Herculodge

China Will Affect the Kind of Car You Drive

In the July 2010 issue of Motor Trend Angus Mackenzie reports that China has taken America over as the Number 1 country in the world for automotive sales. Every car company is now looking at China and making the kind of cars that China wants. For the most part, this is a good thing for the American consumer. Consider:

1. Chinese consumers are more demanding than Americans for immaculate car interiors. Thus the new Buicks, GM says, have better interiors because they were made with the Chinese market in mind.

2. China taxes engines based on capacity so engines will be smaller and turbo charged and presumably more efficient.

3. Chinese fuel economy standards, stricter than in the US, should increase fuel economy by 20 percent.

4. V-8 engines could become a tiny niche product and go the way of the dinosaurs. 

5. There will be a significant increase in hybrid, electric, and fuel-cell vehicles, which can be supported by China's massive infrastructure. 

6. We'll be driving Chinese trucks and cars since their companies will go global like Nissan and Toyota, to give two examples. 

Conversation with a Nissan Repair Man About Reliability

Today as I waited for the service manager at Power Nissan in Torrance, I had a long conversation with a repair man who gave me the skinny about reliability of certain models. The good news is that Maximas, including my 07 Maxima, are hardly ever in for service. They are Nissan's most reliable car. It is apparently a model Nissan has mastered over the years.

The car he sees most often is the 02-06 Altima, both the four- and six-cylinder. Those years are notorious for recalls and endless gremlins. He says they got better for the new 07 model, but suggested that the non-hybrids have, predictably, fewer bugs than the hybrids.

Domestic Life Is Good--Just So Long As I Don't Buy Any More Cars

In June of 2007 I got rid of my high-repair Volvo S70 and got an 07 Maxima. A year later I bought my wife Carrie a 2008 Honda Fit. A month later I bought another Honda Fit, but I couldn't part with my beloved Maxima so I returned the Fit and lost a couple grand. The Maxima is a 17MPG gas hog, but the good news is I only drove 4,700 miles last year. 

Carrie has laid down the law: No more buying cars behind her back or else I will have hell to pay.

Things won't be so rosy if I buy another car or make any kind of car transaction as evidenced by my looking into the crystal ball:

Saving Gas Tip: The 40-40 Rule

I've been scouring the Internet for gas-saving tips since my 07 Maxima can get as low as 15 MPG if I drive it aggressively. In addition to getting 30% improved gas mileage with moderate driving, I came across the 40-40 rule, which says that in city driving never go faster than 40 MPH since wind resistance will curtail your gas mileage. Obey this rule and you may enjoy 40% improvement in gas mileage.

How the Luxury SUV Has Become an Albatross in Today's High-Fuel-Cost Age

Yesterday my gardener told me that one of his clients, a woman in Palos Verdes, bought a 2006 Ford Explorer two years ago for 40K and the dealership recently offered her 7K for it. She had a tantrum, screamed some expletives and said she'd rather keep and pay for gas through her teeth than get punked by the dealership.

Higher Gas Prices Have Improved My Personality--Perhaps Have Saved My Life

My 07 Maxima has more luxury and power than I could hope for, but in this new gas environment the difference in costs between the Maxima and my wife's 2008 Honda Fit is quite staggering. But the expense has changed me. Specifically, I don't let my aggressive side take over anymore. Driving in a more relaxed, passive manner doesn't feed my testosterone and makes me more agreeable. Also, my city gas mileage goes up from 15 MPG to 18 MPG--that's a 20%, no small change now that gas is approaching $5 a gallon.

If I really slow down, I should be able to improve my gas mileage by 30%, according Edmunds Gas Saving Tips.

So for saving gas, I'm a more relaxed driver is more congenial and more safe. Who knows? This gas inflation may--by virtue of slowing me down--save my life.

Pushing the Envelope on the Meaning of "Autophilia"

Dr. Dean Edell today reported on a man who experiences sexual arousal from cars. This arousal results in his having "sex" with the cars, but I'm not sure about the mechanics of this operation. Nor do I want to know. The condition of this man's erotic attraction to cars is called "mechaniiphilia." For the article, click on New York Daily News.

At the end of the article, he says he once, in a moment of infidelity, made love to a helicopter.

The Maxima and the Fit Make a Good Fit in the Garage

We kept the 2007 Maxima and sold the 99 Altima because the Altima, getting only 3 MPG better than the Maxima, was not worth keeping in terms of the Maxima's superior performance, low miles, lower upkeep, etc. The Maxima gets 16 in town and 22 on freeway. The 4-banger Altima gets 19 in town and 22 on freeway. That's not a big difference. Also we can get closer to the true value of the Altima than we can by selling the Maxima. Finally, the Fit is so small at 66 inches wide that the garage space has opened up a bit with the Fit and Maxima side by side. We will drive the gas-hungry Maxima sparingly, probably putting no more than 5,000 miles on it a year while the Fit will be our commuter. The Fit is a great car for the money and I have only one complaint: Put an arm rest in it, Honda, and you will assuage me.

We kept the 2007 Maxima and sold the 99 Altima because the Altima, getting only 3 MPG better than the Maxima, was not worth keeping in terms of the Maxima's superior performance, low miles, lower upkeep, etc. The Maxima gets 16 in town and 22 on freeway. The 4-banger Altima gets 19 in town and 22 on freeway. That's not a big difference. Also we can get closer to the true value of the Altima than we can by selling the Maxima. Finally, the Fit is so small at 66 inches wide that the garage space has opened up a bit with the Fit and Maxima side by side. We will drive the gas-hungry Maxima sparingly, probably putting no more than 5,000 miles on it a year while the Fit will be our commuter. The Fit is a great car for the money and I have only one complaint: Put an arm rest in it, Honda, and you will assuage me.

The Case for Replacing my Maxima with a Honda Fit

My 07 Maxima has more luxury and power, but in this new gas environment, the difference in costs between the Maxima and the Honda Fit is quite staggering. As my friend has compiled for me:

So, if the FIT gets 30mpg for your driving, then 10K/year would cost $1,670 (@ $5/gal). If the Maxima's getting 15mpg, the gas will cost twice that, or $3,340. If the Maxima gets 20mpg, then the gas would cost $2,500. So, assuming your sales tax on a $16K vehicle would be about $1,300, you'd start saving money after about a year's ownership. I assume the maintenance costs would be comparable between the two cars, but don't know if that's supported by the research sites.

Sounds like a pretty good move if you're sure you'll be as happy driving the FIT as you would the Maxima.

Here's a side by side YahooAuto-based cost of ownership for 5 years between a '08 Maxima and '08 FIT. Looks like you'd be likely to save money on both maint/repairs and insurance with the FIT.

                 Maxima         FIT
Cost per Mile          $0.69          $0.45 
Depreciation          $15,475          $9,029 
Fees and Taxes           $1,934          $1,185 
Financing              $4,285         $2,461 
Fuel Cost               $12,799          $8,964 
Insurance              $9,614           $6,920 
Maintenance          $2,835          $1,677 
Repairs               $770           $680 
Opportunity Cost          $4,374           $2,852 
Total Cost to Own†       $52,087           $33,769 

My Love for the Honda Fit: The Melding of Intellect and Adrenalin

Needing a break from Memorial Day binge in the back yard of my sister-in-law's Los Alamitos home, I asked some family friends the favor of test-driving their 2007 Honda Fit. On paper, the Fit looks great--gas mileage, turning radius, small width of 66 inches for my small two-car garage. Then I drove the five-speed manual, so silky smooth I would never get the Fit with the automatic, even in car-congested Los Angeles. The fun factor, tight turning radius, quick response, small size, and the Fit's easy accomodation of my 6-feet 230-pound frame makes me want to sell my 2007 Maxima. The Fit's owner says she does all city driving and gets 30 MPG. She puts 9 gallons in the Fit every 270 miles. I want this Fit in orange blaze and a five-speed for sure.