Car Guy Speaks

This week I was going to write about serviceability of your sports car, but after an interesting morning, I've changed my mind.  For the last several weeks, I've been shopping for a motorcycle and had made arrangements to view a classic BMW on Orcas Island.  Now, this involves a 2 hour drive with 2 ferry boat rides. In other words, a long trip to buy a motorcycle! After making reservations for the 6:30am ferry, I emailed the seller to confirm. He replied with a curt email stating that I better not be planning any negotiations and that I better have cash. I was prepared to pay asking price, but of course, I intended to negotiate for my travel and registration fees, if possible. Bottom line, I cancelled the purchase because I couldn't see myself enjoying it, knowing that I'd be buying it from this grumpy fellow. So, back to cars now... It was 1 week before our big road trip to Utah and I'd decided that this year I wasn't going to get caught in the rain with m...

How much attention should your car get you? As much as Elvis, or as little as your friendly neighborhood postal worker? No offense to postal workers but we rarely wave to them when they drive past. Most of us want a car that people notice, it’s the level of attention we want that varies. You may think you want the same attention as a Viper engulfed in flames at a stop light, but think hard. You can expect people to tell you the same stories and ask the same questions over and over again and that can get old. Also, the car you choose will determine the types of people and the nature of the conversations you're going to have. Remember, this could be your last car, so be prepared for what you'll get. When I took my wife on her first ride in the Cobra, I remember telling her "Now, I will concentrate on the driving while you wave at all the people." She kind of rolled her eyes (this was our second date) and I later learned that she thought I was pretty full of myself. ...

Let's be sure about what you’re really going to be doing with your car. While track capabilities are impressive, don’t let the tail wag the dog. Your track days may be far less frequent than your imagination tells you. If track ability is affecting your street ability think hard about which way you’ll be going and how often. I finished the Cobra and found I needed to get some serious track time. After all, I’d spent a lot on options that I’d only see used at the track. The events at SIR (now called Pacific Raceways) hosted by Don Kitch were great. I enjoyed the theory of driving the perfect line and read the requisite material Speed Secrets, by Ross Bentley with enthusiasm. The popularity of the Cobra was enjoyable too, especially since these people were my kind of folks. Their appreciation of my project was much more gratifying than that of the vagrants swarming me at stoplights in Seattle. These were my people. After a year of going to every track day I could afford, I ...