2017 Mazda MX-5 Miata RF: Driving nirvana with an asterisk

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The Mazda MX-5 Miata is the best-selling and most polarizing roadster in history. It’s driving nirvana for its vast fan club. For others, it’s a too small, overrated phenomenon. But the MX-5’s numbers give credence to its enduring popularity. Since its debut in 1989, sales have averaged slightly more than 37,000 units per year through 2016. That’s minimal compared to top yearly sellers like the nearly 800,000 Ford F-150 trucks sold last year. Yet the little two-seat sports car has retained its loyal following for nearly three decades. The overriding reason: The soft-top convertible, hardtop and new RF (retractable fastback)

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Classic Auto Week adds Ferrari Concours at Pebble Beach

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Ferrari is likely the most popular supercar and the auto industry’s most powerful brand. It’s involved in nearly every avenue of high-end racing, exotic consumer cars offering and classic car shows. Now more than 75 years old, the iconic company was founded by Enzo Ferrari in Modena, Italy, in 1939. And its nearly seven-decade relationship between Pebble Beach and Ferrari will expand exponentially in August when the Ferrari 70th Anniversary Concours will be held in conjunction with the Concours d’Elegance on Aug. 20 at Pebble Beach Golf Links. The double Concours will also mark the debut of the Fairway One

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Hey, Ford F-150 owners: Win $7,000 in parts from AmericanMuscle

As the best-selling vehicle in the United States, there are hundreds of thousands of Ford F-150 owners who’d want to win $7,000 in parts for their favorite trucks. AmericanMuscle.com is going to make that happen. A leading aftermarket provider of Mustang parts, AmericanMuscle will give not only give the winner of the contest their choice of parts, it will also provide the cost of installation at a local automotive shop. The contest, which will continue through August 31, is available to contestants who can enter once a week. To enter, fill out the form on AmericanMuscle.com. It’s the chance to

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Unique giveaway will award two free Jeep Wranglers to one winner

Winning one free car is extraordinary. But what are the odds of winning two free cars? ExtremeTerrain, the off-road online merchant, will make it happen. It will give away two new 2018 JL Jeep Wranglers to one winner. The vehicles will be be modified from bumper to bumper in typical XT fashion. The two JL Wranglers, one 4-door model and one 2-door model, that can be shared with a friend, a significant other or both or can kept by the winner. The latest iteration of the iconic off-roader can be traced to WWII. Engine options will be offered, including a

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Distracted Driving – Facts, Danger, Risks

My daughter recently told me I was impatient. I had honked my car horn at the driver of the car ahead of me who didn’t seem to notice the red light where he was stopped had turned to green. I had waited the requisite five seconds after the light changed before I honked. What I pointed out to my daughter — the reason I honked — is that the driver needed to be shaken from his focus on their text, email or other distraction. Many parenting experts say the way to get through to kids about drugs, drinking, issues like

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2017 Kia Forte worthy compact option beyond Honda, Toyota

The 2017 Kia Forte is the 10th year of the South Korean compact. It’s among the best of several cars in different segments trying to find a market against some of the country’s long-standing, best-selling vehicles. Matched against the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Ford Focus, Volkswagen Jetta, Hyundai Elantra, Mazda3 and others, the Forte remains unheralded. It’s in the sixth year of its second generation, but for 2017 has a restyled exterior, including more modern crafted headlights and taillights. Available as a sedan in LX, S and EX trim levels, the Kia Forte also has a hatchback variant, the Forte5,

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Car Insurance hassles? There’s an app to ease the pain

The hassle of buying car insurance might only be outdone by the annoyance of buying a new car. Go, an app introduced by a San Francisco company, is now available via Apple Pay and can allow customers to purchase car insurance is as little as three minutes. The process is simple: Car Insurance buyers can take an image of their license and instantly get quotes from State Farm, Liberty Mutual, Farmers, among other companies. Drivers can get a quote in less than 60 seconds and determine if there’s a lower rate than their current coverage. Customers can then pay by

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Rolls-Royce unveils most expensive new car ever made

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If money is no problem in your car-buying habits, why not purchase the most expensive new car ever made — a one-of-a-kind Rolls-Royce? An unnamed buyer, seeking a vehicle styled after the Rolls-Royce offerings in the 1920 and 1930s, spent a reported $12.8 million on a Rolls-Royce Sweptail. The car took four years to make and was unveiled to the public recently at the Concorso d’Eleganza in Italy. The custom coach was designed via the customer’s wishes: a coach-built coupe with a glass roof. The buyer is described in the carmaker’s press release as a “connoisseur and collector of distinctive,

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2017 Honda Civic hatchback: sporty value gem returns

A small percentage of the car-buying public still enjoys the mechanics of driving. But manual transmissions are increasingly rare. Meet the 2017 Honda Civic hatchback sport. Honda decided this year to make its perennially top-selling compact more versatile, via an imported hatchback. The 10th generation of the sedan, manufactured in England, is available with a six-speed manual transmission. While the efficiency of continuously variable transmissions has simplified driving and Honda is at the automotive forefront with its version, the carmaker also appreciates tradition. Thirty years ago, about 25 percent of new cars sold in the United States featured manual transmissions.

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Forget Elio; How about a simple $5,490 T3-1 Micro?

Micro vehicles are nothing new. But they’re getting more innovative, including the newest electric scooter from ZEV (Zero Emissions Vehicles), the T3-1 Micro. A miniature car, or as one prominent tech site called it, “a quarter of a minivan,” the T3-1 in an enclosed, three-wheel trike. It’s ideal for short commutes or as a light delivery vehicle. The Micro has one door, one front seat and a parking brake. It’s is fully shielded from the weather, including a windscreen wiper. It also has “luxury items,” windows you can wind down and an optional sound system. Space isn’t cavernous, but two

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2017 Toyota Prius Prime: Efficient new hybrid shines

The 2017 Toyota Prius Prime, a plug-in gas-electric hybrid, is a new addition to the country’s largest selling hybrid family. It replaces the Prius Plug-in and it’s the most ambitious Prius on the market. Its exterior design, full of sharp angles and a unique narrow exterior light design in the mainstream automotive industry, removes the stodgy image of previous Prius models. The Prime is chock-full of technology, most visibly the navigation system and infotainment center. It’s an 11.6-inch vertically oriented high-resolution touchscreen, and it dominates the dashboard. It’s standard on the Prime Premium ($29,965) and top-line Prime Advanced ($33,965). It’s

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Ford Mustang dominates internet vintage car searches

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Vintage car enthusiasts all have their favorites. But there’s one iconic vehicle that dominates internet searches — the Ford Mustang. According to the website classiccars.com, the Mustang generated 3,736,942 unique searches in 2016. The Mustang pushed the Ford to its status as the top manufacturer searched for vintage vehicles, followed by Chevrolet. In its state-by-state calculations, the Mustang ranked first in 13 states, followed by the Chevrolet Impala (7) and the Chevrolet Camaro (5), Chevrolet Corvette (3), Dodge Charger (3) and Ford Thunderbird (3). ClassicCars.com, which specializes the research and purchase of classic cars and trucks, registers 330,000 searches daily

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2017 Toyota Prius Prime: Into the mountains with ease

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Eleven days into coverage of the Amgen Tour of California, I’ve surpassed 1,000 miles while driving the 2017 Toyota Prius Prime plug-in hybrid. My trip began May 10 in Sacramento, and the race just ended in Pasadena. The women raced for four days, including two days in South Lake Tahoe and two days ending in Sacramento. The men raced for seven days from Sacramento to today’s concluding high-speed finale from Mountain High to downtown Pasadena. As the newest and most technologically advanced Prius since the hybrid debuted in the United States in 2000, the Prius Prime is among the few

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Consumer Reports’ 10 2017 Worst Cars To Buy

Consumer Reports has published car and truck lists for decades. Among its recent compilations is its worst cars for 2017 in 10 popular segments, subcompacts to luxury sedans, compacts to hybrids. The list is based on the lowest overall score in each category and based on a complete overview of each vehicle. The criteria combine a road-test score, predicted reliability, owner satisfaction and safety — including government and insurance industry crash-test results. In conjunction with each worst car in each category, Consumer Reports lists its suggested best choice in each category. Here’s what the publication said about 2017 Chrysler 200.

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A Guide to Choosing A Tow Truck Company In Your Area

SPONSORED CONTENT Drivers share a fear of mechanical issues wreaking havoc with our vehicles. Whether you’re on the freeway home after a long day at work, preparing to take the kids to school, or simply letting your car warm up on a crisp winter morning, having engine problems is a pain. It happened to me recently. Eight endless hours spent at the office in front of my computer, and the half-hour drive back home was doubled because of a simple, unexpected issue.   There’s no need to go into specifics. But without the humor and speedy work of the tow

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3 important things to consider when buying a used truck

Does your truck have constant mechanical problems? Has it outlived its usefulness? If so, start thinking about the purchase of a more dependable vehicle. It’s a big purchase for a considerable amount of money. Carefully consider the factors that will go into your purchase. It will allow you to make an educated decision that you will not regret. Here are some of the most important factors to consider when you are going to purchase a used truck. What is the condition of the used truck? This is an important detail because buying a used truck that has not received proper

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