Advance Auto Zone

This year’s season of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, specifically the first ever NASCAR Car of Tomorrow (COT) race will be the stage for the racing debut of Chrysler Group’s all-new 2008 Dodge Avenger. After several test drives for the 2008 Dodge Avenger, the team is now heading in the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee to put the car on its first racing appearance next week, followed by 15 other racing events of the NASCAR Car of Tomorrow.

Mike Accavitti, Director of Dodge Motorsports and SRT Marketing, Chrysler Group said:
“Dodge is ready for the challenge at Bristol, and we think the Dodge Avenger is the car to beat. We believe that the Avenger can bring Dodge a championship in the future, and we can’t wait to start that campaign this weekend.”

“And, for the first Dodge driver to win a COT race, we will donate an all-new Dodge Avenger to the charity of his choice,” he added.

The 2008 Dodge Avenger is equipped with a Word Engine that offers an improved fuel efficiency and low exhaust emissions without affecting the car’s powerful performance. The 2008 Dodge Avenger also comes with quality interior parts like those VW GTI parts found on the VW GTI model.

The drivers of major Dodge teams are excited on the racing debut of the new 2008 Dodge Avenger. They are pleased to join the 2008 Dodge Avenger at the NASCAR Car of Tomorrow racing events. Here is what they said.

David Stremme, driver of the No. 40 Coors Light Dodge:

“You can test it all you want, but we’re not going to know what we’re really dealing with until we race it. Some of the guys have been complaining about it, but I’m anxious to race it. Anything can and usually does happen at Bristol, so it should be a very interesting race for the competitors and a very entertaining one for the fans.”

No. 2 Miller Lite Crew Chief Roy McCauley:

“With the Avenger there’s a large window of opportunity, and the people that do their homework the most will exploit that window of opportunity initially. The garage area is full of the smartest racers in the world, and they will catch up. Everybody will catch up, but I think a couple of cars will be dominant initially because they’ve done their homework ahead of time.”

Elliott Sadler, driver of the No. 19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge and former Bristol winner:
“I think we’re all excited about getting the Avenger on the racetrack for the first time and to carry it to Bristol of all places, we’re definitely going to test its durability and how it holds up under pressure. Bristol is an action-packed race, and it’s always a tough race. Being the first COT race in the history of NASCAR makes it even more exciting.”

“Everybody will bring their best stuff. You want to get started on the right foot. The Avenger is a great tool. We feel like Dodge has done a great job giving us everything to work with correctly. Hopefully, we can put it all into motion and have a good weekend.” he added

Kasey Kahne, driver of the No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge:

“That will be the first bigger track we have with the Avenger. It’s going to be an eye-opening weekend. It’s going to be tough to make that car work there. It’s going to be much different than what it’s been in the past, but I’m looking forward to the challenge. I think Darlington is going to be a bigger change in the way cars run than Bristol. I think Bristol will be similar to what it’s been in the past with the COT, and Martinsville will be similar. Darlington will be a big change, and that’s when all 43 drivers and teams will figure out the cars are a lot different than what we’ve been racing.”

Lastly, Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Avenger who won last year’s Food City 500 commented:

“I just always get a spring in my step when we come back to Bristol. I enjoy this place like no other. At this place, 500 laps is without a doubt the hottest ticket in NASCAR. We’re definitely excited about the Dodge Avenger and what it can do for our team. Having the first COT race at Bristol will be just like jumping into a full tank of sharks and swimming around with them. It’ll probably come down to survival.”

For more about your VW parts needs like vdubpartsdirect.com/vw_gtiparts.html”title=”VW GTI parts VW GTI parts, visit your trusted online source.

Benjamin Hudson works as a supervisor at one of the top engineering firms in the business district of Louisiana. He is also a freelance journalist and has passion for anything automotive.

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About 2 months ago my family grew by one more. When we had our baby, the reality that we could no longer fit our family into a car hit us. Our back seat simply would not fit 2 carseats and a carrier car seat. So off the the dealership we went to buy a mini-van.

After browsing several dealerships in one day. I found two vans that I liked at two different dealerships. Here is how I got a van that is practically brand new, though the year of the van is 1996, for $8,999.00. The best part about it is, you can do it too!

First, my husband and I went to 3 different dealerships. We found three vans that we loved. at the last dealership, I fell in love with a particular van. The van was marked at $13,995. I mentioned to the salesperson that there was a van that was practically identical at the dealership right across the street that was priced at only $9,999. I told my husband that maybe we should just go across the street and see about getting that one. I did this intentionally right in front of the salesman loud enough so that he could hear me. Within two seconds, maybe less, he chimed in with, “Let me talk to my sales manager and see what we can do for you.” I agreed. I was expected him to come back with a price that matched the dealership across the street. To my amazement, he came back with a price of $8,999! That was a full $5,000 LESS that the original price with NO trade-in and nothing down! We jumped on that offer and signed the contract within 45 minutes. We did insist that they give us a 30 day dealer warranty with no deductible. They agreed.

Being the “savvy shopper” that I am, I immediately drove my new van off the lot and took it to my father, a mechanic. He gave the car a good evalutaion and gave me a list of everything that was wrong with it. On my way home that night, my service engine light came on, six hours after I signed the contract. To say I was upset would be an understatement!

I got up the next morning and purposely got myself all worked up and ready for battle. I waited for one hour after the dealer opened then drove my new van back to the dealership. The trick here is to not call ahead of time and go to the dealership at a busy time, usually on the weekends.

One thing that dealers count on you not knowing is that, by law, you have a 72-hour cooling off period to take any major purchase back to where you got it and return it for no reason. So knowing this, I went back. As soon as I pulled into the lot, I was approached by another salesman. His first reaction to me was to ask me how I was. I replied with a simple, “Not good!” He asked what was the matter and I told him and gave him a list of everything that was wrong, including a cupholder being missing. I let him know that no matter how much I liked the van, I was had no reservations about giving it back, after all, I was within my legal limit.

He immediately went back and got the sales manager, I vented to him, in front of other customers. He took back my keys and put my van into the shop immediately to save face in front of the other customers. he gave us a loaner van to use in the mean time.

After two days, I still didn’t have my van back, so I called the edalership and told them that unless I could get another 72 hour cooling off period, he could keep my van. I was obviously not going to be stuck with a van that I only had for 6 hours! Needless to say, I got my time extended.

My van was returned to me that day. My cooling off period was extended, I had the 30 dealer warranty and the repairs were made. Curious as to what needed to be fixed? He is the list: the catalytic converter, several sensors, the transmission, the alignment was out, two tires were worn, it needed an oil change, the gas cap was missing and my cup holder was broken. By the time my repairs were done, my $8,999 van was worth a total of $15, 127! I got a practically new van after all the work was done! Then 2 days before the dealer warranty was up, I took it back in and got a new belt in the motor. I got a lemon and made lemonaide, you can too!

Hint: Check out Carfax.com www.Carfax.com to see if your vehicle has been in an accident or anything else has been done to it. Most dealerships subscribe to this service so you should get it for free. If they dont subscribe, ask if they have an internet access you can use to check yourself, for free, while at the dealership.

About The Author

Debra Vaughn is a stay-at-home mother to 3 young girls. She is a freelance writer in her spare time. Debra Vaughn also edits and publishes The Family Budgeteer Bi-Weekly Online, including a FREE E-book and Newsletter which can be found at familybudgeteer.com familybudgeteer.com

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I guess because I work in the RV Industry and around RVs almost everyday I take some things for granted. One of those things is RV terminology. When you hear these terms everyday you just assume that everybody understands them.

A

Aluminum Frame Construction - When the RV framing is made of aluminum as opposed to wood.

Artic Package - An RV that is equipped with additional insulation and heated holding tanks for winter camping.

Awning - A canvas or vinyl covering mounted to the side of an RV that provides shade. Some awnings are retractable and use a spring-loaded roller tube. Other awnings must be rolled out by hand and are supported by poles, rope tie downs and stakes.

Axle Ratio - The number of times the drive shaft must turn to turn the axle one time. If you have a 3.73:1 axle ratio the drive shaft turns 3.73 times for each full turn of the axle. The higher the numeric value of the axle ratio the better the vehicle will tow, and the higher the numeric value the more gas you will use.

B

Backup Monitor - A monitor located in the driver’s view that is attached to a small camera on the back of a motor home. It is used to assist in backing the motor home and to monitor what is happening behind you while you are traveling.

Ball & Ball Mount - Hitch balls have three basic measurements, the ball diameter, the shank diameter and the shank length. Ball diameter sizes come in 1 7/8”, 2” and 2 5/16”. The ball size must be the right size for the coupler on the trailer you are towing, and be rated to tow the trailers GVWR. The ball mount is the removable portion of the hitch that slides into the hitch receiver. For Weight Carrying (WC) hitches it may be necessary to find a ball mount with a drop or rise to help level the trailer when its hooked up to the tow vehicle. An adjustable ball mount is used for heavier trailer applications. Adjustable ball mounts allow the ball to be raised, lowered or tilted to compensate for trailer tongue weight and to attain proper height adjustments. Adjustable ball mounts are normally used with Weight Distributing (WD) hitches.

Basement Storage - Storage compartments or storage area located below the floor of the motor home. You access the storage from outside. Some storage areas are referred to as pass through storage, which means it goes from one side of the RV to the other with no dividers, and can be accessed from either side.

Black Water Holding Tank - A tank mounted under the RV that collects water and waste from the toilet. When the tank is 3⁄4 or more full it is emptied or dumped into an approved dump station or campground sewer. The black water tank is treated with chemicals to control odor and assist in breaking down waste.

Brake Controller - An electronic controller that is normally mounted under the dashboard of the tow vehicle, but within hands reach of the driver. The controller is designed to activate the trailer brakes when the tow vehicle brakes are applied. It also has a manual over ride that can be used to activate the trailer brakes without using the vehicle brakes.

Breakaway Switch - A switch that is wired into the trailers brake system. It is attached from the trailer to the tow vehicle by a cable lanyard. In the event that the trailer and vehicle separate the cable pulls a pin from the switch and the trailer brakes are activated. The switch must have a 12-volt source to operate.

Bumper Pull - A term used to describe towing a travel trailer or pop-up. Also referred to as a pull behind.

C

Cab over - The portion of a class C motor home that extends over the vehicle cab. It is usually designed as a bed.

Campground Hook-Ups - When you hook-up or connect your RV to the campground electric, water and sewer utilities. This would be considered a full hook-up. Some campgrounds may only offer one or two of these connections.

Cargo Carrying Capacity (CCC) - is the maximum permissible weight of personal belongings and cargo that can be added to the RV. CCC is equal or less than GVWR minus UVW, full fresh water weight, and full LP gas weight.

City Water Connection - A water connection on the outside of the RV that is used when you have an external water supply such as at a campground. A potable water hose is used to connect the water supply to the city water connector on the RV.

Class A or Type A motor home - They are the largest of the motorized RV’s ranging in size from 25 to 45 feet. Commonly referred to as a conventional motor home they are the ones you see that look similar to a bus, and depending on the price they can be equipped with features like washers and dryers, multiple slide out rooms, satellite dishes, home entertainment systems and much more.

Class B or Type B motor home - They are the smallest of motorized RV’s ranging in size from16 to 20 feet. They are conversion vans that have been modified and equipped with sleeping, eating and bathroom facilities and amenities found in other RVs in a compact size.

Class C or Type C motor home - They are also referred to as mini-motor homes and are built on a cutaway van chassis. They range in size from 20 to 31 feet.

Converter - An electrical device that converts 120-volt AC power into 12-volt DC power. With the exception of the roof air conditioner, microwave, TV and the electric mode of the refrigerator almost everything in an RV operates on 12-volt DC power supplied by a battery. When you’re plugged in to a 120-volt electrical source the converter changes the 120-volts AC to 12-volts DC so everything can operate without draining the battery(s). The converter also has a battery charger that will keep the battery(s) topped off when you are plugged in to a 120-volt power source.

Coupler- Located on the front of the trailer A-frame the coupler attaches the trailer to the ball on the hitch.

This list is not all-inclusive, but if you learn these terms you will soon be understanding RV terminology.

Happy Camping,

Mark

Copyright 2006 by Mark J. Polk owner of RV Education 101

RV Expert Mark Polk, seen on TV, is the producer & host of America’s most highly regarded series of DVD’s, videos, books, and e-books. rveducation101.com/ rveducation101.com/

Sign up for your free “RV Education 101″ Newsletter rveducation101.com/email/ rveducation101.com/email/

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