One of the most frequent questions I get asked is “What’s it like to be a race car driver”? Most people are shocked or think I’m kidding when I start to explain what being a professional race car driver truly means.

From the outside looking in, driving race cars seems like living the high life. Money, women, parties and fast cars seem to be the name of the game when stereotyping a race car driver. But this is about as true as saying that a Canadian is someone who’s a lumberjack, wears plaid, and can talk to beavers.

Let me briefly give you a glimpse into the reality of life as a race car driver, and let me preface the following by saying that this is not a sob story nor am I looking for pity, as I truly am living a “dream”, but rather these are the choices I have made and chosen to live with in order to succeed.

Racing is a business first and foremost! If you can’t beat someone in the boardroom, you won’t even have the chance to beat them on the track. It is unlike hockey, baseball, football, etc where if you have the talent, chances are you will at least get a shot. Racing is the only sport in the world where talent guarantees you nothing! Continue Reading…

By now, it is common knowledge that the Big Three is now the Big Two. Chrysler, ever the more anemic of the three beasts, has filed for bankruptcy, and only two are left. Ford seems to be doing okay, in fact, they sold more cars in April than Toyota did. So now it’s GM that’s close to hearing that death knell. But fear not, for here is my ten-point plan to pin the medals back on the mighty General.

Mind you, this isn’t a plan designed to save GM from a very likely bankruptcy, as that would take an angel from car heaven to flip a switch in everyone’s head so that they suddenly buy American. Rather, this is a plan designed to fix GM, and to ensure that the General’s current predicament will never happen again after GM bounces back. Also keep in mind that this is a plan only for GM North America (for I propose cutting Buick, which would alarm the reader living in, say, China).

UPDATE: Well, looks like this is strictly a plan to fix GM after recovering, as the (once) powerful General went into bankruptcy today. Strange and scary times we are living in

1) Keep Pontiac

I’m still reeling over GM’s decision to axe Pontiac. Next to Chevrolet, this is the brand that has the highest potential to make money! After all, look at all the effort GM has put into this brand. They’ve spent all that money developing the Solstice GXP Coupe, the Pontiac G8 and variants, and now they are going to just kill the whole thing off? That doesn’t make sense. What’s more, the decision to return to the four “core brands” of GMC, Chevrolet, Buick, and Cadillac does not make sense either. Chevrolet and Cadillac should be kept, of course, but GMC and Buick? Neither are making GM enough money to justify their continued existence, and neither fulfill a market that the other two (Chevy and Cadillac) can’t. Continue Reading…

Companies come up with concept cars all the time. If consumers like it, most of the time the car maker will produce a more “pedestrian” version of the concept and push it to market. But there are some cars out there should just be left on the drawing board, no matter what. So what’s the first car on our list that shouldn’t exist?

Pontiac G5

Continue Reading…

The following is a guest article - sponsored by LemonFree.com

Today, for most people, saving money has become a necessity when purchasing a new or used car. With cost of living continually skyrocketing and people putting off large purchases as long as possible, saving money on a vehicle only makes good sense.

One of the secret weapons I have found that saves me money each time I purchase a new or used vehicle has been the internet. Today, the internet makes it possible for you to research and compare cars, like never before.

Here are some other tips I use to save money when purchasing a car: Continue Reading…

Ever since man began making cars for more than just getting from A to B, two-door coupes have been a sign of automotive enthusiasm and overall sportiness that a four-door sedan simply could not fulfill. A recent wave of sport sedans and four-door coupes have been introduced to the market, but for us sports car enthusiasts, they just aren’t good enough.

For the purposes of this article, we’re referring to a sedan as a car with four doors, and coupe as a car with two doors, even though the technical definition of the two terms are slightly different. Please see Coupe vs Sedan for more information regarding the technical differences.

So which new cars are produced as sedan-only, when they should be offered as coupes? Keep reading… Continue Reading…

We all have heard of OnStar. Most automotive consumers are aware of what the company offers users and subscribers via the endless number of television commercials produced over the years. They range from humorous Tiger Woods examples to the more serious “We’ve-been-in-an-accident” spots.

I’m going to try not to bore readers a great deal on the specifics of OnStar. What I want to talk about is if this concept really works.

What Is OnStar?

OnStar came into inception in 1996 on higher-end General Motors vehicles and offered drivers hands-free communication as well as an innovative safety device in case the inevitable happens. Today, OnStar has over five million subscribers, is offered in over 50 different GM vehicles, and offers a vast array of options.

How OnStar works is, simply, the system utilizes both Global Positioning Satellites (GPS) as well as wireless phone technology to locate your vehicle wherever you may be and help you receive anything from turn-by-turn directions to vehicle diagnostics to emergency services in case the vehicle has been in an accident. Continue Reading…