RideLust

The 2008 Dodge Journey

Chrysler has announced three separate recalls, covering Dodge Journeys built between November 1, 2007 and September 7, 2008; model year 2008 – 2011 Dodge Ram 4500 and 5500 trucks; and Dodge Ram 1500 trucks built between September 2009 and December 2010. Overall, 65,180 Journeys are affected, 22,274 Ram 4500/5500s are affected and 56,611 Ram 1500s are affected.

The Dodge Journey recall involves the front door wiring harness, which may crack with repeated flexing. Should the wires break, the side impact sensors would be unable to trigger the side impact airbags in the event of a collision. Dealers will replace the left and right wiring harnesses on recalled vehicles.

Read More…

Jacobs Media Tech Survey American Car Features

Remember when a base model car, really was a base model car? In today’s car buying age even the cheapest cars sold have features that were considered options not too long ago. High ticket items like power windows, air conditioning and cruise control are now standard on all but the cheapest of the cheap. Automakers understand that in order to get consumers into showrooms that they must now pack their cars full of enticing standard options. For example, my first car was a 1980 Mercury Capri, and it came with such wonderful standard features as heat, roll-up windows, an AM radio and that was it. Pretty spartan by today’s standards, but then again I think the car sold for $4500 brand new.
Read More…

The new Ford Edge is included in the latest recall.

Do you drive a 2011 model year Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX, Ford F-150, F-250, F-350, F-450 or F-550? If so, you may be hearing from Ford in the very near future, as the automaker has announced a recall on certain vehicles built over a six day period. At issue is a potentially faulty body control manual that can short out internally and create a potential fire risk.

Read More…

Trust me when I tell you that you need to watch the entire length of this video. This is the Pro Rally team of Olaf Dobberkau and Alexandra König. Their car is a Porsche GT3 and the way that they pilot it is simply incredible. Now for those of you who have never been in a rally car of any type I can tell you the car itself is a pretty amazing piece of machinery. The drivers though, they’re on a completely different level. You see rally drivers don’t possess that little switch in their heads that tells them that danger is approaching. In fact when they actually see danger they just stare it in the face and look for a way to either go through it, or around it. I’m a big fan of speed, but it took me only one stint as a passenger in a true rally car to understand that these guys possess skills that are simply not of this planet.

Source: Youtube.com

Ford's Mustang GT is the car I'd most like to add to my garage. Image: Ford Motor Company

Writing about cars can be both a blessing and a curse. On the plus side, you get to climb behind the wheel of some really cool rides, most of which are beyond your current (and future) bank account balances. On the flip side, you don’t get to pick and choose which cars you drive, and manufacturers build a whole lot more minivans and crossovers than they do entertaining sports cars. Still, I’d be in the wrong line of work if I didn’t love to drive, and all cars, no matter how bland, have some redeeming qualities. Looking back on the last 12 months, I drove around 50 different vehicles. Some were truly memorable, while others I can only remember because I photographed them. The one constant across all the different vehicles I drove in 2010 was this: no one builds a bad car anymore. The days of paring costs back to the bone and less than motivated line workers appear to be behind us, and that’s a very good thing.

Read More…

Not long ago I wrote a review on the 2011 Chevrolet Camaro SS. It was Inferno Orange with black racing stripes and a 6-speed manual, and boy oh boy did it get looks going down the road. Looking like the great pumpkin though didn’t come without some pitfalls. For example, everyplace I went the car attracted attention which meant that parking it in a public lot was a bit nerve racking. Then there was the issue of the $37,640 price tag. Sure it was steep, but with 426 hp and 420 pound-feet of torque on tap, as well as Brembo brakes, it was a fair price to pay for the performance that the Camaro SS delivers. Some however love the looks of the new 2011 Camaro but simply can’t swing 37k for a decked out SS. Enter now, the 2011 Chevrolet Camaro 2LT.
Read More…

Visiting Paris? Bicycles are always welcome. Image: Pline

Paris, France, wants you to leave your SUV at the city limits. Drive an older Mercedes diesel, or something else that belches particulates and sucks down gas like Lyndsay Lohan sucks down martinis? Paris wants you to leave that outside of the city as well. In fact, if what you drive isn’t compact and fuel efficient, don’t plan on visiting Paris behind the wheel after next year. The city is in the process of restricting “gas guzzling” vehicles, although they have yet to precisely define what fuel economy will be needed to make a vehicle exempt. The ban would limit access to congested areas of the city during certain times of day or certain times of the year, unless drivers were behind the wheel of a “green” vehicle. Paris isn’t the first city across the pond to institute such a ban, as London and Berlin already have gass-guzzler restrictions in place.

Read More…

Over the past year both Kurt and myself have done our best to bring you guys the best that the automotive world has to offer. We’ve attended shows, reviewed loads of cars and have even managed to have a little fun along the way. The best part about what we do though are the emails, comments and feedback that we receive from our readers. For instance, if for some reason we stumble, we know damn well that you guys are going to nail us to the wall for it. Same goes if we have strong opinions about certain subject matters or if we throw some humor your way. Our goal is to make Ridelust.com a place where you guys can come, hangout and enjoy everything that the mechanized world has to offer and for 2011 I promise that it’s only going to get better. Below is quick listing of 5 of my favorite highlights from 2010… enjoy.
Read More…

One way to keep your car safe. Image: Ihasahotdog.com

According to the latest data from the National Insurance Crime Bureau, you’re more likely to have a car stolen on New Year’s Day than on any other holiday, and New Year’s Day even trumps the average daily theft rate. The NICB just released their latest analysis of car theft rates in 2008 and 2009, and it includes a handy breakdown of theft rates per holiday. In 2009, an average of 2,276 vehicles were stolen per day in the U.S. On holidays, the theft rates were:

Read More…

At some point I think that we’ve all felt that we possess the talent to design our own car. Some of us truly have that ability, while others, like this guy, obviously don’t. What people sometimes fail to understand is that automakers spend millions upon millions of dollars to create automobiles that are not only pleasing to look at, but perform as well. There are those however who still feel the need to push the boundaries of amateur design in the hopes that they stumble upon a diamond in the rough. What you are seeing here though is a piece of coal that should have been tossed into a furnace as opposed to a nice shiny diamond.
Read More…