Wednesday, August 26th, 2009
This was an exciting day. I had trouble holding back from writing yesterday because I wanted to wait for some pictures. I guess it was worth it – now I can write everything in one post.
Okay, here goes…Laura has been driving a 1999 Honda Civic since, well 1999. The car served her well. That is, until I got in it a few days ago to go for a ride. We knew that she needed a new car, we just didn’t know she needed it so soon.
After I drove her car for a few miles, I got out and told her that the last time she drove her car was the last time she was going to drive her car. That means that the car was finished. The front end was loose, the ball joints were worn and the tires were uneven. That was that. It even made some rubbing sound when the car turned to the left. Now, this isn’t to say that the car isn’t going to have a second life somewhere else, it just means that someone else is going to have to make the necessary repairs, not us.
Since we knew a new car was in the works, we had to make a few choices. Over the months, we narrowed things down to three cars. 1. The Honda Pilot, 2. the Subaru Legacy and 3. the BMW 328ix (I thought of this one last). One thing was for certain, we needed all wheel drive. This was an undebatable must. I didn’t want to stand outside on the driveway in my boxers on cold January mornings throwing salt on the driveway anymore. I am sick of that.
Laura kind of had her heart set on the Subaru. She is the type of person who gets used to one thought and really plans on that. It’s like when we used to walk by each other in college over and over and over again. I guess I wore her down and she finally went out with me. Anyway, she had been looking at the Subaru website for a while and seemed to be content with getting the Legacy. She wanted to visit a dealer to give the car a once over, so when her Honda finally gave out, we could just run over fast and pick one up. Yeah, that was before I drove the Honda and realized that she really shouldn’t be driving it, especially in the snow and rain.
Yesterday, we went over to the Honda dealer in Manchester, CT. We talked to a sales guy and took a Honda Pilot out for a test drive. I must say, the car drove beautifully. If you are in the market for an SUV, you should really check out the Pilot. It’s quiet and roomy. I liked it and Laura liked it, she just didn’t think she could fit in some of the more “skinny” parking spaces around here and there. I agreed and figured that we already had an SUV, so why get another one. It was good to get out there and drive one though, just to get it out of our systems.
For a few days, I had been really talking up the BMW. I wasn’t really sure about the Subaru anymore, just because I had already fallen in love with the BMW brand. I don’t care, tear the logo off the damn car and toss it on the ground. The cars are awesome and it’s really hard to go back to something else once you drive one. It’s so stupid, I know.
Since we were in the test driving mood and I had her in the car, I drove her over to New Country BMW in Hartford. This is the place I bought my car. It was so exciting. I love going to this dealership because everyone is really cool and they show you all the neat cars. I even got to bring Laura back into the service area for some quick pictures of the shop. That was awesome.
When we got there, I saw the guy who sold me the X5. He no longer works in sales, but introduced me to the sales guy I had secretly been talking to on the phone. Oh they were only too happy to see me. I asked if he was in the mood to take a quick ride in a 3 series, just so I could get Laura acclimated to the feeling of driving the ultimate driving machine. He was like, “Hell yeah, let’s go.” I drove, she liked, we made an offer. The highway is the perfect place to try out one of these road hugging pieces of perfection.
I know you don’t care about all my writing. You just want to see pictures of the New 2009 BMW 328i xDrive sedan. I’d be amazed if you even got through what I just wrote.
Okay, here you go…Laura’s new car (that I get to drive whenever I want).
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New Country BMW in Hartford CT showroom
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New 2009 BMW 328i xDrive sedan
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Back of 2009 BMW 328i xDrive sedan
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xDrive logo of 2009 BMW 328i xDrive sedan
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Front grill of 2009 BMW 328i xDrive sedan
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2009 BMW 328i xDrive sedan leatherette interior
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New Country BMW in Hartford service shop
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New Country BMW in Hartford service shop huge fan
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2009 BMW 328i xDrive engine
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BMW logo
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2009 BMW 328i xDrive sedan front end
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2009 BMW 328i xDrive sedan front side view
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2009 BMW 328i xDrive sedan rear side view
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2009 BMW 328i xDrive sedan radio and climate control
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2009 BMW 328i xDrive sedan steering wheel and gauges
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Thursday, January 29th, 2009
Here is a list of famous left handed people. I think this is pretty interesting. Be sure to notice the last name on the list. I would say it sure makes you wonder. About what, I am not sure about that.
- James A. Garfield
- Herbert Hoover
- Harry S. Truman
- Gerald Ford
- Ronald Reagan
- George H.W. Bush
- Bill Clinton
- Barack Obama
- Benjamin Franklin
- Steve Forbes
- Ross Perot
- Nelson Rockefeller
- Joan of Arc
- Alexander the Great
- Julius Caesar
- Napoléon Bonaparte
- Prince Charles
- Henry Ford
- Ted Koppel
- Caroline Kennedy
- David Letterman
- Jay Leno
- Bart Simpson
- Jimi Hendrix
- Paul McCartney
- Jay G
Oh, the list goes on and on. I bet I can make an even bigger list of famous right handed people. For the full list of famous left handed people, check over here.
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Tuesday, September 30th, 2008
Jay G writes for a wide selection of websites on various topics. He is a veteran of the internet and has come to be respected in his many areas of expertise. This article was written on behalf of AutoLeeg, a popular car classifieds website.
Buying a Used Car Online
There are a couple of major benefits to buying a used car online. You do not have to spend hours going from one dealership to another. Even better, you will not have to deal with overly pushy salespeople attempting to sell you more than you can logically afford. You can always look through your local newspaper’s online automotive classified website.
Tip #1 – Before Buying a Used Auto
Before buying a used car online, learn everything you can about what it should and could include. Learn about both standard and optional automotive equipment and the fair market value for the used car. Also, consider your budget. Knowing how much you have available before you start looking will help narrow down your choices. You will also be less tempted by an unaffordable auto.
Examine exactly why you want to buy a used car. The way you will use it can have a big impact on what type of auto you purchase. If you need an automotive for family outings or carpooling, a 2-seater sports car will not work.
Tip #2 – Questions to Ask Auto Seller
Ask the seller the following questions before buying an automotive online:
* Why are they selling the car? Beware if their reason seems unreasonable.
* Do you have service records? Having the service records will let you know what required services have and have not been completed. This will help you determine possible costs after you have purchased the auto.
* Is the title in the seller’s name? It can be difficult and time consuming to get the title changed from a previous owner. Another possibility is that you or the seller may be unable to locate the previous owner
* Are there any liens attached?
* Can I have an independent mechanic physically inspect the used car?
* Can I test drive the used car before buying it?
Tip #3 – Pictures of the Used Auto
Whenever possible, check out the used car in person. Otherwise, ask for pictures of the vehicle from every angle possible (inside and out), including the engine. Although not a sure-fire way to verify if the seller is being completely honest, this can help you to avoid some surprises. Even with pictures, you still need to be careful. Read over the original description of the used car and verify that it matches the one in the photo.
Tip #4 – CarFax Automotive Report
Ask the seller for the vehicle identification number, which you will need to run a CarFax report. This is a necessary step to protect you from fraud. A CarFax report will show you most major completed repairs and whether the car has been involved in an accident. If the report shows the vehicle has been in a bad accident, but the seller says the car is in tip-top shape, consider buying a different vehicle.
Tip #5 – Automotive Pricing
Before shelling out money or agreeing to a sales price, visit the Kelly Blue Book or Edmunds website to find the fair market value of the auto. Do this after you have seen pictures of the car so that you can be accurate about the car’s condition. Keep in mind that the sales price listed online probably does not include sales tax, registration, financing fees, or licensing and title fees.
Tip #6 – Where to Buy a Used Auto
You have several options regarding where to buy a used car online. Try looking through online automotive classified ads or on dealer websites. Another possibility is visiting online auto auction sites. Whichever way you choose, always follow the previously provided tips before making a purchase.
For many reasons, buying a car online can be much trickier than buying one in person. This is especially true when you decide to buy a non-local car, as you normally will not be able to see the car in person before you get it. Following the tips above can do away with many of the pitfalls.
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Wednesday, January 9th, 2008
Foreign press leaks pics of New Saab SUV concept car
Saab’s putting out a new small SUV to compete with the BMW X3 and Land Rover LR2 Freelander. It’s called the 9-4X, and a prototype will be shown at the Detroit Auto show next week. The first pics hit the web ahead of schedule. Not bad looking, but does the world need another small SUV?
2010 Ford Mustang GT spied, sporting GT500 wheels?
Jalopnik was the first to bring you pictures of a heavily camouflaged 2010 Ford Mustang and now they’re going up-powered. They’re the first to bring pictures of a similarly camouflaged 2010 Ford Mustang GT…and it appears to be sporting GT500 wheels.
Toyota reveals A-BAT El Camino-like concept pickup truck
It’s a truck-car from Toyota that looks like it was formed via a menage-a-truck between the Honda Ridgeline, the Chevy Avalanche and a Toyota Prius.
Exploding the new Corvette ZR1’s LS9 engine
An exploded view of the 620+ HP supercharged LS9 engine from the newly revealed 2009 Corvette ZR1 just to show how it ticks. Here’s every single part in the engine — in detail — for all to see.
5 Things you need to know about the new Corvette ZR1
This cocktail party cheat sheet might come in handy this week. Among the weirder things: the Ferrari Enzo’s front brakes are the new Corvette’s rear brakes, and a special paint coating for the roof cost GM over $60,000 per gallon.
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Friday, January 4th, 2008
Hey, remember that time I wrote a post about Jeff’s 1970 351 Cleveland engine rebuild in his Ford Mustang Mach 1? Yeah, those were the good old days, weren’t they? Man oh man…
Oh well. Anyway, he got the engine block back from the machine shop with a pretty little bow on it. I just love stuff when it comes back from the machine shop. In goes some dirty piece of metal and a dream and out comes a new looking and shiny piece of metal. I can understand how some people wouldn’t care too much about an engine block, but c’mon, go rebuild one yourself and tell me if you don’t care after that. It’s quite an experience.
Blah, blah, blah…ok, to the pictures…
These two photos are of the engine block after it was returned from the machine shop. Ooohhh, how nice. Do you remember what it looked like? Here’s a reminder.
These are the new camshaft bearings that were pressed in.
These are some before and after photos of the crankshaft bearing caps.
This is a before and after picture of a piston and rod. Pretty cool, huh? Of course, the engine won’t stay this color. It’s going to get painted, so we’ll have to wait to see what that looks like.
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Tuesday, January 1st, 2008
My brother has gotten to the point of rebuilding the engine of his 1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1. The engine is a 1970 351 Cleveland that was built on Aug 10, 1969. That’s a pretty long time ago.
I gave Jeff a call yesterday and he told me about what he was doing. I got excited, because it reminded me of the days when I was cool…rebuilding engines of my own. I am partial to Chevy small blocks, but I guess Fords are ok too. I remember every detail of rebuilding all my engines. It is quite interesting, because you get to see how everything works and how different parts have different effects on performance.
So, here is what he told me. He pulled the engine a while back. He recently took the heads off to measure the bore of the cylinders. This is important because if the bore of the cylinders is too large, that means the cylinders are worn and they need to be bored out. You hear this kind of talk a lot among 16 year olds that ride 2-stroke dirt bikes. They are always talking about “boring out” their engines. I know this, because I was one of them (16 year old, that is). Remember, if measuring the diameter of the cylinders, make sure you take the measurement more than a half-inch down, inside the cylinders. The top half-inch of the cylinder doesn’t get touched by the piston rings…the part that wears the cylinder.
Anyway, there is another important measurement that Jeff needed to take, and that was the diameter of the bottom of the cylinder compared to the top of the same cylinder. This is a measurement to see if the cylinders are “tapered,” meaning, one part of the cylinder is worn more than the other. Since this is kind of a tough measurement to take, Jeff brought the engine down to his local machine shop. He is getting a bunch of work done to the engine down there. Here is a list of what they are going to do:
- Measure the cylinder diameters (like I described above)
- If ok, (which they are…it was already done) hone the cylinders the proper way for the type of rings that will be installed
- Clean the outside of the engine block and heads
- Flush the inside of the engine block and install new freeze out plugs
- Install new camshaft bearings
- Give the cylinder heads a valve job
- Install hardened valve seats to allow for unleaded gasoline
I am probably missing something. I forget a lot in these later years of life. In any event, this is all the stuff that requires professional attention. Jeff can take care of the other stuff, like installing the camshaft, the timing set, etc… All that takes in a steady hand and a torque wrench. I am sure the engine will come out very nicely. Jeff is currently looking for genuine Ford colored engine paint, to get the color just right. This is important with an engine like this because it is going to be restored to original specs. With a “matching numbers” car like this, you can’t make mistakes like painting the engine the wrong color.
Here are some “before” photos of the engine:
Jeff is also sending the carburetor out to Pony Carburetors for a total rebuild. Apparently, their rebuild techniques take a lot of natural issues out of the carburetor. I am sure there will be a post dedicated to that alone.
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