Wednesday, October 31, 2012

(VERY LATE) Monday Mileage Champion: 2002 Ford Taurus

Tauruses are the kudzu of cars here in the South.

You find them everywhere to the point that you never ever notice em'. At the Waffle House. At the Coke Museum. At Braves games, and most definitely at the heavily suburbanized neighborhoods of metro-Atlanta.

To be perfectly frank about it, Atlanta has always seemed to be a Taurus-tee type of place. Popular, affordable, a little bland, and just plain functional. Tough to hate. Tough to love. Such is the case of the Taurus.

We even had a Ford plant that built Tauruses by the hundreds of thousands year, after year, after seemingly endless year. 22 long years in all with many quality awards rightly given to the hometown team. This particular one you see above had well over 263,000 miles before the owner finally decided to use it as trade-in fodder.

Ford made the last generation of mid-sized Tauruses for eight long, fleet ridden model years.  In much of the United States you would see Impalas and Crown Vics of varying bare equipment levels take up the brunt of modern day government mules. But here in Georgia during the 2000′s it sometimes seemed like Taurus-land.

The auctions that liquidated these vehicles would offer three things with every Taurus that was liquidated by the local, city and state governments. White paint. Black antenna masts. V6 3.0 Engine. Ford offered the hammer of a 24 valve DOHC engine with 200 horsepower engine, or an over-head valve model whose origins dated all the way back to the era of Sony Walkmans and MS-DOS. 1986 to be exact.

The question(s) for today are the usual. Which engine is it? What price did it sell for at auction? Oh, I'll even throw in third. What are your experiences with Tauruses… or Atlanta for that matter? If you were just passing through don't worry about it. A lot of people do thanks to our super-sized airport.

 



from The Truth About Cars http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com




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Auction Day: The Euro Bailout

What percentage of new cars sold this year in the United States have European badges?

3%… 5% maybe? Not even close! Through September 2012 it stands at approximately 9.5%

The recent successes of VW, Audi and BMW/Mini are quite noteworthy. 10 years ago, European marketshare in the U.S. was only at 7.1%.

However this isn't the entire story. Used European vehicles are often considered to be pricey to fix and expensive to own. At a recent sale in Atlanta this week the percentage of Euro vehicles was nowhere near 7%, or 9%.

It was over 23%.

VW 1.8 Liter engine with sludge issues? Present.

Audi in need of ride suspension elimination kit? Yeps!

Volvo with transmission issues. Audi with transmission issues. Saab with transmission issues. You.. bet… cha!

Out of 113 vehicles sold during the run, 27 of them were European… and metro-Atlanta tends not to be nearly as popular with European models as the folks up in the Northeast.  This auction may have been little more than a statistical quirk. But it was quite amusing to see.

There were also a few other surprises.

This 2002 Ford Focus SE wagon with 28,000 miles

And this 2004 Jaguar XJ8 with 181,000 miles.

 

Sold for nearly the same price. the Focus sold for $4600 (plus auction fee) while the Jag with the Tony the Tiger imprint on the steering wheel sold for all of $4800 (plus fee). No announcements for either of the two.

My beloved Tauruses continue to do well. A 2002 SES model with cloth and 79,000 miles sold for $3500, which happened to be the exact same price I sold a 2001 model with leather and 95,000 miles not too long ago.

Then there was the big kahuna. In this case it was a 2006 Land Rover Range Rover HSE (try to say that ten times really fast.) Two dealers got in a dogfight at around 18 grand and the final tally was $24,200. It had 109,754 miles and I hope the groom of this beastly bride will enjoy being married to it for quite a while. Either that or the Landy had a built in distillery in the back.

I managed to come in second a lot… which is fine. For the last couple of months I have been busy buying up whatever seems to be in decent in full knowledge that when tax season comes around, prices will go up, and quality will go way, way down.

One other thing. Convertibles. Why do some folks feel the need to trade-in their convertible during the mid to late fall? Dealers have to sit on that opportunity in most areas of the country which means the price you get will border on bupkis.

Observe…

2002 Jaguar XKR, no defect announcements, 106k, – $9800

2001 Saab 9-3 SE, Frame Damage, Non-visible, 128k – $2700

2001 Volvo C70 HT, (Tranny Needs Service, Prior Fleet, Frame Damage, Title Branded, Miles Exempt… but looked nice!), 109k- $1900

The last one sold to a guy know who liquidates vehicles at a public auction north of Atlanta. A couple of weeks ago he told me he sold 15 out of 20 at a nearby public sale, and I don't doubt it. Every dealer has a niche. Although I never would have the stomach for something like that.

This auto auction was ground zero for the falling of the Euro… car. And guess who eventually pays for the bailout? On the cheap of course.

 



from The Truth About Cars http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com




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Texas Opens High-Speed Toll Road

85-mph
Several interstates have speed limits higher than 65 mph, but Texas has the first 85 mph toll road. The privately owned, 91-mile highway recently opened, giving Texas the fastest highway in the U.S.

The high-speed segment of Texas State Highway 130 stretches between San Antonio and Austin, Texas. The Detroit Bureau reports that it is operated by SH 130 Concession Co., which paid a $100 million fee for the right to set the 85 mph speed limit.

Motorists pay 15 cents per mile to use it and get to bypass the city of Austin, an area typically clogged by traffic. Originally conceived by Texas Gov. Rick Perry, the superhighway is only a fraction of what the governor originally envisioned. Perry's Trans Texas Corridor was to have been a high-speed, privately owned highway across the state. It was pared down to a 91-mile section.

Not everyone is happy about the increased speed limit, however. "The research is clear that when speed limits go up, fatalities go up," Russ Rader, a spokesman for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, said in a statement.

Would you pay a toll to be able to legally drive 85 mph? Tell us in the comments section below.

Related
Nation's Fastest Highway Opens (The Detroit Bureau)
Decade's Worth of Vehicle Fatalities Mapped
More Safety News on Cars.com



from KickingTires http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/




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2013 Toyota Prius Plug-In Video

Toyota's all-new Prius Plug-in is the latest version of the popular hybrid family to hit the streets. Unlike the regular Prius, you plug this one in, so the higher-capacity battery can provide up to 15 miles of pure-electric driving. Yet with a rougher ride and minimal EV range, Cars.com reviewer Joe Wiesenfelder questions whether the nearly $8,000 price premium over a standard Prius is worth it. The masses of loyal Prius buyers seem to think so, however.

Related
Prius Plug-In Quietly Ranks No. 2

2012 Toyota Prius V, 2012 Prius Plug-in Priced at $26,400 and $32,000
Toyota's Prius Still MPG Champ



from KickingTires http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/




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World’s Largest Automaker 2012, An Update

September Production and Full Year Forecast
9M '12 9M '11 YoY Proj '12
Toyota 7,681,891 5,583,328 37.6% 10,243,000
GM 7,054,000 6,948,000 1.5% 9,405,000
Volkswagen 6,710,000 6,110,000 9.8% 8,947,000
Black: Company data.
Toyota, GM: Production. VW: Deliveries. Forecast by TTAC

With GM's  third quarter release also and finally came the long-awaited global production numbers for the first nine months. We need  production, because the race for the world's largest automaker is decided by  how many cars are made, not by how many are sold.

We don't make the rules, if you want to complain, do it with OICA.

Plugging the data into our spreadsheet, the race appears to be pretty much decided. As mentioned before, Toyota's numbers will probably be less than what the current projection says as China is taking its toll. The current indications are a little bit less than 10 million for Toyota.



from The Truth About Cars http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com




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October Surprise: GM’s 3Q Numbers Better Than Expected

GM delivered its October surprise by posting what Reuters calls "a surprisingly strong profit." In a bit of a hail Mary pass, GM said it is targeting a return to break-even levels in Europe by mid-decade.

GM's third-quarter net income fell to $1.48 billion from $1.74 billion a year earlier. Excluding one-time items, GM earned 93 cents a share, surprising analysts who expected only 60 cents.

In Europe, GM expects a full-year operating loss of $1.5 billion to $1.8 billion, depending on what restructuring costs will be in the fourth quarter. GM hopes for slightly better European results in 2013, and to reach break-even there by mid-decade. Hope springs eternal, especially in  the week before the elections.



from The Truth About Cars http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com




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Recall Alert: 2007-2012 Toyota FJ Cruiser

2008-toyota-fj-cruiser
Toyota is recalling 655 model-year 2007-12 versions of the FJ Cruiser SUV due to problems with an accessory brake kit, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The affected vehicles use Toyota Racing Development (TRD) brake kits P/N PTR09-35070 and TRD High-Performance brake kits P/N PTR09-35100. Improper installation of the kits could damage the outer brake tube because of interference with the balance weight. Brake fluid could leak from the damaged tube, resulting in loss of braking performance and an increased risk of an accident.

Toyota will notify owners starting in mid-November, and dealers will replace the affected parts for free. Owners can call Toyota at 800-331-4331or NHTSA's vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236 for more info.

Related
Research the Toyota FJ Cruiser
More Safety News on Cars.com
Check out Other Recalls



from KickingTires http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/




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