Car News Articles

Man, am I getting old. I surfed onto The Incredible Hulk on the SciFi channel last night to find David Banner getting all Gamma rayed-up. The Hulk burst through the front of a house. All I could think was, oh my Lord, that’s going to cost a fortune to fix. (My neighbor’s house was recently pulverized by a large green… tree.) Maybe it’s because I’m happily married, or perhaps it has something to do with the WWF, or it could be that episode of House involving hypogonadism, but steroids-run-amok homoerotic imagery just doesn’t do it for me. Sure I understand the appeal of watching someone or something getting mad and busting up the joint. Call it the Shiva the Destroyer Complex. But I want to assure you this site in general and myself in particular take no joy in what’s happening to The Big 2.8. That said, I’ve come to terms with TTAC’s bearer of bad tidings nature a long time ago. While I will endeavor to add some levity to the mix, the U.S. automotive market is going to get a LOT worse before it gets better. And TTAC will be there every step of the way, no-holds-barred. The truth hurts.  

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Sources tell TTAC that the glut of SUVs and trucks is so bad that the banks are not calling in the repo men. I repeat: banks are cutting maximum slack to people who are behind in their loan payments– to the point where some are driving around in their vehicles without making any payments. In a bizarre way, this makes perfect sense. Repo services cost money. Re-conditioning costs money. Storing the vehicles also costs money. Equally important, the banks/credit agencies don’t take the full hit to their bottom line until they sell the vehicle. Needless to say, the market is so stuffed with both brand spanking new and slightly used (i.e. excellent condition) product that we’re talking about a MASSIVE hit. What’s more, our man in the auction biz tells us that many dealers are holding their light trucks until the end of the month– and then selling them without reserve. You can imagine what that’s doing to residuals. If not, check this from Tom Folliard, president and chief executive officer of CarMax: “During the quarter, wholesale industry prices for SUV’s and trucks declined nearly 25%, which is approximately four times the normal depreciation expected over this period and well in excess of the depreciation expected over a full year. This is the most rapid depreciation of any vehicle segment that we have experienced in our 15 years.”

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Okay, the smart camera fitted to your car that reads road signs and displays the speed limit on the dashboard is certainly impressive sounding. But aren’t most people well aware of the speed limit most of the time anyway, and also that there’s a solid line in the middle of the road that means no overtaking? Do we really want reminding? How foolproof is it? What if there’s an error? (’My readout said I was in a 50 limit area not a 30 officer - look for yourself, there it is on the dash.’) And how big a step is it to the car intervening to slow you down if you are exceeding the speed limit?  

It’s clever sounding, but how many customers would coo excitedly over such a feature? And in an already information rich cabin environment, is it really necessary?

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Why choose a Specialist over a Generalist? Independent over Dealer?

As a specialist we know your car better, especially when it comes to the right way to make economical repairs that a general repair shop wouldn’t know about or a Subaru dealer would never consider. Sometimes a vehicle will develop a pattern failure and a real solution needs to be found or a more economical repair procedure can be had.

Through the years we have found solutions to replacing expensive parts by making repairs to existing components rather than just blindly install new ones. We have been able to become very good at repairs and service work by specializing in Subaru and we try to share this experience with our customer with lower labor prices.

We know what parts we can use on your Subaru without sacrificing longevity. Most automakers have become pure design and assemble companies leaving the parts manufacture to other companies. These auto parts companies are free to sell the same parts in aftermarket channels with out the Subaru logo. While in some cases in only makes sense to stick with Subaru parts especially when it comes to slower moving items that may have not been introduced in the aftermarket by the companies that originally made the parts for Subaru. There is also a good chance that the exact replacement part can be found at a 20% savings if you know how to look (we do).

From top to bottom we really know your Subaru well and want to help you get as many trouble free miles out of it as possible. We have seen these cars go well over 300k and I am the owner of a 1992 Legacy with 292k and counting. We take pride in servicing cars with higher miles and often have suggestions to help keep them going. Even though your Subaru may be getting up there in miles don’t discount just how long they will run.

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TURIN, Italy — After a series of pre-releases, Alfa Romeo has finally unveiled full details on its new compact, the Mi.To, named for the cities where it was designed (Milan — Milano in Italian) and built (Turin or Torino).

The Mi.To is the first all-new production Alfa since the 8C Competizione, and will launch in stages in all the major markets, minus the U.S., beginning this July. Essentially, the Mi.To is a Fiat Grande Punto with different sheet metal and a sportier flavor.

It is exclusively available as a just-over-13-feet-long three-door hatchback, and will feature either a 78-horsepower 1.4-liter four-cylinder, a 155-hp turbocharged 1.4-liter or a 120-hp 1.6-liter turbodiesel. All the engines are mated to a six-speed manual transmission, but Alfa plans to offer its innovative double-clutch automatic gearbox sometime after the Mi.To is released.

The vehicle will rely on disc brakes all around for stopping power and features a low ride and reduced roll, thanks to coil-over springs.

Both the inside and outside of the vehicle are very customizable. Seven seat trims, 10 paint colors and five wheel options ranging from 16- to 18-inch variants are offered to create a ride very much unique to the buyer.

Alfa Romeo plans on selling 150,000 units of the Mi.To annually, and is looking to target younger and more urban crowds with this attractive and efficient Mini fighter.

What this means to you: Alfa Romeo’s small hatch is practical and efficient without compromising that sexy Italian style. — Mike Lysaght, Correspondent

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Base Price: Audi R10 TDI Race Car - N/A

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