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The Definition of Luxury Cars

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Luxury cars are those vehicles which provide luxury with pleasant or advantageous features beyond strict necessity at an increased expense. Here the term “luxury” describes the greater equipment, good performance, construction accuracy, enormous comfort with creative design and technological innovation or features which create the brand image, status or prestige-or any other flexible feature.

Targeting a particular socio-economic class, the automobile manufactures make specific models of vehicles that get associated with social status of that class. Thus, in collusion with the car-buying public, these automobile manufactures distinguish among their product lines. Regarding the luxury vehicles, high price is the most common factor; moreover the styling, engineering, and even public opinion about the cars highest and lowest status association with them also matters a lot.

In the history of automobile industry, it is seemed that every time due to the assumed superiority of the design and engineering of these particular cars, these group of car marques and models become expensive to purchase. These cars are designed by aiming at wealthy buyers and that’s why these automobiles generically are termed as luxury cars. Moreover, the term luxury car was also used for unique vehicles created during an era when luxury was a personal consideration and thus, coachwork was customized depending on an owner’s likes and dislikes. Even though there is significant literature about precise marques, but there is a lack of systematic and scholarly work which describe the luxury car trend itself.

In today’s era, luxury cars include vehicles such as sedan, coupe, hatchback, station wagon with convertible body styles, as well as minivans, crossovers, or sport utility vehicles which are available in any size, from small to large with various price range.

This widely used term luxury is broad and extremely variable. It is a more conditional, perceptual and subjective attribute and therefore, different people may understand it differently. Thus, the definition of a luxury car to some… may be ordinary to some others.

These cars likely to offer a higher degree of comfort level than their typical counterparts, regular facilities such as real leather upholstery and sophisticated woodgrain-look dashboards. In Comparison to the normal vehicles, these cars have conventionally emphasized in comfort and safety aspect of the vehicles. These contemporary cars also provide higher performance with better handling. Luxury vehicles are considered as status symbols for rich people with prominent use.

In earlier period, the people who are rich and high class could only afford luxury cars. But these days, even the people who are not rich enough can also enjoy the comfort of these cars. The car hiring services have made it easy for them. Limo is one of the very popular hired car these days. People hire limousines for wedding, graduation party, to pick up guest from the airport etc. If you want to book a luxury car for your tour or party, then you will find a lot of car hiring services available these days which will offer you the kind of luxury you want depending on your preference.

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Source by Radhika Verma

A Secret Credit Score Your Car Dealer Won’t Tell You About

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You’re ready to buy a new car.

You’ve done all your homework.

You know your three FICO credit scores.

You determine that your highest FICO credit score is from Equifax (also known as your BEACON score).

So, you find a car dealer who uses your highest score (which increases your opportunity to get approved at a good rate).

You get to the dealership and ignore all the salespeople by going directly to the finance director’s office.

But as the finance director reviews your credit file in front of you…you can’t help but think something is wrong.

Sure enough…the dealer says your Equifax/BEACON score isn’t high enough for their lowest interest rate.

How can this be? You just checked your FICO credit scores through http://www.myfico.com/12 a few hours ago. It’s possible–although unlikely–the information on your credit report has changed and that your scores have decreased since you last checked them. Remember, your credit scores are dynamic and will change whenever information on your credit reports changes.

Your credit reports can change several times each month as new information is added or updated by your lenders. But more than likely, your scores wouldn’t change in this situation (especially if there were only a few hours between when you checked your scores and when the dealership reviewed your credit reports).

So, if your credit reports didn’t change, why is the finance director staring at your scores with such a discouraging face?

Car Dealers Can Use “Different” FICO Scores Than The Ones You See

The car dealer is probably using what is known as the FICO Auto Industry Option score instead of a traditional FICO credit score. You see, car dealers not only get to select the credit reporting agency they receive FICO credit scores from…they also get to decide if they will use a traditional FICO credit score or a variation of a FICO score called an Auto Industry Option score.

What’s the difference between these two types of scores?

Not a whole lot to most people…but there’s enough variation to make the majority of auto lenders use the Auto Industry Option score. The real difference between the two scores is that the Auto Industry Option score pays a lot more attention to how you handled previous auto credit.

– Have you made late payments on a current or previous auto loan or lease?
– Have you ever settled an auto loan or lease for less than you owed?
– Have you had a car repossessed?
– Have you had an auto account sent to collections?
– Did you include your car loan or lease in your bankruptcy?

Those actions will affect your Auto Industry Option score more than they’ll affect your traditional FICO score. Bottom line, if you handled your previous auto credit perfectly, you should have a high FICO Auto Industry Option score–that’s a good thing.

But what if you’ve had a few bumps in the auto credit road in the past? You guessed it…your Auto Industry Option score will be lower. You’ll be perceived as a greater credit risk and the auto lender may either deny you or use your lower score to justify charging you a higher interest rate.

You see, auto lenders are different than other types of lenders. And I’m not talking about their slimy ways, leisure suits, short ties, manly hairy chests, or gold bling.

A lot of other lenders look at your whole credit picture to determine whether or not to give you a loan. But many auto lenders care about only one thing…how you handled your past AUTO credit. That’s what a FICO Auto Industry Option Score gives car dealers–a way to pinpoint how you’ve handled what matters to them the most.

So, even if everything else on your credit reports went down the toilet after your bankruptcy, if you didn’t include your auto loan in your bankruptcy and never defaulted or missed a car payment, your Auto Industry scores will probably be better than your traditional FICO scores!

What a Former Auto Finance Director Revealed to Me

I recently spoke with a former finance director, and this is what she told me…

“So many people I have helped couldn’t believe their scores were so high with the FICO Auto Industry Option score. They had included all their credit card debt and their mortgage in their bankruptcy, but they reaffirmed their auto loan. What’s good about the auto score is that it truly helps the auto lender concentrate on what is important–how the customer handles his/her auto loans.

By our dealership having the auto enhanced FICO, it helped 30% or more of our customers get better rates.”

I don’t believe I’m going to say this, but I think I may actually have found something good to say about car dealers! Well, some of them, anyway…

As you can see, the FICO auto scores can work in your favor, if they are used correctly.

OK, I just wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I only said good things about car dealers.

So, in the interest of fair and balanced reporting, here’s how to protect yourself against slimy car dealers that can use your FICO Auto Industry Option
scores against you…

A Dirty Trick Car Dealers Can Play with Your FICO Scores

Let’s imagine your Equifax/Beacon FICO score is 585. Not too good. With a score that low, if you do get approved for a car loan, you’ll probably wind up with a high interest rate and high monthly payment.

So you go to a dealership and talk with the finance director and tell him your Equifax FICO score is 585. The finance director then reviews your FICO Auto Industry Option score. And, unknown to you, this score is actually higher than the Equifax/Beacon FICO score you pulled.

With this higher score, you’ll get approved at a better rate…right?

Not necessarily!

Here’s what unscrupulous car dealers can do. They won’t tell you that your auto score is higher than your traditional score!

They figure they have a sucker sitting in front of them. So they’ll try to get you financed at a higher rate based on the lower FICO score (thus making more profit for themselves).

How Some Car Dealers “Play the Spread” to Get You to Pay More

Now check this out…

It’s possible that a car dealer has the ability to pull your traditional FICO scores AND your FICO auto scores. That means they’ll have six scores on you. It’s a guarantee that some of those scores are going to be higher than the others. So which ones will they use when trying to get you financed?

It depends.

Are you familiar with the term “spread”? It’s how car dealers make money when they finance you. If they can quote you a higher interest rate than you deserve–then they stand to make a nice chunk of change from the bank that finances you.

The only way to make a killer “spread” is to make you think that you have lower scores.

So, what can you do?

Don’t despair…I can help you.

How to Use Your FICO Scores to Your Advantage when Buying a Car

Fortunately, you don’t have to fall for their dirty tricks. Now that you know all about FICO Auto Industry Option scores, you can protect yourself. Here’s what I suggest…

1. When you first walk into the finance director’s office, don’t tell him what your FICO scores are. Wait until he reviews the scores himself. Then ask him what your scores are.

2. If the scores he reviewed are higher than the ones you have, don’t say anything and just go by his scores.

3. However, if your scores are higher, then pull them out and show him. If he has a choice in the type of scores he can use, there’s a possibility that he’ll be able to use your highest score. And, it will let him know that he doesn’t have a fool sitting in front of him. He can’t take advantage of you!

How do you find out what your FICO Auto Industry Option scores are before you walk into a car dealership?

You can’t.

Sorry. They’re not for sale–at any price. Only lenders have access to them.

FICO would like to sell them…but there just isn’t enough demand. I mean seriously, up until you read this article, had you ever heard of the FICO Auto Industry Option score?

Exactly.

Remember, we were just given access to purchase all three of our traditional FICO credit scores on June 11, 2003 at 8:00 a.m. (I actually got misty that day…what a geek I am.)

Only a very small percentage of the population even knows they have three FICO credit scores…let alone three Auto Industry Option scores.

So How Can You Use This Information to Help You Get Your Next New Car Financed at the Best Interest Rate

1. First, get your three credit reports. If you handled your previous auto credit well–your FICO Auto Industry Option scores will be higher than your traditional FICO scores. So expect more from the lender.

2. You can also ask the lender to show you their tier levels. Tiers are basically charts lenders use that have different interest rates based on your scores. You want to see which tier your fall in. To see an example of an auto lender’s tier schedule, click here.

3. If they won’t show you…at least have them break it down verbally for you. (Personally, I like to see it with my own eyes, as I never believe a word that comes out of most car dealers’ mouths.)

4. If you’ve handled your auto credit poorly…then you should simply try to find an auto lender that uses just the traditional FICO credit scores. When you find a lender that uses a traditional FICO credit score, you’ll have your best chance to get the lowest interest rate.

5. Start by calling dealerships and asking the finance director if they use a traditional FICO credit score to make their lending decision or if they use the FICO Auto Industry Option score.

These steps will get you headed in the right direction. This won’t be easy, as a lot of car dealers use the FICO Auto Industry Option score.

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Source by Stephen Snyder

How to Prevent Your Headlight Bulbs From Blowing Too Frequently

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If you find your headlight bulbs are blowing on a regular basis, then there could be several reasons why it is happening and by identifying what the cause of the problem is, you will save yourself the cost off continually buying replacement bulbs, and the hassle of needing to constantly change them.

Are You Using Your Headlight Bulbs For Long Periods?

The typical expected lifespan of a standard halogen headlight bulb is around 350 to 400 hours, so if you are driving a lot during the long winter nights or even if you keep your headlights on during the day it is possible that your bulbs could only last 2 to 3 months.

Its important to note that if you have fitted upgrade xenon bulbs they will normally last only around 200 hours, because they have been in effect tweaked to improve their light output. For drivers who do use their headlight bulbs for long periods you can reduce the amount of time between changes by fitting long life headlight bulbs.

These tougher car bulbs contain heavy duty reinforced components and so last normally three times longer than standard halogen bulbs, whilst still offering the same lighting performance as normal halogen bulbs.

Are You Touching The Glass Bulb When You Change Them?

If you touch the glass section of the headlight bulb with bare hands, the natural oils within your skin will leave a small residue of grease behind. Once the halogen bulb is illuminated this oil patch will create a hotspot within the bulb and lead to it failing early. Therefore it is a good idea to wear latex gloves when installing new halogen bulbs.

Are The Bulbs Getting Wet Or Suffering Excess Vibration?

Whilst most of the major bulb manufacturers used toughened glass in the construction of their headlight bulbs, they are still vulnerable to the effects of thermal shock. This means that if they come into contact with water that has leaked into the headlight unit, then it is very likely that the bulb will be damaged. It is also important to ensure the bulb is securely installed as otherwise the extra jolts and bumps it will be subjected to can damage the filament

Is The Car’s Electrical System Working Correctly?

When installing the bulbs make sure that the electrical connectors from the lights power lead are firmly joined to the metal connectors on the base of the headlight bulbs, otherwise it is easy to get a short circuit and blow the bulb.

It is also important to check that the alternator is not overcharging the battery and delivering more voltage than the bulb is designed for. Typically the maximum voltage of a bulb is around 13.2 volts.

Are You Buying Good Quality Headlight Bulbs?

Whilst cheaper car bulbs may seem like a good idea, they normally lack the high quality and precision components used by the leading manufactures like Osram and Philips, and will not last as long. High quality bulbs will be marked with the E1 mark, which indicates they have undergone the most rigorous testing and quality standards.

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Source by Ethan Melandri

Interesting Skateboard Facts

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Here are seven interesting and unusual skateboarding facts that you can use to astound and impress your friends.

1. Of all active skateboarders in the United States of America, more than half live in the state of California.

2. Consider all the sports which are played and which are popular in many different countries all over the world. Now, consider this interesting fact: skateboarding is the sixth more popular sport on the planet in terms of total participants.

3. Approximately 100,000 people every year require some sort of medical treatment for skateboard-related injuries. A majority of these injuries are a result of people not wearing or not using proper safety equipment like helmets and pads. Ouch!

4. Speaking of injuries, can you guess which body part is injured more than any other during skateboarding? If you answered the wrist, give yourselves a big round of applause.

5. When skateboarding first began, it was referred to as sidewalk surfing. This is a direct reference to surfing, which is considered the founding activity of skateboarding.

6. You could never tell by the naked eye, but most common or popular skateboard decks are actually made from seven separate pieces of plywood maple.

7. Between 1978 and 1989, skateboards were banned in Norway. The reason for the prohibition of skateboards was as a result of the high number of injuries that Norwegian skateboarders suffered.

If you ever find yourself on a quiz show, and one of the topics happens to be facts about skateboarding, then you’ll be armed and ready with the knowledge needed to answer just about any skateboarding question that’s thrown your way.

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Source by Duke McCallister

A Bride’s Guide to Tipping Wedding Vendors

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When planning your wedding, you may wonder how much of your budget to put aside for gratuities and tips. You may not be sure who gets tipped or how much is customary to tip. Be sure to read all contracts that you sign with your vendors to make sure that you are aware if tipping is optional (at your discretion) or contractual. Some vendor contracts will automatically add a certain percentage to your bill to cover the customary standard gratuity.

Here is a breakdown of who you should tip and how much you should tip. Note these are only standard guidelines, you may choose to add more for exceptional service. You should prepare envelopes with the proper amounts already in them, addressed to the proper vendors.

Rehearsal Dinner – 20 percent of the total bill, many restaurants will add this onto the bill on larger parties.

Hairstylist / Make Up Artist / Nail Technician – It is customary to tip 15 to 20 percent of the total cost and should be paid once services are completed.

Musicians for the Ceremony – Standard tipping is $20 to $25 dollars per musician and is expected at the end of the ceremony. The father of the bride or the best man presents the envelope to the musicians.

Officiant for the Ceremony – Customary of $100 and up, or make a donation to the church or synagogue in which you are getting married. This contribution can be in addition to or in lieu of a tip. If tipping, have the father of the bride or the best man hand the envelope to the officiant right after the rehearsal or the ceremony.

Delivery Truck Drivers / Reception Set Up – This could include the cake delivery and set up, the floral set up, decoration set up, tent set up, etc… if the set up staff who is setting up is not a part of the reception staff. It is customary to tip $5 to $25 dollars per person depending on the difficulty of the set up. The person accepting the delivery should hand out the tips. If you will not be there during delivery or set up, you should tip either before or after, to the appropriate vendor.

Reception Staff – normally is eighteen to twenty percent of the final reception bill. This amount of tipping may seem like a lot to pay, but remember this is divided among all the staff who worked your event. It is usually paid when the balance of your reception bill is paid and is normally included in your contract. You may choose to give added gratuity for exceptional service on the day of your event after the reception.

Reception Musicians or DJs – Customary to tip 5 to 20 percent of the total cost. The father of the bride or the best man presents the envelope to the musicians at the end of the ceremony. You would tip a band 5 percent per musician (20 percent total for 5 musicians) and a DJ up to 20 percent of the total cost.

Reception Hall Maitre d’ – $40 or more for each of these staff members, depending on the amount of guests and total reception bill. The father of the bride or the best man presents the envelope to the Maitre d’.

Reception Bartenders – In addition to the amount specified in the contract, 10% of the total bar bill should be tipped to the bartenders. Have the cash in envelopes in advance and have maitre d’ pass along the tip.

Powder Room / Coat Check / Parking Attendants – Should receive .50 cents to $1 per guest attending. Have the cash in envelopes in advance and have maitre d’ pass along the tip.

Transportation – It is customary to tip 20% of the total cost. Many limousine companies can offer you to pay in advance or to tip on the day the service is completed. Have the best man in charge of turning over the cash tip you prepared in advance.

Finally, the following vendors do not typically receive gratuities but you may certainly add them to the list if their service is outstanding: photographer, videographer, caterer, baker, jeweler, wedding consultant, seamstress, and florist.

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Source by Erica Tevis

Special Occasion Flower Delivery

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Do you want to surprise that special someone? Is it someone’s birthday? Do you want to send a “just because” message to someone? Well then you should look into using flower delivery service.

A flower delivery service always saves the day with those last minute special occasion gifts. If you are trapped at the office and can’t find the time to get away to buy a gift for that someone special, you should send a bouquet of flowers to brighten their day and let them know you care.

If a person is having a bad day and they need a little cheering up, you can let them know you care with a small “I’m thinking about you” flower bouquet. Everyone likes to know that they have someone who cares about them enough to make an effort for them just for no reason at all. You can take advantage of the delivery service that will come with the purchase of the flowers too.

The flowers can be ordered over the phone or online and then with a credit card and a delivery address the flowers can be on their way whenever you ask them to be there. The flowers can arrive even the same day of the purchase. Rush deliveries may cost you a little more but they are always available. Whether you are trying to book a flower delivery a month from the date you purchase them or even a few days from the date, it is going to cost you the same amount and will be the same fresh flowers you ordered every time.

Weddings often use special occasion flower delivery services. It is hard to get THAT many flowers from point A. to point B. unless you have a van or a truck. These services will prepare decorations and bouquets of flowers of your choice and have them delivered and set up at the place the event is being held.

Birthdays also deserve a little sweetening too. People love getting flowers for their birthday. They look great at work or at home to freshen up any room or desk. If someone is working on their birthday it is always a nice gesture to give a bouquet of flowers to them to brighten up their day.

Getting flowers just makes people feel good. You don’t need to go all out spending all that time finding a meaningless gift at the mall or what have you. Whatever the occasion and no matter how special it is, the flowers will be extra special to the person receiving such a thoughtful gift.

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Source by Mark Middleton

Flea Control – Cool Techniques For Getting Rid of Fleas in Your Car!

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Your vehicle can also be a hot spot for fleas. A flea can happily take up residence in the upholstery or even in your vehicle’s carpet. Just parking in a yard that is flea infested can put them in your car via your passenger’s shoes. If you want to get rid of these fleas then you will have to go through two steps. The first thing that you’ll have to do is clean the whole car out through some tips I’ll give you later. The second step will be to move on to clearing your pets and your house so that they don’t come right back.

If you are afraid that you’ll have fleas in your car you should try and vacuum it on a regular basis paying particular attention to the carpet. This simple step will keep the loose fleas from escaping. Of course using a good soap or shampoo for your upholstery would kill more fleas. This unfortunately won’t be enough for a severe infestation though. Flea eggs are quite resilient and the larvae are able to cling to the carpet fibers during your cleaning attempts. A severe infestation requires a good insecticide.

A good insecticide will be able to take out all the fleas in your car no matter what life stage they happen to be in at the time. The good news is that you will be able to use basic cleaning methods for your car. Cleaners with a good borate base will be able to kill them for up to a year. To use it properly you will have to spread it to each nook and cranny of your car. You shouldn’t vacuum for awhile though. You will want to wait for about 4 weeks before you vacuum the car. After a month passes you will probably want to vacuum just to clean out all of the dead fleas. For this you will probably want to use some type of disposable bag so you can just seal it up and throw it away when you’re done.

In addition, it is possible for you to use a nature-based solution for your car if you want to stay organic. Pyrethrum is particularly good if you use it as instructed. If you really want to kill the infestation forever you will have to cure your pets as well. This can be done by using flea shampoos while giving them regular treatment with a flea comb. You can just collect any fleas that come off during the combing and dump them down the sink.

Severe infestations will have to be treated with insecticides that your veterinarian recommends. They will probably recommend some form of Insect Growth Regulator in either a fogger or spray form to properly kill off the whole infestation. Diatomaceous Earth is another option that they may offer as well as Boron. These are really popular because you can get a lot of bang for your buck with them. Of course you should make sure that your veterinarian agrees with what you’re doing. They could have a negative effect on children or any other pets you may have in the house.

All in all, there are plenty of ways to get rid of fleas in your car.

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Source by Ruby Miller