Hitting the Road this Holiday?

By Rachael Van Cleave

Traveling during the holiday season can be stressful. But, there are some easy ways to make it a little easier on yourself. Being the altruistic person that I am, I’ll help you out with a few of those!

Courtesy of WordRidden on Flickr

1) Tune-up time: Make sure you prepare your vehicle by getting it tuned up and making sure things like the tires, windshield, and wipers are all in good shape.

2) Packing pressure: It is so easy to run out of time to get everything ready to go, so one easy way to make it less stressful the day of the big trip is to know how you are going to fit all of your people, presents, and baggage in the vehicle. Packing the day before would really help!

3) Are we there yet?: Now, having the perfect packing and placement plan isn’t enough, once you get everyone in the car, you need to entertain them, or you may get really tired of hearing “Are we there yet? How long, I’m tired, I’m hungry…” ect. Have snacks, books, games, DVDs, whatever it takes to keep them distracted and your eyes on the road!

4) Timing is everything: Give yourself plenty of time to get there. The earlier you leave, the less stressed you’ll be later when you hit that winter weather traffic jam!

5) Better safe than sorry: Be safe this holiday! If you are going where it is snowing be sure to have a winter weather emergency kit, which includes things like ice scraper, shovel, blankets, sand, warning flares and anything else you can think of that you would need if you get stranded. Also, drive slow and keep an eye out for impaired drivers.

Where are you going this holiday? Are you staying home or going somewhere?

Be Nice to Your Pet This Holiday!

By Rachael Van Cleave

The Holidays are rough for pets. There are strange people in and out, lots of new things in the house (i.e. decorations and presents) and they are either getting a lot more or less attention than they are used to. So, since Subaru customers are well-known as pet owners, I’ve decided to post some quick tips to  keep your house pet friendly and safe this holiday season!

Courtesy of jpctalbot on Flickr

Decorations are dangerous!

You think the worst that could happen when it comes to your decorations is that your pet could tear something up, but what about the danger to your pet? A main culprit? Your Christmas tree decorations.

1) Tinsel this: If you have pets, avoid using tinsel. If your pet should decide they want to go “tree diving” they may think the tinsel is a toy, swallow it, and then the strings could choke them or get caught in their intestines.

2) Watch the water: If you can avoid it, don’t put chemicals in your tree’s water, inevitably your pet will think it’s an extra water bowl.

3) Holiday Sparkle: Glass ornaments add a really down-home touch to your tree, but if your pet can reach the tree, they can knock them down and if the glass breaks they could cut their paws.

Note: Many of these “tree” issues could be avoided by providing some sort of barrier between your tree and the rest of the house, but keep in mind, cats can climb!

4) Pretty Planting: While holiday plants can add a lovely feel to your home, many of them are poisonous to pets. If you purchase poinsettias, amaryllis, mistletoe, or holly, keep them out of reach for your pet.

5) Holiday Traffic: If you are having guests over this holiday season, make sure to set a room where your pets can rest quietly. All of the traffic and noise can make pets stressed. They need to rest just like you do! Also, make sure they have their proper identification tags, because some pets bolt when freaked out!

6) Christmas Fare: It may be tempting to slip a little holiday food to your pet, but just think– who else might be doing the same thing? Pets aren’t meant to eat human food, if they do, it could make them sick. Remember, chocolate is VERY dangerous for pets!

Do you have any more holiday pet safety tips? Share with us.

Maita Subaru is a proud sponsor of the Sacramento SPCA!

Subaru Advanced Tourer Concept is an awesome angry wagon! I want one!!

Subaru had provided early sketches of its Advanced Tourer Concept, and many of you in the comments weren’t confident that it would look as good in real life as it did in (digital) ink and paper. Dare we say it, but we think it looks better in the metal than it did in drawings. A mean, ground-hugging wagon with a 1.6-liter boxer-hybrid powertrain, its internals are close enough to production to make the jump in the not-too-distant.

Subarus and All-wheel-drive are like Peanut Butter and Jelly

Full-time All-Wheel-Drive

It’s true, AWD comes standard in all Subaru models and it’s on all the time. They wanted their cars to be the safest in unpredictable driving conditions, so they didn’t want you to have to think about it like 4-wheel-drive in some cars.

Also, it doesn’t hurt that a good portion of Subaru drivers are into outdoor activities from hiking to skiing to mountain biking, so they often get in tough spots that their Subarus rescue them from. Check out this video of a Subaru in crazy winter conditions:

Check out how what’s behind Subaru’s All-wheel-drive.

By Rachael Van Cleave

“Back to the Future” of Energy

Are fossil fuels really at an end?

Science 2.0

We’ve all heard it, by 2050 we will have exhausted our fossil fuels, making the need to change over to alternative fuels even more dire. Well, in my interest to discover if that date was really true or just some media hype I did a little research and I found this article. It says it’s hard to pin-point a date, but even so the range the writer gives for the depletion of our oil reserves (allowing for growth in production as well as a growth in reserves) is 2033-2146. The writer (trying to cover his hide) makes sure to say that there is no perfect way to predict this. Either way, the numbers say it could happen within my children’s lifetime if not my own. So, I decided to see what options there are for alternative fuels– and I discovered that many seem more science fiction than science.

“Back to the Future” of Energy

1) Hydrogen: It’s probably one of the most promising alternative fuels in that it can be created from water and gives off low emissions. In fact there is a hydrogen-powered 2012 B-class F Cell available in Southern California right now. It has 134 horse power with a range of 190 miles and it only takes as long to refuel it as it does at a gas station! Pretty cool, huh?

2) Plutonium?: Like Doc Brown in Back to the Future buying illegal plutonium to fuel his time-traveling DeLorean, some think nuclear energy is the next step in fueling transportation. NASA uses decaying plutonium to  propel its research spacecraft, why not a car? One company is looking at thorium because it’s easily handled, mined, and can’t be weaponized. But, getting past the public perception of nuclear energy may be the toughest hurdle for this type of energy. This one could just end up being an idea millions of people enjoy in the theater, rather than when they hit the road.

3) Not so WASTEful: Again Doc Brown is ahead of the game in Back to the Future II (<–video link) stuffing trash into his flying car to refuel. Some real life scientists have the same idea, researching using waste materials like wood chips, grass clippings and even garbage to fuel the world. Maybe the Doc had it right this time?

4) Ammonia: Ready to clean up the fuel-crisis? Okay, I couldn’t help myself, but ammonia may be used for more than keeping your house spick-and-span in the future. It would significantly cheaper than gasoline and the emissions would be less. The hurdles here are the size of the engine needed to convert the fuel is not practical, and the damage a spill would cause could be catastrophic.

Looks like the future isn’t so far away after all, and Doc Brown was light years ahead of his time. Hopefully, the real-life scientists are too, because the crisis isn’t in an all-that-distant future.

Here are some links I used for this article! Check them out! When will we run out? And Alternative Fuels.

Any Hollywood fuel ideas you would like to see put to the test? 

   By Rachael Van Cleave

Be Wary of Winter Weather Driving

Winter weather means slippery slopes

I remember giving my friend a ride home to her apartment when I lived in South Dakota and it was obviously the beginning to an epic blizzard. We made it alright to her street, but she lived at the bottom of a steep hill. On our way down I almost missed the entrance, braked too quickly, and we started sliding into on-coming traffic. It was a terrifying close call, but I was able to correct and get her home. I try to remind myself of that incident every time winter comes around again because whether it’s rain, ice, or snow, winter weather means dangerous road conditions. So, here are some quick reminders for how to drive when father winter comes to town.

Winter driving tips

1) First rain: If you live in a place that typically rains more than it snows, be aware–it can still be dangerous. Especially, when it hasn’t rained in a while–the oil has built up on the road and that rain brings it to the surface, making it treacherous.

2) Pothole patrol: Keep a close eye on puddles, they could be hiding potholes, which could damage your car or cause you to veer the wrong way.

3) Slow down!: Winter driving can mean poor visibility and slippery roads. When combined with impatient drivers it means accidents. So, give yourself extra time to get to and from places. Also, be sure to brake gently to avoid sliding.

4) Light your way: When it’s foggy, rainy, or snowy, it’s time to turn on your lights. It not only lights your way, but makes your car visible to other drivers.

5) Snowy troubles: Before you head out, make sure you clear all the snow off your head and tail lights, the hood, and the top of the car. This will make sure that you can see clearly and that you don’t have huge chunks of ice and snow coming off your car as you drive.

6) Foggy View: If fog is compacting all these winter weather woes, you’ll want to turn on your defroster and wipers, and open your windows so you can at least hear traffic. If it’s so bad you can only see a few feet in front of your car, you may want to pull over and wait it out. If you ever do pull over turn on your flashing emergency lights.

Any tips you want to add? Have you fallen victim to winter weather road conditions?

   By Rachael Van Cleave

Back to school, apple picking, and snowfalls!

For a lot of families, this fall has been about back to school, apple picking, even unexpected snowfalls.  For our work ” family”, it’s been about learning.  Even one of our sales  persons is busy studying for her final exams. Makes me think of all the families gearing up for their sons and daughters to start looking at colleges.
You know that Subaru commercial where one minute the dad’s looking at his little girl in the car and the next, his little girl is all grown up and driving off in their Subaru?  That commercial gets me every time -  especially because they’re a real family – the two girls are sisters and the father is their actual father.  One minute my little girl is getting on the school bus for the first day of kindergarten and the next she’s trying to figure out what college is best for her – how did it happen so fast?

While there are many Northern California college’s less than a few hours away, you will still want them driving a reliable vehicle. Subaru’s family of vehicles – Forester, Impreza, Legacy, Outback and Tribecca offers a range of choices, each with a consistent standard of quality and reliability.

Subaru XV Crossover Coming to the US

Subaru has already revealed the production version of the XV crossover concept from the 2011 Shanghai auto show, and the company has now told us that the high-riding Impreza hatch will come to the U.S. next year. What the car ultimately will be called when it’s traipsing around northern California is up in the air, however, with Subaru spokespeople telling us the badge has yet “to be decided.” The crossover will replace the Outback Sport, but may not carry over that moniker.

The production XV that Subaru brought to the Frankfurt auto show featured three engine choices, including a gas 1.6- or 2.0-liter boxer four from the company’s new “FB” engine family and a new boxer diesel for Europe. Three transmissions are on offer: five- or six-speed manuals and an optional CVT. We’d expect the U.S.-market XV to mate the 2.0-liter four with the five-speed manual or the CVT, at least at first, as the same combos can be found in the 2012 Impreza.

 

Top Five Car Insurance Myths

Courtesy of weeziggle on Flickr

 

Monster or Myth?

I’ve been in the dark–the dark ages that is. While it is the month of ghosts and goblins, my misbelief is not that I’ve expect that some headless horseman will come after me if I’m out after midnight, it’s that if the headless horseman drove a red car, that he would have to pay higher insurance.

In my search for blog content I came across something interesting–> driving a red car doesn’t bump up the cost of insurance. Learning that this “common” fact was wrong, I’m wondering “what else have I missed?” So, I searched to see what other car insurance misinformation was out there.

Here is what I found:

1) Myth: A flashy car means less in your pocket.

     Fact: Insurers are color blind when it comes to setting your premium. 

     All insurers care about is the year, make, model, age, safety etc.

2) Myth: New means more expensive to insure.

Fact: New means its new.

Insurers look at so much more when determining your new car’s rate. How likely would someone steal it, how safe it is etc. Alot of the time a new car has the latest anti-theft technology making it less likely to be stolen.

Courtesy of teamstickergiant on Flickr

3) Myth: All Insurance policies will cover me if my car is vandalized, stolen or damaged.

  Fact: These things are not automatically covered.

You’ll need comprehensive and collision coverage and then you probably want to ask your agent to make sure.

4) Myth: Buying several policies together won’t lower your premium.

  Fact: Many insurance companies will offer you discounts for buying multiple policies.

Like any other company if you buy more, you’ll get a discount rate. Some will offer you a discounted rate if you buy life insurance, car    insurance and home/rental insurance all from them.

5) Myth: Older people always pay more for car insurance.

     Fact: Many older people can get discounts!

Some insurance companies will offer a discount to people older than 55 if they complete an accident prevention course. And if you are retired and drive less, you might be able to get a discount for that!

Have you fallen victim to one of these myths? Or are you benefitting from one of these facts? Did you learn anything new?

By Rachael Van Cleave

Subaru BRZ continues to tease

This latest spy photo gives us a better glimpse at some of the Subie’s finer details, including the full shape of the taillamps and what appear to be LED running lights just above the fog lights. We’ll wait until all of the swirly paper has been removed before making any final design assessments.

Subaru will be bringing a concept version of the BRZ to the Los Angeles Auto Show before the final production car debuts in Japan. All we can say is, it’s about time! Are you excited?