Archive for the ‘Finance’ Category
Most Famous Sports Car
December 1st, 2009 | 
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In 1959, Ian Fleming penned Goldfinger and inserted his secret agent hero, James Bond, into a 1959 Aston Martin DB-3. There was a lag between the story’s release, however, and the motion picture that shared its name. By the time Sean Connery was prepared to take out Goldfinger, the DB-3 seemed dated. James Bond got behind the wheel of a 1963 Aston Martin DB-5 and made it the most famous sports car in the world.
Sports cars are wonderful, but the Bond car had a few special features that made it even more appealing to moviegoers. It was outfitted with bulletproof glass, machine guns, and other assorted gadgetry. Its understated color scheme fit the Bond character perfectly, and the car’s role in the film afforded it significant screen time. Within a few years, there would be no better-known sports car in the world.
The Aston Martin DB-5 was a fine car in its own right, but the popularity of Goldfinger and Thunderball (in which it also appeared) elevated it to a global phenomena. Even today, after countless intervening James Bond movies, when someone says they want a Bond car, the mind races back to the DB-5 made famous over forty years ago.
An American eventually purchased the original Bond car and kept it in superb condition, using it primarily for special appearances and events. In 1999, the DB-5 was stolen from outside a Boca Raton, Florida airport. The would-be thief didn’t blend into traffic well in the Aston Martin and was apprehended.
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Pay As You Go Auto Insurance
Would you let a car insurance provider monitor your driving habits to get lower payments? This is auto insurance of the future. Auto insurance companies always want an estimated number of miles driven, but these numbers are far from accurate.
What if they started tracking your mileage by a GPS like device or monthly check-in appointments? This is the latest thing in the insurance industry. Progressive Insurance currently offers a MyRate program that does just that. You have to install a device in your vehicle that records speed and time, but not location. It can tell what time you drive and how far you go. Is this too invasive? Well the question is whether you want to sacrifice privacy for savings. Other insurance companies have also jumped on board.
California is pioneering this new form of insurance payment. In October 2009 they approved the The Verified Miles Plan. The devices are set to sell in January 2009. It is estimated that it will greatly reduce mile driven and in turn reduce pollution and traffic congestion.This plan would be perfect for occasional drivers that are currently paying the same premiums as the road hogs that drive all day every day.
It does make sense, but you have to consider that once the insurance companies have this data it is theirs to do with as they choose. They actually own the information. Kind of scary, but I wouldn’t mind saving a few buck in those winter months when I’m rarely behind the wheel.
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