James Raia

Articles by James Raia

BMW Z3, PT Crusier, Audi TT collectors' cars of the future?

One standard guideline in the automotive industry is that cars 25 years or older are considered “vintage.” Now, Josh Max, a writer for AOL Autos, believes several current or cars formerly in production in the last decade like the Chrsyler PT Cruiser and BMW Z3 could be collectors’ cars of the future. In the article, Max writes: “It’s hard to imagine, but once upon a time, a 1946 Packard, ’57 Chevy or a ’68 Ford Falcon didn’t cause a major stir on the highway any more than a Honda Accord, Audi A4 or a Dodge Ram would today.” Here’s what Max said in part about the Chrsyler PT Cruiser: “Cheap and stylish if initially underpowered, enthusiasm reached a quick fever

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Ferrari, Nissan, BMW chosen on 2011 All-Ugly car list

It’s not often Ferrari and Mazda or Lotus and Nissan are featured in the same car discussion. But all of them, and several other surprising choices, have been selected on the list of the 10 ugliest cars of 2011. John Pearley Huffman, who writes the appropriately titled Taking Blame column for the Inside Line feature on Edmunds.com, has strong and clever opinions. And he has a good share of detractors because of his selections. Huffman believes the Ferrari California is a ugly as the Mazda3 sedan. And he lumps the Dodge Caliber with the BMW6 series. The trio of newfangled electric-gas hybrids, the Chevy Volt, Honda Insight and Toyota Prius are grouped in an all-ugly category Huffman describes as “one

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Honda, Lexus get top best resale honors in new study

Vehicles manufactured by Honda, particularly the Accord sedan, CR-V crossover, Civic compact and Odyssey minivan, retain their value better than any other brand, according to a new study by Edmunds.com. The renowned automotive assessment website announced the result of its study five months after rival Kelley Blue Book named Subaru the top non-luxury brand and BMW the best luxury brand. “A lot of consumers just see (Honda) as a value-oriented brand that has good resale (value) and a good history of reliability,” said Danny Zhou, senior analyst for Edmunds.com. Edmunds calls the new evaluation, the Best Retained Value Awards. The authors used past resale prices to estimate the prices 2011 models when they are resold in five years. Honda retains

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Fiat 500, 2012 car review

The new 2012 Fiat 500 is cute, fun to drive and fuel thrifty. Many young drivers interested in the 500 may never have heard of Fiat’s reputation for selling troublesome cars here decades ago. But then, Italy’s Fiat wasn’t the only troublesome foreign car, and it’s a whole new auto world now. The 500 is built with modern equipment that didn’t exist in Fiat’s spotty old days. when some joked “Fiat” stood for “Fix it again, Tony.” The 500 is hardly unproven. Chrysler-controlled Fiat says more than 500,000 Fiat 500s have been sold in 80 countries since 2007. The 500 resembles Italy’s revered Cinquecento (500 in Italian), which arrived about a half century ago. Almost four million Cinquecentos were made

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Toyota Prius milestone: 1 million U.S. sales since 2000 debut

The Toyota Prius, introduced in the United States 11 years ago as the first mass-produced gas-electric hybrid vehicle, has reached 1 million units in sale, the automaker announced. It is the third milestone for Toyota’s hybrid lineup in the last six months. Last October, global sales of Toyota Prius surpassed two million. And in February this year, overall global Toyota hybrid sales surpassed three million. “Since the Prius went on sale eleven years ago not a year has gone by when it hasn’t been the number one selling hybrid vehicle in the U.S,” said Bob Carter, Toyota Division group vice president and general manager. The third-generation Prius topped the EPA’s list of the Most Fuel Efficient Vehicles for 2011. It

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Hyundai Sonata, Buick Regal among best 'budget luxury' cars

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (113.5KB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreThe once standard belief a luxury car was defined by price is no longer valid. The current average price of a new car in the United States, slightly more than $29,000, is also slightly less than the former $30,000 launching point for a luxury vehicle. More pertinent today for a vehicle to be considered a luxury car are its features, comfortable interior to smooth ride to quality lists of option packages. Which is why CNNMoney.com has listed the Buick Regal, Hyundai Sonata, Ford Taurus, Kia Optima, Subaru Legacy and Chrysler 300 as 2011 cars it calls “budget luxury.” The site describes the Buick Regal (turbo), priced at

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Hyundai, Kia plan plug-in hybrids for 2013 models

Hyundai and its automotive sibling Kia plan to respectively introduce plug-in hybrid versions of the Sonata and Optima sedans with 2013 models. Plug-in hybrids can be recharged at home from the mains supply, unlike conventional gasoline-electric hybrid cars are recharged only when the driver applies the brakes. Hyundai and Kia until now have focused more on fuel-efficient gasoline vehicles rather the trend toward electric vehicles. Hyundai plans to launch its hybrid version of the Sonata, its first global hybrid model, in South Korea in May. Kia is expected to debut the Optima Hybrid the same month. James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since

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Ferrari formerly owned by Charlie Sheen 'winning' on eBay

Charlie Sheen apparently took better care of the Ferrari he once owned than he has other possessions in his volatile life of fame, fortune and misfortune. The controversial actor purchased new a 1997 Ferrari 550 Maranello. But Sheen sold the car, according to Internet reports, to pay for his wedding to former wife Denise Richards. Now the current owner of the car has placed it for sale on eBay. Sheen’s former Ferrari, according to the eBay listing, has been driven 25,725 miles and features, among other options: leather seats, CD player, anti-lock brakes, driver airbag, passenger airbag, air conditioning, power lock, power windows and power seats. The images of the car portray it as in pristine condition. One images appears

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Toyota gets favorable court ruling in faulty floormat suit

After deliberating for approximately 45 minutes, a jury in a U.S. District Court in New York has ruled in favor of Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. in an alleged unintended acceleration case. The suit was brought by Dr. Amir Sitafalwalla, who claimed an unsecured driver’s side floor mat was the primary cause of the crash of his Scion vehicle in August 2005. During the course of the week-long trial, Dr. Sitafalwalla’s primary expert, Dr. Anthony Storace, withdrew his assertion that the Electronic Throttle Control System in the Scion could also have been a cause of the accident based on his acknowledgment that he had no basis to support that claim. Toyota released the following statement in response to the favorable

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Toyota, Lexus, Scion announce 2011 price increases

Toyota has announced manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) increases today for most 2011 Toyota, Scion and Lexus models. Price increases on Toyota models range from $200 (Yaris Liftback) to $900 (Land Cruiser, Sequoia), Lexus models range from $600 (GX 460) to $900 (IS F, LS and 450h sedans, LX 570 SUV) and for Scion model $65 (xD five-door luxury utility). The MSRP for the 2011 Toyota Tacoma compact pickup truck, Yaris sedan, Scion tC sports coupe, Scion xB urban utility vehicle, the Lexus CT 200h hybrid premium compact and 2012 LFA supercar remain unchanged. The new prices for North American-produced vehicles will become effective with May 2011 production.  For models sourced from Japan, updated pricing will be effective for vehicles

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Chrysler 200, Ford Fiesta among safest rental cars

Car buyers likely consider vehicle safety as part of the purchase process. But is the same consideration as important for those renting cars? The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is the auto industry standard for determining vehicle safety, whether it’s for buyers or renters. And among cars readily available in major rental agencies, USA Today, via IIHS rankings, reports there are varying degrees of safety. The newspaper reported, 95 percent of 167 different vehicles in rental fleets are rated “good” in head-on collisions, the most frequent type of fatal crash. However, a half dozen 2011 vehicles and one 2010 vehicle had “poor” side-impact crash ratings: Hyundai Accent, Kia Rio, Volkswagen‘s New Beetle, two-door Jeep Wrangler, GMC Canyon, Chevrolet Colorado

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12 great ways to save money on gas, repair costs

With the national average price of gas again approaching $4 per gallon, drivers can help their fuel consumption in many ways. Some approaches to better fuel efficiency are common sense, while others work well but may not readily come to mind. The automotive web site, www.carlocate.com, a portal headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, and a resource for locating best cars prices, has an informative list of 12 great ways to save gas. The site’s No. 1 way to save fuel — a tune up. ” A properly tuned engine can improve fuel economy about 4 percent, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).” the site’s editors write. “Fixing a serious issue — such as faulty oxygen sensor — can boost

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Rodeo Drive Concours honors Italy and its legendary cars

The Rodeo Drive Concours d’Elegance will celebrate “The Art of Italian Motoring” on June 19, 2011 in Beverly Hills, California. The annual event will take place as the country of Italy marks the 150th anniversary of its unification. In celebration, Rodeo Drive will pay tribute to some of the most famous names in Italian design and lifestyle. “The annual Father’s Day event will highlight a WORLD CLASS combination of automobiles, motorcycles and designers featuring Italian makes and models,” said Bruce Meyer, event chairman. “We hope to curate the best selection of Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Fiat, Lamborghini, Lancia and Maseratis from Southern California and the Western United States for this year’s tribute to Italy.” Legendary Italian motorcycles are also invited to

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Thousands of used GM owners may get $800 from lawsuit

General Motors may pay individual car owners as much as $800 for a class auction lawsuit on some vehicles 17 years old and covered under a class-action lawsuit, according to The Detroit News. Most of the claims associated with the lawsuit were paid before GM went into bankruptcy in 2009. The carmaker agreed in 2008 to pay for as many as 35 million GM vehicles supplied with coolant linked to engine failures or cooling system problems. General Motors began using “Dex-Cool” in 1995 model vehicles and received thousands of complaints from owners for engine and radiator problems. In 2003, a series of class-action lawsuits were filed. According to the newspaper, 11,300 claims remain, with approved claims totaling $1.3 million for

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Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, 2011 car review

The 2011 Mitsubishi compact Outlander Sport SUV/crossover isn’t as racy as it looks with its so-so four-cylinder engine. But it has decent prices, handy size, many features and good fuel economy. The five-passenger Outlander Sport is more of a crossover vehicle than an SUV. It’s based on Mitsubishi’s larger seven-passenger Outlander SUV. But it doesn’t have its big brother’s third-row seat and is more than a foot shorter with chopped front and rear overhangs, although it’s much closer in width and height. Wheelbase is the same at 105.1 inches, but the Outlander Sport is lighter feels sportier. The base version with an automatic transmission only weighs 3,098 pounds, which makes the Outlander Sport among the lightest in its class. This

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New design for 2012 Nissan Versa, 2nd-cheapest U.S. Car

The 2012 Nissan Versa, the second generation of the entry level sub-compact, will have its North American debut April 20-21 at the New York Auto Show. The recent increases in gas prices will likely add to what is already expected to be substantial attention for the Versa. The sub-compact segment is among the most competitive with Versa’s challengers including the Chevrolet Sonic, redesigned Hyundai Accent and Ford Fiesta as well as the updated Toyota Yaris and Mazda2. With the exception of  “spy shots,” few details of the 2012 Versa are available, but the design has been described as “edgier.” The Versa was introduced in the United States and in Canada in July 2006 as a 2007 model.  The hatchback model

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