TomTom ONE GPS

The TomTom ONE is a basic, entry level GPS navigation device. However once you dig down into the advanced routing features you really start to see where this GPS shines.

The TomTom ONE is a sleek unit which is the right size to put in your pocket or purse if you’re going mobile.

The standard display is 3.5 inches and can show 64,000 colors. The display is great because it shows vibrant colors even at wide angles and it’s bright enough to see even in direct sunlight.

Both night and day modes have their own brightness controls so you can set them to be very bright during the day and very dark at night. There are also ten different color schemes available if you don’t like the default colors.

The ONE has a typical windshield mount suction cup with a ball and socket joint to be able to rotate to any angle you wish.

I’m not a fan of using the GPS window mount though because to me it’s broadcasting to a potential thief that there’s a GPS unit inside the vehicle by looking at the mount or the rings left on the windshield when you remove it. Even if you were to take the unit with you when you’re not in the vehicle, how does a potential thief know that?

I much prefer the “sandbag” dashboard type mounts where you plop the mini-sand bag onto the dashboard and nestle the GPS unit onto it. Once you arrive at your destination, you can easily place the sand bag in the glove compartment or console compartment and you’d never know there was a GPS unit inside.

The maps come loaded on an SD card in a slot at the bottom and the maps are easily updated.

The portability of the TomTom ONE allows it to be used as a pedestrian GPS unit that also fits easily in your hand or pocket while walking, hiking, or jogging. You’ll only get about two hours with the battery though so keep that in mind if traveling by foot.

Routing is easy with the ONE. In the ‘Menu’ you select ‘Navigate to’, ‘Address’, ‘Street and House Number’. You can also navigate to a City Center, a zip code, or an intersection. After selecting the City, you enter in the street using the same search function.

One really nice feature of the TomTom ONE is that when you enter a street name, you don’t have to have spelled it entirely correct. The ONE’s database capabilities will give you the closest match to the proper spelling of a street name that was entered incorrectly. So instead of getting an error message saying “address not found”, you get the correct street name or city even if you spell it wrong.

Also, if you enter a street number that doesn’t exist, the TomTom ONE will find the closest match to that number and get you there.

Routing options presented are for the Fastest Route, shortest route, avoiding freeways, a walking route, a bicycle route, or a limited speed route. This should satisfy most every type of routing you might want on the road.

I also like the feature that tells you what time you need to leave to get somewhere on time. Important meeting to get to? Plug in the start and ending destinations and the ONE will let you know what time you need to leave to get there on time.

You can also choose an alternate route to a destination if you want to avoid the highway or you just want to enjoy the scenery of a back road drive.

You can avoid certain areas and have the ONE calculate around a construction area for example. There have been many times when I’ve taken trips on the road and wished I’d used this feature to avoid large tie ups on the highway.
There are other advanced routing features that are a bonus to have on a basic GPS which makes the TomTom ONE a great GPS!
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Here is a link to the TomTom site to purchase the ONE:

Questions to ask When Buying a Used Car

Questions to ask When Buying a Used Car

Need to buy a used car but, don’t know what questions to ask? There are certainly some important questions to ask when buying a used car and I’ve listed a bunch of them here for review.

The key is to get as much information about the car as possible. While you may hear that the used car you’re interested in was driven by a little old woman from home to church and back, just know that may not be the case.

Whether you’re buying from a dealer or private party, here are some important questions to ask:

1. What is the history of the car? You can ask the owner or dealer about who drove it before it went on sale and to give you as much information as possible about who drove it, where they drove it, how they drove it, etc. You’ll also want to run an AutoCheck history report on the car. An AutoCheck report will tell you who owned and when, where it was driven, if it was sold at auction, if it was ever reported stolen and much more. There is a link at the bottom of the article where you can have an AutoCheck report run. It should always be the first step in any used car purchase.

2. Ask to see the maintenance records. While many drivers don’t think of the time that they’ll be selling their car while they’re driving it, smart drivers do. Peace of mind is important when buying a used car and having maintenance records should help put you at ease.

3. Why is the car being sold? Did the owner trade up for a new car or was it involved in a terrible accident? Did a child go off to school and not need a car for a few years or did it always seem to be in the shop. Don’t be afraid to ask a lot of questions about the car and the details as to why it’s being sold.

4. What don’t you like about the car? Everyone selling a car will talk about the things that they like best about the car they’re selling such as, the great gas mileage, the comfortable ride, the extra room, etc. Throw them a curve by asking what they did not like about the car first and see if the owners answer is something that might bother you also. If so, look at another model.

5. Ask specific questions that are important to you. Instead of simply asking, “How does it run?”; ask “how does it ride in the snow” or “how does it run at high speeds as I tend to drive fast…”.

6. Can I see the engine? You don’t have to be a mechanic to see signs that a car was not properly maintained. Are the battery posts full of dissolved lead from the battery acid? Do the belts and hoses look worn, torn, or are they loose? Does the radiator fluid look like rusty water? Are the fluid levels (oil, power steering, transmission fluid) at the proper positions and the right color?

7. Can I take it to my mechanic to have a look at it? This should really be a condition that must be met for you to purchase as opposed to a question. Unless you’re a mechanic you should definitely take it to a trusted mechanic. If you’re buying from a dealership, that doesn’t mean you should take it to one of their mechanics for convenience. Take it to a mechanic and be willing to pay them for their advice and feedback as it will be priceless. Would you rather pay $50 to $70 for a good mechanic to tell you that the engine has a hairline crack that will expand or has a timing belt that needs immediate replacement or find out the hard way? You can even negotiate better based on the mechanic’s feedback where the seller may agree to discount the price further if the car needs repair or maintenance that wasn’t done.

8. Is the original manufacturers warranty valid once the car is sold? This assumes that there are years or miles that have not been exceeded by the warranty. If buying from a dealer, you should also ask if they have a 60 day warranty in case you have any problems. Most good dealers will offer that.

9. Has the car ever been in an accident? Even if it looks like new or the owner tells you just a slight fender bender, you should have it checked out as part of the inspection process at the mechanic. If the car pulls to one side or seems like it drives straight but, the car’s nose is off center, that may mean the frame is bent which is big trouble and difficult to fix properly. A mechanic can usually tell if there’s been damage repaired but, if you suspect it may have been severe, have an auto body shop take a quick look at it.

10. What’s the lowest you’ll take for the car? This is best asked after the above questions are asked and if you’ve found some things that need to be repaired, you’ll have more leverage when negotiating price. After this question is answered by the seller, make sure you tell them everything that’s wrong with the car (even if it’s normal wear or mileage) as you’re trying to pay as little as possible.

Buying a used car can take as much time and research as buying new and it’s worth every minute you spend as you want to be sure that the car will suit your needs.
So ask as many questions as you can but, make sure you include the 10 questions above as well.

Here is a link to AutoCheck where you can enter a car's VIN and find out its history:

Don't get taken for a drive. AutoCheck® that pre-owned vehicle before you buy.

Free Credit Score - See yours at CreditReport.com!
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Need help buying a used or new car? We can help. Contact us at ProAutoBuying.com.

New Car Buying Checklist

New Car Buying Checklist

The first item I would recommend for anybody in the market for a new car would be to contact an honest, expert car buying service like ProAutoBuying.com (the author’s business).

If you do decide to go it alone, here are the top ten tips for you in order that should be taken when looking to buy a new car.

If you have any questions or comments, please write back to me!



1. Determine your monthly budget now and in the next 3 to 5 years.

Unless you’re paying for the car with cash, that’s approximately how long you’ll have payments on your new vehicle. What life changes might you be facing during that time period that will positively or negatively affect your cash flow?

2. Research and Test drive vehicles you are interested in and make the best choice for your situation.

Once you’ve got a good idea of your cash needs based on step one, you need to decide what type of vehicle is best for you, not just the vehicle you’d love to drive. If you’re going to have children soon, the two-seat sports car is probably not a wise choice. If your commute to work is 40 to 50 miles each way, do you really want an SUV?

3. Check insurance rates on the vehicle you want and shop around for a lower rate.

Just like the finance rate, insurance rates are negotiable and there’s usually a better plan out there somewhere. Also, remember that like taxes and fuel, monthly insurance costs must be factored into your budget decisions.

4. Review your Credit Report and know your Credit Score.

A good idea to review every year for free by a company like CreditReport.com (see the link below). Before you look into financing, it’s a good idea for you to know exactly what’s on your credit report and what your credit score is. If there are errors on your credit report, you can usually fix them, but it won’t happen over night.

5. If financing, check for the best rates yourself and compare to the dealer’s best rate.

Sure, if you want to save time you can have the dealer find the “best” rate for your credit score but, just know that the dealer is also taking a small percentage of your loan for themselves as profit. Better to know your credit score and check out banks, credit unions and on-line financial institutions to really get the best rate.

6. If you’re trading in, find out the value of your current vehicle using Kelley Blue Book and have a few dealers give you their best value to compare.

Just like shopping for the best price on your new car, you should also compare what each dealer will give you for your trade-in. You can even tell them each what the lowest value you’ve gotten is and have them give you more for the vehicle. Just remember that at the end of the process, it’s one amount that you’ll be paying so keep in mind that if a dealer gives you a great deal on your trade-in, they may be less inclined to bargain with you on the new vehicle.

7. Search online for rebates, special financing, and other incentives being offered on the vehicles you’re considering.

The rebate or special financing could end up being the tiebreaker between two vehicles you consider to be equal in most ways. Even if you’re leaning toward the Camry instead of the Chevy Malibu, if Chevy is offering better incentives, does that outweigh getting one vehicle over the other?

8. Contact 3 to 4 dealerships in your area and ask them for their best price on the vehicle including any fees.

Now, the fun part (for me)! For most of us though, the truly painful part is negotiating the deal. That’s what makes my services so appealing to those who don’t have the time or the nerve to battle with car salespeople.
If you do decide to do so, do your research, act confidently, and stand your ground! Don’t feel bad about trying to get the best deal even though the salespeople may make it look as if you’re stealing from them.

9. Don’t sign up for an extended warranty or other extras in the finance manager’s office. If you really want them, shop externally.

The finance manager’s office is another piece of the sales process where you can be talked into buying additional protection or options. Be aware of this fact and know what you want before going in. Also, be prepared to be hit with fees. Don’t feel that you have to accept them either. Fees can be looked at as another piece of the total cost when bidding between dealerships so it’s a good idea to know what fees the dealer will try to assess before walking into the finance manager’s office.

10. Have recommended maintenance performed and keep good records. The vehicle will be worth much more if you sell it.

You’ve spent a lot of money on your new car, why not take good care of it. If you plan on keeping it for any length of time, you’ll want to do more than fill the gas tank and change the oil, so keep up with the maintenance.

If you follow these tips in order, you’ll be in a much better position to make the right choices and save some money!

Free Credit Score - See yours at CreditReport.com!


Save money and get a FREE quote from 21st Century Insurance by clicking HERE-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact us for car buying help at ProAutoBuying.com. We can help!

Save money and get a FREE quote from 21st Century Insurance by clicking HERE
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Contact us for car buying help at ProAutoBuying.com. We can help!

Car Pricing Sites Can Threaten Your Privacy

Are you concerned about your privacy when using the big car pricing sites? You should be.

The information you provide when you request a car quote through any number of internet sites such as Edmunds, Kelley Blue Book, Cars Direct, and others is valuable to many other consumer oriented companies.

Do you think for example that Toyota would be interested in how many people requested a quote on their vehicles? How about knowing where the quote was requested from, on what vehicle, what options were specified, etc.

The car quote information that you ask to receive online is also sent to the dealer’s that sign up to receive them from the lead generating sites listed above.
Even if the car pricing sites don’t do anything else with your information, how do you know what the car dealership does with it?

While companies are specializing on halting the problem of identity theft, the problem continues to grow. According to statistics, from 2008 to 2009, identity theft grew by 11% in the US.

That’s about 11 million people who have had their identification stolen in one year.

Be careful what information you share with anyone on the internet. If you share anything more than your name, phone number and e-mail address you’re giving the ID thieves more ammunition to steal your identity.

Be extremely careful with sharing your social security number (SSN), birthday, or home address with any company online. Make sure that the company has a privacy policy that explicitly states that it will not share your personal information with anyone.

How valuable do you think your personal information is to an auto insurance company? Do you think ACME insurance (made up name) would be interested in buying the information collected through a car pricing site to send either an e-mail or regular piece of mail to you promoting their auto insurance?

Of course they would! Not all of these car quote sites share the information but, it’s not always easy identifying who you can trust.

Have you ever received unsolicited e-mail’s (OK, we all have) and thought about where they would have gotten your information from?
How about unsolicited mail from the postal service? It happens every day and you are at risk if that information gets into the wrong hands.

If you use these big car pricing services, you’ll have to enter the information into the online boxes provided. You can also contact the dealerships directly but, you’ll risk spending hours speaking to all kinds of people that will try to extract the same information from you over the phone.

If you dare to call to ask for a quote over the phone, they’ll tell you they have to check the price or availability and they’ll ask you for your name and phone number to get back to you. That's also risky as more companies are popping up that allow others to identify you simply by your phone number.

The better solution is to use a professional auto buying service that offers multiple options to assist you with your purchase or lease of a new or used car.

A good auto buying service won’t ever share your information with anyone, especially a car dealer. When professional auto buying services negotiate and bid on your behalf with car dealers, they NEVER should share any information about you, not even your name!

Once the auto buying service gets the best deal for you and you accept it, they will give you the dealer contact representative so that you can finish the deal on the vehicle with that person knowing that your personal information has not been sent or sold to other companies.

It’s that easy! It’s also the safest way to insure that your personal information stays personal and that way, you won’t have to worry about identity theft.

Most of you have probably heard about the leader in identity theft protection, LifeLock. Here's a link to their site if you want to check them out.

Help Protect Yourself From ID Theft. Get help with LifeLock. Enroll Now.
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ProAutoBuying.com is a leading auto buying service that never shares ANY personal information and always gets its customers the best deal on wheels. Contact us now through our secure website.

Car Pricing Sites Not Enough

We’ve all seen the big car pricing sites like Edmunds, Kelley Blue Book (kbb), Cars.com and others. They’re fantastic sites, as is ProAutoBuying.com, for certain information.

Most of these sites give editor and reader reviews of cars, safety, reliability and other information that is extremely important when trying to decide what vehicle to purchase.

They also give you a fairly accurate cost breakdown of each of the current models so that you have an idea of the difference in price from car to car or model to model.

Interested in getting the “LX instead of the “EX”? These sites will let you know the difference between the two.

Thinking of buying a car with a manual transmission? They’ll also tell you the difference with a manual vs. an automatic transmission.

What they won’t do for you though, and what is most important after you’ve decided which vehicle you want is:

1. These sites won’t tell you how much the dealer paid for the vehicle, and
2. They won’t negotiate the price for you.

Ah, the pricing. When it comes down to it, saving money on an auto purchase where the average price of a new car is $28,000, is extremely important.

There’s nothing better than the feeling of getting behind the wheel of a new car no matter who is driving. The intoxicating new car aroma has become a science in itself for the auto companies.

But just because the car dealer tells you you’ve gotten a great deal or your price is less than they paid for it, how do you know? Do you believe them because you can’t wait to sign the papers and drive away? Many people do.

The only way to really know you’ve gotten a great deal on the price of a new car is to use a car buying service.

Not just any car buying service, but one where a car buying expert personally negotiates the deal with multiple dealerships such as ProAutoBuying.com (the author’s company).

Most people don’t purchase a house without the services of a realtor or sales agent because they’re not experts at the real estate game.

Shouldn’t the same be true when buying a new car? Most of us our experts in some type of service. A lawyer is an expert in the law. A carpenter is an expert in building and a professional auto buying agent is an expert in car buying and leasing.

So the next time you need to buy a new car; use Edmunds, KBB, and other sites for information on choosing the right vehicle and use a car buying service to save you the most money on the purchase.
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Contact me at ProAutoBuying.com and find out how to save a lot of money on your next car purchase.

How to Beat Traffic Camera Tickets

Technology is now on the side of the law. You can now get a traffic ticket for running a red light without a law enforcement official being anywhere near your vehicle.

The dreaded traffic camera that takes a picture of the back of your car to record your license plate number is showing up in more areas of the country. It will soon enough be in your area you can count on it.

But technology has met its match this time with a non-tech product that you can use yourself. A company called PhantomPlate has come up with an ingenious product to keep you from receiving a traffic ticket if you happen to run through a red light.

It’s comes in a spray can that you apply yourself. No, it doesn’t turn your car invisible, but it does make your license plate invisible to the traffic cameras by using a reflective coating that is invisible to the eye but quite effective.

Why does it work? The traffic camera uses a high powered flash to capture the image of your license plate. When the camera flash hits the plate, the PhotoBlocker spray reflects the light and blurs the image completely.

Think of what a picture would look like if you aimed a camera at a mirror with a flash. That’s the effect on a smaller scale. You simply buy a can of the Photo Blocker, spray the license plates on up to two vehicles (only one application is needed), and never worry about getting a traffic ticket again by an automated traffic camera.

No worries of being pulled over for having the spray on your plates because it’s completely invisible to the eyes.

If you don’t want to use the spray, you can buy a plastic cover called a PhotoShield or Reflector cover that stays on your plate and works the same way.

These products are only illegal in Pennsylvania, so if you live or drive in any other state, you can use them.

I am not condoning the use of these products to purposely run red lights or other traffic signals. I do feel secure in recommending them to the average safe driver who may unintentionally drive through a red light.

For the cost of a traffic ticket of $100 or more, it’s worth it.

The new Green Hornet movie starring Seth Rogen features a Black Beauty car that's awe inspiring! The nice thing is that it doesn't move too far from the original at it's base, but man does it have some cool stuff!

The original Green Hornet was a 1930's radio program about a newspaper publisher turned crime fighter and his martial arts expert sidekick.

It then became a short-lived crime fighting show that ran during the 1966 and 1967 seasons. It's based on a comic book duo starring two crime-fighters: The Green Hornet and Kato. Kato was played by none other than Bruce Lee; the star of many karate movies in the 1970's.

The new movie keeps the Black Beauty intact with some 21st century modifications.
The Black Beauty is a 1965 Chrysler Imperial and the movie used 29 different versions for various scenes!

The car includes two hood mounted Gatling guns (machine guns) as well as a missile launcher or two.

Some of the cars were used to be chopped in half or otherwise damaged during filming. Others were made with roll bars so that stunt drivers could literally roll the cars over repeatedly.

Seth Rogen stars as Britt Reid, the son of a wealthy businessman. As Reid takes over his father’s business, he decides that there’s more to life than just earning a paycheck and decides to become a crime fighter .

One of his best and most loyal employees decides to build an indestructible crime fighting car that becomes the Black Beauty.

The twist is that they decide the best way to become effective crime fighters is to appear as villains themselves. That way they can get close to the actual villains and appear to be on their side.

Some of the other versions of the car were used for testing the various weapons and gadgets as the car was being built. Very cool!

The Chrysler Imperial was the most prestigious car for Chrysler from roughly 1955 to 1975. There were different versions along the way of course, and 1965”s was the Imperial LeBaron.

Another interesting fact about the series is that the Green Hornet was actually related to the Lone Ranger. He was supposedly his great grand nephew.

Like other antique cars, the Chrysler Imperial is a collectible, but one that is very affordable in most cases. Chrysler collectors have even paid as low as $5,000 for 1965 convertibles in good shape with original parts.

Check out the TV series with Bruce Lee through BlockBuster Online:

Blockbuster.com

Drive as fast as the Green Hornet? Check out Phantom Alert:

Most People Have 2.5 Seconds To React to a Speed Trap. With A GPS Detector You'll have All Week.