Should you change your oil yourself or head to your local Jiffy Lube to get it done? According to Yahoo and CouponSherpa, changing your car’s oil yourself isn’t worth it.

In CouponSherpa’s latest list of 20 Things it’s Cheaper to Buy than DIY, changing the oil in your car makes it to #15. They say “Even my most mechanically inclined friend goes to a quick-lube joint these days because he doesn’t know what to do with the used oil.”

Yahoo goes on to say about DIY oil changes: For the inexperienced, changing your oil is not only physically difficult – especially without ramps and other equipment – but also environmentally unfriendly. (Do you know how to recycle your oil? We thought not.) “That’s the biggest problem,” says Kate Forgach, an editor with CouponSherpa.  “Many cities and counties don’t allow consumers to dispose used oil down sewers or in the trash, as we did in the past. The oil now must be brought to recycling centers or city dumps, where consumers are often charged to leave it.” It’s a hidden cost many of us may not understand up front. There’s also the issue of time and possible frustration. “Most people also don’t want to hassle with accumulating enough oil to make the trip and expense worthwhile. Unless you have multiple vehicles and are a real do-it-yourselfer, it’s just easier to leave the entire mess to a quick-lube center,” says Forgach.”

What do you think? Is it as waste of time to change the oil in your car yourself and it’s much easier to just drop it off at the shop? Or is it worth the money saved to do it yourself – if you know what you’re doing? Let us know in the comment section below.

[Source: Edmunds Inside Line]

Who knew that Avon was interested in racing? It’s a shock to all of us, but it’s true and now Avon has teamed with NASCAR’s Carl Edwards for its newest fragrance: Turn 4XT.

Making its debut this November, Avon touts this fragrance as being “a masculine scent that embodies the rush that comes with risking it all for the win” while “evoking the casual yet confident attitude the champion driver exudes.”

We’re not sure how “risking it all for the win” is supposed to smell, but our best guess is a combination of burning rubber and a field of fresh flowers. What do you think it smells like? Guys – would you wear a cologne inspired by NASCAR?

Simbol Design, based out of Italy, looks to be in the business of replicating Italian supercars such as the Ferraris Enzo and Pagani Zonda. This Lavazza GTX-R, named after its general manager Fabio Lavazza, is an Enzo replica sporting BMW’s V12 powerplant with 620-hp.

It looks like the body is made out of carbon kevlar, sporting a staggered wheel and tire setup: 18-inch in the front with 245/40s and 19-inch in the rear with massive 345/30 rubber. Oddly enough, BMW’s V12 is mated to a 6-speed electro-pneumatic transmission.

Now for a company that develops supercar replicas in Italy, their website could be a whole lot better. But it looks like the company has a reputation, being involved with designing and developing race cars since 1975. Simbol Design also offers four other vehicle models, other than the GTX-R, all vaguely sporting some styling cues from popular Italian supercars.

GALLERY: Simbol Design Lavazza GTX-R

[Source: Simbol Design via CarScoop]

The reality of a fully streetable 8-second Nissan GT-R just got a whole lot closer. AMS took their Alpha 10 GT-R demo car back to the quarter mile after their 9.33 pass to lay down an amazing 9.192 @ 163.12 mph track time. Now obviously going from 9.33 to 9.192 is easier than going from 9.192 to 8.99, but the fact that they are gaining that much more top-end speed in between weeks of testing is impressive.

And wanting to just show off to the rest of the world what their Alpha 9 package can do to a GT-R on pump gas, AMG was able to pilot the Alpha 9 GT-R to its first 9 second pass at 9.95 @ 141.01 mph. And yes, on pump gas. To show off just how dependable and reliable the Alpha 9 GT-R is, AMS embarked on a road trip going from Chicago to Colorado and Nevada and ending in Southern California; 2,000 or so miles and not a single issue on the car.

They even released a video – unfortunately it’s not of the drag racing:

[Source: GTR Blog]

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In the old days, fierce brand loyalty was a given when it came to car sales and it was often handed down through generations – i.e. your grandfather drove a GM product, your dad drove a GM product and so did you.

Not any more. According to a recent survey by Morpace, these days, when it comes to shopping for vehicles it’s all about the deal. Out of 1,000 people surveyed, approximately 74 percent said they’d choose a vehicle based on price and incentives. Not only that but research shows they’re often willing to travel to get the best deal on a car or truck, so even much talked about elements such as customer service and dealer location don’t appear to be hugely important.

In fact, the survey illustrated that although many vehicle purchases might begin with referrals from family and friends, along with prior experiences and dealer marketing programs, when it comes to the actual purchase consumers “are willing to travel for a good deal on the product they really want, ” according to Morpace Vice President Karen Gaule.

As a result, when GM and Chrysler terminated more than 2,000 dealerships last year, there was little mourning, at least from consumers.

“The fact is, the American consumer buys products that are convenient, predictable and affordable. It’s the same for cars. The most important factors for a car buyer are overall price and monthly payment,” said Ed Tonkin chairman of the National Automobile Dealer’s Association at a conference in Detroit last week.

And with that kind of statement coming from the horse’s mouth, one question we have to ask ourselves now is, when will Walmart start selling cars?

[Source: Automotive News]

The Tjin Edition Mustang is no longer under any sort of car cover, and we have a first peek at the revealed rendering. In true Tjin Edition fashion, the Ford Mustang will sport functional and sporty modifications, without any over-the-top aesthetics.

The custom kit designed by Tjin Edition / Gurnade and manufactured by Extreme Dimensions outfits the exterior along with a Dupont paint job. Lowering the car to the ground is an Air Lift fully digital air system. The fenders sit nicely on a set of Forgestar C5 wheels sporting a classy orange pinstripe and Tjin Edition logo.

Peeking behind the stylish five-spoke wheels is a set of Baer big brakes (with matching orange caliper of course). For performance, Tjin Edition has revealed that the Mustang GT gets a Vortech supercharger system with a nice front mount intercooler.

The 2011 Ford Mustang GT will debut in the Air Lift booth (#23533) at the 2010 SEMA Show. AutoGuide’s live SEMA coverage starts November 2nd. Until then, check out our SEMA Preview here.

The People’s Hybrid, Volkswagen‘s 2011 Touraeg Hybrid, will start at a lofty $60,565, more than $15,000 above the base car’s price of $44,450.

The Touraeg Hybrid shares its mechanical bits with Porsche’s Cayenne Hybrid, which costs $67,700, making the Touraeg Hybrid a fairly weak proposition. Buyers with that much money to spend will likely gravitate towards the flashier Porsche, rather than the understated Vee Dub.

With a supercharged 3.0L V6, the Touraeg hybrid will get 20 mpg city and 25 mpg highway, which puts it close to the V6 diesel Touraeg’s 19/28 rating. The Hybrid will come fully loaded, while the diesel, which retails for $47,950, does not. A standard V6 model that runs on gasoline is also available for $44,450.

[Source: Volkswagen]

The Chevrolet Volt missed out on SULEV (Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle) status by a minute margin, emitting 1.3 grams of CO2 per mile. The cutoff is 1 gram of CO2 per mile to qualify for the status.

By these standards, the Volt emits more CO2 than a VW Golf TDI, Honda Accord 4-Cylinder sedan (a PZEV vehicle according to California) and the Volt’s chief rival, the Toyota Prius. The Volt will also likely fail to qualify for access to the HOV lanes on California freeways, a perk considered attractive by many Volt buyers in traffic-snarled California.

[Source: Inside Line]

Honda has made some improvements to the stop-start system on their Insight hybrid car, allowing drivers to keep the engine off for up to 3 times as long as previous years.

Insights before 2011 could keep the engine stopped for up to 30 seconds, but new improvements for this coming model year allow for the engine to be stopped for as long as 90 seconds. The initial figure was based on a “worst case scenario” of extreme humidity, a car full of passengers and poor weather, but Honda has now revised the rating.

The 90 second engine-off feature will help improve mileage in town by a noticeable amount. Unfortunately, we’re not sure just how significant the improvement will be, as no official figures have been released yet.

[Source: Autocar]

Underground Racing’s Twin Turbo Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera is no stranger to internet fame. We reported when it broke the 250-mph park out at the Texas Mile and now we’re sad to report that the vehicle suffered a momentous wreck, rendering it totaled. Luckily the driver was able to walk out on his own safely.

It’s a no-brainer that testing your vehicle to excess of 250-mph speeds can be dangerous. But it’s great to see what the safety of the driver was still a priority when building this high horsepower exotic. The Gallardo did several flips before it came to a stop, and clearly started to flip at still a high rate of speed.

There are contradicting reports on what really caused the accident, but we think it’s not even worth arguing over – so long as someone figures it out on future high speed exotic builds. We’re just glad the driver walked away safely.

Hit the jump to see the video:

[Source: Jalopnik]

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