Win a 2007 GMC Denali (8/15/2007)



Never hurts to be in another sweeps! Click here to enter.

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Auto Dealer Shoots, Kills Two Employees

Rolandas Milinavicius was having a bad day. Really bad. His two employees were giving him a hard time about their pay and he was tired of hearing about it. Really tired. So Mr. Milinavicius shot and killed Inga Contreras, 25, and Martynas Simokaitis, 28.

The Atlanta area dealer started RM Auto International two years ago, hoping to meet the demand for American cars in Lithuania. It's unclear how Mr. M had gotten into financial troubles, but killing your employees is no way to improve things.

The remains of the deceased were cremated and flown back to Lithuania. Now that they've shuffled off this mortal coil, perhaps Inga and Martynas are now selling a car to Bill Walsh. If Lindsay keeps up her bad behaviour she just might be hitting them up for some new wheels as well.

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Psst. Wanna Watch a Movie?

I love drive-in theaters. Lots of good memories watching summer blockbusters at the MotorVu Drive-In up in Lebanon, Oregon. Well now a new guerilla style drive-in is being promoted by MobMov (Mobile Movie). With only short advance notice via e-mail, MobMov will setup in a location and project against a suitable backdrop. All powered by a Toyota RAV4!

I think it’s a great way to bring back a tradition with a nice technological update. Of course as with anything if the idea takes off then crowds will build. Property owners and local authorities who either weren’t aware or looked the other way will clamp down and it will all take on the air of any other commercial enterprise.

Enjoy while you can! http://www.mobmov.org/

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Car vs Cement Mixer

OUCH!

According to police, the driver of the cement truck tried to avoid crashing into stopped traffic and swerved into the median. At the same time the driver of the car, was making a U-Turn when he collided with the truck and the truck tipped over on top of the small car.

The end result? Only minor injuries! Now buy a lottery ticket, it's your lucky day!

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Hot Car Deaths: What Can Be Done?

Recently in the Bay Area a father came to a horrible realization: he had left his 11 month old son in the family minivan for more than six hours. Undoubtedly this event will haunt him for the rest of his life. What can technology due to prevent such tragedies?

The first thought in my mind is Volvo’s Personal Car Communicator that has a heartbeat sensor. However this device was primarily designed for owners returning to the vehicle to see if someone is inside. From what I’ve read it only works within 300ft of the vehicle and you have to be looking at the fob to see the warning. It would seem to me that you could modify this system to product children and pets. You already have the heartbeat sensor and you also have an interior temperature sensor in the HVAC system. Why not combine the two? If there the temperature is over X degrees for X amount of time with a heartbeat present the car alarm begins to sound.

There is a system called Child Minder that replaces the car seat's harness clip with a smart clip synchronized to a key ring alarm. The unit is activated when the child is buckled in. As long as the child remains in the seat, an alarm will sound if the adult walks more than 10 feet from the automobile.

NASA is also working on a Child Presence Sensor, which places a weight-sensitive pad that fits under the car seat cushion. An alarm sounds 10 warning beeps if the driver moves too far away from the vehicle, and beeps continuously if the driver doesn't return within one minute.

Sadly at least 15 small children have died so far this year nationwide after being left in hot vehicles, according to a study published in Pediatrics, the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics and updated July 12. Last year, 29 children died, and 42 died in 2005, the study said.

Certainly there is personal responsibility involved here somewhere, but we all make mistakes. If my next car costs me $100 extra to prevent a parent, or pet owner, from ever suffering this sort of anguish I’d gladly pay it.

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BART Offers Rewards Credit Card


No, not Bart Simpson but Bay Area Rapid Transit. The card works like most other affinity cards on the market, you get the equivalent of 5% for BART purchases, 2% for entertainment and 1% for everything else. Given the crazy interchange fees that merchants are having to pay, expect to see these types of cards to become even more popular as merchants try to shield themselves by offering "house branded" cards. BART is the first major urban public transportation agency in the country to provide customers with a program like this.

Yet another card to clutter your wallet and credit record. How many will be in your wallet? Where do consumers draw the line? I do see a potential fly in the ointment, though. The target customer for this card would obviously be a frequent commuter. Now, many companies in the Bay Area offer "commuter checks" that give discounts for folks using rapid transit. In my case, my employer offers to see you $20 commuter checks for $10. The problem I see is that you can't buy BART tickets with commuter checks at the vending machines: you have to do it in person. From what I see in the terms of this card, you don't get the 5% off for those types of transactions, hence no double dipping of discounts. Greedy? Maybe, but still many frequent commuters do get these benefits and therefore wouldn't be able to make use of the card's 5% bonus.

Here's how the rewards break down:

• 2,500 points earns a $25 BART ticket
• 4,500 points earns a $48 BART ticket
• 6,000 points earns a $64 BART ticket
• 5,000 points earns a check for $50
• 10,000 points earns a check for $100

Obviously they are giving you a slight incentive to save up and buy tickets rather than elect for cash as the 4,500 and 6,00o point level rewards show. However, keep in mind that if you took the cash and then turned around and bought tickets at the vending machine, you'd get another round of points to somewhat offset the difference.

My question for BART? When are those archaic magnetic strip fare cards finally going to be replaced?

Still want the card? Click here.

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GM Future Products

The thing about the automotive industry is that we're rarely without new developments. You look at some other industries and you wait and wait for new product or even news of new product. For us automotive nuts, it's only a brief wait until the next batch of photos/rumors/announcements hits the web!

Okay, enough prattling, here's the scoop as Automotive News predicts it (with some of my thoughts mixed in):

Chevrolet:
The Camaro (duh), RWD Impala, a crossover (appearing from the ashes of Saturn's Spring Hill facility) and a possibly a microcar.

GMC:
A new, smaller crossover for 2011. Aligned to replace the Pontiac Torrent in the new GMC/Buick/Pontiac trifecta. My guess is that the GMC will be related to the forthcoming Cadillac and Saab crossovers.

Pontiac:
A new lineup of rear wheel drive cars with an affordable performance theme. Of course the G8 will be kicking off the new march.

Buick:
With the brand's best hope in the USA being the shining new Enclave it continues to prosper in China. The USA may get a RWD model slotted above the Lucerne--I would expect it to start in the low '40s.

Cadillac:
Product execs have repeatedly talking about a unified solution for the next DTS, STS and ultra luxury models. A smaller RWD sedan will fit beneath the CTS. There will be a new small crossover and perhaps a reworking of the SRX into something more saleable?

Hummer:
A Wrangler sized H4? for 2009? Diesels should also appear to make these large buggers more attractive.

Saab:
A new 9-5 that will hopefully be up to the challenge of its peers without resorting to massive cash off deals. A small crossover shared with Cadillac (and GMC?) should help the brand as well.

Overall, GM will be dabbling in many different powertrain technologies: diesels, hybrids, fuel cells, homogeneous charge compression ignition, etc to try and meet CAFE and consumers' demands for better economy.

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MINI Clubman










Many good photos of the Clubman have been available to us for awhile, but now Autoweek/Edmunds have dropped official pix for us to view.

I've previously mentioned that I've been a little dismayed with some of the stylistic choices that adorn the new MINI and I would extend that sentiment to the new Clubman as well. I'm okay with the barn doors in the back, but less so with the asymmetrical side door. The side profile of the Clubman also appears"off putting" to me.

Now, I haven't seen the car in person. I will wait to pass final judgment until I can see the car in a real world setting. However, it's certainly not a love at first sight type of situation.









What is love at first sight, however, is the new CTS. Autoweek has a first drive in their latest issue and it's a favorable review. The trouble is of course that save for a few oddities most cars get an easy pass in initial reviews. It's a practice that has long bothered me. I don't know if it's the glow coming off the press junket or just the "new car smell," but it is usually awhile until we get the real dirt on how a car performs. I have few concerns with the new CTS though, it looks fantastic and GM design has really sweated the details with great ambient lighting options and the "light pipe" executions.

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Win Yamaha Goodies (12/15/2007)





Not a bad haul if you win:one Yamaha VX Deluxe WaveRunner, one Yamaha YHT-680 Home Theatre In A Box, one BODiBEAT Fitness/Running Product, one Yamaha YZF-R6 Supersport Motorcycle, one Yamaha CLP-265GP Clavinova Digital Piano, Yamaha LLX6 DN Handcrafted Acoustic Guitar signed by Dave Navarro. Click here to enter.

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Plane Lands on Highway Enroute to Oshkosh




AirVenture is coming up and planes are making the annual trek to Oshkosh for the show. This 1946 North American T-6G almost made it, but had to make an emergency landing. A trooper's dash camera captures it all! Enjoy! Click here.

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Next Generation Honda Fit


Here's Mag-X's vision of what the next generation Fit will look like. Notice the "sky roof" in the picture. Rumor's are that the next Fit will get that glass roof as an option.

However, fancy schmancy options like that roof might not make it here to the USA. No matter, hopefully they won't skip on things like seat height adjustment, etc for us Stateside folks this time around.



The designer for the Fit is supposedly the same person who penned the Euro Honda Civic hatch. A take it or leave it design that personally I would take.



source:vtec.net

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Kia's TT Competitor



Kia nicked Peter Schreyer from Audi and now they'll be showing this 2+2 sport coupe concept at Frankfurt. Above is a Road & Track rendering and below is the official release from Kia.

So many coupes, so many competitors: that many customers? I've always thought that coupes were a rather limited market, but they are coming at us from every direction now. Personally I'm at a loss to explain this! Where could all the buyers be coming from?

Don't get me wrong, I love the style of coupes. Personally I love the CLK350 with it's pillarless design. The new 135i looks to a awesome as well! Heck, I'd buy those two and a ton of other coupes if I had the chance. But sadly there a zero coupes in my garage. Just not practical enough for either toting my co-workers to lunch or hauling the family.

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Gas for $1.94/Gallon! Price Wars!



For those in Allentown, PA there is a price war between Wawa and Hess. Enjoy this stunt while it lasts!

For the record I am pro raising the gas tax. I know there are many folks out there against this, but I truly feel that increasing the cost of a gallon of gas will help us get off the junk and move towards energy efficiency. I look forward to the day we can once stand proud, free and clear of the entanglements that we've gotten ourselves into.

Having said that, it's nice to see cheap gas even if it is only for a few days.

source: gasbuddy/allentowngasprices.com

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Scion Dealer’s Freudian Slip?





File this under the “I wish” department. Local dealer Scion 101 is trying to pitch the new xB, but has mistakenly? swapped out the picture of our XXL model for the much better looking Daihatsu Materia.

I’m not sure how Scion missed the boat on this one, but the new xB is a porker. Sure it may make it more practical, but in the process it loses its edge. It’s like seeing your favorite hair band from the ‘80s all fat and bald. Almost to a person, everyone I’ve spoken with or read agrees that our xB has gone mainstream in a bad way. We have enough “relaxed fit” vehicles out there already!

I think Scion 101 has the right idea: BRING BACK THE TRUE HEIR TO THE THE xB LEGACY!

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Th!nk? European Fords? In the USA?

Automotive News has a couple of tidbits in Monday's (7/23) paper about potential imports for the USA.

First off the Norwegian electric car maker Th!nk Global is considering bringing it's second generation car here to the states in 2008.

In another article, AN reports: Ford plans to use the next-generation C1 platform to build replacements for the Focus and Escape...The vehicles would be engineered largely in Europe, but U.S. versions would be manufactured in North America.

No real surprise on the Ford side of things. You really can't survive in a global market with disparate platforms running around. Hopefully Ford won't "Americanize" those platforms too much.

AN goes on to report that the US will receive a version of the C-Max, but at a later date. In fact all of these products are coming later rather than sooner. The earliest date I read was "no later than 2011."

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What is Attention to Detail?

A recent "short take" article in Autoweek pointed out that the Buick Enclave had two clocks. The radio's clock and the round, analog clock in the center of the dash. The driver felt that this was a slightly annoying gaffe in an otherwise pretty well designed and executed dash.

I think that this raises a good point. I mean, let's face it. There are a lot of Detective Adrian Monk's out there, maybe your one of us, that will spend a lot of time making sure those two clocks are synchronized. Obviously GM used a corporate radio and then added the signature, "ooh look, i'm a premium car with an analog clock" on the Enclave. Now, I'm sure that with relative ease the clock feature on the radio could have been disabled. Of course, now you'd have a Buick only radio w/ that feature and that would add cost. The question becomes then, does GM step up to the plate and cover that detail? A workaround in my mind would be to give all corporate radio's the ability to turn off the clock as a menu option. Obviously those folks w/o an additional clock would probably not elect to turn it off, but it would be very little cost to add this feature.

Is a detail like this even worth as much text as I am typing now? I'm inclined to say yes. Because once the new car smell has faded, it's these kinds of touches that you begin to notice.

I really like the Enclave's style, it's by far the pick of the litter. I hope that over the next few years Buick continues to minister to its baby and fix issues such as the dual clock.

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Does the Fiat 500 Beat the MINI In Execution?

The first generation of the new MINI was a revelation. It was the one car where I didn't mind the center speedo. I loved the website and quirky marketing. However, I'm much less enamoured with the second version. The speedo has become a joke, rivaling a dinner plate from the Cheesecake Factory. The ridiculous HVAC controls in the shape of a MINI badge aren't functional or funky, they're just annoying. The hood scoop on the S is no longer functional. Oh yes, the car has been improved in almost every way but for me it's no longer the Chicago Cubs it's more like the Yankees. Expecting rock star treatment wherever it goes. Look at me! I'm the MINI! Oooooo, I'm individualistic. Bah Humbug. It's gone too far.

Now, the new Fiat 500 intrigues me. True, it doesn't quite have the sophisticated hardware of the MINI, but I don't think that matters. Both the first generation MINI and the 500 have been heavily influenced by designer Frank Stephenson. He penned the MINI and kept a careful watch over Roberto Giolito who receives credit for the 500. I like this guy's style. For me the 500 is what the MINI was, a scrappy new design that has quite a lot to live up to. Obviously I haven't driven the 500, so I really can't compare it to the MINI in terms of ride and handling, but so far I like what I've seen and read. Definitely this is a car to watch.

What does have me worried, however, is that I doubt we'll ever seen the base and mid range 500 here in the USA. If we see anything it will be the hotted Abarth version with a hotted up price to match. Now, I love a hot hatch just as much as you, but in a way I think that decked out econo cars can sometimes miss the point of the car's original intent. The 500 needs to be a low cost, stylish way to run about at relatively slow speeds. Cheap to buy, run and insure with money left over for that gorgeous, chain smoking Italian girlfriend of yours.

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Ford Kuga to Debut at Frankfurt

Ford will debut the production version of the Iosis X concept at this year's Frankfurt show. As you might remember a little while ago Ford let it slip that due to currency imbalances, plans to bring a Lincoln version of this crossover have been scuttled.

Let's face it, this market is getting pretty crowded in the US for vehicles of this size. Without a price/content advantage could Lincoln made a go of this?

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Win a Jeep Liberty (8/31/2007)

Another day, another sweeps!

Your chance to win a Jeep. Slightly dodgy sweepstakes form, but site does look legit. Click here to enter.

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Drive the New Mercedes C-Class

Mercedes usually hosts a nice ride and drive event. I expect the C Drive to be no exception. They are hosting 11 events in cities listed below:

Atlanta
The Atlanta Contemporary Art Center Sep 29 & 30
Chicago
Union Station Sep 1 & 2
Dallas
The Dallas Contemporary Oct 13 & 14
Houston
Warehouse Live Aug 25 & 26
Los Angeles
Hangar:8 Aug 18 & 19
Miami
Collins Building Oct 6 & 7
New Jersey
FTC Private Terminal, Morristown Airport Sep 15 & 16
New York
Republic Airport Sep 8 & 9
Orange County
Gothic Moon Productions Aug 11 & 12
San Francisco
Left Space Studios Aug 4 & 5
Washington

Check back soon for further details

Click here to get your name on the list!

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Win a GMC Acadia (8/6/2007)

The Acadia is a hot product and here's your chance to win one. Click here to enter.

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Uncle! Ford to Sell Volvo After All?

More fuel on the "Sell Volvo" fire is being poured by London's Sunday Times issue. According to the Times:

It had been thought that Volvo might be kept because it is profitable, but it is believed that Ford is now ready to receive offers.

Analysts think that Ford might be able to get $8 billion for Volvo. That's enough to keep even Dr. Evil happy for a quarter or two.

Stepping back further to look at the situation, it seems that Ford is wiping the decks clean of everything Jacques Nasser tried to setup. Certainly losing the British units was something that most people could understand, but Volvo brought a lot to the table for the blue oval.

One can't say that this is too surprising, however, as anytime a rumor keeps popping up like this one has there has to be some truth behind it.

I'm rooting for Ford, but I have to say that all of these sales are starting to look like true acts of desperation. What is more troubling, is that I'm having a hard time seeing anything in the product pipeline that is truly revolutionary. There might be some solid products in there, but I don't see any 1986 Tauri.

Full Times article here.

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2008 Honda Accord Options...What to Expect

There aren't any official details of what buyers will be getting with the 2008 Accord, but there are rumors. As I mentioned with my CR-V post below, I'm always a little dismayed that Honda is stingy on certain items. One gripe that I see from this partial list is the apparent bundling of Bluetooth with Navigation. Handsfree operation of cell phones is already required in NY and the like and California will see the rule take effect in January 2008. It would seem to me that if not standard, it should be available on every model w/o navigation. As some folks point out, it's a pain to take a brand new car into a stereo shop and have them hack into the interior to integrate an aftermarket kit. Factory kits look clean and have optimized mic placement, etc.

Well, enjoy the list (from Temple of VTEC). Keep in mind that it is "second hand" information and is at best only a partial list:

LX standard features include:

Power windows, doorlocks and door mirrors
6 speaker AM/FM/CD audio now with steering wheel mounted audio controls
Cruise Control
Front, side and side curtain airbags

LX-P features added to LX include:

Alloy wheels
8-way power diver’s seat
Security System

EX features added to LX-P include:

Power Moonroof
In-dash 6CD changer
Premium interior trim
Premium cloth seats
Upgraded alloy wheels
Heated mirrors

EX-L features added to EX include:

Leather seating surfaces and steering wheel
Premium audio system with XM
Heated seats
Dual zone climate control system
Available navigation system with Bluetooth

EX V6 features include:

Power Moonroof
Power windows, doorlocks and door mirrors
6 speaker AM/FM/6CD audio with steering wheel mounted audio controls
Cruise Control
Front, side and side curtain airbags
Upgraded alloy wheels
Premium cloth seats
8-way power diver’s seat
Security System
Premium interior trim
Heated mirrors
Dual exhaust finishers

EX-L V6 features added to EX V6 include:

Leather seating surfaces and steering wheel
Premium audio system with XM
4-way Power passenger’s seat
Heated seats
Dual zone climate control system
Homelink system
Available navigation system with Bluetooth

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Buying a Honda CR-V

A relative asked me to accompany her on a purchase of a new car, so here's my report. The final decision came down to two vehicles: Honda's CR-V and Hyundai's Tuscon. More specifically, we were looking at the Tuscon Limited 4-WD and the CR-V EX-L AWD.

In trade, we had a 2002 Buick Century Custom with, gulp, 107,000 miles.

Surprisingly here in the Bay Area, California CR-V's are going for around invoice, give or take a hundred or two with the exception of the models with navigation which are quite rare. Tuscon's seem to be in well controlled supply, especially the Limited.

I started off with Internet quotes and I found the following things to be true. Carsdirect.com predicted the Internet offers within $1,000 for the Hyundai and was way off on the CR-V.

Bottom line?

The lowest Hyundai Tuscon Limited 4-WD offer was from Rod and Sunnyvale Hyundai who offered $21,207 on an MSRP of $24,610. No one else on the Internet would touch that number, although after some back and forth a couple offered to match it. Rod seemed very forthright over e-mail and I would recommend him. rod_parfett@sunnyvalehyundai.com

Honda dealers seemed willing to make deals. I settled on Anderson Honda in Palo Alto because of proximity and previous experience. The salesperson we got, Tri, was earnest but really didn't have a command of the English language. It was almost impossible to understand him. However, we worked around that by directly dealing with the floor manager Lee. After some haggling we got an EX-L AWD down to $24,900 from and MSRP of $26,595. Anderson also threw in wheel locks and mud flaps (ooh, ahh). The rest of the money went towards the trade. Ultimately ending with an offer of $3,250. All told the walk out the door price with 8.25% sales tax, + lic , doc fee, etc was $24,000.

I suppose one could've spent another hour with them and ground out a few more hundred here or there, but neither one of us had the patience to do that. In an interesting twist, the F&I office was a pleasant experience. Only harmless chit chat and a short extended warranty pitch.

The bottom line was the combination of color, equipment and the Honda name. The buyer really wasn't interested in driving dynamics other than having decent pep and braking. Both were fine vehicles and I'm sure that either one would serve well.

If I had any gripes about the CR-V it would be about content: no power drivers seat on the top line model? no lighted visor mirrors? express up/down only on the driver's side? Also, the sunroof seemed awfully hot, like they weren't using a high quality solar load controlling glass. I also didn't like the fact that the dealer removed their own security system and left two new screws under the steering wheel. You can see them when you get in and until I cleaned things up there were plastic shards. This should be installed so that it does not mar the interior when removed. My Odyssey suffered no ill effects when the dealer did the same thing, so it can be done.

Overall the whole experience cost a few hours of online time and then about 3 hours at dealers. A pretty painless experience I'd say.

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When is a Recall Not Recall? When it's Bogus!

Bill Heard Chevrolet operates 14 outlets in Georgia and is the state's largest dealer. It seems that one of the ways Heard has stayed on top is rather questionable marketing techniques. In five cases, it has paid fines and administrative penalties totaling $279,000. Well, it seems that Heard has outdone itself this time The dealer has sent what looks like an important company recall from GM that is actually fake, sent directly by Bill Heard Enterprises. Nice.

"The consumers are being deceived, I mean, if you think recall, you're thinking basic safety and that to me is a deception of the high order," says Bill Cloud of the Governor's Office of Consumer Affairs. The agency's lawsuit proposes civil fines of $5,000 for each of the mailings, or a theoretical maximum of as much as $50 million. It also seeks a judge's approval to bring future allegations directly into court, bypassing the administrative process.

Heard is pointing fingers at it's marketing company, but given the history it's hard to believe. Full story here.

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Win a 2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid (5/31/2008)



Have you seen many Mercury ads lately? Where's Jill Wagner gone to? Well you can enter to win a Mariner offered by the good folks at Bic pens. Click here to enter.

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Millbrae Gets All NIMBY on FSBO Cars

El Camino Real is the main artery that threads down the peninsula and given its status it attracts a lot of cars parked with For Sale signs on them. Well the town of Millbrae has had enough and wants some relief. It seems they've tried the old "paint the curb red" trick and still have a lot of "for sale by owner" cars clogging things up. Potential buyers crawling over the cars, opening doors into traffic, etc.

Now a bill to give local law enforcement agencies the same authority currently granted to the California Highway Patrol and California Department of Transportation to tow away used cars for sale on state roads such as El Camino Real was sent to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s desk Monday (7/9/07).

Personally, I've never resulted to parking cars on El Camino to sell them. I've found that Craigslist and Ebay sufficient to dispose of the fleet. Near where I live San Carlos and Palo Alto, near Stanford, have "El Camino dealerships." What's twisted about this is that most new car dealerships along El Camino are dying off. In the last few years Menlo Park has lost every new car dealer it had: Cadillac, Buick, Pontiac, GMC, Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Chevrolet have all left in search of locations near the 101 freeway. The main gripe of the dealers is that there isn't enough room or passing traffic to support their operations.

General Motors will return to Menlo Park in the next few years as they have purchased a 22 acre chunk of land. MP has agreed to split its sales tax with GM for the first 15 years, or until the company earns back $10 million. Nice incentive!

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Auto Express Tests the Hyundai i30

Technically the i30 isn't coming here to the States, but Hyundai will be bringing a car derived from the i30 in a "sportier" guise. The i30 is the sister of Kia's Cee'd, again a car not destined for this market, at least not with that moniker. Our i30 should be in the Elantra family and replace the formerly well received Elantra GT hatch.

Okay, so back to AE. They are pretty positive on the car, pronouncing the i30 "Hyundai's best hatchback to date, and well worth a look." Well alrighty then! You can read the mini review here.

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What's Better Than One Stuck Excavator?

Well, two stuck excavators, of course. It seems that someone was trying to build a road with a nearly new, rented excavator. The John Deere became so mired in the muck that the rental company decided to sell it off for salvage. Enter victim number two when the buyer got one of his rescue excavators stuck as well. A third rig almost suffered the same fate! Yowza.

As the article says, Swamp: 2. Excavators: 0

Full article here.

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Mazda: Focus in USA is Crossovers Not Small Cars

I find it interesting that in the same Automotive News issue where Honda dealers are carping that they'll only get 54,000 Fits to sell, that Mazda is being quoted as being very hesitant to bring the Mazda2 to the USA.

Mazda's line is that they are a small company and have limited resources to market their products. The bigger money to be made is in crossovers and that's how Mazda sees the USA market.

My take is that it's a shame Mazda can't muster up enough resources to bring the 2 to the USA. I view small cars as a gateway for manufacturers. Get a first time buyer into your smallest offering and then keep 'em hooked when they come back to trade. Small cars do seem to be selling themselves these days, so how much would Mazda have to invest? I believe that most of the safety/emissions hurdles would be easy enough as I'm sure the vehicle was designed with them in mind.

Ford will have a 2 based vehicle for the USA in a few years, but from what I understand that will be a sedan and I just don't understand sedan versions of small cars. You need the hatch to maximize what room is available to you.

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Win a Honda CR-V (8/10/2007)



There is a burgundy colored CR-V just down the street and I have to say, it looks pretty good! Click here to win.

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2008 Honda Odyssey: What the PAX?

One of the biggest complaints that I've heard from current generation Honda
Odyssey owners who have ponied up for the Touring model is that the run flat PAX tires are a pain. Firstly, if you're on a trip and get a flat and it needs replacement, chances are that only a Honda dealer is going to have the tire and the equipment to change it out. There have been a lot of goodwill replacements of the tires, but once that goodwill runs out get ready for sticker shock when you go to replace those puppies!

Don't like it the hassle? You can't just swap out the tires w/ non runflats, you'll have to get new wheels too.

Anyways, the long running rumor was that the 2008 model year refresh was going to see the deletion of the PAX tires. However, the pictures found at Temple of VTEC seem to show that the 2008 Touring will still be sporting PAX tires. Either that or Honda created an non-PAX wheel that looks identical, but c'mon they wouldn't do that!

Click here to view the pix!

UPDATE: PAX tires will be OPTIONAL on the 2008 Touring. Cheers!

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The driver thinks he may have blacked out and hit the gas...No serious injuries, unless you count the wall.

More serious injuries for this driver, but reportedly nothing life threatening.


Another oopsie. No injury but a total loss for the car. The cause? The old stuck accelerator excuse.

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