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Used car buyers warned against friends' advice

USED CAR buyers are being cautioned against taking advice from friends when buying their next car. Many misconceptions are passed on by well-meaning friends and, says used car history experts at HPI, this can lead to buyers losing money on their next car. There are five myths that many used buyers believe, says HPI.

OnStar 'ignition block' disables stolen vehicles

OnStar, General Motors' in-vehicle safety and communications system, has launched a service to keep car thieves from starting a vehicle that has been reported stolen. As of July 20, three stolen cars had been disabled by the technology, called "remote ignition block." The feature is available on select 2009 and 2010 GM models. Subscribers must report their vehicles stolen to police officials and request assistance from OnStar, which then sends a signal that prevents the car from restarting.

Guess Jethro's lap time and win a £550 Suunto watch

CAR journo Jethro Bovingdon drove the Lotus Exige 260 Cup around the track at Lotus HQ in Hethel, Norfolk, for a story in the new August 2010 issue of CAR Magazine, out on 21 July. But how fast was he in the latest track-day tool of choice?If you can correctly guess Jethro's lap time, you could win this brilliant Suunto Elementum Ventus watch. It's worth £550 and is yours to keep if you come up with the nearest time to Jethro's fastest lap.The 260 Cup is a £45,950 slice of Lotus: a beefed-up, supercharged and super light at 890kg coupé version of the Elise, honed and fettled for track action.