The “Voltswagen”
The name change even if April Foolsy is indicative of what this change is all about. The Volkswagen literally translates into German ‘the people’s car.’ It was Germany’s open emulation of America’s people’s car, the Ford Model T. In terms of their looks and layouts, they were as different as a square and a circle. Henry’s […]
Getting Googled: What does a Connected Car Really Mean?
For generations, Ford worked closely with Firestone, which provided the tires installed on new Fords and developed them to work with specific Ford vehicles. That relationship soured in the late ’90s when Ford and Firestone were publicly vilified over Ford Explorer SUVs sometimes rolling over while being driven on Firestone Wilderness A/T tires. To this […]
The “Safe” Car
Many people want what is styled as a “safe” car. The government panders to this fear by implying that any car that does not comply with the latest “safety” standards (which raise the price of the car, adds weight, and needs more fuel to operate) is not “safe.” Logically, this means every car made before the latest round of “safety” standards […]
Vehicles don’t have to be a Money Pit
I know someone who is dead broke and living in a small apartment on the government dole despite having earned and inherited many hundreds of thousands of dollars in her lifetime. In part, this person is broke because she spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on new cars throughout her lifetime. Five expensive new cars, starting with […]
A Tale of Two Idles
Before there were computers in cars, all it took to adjust the engine idle speed was a screwdriver and five minutes or so. You turned in or out a screw that moved the throttle arm on the side of the carburetor slightly forward or slightly back, the engine idle speed going up or down correspondingly. Easy peasy! […]
New Truck vs. New Truck
How much would you pay for a heavy-duty (2500 series) pickup with a 7.5-liter V8, AC, an eight-foot bed, and no airbags? How about $17,000-ish? That’s what it cost to buy a Ford F250 regular cab with an eight-foot bed and the optional 460 (7.5 liter) V8 paired with a five-speed manual transmission back in 1995. Today, […]
Doomed: 1989 Ford Fiesta Shogun
Editor’s Note: This post is an excerpt from Eric Peters’ forthcoming book, Doomed. You have probably heard about the Ford Taurus SHO, a Taurus equipped with a Yamaha-built 3 liter DOHC V6 engine that went a lot faster than a Taurus with a Ford engine. Ford made many of them over 11 years, from 1989-1999, and Ford sold […]
The Danger of Digital License Plates
Soon, your car will not only track you in real time and make sure you’re paid-up on your insurance and have all your “papers” in order, it will also try to sell you something. Digital license plates, approved for use in California, Arizona and most recently, Michigan, will replace the old metal plate that you controlled with an […]
Car Parts Store Archeology
Once upon a time, oil came in cans. They stacked nicely but made a mess when you tried to extract the oil, which you did by using a punch/funnel. In addition to making a guaranteed mess, you were left at the end of the job with five or six drippy cans that couldn’t be used […]
It’s Not All Bad What’s Happening with New Cars
New cars can be insufferably naggy assisting when you didn’t ask for it. For example, they turn themselves off when not appropriate. But some things about them are okay, and fair is fair. Let’s acknowledge the good as well as the bad. The good includes things like heated (and even massaging) seats, which are easy to […]