Cool cars online

In 1990 I received a free AOL disc in the mail and used it to go “online.” AOL was fun for a variety of years, but a friend told me back in 1995 that you do not need AOL to surf the Internet. In all honesty I didn’t know that at that time. A few days later, I said good-bye to AOL and “HELLO!” to the superhighway of information. People that previously had no interest in PC’s are now running to computer stores so they could surf the internet and retrieve their e-mail.

The Internet really was different back then. Nearly everyone was on dial-up, so web pages and sites were simpler. It was easier to find “information” then because the net hadn’t yet been taken over by commerce sites. Forums and chat rooms had been around since the early ’80s, but were clunky and difficult to use. AOL’s interface helped make it much easier.

While blogging began around 1994, it didn’t start to take off until ‘99 with the introduction of “blogging tools.” When political pundits glommed on to blogs in ‘02, the blogosphere really took off. Now, there’s a blog for everything. This is good news and bad news. For researchers like me, when I do a search, nearly half of the links are for product, services, books, auction listings, and forum or blog comments. At first, I was kind of annoyed with the Corvette forum links because searches often linked to things such as, “I like side-pipes too.” But when I took some time to go to the Corvette forum’s home page, I was pleasantly surprised to find a rich, comprehensive information source.

Take a Corvette forum such as SmokinVette.com. The Corvette hobby is huge because it covers a 57 year lineage of cars in six distinct generations. SmokinVette has Corvette forums for all six generations. Once you’re into your generation’s forum, cruise around, and check out the topics. Every forum is unique, so spend some time poking around the links, controls, and drop-down boxes. It’s like wandering around a big box, home improvement store. It’s a little overwhelming at first, but it doesn’t take long and you know just where to find that sky hook you’re looking for.

I am sometimes in the mood to look at Corvette pictures, and SmokinVette has an enormous collection of them. What would a high-testosterone topic like Corvettes be without an assortment of Corvette Girls? The answer is it would be boring! However, you will not find anything too over the top, as they are classy pictures at SmokinVette, but you will find a lot of SmokinHot babes. And the last comment is only a compliment, ladies.

Owning a pleasure boat is a lot more economically challenging than owning a Corvette, but you could possibly spend extra money on things such as personalizing and refurbishing your Corvette. You can find a “Vette Parts” section in SmokinVette, which can help you locate anything from a crate engine or supercharger to LED lights or used parts. You may have thought that there is a limited range of parts and you will be impressed to know that is not true. You will quickly discover there are a variety of parts being offered by very creative Corvette know-it-alls.

But don’t just be a voyeur. After you go through the free registration, you can add your two-cents to any of the forums, start a new forum topic, and ask a Corvette question, or post photos and images. Corvette people are VERY helpful. When you own a Vette, or are an enthusiast, you’re a member of a uniquely American club. The whole “Save the Wave” thing got started as a way for Corvette owners to acknowledge one another on the road. Corvettes aren’t just “cars.” They’re something more, something intangible that you don’t begin to “get” until you drive one. Driving a Corvette is a uniquely sensual experience. You don’t just “ride” in a Corvette, you DRIVE a Corvette because they are designed and made to be DRIVEN. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve read or heard a new Corvette owner say, “I never really understood this car until I drove one.” That’s the “GOTCHA!” moment.

Make some time, get comfortable, and check out some Corvette forums, such as SmokinVette.com. It’s very fun, educational, engaging, and a good way to meet like-minded people the “get” the Corvette passion. Enough said! -KST

For additional info or questions about Why A Corvette Forum Matters please see the Smokinvette Team at www.smokinvette.com

Tags: Cars, Corvette Forum, Corvettes

Related posts

• The 1984 Corvette Proves To Be A True Form Follows Function Design (0)
• The 1967 Corvette Is Considered The Best Vette Ever By Many (0)
• Your Muffler: The Key To Quieting A Noisy Vehicle (0)
• Your First Car And The Insurance That Will Follow (0)
• You Will Save Lots On Motorbike Insurance Coverage — Here’s The Key (0)

In these tough financial times most folks need vacations more than ever. As well, they also want to save a lot of money. One economical solution is taking the family car and driving to and from your holiday destination instead of flying there.

If you are planning to drive, it may also make sense to take a few steps to protect yourself and family from auto thieves. Having a car thief steal your car, your luggage, other items of value in your trunk could really wreck what was supposed to be a fun filled and relaxing trip.

Even by taking all the numerous precautions to prevent auto theft when you travel, very determined professional car thieves can still manage to take any vehicle if they want it bad enough. Did you see the movie Gone In 60 Seconds starring Nicolas Cage? However, you can still dramatically lessen the odds of becoming a victim of auto theft to almost zero.

Many of these auto theft preventative measures are common sense and cost nothing to do. So it might make sense to implement them not only when you travel by car on your holidays, but also in your every day driving.

Firstly, you should never take it for granted that you are immune from car thieves when traveling, or that your vehicle is not really worth stealing.

Keep in mind that sometimes these thieves are after more than your vehicle, luggage, or any valuables that might be in your car. They may only want an older car to take a joy ride in or steal it for its parts.

They might also be after your vehicle documents for identity theft, or they could be contemplating robbing your residence while you are away on holidays. Where would they find this important information? From the auto registration and car insurance papers which are usually located conveniently in the vehicles glove compartment.

The best way is to eliminate this problem is to keep these documents on your person at all times when traveling on your vacation.

The second best way is to reduce this problem by hiding these documents really well in the trunk of your car. Some police forces in cities that have high auto theft crime incidents recommend this. Remember to tell everyone who is traveling with you where these documents are hidden in the trunk.

Here are some more ways you can lessen the chance of having your holidays ruined by car thieves. If you can manage to implement a number of these suggestions, you can dramatically lessen the odds of becoming another victim of auto theft when you travel.

Make sure you always close your vehicles windows tightly and lock your car each time you leave it parked, even if its only for just short period of time.

A real invitation to lose your vehicle is to leave it idling while unattended. Under no circumstance should you ever do this. Don’t even think about it.

Similarly, you should not leave your vehicles keys in the ignition or hidden anywhere in car. That also includes a second set of keys. Professional car thieves can easily find any keys hidden in the usual places very quickly. Keep an extra set of keys on your person.

Do not leave any valuables in your vehicle, even if they cant be seen from the outside of your car. If possible, you should take them with you.

However, if you must leave valuables in your vehicle, make sure that they are locked up inside your trunk. When you do this, look around to make sure that no one is watching what you do, or better still stop, pull over, and put them in your trunk before you arrive at the place you’re going. Prying eyes could be anywhere.

When parking your vehicle in public areas, turn you front wheels either to the left or right before turning your ignition off. This will engage the steering wheel locking mechanism in the steering column which can make your car a little more difficult to steal.

By engaging the emergency brake after you have parked and turned the motor off, you may also make your vehicle harder to tow away.

For front wheel and rear wheel drive vehicles you should park them somewhat differently when in an underground garage. Front wheel drive autos should be parked nose in and the rear wheel drives, nose out. Then just turn your tires to the left or right. Again, this may make your car harder to tow.

Its always best to park in an attendant controlled parking lot rather than an unattended one. If it is a place where there is valet parking, only give the attendant your door and ignition key. They don’t need any of the other keys on your key chain.

In public places at dusk and at night, always park in a well lighted area that has a lot of pedestrian traffic. Keep in mind that most auto thieves prefer to work under the cover of darkness.

If possible, avoid parking next or near to any obstruction, such as a large truck, fence, hedge, or anything that blocks an unobstructed view of your vehicle to vehicular and pedestrian traffic.

When you are staying in a place that has gated, secure parking, be sure that the gate has completely closed after entering or leaving so that a thief doesn’t sneak in to the parking area behind your vehicle.

If you observe any suspicious activity like a person or group of people milling around or near your vehicle you should call the police.

Here are some of the anti-theft devices that you can install for maximum protection. You may have some of these products already installed in your vehicle.

You can use a very visible after-market steering wheel locking bar. Most car thieves will likely move on to easier prey/greener pastures. Other less visible after-market products are locks for gas pedals, brake pedals, as well as armored collars that fit around the steering column which protects the ignition. For any manual shift vehicles you can also use an after-market shifter lock. These are effective but not highly visible to prying eyes.

Another thing that you can easily do is to have your mechanic install a hood lock that will prevent easy access to your vehicles battery and security system.

A loud vehicle alarm system and a highly visible alarm sticker on your windshield can be worth its weight in gold when combined with the addition of a number of other anti-theft security options.

The best vehicle protection is a passive electronic immobilizer which automatically disables the motor when the ignition is turned off. Its not an inexpensive device to install but it is well worth it for your peace of mind. There are a few other benefits you could receive by installing an electronic immobilizer in your vehicle. Some auto insurance companies may offer a discount on your policy if you can confirm that you’ve had one installed. You also may get more money for your vehicle if you sell it down the road.

Last, but not least, check to make sure you have adequate insurance coverage on your vehicle including theft and damage before you travel by car on any vacation.

To quickly book cheap flights and luxury cruises at really great discounts, whenever you want to enjoy a wonderful holiday experience, visit Travel Tips Guide for more info.

Tags: auto insurance, auto thefts, autos, car insurance, car rentals, car thefts, Cars, holidays, identity theft, road travel, road trips, Travel, Vacations

Related posts

• What Do You Get For Your Car Insurance Dollar? (0)
• Weekend Car Rental (0)
• Reduce The Cost Of Your Annual Car Insurance (0)
• How To Reduce Your Car Insurance Premiums (0)
• How A Car Recovery Service Can Help You (0)