Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Lazy....

Ok, I know I haven't posted in a while. I've been at the beach this week so not much going on in regards to the car. I did spot a nice '70s Land Rover Series III parked in front of one of our favorite restaurants. I am going to take some pictures if I spot it again. I'll post them up when I get home.

Monday, August 18, 2008

Hyundai Elantra Review Pt II.

Ok, my closing thoughts for this car.

Interior:
Well laid out and good looking. Material quality was nice but you could tell this is an entry level car. Seats where comfortable and had plenty of adjustment. Steering wheel did tilt but did not telescope. Everything was in reach, good head room and leg room in all seats. Dead peddle was a tad close for my taste but then again most cars are. AC and radio controls where straight forward and easy to reach. It was nice that it came with both a cig lighter plug and an additional power plug on the center console. Aux input was well marked as well, location was right between the two power sockets. Not a bad place for it but I have grown to like the ones that are hidden in the center console storage area. Sound quality was pretty good, it was nice to have XM activated on the car.

Driving Impressions:
Well balanced car. Not too much body lean in the corners. Steering was really vague. Impossible to tell what the tires are doing. It did turn in well and handled better than expected. Engine was the biggest drawback. You could feel it struggling to pull the car around sometime, transmission didn't help the issue. Held shifts too long at points or shifted much to early and would not shift back down when needed. I did return 33+mpg for the whole trip that included some rather spirited back road driving and minimal interstate cruising.

Exterior:
Looks ok, doesn't stand out but isn't ugly.

Overall a nice car. Great gas mileage considering I didn't really get out on the interstate much. Better than the Corolla and Focus in my opinion.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Hyundai Elantra Review

Ok, I'm in NY this week. My rental is a Hyundai Elantra. So far not a bad car. About on par with the Ford Focus that I had in Virginia. I will have to say the fact that this one has XM radio may skew my opinions a bit. Handles well enough, gets great gas mileage, doesn't look to bad. Hyundai has come a looooooong way since my dad brought some mid 90's model home for a test drive. I think the interior build quality is better than the Ford, on par with what I have seen in low end Toyota's and Honda's. I know it handles better than the corolla except for a strange dead-spot when going through the center position. Engine is a bit under powered and wheezy for my tastes but transmission does its best to shift at the right times to make the most of the lacking power. Give me a few more days with it and I will write up a full review.

Monday, August 04, 2008

TR6 for sale?!?

Yep, it may happen. Still mulling it over in my head. The reason? Well my garage isn't quite big enough to fit the TR6 and a Jeepster Commando and still allow Kelly to park her can indoors. Why a Jeepster you say? Well I drove one that might be for sale this weekend and it is a blast. Heck of a lot bigger than the TR but pretty fun. If I thought I got looks driving around in the TR you should see all the stares you get in a Jeepster. Everyone, I mean everyone, that saw me driving it around on the test drive stopped and pointed. Guess folks just respond to American cars a bit more than small British ones. So, if the Jeepster is going up for sale I would need to make room for it, which means the TR6 would have to go. I am a bit sad about it but the Jeepster would satisfy my classic utility craving. I would be British roadster-less but I can guarantee there would be one back in my garage as soon as I have room (read, when ever I get a chance to build the shop out back of the house!) So, if any of you loyal readers are interested or know anyone who may be interested in a red 1970 Triumph TR6 with extremely rare factory hardtop, new master cylinders (brake and clutch), pretty good paint, new plugs, gear-reduction starter, and plenty of brand new spare parts, then drop me a line. clifclavin@gmail.com

I'll post some pictures of the Jeepster soon!