Modern Car Knowledge
If you haven't been under the hood of a new-ish car lately - or (just as important) read one of their owner's manuals - here are a few things to know...
Who’s to Blame When Air Bags Don’t “Save Lives”?
Toyota just announced a recall of more than 650,000 cars - for potential problems with the air bags.
"Improperly manufactured propellant wafers could cause the inflator to rupture and the front passenger...
A Practical Guide For Dealing With Cops
Never pick a fight with a superior opponent - especially if he has back-up and you don't. The over-riding objective in such a case ought to be evasion and obfuscation; getting out of the...
Sit Back And Enjoy The Ride?
I know that the PDK automated manual in the Porsche 911 GT3 (and other PDK-equipped Porsches like the Cayman S I reviewed recently; see here) delivers quicker - and consistently quicker - acceleration; that...
What The Automatic Transmission Has Done To Us
It's easy to get suckered by the convenient, the easy. We're all susceptible. It is human nature to take the path of least resistance. Present almost anyone with a quart of their favorite...
How Come Hybrids Don’t Get Great Gas Mileage?
Hybrids get pretty good - but far from great - gas mileage.
The best of them - that would be Toyota's Prius - manage low-mid 50s. Most average low-mid 40s. Which is...
Blood in the Water
I wrote a couple weeks ago (see here) about the ignition switch fiasco being the equivalent, for GM, of Titanic's hitting the iceberg. A likely mortal wound. That it might now...
The Truth About “Planned Obsolescence”
Have you noticed how quickly new cars get old?
Buy it today and - three years down the road - an "all new" version is introduced. At that moment, your car becomes...
Death Song For the Manual Transmission
There are things in life you desperately want but know you can't have anymore. Maybe it's a 20-year-old girlfriend . . . if you're 45 and not rich/not Brad Pitt.
A two-pound...
If You’ve Never Bought a Truck Before . . .
Trucks, like high-performance sports cars - like minivans for that matter - are specialty vehicles. Which means they're compromised vehicles.
Some things, they're very good at - usually, much better at them...