Auto Bits

It's likely you'll need to finance your vehicle purchase, especially if you're buying new. A good credit score can help reassure potential lenders that you'll be a good credit risk - and make them more inclined to offer you a lower interest rate for your auto loan. Here are some ways to help ensure your credit is in the best possible shape before you buy a car:

- Check your score: While you may take advantage of your annual free credit report, that report doesn't include a credit score. Since a credit score will have an impact on how lenders perceive your credit worthiness, it is a good idea to understand where you stand. So, before you set foot on a car lot, you can learn about your credit score with enrollment in a site like freecreditscore.com. If you have a good credit score, you'll likely have a leg up on negotiating better loan terms. If your score is low, you may want to make some adjustments and decisions before applying for an auto loan.

- Take action: Pay off credit card bills, set up automatic payments for recurring debts so you're never late and never miss a payment, keep paid up credit cards open (this improves your ratio of credit available to credit used) and avoid opening any new credit accounts in the months leading up to your car purchase.

- Shop around for the best loan deal: You can find many sources of vehicle financing, from your neighborhood bank or credit union to online lenders and even dealer financing. Explore your options before you go car shopping. Never rely on the dealer to give you the best loan terms. Instead, secure your own financing before you go shopping, and then give the dealer the opportunity to match or beat those terms.

Once your credit is in shape, follow these simple steps to find the car that's right for you:

- Decide what car you want. You can narrow this down to a couple of options or even just one. Think about how you'll use the car and the features it absolutely must have. Do you need an automatic transmission and a third row? Next, consider the features you would like to have, but could live without if you had to. Do you dream of a sunroof or a sporty spoiler?

- Research pricing information. You can find ample information online about vehicle pricing from resources like Kelly Blue Book or Edmunds. Learn the difference between the sticker price and the invoice price, and how dealers get from the lower invoice figure to the higher one on the sticker.

- Test drive the car more than once and at more than one dealership. Don't be afraid to ask dealers to beat each other's offers. Competition can be healthy - for you and the dealers.

- When it's time to close the deal, be prepared to negotiate. You and the dealer have the same objective in mind - to get the best price for the car. Of course, your best price and his are likely two different numbers, so you'll need to negotiate toward a number you can both be happy about.

Our mailbox is overflowing, so let's zero in on some reader response.

1948 Pontiac Torpedo original owners

Greg, I read the letter from Bill regarding his ‘65 Nova in which he asked you, “Would you say 47 years is a long time that he’s owned it?” My dad just celebrated his 85th birthday on April 12, and I drove him and my mom to a local restaurant in the first car he owned, a 1948 Pontiac Torpedo.

So here it is, 64 years later and my dad is still riding around with my mom in the same car they took on their honeymoon in 1953. The stickers of their trip are still on the windows, along with my dad’s stickers from Holy Cross College and Harvard.

Dad parked the Torpedo in 1956 and never drove it again until his birthday Easter Sunday in 2009, 53 years later! How many people can claim this? I’d love to know if any of your readers can top this! (See photo attached.) Our area newspaper, The Norwich Bulletin, ran a nice article about it on Oct. 5, 2009. Thanks Greg. Richard Ouellette.

A: My pleasure. What a joy it must be.

Another spectacular Harrell Camaro

Q: Greg, I bought one of the Dick Harrell Camaros in 1969 brand new with 13 miles on it. It was a great car, and thanks for all the articles you write about cars like this.

I live in Plainfield, Ill., and a person in Naperville found my Dick Harrell Camaro and did a complete frame off (restoration) on it. He took it to the Forge International Muscle Car Show in Kentucky and went down and met Val (Harrell) and Dale (Pulde) there. It was fun to see my old car looking so good. Thanks, Randy Krnac.

A: Thank you, Randy! What a beauty your Harrell Camaro is.

Getting it right with the Mercury Comet

Greg, I read your recent answer to a readers question of which Mercury Cougar you would like to own. I have a few comments to make.

The 1968 W code cars are not the rarest engine Cougars. Here is the list:

1968 W code = 357 cars; 1968 R code = 244 cars; 1969 G code = 169 cars; 1968 6 code = 31 cars; and 1969 Boss 429 = 2 cars.

All production numbers are from Kevin Marti's “Cougar By the Numbers” book. Thank you for including the Cougar question in your article. They are great cars. Randy Goodling, Chairman, Cougar Club Of America (www.cougarclub.org).

A: Thanks Randy - got to get it right, as there's lots of info out there to decipher!

Greg Zyla writes weekly for GateHouse Media and welcomes reader questions on old cars and old-time motorsports at 303 Roosevelt St., Sayre, PA 18840 or at greg@gregzyla.com.

Q: I have several cans of engine oil in my garage. The brands vary, as does the viscosity. My question is, can I use these oils in my 2008 Toyota Camry?

A: You should never mix oils and or viscosities in late-model vehicles. If you know someone with a pre-1990 vehicle, you can use the old oil in old vehicles. The use of the incorrect oil in a late-model vehicle can cause major problems with the internal moving parts and hydraulic powered timing control solenoids.

To satisfy car buyers' tastes, automakers have been busily developing ways to squeeze more miles out of a gallon of gas. In addition to better engine design, an often-overlooked transformation has led to increased fuel efficiency: more and more, automakers are replacing heavier materials with lighter-weight plastics.

Generally known as "lightweighting," reducing a car's weight minimizes the load on the engine, so it needs less fuel. Replacing traditional materials with plastics has contributed significantly to lightweighting, so much so that experts estimate plastics make up 50 percent of today's automobiles by volume - but only 10 percent by weight. This progression toward plastics occurred over many decades, as cars also became generally more reliable, safer and better designed.

So if roughly half of today's car is made with plastics - where is all this stuff? This trend is probably most readily apparent inside the car. Other than windows and perhaps leather seats, nearly everything a driver or passenger sees and touches is made with plastics: the ceiling, visors, dashboard, instrument panel, door panels, carpeting, seat fabrics and cushions, seat belts, air bags … the list goes on. It may be less obvious on the exterior, but today's bumpers, quarter panels, headlights, taillights, grills, spoilers, running boards, and some other parts are generally made with plastics - or are rapidly headed in that direction. And take a look under the hood: a plethora of hoses and housings are made with plastics.

Lightweighting, and the resulting increase in fuel efficiency, contributes not only to the car owner's bottom line but also to a lighter environmental footprint. Better gas mileage saves money at the pump, and cutting fuel consumption can reduce a car's CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions, as well as the impacts associated with energy production itself. Lightweighting contributes significantly to the efficiency of hybrid and electric vehicles, too.

Hi Greg, I enjoy reading your column, as I have been a car nut for over 40 years. What can you tell me about a 1968 Ford XL GT? My dad had one when I was 14 and I still remember it well.

His was a black convertible with a gold "laser stripe" down the sides, white power top, white interior with bucket seats and a console shifted C-6 automatic transmission. It also had mag-style hubcaps and every option imaginable for the time. It even had air conditioning, which we thought was silly since it was a convertible! It had a 428 4-barrel with dual exhaust and posi-traction rear end.

After it was gone, Dad always said, "I should have kept that car, I have a feeling it was something special." Thanks, Steve, Knoxville, Ill.

A: Steve, your dad was right! Of the 11,832 Galaxie convertibles produced in 1968, only 316 were XL GTs with the 428 Thunderbird (Cobra Jet style) engine that produced an advertised 345 horsepower.

Furthermore, your dad's car was finished in what today is "most desirable" colors, specifically a black exterior with the white top and white interior. It must have been quite a car to ride in and look at back then. As for the options, even the air conditioning would be a plus today on the Mecum or Barrett-Jackson auction shows, as would al the other goodies your dad had in your XL GT. Because only 316 were ever built, it's a tough car to find these days in tip top shape.

As for competition, back in 1968 Chevy had a full-size 427 SS Impala that was one of the hot tickets on the street scene. Thus, for those who wanted more room than a Chevelle or Mustang, it was either an SS427 or a Galaxie XL GT 428.

Ford's XL GT came in both convertible and fastback editions, although Chevy probably promoted its full size muscle car a little better than Ford did back then, as Ford also had a Torino GT that was a real hot ticket for performance buffs, too. Still, there's no taking away anything from Ford as to the importance of the XL GT to today's performance enthusiasts and collectors.

In summary, I'll bet when dad dropped you off at a school event, park or wherever, you were the envy of the crew.  Thanks for your letter.

Greg Zyla writes weekly for GateHouse Media on collector cars. He welcomes reader questions at 303 Roosevelt St., Sayre, PA 18840 or at greg@gregzyla.com.

Q: I just bought a new Chevy HHR auto that takes the E15 fuel as well as gasoline. I have never used the E15 before, and what I’d like to know is the good and the bad on it.

A: A lot of today’s vehicles are so-called flex fuel by design. The difference in the vehicle operation will not be noticed. There will be a slight drop in gas mileage, but power and performance will be unchanged.

American drivers who think they're priced out of better gas mileage by the cost of hybrid vehicles can find another way of squeezing a few more miles out of each gallon. Tires that roll more easily over roadways are an eco-friendly and cost-effective way of improving mileage.

Eco-friendly tires offer a cost-effective solution. They reduce rolling resistance and therefore fuel consumption, and can cut a driver's gas consumption at the same price as standard tires. Sixty-eight percent of the drivers who said they were interested in eco-friendly tires would buy them for the better gas mileage, while 21 percent would do it to help the environment.

The Hankook Quarterly Index said:

- Of the respondents who drive weekly, 5 percent already own eco-friendly tires and 56 percent would consider buying them.

- Women (38 percent) are much more likely to be unsure whether they would purchase this type of product than the men surveyed.

- Respondents younger than 35 (65 percent) are much more likely than those older than 55 (47 percent) to be open to considering purchasing eco-friendly tires.

Q: Greg, you incurred some of my best childhood memories when reading this history of the Hudson car company!

My dad sold and repaired Hudsons in the 1930s on, and we loved those cars. When I was a child, my dad had a new model every three years, and I even learned to drive in that big boat (at first it felt as if I was driving a truck). Dad made driving the Hudsons look so easy, and he insisted I learn the clutch and manual shift. When I mastered that, dad let me "push the button" on the “Electric Hand,” which activated the automatic transmission function on the 1937 Hudsons. Then, with the automatic, I was really living. (Note from Greg: The automatic Marge mentions was called the Electric Hand by Hudson and was a predecessor to fully automatic transmissions. Hudson's Electric Hand, introduced in 1935 and utilized through 1938, was actually a Bendix-designed vacuum-operated clutch, with a "Hill Holder," which locked the brakes on a hill so the car didn't go backward - see advertisement.)

When I married and had children, all our cars were used Hudsons, which were always checked out and approved by dad. Our very last one had to be towed away, but not because it no longer ran. It had to be towed because the floorboards were rotted, yet the motor still purred. When the tow truck left with our Hudson, my husband and I felt as if one of our children had been taken away. (Silly, yes, but the love of those cars was "born in me.")

To this day, I still love to drive (I'm 80 now), and I still road-trip (CO, KS, TN, etc.). Driving is a calming and pleasurable experience for me, only I wish I had one of the Hudsons of yesteryear with the automatic transmission.

I have an original Hudson Terraplane letterhead that dad used as a comparison of which model to buy: Model 73 Hudson Custom vs. Model 74 Hudson Deluxe with all the specs: weight, horse power, prices, and even the option of a 3-way hot water heater and defroster unit for $21.65, plus 65 cents tax, totaling $22.30. Now, how great is that?

Thank you so much for reviving my memories, and for reading my thoughts. I just want you to know how much I have enjoyed reading your articles, and so glad Alex H. from Illinois sent you his nostalgia question. Most sincerely, Marge Kast, Wheaton, Ill.

A: Marge, your letter made my day! Bringing back memories is what this column is all about, and I'm really happy to see that you still enjoy a nice drive on the freeway. As I mentioned to you when I received the letter, check out the car shows around Wheaton this the summer and chances are good you'll see several restored Hudsons in person. God bless you.

Greg Zyla writes weekly for GateHouse Media and welcomes reader questions or comments on auto nostalgia and old time motorsports or collector cars at 303 Roosevelt St., Sayre, PA 18840 or at greg@gregzyla.com.

Q: What can you tell me about the new Jeep Compass 4x4 with the 4 cylinder engine?

A: I had the Jeep Compass Latitude 2.4 liter four-cylinder CVT automatic and 4x4 option for a week and was surprised in all areas. Let’s start with the power and performance: nest-firm heated front seats and steering hub controls. Low entry into the seating and rear tailgate area make it easy to enter and exit. The suspension is unlike the hard bouncy Jeeps of yesteryear. Pricing on our test Jeep was $23,445 plus $780 destination city mileage 23 highway 27. Our average combined driving was 25.

For years, 3,000 miles was touted as the optimum interval for changing your motor oil and filter. It's also an oil change interval that continues to be encouraged by the automotive oil change industry. Recently, automobile, oil filter and lubricant manufacturers have been educating consumers that oil drain intervals can be safely extended, saving you time, money and reducing the impact on the environment.  

Breakthroughs in lubrication and filtration technology are two reasons why oil change intervals can be extended. Numerous factors come in to play when determining the oil change interval you should follow, including: whether your car is under warranty, the car's condition, wear and tear you put on your vehicle, and your oil and filter selection.

Every automobile manufacturer establishes a recommended oil change interval for each model they manufacture. Oil change intervals are now typically 5,000 to 7,500 miles for many new cars. You should follow your car manufacturer's recommendations on oil and filter change intervals while the car is under warranty. If your car is no longer under warranty, you can extend your oil change and filter intervals by upgrading to a high-quality synthetic motor oil and high-performance oil filter. This will reduce the number of oil changes, saving you time and money, and reducing the amount of oil purchased and disposed. 

If you elect to upgrade your motor oil, you should also upgrade your oil filter. Inexpensive filters are typically made with the 3,000-mile interval in mind. These filters often use low-quality paper media for filtration and they deteriorate rapidly after 3,000 miles.