1. Be patient during the break-in period
You’ve bought your dream car and now you want to make it last at long as possible in top condition. Here are some things to remember as you pull it out of the dealer’s lot:

* During the break-in period, typically the first 1,000 miles (1,600 km), keep your speed under 55 mph (88 kpm) or to the speed recommended by your car’s manufacturer.

* Avoid heavy loads on the drive train, such as towing trailers, and loading the roof rack or trunk with heavy construction materials.

* Do not allow your new car to idle for long periods — this is good advice for the life of your car, but especially during breakin. The oil pressure generated by doing so may not be sending oil to every part of your engine.

* Use only light to medium acceleration, keeping the engine rpms below 3,000 for the first few hours of driving.

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1. Always maintain a calm, collected tone
Keep your voice even, keep your tone low, and do not lose your temper. If you find yourself getting upset, place the person on hold for a moment, take a slow, deep breath, and pick the phone back up. If they have hung up on you, mention it when you call back.

2 . Before you call, outline the situation for yourself, and decide how you want it solved
Write down several options you would be willing to accept, and keep the page in front of you when you call.

3. Always get the name of the person who answered the phone, even if you speak to them for only a moment
Write the name down, as well as any other person you connect to. Keep notes of who said what.
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According to car site, MonsterAuto.ca, vehicle cloning is all the rage: “Here is how it works. Thieves steal a car, usually a high-end “desirable” car or SUV. Then they take the vehicle identification number or VIN from a similar vehicle and slap it on the stolen car. Because each VIN is unique like a fingerprint, the stolen vehicle become a clone of a legitimate vehicle. Add some fake papers, and the thieves are ready to sell you a vehicle that looks perfectly legal.”

When the police come knocking on your door, you have no legal recourse – you have to hand over the stolen property. Statistics show that this horror story is happening to more and more people ever year. In 2007 there were over 1.3 million cars stolen cars in the US, with over 250,000 or 1 in 5 of these stolen vehicles sold to unsuspecting victims. In the UK, this is being called that fastest growing car crime. And Canadians are being hit just as hard.

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Bestselling Products

The following is a list of the bestselling products on Amazon.com in 2007 by total units sold:

– Books: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” by J.K. Rowling

– Music: “Noel” by Josh Groban

– DVD: “Planet Earth: The Complete BBC Series”

– Electronics: Canon PowerShot A570IS 7.1MP digital camera

– Home & Garden: Pyrex storage sets

– Health & Personal Care: Omron HJ-112 digital premium pedometer

– Grocery: Senseo Douwe Egberts dark roast coffee pods (more…)

Gift cards have become the popular holiday present du jour. But there are plenty of things to consider before giving or even receiving (and using) a gift card. For example, did you know this?

Retailers can’t account for the sale of a gift card until the card is redeemed for merchandise. If you don’t redeem a card within a certain period of time, your state’s escheat laws kick in and the unused money goes to the state or is divided between the state and the retailer.

The 8 tips after the break:

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Who knew Swan prices could fluctuate so much!

After all the verses — when the singer has 12 partridges in 12 pear trees — the song’s gifts would cost $78,100, up 4 percent over 2006. This contrasts with $128,886, a 2.5 percent increase from last year, to assemble the same gifts on the Internet. Giving only the gifts from the 12th day, an online shopper would be set back $31,249, 3 percent more than last year and significantly more than the old-fashioned way of gathering the gifts because shipping costs drive the tab higher.

The only time that the PNC index has not closely paralleled the Consumer Price Index was in 1995, when swan prices tumbled because of increased availability. The cost for seven swans a-swimming is $4,200 today, nearly half the price two decades ago.

A Partridge, a Pear Tree, a Price Tag That Grows (NYTimes)

Source: PNC Christmas Price Index

PC Magazine has written a series of articles outlining the best times of year to buy various tech gadgetry. We all know the pain of buying a new computer or flat screentv , only to find out a month later that the same product is now on sale for 30% less. Different types of products are discounted at different times of year. Knowing when to buy is as important as knowing what to buy.

So, here’s a calendar summary of the best times of year to buy various electronic goodies:

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Wine blog Vinquire has a list of the top wines of the year. Not only the venerable and much written about Wine Spectator Top 20 (Number 1? Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape, 2005, natch) but also:

• Wine Spectator Top 20: Selections Under $20
• Wine Enthusiast 2007 Top 20
• Wine Enthusiast 2007 Top 20 Best Buys
• Wine.com Top 20

The entire list is in the original post, with links to the full lists:
Top Wines of the Year(Vinquire)
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