david-s.net - David Schlosnagle's Words, Photos, and Links

After over 2 years of pestering from my mom and I, my dad finally gave in and traded in the 11 year old barge for a more yacht like Acura RL. As you can see, its a beautiful car, and a blast to drive (although its still in the “break in” period). Enjoy the new car Dad, you deserve it.

In another show of how much GM just doesn’t get it, they have decided to add GM badges to all of their cars (Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Hummer, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn) to show that despite all attempts to not suck, they just can’t escape the black hole (or should that be red). I think my mom may have taken her car company killing to a new level recently. The deceased Eagle (Chrysler) has since merged with Mercedes (Daimler-Benz) who are having continuous quality issues. With her Oldsmobile purchase 6 years ago, she killed off the second oldest surviving auto marque in the world, after only Daimler. Never one to rest on her laurels, she stepped it up a notch and has decided to take down all of GM. GM stock has dropped over 1/3 in the past year, with no end in sight.

I think its time to start persuading Mom to trade in the Oldsmobile for a nice TL to complete the Acura family set.

So I’m driving to Potbelly after softball practice with Ms. “No Name” to get a yummy turkey sandwich, and as I’m driving along I notice what looks to be a very nice Mercedes CLK, then I notice the Kleemann badge, and I realize that its a CLK 55K S8. Wow, 596hp can make you just gawk, and I’m not a Mercedes fan (although the CLKs are very nice, and I wouldn’t turn down the SL 55 AMG at the Vegas slots if I had won).

In case you’re looking for the perfect gift for someone you love, I have found it; an E46 BMW M3 with an M5 engine dropped in for a cool 400 hp and 470 ft.-lb. of torque!! Go watch the video and don’t forget to wipe the drool off of your keyboard!

Now I know some of you (Mom) are saying that I don’t need 400hp, and if that’s the case, there is always the new competition package for the 2005 M3. It just happens to come in a blue that is almost the same shade as Penelope

She will be mine, oh yes, she will be mine!!!

One thing I’ve noticed down here in Virginia is the abundance of vanity plates, you know, Cosmo Kramer the ASSMAN from Seinfeld. I see a new one almost every day driving to and from work or in the garage. I don’t know if Virginia is more conceited or just more expressive that so many shy away from the usual [A-Z]{3}-[0-9]{4}. I still have to think of a creative but not arrogant saying to stick on a nice PSU plate. Might have to go with D4V1D

A few of the recent ones that I have seen and managed to stick in my mind:

WE R PSU

not original, but nice plate

CRE8IV 1

probably an artisté

USR SBIN

obviously a unix system admin

1 9ERFAN

San Fran fan

MATRIX

on a sweet black Infinit G35 coupe at work

TNYRKIT

deathtrap Miata speedster around the apartment

MMM PIE

Mazda 6 pie lover?

I had seen this before, but it bears repeating. Honda’s amazing advertisement for the Euro Accord , which just happens to be part for part almost identical to the U.S. Acura TSX shows the attention to detail that goes into every car and obviously their advertising as well. (The Euro Accord comes with a standard body kit, clear corner headlights, right hand drive for the Brits, availability of a wagon, and a few other small details.) Also, check out a little explanation about the ad , and the making of…

This ad shows the ingenuity that I believe American automakers have lost. Every American car is usually the same old, same old, gas guzzling SUV. When in doubt, jack it up a few inches and you can escape the smog laws and fuel efficiency standards. Although it’s not just the American’s, Subaru is now classifying the Outback as a light truck for these same reasons. Chrysler makes some decent looking vehicles; however, they almost have a built-in obsolescence. This ensures the dealerships a high volume of repair revenue, shorter vehicle lifespan, and many upset customers. The Chrysler virus has already started to bring down Mercedes’ quality with their recent merger.

Smartmoney and Consumer Reports ask Would you buy that car again? This is something I touched on earlier, and I think this article backs up my argument that American car companies are losing the battle in engineering, quality, and loyalty. If you look at the lists, only 9% of the “Most Satisfying” list is from American companies (Chevy, and their brother Hummer). On the other hand, a whopping 55% of the “Least Satisfying” is from American companies.

I’m not saying Americans can’t build a quality automobile, especially if you consider that many of the Acuras, Hondas, and Toyotas are built here in the U.S and Canada. However, fewer and fewer of the American designed cars are as reliable and well engineered as their foreign counterparts are. Its time for America to stop regurgitating the same product over and over, and instead start to innovate in areas like fuel economy, hybrids, reliability, and safety.