If it’s got an engine . . .

Trip Report

By Dorri | August 6, 2008

It seems that this is your first visit. Would you like to subscribe? Enjoy your visit!

I’m back from Detroit. It was a very full day today.

We started the day being bussed from the hotel to the Dearborn Development Center. There were four stations that our time was split between. Two were tents where various manufacturing and engineering aspects of present and upcoming Ford vehicles were discussed. The other two were driving stations. One pseudo-autocross track and one higher-speed ride and handling track (I might have caught some air on this one).

In all, I got to drive a 2008 and 2009 Ford Escape (the 2009 is much faster, and gets better mileage, too); an ‘09 Mustang Bullit; an ‘09 Mustang GT (the Bullitt sounded better - more throaty exhaust note); an ‘09 Ford Flex; an 09 Lincoln MK-S; an ‘09 Lincoln MKZ, Ford Fusion, and Mercury Milan; an ‘09 Focus; an ‘09 Mercury Mariner hybrid and Ford Escape hybrid; and an ‘09 Lincoln MKX.

The Bullitt was my favorite - go figure.

Much more to follow . . .

[?]

Share This

Topics: 2009 Ford, American Automakers | No Comments »

I’m in Detroit . . .

By Dorri | August 5, 2008

Stand by for lots of Ford 2009 model information. Any requests, get ‘em to me in the comments.

[?]

Share This

Topics: Uncategorized | No Comments »

2009 Ford, Lincoln, Mercury Product Day

By Dorri | July 31, 2008

Next Wednesday, August 6th, I will be attending Ford’s 2009 Model introduction in Dearborn.

I’m particularly interested in the Lincoln MKS and Ford Flex, but will keep my eyes open for anything else new and exciting. Leave a comment if there’s anything you would like to see up-close pictures of.

[?]

Share This

Topics: 2009 Ford | 1 Comment »

SSC Ultimate Aero EV

By Dorri | July 27, 2008

A short while back, I reported on the state of the electric car. I missed one future offering.

It’s hard to keep a straight face with this one. SSC, makers of the 256 mph Ultimate Aero, have announced that they will have a prototype of a 500 horsepower electric car, the SSC Ultimate Aero EV, by February 2009.

While this may very well be true, they further claim to enter production by “4th quarter 2009″. Unless they are very far along the production process, this will be a tremendously difficult milestone to acheive.

And the most difficult to believe?

The drive train under development will feature a revolutionary power source allowing for extended time between charging intervals with the possibility of several years between charging.

Several years? Sign me up.

[?]

Share This

Topics: I don't think so, American Automakers, electric car | No Comments »

Car Dealers

By Dorri | July 17, 2008

Most all of us have to deal with them at one time or another. The vast majority of folks purchase all of their autos through a dealer. Typically they trade in whatever they currently drive whenever it’s worth less than they owe on it.

Some folks never buy from a dealer. If you are handy with car repairs, you can save a bundle buying used from a private party. If you enjoy classic cars, private party is just about the only way to go. When was the last time you saw a 1965 Mustang sitting on the Ford dealer’s used car lot? About 1970, probably.

Whether you make all of your purchases from a dealer or not, it’s hard to beat the convenience of having a lot full of cars to choose from. If you arrange your credit ahead of time, you can drive in, test drive a few cars, and drive home in a new car with relatively little hassle. If you’re unsure what dealers are nearby, there’s a fairly comprehensive list at www.CarDealerWebsites.com.

The key is preparation. Know what the cars you are looking at are worth before you are ready to make the deal. Know what you will sell your trade-in for ahead of time, as well. Armed with this information, all you have to do is walk away from a deal that’s unfair. As long as you understand that the salesman has to feed his family, he won’t let you walk away unhappy.

Good luck shopping!

[?]

Share This

Topics: Automotive, used car | No Comments »

Out and About

By Dorri | July 16, 2008

I’ve always enjoyed Jalopnik’s Down on the Street bits. And they say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Consider yourself flattered, Mr. Jalopnik.

Behold, the first (of at least one) Out and About post (click to enlarge):

While I was taking a walk in little old Toccoa, GA, I spotted this 1928 Model A Ford. It’s been parked there every day for the last week. This car looks to be in immaculate restored condition, with the interior having been updated substantially from the spartan original.

All in all, a very nice car.

Stay tuned for more.

[?]

Share This

Topics: Out and About, Cars | No Comments »

Electric Cars - Take Two

By Dorri | July 9, 2008

About a year ago, I asked “Are electric cars ready for primetime?”

It seems the answer was a resounding no.

Let’s see where each of those three stand today.

Tesla Roadster - A year ago I said that this one had the best shot at being produced. I still think that’s true, although they are looking more and more like a marketing firm than a automobile company. After a tough spell with transmission troubles that were remedied by doing away with the transmission, production is claimed to be in progress. I’d be scared to put down a deposit with these guys until they deliver at least a dozen customer cars.

Lightning GT - Last year they were taking deposits for “2008 delivery”. They haven’t delivered (or even built) any cars yet, but they are taking deposits for “2009 delivery”. Don’t hold your breath.

Chevrolet Volt - Chevy’s holding firm on their 2010 on-sale date for the Volt. Almost everything else seems to be changing, though. Last year the car was slated to sell for $30,000. It was to have a 40 mile electric-only range and a 600 mile range on gasoline (at 50 mpg). Fast forward to today and the projected price is $40,000 plus. The gas-powered range has shrunk to 360 miles, as well.

New to the list this year is the Zap Alias (pictured). Zap is mostly known for low-speed golf-cart type electric vehicles, but the Alias is slated to be capable of 100 mph. It’s range is said to be 100 miles, and the price $32,500. Zap is taking reservations for 2009 delivery. Again, I’d be worried about depositing my money with them until they built (and delivered) a working car.

While I’m certain that they are coming, it doesn’t look like this is the year for the electric car. Barring any surprise developments, I’ll revisit this topic next year. See you there (then?).

[?]

Share This

Topics: American Automakers, electric car, future | 6 Comments »

If I had $10k to spend today . . .

By Dorri | June 30, 2008

. . . on a car that didn’t have to be my daily driver, here’s what I would look at. All of these are available on Ebay as this is written with a Buy-it-now of less than $10,000.

If I were in the mood for a true classic, there’s this 1937 Buick Sedan.

Still in the classic realm is this replica of a 1934 Frazier Nash. I like this one better than the Buick, but replicas rarely go up in value, whereas the Buick certainly will.

If speed is your thing, how about a Corvette?

If four doors are a necessity and you still want to go fast, it’s really hard to do better than a 6-speed V-8 BMW.

Or maybe a twin-turbo all-wheel-drive Audi.

Of course, it would be just about impossible for me to pass up this extremely clean 1979 Trans Am.

What would you choose?

[?]

Share This

Topics: Automotive, Vette, used car, BMW, Cars | No Comments »

If it’s got an engine . . .

By Dorri | June 21, 2008

We’ll probably try to get the front wheels off the ground.

This is Mike’s ride when He’s not in the Ferrari, the Porsche, or the Vette.

[?]

Share This

Topics: Fun | No Comments »

What was I thinking?

By Dorri | June 20, 2008

We’ve all had those moments when we knew that we were making a mistake, but went ahead with it anyway. Even though fixing the mistake would be much harder than just doing it right to begin with. We kid ourselves into believing that it’ll probably work, then kick ourselves afterward.

My latest what was I thinking moment came when I was replacing the water pump on my ‘91 BMW 750il a few months ago. (Why it needed a water pump is another entertaining story.)

It’s a pretty involved process, involving the removal of both of the accessory drive belts, both tensioners/pulleys, and the main crank pulley. Believe me; that pulley was happy right where it was. Oh yeah, I had to remove the radiator to get enough room to work. By the time I had the water pump out I had been working for 3 or 4 hours, and was ready to get it put back together.

This water pump mounted differently than most cars. There are two metal pipes coming forward through the ‘V’ of the engine the slip into the back of the pump. The pump has o-rings in grooves to seal against these pipes. The new water pump didn’t come with those o-rings.

I’ll repeat that - the new water pump didn’t come with those o-rings.

Not to worry, the friendly neighborhood Napa was just down the street. They had no idea what size o-rings were needed, of course. But they were happy to look at the new pump and find some that seemed to fit. total expenditure - $1.00 plus tax, plus about 15 minutes of my time.

Fast forward about two hours and there’s coolant pouring out of the front of the car - behind the water pump.

Fast forward another 1.5 hours (I’m getting faster) and the pump’s back out and I’m on the phone with the local (ha!) BMW dealership ordering the right o-rings. Total expenditure - $10.00 plus tax, plus gas for the drive, plus several hours of extra labor.

If it’s got an engine . . .

Everything automotive. Slanted toward the engineering aspects of cars that I like.

Resources

Automotive links

Other links

Must Read Posts

My Flickr Pool

Tags

Archives

About this site

Friends

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Trip Report

I’m in Detroit . . .

2009 Ford, Lincoln, Mercury Product Day

SSC Ultimate Aero EV

Car Dealers

Out and About

Electric Cars - Take Two

If I had $10k to spend today . . .

If it’s got an engine . . .

What was I thinking?