10 Nos Cylinder Head Bolts Gm 97355741 on 2040-parts.com

Ownership costs of traditional versus alternative fuel vehicles

As gas prices remain high, and an increasing number of automakers roll out plug-in hybrid cars and full-electric vehicles, it's becoming easier to be tantalized with the idea of driving right past the gas station and simply "plugging in." The debate ensues when it comes to cost: These alternative fuel vehicles mean a larger outlay of cash at the onset, but the long-term fuel savings could make the purchase worthwhile. To help straighten out this numbers game, we use the Department of Energy's Vehicle Cost Calculator to compare alternative fuel vehicles with their gasoline-only counterparts. For each scenario, we assumed that our hypothetical owner was able to get the full $7,500 federal tax credit and a $2,500 state tax credit, such as is available in California.

Vauxhall Ampera & Chevy Volt win European Car of the Year 2012. Are they mad?

Vauxhall Ampera - European Car of the Year 2012 The Vauxhall / Opel Ampera (& the Chevy Volt) has won the European Car of the year 2012. Which seems completely stupid. Last year we had a car that almost no one is buying – the Nissan LEAF – voted Car of the Year.

New MoT failure figures reveal surprises

BETWEEN January and August 2013 253,000 vehicles failed their first MoT, according to new data. 70 million records from the Vehicle Operation and Services Agency (VOSA) were examined to reveal the patterns of failure for cars receiving their first MoT, required three years from the date of first registration. However, while the best performers have pre-existing reputations for reliability, the bottom of the table reveals some surprises.