Home

Category: Cars

  • Uber vs Lyft: Ridesharing App Showdown

    Uber vs Lyft: Ridesharing App Showdown

     

    Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past two years, you’ve likely heard about, seen, or experienced ridesharing apps.

    uber vs lyft

    While ridesharing has been around for quite some time, it has just recently exploded, and is really catching on worldwide. The ridesharing revolution began harmlessly enough but has quickly become an essential tool for many to commute to work or school, get home from a night out or simply run errands.  Today, the question of choosing Uber vs. Lyft is a debate many face each time they need a ride. To properly compare the two ridesharing apps, we’ll evaluate each based on 4 categories :

    • Pricing

    • The App/Booking a Ride

    • Coverage Areas

    • Vehicle Types/Options

    Pricing

    Uber and Lyft compete heavily on pricing, attempting to lure customers away from each other by constantly offering lower prices than the other.  A more in-depth look at the actual pricing we find that for the most part, the companies charge about the same prices, although prices can vary from city to city.

    uber vs lyft

    Another pricing factor to consider is surge pricing when there is a very high demand for transportation.

    Both companies use some form of price surging – meaning fare prices are raised when rider demand is greater than normal. Uber increases their price about 7X or 8X what the original price would have been, while Lyft tends to increase their prices 2X.

    Since both companies charge about the same on a normal day, most use whichever service is closer and can pick them up first. During times of high demand riders tend to get better pricing when they use Lyft.

    Winner: Lyft

  • Hum X for the Non Car Guy

    Hum X for the Non Car Guy

    The Hum is a device that plugs in to your cars computer port giving you the ability to decode engine lights, get vehicle health reports. The Hum is simple – just plug it in to add connected car features to your drive. Even better, you can easily access Hum features on the go using the Hum App.

    The Great

    • Easy setup
    • Intuitive app interface
    • Engine light Diagnostics
    • Automatic maintenance checks
    • 4g LTE with Wifi
    • Emergency Assistance
    • Stolen Vehicle Assistance

     

    The Not

    • Cellular coverage is needed for emergency services
    • Added monthly cost

    The Conclusion

    The Hum can tell you whats up with the engine alert, call for help, keep you from getting bent at the mechanic, plus add a 4g LTE wifi to your car…bonus. You will want consider your needs against the cost of the service.

    Whats an Alternator?

    For us non car guys this is great. When my car starts acting funny or breaks down and its not out of gas, most of us are pretty clueless. Despite the fact that we spend an average of 5 years behind the wheel over our lifetime, most of us aren’t very “connected” to our cars. The hum is connected to the cloud to send and receive data for emergency and convenience purposes, as well as to keep tabs on car maintenance, mileage, and other performance aspects.

    Verizon Hum consists of an ODB-II dongle, a Bluetooth-enabled speaker/control unit that clips to your car’s sun visor, a USB charging cable for the speaker with a cigarette lighter adapter, and a companion Android and iOS smartphone app. Hum costs $14.99 per month. The equipment comes at no extra cost with the service but the The HumX system is priced slightly higher, with a $150 retail equipment price , and additional vehicles cost $12.99 each per month.

    Does It Work?

    With 4 roadside assistance calls per month, per vehicle, not per account, check. They work, get a battery jump, tire changed or a tow. The Bluetooth speaker, Hum’s Bluetooth speaker clips directly to your visor and communicates between the OBD-II reader and your app.

    The speaker also allows you to talk hands-free when driving, and provides one-button access to help in the event of an emergency. Side Note, if your car has Bluetooth you have to manually switch between both, so I’ve disregarded the speaker and just use the one built in to my car. The HumX’s silver speaker also acts as a Wi-Fi hotspot, which allows you to connect up to 10 devices at any one time and provides access to the internet in the car. 1 years ago, mind blowing, today? what doesn’t have its own internet connection these days?

    The diagnostic updates when a light appears on your dashboard are great. It tells me what and why the issues is, and how to fix it. It gives me easy-to-understand alerts, then I just breakout my tool box, a.k.a wallet. In the event something serious is going on you can use Hum’s Mechanics Hotline to obtain personalized, unbiased advice and repair estimates from certified, independent mechanics.

     

    New Drivers?

    The application offers navigation, keeps track of your trips, and handles 100 percent of the tracking for the driver Safety Score. It also allows you to set up a geo-fence and get an alert if your car travels outside of any designated area. These features are a true blessing for some parents with new drivers. Track your teens trips, where and when they go, get a real sense of there driving habits and if they ever go missing you have a great tool to help.

     

    The Final Thought

    If you have an unreliable car its worth the small investment. If you have kids, get the HumX to power there devices with internet otherwise stick with the Hum+.

     

     

  • The 5 Best Cars Under $30K You Can Buy Right Now

    The 5 Best Cars Under $30K You Can Buy Right Now

    The list of great new cars over $30,000 is a long one, but it’s the surprisingly fantastic quality of what’s below that benchmark that shows off the state of today’s new-car market. What follows is our ranking of the best new vehicles you can buy right now for under 30 grand.  The average price of new cars is getting increasingly expensive, but there are plenty of great options under $30K.  Here are our picks.

    5. Mazda CX-5

    Price: $21,795

    Mazda CX-5

    Mazda’s CX-5 proves that you don’t have to sacrifice driving fun when owning a crossover thanks to its agile handling and responsive steering. Compared to others in its segment, the CX-5 is geared more toward sporty driving dynamics but remains practical thanks to its relatively spacious interior.  If you must have a crossover but want one that’s great to drive, the CX-5 should be on your list.  The Mazda CX-5 isn’t offered with a V-6 or a high-powered turbo-four engine-upgrade option. Some of the CX-5’s rivals also have infotainment systems that are more advanced and have features such as Android Auto and Apple CarPlay integration.

    4. Hyundai Sonata

    Price: $21,950

    Hynduai Sonata

    The Hyundai Sonata is a bit of a sleeper in the midsize sedan market. The Sonata offers plenty of space in its well-appointed cabin, and comes wrapped in elegant sheet metal. It may not be a class-leader, but in a market segment as competitive as this, even this mid-pack player is a solid choice. Even the base Sonata SE model features a 7-inch touch-screen infotainment system that supports both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

    3. Honda Accord

    Price: $22,455

    Honda Accord

    One of the longest-running vehicles in the midsize class, the Honda Accord is also one of the best selling cars in the U.S.  The 2018 Honda Accord isn’t the least expensive model, but it’s one of the best. Prices start at $22,455, and unless you opt for the V6-equipped Touring model, all Accord models are priced under $30,000.  If space, practicality, and excellent visibility matter to you, the Honda Accord will be a great choice. If you’re looking for a mainstream midsize car that still offers a slick manual transmission, the Accord is one of the few available that also happens to be affordable.

    2. MINI Hardtop 4-Door

    Price: $21,950

    Mini Hardtop 4 Door

    The Mini Hardtop brings plenty of character and a fun driving experience all wrapped in a city-friendly package. The base model edges the sportier S model because the large percentage bump in power was offset by the cost. With its nimble handling, funky looks and small dimensions, the Mini Hardtop comes with plenty of fun and charm all in one package. The car is also highly customizable, allowing owners to personalize their Hardtops to their liking.

    1. Ford Fusion Hybrid

    Price: $27,095

    Ford Fusion Hybrid

    The best thing we can say about a hybrid is that it feels like a normal car. More energy efficient than a standard Ford Fusion while retaining its roomy midsize interior. With its lusty sheet metal, generous people space front and rear, high-tech powertrain, and engaging road manners, the Fusion hybrid doesn’t feel like a normal car. It feels like a great one.

    Conclusion

    Overall, is this list perfect? Not even close, but then again, no list can be. There are many factors that go into the car-buying process, and many of them are deeply personal, nuanced reasons, to which buyers adhere with an almost religious fervor. Cars are becoming increasingly expensive to buy and own, with the average price for a new car hovering around $34,000. The good news is that there are top-performing cars available for less than $30,000.

    NEXT ARTICLE