This post is sponsored by Harris Ford

If you’re in the Seattle metro area, surely you’ve driven by Harris Ford - the largest Seattle Ford dealer in the area.

Looking over their website, it seems like they have quite a selection of new and pre-owned autos, although there were a few issues:

First of all, when looking through their used cars, it says “Contact Us” under the price column of each vehicle. I can’t stand that, and as a result wouldn’t even consider buying a car there if I was looking online. I need to know the price before I even consider looking; I’m not going to contact them for each car I’m looking at. Same thing when I’m driving through a car lot looking - the price of the car should be displayed on the windshield so I have a reference point for price. In fact just this last weekend I was looking at cars and drove past a lot without prices on their cars. I won’t be returning, even though I was interested in the cars. Just a suggestion, as I’m sure I’m not the only one. Continue Reading…

Huh … this is a good idea, right?

At first it strikes me as a good idea. I’m kind of jaundiced and think that most drivers in this country are frickin’ morons, barely able to bang two rocks together of questionable driving skill and even worse situational awareness.

So, a system that projects a laser light show ten feet high of animated peds walking in front of the frighteningly average American motorists fry-stuffed face sounds like a fairly pragmatic stance to take. How could you possibly miss this? Imagine trying to explain to Officer Friendly how you blew through that cross walk and nearly took out the little old lady with the walker.

Perhaps this is what’s needed. Have you ever seen road and freeway signs from the 50s? They’re minuscule by today’s standards, and the graphics (arrows and such) are just as poor if they’re present at all. I always used to wonder why they made them bigger and more obvious, but then I got a lisence and after I nearly got sideswiped for the 57th time by some baboon that missed the pool table-sized sign that said “Right Lane MUST Exit” I stopped wondering.

Then I think about that time, and not very long ago, around last January, that some dingus pulled up next to me in the right turn only lane, after passing not one, not two but FOUR pool table-sized signs that said “Right Lane MUST TURN RIGHT”, rolled down their window and said, “Hi! I’m in the wrong lane. When the light changes to green, can I get in front of you?”

When I told him “No”, I thought his head was going to explode. By the time I got to the far side of the intersection, I could still hear him questioning my sense of fairness.

So who knows, maybe something like this way-groovy Virtual Wall crosswalk light actually IS a good idea, but 90% of the drivers out there are just too moronic to notice.

OK, so head dude Chris and I will get into these conversations about cars via chat (since we live about 1200 miles apart), and we both thought, why not put them on the air (so to speak).

One of my first concerns was what to call it … which lead to this conversation:

Christopher: Like an “Around the water cooler” type thing

Tony: Yeah, like that … or around the pit wall or in the paddock, or in the garage or something …

Contemptibly banal, I know - BUT HEY!!! CHECK OUT OUR LOGO!!!!

Isn’t that tre’ cool? Doesn’t that just show that we’re hip, and with it, and now? Really, that logo shows that what Gerry Lopez is to The North Shore, we are to cars. So honestly, why not share our diamond-bright perceptions on all things automotive with you, the little people?

Common sense, breading, common decency, ethics, writing ability, a basic understanding of mechanical engineering, a basic understanding of engineering in general, a basic understanding of of our own limitations to be specific, and knowing when to give into that little voice in your head, whimpering, ‘please dear God, stop!’, to name just ten.

But hey, if that didn’t stop me in college, why should it now?

Anyway, here’s the first thrilling installment:

Christopher: Hey Tony, got a minute?

Tony: Sure, what’s up?

Christopher: Couple things…

First, I like your recent post

Tony: Thanks … you started it.

Christopher: Also…I’ve had a couple people looking on the site for BMW info and realized I really don’t have much on there about them. Do you like BMW?

Tony: I like them enough … not that crazy about their styling though, which has been consistently terrible for a while now.

Christopher: Yeah that’s my problem with them too…have any suggestions on getting some articles up there about them?

Tony: Well, the main problem (lately) has been that everything they’ve been pushing at shows on in press releases has been an SUV of sort or another. Of course, the F1 season is starting here in 3 weeks, and BMW is doing a BIG push (i.e. lots more team funding, best wind tunnel on the planet, that sort of thing). But road car wise, they’ve been a little quite.

Christopher: Very true … well, the M3 coupe was pretty sweet.

Tony: Yeah, very … those things are all over the place here … sort of the car that every Silicon Valley tech geek gets when he gets a raise. They’re sort of filling the roll that the Boxster was playing a decade ago: get hired by Microsoft, go buy a Boxster.

Christopher: haha

Tony: Seriously … when I was at MS, you cold always tel when the latest shipment of them would have come into Bellevue Porsche/Audi, because all of a sudden, there’d be 6 or 8 new ones in the parking lots.

Christopher: That must have been interesting.

Tony: Or frustrating, depending on how you want to look at it … never liked they ergonomics in those, but they’re still fun enough.

Christopher: Never actually been a Porsche fan, believe it or not, but they’re getting better.

Tony: Me either … for starters they got all that weight WAY back there, so the handling is less than forgiving. And that’s for starters. Another problem I’ve kind of had with Porsches isn’t really the cars, but the people that drive them (and I realize that’s not entirely being fair).

Christopher: I understand, believe me.

Tony: The problem is that Porsches are JUST cheap enough that any half way successful real estate agent or medical device salesman can go out and buy a Porsche and show the world what a success he is.

Christopher: This could make a good article

Tony: Which is sad really … because if you can figure out the handling, they are phenomenally quick cars, that are really really well screwed together, and they have a great racing pedigree … but I know that I’d be “the asshole in the Porsche” if I owned one. Actually, it would make a good article … we could have a virtual round table and post it every Friday (or something).

Christopher: Yeah they’re technically great cars, but you’re right. You’d lose count of the middle fingers after a while.

Tony: Ouch!

So, the latest Automobile Quarterly showed up at me door Saturday, and in amongst the expected articles (a nice write up on Brookland’s anniversary, a history of Lorraine-Dietrich, etc.), there was an really nicely done bio on Mickey Thompson.

Now, all of you out there should know who Mickey Thompson is.

Many moons ago, when I was a kid, Mickey Thompson seemed to be everywhere.

He was a hot rodder, speed parts designer builder and seller, off road racer, tire manufacturer, drag racer, multiple land speed record holder and builder and racer of very innovative Indy cars.

Mickey was the guy that founded SCORE, brought motocross into stadiums, got Danny Ongais (of all people) his first major ride in drag racing, and had his cars were involved in the worst crash of the 60s at The Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The only thing he didn’t do, to my memory, was road race.

He was one of these guys who you just knew on first sight; big busted up hands, wore a t-shirt more often then not, flat top haircut, clean-shaven, big smile … sort of a car version of Greg Noll, in both looks and deeds. Mickey Thompson was the quintessential guy down at the machine shop who also raced on the weekends and made it big - bigger than any of us thought possible. He seemingly lived a good life and found his version of the American dream when that was still a possibility.

After competing and living through two of the most dangerous decades in car racing, Mickey Thompson and his wife were gunned down my masked, machine gun wielding assailants in 1988. Turns out the thugs were hired by a business associate of his, Michael Frank Goodwin, who is now serving two consecutive life-without-parole terms for the murders.

This is a guest post by Jody from AskPatty.com

Who is the 51% “minority” that accounts for 85% of all consumer purchases? Women.

Women purchase more than 51% of all new cars and influence the purchase decision of 85% of all new cars sold in the U.S., yet shopping for a new car still remains a unpleasant experience for many women.

The advent of the internet has enabled women to find the resources and information they need to take charge of their own finances and buying decisions, and give voice to their needs and preferences.

In today’s competitive auto industry, dealership owners and employees can no longer afford to ignore the need to create a safe comfortable experience for the woman car buyer. If anything, they should cater to women, win their trust or risk losing market share to competitors who do recognize the huge opportunity to grow their business with these loyal customers.

Here are some facts on the purchasing power of women:

Women account for 85% of all consumer purchases
including everything from autos to health care:

91% of New Homes
66% PCs
92% Vacations
80% Healthcare
65% New Cars
89% Bank Accounts
93% Food
93% OTC Pharmaceuticals

American women spend about $5 trillion annually…
Over half the U.S. GDP

Women represent the majority of the online market.

Women process information and make purchasing
decisions differently than men: Continue Reading…

Well this is really odd: according to statistics from the Federal Highway Administration, there are less teens with driver’s licenses then a decade ago.

It used to be one half of 16 year olds had them, now it’s a third. Demographically speaking, that’s a HUGE drop.

I guess what I want to know is, what’s the driver… why aren’t kids interested in getting a driver’s license? The article says increasing costs of being a driver. Fair enough … the average kid job makes getting even a Yaris a daunting proposition, but kids still got to get around.

More than anything, a car means getting away from mom & dad.

Continue Reading…