TTAC News Roundup: BMW Hunts a Tinderbox, Mercedes-Benz Wants to Stop Possibly Microwaving Cats, Toyota Taps Texans, and Hondas Are on a Roll
A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.
More by Matt Posky
Latest Car Reviews
Read moreLatest Product Reviews
Read moreRecent Comments
- Macca This one definitely brings back memories - my dad was a Ford-guy through the '80s and into the '90s, and my family had two MN12 vehicles, a '93 Thunderbird LX (maroon over gray) for my mom around 1995 and an '89 Cougar LS (white over red velour, digital dash) for my brother's second car. The Essex V6's 140 hp was wholly inadequate for the ~3,600 lb car, but the look of the T-Bird seemed fairly exotic at the time in a small Midwest town. This was of course pre-modern internet days and we had no idea of the Essex head gasket woes held in store for both cars.The first to grenade was my bro's Cougar, circa 1997. My dad found a crate 3.8L and a local mechanic replaced it - though the new engine never felt quite right (rough idle). I remember expecting something miraculous from the new engine and then realizing that it was substandard even when new. Shortly thereafter my dad replaced the Thunderbird for my mom and took the Cougar for a new highway commute, giving my brother the Thunderbird. Not long after, the T-Bird's 3.8L V6 also suffered from head gasket failure which spelled its demise again under my brother's ownership. The stately Cougar was sold to a family member and it suffered the same head gasket fate with about 60,000 miles on the new engine.Combine this with multiple first-gen Taurus transmission issues and a lemon '86 Aerostar and my dad's brand loyalty came to an end in the late '90s with his purchase of a fourth-gen Maxima. I saw a mid-90s Thunderbird the other day for the first time in ages and it's still a fairly handsome design. Shame the mechanicals were such a letdown.
- FreedMike It's a little rough...😄
- Rochester Always loved that wrap-around cockpit interior. The rest of this car, not so much. Between the two, it was always the mid-90's Cougar that caught my attention.
- Kwik_Shift_Pro4X [h2]1997 FORD THUNDERBIRD 2DR CPE LX for $7,900 with 127,000 kms at a local car lot. On steel rims. lol[/h2]
- SCE to AUX "Very rare just need my money back out of it"Rare doesn't equal valuable, but luckily you might break even at the $1500 price.
Comments
Join the conversation
Like drive by wire throttles, electrically operated parking brakes can enable other features. For instance the one on my Golf R optionally sets itself on park, while also providing anti-roll, anti-creep and hill-hold capabilities. These all work really well in actual use. On the minus side the parking brake works by incorporating an electric motor, toothed belt drive, gear reduction system and a screw jack into each rear brake caliper. Replacing the rear brake pads requires cycling the powered parking brake system using an electronic diagnostic tool. Should a new rear caliper ever be required it would be brutally expensive. The system is totally enclosed within the rear caliper housing, so with a bit of luck it should last.
Hmmm, weren't people freaking out about electromagnetic fields from CRTs and overhead power lines and hair dryers not too long ago? MB wireless charging, just ducky..