Yark Nissan: November 2010

Finding the Best Car to Fit Your Lifestyle in the Toledo Area

By Maureen Condon

Is Your lifestyle family-oriented? sports-oriented?

It’s always helpful to consult the experts, online or in person, before buying a new car.

Typically, you check what the experts have to say about safety ratings, price, maintenance costs, and warranties -- all the standard measurements.

But how about checking in with the experts to see what’s the best car for your lifestyle?

• Do you use your car mostly for family travel and errands in your Toledo area?

• Do you use your car mostly for sports and fun outdoors? Are you an off roader, a weekend athlete, a sun lover or just a person who wants to have fun driving?

• Are you mostly concerned with commuting issues – like safety features, gas mileage, reliability and driving comfort -- because you spend so many of your non-working hours commuting?

• Are you a construction worker, electrician, plumber or other on-the-go type of worker who needs reliable transportation that can double as a staging area for your job?

• Are you the boss in the corner office who needs to look the part, especially when pulling into the company parking lot?

• Are you more concerned about the environment and your impact on it, than anything else?

Whatever your lifestyle and concerns, now there’s an easy way to consult the experts on this topic. Visit: http://www.cars.com/go/criteriaSearch/lifestyles.jsp

Click on the lifestyle that best matches your own, and you’ll get a complete rundown on makes and models that are best suited to you.

Buckle Up Your Pets for Your Mutual Driving Safety!

Millions of people travel in their cars with unrestrained dogs, cats and other pets every day. As long as the trip is uneventful, all is well. However, what if there’s an emergency or an accident?

According to Bark Buckle Up, a leading organization in pet safety, an unrestrained animal inside a car during an accident, is not only at risk for serious injury itself, but presents a danger to the human passengers as well. A 60-pound dog can cause an impact of 2,700 pounds, slamming into a car seat, a windshield, or another passenger. Even if the animal survives, it can impede the progress of rescue workers for whom every moment is precious.

Here are some safety considerations for traveling with pets in your car -- recommended by the American Automobile Association, Bark Buckle Up, and the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Buckle Up! Animals in cars and trucks are unable to brace themselves when a car swerves or brakes quickly. Special pet seatbelts for dogs and crates for dogs and cats are relatively inexpensive and can be purchased at most pet supply stores.
No Pets in Front. Keep your pets out of the front seat. They distract the driver, and if frightened by anything, may dive for the driver’s lap or feet – causing loss of control of the steering wheel, gas pedal or brake.
No Pets in Open Bed Pickup Trucks or Convertibles. Fast moving airborne debris can injure your pet’s eyes and ears. A bump or a swerve might cause them to be thrown from the car, or lose their balance and break a bone.
No Pets Leaning out Windows. Paws accidently stepping on power window buttons can close the window on your dog's neck.
Don’t Leave Pets in Hot Cars. In direct sunlight, temperatures inside cars can rise to dangerously high levels in minutes. An interior temperature can heat up to 100F in 10 minutes on an 80F day - even with the windows slightly open.

Want more details?

“Traveling With Your Pet – The AAA Pet Book” has been a best-seller for AAA. The book can

be purchased at AAA club offices, on www.aaa.com and at retail bookstores.

Other helpful links on this topic:

http://www.barkbuckleup.com/

http://www.aaanewsroom.net/Main/Default.asp?CategoryID=8&ArticleID=213

http://support.mspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=petowners_Travelling_Safely__Dog

http://www.tripswithpets.com/