Leaping into production in 1958, the Donald Healey Sprite was a low cost sports car which used existing BMC parts to ensure over heads of the cars productions remained low. The Austin Healey Sprite would prove to be a big success.

The commonly named “Austin Frogeye”, the Mark I Sprite, was a massive success in its three years of production, with no other car competing on price or performance. As its widely used nick name suggests, the distinctive look of the Mark I Sprite owed itself to the round headlamps on the bonnet of the car, nicked named “frog-eye” headlamps. Cheap and easy to maintain, the wings and bonnet was a one piece unit which opened up to allow easy and large access to the engine. The Mark I used the 948cc Austin A-Series engine which was tuneable and capable of 43bhp, the A35 gearbox and axels, and the twin SU carburettors. Equipped with leaf spring suspension to the front, and wishbone suspension to the rear, the Mark I got it suspension from earlier models such as the A35 and Moris Minor.  Read more...

I get paid to sell self-drive holidays to Australians, to encourage them to take to the open roads and explore new territory behind the wheel of a rental car. I have a confession to make. I can’t actually drive.

Now I haven’t deliberately kept this from my employer, it wasn’t mentioned in my interview nor was it in my job description alongside having excellent communication skills, the ability to work as part of a team or to meet deadlines in a fast paced working environment. It was neither an essential nor desirable attribute.

I have never lied about it, but I do avoid voluntarily giving out this information about myself. I’m almost 25 for goodness sake! Kids I used to babysit have got in the driver’s seat before me. I guess I just haven’t got around to it in 7 years. I’m used to the convenience of city living and not needing to be able to drive.

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As we await the results of the biggest US Presidential Election we have ever seen, I have found an interesting article on how car choice reflects how Americans vote.

Kelley Blue Book Market Research surveyed almost 12,000 US car owners and how they planned to vote in the election. They found that owners of larger trucks and traditional luxury cars are more likely to vote for John McCain, while owners of hybrids and station wagons are more likely to vote for Barack Obama.

Backers of Arizona senator McCain typically own American brands – GMC (61%), Chevrolet (60%), Buick and Dodge (58%). McCain voters are also more likely to drive luxury brands like Lexus and BMW.

Barack Obama followers prefer imported vehicles, with the most popular being the Mini with 70%, Subaru (61%) and Saab (59%).

McCain supporters are most likely to drive full size trucks and SUVs, while Obama voters drive station wagons, hatchbacks and hybrids.

Rick Wainschel from Kelley Blue Book said “Car ownership says a lot about a person, and can even be an indicator who they are likely to vote for”. I do agree with this to an extent. While all this data may seem like a sweeping generalisation, some of it does make sense.  Read more...

However, since car insurance policies can be very complicated, you may not even be covered by your policy if something happens to your car. If your car’s wheels get destroyed and the wheels are not covered by your cheap auto insurance policy, then the car insurance company will have nothing to do with your repair or replacement expenses. This can be a waste, especially since you pay a hefty monthly fee to the insurance company to keep your insurance policy going.

To minimize the chances of you getting a bad deal for your money the next time you run into an automobil accident, be sure that you get the best car insurance rates and ins policy that you can possibly get. The best insurance may not mean the most expensive or most loaded policies, because not everybody can afford to pay such hefty fees. What you do need on the other hand is the best automobile insurance company and quote that your own money can buy and pay for every month.  Read more...

Pack enough snacks, sandwiches and water to last the entire trip. It is amazing how the time flies when children are eating.

Pack a roll of toilet paper or enough wipes just in case a side of the road stop is necessary.

Bring nappy bags just in case you find out if your child/ren get car sickness.

Pack a bag of your child’s favourite toys. Preferably not hard objects just in case they throw them (speaking from experience here).

Baby Car Organisesr are great so you don’t have to keep reaching behind you to get things. Like this one or this one.

Portable DVD player is essential (remembering spare batteries). Multiple units if there is more than one child or you can get the ones with multiple screens.

Portable game consoles for older children.

Selection of your child’s favourite music to sign along too. Either on the car’s audio system or an individual audio system with headphones.

Arrange the car trip around the child’s nap time.

Break up the car travel in a day. Don’t try to do a 10 hour stint with child/ren in the car.  Read more...

The capital of Cyprus used to be in Paphos until the enlargement of other cities on the Island. Paphos has continued to have its share of the developments in Cyprus, and thus an International Airport was erected to turn the small region into a tourism hub.

Paphos has a population of less than 100,000; but its collection of Antiquities as well as historical places has caused it to become a bustling region in Cyprus.

Paphos is divided into two main regions, the residential district of Ktima and the Kato region which consist of the seaside and the medieval ports. The Kato Paphos region is where the hotels and most of the other tourist destinations are situated.

The best time to travel to Paphos is the summer time; as this ensures that you take the advantage of the weather and the beaches. The hottest month in Paphos is August when the temperature can be more than 35 degrees, and the humidity is very low along with the water relatively warm all throughout the day.  Read more...

An Australian man has just won a settlement in a landmark age discrimination case against an Irish car rental company after being charged an extra fee for being over the age of 70.

Anthony White tried to hire a car in Ireland 2 years ago when he was in his early seventies and was charged a EUR25 fee. He was also told he would not be able to rent a car on his next visit as he would be over 75.

White took his case to Ireland’s Equality Tribunal who ruled in his favour that the policy amounted to age discrimination. Irish Car Rentals Ltd has since changed the rule and says the decision will now be made on a case-by-case basis involving assessments of age, health, driving record and insurance coverage.

A senior driver surcharge is pretty common with car rental companies – you may have read a previous blog here about it (Too Old to Drive A Rental Car?) Some suppliers charge extra if drivers are over a certain age, others have a maximum age limit for renters and some require additional documentation (like Irish Car Rentals are now doing). The surcharge is applied to cover higher insurance premiums as older drivers as seen as higher risk.  Read more...

Car rental can sometimes be a little confusing with lots of phrases being thrown around. To help you out, we have put together a glossary which will hopefully help with your next car rental booking.

Additional Driver: Additional to the main driver, registered and listed on the Rental Agreement. May be an extra charge for an additional driver, depending on the supplier.

Additional Liability Insurance (ALI): Provides additional protection for bodily injury or death plus property damage.

Airport Fee: Charge applied by airport authorities for terminal and off terminal locations. In most cases, this charge is also applied to additional charges, such as one way fees, fuel option, child seat rental etc which are not included in the daily rate and are paid at the counter.

Collision Damage Waiver (CDW): Covers the rental vehicle in the event of accidental damage to the rental vehicle other than by theft or attempted theft. An excess usually applies and the amount will vary depending on the pick up country and/or vehicle type.

Excess Reduction (ER): Optional charge offered by the car rental company to reduce or waive the insurance excess in the event of an insurance claim against damage or theft.  Read more...

Car insurance customers in Essex have been urged not to give opportunistic thieves the chance to break into their automobiles. Police in the area have therefore issued advice on how drivers could best avoid becoming a victim of vehicle crime. They suggested that motorists ensure they only park in safe and well-lit areas to ensure they do not attract unwanted attention from would-be thieves.

Report about automobile insurance customers reaction

Lorna Watson, the south eastern crime reduction officer, also suggested that using security devices is a good way to deter opportunistic criminals. She explained that it takes just one minute for a car thief to steal property left inside a vehicle. “It takes a lot longer and can be frustrating for the owner to deal with the insurance company, have any damage to the vehicle repaired or to arrange alternative transport,” she explained.

Meanwhile, a customers of car insurance companies in Buxton were recently warned by police that they may need to step up their vehicle security measures following an increase in the number of people attacked by vandals.

My family decided to visit Europe when we found out my sister was chosen to go on a trip to France for the World Cup in 2008 with DriveAway Holidays, sponsored by Peugeot. We thought we would join her in Italy – I can’t let my sister have all the fun now can I?

I have to admit the flight felt like it was never going to end and was very tiring, but when we finally arrived in Rome we were all excited again. We collected our car from Rome Fiumicino Airport and the Europcar depot was easily found with numerous signs pointing us in the right direction.

After the papers were signed and completed, we found our vehicle and to our surprise we were upgraded to a sporty Alfa Romeo Station Wagon so we were ready to drive in luxury like Italians in our Italian car. Our confidence was knocked a little though when we struggled trying to find our way out of the parking lot! Who would have thought it would be so complicated?  Read more...