8 Ways to Sunday

The Washington Post has published an article with some good, basic advice for novice digital photographers. The tips come from pros and hobbyists, and are spot-on for the most part.

The only bit I’d disagree with is Nigel Aves’s comment that you should throw out the image editing software that comes for free with your camera. Nigel says they’re all junk, but this isn’t as true as it used to be. Some digital cameras are now shipping with Photoshop Elements, a very capable program that I use myself.

For digital photographers seeking more advanced advice, I strongly recommend O’Reilly’s Digital Photography Pocket Guide, by Derrick Story. It’s packed full of concise information that you can put to use immediately, and it’s small enough to fit in your backpack, purse, or camera bag.

I’m afraid this quiz might just have my number.

What’s your problem?

Now that I’ve finished up my used car buying adventure, I thought I’d share some of the best online resources I found to make the task easier:

• Kelley Blue Book — Gives estimated car values based on make, model, and options. Good for helping you find out if the seller is asking too much. US only.
• NADA Guide — Similar to the Kelley Blue Book. Published by the National Automobile Dealers Association. Also US only.
• Edmunds.com Used Car Appraiser — Similar to the previous two guides, but more focused on the car buyer than the seller. Kelley and NADA offer “suggested” sale prices, while Edmunds.com gives average actual sale prices. As their web site says, “their numbers are where the negotiations start; our numbers are where it ends.” A useful reality check. Probably US only, but I’m not sure.
• Consumer Reports — Probably the world’s most famous and reliable product testing publication, Consumer Reports is published by the non-profit Consumers Union. To avoid unwanted corporate influence, the magazine and web site both take no advertising and CR doesn’t even allow its name or findings to be used in the advertising of products it gives good marks (car companies regularly ignore this prohibition). Long-term reliability and safety ratings for used cars can be found in the web site’s Autos section.
• Epinions.com — The people who post rants and raves in this web site’s “Car & Motorsports” section aren’t professional reviewers, and that’s part of what makes their advice and opinions so valuable. While researching this purchase, I joked to someone that the only thing easier to find on the Web than pornography is people bitching about things that piss them off. If any vehicle has a common mechanical flaw or other shortcoming, you can find complaints about it here. You’ll also see delighted reviews from people who feel they’ve found the perfect car for them. Only a handful of the reviewers are qualified mechanics or other professionals, so you should take technical aspects of the reviews with a grain of salt. If enough people make the same complaint, however, it’s worth following up on with a question to your own regular mechanic.

I came back to those sites again and again during my search for a good used car, and together they helped me avoid more than one lemon. I’d recommend them to anyone shopping for a good pre-owned vehicle — used together they can take a lot of the stress out of the process.

I’ve finally gotten around to replacing the late, great Gracie. After spending most of my spare time over the last two weeks researching and test-driving used cars, I came to a decision yesterday afternoon and signed all the paperwork this morning.

I am now the happy owner of a bright red 1998 Chevrolet Monte Carlo LS. It has a sporty 3.1L v6 engine, CD player, cruise control, a big trunk, and more back-seat room than you’d expect in a coupe. It looks just like this, but with brighter paint that isn’t so badly oxidized and faded:

Image courtesy Ray and Gayle’s Chevy Asylum

It has seventy thousand miles on it, and checks out just fine with my mechanic. Overall, it’s a nice step up from the old Grand Am. If I could change anything, I’d give it more than just the one cup holder and improve the view out the rear.

Most of all, I’m just very happy to have wheels again.