Recent Comments:
Huh? Fewer 16-year olds are getting their licenses {Autoblog}
Feb 29th 2008 11:44PM I didn't get my permit until I was 17, and didn't get my license until I was 18 (just under a year later, in fact, to avoid having to renew my permit) and had already graduated from high school. It wasn't for lack of wanting, though -- there was no public transportation near my house, and I wasn't allowed to ride with friends, so it was hard to have a social life. My parents just didn't think I was responsible enough when I was 16, and they were probably right about that, because I was still a pretty scary driver when I first went out on my own. I'd like to think that at least some kids are in the same boat as I was -- their parents just don't want them driving until they're less reckless -- but based on the entitlement that most kids seem to feel, I'm not so sure.
Subaru cuts price of 2009 Forester to $19,995 {Autoblog}
Feb 27th 2008 1:34PM Noooooo... no manual transmission on the XT model! Whose bright idea was it to take away performance options on the performance model?
Five young men killed when BMW flies off runway {Autoblog}
Jan 26th 2008 10:24PM I disagree that the parents have no blame in this instance. I don't care if you know nothing about cars -- you should NEVER buy your kid an insanely expensive, powerful car, no matter how rich you are. I would personally cap expenditures on a car for a new driver at $10k, but would be more likely to buy a car for $4k or less. My parents didn't believe in buying cars for their kids -- I bought my mom's car from her for $100 with a busted engine and spent $1500 fixing it up myself in my grandfather's garage.
By and large, my generation has been extremely spoiled by their parents. Everyone begs their parents for the latest and greatest thing, only to move on to the next expensive item when they get that. That's not the way to raise a kid IMO -- let them earn things, and they will appreciate them much more.
2008 Tokyo Auto Salon: Mugen Type-RR Experimental Spec {Autoblog}
Jan 17th 2008 11:37PM How come nobody has mentioned the absolutely insane 121 hp/l ratio? That's amazing IMO.
The funniest ad for a 1996 Volvo 850R you'll ever read {Autoblog}
Jan 5th 2008 3:02AM Wow, that video has achieved intarwebs fame. And I know Nate.
Teen trades first unlocked iPhone for Nissan 350Z {Autoblog}
Aug 28th 2007 9:23PM Apparently he has a 3000GT now, and he was going to fix it up this summer (a blog post implied it needed a new engine or something), but ended up spending all his time cracking the iPhone instead. Suffice it to say that he probably knew what he was doing when he asked for a 350Z. It wouldn't be my choice but I'm not him.
Confessions of an automotive quality engineer {Autoblog}
Jul 29th 2007 12:46AM 1. "Level Field Institute" clearly has an agenda of supporting domestic car makers. Therefore, it's much safer to accept arguments from other, less-biased organizations and news outlets.
2. The argument that US automakers support more jobs per vehicle built just means that they're less efficient at producing cars, not that they somehow have a moral high ground over foreign automakers.
3. I visited your "Over the Hill Car People" forum and was amazed at the level of jingoism there. One thread read: "The Japs are still fighting World War II, it's just the tactics have changed!" I'll let everyone else form their opinion on that statement; I don't think even most of the domestic fanboys on this site would believe that.
4. As for the arguments by others that 70s and 80s Japanese cars were rust buckets -- at least they ran fine after years and years. This in contrast to an 80s Buick that my mom had, which when it was a year old was already leaking oil onto our driveway. I see plenty of late-80s Japanese cars with over 200,000 miles that still run great.
Reader Ride: 1992 Infiniti G20 {Autoblog}
Jul 27th 2007 6:40PM Thanks for all the compliments! I'm glad Autoblog liked it enough to put it up as a Reader Ride. The first generation (P10, of which mine is one) had struts in the back along with the front multilink, and it was the second generation (P11) that adopted the beam rear. And yes, with 140 hp, it's not the fastest thing on four wheels, but still tons of fun.
Is this the real deal? Subaru Impreza WRX STi shot posted {Autoblog}
Jul 26th 2007 5:02PM I like hatchbacks because of their practicality. I had an old Legacy wagon before my current Infiniti G20, and it was underpowered and terrible to drive, but I loved how much I could cram in. I like my G20 much better in terms of the driving experience, but hate its lack of practicality. IMO having a wagon or hatchback that's fun to drive would be the best of both worlds. Also, this is not always true, but often wagons and hatchbacks look better than their sedan counterparts. Most Audis are like this, and for me, the new Impreza is, too.
Is this the real deal? Subaru Impreza WRX STi shot posted {Autoblog}
Jul 26th 2007 4:37PM Am I the only one who thinks this new STi looks decent? I don't like what they did in the foglamp area, but the grille is much better on this than on the base Impreza, and it looks much better than the vagina (06-07 grille design). And it's a hatchback, which is totally sweet.
