Well, yeah, it does in some cases; like, maybe 5 percent of all crashes.
That's what the latest study from NHTSA showed. This was a study that examined 5,400 crashes over a three-year period. It did indicate that accidents involving excessive speed can and does cause serious injury, but that the death rate was really pretty small.
So what was the cause of most accidents? Inattention.
Times are tough, and not everyone can grapple the ticket for a new car. But the increased prevalence of leasing means there’s a solid supply of 3-5 year old machines out there that have a lot of good miles left in them, yet have already suffered the worst of the depreciation curve.
A few years ago, I bought a BMW 5 Series that had just come off a 30 month lease. It was immaculate, came with full service records, and had 21,000 miles on the odo — perhaps 20% of the car’s usable life without it becoming a money pit. But it had depreciated more than 40%. So the gap between those percentages meant savings for me.
Here’s a quick look at five cars that represent good value at the moment. Feel free to hit us back with your own suggestions too.
2007-2008 Acura TL Type-S — The new for ‘09 TL is a technical advancement over the outgoing model. It offers a smidge more power, outstanding infotainment offerings, optional all-wheel drive, and more room in back. But it’s so hideous-looking, I could never bring myself to buy one. The previous gen TL is just the opposite; one of the most captivating sedans on the market, and the Type-S is the performance version. At launch, we called it “A Asian Alfa Romeo.” Great V-6, good electronics (first car I ever tested with Bluetooth), and high quality. Shop now and you may still find a fresh one.
C5 Corvette Z06 — Many Corvette guys I know have to have the latest and greatest. Now that the C6-series Z06 (and ZR-1) are in the marketplace, people are offing their previous gen Z06s. Sure, they have about the same horsepower as a base C6 — but the price should be half or less. You have to be careful here; they are prefabricated to be run hard, and often are. And the first of them had some piston problems as I recall. But a lot of hardcore Vette types really care for their cars, and don’t beat them to death. The newest of them is five years old now; find one that’s lived a good life, and you’ll have something special.
Volkswagen Phaeton — The right car wearing the wrong badge. VW wanted to see how far upmarket it could take the brand in this country, and went one step too far. That takes nothing away from the greatness of the machine. They are fabulously engineered, looks the business, shared a lot of stuff with the Audi A8, and are fine driving cars. A bit of an odd duck as it came and went so fast, but its not an orphan as VW is still around, and will continue to be. If you want a top drawer luxury sedan for near econobox money, find a clean Phaeton, and enjoy flying first class for a coach fare.
2004-2008 Ford F-150 — Even though fuel prices have halved in the last 90 days, the truck market is still chilly. Every time a new version of a high volume model, like the F-150, comes out, the latest-and-greatest crowd dumps their old ones. Between this phenom, and lots of lease turn-ins, means that a two, three, or four-year old F-150 can be a great deal if that’s the vehicle you need. Bargain hard - there are many new choose from.
1990-2002 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class — Even the newest of these falls well outside the three-year lease turn-in window, but they are superbly engineered machines. Although not a metal retractable hardtop, the SL’s top is a one-touch unit. Engineered and built to high standards, these “Sacco era” SLs will run long miles without trouble. They don’t have as many power goodies as the new ones, but they are great to drive, and still look good to many eyes, including mine. Get the latest, lowest mile example you can find, and it’ll still be cheaper than a new four-banger Camry.
What’s on your Great Deals list?
You know things are tough when the General won't air-freight Bob Lutz to a major auto show, and in addition, cancels all their scheduled press events. Yep, you can thank the dire situation at GM for this latest turn of events.
Oh, the new vehicles will be on display, but there won't be any fancy happenings pertaining them. One particularly noteworthy press cancelation is that of the Saab 9-X Air BioHybrid convertible concept.
Here's Inside Line's take: 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show: General Motors Staying Home, Citing Cash Crunch
Latest rumors to hit the Net is that the joint-effort Subaru-Toyota sport coupe may be sold as a Scion. At least, that may be the case here in North America. In other markets, where there is no Scion brand one can only adopt it will be branded a Toyota.
And, of course, there will be a version sold in most markets as a Subaru. I say most markets, as Subaru of Australia has stated they have no interest in this car. Why, you ask? It's RWD, and the Aussies (like myself, and perhaps other markets as well?) believe that RWD runs counter to Subaru's AWD brand image.
Whether the domestic auto industry gets the government financial help that it has asked for or not, Detroit and the Detroit-based auto industry, will never be the same. The "old" Detroit is dead, and no one knows what the "new" Detroit will be like.
This means: fewer brands, plants and dealers, more flexible work rules, smarter marketing, better products. And even if that were to occur, there's no guaranty for success, as we're entering into uncharted waters here.
That's what justice Howes of The Detroit News in his latest editorial states (here). It's a worthwhile and thought-provoking read.
OK, now that the election campaign that seemed like it would never end has, Carnival of Cars is back on the road every week. Sorry for the interruption.
But of course the campaign may end but politics never does. Peter DeLorenzo at AUTOEXTREMIST wasted no time in pointing out to the president-elect that, uh, there is an economic calamity happening right now in Detroit.
And in the same vein, The Auto Prophet - who, let us not forget, is an actual auto engineer working for an actual auto company in the actual state of Michigan - has an in-depth look at the government's ATVMAP program, a $25 billion loan/bailout
But leave it to Robert Farago at The Truth About Cars to slice through all of the rhetorical fog, cloudy traditional thinking and political hucksterism to point out the essential facts - Detroit is asking for life-support and throwing good money after bad never works.
Whatever the politicians do, Todd Lassa at the Motor Trend blog says replacing Michigan's John Dingell with California's Henry Waxman to chair the key House committee for auto issues is not a good idea.
Then there's this: While GM is solicitation Washington for a bail-out, the General is opening a new plant in Russia. Left Lane says Russian figurehead president Dimitri Medvedev scrawled "Good Luck" on the first Chevy Captiva to come off the line.
Meanwhile, now is the time to buy a new vehicle because income are way down for most everybody and the deals are out there. The Driving Woman explains the latest GM Red Tag. Even better is TDW's brand new Predictive Pricing feature that helps you decide if you should move for the deals to get even better.
If you happen to be in the market for a street-legal Indy car replica, Auto Motto is where you need to be. And don't forget to bring your $26K with you.
Remember the Sterling? The Garage Blog does, in the latest installment of its excellent series on forgotten marques.
It's SEMA week and Serious Wheels has some great stuff on the Camaro doings in Vegas. And Njection takes you to the 800 horsepower ASI Tetsu Bentley GTR. That's a lot of grey poupon!
Brian at Racedriven.com has announced an auto photo contest in which winners get $25 gas cards from BP.
Wow, what a concept! Instead of arbitrarily set speed limits, how about "reasonable and prudent" speed limits? Eric Peters explains on the National Motorist Association blog.
Finally, Joe Sherlock at The View Through the Windshield recalls dating a girl whose father drove a 50 Lincoln with a Tucker broadcasting stuffed into the instrument panel. This actually has something to do with the new Camaro. No, really, it does ….
WHAT I'M DRIVING THIS WEEK: Mitsubishi Lancer GTS
It's cushy to miss a diamond in the rough when you get a different drive every week. I've re-learned that valuable lesson after spending an entertaining week behind the wheel of an 08 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS. Mitsu redesigned the basic Lancer for 08 with a longer wheelbase and wider track, but shorter overall length. It makes for a compact, agile little sedan.
The GTS gets the usual sport model menu of tightened suspension calibration, bigger wheels and tires, stronger brakes and quicker steering to go along with the 2.4 liter, 168 horse four cylinder, mated with a five-speed manual tranny. It sounds rather conventional, but my white tester performed impressively, with taut cornering and excellent acceleration (so long as you don't crave Evo-levels of performance).
There are much quicker Ralliart and Evo versions of the Lancer but they cost several thousand more and require some kill in driving comfort. That's what makes the GTS a sleeper - its handsomely aggressive in a restrained sort of way and offers lots of driving fun at a reasonable price. Easy to miss, but worth looking for if you are on a budget. And who isn't these days?
See ya next week. Promise!
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Filed under: Auction Action, Etc., Supercars, Aston Martin
The people behind the latest Bond films seem to have a knack for destroying perfectly good Aston Martin DBSs. First they rolled one (repeatedly) in shooting Casino Royale. Never missing an opportunity to total a perfectly good Aston, they crashed another one in a rock quarry for the opening sequence of the upcoming Quantum of Solace sequel, but not before a factory test driver tanked another one into Lake Garda in northern Italy. And while you might figure a totaled Aston would, naturally, be worth less than a new one, you’ve evidently underestimated the clout of the 007 mystique.
Daniel Craig, the latest person to take up the saint Bond mantle, has revealed that the tanked DBS was extracted from the Italian lake and sold to a collector for an outrageous £200,000, some 60,000 thousand pounds sterling more than the £134k price of a brand new (and functional) example of the top-of-the-line British supercar. Somebody evidently needs to explain to said collector that the DBS in question was not a working example of the submersible Lotus from For Your Eyes Only. Rinspeed’s got that one covered.
[Source: What Car?]
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Filed under: Gadgets, Etc., Toys
It’s always amazing to see the kind of products that people come up with for those who are concerned with their cars. The latest cool new toy for the muscle car fan is “Road Mice”, a wireless computer mouse that comes in a variety of models including the new Chevy Camaro, Ford Mustang, Dodge Charger and Chevrolet Corvette. The mice are both PC and Mac compatible and utilize the latest RF and optical technology with an 800 dpi resolution. Each one also features working headlights and a scroll button on the hood, which makes Road Mice a perfect way to scroll through the latest Autoblog headlines. Yep, that’s right, it’s all about us in the end.
Gallery: Road Mice
[Source: FourDoorMedia.com via MustangBlog.com]
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Ah, yet another fuel saving gizmo… Does it really work?
Rongjia Tao, chair of Temple’s Physics Department, has developed a simple device which could improve automotive fuel efficiency by 20 percent. The device creates an electric field that thins fuel, or reduces its viscosity, so that smaller droplets are injected into the engine which in turn leads to more efficient and cleaner combustion. In six months of road testing a diesel-powered Mercedes-Benz showed the device improved mileage from 32 mpg to 38 mpg.