Cars

Car rumps, that is :-) Nissan is famous for screwing-up the back-end of every car they make, producing bulbous, unattractive forms that destroy the tidy lines of the car. Seems to me they’re always trying to add ‘visual excitement’ (a Pontiac term!) to the cars. Well, I LOVE the new Altima. The back end had a muscular look, very reminiscent of a G35, skyline, or a 350z. Pictures really don’t do it justice: The curve from the C pillar is organic, down through the tail lights. It reminds me of the way Ferrari finishes-off its great GT cars like the 456GT. ...

But have you checked out the gluteus on the Maxima… Jeff Roberts - Mar 3, 2007 But have you checked out the gluteus on the Maximas? :-) one word: minivan.

Sunday I was all worked-up about Whitney’s car having a catastrophic oil leak somewhere behind the engine. So, this week, I monitored the oil level on the dipstick every morning before going to work, checking it at that time because all the oil drains back to the pan overnight. Surprise, surprise: No oil loss. Okay, going theory for now: When I poured-in the oil Sunday, the engine was tilted back at ~30 degree angle from vertical (the engine slants back towards the firewall, and I had the car up on jackstands), so my funnel allowed some oil to spill back off the valvecover. ...

WHEREAS Sunday is the LORD’s day, the Sabbath. (If you’re Christian…If you’re a Jew, you wonder why Lazy people won’t work on the first day of the week) WHEREAS activity on the Sabbath not centered on God is cursed. WHEREAS I can foul-up any “30 minute job”. WHEREAS Whitney’s car hates me. RESOLVED by all members of the Sunday-is-for-football-and-naps club to cease any and all automotive repair activity on Sunday. ...

Totally contrary to the “Never make a dealer an offer” strategies of Dave Ramsey, This blog is an interesting (if slanted) view from a guy who’s been there, done that.

As Bella was in Louisville today, nesting and going to a baby shower (not her own…mmm…pregnant women on parade!), I went to get my CD player installed at Car Stereo warehouse. They thought they could run the outputs through the factory amp, but turns out the factory amp was dead. This took quite awhile. Click on this link for a map of my sojourn overf the next 5 hours. I went: ...

Yeah, so I get my new radio, and I follow the easy-to-read step-by step instructions and I end-up with the mess you see above you. Seems that E30’s all have wonky common-ground stereos, and if you want any sort of quality, they have to be rewired. I’ll be getting this done tomorrow… Still, it was a priceless moment when Whitney and Joey returned from church Wednesday night to find me wrestling with my car’s wiring in my pj’s :-)

“Camry” means ‘crown’ in Japanese (“Cam-U-Ree”), so here’s my summation of our Crown so far: It’s great so far; the only complaint I have is the engine–with 3-4 people + stuff aboard, it can barely get out of its own way. In the flat, it’ll happily cruise at 80-90mph, as it’s geared very tall, but it’s hopeless in the mountains. We averaged 26 mpg on our trips in the past two days, which isn’t bad, but it isn’t the 30mpg I was hoping for. Some new tires and a tuneup should fix this. ...

Good old Michael K (aka “Gateway”) is back on the GTO’s are cheap, buy one bandwagon. Apparently, they’ll be going for under $25k again, since the 06’s are the last year for them, and they’re still piled-up on dealer lots. 400hp RWD Clunky 6-speed no trunk :) no thanks. Do miss Thor occasionally, when those ever-so-rare patches of open interstate loom, and my 170hp just doesn’t feel adequate.

…sigh… Been a C&D subscriber for ~20 years, but it was time to vote with my feet–their recent tests have been garbage, the redesign caused my eyes to hurt, and the editorial content has gotten more “frat-boy” by the issue. It’s still a respectable magazine, and their technical skills are above reproach, but it’s not worth my money.

…or “My Dad becomes a BMW brand Ho” So, after haranguing Dad to be my wingman on the Desperate Friday Car-Search©, replacing my burned-out wife, I developed a list of 5 “likely” cars from the lists I could find online: - At World Class Autos in Nicholasville: an Infiniti I30, and ‘95 BMW 525i - At Big Blue Autos: The Camry, the Accord, and another I30. Upon arriving at World Class Autos (Home of “Kentucky’s largest used car showroom”…yeah right, you could fit their building inside CarMax, but whatever…), we scoured the frosty lot for the e34 I was so keen on. ...

After the e34 fiasco, buying the Camry was pretty easy: Drove over to Big Blue Autos, and they (conveniently) had the keys to EVERY CAR sticking OUT OF ITS DRIVER’S SIDE DOOR! Supposedly, this was to simply the detail-guys moving them around the lot. I personally think this was a giant sociological experiment to see who would be the first person to steal a car. I only did it halfway–I got a dealer plate first. ...

We spent 12 hours yesterday and ~2 hours today looking over cars, and we found-out several things: * Old Buicks. Wow…no one can amortize production costs like General Motors. The Buick Century we looked at definitely felt like a quality buick from 1985, manufactured in 2002, right down to the front bench, column shifter, and coarse, powerless engine. * Mazda 626, a very surprising, well-handling machine, but too small for our needs, we think. Whitney had a ball driving it, but it felt like a ’tween’ car…between a civic/corolla and a decent family sedan. Also, CR doesn’t like them too much ...

It’s not final yet, but our Intrigue is junkyard bound. Whitney got a call from the ‘State Farm Total Loss’ department, which we assume implies it’s totaled. I went by this morning, and collected what few things I’d left last week–garage door opener, some CDs, lotion, hair brads/clips/scrunchees. The poor car looked so sad…one year, 25k relatively trouble-free miles, we’re moving on. Last night was narrowing the list…our requirements: * Must be < 200" long (has to fit in our garage like Sharkey did). * Within our budget * Whitney must be able to drive it * 4 doors * Big enough to be a ‘family car’–stroller, car seat, etc. * Safe * Reliable * Low operating costs–regular gas, good mileage, cheap/easy to repair. ...

Further on the I need a small digicam front: Driving home Monday, what should appear in my rear view mirror…silver with two blue-ish stripes? Yep. Ford GT, Tailed by a bellicose Fox-bodied mustang with an exhaust, this guy wasn’t having any of it. Right at the Northern I-64/I-75 split the GT driver put his foot down and it was like the Stang had thrown out an anchor. He was GONE, all this on a roll from about 85mph (at which point, the GT was probably only at the top of 2nd gear!) ...

2007 Mazdaspeed3 - The Car Connection: “They could ship it over here available only in taupe paint and genuine rust and it would still be one of the most exhilarating cars Mazda has ever sold in the United States . In the history of sport compacts, this car is an immediate icon.” Looks like the Mini Cooper ‘S’ finally has some competition, though it’s sorta like the Corvette -v- Porsche comparison: Interesting on paper, but few people will cross-shop both brands. ...

Not to fuel the lust or anything but (depending on… Whitney - Sep 1, 2006 Not to fuel the lust or anything but (depending on the interior size) I could def see me driving that….does it come in a 5 body instead of the 3? Nope…Mazda3 only. The Mazda5 is based off the same platform, but makes-do with the 2.3 Naturally-aspirated motor. ...

Yeah, we get a rather stodgy, jellybean corolla, and the rest of the world gets this nice, useful 4-door hatch. Like the treatment on the grille/hood better, as well.

RELEASE: Ford Cutting N.A. Production - The Car Connection: “The new production plan will result in downtime at several assembly plants between now and the end of the year, including: …Louisville, Ky. (Ford Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer)…and all F-Series truck plants (Kansas City, Mo.; Norfolk, Va., Dearborn and Kentucky Truck in Louisville).” Looks like a rough Christmas in Da Ville. :(

Bella’s car won’t last forever, and I keep wondering what we’ll look at next. Things that matter to me: Small-sized person compatibility: Some cars (including my E30!), Bella just can’t drive. She needs power-adjusting seats (and pedals, preferably!) and a tilt/telescoping steering column. Safety: I don’t want my family in a death trap. In this I include active safety: A vehicle must be stable and maneuverable enough to avoid problems, with positive driver feedback. It must also have enough power to get out of its own way. ...