Classic Cars Nissan

The Philadelphia Phillies gave it their best shot at back-to-back baseball championships earlier this month. Unfortunately, the New York Yankees were just a tad bit better and took that dream away from the Phillies. But now it’s time to look forward instead of dwelling on what the team should have done. Here are some of the changes you may see in the Phillies lineup for next season.

• Officials are considering a decision on whether or not to keep Pedro Feliz – the team’s third baseman. Although he is good in the field, Feliz “does not provide the optimal offensive production out of the position,” according to an article in Bleacher Report.
• Mark DeRosa of the St. Louis Cardinals, is a viable option for the Phillies as he can play six positions and has a lifetime batting average of .272.
• If the team decides not to sign Feliz, Chone Figgins of the Anaheim Angels may become a great addition to the team. He played in the 2009 All-Star Game and he has an average of nearly .300 along with 42 stolen bases.

Of course, this is all speculation and no major decisions have been made. Whatever the team decides, you can join your Philadelphia area Nissan dealers in cheering on the Phillies in 2010!

If you have been paying attention to the texting while driving debate, you know that several states in the nation have already banned drivers from doing those two activities at the same time. Legislators in Pennsylvania have been debating the issue for some months now and The Keystone State may be the next to ban this bad habit.

The bill has already been introduced into the state’s House of Representatives and the state’s Senate. If it passes, Pennsylvania would become the 15th state to ban texting and driving because it is such a danger. “Many people accept that it is increasingly dangerous to drive a vehicle with all of the distractions,” said State College Police Department Captain Dana Leonard.

The ban would restrict all drivers in Pennsylvania from text messaging while operating their vehicle. Younger and less experienced drivers will be prohibited from using any wireless communication devices at all. In addition, the bill would also create a public education awareness program designed to reduce the number of distracted drivers throughout the state.

Are you still texting and driving behind the wheel of your Nissan cars? Is it a bad habit that you are trying to break? Let us know your thoughts abut the ban below.

Now that we are into November, the cold and frigid winter weather is just around the corner. Depending on the area of the country you live in, you may have already experienced a taste of it. Hopefully, you have already prepared your Nissan cars for winter. If you haven’t, however, here are some tips to make sure your Nissan makes it through the winter and beyond.

Look for Windshield Chips or Dings
Have you ever heard of something called “thermal stress”? It’s something that often occurs during the winter and it can destroy your windshield if it has any weakness in it at all. It starts with a small chip and the cold weather can turn it into a large crack that cannot be fixed without replacing the entire windshield. Pay a few bucks and get the small chips repaired before the cold weather arrives to avoid any further windshield damage.

Check Your Fluids
Make sure your antifreeze is 50/50, meaning half water and half concentrated antifreeze. Pure antifreeze can freeze at low temperatures which is why it is important to mix it with water. Also, check other fluids, especially your windshield wiper fluid. If you live where it snows a lot, this is going to come in very handy.

These are just a few things to keep in mind to prepare your Nissan cars for the winter weather. A couple minutes of maintenance now can save hours of repairs in the cold weather.

This is our last installment for now in honor of last week’s National Teen Driving Safety Week. Here are some final suggestions for helping your teen stay safe behind the wheel of your Nissan cars.

• Restrict anything that distracts them. This includes cell phones, earphones and MP3 players. All of these devices require the person to take their eyes off the road even if it is for a split second. If you find them breaking this rule, consider taking away driving privileges or confiscating their devices.
• Require them to wear their seat belt. This should be a habit they have already learned by watching you over the years. Unfortunately, teen drivers have the lowest rates of seat belt usage of any other driving group.
• Let others know about your rules. Talk to the parents of your teen’s friends so they know your rules, too. This way, they can keep an eye on your teen when they are around to make sure they are following your rules. They might even use some of your rules with their own teen!

Teen drivers have one of the highest rates of traffic accidents. Don’t let your teen be a statistic – do everything you can to keep them safe when they are behind the wheel and you are not around.

As we discussed on here last week, your teen is at just as much risk behind the wheel whether they are driving after school during the week or after midnight on the weekends. That’s why we would like to offer some suggestions to help them stay safe regardless of when they are behind the wheel.

• Set up some clear rules and write them down. This way, you and your teen know exactly what is expected of them and there is no misunderstanding because it is in writing. When your teen follows the rules, gradually increase the amount of driving you let them do. When they break the rules, take away a few liberties until they prove they can follow the rules that you set.
• Be a good example. Teen drivers learn most of their driving habits from watching their parents over the years. Be a responsible driver and your teen will be more likely to do the same thing.
• Don’t allow too many passengers. The risk of getting distracted and getting into an accident is increased when there are too many passengers in the car. During the first few months of driving, your teen should not have any passengers besides a parent. After that, allow them one passenger at a time for several months until they get more experience.

These are just a few suggestions offered by your Nissan dealers to help your teens stay safe behind the wheel. We’ll have just a few more suggestions next week. Don’t miss it!

Do you let your teen drive your Nissan cars to school every day? If so, they could be at a greater risk when they are driving home from school. A new study by AAA shows that there were as many young teen drivers involved in fatal accidents between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. during the week as there were between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m. on Saturday nights. A study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) backed that up by reporting that about 50 percent of all fatal traffic accidents involving teens occurred between 3 p.m. and midnight.

“While it’s smart for parents to be concerned about their teen driving during [late night hours], they should also be engaged in their teen’s driving activities in the time period right after school,” said Michele Mount, the director of public affairs for AAA New Jersey.

One reason for these findings is because there is a lot more traffic on the roads during the afternoon hours. Commuters are in a hurry to get home during these hours and the increased traffic and hurriedness contributes to more accidents.

With National Teen Driving Safety Week coming up, Your Nissan dealers would like to offer some tips on how to help prepare the teen drivers in your household. Be sure to come back next week for those suggestions!

Do you remember when you were a kid and people talked about cars of the future that would be able to communicate with each other? At the time, it seemed like a futuristic fantasy. But many of those things that people just talked about are becoming a reality.

Nissan engineers have been working on a piece of technology that allows cars to “communicate” with each other to avoid collisions. Using the same idea that fish use when they are in a school, the new robotic cars remove the human equation from driving in order to make safer roads and highways.

EPORO, or Episode Zero Robot, is the name given to these robotic cars. The name refers to the ability to produce absolutely zero emissions while also avoiding accidents. While it’s just a concept right now, the technology to produce the actual collision-avoiding vehicles is right around the corner. And we have fish to thank for the idea.

“We, in a motorized world, have a lot to learn from the behavior of a school of fish in terms of each fish’s degree of freedom and safety within in a school and high migration efficiency of a school itself,” explained Toshiyuki Andou, Manager of Nissan’s Mobility Laboratory and the principal engineer of this project.

Until these robotic cars are available, visit a Nissan dealer near you for a car with the latest and most innovative safety features in the industry. You owe it to yourself and your family.

One of the main criticisms of electric cars is that they are too quiet. If pedestrians cannot hear the cars coming, they may try to cross the street without even looking both ways! While this is unlikely, a car noise is safer for blind people who often cross streets by listening for oncoming cars. That’s why Nissan has announced the new noise for the 2010 Leaf model.

Nissan’s sound engineers said they are adding a “beautiful and futuristic” sound to the Leaf that will sound like they are straight out of the movie “Blade Runner.” This Ridley Scott science fiction thriller takes place in 2019 in Los Angeles. The cars in the movie are flying cars, called “spinners,” and they emit a certain buzz that Nissan has captured for the 2010 Leaf.

“We decided that if we’re going to do this, if we have to make a sound, then we’re going to make it beautiful and futuristic,” explained Toshiyuki Tabata, the noise and vibration expert for Nissan. “We wanted something a bit different, something closer to the world of art.”

Currently, Congress is considering The Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2008 which would require electric cars to emit a minimum sound for the safety of pedestrians. Nissan has already responded to those concerns before the government has required it.

In an effort to calm customer fears about the high cost of batteries for electric cars, Nissan is considering a leasing program for batteries to make them more affordable.

The battery in an electric car is one of the most expensive components. It may also be one of the aspects that is keeping electric cars from becoming as popular as they could be in the mainstream auto industry. Consumers are concerned about the high bill of replacing the battery if it becomes damaged, stolen or if it simply wears out.

But with the 2010 Nissan Leaf on its way to auto dealers across the nation in the next couple years, Nissan-Renault wants to assure buyers that they are in store for an affordable car. At $30,000, it’s a great deal as long as consumers do not get stuck with the cost of replacing a battery for whatever reason. The reason Nissan can price the Leaf so low, however, is because the automaker may separate the price of the vehicle from the price of the battery.

Leasing batteries makes perfect sense. It gives the consumer more options when purchasing their vehicle and makes the battery aspect more affordable. But plans are not finalized as some officials are concerned that consumers want only one payment instead of two or three when buying a car.

We will keep an eye on this developing story in the months to come in case Nissan reaches a final decision on the matter.

How many of you have ever wanted a 4×4? If you’re like many other drivers, you have probably had that desire when it comes to buying a new SUV or truck. Many people have probably also looked at you like you don’t need a 4×4 because they are bad for the environment or because you will never use the 4×4 capabilities.

But Nissan knows your needs and is asking, “Which 4×4 are you?” The new website caters to 4×4 owners and those who want one and Nissan is validating that desire.

The website uses a number of films and tests to show just how tough and functional 4×4 vehicles really are. Through these films, viewers can see how much 4×4 vehicles are really needed. In addition to that, the website also points out that not all 4×4 vehicles are not created equally.

The main purpose of the website is to help consumers determine which Nissan 4×4 fits their needs the best. There is a section of the website where visitors can learn more about towing weight, number of seats, type of use and load capacity in various Nissan 4×4s, including the X-TRAIL, the Pathfinder and the Navara. You can also see Nissan’s 4×4s compete in challenges against its competitors to show how Nissan comes out better than the rest.

Check out the website here or visit your Philadelphia area Nissan dealer for more information today!