Here’s the press release from the Washington State Department of Transportation

WSDOT: Gas prices and the recession can’t take all the credit for reduced congestion
OLYMPIA – Washington drivers are spending less time stuck in traffic despite growing vehicle volumes during peak commute periods in urban areas, according to a national study released to news media today. WSDOT’s own data crunchers attribute the trend to the declining economy, but contend that smart transportation investments and operational strategies are what will keep travel times reasonable well after the economy recovers.  
The 2009 Urban Mobility Report, a national study released today by the Texas Transportation Institute, announces that congestion is declining or leveling off across the country, and attributes the cause to rising gas prices and the declining economy. WSDOT agrees that commutes are improving, but draws other conclusions as to the cause.
Puget Sound region travel trends are somewhat different than those found nationally. The TTI report draws from 2007 data. For this period, Washington’s economy was still very robust and added jobs. Our own congestion data shows continued increases in travel times for key Puget Sound corridors in 2007, although the increase is at a lesser rate than in previous years.
The data supports that congestion is improving in part because of Moving Washington, WSDOT’s program for addressing congestion. Moving Washington is a three-part strategy comprised of adding highway capacity strategically, operating the system efficiently and managing demand.
 
“We’re fighting congestion with safety improvements, construction projects, advanced freeway operations and providing transportation options,” said State Traffic Engineer Ted Trepanier. “While it is clear that many factors influence congestion, there is no question that our strategies are making a positive impact.” he said.
WSDOT analyzed on seven major Seattle-area commuting corridors in the first six months of 2008, as gas prices surged above $4 per gallon. While it’s true that Washington drivers used 63 million fewer gallons of fuel in the first six months of 2008, peak period volumes still continued to grow on these key commuter routes. The most notable changes in traffic volumes were observed on weekends and evenings as drivers reduced discretionary trips, changed destinations or cut trips to save money.
Although congestion remains heavy on several corridors, travel times on six of seven key Puget Sound corridors either improved or remained level for the first half of 2008, compared to 2007.
Four of seven major corridors saw increased traffic volumes during peak periods, yet six corridors experienced better travel times as traffic flow improved and disruptions declined. Improved travel times through some of the region’s busiest corridors suggest that WSDOT’s congestion relief strategies and their associated projects, combined with higher gas prices and rising transit ridership, had a positive effect on the performance of these corridors in the first six months of 2008.
WSDOT is currently delivering the largest capital construction program in our state’s history, including hundreds of safety and congestion relief projects funded by the 2003 and 2005 gas tax, worth $6.5 billion. As of June 30, WSDOT has completed 192 of 391 projects with an additional 83 projects currently under construction. Combined, these projects represent 70% of the total number of projects for both the Nickel and TPA programs.
WSDOT publishes an annual congestion report that provides detailed travel time and traffic delay analysis and highlights “Before and After” case studies of its safety and congestion relief projects. It measures the results from the driver’s perspective for each completed project.
In King County, WSDOT widened the freeway and improved interchanges on I-405 between Kirkland and Bothell.  This $82 million project, the first of the multi-stage Kirkland Nickel project, was completed in October 2007. Based on travel speeds before and after the project was completed, drivers’ speeds have increased by 16%, from 37 mph to 43 mph. The Tukwila to Bellevue morning commute improved by 12 minutes in part due to new WSDOT auxiliary lane on I-405, opened in early 2009.
WSDOT recently completed one of the largest construction projects ever delivered in Snohomish County, the $263.4 million I-5 Everett HOV and Freeway Expansion project. This project combined added capacity, safety and operational improvements by adding HOV lanes to demonstrate that our Moving Washington strategy can reap big benefits. Before the project began in 2005, afternoon commuters headed northbound on I-5 between 128th Street and Marine View Drive spent up to 18 minutes moving through this eight mile stretch of highway.  After crews opened the new lanes in May 2008, commuters shaved their commute to 10 minutes. Without congestion, travelers can drive through this section of I-5 in eight minutes.
In Clark County, WSDOT widened two miles of I-5 between Salmon Creek and the I-205 interchange. This $44 million project was one of several aimed at improving traffic flow in the I-5 corridor between the Main Street interchange in Vancouver and the I-205 junction.
Result: Drivers’ travel speeds have improved 19% from 42 mph to 50 mph.
For more information about Moving Washington, visit www.wsdot.wa.gov/movingwashington. For our detailed annual congestion report and the most recent six-month, incremental traffic trend analysis folio go to www.wsdot.wa.gov/accountability/.

The Big Apple! Home of Broadway, the Empire State building, the New York Yankees, and the worst drivers in America.
According to a study conducted by GMAC Insurance for 2009, New Yorkers are bad at knowing the rules of the road. The study tested 5,000 drivers from all 50 states on their basic knowledge of driving laws. While New Yorkers get the distinction of being the worst, the entire Northeast region of the country gets all around bad grades. Last year’s champion of worst drivers was New Jersey, they’re just 2nd to worst now.

According to the GMAC press release
“20.1 percent of licensed Americans – amounting to roughly 41 million drivers on the road – would not pass a written drivers test exam if taken today.”

While the Northeast was bad, the Northwest came out looking great. Washington ranked 17th, Alaska 12th, Oregon8th, and Idahotied for #1. Something that area drivers can be proud of. But the big question is, will this help our daily insurance rates? Probably not. This would be a miniscule fraction of the overall complex insurance formula. Translation-You’re not getting a break on your auto insuarnce cause the insurance companies like your money.

Here’s the complete list
 

Here’s the complete list from best to worst
 
1 IDAHO
1 WISCONSIN
3 MONTANA
4 KANSAS
5 SOUTH DAKOTA
5 NEBRASKA
7 UTAH
8 WYOMING
8 IOWA
8 OREGON
8 MINNESOTA
12 ALASKA
12 NORTH DAKOTA
14 VERMONT
15 COLORADO
15 MISSOURI
17 OKLAHOMA
17 WASHINGTON
19 NEW MEXICO
20 NORTH CAROLINA
21 VIRGINIA
22 INDIANA
22 MICHIGAN
24 ARKANSAS
24 TEXAS
26 ALABAMA
26 NEVADA
28 WEST VIRGINIA
29 ILLINOIS
30 ARIZONA
31 MAINE
32 DELAWARE
33 NEW HAMPSHIRE
34 OHIO
35 KENTUCKY
36 PENNSYLVANIA
37 LOUISIANA
38 TENNESSEE
38 MISSISSIPPI
40 SOUTH CAROLINA
40 MARYLAND
42 CONNECTICUT
43 FLORIDA
44 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
45 MASSACHUSETTS
46 RHODE ISLAND
47 GEORGIA
48 CALIFORNIA
49 HAWAII
50 NEW JERSEY
51 NEW YORK

 

See the article on Yahoo

I drive around with my dog a lot. And when I say “a lot,” I mean most all of the time. So much that when I don’t take him, he looks at me with that “Where-in-the-heck-are-you-going-without-me look.”

It’s a look that bothers me, makes me feel guilty. So I talk to him and hope he understands that there are good reasons he’s being left behind – it might be 85 degrees and too hot to leave him in the truck; or I’m going to be somewhere for 10 hours, and I don’t think he’d appreciate hanging out in the back seat for that long.

His name’s Willie, and he’s a golden retriever. When I worked at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, I had the kind of job that allowed me to take my dog with me. This tradition started with my previous dog, another golden retriever named Murph.

As a sports columnist, I didn’t have to go to the office much. I wrote many of my columns from parks. The routine was pretty much the same – I’d make sure I had my laptop battery charged, and off we went – Willie swam after tennis balls in Lake Washington while I wrote and tried, sometimes unsuccessfully, to keep my keyboard from getting splashed by my dog, who always seemed to shake right next to me when he got out of the water.

I’ve had goldens now for 20 years, which means that every vehicle I’ve ever owned has the lovely smell of wet dog. You know that smell, it’s the one you can’t smell if it’s your dog. And it’s the one that grosses everyone else out, especially my wife.

I know a good way to get rid of this problem – never take a passenger with you, aside from your dog of course.

It was worse before I got a 2007 Honda Ridgeline with leather seats. That’s a must for drivers who have dogs that shed – leather seats. The vehicle I had before this, a ’93 Honda Accord, had cloth seats. They have yet to invent a vacuum with enough suction to inhale dog hair, and the heck of it is, that same dog hair that seems glued to the seats always ends up on your clothes.

Savvy drivers who cruise around with their dogs always carry one of those sticky rollers that removes hair from their clothes. Un-savvy drivers like me just try to pick the strands off my fleece sweatshirt, which never works very well, which leads to comments of: “So, I see you’ve got a dog.”

That’s right, Sherlock, I do, and boy is he spoiled. Willie spends most of his time in the backseat, but if he’s in the front seat and it’s a cold morning, I’ll turn on the seat warmer for him too.

There are advantages to driving with your dog. If I’m in a hurry or running late, I have to admit that I occasionally use the car-pool lane illegally.And when I use it, I’ll call Willie from the back seat to the front seat to give the appearance that there’s another living, breathing something in the vehicle. I picture the state patrol guy looking at us going by, and I’m assuming he can’t tell if we were two people, and thus legal, or one person and one hairy mongrel, thus illegal.

At 55 or 60 mph, can he really be certain? I tend to think not. My biggest problem is trying to keep Willie upright in a sitting position so his head is visible above the dashboard. He gets in the front seat and wants to curl up in a ball, which defeats the purpose.

I guess there are disadvantages too. He barks at every dog he sees, which wouldn’t be so bad if Seattle didn’t have so many dogs. And he doesn’t just bark, he goes nutball, barking his fool head off, as if he’d tear that dog apart if he could get out of the truck, when in fact, the opposite is what would really happen.

He’s docile, an I-mean-you-no-harm kind of dog. I’ve got proof. Two years ago my daughter

celebrated her 16^thbirthday at Buca di Beppo in Seattle. I parked in the lot across the street.  While I

was in the restaurant, a crook smashed my passenger window and took my laptop. But he left Willie alone, so I guess he was a nice crook. I’ve often wondered how Willie reacted when the window was smashed.

Did he:

-Try to defend my truck and laptop by snarling and biting the crook?

-Or did he wag his tail and wonder why the crook didn’t pet him before he ran off with my laptop.

My truck’s been damaged in other ways. The console and armrests have taken a beating from Willie’s nails – they’ve got little imprints all over them, signs of Willie-ness everywhere, sure to hurt resale value in the future.

Willie and I have gone on several long road trips – three to Cannon Beach, Ore., two to Phoenix and one to Banff. I always find a stream or a lake or some kind of body of water and let him swim along the way.

We typically stay at Super 8’s because they allow dogs for a nominal extra fee. I’ll ask for two double beds, one for him and one for me. But we’ve also stayed at motels that don’t allow dogs, which is always interesting. I’ll try to get a room a long ways from the lobby so I can smuggle him in and pray that Willie has a bark-less night.

I’m not sure why I’m so crazy about my dog that I enjoy taking him with me every day. There are drawbacks but not enough to leave Willie and those looks of his at home.

 Jim Moore is a former sports columnist for the Seattle P-I, aka The Go2Guy. He can still be found on Seattlepi.com as a freelance writer, and is also a contributing writer for Seattleauto.net.  

The Capri had an eight-track player in it, and I managed to acquire an adaptor that would allow me to play cassettes — the height of technology at the time. “Rust” could be used to describe the color of the car as well as the makeup of much of the exterior by the time I got it. Mechanically, it had seen far better days.

Still, for the year or so I managed to keep it running, I loved that car in the way you can only love your first. I washed it more often than was necessary or practical and cruised through the parking lot of my high school certain that everyone was impressed. They weren’t.

I think every teenager should start with a clunker. It’s a rite of passage, and it gives you great stories about the door you had to hold shut with bungee cords or the time your muffler fell off during your homecoming date. I had a friend whose first car wouldn’t go in reverse, and when we went places we were always hunting for places to park that wouldn’t require backing out later — otherwise as the passenger I was stuck having to push it.

I think I’ve owned nine cars since the Capri, cars of all shapes and sizes. There was the Honda Accord I drove until it had almost a quarter of a million miles, and the Jeep Wrangler I rolled in a snowstorm at Snoqualmie Pass while trying to get to a football game. There was the Datsun 510 hatchback that kept going despite all my abuse, and the Nissan Pathfinder everyone said stunk of wet dog — probably because it had a wet dog in the back seat most of the time.

For 17 years, up until the closure of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer in March, I was a sportswriter. I covered baseball for the P-I, which meant a lot of time on the road and a often driving a different rental car every three days. More than a few times, I arrived in a city late at night, drove to the hotel, then the next morning walked out of the hotel and couldn’t remember which car was mine.

I got to drive a lot of different cars, and there were often surprises. I’d get into a car that had an impressive reputation and find that I didn’t like it at all. Or discover a car that was a joy to drive even though it was a make or model I would previously never have even considered buying. Sometimes I’d get a model I’d never even heard of before.

Those experiences have given me a good idea what I like and don’t like in a car, and the little things that make a car the right fit for me. In the end, that’s what matters — having a car that just feels right.

Speaking of which, does anyone know where I can find a 1979 Mercury Capri?

Dave Andriesen is a former Seattle P-I sports reporter. His stories can been seen on SeattleAuto.net as a contributing writer.

“When weather hits here in Washington it’s pure chaos,” says Cook. “Most folks don’t want to change their tires when the weather is bad, it’s easier to use AAA. We offer an all encompassing emergency service. If you’re locked out we’ll send out a locksmith, we can replace a battery if needed, we even deliver gas.”

While most Seattle drivers know AAA for jumping a dead battery or changing a tire, their services go way beyond the tow truck, as long as you know what you’re buying.

“AAA Washington is so much more than just our emergency road service,” explains Jennifer Cook, the spokesperson for AAA Washington. “We offer full leisure travel services and personal lines insurance as well. And our discount programs can save you more in a year than it actually costs to be a member.”

There are a number of money saving discounts to take advantage of. Card holding members can receive discounts all over the state and across the nation.  While most people are careful how they spend their money these days, AAA can be an untapped resource to just about any Seattle area driver.

Who Doesn’t Love a Deal?
Here are a select few discounts AAA Washington offers:

• 30% off for eye wear (Lenscrafters, Pearlevision, Sears Optical)
• 20% off Sirius Satellite Radios
• 20% off at the EMP/Science Fiction Museum
• Up to 20% on Prescription Drugs
• Pay $20.09 Jiffy Lube Signature Oil Change

Considering the low annual price on just the basic service, using AAA just once or twice a year is well worth the cost.  If members utilize the services and discounts, AAA could be worth every penny. It’s all in one shopping for your road traveling needs. Plus, you never have too many maps!

Check out the automotive section for AAA Washington

While we recommend a defensive driving class to truly learn defensive driving, here are ten easy tips on how to improve your own defensive skills every day:

1. Minimize Distractions: Ironically, the person that is the greatest threat to your own safety on the road is yourself. Cell phones, music, passengers or munching on a burger are examples of distractions in the car. The NHTSA and various scientific studies have all shown that distractions are the number one reason behind car accidents and fatalities on the road. Teen drivers in particular suffer the most from distractions and incidentally, are the most accident prone.

Reality check: We at Seattle Auto are human and understand that you’re going to talk illegally on your cell phone (yes, we’re talking to you Seattle residents), rock out to your iPod or have the occasional taco in the car. It just happens. What you can do, is limit yourself to one distraction and tone it down. So don’t talk on the phone and stuff french fries at the same time, but wait until your call is over to eat. While you’re talking, focus on the road first rather than your phone call – and better yet, make the conversation short and call back later if necessary.

2. High Eyes Driving: Race drivers use a technique called “high eyes” that call for the driver (you) to focus not on the car in front of you, but on the road horizon. Many drivers become fixated on the car in front of them and go into auto-pilot mode, braking when the car in front brakes, accelerating when the car in front accelerates and so on. The problem is that in a panic stop situation, if the driver in front wasn’t paying attention to begin with – guess what – you’re probably going to eat the end of his bumper. Both 520 and I-90 have little to no blind corners, so it’s no excuse to suddenly find yourself slamming on the brakes because you “didn’t see” the traffic jam up ahead.

By keeping your eyes high up, you’ll be looking at the entire traffic pattern up ahead instead. This gives you ample time to react to a sudden emergency up front – even giving you time to decide if you need to perform a quick lane toss or start slowly braking to give the guy behind you a warning.

3. Minimize Lane Changes: It’s rare for a car to be rear ended while traveling the speed limit in it’s own lane. It is common for accidents to happen while a car is changing lanes; perhaps by suddenly cutting off a car, swiping another vehicle in it’s blind spot or two cars merging into the same lane. By choosing a lane and sticking with it for the majority of your trip, you will remove a great deal of the factors that are known to cause accidents on the highway.

4. Spot Fast Lane Changers: The flip side to not being a lane changer, is that you must be highly aware of the drivers who are. These are often the drivers who dangerously dart in and out of traffic, cutting off and swerving around drivers in the process.

Regularly monitor your rear and side view mirrors to be on the lookout for drivers that are approaching rapidly from behind or the lane next to you. These are bad drivers that will often cut in front or around you at the last second, narrowly missing your car. Deal with these drivers by maintaining your speed or even slowing down if you feel they are going to cut in front of you. Don’t become a vigilante and speed up to box them into the adjacent lane; you don’t want an erratic driver who likely has road rage tailing you on the freeway. Simply let them pass and be happy they are away from your car.

5. Spot Blind Lane Changers: Not only are there the jerks driving recklessly, but you have to worry about the absent minded driver that never checks their blind spot before changing into your lane. These guys are actually harder to spot than the jerk drivers, because it’s harder to predict when these types drivers are about to change lanes.

The best way to avoid these drivers is to not drive in their blind spot to begin with. If you ever find yourself in the another car’s blind spot, you should either A) accelerate so that your car is parallel to the other vehicle so they can easily see you or B) slow down so that you are tailing the vehicle and no longer next to it. Option B is the more preferable method depending on your car’s positioning and you should only use option A if you are already close to the front hood of the other car.

It’s hard to keep by this rule in heavy traffic, because you’ll always be next to a car, but you can usually identify a driver that is about to change lanes if the driver looks in their side view mirror, the car has just merged from an on-ramp, the driver is suddenly accelerating or decelerating or if the car is slowly starting to drift toward one lane. With practice, you can become very good at figuring out when another car is about to lane change and avoid being in their blind spot when it happens.

6. Don’t Make Eye Contact: Studies show that many road rage incidents occur when drivers make eye contact with each other and a situation ensues. As a defensive driver, you need to realize that road rage drivers are often looking to instigate trouble, rather than simply reacting to perceived sleights against them. Making eye contact with these types of drivers is playing into their twisted game, so you want to avoid getting into a petty fight with someone driving a 2,000 pound vehicle; regardless of who is right or wrong.

So next time you see that tail gating jerk come next to your car and pace you, just ignore them and don’t give them the pleasure they’re looking for. Simply drive on as usual and they will eventually leave you alone.

7. Look Both Ways at Intersections: Intersections are inherently dangerous places and the scene of many t-bone accidents. Most drivers, upon seeing a green light, amble straight on through without a second thought; and that’s usually when the driver running the red light smashes into their side.

If you are ever the first car at the intersection when the light is turning green, you should be extremely aware of your left, then right side traffic as you make your way through. I’ve almost been hit twice this way and both times slammed on my brakes before the other car barely clipped my front-end. Any police officer will tell you that the amount of drivers who run red lights is astounding – enough to make you think twice and look twice before going through an intersection.

8. Know When and How to Swerve: This is probably the absolutely hardest point to get across, because it honestly takes hours of experience behind the steering wheel to learn. The concept of swerving is applied to emergency situations where you don’t have enough time to avoid an accident (which is why we have rule #1 above).

If for example, a child suddenly runs into the busy street 20 feet in front of your car, it will be physically impossible for your car to stop in that amount of distance while traveling at 40mph. In that specific situation, your only option is to try and swerve and steer clear of the object in front of the car as fast as you can. This same principle applies to a sudden wreck on the highway, fallen tree, deer or any other danger that takes you by surprise.

To properly swerve (also called a “lane toss”), you need to be certain that A) the lane you’re swerving into is empty B) your car can handle the maneuver and C) you correct your swerve immediately afterward so you don’t end up on the side of the road. Item A can be achieved by constantly being aware of your surroundings, but for B and C, you can only understand those by taking your car out to an empty parking lot and practicing for a few hours with cones. That- or you can take a defensive driving class.

9. Get Away From Bad Drivers: You should always do your best to keep a healthy distance between yourself and other bad drivers on the road. Problematic drivers include: drunks, speeders, tail gaters, road ragers, lane changers, extremely slow drivers and any other erratic behavior. Most of the time, this involves switching lanes and slowing down so that a speeder or drunk can pass you safely. You never want erratic drivers behind you because there is always the potential of getting rear ended.

In other scenarios, if you see a erratic driver and need to pass, make sure you do it quickly and safely as possible – trying to keep a lane between you and them if possible. If you cannot keep a distance in front of the car, due to traffic or other reasons, try to stay a distance behind the other car and never drive directly next to it. You should also report erratic driving to the Washington State Highway Patrol or the Seattle Police department (you can call 911 directly) as the police will be on the lookout for erratic or drunk drivers if enough reports come in.

10. Don’t Follow Too Closely: Saving one of the best tips for last, don’t follow too closely behind the car in front of you. Always give at least 2-3 second of buffer room. Experts will tell you 4 seconds, although this author’s personal opinion is that it actually invites other drivers to cut into the lane in front of you. If you drive an SUV however, you must make this at least a 3 second rule because your vehicle is heavy and takes much longer to come to a complete stop than passenger cars.

While this may sound like a tip that applies to simply being a better driver, this tip actually has defensive driving principles for emergency situations as well. The reason is that in the event of a panic stop in the lane up ahead, you will ideally have buffer room to brake and stop. This helps the driver behind you as well because it aids in their reaction time and stopping distance – a big plus if they haven’t been paying attention, are slow to react or drive a vehicle with long braking distance (like a SUV).

We hope you enjoyed these quick tips on defensive driving. If you are interested in getting professional training behind the wheel, we recommend you visit any one of the defensive driving courses throughout the Seattle area.

We tried to do it all, from taking up to Snoqualmie Pass to shopping downtown. In the end, the Forester handled it all like a champ. It was very comfortable.

I happened to park next to an elderly couple at the grocery store who owned a 2008 version of the Forester. They noticed the newer version was bigger and asked me about it. In turn, I asked them what they liked about theirs and the husband summed up the Forester in a nutshell:

“It’s not the most exciting car in the world, but we didn’t want an exciting car. It [the Forester] does a lot of things well, and we love it because of that.”

My thoughts exactly!

Handling 

The first thing I noticed was how well the symmetrical all wheel drive system works. A run along Interstate 5 didn’t tell much, but taking it through some steep downtown Seattle hills in the rain had the car begging for more. You really do feel the Subaru Boxer engine and the power it delivers to all wheels. For a SUV, it handled much better than I thought it would. Whether it’s city or long distance driving, the Forester’s handling is crisp and outstanding.

Power

The Forester feels like a V6 with it’s 224 horsepower turbo engine. In actuality, the power comes out of a surprising 2.5 liter 4 cylinder Subaru Boxer engine. In fact, it’s one of the more powerful 4 cylinder I have ever driven. The Forester had no problem going up a steep hill with a fully loaded car with passengers, as well as accelerating past smaller cars on I-90.  Unofficially, it went 0-60 in about 7 seconds, and that was without redlining. 

Cargo

The 2009 Forester has a total of 63.0 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats folded down. While it can hold a load of groceries in the trunk, it wouldn’t necessarily do well with moving furniture. So for for day to day tasks, the trunk provides more than adequate space. Maybe that’s not such a bad thing.

Features

The dashboard and seats are somewhat plain, but they get the job done. The car we had offered Sirius radio –  which was nice – but like all satellite radio, cuts in and out when going thru tunnels and heavily wooded areas. The steering wheel transfered inputs well and offered easy to use buttons for the cruise control and stereo system. The red/blue color scheme on the display was unique and easy to read.

Motor Trend named the Forester the Sports Utility Car of the Year for 2009. Does it live up to that billing? Yes and no. No, in that there are more luxurious and more fuel effcient vehicles out there. Yes, in that it performs well in just about every other area. So for the do-everything Seattleite, the Forester may truly be the car of the year.

2009 Forester 2.5XT Specifications

Engine-2.5-liter DOHC intercooled, turbocharged aluminum-alloy 16-valve 4-cylinder horizontally opposed SUBARU BOXER engine with Active Valve Control System.

Power - 224 hp @ 5,200 rpm

Fuel Efficiency - 19 City /24 Highway MPG (EPA estimate)

Chasis- 4-wheel disc, ventilated front. 4-channel, 4-sensor ABS with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD).

Wheels - 17 x 7.0-inch 5-Spoke aluminum alloy

Based on a Yahoo article, vehicles that define a certain lifestyle get targeted by “The Fuzz”.
Here are Yahoo’s Top 5 nationally, as compiled in a survey by ISO Quality Planning.
1. Hummer H2
2. Scion tC
3. Scion xB
4. Mercedes Benz CLK63 AMG
5. Toyota Solara Coupe
If you drive any of these vehicles, better slow down.

To see the full list of the most and least ticked cars click here.

The most well known provide of vehicle history reports are CARFAX and AutoCheck. Both provide detailed history reports on vehicles that are almost identical. I personally used AutoCheck in our features How to Buy a Car For Under $1,000 because it’s far cheaper than CARFAX and has an option for unlimited VIN checks over a period of 60 days (CARFAX has 10 checks for the same price).

1) Accident History
If you’ve been driving for any amount of time, most likely, you or your car has been in some kind of auto accident. It happens. With millions of drivers on the road, accidents happen each day. It’s important to know whether the car you are interested in buying has ever been reported in an accident, due to the damage that the car may have sustained. It’s also a good way to tell if a seller is lying to you, as any honest seller should tell you if the car was involved in an accident and how it was fixed. If a seller denies the car was in an accident or worse, you see evidence of a cover-up job, you will know to walk away. More importantly, if the car was recently in an accident as is now for sale – you should often run, not walk – as that car is likely unfixed and potentially illegal to drive.

2) Salvage and Rebuilt Title
Imagine this: You just bought a used car from that nice smooth talking gentleman for nearly a thousand less than the closest seller. It almost seems too good to be true. As you drive off, you notice your car pulling to the right and take it to the mechanic. An hour later, he comes back with and asks if you know your car is welded together from two completely different cars. This is an extreme story, but you would be surprised at the amount of rebuilt and salvage cars out on the road. Not all cars with rebuilt titles are junk, as they may have been worked on by a competent mechanic; but only the brave, desperate or mechanically inclined should honestly consider a salvaged vehicle. Not only that, these cars should always be sold with full disclosure as to their rebuilt title.

3) Flood Cars
Seattle is a region not typically known for it’s flooding. Occasionally, a 10 or 100 year flood comes around and claims cars, but otherwise, we have it safe here. Most drivers think that because flooding is rare in the area, there is no need to worry about flood damaged cars. Wrong. Cars damaged by flooding are often taken as far away as possible from flood regions, as buyers there are smart enough to avoid flood damaged cars. Unsuspecting consumers elsewhere in the country however, are in for a nasty surprise. If a car is claimed as an insurance loss due to flooding, the insurance provider is required to state that the car has been damaged as such.

4) Emissions Failure
This is often overlooked when buying a used car, namely because it’s hard (impossible, even) to actually tell if a car can pass an emissions check. A vehicle history check will show if a car has failed to pass the most recent emissions test. That said, it still is possible for a car to have passed the last emissions check but still fail, due to mechanical wear or damage between now and the last check. Never, ever, take an emissions failure lightly, because it will average between $1,000 to $2,000 just to get the car to pass emissions – and perhaps even more.

5) Odometer Rollback
Think that ‘98 Honda Civic with 50,000 miles is too good to be true? Well, it probably is. Odometer rollback is a common practice with shady sellers and dealers. The unfortunate truth is that odometer rollback is very difficult to detect, because odometer readings are only required on vehicles during title registration and other major events – not for tab renewals. This means that unscrupulous seller can rollback the odometer anytime and keep the miles artificially low on a car. If the seller was overly greedy or stupid, they could roll back the odometer so far back that it would cause red flags to come up at the next odometer check. Most odometer rollbacks are subtle enough not to be caught, but major instances will be seen through a history check.

6) Lien /Loans on the Car
When a loan is taken out on a car, the DMV reports that a lien has been taken out on the vehicle. The majority of consumers take out a loan to purchase their vehicle, so this isn’t a major deal. That said, you want to be sure that the vehicle you are buying does not currently have a lien on it and that the vehicle is paid off. The vehicle history services all include a title check as well, which essentially tell you whether or not the car is safe to buy. Always remember to request to see the vehicle title before any purchase is made and verify that it is indeed the title to the car.

7) Ownership History
Most people prefer a car with a low ownership history, because that often means the car has been treated well and maintained long enough to be in running condition. A large amount of owners on a car might signal mechanical issues, poor maintenance and also a lack of documentation to go with the car. Here is Seattle, you can also see if the car has been used on the East Coast, where salt and corrosion may have damaged the under body. It’s also useful to verify a seller’s claim that the has only had X amount of owners.

8) Fleet / Rental Car
I put this here even though I don’t think fleet cars or rental cars are personally a huge liability. Yes, you’ll often hear about that buddy that took his rental car out to the parking lot and doing fishtails, but in reality, most rental car drivers are practical individuals. Fleet and rental cars sometimes have a history of not being maintained well, but you can always see in the history how long the rental car was kept in the fleet. Most rentals companies only keep cars for 1-2 years before selling, so the amount of use the vehicle gets isn’t horrific compared to the miles left in the car. You may prefer a non-rental car for your own mind set however, so it may or may not be important to you.

9) All other damage
While we’ve covered accidents, floods, odometer rollback and other pitfalls, there’s still a laundry list of events that may have happened to the car – fire, hail, stolen, insurance claim, etc.. You want to know if any of these have happened to your car for good reason.

10) It’s Cheap
Lastly, the most practical reason to get a vehicle history report is because it’s worth it! The cost of a vehicle check with AutoCheck is $15 for a single vehicle. That is less than what you would pay to fill the gas tank! The average used car is probably around $8,000 – which means that this car check costs less than a quarter of one percent of the price of the vehicle. For that little amount of money, you can save literally your entire investment by having the foresight to practice some due diligence on your vehicle before purchasing.

So remember, if you’re serious about buying a good quality used car, get a vehicle history report. They’re not always perfect, but it’s far better than the other option of doing nothing!

“People are passionate about this car,” claims Phil Soholt, sales manager at Toyota of Seattle. “I’ve seen people sell their 2008 car just to get into a new Venza. They’re willing to even take a loss, just so they can have the newest thing on the market. I’ve sold all of our AWD units.”

I put this new addition to the Toyota family through a true Seattle test. I went up Queen Anne hill, parallel parked downtown, got stuck in traffic more than once, cruised onto the Alaskan Way viaduct and picked up speed on my way to Greenlake.

The results; the Venza was more than up to the challenge.

Here’s what I found.

Handling

The version I drove was a LS FWD V6. The Camry based chassis on the Venza managed downtown driving like a charm. It certainly felt more like a sedan than an SUV, in fact it didn’t have that big looking down on people feel to it that many SUV’s have. Parking on a hill wasn’t bad either, the version I drove had the panoramic sunroof that seemed to make visibility and lighting excellent. The 189 inch body is identical to that of the Camry and handles tight spots just like it. The Venza also does a nice job of handling bumps on the road. Instead of rattling after the shock of a pothole, the vehicle absorbs it, like many luxury vehicles.

Acceleration

The Venza’s V6 pumps out 268 hp and going up Queen Anne hill was no problem. It tackled the incline with ease and it never felt forced. Managing the freeways and highways was no problem either for the Toyota cross over.  It went from 0-60 in five seconds without pushing it too hard. In terms of acceleration the 2009 Venza has plenty of get up and power for the streets as well as the freeways.

Interior

The only time the Venza actually feels like an SUV is when you’re sitting in the back seat and loading the trunk. While it drives like a Camry, the cargo capacity feels more like a Highlander. The Venza owns a 70.1 cubic feet of cargo space while the Highlander is slightly higher at 95.4 cubic feet. But for the versatile northwest driver it has plenty of room for soccer balls, grocery bags, ice chests or snowboards. The dash is sleek and vibrant with a blue and red color scheme on the displays. However the clock and climate control is feels far on the vast dashboard. A nice added feature was the panoramic sunroof that offered plenty of light to the leather interior. It made the vehicle feel bigger.

Exterior

In terms of looks the best example would be the head turning by those walking around downtown Seattle. Many didn’t know what kind of new Toyota we were driving, and I even saw a lady point while waiting at a cross walk and say, “what kinda car is that?” The 2009 Venza doesn’t look like anything else in the Toyota family. And if people are literally pointing and asking about it on the streets, it tells you the general public is interested.

Check out the 2009 Venza specs.