Ask Patty - Automotive Advice for Women Blog Carnival: Week Around the Auto World

September 5th, 2006 -- Ask Patty is hosting her first Blog Carnival! A Blog Carnival is a compilation of like topic blog posts from all over the bloggersphere posted right here on Ask Patty for your reading and viewing pleasure. Settle back in your driver's seat and enjoy the ride!

Mad Kane's Humor Blog wrote about auto experiences that drive her mad--in particular, drivers of red cars. In her recent post Drivers Who Make Me See Red, Madeleine Begun Kane relates her humorous experiences trying to avoid red-car driving "lunatics." The fact that her husband owns a red Audi isn't lost on her either--she tightens her seatbelt the minute they are on the road! Check out her very funny post about her bias toward these brightly colored cars and be sure to read enough to see her delightful insurance "Red Car Rider." If you want to hear an even funnier story involving her "close" relationship with her tow truck driver, check out her post Tow Truck Blues.

When you have racing in yoru blood, it's hard to stay away from the track. Beccy Gordon, VP of family-owned Rob Gordon Feed Co. and daughter of off-road champion "Baja Bob" Gordon, is an off-road racer. Her brother, off-road champ Robby Gordon, is also in the industry. So what do you do when you have all that racing in your veins and girl power in your bones? You start the All-American Girl Racing team. The Drink This blog talks about her career and her life growing up in a racing family.

Take a look at what you shouldn't do while driving! Some people think letting your dog do the driving is perfectly acceptable. Instead of allowing Fido steer the car, read up on some safety tips for safe pet travel. Check out this fun and informative video about pet restraints. Lisa Michaels, owner of Rudy (a Bearded Collie), likes to take her dog everywhere. She makes sure Rudy is riding safe in her car before each trip. For even more pet travel safety take a look at our Dogs Driving Cars post!

Ask Patty is famous! Well, almost! Motor Trend Auto News covered Ask Patty on August 30th. Go to the news story and read even more about us!

Most people have gone through the experience of buying or leasing a new or used vehicle. But if you have ever helped a loved one buy a car, it can be a completely different event. Muskie McKay blogged about his recent car-buying episode with his mother on his Muskblog in his post titled "So My Mom Bought A Car Today". His funny musings go through the process step by step, starting with his mother's clear idea of what she wanted, and ending with her ultimate buying decision. Read his story to find out what car his mother finally purchased!

J.D. Power reports top 30 most environmentally friendly vehicles in the new edition of Dealer's Edge. Fifteen of the 37 automakers are represented, including Volkswagen, Lexus, Acura, Honda and Mazda. The list includes both hybrid- and diesel-powered vehicles. New flex-fuel cars and trucks are becoming more and more popular among buyers of new vehicles. According to J.D. Power, "hybrid vehicles represent 1.2 percent of the U.S. new light-vehicle market in 2005... and are expected to increase to 1.6 percent in 2006."


Did you ever put dump your extra change into gumball machines when you were little? Maybe you still do! Instead of gum, we can think of all kinds of neat things we would like to get for a quarter: new shoes, great haircut, massage. What about car parts? Mr. Jalopy on Boing Boing bought a gum machine and did just that! He filled it with spare parts like gears and motors. One machine even dispensed a little booklet with tips on buying a used car!

Jamie Turner loves cars and has 1982 Ford Mustang that is her baby. Her parents purchased the car when they got married in 1982. This car has some history in this family! She spent her time restoring the entire car and plans to work as an auto mechanic when she completes the two-year program. Jamie is one of a growing number of women pursuing a career in the automotive service industry. According to Tuscaloosa News, the traditionally male career barrier "is dropping rapidly because that thinking isn’t as traditional as it used to be."

An interesting article recently appeared in AdvertisingAge regarding car and truck manufacturers and their advertising practices. General Motors, Toyota, Volkswagen, DaimlerChrysler and Nissan are among the nation's worst advertisers, and Ford is among the best, according to the Parents Television Council. The group based its fifth-annual listing on how often advertisers aired spots in "wholesome, family-oriented" shows vs. programs containing "sexually graphic, violent or profane material." All the analyzed ad placements appeared on prime-time broadcast TV during the last season.

Speaking of edgy advertising, Ford has put out a new ad featuring a divorced family. The team over at Slate has a few things to say about the new approach to Ford's Focus on the Family.  Do you want a women's perspective on the subject? Read the Learned on Women's blog entry regarding Ford's new ad where a divorced father gets to spend a special day with his family.

We all know seatbelts are necessary. The save lives, plain and simple. But are they comfortable? What if you are pregnant? If you are looking for a better alternative to the seatbelt in your car and are tired of it riding up on your belly, check out the Maternity Seat Belt from Girls Love Wheels. The Maternity Seat Belt provides pregnant women and their unborn child with the necessary safety needed from your existing seatbelts.

If only driver's education could be fun for teens. According to Mother Proof there just might be an alternative to the traditional style of driver's ed. The Driver's Edge provides teens with a free driving clinic where they will be faced with more challenging behind-the-wheel excercises like traffic safety, braking and lane changes and skid control, teens participate in  a section devoted to car care. Jeff Payne, founder of the clinic, likes to tell his students, "Guys, you better learn this lesson now: Women rule the world." That's what we like to hear!

Remember September is NADA's Child Passenger Safety Month! If you haven't had your child's safety seat inspected, make this the month to do it. You can find a list of participating dealers on NADA's web site. Don't wait to get your safety inspection! Do it today!

Do you know a young woman who loves to race? Bullrun, a new show for Spike TV is looking for women who know cars and have a car they've worked on that they would be willing to race. The show will feature 13 teams of 2 people each, rallying in their cars from Vancouver to Los Angeles for one week in October. All expenses are paid and there's a big cash prize at the end! Ladies, get out there and apply for the show!

Be sure to catch our next carnival on September 12th! Go ahead! Submit an article... it will be fun!