Ask Patty Around the Auto World Blog Carnival: May 22nd

Welcome back to the Ask Patty blog carnival, where we have pulled together some of the latest and greatest posts and articles out there in the automotive world.  We have some gas saving tips in time for summer and a sort of theme around used car salesmen… interesting. So stick around and check it out. As always, we thank our submitters!

According to the Mercury News, “some predict $4-a-gallon gasoline by this summer. Or sooner. This week, AAA of Northern California said the average cost of a gallon of regular in the state was $3.48 - up 37 cents since March and up 73 cents since the first of the year.” That’s a lot more moolah coming out of your pockets folks. Check out some of these gas saving tips.

And on to the car buying drama… from a man, no less! Check out how Terry Stawar describes car shopping: “On the list of things I prefer to avoid, buying a new car falls between cleaning the septic tank and getting a root canal.” That’s not the first time we’ve heard the root canal analogy, that’s for sure. His entire story is pretty entertaining and it’s nice to see a man talking about how much he hates car buying.

Since we are in the topic, we wanted to share with you that the Mom Loves Being at Home blog is sharing her car purchasing woes as well. She says she even hates thinking about a new car or even looking at them! Wow, pretty bad experience huh? Her post sure sounds like it, though in her comments section she assures us she finally found a great salesperson and got a god deal!

If you saw an article called “Eight Ways To Annoy a Used Car Salesman” you’d probably read it wouldn’t you? Yeah, us too. This article from Associated Content gives you some great tips on car buying, of course they are sure to bug those smarmy salespeople. Some include “Don't buy on your first trip to the dealer” and “Test drive the car on the interstate or at least on a 55 mph highway” and even “Don't let a dealer check your credit before you're really ready to buy” Check it out!

Now for a less professional take on the buying a used car activity, we have some ideas form Wench Wisdom. Before she buys a car she looks up all the features that will help her get discounted car insurance, including “safety features, number of doors, what kind of horsepower will get charged for “sports car” rates rather than passenger car rates, which cars have the highest likelihood of theft.” She also includes some very helpful tips on the post.

Now to coach the dealers out there – oh yes, they read this blog too! Dealers, listen to me: The guys at The Branding Strategy blog know a thing or two about a thing or two. They compare dealerships and the traditional sales tactic to the Titanic, and you’re about to hit the iceberg. Fave comment in the article: “Relationships are the lifeblood of existing and repeat business.” Duh, we say it all the time.

Tangled Weblog talks about how her husband’s quest for a new car was only thwarted by the sale of his hay equipment. Oh I couldn’t make that up people. Once they bought their new vehicle, a 427 Mustang, they experience celebrity treatment! Someone bowed at them and they were accosted by paparazzi as they were driving to dinner. Well, maybe that last one wasn’t quite truthful.

Here is one to sober you up now. According to WebMD, Young women are quickly catching up to their male counterparts when it comes to alcohol-related fatal car crashes and other risky driving behavior, according to a new study. University of California researchers say young men traditionally are known as the highest risk group for alcohol-related fatal car crashes, but over the last 10 years there has been an alarming increase in such deadly accidents among young female drivers.

And we’ll end this one with another happy, albeit a bit mystified, Prius owner. The Stuck in Illinois blogger sums it up with “It's a computer phobics nightmare. This car has so many gadgets it's a wonder one can still drive the thing sanely. You don't actually use a key to start it. I know right? You can watch your energy consumption and it calculates exactly what gas mileage you are getting.”