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IntelliChoice Value Rating
The chart above shows the purchase price versus ownership cost for each car from a specific vehicle class. The cars with better than average ownership cost/purchase price correlations are the best values, and these best value cars are represented by the dots below the curve. (i.e. the cars that have a lower ownership cost compared to its purchase price.) Those cars, which are worse than average or poor values, appear above the curve.
One way to view the graph is to draw a vertical line through any purchase price. You may see several dots that fall on this line - each of which is a car with a similar purchase price. However, notice the difference in ownership costs of each car represented by the vertical position of the dot. Two cars with the same purchase price can have thousands of dollars difference in ownership costs. This is what separates "good value" cars from "poor value" cars.
What is a good car value?
A "good car value" is one whose cost to own and operate is less than expected. The lower the cost to own and operate a car compared to what is expected, the better the value of that car.
But how do we know a car's "expected cost"?
For each car in the class, IntelliChoice plots the car's purchase price against the total five-year cost to own and operate it as determined by IntelliChoice research. Each dot on the above chart represents a specific car. Generally, we find that as the purchase price of the car increases, the cost to own and operate that car increases. This is why the dots on the graph tend to rise upward and to the right. This phenomenon also makes intuitive sense - as the purchase price rises, financing costs tend to rise, as do insurance, depreciation, taxes, and most other car ownership costs.
This is an important concept. It's normal for car ownership costs to rise as purchase price rises. Therefore, we can't just establish one "average" ownership cost number for each class, since cars in the class have different purchase prices. (This is why the "Relative" shown on each chart is different for cars in the same car class.)
Using statistical techniques, IntelliChoice "connects the dots" to form a curve that defines, for this car class, the relationship between the car's purchase price and car's ownership costs. This curve is our "expected cost" curve. The curve defines, for any car in the class, the five-year ownership cost that we would expect to see at each possible purchase price. If every car in the class were an average value, then all the dots would fall exactly on the curve. However, it's rare that any dot is exactly on the curve. Some dots are a little higher or lower, and some are a lot higher or lower. The dots that are a little lower are better than average car values, while the dots that are a lot lower are excellent car values (A dot that is a lot lower than the curve has ownership costs much lower than expected for a car of its purchase price). Conversely, a dot a little higher than the curve is a poorer than average car value, while a dot that is much higher than the curve is a poor car value.
Value is a relative term, not an absolute term. It is performing better than the logical expectation.
So is a Mercedes-Benz E320 expensive to own and operate? Certainly in an absolute sense. Most other cars cost less. But, when its cost to own and operate is plotted against cars with comparable invoice prices, the E320 costs less. So the E320 is not expensive to own and operate - it is a good car value. The Mercedes does not have low ownership costs, but it has low ownership costs for its invoice price.
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Article From Sport Truck Magazine
1999 Chevy Silverado Sliding Ragtop Install - Let The Sun Shine In
How To Install A Sliding Ragtop In A Chevy Silverado
writer: Kevin Whipps photographer: Kevin Whipps
Back In The Day, Sliding Ragtop Sunroofs Were The Coolest Thing To Do On Your VW. Be It A Bug Or A Van, It Didn't Matter What It Was Because It Just Needed A Mammoth Hole In The Roof To Let The Sun Shine In. Things Haven't Changed Much Since The '60s. Sliders are just as cool now as they were then. It's one of those mods that really puts your truck over the edge and makes it that much more custom. Plus, there's nothing cooler than cutting a big hole in your roof and letting the sun in while you drag body down the local cruise strip.  Here it is, a '99 Chevrolet Silverado with its entire roof intact, in all its glory. With this truck, the owner wanted a huge slider, as big as he could get. After taking a few measurements, a call was made to Street Beat Customs in Phoenix. The cool thing about Street Beat is that the shop can custom-make a sliding ragtop in any size, any color, and any material you want. By far, the most popular option is a black canvas top, and that's what the owner chose for the truck to complement his interior. Another option he chose was a plain finish on the ragtop's frame. Normally, Street Beat powdercoats its frames black, but the owner wanted a different look, so he left the aluminum rails raw. Follow along as we cut a mammoth hole in the roof of a '99 Chevrolet Silverado extra-cab, and let the sun shine in.  1.First thing we did was remove the factory headliner. It's pretty easy to do. All we did was pull down the pillars and disconnect the dome light. |  2.What we were left with was a mostly factory panel. The owner had previously sprayed sound-deadening material and welded box tubing to the roof to prepare for the sound system. That's all going to change soon. |  3.The easiest way to design a hole is to measure the perimeter of the frame and make a template out of construction paper. Once we had that, we taped it to the roof and marked our hole. |  4.With our hole marked, we began the process by drilling holes in each corner. If we had angled corners in the roof, we'd run the risk of having stress cracks. |  5.After a few minutes with the air-powered reciprocating saw, we had a big hole ready to accept the frame. |  6.We used a series of clamps to brace the frame to the body, aligning the holes in the roof and allowing us to eventually bolt down the frame. |  7.Once all the holes were drilled, we started bolting down the frame using the provided studs. Notice the cut marks in the frame? We did this to let the frame curve with the shape of the roof. We also bolted the slider tracks to the roof at this time. |  8.With the frame in place, we used the provided silicone and ran a bead around the inside of the frame. This will seal the frame from the body and keep everything watertight. |  9.Next, we reinstalled the headliner so that we could mark the hole. |  10.Here's the finished product, ready to be wrapped in suede. |  11.After the headliner was wrapped, we cut out the middle hole, pulled it up along the sides, and hammered pinch molding around the edge of the frame, which gave us a nice, tight headliner. |  12a.And here's how the ragtop looks when its open and closed. |  12b. |  13.And, here's the all-important view from the driver seat. | |
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