It's a lovely spring day, and I'm you'd think I'd be out somewhere having fun with my dog, Instead I'm at home, afraid to even venture out because of gas prices that in my area are averaging $4.30 per gallon. 

So my mind turned to fuel efficient cars, and I wondered...what are the most fuel efficient minivans?  

First stop for information on mpgs is always fueleconomy.gov.  Ah, they've read my mind with their link to the most and least gas efficient vehicles in several categories. Here's the most fuel efficient trucks, vans and SUVs.  Of course, hybrids lead the pack for the SUVs.  Hmmm, best minivan is the Mazda5.  I saw one of those at the L.A. car show, and they're not exactly a full-size minivan.  I guess you could call it a mini-minivan.  But who am I to quibble with 28 mpg highway?

Okay, on to other search results and the little pieces of information that have floated to the surface.  For example, did you know that Toyota markets a hybrid minivan in Japan, the Toyota Estima?  Hey guys, send a few of those our way!

If you drive the Honda Odyssey EX-L and Touring models, you could be looking at mpgs as high as 20/28.  That's looking pretty good for a full-size minivan!

Ah, according to Consumer Reports, the Toyota Sienna XLE also gets as high as 28 mpg highway, putting it right on par with the Odyssey.  Not bad.

Of course, to save money on fuel you have to spend money on the more expensive models of both the Sienna and the Odyssey. <sigh>  Back to the drawing board.

Do you have a minivan that gets good gas mileage?  Then share the joy, and tell us about it! 

 

 

 

 

We haven't seen the new Forester yet, but we're definitely starting to hear about it!  Dan Neil reviewed the recently released 2009 model in this week's Rumble Seat column in the L.A. Times. 

The good news for CarGoDogs readers is that the size has increased a bit.  I've never seriously considered a Forester simply because the old model had so little cargo space.  But the 2009 version is 3 inches longer and about 2 inches wider.  That may not sound like much, but it may allow you to squeeze a crate where you weren't able to squeeze a crate before!

The downside to the Forester is gas mileage.  All models are 4 wheel drive, which doesn't help.  The non-turbo version gets 20/26 mpg and the turbo gets 19/24.  That's not all that much better than a minivan, and though it has more space, it doesn't have THAT much space.

We'll try to take our measuring tapes to this one very soon.

Toyota doesn't want to be left out.  Honda recently launched Honda Dog, and Toyota has launched Corolla Loves Dogs!  Toyota and Honda seem to assume that all the dog-lovers are in Japan, but hey, we do a pretty good job of obsession over our animals here in the U.S., too!

We've quite fond of Honda's vehicles.  Several of their models are particularly dog-friendly, and Honda's cars are typically safe and reliable.  After all, I purchased a ten year old Honda wagon, and expect it to make 200,000 miles!   Leave it to Honda to also acknowledge the needs of dog-owners when it comes to car purchases by launching Honda Dogs!  All right, so it would be nice if the Honda Dog site was in English, but really, it's the pictures that are important.  And there's plenty of them!  Dogs in crates in Hondas, dogs standing outside Hondas, dogs in the back seats, dogs in the front seats (passenger side, of course.)  So what's next?  Ford Dog, Toyota Dog, Chevy Dog?  We can only hope.

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• Honda goes to the dogs [via Zemanta]

If you're looking for a hotel/motel that will accommodate pets, try CheapTickets.com.  Select "Hotels", fill in the location and dates, then check "Let me choose amenities."  When you click on "Search", you'll have the option to select "Pets OK."  In my limited testing, the search results looked much more extensive than what I've seen on other sites devoted to pet-friendly lodging.

I'll admit it...I've never leased a car.  I'm not the type to buy a new car every 3 or 4 years, so I've always assuming leasing wouldn't make sense for me.  Not only that, it seems like the leasing transaction is so complicated, I'm not sure how I would know I was getting a good deal.

But sometimes, when I'm perusing the newspaper, those monthly payments that the car dealers tout look very appealing.  If you're tempted to lease rather than buy, read Bankrate.com's "Top Leasing Booby Traps" before you sign on the dotted line.

After reading this article, I decided I'm right.  It is complicated.

Andrea and the BamaEskies sent us this picture of her new RAV4! Here are her comments:

"I have three American Eskimo Dogs (Eskies) and just
bought a RAV4. It's an awesome dog mobile! I'm thinking about getting Hubby to make me a riser for it!!!

I've attached a few photos of my new RAV4. One shows how the second rows seats fold down. In this photo, you can also see the rear bumper protector that I got (black). The dogs can jump in and out, and I don't have to worry about any scratches! The other two photos show the two Side-By-Side SUV crates (and I can easily put another crate in between the front seats and the cargo crates.) "

Thanks for the pictures and feedback, Andrea!

Bankrate.com is sensing desperation among the new car dealers.  Lucky for you, that's resulting in deeper discounts and rebates.  Bankrate has listed 10 of the most deeply discounted cars in this article. There's several dog-friendly, if not environment friendly, cars in this list, so if you're in the market for a new car, you may want to take a look.

2000 Toyota Landcruiser - ready for mountain climbing with 2 dogs and 5 adults! With a small platform, I could easily fit 2 400 sized crates side by side, with about 6 inches of room between the crate door and the tailgate. What I love is the fact that I don't have to fold the seats down to get the crates in.

Pam Anderson/ Indy & Avus (Groens)
Cape Elizabeth, Maine USA

Dog owners can expect have more choices than ever when buying a car.  Station wagons and hatchbacks are back "in."  Just don't expect carmakers to admit it.

After being in disfavor for more than a decade, wagons are becoming more popular because they tend to get better gas mileage than a mini-van, but still offer some cargo space.  If that sounds appealing, watch for the terms "crossover sedans" and small SUVs.  Rumor has it that Honda is bringing back the Accord wagon (my personal favorite), calling it the "Honda Accord Tourer."

Small hatchbacks are becoming much more common; think small, wagon-like cars, including the Honda Fit and the Nissan Versa.  According to the L.A. Times (Sept. 1, 2007, Business Section, p.C3) "Many Americans want alternatives to gas-hungry sport utility vehicles that will provide more storage space than a sedan while costing less and getting better mileage than the car-based crossover utility vehicles that have hit the market in recent years."

Just more for us...

Last summer when I was desperately searching for a used wagon, I wondered how to handle the vehicle inspection.  There was no way I was going to buy a car without a reputable mechanic taking a look-see.  But I couldn't quite figure out the logistics.  Would a seller be willing to release the car to me for the inspection, especially when I lived miles away? 

In the end, I found my perfect car at a car dealer in Santa Monica, and they offered to hold the bill of sale until I could have the car inspected by my local mechanic.  Still, this may not always be an option.

There's services out there that just fit this niche.  While wandering the web I found Used Car Check of California and SGS Inspection.  You don't have to take the car to them, they come to you, provided that you're in their area.  It seems like a perfect solution.  (Disclaimer: I've never used this service, or one like it.  If you have, let us know how it worked out for you.)

Another option is to find a mechanic close to the seller.  If you don't know anyone in the area, try the CarTalk Mechanics Files to locate a reputable car guy.

Whatever you do, make sure to have any used car you're interested in purchasing inspected.  Who knows what might be found underneath the hood.

I'm not sure where our Thomas Brothers map book is.  It might be under the seat in the Sienna, or in the front seat pocket.  Of course, I wouldn't be without one, but it's getting much less use these days since I typically use a web mapping site for directions to agility trials or dog shows.

It's easy to get in a rut, using the same old site just because you always have.  For example, I typically use Yahoo Maps and Google Maps.  I often try both, because their directions do often differ. I've NEVER used Microsoft Live Search, which was the highest rated mapping site by Steven Bass in a PC Magazine article, "Kings of the Road. (Oct. 2007)  So I thought I'd take a look.  Hmm, it does have a nice clean look to it.  Type in an address, and you can browse lists of hotels, banks, restaurants, etc. 

I decided to try a real life test. I often go to agility trials at Woodley Park.  Assuming that I want to stop for Starbucks, and that's a fairly good assumption, where are the Starbucks near Woodley Park? 

I struggled with this on Live Search.  It couldn't find Woodley Park, so I zoomed in and used a push pin to designate the area, but I couldn't figure out how to find Starbucks in the area of the push pin.

Google Maps was a breeze.  Google found Woodley Park without a problem.  Then all I had to do was click on "Search Nearby" and type in "Starbucks" in the search box.  Wow.  The place is surrounded.  A little detour down Burbank Blvd. should do the trick. 

So Google Maps wins this round.  Nonetheless, it's always good to use more than one mapping site, so I may give Live Search another chance.  

Perhaps that gas-guzzling SUV you leased seemed like a good idea at the time.  Or maybe the compact car you thought you wanted just doesn't work for your Great Dane.  If you're looking for a bargain on a car lease, or want to get out of a lease you're not happy with, there are two new web sites you might want to visit,  LeaseTrader.com and Swapalease.com.

These "lease transfer sites" bring together those that want out of their car leases with people who want a better deal on a leased car than they can get from a dealer.  I searched both sites for Toyota Siennas in Southern California and found several good options. 

Think of it as the Match.com of car leases.  You can browse around for just the right car and terms for you.  Maybe the best part is you never have to talk to a car salesman!

I was doing some online shopping and noticed a different kind of window vent than I've seen before. This version looks like it allows you to keep your windows further open than the smaller styles.  Available from Elite K9.

It always takes a little time to get to know a car that you're not used to driving.  I recently bought a new-to-me (used) car, and the thing I had the hardest time figuring out were the locks.  I could hit the lock button, and all the doors, EXCEPT the driver-side door, would lock. Okay, so they probably want to make sure I don't lock myself out of the car.  I checked the manual, and it appears that you must hold the door handle in the up position at the same time that you hit the button, which is on the inside of the door, in order for the driver's side door to lock with the button.  Hmmm, that just didn't seem do-able.  Or just get out the key and lock the darn thing.  When you're juggling dogs and a purse, a tug toy, water, a crate, and all the other accessories of life,  locking the door, while important, is just one more thing to worry about.

Upon perusing the owner's manual, I saw that the 1997 Honda Accord Wagon EX model came standard with keyless entry.  Great!  Just what I needed....push button locking and unlocking.   BUT,  I didn't have the remote transmitter.

That's when I found KeylessRide.com.  Instead of going to the dealer and paying $150 for a remote transmitter and "programming", I picked out a $40 transmitter which was 1 of the 3 models that KeyLessRide said would work for my car.  They promised it would be easy to program.  Dave was skeptical.

It arrived last Saturday, complete with programming instructions.  They were right, the programming took just a few minutes.  So I saved $100 and now I can lock and unlock my car to my heart's content! 

None of us like to think about the possibility of an accident and the potential for injury to our dog-passengers.  But it's important to keep your dog's safety in mind, as well as your own.  This web page is a perfect illustration of why a Vari-Kennel type crate can be a good way to improve the chances of your dog walking away from a serious accident.

Crates will also prevent your dog from ending up on the freeway, something that can happen even in a much more minor accident.

It can be hard to determine what the cargo capacity figures from manufacturer's web sites really mean to you. 

For example, The Toyota Matrix is a small car, but the feature that gives it dog car potential is the generous 38 3/4 inches between the wheel wells.   Sure, that's not enough for two crates side by side, even special SUV crates, but it IS big enough to allow you to squeeze in a 3 foot deep wire crate with a side opening door.  With that configuration, you actually CAN manage to get two large crates into the back of the Matrix!

I recently went to our local Toyota dealer to check out the older RAV4s (pre-2006) , mainly to determine whether they should go on my used car shopping list.  Auto sites sometimes suggest the RAV4 as an alternative to the Matrix, noting that they have a bit more cargo space.  But there's cargo space and there's cargo space.  With only 35 inches between the wheel wells, it looks like two large crates just won't fit.

Cargo capacity is all relative!

The reporter's first assignment upon being hired at Edmunds was an interesting one.  Infiltrate a car dealer, become one of them, and write about it.  The result is Confessions of a Car Salesman.  Get caught up in the world of commissions,foolish buyers, and comical sales "pep rallys."  Everyone should read this article before buying a car.  By the time I was done, I'd decided that next time I buy a new car, I'm using a car buying service.  I'm not convinced I can beat these guys at their own game.

I stopped by the local Toyota dealer last week.  While talking to the salesman (and it is almost always a man), I asked a question that I've been wondering about for some time.  I've been looking at used Toyota Matrixes, but the prices on the used ones seem to be almost the same as the new ones.  WHY? 

Of course, the salesman had an answer.  The warranty on the used, certified cars is actually longer (100,000 miles) than the new ones!  (60,000 miles).  Go figure.

I don't really care, though.  I still want the used car to cost less.

I was doing some research on BSL (breed specific legislation) and came across this website by Understand-a-Bull that gives a list of their 10 worst places to travel with your dog. What makes them so bad?  Because traveling through these cities could subject your dog to confiscation and destruction (read: euthanized=killed) based soley on the Dog Warden's say-so. Scary.

On a recent trip thru the west, I was stunned to see more than one pick-up with an untethered dog in the bed of the truck. I guess I take it for granted that there are laws about this everywhere and people are thinking of the safety of their dogs. Whether there is a law or not, if you don't already know, it is recommended you double-tether a dog  in the back of a truck if there is no crate. Dogs can easily fall off the side in a sudden stop. If they're untethered, they can be run over, if they've got a single-tether, they can be dragged along the pavement. Neither option is pleasant for the dog and it's likely to be killed.

Years ago I was driving thru town and about 3 lanes over noticed a very unhappy dog squished in the back of a truck amongst a bunch of furniture. The driver came to a sudden stop and the poor dog was pinched uncomfortably as the furniture shifted foward. Being in the left-hand turn lane, I was unable to get over to get the driver's attention but someone a lane or two closer motioned he was going to do just that. I never knew what happened to the poor dog but the owner was clearly clueless and it's haunted me to this day.

I'm anxious to replace our aging 1988 Toyota Corolla wagon (204,000 miles and counting), at least partially because it's lacking all the safety features that the more modern cars have, such as anti-lock brakes and driver/passenger airbags.  But there's a potential problem.  According to Newsweek , "as many as one in 25 accident-damaged cars has its airbag replaced with a stolen, salvaged or fake airbag."   

To try to avoid a nasty surprise should you get in an accident, make sure to do some research before you buy.  I always run a CarFax report on any used car I'm considering purchasing before I even go out to take a look in person.  CarFax also offers a free airbag report that details any record of airbag deployment. But ultimately the best way to make sure the car you want to purchase as an airbag that's functional is to have your mechanic take a look.  And you're going to have your mechanic check out any used car with dog car potential before you buy anyway, right?

A new edition of AAA's guidebook to pet-friendly hotels and campgrounds is now available at AAA BookStores in Auto Club offices.

New Anti-pet laws are popping up all over the place. From breed specific legislation to mandatory spay/neuter, new laws could make for an unpleasant trip if you don't know about them.

It's no secret that dog owners have their own special needs when it comes to cars. That's what CarGoDogs is all about. So you may want to see pictures of cars you're considering from a variety of angles. Of course, you can to to the manufacturers web site, but their photos may not include a crucial element.

If you'd like to peruse a wide variety of photos of a car you're considering for purchase, try Google Image search. Just type in the make and model, and you'll have more pictures, from more angles, than you'll know what to do with!

Flickr is another good source of photos. In this case you're looking at personal pictures. Try a search for Toyota Matrix. I also tried adding dogs to the search, and I must say these guys look satisfied with their Matrix!

The plastic "Varikennel" type of crate is said to be more impact resistant in an accident, so some people feel they are safer. However, the do block your visibility. Having wire crates allow you better visibility to avoid the accident in the first place. It all boils down to personal choice.

Each have their advantages and most people have a preference.

Renting a car you're considering for purchase makes perfect sense, though finding the make and model you want at your local car rental isn't always so easy. It's even harder if you're looking at hybrids as they've quite rare on car rental lots.

The good news is, EV Rental Cars, via Fox Rental Cars, offers a selection of hybrids including the Prius, Highlander, Ford Escape & Honda Civic. The bad news is that they hybrids are available only in select locations.

USAWeekend (TravelSmart: Where to Rent a Hybrid, Jan. 26-28th, 2007)

Gas prices are mysterious things, to say the least. It's not always easy to predict which station might have the best deal when it comes to filling your tank, and you certainly don't want to waste gas driving around town in an attempt to spot the best deal. Mapquest wants to help with their recently introduced Mapquest Gas Prices to help you locate the most reasonable per gallon price right in your neighborhood.

Here's just a few selected examples. You can browse HGTV for a complete list of the products shown on their inside look at the PetExpo 2006.

• Ruffwear Mt. Bachelor Pad
• Climate Controlled Kennel
• Approach II Dog Backpack
• Cooling Mats (click here for similar products from Amazon.com)
• Growler Cinch Top for easy feeding of your pooch while on the road
  

As much as I like the idea of an automatic dog washer, I don't think I could bring myself to fluff and fold my pooch. I mean, does that dog look happy? On the other hand, none of my dogs look particularly pleased when I personally bathe them, so what the heck. The price tag is high, but of course, it's not really intended for home use, but rather as an option for groomers and veterinarians. However, we do use the flexible pet sprayer, which hooks up to a shower head, and was also shown at the Expo.

At any rate, it's nice to see the wide range of products being developed for the pet market!

Window vent guards may help you keep your dogs cool and comfortable when you have to leave them in the car.

We must not be the only ones thinking about the ideal dog car....obviously so is Honda according to AutoBlog. The Vamos Dog Edition looks like it has distinct possibilities, with a maximum amount of cargo space in what looks like a relatively small package. If you read Japanese, and can give us the MPG, let us know!

Consumer Reports has announced their choices for the best auto models in 10 categories. Almost all of these cars have dog car potential depending upon the size of your dog! Except for maybe the Miata.

So who won? Here's a selected list:

Toyota Rav 4 (Small SUV)

Toyota Sienna (Mini-Van)

Toyota Highlander (Mid-Sized SUV)

Do you see a trend here? Toyotas did do very well, especially in the potential dog-car category. Honda also dominated the list, but their wins were more sedan-like. The Honda Fit was named in the budget car category. We're not sure how many dogs you can "fit" in a Fit, but we'll take a look at that very soon!

Among the pet-friendly features offered are custom metal dividers and vertical grates that can divide a cargo area into sections.

Other car manufacturers offer car barriers, but not much else. Luckily there are a lot of aftermarket products available, such as pet hammocks.