Do You Miss These Old Features?

1. Bench Seats: Many sly males took advantage of the seat design while driving with a female companion; a quick, unexpected sharp turn made with his right arm resting on the seat back sent the lady sliding right into his embrace.

2. Full-Size Spare Tire: The advantage with a full-size spare was that you could put it on, stow the flat tire in your trunk, and go on your merry way with no particular urgency to get it repaired. Until one day you got another puncture, only to discover that the tire in your trunk was just as flat as the one on the axle.

3. Horn Rings: Horn rings were originally considered a safety feature as well as a convenience device. Previously, the driver had to completely remove one hand from the steering wheel to depress the button in the center to honk the horn. The horn ring was designed so that both hands could remain on the wheel and just a stretch of a finger or thumb would be able to beep a warning sound.

4. Vent Windows: Vent or “wing” windows were popular in the pre-air conditioning era of automotive manufacturing. But they were convenient for many purposes that are still valid today. For example, on those days when it’s temperate enough to open windows rather than run the A/C, the vent windows allowed air to circulate freely without blowing street grime in your face and messing your hair.

5. Tailfins: By the late 1950s, most folks had shrugged off the war and were fixated instead on all things space-age. Tailfins grew to enormous proportions, giving cars a futuristic look.

Courtesy of mentalfloss.com: http://bit.ly/1fdDMig

Five Reasons Why Spring Is Great

Spring has finally arrived! Spring provides such wonderful weather in almost every location. It's a wonderful time for the family to head outdoors and soak up some sun whether it's at a picnic or at an outdoor athletic event.

Spring time is perfect for families to become even closer, here are some reasons why Spring is the best for family fun!

1. Ideal temperatures -- It's not too hot, it's not too cold. The kids can run around to their heart's content without getting all sweaty and dehydrated.
2. Fun sights and sounds -- Is there anything better than heading out the door and hearing the birds chirp, watching squirrels run by, and seeing your little ones squeal with delight upon spotting them? Nope.
3. Daily trips to the park -- On any given spring day, there's really no better place to hang out with a toddler than the playground. They get to let off some steam, play with other kids, and since the weather is nice (see number one), you don't have to worry about the equipment being too hot for them to touch.
4. Learning experiences -- Now that the snow has melted, you gotta get the yard and garden back in order. Kids love to feel like they're helping out mommy, so you can turn any outdoor project into an educational experience -- even though they'll only see it as fun.
5. Fresh air is great for sleep -- For whatever reason, the kiddos sleep so much better after they've had a good dose of fresh air. Even something as simple as a walk around the neighborhood in the stroller is guaranteed to give your child (and you) a few extra z's at night.

What's your favorite part about Spring? Let us know in the comments section below! 

Five Ways To Get The Most Out Of Your Gas Tank

 

1. Clean Out Your Trunk

Trunk storage is handy but heavy items can weigh you down.We all know smaller cars get better gas mileage — but if you're weighing down your car with a set of golf clubs or an emergency water supply in the trunk, it'll take a toll on your fuel efficiency. A loaded roof rack, similarly, will increase weight but also cause aerodynamic drag, cutting mileage by up to 5%.

Every extra 100 pounds is estimated to cut a vehicle's mileage by 2%.

2. Keep Windows Closed

The more aerodynamic your vehicle is, the more open windows will cause a drag and impact your gas mileage's bottom line — up to 10%, a study found.

But, if you're moving at less than 45 mph, wind resistance shouldn't make a significant difference.
Can you compensate for closed windows with the air conditioning? Consumer Reports found a Honda Accord at 65 mph lost 3 mpg in gas mileage when running the A/C. Since you'll lose out either way, it may be a matter of opinion which luxury to go without.

3. Fill Up Your Tires

A reminder to keep up with routine maintenance carries more weight when it will save you money — and a stop by the air pump will do just that. Keeping your tires filled can improve gas mileage by 3% or more.

4. Drive a Steady (and Modest) Speed

Once you break 60 mph, you're losing fuel efficiency — 10% for every additional 5 mph.
Accelerating and hitting the breaks will eat up fuel as well, so if possible, avoid the road during rush hour or other times when stop-and-go traffic is likely.

5. Don't Buy Pricey Gas

It's been thought that premium gas gives cars better gas mileage, but it's untrue. Save money on gas by purchasing the grade that is recommended for your car — you won't benefit by spending more.
Additionally, avoid the gas station on days when prices are higher. If you’re running on empty, you may not be able to wait, but what if you could predict if gas prices will rise or fall tomorrow?

Fuelcaster™, the latest tech from Esurance, is the industry’s first gas price predictor. Enter your zip code on fuelcaster.com to see if gas prices will rise or fall tomorrow, as well as locate the cheapest fuel in your neighborhood.

Fill up when prices are low and you'll save money in the long run.

Credit to Mashable.com

Great American Road Trips

1. The Pacific Coast Highway:
 

1,700 miles along the Pacific Coast from southern California to Washington's Olympic Peninsula. The scenery is breathtaking with stops that include Hearst Castle, Big Sur, San Francisco, Point Reyes National Seashore, Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area and Olympic National Park. Open the windows and enjoy the fresh air as you drive across the Golden Gate Bridge and watch giant container ships glide underneath. 

 2. Florida State Highway A1A and the Overseas Highway:

 

This 600-mile trip traces Florida's Atlantic coastline from northeast of Jacksonville to Key West. Interesting stops along the way include St. Augustine, the oldest town in the U.S. (sort of); Daytona Beach, where you can drive on the beach; Canaveral National Seashore; and the John F. Kennedy Space Center. Highway A1A meets U.S. Highway 1 in Miami. Thus begins the scenic 127-mile drive on the Overseas Highway that boasts 42 bridges, including famed Seven Mile Bridge.

3. Newfound Gap Road/Blue Ridge Parkway/Skyline Drive:
 

This seamless, leisurely drive through three national parks offers some of the East Coast's most scenic landscapes. Newfound Gap Road (32 miles long) cuts across Great Smoky Mountain National Park and connects with the Blue Ridge Parkway (469 miles), which connects with Shenandoah National Park's Skyline Drive (105 miles). This wonderful drive is void of billboards, traffic lights, roadside trash, and speeding 18-wheelers.

4. U.S. Highway 2: 

The northernmost U.S. highway zigzags through mountain ranges, traverses the northern Great Plains, and swings around lakes as it connects Everett, Wash., with Houlton, Maine. The entire route, including a 700-mile stretch in Canada, covers 3,300 miles. In the West it crosses the North Cascades and the Rocky Mountains. In the East it meets the Green and White mountain ranges. In between it passes through small towns with local museums and inviting coffee shops. 

5. U.S. Highway 395: 

Connecting southern California with the Canadian border, this 1,300-mile drive traverses high deserts and mountain valleys through a large portion of the scenic West. The highway runs in a north-south direction through some of the most beautiful, but uncrowded sections of California, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. The best portion is arguably California's Owens Valley, which bisects two major mountain ranges.  

Courtesy of USA Today: http://usat.ly/1l5LsuP

Three Creative Ways To Keep A Clean Car

Here are three simple tips to help maintain a clean car:

1. Use a cereal container for a trash can!

2. Use a shower organizer to keep a multitude of items in a safe spot, great for kids!

3. Use a water bottle to make your pizza box safe from potential disaster! Also, you can use your seat warmers to keep any hot meal good-and-ready. 

Crazy Commutes From Around The World

Tired of rush-hour traffic? Exhausted from hour-long drives to work? These people's commutes will make yours look like a walk in the park!

1. Anyone who has to drive along the North Yungas Road in Bolivia. Where's that horse and buggy when you need it?

2. Anyone hoping to get on this train in Beijing. Claustrophobia is a valid excuse for being late to work... we hope.

 
3. Anyone who constantly has to risk their life by driving under the Devil’s Nose. Must be quite a sight when it rains.

4. Anyone who has no choice but using a zip line to get to town in Colombia. For a handful of families living there, zip lines are the only way to cross a river and not a source of recreational amusement.

5. Anyone who has to cross the Hussaini Bridge in Kashmir. The bridge divides a village in two - on one side are houses, on the other are farms. What was that old saying about a house divided?

Ways To Make Your Car Feel Like New

The best thing about your old car is that you've already paid for it. Most of us grow tired of our used cars long before they're used-up cars. But money is tight for just about everyone, so why throw away a car that's running well just because it's feeling worn down, looking beat up and has lost some of its athleticism? Cars built in the last 10 or 15 years can go 200,000 or 300,000 miles if given the right care. And there are some simple ways to spice up your long-term automotive relationship without using up whatever is left on your home equity line of credit. What it takes first is the determination to re-commit.

 

1. Electronics - Even if your car is only a couple of years old, it's almost certainly got an outdated sound system. Trading an old radio head unit for one that integrates with an iPod, iPhone or satellite radio, and includes a Bluetooth connection for a cellphone, will shoot your car or truck into the present. You might also consider an Electronic GPS navigation system.

2. Let it breathe - Aftermarket intake systems and air filters don't work miracles, but they can open up an older engine's inhalation system and kick up output by a few horsepower.

3. Paint - Generally speaking, it's best to use touchup paint sparingly and carefully. However, you can easily remove plastic trim pieces on your car's exterior and repaint them with a spray can. It particularly makes a big difference on black parts that have weathered to a dull gray.

4. Revitalize the A/C - Your car's AC can suffer buildups of mold, mildew and bacteria. To clean out the system, first make sure the air coming into the system isn't first passing through leaves, dust or other accumulated grime in the air passageways. Then change or clean any filters in the system. Finally, use an air-conditioning deodorizer to finish things off.

5. Clear the lenses - Vehicles built during the last couple of decades usually have plastic composite headlamps that weather and dull over time. You can pick up a headlight restoration often for under $30, and they're easy to use. It only takes a few minutes to turn a dull, yellowed headlight clear—which makes your old car look nicer and instantly improves illumination.