A high performance sports car, the Lamborghini Gallardo can go from zero to 60 in just under four seconds. 

The 2004 Lamborghini Gallardo

 At a base price of $165,900, I can’t imagine knowing anyone that can afford such a luxury.  Who wouldn’t want to drive a car with a V-10 engine that can go from 0-100 in 10.2 seconds? 

If I could afford to pay for this car, I could also afford not to care about all of the speeding tickets that I would get.  I think that I could find better things to do with $165,000 than buy a car.  I would be too nervous to drive in a car that was more expensive than the first house I bought.

Has anyone ever even seen a Lamborghini on the road?  I don’t believe there are any around town, but I live in a college town where the only expensive cars are volvos driven by preppy students who are too spoiled for their own good.

Tags: cool car, lamborghini, auto blog, 2009 cars, cheap auto parts

Do you know who KITT is?  Then you are among the many Knight Rider fans out there who probably grew up in the eighties watching Michael Knight and KITT fight for justice.

Knight Rider (Series Run - 1982-1986 - 84 episodes)

To learn much more about Knight Rider, including upcoming attempts at revitalizing the show, check out  www.knightrider.com

The Knight Industries Two Thousand, or KITT, is a customized, black Pontiac Trans-Am.  With a voice that could communicate with Michael Knight, KITT could also throw flames, smoke bombs and leap 50 feet in the air.

Together, Michael Knight (hearthrob David Hasselhoff) and KITT fought against criminals, restoring justice for one and all.  The program was successful in part due to the popularity of David Hasselhoff at the time - he went from daytime soap operas to prime time with ease. 

Tags: hummer, auto blog, automotive industry, ferarri, german car

Jaguar has come up with a design that is retro.  Cool, sleek and stylish, the Jaguar S Type looks similar to the Jaguars of the sixties.  The Jaguar S Type is a luxury sports sedan and is easily identified as a Jaguar because of the distinct styling.

The Jaguar S Type first made its appearance in 2000, but in 2008, sales for the Jaguar S Type are still going strong.  The base price for this luxury car is around $48,000.  The Jaguar is comfortable with a distinctive style, making it clear to anyone around that you are driving a Jaguar.  

 Jaguar plans to discontinue the S Type model after the 2008 year, despite marketing success.   We’re not really sure why.  Maybe Jaguar is coming up with a new style for 2009?

The Jaguar S Type is only available as a four door sport sedan.  The Jaguar is clearly a Jaguar from the inside and out.  The inside is completely decked out with leather upholstery, walnut wood accents, a navigation system and a six CD disk changer.

I’m not sure that this car would be the car of my dreams.  It seems to refined for me.  Elegant and stylish, obviously the Jaguar is right for some people.  It just may not be cool enough to dream about.  If I could afford this car, I would want the driver that would go with it too.

Tags: cheap auto parts, hummer, japanese car, fast car, 2008 cars

Environmentally friendly and practical, the 2008 Toyota Yaris is a great choice of car for the earth conscience buyer.  At a retail price of around $11,000, this is a car you can afford to buy with money left over for the gas.  This is not a hybrid or an electric car, but the Yaris is better on the environment because of the great gas mileage it gets.  The Yaris gets about 40 miles to the gallon on highways and 35 in the city, making the Yaris something to consider as gas prices rise dramatically.  We don’t necessarily want to drive small, practical cars, but this may be the way of the future so that we can continue to travel as we choose and not have to roll our coins to fill up the gas tank.

Tags: hummer, mercedes, fast car, concept car, cool car

Fast and Furious.  The 2008 Lotus Exige.

Starting at $59,850, the Lotus Exige is a racing car with capabilities that will be tested out on courses throughout the world.  As I believe in dreaming, why not picture yourself behind the wheel of this hot, fast car?  Who can really afford to drive a car as prestigious as a Lotus?  Not me.  Maybe I’ll get my honda an orange paint job and make it look more like this car.

With spring coming, I will be attending local car shows to bring your more cars for the collector and beyond.  Does anyone out there have an antique car they would like to see featured on our site?

Tags: ford, acura, japanese car, auto blog, new car

On March 20, 2008 the Nissan Denki Cube Concept car made it’s first world wide appearance at the New York Auto Show.  Nissan is always looking for new ways to make their cars more environmentally friendly and the Nissan Denki (Japanese for electric) is an attempt to create another, greener, electric powered vehicle that is  practical for the whole family.  Nissan plans to make the Cube Car as a gasoline powered car first, and it will be available to drivers in the United States in 2009.

This boxy appearing car does not appear very cool to me, but many people find the minimalist design and practicality of the Nissan Cube just perfect.  We’ll see in 2009 how well the Nissan Cube does in the United States.  I am hedging bets that this is one concept car that we won’t see around too long.  It just seems too ugly.

Tags: mustang, cheap auto parts, chevy, cool car, automotive industry

Ever wonder what the cars of the future will have? You’d be surprised that the technology that is just around the corner. By the yea 2020, cars will be able to do some amazing things. They will become safer, more convenient, less expensive to operate and more friendly for the environment.

Do you hate to parallel park? Cars of the future will be able to self park. New technologies will also allow you to wirelessly attain information about people crossing the street, warn you if you are approaching them to close and automatically avvoid them.
     Love your GPS system? According to secret sources, there is a new technology that will be even more accurate (up to 3 feet). So what this means is that your car can be even more accurate in getting you to where you need to be. 
     The idea of wirelss technology will allow you car to connect to the manufacturer and download new software upgrades and features. This system will baciscally be like your car taking car of itself.  Say for instance you traveled from Arizona to Minnesota and needed different traction control, your car would seamlessly download the required software and implement it for you.
      Via your cars wireless system, you could drive through a Burger King, or a Wendys and never pull out your wallet! Your car would basically send out a signal and your bank account would be debited. Details about this new tehcnology are scetchy, but the creators claim that is 100% safe and secure.
Your car willo drive iteslef! Yes thats right, currently in some major universities, they are perfecting cars that ca drive themselves for long stretches of freeway. This means that you could take a nap, or work on your laptop while your on your way to mom’s house in Montana! I can hardly wait.

Tags: porsche, hummer, mercedes, saab, ferarri

The Alfa Romeo Brera was first introduced as a concept car back in 2002 at the Geneva Motor Show.  Now available to the public, the Alfa Romeo Brera is a luxury sports car with a V-8 Engine.  At a list price of $59,201, this car is most likely out of reach for the average car fanatic, but it is still fun to dream, insn’t it?

The Alfa Romeo Brera can get to a top speed of 149 miles an hour making this car a dream for the fast driver. 

With the potential for 48 miles per gallon when using gasoline, the SAAB 9-X BioHybrid car may be just the concept car we are all looking to buy in the future.  With the cost of gas expected to rise even further than the already ridiculous price fo $3+ a gallon, car buyers will be looking for more affordable, more gas conscious cars.

This car contains an engine that produces  200 horsepower and can use either traditional gasoline or E85 for fuel.  E85 if a fuel that is made up of 15 percent gasoline and 85 percent ethanol. gasoline. With the E85, carbon monoxide emissions are much lower and miles per gallon is at 37 mpg.

The SAAB 9-X BioHybrid was recently showcased at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show.

Don’t deny it.  Even though you are now way too cool to watch the Dukes of Hazard, there is a young stud inside that wants to get one shot at trying to outrun Rosco P. Coltraine in the General Lee.  Admit it. 

The 1969 Orange Painted Dodge Charger, made famous by Bo and Luke Duke was the star of the show, Dukes of Hazzard.  With doors welded shut, the only way to get inside the General Lee was to go feet first through the window.  I’d like to see Bo and Luke get through those windows now, 23 years after the show ended in 1985.

Jessica Simpson showed us that she had a few pairs of Daisy Dukes in her closet, when she played the infamous Daisy Duke in the made from television movie, The Dukes of Hazzard which came out in 2005.  Although the original Daisy was a brunette, Jessica Simpson was a fine stand in.

Another generation has been able to learn about the Cool General Lee, 1969 Charger, all because we just hadn’t had enough of the Dukes of Hazzard.

Ok, so I wrote my last post with the idea that I was going to talk about how I have only had a few cars in the ten years my spouse and I have been together and I ended up blathering on and on.  My issue is WHY in the WORLD does my spouse need to BUY a new car every other year.  I counted…

Me:  Nellie, truck, Saturn, Lil  4 cars, 2 beaters, 1 used, 1 new.

Him:  New Toyota Tercel, New Nissan Altima, New Honda Accord, Used (Barely) Ford Explorer, New Ford Mustang, and then finally, a used, but completely pimped out, heated seats and the works Ford Explorer.  So that is:  4 New Cars, and 2 Barely used.  6 Cars in 10 years is one car every 1.6 years….and he wonders why he is upside down on his current car loan.

I know why.  Because when you BUY a NEW car every 1.6 years, all that you ever pay for is interest!

What is it in some people that they NEED to have a new car so often?  Why?  Please, somebody help me because I can’t stand to spend my time in the car dealerships.  Be happy with what you have, isn’t that what is really cool? 

I don’t understand it.  I bought my first car when I was 21.  I loved my cool car, a 1987 Toyota Tercel, it was blue, it was a standard, and it was vehicular freedom.  That car got almost 50 miles to the gallon and the day it died after 85,000 miles of service, I cried.  I think I still miss that car although I no longer have to buy a used vehicle and I have a much better car now.  I do miss Nellie.  My first car, the blue bomb…cheap, easy, and most of all it was all paid for right when I bought it.  No financing and no car payment.  The only thing that I had to worry about was having a high car insurance rate because I was a young driver.

Fast forward 15 years.  After Nellie died, my father gave me his already second hand red Nissan truck.  Another standard, with chipped paint on the roof, I was happy.  Another car without a car payment and for a truck, this car got pretty good gas mileage.  I never named the truck, because well, it had been my father’s and before that my grandfather’s and I just didn’t want to confuse the truck any further.  I drove the truck until it too breathed its last breath.

Finally, after having a driver’s license for about 12 years, I bought my first car at a car dealership.  Not wanting to have a huge payment, I bought a used 2 door Saturn Coupe.  For a Saturn this car went very fast.  It was yet another standard because my future spouse didn’t know how to drive one, and damn, it was MY car and I didn’t want to share.  I only drove this car for a couple of years, even though it was hard on my back (the age factor begins kicking in). 

On my 31st Birthday I was taken to a Honda Dealership.  My spouse bought me a brand new, 2003 Black Honda CRV.  My first brand spakin’ new car.  Cool, cool, car.  I picked it out because of Stephanie Plum and if you don’t know the reference…it’s not worth it.

So, I started driving my new car, terrified that I would scratch it.  What does one do with a new car?  I drove around like this for months, hoping to God that I didn’t crash or anything….

I still have this car today, (her name is Lil), and she runs like the wind.  Great in the snow, Lil has been a great buddy over the past four years.  I’ll be happier with her when she is completely paid for.

The 2008 Porsche Boxster

The Porsche Boxster has been produced by the Porsche Company since 1997.   The car is available in both the base version and the Boxster S, with the base model rated at 245 horsepower and the more powerful Boxster S at 295 horsepower.

If you are able to keep your option choices down when buying a Boxster, you may be able to afford one too.  The base price for this car is $45,000 but it can range up to almost $60,000. OUch.  As far as I am concerned, this is one cool car that is not a very cool deal.  Although a good price for a luxury sports car, $45,000 is a lot of money to be spending on a Porsche.  Although if you are even shopping for cars in this price range, it is likely that money is no object for you.   

The New 2008 Porsche Boxster, A Roadster that is considered more affordable than some, first sold in 1997 for 11,000.  Now if Porsche brings back those prices for the same quality, I’m in.

Everyone loves Herbie.  Cute, stylish, and full of attitude, Herbie the Love Bug has been charming us since he was born back in 1969.  A Hollywood star, Herbie returned to the big screen in Herbie:  Fully Loaded  back in 2005. 

Herbie, the legendary number 53 racing car had been sitting in the junkyard, left to rust for a long time.  Maggie, played by Linsday Lohan is convinced by Herbie to buy him.  She loves racing and soon Herbie and Maggie are part of the racing scene once again.  Herbie blows away the competition in a number of races, proving that VW bugs can keep up with the big boys.

Herbie first became popular back in 1969, when he starred in The Love Bug.  The next three movies were:  Herbie Rides again, 1974, Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo, 1977, and Herbie Goes Bananas, made in 1980.  Herbie took a 25 year break until his next movie, Fully Loaded and many of us that were kids in the 70’s were waiting.
Herbie fans are fanatics.  There is a great site, www.herbiamania.com, where you can find all things herbie.  You can pimp out your VW with herbie stripes, creating an exact replica of Herbie the Love Bug. 

There is a Herbie the Love Bug in my area and I have seen it many times parked at the local mall.  I admit, when I first saw Herbie I walked all around it, gawking at the coolness of it.  I thought about having a Herbie for myself, but the stripes would not fit on my Honda…and I would have to get it painted white, not black.