We bought a new car! (Subaru Impreza WRX wagon)

Ed and I had been talking about getting a new car for awhile, and the timing just seemed right since we were 3 weeks from leaving on a driving vacation with only 1 out of 3 of our cars working. And that car being the Jeep without air conditioning and getting a max of 12mpg!

So, we walked car lots on Sundays and talked about our wants and needs. Hauling capacity would be important considering that this car will be a replacement for the Jeep. But, the major problem with the Jeep is that it's so slow that Ed hates driving it. So, it has to have at least a little "pep". Ed wanted a Lightning (truck). I didn't want a truck. We looked at the Murano. That's not really what we were looking for either. When Subaru's WRX wagon was brought up, we knew that was a great fit for us. We spent some time looking for alternatives, and found that the WRX wagon was for us. (Although the words "we're buying a STATION WAGON" were uttered in disbelief several times.)

On Saturday, June 11? we went to Bill Jacob's Subaru of Joliet and took a test drive of a WRX wagon. I didn't drive, I just tested the visibility -I'm so short that I can't see over the steering wheel of some cars -luckily, the WRX has a hight-adjustable seat. I knew from the pedal pressure that it'd take some time for me to get used to the clutch (it's MUCH lighter than my 2600lb clutch on my DSM). So, Ed drove it. He didn't get on it at all -he was afraid he'd get in trouble with the sales guy who came along for the ride. At the end of the ride the sales guy didn't pressure us at all, we left knowing that this car would work well for us, and knowing the options that we wanted.

Then we were left with the buying process. We both hate negotiating. One of us has even paid sticker price for a car before! So, I got online and researched like crazy. With the options we wanted, this is what we were told invoice should be along with what we should shoot for for a price:

• Edmunds.com:
  
• Invoice = $23,373
  
• TMV ("What others are paying") = $23,714
• Consumer Reports:
  
• Invoice = $23,373
  
• Wholesale price = $22,637 ($736 subtracted for eliminating the dealer holdback)
• Blue Book:
  
• Invoice = $23,373
  
• New Car Blue Book = $24,740

So, invoice price was clear, but there was almost $2000 difference in "target price". The first thing I did was research the dealer holdback. It turns out that this is a percentage of MSRP that the manufacturer gives the dealer upon sale of the vehicle. The thing is, that this holdback is like a rebate for the dealership, the salesperson you negotiate with will never see that money -it's just part of the cost of the vehicle as far as they're concerned.

Some of the better material I found for researching car purchases:

• For looking up invoice and target prices:
  
• www.edmunds.com
• www.kbb.com (Blue Book)
  
• For general car buying tips:
  
• www.carbuyingtips.com
• www.edmunds.com -look through all the articles here, lots of good stuff
• "Confessions of a car salesman" -VERY good read about how car salesman view the transactionow
• "How to negotiate a great deal on a new car" -forum with VERY good advice from a former car salesman. -Part I
  
• "How to negotiate a great deal on a new car" -forum with VERY good advice from a former car salesman. -Part I

So, armed with all this information, I used the "Get Free Quotes" button on Edmunds' site I think to get some online quotes. This was a mistake. The car dealers they contacted emailed me asking for specifics about the vehicle I wanted. You can eliminate the confusion by logging onto the website for the car dealerships in your area and filling out a quote request from them directly -for the actual car that you want (as long as you want something they have on their lot).

24 hours or less after filling out the quote requests, I got some replies:

• Northshore Subaru quote: $23,877+fees, minus a $1500 rebate or a low financing option. So, basically their quote was $22,377 assumin we'd take the rebate. -I was blown away. This beat the lowest "target" price that I had found!
• Naperville Subaru quote: $22,601+fees (including the $1500 rebate).
  
• Countryside Subaru quote: $21,975 and with all fees came to $23,895 OTD

At this point, I was questioning the "target prices" that I received. Perhaps Edwards and the rest padded their prices at the request of their "advertising partners" (dealerships)? So, I researched some more and ran across the "How to negotiate a great deal" threat on the forum at FatWallet.com -on that site, a guy who claimed to have worked for a car dealership before said that your target price should be Invoice - rebates, including all taxes and fees. He said you should never pay more than invoice "out the door". -I readjusted my target price to be $22,500 "out the door" and emailed the dealerships back to let them know that this was what I was willing to pay. The result was shocking!

They all said: "Good luck."

None of them even made a counter-offer. The difference in price was $1,395 (basically the cost of the taxes and fees). I figured maybe they were playing a waiting game, but 48 hours later I was still waiting. I tried taunting a few, but they wouldn't budge so we gave up and called Countryside since their quote was the lowest.

We drove down to Countryside in sweltering heat in a noisy, gas-hog of a Jeep with no air conditioning. Once inside, we met the guy I had been emailing about the quote, Dave Edwards (Sales Manager), and we sat down to fill out the paperwork. In the process, we learned that although the dealership is about 25 miles away from our house, Dave lives just a couple blocks from us!

After the basic paperwork, we looked at the car (as it was getting washed), then sat down to fill out the financing info. I was prepared here as well. I had filled out an application for an auto loan from E-Loan (online), and got a rate of 6.52%. That was a lot higher than I had expected since I ordered a credit report and score and found that I had "Very Good" credit. (Their advertised rate was 5.2%.) But, this gave us a benchmark for whatever interest rate the dealership came back with. -Worst case, we go with E-Loan.

When Dave Edwards came back with our rates, they were much better than E-Loan's. It turned out that our monthly payments were cheaper if we went with the lower interest rate rather than the $1500 rebate, so we did that (the difference was only $5 a month).

Next, we were handed off to a woman who tried to sell us on rust-proofing and scotch-guarding every square inch of the car for the low-low price of $5000 (not really, but...). We passed, signed some papers saying that we'll clean up our own spilled ice cream, etc. and we got outta there. She wasn't overly pushy, but it was very scripted and not particularly fun.

After that we sat and watched that really old Hercules vs Medusa movie with really bad (clay-mation) "special effects" from the 70's while waiting to see the financial guy to finalize the loan. It took awhile to get called into the guy's office, but he explained that the real finance guy was out sick, and he was just covering for him. So, we filled out the loan paperwork -all very easy stuff, and we were soon sent back to see Dave Edwards.

Dave was really busy (being the Sales Manager and all), so he had "Tray" show us our car, which they had put in a room just off the showroom for our viewing in the comfort of the A/C. In the room was a chalk board which said "Congratulations:" (they had forgotten to put our names on it, but Ed and I were both glad about this). Anyway, Tray showed us every single feature of our car from the climate controls to the radio, to the security system, and all the little cubby holes that Subaru provides for storage. After the walk-through he handed us the keys, and Ed got to drive the car "right off the showroom floor". -It was cheesy, but...

I followed Ed home -he in the air condition goodness of the *New* WRX wagon, and me in the stickyness of the old, loud, "naturally cooled" Jeep. When we got home, Ed got out of the car and headed inside while I headed for the WRX for my first shot at driving it.

I still couldn't believe the lightness of the clutch as I backed out of the driveway, but it was the heavy flywheel gave me problems while driving. I was rev'ing way too high, and it took forever for the rpm's to come down. I didn't stall it, however, and by the end of the trip around the block I was able to get a feel for the car. It's quick after 3000 rpm, and the suspension's pretty stiff. I think it'll be a great autocross car! -It actually came with a year's membership to SCCA; how cool is that!?!

So, at the end of my trip, I park the car and go inside assuming that Ed would be at the door ready to hear what I think about the car and to share his thoughts on it. But no... He's at his laptop.

"There" he says.

"'There' what?" I says.

"Just ordered parts."

"What! We've owned it for..." -I look at my watch. "53 minutes and you've already ordered parts for it!"

"A short-shifter and some bushings." he says.

"Oh. Okay. Yeah, that shifter is really loose and it could definitely use to be shortened."

Heh, so we're both hopeless. -We're trying hard not to void the warranty on it, and to keep our mods to things that won't put us any higher than STX class in autocross. -Wish us luck!

Illinois HB2221 will make "performance" exhaust illegal.

"chicagotalontsi" posted to the ChiDSM mailing list yesterday saying:

" A bill (H.B. 2221) to ban vehicles equipped with a “muffler or exhaust
system that clearly has been modified to amplify or increase the noise of the vehicle” was introduced at the last minute and is moving through the Illinois Legislature at breakneck speed. Under the bill, vehicles determined to have been modified by virtue of a “visual observation” will fail emissions inspection.

Time is of the Essence! We Urge You to Call or Fax Members of the Senate
Environment and Energy Committee (List Attached) Immediately to Oppose H.B. 2221

* H.B. 2221 ignores the fact that aftermarket exhaust systems are designed to make vehicles run more efficiently without increasing emissions.

* H.B. 2221 does not supply emissions inspectors with a clear standard to
enforce (e.g. decibel limit under a sound test procedure), allowing them to make subjective judgments based on “visual observations” on whether or not a modified exhaust system is in violation.

* H.B. 2221 fails to recognize that aftermarket exhaust systems offer
increased performance, which can make a vehicle safer by improving its ability to merge, pass, travel uphill, etc.

* H.B. 2221 would make it impossible for hobbyists to replace factory
exhaust systems with more durable, better performing options."


I immediately wrote a letter and faxed both my state Senator and Representative, then I posted a link to a website that'll give you the names/numbers for your elected officials.

The response on the list was disappointing:

Jonathan Katz: "Seriously, if you get a new exhaust at Midas and it happens to be a little louder than stock (like the police will have decible meters and a listingof stock db values) is it then illegal?"

Daniel (EvoRS): "just swap the whole exhaust when we go for emmisions:)"


I swear. These people will be up in arms when they fail emissions because this bill is passed. How hard is it to write a letter and fax or mail it? This is how stupid laws get passed. Lazy citizens who talk about how much a bill sucks, but won't lift a finger to try to prevent it.

I'm not sure what I'll do if this law is passed. I'm certainly not swapping my exhaust every 2 years when I go for emissions. What bull$hit. Perhaps it'll convince Ed to move to Florida.

Before I go, let me just say, that I agree that excessively loud exhaust is a problem, but it's already dealt with via local noise ordinances!

DSMs tend to decide their own upgrade paths...

Another post that starts with Grr...

Grr.

I'm happily researching spring rates so that I can buy the shocks and coilover kit that I've been looking at for the last few weeks when I get an instant message from Ed...

(10:01:37) logic_: Got a minute to talk about your head?

And thus all my plans have changed.

See, my car's currently down for a long overdue timing belt change (91,100 miles). -I figured it was about that time since we have a driving vacation coming up in less than 2 months and I doubt Ed's car will be ready in time (we don't have his engine yet). So, we got it up in the air a few days ago, and started on it. We're currently waiting for a timing belt tensioner tool before we can proceed with the actual timing belt change, but in the mean time there are other things that can be started like my balance shaft elimination (to raise the oil pressure). The only problem we've run into so far is a massive oil leak on the driver's side, possibly from something in the vicinity of the front case (we're still tracking it down).

Now all the parts for the timing belt change were bought awhile ago, so barring any suprises we should be good there. I decided I have $1000 to fix my suspension (it's not only sloppy, but getting dangerous at this point). I also just sold an intercooler that I paid about $400 for, for $600. So I have $600 that I planned to use to replace my seat with a "race seat". (It's not as ricey as it sounds, see, I had to put spacers under my seat so I could see over the dash and because of the weird OEM seat bracket, it's a really hacky job. I'm not so sure it'd hold in an accident, so I'm wanting to replace it ASAP).

But, with Ed's IM the plans have changed. Seems he thinks the head gasket might be going (he never mentioned anything about this before today). He talked to Mitch (the guy who's building his engine) and he agrees, given Ed's description of the problem: white smoke coming from exhaust (I never noticed), coolant got low with no visible leaks (we just swapped the radiator, maybe there was air in it?), and it's been sputtering (every once in awhile -we attributed it to a vacuum leak a few days ago...). To even check it, we'd have to take the head off and apparently, when you do that you need to resurface it. Mitch says the exhaust dowels (?) are also probably in need of replacing. "And while he's got it" we may as well think about getting some other things done.

In the end, here's what I'm looking at:
Stage 1 Head Work:
* Bowl Work
* Check valves
* Bronze guides honed to size
* Multi Angle valve job
* Viton Stem Seals
* Resurface on Mill to MLS Gasket standard

Plus:
* Engine Springs (both with Ti retainers) -for the bigger cams in my future
* Titanium Retainers
* Revised Lifters -because the ones I have now tick. Alot.

The list price for the above work is somewhere between $1057-$1118.

Now, we'll be getting together with Mitch and he may be able to come down on price somewhat. He also may tell me that some of the above is unnecessary, but he also might come up with more stuff to do (porting, polishing, etc).

So... My plans for suspension are on hold. I may have to just do the shocks, and do the springs later. I'm also thinking about skipping the seat for now.

Vacation's just around the corner and I'm not taking the Jeep to Canada....

Bleh, stay tuned for the next episode of "If my DSM worked I'd drive it off of a cliff." :-P

TSSCC autocross Event 2 "Just Drive"

My first REAL autocross event!

I was really excited to autocross again, and we had to skip a DSM meet on Saturday night to get up at 5:30am so we could get to Route 66 Raceway by 7-7:30am. We ended up getting there at 7am, and we were about the tenth car there. The course was set up, but registration, tech, etc weren't ready yet. So we stayed in the car with the heater on for awhile (it was about 30 degrees out and windy) then started unloading the car as more people arrived.

As soon as a line began to form for registration, we were in it. Then we got the car tech'd and received our work assignments. After that, we got the car to grid and began walking the course. The first time around I just make sure that I can read the course properly -sometimes all those cones just blend together and it's difficult to figure out which way you're supposed to go. This particular couse seemed pretty easy as far as direction went. There really wasn't anywhere I felt I might get lost. That's always a relief!

The second time around Ed and I talked about strategy. We basically agreed on everything, but I still wasn't sure about which way to take the slolum. When we got back we had breakfast (some beef jerky and a granola bar), then we heard that last year's club winner was going to give an instructional walk of the course. Ed and I ran out and met them on the course. Turns out our assessment of the course was pretty good, and when we got around to the slolum I felt better about it as well.

After that was the driver's meeting, then we were off to work on "Corner 2" which we found out was the furthest corner away. It was okay, though, walking kept us warmer. When we arrived I explained to Ed how corner working with TSSCC and SCCA differs from the club he ran with last year (JSCC). -Basically, there's an additional job of writing down each car that goes by for auditing purposes. The only other difference is that instead of calling in penalties in one shot, you say "Corner 2 to control" and wait for them to say "Go ahead Corner 2" before calling in the car # and the penalty. When our other corner workers showed up we divided the jobs (I did the writing, Ed was on the CB, and the others ran out and reset cones).

Writing is a good job 'cause you don't have to run. Running in driving shoes on hard pavement -especially in the cold sucks big time. The other problem with it is, there are 2 cars on course at all times and everyone was running the course between 42 and 64 seconds. That means, about 25 seconds between cars, and no time to see how others are driving the course. No learning from others' mistakes. Also, different from Joliet, the course at Route 66 is a lot longer (and bigger), so you can't use your work time to watch and learn the course better. You simply can't see it all!

We worked 2 heats, 3 runs each -it took maybe 2 hours? Out there in the cold it felt like forever, but when it was done we knew it was our turn to drive! Ed drove first, and like a lot of people he skidded around a lot out there. It was cold, so our tires lost a lot of grip. He ended up missing a turn as a result on his first run. For the second run, I chalked the tires, and Ed compensated with his driving for the reduced traction. It worked. He did better the second time, but the car was still all over the place. When he was done I checked the chalk marks and found that the tires -especially in the rear were over-inflated. I grabbed the tire gauge and let out about 15 pounds of air! I left the front alone.

Ed's third run was better, but after that it was my turn! My first run was over-agressive and I skidded a lot. I was understeering all over the place, and that's something I'm not used to in this car. Usually I get oversteer. I don't know if it was the cold, the turns, or just me braking in the turns rather than before them, but my second and third runs I held back some and went a little faster. "Go slower to go faster" really works!

When my runs were over, we walked back to Corner 2 to work again. (Usually you only work 1 heat, and rest the other, but there were only about 100 cars (only!?!), and they didn't have enough people to split up the work groups, so we all worked 2 heats. It was still cold, but when the wind died down alittle and the sun was out it wasn't too bad (we enjoyed all 2 seconds of that :-P).

When those runs were done we headed back to the car. I drove first this time since my numbers were already on the car and the seat and everything was set up for me. By the end of my last 3 runs, I shaved 3 seconds off of my first time and lowered the tire pressure on the front tires by 10 pounds to help with the understeer.

Next, Ed took the wheel and I again rode along. I must say that by the end of his runs I was angry at myself. My original goal was to be within 5 seconds of Ed's time. I ended up being about 3.5 seconds slower, so I reached my goal, but after seeing how much more agressive Ed was on the course, I saw a few places that I could have gained time. I think I could have gone at least 1.5 seconds faster if I was given one more run. It was (and still is) frustrating. But, Ed's got 2 seasons on me. I'll get better with practice.

I can't wait to go out again, but I don't think we'll make another autocross until June or so. Perhaps, in the meantime I can get my (very overdue) timing belt change done. No doubt I'll also be thinking about replacing my brakes (they're squeeking), and my shocks (12 years old, I'm hitting the bump-stops from time-to-time!). Blah. My car is my motivation for going to work everyday...

A review of the SCCA Learning Curve

I attended the Chicago SCCA Learning Curve on April 9 and 10 and after listening to a few friends who've said they were interested in going, I thought I'd share a review on the class as it was a little different than I expected...

First of all, for those who don't know: my previous autocross experience has been watching Ed, now my fiance (it's still weird to say that), autocrossing for the past 2 seasons. I also participated in the Mazda Rev It Up event last year.

The SCCA's Learning Curve, first of all, was worth the money to me. I started out very unsure of myself since I've only been driving stick for the past 6 months or so. This course was a nice way to get the feel of autocrossing with a knowledgable person at your side, then participate in an event that closely resembles an actual SCCA autocross. You also get to run the course that will also be used at the next (real) event, which is a plus! Saturday I was very nervous driving to the first class. Sunday I was just excited to get on the course. That was worth the money right there!

As I said, I think this course was worthwhile for me, but anyone who's been to an autocross event before and feels confident enough to try it themselves may not need this course. If you have a friend to show you how the event runs, and you don't mind asking people for pointers, you'd probably be fine just showing up. -Don't worry about your skills or your car. From the looks of things they see all kinds of people out there. Just go and have fun!

Anyway, on to the class. Saturday started in the classroom where we were given a booklet which followed a Power-point slide presentation page-for-page. Basically the instruction consisted of what autocross is, the basic rules, what to bring to an event, etc. There was NO TECHNICAL INSTRUCTION. After class (about an hour long or so) we were paired up with our instructors; there were about 2 students to each instructor, but some teachers may have had 3 students. The instructors varied from "seasoned" men who had been in national competitions, to one lady who won at nationals, and others were club members who consistantly pulled off good times. Basically, with the instructors, it was luck of the draw. Some may only be getting good times because they have a really well set up (and fast) car, or perhaps they know everything about driving their rear-wheel drive car, but nothing about driving your front-wheel drive car. I paid a lot of attention to the instructors talking to their students out on the course; some gave good advice and seemed very knowledgable. Others couldn't even answer their students (general) questions!

After introductions, the instructors tech'd our cars and we all headed to the two "mini" courses that were set up for us. We walked the courses as our teachers explained the best line to take, where you'd be accellerating, where you'd be braking, etc. After that was lunch, supplied by K&M Magnetics, and then we headed out to the courses. There were 85 students and we were all divided into 3 groups (orange, blue, and green) and given assignments (work, run course 1, or run course 2).

When it was our turn to drive the course(s), our instructor rode along with us. At first she'd call out the directions we'd be turning (ie "enter the slalom on the left"), then she'd let us find our own way around. Either way, at the end of the run she'd let you know where you could improve next time. We got 5 runs on each of the 2 courses, and only had to work once. After that, we made plans for meeting up the next day and went home to (hopefully) relax.

On Sunday, we were to show up at 7:30am which was difficult, but apparently normal for race day. Our teachers tech'd our cars again, then we headed out to walk the full course (they just combined the 2 mini courses from Saturday into one big course on Sunday). After walking it a couple times, we attended the driver's meeting and headed out to work heat 1.

There were 150 or so cars running that day (because instructors also ran their cars with students riding along), so it was decided that we'd all get 5 runs. Considering the number of cars, the heats went pretty quick, but it seemed like forever out there shagging cones on the course. After heat 1 was lunch, supplied by K&M Magnetics again. Then it was our turn to drive!

The instructors rode along again and gave us pointers on where we could improve. On Saturday they didn't time our runs at all, but I thought I was really fast because at the end of the day my instructor had no more advice for me. My first timed run on Sunday shot that ego down a bit. In the end, I knocked a little more than 5 seconds off my first run. Truthfully, I think I would have done just as well without the instructor, but I've had the experience of Rev It Up and watching 2 seasons of autocross before participating.

For heat 3, our instructors ran, so we took turns riding along with them in their own car. My instructor had a very nicely set up Dodge Neon (believe it or not), and being able to ride along with her gave me an even better idea of where I could improve (and how I could improve the car as well).

So, there you go. That's what the class was all about: experience more than anything. I got a confidence boost out of it. I CAN autocross, I just have to practice to get faster. If you're looking for an introduction to the sport, this is a great place to get it. If you've participated before and want someone to ride along with you to give you general pointers, it's not a bad deal (but it all depends on who you get as an instructor). If you've autocrossed before and are looking for more in-depth tips, this isn't the place for you.

Stuff that did NOT get stolen from my car.

Okay, so now that some time has passed since my car got broken into, I've been able to find some humor in it...

What got stolen:

• My $100 radio
• My boost gauge
• My Air/Fuel gauge
• My gauge pod
• My fire extinguisher

Yep. My fire extinguisher was taken. I had a rice-y white fire extinguisher strapped down to the back seat and it was stolen along with the electronics. I find that to be hilarious since...

What was NOT stolen:

• My AFC
  
• My palm pilot

The AFC is easily worth $150 to $200. It was the single most valuable piece of equipment in the car at the time. Fortunately, it was under the passenger seat along with my Palm Pilot. A cable ran right under the stereo (which was stolen), over the center console, and went under the seat. If the person would have just been curious enough to pull on it they would have found them. More proof that keeping stuff "out of sight" is, in itself, a good security measure.

My car was broken into last night!

More bad luck...

Ed got the shifter in the Laser working properly (thanks to the magic of WD-40) so we took that to dinner last night. I was so happy that I'd be able to drive it to work the next day! Turns out that wasn't gunna happen...

I got up this morning and went out to start the Laser. I unlocked the door, opened it, and noticed a black plastic piece on the seat. Grr. The gauge pod must have finally fell off. I pick the piece up, no that's the piece that goes over the door... I look at the A-pillar where the gauge pod should be. No. Can't be. Where is it? Maybe Ed took it off... I went inside and asked Ed. Nope. He didn't touch it. We both go back out to the car. The stereo's gone too!

Whoever did it was neat as hell, and I have to admit I'm thankful they didn't rip everything apart. They made off with 2 fairly cheap gauges, a gauge pod that I was hoping to replace anyway, and a stereo worth $99 new. Still, I feel violated, and I'm not sure how we can better protect the cars from future break-ins.

Obviously the person who did this knew what they were doing. They probably saw the gauges from the street and marked it as a target. Our hours are regular as hell, so timing wouldn't be a problem. Due to the fact that all the screws were left neatly on the seat, the frame or whatever you call it for the stereo was neatly left on the floor, and the other plastic piece that goes over the door was neatly left on the driver's seat, I'd say the guy (or girl) responsible was just as organized and careful in selecting the target and following through. It also shows that they have a conscience.

In the end, I'm out a couple hundred dollars -but as Ed said this morning it's a cheap wake-up call before we have both our cars in the driveway full of expensive toys. What makes me the maddest is thinking about how to protect the cars in the future. Car alarms are cheesy and easily gotten around. Ed mentioned motion sensors and possibly a video camera, which would be easy to do and cheap with the cost of webcams these days. I don't know, but we won't sit around and do nothing! We have 2 "race cars" and only 1 will fit in the garage at a time...

The funny thing is I went through some police training and I know at least a little bit about how targets are picked. One of the things I liked about our house is that it's a really bad target for thieves. Our block curves around, and we're actually on the corner of a cul-de-sac, which places our house as the farthest forward on the block. That means that you can see our whole driveway clearly from a great distance away. Not the best place to be breaking into cars! The thing that helped this person not be seen, however, was my Jeep. It was parked next to the Laser providing a perfect sheild from view. Gosh darn it...

Oh yeah, the Laser was locked, the Jeep's always unlocked (no sense locking a Jeep w/ a soft top!), the Jeep had the same stereo in it, but the face plate was locked in the center console. The Jeep's stereo was untouched. I didn't have time to look around and see if anyone went through the Jeep looking for the face plate...

The moral of the story: Car locks mean nothing. Hide your stereo's face plate, and conseal anything (like gauges) that make your car stand out. I'll be mounting my gauges elsewhere next time....

Dumb names for cars

I was driving behind a minivan today, then I noticed the name... Oldsmobile Silhouette. Who in their right mind would name a minivan "Silhouette"?

Mmmm... boxy.
:-P

Toyota "Put It In Play" Event

Yesterday we went to Toyota's "Put It In Play" event at US Cellular field in Chicago. We arrived at noon, uh, because that's when we were registered for. Parking was free, which was nice. But there was no one there! We walked up to registration, there was no line. We entered, and there were no lines at any of the events either. We walked around and got a feel for how the events worked, and then we picked one...

"Red Light Green Light": Yep, just liked the game you used to play when you were a kid. We each got into a Toyota Matrix (automatic) and waited on the starting line for the lights down the track to turn green. When they did, we mashed the gas and kept an eye on the lights as we accellerated. The lights turned red and we all hit the brakes as hard as we could. The last one to stop had to skip a turn, so we wanted to stop ASAP! Then, the lights would turn green again, and we'd all continue down the track as fast as possible. In total, we stopped about 4 times until someone crossed the finish line. From there we were all given our ranking and we headed back to the starting line to get our cards punched (for points). On the way back there was a few turns where we got to see why they put the Matrix on a straight-lined course. It took turns rather sloppy, and the seating felt more like a minivan then a sports car. I wasn't impressed. The accelleration wasn't great either, but it stopped quickly enough. Hint: Left foot brake, and when you're at a stop rev the engine a little so you can accelerate quicker when the light turns green. I beat Ed in this competition. Twice. ;-)

"Capture The Flag": This game required a team of two plus a "Pro driver" and involved a Toyota Corolla. First you or your partner take the wheel and you line up at your home base. The team you are racing against takes their place at their "Home Base" at the other end of the oval course. On "Go" you drive around a circle track that contains a short slolum on both straight-aways. In the your opponent's "Home Base" is a post with 3 flags on it. The driver stops at the post, and whoever's in the back seat hops out and grabs a flag. When they get back in the car (and get their seat belt back on) you take off again back to your "Home Base". There, you switch places as fast as you can. When everyone's back in (and has their seat belt on) you start back around again. For the third lap, the "Pro driver" takes the wheel while you hold on tight. The last flag is picked up, and whoever makes it back to their "Home Base" first wins more points. The problems I had with this event: The Corolla doesn't handle well at all. It was really sloppy around turns -I have no idea why they used this car in this event. Other problems: Auto locking doors made the process of jumping out of the car and grabbing the flag slow and frustrating. Hint: Anything you can do to unlock the doors and put your seatbelt on faster in this game helps.

"Relay Race": You need a team of 3 for this game, which is annoying because most people came to this event with one other person. Since there was no one there, one of the course workers took the place of the 3rd person in our group. Once again you're in a Corolla, and you are paired with a "Pro driver". One of the team members starts, on "Go" they drive an oval course much like the one for "Capture The Flag", but the pro is sitting next to you as you drive. Our "Pro" kept telling Ed to slow down (?). When you get back to the start, you hop out and tag a team member. All 3 team members drive the course with the "Pro" in the passenger seat. When the third person completes the course, they tag any team member and then all three of you pile into the car with the "Pro" at the wheel for one more trip around the course "the right way". Pro driver or not, this car feels sloppy. It's not impressive at all. I'm not sure they'll be selling any Corollas at this event...

"Vehicular Dodgeball": This time you are issued a Celica, and then you line up at the start. On "Go" you drive as fast as you can through a oval course with one short slolum. The first part of the course is fast, there are three huge "Dodge Balls" (beach balls) laying (stationary) on the course. It's kinda set up like a slolum, but you don't have to turn. Not too challenging, but you can go fast, so it's cool. Then there's a U-shaped turn, a short slolum, and then two air-filled red balls that are suspended from strings. These balls are supposed to move, I guess, but they weren't moving when I drove past. The result: They just stood there in the middle of the course, no way for me to avoid them. I hit one, but they didn't count it against me -I'm not sure if that was a mistake on their part or not. The last part of the course is a tight, irregular U-shape and you have to take it slow. There is a short straight-away (about 20 feet long) where people on the side-lines can throw water-soaked, baseball-sized "dodgeballs" at you. If you get hit by any of the balls on the course, of if someone on the sideline hits the target painted on the door of the car with a "dodgeball" you lose. If you get through cleanly and don't make a complete stop on the course, you get 20 points. I did this event twice. The Celicas handle MUCH better in turns than the Corollas. Once again, these were automatics, but the second time I used the "M mode" which is to the left of the "Drive" in the gear shifter. At first I thought this would be "Manual Mode" like Mazda's cars at "Rev-It-Up", but it's not. You don't actually get to shift the car in this mode, it's just faster. Much faster. It really took off! I was impressed! It was kinda jerky though, I wish I had more time to get used to it. Before we used this mod, Ed asked the course worker how this worked, but the guy had no idea. My beefs with this event were with staff and layout, not with the car. The whole point of this event is to sell cars, so wouldn't you think the workers should have a full working knowledge of the cars they're working with? Also, the layout was cheezy. Their website touts this "Vehicular Dodgeball" as THE event -there's a commercial where a girl's driving like she's taking her driving test for her license when all of a sudden dodgeballs start pelting the car. She looks scared, and after a little while she stops. The instructor sitting next to her just shakes his head and says "I don't think you're quite ready yet. There were no dodgeballs! There were non-moving car-sized beach balls, 2 big red balloons suspended on string, and water-soaked squishy balls being thrown at you for about 1/20th of the course... I don't know, man... Not what I was expecting. :-(

Other Events: Um, kareoke... Select your (least) favorite tune from the early 80's and sing your heart out. You get points for it, but damn! There was a Toyota Quiz thing. And Musical Chairs. Yeah, real lame. There was non-points activities too. Hoola-hoops, big beach balls, teather ball, skee-ball, and food. $1 for a can of pop. We bought two. It was hot.

If you're pre-registered they told us we could jump the line once for each event. There was no need. We never saw a line. Hideous 80's music was played the whole time we were there and made the event seem that much cheezier. All-in-all I'm glad we went. We both ended up with enough points for T-shirts, and I learned that Celicas aren't bad little cars. I also learned that I should never waste my time looking at a Corolla or Matrix. Would I go again next year? Probably not. Most of it was just corny. I think Toyota should take a look at Mazda's Rev-It-Up Event and bring out their more impressive cars next time. (Leave the Corolla and Matrix on the side-lines!) Also, make the course either more fun or more challenging. Lastly, play some more modern music. I paid $40 to go to Rev-It-Up this summer, and I'll gladly pay to go again next year. This free event will be skipped, however.

DSM Shootout

Last weekend we went to the DSM Shootout in Norwalk, Ohio. It was awesome!!! Besides getting to see a few cars that I've heard about (The Green Machine, the twin engine Talon, etc) my car ran a 13.748 in the quarter-mile beating it's previous best time of 14.102 by 0.354 seconds (a lot in the automotive world). The hotels were crazy -the EconoLodge was one big party, the AmeriHost and Best Western had crowds too, but were much more subdued than the EconoLodge. The car show at Busher's was awesome too. I got to see the twin engine car everyone's been talking about, although it didn't give the performance everyone had hoped for. It looked like he babied it down the track (no launch or anything). I heard he's still having problems getting the transmissions sync'd up and stuff. In between all of that we went Go-Karting. That was a blast as well. All-in-all an awesome way to spend a long weekend. I can't wait to go again next year.