Old and Reliable

Last year my wife and I traded my 1997 Olds Cutlass on a 2009 Chevy Traverse.   Hardly Sophie's Choice, we decided to keep our 1999 Nissan Pathfinder which I have been driving ever since.  The Pathfinder has been dead reliable for the ten years we've owned it.  Nothing has gone wrong on it, the only money spent has been on gas and maintenance.   

But time has a way of catching up to all things.  Maggie, our cocker-mix pound puppy is now 13 and partially deaf and blind.  I'm in my 40's and can't stay out all night and still function the next day.  Both Maggie and I require regular check ups and more upkeep.  And the Pathfinder, which is going on 14 years old, is beginning to require more upkeep as well. 

The Pathfinder's maintenance needs are minor--flush the coolant, change the belts and hoses, change the transmission and differential fluid.  I'll also eventually need new tires and brakes.  And there are other little nagging problems--the CD player no longer works; the power antenna is broken; the driver seat is worn thin in places.  Nothing that can't be fixed. 

As transportation, its ideally suited for my needs.  I don't worry about parking it outside.  It's great for cub scout camping, trips to the hardware store, or hauling things like bags of mulch, used lawnmower oil, old paint cans, and other things that could spill or stain the carpet.  I don't think twice about using the Pathfinder for anything, everything.  I just get in it and go.  I know it will work.  I know it will be there,  ready to go every time I drive it. 

That last sentence sums up what most people want out of a car.  It's the reason why the Toyota Camry is the #1 car in America, why Alfa Romero left our shores, and it caused British Leyland to dissolve by the light of its dim Lucas electrics, in its own pile of rust and leaking fluids.  But I'm not most people, and that's the problem.  

When it comes to cars, I'm at best a high functioning addict or serial monogamist.  I'm constantly trolling  Craigslist, eBay, or other classifies for cars. My head contains a short list of cars I'd like to own, which is always changing and evolving.  Could I keep the Pathfinder and buy a used Alfa Romero or, Porsche 924/928/944?  Or if I sold the Pathfinder, could I rely on a Mercedes 190 Cosworth or E55 AMG, BMW M3/M5, or Jaguar XJR as everyday transportation?  Do I take the safe route and buy a new or late model Infiniti, VW GTI, or Mazda 3?   

Sometimes freedom is too many choices.  Or at least as Mr. Spock once said, "Having is not as pleasing as wanting."  Right now the penchant to dream is far stronger than the lure of something new and shiny.  But maybe that's because I haven' t found the shiny thing that will sate that penchant yet. 

In the meantime, I did the only sensible thing I could do:  I took the Pathfinder to the hardware store to buy paint for my latest home improvement project...  and then took it to get washed.           

$15,000 Question Chevy Impala SS

Suppose I told you that for $15,000 you could have a 300 horsepower sedan complete with leather and all the trimmings.  This form of motivation comes from either a small block V8 or a smooth 24 valve V6, packaged with a large trunk and room for five.  Best of all, you can find one used with a factory certified warranty.  Too good to be true?

The answer depends on your disposition towards the Chevrolet Impala, that big bodied mainstay of fleet vehicles.  Cleanly styled, it won't be confused with a Lexus or Mercedes, though from a distance it does look like it might be cousins with the 2006-2008 Honda Accord.  It certainly isn't Quasimodo-ish like the Porsche Panamera.   And unlike the Panamera, you would not want to take it on the Nurburgring, unless you were using it as a tow vehicle for your Caterham 7.  

The Impala is a throwback, a wayback machine to transport you to a time when full sized sedans ruled Interstates of America and families drove to the Gulf of Mexico on vacation.  It is an ideal road trip car, and with 300 horses on tap, a deceptively quick one.  

Why Fisker is in Trouble

Fisker is in serious trouble and it's not because it's namesake, Henrik Fisker left the company or because Justin Bieber is it's unofficial spokesperson. 

 

The problem stems from the car itself.  Yes, the outside is beautiful.  No surprise considering Henrik Fisker designed the Aston Martin DB2 and BMW Z8.  But the beauty is only skin deep.  Underneath it's essentially a custom-bodied Chevrolet Volt, with an interior made from recycled terry-cloth and velour from the 1980's Star Trek movie franchise. 

 In full disclosure, I have not driven the Karma.  I have not sat in the Karma.  The closest I could get to a Karma was at a recent auto show, where pressed my nose to the driver side window.  And it is from this limited perspective that I came away with three thoughts:

1. Why would anyone buy a Karma when they could buy a Volt and either pocket the other sixty grand and change, or buy a weekend toy?  If I had that kind of money, I'd take the Volt and a 80's Ferrari Testarossa or Lotus Esprit. 
2. The Esprit would be cool.  Similar interior to the Karma with equally eye catching looks and similar odds of burning up or melting down on the road. 
3. If you really want an eye catching car that flaunts your environmental creds, why wouldn't you buy a Tesla Model S? 

If I were to sum up my impression of the Fisker Karma in one sentence, it would be this:  The Fisker Karma is the 21st Century's Stutz Blackhawk.