The Best Cars for a First-Time Driver

For the first-time driver, selecting the right car can be a difficult decision. While there may be a temptation to choose an older sports model or a larger, more powerful car, such as an SUV, this fails to take into account more important practicalities. Of these, cost, reliability, and—most significantly—safety are among the main considerations that need to be taken into account. Our team at Sheehy Nissan of Glen Burnie has details on other factors, as well.

Cost and reliability

It is true that the cost of purchasing an older car will be less than newer models, and this is especially the case with powerful sports cars, larger sedans, and SUVs. However, there are other costs that will add to the initial investment.

Insurance is the first element of added cost. Car insurance is based upon a number of factors. These include driver age, experience, and statistical data related to the likelihood of their being involved in accidents and causing injury to others. Due to lack of experience, the first-time driver represents a higher risk. This risk, which increases with more powerful and larger cars, is reflected in increased insurance premiums.

The second cost is related to maintenance and reliability. Larger and more powerful cars lose resale value much faster than more popular small and mid-range cars. Equally, sports and larger cars attract higher running costs than small and medium models, due to the increased price of replacement parts. Furthermore, due to increased wear and tear, maintenance costs will be higher with older cars. Therefore, as noted in an article by Cars.com, “if an inexpensive older car breaks down frequently, it's not really an inexpensive car.”

Safety

Safety is not only important to protect the new driver from harm, but also to protect passengers and other road users. Smaller sports cars can increase the temptation to speed and offer less crash protection. SUVs also have a tendency to increase aggressive and overconfident driving, and at the same time are more prone to rollover. Moreover, older cars are less likely to have safety features, such as ABS braking, traction and stability control, and airbag protection.

The most practical and sensible choice of car

Based upon the above overview, the best car for a first-time driver is likely to be a small- or medium-range sedan no older than five years. Although the initial price may be higher, insurance costs will be lower because these models attract a lower risk element. Maintenance costs are also likely to be lower, mainly because the cost of parts will be less and in some cases the car is likely to have a remaining warranty period, as Cars.com states. In addition, because of their popularity, small and medium sedans tend to lose less value.

Regarding safety, cars within these groups and age range are more likely to have enhanced safety technology. These include stability control and ABS braking systems, which reduce the likelihood of skidding and loss of control, as well as internal airbags that provide greater protection for occupants. These systems are important for new drivers as they develop their driving and vehicle handling skills.

Summary

First-time drivers will do well with a reliable, cost-efficient car that requires low maintenance and includes as many safety features as possible. The small or medium sedan aged five years or less comes with these attributes, making them the best cars for a first time driver.

5 Mistakes That Will Devalue Your Car Quickly

You spend a lot of money buying or leasing your car, so it only makes sense to ensure that it retains the best possible retail price so when it comes time to sell your car you get the best possible price for it. Here’s a handy guide of five things from Sheehy Nissan of Glen Burnie that you should not do to maintain the value of your car.

Service and maintenance

The one thing that a prospective car buyer is looking for is peace of mind, and that is where a service history comes in. Don’t get your car serviced at a budget store and throw away any receipts or records. If you have a new car, ensure that the official dealer carries out all servicing operations. Each car comes with a service book, which will be marked and stamped by the dealer. It is vitally important that you keep these records, as it shows that the people that best know your car have serviced it, repaired it when necessary, and fixed items under recall notices. If you have a used car without a history, start one now. The best option is still to return to a dealer that sells and knows these vehicles from top to bottom.

Paint care

Don’t neglect your car’s paintwork. Modern day paints are pretty robust and it takes a lot to damage the paint job. The paint is usually several layers of primer, color, and a top layer of clear coat. It is this clear coat that protects the paint underneath, and it is this that you should in turn protect with a good quality wax. Don’t buy discount car care products, but rather the best you can afford. These usually consist of a series of treatments including washes, waxes, polishes, and extra protective layers. The key to cleaning car paintwork properly is to always use the least abrasive method of cleaning. Do not use brushes, but rather softer cloths to clean your car.

Insurance

Don’t forget insurance. Always get insurance for your car. Not only does this help in the case of a major accident, it also means that any damage will be fixed properly, usually by the car dealer or a reputable bodywork shop. Again, a record should be kept of any such repairs, as nothing eases a buyer’s mind as a complete as possible history of what the car has gone through.

Smoking

Don’t ever smoke in your car if you value its resale. The smell of the smoke gets into any fabric surface, including the headlining, seats, and carpets and is virtually impossible to remove. By smoking in a car, you are reducing the amount of people who would buy your car to those who smoke themselves. Even then, the smell may offend even them.

Cleaning inside the car

 
Never let trash build up in your car. Unless the floor of your car is made up of entirely plastic or waterproof rubber, you need to take care of the carpet. Always use car mats to avoid grinding fragments of stuff into the car’s carpet, and generally treat the inside of your car like you would treat your home. Also, many car carpets are synthetic, so when vacuuming make sure you don’t move the vacuum head too fast or too hard against the carpet, as the resulting friction can actually melt the fibers together, producing an ugly mark.

What to Do When Driving in a Hail Storm

Driving in a hailstorm might seem exciting, but this kind of extreme weather can in fact be very dangerous. Hailstorms tend to occur very suddenly, and often by surprise when the weather is otherwise very good. The unexpected nature of this type of weather can therefore leave drivers taken by surprise. The next time this happens to you, take the following advice from our team at Sheehy Nissan of Glen Burnie to ensure that you and your passengers remain safe.

The first and most important piece of advice is to leave the road and take shelter as soon as possible. Even a fairly moderate hailstorm could damage your car or cause injury, and in a severe hailstorm, the risk of damage is even higher. Leave the road as soon as it's safe to do so, and try to park where there's cover, like a gas station or under a bridge.

If you can't find shelter, try to park with your car facing the storm so the hail hits the windshield rather than the side windows. The windshield is much more likely to be reinforced. Make sure you park away from any ditches, where there may be a lot of rising water or where it will be difficult to leave the car suddenly in an emergency.

Keep the safety of passengers as your top priority. Don't leave the car unless you have to or unless there's shelter immediately available, as hail can fall at extremely high speeds and cause injury to unprotected witnesses. Inside the car, get everyone to lie down with their back to the windows. This minimizes the risk that any broken glass particles cause facial injuries. If you have blankets, jumpers, or coats in the car, cover up to prevent injury from debris.

If you are forced to drive through a hailstorm, turn on your headlights and set them to low beam so that your visibility is as good as possible. Slow right down so that you can brake suddenly, if required, and maintain extra distance between you and the car in front. Approach intersections very carefully and treat all traffic lights like stop signs.

It's worth remembering that hailstorms can come and go quickly too. If the storm ends and you carry on driving, be wary that another storm may soon follow. Listen to the local radio station for information about any other approaching storms. If appropriate, it may be better to leave the car and take shelter indoors somewhere until all the storms have passed.

The 10 Best Songs for Valentine's Day

If you play these songs this Valentine's Day and don't get everything you were hoping for, it's not the music's fault. Here are recommendations from Sheehy Nissan of Glen Burnie for music to play during the car ride to and from your dinner date!

1. "All I Wanna Do is Make Love to You" by Heart. Let's not beat around the bush. This might be a little too brazen for a first date. If your spouse thinks it's a joke and bursts out laughing, you may want to work on the romance the other 364 days of the year.
2. "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" by Bryan Adams. A Valentine's Day without Bryan Adams? For shame! If you can't afford to take your special someone to a nice restaurant, or if you already spent most of your money on champagne, take her to Taco Bell and serenade her with Bryan Adams while standing on one of those plastic swivel chairs. It'll be a Valentine's Day you'll never forget.
3. "Canon in D" by Pachelbel. Who needs words? This romantic classic will provide the necessary aura for what often happens on Valentine's Day.
4. "Just the Way You Are" by Billy Joel. If, in fact, you love her just the way she is or just the way he is, don't change to another song. If you're kind of tired of that special someone and are thinking about a divorce if things don't change, stick with Bryan Adams.
5. "Saving All My Love For You" by Whitney Houston. The ambiguity of the title gives you an escape if, in fact, your date doesn't care for all that love you've been saving.
6. "All out of Love" by Air Supply. In Australia, it's illegal not to play Air Supply on Valentine's Day. Don't be confused by the title. What Air Supply is saying is that they're all out of love and lost without you. They're not all out of love because you've drained every last ounce of decency and kindness from their collective body.
7. "Dangerously In Love" by Destiny's Child. The song's title implies recklessness, and some like a little recklessness on Valentine's Day.
8. "Can't Help Falling in Love" by Elvis Presley. Make sure your Valentine's Day lover understands that it is he or she you can't help falling in love with; otherwise, you may have a lot of explaining to do.
9. "Love For All Seasons" by Christina Aguilera. Your lover may suspect you're being nice because it's Valentine's Day, or that you have some romantic ulterior motives. Emphasize your sincerity by letting that special someone know your love is for all seasons.
10. "Power of Love" by Huey Lewis. There would be no Valentine's Day without the power of love. Celebrate it.

You'll probably want to listen to these songs in advance before your date arrives...just in case.

Ask a Technician: What Is a Muffler, and How Does It Work?

If your car has started to make some strange sounds, there could be lots of reasons for the problem, but one root cause could be a fault with your car’s muffler. The muffler is probably one of the lesser known parts on the average family car, and when your technician tells you it is faulty, the chances are that you don’t even know where it is, or what it does. Find out here from our team at Sheehy Nissan of Glen Burnie. 

Unsurprisingly, with a variety of different mechanical parts assembled around what is essentially an explosion, your car has the capability to make a lot of noise. Without any kind of intervention, your vehicle would almost certainly be unbearably loud, to you and to everyone else on or around the road. As the name probably suggests, a muffler is a gadget that is intended to help dampen that noise (or muffle it) making the driving experience rather more bearable.

Sound makes its way down the exhaust pipe in your car faster than the actual gases that are being expelled. When the exhaust valve opens, a burst of high-pressure gas makes its way into the exhaust pipe. Molecules from the exhaust gas collide with molecules that are already in the pipe, which causes them to stack up. The resulting low pressure means that the sound moves down the pipe faster than the gas. These sound waves are then interpreted by your ear. The harder the engine is working (and the faster that you are driving), the louder and higher this sound becomes.

Sound waves can actually be canceled out relatively easily. This kind of technology in used in a number of different ways, including noise-cancelling headphones, which stop any exterior sound from disrupting the music that you may be listening to. Noise-cancelling is enabled when a device emits a sound wave that is exactly the opposite of another. This process is called destructive interference and occurs when both waves hit your ear drum at exactly the same time. This is what a muffler does to cancel out the sound of the exhaust.

Inside a muffler, you will find a set of tubes. These tubes created reflected sound waves, which cancel one another out. Exhaust gases and sound waves enter the muffler through a tube in the center. They then bounce off the back wall and are reflected through a hole into the main body of the muffler. They finally pass through another set of holes into another chamber, after which they pass through another tube and leave the muffler entirely. Another chamber, called the resonator, is connected to the first chamber by a hole. This contains a precise volume of air and is designed to produce a wave that cancels out the sound of the exhaust.

Like the other parts of your exhaust system, the muffler is normally made from steel and is therefore liable to suffer from rust damage. This stops the muffler working effectively, because the device is no longer able to cancel out the sound, normally because a hole in the device cancels out the effect. The muffler is not an expensive part to replace, and it is advisable to instruct your mechanic to fit it for you, to ensure that the system is working effectively.