Category: cars

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Dreaming

1971 Honda SedanI love small cars. I love Hondas. But I don’t love this car, that I spotted on a local street. The owner was (and probably still is) asking $7,500 for this old gem. It may be “All REBUILT” – but you would have to be very much in love with this particular car to pay the asking price.

Yes, it’s quirky. Yes, it’s very small (smaller than an original Mini), but it would take about three times longer to get from stoplight to stoplight than with just about any new car on the road today. Getting a simple oil change would be an exercise in frustration, as parts are rare, even in Japan! And you could get a used Honda Fit for even less than that price and get about the same good fuel economy.

So before you take a deep dive into nostalgia, count the costs.

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Wall Street Journal vs. Motor Trend

Wall-Street-Journal-vs-Motor-TrendFine wine or MD 20/20? You spend your money and take your choice.

I enjoy reading a variety of publications to observe writing styles, and there’s good and bad writing. I was delighted to see reviews of the new Nissan Versa Note in both Motor Trend (MT) and the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). One was sublime, and the other was – well – ridiculous:

“Versa-tile: The Note’s aero-friendly exterior may not boost its speed, but provides a comfortable and airy interior” (MT).

“And no, the Nissan Versa Note isn’t a great inexpensive car. Actually, it is a shambles, a car so out of step with the best in its segment, it almost has an early 1970s East German vibe to it” (WSJ).

I am sure that the WSJ’s Dan Neil makes quite a bit more money per word than the MT writer. You do get what you pay for – at least in this instance.

Reading the WSJ review was so fun that I laughed out loud at least three times. Well done, Mr. Neil. In contrast, I winced several times while reading the MT review.

My friends, take care in what you do today. If possible, bring others delight rather than pain.

Footnotes:
1. I like the appearance of the Nissan Versa Note, but Mr. Neil’s review made it clear that I will never own one, no matter how inexpensive it may be.
2. The bad grammar reflected by the wrong use of a comma in the MT quote did occur in that article.
3. I left out the name of the MT writer, as an act of mercy.

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Why would they buy it?

Automobile magazine article on the sale of a $8 million FerrariThis Ferrari sold for more than $8 million. Yes, million. And it’s probably older than you are.

I tried to think through what would motivate someone to spend that much money on such an old car.

1. It’s art. Yes, it is a beautiful car. And it’s almost as rare as a Picasso painting.

2. The collector is hoping the value will increase. That is a bet; markets could crash and what a singer named Larry Norman sang a long time ago, “A piece of bread could buy a bag of gold,” might come true.

3. The collector has enough money that they are not worried about what brand of laundry detergent to buy.

4. The collector has never been to a slum in Africa or Asia.

5. The collector has enough money to pay insurance for his or her occasional drives. (One year’s insurance must be more than the cost of my house.)

Do you have any ideas on what they were thinking?

Special thanks to Automobile Magazine, where this was featured.

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A need for validation

Honda CRXWhy is it that we feel better when someone famous does what we are already doing? It’s our basic human need to be validated.

I experienced that recently. I was watching Top Gear, a British show about cars and driving fast. The most famous of the show’s hosts, Jeremy Clarkson, was interviewing Slash, the guitar player for an 80s rock band. Both of them revealed that they previously owned and enjoyed the Honda CRX (pictured). I owned one too. I loved that car, and so did Heather. While we were dating, my choice of that car impressed her.

We appreciate when our friends say they like something we like. When a celebrity says they like what we like, it’s somehow even better. At some level, we expect that famous people are so far removed from our lives that they wouldn’t experience average things like we do. Recently, Mr. Clarkson’s garage has been home to several Ferraris, and Slash has owned multitudes of Aston Martins. Both brands’ offerings are a bit more expensive than Hondas.

When was the last time a celebrity’s choice mirrored yours?

Photo courtesy of Grant C.

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I want a phone booth

Daihatsu TantoThe Daihatsu Tanto is a small car not sold in the USA. (And maybe it doubles as a phone booth.) If you’ve read this blog for a while, you will know that I love small cars. The Nissan Cube is huge compared to the Tanto. In fact, the Mini Cooper is 8% longer than this car!

I can hear some of you say, “That car is way underpowered.” True, it would take about twice as long to reach highway speed compared to your car. But the joy of driving something so unique would mean that I’d have fun getting there.

If our old Corolla died and the Tanto was suddenly available in the USA, I’d buy one in a minute. The problem is, I’d have to persuade my family about how great the car is. They couldn’t be convinced.

Credit goes to Tokyobling, where I saw the car in the first place. Photo credit goes to Tennen-Gas.

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A tip for your motoring pleasure

flat tireSo we had a flat. What made it fun was that our spare tire had no air pressure. The result was not as bad as it could have been, but an hour of our lives and our rescuer’s life could have been spent doing more fun things than recovering from that minor crisis.

Tip: check the air pressure in your spare tire every once in a while. I promise it will save you some hassle.

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You don’t need the best to have fun

Over the weekend, we flew to California for my sister’s beautiful wedding. Fun was had by all.

To add to our fun (in other words, “my fun”), we paid a little extra and rented a Fiat 500. The road between San Francisco and Mendocino was amazing – super twisty with nicely banked curves. The Fiat had enough oomph to go as fast as my nerve would allow.

The more I reflected on the experience of my driving fun along that world-class road, I realized that I enjoyed myself nearly as much as if I had been in a Ferrari. And the Ferrari costs about fifteen times what the Fiat does.

Context is important. Ferrari owners live and breathe in a world of extreme luxury. My normal drive consists of a pedestrian Toyota sedan or our family minivan. The Fiat 500 provides a lot of contrast.

So enjoy yourself today! See how much fun you can have on a limited budget.

Fiat 500 driving through a tree

p.s. That’s my daughter in the photo. She enjoyed the sunroof as much as I enjoyed the car’s little engine.

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Governmental regulation can be good

Dodge Dart Grille, courtesy of Autoweek MagazineBack in the 1970s, air pollution was really bad. The average car back then put out literally 20 times the amount of harmful emissions than today’s average car. If the government had not stepped in and made laws that forced car manufacturers to clean up what was coming out of tailpipes, I am sure we’d have dirtier air today.

I haven’t been to China, but I understand the air in Beijing is a lot worse than the air in any American city. Why? A lack of governmental regulation.

I fully understand that not all governmental interventions in life and public policy are beneficial. But some are.

I challenge you to argue with me on this one.

The photo is an enlargement of a shot from Autoweek Magazine. Their May 14, 2012 issue has an article about the new Dodge Dart. Its front grille shuts at certain speeds to improve fuel economy – because of governmental regulations for car manufacturers to increase fuel economy. I think that’s awesome.

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Duplicate sets of cars

Floyd Mayweather, Jr's carsSo there’s a boxer. His name is Floyd Mayweather, Jr. He has two identical sets of cars – a white set in Las Vegas and a black set in Miami. Each set includes a Bentley, a Mercedes Benz SLS AMG, a Ferrari and an unknown fourth car. My guess on the total value (and there may be more than four cars) is about $2 million. Somehow it’s not the money spent that bothers me. It’s the identical-but-different-color aspect.

Of course I’m thinking of how one man has all those opulent and amazing cars, and how the money could have been spent on a slightly better education for kids in either city. Or how some kids in Africa might not die because they have clean water.

But somehow I mostly think of what a strange thing is is to have two identical-but-different-color sets of cars.

(Thanks to the May 10, 2012 Rolling Stone Magazine for the article featuring this photo.)

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Badge inflation

Mercedes Benz SLMercedes and BMW are both guilty of padding their numbers. Not in a financial sense but rather in making their products appear larger than what they really are. This reflects an accurate understanding of how Americans value bigger things.

The forth-coming Mercedes SL550 has a 4.7 liter engine. It used to be that Mercedes would badge such a model as the SL470. No longer. BMW does the same thing with their 328i … the latest model has a 2.0 liter engine.

In Europe, this inflation is slightly less. The SL550 is badged as the SL500.

Engine sizes are going down, as vehicle manufacturers are figuring out how to get more power out of less engine. That’s a good thing. Fuel economy usually goes up when these changes happen. And then you save when you fill up at the gas station.

I long for the day when real numbers will be given for things.

Photo courtesy of Desertspotter.

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