Despite accounting for an incredibly small percentage of new car sales in America, the EV is all the rage in California. Rather than starting from scratch and designing an all-new car from the ground up (like Nissan), Honda chose the more economical route and electrified the second-generation Honda Fit. On the surface, the recipe sounds like […]
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Imagine it’s 1998 and you’re the successful CEO of a company that makes, oh I don’t know, jewel cases for CDs. Business is booming and your four-year-old 911 Carrera coupe isn’t quite the paradigm you want to project. You’re moving with the times, and there’s a new, modern 911 coming. Keys in hand, you walk […]
After seeing this 1968 Plymouth Valiant a couple of months back, I kept my eyes open for an example of the Valiant’s Dodge sibling languishing in one of Denver’s self-serve wrecking yards. Last week: pay dirt! (Read More…)
TTAC Commentator Silent Ricochet writes:
Hello Sajeev,
You’ve helped me greatly in the past, and I once again turn to you for your knowledge of used cars and reliability.
To refresh your memory, I drive a 2002 Chevy Cavalier Z24. It’s a 5-Speed Manual, with the 2.4L Quad 4 motor in it, not the lifeless 2.2. I’m about to hit 145k and I’ve got a few concerns about the car and what I should exactly do with it. (Read More…)
You can tell it’s a slow news day when something like this gets so much traction across the blogosphere. Puritalia, a brand-new Italian company which claims to be able to build, like, whatever car you could imagine, has taken the wraps off a picture of a “427” roadster. Although they claim to be inspired by Shelby, there’s another possibility which is in no way undermined by the odd fin-and-gill-like structures on the fender. (Read More…)
Mazda will be refreshing the MX-5 for 2013, as they attempt to hold us over for the long-awaited “ND” Miata, due in a couple years, that will share a platform with the Alfa Romeo Spider.
Bloomberg is reporting that Peugeot may expand their job cuts in France, with the potential for 10 percent of their domestic warehouse to be cut.
Looks like the reign of the Cadillac CTS-V Wagon is over; there’s a new product in town to let auto journalists flaunt their love of obscure cars with the Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG Shooting Brake. Mechanically, it’s the same thing as a CLS63, but with a wagon body style. It will sell in small numbers to eccentric wealthy types. They will likely make a brown one just to pander to those whose self-worth comes from one-upping people regarding arcane automotive knowledge. I still want one.
Checkers wasn’t always a game. Ajax wasn’t always a cleanser. Edsel… was not ever quite a hip name. Even back in the day. Although Ford spent several billions of real dollars trying to make it so.
Sometimes brands deserve to die. Just going down the proverbial list shows about a 95+% rate of, “What were those?”, followed by quite a few, “Yeah, I remember those. They sucked.”
Then you have a few that seem surprisingly contemporary. A Saturn can still be a futuristic machine if some manufacturer decided to resurrect the brand and invest in new distinct models. Pontiac was a place. An Indian tribe, and a brand that sold well over 20 million vehicles, and included dozens of memorable model names.
Truth be told many of these old names sound far better than the current ones. An Eagle sounds like a better name for a sporty car than a Dodge. Mercury sounds more hip than a homely Ford. Even the stillborn Amati brand was a far more melodic muse than that guttural Mazda moniker.
Car brands. Car parts. Even certain auto service companies, like gas stations and repair chains, had names that are still easy and fun to remember.
Do any of them deserve a tomorrow? Let us know. Oh, and before you ask Derek and Brendan, Canada apparently does qualify.
If you believe Ken Lewenza, president of the Canadian Auto Workers union, the CAW is well on its way to organizing Honda’s Alliston, Ontario assembly plant. Lewenza told Ward’s Auto that “We’re getting some enthusiastic and strong support, but we’re not there yet.” The biggest problem for Lewenza is that the CAW has been in that position for almost two decades with respect to Alliston and hasn’t made any progress.
2001: A Parking Space Androgyny
After reading TTAC for a few years now, I have totally drunk the Kool-Ade: it’s always cheaper to keep you car on the road than to buy a new one. But where does one draw the line between saving a few shekels and personal satisfaction?
I bought my 1999 Solara SE (3.0L V6 5MT) in 2000. It had 12,000 miles when I bought it from Carmax–basically a new car. Almost 12 years on, I’ve now got 99,000 miles on it, and I’ve put almost no money into it, save for regular oil changes and service. Unless someone changed the brakes before I bought it, it still has the original pads. I’ve definitely gotten my money’s worth out of it, especially since there’s been so little hassle with repairs. I give it an annual detailing, so aside from the late-90’s bar-of-soap styling, it still looks like a new car. It is roomy, nominally fun to drive, and has enough juice to hold its own on LA freeways.
But I’m tired of it.
At my last major service, my trustworthy mechanic gave me a to-do list for next time: brakes, all new struts, new clutch (maybe), timing belt and water pump, and new plugs He’s not trying to milk me–I do feel the suspension rattle, and the shifter grinds a bit going into second and sometimes fifth, although it’s not slipping yet. This guy drives to his shop in a CRX with 375,000mi–I like the way he operates. But I’m thinking that the repairs will be at least two grand, when the resale value on my Solara is only about $3500. It’s worth more to me than to anyone else–but is it worth the investment?
We’ll be welcoming our first kid in November. My wife drives an ’05 Outback Sport. I have my eye on either the Outback 3.6 or the Acura TSX wagon (or the new Escape. I drove a diesel Ford Kuga in Scotland recently and loved it). My MO: buy slightly used, no cars with trunks, and keep this next car for at least a decade. I don’t need AWD in SoCal, I can slum it with an automatic, and I’ve had enough 350 V8s in my past to quench my need for speed.
So–for you and the B&B: Should I fix up the Solara and drive it for another 3 years, or should I go for the wagon?
Hybrid or diesel? For peak fuel economy in a $30,000 midsize sedan you need one or the other. The Toyota Camry is the most efficient of the five available hybrids (until the 2013 Ford Fusion arrives). If you live in Europe, the diesel world is your oyster. In North America, you have one option for […]
In 1896, when he was still the chief operating engineer of Detroit’s Edison Illuminating Company, and not yet famous as a car maker, Henry Ford was invited to accompany his boss to a banquet in New York, honoring their big boss, Thomas Edison.
John writes:
What sort of upgrades would you recommend for a 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited? I bought it to replace my 300CE, which was the feature of a previous Piston Slap. I am planning on keeping this one for the foreseeable future. The only problems with it right now are broken fog lights, the rear window wiper is frozen, and God-awful gas mileage. Aside from the wiper and the fog lights, is there anything you would recommend? (Read More…)
About one third of all cars sold in Japan are an oddity: Cars for midgets. Kei cars. Limited in size (11.2 by 4.9 ft), displacement (40 cid), and power (63hp). “Americans won’t buy them,” says our contact at Honda who meets us in the basement garage of Honda’s headquarters in Tokyo. “Americans want big.” We […]
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