Now that the Summer is here, the next thing you would need is to find an economical solution to address the cars you will be renting. Rather than reserve your cash for some other enjoyable means, a large chunk of it goes to the vehicle you will rent. However, thanks to Hotwire.com, some tips may change all that.

Here are some great leads to wiser car renting for the summer and it would be advisable to apply these as soon as you can:

If you see a good rate, reserve it right away. Prices are expected to continue rising through July and are expected to stay high all the way through August.

Rent on the weekends. When business travelers have gone home for the weekend, there is more inventory and lower prices for the consumer.

Rent away from the airport if possible. Off-airport and local rental centers can often be cheaper due to lower taxes and fees. Often, by sacrificing convenience, you can save money.

Make sure to fill up the tank before returning your car. Rental centers charge a much higher rate than you’d find at the pump for those who forget to fill up. If you don’t want the hassle, many rental car companies will also allow you to pre-purchase your tank of gas to avoid fees, but it’s still cheaper to fill it up on your own.

Book opaque. Although prices are expected to spike this year, by booking through opaque sites such as Hotwire, consumers can save big. Hotwire Hot Rates allow you to choose your car category and pick up and drop off times without knowing the exact car rental company in exchange for deep discounts – up to 40 percent and rates from $14.95 a day.

(Source) Press

Tags: business travelers, car category, car rental company, Cars, chunk, consumers, convenience, economical solution, exact car, hassle, lower taxes, money, rental car companies, Tank

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How many times have you fantasized about driving a tank across your neighbor lawn? That might just be possible if you owned a Fiat Cinque Tank. Sure you’d end up in a police cell but years later you’ll have a great story for your friends.

The Fiat Cinque Tank in the picture above was conceived by an ironsmith, Mr. Kogoro Kurata. He managed to mount that famous Fiat 500 on top of some caterpillar tracks. The Tank works but you’ll probably get bored driving at only 3km/h. It’s still a cool do-it-yourself project which will look pretty cool parked in your back yard.

Tags: 500, Caterpillar, Cinque, DIY, Fiat, Tank

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Ford will be sponsoring the 2009 Essence Music Festival, coming in as a first year sponsor for this event headed by Beyonce in New Orleans. Ford has been known to choose the events it will sponsor but as far as New Orleans is concerned, it is simply giving back to the community and to support their various women empowerment and multicultural initiatives during the nation’s largest annual gathering of African-American music and culture.

As a proud partner of the influential Festival, Ford has created unique programs for New Orleans, ranging from the sponsorship of the Women’s Day Seminar to vehicle ride and drive opportunities with various products in the Ford portfolio, including the All-New 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, the vehicle that allows you to drive 700 miles on a single tank of gas.

“Ford is pleased to partner with Essence on such an important initiative,” said Crystal Worthem, Multicultural Marketing Manager, Ford Motor Company. “The Essence Music Festival truly is an event that empowers women while simultaneously allowing them the chance to have fun for a weekend. We are excited to be a part of this year’s event.”

(Source) Press

Tags: african american music, beyonce, essence music festival, Ford, ford fusion, ford motor, ford motor company, hybrid, initiative, marketing manager, multicultural initiatives, new orleans, proud partner, sponsorship, Tank

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Ford really wants to get the word out there that their new 2010 Fusion Hybrid is a force to be reckoned with, recently announcing a campaign to put the vehicle’s fuel efficiency to the test.

Apparently, the above car is set to be driven over 1,000 miles for 43 consecutive hours from Mount Vernon, VA to Washington, DC, all on a single tank of gas. Ford is saying that the car needs to average 57 miles per gallon, a task that may actually be accomplishable given the fact it has reached as high as 70 miles per gallon.

And to top it all off, the drive will raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. You get em’ Ford!

Press release after the break. (more…)

Tags: 1000 miles, campaign, fuel economy, fusion hybrid, Gas, mileage, one, petrol, Tank

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I don’t know about you guys, but driving Ken Block’s heavily modified Subary WRX, as seen in the above video, is my kind of fun.

It looks like Mr. Block wasn’t satisfied with just modifying the tires to hold traction in the snow better and went a step farther adapting the car to accept 4 massive looking treads. 

I wonder what Subaru thinks when they see stuff like this.

Tags: ken block, modified, subaru impreza, Tank, treads, WRX

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Well here’s another tank we found around the Internet. This one is just as big as a quarter of a regular tank but it’s still strong. It has two 500W 24V motors which can pull a car on a level surface.

The tank is 1/4 of a German King Tiger. It’s six-foot long, it has a working turret and a 2 feet long gun. Everything seems real enough. If you want one you can get if for about $10,200 in the UK at Mark 1 Tank Company. I’d advise against though! Go get a real tank if you feel like driving something truly powerful!

via theSun

Tags: Car, Tank

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Tanks aren’t our daily type of cars but nonetheless they can certainly move on wheels. Those wheels actually roll around on those metal plates. These metal plates have to be repaired after every 250 miles of travel. In war exercises or actual war they probably last even less time.

It looks like those metal plates are going to be replaced by rubber tracks in the future. The rubber tracks should be more durable and the fuel consumption will also be improved to about 1/3 by using them instead of the heavier metal plates. The only huge downside is that the rubber tracks will only carry vehicles of up to 30 tons. Hopefully you don’t drive a tank for a living!

via treehuger

Tags: Military, Rubbertrack, Tank

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