Happy Halloween

Ode to a Parts Guys Valhalla

Not one to celebrate another brothers horrors, I still found myself chuckling while reading about this pristine (not really) 1975 International Harvester Pickup. It is memories of my past experiences, much like this one, that have kept me from buying many a beautiful old classic. In the last few years I have walked away regrettably from a 1968 White over Maroon Ford Bronco and a Really nice 1965 Ford Pickup that actually came with a spare (extra truck for parts). While I had dreams of upgraded engines, steering, paint, interior, etc. I could not overlook the costs and time that even a best case scenario might encompass... and believe me, a best case scenario NEVER happens when I start working on something. More like, "Wow man, I've never seen anything like that before?!".

Halloween Cars

Thanks to Josh here at the rightnowautoparts.com for this suggestion in celebration of the coming holiday. MSN has a gallery of "Scary Cars", see if you agree with their findings...

Beautiful Classic Car Photos

If you are a serious car lover like myself and many of my associates here at rightnowautoparts.com you will really appreciate this site I came across today. Give yourself some time when you click through though, you may spend more time here than the Hemmings site I shared a few days ago. Truly beautiful cars at Chris on Cars.

Pristine Country Squire Station Wagon

This station wagon looks like it rolled off the showroom floor yesterday. There are tons of extra photos available on this E-Bay listing. If you are over 40, do yourself a favor and scroll through the pictures for some great memories. If you are under 40, take a look at how we blew through .59 cent gas back in the day...

Carpe Diem ...

Pagani Zonda R

Camo Gullwing Mercedes

I really don't see what they are complaining about. This is an obvious upgrade... on a pretty cool site... cars.failblog.org

Art can be transformative...

Read about this years TED Award winner in the NY Times. Make sure to flip through the slide show... Really cool!

Good Information on Car Maintenance

Carcare.org is a great organization designed as a place where consumers and repair businesses can come together and share information on the proper procedures and guidelines surrounding car and truck maintenance. Click through the link and explore some of the informative articles and pages...

A sad day...

This article on Jalopnik shares a story of a car owner that took his car to a renowned shop for "tuning" of the engine systems so that he could get the most out of it. When he got the e-mail that said basically "I am about to take it out on a test drive can you send me a copy of the insurance card?" he should have known better. Reading the excuses is pretty funny / sad. I never want to see a classic trashed like this... especially not a mint Ford GT.

read the article ...

Sales of Auto Parts on the Rise!!

USA Today Article

And they just keep coming...

My boss told me the other day he was impressed that I could continue to come up with things to blog about day after day... With stuff like this popping up endlessly I could probably blog hourly.

...and the article at CNET.com

Officially My Kind of Movie

Classic Cars at Hemmings

Whenever I feel like getting tied up on the internet I can go to this site and drool over classic cars for hours at a time. Seriously, if you don't have free time you might not want to follow this link. Look at that one... and that one, wait look over there... Visit Hemmings Here

And I was just about to make the call!

The Porsche 911 GT2 RS is officially sold out... I knew I shouldn't have waited!

Read about it here...

180 MPH Dodge Daytona

It is so easy to throw these videos up on the blog I am having a hard time "NOT" posting cool videos... at least stuff that I think is cool. So here is the latest car that was "Too fast for Nascar".

$60,000 Hyundai Equus

Since we are now carrying Hyundai and Kia OE parts for much less than the dealerships, maybe I can get one of these as a company car? In the 70's people laughed at Honda and Datsun, in the 80's they laughed at Toyota and the Japanese upgrades of Lexus and Acura and Infinity... I say it is time to pay attention to these new Korean makes because they really are good cars.

Micro Cars Are Not New !!!

I have to say ... The internet is a cool place! I just found an article from a Detroit, Michigan newspaper that referenced a piece from the New York Times that wrote an article about a cool little warehouse museum right down the road from the home offices of www.Rightnowautoparts.com in Madison, Georgia. I did a little informal poll of the people that work here, all car fanatics, and no one had heard of it. Do I hear "Road Trip" somewhere? Maybe they will let me write it off as research? I highly doubt it... If you have a chance Madison, Georgia is beautiful this time of year. From antiques, to antique cars, it would be a great place to visit.

http://microcarmuseum.com/virtualtour.html

Small Diesel Truck Delayed

Mahindra, an Indian Manufacturer, was set to bring a new small diesel pickup truck into the U.S. market that would fill a badly needed niche. There is a huge void of small, long lasting delivery trucks with "some" towing capacity. This delay, as reported by pickuptrucks.com , may open the door for Ford and Chevy to slide back in. It appears the company is trying to maximize their rollout in terms of production and profit, but the timing may make these items dissipate. Hopefully any alternatives will not be as truly ugly as this one...

Self Explanatory

Eighth Grader Making a Difference

Every now and then I come across examples of normal people who take a negative experience in their life and turn it into a positive for the world. This article is an example of an eighth grader who was hit by a car driven by a girl texting while she drove. Lucky for us, she lived to share the experience. I really encourage you to read the article and visit the web-site http://www.staticnow.com/.

OK, This is going too far...

As someone who's job it is to repair seemingly trouble free IT products I have to admit... handing over controls to software products when it comes to driving and flying bothers me. Everything is cool until that unexpected thing that has never happened before (and hence the solution is unprogrammed) happens. If I am sitting in the back seat of my Google driven Lamborghini, typing away on a blog, I will not be able to quickly adjust and bring the car to a stop when the earthquake causes a hole to open up in the road (Yes, that would be in 2012). What about this Flying Humvee dropping out of the sky "On a training mission"? I'm just sayin'...

You have got to be kidding ?!

Google is working on driverless vehicles... really! I am sure we will all look back on this 10 years from now, using our Google augmented memories and laugh through our emotion enhancing Google pheromone generators.

Read the US News article...

The picture actually comes from a similar ongoing project from Audi. I guess with the exploding prevalence of "That's not my job" and "I'm not taking responsibility for that" someone will need to step up and take the reins. It reminds me of the Wall-E movie from Pixar.

There's an app for that..

Does anyone else find it funny that Apple I-Phones are so successful because they make it easy for outside developers to write code for their devices through open sources? What would the world be like today if they had taken that route back in the early Microsoft vs. Apple PC days? Anyway, back to the message. Ford has opened up their SDK (software development kit) for SYNC to outside developers and is actively reviewing apps to include in it's onboard system for new vehicles. Can we see a day in the near future when you buy a vehicle because of the software that is included? Will SYNC be a game changer like OnStar?

Read the article from Ford here ...

Ozone can be dangerous...

Ozone generators are used in many applications to help destroy bad odors in confined spaces. Hotels use them frequently to help their rooms, that are used constantly, stay fresh and clean smelling. Most would think that using this same device would be great for vehicles that have very concentrated environments and sometimes smells that are overwhelming. They can be quite successful in this application, but you need to understand the full implications. Ozone is considered a hazardous gas that should not be breathed by humans. If a car is cleaned using an ozone generator it needs to be allowed to "clear" for up to 24 hours before being driven. Read this article published by the EPA for further information. Unfortunately there are actually many ozone generators actually made to plug into car cigarette lighters. Just be careful, it's better to be safe than sorry!

Finally, The New BMW 6 Series...

They have been teasing everyone for days about this new BMW 6 series concept. Each day they would lift a corner of the cover to expose just a small section of the car. Marketing technique aside, the vehicle is very nice looking and worth the wait.

Here a million, there a million... and a Ford

Why Should I Combine Water and Antifreeze?

I posted an entry a few weeks back about flushing your radiator before the cold weather hits. I found this simple explanation (below) from Peak about the process of combining water with antifreeze and the magic that happens with the mixture. Many manufacturers sell it already combined or "Ready to Use". Just make sure you know which one you are buying before you look to dilute the mixture.

Antifreeze contains chemicals that protect your engine against rust and corrosion, as well as freeze-up and boil over protection. Water is required to activate the chemicals in the inhibitor package. Furthermore, adding water to antifreeze actually increases the freeze-up and boil over protection provided. For example, a mix of 40% antifreeze and 60% water provides freeze-up protection down to -10�F and boil over protection up to 259�F. In comparison, a mix of 70% antifreeze and 30% water provides freeze-up protection down to -62�F and boil over protection up to 270�F. However, we do not recommend adding more than 70% antifreeze. This would limit the corrosion and freeze up protection and heat transfer capabilities of the antifreeze.

From Peak Antifreeze manufacturer. http://www.peakantifreeze.com/faq.html#A

Electric Sports Car Dunebuggy?

Autoblog.com has this car filed under it's "Production Cars" heading leading us to believe it may actually be for sale sometime soon? Ohio is mentioned as a posible production point. I love the flat blue-black finish and the open air feel. I also believe there is a niche for something like this... a kind of Jeep / Corvette / Prius Mashup for those who like to cruise around feeling the breeze but aren't willing to offer up their life to ride a motorcycle.

See the article on the Venturi America here ...

NY Times Top 5 from Paris

I love when an international auto show is running. Every day, beautiful and interesting cars are unveiled and bloggers and writers everywhere fill the internet with stories and pictures. I have the opportunity to get ideas, download photos and share with you the items I like the best. This article from the NY Times highlights his 5 favorites from the show. So far, I am pretty much in alignment with his picks. See if you agree...

Elegant Muscle Car Luxury

Chevrolet is set to release their Camaro convertible in the model year 2012. This special edition from Neiman Marcus will be out much sooner on a very limited basis. I really love the paint color that combines deep dark with very bright metallic flake flash. Combine that with an elegant leather interior and you have the best of both worlds… a muscle car that has the grace of a luxury car. Congratulations to both GM and Neiman Marcus on a well put together package!

Bentley Continental GT

The car I highlighted from the 2010 Paris Auto Show yesterday was small, cute and economical. I chose this one today because it is the antithesis of all of that. If you are an Arab Oil Sheik or Russian NBA owner this is just what you are wanting. For the rest of us it is fun to say "Wouldn't it be cool if..."

Look! It even has a handle!!

Over the next few days I will be highlighting several new and concept cars shown at the Paris Autoshow. I will probably jump around and show several different types and price points through the week. I am starting with this new pocket car from Citroen called the Lacoste. Small, sporty, cute and economical.

Should I finance that used car?

I have been around enough used car salespeople to have heard numerous jokes about what people are willing to pay, and how they determine as much. Most people are only interested in the monthly payment and secondarily how many years they can finance it for. If they could get a 15 year loan for $100 per month they would jump on it regardless of the interest costs and danger of wearing out the car before the payments are done. I overheard one lady asking what her payment would be with the late payment added on! Many people really get themselves into a never ending problem by continuously rolling over bad debt into their newest vehicle loan.

My suggestion to everyone is this... Work towards a day when you can afford to pay cash for your vehicle. Even if it is only $2-$3 thousand dollars you can immediately begin putting your monthly payments in the bank drawing interest for your next purchase. Watch this video from Dave Ramsey that does a great job of defining how this process works.

What is that car worth?

In one way or another I have spent most of my life working in the auto repair industry. Along the way there are a few things that I have picked up that seem second nature to me but I have come to recognize that not everyone is aware of. One of these is how to determine what a used car is worth.

Use this link to Kelly Blue Book and walk through the steps an actual sales manager would when looking to purchase your trade in. Now, subtract from that a retail cost for any repairs needed to get the car into good running and retail condition. The ridiculously low price you come up with is the figure a large percentage of the public is willing to sell their car for. I have had really good luck over the years by offering an amount just above trade in value for good used cars around 5 years old with less than 100K miles.

Even if you don't like to negotiate it is still good to have the knowledge of when to walk away from someone who is trying to take advantage of you. As long as you are disciplined and don't get emotionally tied to a car you are looking at, these few tips could save you thousands on your next purchase.