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How can a replacement headlight cost over $1000?6/29/2009 Comment on ThisSo you think cars are expensive? Check out the price of replacement parts, the costs are staggering! But back to the original question as to how a headlight can cost over $1000 to replace. It's simple really, many cars have lighting "systems" which come with expensive transformers that cost a ton to replace and are sometimes prone to failure. Toyota is having that problem with older Prius's that had the optional H.I.D. lighting system and are now facing a class action lawsuit from a group of angry owners. Gee, I remember going to K-mart a few years back and buying a replacement GE headlight for my 1976 Chevy pickup that cost all of $4.75. I guess those days are long gone. Enjoy the 4th, but please don't drink and drive! LB Comment on This
How much would you pay?6/22/2009 Comment on ThisHow much would you pay to get the first car you ever owned back? The founder of Papa John's Pizza is offering $250,000 to anyone who can find the 1972 Camaro he sold in 1974 to start the highly successful pizza chain. My first car was a 1957 Chevy race car which I bought at age 14 and never got running (it came without an engine). Needless to say I wouldn't pay much to get it back even though I spent countless hours in the garage with it, dreaming on how it would look upon completion. People ask me often which of the many cars I own is my favorite and I always give the same reply "the next one I buy". Drive with care. LB Comment on This
Does automobile racing really help build a better street car?6/13/2009 Comment on ThisYou better believe it! Ever use a rear view mirror? Do you think disc brakes are an improvement over the old drum brakes previously used? How about the electronic systems that operate almost every feature on today's new cars? All of these items were developed in an attempt to build a better race car. In fact, the rear view mirror was used at the very first Indy 500! On track competition has always resulted in new and improved products, making them longer lasting while providing superior performance. Think about that next time you view your favorite motorsport on T.V. Drive Safely! LB Comment on This
Chinese company to buy Hummer.6/5/2009 Comment on ThisNo surprise here, as I predicted months ago GM's fire sale was sure to attract Chinese buyers loaded with cash and looking to get into the car business. The sale will keep the company and its dealers intact for the near term but it's anyone's guess as to what the company will look like in the future. Will they continue to build Hummers here in America or will they outsource production to a country with far lower labor costs and regulations? That's a question many are asking right now but as time goes on and costs increase you can be sure the company will look all options to increase profitability. LB Comment on This
What does a GM bankruptcy mean?5/31/2009 Comment on ThisNothing good in my opinion. Many struggling suppliers are going to have to settle for pennies on the dollar, and since many of these same companies supply Toyota and Honda, both of those companies worry that the GM situation will effect their ability to get parts as needed to build cars here in America. Employees will receive reduced pay and benefits. The shareholders as usual, will walk away with nothing but expensive wallpaper for their home offices. Many GM plants have been targeted for closure and that will have a major impact to the budgets of cities where the facilities are located. Over 1000 GM dealerships will close, increasing an already high unemployment rate. Only time will tell how all of this ends, but I see GM becoming a much smaller company with far fewer employees. I guess this beats total closure but I'm baffled as to why they waited so long to restructure what was clearly a company in trouble. LB* Comment on This
My car requires premium fuel, can I get by on Mid-grade?5/24/2009 Comment on ThisI wish I had a dollar every time someone asked me that when I worked at Jaguar. Why would you spend $80,000 on a high performance car, then obsess over 20 cents a gallon price difference for a high quality fuel? I'm going to have a fuel expert on in a few weeks who will explain why it's so important to buy the recommended grade of gasoline for your car. Till then don't get cheap at the pump, ALWAYS buy high quality gas for your car. LB Comment on This
Retro Cars bring back the memories5/17/2009 Comment on ThisFord has the Mustang, Dodge the new Challenger, and now Chevy roles out a new Camaro SS. All are great cars and couple superior performance with great gas mileage and are available with either a V-8 or a V-6. Buyers are offered the option of either an automatic transmission or a stick shift (if anyone today still remembers how to drive a stick) and both transmissions deliver an exciting driving experience. From mild to wild the available color combinations allow you to create something you'll be proud to be seen in, and as we all know, "you are what you drive". Check one out in a showroom near you today! LB Comment on This
Why is the price of gasoline rising?5/10/2009 Comment on ThisYou've no doubt noticed that the price at the pump has jumped almost 40 cents this past month. Excuses range from "the oil companies are switching to summer blend", "the summer driving season is almost here", and my favorite "more people are traveling by auto"(like riding a horse is an option). The truth is America is swimming in a sea of gasoline, demand worldwide is down due to a weak global economy and that's not likely to change anytime soon. Yet it seems all indicators point to $3 per gallon by Memorial Day in Chicago. In my opinion, we can thank Wall street speculators who run the price of a barrel of oil up and down at a moments notice, wreaking havoc on a troubled auto industry and slowly recovering economy. It's almost impossible to predict what consumers will be buying six months from now without knowing what the price at the pump will be. At $3 per gallon small cars become attractive. At $2 per gallon Suv's and Pickups are in. At $4 a gallon nobody is buying anything, consumers worry about gas going to $5, $6 or even $7 per gallon. Where this ends, nobody knows, but plan on spending a lot more money at the pump Memorial Day then you did this past winter. LB Comment on This
Ford outsells Toyota in April5/3/2009 ( 1 comment ) Comment on ThisFINALLY, some good news from a U.S. Automaker. Yes friends it's true, Ford outsold Toyota for the first time this past April. Now before you get to excited, realize that business for both car makers is down considerably from last year, but numbers are still numbers and the final tally for April 2009 is as follows: FORD -- 129,898 total units Toyota - 126,540 total units Was it a fluke? Only time will tell but Ford does have an impressive vehicle lineup and it seems that American consumers are finally realizing that there are GREAT cars being made here and one doesn't have to go to the land of the rising sun to find one. Wouldn't you have liked to have been sitting in the Toyota board room when this was announced? I'll bet no one went to the karaoke bar that night! Congratulations to the entire workforce at the Ford Motor Company for these results. LB Comment on This
China is rapidly becoming the World's largest car market4/26/2009 Comment on ThisI guess when you have 1.5 BILLION people riding black bike's, selling them a car you don't have to peddle shouldn't be that hard of a sale. Yes friends, the Chinese have discovered that what you drive is an important status symbol in a rapidly developing economy and are now crowding the showrooms looking and BUYING cars! Even struggling GM is doing well over there and is hoping to sell TWO MILLION units annually there within a few years. The Buick brand is ranked high among the Chinese as a quality automobile and an impressive brand name to be associated with. That's good news for a car industry that needs to see light at the end of any tunnel in ANY marketplace since sales in the U.S. have fallen 40% over the past year. Kirk Bell, an automotive expert on our show yesterday pointed out that any car company wanting to do business in China MUST partner up with an existing Chinese company or they wouldn't be allowed to enter the marketplace. Gee, why didn't we think of that before throwing open our doors to foreign competition? Had we done so we might not be looking at an unemployment rate approaching double digits. Will America ever learn? "Free Trade" is not always "Fair Trade". LB Comment on This
Is your car ready for the summer driving season?4/19/2009 Comment on ThisThink about what your poor car had to go thru the past six months. Freezing rain, sleet, slush filled with salt (o.k. maybe not as much as usual, the stuff is to dam expensive now) not to mention hitting potholes that looked like Moon craters. Now's the time to get that vehicle on a rack and have it inspected by a professional. Have the wheels pulled off and the suspension inspected. Hitting potholes can damage shocks or struts, in some cases even cause minor frame damage. Brakes need to be inspected and tires checked for unusual wear patterns which would indicate the need for a front end alignment. Let's change the oil and filter along with getting a coolant flush if you didn't do it last year. Let's spend a little money on a complete interior and exterior detail by someone who makes their living with a buffer. You will not believe the difference it will make in the appearance of your car. Once it's shined up you'll fall in love with it all over again! Today's vehicle's, while expensive, really do deliver exceptional performance with a minimum amount of maintenance. Get yours serviced this week. And yes, you can now take off the snow tires! LB Comment on This
2010 Camaro Coming to a Showroom Near You4/5/2009 Comment on ThisWho says we can't build world class cars in America? The 2010 Camaro is clearly a winner and destined to be a big seller for a struggling General Motors. With a somewhat retro look reminiscent of a 1969 Camaro ( a timeless classic with a huge following world wide) it's styling is sure to attract buyers both young and old. The big decision will be which engine do you want? The standard V-6 pumps out an incredible 304hp , yet still delivers 18mpg in the city and 29 mpg on the highway. But buyers of the SS model will get the 6.2 litre V-8 out of the Corvette that pumps out a staggering 400 hp, yet still gets 16 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway. Both the manual and automatic transmission feature six speeds, which no doubt help in attaining gas mileage that will put a smile on your face. Base price for the V-6 is a reasonable $23,880 while the V-8 SS model carries an M.S.R.P. of $30,995 (but that includes a destination charge of $750) The car went into production on March 16 in Canada and is due in the showrooms shortly, but don't expect to see the SS models till the later part of this year. GM has 14,000 pre-orders and wants to get the V-6 version out into the marketplace and seen on the streets as soon as possible, a move they feel will help build sales later in the year. Racing season is right around the corner and I can't wait! LB Comment on This |
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