With the world economy of shaky ground, gas prices soaring and the cost of just about everything you need to live shooting through the roof, now is the time to get wily with your cash. While politicians and money-saving groups might suggest one way to cut down on rising costs is to swap cars for public transport, those for whom time is a premium know cars can be a necessity, not a luxury. Unless you’re fortunate enough to live close to your workplace or have a freelance gig working from home, chances are you’ll just have to pay whatever it takes to keep your ride rolling.

So, rather than feeling guilty about the cost of your vehicle’s upkeep, how about you start making the four wheels work for you and your bank balance. Here are seven of the best credit cards for drivers which do just that!

…click here to read more

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Here’s an interesting thought. Vito over at RideLust asks whether we could improve the environment and cut our dependence on foreign oil by using old tires to make roads.

Now that’s an interesting concept. According to RideLust, here are some of the benefits of using Rubberized Asphalt Concrete:

1. Using RAC clearly reduces road noise by as much as 85%
2. Applying a two-inch layer overlay of RAC can save $50,000 per lane mile compared to using four inches of conventional asphalt in the same application
3. An overlay of RAC can prevent cracks in underlying pavements from reflecting through to the surface of the new paving
4. RAC retains its original color better than conventional asphalt and markings remain more visible
5. Using RAC saves on maintenance costs, a properly designed application can last 50% longer than use of standard asphalt
6. RAC provides better traction and can reduce traffic accidents in poor weather

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Ok, you don’t have to be a great student to drive one of these, just wealthy enough.  College Crunch offers their picks for the 15 hottest cars to drive to school. Not sure why the entire article is italicized, but there’s a nice list of lust-worthy cars complete with a pic and video for each.

A few of the notable picks include:

1. Audi RS4
2. For Mustang
3. Mazda RX-8
4. Nissan GT-R
5. Pontiac Solstice Solstice
6. Saturn SKY
7. BMW Z4 (pictured above)

Your professors will be so jealous. Me, I’ve got my eye on the SKY. It actually costs not much more than my last two cars, both Subarus and nowhere nearly as sexy.

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They’re gorgeous, sleek, sexy, expensive, and high-performance. They’re supercars with curves and colors that scream performance. My friend Ryan over at RideLust has put together a drool-inducing gallery of over a dozen top high-performance supercars. They include the following cars:

1. SSC Ultimate Aero TT
2. Bugatti Veyron
3. McLaren F1
4. Jaguar XJ220
5. Hennessey Viper Venom 1000
6. Koenigsegg CCR
7. Dauer 962 LM
8. Melling Hellcat
9. Lotec Sirius
10. Saleen S7 Turbo
11. TVR Cerbera Speed 12
12. Ruf CTR-3
13. Ultima GTR
14. Bristol Fighter T
15. Porsche 997 Turbo
16. Nissan GT-R

For those lucky few of you who will one day own one of these, I salute you now. For the rest of us, have a look at this great collection. Keep a napkin handy, to wipe the drool.

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Upon seeing Bombardier’s 2008 Can-Am Spyder, I realized that I can finally pursue a motorcycle license and not feel that I’ll be endangering myself - at least for city driving. The Spyder, pictured above, is neither car nor motorcycle, but depending on the country you live in, you’ll need a driver’s license for one or the other. Up here in Canada, where Bombardier was founded, we need a motorcycle license. In the U.S., most states where it’s being offered require just a regular car driver’s license.

The vehicle, whose first production model was delivered to Jay Leno, is relatively affordable (US$15-16.5K). It might look odd with its two front wheels and a single back wheel - sort of a reverse trike - but to me it looks like a thing of beauty. And safety. I’m thinking of the streetcar tracks in Toronto and how less likely the Spyder is to get trapped in them than a motorcycle, thanks to very wide tires.

Details:

• 5-speed manual transmission, or add a clutchless thumb-shift.
• Approx. 700 pounds.
• Uses a BRP-Rotax 990 engine, 106 hp @ 8500 rpm.
• 0-60 in 4.5s
• Top speed: 110 mph
• Power steering with computer-controlled hydraulic power.
• Space for two helmets.
• Bosch stabilization system, antilock brakes.

The only problem is, the Spyder is sold out through this spring. Oh, that and the fact that I need to get a motorcycle license, and the only two schools nearby have often had a waiting list of a year or two. Now excuse me while I work my ass off to save money for my shiny charcoal Spyder.

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Jaqueline Mitchell wrote in Forbes earlier this month about what your car says to the opposite sex. This is exactly the type of article I won’t normally read because it just speaks to how shallow the whole idea is. Whatever Mitchell says in it might apply to some people - those who have money and can actually buy the car they want. But what about the average person? I know from long experience, and from talking to both car sales people and car enthusiasts, that most people buy a car for any of the following reasons:

1. The salesperson suggested.
2. A family member suggested it.
3. It was on sale.
4. It was there in the lot and the salesperson offered some extras at no cost.
5. It was functional.
6. They had a car of the same model before. (See all of the above.)
7. Insert custom reason here.

On the other hand, if you have money, you’ll buy the car you want. And then and only then will nonsensical, shallow articles like Mitchell’s have any relevance. Personally, I prefer Bardiac’s humorous explanation of what your car says about you.

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Originally, I was going to just blog about how, now that I have a car - similar to the Dodge Caliber SXT that you see above - after over five years without, I feel incredibly free. (Prior to this car-free period, I had access to a car for most of my life since become a legal driver.) But Alison at Drawing Out the Color, wrote a post about living car-free, pointing out the good and the bad that she’s experienced. I’ve taken her six points and rephrased them to suit my list, then added my own. So I suggest you read her article first. My general premise is that while there are many cars to lust after, you can go for affordable and functional and not feel guilty.

1. Biking is not always a healthy way to commute. In the small city I currently live in, cycling is extremely dangerous. It’s considered one of the more dangerous places in N. America because working commuters returning from Toronto traffic jams everyday don’t shift mental gears and still drive aggressively upon entering city limits. I’ve even seen police officers in their cruisers cut off children at crosswalks, and other drivers intentionally splash pedestrians. Sometimes, biking or being a pedestrian is not healthy.

2. Getting groceries can be a problem. You can say that again. For me, I either accept a ride with a family member once a week or I have to walk to a grocery store and return by bus. But transit in this city stinks and it’s actually faster to walk, provided you’re not weighed down by a lot of groceries. Except since it’s a university town with a special “ride free” pass to all students (as of a few years back), don’t expect anyone to give up their seat.

You’re then limited as to how many bags of groceries you should safely buy, since you might have to stand. A backpack sometimes helps, but you’d need a hardshell case, which annoys other riders. Now that’s just groceries. I’m lucky to have had close access to laundry facilities in that time.

3. Options: zipcar. Zipcar is one option if it’s available, but not here that I’m aware of. However, there are car sharing programs, though they require a $300-600 deposit, which I didn’t have available until more recently.
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