You’ve never been into hiking, your spouse has never been into hiking, and you’ve never taken your children hiking. But you’re planning on visiting a national park, and you want to be able to hike the trails to be able to see the sites. Or, you want to get out with the family, and you’ve decided that a great way to do this is to hike. Both of these are excellent reasons to start hiking together as a family. Hiking together can also have other benefits, such as increased family bonding and great memories that you and your children will take home with you, not to mention that it’s a great way to get exercise.

I am part of a large family, and we’ve hiked together for years. Part of this is due to the fact that our parents love to hike, but another part of it is that we enjoy walking together and seeing new and interesting places. However, it can be daunting to try and figure out how to get all of the children to the end of the trail and back again. In this article, I will try and explain how to hike with a large family. Remember, however, that this is from my own experience, and that your experience will likely be different than mine. Mix and match my ideas and your own ideas and expectations to create something that will work for your family.

Preparation

We didn’t wake up one day and say, “Hey, let’s start hiking 10-mile trails.” This has to be worked up to, especially if you are hiking with several children. When we first started, we were walking the 400 ft. to overlooks. As we grew, our abilities grew, and we began hiking longer and longer trails.

Therefore, you will need to work up to hiking long distances. This can be accomplished by walking on local trails that are somewhat similar to the longer trails you plan to do later. For example, you can begin by walking mile or for a certain amount of time (such as 1 hour) and then work up to longer trails and longer timeframes. This will also help the parents gage the abilities of their children, and help them select trails that are not above their own abilities. Great places to hike are local parks, state parks, rails-to-trails areas (these are flat and often easy to walk on but usually lack nice views), and other local wild areas that have trails. The internet is a great resource for finding trails in your area. In this article, when I talk about “hiking”, I mean walking trails that are at least a mile long. This information may also be useful for shorter distances, but in general this information applies better to longer trails.

Gaging Your Children’s Abilities

When hiking with your children, assess their abilities as well as their desires. Do they simply not want to go any further when they say they’re tired after the first 10 minutes? Or are they really not up to a long hike? This takes discernment on the part of the parents, and understanding the children. A good attitude on the part of the older children and parents helps: I have found that if the older children think this is some kind of cool adventure, the younger children are often more than happy to join in on the excitement. However, remember that the point of hiking is not to have a forced march that no one enjoys. By having hiked with your children before and understanding their abilities, you can choose trails that are within your children’s ability, but that perhaps push them just slightly further…and then a little further…so that it builds their ability slowly.

You may find that the older children are far more capable than the younger children at hiking long distances. This is not surprising. After all, they have to take two or even three steps to every one of your own! However, this does not mean that you must carry the child. I feel so sorry for the parents I see who are still carrying their 5-year-old. The parent is huffing and puffing, and the child is just there for the ride. We usually carried our children until they were about three years old, and then eased them into hiking on their own, or holding the hand of an older child or adult. Even after that, though, we would occasionally carry a child if they had been hiking a very long time and were tired.

Another way to keep the younger children hiking is to tell them stories. The parents can do this, as can the older children. Some of the younger children can also tell their own, although most of ours preferred listening to the ones we came up with. Stories can be classics like “The Three Little Pigs” and “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”, or you can make up your own.

Older children can be very helpful with the younger children. I really enjoyed carrying my younger siblings, even if I was only 11 and they were 1. Later, when several of us were older (13+), we did all the carrying of the younger children, and our parents rarely carried any children, even on long hikes. Even if they can’t carry a child, older children (6+) can walk with their younger siblings, helping them along the way, holding their hands, encouraging them to keep going, and so on. Often we’d just end up helping them, but sometimes we would be assigned a child, like, “Ok, until the next rest break, you get to walk with your youngest brother” or something like that. If your family has a buddy system, this is a great place to use it. Sometimes children like to run ahead on trails. This may be fine in some situations, especially if the children are older, but you may want to restrain them by, for example, telling them not to go out of sight of you.

What to Take With You

The age of your children and the length of the hike will determine exactly what you need to take with you. For example, if you have very young children, you will need to take diapers, wipes, formula (if you use it), etc. for them. You may even have to dedicate a backpack to this type of stuff. Some baby backpacks come with pockets for such things, but I have never found these to work very well. Also, if you’re taking a longer hike, you’ll need to bring more food and water than if you are taking a shorter hike.

Probably the most important thing to take on a hike is water. This is especially true if the weather is hot or you are hiking in dry areas such as the American southwest. In such weather or areas, it is very easy to dehydrate, so bring plenty of water for each person. We have a plastic refillable bottle (16-oz.) for each person. These are easy to refill and transport on the trail. On very long hikes (8+ miles) we bring extra water in a small water jug (1-gallon) which fits into a daypack.

Another very important item to bring is food. “An army marches on its stomach” and so do hikers, especially children. Small snacks can make the difference between making it back to the parking area in a reasonable time and dragging the children for hours on the last mile. The packs can be heavy in the beginning, but everyone will be thankful for the food later in the day.

Who should carry this stuff? Well, it will depend on the age of your children, in part. Older children (6+) can carry daypacks with food, water, or other items in them. This is especially helpful if the parents need to carry smaller children. Another option is for one parent to carry a child and the other to carry some of the food, etc. See what works for you. We nearly always take at least five packs to spread out the weight between as many people as possible (usually this means the five oldest children are carrying backpacks). The water bottles themselves usually get spread over two packs, or each person carries his or her own.

Hiking as a family can be a fun experience for everyone, especially when there are many of you to enjoy it together. However, each family is different and will need to figure out what works best for them. Once you have worked out what works best for you, you can enjoy many hours of walking and enjoying the outdoors together as a family.

Anne W is a travel writer who has written extensively about destinations in the continental US and traveling on a budget. She describes herself as “A passionate hiker who craves beautiful vistas.” To this end she travels around the country searching out unique destinations and hiking trails for her website, Anne’s Travels. For hiking trails and more travel information, visit http://www.annestravels.net/

I remember my mother telling me about the times when she was pregnant. She was wearing nothing more than my father’s jeans and his working shirts throughout her pregnancy. No maternity clothes for her because she was too poor to buy them at that time. Remember, in her time, which was about 30 years back, maternity clothes used to cost a bomb.

And yet, if you walk along any shopping center these days, you’ll notice at least three or four maternity clothes fashion houses catering to the specifically ‘large’ needs of a pregnant mother. And since the web and the Internet is such a magnanimous thing these days, what about online maternity stores? I’d safely say there are just about half a million legitimate maternity stores right now flailing around the Internet wires for business.

And the amazing thing is that…YES, they make money! And why, I was wondering.

Because of one simple thing….even though my mother (like your mother) and my grandmother (and your grandmother) didn’t need maternity clothes when they were pregnant, the modern generation of pregnant women really, truly DO need maternity clothes. We’re living in an era that is completely different from their time and we cannot compare our pregnancy needs with their needs. The same rules no longer apply.

If you’re pregnant right now and am sitting around here wondering if you should get yourself a whole new wardrobe of maternity clothes, you’re in luck. I have some tips about buying maternity clothes for you.

Buy good-looking maternity clothes that can last at least 3 pregnancies

Like I said, maternity clothes are not cheap these days and maternity clothes are only wearable for the nine months that you’re pregnant and maybe another month or two after that. And when you get back in shape, you’re going to have to shelve those expensive maternity clothes or put the maternity clothes in sad boxes with the edges stuck together with cellophane tape.

So, buy only maternity clothes that are classy and of exceptional quality. You wear maternity clothes only when you plan to go out. For casual outings and at home, stick to your extra large clothes or perhaps, you can buy some large sweaters, t-shirts, overalls, or raglan to wear when you’re not required to look all-that-presentable. It works!

You won’t need CASUAL maternity clothes. In my books, that’s an oxymoron.

Maternity clothes that can double up as breastfeeding clothes later on would be good too

If you intend to breastfeed your baby after the whole pregnancy is over, you would have to think about buying MORE clothes…breastfeeding/nursing clothes. Now, as with maternity clothes, nursing clothes don’t come cheap either. And do we NEED nursing clothes as much as we need maternity clothes? Yes, sometimes we do. I have quite a few fashionable looking nursing clothes that I wear whenever I go out shopping or meeting up with friends. Other times, I wear my t-shirts with holes cut out for easy access to the breast! Yeah, it’s funny, but at home, who’s going to care?

And if you can get your hands on some good maternity clothes that can double up as nursing clothes later on, GO FOR IT! You will get your money’s worth that way.

Style of maternity clothes

Many maternity clothes designers are asleep when they’re designing maternity clothes – the selection is bad. Most of them are nothing but flower after flower, spiral after spiral, safety pins or perhaps some form of teddy bear or another. Forget about them! If you were to buy maternity clothes, invest one that makes you look good. If the maternity clothes are plain, that’s fine, it’s better than making you look like Bozo – most of them do, by the way.

The point is that you want to look CLASSY and DIGNIFIED even though you’re sort of….BIG. and wearing maternity clothes with large orange and yellow flower prints is NOT going to help you do that!

That’s just my opinion, of course, and you’re entitled to have your own opinion about maternity clothes that looks good.

Good luck!

Reprint Notice

Copyright 2005 Marsha Maung

Please feel free to reprint this article in your newsletter, website, magazine or other forms of publication freely. The only requirement is that the following biodata is included and the links remains intact. Apart from editorial or grammatical editing, other form of editing that may impair, change, or alter the context of the article is NOT permitted. If so, please contact the writer for written consent.

Marsha Maung is a freelance writer and designer. She designs apparel, household and premium items for http://www.allmomstuff.com Marsha MaungÂ’s personal website is http://www.marshamaung.com

Why temperature is so important

NB. F = Degrees Fahrenheit and C = Degrees Centigrade

Temperature is critical in determining how long to cook a turkey, for the simple fact that the bird must have reached a uniform temperature of at least 165 F throughout in order to destroy harmful bacteria. You do not want to give your guests food poisoning!

The turkey is a weird shaped food source! – Large body covered with thick flesh around the breast area, large legs made up of dense muscle and a large internal cavity. Because of this, it is not so easy as cooking a single joint of meet for example. The breast meat tends to cook much faster that the dense muscular leg meat, so there is a risk of over-cooking the breast meat whilst waiting for the leg meat to cook thoroughly.

Deciding how long to cook a turkey is not an easy question to answer as there are so many variable factors to consider.

The type of oven

With conventional gas or electric ovens (not Microwave, Convection, Rotisserie) the top of the oven is the hottest zone. The middle part of the oven is usually the coolest zone. The bottom part of the oven is usually also a cool zone in a gas oven, but in an electric oven this area can be a hot zone. As the turkey will remain in the same position throughout the cooking cycle, this will influence the length of time and how evenly the turkey cooks.

Microwave ovens work on an entirely different principle but due to the larger size of turkey compared to chicken, may not be large enough to cook turkey.

Convection ovens are more efficient than conventional ovens because an internal fan circulates hot air all around the food. Turkey cooked in a convection oven should be more evenly cooked with maybe a 50% saving in time.

Rotisserie ovens are also more efficient than conventional ovens because the food is continually turned allowing heat to penetrate evenly.

Size and weight of the turkey

No surprises here, but the larger and heavier the turkey, the longer the time period for cooking! If the turkey is so large that it only just fits into the oven, seriously consider using a bigger oven or buying a smaller turkey. The reason for this is that to cook the turkey thoroughly, there must be a good air space all around the turkey to enable hot air to circulate. If this is not the case then it will be difficult to gauge cooking times and ensure even cooking throughout.

Fresh or frozen turkey?

Many people prefer to cook a fresh turkey as the taste is said to be superior to frozen. Fresh turkey should be purchased 1 to 2 days prior to cooking and stored in a refrigerator. When ready to cook take out of the refrigerator and allow to come up towards room temperature.

Frozen turkey is more convenient for many people however and provided the correct thawing out procedure is followed, should be safe and tasty. Care must taken to follow the suppliers thawing out instructions correctly, including that applying to stuffing. A general guide to thawing frozen turkey stored in a refrigerator is to allow 24 hours for every 4-5 pounds weight (e.g. a 14 pounds turkey would take 3 to 4 days to thaw out).

Deciding how long to cook your turkey

Professional chefs cook their turkey at an oven temperature range 325 F to 350 F (170 C to 180 C).

As a guide, if you are cooking a 12 pounds weight fresh or thawed frozen turkey without stuffing using a conventional oven operating at a temperature of 325 F, the likely cooking time would be 3 Hours. When stuffing is placed within the turkey it will take a little longer to cook through so the cooking time must be increased. Refer to a good turkey cook book for full instructions.

Testing temperature when cooking your turkey

The old school method for testing when your turkey is cooked is to use a clean metal skewer. When the approximate cooking time is up, you take the turkey out of the oven and carefully pierce the thickest part of the leg with the skewer. Remove the skewer and press against the leg to see if the juices run out clear without any trace of pink – if the juices are clear then the turkey should be cooked.

There are more accurate methods available using modern technology, more suited to the amateur or newbie chef:

• Use a temperature probe food thermometer designed to be inserted directly into the turkey during the cooking process, as directed by manufacturers instructions. This continuously monitors the internal cooking temperature so you can be certain that the correct minimum temperature is achieved.
• Use a thermometer (designed for the specific purpose) to register the internal temperature of your oven so as to check the accuracy of your ovens temperature controls.
• When the turkey has cooked and has been removed from the oven, use an “instant read” probe food thermometer to check the internal temperature of various parts of the turkey e.g. legs, inner thigh, breast, internal cavity stuffing. The turkey should be allowed to rest for approximately 30 minutes after cooking and the internal temperature must be at least 165 F to ensure that the meat is cooked sufficiently well and safe to eat.

Turkey cooking tips

1. Some professional chefs suggest pre heating your oven to a much hotter initial temperature of 425 F ( 220 C ). Place your turkey in the oven and leave for approximately 15 minutes. Then reduce the temperature down to the correct range selected e.g. 325 F for the remaining time. The idea here is to give the turkey a good blast of heat which penetrates right into the meat and any stuffing.
2. Consider cooking stuffing outside the turkey in a casserole.
3. To protect the turkey breast from over-cooking and drying out, consider placing stuffing under the breast skin. You should carefully peel back the skin and work your fingers and then your hand under the skin to free it from the meat. Spoon the stuffing into the cavity and then replace the skin and secure down to avoid anything leaking out.

Enjoy your turkey dinner celebration!

The author is an enthusiastic home cook loving traditional recipes. For a complete guide to cooking turkey made easy visit http://howto-cookaturkey.com

When were the forms of media created? When did advertising first show up? Who owns the media?

Creation of the various forms of media

*

Newspapers & Magazines ~ 1880

*

Movies ~ 1910

*

Television ~ 1945

*

Cable Television ~ 1980′s

*

Satellite Television, Internet, Digital Communication ~ End of the 20th century

In 1920, radio was first developed, primarily for use by the military, strictly for sendingHistory of the Media – Old Radios messages from one location to another. David Sternoff, the then-president of RCA, first had the idea to sell radio sets to consumers, or what were then called radio receivers. However, consumers needed a reason to buy radios, so RCA was the first to set up radio stations all over the country. Between 1920 and 1922, 400 radio stations were set up, starting with KBKA in Pittsburgh. Stations were also set up by universities, newspapers, police departments, hotels, and labor unions.

*

By 1923, there were 600 radio stations across the United States, and $83 million worth of sets had been sold.

The biggest difference in radio before and after 1923 was that the first advertising was not heard on the radio until 1923. RCA at the time was made up of four companies:

*

AT&T

*

General Electric

*

United Fruit

*

Westinghouse

United Fruit was one of the first global corporations, and one of the first to advertise on the radio. The AT&T division of RCA first thought about selling time on the air to companies, which marked the start of “toll broadcasting.” WEAF was the first station to operate this way, causing widespread outrage, and accusation of “polluting the airwaves.”

Because of this controversy, the practice of selling advertising time was called “trade name publicity.” Sponsors linked their name with a program on the air, rather than advertising a specific product in a 30 second “commercial” as we know it today.

Why did AT&T decide to experiment with charging companies for air time?

AT&T was not making any money from broadcasting at the time since they only made transmitters, not receivers. They only made money when new radio stations bought the equipment required to broadcast. They did not make money from consumers buying radios.

AT&T also started the practice of paying performers for their time on the air, rather than only volunteers, which was standard practice for radio content up until that point.

The first radio network

In 1926, RCA set up the first radio network, NBC. They decided it was more effective and efficient to produce shows in New York City, and then link the main radio station with stations all across the country, connected by AT&T (another RCA company) phone lines. (Now television networks are linked by satellite to their affiliates).

This was the beginning of the network affiliates system. The ideal network makes sure everyone in the country is capable of listening to their signal. NBC at the time had two philosophies:

*

Radio content was a “public service,” whose function was to sell radios.

*

Radio content was designed to generate income from advertising.

History of the Media In 1927, the second network was formed. It was CBS, started by William Paley. Paley was the first to think that networks could make money strictly from advertising, not even getting involved in the sales of radios. Like AT&T, CBS did not make radios. From the start, they made their money from selling advertising.

The rising of radio networks caused the Radio Act of 1927 to be passed, which established the FRC, or what is now known as the FCC, to allocate broadcast licenses. The need for such an organization was brought on by the fact that airwaves are limited resources, and broadcasting itself is a scarce public resource. By the 1930′s, the structure of radio have been set by the commercial format, although advertising never dominated radio like it would television later on.

In the 1920′s and ’30′s, radio programs were divided into two groups. Sponsored shows, which had advertisers, and unsponsored shows, which did not. The radio station paid for the unsponsored shows. The sponsored shows, on the other hand, were created entirely by the company sponsoring the show; advertisers were totally in charge of the radio station’s content. The content became advertising. Radio set the precedent for television, in that the same companies that controlled radio early on went on to control television.

Soon thereafter, television inherited the structure of radio. In the ’40′s, during the rise of television, RCA also held a monopoly on all television sets sold. By 1945-1955, advertising had taken over all of television. Television was organized around the premise of selling things. The entire television industry was creating a political atmosphere of suspicion and fear. Senator Joseph McCarthy, the founder of McCarthyism, which was based on the fear of Communism, and the HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee, began to question people involved in television about their beliefs and associations.

What affected television in its early stages?

*

Politics (McCarthyism / HUAC).

*

Blacklists: From almost the inception of television, many writers, directors, and actors were considered to be pro-Communist and/or un-American.

Certain topics were totally off-limits at the time for television, particularly issues of race relations in the 1960′s. Overall, networks were not happy with the political situation for television in the 1960′s, both in terms of the blacklists, and of the fact that when every show had one sponsor, that sponsor controlled the entire program. Networks preferred to control the program, by way of moving to multiple sponsors/advertisers, where networks would retain control of the show, and advertisers would buy time in between the programming.

In the 1950′s, networks decided to eliminate the practice of sponsors controlling the shows with a move to spot selling, or advertisements between programs, as we know it today. What caused the move to spot selling?

1.

Discovery of fraud in the quiz shows on television. Quiz shows were extremely popular at the time, and were liked by the networks, the sponsors, and the viewers alike. It turned out, however, that quiz shows were largely fixed. Charles Van Doren on “21″ became a huge star due to his repeated wins, until it came out that the whole thing had been fixed. In the case of “The $64,000 Question,” the owner of Revlon was personally hand-selecting the winners and losers on the show.

2.

It was becoming financially difficult for just one advertiser to support an entire show.

Around this same time came the inception of ratings to measure a show’s popularity. Ratings, quite simply, measure the number of people watching a show. To understand why ratings are so important, it’s crucial to understand how the television industry works, through three questions, and their respective answers:

1.

Who owns television? [The networks]

2.

What is sold on television? [Viewer's time, not television shows]

3.

Who are the customers of television? [Advertisers, not viewers]

This might be a counterintuitive concept for some. The networks, which own television, areHistory of the Media – Old Television the buyers of shows, not the sellers. On the other hand, they sell our eyeballs, so to speak, to advertisers. Networks want the maximum possible profit from buying and selling time, both viewers’ time, and advertisers’ time.

The primary measure of television ratings, which determine the price of that time being bought and sold, is AC Nielsen, an independent company which provides information as to who watches what on television. Currently, about 4,000 households are used to represent the national viewing of television. In the 1980′s, only 1,200 households were used. Some households have an electronic device installed on their television which tracks what they watch, while others keep a diary of viewing habits.

There are two measures for determining a show’s audience. One is the rating, and the other is the share.

*

Rating: Percentage of total homes with televisions tuned into a particular show.

*

Share: Percentage of those watching television at a particular time who are tuned into a particular show.

The share is always greater than the rating. Ratings are more important for advertisers, and share is more important to the networks.

Example:

*

Total households with televisions: 150 million

*

Total households watching television at 8pm on Monday nights: 90 million

*

Total households watching American Idol at 8pm on Monday nights: 45 million

*

Therefore: Rating: 30, Share: 50

It’s important to note how many factors can skew the results. Shows cost producers much more than the networks typically pay them for those shows. The way for producers to make money is by getting the networks to renew the show, in order to have a shot at making money from syndication on other channels, also knows as reruns. That is the case when individual stations (say for example, the Miami affiliate of ABC wants to carry Seinfeld), buy the rights to a show from the producers of that show. Shows that last only one season, for the most part, lose millions of dollars. One of the most important factors in whether shows will be renewed or not is their rating.

This brings us to how ratings can be skewed. For example, if a show has a 20 share, and it needs a 25 share to be renewed for another season, what might the producers do? In principle, they need to convince another 5% of the people watching television when their show is on to watch their show; this is no simple task, as that involves convincing millions of people. However, since the ratings are based on those 4,000 Nielsen households, that means that they could convince just 200 Nielsen households to watch their show, which would increase the share from 20 to 25. This is why Nielsen households must be kept totally secret from the networks. When the Nielsen households have leaked to the networks, one way which they got people to watch their show was by offering viewers a small sum of money for filling out a survey about a commercial which they were told would play only during a particular show. Since they had to watch that channel while their show was on, this would boost the share.

Once ratings are determined, advertising prices are set by two factors:

* The size of the audience.

* The demographics (income, age, gender, occupation, etc) of the audience.

In short, the job of television programs is to collect our time as a product, which they then sell to advertisers. Programs have to support the advertising, delivering viewers in the best possible state of mind for buying when the time for the commercials comes, which brings us to the Golden Age of Television.

The 1950′s are considered the “Golden Age of Television.” During this time, something called the “Anthology Series,” where different actors each week took part in a show gained History of the Media – I Love Lucypopularity across the board…that is, with everyone except for advertisers. The anthology series format was not right for advertisers, as it covered topics which involved psychological confrontations which did not leave the viewers in the proper state of mind for buying the products shown to them between program segments. The subject matter of the anthology series was of the type that undermined the ads, almost making them seem fraudulent.

This brought up the question of what to network executives actually want shows to do? The answer is not to watch a program that makes them feel good, makes them laugh, or excites them, but rather to watch the television for a set amount of time. With so many new shows being proposed, standards began to be intentionally, or unintentionally, laid out for what shows could and couldn’t do. Risks could only be taken at the beginning and/or end of shows. Laugh tracks were conceived to tell the audience when to laugh. Programs began being tested with audiences prior to being put on television and/or radio. Show writers now had to write shows that would test well.

Naturally, this caused many of the same elements and themes to appear in all shows. This was the beginning of recombinant television culture, where the same elements are endlessly repeated, recombined, and mixed.

This same culture is what perpetuated the idea that people watch television, not specific shows. While people certainly choose to watch certain shows instead of others, people less commonly choose to watch television instead of other things. People watch television. Regardless of what was on, television viewing rates were extremely stable.

David Pakman is editor/adminstrator of politics and media website Hear the Issues ([http://www.heartheissues.com]), a website frequented and praised by many mainstream journalist and pundits.

Are you looking for an auto service manual? Would you like to find a way to repair your vehicle or certain parts of your vehicle on your own?  It’s possible to get a free auto repair manual online to use for whatever type of auto repair you need. If you have Internet access and a computer, you will be able to do this in a relatively short amount of time.

All you have to do is search online for an auto service manual that will help your needs. You can find a free online auto repair manual to help you with your car today. The first step is to know what type of manual you are looking for. There are different types of auto service manuals available.

Some examples are:

• Repair manuals
• General manuals
• Diagnosis descriptions
• Maintenance manuals

It will be important to know which type of manual you are looking for when you go searching for these online. Knowing how to help narrow your search can be very important and will also help make the process quicker and easier for you.

Then in the future, you will know how to find a particular manual right away. For example, you can search according to make and model as well as the year of a particular vehicle you want to make repairs to.

Repair manuals will go into the most detail of how to repair specific parts of your vehicle. You can look up exhaust repair, body repair, engine repair, interior repair and more. General manuals are like repair manuals but they are usually not related to the make of the vehicle and just discuss repairs in general that you can apply to most any vehicle.

Diagnosis descriptions help you either by make and model or by specific types of automotive repairs. For example, they may focus on one area of the vehicle in which the repairs are the same throughout different make and models of automobiles. Sometimes they are also categorized according to certain sounds or indications the vehicle might make that something is wrong.

The more you know about the types that exist out there, the better prepared you will be to make your search for free online auto repair manuals. When you find a great, quality, dependable site for searching for free repair manuals, you should be sure to bookmark it so you can always come back to it later when needed.

You will probably be surprised to see how many great manuals there are out there for free. You can find these manuals online without spending a dime. Don’t be fooled by sites trying to tell you that you have to pay for their guides when they are likely offering the exact same information you can obtain for free.

You also don’t have to wait weeks to contact the manufacturer for a guide when you can now find them online instantly. This makes it possible to get your free auto repair manual quick and easy so you can get right to your repairs when you’re ready.

To learn more and to find your own free auto repair manuals, visit free online auto service manual today.

Car Price Guides

Whether you’re considering trading your car through a dealership, selling it privately, refinancing it, or if you simply want to know what it’s worth, chances are you’ll be counting on a car price guide to assign a fair value to your vehicle. Car price guides can be accessed at the library, credit unions or banks, car dealerships, and online.

While that sounds easy enough, you might be surprised to discover the amount of information that is taken into consideration in determining the value of your automobile. Since a variety of car value guides are on the market, there may also be discrepancies that exist between one value guide and another. For this reason, it is up to the car’s owner to make sure that the car is valued at its maximum value.

Getting Started

While there are several car value guides available, the function of each is quite similar. Basically, you will begin by indicating why you are trying to place a value on your car. Used car values will vary based on whether the car is being traded, sold privately, or refinanced.

Identifying Your Car

Once you’ve identified the type of valuation needed, you will select the year, make, and model of your used car. Classic or antique cars are often classified separately. You will often be asked to select the vehicle’s trim package. Note that while an EX model might be a base model on one automobile, it might be the high-end model on another automobile. In selecting the trim package, many car owners make the mistake of guessing. This could result in assigning a less valuable trim to your car, thus reducing its overall value.

The next section of the car price guide will ask for specific information pertaining to your used car. The open-ended section of the requested information will include current mileage and your zip code. The zip code is required to determine the part of the country that you live in. Car prices and values vary from region to region.

Options and Upgrades

Following this section, you will likely find a checklist with all of the available options listed. You check off the features that your car has. This will include features such as power door locks, power windows, passenger side airbags, alloy wheels, leather, sunroof, and other components that are often considered options or upgrades. It is very important that features are not overlooked. It is a good idea to refer to the car’s original paperwork for this information. A car with a high number of extra features is referred to as loaded. A loaded car has a higher value than a base model car.

Indicating Your Car’s Condition

Finally, you will be asked to rank your car’s mechanical condition and appearance. Your choices will include:

• Excellent
• Good
• Fair
• Poor

A car with an excellent rating must run like new, and have no mechanical, body, or interior damage. All features and components must be in excellent working order. Repair and maintenance records are required.

In order for a car to be considered in good condition, the car must have little or no damage. Minor scratches and dings are acceptable. This car must be fully operable, without the need of any type of repairs.

Fair conditioned vehicles might need minor repairs and may have some body or interior damage. The damage should not impede the car’s ability to be driven.

Cars that need extensive cosmetic or mechanical repairs should be considered to be in poor condition.

Obviously, the better condition your car is in, the more the car is worth. Unfortunately, opinions often differ in this subjective analysis of a car’s condition. As an owner, be prepared to justify your position on the ranking you assigned to the car’s condition. This area has the most room for debate and the dealership or private buyer may try to convince you to lessen the value of your car based on their opinion of the car’s condition.

Results

Once this final step is completed, you will be directed to a chart that will indicate the fair value of your car. If you’re using an online car price guide, the website will list the fair value, without requiring you to refer to a chart.

How to Use the Results

Even though the first step was to clarify whether you were selling your car to an individual or trading it in at a dealership, most car value guides will still provide results for each scenario. In fact, many online pricing guides will even reveal what your car is worth if considered in excellent, good, fair, or poor condition. This overall snapshot of values can be used to help you decide whether to haggle or lose a deal over the condition of your car. In other words, if the dealer is offering to accept your car as a trade in good condition and you feel strongly that the car is in excellent condition, the value results may indicate a difference of such an insignificant amount that it may not be worth haggling over.

Quick Tips for Making the Car as Valuable to the Buyer as It Is to the Seller

If trading your car in at a dealership, cosmetic touch ups, such as those listed below, will usually will not add value to your car. However, when dealing with an individual in a private sale, these tips can make a big difference. Keep in mind, though, that the price of the repair, or touch up, should not exceed the value it adds to your car.

• Keep all repair and maintenance records up to date.
• Always maintain the condition and basic upkeep of your car. This includes oil changes, exterior washes, carpet care, and leather cleaner on the interior.
• Get rid of odors with an air freshener designed specifically for automobiles.
• If the car is especially unkempt, consider having it professionally detailed.
• Replace worn, missing, or damaged floor mats with new, inexpensive mats.
• Consider repairing loose headliners.
• Repair and broken glass or cracked windshields.
• Remove any bumper stickers or specialty tags.

Important Reminders

Always know what your car is worth before discussing the sale or trade with other parties. The dealership will often value a car at a significantly lower rate than the car is actually worth. Obviously, this is an attempt to make as much money on the deal as possible. Work as hard to save money as the dealership works to make money.

For a private sale, have a Carfax report available. Strangers are often suspicious, particularly if the deal seems too good to be true. The potential purchaser might think that the car was previously wrecked or otherwise damaged, so presenting a Carfax report may be helpful in this situation.

Your car may not sell at the price you think it’s worth. If the car does not sell after being listed for reasonable amount of time, decide whether you should take it off the market or reduce your price. Just because the car is valued at a price does not mean it will sell for that price. Factors such as the economy, similar cars listed in the area, and dealership promotions and rebates will have an impact on how easily your car sells.

You can find other ways of answer the question how much is my car worth here, and also here: how much is my car worth.

Ray T. Lewis always tries to get the best price he can when selling a car or truck.