If you are in the market for high quality car, British cars are without doubt one of the best to be in your choice.

  • The Fast and the Furious 6 cars

    The Fast and the Furious 6 cars
    Here’s what you wish to know: the list of cars going to be used in The Fast and the Furious 6. In The Fast and the Furious 1, cars that deeply implant in our memory were Dodge Charger R/T, Mazda RX-7, the and orange 1995 Toyota Supra Turbo that outraces a Ferrari F355. The movie then makes our mood go a little higher with Nissan Skyline GT-R, Mitsubishi Eclipse Spider, Mitsubishi Evolution 7, and the pink Honda S2000 driven by Suki in 2 Fast 2 Furious. In the recent episode, we then saw Nissan 350Z Fairlady, Buick Grand National, Ford Torino, Subaru WRX Sti, Acura NSX, and a white Porsche GTS driven by the sexy model. All the cars appear in the movie simply make us feel ecstatic. So, what are the cars that will appear in The Fast and the Furious 6 with an extra superstar Rihanna? Here’s our spy list.

    Ferrari 360

    Ferrari 360 in The Fast and the Furious 6
    From the early trailer released last year, we tends to see a white color Ferrari 360 driven by Dominic Toretto (played by Vin Diesel) when he has to face the police (played by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson). The Ferrari 360 creates lots of smoke in the scene when Dominic makes a 180 degree turn.

    Ferrari 360 in Fast and Furious six
    The NOSed Ferrari 360 in Fast Six

    Chevrolet Chevelle SS

    Chevrolet SS in Fast and Furious six
    Although we always see Dominic drive a Chevrolet SS in last few episodes, this time we see the Chevrolet SS is driven by a police. There is a black Chevrolet Chevelle SS driven by The Rock.

    Pontiac GTO

    Pontiac GTO in The Fast and the Furious 6
    A first generation Pontiac GTO is spotted in the movie too. It is driven by Brian O’Conner (played by Paul Walker) who is an ex-police office, undercover, and now a bad boy. A legendary muscle car in a cool movie, that’s what makes it a perfect movie to watch.

    Lotus Elise

    Lotus Elise in fast and the furious
    A yellow Lotus Elise is spotted in the movie during a high way run. The two-seater real-wheel drive roadster is capable to speed up to 150 mph (240 km/h). Featuring this car in the film is undeniably an extra point to make it more interesting.

    Can wait to see all these cars in action? Pray for May 24th, 2013 to come faster then you can watch The Fast and the Furious 6 in theaters. Before that, you can see more at Fast and Furious cars or check out the 2 Fast 2 Furious cars.