The worse the economy gets, the more popular motorcycles become. They’re a cheap – and fun – way to get around. “Rat bikes” – older models that maybe don’t look showroom-new anymore but run fine – even more so. You can still find mechanically sound, if a bit aesthetically impaired, rat bikes for $2,000...
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Most people know it’s important to get the oil/filter in their vehicle changed at least every once-in-awhile – if they care at all about the longevity (and efficiency) of their vehicle’s engine. But there’s more to a vehicle than its engine – and there are other filters (and other fluids) that are arguably just...
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I got a bit of a shock today when I made the run into town to buy some oil for one of my vehicles. I use synthetic, usually Mobil 1 or Royal Purple. The stuff is now selling for almost $10 a quart. I am pretty sure that a year ago this time the...
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If you’re really serious about saving money on transportation, the very last thing you should do is buy a new car. Particularly a new hybrid car. It’s as counterproductive as trying to lose weight by ordering a diet Coke with your triple Angus Thickburger. The car companies – like the fast-food places – don’t...
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There are two battery-related challenges to owning an old muscle car. First, the old beasts can be hard to start – especially if the engine is a big V-8 with high compression, which makes it tougher to crank – which places high demand on the battery. Second, classic cars often sit for weeks at...
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I miss glass headlights. They didn’t yellow and haze over like a 90- year-old man’s rheumy eyes – like modern plastic headlight “assemblies” always do after just three or four years. Then your car looks old, too. While it’s true the modern plastic “assemblies” are brighter when new, when old, their light output drops...
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Sometimes, being second in line is the best place to be. For example, letting someone else buy you a discount on a great new car. He gets it first – but he also gets to pay full mark-up – as well as absorbs the depreciation in value that occurs during the first few months...
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Many new cars don’t come with keys. At least, not a traditional physical key that goes into an ignition switch that you then turn to start the engine. Instead, you get a transmitter fob – carried in your pocket or purse – and there’s a button you push on the dash to start the...
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The air bag thing is about to get really out of hand. And really, really expensive. Apparently, it’s not enough that most cars now have four (or six) air bags inside. Volvo thinks it’s time to put air bags on the outside of cars, too. For the sake, not of the children, but of...
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The way things are going, gas prices will probably top $5 a gallon this summer. We may be lucky if it stops there. Some industry experts, including former Shell CEO John Hoffmeister, believe that a combination of bustin’ loose inflation and real fears about an impending war in the Middle East being pushed by...
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