An Icon Realized

So for any of you who were following this blog, I do apologize for my severe lack of any posts over the last few months. I work full time and am a full time student so my schedule got the best of me. However, it's time for me to start finding time once again.

Therefore, here we are, and I'm going to be starting off with a confession. The confession in question is one that may surprise, offend, or shock certain car lovers among you: I hate the Ford Mustang. I hate the car's oversaturation, I hate its styling, and I hate the almost god-like status many in the automotive world have given it.

However, within this same entry, I must publish an official typo-correction of the above paragraph. Four "d's" must be added in, because what I must additionally confess is that I hate(d) the Ford Mustang, yet now find myself loving it.

The journey began with the new GT500. Nearly everything I read praised the car. It did have its downfalls, such as when Car & Driver chose the Camro ZL1 over it in one of their recent comparisons. The loss didn't badge the 'Stang as a bad car though, it just wasn't the preferred vehicle. Next came the excellent reboot of the Boss 302, which I got to experience from the shotgun position as a championship winning SCCA driver piloted it around a local track.

This past weekend continued my journey closer to fanboy status when I got to experience the 2013 Mustang 5.0 up close and personal. Unfortunately my camera was not on hand at the time, this was a social trip, so credit for any photos in this post are not to me. They all share the exact appearnce of the vehicle in question, however. Next time I won't slack off, I promise.



DAT A....err...That rear end!

I'll be perfectly blunt with my assessment: The lastest Mustangs are not just a good muscle car any more. I have to admit that they are very quickly becoming, quite simply, a good car, despite my instinctual protests on this matter.


In all truth, the model I experienced was optioned quite nicely. The first thing I noticed were the Recaro seats. They didn't just support you; front seat occupants find themselves coddled. Fitted was cloth, but the seats do come in leather if you so choose.

The next thing you notice are the large LCD screens, belonging to both the console-installed navigation system as well as an in dash collection of track apps between the gauges, ranging from acceleration timers to G-force readings.

None of this compares to how the car feels on the road though. It finds itself as a surprisingly well compromised mix of comfort as well as--wait for it--cornering ability, something once unheard of from the good old pony car. You'll probably find that most who have driven it will credit the stock clutch (if you drive the 6-speed) with being quite easy to get the hang of quickly without feeling like one out of some econo-box. When you ask it to stop, it appeases you with graceful control. When you ask it to go, the 420 horses put out by the 5.0 v8 gladly answer with glorious speed.


The car is even taking steps towards becoming respectable. The sound is spirited but not shouty. It growls without yelling or screaming. The goodies that I mentioned earlier are becoming much more available. However, let me not get terribly ahead of myself here, though. Yes, this car is part of a set that is bringing me a lot closer to really wanting to purchase a Mustang for myself. I'm just still not quite there yet.

For one, the interior, white attractive, is still full of plastic. It doesn't feel secondhand, but it certainly feels a bit on the cheap side.

The gas mileage is pretty bad. You can find yourself averaging under 18 miles per gallon quite easily. Granted, this is a v8 muscle car, so yes, that is to be expected, but I still feel the need to mention it.

My last big complaint is also, weirdly, something that I like about the car. You will look, and sometimes feel, like a complete jerk driving one of these. The bulges in the body are bold, and the car does look very good, but it screams "Get out of my way!" at everyone you drive by. The sequencial turn signals are yet another feature I like, but could be taken by some to be too much of a showing off feature.

My final verdict then? The 2013 Mustang GT is a 'Stang that really makes you want one. If you have always wanted a Mustang, then finally we are getting to a point where it's a legitimately good decision to get one. However, I personally would still not actually buy one. If I want a sports car, there are better performing ones for the price. If I wanted a muscle car, the Mustang is still not my first choice. If I want a good looking car, there are still more cars out there, yes for the price, that I enjoy looking at more. In fairness though, I have to end with answering the question: was my experience smile inducing?

Yes. Yes it very much was.

Temptations of a Gearhead

Enthusiasm can be a powerful influencer. When you have that kind of passion for something, you will go above and beyond to satisfy the feeling. It can come in the form of following a band across the country in order to be at every concert, spending hours online "reaseaching" every possible aspect of your favorite celebrity, or even spending extra money for a special or rare edition of a product.

Today, my common sense went to battle with my enthusiasm for the British television show Top Gear. More specifically, the voice of one of its hosts, Jeremy Clarkson.



Probably not his best side...

While it has moments of being a reliable source of information or news about cars, Top Gear is primarily an entertainment show. The aforementioned Mr. Clarkson does his part to accomplish this through his over-the-top television persona. His antics can bring pure excitement to almost anything, even the review of a potentially boring car like the Ford Fiesta...

So what happens when a Top Gear fan hears about the chance to spice up something boring in his life with some Top Gear-ness? Something such as, say, a TomTom GPS device loaded with Jeremy Clarkson's voice to guide you? 

It's so beautiful...

Well, said fan might find themselves considering spending a larger amount for a GPS simply for Clarkson's voice and a few other features from the show.

Another contributing factor to the desire is the fact that the production of this device is not on-going. BBC realized that the device violated their editorial guidelines due to the fact that presenters cannot endorse specific products. Therefore, after 54,000 units were made and shipped to stores, BBC cut the deal. TomTom is allowed to sell what they have but cannot make any more, and the BBC is donating all of it's proceeds to charity.



Serious business, this.

After looking into the device myself, I took the path of not acquiring it, due to one major, somewhat overlooked trait. Jeremy's voice makes quirky little comments alongside the directions, which on paper sounded as though it would be amazing. However, only so many comments can be recorded, and the ones in use would become old very, very quickly. There is an option to make the navigation silent, but none to disable the added comments so only the turn by turn directions would be heard.

It looks as though I’ll just have to settle listening to Jeremy Clarkson’s antics on the television.

Red Tails Update

The rendered picture of what the AirVenture Red Tails Mustang would look like were updated with pics of what the car does indeed look like.

As you can see, the realized car looks about the same as the original, rendered picture of the car.  It is scheduled to be auction off later this week, so I'll update you to whether or not it beats last's years $400,000 take brought in by the blue angels themed mustang. A full list of mods can be found here, as well as addition pics of the completed car.

 

 

Edit: The car ended up selling for $370,000!

Don't Leave Me!

The debate about the merits of leasing has gone on for years.

On the positive side, we have the ability to afford a car that would be out of reach to purchase for some, as well as the ability to change up your car often, if that's your cup of tea.

Cup of tea?

Those against it cite the fact that you are dumping money into a product that is never yours. There are many restrictions and stipulations that go along with leasing a car, such as a limit on mileage or the inability to perform any customization on the vehicle.



Though leasing could be used as an intervention for some...

Whichever side of the board you fall on, the car companies don't just offer leasing for kicks. It is an important part of their market, and in some cases, it is a vital aspect. Auto News (normally subscription required) reported that for prestige brands, such as Mercedes and BMW, leasing accounts for over 75% of total volume. Granted, the percentage for mass-market brands is much less, with an industry average of only 24%.

The marketing and planning departments of automotive companies also benefit from leasing. Seeing as how 90 to 95 percent of those who lease procede through the entire term, the ability to predict the need for new vehicles by both timeline and geographic location becomes easier.

However, some of these companies, especially the prestige brands, getting leasing back up could be a struggle. BMW predicts about 85,000 lease contracts being fulfilled this year, which is down from 150,000 two years ago, which was already on a downward trend due to the economy.

The question that the companies are trying to answer is if the trend is truly due to the economy exclusively, or if brand loyalty is a dying idea. At this point in time, the industry averages a 63% for those customers finishing up a lease and then returning to the same company again, so at the moment it seems the answer is no. However, only watching how the market behaves over the next few years will reveal the true answer to that question.

Trackmania: Under The Radar Excellence

Today is an interesting time for racing games. With titles like Forza and Gran Turismo, we find a surge of realism through simulation-style gameplay and physics. Some, like the famous Need For Speed series, keep mostly realistic but focus more on arcade-style physics in an attempt to make it easier to play. Others, such as the Burnout Series, keep some realism but add an air of insanity through what the focus of the game becomes. Even further along, at the other end of the spectrum we would find the likes of Mario Kart, games completely setting aside realism of almost any kind except for the driven cars still having four wheels (sometimes).

All of these titles and more have something in common: they are very popular in the United States. However, there is one aspect that most racing games have that is not quite as popular. There is a part to every racing game which is utilized, and usually enjoyed, but is almost never the focus. The part to which I am referring is the time trial.

I'm not saying that no one in the United States enjoys a good race against the clock, but what I am saying is they enjoy it now and then. If you can play online, you don't want to do a time trial. Even playing alone, if you can race against some AI controlled cars, you usually do that instead of the time trial. It can be fun, but is it the point of the game? Usually not.

Enter a game which is and has been massively popular in Europe for many years now. Trackmania. A game that revolves around the time trial. Because of this, it has skated mostly under the radar in our country because it's not most people's cup of tea. However, I find this very sad, if I am honest, for if utilized correctly, it is one of the most competitive and comprehensive racing titles you will ever find.

Half-completed loops pointed at finish lines standing above ground level. Yes.

The game thrives on user-creativity. It is based upon a building block track-constructing system where the player can create their own tracks and then not only race on them, but upload them to servers to either share or invite others to play with them. The great thing about this game is that it is almost the same experience playing online as it is playing alone. I wouldn't call online better, it's simply another enhancement.

The reason for this is the way multiplayer works. Yes, you can have more traditional styled races, but it often doesn't work that way.

Players in a game can have a set time limit for the duration of a given track, and will then have as many chances as they want within that time limit to set a winning time. If you have a course that takes only 45 seconds to complete and you have 3 minutes to do it, it can become a king of the hill style game. If the course takes several minutes to complete and you only have half to a whole minute allotted above that time, the stress of being more careful and completing with fewer resets takes over.

Why do I use the term "careful," you ask? I could describe the insanity that can come from the minds of the brilliant track creators that are out there, but I think a couple of pictures sum it up better:



Looks easy enough...



Holy complicated track, Batman!



If any of you decide to go get this game after reading this and want to try this second track, here's a link for you to download it. Sadly enough I couldn't find a link for the first. The point either way is that the tools are available for you in this game to create some amazing things. The second track's fastest completed time is almost 16 minutes. That is a time by masters of this game. There are other tracks which are far shorter but nearly impossible to complete without a reset. I played a track which had a ramp leading to a hovering finish line across the map. To hit the finish, you had to leave the ramp at an exact speed at an exact angle. Figuring those parameters out can take some practice. When you finally get it though, it's so satisfying.

Trackmania is not a new game, first released in May of 2004 (in the US). The original divided into three different environments: Rally, Desert, and Snow, each with their own set of gameplay physics.

The rally environment had a mix of dirt and tarmac for terrain. Handling was about what you would expect for a rally environent: handling was loose, grip was lower in the dirt and a bit better on the tarmac. The speed of the cars was relatively lower compared to other environments. The rally cars were nimble and quick off the line from a standstill though.                                   

The desert setting is full of darting turns on narrow roads in the desert, with a car similar in speed to the rally and snow cars. The desert car, however, can find itself up on two wheels if you turn to hard. The suspension is incredibly loose.                               



The snow cars feel like go-karts on dry surfaces, griping to the road and turning on a dime. Going through a corner feels like threading a needle. Once you hit a section of the "snow" surface though, that all changed. What you experienced over that terrain was lack of almost any grip at all. This made for some interesting strategy on how to approach these sections.

A year later, in May of 2005, Nadeo and Ubisoft released Trackmania Sunrise, which brought updated graphics and features, as well as 3 additional environments: Island, Bay, and Coast. One of the significant features added was the ability to have tracks run at sunrise, mid-day, sunset, or at night.

The Island environment features supercars on wide open, mostly straight circuits. The cars have great grip in a straight line but tend to drift around the corners, a task which can be tricky to master. The speed is most realized in the Island setting.

Coast cars are fairly low speed but feature very low grip to match, therefore turning Coast into the drifting environment. The roads are very narrow, though, similar to the B and C roads you would find in Great Britain, making successful drifting require a very light touch and sight ahead of, not just at the corners.

The Bay world is also high speed, though a bit lower than Island. Bay cars grip under regular turns almost as well as the old Snow cars, though not quite. When first switching to Bay from other modes, one will find themselves oversteering in the corners much of the time and ending up on the inside wall of the corner more often than not. Bay cars also stay airborn somewhat longer than the other two variants of Sunrise.



In early 2006, Trackmania Nations was released. Unlike any of the games before, Nations was a Freeware game. It only had one environment, Stadium, but that was more than enough. The stadium environment featured cars resembling futuristic F1-style cars, matching the racing emphasis in Nations. The online community exploded at the dawn of Nations, and the competitive nature of the game took off right with it. Stadium cars were the easiest to pick up and play, and the environment that Stadium was build around was very conducive to the multiplayer experience. The airborne aspect of the game held a big part in this world. Tracks were designed to feature aspects of an F1 race mixed with the lunacy of a platform racer. Combine it with the fact that it was free to own, and Nations became a classic.

In 2007 Trackmania United was offered, which combined all seven of the previous game variants, with a few upgrades. Late in the same year, the "Forever" update was released, adding more tracks, options, and features to both United and the freeware Nations. The update mostly updated graphics and network capabilities.

Additionally, any tracks that were created by users could be uploaded to the TM Exchange to share, as well as started on a server and raced by anyone interested. The more artistically savvy took the game even further by creating skins for the car, such as found here in the Trackmania Carpark, as well as other places throughout the web. For no charge, you could change any of the cars into anything from a floating pyramid to a Toyota Supra. The better skins even came with engine sounds to match the skin rather than just use the stock car's sounds.

The game did become popular enough for Nintendo to pick up some rights and make versions for both the Wii and 3DS, but the primary gameplay has and probably always will be on the PC.

In August of last year, Trackmania 2 came out, the first variant being "Canyon," as seen above, with announcements of a soon upcoming "Valley." The graphics are far updated (though still not in line with Forza or the like), the track builder was streamlined, and the cars are a little more straight-arcade like to drive. Everything that makes Trackmania what it is remains, though. The online support is there, the format is the same, and the airtime is long.

Trackmania is not a simulator. It is not a straight arcade game. It is an experience unlike most other racing games you will find. Is it the best game ever made? I would have to say no. Is it worth picking up if you have never played it, even though it is an older game now? Absolutely. This one will remain in my collection for years to come.

The Most Confusing Sight Ever

The McLaren MP4-12c is an excellent car. Every review I’ve ever read has praised its tight handling, supercar-worthy acceleration, and surprisingly enough for a supercar, its high level of comfort. However, there has been a bit more debate about the merits of the car’s styling.

The problem in question is over the question of if the car is beautiful, or simply a very handsome ride. Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear once said that the car felt like it was shaped by science, with no art, making it lack a soul.

However, McLaren has now come to the debate to slap a load of confusion over the whole slog. What they have brought are pictures of the MP4-12c Spider. It is a gorgeous thing, but then you realize that they took a car built entirely for performance and did one of the most contradictory things to it: They took its roof off.

Granted, the performance was barely affected, still able to hit its top speed of 204 mph (a massive 3 less than the coupe) with the top down. The car only weighs 88 pounds more than the coupe, as well, bringing it to just under 3300 pounds while keeping its 616 hp twin turbocharged V8.

What does all this mean? Simply put, McLaren took a handsome, crown-piece of engineering and took it to the next level: They made it beautiful, but kept the science. They made it an even more amazing car.

New Miata True Miata?

The Mazda Miata holds an almost obligatory slot in the perfect ten car garage of a would-be gearhead. The reason for this? The car fits the formula of a driver’s car perfectly: Engine up front, stick shift in the middle, and the power goes to the rear wheels. Both nimble and fairly inexpensive, the Miata has always made up for its lack of power through the way it makes you feel in the bends, not to mention that you can actually afford one with ease.

When pictures of what the 2014 Miata will probably look like hit the internet, some devoted lovers began to panic. Would the new, more aggressive styling mean that there would be a large increase in power (and price) to match? Would the inexpensive corner-cruiser of old now be in line with the somewhat bloated heavy hitters of the new?

Well fear not, there will be no need to spend hours trying to find a worthy replacement for that spot in your perfect garage. The Miata will actually be lightened to about 2200 pounds, all the while keeping it’s close to 170 horsepower output. The new engine will be smaller (1.3L) and turbocharged though, but I think we will soon get used to that change.

Soon, we may find ourselves waking up to a Miata that is far different than the car it originally was. For now however, the “Gearhead Godfather” is still the same old, though updated, car we always have and always will love.

The Price of Being Special

A little under a year ago, a Ford Mustang sold at auction for $400,000 at the EAA Airventure festival in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The car was not a perfectly preserved classic, but rather a brand new car. Granted, it was not your standard mustang; it was custom in both looks and performance. The car was themed after the famous Blue Angels, and the interior themed after the flight suits of the pilots. It is a beautiful car, to be sure, but a question that came to mind when I read the story that asked if that was too much. Nearly half a million dollars for a Mustang?
 

The car in question in front of the jets that inspired it

 

2013 GT500



To put it in perspective, a brand new Mustang GT500 won't even cost you a quarter of that price. That car is also essentially the benchmark for value on high performance on the road today.



Aston Martin DBS





Ferrari 458 Italia



Is the weight of that $400,000 auction tag still not clear in your mind? Think about this. You could buy one of the aforementioned GT500's and still potentially buy a supercar on top of it. We're not talking about simply high performance cars or even "cheap" supercars.

Take a look at a list of cars that cost between two and four-hundred thousand dollars and you'll realize that there are a lot of famous cars that you could afford, such as the classy yet performing DBS. You could even afford what is fairly commonly agreed to be the bar-setter for supercars right now, the 458 Italia.  





So now I'll ask you the question that popped into my mind. Is $400k too much for a Mustang?

My answer is that it should be, but surprisingly enough, it's not.

The auction supports the EAA Young Eagles, a program allowing youth ages 8 to 17 to participate in a personalized flight and basic aviation education that they might be otherwise unable to experience. Follow the link to learn more or sign up.

Second, the car has meaning to it. Yes you could buy more for the same amount of money, or put the money to other use, but it is not just a car, it is a collector's item. It is special. Look at any popular item that is or has been available for purchase. There is always a "special" version that someone will pay more for. Add in the fact that a good chunk of the money goes to a good cause, and you have even more justification for the concept. Will there still be those that disagree about the value of a given item? Absolutely. But that's where taste comes in.

So now, a year later, the next special edition from EAA AirVenture and Ford has been announced. It will be the Red Tails Mustang, a tribute to the noble Tuskegee Airmen, World War II's first all-African-American aviation division.

In the above rendering, you can see the styling that has taken inspiration from the P-52 Mustang fighters that the Airmen flew. Features include Recaro racing seats with "Red Tails" logos, both side and rear exhausts, custom wheels from Forgiato, as well as many other features. The 5.0L V8 under the hood is supercharged by a 2.3L Whipple from Ford Racing, and supported by Ford's performance handling pack.

Would a new GT500 be a better value for performance than the $300k to $500k that this car will potentially fetch? Definitely. However, the Red Tails Mustang is not about value for performance. It is about supporting a good cause, and it is about value for meaning. Whoever bids on this car when it goes on auction after the AirVenture festival at the end of July will be bidding on it for what it says, not what it does. As said before, it is a collector's item. It is a tribute to a group of brave individuals. And for whoever gets highest bid, it will be a story for years to come. 

Can Cars Hug Trees?

Let's get one thing straight right off the bat: I am by no means an environmentalist. I don't really think too much about mileage or emissions when I'm consider what I want out of a car. I can't really say that I hate the environment, but I will admit that I have had my moments.


...And see your bad spelling as well, I see...

Jokes aside though, while I don't lose much sleep over it, I truly am all for cars being more environmentally savvy. However, I just don't want them to take my fun away. There are a few auto makers who have heard this cry, and have answered.



 

Hello...



...Beautiful



 Above are the Tesla Roadster (full electric) and the Porsche 918 Spyder (hybrid). Both are examples of fun yet environmentally aware cars. Both are also incredibly expensive. Well, technically the Spyder hasn't been released yet, but I can't imagine it's going to be a thrifty car, to be honest.

The "solution" to this has been the more practical methods, informally known as being boring. The aforementioned Prius makes a good posterchild for this set of cars, seeing as how it has almost turned into a fashion accessory with how popular it is in many circles. A painfully dull fashion accessory.



Hey Look! A City!!!

Solution is a bit of a stretch, though. If you take the economical side of it, there are plenty of smaller, more interesting cars that get just as good mileage. If you want the practicality, there are plenty of diesel sedans that can almost match (if not exceed) it in size and mileage. 

 

"No, I want the environmental saving benefits of the Prius!" the fanboys say. Okay, that's fair enough. Yes, the Prius is cleaner than both of the cars, and hats off to the designers for doing a great job. This will bring us back to cost, though. The most basic is that right now, if something goes wrong with one of the bits that makes the Prius special, it's going to be a pretty penny to get fixed. The real problem though, with both the Prius, and most alternatively fueled cars, is the big picture.

 

 



The Big Picture: And you thought I was just being metaphorical



If one were to be honest with themselves, they would realize that the big picture is what drives the environmentalist movement in the first place. How our entire ecosystem fits together as one connected unit. Well how do these "green" cars fit into that picture? Not so well just yet, if I'm honest.

 

The Prius has components from all over the world, and shipping methods aren't exactly green yet. Alternative fueled cars aren't ready yet either. Ethanol, the corn fuel, cannot be shipped through pipelines because it expires too fast, and therefore must be shipped by trucks.



Not Shown: A Green Vehicle



Not even fully electric cars are a benefit to the big picture. On top of being incredibly impractical because of their current lack of range and lengthy recharge times, in the big picture, they don't entirely help the environment either. The number one polluter in this world is not automotive exhaust fumes. That is the second. Number one, as shown further up the page, is the pollution that comes from electrical production. Getting an electrically powered car will take away your piece of the puzzle from the second largest pollution source, but it simply adds to how much you draw from the biggest pollution center out there.

 

Once again, do not get me wrong. I am not saying that I think Green cars shouldn't exist. I am not even saying that any of the cars that I've mentioned are worthless. They are all steps in the right direction. We need to cut back on the pollution issue eventually. However, until we can effectively redesign our entire energy infrastructure, no tree hugger can truly be at peace with the car they own. And if and when we get to that point, you can be sure there will be another step and a half before a gearhead will fully embrace the movement as well.  

Gearhead's Godfather

The Mazda Miata. One of the greatest yet simplest joys that has ever been accessible to the common car lover. Over the past few months I have had the opportunity to spend numerous hours on the roads of America in this car. I had never had the chance to drive one before, but due to the reports I have heard about it over the years, such as this post by Flappy Paddle Heads, I was anxious to get the opportunity to take one out for a spin. The chance arrived when a friend of mine invited me to fly to Miami to pick up his aunt's 1990 Miata and drive it back up to Michigan with him.



The car in question, outside of one of our hotel rooms

We arrived in Miami on a Friday morning and made our way to the car's residence in a parking garage a few miles from the airport. It had been sitting there for a full year, so the tires had gone low and the 1.6L 4 cylinder engine wouldn't even turn over, let alone give any thought of starting. We ended up having to get a new battery for it before we could even get it out of the garage to fill the tires and change the oil, a task that included walking a three mile round trip to an auto parts store through the muggy and rainy streets of Miami. I carried the nearly 40 lb battery the entire way back. Scratch off one workout.

Several hours later we finally got her on the road, though slightly ashamed of the "I love champagne" bumper sticker that the current owner had left on the car. The Miata isn't known for being the most manly looking car on the road, so that didn't realy help our cause. We knew what other people would see would be two guys, riding in blue miata...loving that champagne...yes indeed!
Knowing full well what image we would be facing for the next thousand miles, we set off, driven by the knowledge that the Miata is a car that brings joy for the driver, though not always the viewer.

The car did not let us down. The first thing I noticed was how comfortable the seats were. Those small seats offered a level of both comfort and support that I did not expect at all. They matched the "just right" driving position the car had, though I did note the last time I was in a car this low it was on my summer camp's go-kart track. I would realize later how accurate a comparison that would turn out to be. 

Once in transit, the light clutch and short shifts allowed us to zip our way in and then out of Miami traffic and out onto the highway with ease. It was at that point that we realized something that we probably should have registered right away: the Miata is a very small car. Obviously we did know this, but this is one bit of information you don't truly realize until you are on the freeway going 65 mph and a speeding semi barrels past you. Suddenly these meandering behemoths of transit that you have known all your life become the most terrifying thing that you have ever encountered.
The fact that it was raining didn't help, which made us realize that the air conditioner wasn't working when we put the top up, further realizing that the soft top created a greenhouse effect inside the cabin.

When the rain finally gave way later in the night, we enjoyed yet another benefit of the car: being a convertible, it kept us awake and alert despite our fatigue as we made our way to Savannah, Georgia to crash in our hotel. That was the last leg of the first part of our trip, and we slept like babies, waking to a gorgeous summer day. However, the four hours up to our next stop in Charlotte, North Carolina provided my friend with a terrible case of sunburn. We did learn about the ability to unzip the rear window of the soft top though, allowing us to garner at least some level of shelter from the sun without fully cooking ourselves in that greenhouse.

The next leg of the trip was a ten hour sprint home to Michigan, which ended up being much more pleasant than one would think a trip that long could be. Driving through West Virginia on I-77 ended up being our favorite part of the trip. The roads wound through the mountains in tight curves. The Miata, however, showed us fully why my go-kart thought from earlier in the trip was such a good one. As other cars on the road slowed for the tight, steep curves on the mountain roads, we kept the throttle on, feeling balanced and sure-footed. Even on a fully stock suspension and tires, it would not let go.

I-77 through West Virginia

That trip took place almost a month ago, and I just got back from another road trip with the car and my friend this past weekend. Our thoughts on the car stay the same. It is a glorious little thing. Far from being a fast car, it makes up for it in truckloads by how it makes you feel. The Miata truly is the "essence of driving." Not to mention how that feeling of being so low to the road in such a light car that handles so well almost brings tears to your eyes.

We might want to take the "I love champagne" bumper sticker off before we let that happen though. Yeah, probably a good idea.

Reign In the Road Trips

Several months have gone by since the last post on this blog. It's been crazy for me, and many things have been left to neglect, this page being a member of that list. However, it has come time to crack down and actually make something out of this. 

Part of what has made the time since I last posted crazy is the number of road trips I have been on. In April, there was a ten hour trip from my home in southwest Michigan to New York City for the New York auto show. Next came a spontaneous road trip from home to St. Louis, leaving at 9:00 pm on a Friday and arriving at about 2:30 in the morning. The next week, first weekend in June, I flew down to Miami with a friend and drove a 1990 Miata back up to Michigan. Fast-forward a couple of weeks and there was a day trip up to Mackinaw Island, five hours there and back in one day. Finally (so far), I just got back last night from another road trip out to New England, once again in that Miata. 

A lot of great stories came out of these trips. As far as car related experiences go though, the Miata has been a highlight. Tales of the trips are to come, as well as my full opinion of the Miata from my time with it. 

Choosing Is Not So Simple

The first thing you need to ask yourself before even thinking about getting a new car is "why am I buying a new car? Is it out of need, or just more of a want?" Truly, this is the first question you should be asking yourself when buying a new car. What this car is going to be to you can make a big difference in what it should actually be.

If you are a gearhead, or are any type of person who thinks of a car as far more than just a means to an end (that end being transportation), then you probably have already asked yourself this question. If not, think about it for a while. Do you really not care much about the four wheeled machine that is going to be taking you from home to work or school, as long as it works? If that is you, then the idea of what to get sounds pretty simple. Unfortunately for you, that assumption is quite wrong.

People who care about cars usually find themselves in a niche. Cars, trucks, SUVs, Vans, Crossovers, etc. Additionally, they more often than not can specialize it even more, such as European cars, Asian imports, or American cars. Within these bounds comes the fine-tuning for preferences in everything from company loyalty to horsepower.

As a person who doesn't really care so much, you will have to decide what you want in a vehicle instead of all that. For example, if all you care about is fuel economy, a small "city car" would work well for you. This is where reality sets in though. If you intend on being rational, more questions must develop. City cars get great mileage, are cheap to insure, and are easy to drive, but lack in performance, road safety, and practicality, to name a few. Buying a car means you have to branch out whether you like it or not. Here's a general guide to car classification for you to get a basic idea of what kinds of cars are available to you. Yes, there are bad cars out there, but there aren't really any "bad" classes. Every person has different needs and wants.

Being a Gearhead: My Heart Is Measured In Revs Instead of Beats

When you have a passion for a subject or item, it can come with a lack of understanding from many of those around you. Without possessing that indescribable fire for yourself, the actions and feelings of those who do will never make full sense to you. It's not that they don’t appreciate the given topic at all, but there's going to be a very significant difference.

A passion for cars are no exception to this concept. Most people view the car simply as a form of transportation and nothing more. Some leave it simply as that, some may enjoy how they look or sound, but as I said, its main and only real purpose is to get you from one location to another. Others, however, have a different view. These folks, myself included, are known as “Gearheads.”


When we go for a spin in our cars, we feel something that no one else does. People use cars to simply go for drives for the fun of it all the time, and to get from point A to point B even more so. For a gearhead though, it's different. Everything is different. We listen to the car almost as if it was a person talking to us. It is therapeutic and a stimulant all at the same time. We drive manuals not because we want to save gas, or even simply for the potential fun it can be. When you drive stick as a gearhead, you can fully feel one with our car. As strange as it sounds, this is important to us.

The news and information about new cars can interest a lot of people, but to a gearhead, it is a beacon for research. How many horsepower, how much torque, 0-60 times, and top speed just aren't enough to us. We want to know the where the engine is mounted, what type of suspension it has, what it revs to, if the traction control can easily be disengaged, how heavy the clutch is...the list goes on and on. Knowing everything about the car is not enough; we want to feel it.

The extremely popular British television show known as Top Gear does an excellent job of capturing what a gearhead is. The show is popular to more than just gearheads (or petrolheads, as they are called in the UK) though. Many people watch the show and enjoy it, yet don't even really like cars all that much. Most watch it to see what the new cars look like, or to find out how they drive, even. However, one aspect of Top Gear in particular transcends the regular car lover and helps define a true gearhead. Throughout the series, the trio of hosts will be in the process of testing a particular car. Throughout the entire segment, they praise the car. When the review is over and it comes time to do a power lap on the show's test track, the car sets a blistering time. But then, when we are returned to the studio, every once and a while, the first thing they will say is "I wouldn't buy one."

Sometimes they have a sensible reason for it, such as it works on the track but is uncomfortable on public roads. Every now and then though, they don't have a tangible reason. It simply feels wrong for some reason. Once it was a Lamborghini that just didn't have the "crazy" feel that a proper Lambo should. Another time it was an Aston Martin that just "didn't feel fast....enough," even though it was definitely a fast car. Sometimes however, there isn't even anything that can have words put to it. It simply is a feeling. That is what makes a gearhead; when you don't just notice how the car feels to drive, it's when the car begins to speak to you. When you begin to feel the car itself.

As with any passion, this is not something that can be explained to a "non-believer" with any real success. However, the point of this blog, for me, is to at least make an attempt at providing you with an insight into some of the topics we gearheads like to discuss. Whether you are a person whose significant other is a gearhead and you want to at least have a clue to understanding some of the things they talk about, a car lover yourself that doesn't have a way with words but wants to be able to explain to others, or just a random internet user who happened to find this blog; I hope that as I continue to add posts, you will find something useful to you. Follow me on Twitter, please suggest any topics you think I should write about.