Bad News Is Good News

 The headline reads GM Recalss The Troubled Aveo. Sounds like there's something majorly wrong with the car, doesn't it? The recall, "the rear seat belt can lock and become unusable", is not something that is really newsworthy. This is not an "Aveo's spontaneously exploding" type deal here, so why is the Aveo "troubled"?

 Why, because "GM has had substantial problems with the Aveo since it went on sale last year. In February, the company ordered dealers not to sell the cars for a week after they were involved in five crashes that caused injuries. GM found that the vehicles weren’t to blame for the wrecks and let dealers begin selling them again." Seems to me like GM was acting more like a company afraid of getting sued , a la Ford Explorer and their Firestone tires, than a car with substantial problems. All this does is damage the reputation of a car that does not deserve it.

Double Take

 Take this Detroit News Headline, SUV glut signals dip in interest. Hmm, makes it seem like the slaes of SUV's are down, right? Autoguy takes from this that SUV sales are down 5-10%. Yet, right in the middle of the article is this gem...

 Still, SUV sales growth continues to outpace the overall U.S. new light vehicle market. While industry sales are up 2.4 percent this year, sales of entry-level SUVs are up 4.3 percent, midsize SUV demand is up 6 percent, full-size SUV sales have advanced 3 percent, and demand for luxury SUVs is up 29 percent.

 So which is it? Are SUV sales up, flat, or down? They're up, but the Detroit News is trying to convince you the end is near, the party is over, America is finally realizing the error of it's ways and buying smart. It's all wishful thinking, trying to force the facts to fit a preconcieved notion of what vehicles people should buy, instead of letting people decide for themselves. I'm no fan of SUV's, but I'm a big fan of the free market, and this article is a thinly veiled attempt to convince people niot to buy SUV's. So what if the facts get in the way, the SUV must die!

Bluegrass Adventure

 Wednesday I took the Escort up to Lexington KY. Took a look at a '92 Toyota Paseo, and I ended up buying her. She needs a new motor, and a new front fender, but is otherwise beautiful. Bobby and I are going to put the new motor in ourselves, a first for me, and the first time he's ever replaced a motor on a FWD car. Should be, well, interesting. We're going on Sunday to pick her up, and will probably stop at the National Corvette Museum, since it's on the way.



 Of course, wednesday being a mini-roadtrip, there were a few unusual thing seen along the way. Washington County is a "certified clean county", so I guess someone goes around and verifies that everyone takes a shower each day. Passed a farm with "used cows for sale", but I didn't see abunch of rusty, dented cows with faded paint anywhere, big disappointment.

The Gamboy Advance Tune Up

Now you can use your Gamboy Advance as a programmable automotive tuning tool. I guess it's cheaper than a laptop, unless you get a nice used one off eBay.

Mini Madness

 Cant afford to get a Mini just yet? Download the Mini Costume and you can act like you own one. Danger: just 'cause you dress your car up like a Mini, don't expect it to handle like a Mini!

Time Travel

  Two days ago I received a shipment from eBay. It's a complete set of Car and Driver issues, 91-92. I've been reading each issue, and it's been like a journey back through time. The early nineties were truly a great era for enthusiasts. Just look at what was available.

 Mercury Capri XR2 - Not as good as the Miata, but much more attractive now on the used car market.

 Geo Metro Convertible - Convertible for those on a tight budget.

 Nissan Sentra SE-R - Nissan hits one out of the ballpark.

 BMW 325i - The new 3 series were stunners, and still look good today.

 Dodge Spirit RT - A nice effort by Chrysler before the LH sedans came out.

 Ford Taurus SHO - Proving that a Taurus does not have to be boring.

 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 - aww yeah.

 Nissan NX2000 - A Sentra SE-R for those who want to be more stylish.

 Lotus Carlton - Never available here, but wonderfuul nonetheless.

 Dodge Stealth and Mitsubishi 3000GT - Mitsubishi really hit their stride in the early nineties.

 Lexus SC400 - Lexus makes a car with passion!

 BMW 850i - Not great, but still desireable.

 Mazda MX-3 - A 1.8 liter V-6, Mazda proves they're still strange.

 Lotus Elan - A FWD Lotus? Who would of believed it.

 Nissan 300ZX - Still one of the best ever sports cars ever made.

 Toyota Celica GTS - Not everyone liked it, but I think the design was the sexiest Celica ever.

 GMC Syclone - GMC goes crazy on us. Someone at GM has passion!

 Subaru SVX - Never caught on, but Subaru built a true GT car.

 Nissan Maxima - When Nissan referred to it as the 4-door sports car, and it was true.


 Mazda RX-7 - Mazda took the RX-7 back to it's roots, and made a true sports car.

That's just the '91 issues, but you have to admit that performance was the main course during the early nineties. Before the SUV crowded onto center stage, there were cars in every price range that spoke to the enthusiast. I miss those times.