Question of the Day

Question of the Day: Do You Love Your Car?

By Jonny Lieberman
May 16, 2008 - 1,298 Views

I had an interesting conversation this morning with one Mr. Justin Berkowitz. Among other topics we discussed: the fact that most people are happy with their cars. As car scribes, we have the luxury of ripping apart $44k BMW convertibles because, well, we didn't buy 'em. As RF often points out, an automobile is the average person's second most expensivepurchase. Or, if you live in New York (like Justin) or Los Angeles (like me), a car is by far the most expensive good you can afford (though I did see a lovely two bedroom, one bathroom for the reduced price of only $640k the other weekend…). Years ago a friend of mine bought a 2001 Ford Escort. Horrid, nasty little thing. Ugly, slow, worst build quality imaginable and awful to drive. I told her, "Don't buy that." But, she did. Even after multiple "issues," she still claims she loved it. She even shed a tear when it was totaled. Me, I love my car. It's my second WRX wagon (a 2006). And the more press cars I drive, the deeper I fall head over heals in love with my own car. I can't believe anyone drives anything else. Now, am I that much smarter than my fellow man, or just blinded by love? And what about you and your car?

Posted in Question of the Day | News Blog | 72 comments

Question of the Day: Which Ad Campaign is the Most Out of Touch?

By Jonny Lieberman
May 14, 2008 - 2,207 Views

Last week we learned that GM has acknowledged Saturn has an image problem. Now, since TTAC started blogging, we've been stating that Saturn has an image problem, among other issues. But this is the first time the Detroit General has fessed up to it. How are they going to address this problem? Through advertising, stupid. Which got us thinking (I know, I know). Obviously Saturn's current Rethink campaign is not working, but are there others? And that thought led me to none other than Subaru. Have you seen the commercials for the Forrester? They're going after the CamCord demo. Look, we're big advocates of "know thy brand." Subarus appeal to Lesbians, hoons and people living in Oregon, Vermont or Colorado. And that's basically it. That said, can anyone explain this? At least in Canada they're getting closer. Can you think of other brands more out of touch?

Posted in Question of the Day | News Blog | 51 comments

Question of the Day: What’s Your Favorite Motorsport?

By Jonny Lieberman
May 12, 2008 - 1,363 Views

The Altamont 24 Hours of LeMons race finished yesterday. If I shut my eyes, I can still see $500 beaters running around a track– and nothing else. I can't even think of thinking of anything else. Now, I've always been– at best– a casual fan of racing. When I was a kid, I'd watch the Indy 500 with my dad, intermittently. As I got older, I discovered different forms of racing. Rallying piqued my interest, as did European-style GT racing; as the cars running around the track bore a passing resemblance to what you see on the street. F1 cars just didn't do it for me. For a time, I became fascinated by historical racing. The 60's racing cars– Jaguar E-type, Ferrari 250 GTO, Shelby Daytona Coupe, etc.– really got my blood pumping. Then I discovered LeMons. Say what you will about the Burning Man aspect of $500-or-less art cars banging around a track. But this, to me, is pure racing. There's no money in it; the winner gets $1000 in nickels. Other teams are constantly asking to borrow a cutting torch or mooching a control arm. Due to the low cost of entry, almost any group of friends can run a car and live out the dream. And finally, while you might see some LeMons cars on the street, most are in the junkyard. So, you? 

Posted in Question of the Day | News Blog | 76 comments

Question of the Day: In Which Car Would You Like to Die?

By Justin Berkowitz
May 9, 2008 - 1,801 Views

We've all heard the stats. Flying is safer than driving. Bicycling is safer than driving. Swimming with sharks with lasers on their heads is safer than driving. And despite Volvo's claims of an ultrasafe, fatality-free car in the next ten years, cars are destined to remain killers. You can't argue with physics. And there's always the human element: we're fallible. Not to conclude that cars will kill us all, but the risk is out there. Real hardcore motorcycle riders say to "ride the bike you want to die on." Which brings us to the question of the day: if you could know it was going to be your last drive, what would it be in? My choice is a classic 12 cylinder Ferrari, like the 275 GTB. The magnificent sound of the engine is what I'd want to hear if I was on my way out. As the Simpsons' Sideshow Bob once averred, "I shall send you to heaven before I send you to Hell."

Posted in Question of the Day | News Blog | 49 comments

Question of the Day: Is There an Automotive Generation Gap?

By Jonny Lieberman
May 8, 2008 - 2,124 Views

After reading Wilkinson's GT-R review, I sent him an email expressing how much I enjoyed his take on Godzilla. And how I'm humbled by his wordsmithery. More importantly, I agree with his impression of the baddest ever Nissan. Are we driving cars or driving computers? Several of TTAC's Best and Brightest (however) highlight the fact that the ex-Car and Driver editor didn't grow up playing video games. He can't possibly "get" the car. (Which is a polite way of calling him old.) One commenter asked to hear Stephan's 28-year-old daughter's take on the car, assuming her age would make her take more relevant. While I'm older than his daughter, I'm in the demo that came of age with a joystick in hand [Ee: so to speak] First of all, what kind of a car is only enjoyed by a single age range? A bad one. Look– a friend of mine in his late 50s says that selling his '65 GTO was the dumbest thing he's ever done, I get it. I get it, big time. Just like he gets my WRX– although he thinks it looks stupid. But you know something? It does look stupid. It's a station wagon with a spoiler– it's supposed to look stupid. Oh right, the question. Do certain cars only work for certain age groups? 

Posted in Question of the Day | News Blog | 50 comments

Question of the Day: Is the Ford Granada “The Worst Car Detroit Ever Built?”

By Edward Niedermeyer
May 7, 2008 - 4,726 Views

U.S. Presidential Candidate Barack Obama recently called the Ford Granada "the worst car Detroit ever built," providing us with his answer to a question that every American pistonhead asks himself at least once in a while. The Free Republic has its own list of "worst American cars" including such luminaries as the Chrysler TC by Maserati and the Chevette. MSNBC's poll of automotive excreta lists the Vega as the worst ever. But Obama's busy with campaigning, and it's been a long time since the Illinois Senator learned to drive in his grandfather's Granada. So, the question goes over to you, the Best and Brightest. Has a nastier hunk of metal than the "tin foil" Granada rolled off Detroit's production lines? I'd say the Caddy Cimarron should be up there, but then the Volare/Aspen twins have to be in the running too. Worst ever? I'll say the X-body Chevy Citation. What say you?

Posted in Question of the Day | News Blog | 84 comments

Question of the Day: Would You Drive Electric?

By Jonny Lieberman
May 6, 2008 - 1,628 Views

My buddy Mayor sent me this paleolithic (in internet terms) clip of Jay Leno hooning it up in a Tesla Roadster. Production model #1, owned by RSA-born Elon Musk of PayPal, SpaceX and Tesla Motors, in fact. And it looks like a lot of fun (the car). Sure, Leno glad hands the Tesla suit a bit (like when the guy says it "only" takes 3.5 hours to charge), but the car itself  looks pretty damn drool-worthy. 100% torque at any time, at any speed– what's not to love? Now, of course I'm skipping over the part about Tesla Roadsters not– you know– actually existing. And if they did, costing $100k. But let's ignore all that. As "car guys" (and gals), should the opportunity arrive for you to drive electric, would you? I'm a fence sitter.

Posted in Question of the Day | Electric Vehicles | News Blog | 54 comments

Question of the Day: Do We Still Like Supercars?

By Jonny Lieberman
May 5, 2008 - 2,118 Views

BBC America's version of Top Gear is a mixed blessing. I'm not happy how they edit the episodes– like removing the Cock-O-Meter sequence entirely from the M3, AMG C63, RS4 comparo (if Americans hear the word "cock" we'll drop dead). So I've spent six months of my life watching every single second of Top Gear on YouTube. Only now BBC shows 'em in high def. My point? Last night I watched the episode featuring Jezza making love to the Ascari A10. In case you haven't heard, the manic, shed-built Ascari can hit 60 mph in 2.8 seconds (that's faster than a Veyron), weighs less than 3000 pounds and de-perched the Koeniggsegg CCX from atop of the fastest Top Gear lap time board. And I couldn't have cared less. Am I getting old? Are there just too damn many of them these days? Or is Mike Bumbeck right: supercars are for people who can't drive?

Posted in Question of the Day | News Blog | 51 comments

Question of the Day: Does the 0 - 60 Stat Suck?

By Robert Farago
May 2, 2008 - 3,528 Views

In today's Cayenne GTS review, we learn that the autobox-equipped porked-out Porker blasts from zero to sixty miles per hour in 6.1 seconds. So what? Aside from the fact that doing so costs about $4 worth of gas, sprinting from rest to five miles over the double nickel is not something you could or indeed should do on a regular basis. More specifically, TTAC does not condone racing for pinks or blowing someone off at a stoplight (as stoplights tend to indicate areas with speed limits well below 60mph). More importantly the sprint stat tells you nothing about general driving pleasure; such as the fact that the Cayenne GTS' befuddled gearbox makes the SUV lousy at smooth in-gear acceleration. While we're at it, what's the point of knowing a 730hp modded Merc's zero to sixty time? So, is it time automotive journalists ditched this shopworn performance metric? Is there a better way to measure a car's accelerative excellence and/or general desirability? Quarter mile? Just kidding.   

Posted in Question of the Day | News Blog | 56 comments

Question of the Day: Are You Driving Less?

By Jonny Lieberman
May 1, 2008 - 3,231 Views

Gas tax holiday, shocking pain at the pumps, trucker strikes protests, all time record oil prices. You flip through a newspaper, and despite a presidential election, immigrant rights marches, people getting sent home from American Idol and oh yeah, a war on two fronts, there is little talk of anything but our (possibly) imploding economy and the fact that it costs Mrs. Johnson $120 to fill up the soccer team's Sequoia. One conclusion to be drawn: the media likes scaring people. Remember last week's the oddball reports on a possible American food shortage ('Sam's Club would only let customers purchase four 50-pound bags of gourmet rice at a time')? The other conclusion is that American's don't have a lot of money, $4 a gallon stings and they're driving less. I'm not. In fact, due to my passive aggressive approach to personal finances, I'm driving more. But, I did notice today that traffic on the 5 near downtown Los Angeles was particularly light. Maybe others are driving less? Are you?

Posted in Question of the Day | News Blog | 76 comments