Car Advice

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I know this sounds crazy but when I use Shell premium gasoline. My car engine wants to die on me. I thought it was just my imagination.



So I tested it out for a month. One week, I would use gasoline from Shell and another week I would use another brand. And sure enough, my car engine stalls almost every time I use Shell.
 
This Tata Motors is on a roll ! <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/08/compressed-air-car-on-track-for-production-this-year/">Compressed air car on track for production this year - Autoblog</a>
 
Oil companies swap base gasoline all the time.....

Let's say I have a refinery in Houston and you have one in Dallas. It makes little sense for me to truck my Houston gasoline to Dallas and for you to truck your gasoline from Dallas to Houston when gasoline is a commodity product. So, I let you draw 100,000 gallons of base gasoline from my storage tank in Houston for your Houston gas stations, and you let me draw 100,000 gallons of base gasoline from your Dallas holding tanks for my Dallas gas stations. That way, we both save on shipping.



Texaco gasoline may have come from a Shell refinery and vice-versa. At a gasoline terminal you may see trucks from up to six different companies all loading at the SAME terminal (that for example may be supplied exclusively by Shell). What comes next, however, is what makes Texaco Texaco and Shell Shell. Additive.

Each company has its own additive and adds it to the base gasoline. So while the base gasoline may be the same, the additive is different, and hence the brand of gasoline you use is different because of the additive, not the base gasoline.
 
<p>Cooper Mini Clubman <a href="http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FirstDrives/articleId=122520">Review on Edmund's</a>:</p>

<p>"Now Mini has brought us an even stranger version of an already eccentric car, a stretched-out model with three doors for people and two doors for cargo. And yet Mini expects the new car to eventually account for more than a quarter of all its sales worldwide.





The crucial question is: Has Mini managed to preserve the qualities that have made its standard model such a hit even as it reaches out to a broader audience with this stretched version of its iconic small car?"</p>

<p><a href="http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/wagons/112_0712_2008_mini_cooper_clubman_s/photo_02.html"><img class="articleImage" style="VISIBILITY: visible" onerror="this.src='/images/100x56_nophoto.jpg'" border="0" alt="" src="http://images.motortrend.com/roadtests/wagons/112_0712_06s+2008_mini_clubman_s+rear_three_quarter_view.jpg" /></a></p>

<p>And from <a href="http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/wagons/112_0712_2008_mini_cooper_clubman_s">Motortrend:</a></p>

<p>"Mini's design job is clever. The longer roof appears flat at first glance, yet there's a gentle curve to it. Like Clubmans of old, access to the cargo bay is via two hinged "barn doors." Besides the squarer look, the exhaust pipes are no longer centered in the rear valance, instead splitting to the sides in a more conventional, dual-exhaust fashion. A spoiler at the top of the rear deck integrates the center high-mounted stoplight. In keeping with the Mini's USP of allowing the owner a wide variety of color combinations, there are many different ways to spec out the body, bumper, roof, and window-surround finishes."</p>

<p>


</p>
 
<p>I like the Clubman, but i'm afraid to such a small car to be priced well into the 30's is not exacly smart. Also on my short list of complaints is the weight. Add the tiny naturally aspirated motor with an small but overweight car and its not a receipe for fun. Hopefully Mini will do something about the weight problem and HP problem.</p>

<p>-bix</p>
 
I guess this is regarding cars. Why the hell does the driver behind you honk when you come to a complete stop at the stop sign? And why does this driver follow you for half a mile and honk again as you make a turn? Are people that angry on the road?
 
And another thing, why do certain drivers tailgate you in the slow lane on the freeways? If they want to drive faster, why not take the fast lane?
 
<p>Profette, </p>

<p> Yep, they SAY that the MSRP will be xxxxxxx, but really i'm sure it will be priced closed to 25k for the normal version and the supercharged motor will be priced at nearly 30k.</p>

<p>The currently lowest model is priced at something like 18k, but when you go to purchase one, the cheapest is easily in the 23-25k for the base model. That is just crazy!</p>

<p>Oh well, we'll see.</p>

<p>-bix</p>
 
<p>The Minis have a low MSRP but the <strong>long </strong>list of options adds up fast. It's frightening how quickly a Mini can become a $30k car when you start putting checks on the options sheet.</p>
 
<p><em>The 2008 Saturn Flextreme may be a concept, but it shows that General Motors is serious about putting advanced, fuel-efficient hybrids on American roads in the not too distant future.</em> </p>

<p><a href="http://autos.aol.com/article/detroit-auto-show/_a/2008-detroit-auto-show-saturn-flextreme/20080109102509990001">2008 Detroit Auto Show: Saturn Flextreme - AOL Autos</a></p>

<p>or</p>

<p>http://autos.aol.com/article/detroit-auto-show/_a/2008-detroit-auto-show-saturn-flextreme/20080109102509990001</p>
 
<p>The Chinese are trying to build cars for the Western markets. I guess they are okay until you get into a crash. I am no car engineer but I think it is a bad sign when the driver ends up in the back seat after a crash or when the driver's head hits the dashboard even though the car comes with an airbag.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dimg2n2Azwg">www.youtube.com/watch</a></p>

<p> </p>
 
I don't know if this has been mentioned here yet or not, but Honda is leasing their new hydrogen car:





<a href="http://automobiles.honda.com/fcx-clarity/">http://automobiles.honda.com/fcx-clarity/</a>





According to the FAQ, Irvine is one of the few cities listed where it is available. Estimated lease is $600/mo
 
<p>Commuter, </p>

<p> The cabin is suppose to isolate the passengers from the impact energy. When the upper doorsil deforms that show that there is little to no isolation of the passengers from the impact energy. Another thing you are also looking for is the amount of rebound the car has after the collision. You want a stiff cabin frame to protect the passengers, but you also want them soft enought to absorb some of the impact. With the fiat, all the impact was resisted and went back into the car (inelastic collision). This is pretty bad because most humans can't withstand that type set-forward and set-back without serious whiplash like injuries. Safer? Well, safter than the Chinese, but nowhere near what the Lexus was....</p>

<p>good luck</p>

<p>-bix</p>
 
Some "future cars". <a href="http://www.metacafe.com/watch/950360/what_ur_future_looks_like/">http://www.metacafe.com/watch/950360/what_ur_future_looks_like/</a>
 
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.bmwusa.com/Standard/Content/BYO/Default.aspx">Build your 1</a>.</p>

<p>Alpine white, taupe leatherette (the animals will appreciate it), and no options whatsoever -- It's all overpriced convenience crap contrary to the mission of the Ultimate Driving Machine. </p>
 
<p>EffenJeep sold. No 4x4 rides for you guys unless you want to hit up Shay. Amusingly, the buyer was a contractor specializing in rehabbing REO's for San Diego banks. He's been busy and is salivating over his business prospects for 2008. He also thinks that the commerical side of the biz will light up this year.</p>

<p>He lamented over all the banks being slow payers yet he's optimistic that banks won't fail left-and-right this year. Hopefully he won't have to get in line at bk court to try to get paid for a $20k job.</p>
 
<img alt="" src="http://img108.mytextgraphics.com/photolava/2008/01/31/1series-49crl9j52.jpeg" />





I had to go with the cashmere silver, and I debated on the sparkling graphite, but because I have silver now, I had to go with it again. And, I kill cows, because you can't get the heated seats you need for snowboard trips, with the leatherette, or you ass might catch on fire. I meant to drop the sport package, because it isn't worth it, but it will be worth it if Koni and Vogtland would come out with a strut/spring after market package. Ut roh... I just noticed the 335i comes in AWD. I'm in trouble, now where did I hide those HELOC checks? Damn... cultural pathology, damn you!
 
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