Unemployed? Need a house? The Government will help!!

You may think I am kidding but one of the programs currently being pushed is to help unemployed people purchase a home with government subsidies. Another is to allow everyone in the country who is current on their mortgage to get an FHA mortgage at 4% and adjusted to current value (that's the one I want). Read the rest of the article by Ilyce Glink

One Last Cruise for Pontiac and Mercury from WSJ

Confession Time

If you know me, you know of my one addiction/passion... Hunting to me is the way I am able to clear my head and deal with the stresses of the rest of the year. Starting a few weeks from now you will find me up a tree when the sun rises and climbing down a tree a few minutes after it sets. During the middle of the day I will either be walking through the woods or pursuing my second and third passions (eating and napping).

The picture I chose above relates back to a hunting trip I took to Texas a few years back. Let me just say this... they don't do things the same way in Texas. I saw more deer on the roadside watching us pass from Austin to Midland Texas than I have seen combined over the rest of my life. While I didn't hunt at the type of high dollar establishment that might use a vehicle (moving party shack) like the one in the picture, I still got a taste of Texas hunting that will be shared for the rest of my life. The nice management buck I shot was I believe taken because my guide was afraid for his life. We were sitting on the ground and took the eighth buck seen within the first three minutes of hunting... from a range of about 15 feet.

Anyway, back to hunting season. Many of you know what I mean. I feel like a kid in the last two weeks of school. It can't get here soon enough. Others may not understand (like my wife). Either way, during the next few months I will be in the woods over the weekend. My name is Brad Catron and I am a huntaholic.

Check Out AlpharettaRK- A Rightnowautoparts Executive (at least until he crashes)

Love those suicide-gull wing doors!

With all of the hype surrounding the impending release of the Chevrolet Volt I did some back tracking and found this interesting concept vehicle shown alongside the Volt at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show. The Saturn Flextreme seemed to be a very usable concept that touted 444 combined Diesel/Electric mileage range. If for no other reason than the gull wings in the back and Lincoln style suicide doors, I would like to see it brought back again. It reminds me of my favorite pocket knife...

Replacing the beloved dinosaur

With the new extended range electric engines rolling off assembly lines, we are seeing the first major shift from internal combustion engines since the birth of the automotive industry. As long as we are preparing to make changes to our existing technology for the gains that are newly available we should take time to look at all of the options.

This article describes several of the newer, and older/updated engine technologies becoming available. All of this change is bound to create new markets and opportunities for dramatic increases in efficiency (and hopefully power).

Read the Popular Mechanics article here ...

New Morgan Car

Like many of you, I was not even aware that Morgan was still a car company. Anyway... this is a pretty cool looking car and the specs show that it has over 300 horsepower and gets better than 30 MPG. Not to bad for a 40's looking art-deco-mobile. Read more about the Palm Beach debut in this article at autoblog.com.

Is it Hot Where You Are?

Extreme heat is really good for selling auto parts. Batteries go bad, water pumps need to be replaced, radiators burst, and we sell tons of A/C compressors, etc.. It can still be a little overwhelming. Try to find a place this weekend to cool off and enjoy the outdoors. Sometimes it can be hard to do both of those at the same time, but it can be done.

Where Did Fuzzy Dice Come From?

Believe it or not there is an actual listing on Wikipedia that explains the origins of Fuzzy Dice... I love the internet!!

100 Blog Posts !!

For the blog posting that puts us over the 100 mark I chose to use this picture of a one of a kind Alfa Romeo racing car that was produced specifically for their 100th anniversary celebration.

Beautiful cars are such a part of our lives it is hard to believe they did not even exist more than 100 years ago. I am hoping that is the feeling everyone will have about rightnowautoparts.com 100 years from now.

I'm not sure I would have parked there?

You really need to click through to this site to see more of this amazing art form!

Summertime Convertible Classic

The cool thing about convertibles is the ability to open up the roof to the heavens but still run the A/C full blast, or the heater during the winter. There is just something relaxing about the open air while driving... and we could all use a little more relaxation these days. The picture above is a preview of the 2012 model that will be available soon for the early adopters to trade up to.

Throwback Pony Cars

Most people don't even think to include the Javelin in their discussions of Mustang vs. Camaro vs. Challenger vs. etc.... but with the Mad Max movies many of us fell in love with these cars. I already have the name picked out for the remake, coming out in 2013... THE JEEP JAVELINA!

Fast Cars Just Look Good !!

OK... not always.

You Talkin' To Me?

There are days when each of us would like to ...

Lamborghini Batmobile?

I love typing random combinations of words into Google Images and seeing what I get. I found this one with "Automobile" and "Machine Gun".

See more Lambo photos here

Air Force High Tech Mustang

I have spoken before about how many of us here at Rightnowautoparts.com love mustangs... This one is one of the coolest I have seen! That is the actual interior of the car!!!

See more here ...

Details, details ...

Sophisticated Mechanic - Oxymoron?

I was at an e-commerce meeting in Detroit earlier this year and we were discussing the growing complexity of the auto repair field. The vehicle in question was the new Duramax Diesel pickup which has officially broken the 100 electronic module mark. Starting in 2011, each module on a GM vehicle will need to be flashed with the VIN number for that particular vehicle (times 100!).

Basically what is happenning is that all vehicles, in order to meet the stringent EPA guidelines, will need to be computer adjusted constantly. This in turn means that all mechanics will need to have the ability to program those computers with new and sophisticated equipment. I believe the new term, soon to be coined, will be automotive repair engineer... complete with bachelors degree requirements.

At least there will still be a need for those who can bend hollow tubes and weld them together...

A Study in Sad Contrast

My wife has an Uncle that lives in the mountains of North Georgia. Near his home is a small isolated junkyard with many old vehicles in various stages of decay, most with trees growing through the windows. Even as rusted and dying hulks you can still see the beauty of their design and elements of the glory they surely had in their day. Somehow it is hard to see an old car in the junkyard and not imagine what it's life must have been like. Who owned it? How long did it roam the roads, and where? What was the final nail in it's carburated coffin? Then, finally, how did it end up here... deep in the woods? Were these even woods back when it reached this final resting spot, or was this a field next to a home now long gone?

My children love to make up the stories and role play in their minds as if it was again that day and a cherished piece of the family has slowly rolled it's last. It is sad to see them go. I think that is one of the reasons old cars in great shape seem to universally bring happiness at car shows. Surely if this car can make it through there might even be hope for my longevity...

junkyard classic car