Not a clunker, this classic Mercedes is available for rental from DFW Elite Auto Rental.com.

Whether you are planning to buy a new commuter car or hoping to drive an exotic vehicle, it’s a good idea to become familiar with these guidelines before buying a new car.  For the full list, check out the PDF file of Cash for Clunkers rules created by the US Department of Transportation.

The Cash for Clunkers program offers consumers up to $4,500 for trading in their old, gas-guzzling beater cars.  However, not all cars are eligible, and to qualify car buyers must be buying a new car that meets the eligibility standards.

To meet the government’s requirement for clunkiness, the trade in needs to be less than 25 years old and get less than 18 miles per gallon.

You must have owned and insured your clunker for at least a year before you trade it in for a new more fuel efficient ride.  The clunker must also be drivable.

The car you purchase must be a new car and must improve on your old vehicle’s gas mileage by a significant amount.  The suggested retail price of your new car must be less than $45,000, and – believe it or not — the replacement car can be leased.

The $45,000 limit means that no one will get a break on a new Bentley.  With retail prices often topping $100,000, exotic cars are out of reach for many consumers.  But, those truly desiring a chance to experience time behind the wheel of an elite auto can always rent a ferrari in DFW or rent a Bentley in Fort Worth, TX.

Renting beats buying when you consider that in addition to buying the car, owners of exotic sports cars also need to pay for maintenance, shell out for expensive exotic car insurance, and find a secure, climate controlled Ft Worth car storage to garage the exotic.

“Owning an exotic vehicle can be a hassle,” says Ron Sturgeon, owner of a Fort Worth exotic car storage facility.  “It’s not always easy to find secure, climate-controlled storage and few exotic owners drive their cars more than a few days a year. But there are a lot of alternative to ownership if you are creative.”

Luckily, there are options besides owning an exotic vehicle.  Exotic car rental and exotic car sharing clubs give car enthusiasts the opportunity to drive their dream car.  With these alternatives, you get all the fun of driving an exotic car without all the hassle.

“Exotic car rental is a great option,” says Sturgeon.

For those who need to buy a new car, the “Cash for Clunkers” program may offer help.  Consumers will have to take advantage of the program soon, though.  It’s set to expire on November 1, 2009.

Kate Miller-Wilson is a professional freelance SE friendly content writer living in the Twin Cities. Visit her website or email her for information about her freelance writing services.

The theory behind Exotic Spotter is that dream cars need to be appreciated in real life, rather at car shows and dealer showrooms.  They’re not looking for staged photos of exotic vehicles; instead, they want real photos of real exotic cars on real city streets.

“It’s a really interesting idea,” says Marissa Collins, an employee at a Dallas exotic car rental business.  “You really don’t get a feel for an exotic car when you see it at a show, and this site is a great way to show exotic vehicles in the real world.”

And when Exotic Spotter claims to have photos from all over the world, they really aren’t kidding.  For instance, there are currently 659 photos of Bentley Continentals, and they come from places as diverse as Moscow, Monaco, Budapest, and Sao Paulo.  There are Bentleys from Germany, China, Kuwait, and dozensof other countries.

(Dallas ferrari rental pictured outside DFW restaurant Javiers.)

Many people still think of exotic cars as something that belong only to the rich and famous, but you don’t have to be a movie star or a millionaire to drive a Bentley Continental.  There are several options out there that allow you to drive your dream car without the hassle and expense of owning an exotic vehicle.

(Dallas Bentley Rental pictured in Arlington, TX with the Dallas Cowboys new stadium in the background.)

One of these options is exotic car rental.  If you want to be featured in a photo on Exotic Spotter, it might be as simple as renting a Bentley Continental for the weekend.  There’s nothing that says you have to own an exotic car to be caught on camera.

Another great option for exotic car fans is an exotic car sharing club.  Instead of shelling out hundreds of thousands of dollars for an exotic vehicle, car club members get to share an entire garage of exotic cars.  This saves on emissions too, making exotic car clubs a great green alternative to exotic car ownership.

If you want to see photos of a Dodge Viper, a lamborghini Gallardo, or a Bentley Continental, check out Exotic Spotter.  If you want to drive you dream car, check into exotic car rental or exotic car sharing clubs. An excellent directory of exotic car rental agencies across the United States can be found at http://www.rentexoticcars.net.

Kate Miller-Wilson is a professional freelance writer living in the Twin Cities. Visit her website or email her for information about her freelance writing services.

It’s expected to keep all the same specs as the coupe, meaning a 552-horsepower W12 under the hood and standard all-wheel drive. The convertible soft top will most likely add a few hundred pounds of additional weight, but as we have seen in the case of the Continental Flying Spur a little extra weight doesn’t hold the big 12-cylinder back much. Expect an official announcement of this Continental GT convertible from Bentley by the end of the year.

I heard Dfw Elite has one of these on order. I can’t wait to rent that one….

Mix five parts Bentley, one part Bugatti, one part ferrari, and stir. Then dump your $356,000 exotic down the drain. What you see here is a Bentley Continental GT featuring a Bugatti hood and horseshoe grille shoved between Audi Q7 headlights, with ferrari-like rear end grafted on for good measure. LEW’s 100-horsepower boost for the Conti’s W-12 can’t outrun this car’s ugliness. Unveiled at the Essen motor show, the car-called Big Bang-will cost European buyers 270,000 euro, or approximately $356,000