Being Nosey

 Finally saw one of GM's new minivans on the street a couple of days ago. The main styling feature is the nose, long and extended more than it has to be to simulate the look of an SUV, it doesn't work.



 I can understand the motive behind this, trying to ride the SUV bandwagon to increase sales, but this is not the direction I thought GM was going to go. Instead of looking like an SUV, they look like minivans with swollen noses. In fact, they remind me more of GM's first attempt at FWD minivans than new SUV's.



 I'm probably one of the fe who actually like the look of the original Trans Sport. They never lit the sales charts on fire, but it was a bold styling decision, a different route than the competition was taking, just like the current models. GM does not lack innovation, it's just the follow through that seems to fall short. Pushing the minivan mold to look more like an SUV is a smart move, but just a nose job does not get it done. The rest of the body just screams minivan, and the SUV look is lost before it even begins.

Good News Is Bad News

 ...if you are a safety advocate. The safer our highways get, the more likely that your job is no longer required. Take this article, titled SUV Deaths Rose In 2004. Yes, more people died in SUV accidents in 2004 than in 2003, but the real headline should be this line...

 the nation's overall highway fatality rate -- deaths per miles traveled -- fell to its lowest point ever

 That's the lowest it has been since the NHTSA started collecting data, alomst 40 years ago! That's great news. 1.48 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles travelled, which means you have a better chance of winning a pick-4 lottery (1 in 211876.00 if there are 49 nubers to choose from) than dying in your car. Are the safety groups cheering though? No, we get statements like this...

 "We are in the midst of a national epidemic," U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta said. "If this many people were to die from any one disease in a single year, Americans would demand a vaccine."

 Consumer advocates say additional safety requirements under consideration are justified since the overall number of deaths has remained steady for a decade.

 "The cold, hard reality is we are stuck in neutral," said Judith Lee Stone, president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, a Washington consumer group.

 It's getting safer to drive your vehicle, but we're stuck in neutral? Sounds like the safety advocates are running out of things to improve, and need to generate fear and loathing to justify their continued existence.

Caveat Emptor

 Living in an apartment, car maintenace in the parking lot is frowned on upon by the management. Not having a garage also makes it difficult, so most of the time I usually end up getting oil changes at one of the many "quick change" stores in the area.

 For many of us our car is more than just an appliance. No one spends a sunday afternoon washing and waxing their dishwasher, but their car is another matter. When you have maintenance performed on your "baby", you hope whomever is performing the task has at least a shred of respect for your automobile. Such was not the case where I went recently. I was a little annoyed when the tech took the dipstick and was poking another tech with it. Maybe he thought since the hood was up that I couldn't see him, I don't know, but I belive he really didn't care. That was my property that he was playing around with, and I knew had no respect for my car. It may not seem like much, but that carefree attitude towards customer's automobiles makes it much more likely that mistakes will happen, expensive ones.

 One of the wiper blades I had installed last week had worked it's way loose, an error on my part. The tech slid it back into place, no big deal. At leadt I thought it wasn't. The service manager came up and explained what was being done. She showed me the air filter (recently replaced) and said it was good, "but the wiper blades, not so good. They need to be replaced." A quick look at the blades would have prevented her from making the error, and it was then that I realized what I actually represented in her view.

 I was not a customer, I was a rolling wallet that she was trying to get as much out of as possible. Since she couldn't get the extra dough with a new air filter, the wiper blades became the next target. If she had really cared about my car, and me as a customer, she would have noticed that the wiper blades were new and noticed that my two front tires were going bald (checking tire pressure is part of the basic service), instead of trying to sell me something I didn't need.

 I've worked at a lube express before, and I could only take it for three months. If an oil filter was in a location that was difficult to reach (1st Gen Pontiac Transport minivan, for example), it was nothing for many techs to just leave the old filter on, or to "change" the filter on an automatic tranny by cleaning the bottom of the transmission so it looked like it had been changed. It was the same thing when I worked for a dealer delivering parts to bodyshops. Parts would be ordered that were not really needed, then returned because the shop had repaired the damage instead of replacing the part, adding to the estimate and the amount the insurance company paid for.

 Caveat emptor (buyer beware) still applies to just about everything you do with your automobile, from the initial purchase to all the maintenance needs. Most businesses have moved away from predatory practices against their customers, as it is ultimately self defeating when your competitors stop the practice. Unfortunately it still hasn't happened in the automotive industry.

Saying Goodbye

 Relegated mainly to fleet sales now, the Ford Taurus is nearing the end of it's production life. 6.7 million in sales is something Ford can be proud of. Too bad the replacement (the 500) is such a disappointment.

 The car that proved America can build a stylish, reliable sedan, the Taurus achieved best-selling car in the US for four years. The style was way ahead of it's time, and like the Chrysler 300 of today proved that design is one of the major factors in sales success. Literally the car that saved Ford, there looks to be no final "special edition" planned. Sad for such a historically important vehicle. Goodbye Taurus, you were a friend to both families and enthusiasts (in SHO form) alike. Not many cars can say that.

Dynamic Duos

 Batman and Robin, Bonnie and Clyde, some of history's most dynamic duos. To this list I would add the Toyota Camry and Corolla, and the Honda Accord and Civic. These four cars have caused more headaches for Detroit than any other vehicles ever made. What has Detroit offered as competition to these perennial best-sellers? Let's take Chevrolet from 1983 to 2005 for example.

Cavalier

Citation

Celebrity

Corsica

Lumina

Malibu

Impala

Cobalt

 Eight nameplates in comparison to two each from the Japanese. Only the last three are around today, the rest having faded into obscurity. If you owned a Celebrity or Corsica,and liked the car, what does Chevy offer you today? My mother has owned three Corolla's, she doesn't even bother to test drive 'em anymore. When it's time for a new car she goes to the Toyota dealer and picks the color and options she wants. There's no wondering if new model will meet her needs, no trying to decipher what name is the equivalent of the last car.

 The reason the Camry and Corolla, Accord and Civic are still around is that the manufacturers never stop improving them on a timely basis. Each generation has been better than the last (although the loss of the double-wishbone suspension on the Civic is really a downgrade), instead of leaving the cars the same to get as much profit from the design as possible.

 In other words, the profit comes from the continual advancement of the product, not a continous focus on the profit. Letting a vehicle get stale in the marketplace, and redisigning only when profits start to fall (a la Ford Taurus) or bringing out the next model while keeping the old in production ( Celebrity to Lumina) only diminishes the value of the name. GM has been smart by bringing back the Malibu and Impala names, but the Citation, Celebrity, and Lumina names should never have existed in the first place. The new Cavalier has to be called the Cobalt to avoid the negative association with the previous version. A car's name should be timeless, not a flash in the pan.

Curing Symptoms Does Not Cure The Disease

 Superbike Blog has an article about a new law in Arkansas that bans the use of nitrous in vehicles. This is supposed to stop street racing. OK. I didn't know you had to have Nos to street race. I thought all it took was a vehicle and a lack of intelligence.

 One more case of lawmakers curing the symptom, but not the disease. And we pay them for this....

 It makes a great headline, GM Hit by Chapter 11 Rumors, and it's just what the General does not need right now. These rumors are just that, rumors. Things will have to get drastically worse for GM to declare bankruptcy.

Finally, Some Good News

 The Pontiac Solstice is looking to be a hit. One thousand people have preordered the fist batch. It took only 41 minutes to sell out of this special edition model.



 For once I am enthused about a GM product. From all accounts the Solstice looks to be a winner, a vehicle Pontiac desperately needs to polish it's performance image. Unlike the Fiero, which was half-baked at the start, the Solstice is ready from the word go. It's an actual roadster, Frpm GM of all places!

 Unfortunately, I'm not convinced this will be a catalyst for the rest of the Pontiac line. It would be one thing if Pontiac was it's own seperate company, but being part of the conglomerate GM makes the chances slim that the spirit of the Solstice will infuse with Pontiac's other models. The shared platforms are all designed at the same time, instead of having Pontiac designers taking a platform and tweaking it to their needs, with no contact whatsoever with the Chevrolet or Buick teams. GM should have individual design centers for each brand, where the teams get the same basic platform but are free to go their own way. Then you would have people who work for the division, not GM.

 It'll never happen if GM's past is any indicator.

B-Different

 While the resurgance in the popularity in chopper-style motorcycles is providing plenty of good coverage of motorcycles, they're not the most practical of machines. Fortunately, there's another design style that's gaining in popularity, the Streetfighters.



 Suzuki is the latest to join in with supposed production plans for the B-King concept bike. Taking cues from the cruiser and sport genres, it meshes both styles together to make something completely different. While the chances of the B-King (the name is supposed to be changed, thankfully!) coming to the U.S are slim, like Yamaha's MT-01 it signals a new direction in styling, a bike with eye candy and performance. I want one!

Add Another Brand To The Mix

 By 2006, each of GM's eight brands sold in the US will carry a GM logo in addition to the division logo. Since GM is marketing OnStar and StabiliTrak under the GM brand instead of each division marketing the features on their own, this makes sense.

 "The GM corporate name has a stronger public image than some of the brands that make up the company," said Joe Barker, with CSM Worldwide in Farmington Hills. "It tells consumers GM is backing this vehicle."

 I don't totally agree with that statement, I believe consumers will equate the GM logo as a maker of the features associated with it, not as a parent company that is "backing" that vehicle, kinda like the stickers Ricers put on their cars to let the world know who makes their exhaust, suspensions, and tires. Is that a good, or bad thing?

The Puppy Dog

 The engine transplant on the Paseo is coming along nicely, the Probe is well on the way to recovery, and the Corolla SR5 should be ready for the road in a month. That leaves my daily driver, a '94 Ford Escort LX coupe. Once the Paseo is complete my roommate is buying the Escort, and I'm going to miss that car.

 It's far from being a driver's car, but it's an honest vehicle, reliable and always ready for a drive. She reminds me of a puppy, not always the most sure-footed thing, but always enthused for taking a little trip. She's the second Forzda I've owned, the chassis based on the Mazda 323, with Ford's 1.9L engine as the heart. The longest trip I've taken went from Nashville to Lexington, KY to pick up the Paseo, and she handled it superbly.

 She's been a great companion, and has performed well beyond my humble expectations for an Escort.

Probing Questions

 August 2003 was the month my '92 Ford Probe decided to have a break-down. I waqs taking a co-worker home, having just finished third shift at Waffle House. The route I was travelling took me up a steep hill, and that's when it happened. My car suddenly shut off. There was no warning, no sign of impending doom, the car was just dead. zthe road I was on is a four-lane affair with a center turning lane. Caught in the middle when the failure occured, I had to go down the steep hill in reverse to got to an area where I could get off the highway. I had the car towed to a local Pep Boys, where $600.00 dollars later most of the ignition system had been replaced. The only problem was now the transmission did not to assist with forward motion. Pep Boys claimed it was nothing they had done, although I find it suspicious that the ignition system and the transmission would have concurrent failures.

 That was almost two years ago, and the Probe has been sitting in the aprtment complex all that time, immobile. That is, until today. She has been towed to a repair shop, and tranny surgey is being performed as we speak. Total bill is in the neighborhood of $1,300, plus the vehicle needs the CV joints replaced and new suspension bits on all four corners. The car Blue Books at $925, so why in the world would I spend all this money? Good question.

 The answer comes from history, and philosophy on car ownership. The logical thin to have done would have been to sell the Probe, and that's what many people would have done, but that car and I have some history. I purchased her from a co-worker in September of '02, a dark time in my automotive history. My roommate at that time as looking for a new car, and he was offered the Probe for $600. When he declined I purchased her instead. She wasn't perfect by any measure, but I finally felt almost complete again.

 Previously I was driving a '95 Toyota Tacoma until she was repossed, at which time I was forced to acquire a '92 Ford Tempo. I called her the PC(politically correct)mobile, a boring design with boring grey paint. I was so wanting her to be my '85 Toyota Supra, and the poor thing could never hope to live up to the expectations set by that fine vehicle. I never appreciated her until I sold her, but fortunately she belongs to my current roomie so I get to enjoy her company often.

 Besides the lack of a manual tranny, the Probe felt like the Supra. Swift and sure-footed, driving was once again a pleasure. In fact, the Probe was why I started RIDE, the passion of performance driving me to share my thoughts with the world. I hadn't felt that since December of 1995, and it's now an integral part of my soul.

 The Probe is more than just a car, she is the spark that rekindled the flames of automotive passion in my heart. I refuse to abandon her. It's taken almost two years for me to get into the financial position that will allow me to pay back my Probe for everything she has done for me. My baby deserves it.

No Longer Alone

 Ford has recently made some news by refusing to sell Crown Vics to police departments that have sued over alleged safety defects. While i won't begrudge a company for not selling a product to someone who has brought legal action against the product, I do find it interesting that a police department would want a vehicle they have deemed unsafe. It's probably a mute point now, since Dodge has brought out this...



 While a Crown Vic is somewhat menacing in police livery, this thing just blows it out of the water. Brings new meaning to "Does that thing have a Hemi?".

Hope Springs Eternal

 What you see here is Isuzu's new i-series truck, a clone of the Chevy Colorado/GMC Canyon. It's disappointing that there's not a more marked difference in style from the Chevy and GMC models, and it's clearly a stop-gap measure to give Isuzu dealers something to sell besides the lonely Ascender.

 If Isuzu really wants these new trucks to be successful, they will need to make them standouts. We know Isuzu has the stylists to make them something unique, just look at the Axiom and Vehi-cross. Me-too design is not going to save the brand, it needs an identity, something that would make you choose it, not just happen upon it because the Isuzu dealer was next to the Chevy Dealer and you got a better price on it.

Another One Bites The Dust

 Another Pontiac is being discontinued, the Bonneville. Production ends this summer, and another Pontiac model fades into the sunset.



 Sales have dropped dramatically, and it's not a model that I really care much about, but this is troubling for the performance division of GM. There is not a single Pontiac model that is exclusive to the division (the GTO is a version of Holden's Monaro), even the upcoming Solstice roadster. It seems like Pontiac is slowly being squeezed out of GM's lineup as Chevy takes on a more sporty demeanor (look at the Cobalt commercils for an example). If this continues Pontiac is in danger of becoming the next Mercury.

Auto No-Show

 Travelled to the Nashville International Auto Show today. This was the first year I went to the Nashville show, previously having been to the Cleveland and Detroit shows, and was less than impressed. It was tiny, and felt more like it was put on by the local dealers than the manufacturers. Once you've been to Detroit, I guess nothing else compares, but Nashville is low man on the totem pole for sure.

 Toyota and Scion had the first level, a wide hallway in front of the main exhibit area. We checked out the Scions first, and they are impressive little cars. For the price they are top notch, and the tC is much more impressive in person than pictures suggest. The new Avalon was there, and it's not as boring as everyone has been saying, it's subdued instead of bland. There was no Celica or MR-S, which was a major disappointment. It's the last year for both, and it would have been nice to have said goodbye. The new Tacoma is much more impressive than the previous model, and the interior, even on the base model, is much improved.

 We moved onto the main floor, checking out the Nissan 350z on the way. The rest of Nissan's line up really didn't interest us, nor did Cadillac. Chevrolet gave us the opportunity to check out the SSR ( nice styling, so-so interior), the Corvette, the Aveo (nice, but why not just get a Scion?), and the Cobalt. There was a base and SS version available, and neither wowed me. The interior is drab, and the seats sre something you sit on, not in, even in the SS model. I was hoping for something a lot better, but GM still has not caught up to the imports.

 We took a close look at the Chrysler 300, and it's a winner. Bobby was most impressed by it, and it demonstrates that Chrysler can get it right when they really try. The DOdge M-80 concept truck was right next to the Chevrolet SSR, and I would chose it first. It's basically Dodge's version of a Jeep Wrangler pick-up. The SSR is a truck trying to be a sportscar, and it just doesn't work. Sat in a Neon SRT, and got out quickly. The car itself is nice, but the interior just feels like a domestic car from the eighties disguised as an import.

 Mitsubishi was barely there, with only a Lancer Evo MR, Eclipse Spyder, and Galant. The Evo was sweet, but I was really hoping to see the new Eclipse. We pased Hummer up, and went to the Saturn Ion Redline. I'll pass on that one. We gazed at the Lexus SC430, and sat in the RX330. Impressive, to say the least. Nobody gets the interior quite as right as Lexus, with Infiniti coming in a distant second.

 We skipped Buick since the three of us have a combined age less than the average Buick owner. Hyundai had a V6 Tiburon, which is world's better than the original Hyundai's. While not up to Toyota standards, they're trying harder than GM seems to be. Mazda occupied some time as we cexamined the 6 (great exterior, buta cheap looking interior), the 3 (almost as nice as the Toyota Matrix), and of course the RX-8, which is still fresh after al this time. Lincoln and Mercury were there, but nobody was really paying any attention. Acura did not have an NSX, and I've seen the RSX in person, so we went straight to the Mini's, which were gathering a lot on onlookers even though there wer only two there. BMW was there also, but we didn't bother.

 Ford had the best display there, with the new Fusion up on a turntable and a Mustang convertible to view (but not sit in). There was a crowd around the new Mustang, and seeing a GT up close is almost a religous experience. The Fusion was OK, and at least it's more interesting than the 500. Speaking of the 500, I don't recall seeing one there, maybe it was, but I didn't notice. Honda really didn'thave anything I wanted to see (no Civic Si?), so we went for the Pontiac GTO. This car should really sell better,even though the styling is ho-hum, the interior was better than most of the GM products.

 Mercedes was a no-show, and the GT was the only exotic there, no Ferrari, Lotus, or Maserati. Dodge didn't bring the Charger and GM left Saab in Sweden. The SCCA didn't bother to come, nor any other enthusiast organization, which was really disappointing.

 Overall a lackluster show, one can only hope next year is better. That, or I may be making a trip to Detroit again, the Nashville show just didn't satisfy at all.

The Great Experiment Is Over

 Pontiac has annouced the demise of the Sunfire in June, bringing to a close the worst example of badge engineering to date, although the Chevy Trailblazer, Isuzu Ascender, and Saab 9-7x is coming close.



 In 1982 GM released the J-Body platform, a front-drive compact platform meant to compete directly with the Japanese imports that were starting to erode GM's market share. In a not-so-brilliant move, GM decreed that each division would have it's own version, thus the Chevy Cavalier, Pontiac J200, Oldsmobile Firenza, Buick Skyhawk, and Cadillac Cimarron were born. Putting out five cars that were all basically the same under the skin had predictable results. Cadillac and Oldsmobile dropped their version after 1988, with Buick holding on for one more year.

 Chevy and Pontiac soldiered on, with the Arrowhead's version changing names three times, going from 2000 to Sunbird to Sunfire. Chevrolet just replaced the Cavalier with the Cobalt, but Pontiac has decided not to have it's own version. GM seems to have learned at least something from this debacle, finally, but leaving Pontiac without an entry-level model sure doesn't seem like a plan for success either. POntiac is apparently thinking of importing a model to fill the gap, but says there's nothing on the drawing board for at least 18 months.

 Pontiac is the performance oriented division, but apparently that performance is no longer for entry-level buyers. They'll have to get their performance itch scratched somewhere else.

The Real Driving Simulator

 I've got a new toy, the Logitech GT Force Pro wheel for my Playstation 2.



 This baby is $150.00, and at first I thought I was going to take it back. I tried it with Gran Turismo 3, and was disappointed. It seemed like it was a half-second off with the steering inputs. I'd corect my line, and end up fishtailing down half the track. When I play with a regular controller, I always use the third-person view where the camera is just behind you car. It allows you t o see what the vehicle is doing, and it works pretty well. I was trying the same thing with the wheel, and it wasn't working. We changed the settings, no dice. We watched the front wheels on the car as we drove around the track slowly, and they were following out steering inputs exactly. What the hell? Then it dawned on us!

 Gran Turismo 3 also has a first person view, where you're inside the cockpit. I've never used it much as it makes the car hard to control with a standard controller. But, with the Logitech wheel, it was a match made in a Lexus factory. The car was now magically controllable, and fishtailing was now part of history. The force feedback from the wheel, which always felt like it lagged behind what was happening onscreen, was now synched perfectly. It's the closest thing to real driving I've ever felt.

 It's so good it will make you wanna' slap your mama! If you own Gran Turismo 3 you owe it to yourself to have this wheel.

Japan Turismo

 Coming March 15th is the 4th installment in the Gran Turismo series. Destined to be a tour de force in the video game arena, the screen shots look stunning. The Japanese version contains 709 vehicles. And that's my only problem with the game.



 The list of cars is strongly biased towards Polyphony Digital's home merket, Japan. There's little attempt to localize a version with more US models, and there are quite a few cars that should be available, but aren't.

Acura: There's no Legend, the earliest Integra is a '91 (where's the first generation?), nor is the Vigor available.

Chevrolet: Beretta, Cavalier, Impala, Monte Carlo, and the NUMMI Nova.

Chrysler: Conquest, Le Baron, Sebring.

Dodge: Colt, Daytona, Omni GLH, Shadow, Stealth.

Eagle: Firts generation Talon.

Ford: Aspire, Escort GT, EXP, Festiva, Probe, Tempo.

Geo: Storm.

Isuzu: Impulse RS AWD, Stylus, I-Mark.

Mazda: MX-3, MX6.

Mercury: FWD Cougar.

Merkur: XR4Ti.

Mitsubishi: Cordia, Eclipse 1st gen.

Nissan: NX 2000, Pulsar, Sentra SE-R.

Pontiac: Fiero!!!!!!, Grand Am, Grand Prix, Firebird.

Toyota: Corolla AE92, Corolla FX-16, Paseo, Tercel.

Volkswagen: Corrado, Scirocco.

 That's 46 cars that are readily available to any enthusiast on a budget, and would be better choices for the US market instead of cars like the Daihatsu Move, Daihatsu Midget, Mazda Carol, and Mitsubishi Minica. And does there have to be over 50 versions of the Nissan Skyline? This is the fourth game, and still no Fiero?

 It's a great series, but I'm getting tired of being offered a bunch of Japan-only models when there are so many alternatives that could be added for he US market.

Lost Lustre?

 Mitsubishi has a new Eclipse coming out, and it will probably decide Mitsubishi's fate in the US auto market. Can a sports coupe really be that important? Let's go back in time for some perspective...



 Mitsubishi's first entry into the US market was sold by Dodge as the Colt. A modest econobox, it sold well enough, and the originals are now considered classics by some. The first hint at what was coming in the future was the Plymouth Arrow, a hot-rod version of the Colt. It's the 70's, so take that hot-rod description with a grain of salt. It was no 'Bahn Burner, but it pointed the way for future Mitsu coupes.



 Mitsubishi's next model came to the US as the Dodge Challenger and Plymouth Sapporo. It held it's own against the Celica's and 200SX's of the day, but most importantly it showed the Triple Diamond's pursuit of technology, with balance shafts in the engine and the MCA-Jet cylinder head (basically a Hemi). Again, it was a modest success, and lasted until 1983.



 1983 was also the year Mitsubishi started selling cars here under their own banner, and the Cordia was the Eclipse of it's time. Again, it was average for the sporty coupes of the day, and Mitsu's limited dealer network limited sales. Chrysler also opted not to sell a version of it, and it's one of the more obscure cars on the roads today.



 Stunning is not a strong enough adjective to describe the launch of the first Eclipse. The marketing was perfect (I still remember the commercials of a red Eclipse driving in front of a setting sun, gorgeous), and the car could be had as a simple NA four-banger up to a mind-numbing AWD turbo version, all at very competitive prices. There was nothing like it on the market, the magazines all praised it's excellence, and suddenly people were paying attention to Mitsubishi.

 It defined the brand, more than any car before it, and it's importance cannot be underestimated. If it would not have been a success, then cars like the 3000GT, Diamante, and today's Lancer Evolution would not be here. It's rare for a sporty coupe to be that successful, yet Mitsubihi did it. As time went by the lustre of Mitsubishi's Eclipse strated to fade as the car moved into the personal luxury coupe role, away from it's sporty roots.



 Now there's a new model arriving, and it's just as important as the first Eclipse. It will decide if Mitsubishi remains a player in the US market, or if the Triple Diamond fades away like Daihatsu, Daewoo, and Plymouth. It's a heavy burden for the attractive coupe, and history is not on it's side. Will the buying public welcome a new coupe enthusiastically? Will passion and excitement win out over practicality and frugalness? We certainly hope so. Mitsubishi is depending on it.

Ugly Today. Ugly Tomorrow?

 I recently went to Pull A Part, probably the best organized junkyard I have ever seen. Sitting among the Corollas and Civics was a Datsun 200SX, one of the ugliest Datsun's ever made. And yet, it looked beautiful to me.







 Time has mellowed the initial shock of the design, and it's grown on me. There's a spunkiness to the shape, a vehicle that doesn't give a damn if you think it's pretty. Compared to the Detroit iron of the time it throws a wrench in the whole "longer, lower, wider" style direction. While it will probably never be called a classic, it's earned a spot in my cars I lust over directory, which will likely be enough to get me committed. I don't care, just like the ugly 200SX.

 Now all this thought has gotten me thinking over some of today's "special" designs. Will they too become something I can appreciate? In 2020 will I be writing an ode to the much maligned Aztek? Food for thought.

Nothing To Do With Cars Or Motorcycles...

 but some pictures are just so wrong you have to share 'em.

Passion For 2

 I'm shopping for a motorcycle, and I've come to realize there's nothing new that really grabs me. Cruisers are nice, but are way too limited in their functionality. I want to ride, not cruise down Main Street. Sportbikes fall into the smae trap, beautiful to look at but difficult to blast across a couple of states in. I'm more into standards, your basic universal motorcycle that's a jack of all trades, master of none. Problem is, there's not a lot of choices out there. I've had to go into the past to find what I realy want.

 It's hard to explain my passion for standards. There's not the acres of chrome like a cruiser, or the sleek and sexy bodywork on a sportbike to dazzle the eye. The eye candy is nice, no doubt, but a standard goes deeper, touching the essence of riding. There's nothing hiding the mechanicals, it's all out in the open to admire. You can't avoid the machine, you become a part of it. It makes the experiance pure.

 Here's my choices so far, along with a short list of their plus and minuses.

 Honda CB-1



 Light and agile, with a 400cc engine, this would be a good bike for getting back into the sport, but cross-state cruising might be too much to ask of this little sweetheart.

 Honda Hawk GT



 Similar to the CB-1, this is another standard from Hoinda, but with a 650cc V-twin powerplant. It has a stronger character, but it's tilted more towards the sportbike side of the equation than most standards, which might limit it.

 Kawasaki Zephyr 550



 I've owned this motorcycle, being the last bike I owned. It has good power and handling, but it lacks character.

 Suzuki GS500E



 Similar to the Kawasaki Zephyr, it shares it's strengths and weakness, lack of character, but it's a good bike nonetheless.

 Suzuki Bandit 400



 For a standard, this bike is sexy. It's gotta be red, the blue version just doesn't do it for me. Like the CB-1, it's a 400 cc again, so I'm not sure if it's got what it takes to go cross-country, but damn it looks good!

 Suzuki GSX1100G



 The largest bike on my list, the big "G" is also the only one with shaft drive, which reduces maintenance. It will definitely go the distance, and that's the problem. It's big. I really appreciate nimbleness, and that does not describe the "G".

 Triumph Speed Triple



 Slotting neatky between the Honda Hawk and the Suzuki "G", the Speed Triple is almost perfect. It's the right size, has a wonderful engine, but the riding position is aimed squarely at the sporting side. A few mods would probably help this out, like raise handlebars, but I'm not sure how effective that would be.

 If you have owned one of these bikes, or have one for sale near Nashville, TN, I'm definitely interested. Leave a somment and let me know what you think.

Patterns

 If there's one thing GM doesn't do well, it's learn from history. There's an article on MSNBC about the fate of Saab, talking about the possibility of the marque disappearing. It's not very likely, and it would be a shame, but it illustrates my point. From the Cadillac Cimarron until today, GM just never see's the patterns.

 According to GM insiders, the company remains unclear what the Saab brand stands for. The typical customer is an academic - and, says one executive, "the question is, are there enough university professors to make the investments worthwhile?"

 Saab is easy to understand, if you're Swedish. When the rest of the world was using rear-drive platforms, there was Saab using front wheel drive. When the V8 was king, Saab was using a turbocharged four. Everyone put the ignition somewhere near the steering column, except Saab. Things are done differently at Saab, or at least they used to be.

 Saab has lost money in all but one of the past 10 years and GM has steadily reduced its autonomy over the past 18 months. Manufacturing, engineering and most design decisions are now controlled by GM Europe executives, based in Germany or Switzerland, reducing Saab's local management to controlling branding and marketing.

 Everything that made Saab what it was has been destroyed, "centralized" in GM's view to save money. A Saab is no longer a Saab, it's now a warmed over Opel or Subaru or (gulp) Chevrolet. The point in having different brands is to attract different customers. Taking one platform and using it for several marques has not worked in the past for GM ( a'la Cadillac Cimarron), why should it work today?

 Saturn used to be nearly autonomous in the GM world, but as that autonomy has diminished, so has the Saturn brand. Big suprise that the same thing has sappened with Saab. Everything GM has done has been in the name of saving money and better profits, but it's had the opposite effect.

 It's already over for Saab. Something unique in the automotive world is now gone, and it will never be back. It was nice knowing you Saab.

Run What You Brung

 There are so many fine automobiles to lust after. Exotics are the pinnacle, of course, cars most mortals will never even see in person. There are plenty of normal cars that can stir an enthusiat's blood, the new Mustang, Nissan's 350Z, Mitsu's Lancer Evo, and Chevy's Corvette, to name a few. So what's one to do if you own something like a Mitsubishi Precis?



 Drive it proudly, of course. Yes, it's a shoebox on wheels with an engine that feels like it's suffering an asthma attack, but it can also be a hell of a lot of fun.

 Sign up for the SCCA, do some autocrossing, and challenge yourself. The car itself really doesn't matter, the goal is to improve yourself. Having the latest and greatest in automotive tech does not make a btter driver, skill and determination do. Take that Mitsu Precis and go attack some corners!

Entertainment

 Finished watching the latest DVD release of Initial D. It's the story of a young driver dicovering the thrill of street racing, and the challenges he faces. It's actually a fairly technical look at the art of drifting, and every race highlights a new technique.

 Unfortunately they only come out every other month, with the next release scheduled in March. Volume 9 was released today, and is the final two episodes of the first season, along with the furst episode of the second season. Suggested retail is $19.99, but I've found that MediaPlay sells them for $14.99. Even if you're not into anime, it's a series aimed at automotive enthusiasts. You'll like it.

Desires

 There's been something dominating my thoughts recently...



 I had a dream yesterday I was riding a motorcycle down a twisty section of asphalt. Tilting into the corners, it was a feeling long absent from my life. I used to ride regularly, every sunday, seeing more of the stae of Tennessee than most residents. I've watched hang-gliders leap off a cliff, parked underneath a waterfall, followed several rivers along their meandering paths, and even rode a ferry across one. The one thing above all others a motorcycle grants is freedom.

 One of the best highlights was riding Deal's Gap, affectionately known as The Dragon. It's one of the most tangled pieces of asphalt on earth, and a biker's paradise. Here's a video of what "taming" the Dragon is like. It's been too long, I need a motorcycle.

Auto Show

 It's not the biggest, and there's never a true debut, but the Nashville Auto Show is as close as we get here. From the website, it seems Chrysler is the only manufacturer to show us some concept cars; the Chrysler Airflite, Dodge M-80, and Jeep Compass. If only Detroit was just a little bit closer! We'll also get to see the Ford Fusion and Toyota Avalon, yawn. At least Ford is bringing a GT.

 The show runs from January 27th - 30th, 2005, and show times are:
Thursday: 2:00 pm to 10:00 pm
Friday: 10:00 am to 10:00 pm
Saturday: 10:00 am to 10:00 pm
Sunday: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Tickets are only $7.00 for adults, $4.00 for seniors, and children are $2.00. If you're in the area, stop on by. Where else can you get this much automotive goodness for $7.00?

Edmunds Goes Enthusiast

 Edmunds.com has always been a good resource when researching a vehicle purchase. The reviews have been Consumer Reports bland, but the info was always helpful, concise, and targeted to a broad audience. Now Edmunds shows it wild side with a new section called Inside Line. Aimed towards enthusiasts, it's a refreshing change. Some of the first columns are real gems, too.

 Scott Oldham has a column titled Buy That Cool Car Now, detailing why you shouldn't wait to buy the car of your dreams. Kevin Smith chimes in with Time To Imprint, another fine articles. These guys have motor oil running through their veins, car nuts to the core. Welcome to the enthusiast community, Edmunds. It's about time!

Saturn Sights

 An article about the uphill battle faced by Saturn. We're finally getting some peaks at the new Saturn models, namely the Aura concept and Sky convertible.




 It will be interesting to see how things go, especially with the Sky. It's a whole new direction for Saturn, and hopefully there will be a big dfifference between it and the upcoming Pontiac Solstice, but I'm not holding my breath. Two convertibles that are basically the same are going to cannibalize sales from each other, not from the competition. Like the article says, it's "Do or Die Time".

I Really Want To Like GM

 There is no automotive manufacturer that tries as hard as GM does, and continously comes up short. Recent history has given us the Oldsmobile Aurora, probably one of the best sedans to come from GM in a long time, showing the world that GM engineers have a passion for automobiles, and yet Oldsmobile followed the Aurora with several lackluster models, and Oldsmobile went the way of the Edsel.

 Pontiac brings out the GTO, and the brand that at one time couldn't help but add pounds of tacky body cladding to every model brings out a car that is styled so plain no one even notices it. A few days ago I was driving behind one, the rumble of the V8 from the exhaust way more entertaining than any music on the rasio, yet no one around seemed to know they were in the presence of greatness. Sales are dismal, and the GTO can't be long from extinction.

 Saturn was once a beacon for all the hopeful that GM could get it right, almost, but as Saturn's independance has eroded away, so has the brand. There's new product coming, we're told, that will revitalize the image, but time will tell.

 Something always get's in the way, preventing GM from breaking through it's malaise and becoming the manufacturer we all know it can be. Market share continues to decline, The full-size pickups and SUV's that are it's bread and butter are under assault from many directions, but I still hold out hope for the old guy. I really, really, want to like GM, but whatever it is that knocks down their greatest achievements needs to be removed, post haste. Time is not on GM's side.

New Year, New Design

 For the new year, there's now a new design. Not sure if I like it, and it might need some cross-browser tweaking, but it'll do for now.

Happy New Year

 Welcome to 2005!

Charge It

 The new Dodge Charger that's coming soon is generating a lot of controversy, but I think Dodge is doing the correct thing. While there may be no direct styling cues from the original Chargers,and it's a sedan instead of a coupe, it's the right car for the market.

 Nostalgia is a great, but the market that dictated the design of the original CHarger no longer exists. Sedans are the new muscle cars, with only the Mustang hanging on in the original form. Everything else in the class has either morphed into something else or is no longer made.

 For the third version of one platform (Chrysler 300,Dodge Magnum), Chrysler has garnered a lot more attention for the Charger than they could have asked for, and I don't think it will hurt sales of the CHarger at all.

Toyota The New Buick?

 My uncle used to own a Buick Roadmaster, an absolute boat of a car. While it was extremely comfortable to ride in, there wasn't much there to get your blood pumping, unless you got into a corner too fast. Then it was like trying to keep the Titanic from striking the iceberg.



 He recently replaced the land yacht, with a Toyota Camry. It's a fine automobile, and I'm glad he picked it out of the many possibilities in the market. It should prove to be a faithful companion, but it illustrates the problem facing Toyota, aging customers.

 In the ongoing quest to improve the breed, cars like the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic are now larger than the original Camry and Accord. It's been a successful strategy so far, but with the advent of the Scion Brand, Toyota has recognized that it needs an injection of youth, else it ends up like Buick and Oldsmobile, with vehicles that only appeal to older customers.

 While Scion has been successful so far, I don't know if it will translate into eventual customers for Toyota. During the 80's, Toyota offered much for the young driver, with the Tercel anchoring the bottom, the Corolla GT-S, MR2, and Celica covering the middle, and the Supra on the top. The Tercel became the Echo, which has flopped, the Corolla GT-S has been gone for quite some time, along with the Supra, and this is the last year for the Celica and MR-S. The only car that can claim to be sporty in the Toyota line-up is now the Solara, basically Toyota's version of the Thunderbird/Cougar personal luxury coupe.

 For someone like me, a teenager during the 80's, I still remember the sporting side of Toyota, and Scion just doesn't fit the bill. The new TC is a fine replacement for the Corolla GT-S, but it ends there. What I'd like to see is a return of the original MR2, based off the Echo/XA-XB platform. Keep it light and simple, and don't move it upmarket. I know the MR2 went upmarket partially because insurance ona two-seater is outrageous, so maybe Toyota could offer insurance as part of the loan or lease (at least a year's worth), lessening the price shock.

 The sporting side of Toyota appears to be on life support right now, hopefully Scion can light a spark under the bosses at Toyota. Without sporting vehicles, an automaker faces a long and painful decline a'la Oldsmobile, Plymouth, and Mercury.

Christmas Down Under

 An interactive Christmas card designed for Toyota of Australia. Happy holidays!

Merry Christmas

The Truth About Transmissions

 There's a debate going on at The Truth About Cars about which is the better tranny, auto or manual. The automatic side points out "he main premise of my article was simple: it takes a higher level of driver attention to operate a manual transmission than an automatic." Because of this, it is deemed safer to use an automatic rather than a manual.

 In a perfect world, that statement would ring true, but it's far from a perfect world. There's a technique employed by big-rig drivers when they're caught in stop and go traffic. They move at a constant speed whenever possible, and the skillful almost never touch their brakes. They just coast along, while everyone else using their slushboxes speed up, apply the brakes, stop, then start the cycle over again.

 Because of the manual transmission in an 18-wheeler, the driver does have to pay more attention to what they are doing, otherwise they'll be shifting gears constantly. The driver is scanning ahead, and matching their speed to the general flow of traffic. Instead of adding to the traffic problem, they're doing their small part to alleviate it.

 I've tried, and there's no way to achieve this technique with an autobox. Below 35 mph there's just no way to regulate your speed precisely enough, the transmission fights you every step of the way. So what does all this have to do with safety? It's precisely because the manual transmission forces you to be an active participant in the act of driving more than an automatic that makes your average manual driver safer than your average auto driver.

 You have to scan ahead,rewad the road, and comprehend what's going on around you so you're not caught in the wrong gear. An automatic driver just hits the accelerator and goes, and to most it really doesn't matter what's happening five or ten car lengths in front of them, they'l happily let the tranny decide what gear to pick after they have to break because they didn'y\t predict that car merging into their lane. Again, in a perfect world, the auto has the advantage, because it frees you to worry about other things, the only problem is human nature takes that to mean that you don't have to worry about what's happening on the road ahead, while manuals force you to care. Your attention is more focused on the job in front of you, not what's happening at the office, in your marriage, and with the kids.

 If something forces a driver to pay more attention to what they're doing on the road, that's a good thing, not a hinderance.

Garage Life

 While waiting for Gran Turismo 4, I've finally started to seriously play Auto Modellista, and the game ain't half bad. It's more arcade style than sim, but it does offer some features that the Gran Turismo series sorely lacks.



 You can change the color of your car, alter some of the exterior parts (hood, spoiler, front and rear air dams), and sticker the hell out of the cars. It also features some tracks styled around the Initial D anime series, and these are a blast. But, the one feature that is a stand-out, and keeps me playing, are the items and posters you win for completing races. You can then place them in your garage, wherever you like, and it's wickedly addictive. I can spend an hour just designing the layout of my garage, calculating what's the most efficient organization. It's like a barbie doll for guys, and makes me long for a garage of my own.

 I've never understood people who take a garage and turn it into just another room of the house, or use it simply to store things. It's a holy place, a shrine to tools and automobiles, a refuge for your vehicles, and should be a vital part of anyone's love affair with things that go fast.

 If you've got a great garage, send in your photos and I'll post them here for all the world to see.

Burning Sensation

 I was giving the Corolla a wash today, and when I arrived back at the apartment to clean the windows, there was a truck burning in the parking lot.



 It wasn't the engine compartment that was aflame, it was the cab. When the firemen forced open the driver's side door, orange flames filled the compartment, but were quickly extinguished by the liberal application of some water.



 Someone's baby just died, and another cehicle goes to the grave before it's time.

Semper Fi

 Today, in 1775, the US Marine Corps was created. Happy birthday to the Marines, and let's pray for the safety of all the troops, especially the ones fighting in Fallujah, Iraq.

Tire Safety

 As cars have gotten safer, the safety groups are being forced to focus on marginal issues to justify theri existance. The newest safety "fad" is a tire expiration date. Amazingly, older tires seem to fail, and unlike that gallon of milk in your refrigerator, there's no expiration date on your tire sao you know when to replace it.

 There is a manufacture date on your tires, but like the article syas, "In the United States, consumers and tire dealers must decipher part of a serial number engraved on one side of a tire to determine the date it was manufactured". All it takes to "decipher" your tire's manufacture date is a quick search on Google, and voila, there's the answer. Look for the DOT certification, and the last four numbers are the manufacture date, the first two the week, the last two the year.

 Now, if someone is not going to take the effort to figure this out, how likely are they to pay attention to an expiration date? Consumers abuse the hell out of tires, and you see it every day. Tires with almost no tread, tires that are dangerously underinflated, the list goes on and on.

 It would be one thing if people were dying left and right, but the safety group can only produce 50 examples of this problem, resulting in 37 deaths. Plus, that's data over at least 5 years, not 50 examples in one year. Imagine what a difference could be made if the safety groups focused on something that would make a real impact, like driver education perhaps? Oh wait, then we couldn't blame evil corporations, we'd actually have to take responsibility for our actions. Never mind.

On Pins And Needles

via Cox and Forkum

Comments

  What the hell is this graphic doing on this site? Completely inappropriate, ya jackass.
NickNack

 That's the only comment I've gotten on the 9/11 graphic (permalink here).
It's a very strange comment, and I'm not sure what NickNack is trying to communicate.

 In answer to the question, the graphic is here because I placed it here. It was posted on September 11th, and was the most poignant summary of my feelings for the day. Of all the images from that horrific event, the people jumping to their deaths from the World Trade Center towers still choke me up the most.

 About the graphic being inapproprite, this is my site. I, and only I determine what is appropriate. If you don't like what I have to say, that's fine. There's a million other blogs you can go to. There are many blogs I used to read, but no longer visit, because of their views. I didn't go on their site and leave a comment calling them a jackass, I just stopped reading their blogs.

 In the end, it comes down to how tolerant you are of other views. I disagree often with Autoguy's views and conclusions, but I still think what he has to say is deserving of consideration. Never exposing yourself to other views and different theories keeps you from expanding yourself. Alas, there are people out there who never will.

 If you want to see more graphics like the Never Again one, I suggest a visit to Cox and Forkum.