Recent talks of Chrysler merging with General Motors comes as no surprise as Chrysler continues to struggle.  Chrysler vehicles dominated the list of poor performance vehicles of 2008.  Seven of the top ten worst performing cars of 2008 according to Forbes, are Chrysler made.  With numerous recalls and poor resale values, experts see no sign of Chrysler making improvements anytime soon.  Their current lack of financial resources makes it nearly impossible to recover.

For Honda it is an entirely different story, Honda accounts for four of the top ten spots in Forbes’ list of best performing cars.  Compiling the lists of 2008 best-and worst-performing cars, five factors were considered.  The number of recalls to date; reliability ratings from Consumer Reports, depreciation in the form of Automotive Leasing Guide’s; safety from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety crash test ratings; and fuel economy.

Honda’s continuous efforts on being the leader in fuel economy has made it possible for them to seal four of the top ten spots in this years list.  The Honda Accord earned the highest Insurance Highway Safety crash test rating you can receive.  The Accord’s reliability is high and there are no recalls on the Accord so far this year.  Leading the way for the Honda class was the CR-V, receiving a Consumer Reports Predicted Reliability Score of Excellent, and a 5 star resale value.  Here is a complete list of Honda vehicles that made Forbes’ Best-Performing Cars and where they ranked.

2.Honda CR-V
3.Honda Civic
6.Honda Accord
10.Acura TSX

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Toyota accounts for six of the top ten spots in Forbes list of best performing cars.  Compiling the lists of 2008 best-and worst-performing cars, five factors were considered.  The number of recalls to date; reliability ratings from Consumer Reports, depreciation in the form of Automotive Leasing Guide’s; safety from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety crash test ratings; and fuel economy.

Toyota’s high resale values and reliability scores helped them seal six of the top ten spots.  The fuel-efficient Toyota Prius tops the list thanks to an “excellent” reliability rating, no recalls and a five-star-rating resale value.  It has the highest fuel economy at 46 mpg and the lowest annual fuel cost of any car on the list.  Here are the other 5 Toyota vehicles that made the list and where they ranked.

4.Toyota Rav-4
5.Toyota Camry Hybrid
7.Lexus IS 250
8.Toyota Yaris
10. Scion xD

Recent talks of Chrysler merging with General Motors comes as no surprise as Chrysler continues to struggle.  Chrysler vehicles dominated the list of poor performance vehicles of 2008.  Seven of the top ten worst performing cars of 2008 according to Forbes, are Chrysler made.  With numerous recalls and poor resale values, experts see no sign of Chrysler making improvements anytime soon.  Their current lack of financial resources makes it nearly impossible to recover.

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So to prepare you for the winter months ahead here is a little advice to help you get from point A to point B safe and sound.

1. Maximize your driving visibility by removing all snow and ice from your vehicle before you take off.  Windows should also be defrosted before you start driving.
2. Fill windshield washer reservoir with a non-freezing washing solution.
3. Make sure all snow is removed from your lights, headlights, taillights and running lights.
4. Use snow tires for extra traction.
5. Allow more distance between you and the car in front of you.
6. Approach bridges and over passes with caution.  Although they may be cleared of snow, they might be very icy.

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While the big three continue to sweat the possibility of bankruptcy, in southeast Indiana more then 1,000 U.S. workers are excited about the opening of Honda’s newest assembly plant.

A brand new Honda Civic was rolled out beside Indiana’s governor and Honda’s president, has a crowd cheers, a reminder sets in that the U.S. auto industry extends beyond Detroit.  Greensburg, Indiana is pleased to have landed high-paying jobs in an industry where other automakers are depending on billions of dollars in rescue plans.  The rise of the new Honda plant in Greensburg has also been credited for the increase in home rentals in the area.

Many believe that sales will pick up even more in the spring when this plant is set to introduce an additional 900 jobs.  According to 2007 figures compiled by the Center for Automotive Research, foreign automakers like Honda account for over 113,000 jobs in the United States, reiterating the statement that Honda truly is “American Built”.

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The Honda Accord has lined its status as one of the best-selling family sedans in America.  The Accord’s popularity has helped land it the first ever Yahoo! Autos Excelerator Award.

This award is designed to recognize the number one car on Yahoo Autos.  Criteria for the award consist of user interest, intent and satisfaction.  The results are calculated by search queries, leads submitted, ratings and reviews by Yahoo users.

The Accord’s fresh style sets it apart from others in the mid-size category.  The Accord Sedan is also larger then its rivals, including the Toyota Camry.  With an engine that not only boasts power, but outstanding fuel economy the Accord Sedan has a commanding presence like no other car in its class.  With standard safety features that include electronic stability control, six airbags and anti-lock brakes, it is no surprise that Yahoo users has crowned the Accord the first ever Yahoo! Autos Excelerator Award winner.

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The auto industry is vastly changing.  In a time of economic crisis that has seen high gas prices and falling homes values, the auto industry seems to be reshaping.  This poses good news for Honda, which is rated one of the top automakers in fuel economy and overall value.  For other automakers, it represents even more problems.

According to CNBC,“It’s getting hard to find a car to lease these days.  Chrysler’s financial arm recently pulled out of car leasing business, and Ford Motor Credit, GMAC and many large banks also have announced pullbacks.”  Automotive News is reporting that “General Motors is postponing all of its spending on product development in 2009 and 2010, a move that could delay the introduction of key vehicles.”  This comes as no surprise for automakers who have built their name on SUV and truck sales.  According to CNBC, “Residual values of trucks and SUVS coming off leases, has fallen as much as 20% the last few months, forcing these automakers to ditch the idea of leasing vehicles.”  GMAC has gone as far as publicly announcing that they will not finance anyone under a 700 credit score on new vehicles.

Honda as we know has remained committed to mid size and compact vehicles that offer outstanding fuel economy.  By doing so, they have positioned themselves well ahead of other automakers.   Their ability to change around their factories to meet demands of consumers for fuel efficient vehicles has allowed them to rise to the top of the auto industry in this economic crisis.  Consumers are looking for more flexibility and options in terms of acquiring vehicles. They are looking for low rates and payments, as well as financing over a long period of time. Honda’s flexibility allows them to offer some of the most aggressive lease specials.

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Honda CR-V - Best Crossover by Parents.com

Honda Odyssey - Best Minivan by Parents.com

Honda Accord - Best Family Car by Parents.com

Honda Civic - Best Value by Parents.com

Picture courtesy of Kevin N. Murphy.

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License Plate Game
The rules for the License Plate Game are simple. Everybody keeps of how many different states license plates they have seen. Only one person can account for each state. To make the game a little more interesting, you can offer a prize to the person with the most states spotted. A great, yet simple prize would be buying the winner the drink and snack of their choice on the next pit-stop.

20 Questions
The object of 20 Questions is to stump your opponent. You think of any person, place, or thing and then the opponent will ask a series of 20 yes-or-no questions that help them narrow down what you have in mind. If they guess it correctly, it is then his turn. If not, you get to come up with another person, place or thing. There are two possibilities for determining the winner of this game: 1) the person who stumps the most people or 2) the person who guessed the most correctly.

Alphabet Game
A personal favorite of mine is the Alphabet Game, and I still play it to this day. Starting with the letter “A” you sing a little song  about who you are, who you are with, where you are from, and what you are bringing on the trip while trying to pick pick names that begin with the letter.

Here is the basic song while using the letter “A” as an example: “A my name is Anna, my husband’s name is Al. We come from Alabama and we bring along some apples.“

The further in the alphabet you get, the harder it is to think of names, places, and objects. You have to use real names, places, and objects as well. The winner is determined by whoever gets the furthest along through the alphabet without making up names.

Song Title and Band Game
The Song Title and Band game is another great travel game and it definitely puts your music knowledge to the test! You start off with any band or song title, then using the last letter in the title or band name you think of another name or title starting with that letter. To make it harder, try guessing only song titles or only band names. There is no real winner in this game, but it is something fun to do in order to pass some time.

Aside from playing games, other ways for passengers to keep themselves entertained on long trips is by bringing along a book to read, a portable CD player or mp3 player, a pen or pencil and a journal, or even colored pencils/crayons and a coloring book. There are also all kinds of travel-sized boards games that you can find at your local toy store to take on long trips. Whatever you decide to do to bide you time, remember that you aren’t the only one in the car. Try to be considerate to others while having your fun. With that in mind, happy driving!

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Here are some tips to help you avoid unnecessary accidents:

• ALWAYS wear your seat belt
• Check your mirrors frequently and know what is going on around you at all times
• Keep enough distance between your vehicle and others on the road
• Avoid speeding and/or weaving in and out of traffic
• Drive according to road and weather conditions

Aside from defensive driving, it also helpful to know which streets are safer to drive on than others. There is a website called Safe Road Maps which allows you to look up all of the streets in your area where accidents have occured. You can easily filter the search to specific criteria, such as drivers’ ages, genders, causes of accidents, etc. A safe driver is a smart and informed driver. Do not head out on the road thinking that nothing bad could ever happen to you… Stay alert and be cautious.

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One of the best programs around is Giant Eagle’s GetGo fuelperks. With every $50 spent in either the grocery store or gas st while using your Giant Eagle Advantage, you earn 10¢ off per gallon which is redeemable at any participating GetGo station. If you have a big family, one trip alone to the grocery store will probably earn you at least 40¢ off per gallon on your next fill up. That would be a savings of approximately $6 on a fill-up with current gas prices in the mid $3.60s in a vehicle with a 15-gallon tank.

Saving a little bit of money on gas is nice, but it is even better when you can get a lot of gas for cheap or even free! Giant Eagle designed the program so that a customer can get up to 30 gallons per transaction with the fuelperks discount, even when you have achieved enough points to get free gas. But here is the dilemma: your car does not hold 30 gallons of gas and the store clerks will not let you fill two cars at the pump because it is against company policies… How do you get all 30 gallons at the discounted price now?? BRING GAS CANS!! You can then take the gas home in government-authorized containers and fill up that second vehicle without the hassel of taking it all the way up to the gas station, just to be told you cannot fill it up at the same time as the other. Also, it saves you from having to fill up that second vehicle at higher gas prices as well.

Getting the full 30 gallons is a great idea even if you have only one vehicle because that is at least 2-3 weeks worth of gas for most people. Why waste your money getting more expensive gas on your next fill-up when you can easily store your next tank of gas in the garage for the time being? Think about it, if you get your gas for free and take all 30 gallons at one shot, that is like getting almost a whole month’s-worth of gas for free! How can you turn that down??

 So, the next time you go to the gas station to redeem your perks, think about how you can save yourself more money in the long-run by purchasing some extra gas in the short term.

For more details on Giant Eagle’s savings program, visit the GetGo Fuelperks website.

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