You have to drive an SUV to get adequate cargo room or to tow a trailer.

Small and mid-size cars, with the right gear, can carry almost anything. Proof is here at Rack and Roll.

Armor-All™ or other interior dressings will make the dashboard look great and keep it protected.

Adding a shine to the dashboard dramatically increases interior glare of reflected light on the inside of the windshield. Dashboards are constructed with a matte finish for a good reason - they decrease glare! Save the vinyl dressing for the console and exterior!

Hybrid vehicles don't have tailpipe exhaust emissions.

Hybrid vehicles still operate on gasoline, and do produce tailpipe pollution. The term "hybrid" means that the car has both an electric AND a gasoline motor. Although it does produce LESS emissions, the gas engine operates during cruise conditions while the electric motor operates during idle and braking conditions. Even cars that operate on flex fuels or natural gas produce tailpipe exhaust. Read all about alternative fuel vehicles here.

Checking for soot in the tailpipe by wiping your finger in it is an easy way to tell if the engine is burning oil.

No need to get dirty...if the engine is burning enough oil to be an issue, it will be obvious. Here's how: when in neutral or park, snap (very briefly stomp) the throttle and have a friend check for smoke from the tailpipe. Or better yet, follow the car for 1 mile. If there is smoke of any color than lingers in the air, there is a problem!

For new and used car purchases, I have a three day "right to rescind" or "cooling-off period" on any and all contracts.

The "right to cancel" or "rescind" rule only applies to transactions that take place within your home or which use your home as collateral. It was created in response to traveling salesmen in the 50's who would browbeat housewives into buying bibles and vacuum cleaners. As your home is not used for collateral on a car purchase, the 3-day rule does NOT apply. Other conditions do apply. (See State of Colorado Uniform Consumer Credit Code and the federal Consumer Action website for a good summary of the 3-day cooling-off rule.)

You can judge the condition of the engine by running the oily dipstick through your fingers to check for grit.

Three drops of oil on a business card (or blotter paper) and waiting 1/2 hour is much more revealing of fine grit. See the oil sludge article for a great photo of an oil blotter test.

The auction is a good source for buying a used car.

Wrong...it's risky! And why? See the complete section on auto auctions.

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Siping tires increases the tread life of a tire and reduces rolling resistance thereby increasing fuel mileage.

Not ! Slicing a tire with a razor blade or machine alters the original engineering and decreases the size of the individual tread block. This increases the rolling resistance resulting in decreased fuel mileage and shortens the life of the tire.

My opinion? If the manufacturer wanted the tread altered, they would have done it at the factory. In short: don't pay extra to slice (sipe) your new tires. Siping also will void the tire warranty if any problems occur as a result of the siping, such as an accident or abnormal tread wear. If you want that much traction buy a quality winter or performance tread that has been designed with siping (see picture at right), but don't buy a myth.

Used parts are a good deal.

My opinion is: You already have used parts on your car - why would you want MORE? A good deal is when you don't have to replace it again when it fails you.

Don't put a battery directly on the concrete floor - it'll discharge.

No way! That myth was started by telephone linemen who in the 1940s and 50s installed giant batteries on pallets in sheds along the line. Modern car batteries are far too tough to be affected by a damp floor.

Clothes pins on the fuel line keep the fuel cooler, reducing "vapor lock".

Who started this myth? A clothes pin company?

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All SUVs or trucks and all older, heavier cars are SAFE because they have lots of sheet metal and weight.

This is BOTH True and False. It's somewhat true: if you're involved in a straight ahead full frontal crash then mass does matter, but that type of crash is of low incidence. It's somewhat false: because the most common crash is an offset frontal crash where your mass can be a detriment during the rescue efforts. Also larger vehicles usually have some cargo in the back that will fly around inside the cabin during the crash - ouch! It is also false because heavy usually means taller, and taller vehicles roll over easily in single-car crashes. It's also false because older cars simply do not have the handling and braking qualities of a newer car and that can make all the difference during an emergency maneuver.