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A Four-Wheeled Measure of Inflation
Uncle says inflation is only robbing us of 2 percent of our wealth each year. (That is what inflation does – it undermines the value of the cash you have – unless the cash you have is increased by an...
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Don’t Drink (or Eat) These….
When we were kids, some of us wondered what a Milk Bone dog biscuit tasted like – and a few of us (me) went ahead and tried it. Others sampled Play-Doh (so tempting) or maybe those felt-tip pens that...
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A New Car? Or Maybe a Used Car?
Here are some good – and some not-so-good – reasons to buy a new car. Or a used car: * Higher interest rates on used car loans – and shorter loan periods . . . Generally, you’ll pay a higher interest...
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85 MPH: Almost a Speed Limit
On a stretch of road near Austin, Texas there is an actual speed limit. Or at least, close to one. You can drive up to 85 MPH on Texas Highway 130 – and not worry about receiving a “reckless driving”...
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Sayonara, Suzuki
Cue Taps. There goes Suzuki. On Nov. 6, the company (American Suzuki) announced it would stop selling cars in the U.S. after current inventory peters out – and that it will be filing for bankruptcy...
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Dealing With Roadside Emergencies
I know cars – and how to fix cars (sometimes)… but my wife doesn’t. Probably a lot of families are “mixed” like this. It does my wife no good to know I know how to fix This or That (or at least, where...
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The End of Buying Used?
Buying a used car has – up to now – usually been a good way to save money. You avoid the new car mark-up … and you take advantage of new car depreciation – which can be as high as 30 percent off MSRP...
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The Virtue of Pressure
How much would the average new car cost if the least expensive new car you could buy cost around $5,000? Probably, a lot less than the current average (2012) of just over $30,000. Yeah, you read that...
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Poor Man’s Chrome
Chrome is pretty – and pretty expensive. Especially if you’re paying to have stuff plated vs. just buying chrome-plated stuff. Go price what it’ll cost to have a cam cover or fork lowers chromed and...
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Avoiding The Ethanol Blues
Ethanol-laced “gas” (10 percent ethanol today, 15 percent soon) isn’t all bad. Just mostly bad. It reduces fuel economy noticeably (because there’s less energy in a gallon of 90 percent gas plus 10...
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Another Measure of How We’ve Been Gypped (and Fooled)
Before I write a new car review, I like to do some background research – which helps provide context and hopefully makes the published review informative. Well, I found some interesting information...
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Conspiracy . . . or Merely Convenient?
Many new cars are optimized for ethanol – “flex-fuel” compatible is how it’s usually described. The problem, of course, is that a majority of cars in service are not optimized for ethanol; many are not...
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Does it Make Sense to You?
Some ideas sound great… or at least, ok – until you think some more about them. Let me give you some examples: * Nitrogen (vs. plain old air) in your tires - The idea here is that nitrogen, being an...
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Used Car Shopping – and Shun – List
If you go new car shopping, your main worry is price. You don’t have to worry about the particular car. The red one sitting next to the silver one that’s parked next to the yellow one on the dealer’s...
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Better Ways to Save Gas
“We” (as the statists always style it) waste a lot of fuel in this country. No doubt you’ve heard that one before. But let’s examine the cliche from a slightly different perspective: The many ways via...
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Cold Weather Crutches
You think it’s hard on you when it’s 10 degrees outside? Think about your car. You may feel cold. Your car is cold. If it’s 10 degrees outside, that’s the temperature of your car. Its engine. The oil...
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Money (And Hassle) Savers
The wise mechanic says: Avoiding the need for repairs is the best way to save money on repairs. Here are a few tips and tidbits along those lines: * Parking brake on first - It’s a small thing – but...
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The Fixer
It’s said – and it’s absolutely true – that one can save a great deal of money by avoiding new cars and buying used ones instead. Thirty-plus percent (sometimes more) off MSRP “sticker price” after...
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The Hate List
The big things, they’ve fixed. You know . . . brand-new cars that won’t start – or stall out at the worst possible moment (like in the middle of a busy intersection). New cars used to do stuff like...
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New Enough
There’s a sweet spot I’d like to tell you about. It’s not a great place to eat – or the RPM at which an engine really starts to sing. I’m talking about the sweet spot that lies between the too-old and...
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