Happy New Year!

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Which Car Color Is Right for You?

When you’re buying a new car, you’re probably going to focus on features first. But after that? It’s all about the color. Did you know that different colors give off different vibes? Here’s what the drivers around you could be thinking when they see the color of your car: Gold: Warm, Intelligent, Glamorous Gray: Neutral, Sober, Practical Dark Green: Well-Balanced, Trustworthy, Traditional Light Green: Organic, No-Fuss, Understated Dark Blue: Confident, Credible, Authoritative Light-Mid Blue: Calm, Faithful, True Brown: Powerful, Unique Beige: Natural, Down-To-Earth Black:...

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Highmark First Night 2013 Is Coming!

What are you doing this New Year’s Eve? It’s not too late to get your buttons for Highmark First Night 2013! This cultural institution happens throughout downtown and is chock-full of musical performances, dance lessons, magicians and other fun, family-friendly activities. There’s even a parade and a fireworks show. Why plan a New Year’s Eve party when you could bring all your friends and family to Downtown Pittsburgh? All events are free with the purchase of a button. You’ll need to make sure you display it prominently on your coat or outfit. Some events that have limited seating also require vouchers, but these are free. You simply...

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Can You Fix Your Blind Spot?

Your blind spot can severely impair your ability to drive safely. While many car manufacturers are adding special gadgets to their vehicles to reduce this liability, there may be a low-tech method that can work just as well: Passive blind spot warning systems involve -- surprise! -- a mirror. Talk about low tech! Many car manufacturers will offer you the alternative to put a special convex mirror in the corner of your current external rearview mirror that can see into areas where normal rearview mirrors cannot. And if you don't have one of these on your current car, you can probably walk into your local auto parts store, buy one, and install...

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Letters to Santa

Attention all good little boys and girls!  Santa has asked for some help collecting letters for him.  Santa "drop-off" boxes are located at the Monroeville Recreation Department and the Monroeville Public Library.  The letters will be sent "Special Delivery" to the North Pole with Santa responding to each child's letter that he receives on or before Monday, December 10, 2012.  Parents please be sure that the children's names and return mailing addresses are legible....

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Top 5 Signs of Engine Trouble

5. Warning Lights: If your car is working properly, these are what Audra Fordin of "What Women Auto Know" calls "hello, good morning" lights. You fire up theengine and the dashboard lights up like carnival. This is the car's computer checking everything out. One by one, each of the lights turns off and you're ready to drive. If they don't turn off, though, that's bad. Either very bad or slightly bad, depending on which light remains lit. These lights are connected to sensors that monitor everything your car does. If something seems out of whack, the computer will use these lights to tell you what it is. It can't use its words; it's not...

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Avoid “Turkey” of a Weekend with Pre-Trip Vehicle Check

One way to avoid a turkey of a Thanksgiving road trip is to make sure the vehicle you will be driving is running well. A 10-minute pre-trip check is small potatoes compared to a big helping of inconvenience if you break down many miles away from home, according to the Car Care Council. “A pre-trip vehicle check provides peace of mind, helping reduce the chance of costly car trouble and providing an opportunity to have any repairs performed by one’s own trusted technician before hitting the road,” said Rich White, executive director, Car Care Council. “While no inspection can guarantee a car’s performance, it’s comforting to know proper...

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15th Annual Greater Pittsburgh Arts & Crafts Holiday Spectacular

Friday, November 16th is the annual Greater Pittsburgh Arts and Crafts Holiday Spectacular at the Monroeville Convention Center from 10AM to 9PM. Don't miss one of the area's biggest and best Christmas craft festivals featuring over 260 indoor booths in two huge exhibit halls. Browse through a huge selection of holiday decor and trees, embellished clothing, decorative painting, Christmas ornaments, jewelry, pet treats & collars, fabric decor, candles, lotions and soaps and much more. Sample delicious pre-packaged foods including dips & drink mixes, maple syrup products, baked goods, kettle korn, candy, fudge and more. Bring your camera...

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How to Protect Your Car’s Interior

Try to add up the hours you spend in your car. It’s a lot, isn’t it? Commutes, errand runs and road trips can have you sitting in those bucket seats for hours on end, and during that time, you and your passengers are actually living in the interior. That means smudges on the windows, scratches on the dash and food in the seat crevices accumulate and leave you wondering what happened to the spotless interior you swear it had when you first bought the car. A Quick Clean Luckily, it’s not that difficult to keep a car’s cabin from looking a little too, well, lived in. First things first, get something to stuff your trash into. Just use a plastic...

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Happy Halloween!

Don’t know what to do to celebrate Halloween? Here’s a few ideas: Allen's Haunted Hayrides Fayette County Now in its 33rd year, Allen's Haunted Hayride bills itself as the oldest haunted hayride in America. Ghosts and ghouls await you in the dark woods and fields, and haunted barn. Campfire sites, carnival rides and concessions invite you to make an evening of it. Castle Blood Westmoreland County The MacCabre Family is back for their 20th year in an all-new indoor location in Monessen in Pittsburgh's Mon Valley. This popular haunt includes thrills, chills, awesome special effects, and a very interactive experience. Daytime...

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Tire Buying Tips

Understand Tire Basics Simply put, a tire is a flexible container of compressed air. This air container support the vehicle's load; propels a vehicle forward, backward and side-to-side; stops the vehicle; and cushions the load from road imperfections. Today's tires have between 19 and 25 different components. Tires are built from the inside out rather than the outside in. The heart of every tire is an inner liner. Its job is to give the tire shape and hold in air. Fabric belts are wrapped around the inner liner. The bead is fastened to the bottom of the fabric belts and holds the tire to the wheel. On top of the fabric belts are steel...

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Scarehouse

Looking to get REALLY scared? Check out Pittsburgh Scarehouse one of America's most horrifying attractions! The ScareHouse in Pittsburgh, PA is ranked as one of "America’s Scariest Halloween Attractions" by Travel Channel and as one of America's best haunted houses by USA Today, Forbes, Fangoria, and Haunted Attraction magazine. The ScareHouse offers three haunts for just one price: The Forsaken, Pittsburgh Zombies, and NEW for 2012: Creepo's Christmas in 3-D. "Pittsburgh’s Ultimate Haunted House" is located just minutes from downtown and open on select dates from late September through October. Visit http://www.scarehouse.com/ for more...

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The Parent-Teen Driving Agreement

Are you the parent of a Teen Driver? Have them sign the Parent-Teen Driving Agreement! It encourages your teens to follow the rules of the road, stay focused on driving, respect laws about drunk driving as well as agree to certain restrictions and penalties set by parents. Find the agreement here. ...

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Mazda Cx-5 Review

The new Mazda Cx-5 compact crossover with SkyActiv offers a fun “Track-worthy” ride while maintaining qualities of a family sized SUV at a low price. The CX-5 doesn’t drive like any other existing compact SUV. It’s more lively, more involving, more steeped in the sports-car character that Mazda harps on about in its Zoom-Zoom advertising. The steering is quick and crisp, body motions are held tightly in check, and the ride is purposely firm underfoot. This is the SUV for those who promised they’d never stoop to driving one. This is where fun-to-drive lives when there are kids to convey, dogs to deliver, or a long weekend’s worth of camping...

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The 2013 CX-9

Though not out yet and with a questionable release date the CX-9 is a promising SUV. Previous generations all show superior quality and luxury and Mazda is promising to improve those assets even more! USA Today writes: Mazda unveiled an updated 2013 CX-9 ahead of the three-row SUV's official debut at next month's Australian International Motor Show in Sydney. The automaker will launch the car Down Under later this year, but full details are still forthcoming. It will also be coming to the U.S., which is a major CX-9 market, probably later this year as a 2013 model as well. The SUV adopts the same Kodo design language as the smaller CX-5,...

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Buy... Or Lease?

Car buyers... particularly those who are buying for the first time often wonder which is better, buying, or leasing. Just to eliminate some confusion we thought we'd lay down what each one really means to our customers. Buying Who Owns It Whether you pay for the car with cash, or finance it and make monthly payments, either way it’s yours. Of course, if you’re financing it, you’ll have to meet the obligations the lender requires, like a certain down payment amount and timely monthly payments. If you don’t, they have the right to repossess it. Up-front Costs If you’re financing it, the bank will probably request a down payment. You can...

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Some Generous Hamsters

It's official, the KIA Hamsters are back in action... maybe they were just on vacation for awhile? At any rate the fun rodents want to try and give away one of the new KIA Souls in a new contest! Inside Line details: •A $14,400 2013 Kia Soul is up for grabs in a new contest featuring the Korean brand's hip-hop hamsters. •Kia is launching its fourth installment of its award-winning dancing hamster advertising campaign with a new commercial and an online contest. •Kia fans are encouraged to create and upload to YouTube a 90-second video that is set to "In My Mind," an Axwell remix that's the ad's soundtrack. For more details you can vi...

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New Sleek Mazda 6

Looks like Mazda has a sleek new champion headed our way, the new sleek Mazda 6. Wheels Blog writes: Mazda introduced its 2014 Mazda 6 at the Moscow motor show on Tuesday. The redesigned midsize sedan will mix it up with recently updated entries from Ford, Chevrolet, Nissan, Honda and Toyota. Judging by the details released by Mazda at the show, the 6 seems well equipped for the fight. Unlike the recently introduced Mazda CX-5 crossover, which bore just a passing resemblance to the Minagi design exercise that preceded it, the new 6 appears to be quite faithful to the Takeri sedan concept first shown at the Tokyo motor show in 2011. In keeping...

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Headed Back To School? This Car's For You!

School for most people is already starting up, especially for college students... but for students and their driving needs a lot of important factors come up: Styler, comfort, speed, fuel economy, and of course the ability to haul all of your friends... so what's the best car? USA Today thinks that car is the Kia Soul: We're barely into August and already radio is blaring ads for back to school. Heck, who wants to think about wading back into the classroom when the surf's up, the sun is shining and the mosquitoes are still nipping? Well, there's no holding back some, like CarMax, which just published its list of recommended cars for returning...

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Mazda Is Shedding Some Pounds!

Mazda is planning on shedding some pounds in the future in a BIG way! They have set a goal to lose 220lbs, but not just in one car, they want to lose 220lbs of weight with EACH car redesign moving forward. CSMonitor writes: While all automakers realise the benefits of making their cars lighter, it's only been relatively recently that some models have actually weighed less than their predecessors. Demands for safety, equipment, larger engines, more comfort and more space have pushed vehicle weight up so far that some cars are fifty percent heavier than their equivalent from 20 years ago. Mazda started reversing this trend several years ago,...

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Testing The 2012 Sorento

The Sorento has been through a lot of criticism in the past, but the 2012 Sorento is a fun SUV that has style, comfort, and technology on its side. Newsday had the opportunity to take the 2012 Sorento out for a spin, and here's what they had to say: In 2003, Kia introduced the midsize Sorento SUV, which for a while replaced the Sportage, which had been the brand's only sport utility since the South Korean automaker arrived in the United States in the mid-'90s. The Sportage two years later was reintroduced as a compact crossover, and remains in the Kia lineup. But the Sorento has racked up much better sales, and that continues this year. Kia...

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The Hamsters Are Back

Yes, it's true... the hamsters are back... or at least they will be! The KIA Hamsters that commercial viewers everywhere loved, particularly with the release of the Soul are making a comeback it could only be coincidence that this announcement comes shortly after the announcement of a new Soul unveiling for next year... but it's probably meant to be. EGMCartech wrote: Fans of Kia’s team of hip hamsters will be happy to learn that they’ll be returning in their fourth iteration as Kia seeks to keep their campaign going with their Soul. This comes after the announcement that Kia will be unveiling a new Soul next year. According to AutomotiveNews,...

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The Future In Braking

Could Mazda's future in braking technology save you money at the gas pump? The answer is yes! Exciting news has been released for future Mazda models with the introduction of i-ELOOP. This is an energy recycling program triggered from braking that can save drivers approx. 10% on fuel economy! We'll let Automobile Mag give the details: Unlike other regenerative braking systems, like those used in hybrid cars that use a dedicated electric motor and battery, Mazda’s new system uses a capacitor that can be charged and discharged rapidly and can last many more cycles without deterioration compared to a battery. Mazda’s system works toward the...

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Tips For A Long Trip

Long road trips in your car can be cumbersome... They take not only a toll on your car (As it's doing most of the work) but also you as a driver... So here are a few tips and facts to stay safe! 1) Take a break every two hours! Did you know this? The mind tends to wander, "Highway fever" can start to take over, you easily lose attention span, and that's how accidents can occur. To reduce this risk it's recommended you take an out of car break to stretch your legs and get fresh air once every two hours. It sounds like a waste of time, but it saves time compared to what you'd spend if an accident were to occur! 2) Sleep during the day If...

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When To Refuel

How long do you wait to fill up your gas tank? Do you consistently keep it full, half empty, riding close to the 'E' mark? One blogger writes about what she thinks the advantages and disadvantages are of different fuel levels. Kristy Welsh writes: There has recently been a lot of talk on how you can get better gas mileage by driving when your tank is half full to empty or making sure you fill up when your tank is half full. Which is correct – or does either method hold any water? The fill ‘er up when it’s half full foks proclaim that if you leave the gas tank empty, the gas will be evaporating in the empty space of the tank. Gas tanks...

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The 2013 Kia Optima SX Limited Priced

Kia has come out with its pricing for the new fully loaded optima, starting at $34k. This comes with everything you love about Kia, with an additional suite of tech and creature comforts to keep you happy for years to come. Kia has released the pricing details on the new Kia Optima SX with a Limited Package and if you’re interested get ready to fork out a starting price of $34,500.  Of course, there aren’t many options since the Optima SXL comes totally fully-loaded with all the bells and whistles – but when you do add the $775 destination fee, you’re looking at a total of $35,275.  “With the arrival of the Optima SXL, the...

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The Mazda MX-5 GT Concept

The Mazda MX-5 GT concept is an attractive new car that is a head turner for car enthusiasts everywhere. Not only is it a fast edition to Mazda's lineup, but it is a gorgeous example of what Mazda can do when they put their minds to it. Mazda is already developing an all-new MX-5, but before they let go of the current generation they’re milking it for all it’s worth. Here’s another concept version of the car, made for the 2012 Goodwood Festival of Speed, inspired by their fairly successful MX-5 GT race car and powered by a 205bhp normally aspirated 2.0-litre Mazda petrol engine. Mazda wants to see people’s reaction to a high performance...

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The Kia Soul: A Top Coolest Car Under $18k

The Kia Soul was named one of the Top Coolest New Cars Under $18,000 by Kelly Blue Book! The Soul, which has gained its fame from its unique style and design, was named among the to ten coolest cars of the year for practicality, high-value appeal, and its "funky" style. The 2012 Kia Soul has "shuffled" its way onto the "Top 10 Coolest New Cars Under $18,000" list by Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com, a leading provider of new and used car information. Kia's iconic hatchback was honored for its unique combination of style and affordability in a fun-to-drive, fuel-efficient vehicle.  "Our intention with Soul was to design a vehicle that is...

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Mazda Planning on Hydrogen Cars

Mazda has announced its plans for new hydrogen fuel cells to be used in future lines of cars. This means a green, powerful upgrade to the already high-performing vehicles, a move that might be mirrored by many other auto makers. The auto industry has become enamored by hydrogen fuel cells. Automakers from around the world have adopted the energy system as the power source for many of their new vehicles. Some car manufacturers have proven resilient to the charms of hydrogen fuel cells, while others have been aggressive in their adoption of the technology. As fuel cell technology becomes more advanced, the number of automakers announcing...

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Kia Optima and Sorento Named Best Family Cars

The 2012 Kia Optima and Sorento were named as Best Family Cars of 20112 by Parents magazine and Edmunds.com. This award is given out to cars that are safe reliable, affordable, and all over winners of several categories. If you are looking for that vehicle that is jsut perfect for the family, come on by the dealership and we will introduce you to one. Parents magazine and Edmunds.com have named the 2012 Kia Optima midsize sedan and Kia Sorento crossover utility to the publications' "Best Family Cars of 2012" list. The accolade recognizes vehicles focusing on reliability, safety and affordability as top priorities, with the Optima and...

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The 2012 Mazda MX-5 Miata: Best for Road Trips

The editors of Kelly Blue Book gave the 2012 Mazda MX-5 Miada a place in the top 10 best road trip cars, a great addition to the incredible car. Not only do you get great performance, gas mileage, and raw beauty, but the Miada is also a trooper when it comes to long drives. The 2012 Mazda MX-5 Miata today was named a 10 Best Road Trip Car in this year's convertible-themed list by the editors of Kelley Blue Book's www.kbb.com, the leading provider of new and used car information. Also, earlier in the year, MX-5 was the recipient of another Kelley Blue Book distinction – the inaugural Total Cost of Ownership Award in the Sports Car category...

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Kia Taking Top Scoring Car Award for 2012

Kia has been honored with the "Top Scoring Car Awards of 2012" from Total Car Score, adding to its growing list of honors and awards. The Kia Soul and Sorento pushed the automaker passed the competition, driving them to the head of the award. Total Car Score ( www.totalcarscore.com ), one of the most comprehensive automotive ranking and comparison websites, has named the 2012 Kia Soul as a "Top Scoring 2012 Economy Car," and the 2012 Kia Sorento as one of its "Top Scoring 2012 Midsize SUVs and Crossovers." The inaugural Total Car Score awards recognize up to two models in each automotive category. The Soul urban passenger vehicle, which...

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Mazda Sporting Excellent Gas Mileage in New Cars

Mazda is making a point with the 2013 CX-5 and the 2012 Mazda 3: gas mileage matters, and we can make it better. This is possible due to the SkyActive engine that boasts 33.1 overall mpg for the CX-5, and 38.1 overall mpg for the Mazda 3. The trend is clear: To get higher gas mileage, almost all new cars will have smaller, more efficient engines.  Mazda says its new line of SkyActiv engines and transmissions, though, takes the carmaker to new heights of fuel efficiency.  We recently tested two different Mazdas fitted with its SkyActiv-G 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine and six-speed automatic transmission, and we can...

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Kia Winning Awards For 3 Top Lines

Kia has received the most awards under the "Most Cersatile 2012 New Cars Under $20k" list by NADAguides. These awards were given to the Rio 5-Door SX, Forte SX and Soul for their capacity, space, comfort, price, equipment, and similar qualities. Come by the dealership to learn more about how you can own your very own award winning Kia! On the heels of achieving 20 consecutive months of year-over-year sales growth, Kia Motors America (KMA) has been recognized by NADAguides, a leading provider of vehicle pricing and information, by having three of its vehicles - Rio 5-Door SX, Forte SX and Soul + -- named to the publication's "Most Versatile...

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The Versatile Mazda MX-5 Miata

Sometimes variety is the best possible thing to show off a timeless car such as the Miata. Here are some excellent and unique version of the car, and how some people decided to show the world their Miatas. The Mazda MX-5 Miata is celebrated for many things, one of which is its unchanging look. The design of the Miata has not changed much in its 22 years.This is a great thing for those who love the car, and a point of contention for those who like to trash it. Still, it is one of the most affordable and fun to drive sports cars on the road today. An official redesign of the Miata is en route to showrooms in the very near future, but...

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Why The 2012 Mazda 5 Minivan Wins For Families

Here's a look into how one dad came to the conclusion to purchase the new Mazda 5 minivan. If you have children, this is the perfect van for you. It includes performance, ample seating, great fuel economy, is reasonably priced, and compact enough to use in a city. Sound perfect to you? Come by the dealership and take a look for yourself. My wife and I recently undertook that most dreaded of tasks, buying a new car. Her old wheels, a wheezing, green (where it wasn’t rusted) minivan had served us well for a decade, but its days were numbered. Things have changed a bit since we bought that vehicle and we went into this round with some very...

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The New Kia K9

The new Kia K9 is soon to be released, and so far it looks like Kia is making a strong push for a luxury vehicle to add to their fleet. It certainly looks like they accomplished their mission with the new K9, and we are excited to see one up close! Kia K9 is the Korean car maker’s new flagship model, a rear-drive luxury saloon that features a whole new design philosophy and introduces Kia to a whole new market beyond everything they’ve ever experienced. The car first launches in Korea, before reaching other markets around the world under a different name. Now, Kia just released the first pictures of the K9′s interior. The cabin too is a first...

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Kia Partners With Wounded Warrior Project

Kia has teamed up with  the Wounded Warriors Project to help a U.S. vet out by giving him a new 2012 Kia Soul hatchback. The Wounded Warriors Project is an organization dedicated to raising awareness of wounded war veterans in the United States. The Soul given to Corporal Melendez was specifically modified to allow him to continue with his daily activities. At the 2012 New York International Auto Show opening ceremony this weekend, Kia Motors America (KMA) joined forces with the Wounded Warrior Project, a national organization dedicated to providing help and raising public awareness for injured service members, to donate a 2012 Kia...

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Mazda Taking On the Wall Of Death

Mazda recently stepped up to the Wall of Death challenge with their new Mazda2 mini. The Wall of death is a giant cylinder usually reserved for cyclists to defy gravity, but now Mazda has taken it to a whole new level. Take a look at the video, would you try it? Taking its "defy conventions" approach to a new level, Mazda got in touch with "Dynamyte" Dave Seymour and his family, who run th Demon Drome Wall of Death. Originally built in America in 1927, the Wall of Death is 31ft in diameter and 16ft tall. The Mazda2 used was a 1.5-litre Sport model with the ESP and airbags disabled, the seats removed and a driver's bucket...

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Kia Rio Tops Subcompact Ratings For Consumer Reports

The Kia Rio topped the subcompact sedan ratings from Consumer Reports, beating out Hyundai and Chevy for the top spot. Perhaps this is why sales have been up 37% over the last year, and why customers are extremely happy with their new Rios. Come by today to see why people everywhere are choosing Kia! Consumer Reports rates the Kia Rio the top subcompact sedan, ahead of the Hyundai Accent and Chevrolet Sonic, in its road tests released Thursday. CR test drivers praised the redesigned Rio for its nimble handling, smooth transmission and relatively low level of noise for a subcompact. The magazine also cited the Hyundai Elantra for top MPG...

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The 2013 Mazda CX-5

The 2013 Mazda CX-5 is already getting great reviews and turning some heads. Take a look at this article on  the Washington Post about how this car is perfect for car enthusiasts. Meet the 2013 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring AWD, the most complete compact crossover-utility vehicle I’ve driven to date. That includes the CX-5’s outstanding Japanese rival, the redesigned Honda CR-V. The CR-V has a slightly larger four-cylinder engine than the CX-5 — 2.4 liters for the Honda (185 horsepower, 163 foot-pounds of torque), compared with 2 liters for the Mazda (155 horsepower, 150 foot-pounds of torque). But it’s the overall quality of Mazda’s engineering...

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