Dearly beloved: Supposedly, capitalism is a pretty simple process. Let the market decide who lives and who dies. It worked for the ecosystems of the world for the past 6 billion years. Darwin; natural selection, survival of the fittest (or luckiest.). Trouble is, a lot of countries preach capitalism, but seldom practice it. The bailouts of banks, fiscal stimuli and other such market distorting activities don’t really help anyone in the long run. It has long been argued that there are huge overcapacity issues around the world, and something, someone has to give. Give up the ghost, preferably. The collapse of GM and Chrysler would have addressed these issues, but this post isn’t about the bailouts of GM and Chrysler and their validity. I want to know who’s next to die. Read More >

I was watching TV the other day and on came “National Lampoon’s Vacation”. I absolutely LOVE this film. The thought of driving 2408 miles across the United States to visit “Wally World” is something I’d love to do (OK, maybe not “Wally World”, but you get the idea). If I drove 2408 miles across the UK, I’ll end up driving my car off a cliff as we’re such a small country. However, what DOESN’T appeal to me is driving 2408 miles across the United States in a “Wagon Queen Family Truckster” (which, according to IMDB trivia was actually a modified Ford LTD Country Squire station wagon). As the picture will show you, it’s a bit of a monster. But it got me thinking… Read More >

If you’re reading this article, that means Fuhrer Schmitt has figured out under what moniker this article should be filed under. As far as I’m concerned it should be a “Question Of The Day”, but it could easily slot into “WTF” and “Wild Arse Rumor Of The Day”. So, here we go… Read More >

People have different ideas on what constitutes a good car. Some people think driving dynamics are the key, which explains the sales of cars like BMW and Ford. Others look to reliability, which accounts for cars like Toyota and Honda. Then you have the skinflints who consider value their key factor, Hyundais and Kias. While each car brand stands for something, there are many people who want a mixture of many factors. After all, a car is a major purchase and you’d want it to perform well over many areas and not just excel in just one. You car is your transport, it keeps your children safe, keeps you entertained in traffic and keeps the rain off your head. And all it asks for is a tank of petrol and regular servicing. So maybe there’s more to buying a car than just branding? So here’s the question of the day: Which one does it all? Read More >

To anyone who reads my articles, (that’d be Bertel and my mother) you’d know that I’m not a big fan of Ford. Mark Fields is Susan Docherty for Ford, their cars underwhelm me, and I don’t really like the company as a whole. Having said that, I am a journalist. (Don’t laugh! I am!) And I am professionally impartial. So, when I was on the train last night, I decided to do a quick rundown of Ford’s situation. Currently, they are the darlings of the North American market and Europe loves them, too. They turned a big profit in the first quarter of this year and confidence is growing in the company. But despite all of the this, the markets aren’t convinced.  Read More >

We can’t all be Irv Gordon, who’s racked up over 2.6 million miles on his 1966 Volvo P1800 since buying it new. And that was in 2007;  he plans to hit 3 million (full press release here) sometime in 2012. I’m certainly not going to impress anybody in this QOTD: the ’66 Ford F-100 probably has about 225k on it (I’m assuming it spun once around before I bought it in 1987), and I only average a couple thousand miles a year with it (I can only use so much mulch or gravel a year). Stephanie’s 2000 Forester just turned 130k. And my five-year old xB has all of 33k on it; working at home has its benefits. But what about you? What’s the highest mile car a TTAC reader owns now? Or ever did? No exaggeration please!

A quiet Sunday. Time to fire up Google and put in “Toyota AND [cause OR reason].” We come up with ample explanations why Toyota is not called Toyoda.  Or why Peiping turned into Peking, and then into Beijing. What about the causes of sudden acceleration? Let’s see what we find. (If you have other things to do on a  Sunday: We find a lot of questions and no answers.) Read More >

Last weekend we got to know what car you are. Not surprisingly, we have quite a range of personalities in the TTAC parking lot: everything from a MB (Grosser) 600 to a Toyota Echo 2 door. Now we get to know about the big love (or ex) in your life. That’s a bit trickier, especially since mine reads everything here religiously. I thought hard about the Nissan Pao, because its trim size and distinctive and quirky aesthetics certainly work. But the Pao is too underpowered, and strictly a city car. Fun to look at, but no go. So it’s a toss up between a Mini Cooper S and the Fiat 500 Abarth. I have to give the nod to the little Italian, even though Stephanie is more of an Anglophile, for two reasons: The Mini is too common, and the Abarth is an unknown. Stephanie and I fell in love on Thanksgiving weekend 32 years ago, and were married the following January 7th. Hows that for taking a flyer? Just like buying the first hot-rod Fiat 500 that arrives on these shores.

It’s time to get to know each other a little better. So which car best describes you? Pretend you’re on Dr. Freud’s couch and take your time, unless you’re impulsive of course. Me? I spent almost a half hour tossing this around while still in bed this morning, but here goes: a Mercedes 300 TD 4-Matic Wagon, late eighties vintage (W124): Germanic, pretty solid and trim for an oldster, a touch arrogant, thrifty but like not poky (turbo diesel), practical, versatile and everything still works! It’s a variation of one I had, and it did feel like an extension of my personality. Now I’m not sure this exact combination was ever made, but it’s good enough for this exercise. Since we’re throwing in a little wishful thinking, how about an adjustable suspension, since I spend a lot of time on hiking trails. For bonus points, name a new car if your first choice was an out-of production car; or conversely, a vintage car if your first pick was a new one. For me, that would be a VW Tiguan TDI.

[Comment From Guest ]

What is your number one priority in your new role and please be as specific as possible?

Bob Lutz

Until I know more about the job I won’t be as specific as possible because i might have to recant next month when i know what i’m doing.

Popular Science clears the air (so to speak) about which of America’s favorite intoxicants impairs driving skill the most. And it turns out that the stoned driver is a careful driver. Well, compared to a drunk driver, anyway. Research from a fancy driving simulator at Ben Gurion University’s Laboratory for Human Factors in Road Safety shows that reefer-crazed drivers drove considerably slower than the control group, while drunk drivers drove faster. In addition, “the drinking drivers also tended to be confident and boast a sense of control, while the pot smokers seem to be ‘more aware of their impairment.'” Of course, PopSci and Ben Gurion University don’t exactly condone doobing and driving. “None of the doped-up or drinking drivers were models of safety on the road. They tended to switch lane positions, swerve, and vary their steering,” is the verdict. But that’s just, like, their opinion… man. In honor of TTAC’s recent exploration of the legal grey areas of on-road behavior, we thought we’d ask: what are the five best rules of stoned driving? Entries will be accepted until 6pm Eastern Time. The winner gets the unclaimed (previous contest) Taschenwörterbuch der Kraftfahrzeugtechnik (English-German car technical dictionary). Because compound words are mind blowing after a toke or two. Dude.

Can anyone recognize this junkyard find?

Stand-up comic Kevin Meaney was in Detroit last weekend and the auto industry is in a mess out there . . . “They didn’t pick me up in a car at the airport . . . they picked me up on a horse.”

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