By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

The Porsche dominated our first eBay Motors Showdown. I guess that shouldn’t come as a huge surprise, though of course, as many people pointed out, the Bullitt will be much cheaper to own and mod over the year. Still, used 911s are pretty tempting these days, and the 993 is many people’s favorite air-cooled Porsche.

Anyway, I think we’re gonna have some fun with these eBay Motors Showdowns. Again, anything goes as long as the prices are fairly close and it seems like a fair fight. If you come across any cool auctions or have any suggestions for future match-ups, shoot me an e-mail or leave a comment below.

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

I’ve had a lot of people asking me about the Showroom Showdown, which stalled out over the summer. Why the lapse? Well, it seems like we ran through just about every new car combo out there, and it was getting harder and harder to pick compelling match-ups. A bunch of members also suggested that I start doing used car showdowns, since most of us car enthusiasts go used anyway. So today I’m kicking off our eBay Motors Showdown. Each week I will feature two cars plucked off eBay Motors. They’ll both be priced about the same, and they’ll both be enthusiast cars. Other than that, pretty much anything goes, as long as I think we’ll have a good battle.

This week I’m starting out with two cars I love. In fact, I waste a lot of time looking at Bullitts and 993s on eBay. 993s tend to command a bit more money than Bullitts, so for this showdown I picked out a nicely modified HPDE ready 993, which in some ways is a lot cooler than a stock car, but will probably command less money. The Bullitt in question looks to be a low mile, clean car. Both cars are fast, fun and should hold their value pretty well. So, which would you choose?

By Tony Castellano

Tcassa

Mustangs, we all love ‘em, especially the earlier years with their distinctive looks and outright road presence. So when my folks herd… I mean heard there was a Mustang Concours event just north of home, they couldn’t pass up the event! Mustangs from all years were on show, and even though the location was a bit of a dust bowl, owners still turned up ready to showoff their polished ponies. The concours, held by the Queensland branch of the Mustang Owners Club, was in conjunction with the Castrol Edge Muscle Car Spectacular, so there were plenty of other American muscle fighting for the attention.

Oh and I bet you didn’t know the new Challenger came in right hand drive spec! Just kidding… it was specially converted to suit Aussie roads and rules.  What do you think about that, pretty cool huh? Loads of pics after the jump!

Continue reading "Mustang Stampede" »

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Road & Track’s Peter Egan has great taste in cars. Over the years he has owned and restored everything from a Porsche 356 to Jag E-type to a ’63 Caddy. He latest acquisition? A 2009 Bullitt. I am very jealous.

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

I’m not talking about Lambos and Veyrons. I’m talking about cars you are actually planning (scheming?) to acquire in the vaguely foreseeable future—let’s say in the next six months to ten years. But let’s leave daily drivers out of this. Also, you don’t have to own all of them at the same time (though of course that would be nice). But if you’re like me, it’s probably gonna be tough to limit yourself to just one or two. Limiting yourself to five is work enough. So anyway, here’s my list.

1. 1968 or 1969 Plymouth Road Runner. Ideally I’d want a post car with a black bench seat interior (a 4 speed would be cool, too, but pricier and harder to find). I prefer the ’68 cause it’s my birth year, but ’69s are a bit more plentiful and just as cool. Obviously I’m talking 383 cars cause the 440-6 cars and Hemi cars are WAY out of my league. Doesn’t mean I couldn’t get a crate Hemi or build a A12 clone later, though…

See my next four picks after the jump!

Continue reading "What Are Your Top 5 Semi-Realistic Dream Cars?" »

On Monday David wrote about how much he liked Mitsubishi’s Twin Clutch-Sportronic Shift Transmission. And MSN recently published an article called "The End of Manual Labor?" Obviously, automatic transmissions are getting more sophisticated. And the manual tranny is definitely slipping in popularity. From the MSN article:

Back in 1980, more than 35 percent of all cars were sold with a stick. Because they cost less and boosted fuel mileage, manuals were more popular when gas prices went up or the economy went down, according to Mike Omotoso, powertrain analyst for J.D. Power and Associates. Then the SUV appeared, which often came automatic-only. By 2005 only 6 percent of all buyers bothered with a stick. Skyrocketing fuel prices and more choices in small cars brought a mild uptick to 7.7 percent last year, but the trend is clear.

These days, automatic transmissions can post faster acceleration times, and they often get better mileage and have lower emissions. But here’s the thing: manual trannies are still cheaper, more durable, and more fun. Continue reading…

Continue reading "The End of Manual Labor?" »

We had to hand over the keys to the Bullitt today. I’m pretty bummed. Here’s my capsule review: I love this car.

I followed the development of the S197 quite closely a few years back, and I think it’s fair to say that Ford knocked it out of the park in 2005. I’ve always wanted a modern V8 Mustang, and our week with one just made me even more determined. Only, now I don’t think I’d be happy with a GT. I want a Bullitt.

I often hear people complain that Mustangs are common (Mopar guys tend say this a lot). I never saw that as an issue. Common means affordable with great aftermarket support and great parts availability. But the Bullitt is a rare car. It’s one of just 7,700 (5,600 were built for 2008, the remainder will be build for 2009).

Rare doesn’t make this car special, though. What makes it special is the Steve McQueen myth, and of course that beautiful Highland Green. I really wish that Ford had made this color an option on the GT, but they saved it for the Bullitt. I probably don’t have to waste time telling you what else is different about the Bullitt. I’m sure you read all the same stuff I read back in March when the car came out. Yeah, CarDomain is a bit late to the whole car review game, and we’re late to the Bullitt. But better late than never. Continue reading…

Continue reading "Bye Bye Bullitt" »

As you might already know, I’m not always super-impressed by brand-new cars. It takes a lot for me to get past the blimpy feel, the argumentative electronics, and the superfluous creature comforts of your typical modern road appliance. The Bullitt Mustang, however, seems to come from a whole ‘nother era—hell, it’s like the car was designed by a bunch of classic-car enthusiasts who were fed up with all the junkiness of the contemporary commuter pod. I feel absolutely at home in this ride: everything about it is spare, unfussy, stripped-down. Even the utilitarian plastic interior paneling reminds me of my Escort GT, and firing the car up does not feel like powering on a cell phone. And man, this thing goes. Breaking it loose around corners, even taking off sideways and fishtailing it wildly, is no problem at all (if you’re so inclined), with or without the traction control on (and you can turn it off via a big button on the dash—yesss).

Continue reading "The Bullitt Mustang: A New Car That Even Old-Car Fans Can Love" »

I burned through a whole lot of gas in the Bullitt. What did you do this weekend?

I took the Bullitt out to West Seattle last night to meet my buddy over at West 5. I’m still getting used to our new Nikon D40, and didn’t bring a tripod, but I still managed to get a few half decent pics. Most of the ones I took down at the Alki boat launch ended up being crap, but I got one ok one, which I pasted after the jump.

I’m still loving the Mustang. Heck, I even love that old school rear axle hop. With all that low end torque the car is easy to drive in traffic and it’s a blast on the freeway. I just wish I could figure out how to turn off the navigation screen at night—I guess I probably just need to RTFM.

Anyway, my friend burned me a copy of a Lynyrd Skynyrd album I hadn’t heard since I was in junior high, and I blasted it on the way home. This car really brings out your inner hooligan—I can see why insurance on these V8 Stangs is so high. The Bullitt is definitely a Saturday Night Special.

Continue reading "Saturday Night Special" »