National
Motorists
Association

The Color Of Trouble?

By Eric Peters, Automotive Columnist Red means stop and green means go -- but what are the colors under the hood of your car trying to tell you to do? Engine Oil Fresh oil looks like honey, light to dark amber and ...

Understanding Vehicle Depreciation

By Eric Peters, Automotive Columnist When people go car shopping, they tend to focus on the sticker price -- and how to haggle it down. That's important, but don't forget to factor depreciation rates into your new car buying equation. The average ...

Hot Under The Collar Over HOT Lanes

By Eric Peters, Automotive Columnist No one likes paying or the same thing twice. So what is it with these High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes that charge people for the privilege of being able to drive on roads and highways financed by ...

Do Modern Cars Lack Imagination?

By Eric Peters, Automotive Columnist Do modern cars lack "imagination"? It's a not-uncommon criticism, especially from old car buffs who remember the "good old days" of jutting fins and big chrome bumpers and quirky touches like His n' Hers shifters, Wonderbars, dual ...

How To Cope With Traffic Jams

By Eric Peters, Automotive Columnist Among life's minor tortures, sitting in traffic has to be near the top of the list. Millions of us face this ordeal every morning -- and then again for the trip back home. Is there any escape? Short ...

The Bamboozled American Driver?

By Eric Peters, Automotive Columnist Just the other day I saw a TV commercial for the 2011 Infiniti M56. It has a 420 hp 5.6 liter V-8 engine. It can reach 60 mph in about 5 seconds and will run to ...

The Return of the Blue Light Special

By Eric Peters, Automotive Columnist Really basic, really inexpensive cars are coming back. The car companies recognize that there are millions of Americans who just can't afford a $17,000 "economy" car and are retooling prices (and cars) to reflect this new ...

The High Cost Of That New Car Smell

By Eric Peters, Automotive Columnist Turns out high quality and superb reliability are not such good things - for the car companies, anyhow. The word is out that you don't have to sign up for five (or six or seven) years of ...

What Makes Someone A Bad Driver?

By Eric Peters, Automotive Columnist Everyone has an opinion about "good" vs. "bad" driving -- but here are some things we should be able to agree on: Tailgating Crowding the car ahead of you massively increases the chances you'll smash into him if ...

Which Matters More: Brand Reputation or Warranty Coverage?

By Eric Peters, Automotive Columnist Two of the factors most people consider when shopping for a new car are its overall reputation for quality and reliability (as well as that of the company which built it) and the warranty it comes ...