Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with car and cars

Older car, cold weather?

Richat — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 08:12:40 -0800

My car's getting older, and I have recently moved to a new place with no garage. I'm worried about it starting in cold weather. More details inside! I've got a 2000 VW Golf, gasoline, not diesel. I've had a garage for years, and so never bothered with a block heater, which is pretty standard issue hardware in Northern Ontario.

I'm wondering, I suppose, if there is a better approach to the old block heater idea, which warms the oil in most I've seen. My battery is orginal as well. So far, at -15 celsius, the car's starting ok, but beginning to sound like it's not liking it too much.

Up here...we'll hit -25 to -35 Celsius (which is down to -31 F) eventually. Part of me would like to avoid a solution that means sucking electricity all night.

Any ideas?

Is there a family-sized Echo substitute?

nickmark — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:36:00 -0800

Our family has grown 50% this year. Sadly, the laws of science are a harsh mistress, and my Toyota Echo is unable to grow at the same rate. What car would you recommend to replace it? The new car will serve two main roles: As my car-about-town (dropping off Baby at daycare, commuting to work, assorted errands) and as the Family Trip Vehicle. We became convinced of the need for a larger car after the last family trip, when Baby's various gear, plus our own luggage, threatened to overflow our larger car, a Honda Accord. The need to replace the Echo (rather than the accord) became apparent when it turned out that our rear-facing infant seat only fits in the car if you move the front passenger seat so far forward that there's no room for a front passenger. So the Echo is out, and the new car needs to provide more space than the Accord, in order to work for trips (plus the potential future addition of Baby Two).

Here's the thing: I love the Echo. It's the first and only car I've owned; it's a 2001 purchased new, so I've had lots of time to grow attached. I'm not in love with my car specifically, but its features. I'd like for the new car to have as many of the features I love about the Echo as possible. There's a lot of cars out there, so can you help me narrow down the list, based on what I like about the Echo?

- I love having the instrument console in the middle of the dashboard, instead of on the other side of the steering wheel. I find the steering wheel keeps me from seeing the speedometer when I drive the wife's Accord. (I'm not aware of anyone but Toyota doing this in the US, though, and I think only on the Prius, which may not have the space we're looking for.)
- The visibility is tremendous (I suspect due to the high ceiling) - when I've driven rentals of various makes, they've made me feel like I'm looking through a tunnel to see what's behind me. In the Echo, I always know what's around me.
- The upright seating is great. In other cars I often feel too reclined; I like how my joints can make right angles in the Echo. This, too, may be due to the unusually high roof.
- I love how efficient it is. 32 mpg city! Woo! I know a larger car means lower efficiency, but I just get depressed at the idea of buying a car half as efficient after the industry should have been advancing for eight years. So decent mileage would be nice (I recognize I may have to revise my concept of "decent," since I'm in the habit of sneering at 27 mpg)
- Lots of convenient compartments!

It's just a great little car. Basically, the only problem is the "little" part of that sentence. What should I be looking at for a replacement that will hold Baby?

Inflexible requirements for the new car are: more space than the Accord and automatic transmission. Bonus points for safety and efficiency. We're pretty much imagining something in the wagon/crossover categories, but we're flexible on style.

Lead Foot Equall/Not Equall Need Brake Job

Liver — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:35:49 -0800

Theoretical brake wear: Do brake pads wear out faster, slower, or at the same rate if you brake later and harder than normal? Let's say you have two drivers, Alice and Bill, each with their own identical car.

Let's say Alice is a professional race car driver and Bill is a normal vanilla defensive driver. Alice drives her regular car at legal speeds on the open road, but because of her professional skill and training, tends to brake much later and with greater foot pressure than Bill would making the same journey.

For instance, while traveling 60 MPH, they both see an approaching red light. Bill applies the break gradually and takes 1000 ft to come to a stop. Alice doesn't apply the break until she is closer to the light, and applies more foot pressure, coming to a stop in 500 ft.

Over the long run, does Alice need new brake pads before Bill, or do they both need new brake pads at roughly the same time?

I can see it going either way. Either Alice needs pads sooner because she brakes harder, applying more force to the pads, or Alice and Bill both wear pads at the same rate, because they are doing the same amount brake use, only with different short-term usage patterns.

Or maybe I'm missing something entirely and you can help me understand.

Do new car tires go on the front or the back when you only need two?

Opposite George — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 20:03:40 -0800

Front-wheel drive car. Back tires worn and will be replaced. Front tires okay for now. Where should the new tires go? My dad just asked me to get the back tires replaced on his 1995 Hyundai Elantra. It's front-wheel drive, no ABS or traction control.

The back tires are worn evenly, but there's not much tread left. The front tires are worn evenly and still have plenty of meat. I don't know if he regularly rotates the tires, and can't ask him as he's away and hard to reach. I want to get this done before he gets back.

So, I'll ask the shop to replace the bad tires -- I have that much figured out. What I don't know is whether to ask them to put the wheels with the new, meatier tires on the front and move the current fronts back, or just to replace the tires on the back and be done with it. He lives in southeastern NY state, which means he gets ice and snow in the winter, if that makes a difference.

What do you all think?

Mythbust supermarket petrol for me, please.

Lorc — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 12:18:19 -0800

Is supermarket petrol bad for my car? It seems to be common knowledge that supermarket petrol from Tesco, Asda or what have you stations is inferior to the stuff from a "proper" petrol station. That it damages the engine in the long run for any of a variety of vague and poorly explained reasons.

Is there any substance to this idea, or is it just superstition? Googling gave me lots of conjecture but nothing authoritative.

UK-centric in case it matters. Thanks.

Find me some car websites - offering profiles, stats etc. Having trouble!

newformula — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 04:03:11 -0800

In order to find it if it's worth scratching a new web development itch, I'm looking for some links to websites that relating to cars that offer the following functionality...

Allow users to show off their car with photos, text, explanations etc - like a car profile, in a way
offer tracking of car stats, mileage, fuel economy/fill-ups
give general data about car servicing/warranty periods, service requirements
any website that you'd deem as being "web 2.0" (hate the jargon, but there we go) with functionality that allows users to log, store, and share data around their cars and driving passions with user-friendly design

So far I've come up with... mymilemarker - http://mymilemarker.com/
fuelly - http://www.fuelly.com/
http://yourgarageonline.com/
http://thecartracker.com/
This post on mashable
Most of these relate to tracking of data and servicing, which is only 1/2 of my intended search. I'm really trying to find some of the more 'social' car sites intended for people to show off their pride and joy.

My brakes make a weird noise. What's the deal?

spaltavian — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 13:44:55 -0800

[Autofilter] My brakes make a grinding sound when I first start driving. After I use the brakes several times, usually after 5-10 minutes of driving (sometimes more), they're back to normal. In addition to the grinding sound, it's much harder to push down on the brake- this also disappears after using my brakes enough. What's up? Almost two months ago, I had my brakes serviced and looked at. I got new brake pads, replaced (some, not all) rotors, etc. I got all the work they recommended done. My brakes were better than ever, until this problem started (probably two weeks ago). Once my brakes stop grinding, they are just as good as when I first got the work done. I have no idea if that has anything to do with it.

I'm of course going to have my car looked at, (I'm sure I'm killing my car or something) but I want to know what to expect. I was guessing something regarding my brake fluid being the issue, but I know nothing about cars so that's probably stupid.

The car is a 2000 Mercury Sable with about 78,000 on it.

How to buy a car from a person

exceptinsects — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 22:26:59 -0800

I am looking to buy a used car for cash from a local (CA) private party, not a dealer. What do I need to know? I am mainly looking on Craigslist, but other suggestions are welcome. I'm looking for a Toyota Echo, if it matters.

So...what should I look out for in terms of scams? (I am already aware of things like shipping cars from far away, etc.) I will of course get it checked by a mechanic but what else should I be aware of?

How should I actually pay for it? Certified check? Giant wad of cash? Goats? I'm expecting it to be in the $5k range.

I am also going to be selling my old car, which is a 1997 Corolla in "fair" condition. Is it better to try to sell it myself, or should I go to Carmax? If I do sell it myself, how should I ask for payment?

good research materials on the subject of electric cars, 3d modeling and/or entrepreneurship?

groovinkim — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 14:40:29 -0800

good research materials on the subject of electric cars, 3d modeling and/or entrepreneurship? my boyfriend is the son of a mechanic and dreams of starting his own electric car company (not for the everyday consumer, more like higher end sports cars). he does a lot of online research. he's very intelligent and relatively knowledgeable about cars, engineering, etc. when he gets that dreamy look in his eye and starts rambling about the technical specifics i usually don't understand a word he says. his feelings were hurt initially because i was skeptical about the project. he has viable ideas, but he's more of an archetype of a creative genius/professor than a pragmatic businessman. but i do think that his business has potential.

his birthday's coming up relatively soon, and i'd like to help him by getting him some books and magazines on related subjects.

some things i can think of that i could possibly get him reading materials about:

- electric cars in general. manufacturing processes, the market overall, engineering of them, etc.

- 3d modeling. he's mentioned that he plans on acquiring dual lcd monitors, a 3d scanner and whatever else he needs to make clay models. i don't want to buy him any of that stuff (not that i could afford it anyway) because i'm sure he's very specific in what he wants/doesn't want and probably already has his software of choice picked out. but if there are good books or magazines for a beginner, that could be useful.

i'd much rather have him rent or share a workstation somewhere here in seattle than invest a bunch of money in equipment, but he's weirdly paranoid about using public workstations and the slight possibility of his designs getting disseminated without his knowledge. i really doubt that would happen but haven't been able to successfully talk him out of his paranoia. i'd really like to find local people doing it that would be willing to talk to him about it so he doesn't accidentally buy something crappy, but if there's a consumer reports type magazine that covers related products that could potentially help.

- starting a business, specifically the economic aspects (licensing, getting funding, attracting investors, patent laws and copyright laws, etc.) i do sales/marketing for a voip company currently. although it's not my passion in life and i plan on switching careers, i think i can help advise him on marketing, networking and related topics. but i know nothing about starting a business... i've always worked for other people's small/midsize companies.

also, if anyone happens to know about related college or non-credit programs in seattle, that'd be of interest too. he's currently a programmer making a good living but he never finished his bachelor's. he preferred teaching himself. although he's generally good at self-education, i really feel like it'd be helpful for him to get hands-on experience with 3d modelling, advice from someone knowledgeable on the subject etc. while i don't think you need a degree in business to start one, i've also seen several friends start small businesses that were great ideas that failed miserably. my outside opinion is that they failed in part due to lack of sufficent research/knowledge.

i also feel the need to include a rambling offtopic paragraph about how i <3 metafilter. i work full time and go to school full time so i don't have much time to spend here, but it inspires me that there are still little pockets online where intelligent people communicate in a usually-respectful way. i'm sad that there was no seattle meetup and i didn't have time to organize one myself.

Didn't Get Car Rebate

Elsie — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 20:10:30 -0800

Can I Still Get a Cash-Back Car Rebate After Buying a Car? I negotiated and purchased a car for cash without knowing the car company was offering $750 rebate to customers who paid cash for that model. The sales guy never mentioned any rebates in all our negotiations. Two weeks after getting the car, registering it, driving, etc. I just got a confused call from salesperson yesterday saying I needed to re-sign some papers--nothing that affected me, etc. I couldn't make heads or tails of what this "accounting error" was about. It was inconvenient to talk, so I ask the guy to e-mail me the details. Herewith:

There was a small accounting error on our behalf resulting in a couple of documents needing to be resigned. Basically, there are 2 type of cash back from the manufacturer. One is dealer cash which is given to the dealer to use at their discretion and there is customer cash which is given to the customer to use at their discretion. We showed it as dealer cash when it should have been done as customer cash. There is absolutely no affect to you whatsoever. All we need is for you to sign the documents I'll be sending to you and return them to us. Please enclose the signed documents along with the plate in the return envelope we gave you. Once we receive the plate, we'll return the $50 plate deposit fee. Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks.

WTF? Despite having had what I thought was a decent deal and buying experience, something bothered me about this request. So I went to Cars101.com and discovered the manufacturer's rebate offer for cash buyers for my model. (Yes, I should've done more homework, but I'm in the middle of an overseas move and couldn't. Shouldn't I have gotten this manufacturer's rebate anyway?) Is there some way for me to get this money?

Help me help my boss not get lost.

chiababe — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 17:50:48 -0800

My boss wants me to research GPS units for him to use since he'll be traveling a lot more in the near future. Any recommendations? I really don't know what I should be looking for in a good GPS unit. He wants to spend less than $200. It also needs to be fairly simple to use and update. He's an awesome boss, but not so good with tricky technology. Most of his travel will be within North and South Carolina. We're looking to purchase this within the week, so I won't be able to wait for new models that might be around the corner. I've read a few of the previous questions on this, but I'm wondering if there's anything new and exciting I should be looking at.

Help me choose a new family car!

dellsolace — Thu, 14 May 2009 10:29:44 -0800

Help me find/decide on options for a new, family-friendly car. My 2000 Neon has served me remarkably well, all things considered, but now that we have a little one (attached to enormous car seats), we are in the market for a larger and safer vehicle.

I would really like something that meets the following criteria, more or less: a hatchback or station wagon, manual transmission, decent mileage, under $30,000. I am not averse to used cars, but I want something with modern safety devices, particularly side airbags (have you ever watched those horrible side-impact crash tests?), and something in decent shape (not more than 40 or 50 thousand miles).

We currently have one 1-year old daughter, and may be in the market for another child down the line (2-3 years). Rear-facing car seats behind the passenger seat in our current cars means one of us has to sit in the back. Packing the whole family with luggage and presents for Christmas is already almost impossible and could get worse. You get the picture.

I've been particularly taken by the Mazda5, which seems to be a very versatile and fun car. We have a 3 now, but the backseat is a bit tight. If the car is roomy, I'd consider a regular 4-door, but I like the style of hatchbacks and wagons, actually.

Any suggestions?

Finding a new car mechanic

Silentgoldfish — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 11:07:41 -0800

I'm looking for a new car mechanic in Melbourne, Australia and/or tips for finding a reliable one in general... I moved to Melbourne a little while ago and it's coming up time to service my car. Where I used to live I had an awesome mechanic who was honest, blunt, and never felt like he was ripping me off despite my ignorance of most of what makes my car go. He was the kind of guy that when someone else would try and sell me stuff I didn't need he'd tell me if I really did or whether I could get away for another few years with what I already had.

Unfortunantely, he couldn't recommend anyone in Melbourne, and while I found him through word of mouth no-one I know here can recommend anyone similiar.

Any tips or tricks for finding another guy as good (and most importantly, honest), or any direct recommendations?

Thanks in advance!

Please tell me how not to melt in my car.

luckyveronica — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 11:36:47 -0800

I'm driving around, it's not even 70 degrees outside, and the inside of my car feels like a greenhouse. The interior of my car seems to draw heat. Even on a pleasant day that doesn't require air conditioning, the inside can get stifling.

I'm not talking about the heat that comes after leaving my car parked in the sun--I mean that even when I'm driving and the A/C is running cool, sometimes it's hot in my car anyway. I'll feel the A/C wherever it's blowing directly on me, but otherwise I and my unhappy passengers are surrounded by heat.

My car has a black dashboard and no real tint on the windows. Could this be the cause? My car is 9 years old and in decent conidtion, but I will probably buy something new in the next year or so. Is there a solution that's not too expensive, so that I don't bake in the warm weather this year?

Also, could a windshield tint strip help--something like this, or should I get it done professionally? Assuming my un-tinted windshield is the source of my misery.

Thanks

Please help find a gently-used, luxury-ish sedan.

fieldtrip — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 21:27:20 -0800

Please help find a gently-used, luxury-ish sedan. My girlfriend’s stepmother is in the market for a new used car. I have been recruited to help but I am kind of at a loss. The cars that she says that she likes are the Chrysler 300, Cadillacs, and Lexus. She wants to buy a 2007 or 2008 with warranty and not many more than 19,000 miles. Her budget is roughly $20,000. What she wants is a four door sedan with ideally leather seats, heated seats, wood trim, and built in navigation (this last one is very optional). In the research that I’ve done there seems to be a lot of Chrysler 300s in this range. There are a few Cadillac CTS and no Lexus (Lexi?). She currently drives a VW bug but says that she is now at that age, early sixties, where she wants something more comfortable and maybe a little fancier. I’m wondering what other cars that you know of that fit these criteria that she isn’t thinking of. All of the Acuras and Infinities also seem to cost too much but there must be other luxury-ish 4 door sedans that we aren’t thinking of. She lives and wants to buy in the Albuquerque area if that makes a difference. One of the problems for me to wrap my brain around is for someone to want to go from a car the size of a bug to a behemoth Cadillac. Are there some nice cars (leather, wood trim, etc) that are in between these two sizes that also fit in this price range? I think most of the European cars are out just because of cost of upkeep (unless you can make a great argument otherwise). What are we missing? Your personal anecdotes are extremely welcome.

Get 2005 Lincoln keyless entry working.

Towelie — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 19:36:25 -0800

Asking for a friend. 2005 Lincoln LS - bought secondhand. There are a set of buttons to open the door (as opposed the key). How do we get them to work / program it? I know we have to enter the factory preset code - how do we find that out.

How long can I wait to replace a purge valve in my car?

lblair — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 14:45:56 -0800

How long can I wait to replace a purge valve in my '98 Toyota Corolla? How much is a reasonable price for getting this done? Hey everyone. According to the guy at Autozone, the reason my check engine light is on is due to a bad purge valve. He attempted to explain it to me, and I sort of understood, but I don't really know a lot about cars. What I basically want to know is whether NOT fixing it right away can hurt my car. (He said it wouldn't, but I only trust Autozone employees . . . not that much.) He said the only thing that would happen is I would fail an emission test if I ever had to take one. (I don't think I will have to take one, but I want to try and keep my pollution under control!) He also said it would probably cost 200 bucks.

Basically I am broke right now, the soonest I would reasonably be able to afford to fix this is spring. Is waiting going to have a big impact on my car? Is it going to affect my gas mileage or anything like that? Does $200 sound about right?

Thanks!

LCD display on the fritz

reenum — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 07:00:27 -0800

The digital odometer on my 2000 Honda Accord is not displaying numbers fully. Any way to fix this? I have a 2000 Honda Accord LX. Last year, I began noticing that the numbers on the digital odometer were not fully displaying. Meaning, the numbers would look scrambled. Only when I push on the dash do the numbers on the odometer display correctly.

Anyone have any experience with getting the LCD display on a digital odometer fixed? Do any repair shops even conduct such repairs? If so, how much can I expect to pay?

I'm Terrible with (In)decisions.

Precision — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 17:06:08 -0800

Help me decide if I want this 98 Neon to be the first car I buy, for use in the rest of this year of high school, and college next year. I'm looking to buy my first real car. I've been driving a beat up 1992 Ford Tempo that my dad bought for me to use for like $800 for the past two years or so now. I've been browsing Craigslist and the local classifieds for a few weeks now, and recently found a car that interested me.

I found a 1998 Dodge Neon with ~85k miles on it. It's a five speed, and it's in very good condition. There's 2 very, very small dings on it, one scratched a dime-sized bit of the paint off, the other is literally not noticeable unless you run your hand along the entire body. The interior seems nice.

It bluebooks at ~$2050 Kelly Blue Book, and it's probably a upper-level "Good" condition car. Not excellent, but very good.

I took it in to see our mechanic today (a good friend of ours) and he said the car was in surprisingly good condition for a sporty, ten year-old five-speed. ( "Most sporty 5-speeds I get this old are.... let's just say the owner had some fun with them." ) He said the timing belt would need to be replaced pretty soon, since he can't tell how old this one is, and a snapped one would be very bad. He expects the catalytic converter to crack or break in about 25k miles. He says the brakes have another 30k in them easily, probably a bit more if any of those miles are highway miles. I'll probably offer $2100 for the car.

I need this car for the remainder of this school year and summer, primarily for driving to school (4 miles away), work (3 miles away), and work (7 miles away), and for the next couple years (as many as I can pull out of it) for college. I'm either attending the University of Arizona, or Stanford University (if I get in, chances are *never* good with things like that). UA is about 70 miles north, and I'd probably make a trip back home twice a month. While I'm on campus, I expect my car would get very little use. Also, I have a couple of good friends up there, we'd probably trade rides back home instead of taking every car we have back. If I end up at Stanford, I'll sell the car to my dad, and not take a car to school.

My resignations are: pretty bad safety ratings (Here). I've already had a friend from high school (now a sophomore at ASU) get in a fairly bad wreck coming home for a long weekend. Now, it was his fault, he was driving late at night and quite tired, apparently. I'm a very conservative driver, don't speed (more than 1-2 over, at least), and pay attention. Also, I want this car to at least last me 2-3 years, preferably to graduation. My dad says that if I save for the rest of this year and get to 3.5-4k spendable money, I can buy a car that'll last me longer, but I'm not convinced. 85k/1998 is hard to beat at this amount. Also, the Neon gets 32/42 mpg city/hwy. (:

So, concerned mothers, college students, car junkies, anyone... what do you think?

Getting rid of a dead car from far away.

NortonDC — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 19:14:12 -0800

My car died far from home. What's the best way to get rid of it? Relevant points:

I already have another car, so I definitely want to get rid of the old car.

The old car is in Waynesboro, VA.

My home is very close to Washington, D.C.

It's a long trip.

The car is a 2000 Honda Accord V6 2-door, 115,000 miles, the extra-fancy edition, with a some visible but non-obvious damage on the rear bumper area.

The engine has very low compression in two cylinders, for which the recommended repair is to replace the engine, which is projected to cost $3,500 to $4,000.

I put $750+ in new Michelins on the car a month before it died.

The mechanic made an offer to buy it as is for $500.

I want to be rid of it quickly but I also need to make sound money decisions, so what should I do?

How can I prevent my car battery from being stolen?

prior — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 22:42:57 -0800

I live in a busy downtown area with street cleaning every other night. As such, I am required to move the car each night, and sometimes end up parking it on a street that is notorious for car theft/etc. Lately, somebody has been somehow popping my hood, wrenching off the battery cover, and stealing my car battery. Short of taking the battery with me or locking it in the trunk each night, how can I prevent this from happening in the future? Is there a way I can lock the battery in, or lock the hood down?

The car is a 2001 Toyota Corolla, and there aren't any obvious places on the hood/w/in the engine where I can attach a lock and chain.

Insurance screw-up, who's resonsible for the fine?

spaltavian — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 17:38:07 -0800

My friend's car was totaled in January by a drunk driver. She sold it back to the insurance company and bought a new car. Somewhere, someone screwed up: her car insurance was never switched from her old car to her new car. She was, however, able to switch her tags to the new car and register it. Nonetheless, until last month, she was paying insurance on a totaled car that she no longer owned. She just got a fine from Maryland Vehicle Administration for 2K+ for having tags on an uninsured vehicle. What should she do? The insurance company is blaming the car dealership, and Maryland just wants its money. Isn't her paying insurance on a car the insurance company owned illegal?

I told her she should get a hold of all the documents- canceled checks to the insurance company, registrations, sales slips- and set up an appointment with a supervisor at the the MVA. If that fails, I told her to lawyer up.

I figure either she won't have to pay the fine, or she'll have to be refunded all her insurance payments since January. However, I am not a lawyer nor have I ever had to tangle with the MVA or insurance companies like this before. Any advice? Thank you in advance.

Looking for an antique automobile renter/dealer in Florida panhandle, South Alabama, or South Mississippi?

bamassippi — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:52:34 -0800

Looking for an antique automobile renter/dealer in Florida panhandle, South Alabama, or South Mississippi? I'm getting married in October and my fiance and I want to drive away in an antique Cadillac.

Does anyone know of any antique dealers, renters, shop in the Florida panhandle or South Alabama?

It has to be a Cadillac... her father's a dealer for GM. We really don't care which model... but preferably something older than 1950 (something along the lines of 1931 Fleetwood or
1941 Series 60 Special).

Where can I wash my convertible?

YoungAmerican — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 10:46:07 -0800

Where can I wash my convertible? I bought a '92 Infiniti M30 convertible recently. The original soft top (plastic window) is on it. I live in an apartment building, and can't wash my own car, except at a wash-it-yourself place, which is kinda far from my house. That said, there are tons of car washes here in LA at all levels of automation. Can I bring my car to a traditional carwash? The kind that drop the soap on the car from on top but they wash it with towels? What about the automated kind? I've never owned a convertible, I need some guidelines.

Rental cars for unpaved roads, Las Vegas

thirteenkiller — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 17:12:36 -0800

We want to rent a car in Las Vegas, and drive it on dirt roads in Arizona and Utah. What is the cheapest company that allows this (or who will be unlikely to notice we've been doing it)? Bonus points if they provide reasonably-maintained cars. Also, should we get a "Standard SUV" rather than "Mid-Size"? Do they use GPS tracking, and if so does it just check that we stay in permitted states, or do they also check that we stick to paved roads?