RideLust

Image: HotRod

Some nannies are young, pretty, glorified babysitters, irresistible apparently to half of Hollywood husbands.  Others have nasal voices that drive most of you insane.  Still others are reliable and practical like the HBIC Mary Poppins.  But this post isn’t about them.  This post is about the bane of a gearhead’s existence: the automotive nannies that car makers insist on shoving into their offerings in ever-increasing numbers year after year.  If, like me, you read the interwebz for your daily auto news fix, you’ve likely noticed the proliferation of articles dedicated to reminding us the Apocalypse is surely nigh, because how else can one explain the need for half of these devices? Read More…

As someone who used to use a motorcycle as his daily form of transportation I can safely say that the following video was one of the most disturbing things I’ve ever seen. This video was taken in Kentucky as two sport bike riders were running down one of their favorite twisty roads. Upon seeing a slow moving pickup truck in front of them the first rider goes to pass and with that all hell breaks loose as the driver of the truck tries to run him off the road. Now keep in mind that the rider did pass over a double yellow line, and illegal move in any state, but that in no way, shape or form gives the truck driver the right to try an commit vehicular manslaughter. The next seven minutes of footage show the motorcyclist literally running for his life as he tries to get away from the crazed driver who is trying to run him down. Keep in mind that there is some NSFW language here, but if that doesn’t offend you then click through, because this is one of the most shocking videos I’ve ever seen.
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As an instructor with the National Auto Sport Association (NASA) I can tell you from experience that the vast majority of high performance car owners lack the ability that’s needed to drive their cars at the limit. All too often people come to the race track with their 450 + hp machines only to finish the day by having a whole new respect for them. Most of the owners are willing to learn and take instruction which, let’s face it, is why they’re there. Every so often though we do get individuals who simply aren’t smart enough to know what they don’t know and when that happens things usually go south very quickly. I was lucky enough to have recently sat down with J.F. Musial of The Road Testament to shed a little insight on why getting some real driver education is the way to go for every driver out there. Click through for the video.
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To a lawyer, there's no such thing as a minor accident. Image: David Shankbone

Let’s face it – no one ever plans on getting into an accident, and most of us are over-confident in our driving ability. If you spend enough time behind the wheel, sooner or later the odds just don’t play in your favor. It’s like the opposite of a trip to Vegas, with the jackpot replaced by a roadside call to the police that none of us ever want to make. Accidents are stressful enough, but these days it’s rarely over after the police report is written. If you’re at fault, plan on being sued, which will cost your insurance company (and, potentially, you) serious money to fight in court. If the court finds in favor of the plaintiff (the guy suing you), expect to lose a substantial part of your income, possibly for a long, long time. Read More…

The 2006 Ford Freestyle. Image: Ford Motor Company

It’s safe to say that the Ford Freestyle doesn’t represent the automaker’s finest moment. Part station wagon, part crossover vehicle, the Freestyle stands out in my mind only for having the worst engine / CVT transmission pairing in modern automotive history. I’ve had dialogue with Ford engineers who worked on developing the Freestyle, and the common apologetic theme is “we did the best we could with what we had to work with”. To no one’s surprise, the over-priced and under-contented Freestyle never sold particularly well, and Ford pulled the plug after a three year model run from 2005 to 2007 (although the similar Taurus X was sold from 2008 through 2009). Read More…

The 2011 Chevy Volt. Image: © GM Corp.

There’s good news if you thought green cars weren’t as safe as their gasoline counterparts. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has just finished crash testing the Nissan Leaf and the Chevy Volt, and has named both a Top Safety pick. That’s the highest honor given out by the IIHS, and it should go a long way towards easing consumers fears of “new” technology vehicles. Per Joe Nolan, chief administrative officer of the IIHS, “What powers the wheels is different, but the levels of safety for the Volt and Leaf is as high as any of our other top crash test performers.” Read More…

A 2002 Nissan Pathfinder. Image: IFCAR

If you drive a 1996 to 2004 Nissan Pathfinder, or a 1997 to 2003 Infiniti QX4, expect to hear from your local dealership in the near future. Nissan has announced the recall of some 271,000 Pathfinders and QX4s, in the United States and Canada, to fix a potential corrosion-related issue that could result in steering loss. In states where road salt is used to prevent icing, a buildup of salt and slush can occur in the strut housing, leading to a potential structure failure and difficulty in controlling the car. Nissan points out that no injuries have been reported due to this issue, and that only a single accident may be attributable to the design. Read More…

A flat spare tire? Bummer. Image: Flickr User kvanhorn

When I was shopping for my current MX-5 back in 2006, one of the first things I noticed when I popped the trunk was the absence of a spare tire. The old MX-5 Miata had a space-saver spare tucked into a corner of the trunk, which provided a handy storage bin for a first aid kit, rags and a few tools. The current generation of MX-5 had no spare, just a compressor, a bottle of Slime and a valve stem removal tool. I’ll admit that it did give me cause for concern, because experience has taught me to hope for the best but prepare for the worst. A little research showed that I could use the spare from either the Mazda RX-8 or the Mazda 3, so I made a mental note to start shopping junkyards when I had the chance. Five years later, I still haven’t added that spare tire to my trunk, but I have stopped worrying about it. I carry a few different types of plug kits and I have AAA membership, so what’s the worst that could happen? Read More…

Image by Flickr user The_Gut

The Florida state senate has approved a bill that will levy fines and points against drivers who clog the left lane, even if those motorists are driving within posted speed limits. The measure passed the senate by a vote of 37 to 1, and a similar bill is pending in the House. Neither will progress unless approved by Florida governor Rick Scott, but both efforts are evidence that there is some sanity left in state government. Current Florida law requires drivers to yield the left lane to other motorists, except when overtaking and passing on the right is allowed. Since passing on the right is permitted on most Florida multilane highways, Florida drivers are as likely to yield the left lane as Donald Trump is to win the presidency in 2012. Read More…

*Photo Credit: SuperiorChronicle.com

I was recently speaking with a buddy of mine who was in the market for a used car for his 17 year old daughter. He was asking me about not only what I thought he should get her, but why. We talked about safety, performance, size, economy and reliability. Basically all the mainstays that anyone would want to know about. Since we were talking about a 17 year old girl, the first thing that came to his mind was how to prevent her from texting while driving. My answer… get her a car with a manual transmission. For some reason this never entered his mind, but when I said it you could see the light bulb go off in his head. If you’ve got one hand on the wheel and the other on the gear lever, then the probability of you texting someone goes down exponentially.
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