Category Archives: car

Cash for clunker

car, thoughts, USA

The US is contemplating a program that would be similar to Germany’s “Abwrackpraemie”. the intend is to get old fuel inefficient cars off the road and replace them by new cars. In the proposed legislation you would qualify for $3500 from the government, if your new vehicle gets a 4 mpg better gas mileage, or $4500 if it improves by more than 10 mpg.

Given that my 1993 Explorer with 150k miles on  it is on its last stretch, I’ve been looking for possible candidates. The Explorer gets 18 mpg in combined driving, so I need a car that gets at least 22mpg.

First I thought to buy a minivan, but neither the Honda Oddyssee nor the Toyota Siena get the required fuel efficiency of 22mpg, so that idea is out.

Due to the heat in TX that produces a noticable performance loss, especially with the A/C running at all times, I’ve been wanting a turbo charged or super charged engine. Unfortunately either system makes the engine less fuel efficient despite the fun you add. That threw out the Subaru WRX and the Mazda Speed3 (245hp!).

Currently I’m looking at the Volkswagen GTI with its 2.0T (200hp) (turbo), the Mazda MX-5 2.0, 167hp (naturally aspirated), and the Mini Cooper S (167hp, turbo).

The GTI with a DSG gearbox is very refined, but the DSG definitely takes some getting used to. After having read raging reviews, I had high expectations. I have to say I was disappointed. There’s still noticeable lag, when you switch gears, less so than a traditional step tronic though. When launching from a full stop, it takes quite some time until the engine develops enough torque to catapult the heavy Golf forward. Dropping one gear isn’t enough to unleash the full power, but dropping two gears at a time causes even bigger lag. The ride of the Golf is very refined, you’re almost removed from the engine noise and the road, but all this comes at the cost of fun. Under steer is still very pronounced as expected with this car. I liked the fit and finish of the car inside and out, the engine was OK (didn’t feel like a 200hp beast)  but the transmission disappointed.

Then I drove the MX-5. The non turbo charged 2.0 liter engine is a good match for the lighter car. While not as strong as the GTI, and not as refined (vibration noticable at the stick shift), it is a good engine for this rear wheel drive car. The ride is low and stiff and the car communicates the road conditions well. The short throw of the shifter makes for a fun handling ride. The car feels like a previous generation technology car – everything is moving and shaking and when you drive you like it. You’re right in the middle of the action. The exhaust sounds good and if the weather is nice you can even drop the top. What you can’t do is loading another two kids in the back-seats – they’re not there. Overall I had a lot of fun with this very affordable roadster.

Next to drive is the Mini Cooper S. I’ll update this post when it happens.

From Germany to Austria for skiing

car, travel

Last Saturday we got an early start to drive from Neustadt to Bad Hofgastein in Austria – about 650km (400 miles). We hit winter weather on the road and drove in snowing conditions all the way. There were stranded trucks, unable to climb the hills and cars – lots of cars – mostly from the Netherlands, which were headed in the same direction. Instead of the planned 7 hour drive, it took us 12 hours to arrive at our final destination. For that reason our stop in Salzburg was cut short to a coffee break with a short stroll into the old district with the cathedral.

The 12 hour drive in thick stop and go traffic with snow was even too much for my Autobahn taste …

Safe Driving

car, thoughts

Today I’d like to share some advice for being a safer driver on the road. Having driven for almost 20 years now without any major accident (of course, I’ll have one tomorrow now) there have been really three major strategies that have kept me safe:
1) Keep your distance
2) Take turns slowly
3) Anticipate – Guess other driver’s intentions
If you limit distractions while at the wheel (no phones, no eating, no turning around to the passengers, no fiddeling with the GPS) adhering to these three very basic principles will make you a safer driver.

Another strategy I’m following comes from analyzing the common case – i.e. your daily commute. If you’re spending 70% of your annual driving on the same stretch of the road, it’s worth analyzing it. Try to think about where the hotspots for accidents are and be alert, when you pass them.
And then there will be the day where you still learn something new … (like yesterday, when that car in front of me slowed unexpectedly to make a legal U-turn, where I haven’t seen a car turning ever before – not in seven years! Anti-lock brakes are wonderful.)

Car lust

car, thoughts

bmw

Did I mention I have a fascination for cars? Well, I do. So far I’ve convinced myself that buying new cars every so often is a bad idea, since it’s the fastest way known to mankind to destroy money (that was before we learned about Detroit’s big three, that were apparently able to burn through more money faster than the buyers of their products). So I’ve managed to always buy used cars so far. I also found that a good way to curb my desire for new wheels is not to subscibe to any car magazines. But off and on I see a car on the road that really catches my eye. The last time this happened, was when I saw the current BMW 3-series coupe for the first time. After all these awful Bangle designs, how could it be that such a beauty made it to production? Was bangle on vacation, or maybe on drugs? In any case the result was stunning! So maybe, just maybe if the Diva (that’s how MrsM calls my current car) dies eventually, my next car might just be a 3-series coupe. But by then I’m sure another car has caught my eye. Did anyone say Cayman?