Used Car Prices Dropping

Brand new cars with turbos and superchargers cost a lot of money, this makes sense.  What’s confusing is how used car prices sky rocketed in the last few years.  It was getting to the point where someone could actually sell a car for more than they paid for it a year down the road.

A few factors led to the price increase of used cars. No one wanted to take out new debt, or they couldn’t qualify for credit to buy a new car.  So, owners held onto their own used cars. Car manufacturers also limited the amount of production during the recession.  Since no one bought cars and car companies didn’t make any cars, a shortage of used cars existed.  Since I was able to stay awake in most of my Econ classes at school, I know that when supply goes down price goes up.

Now that there is some light at the end of the tunnel of the recession and gas prices have leveled off, people are buying new cars again.  Used car demand is going down a bit, and thus so are the prices. The National Auto Dealers Association of America predicts that prices on used cars will continue to fall.  Midsized and compact cars could see a decrease up to 5% in June.

Lamborghini Finally Unveils SUV at Beijing Auto Show

Lamborghini has been hinting for awhile now that it was considering either a sedan or a crossover for its third model line, and the answer is finally here: a crossover named the Urus. While it may end up with a supercharger (and hopefully avoiding parent company's Volkswagen Jetta turbocharger), you can bet it will still be extremely fast. Urus is the name of a Spanish breed of bull that is known for both its fighting size and hauling size. They are known for having broad shoulders and being taller than most. While I’m not sure the attribute of extra height applies in this metaphor, the Lamborghini Urus is certainly a broad, sleek, powerful, and beautiful crossover.

 The first thing you’ll notice about the Urus is that, despite being a crossover, it still thankfully looks like a Lamborghini. Its super aggressive lines and low structure create an image that is distinctly Lambo. The Urus will be a 4x4 with over 600 HP, stretching over eight inches longer than an Aventador and costing over 200k. They project sales volume to be about 3,000 per year which will triple Lamborghini’s annual production.

 

Press releases state that the production model will be available in 2015 and that they are trying to make it powerful but less polluting. By 2015 European high-performance cars will need to be able to emit no more than 200 grams of CO2 per km in order to pass recent regulations so the Lambo will have to be somewhat eco-friendly
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A big help in this department will come from shedding as much weight as possible using light and strong materials in construction in lieu of metal. Even the interior will be optimized for lightness. Steering will be electro-mechanical and the range of travel adjustment on the suspension will be 3.5 inches.

 Fifty percent of sales are projected for the U.S. The Urus wil hunker down to a minimum height of 65.4 inches with a width of 78.4 inches. The 196.5 inch current length is matched to a wheelbase measuring 114 inches. Four passengers are said to have plenty of room inside, even with head room in the back seat.

What do you think of the new Lamborghini Urus? It is still awhile off before production models start circulating, but it seems to keep in step with previous Lamborghini design and ethos. Do you think Lamborghini should keep to the fast supercar market?

Synthetic vs Conventional Motor Oil

Maintaining clean motor oil is essential in the proper care of your vehicle, but whether you take it to a shop or do it yourself, a debate is inevitable: conventional or synthetic? Synthetic is obviously more expensive, but is it worth the extra dollars spent? You might want to to tune in, especially if you have a vehicle with a supercharger or turbocharger.

Synthetic oil does perform better than conventional oil when it comes to longevity and the ability to handle high temperatures. It provides better lubrication in very low temperature starts, and it also has a greater resistance to oxidization and sludge build up. But synthetics usually cost double of what conventional oil costs. Whether it is worth the cost is largely dependent on the type of car you drive and your own preference.

Both conventional oil and synthetic oil are derived from petroleum, so there is really no environmental benefit either way as far as sustainability goes. However, synthetic oil does last longer than conventional oil so you don’t need to do oil changes as frequently, so you use less oil over time. In that sense synthetic oils might be the lesser of two evils.

Recently however, Valvoline released a brand new product called NextGen that is conventional motor oil comprised of 50% recycled oil. You can typically return your used oil back to the shop you purchased it at to recycle it, thus greatly reducing its environmental impact. So if you were to use recycled oil, it might be comparable in environmental-friendliness to synthetics at a reduced cost.

As far as emissions go, synthetic oil has been shown to have lower volatility and thus not vaporize out the exhaust as quickly, reducing emissions. 

It should also be noted that any performance vehicle, especially if it is driven hard, should have synthetic motor oil because of the enhanced capabilities of synthetics. Because synthetics have a higher tolerance for extreme temperatures, engines with turbochargers or superchargers would benefit from using synthetics to prevent burnt oil build-up in their engine. But the rest of us who have normal passenger vehicles, and just shuffle from our residence to work every day, don’t typically need to worry about getting every horsepower available out of our engines or burning motor oil in our performance parts.

Ultimately it’s important to identify if the cost vs benefit for your specific vehicle and situation. Either option will do the job, which is probably why this issue is hotly debated. What do you think is better for your car, and wallet?

The 2013 SRT Viper

The New York Auto Show is this week, and although there are thousands of cars on display, you might not notice because everyone’s talking about the same thing: the new SRT Viper. Sure, it doesn't have a supercharger or a turbocharger but it's still an absolutely breathtaking sight to behold. After a few years hiatus the Viper is back with a vengeance under the SRT name. Let’s dig in to some of the great details that make this car so magnificent.

The new Viper has a brand new exterior design that still pays homage to previous Viper models. An all carbon-fiber hood, roof, decklid, and aluminum door panels not only look great but keep the car as light as possible. The entire body is beautiful and extremely aerodynamic, with a .364 drag coefficient. The hood has been re-designed with a “double-bubble” shape that gives improved headroom to both the driver and passenger while maintaining a low profile. The Viper is equipped of course with dual-function bi-xenon projector headlamps and LED daytime running lamps and turn signals in the classic sinister snake eye configuration. The wheels will be offered in a five-spoke, forged-aluminum “Rattler” design.

The interior is fully leather with accent colors applied to the seats, doors, center console, and stitching. Both seats are high-performance racing seats with lightweight Kevlar/fiberglass shells. For the first time ever, seat height can be adjusted by up to 40mm and seat travel has been expanded by 90mm overall. A new 7-inch, full-color customizable instrument cluster is available for the discerning driver, with Uconnect to access more information, entertainment, and emergency services in-vehicle.

 Under the hood lies a new 8.4L all aluminum V-10 overhead valve engine that delivers 640HP and 600lbs of torque – the most of any naturally aspirated engine in the world. The engine also features a new, ultra-high flow and lightweight composite manifold, high strength forged pistons, sodium-filled exhaust valves, new catalysts to reduce back pressure, and an aluminum flywheel that reduces reciprocating losses. This is paired with an updated Tremec TR6060 6-speed manual trans that has a shorter throw shifter and closer gear ratios.

This amazing piece of work will go into production at the end of 2012 to go on sale as the 2013 model. No word yet on exactly how much it is going to cost, but something tells me that if this is on your 2013 wishlist it’s going to set you back quite a bit. For the rest of us, the drool-worthy extensive photography will have to suffice.

Awesome Charity Gives Rides and Hope to Cancer Patients

As much as we all like to drool over supercars, the individuals that own them often have a bad reputation. Hearing that turbocharger or supercharger roar as they blow past us on the freeway doesn't make us like them a whole lot. It also takes a tremendous amount of wealth to buy a Ferrari, and the reality is most of us will never have access to the kind of funds required to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a car. One charity in Texas however is using that wealth (and time, which many people who can afford these machines also have in abundance) for a truly good cause: picking up cancer patients in supercars and taking them to the hospital for treatment.

 People undergoing treatment for cancer cannot simply drive themselves to appointments. Chemo leaves patients dizzy and feeling generally awful. It requires frequent trips to and from the hospital, and arranging transportation can be difficult. One cancer survivor in Austin noticed how many cancer patients were on the bus trying to get to treatment appointments, and dreamed up the idea to offer a service to get patients to those appointments – in style, if they so desired.

So Your Ride Is Here was born. It is a service that recruits supercar owners who want to help cancer patients get to the hospital. They ride in all kinds of specialty, classic, and luxury vehicles like the Ferrari Enzo, Aston Martin Rapide, and Chevrolet Camaro. It gives cancer patients the chance to enjoy something fun and forget about being sick for a short while. Even for those who are not car enthusiasts, the charity raises money to pay for any kind of private transportation service to help patients get to their appointments.

If you own a supercar and live in or around the Austin, Texas area visit their website to learn more about how you can help this awesome charity. If you don’t own a supercar, you can also donate money to help cancer patients get transportation anyway.

This is a great way to give back and, as an added bonus, might help the public forgive supercar owners a little for being so wealthy. So if you see a Ferrari driving down the road with a beaming patient in the passenger’s seat, try to reserve just a little judgment and thank Your Ride Is Here for granting smiles to someone who needs it.

NJ Law Gets Tough on Fastlane Slowpokes

We have all been there – coasting on the freeway, a long distance to go and cruising to get there in a reasonable amount of time, when you hit someone going 55MPH in the left-most lane. We didn’t buy a car with a turbocharger or supercharger just to sit behind this inconsiderate person driving 10 miles under the speed limit. Most of us know the left-most lane as the “fast lane” – a lane for drivers to coast at the maximum speed in order to cover longer distances. New Jersey has recently implemented laws that impose heavier fines for these traffic-causing individuals in an effort to keep them to the right.

These are usually referred to as “keep right laws,” and New Jersey isn’t alone in implementing them.  They are notable however in pursuing a crackdown and greater penalties for offenders. Speeding is much easier to enforce and more profitable in ticketing so police officers around the nation usually focus their efforts on ticketing speeders. The people of New Jersey however have made this issue a priority to keep the traffic and road rage caused by slowpokes in check. 

State Senator Donald Norcross (D) has sponsored the bill, telling the Philadelphia Inquirer "Being trapped behind a slower vehicle is one of the biggest triggers for road rage. Some people have told me the fines we're proposing are not high enough. They said, 'It should be execution.’”

He has decided on a softer approach, increasing the minimum penalty from $50 to $100 and the maximum penalty from $100 to $300. The increase in fines may help motivate police to pursue offenders, and thus encourage offenders to move to the right.

 Many offenders are from out of state, so the increased revenue from the tickets will help pay for new signs when crossing state lines warning every one of the keep right laws in effect in New Jersey. I can only hope that this trend will sweep across the nation and that California will also enact similar laws – we all have places to go!

The Original Back To The Future DeLorean Is Getting Restored!

Putting a new turbocharger or supercharger won’t turn your ride into a time machine, but Bob Gale, co-writer for the Back To The Future saga, is going to need one to accomplish his next project: a full museum quality restoration of the original "A car" from the Back To The Future trilogy.

There were several vehicles used in the making of the BTTF saga, but the A car was the best, most detailed unit used on all three films. Apparently it has been left outside for a long time and is in need of serious TLC. Some say it sat outside the BTTF ride at Universal Studios, others say it sat in a car lot with other busted movie vehicles, but either way the car is now in a state of serious disrepair. 

The people he has hired to do the restoration are Joe Wasler, J Ryan, and Terry Matalas, all of whom have been involved in creating perfect BTTF DeLorean replicas in the past. Not only will they need a team of specialists to restore the vehicle to working order, they will also have to pay extra special attention to the many elements that make this car a unique piece of film history.

Bob Gale has taken to the internet to appeal for all fans of the movie to return any original parts of the car to them,  or to let them know where they can get new ones (if anyone has such information). The movie’s popularity has seen original parts get sold and passed around over the years, so some pieces of the original are missing.  He has created a Facebook page and Twitter account to connect with fans that may have information on the missing parts, and for anyone interested in following the restoration process.

 It will be fun to see this unique car go through its own time machine – question is, when it’s done, where do you think it will end up?