Edmunds CarPool

Karl on Cars moves to Straightline

Wed, 08 Dec 2010 15:00:46 -0800

Good news for anyone who enjoyed the Karl on Cars series of blogs on CarPool: I will be moving my weekly blog post to our Inside Line Straightline blog, starting next Tuesday.

Many of you probably already read Straightline, so you'll have to do exactly nothing to see Karl on Cars, but I wanted to let everyone know they can still catch my weekly ramblings (along with plenty of other great automotive news and information) over there.

I'm looking forward to my new digs.

Thanks again!

Karl On Cars: Out of Gas

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 03:00:04 -0800

I was going to do this blog post on my 1974 Pontiac Trans Am Super Duty running out of gas, but then I realized this was my last Karl on Cars post before the Edmunds.com redesign site launches, and there won't be a CarPool blog (formerly known as the Karl on Cars blog) after that.

So the "Out of Gas" phrase describes more than just my Super Duty last week, though in both cases the story ends happily.

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Thoughts from the Curb: Conyers' Escalade Hybrid and Other Lawmakers' Cars

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 03:00:50 -0800

Yesterday, I read a story about the son of Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., having a pair of Apple MacBooks and $27,000 worth of concert tickets stolen from a Cadillac Escalade Hybrid registered to the 14th Congressional district. The article by the local FOX TV news station ponders why the congressman's son was driving a government registered car.

Excellent question, but they're completely missing the bigger picture: Why the hell is the government registering a $76,000 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid???

Well, after drying off the water from my spit take (seriously, $76,000 for an Escalade Hybrid?), I decided to revisit a Thoughts from the Curb from July 2009 that dealt with this very topic.

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Karl on Cars: All I Want for Christmas -- What to Buy Your Favorite Car Guy

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 03:00:30 -0800

What do you get the car guy who already seems to have everything? That's a fair question, and one I'm betting plenty of car guy friends and family struggle with every year.

I know how much I hate shopping for folks when I have no idea what they need. And given we've just entered the official holiday shopping season I thought I'd help out the wives, husbands (yes, when I say "car guy" I'm including women enthusiasts too), kids, parents, pals and anyone else who is shopping for an automotive-themed gift but has no clue where to start.

And don't worry, these aren't expensive items. If anything, the theme of my gift-giving list is "products under $20 that every car guy will love."

Here we go:

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Weekly Top Three: Black Friday Deals

Fri, 26 Nov 2010 06:00:00 -0800

Black Friday doesn't just apply to huge savings on clothing, home electronics or computers. There are also plenty of savings to be had for the gearhead in your life. Now, I wouldn't be caught dead lining up for a sale the day after turkey day, so thankfully, my picks can all be acquired from the comfort and safety of your laptop or smartphone.

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Dream Car Corner: Mazda Miata

Thu, 25 Nov 2010 06:00:00 -0800

Keep those fingers off your keyboards for a few minutes people and let me explain. Yes, this is not the typical, unattainable "Dream Car" entry -- no Ferrari 288 GTO, no ZL1 Camaro this week. This is about a car that you may have dreamed about and actually driven, to happily discover that it was every bit as good as you'd hoped (dreamed?)

Introduced for 1990, the Mazda Miata was a hit right off the bat. This two-seat roadster was something of a Lotus Elan reincarnate in that it was lightweight, finely balanced and cleanly styled. Except it didn't leak oil and had an electrical system that didn't require an exorcism every other day. I remember dealers getting thousands over the sticker price, which started out at less than $14,000.

Twenty years later, the character of the Miata is thankfully unchanged. Respectably quick but more about being nimble, a Miata provides one of the most rewarding, unfiltered and entertaining drives of any car, regardless of price. And by "a Miata" I mean any Miata of the car's three generations will do just fine. Our fleet of long-term cars is/has been comprised mostly of brand new vehicles that generate a lot of buzz -- from a BMW M3 to a Dodge Challenger R/T to the Ford Raptor. And yet, one of my favorites is our recently acquired 1997 Miata project car.

For more on the Mazda Miata, be sure to check out Edmunds' comprehensive history on the lovable little bugger.

Karl on Cars: In Driving Simulators the Feel of the Wheel/Seat/Pedals Seals the Deal

Tue, 23 Nov 2010 03:00:10 -0800

I've experienced my fair share of driving simulators over the past 30 years. From Atari's Night Driver on the 2600 to Grand Turismo 4 with a Force-Feedback steering wheel and Sparco Racing Cockpit Pro.

But last weekend I tried out the VRX Mach 3 system from Virtual Racer. This system is available for PC, PS3 or Xbox 360. Certainly the most striking aspect of the VRX Mach 3 is the bank of three 24-inch HD LCD Samsung monitors, but the most effective aspect of this simulator is the coordinated seat, pedal and steering wheel force feedback.

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Face-Off: Takahashi's 1957 Thunderbird vs Niebuhr's 1966 Mustang

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 10:00:00 -0800

This one might get ugly. In a special Face-Off this week, we're pitting two Fords from our personal collections against each other. In one corner, we have Associate Editor Mark Takahashi's 1957 Thunderbird, which has been in his family from day one. In the other, Photo Editor Kurt Niebuhr's 1966 Mustang, which has drawn more blood, sweat and tears than he dare admit.

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Weekly Top Three: Funny Bumper Stickers

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 08:00:00 -0800

No doubt about it, being stuck in traffic sux, and here in L.A. you spend a lot of time stuck in traffic. But offering a bit of comic relief are the dozens of funny bumper stickers you come across. Some are light-hearted while others exhibit rather dark humor or make political statements. Whether you're a redneck or a computer geek, there's a bumper sticker that'll let everyone know what you really think.

In no special order, my current top three (subject to change any day, of course) are...

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Dream Car Corner: 1961-73 Renault Alpine A110

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 06:00:00 -0800

It's no secret that I love lightweight sports cars. Put the engine behind the seats, give it some pretty bodywork and you can color me happy. Of the many cars on my wish list, only one comes from France -- the Renault Alpine A110. It was built for rally racing, and actually captured the very first World Rally Championship title in 1973.

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Thoughts from the Curb: 5 Things I'm Looking Forward to at the LA Auto Show

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 06:00:23 -0800

So you've taken a break from the extensive coverage of the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show over on Inside Line and Straightline, and found yourself here at CarPool. Funny, so have I. Now, here are five things I'm looking forward to at this year's show.

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Karl on Cars: Getting Called up to the (LA) Auto Show

Tue, 16 Nov 2010 03:00:26 -0800

Starting tomorrow, assuming you're an automotive enthusiast, you'll be swimming in coverage from the Los Angeles Auto Show. We'll have all the latest news on Inside Line, but you can get a preview by following that link and taking a gander at what we already know will be on display at the convention center.

Let's take a quick peak, shall we?

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Weekly Top Three: Gearhead Flicks

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 06:00:00 -0800

As I'm writing this, I'm looking at a movie ticket with today's (which is yesterday's by the time this goes live) date on it. The movie is Bullitt, starring Steve McQueen, maybe you've heard of it? It's being shown in honor of the 30th anniversary of the King of Cool's passing.

Admittedly, Bullitt isn't one of my favorite car movies, but I certainly think it's worth seeing on the big screen. And that got me thinking, what are my favorite gearhead-type movies?

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Dream Car Corner: Renault R5 Turbo

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 09:45:00 -0800

While attending a car show featuring French and Italian marques, I came across a gaggle of Renault R5 Turbos. Street versions of these little buggers were built in the early '80s to homologate the car for rally racing. Rather than using the front engine/front drive of the production Renault 5 (called the Le Car here in the states), the R5 Turbo used a midengine/rear drive architecture. About 5,000 of these were produced overall, including the less expensive, not as light but virtually as fast Turbo 2 models.

Between the radically flared rear fenders and in lieu of a rear seat was a mighty 1.4-liter turbocharged four that made anywhere from 160-185 hp. Though that doesn't sound like much, the cars were exceptionally light and Car and Driver got a 6.5 second 0-to-60 and a 14.6 second quarter mile out of their R5 Turbo. But straight line acceleration wasn't this car's mission, putting the hurt on tight twisty roads (and many a sports car driver's ego) were. A 40/60 front to rear weight bias, a sport tuned independent suspension and unassisted rack and pinion steering and four-wheel disc brakes provided an unfiltered, visceral drive.

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Karl on Cars: 2011 Infiniti M56 -- Even Quicker and Better Than I Expected

Tue, 09 Nov 2010 03:00:27 -0800

I'll admit it -- I tend to be kind of a traditionalist when it comes to premium sedans. Yes, I know the Japanese have come a long way in the past 20 years with regard to producing worthy European alternatives. But when it comes to thinking about my own $60,000 for a luxury four-door, it's hard for me not to think Audi, BMW or Mercedes-Benz before Acura, Infiniti or Lexus (or Equus, for that matter).

Driving this 2011 Inifniti M56 over the past weekend will probably change my default thinking.

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