T0Y VAN Personalized License Plate

T0Y VAN official tag

May 17 here in the Big Town of Savage in Central Maryland should be a month away from Summer.  Instead, today's high temperature was around 58 with rain.  Most days this month have been chilly and improvement is a slow go according to forecast.

Only bright spot this month was the arrival of the official MD Personalized License Plate for the T0Y VAN.

JD, waiting for spring or summer-like weather here in the BToS

PS - Now 6 months into ownership of the T0Y VAN.  Seems I'm driving it about as much as I did my '05 GMC before I sold it, about 5k per year.  Fuel mileage is about 10% less than I was getting with the GMC extended cab, long bed.  Engine is also a bit larger in the van, being a 6.0 vs the GMC 5.3.

I'm Just a Chevy Kinda Guy

Toy Truck parked out back (foto from 2013)

I needed to return an item to Costco yesterday; okay, it was set of bed pillows that I found I didn't really like after I got 'em on the bed.  On the way into the parking lot, I noticed the gas pumps were moderately busy and the Toy Truck was getting close to the quarter tank mark.  I decided to fill 'er up while there.

It was a beautiful morning with bright sunshine, moderate temps and a light breeze.  While waiting for the tank to fill, a fella walked over and asked why I decided to go with the Chevy pickup instead of a Ford or another brand.  I am and have been for as long as I can remember, been a car nerd, including trucks.

My first thought was to specify the Chevy advantages, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized I bought the Chevy because I'm a Chevy Kinda Guy.  So that's what I told him, "I am just a Chevy kinda guy and this is the one I liked".

So that's the deal.  In today's world of shoppers' comparison publications/websites, what really matters for me in a vehicle is 'what strikes my fancy, what I like.'  All vehicles today are tremendous when compared to 20 years ago that it hardly matters what you buy as long as you like it and it suits your needs.  Anything beyond that is just nitpicking.

JD, here in the BToS on a rainy spring day.

PS - If you want the story of my purchase of the Toy Truck, you can visit my previous blog post Toy Truck Renewal.

PPS - I sure wouldn't buy a Ford just because Consumer Reports told me it was the highest rated truck, or that Truck Trend told me it won their 'Truck of the Year' competition.  The more you consider the culture behind magazine writers, the more you realize your own opinions are probably better for your own needs.

GPS vs Maps - Saturday Morning Road Trip

As an old fart here in the Big Town of Savage, I seldom venture beyond my normal territory.  My son-in-law had a need to visit 7 properties in northern Virginia to take photos and note conditions.  He asked if I'd like to go along since I was more familiar with northern Virginia than he was.

It was a Saturday morning and I figured it would be a good chance for us to spend some time together and bond a bit.  After all, I've only known the boy for 15 years now.  I volunteered to be the tour guide.

Given we were on the road by 7 am, traffic was still relatively light around the 495 DC beltway and over into Northern VA.  I ignored the GPS until we got close to the first property then followed its direction thru Falls Church.  Trip to I95 and Woodbridge was straight forward and the GPS found the 5 properties there.  Then off to Manassas for the last property, also trouble free.

I used the GPS to get us back on to I66 and knew my way home from there, so turned the little gizmo off.  No glitches with the GPS except that when in Woodbridge I accidentally turned off the voice and had to keep eyes on it.  

It was my first extensive use of a GPS on any trip.  Typically I map out a trip on Google Maps and work from there.  I did similar this time to determine the most efficient order of visits to shorten the distance and time.  All worked well with mapping too.

Biggest thing I noticed was that in using the GPS so much I didn't actually feel like I was on a trip visiting locations and taking in the scenery.  My mind was always occupied.  I got home feeling like I had spent 4 hours working instead of enjoying a trip.

I guess I'm saying that taking a trip with a GPS talking to me isn't as much fun as not having it active.  I can see the benefit of a GPS, but with most of my trips being over terrain I'm already familiar with I doubt I'll be using it too much.  On the other hand, my son-in-law definitely needs one in his line of work.

JD, here in the BToS and hoping I don't need to use my GPS any time soon.

PS - I need to remind son-in-law to clean his windshield before we take another trip. 

Costco Gas Purchase - Windy Day

This Google street image of the Costco gas pumps at Arundel Mills Costco here in central Maryland shows folks waiting in line, making their purchase and driving off.

Typically I fill the tank before I put one of my trucks in the garage for its week of vacation.  This morning I looked at the fuel gauge after backing the Toy Truck from the garage and noticed I hadn't filled it last time.  Even though it still had probably another 150 miles range, it was a fairly quiet morning and I had the idyllic scene above in my mind so why not get gas.

I made a stop for some grocery items before heading to Costco for gas and when I opened the door on the Toy Truck, it was almost blown out of my hand.  After returning to the truck with groceries, it dawned on me that the parking lot at Costco is kind of windy, even on a day with light breezes every place else and that the wind today would be horrible there.

Common sense got the better of me and I headed back home without getting the gas.  I'll ride up there early Sunday morning since they open the gas pumps at 6 in the morning, there won't be many folks there...hopefully the wind will be just a breeze instead of those insane gusts we've had this morning.

JD, down on 1/4 tank here in the BToS waitin' for Sunday...

PS - Looks like I should have weathered the high winds anyway.  Gas went up about $.12 since and who know how much more by Sunday morning.  What's that old adage about 'hindsight'...

Toy Truck Renewal

A couple of months ago I began pondering how to replace the ol' beater GMC Safari AWD van that left me over the past summer.  In this case, left me means I told my grandson he could have it to sell and use the funds during his college years (he's now about 3 semesters along).

I had been spoiled and hadn't had to use the AWD feature of the van in the two winters following the horrendous snow we had in early 2010.  Even though my two pickups were only two-wheel drive, I figured I could find a more economical AWD vehicle to replace it and had my eye on a used Subaru Forester that belonged to Karen and Don, a couple I worked with before retirement.

Earlier this month the Forester went off the market when Karen and Don decided it made more sense to keep the Forester for themselves to use as a second vehicle for foul weather.  I spent a few days traversing the internet looking for other Foresters that might fit my budget.  I found that used Foresters sell at prices not that much lower than new ones.  Just one more thing to ponder.

Then it occurred to me that I don't really need 3 vehicles since I'm the only driver, and you guessed it, I can only drive one at a time.  It also occurred to me that my Toy Truck was due for quite a bit of maintenance at the 50k mileage mark.  Possibly I could trade the Toy Truck for a new Toy Truck with 4x4 drive system.

I decided I might find a better deal on a leftover 2012 than I could get right now on a 2013 model.  Once again the internet provided the answer, a 2012 Chevy Silverado, regular cab, short bed, 4x4 at Wantz Chevrolet in Taneytown, MD.  An ideal Toy Truck replacement that could also get me thru some snowy weather and keep me down to 2 vehicles.

Wantz Chevrolet's internet sales person returned my contact and we arranged for me to wander up to Taneytown last Friday to get a hands-on experience with the possible New Toy Truck.  Bea Buckland was very gracious to spend time demonstrating the New Toy Truck while their appraiser guy worked the numbers for my ol' Toy Truck.

Stan the Money Man put the numbers together in a way that I could hardly resist and rather than go home empty handed, I signed the papers and scheduled delivery of the new Toy Truck for early Saturday morning.

The Saturday morning delivery was uneventful except for my farewell to the ol' Toy Truck.  This image shows Bea Buckland and BToS JD standing by the New Toy Truck at delivery.  Wantz Chevrolet is very kind to chronicle deliveries with the camera.

JD, here in the BToS still trying to figure out the New Toy Truck radio thingie!!!

PS - I couldn't ask for a friendlier dealer than Wantz Chevrolet and I must say that I actually enjoyed spending time with Bea.  Did she convince me to buy the New Toy Truck?  I'd like to say that she did, but I'd already made up my mind to purchase given a fair price.  However, Bea did make the experience much more enjoyable than I ever expected.

PPS - If you'd like to view the Original Toy Truck, here's a link to the 2004 GMC Sierra 1500 @ Wantz Used Vehicles for it.  Give 'em a call and tell 'em JD sent ya.  I had word today (Nov 21) that Wantz has sold the ol' Toy Truck.  I sure hope the new owners enjoy it as much as I did in the 8+ years I owned it.

PPPS - My definition of a Toy Truck is a vehicle with power that maneuvers quickly in tight spots and has a huge trunk.  My ol' Toy Truck certainly fit that description with the tonneau cap on the bed.  I now need to find a similar cap for the New Toy Truck, which is powerful and maneuvers extremely well too.  Ordered tonneau cap on Nov 27.

PPPPS - A.R.E. tonneau cap was installed Dec 14 and now my Toy Truck Renewal is complete.  I can only hope to get the fun and service from this one that I got from the original.  Here's foto with tonneau cap installed and ready for Toy Truck duty.

 

PPPPPS - MVA provided special tag for the New Toy Truck - Jan 28

Two Year Update - Nov 10, 2014

T0YTRUK is about to turn 16k miles; it's actually 15973 on the odometer today.  It's time for an oil change and probably to have the tires rotated.  I'm a Mobil 1 synthetic oil user and have been for over 20 years now.  To date I've had no problems.  Most difficult thing for me is keeping it clean.  Guess I just don't have the shiny truck need that I had when younger.  

Overall, it gets good fuel mileage for living in the congested traffic area of central Maryland.  In summer my tank average is typically a bit over 19 mpg around here and a bit over 21 when driving down to the ocean and back.  In winter it's about 17.8 or so.  I typically drive short distances and unfortunately it takes a while for the engine & transmission to get up to an efficient operating temperature.  It's only natural that the mileage would be bit lower in winter.

Given the hilly nature of central Maryland terrain and my 'never in a hurry' driving patterns, I noticed early on that the cylinder deactivation feature that goes from 8 to 4 cylinders when not under load could be what I call a bit 'clunky' when becoming active again in certain no or low throttle positions when turning on to another street at bottom of a hill and heading up hill again.  I discovered it was negligible when I was back on throttle early during turn but a bit irritating when being late getting back on throttle.  However, cylinder deactivation increases fuel mileage when cruising major highways, etc.

I found the deactivation wouldn't engage until the transmission was in it's top gear.  So I decided that when driving slow around town I'd place the transmission selector down a notch in 'M' vice 'D'.  The 'M' position allows you to select the top gear you want the transmission to use.  I would set it at M5 vice M6 for around town driving.  That worked like a champ and the slightly irritating cylinder reactivation didn't happen; thus eliminating the irritation I described earlier.

That worked and I used it for a while, then I decided to purchase a Hypertech programmer for the vehicle computer.  I had used one on my previous Toy Truck and it worked great and I also have one for my 2005 GMC half ton 5.3 that works great.  One of the features of the Hypertech programmer is that it provides ability to 'turn off' the cylinder deactivation feature.  So, you either leave it as a regular computer action or you disable the deactivation feature.  I turned it off.  

I also installed the power tuning and firmed up the transmission shifts.  Now my Toy Truck actually feels like a truck should feel to an 'old fart' like myself.  I can tell when it shifts, it runs on all 8 cylinders all the time and the fuel mileage is comparable to the standard factory programming with cylinder deactivation active.

Toy Truck drives great and it has a HUGE trunk and with the short wheelbase it still turns on a dime.  Guess what I'm saying is that I luv my T0YTRUK.  Hope you luv your truck too.

Four Year Update - Apr 17, 2017

Appears the four year update is about five months behind schedule.  T0YTRUK is sitting at 33,586 on the odometer.  That's approximately 7600 miles each year.  T0YTRUK continues to run on the Hypertech power programming described in the Two Year Update above with similar power and mileage characteristics.

About a year ago, I sold my 2005 GMC extended cab, long bed pickup truck to an old friend and purchased a 2015 Chevy Express passenger van (kind of a really big moving box with seats).  After a few months of not having the open-bed pickup to carry large bulky items, I began thinking about alternatives.

About three weeks ago I was driving home from some quick shopping and it dawned on me that it might be time to convert the T0YTRUK's big trunk back into a pickup bed.  I drove to the dealer that provided the original A.R.E. cap for the bed and had them take it off.  

I was still using the old bed mat that I bought back in '2004 in the T0YTRUK bed and the fact that it didn't really fit too well didn't mean much with the bed cap hiding it all the time.  I bought a new bed mat for the T0YTRUK and it is now officially a short-bed PU once again.

Beater GMC Safari - Insurance refund - FINALLY

I received a check from the auto insurance company today in response to my cancellation of insurance on The ol' GMC Safari beater van.

The van was sold by my grandson toward the end of March and I returned the tags to the MVA on April 2. After a week or so I received a letter from the MVA with the returned tag receipt, which is required before the insurance company can legally cancel the vehicle insurance. I cancelled the coverage; thus the insurance company owed me a refund for the remainder of the year's insurance premium.

As mentioned earlier, I received their check today. I'm looking at an 18-day process from tag turn-in date to check received. Seems a long time to me. The MVA, the US Postal Service, the insurance company and the US Postal Service together took 18 days to make it happen. Majority of time was taken up by the US Postal Service.

It'll take me much less time to deposit the refund check.

JD, here in the BToS, with the final report on the ol' beater GMC Safari van.

Beater GMC Safari - Gone to a better place

2003 GMC Safari

Somewhere, someplace, someone is getting some use out of the ol' Beater Van. As I mentioned in an earlier post about the van, I originally purchased it as an AWD winter vehicle that could be used for toting large boxes and also people at times.

Back in March I decided that 4 winter seasons was enough use of the ol' van to make the purchase worthwhile; one was the terrible snow winter we had a couple of years ago. So I figured I'd just sell the thing.

At my age I don't really enjoy dealing with folks to sell things. I'd rather just have the stuff go away and maybe bring me a few bucks. No one came forward to purchase the ol' beater van at a give-away price, so I decided to give it to my grandson, who's 19 years old and in college. I figured that he could use a little extra money anyway.

He's quite a bit more aggressive selling stuff than I am. I think he uses Craigslist for much of his stuff. He had the ol' beater van for about 10 days and sold it for twice what I was hoping to get for it. What more can a grandfather ask. The ol' beater van is gone and grandson has a bit more spending money.

JD, van-less here in the BToS

Ol' Truck - New Car - How fast am I going?

I know this isn't really a NEW car but the picture was just so good

Didja ever notice just how quiet new autos are inside. I have 3 truck type vehicles, My Truck, My Toy Truck and My Beater Van, none of which could be considered quiet when you're riding down the road.

I had an opportunity about a week ago to drive a friend's 3-year old full-size sedan. I'll tellya when I rode down ol' route 32 out of the Big Town of Savage I could hardly tell anything was happening outside or that I was going 65 in a 55 MPH zone. That doggone thing provided me with no sensation of speed other than looking out the window and seeing trees going by.

I never considered how fast I was going because I was constantly being passed by other cars. These cars were all relatively new and seemingly the drivers were driving at their normal pace. I finally managed to glance at the speedometer and realized I was going 10 mph over the speed limit. I eased off the throttle and dropped down to my normal 60 on this road.

When I drive either of my vehicles, I always know just how fast I'm going all the time, but I had no real sense of speed in this vehicle. It got me wondering if the drivers of the cars that passed me had any sense of their speed that day...did they know they were going 70+ in a 55 zone?

There are a significant number of drivers that typically drive within 5 mph of the speed limit and always have cars 'riding their bumper' due to their 'slow' speed. I'm one of those drivers. This whole subject just brings up a lot of questions about roads, speed limits, autos, etc.

I won't delve into them with this post, but I just want you to know that the next time I'm slowing you down because I'm driving 5 mph over the speed limit on a back country 2-lane road, I'm only trying to drive a reasonable speed and that I don't really appreciate you driving quite so close to my rear bumper.

Us older folks can sometimes get irritated by folks riding on our bumpers and sometimes even drive slower to prove a point to the bumper-rider driver. Not only that, but should we have an accident and you run into the back of my truck, your car will likely suffer considerably more damage than my ol' truck.

JD, just cruising the back roads near the BToS

PS - The up side of riding my rear bumper is that you'll be close enough to read the stickers on the back of the truck.

Fall Carlisle - This weekend - 28Sep-02Oct

It's been a few years since I visited Carlisle for the spring or fall Carlisle swap meet and car corral show. There's a good chance I may exit the Big Town of Savage for the better part of this Friday and visit the Fall Carlisle.

Makes for an enjoyable day when you leave home around 6AM and wander up the roads and maybe splurge at a McDonald's for some fast-food breakfast. Having grown up when McDonald's was thought to serve real food I tend to still enjoy some of their menu items, especially the ones that have been around for a while. Wonder if the Sausage McMuffin w/Egg at 450 calories is still on the menu...

It'll be about 8:30 or so by the time we make it to the grounds and pay our way in. We'll spend the day wandering around the huge fair ground and ogling wonderful old restored cars and spare parts. I suspect we'll complete the tour by around 2PM at the latest, leaving time to get back home before the rush hour blossoms.

I don't recall seeing much about it in this video, but my recollection is that Carlisle has some very good Pennsylvania food from the on site vendors. Seems no matter where you go on the grounds, you have the aroma of good food stuffs that will make you super hungry before it's time to eat, especially those cheese-steak subs with the sauteed onions and peppers.

I doubt if I'll buy anything significant, probably just some junk like in this earlier Garage Wall Stuff blog post. Likely I'll take some pictures since I can store about a million of them on my digital camera. If I'm lucky I might put some of 'em on a blog post next week, or as a PS on this one.

If you're bored today, take a few minutes and watch the Carlisle promo video below. If you're an old fella like me it's likely you'll enjoy it. If you're a young whippersnapper check it out and maybe you'll get an urge to watch some folks haul some old car parts around the grounds. If you're lucky, maybe you'll run into me Friday while we're wandering around the show saying things like, "Man, I haven't seen one of those in 30 years!"

JD, here in the BToS

Beater GMC Safari Goes Binary

I was heading to Costco the other day and the ol' beater van went binary on me. I looked down at the odometer and it read '101101'; first thing I thot of was binary encoding. To an old fart like me that learned to program computers back in the late 50s; it looked just right.

The '03 GMC Safari has AWD and I plan to keep 'er around till the spring thaw comes, then I'll probably sell it to someone who needs some basic, box hauling capability. It got me thru last winter's 36" snow here in the BToS with no problems; of course I stayed on plowed roads and didn't head for the boonies. She was great.

It had no problem bringing the new Toro mower home when I bought it at Home Depot last month. Nope it's just a handy little box that gets decent mileage and goes thru the snow and; she has an 'old fart' attitude spurred by going binary.

JD

Big Town of Savage not necessarily good location

I live in what I describe as central Maryland. Living here is great when it comes to having access to the best of all worlds. We have excellent medical facilities and doctors. We have what are normally excellent roads that lead to very fine shopping areas and the people living in this area are almost all universally nice folks.

Our weather is typically moderate, no temperature extremes, we're not in tornado alley, snows are normally moderate; basically the weather's nice. Local governments for the most part service the citizens and while they typically get more money than they need, they always find a way to spend it. Average income around here is pretty high on the scale, primarily due to the proximity of many, many high-spending US Government agencies.

No, the BToS is a fine place to live. The biggest negative to this area is traffic congestion. Since it's such a fine place to reside, a lot of folks live here. All these folks have to work, do the school thing, shop and in general just drive places.

The BToS has Baltimore to the north, Annapolis to the east, Washington, DC to the south and Frederick to the west. Most travel on the east coast is north and south. Both Baltimore and Washington have circumferential highways, beltways. If I want to go north of Baltimore, I have to either go thru town or drive around the Baltimore beltway. Similarly when I want to go south of Washington, it's the same situation.

I've mentioned before how much I dislike 'beltways' and try to stay off of them. Well it's one of those times that I have to traverse a beltway to make a trip. Obviously, I don't want to travel the beltway during a rush hour and definitely do not want to run into construction delays. The ideal time to travel these roads is when everyone else is sleeping and off the road. Or you can travel them between the morning and evening rush hours and take your chances.

I have to go south of Washington and I'm pondering whether to 'go round' the beltway to Virginia...or I could take a detour and a more scenic route west thru Frederick and West Virginia, which adds about 50 miles and almost another hour to my trip in each direction. Since it's normally a 5.5 hour trip taking the direct route, it would become a 6.5 hour trip along the scenic route. But no beltway to traverse.

I'm pondering the question...either route could be a smooth, quiet ride, or laden with problem areas. I tend to be a scenic kinda guy that doesn't go inside beltways or use them, so I'll likely make it a longer trip and take the scenic route.

I'm pondering it,
JD

PS - This shows BToS in the middle of central Maryland

2 Toyotas - Toyota US & Toyota Japan

It appears to me that two Toyota cultures exist. The first lives in the company manufacturing headquarters in Japan where folks design and decide how to build Toyota products. The second lives here in the USA, where folks figure out how to get Americans to purchase the Toyota products.

I suspect the folks over in Japan have a manufacturing model that allows them to design and produce quality vehicles worldwide. Given their success over the years it's obvious that their manufacturing culture is effective.

The folks over here in the US are concerned with product also and their main concern is getting you to purchase their product. Profit is built on sales. Sales are built on the image and feeling a customer has about the product.

Toyota has built a history of reliability and quality in the US, much of which can be attributed to the efforts of the US sales arm of Toyota. If you watch their commercials, you can tell the image they have in mind and more importantly want you to have in your mind when you're shopping for a new vehicle.

They also use their dealers, who actually see and touch the customer, to convince Toyota owners that their product is top notch.

When things are going well these two cultures are a happy place to be. When conflict exists, I suspect Toyota Japan controls Toyota actions. I suspect this is what happened in the case of the recent flareup regarding the unintended acceleration problems.

Evidently this problem has been a known issue for Toyota for quite some time. I also suspect the sales folks over here in the US were anxious to clear it up and fold it into the 'feel good about Toyota' culture. Evidently, the folks over in Japan were taking a hard look at the money issue regarding the huge number of vehicles that would/could need modification.

I'm sure there was much conflict between the two cultures until the Japan Toyota owned up to the issue. I'm sure they're still trying to figure out how to find the best way to eliminate these recall issues and turn them into 'feel good' results for Toyota.

I think the Japan Toyota folks don't take kindly to folks telling them their product is defective in ANY way and are reluctant to acknowledge problems and make changes. My perspective of their culture is 'there is no problem, we build good stuff'.

I doubt these two cultures will ever exist in harmony when problems arise. The main thing is to have the buyer believe that 'all is good' and that 'Toyota is the vehicle for you'.

Ponder it,
JD

PS - Most folks probably feel kindly toward Toyota anyway as they've at one time or another been a happy Toyota owner. Certainly the car magazine folks that fawn over them feel that way. So I suspect Toyota will roll right thru this episode on cruise control and that the Toyota owner culture will be affected very little.

PPS - I may be the only person I know that's never owned a Toyota. My culture and Toyota's culture don't mix well. As I've said before I'm a down home kinda guy that lives here in the BToS among a whole lot of Toyota owners.

Garage Wall Stuff

I'm not really a flea market kinda guy, but I do enjoy the occasional visit to the auto shows and flea market in Carlisle, PA. The Spring Carlisle Collector event is scheduled for 21-25 April.

These shows are full of collector autos, replacement parts and accessories, and just a whole lot of flea market type items to take a few dollars out of your pocket.

I'm the type that can't come home without a piece of junk or in most cases something else to hang on the garage wall.

If you've spent any time at all perusing my blog, you know that my mind tends to wander and seldom stays in one place for too long. Here are fotos of just a few of the items that I've taken time to nail to the back wall of the ol' garage behind the house here in the BToS.

My favorite might be the Betty Boop thermometer...I'm also a nostalgia nut at times.
And a bit more nostalgia with the Sky Ranger Aviation Oil.
You may also have noticed on the blog from time to time that I'm an ol' Chevy man from way back; hence the Chevy clock and ol' Chevy Truck sign.
You've probably also noticed that I'm an old fart that's been playing with bikes for the past 45 years or so. While I ride a Honda Valkyrie (the ol' Valk) and never owned an Indian, I've always been enamored by the brand.
And while I've lived in Maryland since 1942 when I was 1 year old, I was born a Virginian and remain one today in spirit; hence the nostalgic confederate flag sign and tag.
And just to show how disorganized I am, here's this oddball mix of memorabilia as it hangs on the back garage wall with the southern exposure for winter warmth.
Today is Sunday and NASCAR has a 500 miler scheduled down at the Texas Motor Speedway at 3:19 EDT this afternoon. Texas always brings good racin' assuming the weather will cooperate.

Do good stuff; have some fun,
JD

PS - The ol' garage is so cluttered that I can only fit one truck in there at a time. Hell of a note for a nice roomy 2-car garage, ain't it.

PPS - All my mom and dad's relatives still live in Virginia and I'm due for a visit down there in the next few weeks.

Not Sure I Can Squeeze Into A Kia Soul

I kinda like these scoot around town vehicles, but I'm not sure I can fit into one or that I'd feel too safe on 'The Big Road' while driving one. It's almost as vulnerable as my ol' Valk.

MotorWeek has a long term test on one. Think I'll keep my eye on the results. Neighbor, Crazy Ray, will be in the market for a new car when the weather heats up. His AC quit working and he's got a bunch of miles on his 2000 Cavalier.

Maybe I'll ping the boy and try to pique his interest in a little box with wheels. Whatchathink?

JD

Cash for Clunkers - Dealers Suffer - Customers Happy

Customers are loving the 'Cash for Clunkers' program, where they get rid of an old, inefficient vehicle and get the Government to pay $3500-$4500 toward their purchase of a new, fuel efficient vehicle.

"Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said dealers will be repaid as part of the program. "They're going to get their money," he said. (By Susan Walsh -- AP)"

Dealers initially loved the program also, with sales picking up significantly to the point where some manufacturers are having to boost production to replenish dealer stock of new vehicles.

However, the US Government, as usual with a new program, is interminably slow at establishing process and paying money owed. Most dealers are losing money to interest while they await the administration's $$ response to their program participation.

Basically, the dealers are picking up the tab for the Government's slow response. Never thot I'd feel sorry for a car dealer, but ain't it just like the slow government action to kill a program with so much positive press.

Obama doesn't write the checks to the dealers, but he is completely IN CHARGE of the US Government that runs the program and issues the $$ to the dealers. He better get his ass in gear and fire up his government departments if he's gonna sign off on all these stimulus actions and expect $$ to be disbursed.

No wonder dealers are abandoning the program.

Can you imagine just what the Government will do with ObamaCare. Doctors have to wait longer now to be reimbursed under Medicaid at times. If the UK thinks they have it good, I can't wait to see what ObamaCare will provide for the US!!!

Ponder it,
JD

Saturn - Will he or won't he??? - Update 2

Saturn Vue is no longer a member of the family. Daughter and son-in-law decided on something with better interior amenities and something that looks a bit more menacing to other drivers on the road. Daughter calls it a 'mafia-car'!

I took the Dodge Magnum for a short test drive last evening and I must say, I felt just like one of those mafia TV characters out on a mission. :-)

JD

PS - I don't quite know how, but son-in-law indicated that it actually gets pretty good fuel mileage too. I guess that's true, IF you can keep your foot out of it!

Saturn - Will he or won't he??? - Update

After some serious pondering as displayed in this foto, it appears that son-in-law has determined that the Saturn Vue seating position isn't going to suit his frame for long distance driving. He has plans to visit the dealer and check out some other vehicles that might serve his purpose yet be more amenable to his body and driving position.

I would expect to have more information on his choice later in the weekend. Hopefully you won't be waiting with bated breath!!!

JD

PS - Yesterday's dinner for son-in-law consisted of a wonderful pot of my 'not quite world famous' chili to go with some fresh ears of sweet corn, some left over balsamic cucumber, onion and olive salad and salsa and chips. Damn good, if I do say so myself!!!
Chili was excellent!!!

Saturn - Will he or won't he???

My son-in-law is spending two nights with me this week. As I mentioned in Monday's Stomach Stretch report, his presence definitely has an effect on my calorie count, altho I was pretty good last evening with the grilled boneless rib steak, baked potato and cucumber, onion and black olive w/balsamic vinaigrette salad (my concession was no bread).

He showed up with a different vehicle Tuesday evening, a Saturn Vue. He and my daughter have been looking at them for a while now and decided recently to replace their small Mercury mini-van that was getting to the 'high mileage' point in its life.

They both really like the Vue (not NBC's View); the way it drives, its storage amenities, its ease of maneuverability and especially the amount of vehicle they got for the money from local Saturn dealer in York, PA, close to their residence.

Son-in-law mentioned to me last night over dinner that the only problem was that his left leg was a little uncomfortable after the 90 minute drive to work Tuesday morning. He said the position was different from what he was used to and that he wasn't sure that he could make it work since the Vue will be his regular commute vehicle.

Dealer has given him the option of bringing it back for a different vehicle if it doesn't work out. I had to adjust the seating and steering wheel position last evening when I took it for a test drive. I made a couple of suggestions that he might try, but we'll see how it goes.

I told him that he could just keep it and give it to me as I certainly think I could drive it around here; that is when I'm not riding the Valk, driving the ol' van, driving the Toy Truck (TT) or driving my work truck...well you know how it is when you have a lot of vehicles in your driveway. :-)

JD

PS - I'm sure I'll get a report back from son-in-law later in the morning after he completes the approximate 20 mile drive from here to work; or possibly after his 90 minute drive home this evening.

Just How Strong Are Highway Bridges

Didja ever wonder just how strong highway bridges are??? Evidently, depending on the specs, some of 'em are pretty strong!!!

This is an Airbus A380, a really big hummer. Kinda makes them cars look a little puny, don't it??? Click on the image to view full-size.

Happy Wednesday from the BToS,
JD

NASCAR Martinsville -- Rubbin' and Racin'

After two days of crappy weather NASCAR Cup racing returned to prominence Sunday. Five-hundred laps of beatin' and bangin' on the half-mile paperclip that's known as Martinsville!!!

For old fart NASCAR fans like myself that were introduced to Cup racing on 1/2 mile tracks, Martinsville is classic. I recall my first NASCAR Cup race on a Wednesday evening (I think) down at the old half-mile Beltsville Speedway in the late '60s. Racing was much different in those days with the cars being towed in on open auto trailers by PU trucks with boxes of tools and parts in the back. Night racing at Beltsville was wunnerful. I believe there is some kind of local college on the property today. Too many noise complaints from local residents eventually doomed the track.

If Fox would ever learn to take some time during telecasts to run thru the field and show all the cars and describe how each is performing, their race coverage would be much more interesting for all fans. Unfortunately, they fixate on the Top 10. Come Chase time for the final 10 races, ESPN/ABC will fixate on the 12 Chase participants. So basically, we have commercial...top 10...commercial...special promo...top 10..., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc.

Racing production guys are truly ignorant of fan interest and respond only to sponsor dollars and their own ego. Fans have no direct money contribution to TV. Until paying sponsors demand complete field coverage, we'll still be stuck with the same minimal exposure of teams beyond the top 10 in the race.

They never seem to learn that each NASCAR fan has a favorite driver and most drivers don't run regularly in the Top 10 during a race!!! And that little 'current position' crawl across the top of the screen is TV producers only admission that there are actually 43 cars in each race with 43 unique sets of fans...

Having done all that complaining, I personally think Martinsville was the best, most interesting racing of the season's first 6 races. As ol' Matt McLaughlin over at Frontstretch.com says, he gives it 6 beers. I concur wholeheartedly.

If you missed Martinsville yesterday, there's a truck race there today at noon on the SPEED channel. It's a makeup for Saturday's rainout. Truck racin' is ALL FUN all the time!!!

Enjoy at noon or set your DVR,
JD