Lease vs. Buy dilemma!

We often get asked what is the best option for me? Should I lease or should I buy? So we’ve decided to write a blog post about what the different options mean, and how they differ. If you’re interested in having a most up-to-date vehicle, and will be driving clients in it, you will probably be opting for the Leasing option for examples. Don’t forget you could also get a tax write off on that! If you prefer to think long-term with your car, and want to keep it for more than 4-5 years, you’re better off purchasing it. Here are the pro’s and con’s of each of the options.

Upsides of Car Leasing

• Lower monthly payments
• Lower down payment
• You can drive a better car for less money each month.
• Lower repair costs (With a three-year lease, the factory warranty covers most repairs.)
• You can more easily drive a new car every two or three years.
• No trade-in hassles at the end of the lease
• You pay sales tax only on the portion of the car you finance.
   

Downsides of Car Leasing

• The car is not yours at the end of the lease.
• Your mileage is limited to a set amount, typically 12,000-15,000 miles a year (excess miles are paid for at the lease termination), depending on how much you negotiate.
• Lease contracts are confusing.
• Leasing is more expensive in the long run (as opposed to buying and driving until the wheels fall off).
• Wear-and-tear charges can add up (paid at lease termination).
• It's costly to terminate a lease early if your driving needs change.

We hope this has helped you in your decision making. If you have any additional questions, feel free to reach out to us. Thank you for reading!

The most beautiful bridges in the world!

Bridges have been known to be functional for years, but fortunately for mankind, they have also been used to leave a beautiful man-made mark on this beautiful planet of ours. Different cultures have been able to mix functionality with aesthetics, and really well! Take a minute to look at our personal selection of our favorite bridges, worldwide!

Hardanger Bridge, Norway
Recently finished construction this is really the Norwegian equivalent to the Golden Gate Bridge in California.

Confederation Bridge in Nova Scotia, Canada
8 miles of goodness between Prince Edward's Island and New Brunswick. It has a great vintage look, and 8 miles, well, that's something on its own.

Forth Rail Bridge in Scotland, UK. 
Opened in 1890, the Forth Rail Bridge had the longest single cantilever bridge span in the world until 1917, and it still has the world's second-longest single span. As the first major structure in Britain to be made of steel, it remains an engineering marvel even today.

Salginatobel Bridge, Switzerland
Designed by the brilliant Robert Maillart and opened in 1930, the Salginatobel Bridge feels so fresh like it was built yesterday, and remains the best thing that could happen to concrete.

Millau Viaduct, FranceThis masterpiece is known for two things. Its price, and its record. €394,000,000 and the tallest (but not highest) bridge in the world.

Tower Bridge, London, UK
British design straight from the 19th century. It's smart, it's beautiful, and you can get it as a fridge magnet.

Break your routine and try new things!

Looking to add some excitement to your life? Tired of the same old family vacations to the same old places? For those swashbuckling, thrill-seeking daredevils out there, we've compiled a list of destinations that are sure to get your blood pumping, your heart racing, and possibly your bladder weakening.

So grab a pen and start adding these awesome entries onto your bucket list. As Bilbo Baggins would say, "I'm going on an adventure!"

 

1. Hang Gliding in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - With a warm tropical breeze in your face and a panoramic view of the breathtaking mountains and beaches of Rio de Janeiro, you will have the unique sensation of flying like a blue macaw at speeds up to 65 mph.

2. Sky Diving over Mount Everest in Nepal - Only offered four times a year, this wild adventure allows you to sky dive over the highest peak in the world. How many people can say they've done that?!

3. Base Jumping off Kjerag Mountain in Lysefjord, Norway - At 3,500 feet above the fjord, Kjerag towers above the other peaks along the Lysefjord, making it an adrenaline junky’s dream.

 

4. Bungee Jumping at the AJ Hackett Macau Tower in China - The AJ Hackett Macau Tower Bungee Jump is 764 ft hight, making this location the Guinness World Record holder for the Highest Commercial Bungee Jump in the world.

5. Heliskiing in British Columbia, Canada - Heliskiing offers a new definition to downhill skiing, allowing adrenaline junkies access to higher parts of mountains that are only reachable by helicopter.

How to properly setup your mirrors in your Hyundai!

Some of us have been driving for years, but that doesn't mean we are all doing everything perfectly. Maybe it's time to freshen our skills up and make sure we are setting up our side-view mirrors properly. Its original intent was to help us cover the blind spot, it's not meant to help you see who's behind you. Let's take a minute and look at this video to find out how to properly align your mirrors. If you have any questions be sure to ask us, we'd love to help!

Best driving song compilation!

Driving on long road trips doesn't have to be boring. Music can be quite the element that turns a regular drive into an epic memory that you will never forget. For this reason, we have decided to compile the best driving songs of all-time. We understand music is very, subjective, so please do not hesitate to chime in and tell us what you prefer! 

Those are motivating, fun, upbeat and will keep you going for hours!



1. "Don't stop me now" - Queen
2. "Highway to Hell" - AC/DC
3. "Sweet Escape" - Gwen Stefani
4. "Road Tripping" - Red Hot Chili Peppers
5. "Hurricane" - Bob Dylan

Some cool archaic car features!

No matter how much we all love new technology and owning the latest piece of engineering possible, we have to admit we all miss some things about the past. Here is our automobile selection of what was kind of cool in older cars.

Horn Rings



Horn rings were originally considered a safety feature as well as a convenience device. Previously, the driver had to completely remove one hand from the steering wheel to depress the button in the center to honk the horn. The horn ring was designed so that both hands could remain on the wheel and just a stretch of a finger or thumb would be able to beep a warning sound. As driver side airbags started entering the market, horn activation was relocated to a button in the steering wheel spokes.
 
Bench Seats


The last American production model car to offer a bench seat in the front, the Chevy Impala, will cease doing so after this year. Back before seat belts were even included in cars—much less mandatory to wear—three passengers could fit comfortably in the front of most cars, or four if one was a child or a skinny relative. Many sly males took advantage of the seat design while driving with a female companion; a quick, unexpected sharp turn made with his right arm resting on the seat back sent the lady sliding right into his embrace.
 
Tail fins



Tailfins were the brainchild of General Motors design chief Harley Earl. The first fins appeared on the 1948 Cadillac, inspired by the WWII Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter plane. By the late 1950s, most folks had shrugged off the war and were fixated instead on all things space-age. Tail fins grew to enormous proportions, giving cars a futuristic look.

Ashtrays



Ashtrays were commonly found in the dashboard (along with an electric lighter), mounted on the back of the front seat, and in the armrests on opposite sides of the back seat. Even if you weren’t a smoker, the tray in the dash was handy for storing coins, and the rear ones were handy receptacles for candy wrappers and discarded chewing gum. If you want an ashtray in your new car, ask for the Smoker's Package (if available).

Full-Size Spare Tires



The advantage with a full-size spare was that you could put it on, stow the flat tire in your trunk, and go on your merry way with no particular urgency to get it repaired (unlike today’s donuts, which are designed to be used for limited distances at speeds under 50 miles per hour). The disadvantage was that sometimes you went on your merry way for many months … until one day you got another puncture, only to discover that the tire in your trunk was just as flat as the one on the axle.

Vent Windows



Vent or “wing” windows were popular in the pre-air conditioning era of automotive manufacturing. But they were convenient for many purposes that are still valid today. For example, on those days when it’s temperate enough to open windows rather than run the A/C, the vent windows allowed air to circulate freely without blowing street grime in your face and messing your hair. Smokers also appreciated being able to flick their ashes out the “no-draft” without the fear of them flying back inside the vehicle.

Not your typical junk yard, found in Bastnas, Sweden!

Deep within a Swedish forest lie 1,000 forgotten cars from the 1950s. The rusting vehicles are all that remains of a scrap yard set up in the wake of the Second World War. Back then it was the final destination for cars abandoned by American soldiers leaving Europe after the war. Two forest-dwelling Swedish brothers ran the scrap yard until the 1980s before they abandoned the site in the 1990s, leaving the forest undergrowth to claim the cars. Today, rusting classic cars including vintage Opels, Fords, Volvos, Buicks, Audis, Saabs and a Sunbeam litter the natural undergrowth.

Photographer Svein Nordrum ventured into the dense woods to snap some pictures of the abandoned vehicles. He said: "It is very quiet in there. It is a strange feeling when you’re there, as if you’re on the edge of the world... The forest is very dense. You can only see a couple of cars at any one time - the rest disappear into the woods. The cars are now a part of nature in a way. The trees grow all over and through the cars, with branches sneaking through windows and over the bonnets."

  
The 1,000 corroded vehicles are collectively worth an estimated £100,000 in scrap. However, efforts to remove the cars from the forest have been thwarted. Nordrum said "Some people in Sweden want to remove the cars, but environmentalists keep stopping them. Apparently birds and other animals have made nests in the bodywork."

The car graveyard is in the mining country of Bastnas, a town in southern Sweden. Hikers have discovered trees growing around bodywork and moss covering seats and steering wheels.

Welcome to our top five selection of the best Superbowl Ads of all time!

 

(E-Trade, baby Campaign)

How funny was this campaign? A touch of cute, a touch of funny and all that with the corporate message!)

(Doritos, Crunchy and Smooth…)

If Doritos were a commercial, they would be this commercial!

(Bud light, wine and cheese party)

Wine and cheese you say? I don’t think so, these boys are thinking Bud Light and Football party!

(Pepsi, Bob's House)

This ad, really shows it’s possible to give back, be funny, and get your message across without all of our senses activated. Great ad!

(M&M’s, naked)

Who doesn’t want to dig into an M&M’s bag after this video, seriously!

Top 5 Audiobook Recommendations for your next roadtrip!

The Invention of Wings: A Novel 

Written by: Sue Monk Kidd

Length: 13 hrs and 46 mins
Summary: From the celebrated author of The Secret Life of Bees comes a magnificent novel about two unforgettable American women. Sue Monk Kidd presents a masterpiece of hope, daring, the quest for freedom, and the desire to have a voice in the world. Hetty “Handful” Grimke, an urban slave in early nineteenth century Charleston, yearns for life beyond the suffocating walls that enclose her within the wealthy Grimke household. The Grimke’s daughter, Sarah, has known from an early age she is meant to do something large in the world, but she is hemmed in by the limits imposed on women.

Imperial Life in the Emerald City 

Written by: Rajiv Chandrasekaran 
Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
Summary: The Washington Post's former Baghdad bureau chief, Rajiv Chandrasekaran, takes us into the Green Zone, headquarters for the American occupation in Iraq. In this bubble separated from wartime realities, the task of reconstructing Iraq is in the hands of 20-somethings chosen for their Republican Party loyalty. They pursue irrelevant neoconservative solutions and pie-in-the-sky policies instead of rebuilding looted buildings and restoring electricity, angering the locals and fueling the insurgency.

Divergent, Book 1 

Written by: Veronica Roth

Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins 
Summary: In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue - Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is - she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

   

Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War 

Written by: Robert M. Gates

Length: 25 hrs and 42 mins
Summary: From the former secretary of defense, a strikingly candid, vivid account of serving Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. When Robert M. Gates received a call from the White House, he thought he'd long left Washington politics behind: After working for six presidents in both the CIA and the National Security Council, he was happily serving as president of Texas A&M University. But when he was asked to help a nation mired in two wars and to aid the troops doing the fighting, he answered what he felt was the call of duty.

Sycamore Row

Written by: John Grisham  

Length: 20 hrs and 50 mins  
Summary: Seth Hubbard is a wealthy man dying of lung cancer. He trusts no one. Before he hangs himself from a sycamore tree, Hubbard leaves a new, handwritten, will. It is an act that drags his adult children, his black maid, and Jake into a conflict as riveting and dramatic as the murder trial that made Brigance one of Ford County's most notorious citizens, just three years earlier. The second will raises far more questions than it answers. Why would Hubbard leave nearly all of his fortune to his maid? Had chemotherapy and painkillers affected his ability to think clearly?