THE BEST AND WORST OF THINGS- AUTOMOBILES

Renting a 2008 Nissan Maxima.. Double thumbs down

2008-08-01T10:30:00.000-07:00

Do you like plain white bread? Then you will probably just love the 2008 Nissan Maxima as a used car. The car's pick is linked to a V6 and is adequate. The steering is downright awful. It's like driving a truck! Most Japanese cars have the same interior design basically. The Maxima is no exception. You will find two sky lights and really cool orange dashboard lights... I was so blown away... NOT! The car also feel it is going to fall apart after someone is done leasing it. Do car companies produce cars that are disposable after 3 years? Being in the car and driving it made me want to get out of the Maxima just as fast. Perhaps they use the same platform as the Murano?

Thankfully Nissan has has totally redesigned the 2009 model. It looks more along the line of their Flagship luxury line, Infinity. Have they fixed the problem in the 2009 model? Only time will tell. If you are a single guy like me, you might want to check out the all new Altima line. For me the price doesn't justify the means here as a used car. I am partial to Honda. So instead of the Maxima, I would go for the Top of line Accord. The Honda accord consistently out performed the used car market for years.

Honda Accord does have a better proven track record than Maxima. The are known for three stellar attributes: reliability, economy and safety. My family bought an Accord in 1983, we all loved driving it. I think most Honda owners feel the same way? They really are a great investment!

Good luck and happy hunting!

Muffler story: end game.

2008-07-22T20:18:00.000-07:00

My other post about Midas left me wondering how much a muffler would cost for a 2002 Infinity, G35. How does close to $400.00 sound? It seems like everything is expensive these days! That price include labor of course. In the end my mechanic told me that if you drive around town a lot your muffler wears out faster. Well that makes sense. The only problem in this scenario is that the only place you can buy an Infinity is at Infinity. So I did feel screwed over by Nissan. Now with gas prices so high, I am thinking about the Toyota Prius.

I often think about how our great USA is controlled by other by mainly Japanese auto makers Make no mistake, it wasn't just fate, but a lot of very hard work on their part. I think Michael Moore's assessment of the big auto execs screwing over the UAW is a tad unfair. Why haven't the Japanese had the same problems? One reason is they don't have corrupt Unions Presidents stealing all the Unions fees. What do the UAW get... the shaft. This is the way I see it. The UAW presidents keep asking the Big 3 auto makers for more and more money. Then the big 3 auto makers have to pay more. This cycles had gone on way too long in the duration of the UAW, as seen by the Mafia(Jimmy Hoffa) control and misappropriation of funds of the UAW. So in the end what happens to the over- paid Union Presidents? They always want more money but care little about its members rights. Then the big 3 can't pay any more to the UAW, because now no one wants their cars. The Japanese, sans the Union and much better quality control has been inching up more and more every year. Back in the 1960's my parents bought Chevies and buicks. To be honest, many of them were crappy. We once purchased a Oldsmobile station wagon that some dam idiot put the wrong radiator in. After that we bought these first cars that a small Japanese company made by the name of Mazda(RX2?). A hand me down sedan with a wankel engine, ended up with close to 300,000 miles on it. Then we started to think about the Japanese cars quite differently. Too bad the good old USA has so many lazy Auto Presidents in it as well. Is it too late for the big 3 to play catch up?

Trust the Midas Touch? I think not!

2008-07-21T17:36:00.000-07:00

Midas was a King in ancient Greece credited with discovering Turkey. He also asked the God Dionysus to "turn everything he touched into gold." He couldn't eat and began to starve. So Dionysus instructed him to bath in Pactolus, then he was good to go. Unfortunately he acted like a Jackass around Apollo, thus Apollo gave him the ears of a Donkey over some agruement about lute playing. OK fine I get it the guy was an idiot. So why would you have a company named after a golden Jackass moron?

So my muffler broke in half and I went to "Midas the muffler," guys. First of all the guy at the counter takes one look at a young dude with lots of curly hair and he get some attitude with me. He said something like "you just have to wait!" His whole demeanor changed when he spoke to me I got major attitude from this old wind bag. All the women got nice hellos and smiles, not for me though! Anyway... The guy tells me he's going to put it on the life and "just look at it." So I go across the street to a store and when I come back, my car is on the lift. I see the maintenance manager scratching his fat beer belly under my muffler. Angry blow hard comes up to me and show me the damage of my muffler pipe... cool." Then he tells me it would be $150.00 just to PATCH my muffler, not to even get a new one! AS I entered the shop floor, I did notice that my car hood was up. "WTF" I began to wonder...? So then Mr. I hate my job, tells me I also have "many" fluids that need to be changed? Sorry, now he was blatantly lying to me!I just had my car looked at by MY mechanic AND he replaced ALL my fluids THANK YOU VERY MUCH! He was beginning to give me the creeps and my car was still up there! Now Mr. Liar get down right pissed off when I tell him to "just give me my car back." While I sat there waiting for my car, he walks back in and says "your air filter is dirty too." Hey Jackass, I just had it replaced. I was so pissed when I left. I floored it back to my regular guy and considered myself lucky.

I just hate when someone tries to lie to my face and for that. For that MIDAS www.midas.com get the Jackass award, not even close to gold. If you want my opinion, find someone local that your friends and neighbors trust as well and steer clear of MIDAS.

Picture Courtesy of: hompage.mac.com/cparada/GLX/index.html

OK Honda is first again '08 FCX CLARITY

2008-07-18T14:50:00.000-07:00

A limited number of Vehicles will be sold in Southern Cali. Those lucky FEW will have to lease the car at a whopping $600.00 bucks a month. So all the money you save in gas can go right into Honda's pockets. What I don't understand(or am I clueless here) why Honda doesn't let you BUY the car? But leave it up to a superior car company like Honda to produce a Hydrogen power car!

But here in NY we are waiting to check it out soon? Hydrogen should be readily available to consumers before the is hysteria about gas prices rising just too high for the consumer. I would hate to see some crazy bastard(s) pulling out pistols just to get gas? Unfortunately I think we are getting close to a scenario like this? Consumers are fed up! Bring out the hydrogen cars! Any governmental official who doesn't help consumers help purchase a Fuel cell should be badgered into doing so, NOW! There is no reason what so ever that americans can't buy one. To block Consumers here and every where else, is to retard progress and a greener environment immediately! People should put pressure on their senator and congressmen to "GET IT DONE!" No more double talk, no more BS! Stop trying to lie to us and get real. If it was a matter of life and death(in some cases it might be), watch how fast americans(working together-ah I love that) Hydrogen would become available. The problem we face is also with the big oil companies. Yes they will lose and lose big time. After "oil" winning all this time, isn't it time for the consumers to win now? What will it take? Maybe it will take people like us? I sure as hell won't take NO for an answer!

Honda has always been a favorite of mine since the CIVIC HX saved my life. Anyway if you go to there auto site and click on their FUTURE MODELS, you will see two unique new cars CR-Z and the REMIX. Either of these I would NOT mind having in my driveway! Check them out... so cool!

जग|

2008-06-27T21:12:00.001-07:00

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2008-06-22T18:28:00.000-07:00

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Jaguar -Status- NOT RELIABLTY!

2008-06-16T18:59:00.000-07:00

My mom didn't grow up rich. Her Mother was a school teacher and her father worked for the Post Office. No surprise to anyone in our family that one day, she wanted a Jag.
I loved the idea of her getting a "classic Jaguar." My dad worked his ass off so he could afford to buy her a car the cost 50 grand. In 1988 my dad bought her a jet black Vanden Plas, edition. Sure it had everything in it save the kitchen sink. The "status" of owning a Jag and constantly maintaining the dam thing began to sink in. One major problem(which I found intolerable for an expensive car), was it NEVER started in really cold weather! Of course my mom( or my dad yelling) would call me in to help. Freezing hands on cold steel, hey now, this is true joy of Jaguar ownership! One time I accompanied her to the dealership to retrieve her "tune-up" Jag. She wanted to go to the mall. It was a cold Winter night. When we came out to the car parking lot, again her car didn't start. We had just picked her car up from getting serviced!! Yes, it was terminal. The car had tons of trouble starting in cold weather. Unacceptable to me for an expensive car! One time I got stuck at a gas station in a snowstorm because of that dam car! A friend finally had to pick me up. When you have a jag, the engine is so heavy, the tire prematurely wear. On a consistent basis, The Tune -ups exorbadent! I guess the idiots who work at the dealerships figure they can bilk their customers. The routinely show indifference to the car's faults. One disgruntled jag owner had brought his car back so many times he was fed up. So, he drove his car through the dealership's front window! Says something about jag right? Maybe all the people who bought these clunkers, should have a drive you bad jag through your dealership show case window day?" They could all get T-shirts with the image on it. The driver could have an upside smiley face.
The Jag's problem's are numerous to list here! It is obvious, the Jag has problems competing with the likes of Mercedes, BMW, Lexus and Infinity. I think the stats speak for themselves.. Sure you might have a big tune up bill from one of these companies, but hell when you have a car you love, you can deal. As cars become more and more efficient, why does such a name brand have trouble keeping up? The has to fit into my category of THE WORST OF CARS!

Welcome!

2008-06-05T08:01:00.000-07:00

Hey, tell us what cars you love and hate!