Review Your Cars

It never fails; the 3rd weekend in August is special for a reason and Sunday in particular. Its one thing to see incredible factory production cars, quite another to see examples of greatness from decades or even a century ago that will never be produced again. Cars you've never heard of, never knew existed, and now never can afford. Just to see them up close is a special treat. This year is the 60th annual event and it has raised over 14 million dollars for local, national and international charities. www.pebblebeachconcours.net/ Buy tickets before the show to avoid the same-day mark-up and lines. When you arrive, be sure to park near the posted bus stops and not in a location where there just happens to be cars. Otherwise, it's a long walk to the next stop. Traffic management is pretty good, even arriving late works out well. Be sure to wear walking shoes and even when overcast you can get a sunburn. The paintwork is flawless, the curves R-rated, the bright work perfectly ref

Recovering from the miserable airport facility a couple years ago, Friday August 13th, 2010 was the second year at the Laguna Seca Golf Ranch in Monterey, CA. As always, there’s a little bit of magic in the air when you have so many exotic cars in one location. Throw in some sunshine, food, excellent vendors and a sprinkling of celebrities and it makes you want to lay down on grass and wiggle a little just like a dog. Okay, maybe that’s just me. Always a recommendation is to go ahead and enter your car in the corral, assuming it’s not an Italian make. There are usually two reasons for this and this year now four reasons. First, it’s a bargain. It covers the cost of two people for the price of one. Second, you can’t beat the parking. Anytime you can picnic at your car in the middle of a car show on a golf course, do it. The more important reasons became apparent this weekend. The traffic back-up from eastbound Highway 68 was nearly five miles long and it took an hour. Make sure you have

Hi Rob, Great articles and photos, thanks so much , I have a 1994 BMW 318is. It gets great gas mileage and would love to get even better mileage . The rear end (3rd) member locked up when I first got the car, so I found a deal on a 325 axles and rear end , put it in never changed any gears do you know if the 325 is different than the 318is both were manual transmissions. Should I leave well enough alone ? Thanks, FAN Hello Fan and thank you! I found this excellent website that lists a LOT of BMW gear ratios, perhaps all of them: http://www.bokchoys.com/differential/GearRatios.htm It seems that you now have a less-aggressive final drive ratio of 3.15 vs. 3.45. So if you like your mileage and the acceleration is adequate, I would leave it alone and congratulate yourself on a fuel saving modification. I wouldn't suggest trying anything numerically lower than 3.15 such as the 2.93, even if you can find it. My concern would be inadequate acceleration with the 4-cylinder engine. This wou

Brandon from Brandon, FL writes: I am always in the market for a new ride I like the Accord. But I really enjoy a Crossover-SUV with the higher up feeling. But there are none that are in my price range so for the past year I've been stuck. But with my warranty now up I am back to searching for a good weekend deal in the paper. What do you think of the Toyota FJ Cruiser, black on black with dual exhaust? It has a good sporty look to it. I also am not really worried about gas I don't drive much at all. My current ride gets about 16/21 mpg city/highway. Brandon, The Toyota FJ is a nice beefy, ride. Toyota reliability and distinctive, retro styling are nice touches. In fact, my sister really wants one! It definitely has off-road intentions so that part might be wasted in your neck of the woods. There is nothing wrong with that if gas consumption isn't a concern. I suggest two things though. If you tend have rear seat passengers or cargo, try climbing in and out and see what you

A friend of mine who is a very knowledgeable and frequent contributor to the automotive forums recently had the opportunity to rent a new 2011 Mustang GT with the 6-speed automatic. Read below for his fascinating findings and analysis: ____________ Well, I drove (the hell out of) my first 5.0 GT Mustang today. VERY enlightening. Here is what I learned - tips that anybody running mid 12's on up better heed! CLIFFS NOTES : Race an auto 5.0 from a 25-30mph roll. Preferably 25mph in case he has the optional 3.73 gears. They have a nasty lag from WOT to pulling: 1 1/2 to 2 seconds from pedal slamming to shift nannies off and howling with full power. You want a legit race? Make him manually shift it and hold the gear. If you don't pull him below 70mph, you WILL NOT walk it down. Period. BE WARNED: all kinds of computer nanny interference means a tuned (de-nannied), CAI and catback auto is gonna be one helluva lot faster than a stock one. Conditions: Victorville, California elevation