R.I.P Jack Layton.

Today, August 22nd at 4:45am, Jack Layton lost the battle to Cancer and passed away in his home, situated in Toronto, Ontario. Canada lost a great man, he will be deeply missed.

Introducing the 2012 Honda Civic Si

Commonly associated with sportiness and high performance, the acronym "Si" stands for Sport Injected, and in the 2012 Civic Si, it demonstrates exactly that; flawless integration of an aggressive image along with great handling and acceleration.

What's new for 2012?


Asides from a a gorgeous redesign of the exterior, the new Si will sport a brand new 2.4L DOHC, i-Vtec, 4 cylinder engine with 4 valves per cylinder. Horsepower is boosted to 201hp along with a torque increase, now producing 170lb.-ft@ 4,400rpm. Redline is now 7,000rpm.

Mated to the engine is a close-ratio six speed transmission, guaranteeing optimal acceleration. With a helical limited-slip differential installed standard, it guarantees all horsepower will reach the pavement at all times.

The multi-link double wishbone suspension provides optimal comfort along with great handling performance, being even more responsive than previous generations, along with being more rigid.

MSRP starts at $25,990CAD

The new Lamborghini Aventador!

If the name doesn't raise a hair on your body, it's performance and aesthetics will.

Ladies and gentlemen, The brand spanking new Lamborghini Aventador!


Like all Lamborghinis, the Aventador is named after a famous bull, bred by the sons of Don Celestino Cuadri Vides, and won the "Trofeo de la Peña La Madroñera" in 1993. The production run will be 4,000 units, although 4,099 have already been made. Soon after it's unveiling, it was revealed that 12 months worth of units had been purchased. The Suggested Retail Price is $379,700USD.

The Aventador LP700-4 will be featuring a new 60°, 6.5L V12 engine producing a whopping 690bhp, and capable of accelerating from 0-60 in 2.9 seconds. It sports a 7-speed single clutch semi-automatic transmission, capable of shifting gears in 50 milliseconds, faster than a dual-clutch. It is estimated it will get 13.5mpg.


Technical Specs:

Assembled in: Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy.
Layout: Mid-engine, All Wheel Drive
Engine: 6.5 Litre V12
Transmission: 7 speed, single clutch, Semi automatic.
Wheelbase: 2,700mm (106.30 inches)Length: 4,780mm (188.19 inches)
width: 2,030mm (79.92 inches), 2,265mm (89.17 inches) with mirrors.
Height: 1,136mm (44.72 inches)
Weight: 3,470lbs

First car?

Buying your first car can be exciting, but it is no easy task. There a lot of factors one must put into consideration before making such a big purchase, such as buying new or used. I will try and cover all the bases in undertaking such a task.

New or used?


Everyone wants to buy a brand new car to show off to their friends and have the self satisfaction of knowing you're driving a vehicle no one else has operated before you, but for new drivers, this is highly discouraged. New drivers lack the experience and foresight necessary to prevent and avoid accidents. Nobody wants to get in a car accident, let alone in a new car. As such, a good recommendation would be to buy an older model for a new or teen aged driver, and later on, once with good driving experience, to let them operate more pricey cars.

Buying new.

Wouldn't it be great to roll off the car lot in one of these

When buying new, you have a little less to worry about compared to buying a used vehicle. Your three biggest concerns will be pricing, long term reliability and comfort.

Most modern vehicles should not give you any trouble before the warranty is up. Keep up with maintenance, and the car will treat you right. There is always exceptions; you may end up with a lemon, or a genuinely unreliable car.

Generally speaking, luxury vehicles will be a lot more expensive to maintain once the warranty is up compared to an economy car or a sports car. This is especially true for German vehicles with a poor maintenance history and a neglectful owner.

Tip: Want to get a great deal on your car? Call up a dealership with a particular model you have in mind. Note down the price, colour, etc. Don't give the impression you're ready to buy the car then and there, this will make the rep want to give you the incentive to come back. Call another dealership, preferably of same size or bigger, and ask if they can beat the price given from the previous dealership. Call the first dealership again, and tell them another dealership gave them a better price on the same model. They will give you an unbeatable price if you do business with them.

Buying used.

Buying used ain't all bad after all!

Buying used can get you an amazing deal, or you could end up with a financial tragedy.

 The most important thing when buying used is to check it's maintenance history. A properly maintained vehicle should not give you any trouble assuming you follow maintenance schedule.

Ask the owner of the vehicle to show receipts and if you can afford it, get a car report. A car with a salvage title isn't necessarily bad, but proper reparations must be undertaken.

Take the car for a test drive. listen for unusual noises, rattles, vibrations, etc. 

Take the car out to a mechanic you trust, and ask for a cylinder compression test. each cylinder should not vary more than 20psi from one another. Have him inspect it and look for problems. If all checks out well, feel free to negotiate the price with the owner.

Best of luck car shopping!

Introduction

This is the début of my blog. It won't be about anything specific, although there may be a lot of content about cars. I'll try to write about whatever my followers suggest.

Happy car is happy.

Excuse the short post, I'll get to work on posting some more quality articles.