cars

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Five '70s Cars That Plain Suck
 Five '70s Cars That Plain Suck 
OPINION
Apr 19, 2009 1:06 PM CDT

Five '70s Cars That Plain Suck

(Newser) - The 1970s was "a decade of excess mediocrity in so many quarters it's hard to catalog it all," Tony Borroz writes in Wired. But you can start with the cars. Here follow five total flops.
  • Ford Mustang Cobra II: "An over-glorified Pinto" that made a "mockery
...

ILVTOFU Plate Too Spicy for Colo. DMV

(Newser) - A Colorado woman who wanted to advertise her vegan diet with an ILVTOFU vanity license plate is out of luck, the Denver Post reports. The state’s DMV maintains a list of banned letter combinations, of which FU is one. “We don’t allow ‘FU’ because some people...

Car Lovers Just Don't Get Keyed Up Anymore

Romance with Detroit's best is fading

(Newser) - Where have all the car buffs gone? For many, the allure of that new car smell is fading: Figures show new-vehicle sales are down 38%, and despite warranties lasting 7 or 10 years, 40% of last year’s trade-ins were less than 4 years old. But recession is only partly...

Fast &amp; Furious Fast, Furious

 Fast & Furious 
 Fast, Furious 
movie review
Apr 3, 2009 10:46 AM CDT

Fast & Furious Fast, Furious

Fourth installment just what you expect

(Newser) - Fast & Furious, the fourth installment in the series that made Vin Diesel a star, is “exactly and precisely what you'd expect,” writes Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times—and his fellow critics agree:
  • “If you're in the mood for a lot of vroom, vroom, thump, thump,
...

Sinking Car Sales May Be on the Rebound

Today's figures 'as low as it's going to get': analyst

(Newser) - Figures to be released today are likely to show a third straight month of annualized new-car sales below 10 million, the Wall Street Journal reports—but there’s a chance those numbers have hit bottom. Considering the size of the American consumer market, today’s figure “is about as...

No, Rush, California Isn't Banning Black Cars

(Newser) - Relax, Rush Limbaugh: California is not going to outlaw your favorite car color. The California Air Resources Board said yesterday that it isn’t, and never was, planning to ban black rides to mitigate greenhouse gases, the LA Times reports. A report to the CARB about the advantages of more...

Critics Bowled Over by World's Cheapest Car

 Critics Bowled Over 
 by World's Cheapest Car 
Auto review
Mar 26, 2009 10:00 AM CDT

Critics Bowled Over by World's Cheapest Car

It's $2K, but the Tata Nano provides bang for your buck

(Newser) - India unveiled the world's cheapest car this week, and a few lucky drivers took the $2,000 Tata Nano for a test drive. Their reactions:
  • “A surprisingly smooth ride. Thrifty transport is not meant to be this comfortable,” writes Randeep Ramesh in the Guardian. “Built for functional
...

Arson Catches Fire as Car Insurance Fraud Climbs

(Newser) - Car owners sideswiped by the economy have spurred a nationwide wave of arson and abandonment—last-ditch attempts to collect on insurance, the Wall Street Journal reports. Auto arson claims rose 6% nationally in 2008; in some particularly speculative states, the rate jumped as much as 18%. “Lots of desperate...

Why Thieves Don't Care About Your Car Stereo

New devices can't be transferred between cars

(Newser) - More than a million car stereos were stolen in 1994, but in the past 15 years, yearly thefts have plummeted by more than half, NPR reports. Why? Automakers now install good stereos from the start, and “there's no market for factory radios because they normally don't fit in any...

India Rolls Out World's Cheapest Car

Tata Motors plans to take $2,000 car to Europe, US

(Newser) - India's Tata Motors rolled out its $2000 Nano car yesterday, six months late but with grander plans than ever, reports the Los Angeles Times. The company aims to sell the vehicle—10 feet long and less than 5 feet wide—not only to India's emerging middle class, but to the...

For April 1, an Ikea Car?
 For April 1, an Ikea Car? 
Mar 23, 2009 4:06 PM CDT

For April 1, an Ikea Car?

(Newser) - Ikea says it’s unveiling a car March 31, but the day after that is—you got it—April 1, Jalopnik reports. The Leko, which is touted by its “designer” on a French website set up by the Swedish home-furnishing giant, will be modular, able to operate as a...

Muscled and Svelte, New Camaro Is No Meathead
Muscled and Svelte, New Camaro Is No Meathead
AUTO REVIEW
Mar 21, 2009 7:36 PM CDT

Muscled and Svelte, New Camaro Is No Meathead

Reworked car could be Detroit's savior

(Newser) - General Motors hopes to muscle its way back from the brink of bankruptcy by reintroducing the Chevrolet Camaro, a macho stud-machine that is flexed to impress, Joseph Szczesny writes in Time. “The new Camaro goes well beyond the old-fashioned ‘Detroit iron’ of the 1960s and '70s,” writes...

Auto-Parts Suppliers Get Own $5B Bailout

(Newser) - The US will provide $5 billion in aid to the nation’s auto-parts manufacturers, a sector struggling because of the tenuous financial situation of Detroit’s Big Three car companies, the Wall Street Journal reports today. Many parts makers face bankruptcy, as they have not been paid for product delivered....

Recession Lifts Auto Repair Shops

People aim to keep cars running rather than buy new ones

(Newser) - For car mechanics, the recession has its perks: Americans are flocking to repair shops to ensure their vehicles run longer in tough times, CNNMoney reports. Automotive Service Association members have seen a 16% boost in sales compared to last year. “In relative terms, that $1,000 repair to keep...

Drive Past the Body Shop: Sun Will Repair Scratches

New self-healing coating will save you money, time

(Newser) - The sun will soon be able to help repair the scratches on everything from iPods to cars. Researchers have developed a polyurethane coating that heals itself when exposed to UV radiation, Wired reports. The coating, which should be available in a few months, could save consumers money and reduce waste...

Think Repo Men Like Recession? Think Again

Victims 'hide' cars, 'fight over them'

(Newser) - Repossession agents must thrive on recession, right? Wrong, reports the Wall Street Journal. “People are doing everything they can now to hold onto what they’ve got,” says the owner of an auto-recovery business, whose revenue plunged 23% in 2008. “Do you think they’re going to...

Berlin Protesters Torch Luxury Cars
Berlin Protesters Torch Luxury Cars
Feb 27, 2009 3:13 PM CST

Berlin Protesters Torch Luxury Cars

Sardonically named 'BMW' claims responsibility for arsons

(Newser) - As the financial crisis inflames class tensions, economic protest in Berlin has taken the form of arson attacks on luxury cars, Bloomberg reports. Activists have torched more than 2 dozen vehicles this year, and the pace is increasing. A group puckishly calling itself “BMW”—an acronym for "...

Classic Bugatti Sells for $4.5M

1937 model gathered dust in garage for 50 years

(Newser) - A 1937 Bugatti that sat unused for 5 decades has sold at a Paris auction for $4.5 million, the BBC reports. The family of a British doctor found the car in his garage after he died. It's one of only 17 in the world. Despite its age, the Type...

US Choice: Put Money in Startups or Big Three

Tesla needs aid for new electric sedan

(Newser) - Small upstart Tesla wants to build on the success of its bold electric sports car—the pricey Roadster—by building a tamer sedan for the masses. But to do so, it needs a big infusion of cash from the Obama administration, which is looking to boost clean energy. The situation,...

For Sale: Obama's Old Car; Price: $1M

Previous bidding reached $125,000 before seller canceled auction

(Newser) - As Barack Obama upgrades to a customized Cadillac limo fit for a president, the 2005 Chrysler 300C he once drove around Illinois is up for sale on eBay. Bidding starts at $100,000, but eager fans can fork out $1 million to buy it immediately, Time reports. The seller bought...

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