RIP Subaru Rally Team

I was heart broken to hear that Subaru has officially announced the end of its World Rally team. This marks the death of a legend, the end of an era. The World Rally Championship was an amazing sight, cars driving at insane speeds not on pavement, but on gravel, snow and ice. The lessons learned from the WRC Championship helped Subaru design some of the best handling cars in the world, with All Wheel Drive that keeps you car glued to the road. The technology developed by the Rally team was amazing, and helped create things like a DCCD. It is truly a shame that Subaru decided to pull the Rally team. They cited the economic downturn as the reason, and I have to say that of all the casualties thus far, this is by far the biggest loss I feel. 

So Alia and I decided to go on a farewell Subaru World Rally Team (SWRT) winter road trip. We are driving up to Nova Scotia from North Carolina, with a stop in Boston. We'll take pictures and video of our trip and post it online soon.

Car Pr0n

I am a modest guy in general. I change the channel when I see beer ads featurng half naked women. I avert my eyes in the movie theatre when there is gratutious nudity on the screen. I have never purchased a Playboy magazine or anything like that. I never buy a car magazine with bikini-clad women in it because I think that is just stupid. I mean, take the picture I posted here of a woman in a rather modest bathing suit draped over a car. I don't need the woman, just show me the car. But wait, is that a cow print painted Miata? Ewww, maybe I will make an exception for this, I think I would rather look at the woman.

I know what you're thinking: "Gee Chris, you sound gay to me." Well no, it's not that I am not attracted to women, it's quite the opposite actually. I love women, I think they're great. But for a me, staring at half naked or naked women all the time is like asking an alcoholic to watch beer commercials, it is a road I do not want to go down. We all have animal sides to our nature, I just want to keep mine under control. There are plenty of good images out there that I want to fill my mind with, I don't need to fill it with tasteless images of women, or men for that matter. I bet if I was gay I would probably avoid the same types of images of men anyway, that is just how I am.

But when it comes to design and engineering I love to stare at a good car and strip it down with my eyes and have naughty thoughts like: "I wonder if that car puts out............more than 300 horsepower." Or perhaps: "I bet that car could suck............enough air to support 20 lbs of turbo boost." I once almost spun my car into a ditch because I was straining to look at a Porsche 911 slantnose.

So I decided to make a list of some of the most seductive cars ever made. Here it goes:

Aston Martin DB5-

Sean Connery, James Bond, all sexy. Seriously, I do not know if it gets sexier than an Aston Martin DB5. If a minivan says "I've given up trying to be sexy" a DB5 says "I age like fine wine." I'll have my Aston in silver...shaken, not stirred. They actually brought the DB5 back to the Bond series in Goldeneye, fitting since it appeared first in Connery's Goldfinger. You can view the DB5 in action in the clip below.

BMW 507-

The greatest BMW you never heard of, the 507. It was made in the late fifties and was a class act. BMW tried to emulate the 507 with the Z3, Z4 and Z8. But nothing beats the original. Just look at it, simply gorgeous. When I look at it I don't imagine sitting in those seats so much as I imagine those seats having their wicked way with me as the wind runs its fingers through my hair and the vibration from the exhaust digs its fingernails into my back. This car is so cute it would make John McCain look like Colin Farrel.

Ferrari 250-

Bueller...Bueller...Bueller. Yes that iconic car from Ferris Bueller is perhaps the sexiest car of all time. There were a number of variations of the 250, the California GT was the one they chose for the movie, but all of them were gorgeous. Ironically in the movie it was only a replica of the original Ferrari, but it still got the job done because sometimes stuffing your pants or padding your bra actually works. I found a compilation of some of the Ferrari scenes on youtube. The first scene, where they first look at the car, is perhaps one of the greatest scenes in automotive movie history, oh yeah...beautiful, so beautiful.

1977 Corvette-

Once upon a time American car companies could actually make decent looking cars. Sadly a gorgeous American made car is far too rare an occrence these days. This black late seventies Corvette is proof that Americans can make pretty cars. But be careful, if you drive this car do not grow a mustache or wear a silk shirt unbuttoned with a gold chain around your neck; otherwise someone might ask you odd questions about "the swinging lifestyle" or something.

Porsche 356-

Steve McQueen's love interest in Bullitt drove one, my wife wants one... so do I. But what makes the Porsche 356 so sexy? Two words: Top Gun. Before Tom Cruise went off the deep end he was as cool as the other side of the pillow in the eighties. In the movie Top Gun Kelly McGillis drove a Porsche 356. She chased him down on his motorcycle in it and then made out with him, how awesome is that? Want to know what is even better? The video of the song "Take my breath away" by Berlin shows the scene where the Porsche is flying through traffic. Man, I love the eighties. Check out the video, the Porsche is at about 2:30

Lamborghini Miura-

Before Lamborghini became famous for its scissor style doors they made the Miura. Legend has it that Ferruccio Lamborghini was dissatisfied with the clutch of his Ferrari 250gt and went to the factory to complain to Enzo Ferrari about it. Apparently Lamborghini was so upset at the way he was treated by Ferrari, he decided to start a car company to compete with Ferrari. The Miura is the first Lamborghini model that pushed the enevelope as far as design goes. The doors were designed to look like the horns of a bull when they were open.

BMW M5-

Have you ever met someone and not really realize they are incredibly attractive at first? Maybe they do not flaunt their looks, maybe they even play it down on purspose. But once you get to know this person you find them incredibly attractive. They often are a great combination of looks, character and intellect. Well that describes the BMW M5. In particular I find the last model the most alluring. At first sight you have no idea what the car really is. The fact is that the E39 5 series of BMWs is perhaps the best designed midsize sedan of all time. Here is the good news: you can get a high mileage M5 for around $22k, thus making it one of the most attainable cars in ths list.

Toyota Supra-

The only Japanese car I am going to put on this list, the Supra was a true great. They are currently holding their value like few cars can. You can easily spend $30k to $40k on a nice Supra. The sport roof was the best though, the benefits of a convertible without the loss of structural strength. The sexiest thing about this car was the ability of the engine to take on huge turbos. You know what they say about guys with big turbos right?...They have big boost.

This car was made famous in the movie The Fast and the Furious.

There were so many cars I could have put on this list. But I settled for the ones here. I would love to hear what cars you think are too hot for TV. Feel free to leave a comment!

Ford Mustang - Down the only road I've ever known

In the past three years I have travelled a lot and thus rented a LOT of cars. Here is a list of the ones I can recall: 

Saturn Aura 

Chevy Colbalt 

Dodge Frontier 

Lincoln TownCar 

Ford Focus 

Ford Edge 

Ford Tarus 

Ford Mondeo 

Pontiac Gran 

PrixPontiac G6

To be honest, most of these cars are forgettable, but a couple of weeks ago I rented a car worth talking about: a Ford Mustang.

Somehow I had not driven a Mustang since they changed it in 2005, so I was ecstatic to finally get my hands on one. I got the keys from the counter at Hertz and I was practically skipping to the car I was so excited. The first thing I was going to do was put it on a classic Rock and Roll station and turn it up real loud. I was looking down the row searching for the spot that was designated for me, D17 is where my chariot of American muscle awaited me. And then I saw it. It was a gorgeous jet black V8 Mustang GT. It had nice retro looking mag-style wheels with tan leather interior. It had the retro looking fog lights in the front, a nod to the classic Mustangs of the past. It had a tan leather interior just begging you to rest your back on while you mashed the gas pedal. I admit… I was shocked at how good it looked. There was only one problem, this black beauty was in spot D19, my Mustang was in D17.

The sound my wife made when she saw our Mustang is the same sound one makes when a friend suggests that you date someone you find completely unattractive. And I don’t mean unattractive like “they’re not my type.” I mean unattractive like “if they were the last person on earth and the fate of humanity hinged on our mating, I don’t think I could control the vomiting long enough to close the deal.” The Mustang was yellow-orange, no spoiler, with a black cloth interior that had the word “Mustang” written all over it repeatedly. The color was so ugly I wondered if it was specifically made for Hertz, because surely a color that hideous could only be justified if it was exclusive. But no, you can order your Mustang with that color directly from Ford. If I had driven the car past the taxi cab stand surely someone would have tried to hail me down and ask for a ride to the Holiday Inn Express.

Two amazing things happened one day at Ford. The first is that at a meeting somewhere, someone said: "Hey, you know what would be cool? How about a Ford Mustang that is school bus yellow, with a hint of orange added?" Then someone replied: "That's a good idea. Let's call it: 'Grabber Orange,' it will be great." Both of those people should be slapped, nay kicked for such idiocy. Yes, you could say it is only my opinion that the color "Grabber Orange" is ugly, but it is also a fact. Show me someone who actually likes the color Grabber Orange and I will show you someone I will never eat dinner with. My wife and mother refused to arrive at a wedding we were attending in this car, and my mother is one of the most forgiving people in the world when it comes to this sort of thing. 

When I stopped at a stop sign at the airport I decided to give the engine a little test. I put my foot down, maybe 75% throttle, the engine made a great noise, and the tires protested by squealing; but the car did not accelerate much. Despite having a four litre V6 this car is by no means fast. 0-60 in 7.8 seconds, that is hardly impressive. If I’m honest, that kind of performance is bafflingly bad. A V6 Hyundai Sonata is faster 0-60, which is just wrong. Surely Ford could have engineered more power out of this engine, but for some reason they didn’t. What a shame. Ford has a large stake in Mazda, and the Mazda 6 has an available 3.7 litre V6 which puts out 60 more horsepower. Couldn't the guys at Ford send an e-mail to their colleagues at Mazda and say: "Hey, how did you guys squeeze 272 bhp out of that Mazda 6?" 

Combine this woefully under-performing engine with a rear live axle and you have a car that is borderline terrible to drive. (If you don't know what a rear live axle is, just read my review of the Acura I did a few months back.) Its only saving grace is the fact that it is rear wheel drive, and any gear head can appreciate the ability to throw the rear end out when you push the car hard.

Hertz installed a Sirius satellite radio, so eventually I did find my classic Rock station. White Snake is perfect for a car like this. The stereo was adequate enough, but nothing special. The plastics in the car were just awful to be honest. I often liken the interior of my Mercedes to the waiting room of a four star hotel, it is a nice place to be. The interior of this bottom of the line Mustang I would liken to the dining room in a fast food restaurant, it serves its purpose, but you are glad when you are out of there.

Despite all these shortcomings however, something strange happened. I actually found myself liking the car. I had trouble accepting this, but there was something about it. I would say that there was a certain je na sais quois about the car, but describing a Mustang with French is a criminal act in the state of Texas, so no French here. Although the plastics were terrible in the car, the lines in the interior were just right to evoke a certain emotion. The numbers on the dials were in a font that reminded me of the great muscle cars of the past, so just the act of watching your speed evoked sentimental feelings.

My wife and I had to return the car to the airport in the early morning hours on a Sunday. The roads were empty and I was looking forward to driving around without any traffic to contend with. As I was driving in the neighborhood around my mother’s house I noticed that there was sprinkler leaking onto the road, thus getting my tires all wet. About 50 feet past the water was a stop sign, I casually hit the brakes and the car locked up (no ABS). Then once I hit the gas the car slid all over the place as if it were on ice making all kinds of noise. I had heard that the tires that came stock on the Mustang were terrible, but I can tell you first hand if you buy one just chuck the tires out. Even a bottom of the line set of Kumho tires would fare better than what is on the Mustang.

The bottom of the line Mustang may be a terrible car in some respects, but at $20k the car is available to the masses, which is a good thing for Ford considering how difficult it is for American car companies to sell anything these days. Making it possible for anyone to enjoy the car was a brilliant move by Ford. Luckily there are trim levels and aftermarket tuners that fix all these problems by adding such as larger tires, superchargers and limited slip differentials. A Roush stage 2 or 3 Mustang is an awesome piece of engineering. The GT500 is an instant classic, so you can't go wrong with one of those. 

My wife and I both agree, if we were to get a Mustang it would have to be the Bullitt version, because we can think of no other way to enjoy American Muscle more than pretending we are Steve McQueen in the greatest car chase on film. We watched the movie Bullitt twice since renting the Mustang, how cool is that?

(For the record, the movie Bullitt featured this car chase I posted here. What made is spectacular is the fact that it was done without any CGI and Steve McQueen himself drove the Mustang, not some stunt driver. McQueen was the real deal.)

Fuel Efficient Office

A VP at my company wrote me an e-mail asked:

"OK, what car would you choose that gets at least 25mpg in the city, is not a hybrid or diesel, and you needed to take clients out to lunch/dinner in it? So it would have to have some class."

So the first place I went to was Forbes, they make some great lists, and luckily they had a list of the Top 10 Most Fuel Efficient Luxury Cars so I thought that was a good place to start. There were two problems with this list though. 

1) None of the cars get 25mpg

2) Half of the cars were not luxury cars. Let's look at the list:

• Acura RL
  
• Audi A8 
• AudiTT 
  
• BMW 3 Series 
  
• Land Rover LR2 
  
• Lincoln Navigator 
  
• Lincoln Mark LT 
  
• Subaru Tribeca 
  
• Subaru Impreza 
• Volvo XC70 
  

First of all what in the world is a Subaru Impreza doing on this list? (Or the Tribeca for that matter.) The Impreza is a fine car, heck I own one, but a luxury car? By no means is the Impreza a luxury car. Calling the Impreza a luxury car is like calling BBQ brisket gourmet food. I love beef brisket, but if I am at a five star restaurant I'll have the Trout à la Crème thank you. 

Here is an easy way to identify a luxury car: if you go to a nice restaurant is it worth giving it to the valet? When I go to a place with a valet I take my Mercedes, the Subaru stays at home. The Audi TT, while luxurious, really is a sports car. The Lincoln Mark LT is a truck, a nice faux-wood and leather truck, but putting a top hat on a cowboy does not make an aristocrat. The Volvo XC70 is a nice car, but Volvos are for over-educated and underpaid intellectuals, and when you work for a non-profit you can't use a valet. 

But even when we eliminate all these cars from the list we still run into the problem that none of them achieve 25mpg, so we are going to have to look elsewhere. So what does get 25mpg in the city? A Toyota Corolla, Hyundai Elantra and Honda Fit all get that kind of mileage but none of them can be described as luxury cars. Four cylinder Camrys and Accords are only getting 21mpg. After searching around the website fueleconomy.gov I came to the conclusion that no new non-hybrid/diesel luxury car gets 25mpg in the city, not one. So it is time to look at older cars to see if we can find some gems. 

If we are willing to settle for 24mpg we can actually find some cars worth mentioning:

Infiniti G20- 

Now in the interest of full disclosure I admit my mother drives this car. But I picked it out for her for a reason, it is luxurious (read: leather intertior, climate control, Bose stereo) it has a legendary engine, Nissan's accomplished SR20DE, the car was reasonably priced new, and it makes an especially good deal used. Although the window sticker claimed 24 mpg in the city, when I drive it I get closer to 21mpg, but if you drive like my mother you can get closer to 24mpg. On the highway though it is easy to get 27mpg.

Acura RSX-

Now the RSX is more of a compact sports car than a luxury car, but it does

actaully manange 25mpg in the city, and no not the Type-S version sorry. But an RSX is not 

a bad car, in fact I rather like them. They are small though, and if you have to give three people a ride someplace you better hope the at least one of them is a horse jockey.

After these two cars it becomes too difficult to get near the magic 25mpg number, which is sad really. What makes it sad though is that there are plenty of cars made by all the major auto manufacturers that meet the criteria, but none of these cars are sold in America. Here are a few examples:

Cadillac BLS-

Believe it or not, Cadillac makes a sedan with a 2.0 litre low-output turbo engine in Sweden, and sells it as the Cadillac BLS in Europe. 

It shares a lot of parts with the Saab 9-3 and 9-5. There are rumors that in 2010 this car will be made available in the US, and possibly a plant made in Ohio. Why in the world did it take so long to undertstand that Americans would want a car like this? I just hope we don't get stuck with only the V6 version of this car.

BMW 318 ES-

This may be hard to imagine, but there is a BMW that gets over 30mpg in the city. That's right, it gets 30 miles per gallon and it is a BMW. I'll be honest, if we had this car in the 

US I would probably own one as a daily driver. I can think of no other car that would be a better compliment to my tricked out WRX. This car is comfortable, affordable and fuel efficient. It is a crime we don't have these here in the US.

Mercedes C180-

Tell me again why they do not sell this car in the US market? (We only get V6 and up versions.)I heard it is because Americans want more power in their cars. I actually think that argument is bunk. I think they use the power argument because Americans are among the fattest people in the world on average, and we need more power to haul our large behinds around. But a bottom of the line four cylinder Mercedes would be perfect for the job, it gets 25 mpg in the city and is classy. In fact, I wish rental car companies would buy cars like this, instead of the terrible cars I get each time I go to a rental car counter. 

Ford Mondeo-

In the European market the Ford

Mondeo plays the same role as the Taurus here in the US. But in Europe there are far more choices when it comes to engine size. Right now the most fuel efficient Ford Taurus in the US is the V6 FWD version, which manages just under 20 mpg. If Ford made a four cylinder Taurus that got close to 30 mpg in the city how well do you think that would sell in an age of $4 a gallon gas? These car companies claim that all the focus group research they do show that Americans want fast cars with power. As Henry Ford once famously said: "If I had asked my customers what they wanted they would have said a faster horse." Besides, who needs a focus group to tell you that we want cars that are faster AND more fuel efficient? That's what the customer wants, every year, it's not rocket science. 

The Ford Mondeo has a number of four cylinder models to choose from, it looks great and is relatively cheap. With leather interior it is a classy car and easy to ride in. Sure, a four cylinder Mondeo is not nearly as quick and powerful as the V6 Taurus, but it gets 30-40% better gas mileage than the Taurus, and I am willing to bet a lot of people will choose fuel economy over performance for years to come. Besides, the average person doing their daily commute to work is not going to notice the speed difference. In bumper to bumper, stop and go traffic a Ford Mondeo will get to its destination at the same time as a Ferrari. 

There are a number of other cars that deserve an honorable mention: 

Vauxhall Vectra- A car made by GM in Europe that competes with the Mondeo. Not a great car, but if you own GM stock and want to support their product, a fully loaded Vectra with a small engine is not too bad.

Honda Accord- A 2.0 litre Accord is sold in Europe. Really Honda? You don't think Americans would buy that? A more fuel efficient Accord, call me crazy, but I think America needs this car.

Mercedes 200E- An E-Class with a four cylinder engine. What's not to like?

So there you go, fuel efficent offices on wheels. Isn't it a shame we don't have more options here in the US. Well for now I am going to haul my oversized American butt around in my Mercedes ML320, because that is the American thing to do.

BMW Z4 and 650 - No roof required

Every year my wife and I participate in BMW’s Drive for the Cure. I can’t say enough good things about the event. You get to choose a BMW to drive, then you drive it around for a few miles, and BMW gives a dollar to the Susan Komen breast cancer fund for every mile you drive…brilliant. How many times does someone give money to a charity in exchange for driving a car, let alone a brand new BMW?

Last year we drove two cars, the Z4 and the 650. At my height I can forget about driving the Z4, so my wife drove that, I drove the 650, convertible. Now I am going to be honest, I love BMWs, I have appreciated them for a very long time, so I expect them to be great cars, especially the 650 since it is their largest coupe.

When I first got into the car I was impressed with the space, my 6’5” frame fit quite well in it. All the materials of the cabin are top notch, nothing cheap in this car. BMW has a proximity key in this car, meaning that you do not have any key to turn, you just have to have the key in your pocket when you get into the car then you can push the start button. The driving position is great, it is easy to get comfortable making this a true GT car.

The first thing that struck me about this car is how smooth it is. The transmission glides from gear to gear without any issue. It is so smooth in fact you wonder if there really a 4.8 litre V8 under the hood. The exhaust note is present, but not overbearing, you can hear the stereo without any problem even with the top down. The suspension and seats keep you in place and hide any bumps you might encounter. Overall this is a luxurious GT car.

Acceleration in this car is solid, 0-60 happens in just over five seconds, but you wouldn’t know it, it seems so effortless for this car. To make this car feel like a true ultimate driving machine you need to take time and disable the traction control and set the transmission to sport mode, this allows the beast to come out a little. The car feels large, though nimble. At no time did I ever feel like it was a beast out of control, it always felt solid and steady. But be warned, this car has a ton of power and although the computer keeps you on the road most of the time, it is possible to hit the accelerator right when the transmission downshifts in a corner, causing the car to buck like a wild horse and give you quite a fright. If you own this car I would suggest a trip to BMW's Performance Driving School in South Carolina, for $650 you can learn the limits of your car and avoid putting it in a ditch.

Overall though, I could not help but think that as good as this car is, I could not think of a reason to by this car over a 3-series coupe. Both cars have comfortable interiors, both go 0-60 in five seconds, both have enough room for two large adults with a backseat that can accommodate kids and baggage. The only advantage the 650 has was that it was larger, used more gas, and costs more. Other than that I could think of no reason to buy a 650 over a 335 convertible. When it comes to driving experience I actually prefer the 335, it has more feel in the steering wheel, and being smaller it feels easier to fling around corners. Maybe there is someone out there that just MUST have a bigger car, perhaps they are a very large person. However, I would suggest that rather than spend the extra cash on a 650, why not go on a diet and buy a 3-series convertible instead?

Z4

Now comes the Z4, which in many ways was the polar opposite of the 650. With a 36” inseam I struggle to reach the brake pedal, but my 5’4” wife fit perfectly. This car is slightly larger than a Miata, so it feels less like a go-kart and more like a proper automobile.

The Z4 feels like a true roadster when you sit in it. Everything is within reach of the driver, which not all cars this small can claim the same. (Go sit in a Lotus Elise and have a laugh at how bad the ergonomics are, you would think that in a car so small it would be impossible to put anything out of reach but look at the stereo, although it doesn’t matter in that car they are still a blast.) The engine in the Z4 sounds great, it sounds like it is happiest when it is above 4000 rpms. Despite being a convertible body flex is kept to a minimum. Everything is solid in this car, and as a passenger I was very comfortable, I could easily sit as a passenger for hours in this car.

The day my wife and I were in this car was a gorgeous day in Austin. My wife drove the car with spirit. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the traction control light coming on many occasions, preventing us from ending up in a ditch. As technology has taken over cars it becomes increasingly possible for anybody to drive like a maniac without ever losing control. Not all traction/stability control systems are made equal. If you drive the old Mercedes E55 you will see what I mean, the traction control in the Benz takes all the fun out of driving such a fast car. (Luckily you can turn off the traction control.) BMW has found the perfect balance of safety and control.

As a passenger I can’t remember ever having as much fun in a car as I did in the Z4. The 650 was a great car, it was calm, poised and collected, like that kind of guy a woman looks to settle down with and marry. The Z4 on the other hand was fun and aggressive, like that guy a girl dates knowing full well she is never going to marry him, but was attracted to the more exciting and consequently unpredictable aspects of his personality. You can put a car seat in the 650, you can drive your elderly grandmother around in the 650 and you can fit curtain rods in the trunk of the 650, while all these things are near impossible in the Z4 that is precisely why it is more fun.

Many people say they prefer the looks of the Z4 to the Z3, although I am not one of them. The Z3 was actually an attempt by BMW to invoke the gorgeous design of the classic BMW 507, the only problem is that only 252 units of the 507 were ever built, and it is estimated that only 202 are still around today; thus hardly anyone has ever seen a 507 so the average person does not pick up on the retro design cues of the Z3, which is a shame really. The current designer at BMW is an American named Chris Bangle, and he has a design concept called “flame surfacing” that is found throughout the BMW line of cars now. I personally did not like the new BMW look at first, but I have found it to be an acquired taste and as time goes buy I enjoy the theme more and more.

Compared to its two closest competitors, the Boxster and the S2000, the Z4 has some advantages. It is almost $10,000 less than a Boxster and has more torque than the Honda. You really couldn’t go wrong with any of the three, but I know if my wife were to buy one she would go for the Z4 because she always dated boy scouts and eventually married one, so when she drives she looks for excitement.

Chevy Cobalt- flies not included

I’m sorry, I am not going to pull any punches here. The Chevy Cobalt is such a piece of S*&# that every time I get into one I need a fly swatter to get to the door lock. Seriously, why would anyone build this car, let alone buy it? If you are reading this and own one, my condolences, I invite you to contact me so that I can punch you in the face, because that would certainly hurt less than the emotional pain of driving your car.

I understand that there are huge numbers of people driving Chevy Cobalts around, but I bet none of them have ever driven a BMW M3; they have never known the privilege of driving across the country in a nice Mercedes. Heck, they were probably glad to trade in the minivan their parents gave them for their first car, too bad they chose a Cobalt. You see, your relationship with a car is similar in some ways to your relationship with people, sometimes when you have a bad relationship you become so used to it that you don’t notice how bad things really are. Have you ever asked a garbage man how they feel about the smell? They will always give you the same answer: “Oh you don’t notice it after a while.” The same can be said for Chevy Cobalt owners, they have no idea how bad their car really is.

So where should I start when talking about what make this car so bad? From the moment you get into this car you get the feeling that it is a cheap piece of excrement. The door sounds terrible opening and closing, the plastic in the interior is about as nice as the plastic used to package my overpriced Gillette razor and the engine is as asthmatic as a premature baby born in Los Angeles. The only redeeming feature of this car is that it increases my faith in God. That may sound strange, but think about it, this car will not last forever, someday every single one will be off the road and no more Cobalts will exist, surely this is a concrete sign of God’s mercy to all mankind.

My wife and I drove a Cobalt as a rental for a week a few months ago, and we cringed to even get into it every time we had to drive some place. When a rental car company chooses which cars to purchase for its fleet it has two objectives: 1) Buy something cheap, 2) Buy something that will not be stolen. The Chevy Cobalt meets both of these needs admirably. It is cheap and if somehow a crook breaks into one and steals it, they will assuredly drive to the closest Police headquarters and turn themselves in, because the warm iron walls of a jail cell would be a welcome change from the interior of a Cobalt.

OK, I feel bad saying all negative things about the Cobalt so let me say something good. I like the seats in the SS version of the Cobalt. They are sporty and comfortable. I had the privilege opportunity to drive every kind of Cobalt there is when I was training as a car salesman, our training was at an AutoNation Chevy dealer. Thank heavens I was not required to ever sell one though, because if I had I would not be able to sleep soundly for at least a week knowing I had let someone actually purchase such a horrendous piece of shi…uh, engineering?

But I can hear Cobalt apologists saying: "Chris, Cobalts are cheap and fuel efficient, you can't blame someone for buying one when they don't have enough money for an BMW." Yes, Cobalts are cheap, but here is a list of alternatives which I think are a far better use for $15,000: (If I am suggesting a used car I put the year, otherwise assume I am suggesting a new car)

-2002 BMW 325i
-2005 Acura RSX
-Toyota Corolla
-Crawling...on broken glass
-2007 Hyundai Tiburon
-2006 Subaru Impreza
-Mazda 3

Remember: Friends don't let friends drive Cobalts.

Lincoln Town Car - Good for your Prostate

Recently Consumer Reports published a list of the most and least reliable cars of the last ten years. Out of the 62 most reliable cars, exactly four of them were from American companies. One of them was the Pontiac Vibe, which is just a Toyota Matrix with a Pontiac emblem on the hood, so really there are only three real American cars on the list. Of those three American cars, I have driven just one, the Lincoln Town Car.

I rented a Lincoln Town Car for a week a last year. My first impression was that at 30, I was less than half the age of the average Lincoln driver. The first morning I had it I walked out of the house to load my suitcases in the car and a man driving a Cadillac down the road saw me getting into this brand new Town Car. This man was so old I am sure that he thinks rap music is "just a fad" and that John McCain is that "young gun." The man rolled down his window and leaned over and asked what kind of gas mileage the car got. The man was cupping his ear with his hand so I knew he was hard of hearing. I told him in the loudest voice I could muster that I had no idea about the mileage since I just got it yesterday, but I assured him it was not as capable as his Cadillac. (He was very old, I thought a compliment of his car might help him enjoy the last fleeting moments of his life that much more.) During the entire time I had the car the only people that looked at it were old enough to be dead.

Now this car is classified as a luxury car, and it is apparent as soon as you sit in it. The seats are so comfortable I swear they were designed for people who have just had prostate surgery, which is good because most Lincoln drivers probably have had prostate surgery or will need it in the near future. This car was perfect for serial killers because the trunk is large enough to fit at least three bodies in. My tiny sister-in-law was in the back seat and it felt like she was in another room because she was so far away from the front seat, and she could have easily invited three of her friends to sit with her. The engine and transmission were smooth as a cold glass of Ensure, everything was laid out simply and easily, no fancy iPod connections here. There car felt like a luxury ocean liner. The engine had great torque and was powerful enough to pull the car without any problems. This car was comfortable, it felt like the lobby of a nice hotel, comfortable and functional. I found the rear parking sensors handy because the car is so long it is almost impossible to park without them. I have no real complaints about the car other than the fact that it did not feel modern in the slightest. I liked the return of the visible Lincoln hood ornament, it acts almost as a cross hairs to target those pesky kids playing on your lawn. I really can't say anything bad about the car other than that it was designed for my grandfather.

It was not until a few days later that I found the most surprising aspect of this car, its depreciation. This car retails for around $45k to $50k brand new but after a year this car experiences almost 50% depreciation. I am not joking, 50% depreciation in one year. It is truly remarkable. You can easily get a 2007 with less than 15,000 miles for $24,000.

So if you just has prostate surgery and you are in the market for a more comfortable car make sure you get a used Town Car. Make sure you get it in black because if you drive a black one it makes you look more important than you really are.

Porsche 928 - Risky Business

When you were seventeen did you ever take your parent's car out for a joyride when they were gone? Your answer to this question is probably no. Why? Because when most of us were seventeen our parents owned cars that we were embarrassed to be seen in, and most certainly such cars were not worth joyriding in. You can't role up in a minivan to pick up a hot girl, in fact the only kind of woman you can pick up in a minivan is one with kids, and if that is what you were into when you were seventeen, then you have problems that are worthy of a session with Sigmund Freud. If you are a seventeen year old girl thinking about joyriding in your parent's van consider this: if a BMW convertible takes ten pounds and ten years off any woman, a minivan most certainly has the opposite effect. This reality is what made the movie Risky Business so compelling and fun, the main character is left home alone in a million dollar house most people dream of and with his parent's Porsche 928 in the garage, 'nuff said. Here is a link to the original scene.

To Porsche purists the 928 is an abomination. The key is on the right, the engine is in the front, most have an automatic transmission, and there is no turbo option. Is this really a Porsche? Well yes, it is a Porsche, and quite a good one at that.

When you hear the term GT car what do you think? The term is used for all kinds of cars, but by definition a GT car is: "an automobile in the style of a coupe, usually seating two but occasionally four, and designed for comfort and high speed." The Porsche 928 is perhaps the greatest GT ever made. It was the first Porsche I ever drove, and I was not disappointed. It defines what a GT should be.

So what makes the 928 such a great GT car? Well when you first sit in it you are taken aback by how much room there actually is in the cabin, two large adults can fit quite comfortably in it. There is a back seat, which is great for bags, briefcases, and legless friends. The hatchback gives you more room for your valuables and this car is large enough to hold a week's worth of groceries without any problems. The ergonomics of this car are great, which makes it easy to drive long distances. Driving position is important, if you don't know what I am talking about try sitting in a Lamborghini from the eighties, you need to have the arms of an orangutan and the legs of an oompa-loompa. Now it is hard to find solid statistics about how many manual vs. automatics were imported by Porsche, but most agree that the overwhelming majority in the US market were automatic. The automatic is not bad, but driving purists may want to hunt around for a manual.

Of course the interior looks dated by today's standards, but if you can find one with good leather it looks quite nice. I once had the unfortunate experience of driving one with cloth interior. The car looked great on the outside, but once I saw the inside I didn't know whether to laugh or vomit. As I recall it had pink and blue triangles all over the cloth...it was bad. The best way I could describe it would be to imagine a beautiful woman, you walk up to her and she opens her mouth to talk and she has gold teeth, or maybe it is a hunky guy with a body order problem. If the 928 is a sex machine, then one with cloth interior is a sex machine with erectile dysfunction.

The V8 feels great, and the car handles like a dream. The exhaust note sounds great and it seems to be urging you to push on the gas. Visibility out of the back is great, and there are not any really bad blind spots. At this point anyone who buys one for regular driving will want to replace the stereo. Actually most older German cars have bad stereos, they tended to put Blaupunkt equipment in their cars, which I always found to be a let down and far inferior to what was available in the after-market. Luckily many of these companies have switched to Bose, which is much better in my opinion.

If you are looking to buy a 928 there are some things to look out for. First, look at the steering wheel and see if it is the original. Many 928s had an airbag and if the airbag ever went off during the life of the car the steering wheel would need to be replaced. Often times people would replace the steering wheel with a cheaper alternative, which looks bad in most cases, and you would rather buy one without any major accidents in its history. Also drive the car around for a while up and down hills and test the cooling system. These cars are notorious for developing leaks in the coolant hoses, as well as oil leaks. My rule of thumb is this, expect to pay about $20,000 for a great late model (1993-95) 928. If you buy one for $10,000, expect to spend $5-10,000 to get it into car show type shape. If you pay close to $20,000 for one you should not have to do anything to it. $10-15,000 will get you a good one that may be a daily driver. Less than $10,000 you might need to do some major work on it in the near future. I'll take a black on black GTS if you ask me, but a black or white S4 will satisfy my needs.

Oh and if you go out of town, take the keys with you lest your seventeen year old decides to go for a joyride and ends up putting it into a lake.

BMW 135 - The Battery is in the trunk.

If you find yourself stuck with a dead battery and the car parked next to you is a BMW you are in luck. Why? Because on most BMWs, the battery is in the trunk. This can prove quite handy because there are also battery terminals in the front, so you can actually connect jumper cables to either the front or back of a BMW, which is nice because it can save you the hassle of moving your car around in order for jumper cables to reach.

So you are probably asking: "Why on earth would the Germans put the battery back there, were they drinking too much cheap German lager when they were engineering their car?" If you have ever known a German engineer, then you know that these people do everything for a reason, and the trunk is the only place for a battery if you are a BMW engineer, copious amounts of lager notwithstanding. BMW tries to achieve a 50/50 split of weight distribution on their cars, meaning if you were to draw a line exactly in the middle of the car, between the front and rear tires, the weight would be perfectly split between the front and back. In the real world what this translates to is unbelievable handling. By putting the battery in the trunk on the passenger's side, the weight of the driver is counterbalanced thus making the car closer to the 50/50 split. (OK, if you are really into weight distribution then you know that the ideal split is 52/48 because when you accelerate the weight shifts, but BMW just says 50/50 in their marketing material to make things easier to understand.)

Let's get one thing out of the way first, either you are a BMW person or you're not. What I mean is that you when people see you drive a BMW they have one of two reactions, 1) You are someone who is doing well in life and rewards yourself with toys like BMWs or 2) You are an overpaid, obnoxious twit of questionable sexual prowess that makes up for your inadequacy by buying fancy cars. If you are a true BMW person you don't care either way what people think. Those who buy it for prestige will move on to other cars eventually since BMW is the best selling European luxury car and is not as exclusive as a Maserati. If you are obnoxious and lacking prowess in some area of your personal life, you will trade your BMW for a Corvette or Viper because those cars attract the kind of hairspray women you're into, it takes a woman with discriminating taste to know the difference between a 328 and an M3, and a woman intelligent enough to do that is smart enough to know you are an obnoxious twit. If you are a BMW person you bought the car for your own reasons and if everyone else could experience the joy you experience by owning a BMW then they would all drive one too.

When you get into the BMW 1 series (for this review I am referring to the 135i coupe) you are immediately struck by how comfortable the interior is for such a small car. At 6'5" 220 lbs. I fit quite well. It is better to treat this car as a two seater, fitting four adults over five feet tall would prove difficult. The back seat is perfect for groceries or maybe a car seat. I actually preferred the ergonomics of this car to the 3 series, the window switch was easier to get to, the door was easier to close, etc.

On top of the ideal weight distribution this BMW has traction control, stability control, brake assist, and everything else BMW could think of to keep you out of trouble. With all the electronic assistance turned on it is almost impossible to get into any kind of trouble in this car. My wife took a sharp u-turn on a highway at 50 mph and you could actually feel that she could have gone faster, the car and its computer were making all the adjustments to keep the car on the road. The technology is truly remarkable, if you were to try the same maneuver in an M3 from the late nineties the steering wheel would thrash back and forth and you would be fighting it the entire way. (Although it must be said that driving a car that fights you like that can be a great deal of fun.) With the new generation of BMWs there is little chance of you spinning out because you get a little too enthusiastic with your lead foot. Although I have not driven it in snow, I imagine that it would do quite well. The twin-turbo 300 hp engine makes this car perform with the best of them, 5 second 0-60 is easy to achieve. Not to mention that BMW tuner Dinan makes a chip upgrade that gives you 84 more horsepower for $1999, that would make this car a threat to Corvette owners everywhere.

In the US we only have two versions of the 1 series right now, the coupe and the convertible. Overseas they have a five door hatchback which looks similar to the Mazda 3 here in the States, and many critics have called that version of the 1 series ugly, and thus some argue that all the 1 series cars are ugly, but this is not the case. The coupe and convertible are attractive cars, and are similar in size to the old 3 series (1992-1998). If you want to save money go for the leatherette interior, it is comfortable, indestructible and requires little care. If you are an obnoxious twit who needs to take a little blue pill at the end of a date then the red leather is your only choice.

Acura TL Type S - 3000 year old technology finally improved

After the first wheel was invented it was probably not long until someone came up with the idea of bolting two wheels together and putting something on top. The wheel was first used most likely Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq) but it was the Chinese that made the most drastic improvement through the invention of the differential. Let me explain:

When you run a race around a circular race track you know that it is best to run on the inside lane, why? Because running on the inside lane is the shortest distance around the track. The same can be said for your tires when you go around a corner. The two tires closest to the curve do not have to go as far as the tires on the outside of the curve. When you hear tires on a car squealing while it goes around a corner you are hearing the inside tires losing rubber because they are moving too far. The Chinese fixed this problem by inventing the differential, a device that allows two connected wheels to spin at different rates while turning. This made their chariots much better handling and made turning a lot more predictable. The one problem with differentials is that they essentially work by decreasing the speed of the inside tires, thus resulting in slowing down the entire vehicle. Honda however, developed technology called ATTS in 1997 and revolutionized the way cars operate.

ATTS works not by slowing down the inside wheel, but by speeding up the outside wheel. Think about it, you are going around a corner, the wheels start squealing, so the computer on the car decides that the best solution is to turn the car more quickly with the wheels that need to go farther, thus whipping the car around the corner in no time. Honda first used this technology in the Prelude, and Honda now uses it in their Acura line of cars, including the TL Type S.

Now the first thing that must be said of Acura, and Honda in general, is that this is a company that does not take many risks, especially when it comes to design. The last Honda worth talking about with regards to looks was the NSX, and that car has not been built since 2005. An S2000 is scarcely different from a Mazda Miata in terms of looks, which is a shame because the S2000 is a much better car from a mechanical standpoint. The TL if put into a lineup with an Accord, Camry, Mazda 6 and any other average sedan, would be difficult to pick out for the average observer. Compare that to say, a BMW 3 series or a Jaguar X-Type, whether you like them or not, both cars have a distinctive look that separates them from the crowd unlike the Acura.

Where the Acura beats the competition is technology. The Acura TL was the first car with bluetooth integration built in, as mentioned before the ATTS system was revolutionary, and Acura beat many other car companies to the punch when it came to MP3 player integration. The inside of the cabin feels like an electronics store, with lights and brushed aluminum everywhere. Everything looks and feels solid, good Honda engineering all around.

Now it must be said that when you drive the TL, or any Acura with the ATTS system for that matter, you are not usually going to feel the effects of the ATTS system. In fact, you really need to go to a track to experience that ATTS. But the TL feels like a solid and capable car from the beginning. It has great power and the computer does a good job of keeping the tires from spinning out of control without losing too much power. Acura offers an A-Spec package, which gives you larger wheels and a stiffer, lower suspension. With the A-Spec package the TL can keep up with the best performance luxury sedans on the market. There really is nothing negative to say about driving a TL and that is the problem, the TL is just too perfect. It is perfect to the point that it is forgettable.

When you drive an Infiniti G35 the rear wheel drive setup gives you the feel that you are riding an untamed horse that likes to buck every now and then. When you walk out to your driveway and see the distinct kidney grill of the BMW 3 series you are reminded that you are about to get into a car that handles like a free-spirited sports car. If you have a Jaguar you know that when you pull up to your friends house for dinner nobody else will have a Jag parked out front. The Acura seems like a plain Jane around its competition.

All that said the Acura is a GREAT car, it is just not a distinctive car. For some people the Acura is perfect. If you want a great car without any of the attention then the Acura is for you. If you like to look at your reflection in the glass of a building you are driving by and admire your car, perhaps you should get something a little more daring than a Honda.

Porsche 911 - the key is on the left

The key is on the left. If someone tosses you the keys to a Porsche 911 and you open the door and sit in the driver's seat the first thing that will jump out at you is the location of the ignition, it's on the left. It may seem strange at first. Why in the world would Porsche do that? Once you know the answer to that question, you will understand Porsche.

Porsche put the key on the left to help them get a faster start in the 24 Le Mans race. For nearly fifty years Le Mans started by having all the drivers line up their cars against a wall with the drivers lined up a few yards away. The starting flag would be waved and the drivers would run to their cars, jump in, start them up and drive off. Porsche put the key on the left so that the driver could jump in, turn the key with his left hand, push the clutch in with his foot and put the car in gear all at the same time, thus resulting in a faster start. Although the Le Mans is no longer started in the same manner, Porsche is a company of tradition, so even on new Porsches you will find the key on the left.

So that sets the tone for the company. At its core, Porsche is about building race cars, nothing else. So I am going to review the car that is the foundation of Porsche as we know it, the 911. Now, the 911 has been essentially the same for nearly 45 years. A 1964 911 looks strikingly similar to a 2008 911. The only other car to keep the same basic design for that long is the classic Jeep, which has been basically the same since WWII.

The layout of the 911 is what makes it most unique. The engine is in the back, and all the power is sent to the two rear wheels. (Porsche now makes an all wheel drive version, which is a little easier to handle.) With all the weight and power in the back the 911 could be quite a handful at times, depending on the engine you had. For this article I am going to talk about the 911 that was built between 1989 and 1993. I choose this version because it was the last 911 that was an example of unabashedly race-inspired German engineering in my humble opinion.

Sit in one of these older 911s and you will be shocked at how utilitarian the cabin is. The dials are there to tell you information, they are not trying to look pretty. The cabin is loud, you can hear both the engine and the tires clearly. The seats are leather, but that is the only way in which they are comfortable. You could use many words to describe the cabin but beautiful would not be one of them, a Ferrari this car certainly is not.

Now it must be said that it was during the 1989-93 911 run that Porsche began to offer an all wheel drive version for the first time, but I am not going to talk about that version, today I am strictly focusing on the classic, rear wheel drive configuration. When Porsche began putting turbo chargers on the 911, people jokingly referred to them as widow makers. The car had so much power going to the rear wheels that often times people would find themselves spinning out when the turbo finally kicked in after it overcame its lag. You could be driving around a curve with 200 horsepower going to the rear wheels, then the turbo kicks in and all of a sudden you have 300 horsepower going to the rear wheels, resulting in spectacular crashes when driven incorrectly. This trait made the 911 unique, and to many it made it too scary to drive, especially in poor weather.

There is something to be said for driving a car that feels like it can kill you at anytime. Taking a risk behind the wheel of a car makes the driver feel more alive. One time I was driving with a friend in his 911 and we went around a corner and next thing I know we are spinning into a gravel pit and came within feet wrapping the car around a tree. Did we stop joyriding after that? Of course not, we pushed the car out if the gravel, jumped right back in (started it up quickly, thanks to the key being on the left) and kept on driving like it was Le Mans.

Driving this car is a real pleasure. The transmission is solid, but it is possible to put it in the wrong gear so it takes time to get used to. The sound of the engine is classic Porsche, an engine like that was built for one purpose: racing. Everything feels solid in the car, you are not worried about it breaking at all. Unlike a Ferrari, this car feels like it is willing to drive 20,000 miles without you ever having to pop the hood and baby the engine. This car is not an Italian supermodel with an eating disorder; no this car is a hearty German woman named Heike, who might be able to beat you in an arm wrestling match.

The only downside to this car for me is the size. At 6'5" my legs are crunched, and I would have a hard time driving this car much longer than an hour or two. Other than that the car is a dream to drive. It is easy to see why 911 owners become Porsche enthusiasts, even apologetics. A true 911 owner will claim that the engine should alway be in the back, safety be damned!

If I were to buy a 911 I would most certainly buy an older one. The newer 911s are great, but there is something to be said for having a pure Porsche experience. What is great about 911s is that they can be used as a daily driver. They are durable cars, and most models have a semblance of a back seat to allow you to put your briefcase in. Believe it or not, you can get a decent 911 from the the years 89-93 for between $15-22 thousand dollars. Not a bad price for a car this much fun, and depreciation is next to nothing on these cars, so conceivably if you get a good deal on one, you could drive it for two years and sell it for the same price you bought it, especially if you keep it in great shape.

If you have the money to buy a new 911 go right ahead, they are faster, safer, and more comfortable than the old ones, but for my money I like a good classic. But whichever 911 you drive remember: the key is on the left.

Mercedes 560SEL - an automotive milestone

Sometimes there are pinnacles of engineering that set the standard for an entire industry. In airlines, it was the Boeing 747. It came out just in time for the the fabulous polyester lifestyle of the 1970s. It had two decks, and on early versions the upper deck was used as a bar/lounge, where passengers could go and be funky in their Afros and bell bottoms whilst listening to Three Dog Night.

What made the 747 special though was that it was by far the best plane in the air. It held more passengers than any other plane, in fact it took 35 years for any company to build a larger plane. It had four huge engines, and it looked different from any other plane on the runway. I once flew on a 747 from Seattle to New York and the upper deck was used for something called Ambassador Class which was designed for important people like me who consider First Class accommodations quaint. (OK, I got a free upgrade for some reason, but that seat was practically the size of a small couch and at 6'5" I appreciated the space.) The 747 set the standard for planes for nearly four decades, and it is hard to imagine any current plane setting a standard quite like that in our lifetime.

In the car world there is a similar pace setter, a car so great that everyone else tried to mimic its greatness. That car is the Mercedes S-Class, and in this case I am looking at the 560SEL. (Model years1986-1991 if you're counting.) To give you an idea of how great the Mercedes S-Class is here is a list of equipment that first appeared on the S-Class before almost any other car:

-Anti-lock brakes
-Air bags
-Traction control
-Seatbelt pre-tensioners
-Crumple Zones
-Three Point seatbelts

Although some of these features appeared on other cars first, Mercedes opened the door to making these features standard in cars throughout the auto industry.

But the 560SEL is special not just for the technology it brought, but also for what it represented. In the eighties if you were a big shot on Wall Street you drove to your home in the Hamptons in an S-Class. If you were a ruthless dictator, you would not be caught dead oppressing anyone in anything other than an S-Class. If you were the bad guy in a movie about international intrigue you would be driving an S-Class. If you were a rich oil tycoon in the Middle East you started each day with your driver opening the door to your gold-plated S-Class.

In 1988 a 560SEL would cost you $70,000, that is a lot of money even today, but think about how much that seemed like 17 years ago. If you sit in a 560SEL today the cabin will feel a little dated compared to today's cars. The original stereo was not that great then to be honest, and it seems especially weak nowadays. But you forget all that when you turn it on a drive.

The 560 had a huge 5.6 liter V8 engine, and considering how massive the car was, it needed all 5.6 liters to move it. It was rear wheel drive and as soon as you got this car on the highway it was apparent that it was made for long cruises. The leather seats were practically indestructible so don't be surprised if you see one today with seats that look pristine. (Although I have noticed that the driver's seat can develop wear spots, especially if the driver was, how can I put this delicately? Had some junk in the trunk.) It is a car that is easy to drive on a highway and it makes you want to find excuses to drive long distances.

What I loved most about this car is how it made me feel. I felt like I was a head of state, or a big player on Wall Street. If you had passengers in it each one felt like they were in a swank hotel lounge, rather than a passenger in a car. It looked so dignified and respectable, people would pull to the side of the road and let you by because they figured you had someplace important to be. OK, maybe I exaggerated on that last one, but you get my point.

After the 560SEL car the luxury car market became diluted in the nineties. Lexus came in and built the LS400, which looks remarkably similar to the 560SEL, only it was more reliable and more refined. Acura began producing the Legend, BMW beefed up the 7 series, and Jaguar began building better cars than they had in the eighties. But all of them were essentially odes to the greatest luxury sedan of the past 30 years, the Mercedes 560SEL.

Four Days a Year

The average commute is 25 minutes in the U.S., which means the average person spends at least 4.3 days a year in their car. That is the equivalent of a vacation every year, just sitting in your car. Now, if I told you that you had to spend four days in a row in your car would you look forward to it? If you answer 'no' to that question you probably drive a terrible car. What I mean by terrible is not that the car doesn't drive well or is unreliable, I mean that the car does not inspire passion inside you. Look, if you were to go on vacation for four days would you choose to sit in a shower? Would you sit in an elevator for four days? Both sound ridiculous, but someone out there is sitting in a car that is as exciting as an elevator in a government building. Why on earth would they do that? I have no idea. But there is hope, and this blog will attempt to save such poor and unfortunate souls.

Now, if I say that you are going to spend four days in a row in your car do you imagine being parked and staying in your car, or do you imagine driving for four days? The answer to this question is important because it says a lot about who you are as a driver.

If you imagine being parked for four days then you are the kind of person I describe as a "passenger with a steering wheel in front of them." For someone who is a passenger they care more about comfort, ergonomics, and ease of driving above everything else. A passenger never really cares about something like the sound of the exhaust, or the how fast the rubber on the tires heats up. A passenger wants to to get to their destination comfortably and with as little drama as possible.

Now, if you are the type of person who imagines driving for four consecutive days then you may be a driver. A driver may prefer a manual to an automatic transmission or turn the stereo down so they can hear the engine purr. Drivers care less about what their car looks like and more about how their car feels and drives. An ugly car is fine if it outperforms most other cars for drivers. A driver keeps a car in the garage so they can tinker with it, while a passenger keeps their car in the garage so they don't have to scrape ice off of it in the winter.

Since the average person does spend over four days a year in their car then it is important that they know which kind of driver they are, a passenger or a driver. This blog will attempt to show its readers how driving can be a vacation, even in everyday traffic.

So the next time you get into your car look around and ask yourself, do you want to spend the next four days in your car? Because like it or not, you are going to spend more than 96 hours in that car this year.