By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Truth About Cars writer Paul Niedermeyer rented a new 2.7 liter Charger along with a high mileage ’93 V6 Camry on a recent trip to Hawaii, and followed up with a review comparing the two cars. If you’ve ever read The Truth About Cars it probably won’t come as a huge surprise that he preferred the Toyota. Now, I’ve never driven a 90s Camry. I’ve also never driven the 2.7 liter Charger, but I rented the 3.5 liter Charger SXT for a week in the SF Bay Area and thought it was great daily driver and family hauler. Of course the 2.7 liter Charger is going to be slow, but it gets better gas mileage than the old V6 Camry (18/26 mpg vs. 16/22 mpg). The Charger is also RWD, roomier, has a bigger trunk, and it’s MUCH safer (though this isn’t a huge issue in Hawaii, where no one drives faster than 35 mph). I agree that Dodge probably does a disservice to everyone by offering the 2.7 in the Charger (then again, they offered a fairly wimpy 318 in the original, too). But Paul didn’t seem to like anything about the Charger. He complained about the quality of the interior materials and ridiculed the outward vision. Mostly, though, it seemed like Paul was embarrassed by the Charger. And whose fault is that?

Running across the desert at night is all the rage at the US/Mexico border, but if you’re going to sneak into a country illegally, why not do it with some style?  That’s apparently what three Iraqi dudes were thinking when they tried to hitch a ride in a Bentley GT. The plush machine was coming back to the UK from testing at the ‘Ring, but eagle-eyed inspectors stopped them at the border. Anyway, here’s the news:

• It’s not like I get tremendous joy from the fact that Detroit is struggling—I’ll leave that to the divas over at the Truth About Cars—but this article says that Hot Wheels’ parent company Mattel is actually worth more than General Motors, and that’s kind of funny. Newsweek
• After half a century, the party is over for Gaz’s venerable Volga. Use this handy template to construct something witty to say about its demise: "In Soviet Russia, Volga [blank] you! Jalopnik
• UPS is currently testing new hydraulic delivery trucks which deliver 50% better fuel economy and 40% lower emissions. How long before Brown starts pushing the fact that it’s green? Gas2.0
• Ferrari fans can relax, as it turns out that Maranello’s threat to quit F1 was just some pointless saber rattling. Apparently, there’s really no chance that F1 will go a spec engine. You have to love those feisty Italians. AutoWeek
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Not for same reasons you do. You want a battery-powered Tesla Roadster because it’s a way cool car boasting bleeding edge technology. Or maybe you just like sexy sports cars. Or perhaps you’re looking for massive eco-auto props. As a free marketeer, I’m good with any of these motivations. As a Porsche Boxster S owner, I’m not bothered (I’ve already found my dream date). But as the publisher of The Truth About Cars, I want a Tesla Roadster BAD. I want to reveal the truth about the EV– whatever that may be.

The Tesla Birth Watch was born a fit of journalistic pique. It galled me to see my colleagues repeating the aspiring electric car company’s claims for their Roadster’s range, recharge time, safety and performance as fact. This before they’d turned a single wheel in anger. It made these media outlets– including mainstream publications that should have known better (I’m looking at you Forbes)– not-so-silent partners in the company’s PR and fund-raising efforts. The words “unproven” and “claimed” were conspicuous by their absence. Continue reading at The Truth About Cars.

Remember back in 2004, Ford unveiled its new Focus and announced "The Year of The Car?" FoMoCo’s cash cow was (and still is) a pickup truck. Clock FoMoCo’s passenger car offerings four years later, and you’d be forgiven for thinking the auto show hyperbole was just that. But now it’s here for real: the year of the car. In April, passenger cars outsold trucks in the U.S. new vehicle market for the first time in two decades. This is a truly amazing moment in U.S. automotive history, representing the roll-back of the SUV boom. With federal fuel economy regulations in the offing, it’s unlikely that even a huge drop in gas prices can reverse the tide. Let’s take a closer look at this watershed month.

Passenger car sales rose 4.5 percent (April ’07 vs. April ’08). Truck sales fell by 17.2 percent. When the blood was cleaned off the carpet, U.S. new passenger vehicle sales ended-up 6.8 percent below last April’s total. So far this year, car sales are down 1.5 percent and truck sales 13.4 percent, producing a 7.7 percent drop overall. That’s the big picture; now let’s look at a few specifics. Continue reading at The Truth About Cars.

One year ago [Chrysler Suicide Watch 12] I opined that Jeep was morphing from the world’s most uniquely-American brand into a schizophrenic abyss of muddled models. Of course, this analysis hardly required the keen insights of branding guru Al Reis. Jeep had just introduced the unconvincing Compass and platform partner Patriot to the market. And they were preparing to launch a re-skinned Jeep Liberty. The Liberty was the reigning best selling small SUV on the market. So one year later, how has the brand progressed? As a Jeep owner and acolyte of [what's left of] the brand, I’m sorry to say that Jeep’s crisis is far deeper than before. Continue reading at The Truth About Cars.

Last year, I scored over $400 worth of auto supplies. All it cost me was sales tax, a few stamps and about thirty minutes of my time. It was a lot of good stuff too: 24 quarts of synthetic motor oil, six gallons of coolant and a seemingly endless amount of top quality car waxes and detail products. Heck, I was even able to get three different tool sets and free wipes once all my maintenance work was done! Unfortunately, for a frugal enthusiast like me, that was then and this is now.

The auto parts market has changed dramatically in the last year. As I reported previously, soaring commodity prices have increased demand for recycling (rather than resale). At the same time, the economic downturn has millions of American motorists hanging onto their cars longer, and buying used instead of new. Rising raw costs and increased demand has made it a seller’s market. Continue reading…

Thus far this year, I’ve scored nothing free. Zero, nilch, nada. Every once in a while I see a complete oil change for $6.99, a free brake ‘inspection’ (with the obligatory small print shop fee) and parts store tools that are still thankfully available for free rental. It’s not the end of the world, but inflation is becoming a real bastard on the finances! Everything costs money now. As enthusiasts we have to watch for the deals whenever they arise.

In my neck of the woods, six auto parts stores serve local pistonheads and repair shops: Advance Auto Parts, NAPA, Autozone, O’Reillys, Pep Boys, and arguably (cough! cough!) Wal-Mart. Each one has their own strengths and weaknesses that I try to play off each other during the year.

For example, Advance often has the cheapest parts available. This makes it a favorite among auto repair facilities and cheapskates in my neck of the woods. For the ‘trader’ who likes to tinker during weekends, Advance is often a good source. However, the ‘keeper’ should only get those parts that have lifetime warranties. From my perspective, that means they should focus instead on the quality side of the equation. Which calls for some serious online cross-shopping.

NAPA offers higher quality parts at a price. From my experience, NAPA’s the ‘Target’ equivalent. If you’re the type who doesn’t want to pay a premium for dealer parts but still wants quality, NAPA may have the best offerings. Rarely will NAPA ever have a good deal on motor oil or detail products. They do however have great deals for those folks looking to keep their car driving like a premium product.

Autozone is good for oils and accessories. It’s the perfect cross-shopping alternative to NAPA and Advance. In my experience, they have the widest selection, and it’s not too difficult to find parts that are similar to the other two retailers. As with all big box retailer these days, many products are virtually identical. Even though the parts manufacturer’s name may be different, it may have indeed come from the very same [Chinese] factory. An online visit to all three of these retailers is always worth the while for TTACers on a budget.

O’Reilly’s offers the most free and cheap repair tools. When they’re overstocked, they also have the best sales. However, you have to visit their stores to find the deals. Last year I bought over $300 worth of auto parts for virtually nothing because I went through the trouble of looking through the coupon rack right by the entrance. A list of 40 products were given in one little note card. An hour later, I was stocked for virtually the entire year. O’Reilly’s also have one of the most diverse additive product offerings I’ve seen.

Pep Boys and Wal-Mart are usually the cheap tire / cheap oil places. Pep Boys will have the $6.99 oil change deals and Wal-Mart offers oil changes for less than $20. Wal-Mart offers every day low prices while you have to search the Pep Boys Sunday circulars to get the right deals.

Watch out for hidden charges and miscellaneous fees. If you’re one of those that prefer to have someone else do the wrenching, make sure you know the total cost before you visit. Wal-Mart installs tires and changes your oil. Pep Boys will do that and install parts as well. In both instances, I would still prefer the services of a reputable independent mechanic.

Car-part.com is another excellent source for factory parts. I suggest you visit the site before going the used/recycled route. Craigslist can be a Shangri-la for cheap parts, and EBay still offers plenty of good deals for those who are willing to wait a week.

In the today’s world of car parts, there’s no such thing as a free quart of synthetic oil. It pays to look around and shop smart.

I remember once during a surfing trip, hundreds of miles from home, sleeping in my Eagle near the beach, I was woken up by a North Carolina state trooper who claimed that my New York plates were "expired" and demanded to know if my sister and I were "runaways." The DMV never makes mistakes, right? Turned out an error in their computer system was responsible for my supposed expiration. If I’d been in the UK instead of NC, a glitch like this might’ve gotten my Eagle crushed, under a program instituted last year that involves the seizure and disposal of vehicles belonging to supposedly dirtball drivers. As the Manchester Evening News reported back in September, the vaguely-defined targets of the crushing rampage seem to include anyone with unpaid traffic violations, anyone without their insurance documents in order, and anyone with a criminal background. A vehicle deemed "unroadworthy" can be hauled away as well. Sounds nice and hazy, doesn’t it? It’s probably safe to assume that many innocent cars have gone to the crusher already—cops in Manchester alone have destroyed over 10,000 vehicles since the law went into effect in January ’06. And we thought California’s street-racing crush campaign was scary! Via The Truth About Cars.

The Truth About Cars just put out their list of the "ten worst automobiles" for 2007. Apparently 136 cars were nominated by their readers, the editors then narrowed it down to twenty and let people vote to determine the final list of ten. I find it interesting that they are all domestic–perhaps that says more about the Truth About Cars readers than it does about Detroit. So what car was the "worst"? The Jeep Compass. Read the full list and then tell us what you think.