Dig In!

First Volvo. Now, it’s the Jeep’s turn.

Just put on your shades and get your flip flips. Head towards one of the greatest and largest treasure hunts in San Diego. Head out towards the Imperial Beach this 21st of July.

Jeep is having a treasure hunt and they’re calling it the “Jeep Come And Dig It” event. It will be part of the U.S. Open Sandcastle Competition which is one of the largest sand castle competitions in the country.

Try out your luck. You would be needing that to find the various gadgets and gizmos buried in the sand. The list includes beach gear and summer accessories. To top it all off, you might even win a new Jeep vehicle for yourself. But not, it is not buried.

If you are interested, you can sign up. Just go to http://www.jeepcomeanddig.com/. You have up until the 14th of July to register. You must be 18 years old and above though.

Summer Is Deadly For Teen Drivers

According to a recent study conducted by the American Automobile Association (AAA) Foundation for Traffic Safety, July and August are the deadlist months of the year for teenage drivers. When referring to teenage drivers, the study actually means those drivers who are aged sixteen and seventeen.

However, there is good news in spite of such a morbid result. The group also claims that if these young drivers have properly enforced driving restrictions, the rate could go down by twenty per cent which is such a great deal. Still with the results of the study, teenagers who have been in crashes and accidents are those that ignore driving and traffic rules.

Brad Roeber, the AAA Chicago Regional President, says, “Summer vacation for teens often means unstructured schedules, less guidance from mom and dad, and more exposure to crashes. Enforcing safe driving rules that include passenger and nighttime limits is essential in keeping your teen and others safe on the road.”

Results were taken from a collection of data which the group took themselves. They took information on teenagers who have been free from crashes and those who have already been involved in such bad luck. Now, they have come up with factors that could differentiate the two groups. The list includes:
1. Compliance with state graduated driver licensing (GDL) laws
2. Adherence to traffic laws and regulations
3. Parental involvement

Roeber continues, “Teens whose parents take an active role, obey traffic rules and regulations, and follow GDL requirements are much less likely to crash. Just think how many lives we could save with the combination of the right laws and parental involvement.”

Volvo Is On A Pirate Spree

Seems like Volvo is suffering from too much pirates. Or maybe too much of being around with pirates. But it is all part of their sponsoring a pirate-themed hunt for a Volvo XC90 that has been buried. This XC90 is one-of-a-kind and is pirate themed. As I have posted in previous posts, the hunt is done online for all those who are interested in locating such a cool vehicle.

Helen Gore is the spokesperson for Volvo Cars. She states, “We thought it would be helpful to give those hunting for our buried pirate car some roll models from throughout history to look for guidance. Not that we’re condoning everything that the tougher characters on our list stood for, but at the very least, they can be looked to for inspiration, wardrobe tips and a passion for acquiring things without paying for them – a.k.a. pirates booty.”

Wanna know them? The list has been taken from this site:

• Blackbeard. "Terrorizing the Caribbean and Atlantic in the early 1700's, he led a crew of 300 but was a slave to fear inspiring fashion -- sporting a long, braided beard with ribbons, a burning rope underneath his hat and an iron fist."

• The Great Pirate Roberts. "Roberts was tall, dark and handsome. He adorned himself in a crimson waistcoat, breeches, a hat with a feather, a diamond cross on a golden chain around his neck and two pairs of pistols at the end of a silk sling around his shoulder. Scary? Maybe not like Blackbeard, but a successful buccaneer all the same."

• An Unnamed Band of Ex-Enron Executives. "What's the old saying -- the pen is mightier than the sword, especially when held by a creative accountant?"

• Anyone who has a friend or relative with cable repair experience and a toolbox. "Pirated cable -- ever heard of it?"

• Captain Kidd. "A pirate hunter turned pirate, Kidd's short but successful career plundering vessels was crowned by taking a 400-ton merchant treasure ship. Kidd was caught shortly thereafter and sent to England were he was executed. Ouch."

• Willie Stargell. "One of the all-time great Pittsburgh Pirates, he deposited leather treasure in the outfield bleachers exactly 475 times over his 20-year, Hall of Fame career."

• Derek Brooks (Tampa Bay Buccaneers). "He's a modern day Buccaneer and the undisputed leader of one of the NFL's most feared defenses. This salty, all-pro linebacker patrols the field like a mad pirate on the high seas; sacking quarterbacks, stealing footballs and protecting the goal line."

• Captain Hook (the band). "These rockers really knew how to shake a wooden leg!"

Whatever Happened To ‘Rev It Up’?

It is back!

But what is ‘Rev It Up’? You may simply ask that question.

Well, Rev It Up is just the world’s largest performance driving school. It also is a national racing competition. This program is so popular that it draws thousands of interested participants all around the country to join this. And yes, this event features some of Chevrolet’s performance vehicles.

Of course, you do have to shell out $50 but they do get much. They get seat time, instructions, horsepower, some hot laps, and a chance to win a Chevy Cobalt SS. Top that.

Rev It Up is also known as the RIU and this is presented by Chevrolet. This is where you get fast cars and meet up with challenging courses. There are expert trainers who would be giving you the tips on having an experience that would be drool-worthy.

Chevrolet’s General Manager, Ed Peper, could not help but state, “Chevrolet's line of products make high-performance cars accessible to everyone and Rev It Up gets race fans off the couch and onto the race course. It's a perfect fit. From the Cobalt SS to Corvette, participants will find out why Chevrolet is America's best selling brand.”

So you’re thinking about joining this event? Don’t worry. There might be some stops right near your home. There would be six stops included in the 2006 RIU. Check it out yourself.
- Southern California: July 22-23 - El Toro Marine Base
- Dallas: July 29-30 - Lone Star Park
- Miami: August 5-6 - Hialeah Park Racetrack
- Chicago: August 12-13 - Balmoral Park Racetrack
- New York: August 19-20 - Belmont Park Racetrack
- Washington, DC: August 26-27 - FedEx Field

Where Not To Look For The Buried Volvo

If you have been looking for the buried Volvo XC90 which Volvo is giving away as part of their support for the new Disney movie “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest”, Volvo has given out a list of places where you should not look.

Read on and discover such places which might never even had crossed your mind. By the way, these have been the excerpts from the main press release from Volvo:

•Underneath the uprights at Giants Stadium in the Meadowlands. “We love American football, but learned at the last minute somebody else may already be buried there.”

•Neverland, Middle Earth, Willie Wonka’s Chocolate Factory and Elizabethtown, KY. “All great ideas, but wrong movie tie-in,” Gore said.

•Inside a huge Cracker Jack box. “We even had the design team try construct a massive, Volvo XC90-worthy box, but we ran out of time because everyone kept eating all the Cracker Jacks, especially those little caramel-coated peanuts at the bottom.”

•The Pirates of the Caribbean Ride at Disneyland. “It is just a few miles up the 405 from Volvo’s North American headquarters, but this one fell under the category of ‘way too obvious’.”

•Irv Gordon’s garage. “He’s a guy in Long Island who’s driven 2.5 million miles in his 1966 Volvo P1800, a world record. This actually was strongly considered but we figured the guy would be too tempted to drive our XC90 around, especially with the AC in the hot summer months.”

•Any sports bar in the United States showing World Cup games on their big screen TVs. “We were seeking a place where not a lot of people will be, but we felt this was too extreme.”

J.D. And Associates Power Survey Results

So who’s who for this survey?

Here are the results. Just read on.

Subcompact Car
Kia Rio/Cinco and Suzuki Aerio (tie)
The Kia Rio has been in production since 2000. It replaced the Kia Pride in the line of Kia vehicles. The Suzuki Aerio has been in production since 2001 and it replaced the Suzuki Baleno or Suzuki Esteem. It has been built in two body styles which are the hatchback with five doors and the sedan with four.

Compact Car
Toyota Corolla
The Toyota Corolla has been around since 1966. It replaced the Toyota Publica and is now known across the globe as a reliable vehicle.

Midsize Car
Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry has been in production since 1980. It has been one of the best selling cars in the United States.

Large Car
Pontiac Grand Prix
The Pontiac Grand Prix has been produced since 1962 and there are reports that the company is planning on halting its production come 2008 and would be replaced by the Pontiac G8.

Compact Sporty Car
Mazda MX-5
The Mazda MX-5 is a very popular sports car and has been produced since 1989. It has been built as a convertible.

Midsize Sporty Car
Toyota Solara
The Toyota Solara has been crafted since 1999. It has been built as a convertible and as a coupe, both holding two doors.

Compact SUV
Hyundai Tucson
The Hyundai Tucson has been in the market since 1999 and has been built as a wagon with five doors.

Large Premium SUV
Lexus LX 470
The Lexus LX 470 has been produced since 1996 and its production would be stopping this year. In its place, the new Lexus JX would take the spot.

Midsize SUV
Toyota Highlander
The Toyota Highlander has been crafted since 2001. It replaced the Toyota Camry station wagon in the Toyota vehicle line up.

Large SUV
Toyota Sequoia
The Toyota Sequoia has been around since 2001. It has been based on the company’s Tundra pickup truck.

Midsize Pickup
Ford Ranger
The Ford Ranger has been produced since 1983. It took the spot that was formerly owned by the Ford Courier.

Minivan
Chrysler Town & Country
The Chrysler Town & Country is a minivan which has been produced since 1990. It has been noted as one of the best selling minivans in the US.

Large Pickup
Chevrolet Silverado
The Chevrolet Silverado has been around since 1999. This vehicle replaced the Chevrolet C/K and the GMC C/K.

Changes To The Audi A4 And S4 Line For 2007

* aggressive DTM exterior bumpers
* front/rear carbon fiber trim as option
* redesigned Symphony radio with ability to play MP3-encoded CDs in the integrated 6-disc changer
* larger screen with larger font
* no more cassette player.
* two main packages (Premium/Convenience) instead of three (Sunroof/Premium/Technology).
* Wheels: New design base 16” wheel; 17” wheels: 5 double spoke wheel continues as an option; 3.2 has a new standard 3.2-specific 17” 5-spoke wheel from quattro GmbH.
* Trip computer available with Convenience Package
* Driver seat and mirror memory is no longer offered in the 2.0T.
* 2.0T models receive 4-spoke leather multi-function steering wheels. 2.0T S line Package keeps 3-spoke multi-function steering wheel, with shift paddles on automatic models.
* Heated front seats as a stand-alone option. Heated rear seats are discontinued on 2.0T models.
* All-season versions of the 18” wheels in the S line and Titanium Packages are now being offered
* A4 2.0T and 3.2 Sedan/Avant/Cabriolet models have full-size spare tires, but now with steel rims, not alloy. S4 Sedan/Avant/Cabriolet continue to offer full-size spare tires with matching alloy wheels.
* Sunroof standard to reduce complexity
* New standard 17” 3.2-specific 5-spoke wheel from quattro GmbH
* 3-spoke steering wheel with partially-perforated leather standard
* Shift paddles on steering wheels standard on all automatic models
* Driver seat and exterior mirror memory optional on 3.2
* 3.2 Cold Weather Package: heated rear seats
* Rear Parktronic optional
* Sport suspension optional
* New 18” S4 wheel is the only wheel on all 2007 S4 models. It is identical in design to the upcoming 20” S8 wheel.
* Sunroof standard.
* DTM Exterior Package (identical to S4 24quattro) with carbon fiber front and rear spoilers is an available option, sedan-only, USA-only.
* Interior Alcantara® color combinations have been increased. This year, both the ebony/ebony and silver/silver combinations will be offered.
* S4 Sedan/Avant/Cabriolet brake calipers will be painted glossy black.