#164, The art of buying and selling used cars

Jim Brooks owns Approved Autos Bakersfield, California. It’s a used car business, a constantly changing segment of the automotive landscape. Brooks worked as a new salesman at a dealership for two years. But he didn’t like the sales practices and decided his own business was a better option. Fifteen years later, Brooks has witnessed lots of industry changes, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. Brooks is this week’s guest on The Weekly Driver Podcast. The used cars sales market has changed Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia talk with Brooks about all aspects of buying and selling used cars, live and

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2021 Toyota Supra: looks great, rough road ahead

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Two decades after its original production ceased, a new old sports car re-emerged 18 months ago. Few consumers noticed the Toyota Supra. Less than 3,000 of the 2020 fifth-generation offering, a collaboration between the Japanese automaker and BMW, sold. The revised 2021 edition offers promise for a new wave of buyers interested in the luxury sports car first unveiled in 1978. A full year of sales will more than double the estimated 3,000 purchases from the vehicle’s initial six months back on the market in 2019. It’s encouraging considering the final year of the Supra’s initial tenure in the United

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Michigan truck owner: Have new 2-lane bowling alley, will travel

Terence Jackson Jr. has endured the COVID-19 pandemic with innovation — the world’s first mobile bowling alley and lounge. It’s built inside a 53-foot semi-truck trailer. Jackson, 34, spent two years working on the project and despite further delays because of the virus launch Luxury Strike Bowling on June 15. The private bowling alley on wheels is equipped with two lanes as well as a sky loft that can hold as many as 15 people. The trailer includes two 25-foot lanes, an automatic ball return, automatic pin-resetters and digital scorekeepers. Elevated seating for an 80-inch theatre screen is complemented by

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It’s the time of the year to thank the U.S. Postal Service

“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds” has long been associated with the American postal worker. The phrase’s association with the U.S. Mail originated with its inscription on New York City’s General Post Office Building, which opened in 1914. Perhaps second only to an ice cream trunk heading toward you with an upbeat jingle, mail trucks are always comforting. Yet, the U.S. Postal Service always seems wrought with controversy. Postage is going up — again? Mail is lost and stolen or delivered to the wrong address.

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Toyota Tacoma, Tundra claim top honors among used trucks

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Toyota claimed top honors for best midsize and best full-sized used trucks, according to the latest analysis of iseecars.com. The online automotive search engine and research website based in Massachusetts helps users find and compare cars for sale. Whether they are driven for business or pleasure, pickup truck drivers want a rugged and capable hauler, the site explains in its latest survey. Beyond performance, the best used trucks are proven to last long and retain their value so drivers can save money for their next pickup truck purchase. Toyota used trucks claim honors The Toyota Tacoma scored an overall rating

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Odometer fraud on the rise; stricter rules begin in 2021

Manipulating odometer readings is a well-known automotive fraud. Government agencies have attempted to curtail the cheating for years, but it’s getting worse. The increased practice has become so prevalent, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will engage stricter regulations beginning January 1, 2021. Beginning with the new year, disclosures will be required for every transfer of ownership for the first 20 years, beginning with Model Year 2011 vehicles. Model year 2010 and older vehicles will continue to be subject to the previous 10-year disclosure requirements. They’re exempt from extended Federal disclosure requirements. Odometer cheating rampant The U.S. fleet of

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2021 Nissan Rogue (Platinum): Much ado about the new

A new vehicle edition is sometimes difficult to differentiate from the previous model. Likewise, a current offering’s upgrade may be so extensive, a new generation designation seems warranted. The 2021 Nissan Rogue is a new edition of the sport utility vehicle and much is new. Nissan calls the new Rogue “completely reimagined” and all about “the modern family.” They’re marketing phrases. Translated, the debuting third generation has a healthy list of new stuff in varied areas: technology, connectivity, powertrain, rear multi-link suspension, steering, exterior and interior designs and a Platinum trim level. The manufacturer also reports the Rogue has a

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#163, The Weekly Driver Podcast’s Cars of the Year

Welcome to the 14th annual Cars of the Year list, selected by TheWeeklyDriver.com. This year, co-host Bruce Aldrich and I announce the top-10 list on this week’s episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Bruce and I individually picked 10 vehicles from the nearly 40 cars and trucks in 2020 models I reviewed and Bruce drove. Neither of us was surprised. Our choices for cars of the year were nearly identical, including our No. 1 choice, the 2020 Corvette Stingray. Unlike many publications, we wait until the end of the year to announce our selections. A year’s perspective is important. Cars

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2020 Corvette Stingray chosen Car of the Year

The 2020 Corvette Stingray is rare in the automotive universe. Envisioned for decades and initiated eight years ago, the mid-engined sports car revitalized the faltering brand. It’s TheWeeklyDriver.com’s Car of the Year. Every new car is promoted with a mess of adjectives best-suited for romance paperbacks. The Corvette deserves the rabid praise. After years of diminishing sales, the new eighth-generation is unlike any previous Corvette, influenced by Ferrari, Lamborghini and McLaren masters. Specs are impressive: a 6.2-liter V8, top-speed of 194 mph and 0-60 mph in 2.8 seconds. It’s an exotic, equally well-suited on the track and as a daily

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Commuting during the COVID-19 pandemic

COLLABORATIVE CONTENT The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for many people to re-think their approach to commuting. While the government has been busy focusing on encouraging people to use public transport more, the pandemic questions whether this is the safest approach. After all, the problem with public transport is that there are a lot of people in a poorly ventilated space. This invites the spread of many different types of disease, including COVID-19.   Add the fact that a minority of people are refusing to wear masks and you could find yourself on public transport with someone not wearing

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#162, Chris Miller’s 3rd stone truck: 1929 Ford Model A

Chris Miller has been a sculptor for several decades. He makes public art, primarily out of granite, marble and wood. But on Thanksgiving night, he returned home to Vermont from Maryland with swollen hands and tired from another creation of his latest passion — automotive art, as in a stone truck. Miller, who lives outside of Calais, Vermont, had just completed his third piece. The 125 percent-sized sculpture is located on the property of a business in Lexington Park, Maryland. The business owner is a car and truck collector and semi-truck racer. Miller’s stone truck creation is the signature for

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Diesel pickup truck drivers know how to cheat — a lot

Cheating on diesel trucks emissions standards is widespread throughout the United States. The results of a recent study conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Enforcement Division detail the removal of emission controls from more than 550,000 diesel pickup trucks around the country in the past decade.   States without regular vehicle inspections have the highest percentage of diesel trucks with defeat devices. North Dakota has 18.6 percentage of defeat devices. Idaho (15 percent), Wyoming (14.2), Maine (13.5) and Michigan (13) are also high on the cheat list. California, which has strict enforcement of emissions standards, has a 1.8

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Last-minute holiday gifts for auto buffs

Using a gas can properly is simple, except for when it isn’t. Spilling fuel is never a good thing. Scepter believes it has curtailed potential problems with its SmartControl containers. Available in one to 14-gallon sizes and in different colors, Scepter makes polyethylene containers equipped with a user-controlled flow valve to direct the amount of fuel being dispensed. With three other varied items, the containers make good last-minute holiday gifts. They’re also ideal canisters in which to add another gift or two for an automotive enthusiast. $16.99 to $230. www.amazon.com. Holiday gifts abound for car enthusiasts The Scepter containers work

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What To Consider Before Starting Driving Lessons

COLLABORATIVE CONTENT If you’re thinking about taking driving lessons, there’s a lot to consider. The easy part is contacting a driving school and starting the classes. But before getting behind the wheel of the car, be certain you’ve done your homework. Here are a few key considerations: cost, preparation, lesson comfort before starting driving lessons: The Cost Once you’ve passed your driver’s test, you’ll need to pay for the lessons and the car rental for driving test. The additional costs come from the theory written tests, and it may be necessary to take each test more than once. When you’ve

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NEW CAR PREVIEW: 2021 Nissan Rogue SUV

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PRESS RELEASE When the carmaker began designing the 2021 Nissan Rogue, the company focused on delivering functionality, flexibility, technology and safety. It’s an ideal combination of attributes for the carmaker’s best-selling segment. The recently released Rogue crossover is the first of five new or redesigned Nissan models that will enter production in the next year. It follows Altima, Versa, Sentra and TITAN, all recently redesigned. Every 2021 Nissan Rogue features a standard 2.5-liter DOHC inline 4-cylinder engine with Nissan’s Direct Injection Gasoline system. Horsepower is rated at 181, an increase of 11 hp. Torque is increased by 6 lb.-ft. to

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NEW CAR PREVIEW: 2022 Genesis GV70 SUV

PRESS RELEASE The 2022 Genesis GV70 represents an athletic, versatile option in the emerging carmaker’s lineup of sport utility vehicles. It’s the carmaker’s fifth vehicle. Like all other Genesis models, the GV70 will be based on a rear-wheel-drive platform. “Genesis continues to build on our solid foundation with the addition of new and exciting products to our lineup,” said Mark Del Rosso, President and Chief Executive Officer of Genesis Motor North America. “We recently launched our first-ever SUV, the flagship GV80, with U.S. deliveries beginning in the next thirty days. “Now, with the upcoming release of the dynamic GV70 and

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