Ask Patty - Automotive Advice for Women Blog Carnival: Week Around the Auto World October 23rd

Welcome to our Ask Patty blog carnival, where we pool all the fun, interesting, informative and sometimes odd posts in the automotive blogosphere for all of you to read in one place. This week we’re talking about the Gen Y buying power, spending a week living in your car (gross), and yep, we touch on some cell phone usage again. Seems like that one is a tricky issue. Thank you to all of our posters last week and this week! Hit your brakes for a minute and read this weeks carnival – it’s a goodie!

According to USA Today, Generation Y (babies from 1982 to 2000) are topping the food chain when it comes to buying cars, clothing and other retail sales. In fact, they are surpassing any other generation. Online marketing expert Kelly Mooney released findings at the National Retail Federation conference showing the 13- to 21-year-olds in the group influence 81% of their families' apparel purchases and 52% of car choices. Wow! Don’t let anyone tell you that kids don’t have purchasing power!

Does your car have a personality? Do you call it a “he” or a “she”? Did you know that how you answer those questions could let you know how prone you are to road rage? Scary isn’t it? According to AZCentral.com, “how people view the ‘personality’ of their cars might be a better indication of how aggressive they'll be behind the wheel than their own personalities.” Do you want to know how you scored? Check out more on AZCentral’s The Buzz.

How would you like to spend an entire week in your car… eating, sleeping, and bathing? It begs the question: can you even bathe in a car? The new marketing campaign by Nissan has this poor guy, Marc, doing just that. He will live for 7 days out of his Nissan Sentra. Any takers? I think most of us feel like we “live” in our cars… you can blog with Brandy, Motor Trend web guru.

Speaking of living in our cars, it does seem like newer models are becoming more and more roomy and tasks are becoming integrated into the driving experience (hello Bluetooth compatibility, MP3 jacks and apparently someone at VW thought it was important to play a guitar while driving). Lisa Ramirez of the RecordOnline.com talks about why we are driving such huge offices on wheels.

We are all tired of giving an arm and a leg for gas. What about your first born? Instead of answering that question, check out Automotive.com’s blog about the top 10 most fuel-efficient vehicles of 2007 released from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy.

Besides fuel efficiency, price is usually a hurdle for people buying a new car. The myth is that you can’t find a good car with decent options for a price you can stomach. Automotive.com is here again with a comprehensive list of all of your choices for “cheap” cars.

We love the humor on MadKane’s humor blog and this entry about her recent (not so) restful vacation is no different! They were disturbed by an annoying car alarm all throughout their vacation. The nerve!

Ah, cell phones and cars. They go together like Apple Pie and a la mode. Even if you don’t think they should. Most people agree that cell phone use while driving is dangerous; the problem is, most people won’t hang up the darn thing once they are behind the wheel. We are all hypocrites when it comes to chatting while driving. Sport Truck’s blog attacks the issue head on!

We aren’t one to let a dog post pass us by, so we are bringing you Puppy Tracks, where you can see a puppy on a cross-country trip! On October 27th they will announce his 10th stop on his long journey. Check out his travel log, maybe you will find some good vacation ideas!

And in case that wasn’t enough, check out this site all about dogs in cars!

Next week we are looking for all posts that are SCARY! It's Halloween and we want to make sure we celebrate the right way! You can submit your entry or story or you can send it directly to Breanne@askpatty.com.