Karl on Cars
Road Trips
July 21, 2009
I just returned from an 1,100-mile towing adventure involving our long-term 2009 Dodge Ram 1500
and my 1970 Plymouth GTX. In terms of drama it had to be one of the most boring tow trips I've experienced. The Dodge proved extremely capable over the mountain passes between Denver and Los Angeles, and even the triple-digit temps in Arizona and Nevada didn't upset the truck's cool, collected demeanor.
But not all my towing adventures have been so blissful. So for the benefit of those who like to learn from others' screw-ups, I present 5 Towing Tales to Terrorize:
1. When I was about 8 my aunt gave my oldest brother her car. It was a 1954 Chrysler New Yorker station wagon. It was actually in pretty good shape overall, but the engine wouldn't run so my Dad decided to tow it home...from Pennsylvania to Colorado...with our family station wagon and all of us aboard. It was going well until the Chrysler came unhooked in Kansas. At night. In the middle of a blinding snow storm. It took awhile to locate it, but thankfully it had landed in a famer's field with no real damage. We talked to the farmer, left it there, and eventually had it towed the last 500 miles by someone who knew how to properly hook up a tow bar.
Continue reading...
- Posted by
- Permalink | Comments (6)
- Karl Brauer July 21, 2009, 6:00 AM
- Categories:
- Dodge, Driving, Muscle Car, Road Trips, Talk Back Tuesday
- Technorati Tags:
- Towing Tow Stories
July 14, 2009
I recently spent a week's vacation driving a 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T. It was my mount of choice for a family vacation that took me through New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania (it's near Tionesta and the Allegheny National Forest in the photo above).
Yes, you read right: a 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T was my requested family car for a vacation. The same two-dour, Hemi-powered muscle coupe that is supposed to represent high-performance and heritage in the Dodge line-up.
Now why would I subject myself (and my family) to a week of pounding out hundreds of miles in a modern hot rod? For the same reason my wife drove a 1970 Plymouth GTX for over two years after we were married, and a 2002 Mini Cooper for 18 months when our kids were ages 2 and 4. Of course it's obvious -- I like torturing them.
Continue reading...
- Posted by
- Permalink | Comments (15)
- Karl Brauer July 14, 2009, 6:00 AM
- Categories:
- Dodge, Muscle Car, Retro Revivals, Road Trips, Talk Back Tuesday
- Technorati Tags:
- 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T Family Car Cool
June 30, 2009
It's summer time, and that means everyone, (including me) is traveling the country, taking in the sights and visiting new (or maybe old, familiar) places. I'm personally spending today flying to New York City to enjoy the sites and sounds of that singular metropolis. Even more exciting, I'm picking up a new, 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T as my ride around the Big Apple.
As you may have guessed, this is a press vehicle. However, according to the window sticker (it was faxed to me last week) this Challenger is equipped almost exactly as I would equip one for myself -- right down to the Deep Water Blue color. On one hand I'm thrilled to be driving a performance car I'm personally drawn to, but on the other I don't really think of New York as a car town. It's crowded with narrow streets, lots of stop lights and no where to park. Heck, you can't even drive through Time Square anymore.
That got me thinking. If I had access to this Deep Blue Challenger R/T and could go to any city to enjoy it, where would I go?
Continue reading...
- Posted by
- Permalink | Comments (9)
- Karl Brauer June 30, 2009, 6:00 AM
- Categories:
- Dodge, Driving, Muscle Car, Road Trips, Talk Back Tuesday
- Technorati Tags:
- Talk Back Tuesday America's Real Car Town
December 30, 2008
If you've read Thomas Friedman's latest rantings
in The New York Times you already know the only way to save the world from multiple calamities is to kill the SUV -- ASAP -- through taxation. In this week's op-ed piece he calls for gas taxes, carbon taxes, and whatever else it takes to "permanently change consumer demand."
Funny, but I'm just old-fashioned enough to think the proper way to change consumer demand is through free-market forces, but I know that's an unpopular philosophy these days.
For the record, it was not too little government regulation that caused the current housing and credit meltdown but too much. Tell banks to give everyone a loan without considering the risk (because the government will pick up the tab on any defaults) and guess what? Banks gave out too many bad loans! Obviously the only way out of this mess is more government intervention...
But that's a topic for another day. For now let's focus on Friedman's insistence that Americans must be force-fed small, fuel-efficient cars whether they want/need them or not.
Continue reading...
- Posted by
- Permalink | Comments (60)
- Karl Brauer December 30, 2008, 3:00 AM
- Categories:
- Chrysler, Hybrid Vehicles, Road Trips, Talk Back Tuesday
- Technorati Tags:
- Kill The Chrsyler Aspen Hybrid SUV
October 17, 2008
It's not everyday I can drive a Ford GT through the more picturesque parts of California with a like-minded enthusiast. Okay, technically I can drive the car wherever I want whenever I want to, but in reality my schedule leaves precious little time for galavanting around The Golden State's backroads.
However, earlier this week I managed to escape the daily routine and meet up with friend and co-worker, Brent Romans, for a romp through California's central valley. Our mounts of choice? One 2005 Ford GT and one 2008 Chevrolet Corvette (with six-speed manual transmission and Z51 suspension package).
Continue reading...
- Posted by
- Permalink | Comments (10)
- Karl Brauer October 17, 2008, 2:00 PM
- Categories:
- Chevrolet, Driving, Ford, Ford GT, Road Trips
- Technorati Tags:
- Ford GT Chevrolet Corvette Drive
August 15, 2008
I'm one of the lucky ones. I get to spend the next three days wondering around picturesque Monterey Peninsula looking at exotic sports cars and vintage racing machines.
If you've never been to the Pebble Beach Concours or Monterey Historic Races you can still call yourself a "car guy" -- but your status remains provisional versus certified. Conversely, even if you have attended this long weekend of car-bauchery your car-guy status is by no means guaranteed. I've seen too many obvious posers at this event, as the wealthy-but-bored often have nothing better to do this time of year.
I've attended this event (series of events, really) two or three times, but I prefer to take a few years off between visits simply because the crush of crowds and traffic is beyond my annual tolerance level. It's sort of like a trip to Europe. Exciting and entertaining, but not something I want to experience every 12 months.
The above shot is from Concorso Italiano, which is a must-do event if you have even a molecule of Italian car passion. I'm always assured of getting my 275, Daytona and F40 fix addressed by walking Concorso's aisles, which is reason enough to attend.
Continue reading...
- Posted by
- Permalink | Comments (20)
- Karl Brauer August 15, 2008, 6:00 AM
- Categories:
- Auto Shows, Road Trips
- Technorati Tags:
- Concorso Italiano, Monterey Weekend, Pebble Beach
July 21, 2008
I'm back after 2,200 miles, six days and two high-school reunion events in Denver.
I'll chronicle the Ford GT's road trip aspect in our long-term blog, but let's just say the car was trouble free and an easy partner to live with during the journey (big surprise, right?).
As for the 20-year high-school reunion, the thought of bringing my 1970 Plymouth GTX back to Denver last summer, and then driving it to the event this summer, worked out pretty well. The first of two night's reunion festivities took place at Braun's Bar & Grill in downtown Denver. I arrived at the event early to beat traffic and try to get a decent parking space (limited parking downtown because of early preparations for the DNC in Denver next month). Much to my surprise, I actually ended up with "showroom" parking right next to the entrance.
This made it tough to miss the car, and plenty of people remembered it from two decades ago. Lots of "As soon as I saw that car I knew you were here" and "I can't believe you still have it. Very cool!" comments.
BTW, despite the GTX's 11-month "nap" since last August it fired right up after a night on a Battery Tender, and it ran great while I was back there. Can't wait to bring it back to L.A. this fall.
Continue reading...
- Posted by
- Permalink | Comments (7)
- Karl Brauer July 21, 2008, 6:00 AM
- Categories:
- Ford, Muscle Car, Road Trips
- Technorati Tags:
- Ford GT, Plymouth GTX
July 15, 2008
I'm driving the Ford GT (pictured above on the assembly line in June 2005) back to my 20-year high school reunion in Denver this week. You can follow the details of the trip on twitter
if you're really bored.
There are a number of reasons I could list for this action. It provides great blog content. Edmunds will pay the gas bill. The car's warranty runs out in August, meaning this is my last chance to really utilize the car with some level of factory protection against mechanical defects.
But I think we all know the best reason -- to do what The Bandit did best: Show Off.
I was a certified car guy back in high school. Actually it started in junior high, when I drove my 1969 Plymouth GTX to the last day of 9th grade (so what if I only had my permit at the time). By 11th grade I owned a second, 1970 GTX. Between the two of them I had the most notorious cars in high school. The '69 was sold during my senior year, but the '70 GTX is still in my possession and already back in Denver, waiting for the festivities. The reunion schedule includes two night events and one daytime event, giving me ample opportunity to drive (show off) both cars.
Continue reading...
- Posted by
- Permalink | Comments (39)
- Karl Brauer July 15, 2008, 6:00 AM
- Categories:
- Ford, Muscle Car, Road Trips, Talk Back Tuesday
- Technorati Tags:
- Ford GT, High School Reunion
May 27, 2008
Sumer is here (yeah, technically not until June 21st, but we all know it starts with Memorial Day), and the question today is simple:
Have your summer vacation plans been impacted by the price of gas?
I'm one of those freaks who actually enjoys driving across the country, and I felt this way long before the body-cavity-search/pay-extra-for-luggage/no-food-provided/no-water-allowed days of air travel.
Now it takes a pretty unique situation for me to board an airplane (like, say, having an ocean in the way). The bummer is, fuel prices have made it nearly as costly to drive as it is to fly, depending on the distance you're traveling and how many folks you're jamming into the car/minivan/SUV.
Continue reading...
- Posted by
- Permalink | Comments (28)
- Karl Brauer May 27, 2008, 6:00 AM
- Categories:
- Fuel Efficiency, Road Trips, Talk Back Tuesday
February 21, 2008
I worked with the folks over at Parents Magazine to pick the Top Family Cars of 2008. The magazine just hit newsstands, but if you want to save trees you can read the article at the publication's Web site.
We focused on the items you would expect to find in a solid family vehicle, including strong safety scores, family friendly features and adequate interior space for child-related detritus (car seats, sippy cups, Hanna Montana backpacks). The usual suspects are all here, including the Honda Odyssey, Toyota Highlander and Dodge Grand Caravan. But we also picked winners in the sedan category (Fusion, Malibu), the small car category (Civic) and the value category (Kia Rondo).
Continue reading...
- Posted by
- Permalink | Comments (5)
- Karl Brauer February 21, 2008, 7:00 AM
- Categories:
- Driving, Road Trips, Safety Systems
August 23, 2007
After 10 days and over 2,000 miles my family and I are safely back in Los Angeles, courtesy of our long-term Chevrolet Tahoe. There is essentially nothing to report on the "problem" side of the equation. The navigation system was annoying me, and the driver's mirror is loose, but you can read the details in the long-term update.
I love doing the Los Angeles-to-Denver drive, and try to do it at least once a year. It's a great reminder of how big this country is, and how not everything revolves around the two Coasts and the people who live there (a concept most residents of the Coasts can't honestly grasp). Talk to people in St. George or Grand Junction and they likely haven't ever heard of David Beckham (and don't care about him -- or his wife -- even if they have).
Continue reading...
- Posted by
- Permalink | Comments (16)
- Karl Brauer August 23, 2007, 6:00 AM
- Categories:
- Chevrolet, Reader Feeder, Road Trips
August 16, 2007
After two days and 1,000 miles my 1970 Plymouth GTX is safely tucked in at its new home in Denver, Colorado. My Dad has room for the car in his garage, and next year I'll be attending my 20-year high-school reunion. I've had the GTX since 1986, and the pair of us were well known throughout my junior and senior year (I don't know if it was really the fastest car at my school, but I know I never lost a race). I'm looking forward to showing up with the GTX next year, as plenty of people asked about it during the 10-year reunion...
Continue reading...
- Posted by
- Permalink | Comments (13)
- Karl Brauer August 16, 2007, 6:00 AM
- Categories:
- Muscle Car, Road Trips
July 17, 2006
There's a joke about going on vacation: "You have to work twice as hard the week before and the week after a vacation in order to go on vacation." I won't go into all the work I did to prep for this family trip, but I can tell you how much work it took to restore our long-term Jeep Commander
to "non-family-vacation" condition. You can probably already imagine what a family of four, living in a car for 7,000-plus miles, will do to it, but if not I've included one image from the second row area. I spent about an hour going through the car's interior with all the various attachments on our Hoover vacuum. Then I spent another 30 minutes going through the interior with paper towels dipped in hot water...
Continue reading...
- Posted by
- Permalink | Comments (1)
- Karl Brauer July 17, 2006, 8:14 AM
- Categories:
- Jeep, Road Trips
July 13, 2006
Recently I read about certain stretches of West Texas where the daytime speed limit was going to be raised to 80 mph. I believe that's that highest speed limit in the U.S. (at least since Montana ended its "reasonable and prudent" speed limit a decade ago). Well, sure enough we spotted 80 mph daytime speed limit signs about 50 miles west of San Antonio on the 10 freeway...
Continue reading...
- Posted by
- Permalink | Comments (2)
- Karl Brauer July 13, 2006, 10:47 AM
- Categories:
- Jeep, Road Trips, Traffic Safety
July 11, 2006
A $69 service at South Pointe Jeep (in Austin, Texas) got me an oil change, tire rotation and fluid check. But the most important service I got for free. The dealership technicians confirmed what I suspected -- a piece of insulation had come loose within the climate control system and was contacting the fan. With the insulation re-aligned the grinding sound is gone...
Continue reading...
- Posted by
- Permalink | Comments (0)
- Karl Brauer July 11, 2006, 1:30 PM
- Categories:
- Jeep, Road Trips
July 10, 2006
How cool is this? My uncle, who lives in Orange Park, Florida (outside Jacksonville) is part of a club that builds and runs 1/8 scale railroad trains. They use Briggs & Stratton engines that make 16 horsepower, and you can "ride" the trains and pull cars behind them. The track layouts include everthing from switch junctions to bridges, and you can also pull "passenger cars" (basically they are park benches on wheels) that allow full-size adults to ride along...
Continue reading...
- Posted by
- Permalink | Comments (3)
- Karl Brauer July 10, 2006, 8:10 AM
- Categories:
- Road Trips
July 7, 2006
After two days, and more than 1,000 miles, of heavy rain between New York and Florida the Jeep Commander has proven quite the water strider. Not surprising when you consider what the vehicle has going for it -- knobby tires, four-wheel drive and 5,000 pounds of water-spreading curb weight. Other niceties, like rain-sensing wipers, very
effective fog lights and a variable-speed rear window wiper make it a four-wheeled vehicle Noah would be proud to pilot. A stop for fuel, just after crossing from North to South Carolina, had us wondering over to the adjacent "Rocket City" to peruse a fireworks warehouse of Home Depot-like proportions. Despite protestations from the wife I picked up $30 worth of mostly innocuous stuff (sparklers, smoke bombs, snakes, etc.) that the kids will enjoy. I did, however, spring for one rocket that looks capable of breaking free of earth's gravity. After all, it was
Rocket City.
- Posted by
- Permalink | Comments (0)
- Karl Brauer July 7, 2006, 8:28 AM
- Categories:
- Jeep, Road Trips
July 6, 2006
For those who still want to question economic prosperity in the U.S. I simply point to the major interstates criss-crossing this country. Put simply -- there are big rigs everywhere
. And unless there's a new fad in using an eighteen-wheeler for commuting and/or family vacation purposes (not likely with today's fuel prices) I'm betting most of those trucks are carrying something somewhere for someone, and being paid to do it...
Continue reading...
- Posted by
- Permalink | Comments (11)
- Karl Brauer July 6, 2006, 9:44 AM
- Categories:
- Road Trips, Traffic Safety
July 5, 2006
Here's something you don't see everyday -- a fully functional drive-in movie theatre. This one was called the "Family Drive-In" and we passed it in north-central Pennsylvania. It had all the fix-ins I (barely) remember from that era. The signs outside the gate included "Lights Out Please" and "FM Radio Sound Only" in hand-painted script. I think the last drive-in movies I saw were a double feature of Terminator 2
and Batman Returns
in 1992 in Denver...
Continue reading...
- Posted by
- Permalink | Comments (7)
- Karl Brauer July 5, 2006, 8:57 AM
- Categories:
- Jeep, Road Trips
July 4, 2006
Today we drove from Cooperstown, New York to Tionesta (near Warren), Pennsylvannia. On the way we passed Canadarago Lake, near the Susquehanna River, and saw numerous instances of former lakefront homes that were now part of the lake. The run-off from all the recent rain (14 inches in the month of June) has flooded much of the region, and it was a stark reminder of the power of mother nature. The Commander's climate control fan continues to grind away, but so far it's still keeping the cabin cool...
Continue reading...
- Posted by
- Permalink | Comments (2)
- Karl Brauer July 4, 2006, 2:00 PM
- Categories:
- Jeep, Road Trips
July 3, 2006
We just reflashed/recharged the climate control system in our 2006 Jeep Commander long-term car
to ensure cold air and accurate automatic climate control via the temperature dials. Well, I'm still getting appropriate cold air when I need it, but the fan in the climate control system sounds like either:
A. The fan bearing is going out, or
B. The fan is out of alignment and rubbing against something under the dash
Bottom line -- there's a LOUD grinding noise whenever the fan is turning, which at this time of year on the east coast is pretty much always. I'm still in upstate New York and the weather is actually quite mild, but I'll be coming back across the country soon, and I'm betting the area between Austin, Texas and Los Angeles will require the use of air conditioning with a high fan setting...
Continue reading...
- Posted by
- Permalink | Comments (0)
- Karl Brauer July 3, 2006, 8:16 AM
- Categories:
- Jeep, Road Trips
June 30, 2006
A drive in our long-term Jeep Commander
last week uncovered a problem with the SUV's air conditioning. It wasn't that the car couldn't put out cold air, but the climate control system had to be flogged to get at the good stuff. Setting the dual-zone climate control in the 68-70 degree range resulted in luke warm air coming out of the dash vents. Cranking the temp dials down to 65 degrees and cranking up the fan speed would send a blast of cold air into the cabin, but obviously the system shouldn't require such extreme settings just to maintain a comfortable environment (the outside temp was only around 80 degrees)...
Continue reading...
- Posted by
- Permalink | Comments (2)
- Karl Brauer June 30, 2006, 8:15 AM
- Categories:
- Jeep, Road Trips
