What kind of vehicle does the next possible vice president of the United States drive? Let me say it another way… What kind of vehicle does the next possible FIRST woman Vice-President of the United States drive?

Clue 1: She is hearty and outdoorsy, and you have already heard about the mooseburgers

Clue 2: As a soccer mom she has 5 children of all sizes to tow about town

Clue 3: She lives in Alaska

Clue 4: Although a pretty hot beauty queen, she used to play hoops and she is a gun-toting woman today. N-i-c-e.

Clue 5: As it relates to oil and cars, Sarah’s vote is to blow the pipeline wide open and ramp it up.

So, what does she drive? What is your guess?

a)      LandRover LR2

b)      Toyota Four Runner

c)      Mercedes-Benz R Class Wagon

d)      Smart Car ForSeven

e)      Chevy Suburban

f)       Mitsubishi Outlander

g)      Saturn VUE

h)      Chrysler Town and Country

i)       Subaru Outback

Give up? Sarah drives a Chevy Suburban.< www.chevrolet.com>. I am pretty clear we have her in our database here at www.women-drivers.com and she went onto our Interactive Personality Test and did her research on negotiating --  and, she got the deal she wanted at the dealership. I may have just made that last sentence up; but maybe I didn't. Anyway, that Suburban can load the family and the moose from town to town through the snow effortlessly. With the Suburban’s airbags for safety, seating capacity and child seat anchors for all the family, the entertainment system to keep everyone quiet, terrific traction and stability control for Alaska… it is a best bet. Now, she just has to watch the road for her constituents.

 

Regardless of politico orientation, you've got to hand it to her. She took it like a champ recently when a "MAN DRIVER" rear ended her.... well, er, so to speak. Nice move, dude. http://wonkette.com/401002/attractive-alaska-governor-sarah-palin-rear-ended

 

Be in the Drivers Seat,

Anne

Tires. They are quite an important and elemental part of any vehicle - I think we would all agree. Without one of these 4 symmetrical parts that great and attractive piece of machinery we paid for goes nowhere. These perfect spheres originated by some really smart inventors like Michelin in the 1830’s. Then in the 1840’s Charles Goodyear added vulcanized rubber, or, Caoutchouc – a name which came from the Indian word “cahuchu,” meaning “weeping wood.”  

One hundred and eighty years later, ‘the tire’ has been transformed and upgraded in extraordinary fashion. The technology and R & D investments used in the tire industry would make your head spin. (Sorry, it was too easy. I HAD to write that.) But, let’s take a closer look. In today’s world of lifecycle, turnover, and marketplace economics, while there are about 1 billion tires produced annually, not all of them actually get sold to consumers. Countless number of tires sit on retail shelves year in and year out. And, in the meantime, another billion units of tires are produced.

Ladies, take just a few minutes to educated yourself in two areas about the tires on your vehicle– consider that the safety of yourself and your family depends on it:

1.  In the United Sates, the shelf life of a tire can actually be 6 years after it’s manufactured. Have you purchased something - anything - and not used it once in 6 years? Be sure, there could be some aspects of it’s functionality that may not be up to snuff. In the case of six year old tires the tread can be prone to separate from the rest of the tire. Click on the eye-opening 9 minute segment from ABC’s 20/ 20 <20/20 report> on aged tires and the hazards of driving on them.  Educate and arm yourself so at the local tire shop, or national chain store, you are not taken for a ride.

2. Conduct the simple penny test to know when your tire needs to be replaced. <The penny test>  

Be in the Driver’s Seat,

Anne

 

My dear friend George sent me several images showing the various engineering diagrams of the human condition called “woman” (see below). Ok, let me be specific, what he actually sent were various engineering diagrams of the human experience and differences of woman versus man. There are differences….yes, there are. Like “you are Blanche – but, you ARE”. Like my sister talks of the Big Brain and the little brain. Like there is a Venus and Mars language phenomenon. Like he never changes his hair style after age 18 and goes to the $9 shop in the strip mall - and - we go to the salon every month and style, prep and color —for a mere $130 a visit. Like we will change our mechanic if he looks at us wrong, but will go to the same stylist f-o-r-e-v-e-r, just because “ She is soooo nice”.

Differences? Yes, indeed there ARE.

These differences, or, women's unique behaviors, tendencies and reactions,  include of course, how we approach buying a car. The research. The interchange between salesman and us. We do not like to be triggered. We want to be listened to and our question answered. We do want to be in control. We demand to be treated with respect and eye-contact. And, we want to like the experience, even if we just spent $27,361.

 Hard-wired? No. Socialized? Yes? Complicated and able to shift gears quickly? You already know the answer to that one….. J  

Let’s just say we are dynamic and rule the world!

Be in the Driver’s Seat,

Anne

Our friends at Kelley Blue Book, have launched a new green section of their website, called KBBGreen < http://www.kbb.com/kbb/green%2Dcars/Default.aspx> This section is dedicated entirely to fuel economy cars and related issues.

The top 10 Green cars takes into consideration not just fuel economy and price, but also, technology, comfort, performance, and functionality. The 2008 top picks and their city mileage are:

Toyota Prius: 48

Honda Civic Hybrid: 40 Smart Fortwo: 33

Nissan Altima Hybrid: 35

Mini Cooper: 28

Ford Escape Hybrid: 34

Honda Fit: 28

Mercedes Benz E320 BLUETEC: 23

Toyota Highlander Hybrid: 27

Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid: 21

There are some really great features in this Green section, such as videos and the latest updates on alternative fuel vehicles, the Perfect Car Finder and Fuel Efficiency Challenge. There are entire areas dedicated to Hybrid, Diesel, and Ethanol vehicles with Q & A's in each. This site is is very comprehensive & user-friendly-- check it out today for great stories and insights.  

Be in the Driver’s Seat,

Anne