Seems Hyundai or somebody out there in the known world has lit a fire under the proverbial American auto manufacturing booty. I just put a call in to a fellow budding auto enthusiast and it was reported to me that consumer reports on all levels rated an American made American engineered vehicle above.. Yes above that of two of it's German rivals. I own a German car and cannot believe this. Maybe it's because I also own American cars and drive one everyday.. But the ever moving snooty side of me cannot fathom a German vehicle falling prey to an American vehicle even a little. But boil it down and there it is like a good shooter next to a bad shooter.. Red. Circles for the good and black for the bad. Insane in my mind.. Or maybe I should get out of the tunnel vision my extremely well crafted German vehicle has put me in? Maybe I should drive all of these vehicles on my up coming time off?!? Hmmmm maybe Hyundai with their good vehicle fair price we trust our work massive warranty ways have lit the fire under the very people that needed it and left the German guys all confused? Or do us German loving people not notice until it's too late?
WHat do you think?! Should I?
On a side note I didn't get to test drive anything due to time constraints.. still there is a "stay tuned folks" clause to all of this.
Love what you drive, drive what you love.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Friday, September 17, 2010
X number of miles per one gallon of fuel???
I had a thought a few years back about what it actually means to go X number of miles per one gallon of fuel. Sure we all want to go a great distance on one (US) gallon of fuel due to a number of factors.
Lets see, environment, cost, that smaller "carbon footprint" stuff we keep reading about. While some of us are on the fence, over the fence, or standing at the fence with a gun, when it comes to what impact the environment is taking via fossil fuel consumption, this argument (blog) is simply a distance traveled argument. Nothing more. No opinions on if we are killing ourselves via automobile travel will be spewed into your eyeballs here (its a hoax)... promise.
Now, the topic at hand. I like to travel this far >............< on one gallon of fuel is quite an idea in and of itself. Somebody somewhere had to say it first: "Well gooollleee, we went us 12 of them miles on that one there gallon of gas MeeMaw." That's my version of the conversation anyway. But now days we get all bent out of shape when our vehicle fails to travel 25,30,35 miles per one gallon of fuel (MPG). The idea is ingrained in us, due to environmental sillies, and the numbers glaring at us on the window sticker of our future new car, (put there by the government...shhh) that we should be able to travel some sort of distance using only one gallon of fuel. Results may vary. But you have a good ballpark figure there on the window to go by at least.
It has been my experience all but one time, meaning only with one vehicle out of many, that I can easily achieve a better number than what the government group says - and usually the numbers are well within the "results may vary" numbers. How they come up with the BIG number glaring at you from the page I dunno.. side note.. Ever wonder why that number is bigger and more "important" than the, actual price number?? Odd.
So a few years a go I was thinking - if I get a gallon jug, fill it full of water, take the lid off and take off walking while trying to be as efficient as possible pouring out the water onto the road I bet I would make it what a quarter, maybe half a mile? Seriously. I don't think I would make it anywhere close to 25 miles!! And that's just me by myself with my own little pouring routine trying to be as efficient as possible walking. WALKING down the road. And we gripe that a fully loaded, climate controlled, soft seated, safety cage traveling at lord knows what speed with 4 of our friends only gets us 25 miles with the same measured gallon of fuel?? Environmental nerds aside that's friggn COOL!!
Lets see, environment, cost, that smaller "carbon footprint" stuff we keep reading about. While some of us are on the fence, over the fence, or standing at the fence with a gun, when it comes to what impact the environment is taking via fossil fuel consumption, this argument (blog) is simply a distance traveled argument. Nothing more. No opinions on if we are killing ourselves via automobile travel will be spewed into your eyeballs here (its a hoax)... promise.
Now, the topic at hand. I like to travel this far >............< on one gallon of fuel is quite an idea in and of itself. Somebody somewhere had to say it first: "Well gooollleee, we went us 12 of them miles on that one there gallon of gas MeeMaw." That's my version of the conversation anyway. But now days we get all bent out of shape when our vehicle fails to travel 25,30,35 miles per one gallon of fuel (MPG). The idea is ingrained in us, due to environmental sillies, and the numbers glaring at us on the window sticker of our future new car, (put there by the government...shhh) that we should be able to travel some sort of distance using only one gallon of fuel. Results may vary. But you have a good ballpark figure there on the window to go by at least.
It has been my experience all but one time, meaning only with one vehicle out of many, that I can easily achieve a better number than what the government group says - and usually the numbers are well within the "results may vary" numbers. How they come up with the BIG number glaring at you from the page I dunno.. side note.. Ever wonder why that number is bigger and more "important" than the, actual price number?? Odd.
So a few years a go I was thinking - if I get a gallon jug, fill it full of water, take the lid off and take off walking while trying to be as efficient as possible pouring out the water onto the road I bet I would make it what a quarter, maybe half a mile? Seriously. I don't think I would make it anywhere close to 25 miles!! And that's just me by myself with my own little pouring routine trying to be as efficient as possible walking. WALKING down the road. And we gripe that a fully loaded, climate controlled, soft seated, safety cage traveling at lord knows what speed with 4 of our friends only gets us 25 miles with the same measured gallon of fuel?? Environmental nerds aside that's friggn COOL!!
Monday, August 30, 2010
I think they are all for all of us.
I used to think the only thing that mattered was how fast my car was. It isn't, but young boyhood dream posters staring at you endlessly from the bedroom walls meant "when I grow up I am going get a car with HUGE gills and low profile tires that hugged corners like it was on rails and that also sounded like it was screaming with zeal every time I put the pedal down.. "The older I got, I did in fact have a couple of very fast cars for my budget, and have had opportunity to purchase more but, like I started this sentence with... older.
Gone are the days where I think I need the power to impress the guy in the other lane for the brief moment in time we are together on the highway, it took many years to realize he didn't notice. Now in my almost mid 30's, I still dream of going fast, and still love going fast, but have found I don't need tons'O horsepower to enjoy fast or a car.. our main car is low on power numbers, especially compared to today's cars, but gets the job done beyond well.. impressively well even. It will still do whatever speed is reasonable, and quite far beyond that mark, if I am honest.
My mom's car comes to mind, 110hp.. the number 110 is a small number unless you're 9 year old with $110 that grandma just gave you in the Wal-Mart toy isle. To a gear head, the number 110 and horsepower is like saying to a person you have already said you're taking on a trip, we were going to Athens to see the Parthenon, but......... here is a picture of it instead, this will do right? No. You would be all sad.
But appreciation for all cars is a new step in my life, it goes deeper than numbers the older I get.. Mom's car drives like a go-cart, stops and gets no worse than 28mpg while driving it like a go-cart. Its appreciation for what the car is, not what you have in poster form on your wall. Mom's car isn't a Ferrari, its just a great car. When you drive it you think, man this thing handles well, and man is it comfy and wow.. it can go around this corner like that $40,000 car does!!
Exactly, what my point is... car's are more than numbers, they are something that someone or someones, designed to fit exactly in the market to the exact "target" potential buyer. The cool thing is you may not be in the target audience of mom's car, but if you like cars, anything about cars.. even if its the way the window switch works, you can appreciate any car somehow. Cars aren't scary things, they are apart of the landscape of this nation and many others, they usually reflect exactly who we are.. be it fast, furious, or A to B there is one for all of us.. I am here to say, I think they are all for all of us.
Gone are the days where I think I need the power to impress the guy in the other lane for the brief moment in time we are together on the highway, it took many years to realize he didn't notice. Now in my almost mid 30's, I still dream of going fast, and still love going fast, but have found I don't need tons'O horsepower to enjoy fast or a car.. our main car is low on power numbers, especially compared to today's cars, but gets the job done beyond well.. impressively well even. It will still do whatever speed is reasonable, and quite far beyond that mark, if I am honest.
My mom's car comes to mind, 110hp.. the number 110 is a small number unless you're 9 year old with $110 that grandma just gave you in the Wal-Mart toy isle. To a gear head, the number 110 and horsepower is like saying to a person you have already said you're taking on a trip, we were going to Athens to see the Parthenon, but......... here is a picture of it instead, this will do right? No. You would be all sad.
But appreciation for all cars is a new step in my life, it goes deeper than numbers the older I get.. Mom's car drives like a go-cart, stops and gets no worse than 28mpg while driving it like a go-cart. Its appreciation for what the car is, not what you have in poster form on your wall. Mom's car isn't a Ferrari, its just a great car. When you drive it you think, man this thing handles well, and man is it comfy and wow.. it can go around this corner like that $40,000 car does!!
Exactly, what my point is... car's are more than numbers, they are something that someone or someones, designed to fit exactly in the market to the exact "target" potential buyer. The cool thing is you may not be in the target audience of mom's car, but if you like cars, anything about cars.. even if its the way the window switch works, you can appreciate any car somehow. Cars aren't scary things, they are apart of the landscape of this nation and many others, they usually reflect exactly who we are.. be it fast, furious, or A to B there is one for all of us.. I am here to say, I think they are all for all of us.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Learn to Love them.
Oh man I have neglected all .5 of my readers for so long! HA. I don't' have much to add to that. I have been thinking a ton about cars though as usual. I am finding the older I get the more patients I have to allow a car to become my friend instead of a tool for me to look cool, or get me somewhere looking cool. I am looking forward to saying some day, if it ever happens, yep the Audi used to not do that.. but it has 150k miles on it now so, I guess its OK.
My wife and I purchased a 1997 Ford Explorer 4x4 a few months back. 158,000 miles on it when we bought it (167k now).. it made all of the wrong noises, needed an realignment, tires, brakes, shocks, spark plugs, fuel filter, air filter etc.. But I kept telling myself (and my wife) tons of miles can be had in this old wagon, if I can just spend some time with it. Now with all of these things, but the shocks, replaced and or tinkered (yes modifications by jmy) with it truly has the potential to become a long lasting relationship, I cannot wait to see how many miles we can pile on it. The engine purrs like a kitten being rubbed by a big warm hand.
To let you know how much I trust this Explorer, we recently drove it on a 2000+mile trip! Leaving the very comfortable pleasant to drive, low miles Audi in the garage for another day.
I am learning that vehicles ,when taken care of, can become a friend of the family.. not something you have to replace... well, prematurely anyway. :) Take care of them and they'll take care of you!!
Learn to love them.
My wife and I purchased a 1997 Ford Explorer 4x4 a few months back. 158,000 miles on it when we bought it (167k now).. it made all of the wrong noises, needed an realignment, tires, brakes, shocks, spark plugs, fuel filter, air filter etc.. But I kept telling myself (and my wife) tons of miles can be had in this old wagon, if I can just spend some time with it. Now with all of these things, but the shocks, replaced and or tinkered (yes modifications by jmy) with it truly has the potential to become a long lasting relationship, I cannot wait to see how many miles we can pile on it. The engine purrs like a kitten being rubbed by a big warm hand.
To let you know how much I trust this Explorer, we recently drove it on a 2000+mile trip! Leaving the very comfortable pleasant to drive, low miles Audi in the garage for another day.
I am learning that vehicles ,when taken care of, can become a friend of the family.. not something you have to replace... well, prematurely anyway. :) Take care of them and they'll take care of you!!
Learn to love them.
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