Armchair Tourism, Part 7

Houston,Tx: This Cadillac is in the running for the "most atrocious customization" award.Whats WORSE? The cheesy spare tire on the back? The exaggerated spoke wheels? Or the useless chrome stripes along the back? Don't bother responding to that question, because there is no correct answer.All 3 are horrible. Added together, it's a rolling eyesore.This is the rare occasion in which I've found a customized car that I actually HOPE gets scrapped..... and soon!

Armchair Tourism, Part 6

A few posts back, I included a street view shot of a Ford Cortina, and stated that I would continue looking through England in hopes of finding a Vauxhall Chevette. Well, speak and I shall find.
On the left we have one,in Grantham.This looks like the high-performance version (HS),which explains why someone bothered to hold on to it. The nose has clear Opel origins and the basic shape is similar to that of its North American Chevrolet cousin of the same name.It most closely resembles the Brazilian Chevrolet Chevette,though.
UK Chevettes are more exciting finds than Cortinas because they are even rarer. As of the last quarter of 2012, only 755 were known to remain, and I don't have data for the HS edition.I was skeptical I'd find one on Google at all, but I did.Where to next?

Armchair Tourism,Part 5

Some news from the street view front. The kingdom of Lesotho in Africa can now be seen on Google. Quite honestly, its a bit depressing.Crude, tin shanties line sparsely driven roads in some truly impoverished conditions.Most of the vehicles I've seen so far have been cheaper pickups, 1980s and early 90s Toyota taxicabs, and very old, incomplete compacts, often on cinderblocks. There are only five or six thousand registered vehicles in this small country, but the actual number is probably quite a bit higher when you add up the cars that have sat abandoned for many years, stripped and overgrown.
In the midst of such poverty and despair, I found an actual classic,slowly dying in a virtually car-free neighborhood. A 1970s Cadillac,which no one can afford gas for.How such a car got there is anyones guess, and maybe the mystery is half the excitement of discovering it.
Due to the excessive thirst for fuel these cars were famous for, and total lack of availability for parts in this area,It's probable that this Cadillac will never return to the road, so long as it remains in tiny Lesotho.

Armchair Tourism, Part 4

Searching Google for interesting car sightings can be interesting because you won't know what you'll find, and some places have a lot more unexpected cars than others.Viewing streets in Texas is a littlle bit more promising than someplace in, say, New England or Minnesota.
Texas is second only to California for vehicle registrations. That means there is only 1 state with more cars than Texas. Add to that the fact the Texas does not use road salt and you can expect a better variety. Fewer risks of rust and warmer weather means older, rarer cars are more common and in use.
So I was looking at the neighborhoods in Copperas Cove and, in a typical suburban neighborhood with ordinary cars, this shows up. Its an Isuzu Impulse, a car that was never very common even when it was new. This one has tinted windows and black wheels for a more menacing appearance. We have to wonder what the owners future plans are for this car. Seeing as there's a Honda Civic tuner special in the driveway, I'm sure he has something in store for the Isuzu.
For what its worth, the mountainous terrain on the outskirts of Copperas Cove looks absolutely amazing.

Forgotten Finds, Part 3

1977 FORD PINTO SPORT CRUISER WAGON - $2500 (MERCED)

I have a super clean 1977 Ford Pinto Sport Cruiser Wagon for sale. It has had a lot of work done to it. The motor is a 302ci with a c4 trans. Both have under 10k mi. on them. I has an 8in rear that I belive is limited slip. New tires were put on last week with under 100mi. on them (I had to replace the tires because this thing is a tire burner folks). At this time I only have the one photo. I will send more upon request. Any questions feel free to call.
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Ok, I confess. I like Pintos.Yes, they are one of the most ridiculed cars in history. And most hated. But the opportunities are unlimited. When new, they were available in a wide array of trim packages, options and color patterns. Available body styles were Wagon and 2 door hatchback.
One package was the "Cruising Wagon" with a porthole window on the side. These usually had overdone disco paint jobs.Very few looked alike. Clearly, it was attempt to cash in on the "sport van" craze of the era using a compact wagon instead of a van.Considering that Ford got its start by offering Model T's in "any color as long as its black", the variety of appearances and colors you could get on a Pinto from the factory was a far cry from the company's old days. No company today offers such artistic possibilities. It isn't financially sustainable.As much as the automotive media hates 70s car,and Pintos in particular,these cars offered a sense of free-spirited individuality that were a bright spot of the 70s.
Of course, there was the belief that Pinto's blew up when hit from behind, a theory that was possibly debunked but definitely affected the cars reputation even to this day.
Eventually people realized that Pinto's made great race cars.....and demolition derby contestants. Those that weren't crashed in mass quantities for sport or didn't rust in just a few short years (which Pintos were famous for) were often tubbed for the track, and that has kept a surprising number of them in existence today.Less common are quirky original "special editions" like this one.Nowadays, we look at it and think it's ridiculous, but in the 70's this was trendy.People interested in joining the collector car hobby likely aren't going to consider a Pinto, but for the price's these cars run,you'll get a very unique,attention-getting oldie for much less than more common Corvettes and pony cars.And that's another reason I like Pinto's. Great bang for the buck if your getting into the old car hobby, either as a cruiser or racer.Forget image, a Pinto can get you onto the local cruising strip or amateur raceway at the lowest possible cost.
An "interesting" looking car for the right buyer at a price almost unheard of for a collectible.Someone needs to preserve this reminder of a time when cheap cars were as fun as the owners made them to be, and cheap cars alone created a fun lifestyle despite the challenges of the times.

Autopinion-Ford Fusion

Ford used to know what it felt like being near the top of the sedan heap.From the mid-80s into the 2000's, the Taurus was one of America's best selling cars. Though just mediocre and not as modern or refined as the Japanese competition, the Taurus offered the right size and options for it's price. Despite solid sales, it was dropped in favor of nicer, more modern cars (500 anyone?). The name has returned on a slightly more upscale sedan, and in its old spot is the Fusion. It was enough to return Ford to the top-10 "best-selling" list and a competent American competitor to the perennially top-selling Toyota Camry, if not the great looking Honda Accord.While well-received, styling just wasn't as pretty as that of similar foreign cars and was just as boring.
Not so anymore.
One of my complaints about the Fusion, until now, was the front-end styling. It looked odd and rather unattractive. Ford has cleaned it up with a less imposing grille and long,wide headlights.A much smaller, and vastly better-looking, Ford oval has been properly placed so as not to cheapen the appearance or detract from the more upscale styling.
In back, the tall, odd taillights have been made smaller and wider. As a result, the 2 least attractive elements of the design have been remedied.The low,sleek roofline doesn't actually look bad because the European-styled headlight and taillight designs are very compatible with the cars overall shape.
Inside, there is a sloped dashboard that might take some getting used to for some drivers, but is an effective combination of luxury and sportiness. Gauges have been properly designed to reflect the car's style and position in the lineup. Unlike of the cheap, basic Taurus of old, the new Fusion seems to have more in common with mid-grade sport-sedans like the Chrysler 300 or departed Pontiac Grand Prix.This is the realm in which the new Taurus is supposed to be,so Ford may have oversaturated it's lineup with comparable cars that sort of overlap each other.
Honda may still be the king of this category with the Accord. Toyota sells bundles of Camry's but those are dull.Chevrolet had a great product with the Impala but its also been bland and ugly over the last few years.Ford has taken their bland car and transformed it into a Jaguar clone.As a guy who always thought Fords were boring and Chevy's were cooler, I have to come clean and say that Ford outdid Chevy here and are offering their nicest design ever.They could have badged this as a Lincoln and nobody would have complained.Prices start at around $22,000 but can go well beyond the $30,000 mark. The Fusion looks every bit a $22-30,000 car, but will people be willing to pay the higher prices for a car known as a generic family sedan? And how will it impact Taurus sales (and vice versa)? All good questions to ponder.From a sheer styling perspective, though, Chevy and Toyota need to be afraid. Ford has hit a home run and outdone themselves.

Comments from others

You know you've hit the big time when famous people mention your blog. It is with great pride that this little blog has caught on and gotten some attention. Following is a collection of quotes about these writings:

"If I would have known that such blogs would exist, I would have invested my time into something else. However, I'm sure Colin would have disgraced that industry too with a similar journal".  -Henry Ford

"Colin is as knowledgeable about cars as I am ignorant about baseball".--Cal Ripken,Jr

"Know about cars, I do not. Colin's blog, all I read is."--Yoda

"Actually, I'll say it. Folks, Barack Obama is a better president than Colin is an automotive blogger."--Rush Limbaugh

"After reading this blog, I realized something. Did you know that Colin has been wrong about cars more often than Lindsay Lohan has wrecked them?"-- Jay Leno

"This guy isn't even qualified to write an automotive column for "Amish Life" magazine."--Adam Carolla

"We are afraid to put an ad out out there seeking automotive journalists. We fear Colin will keep sending in more applications than our trash can will hold."--Car And Driver

"Colin hath not learned-Thou shalt not write about that whench thou doth not knoweth."--William Shakespeare

"Colin is an ever bigger blockhead than Charlie Brown."--Lucy, of "Peanuts"

"Gee, and I thought I didn't know anything...this person is worse"-- (The aforementioned) Charlie Brown

"I pity the fool wo wastes time reading this jibber-jabber."--Mr.T

"There's more malarky on Colin's blog than I heard in Paul Ryan's debate speech."--Vice Pres.Joe Biden

I want to thank everyone for their comments and helping to get the word out!