Podcast

Episode 42, Ford F-150 still rules, less safe cars, hydrogen

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:37 — 37.9MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreThe Ford F-150 pick-up has no equals, except for its siblings. They comprise the stable of the country’s best-selling pick-up trucks. The truck’s legacy as the second best-selling vehicle in history as well as its pros and cons among three topics discussed in Episode 42 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia recently drove the 2018 Ford F-150 (Lariat) trim. Neither of us are pick-up enthusiasts, but the new F-150 won us over. It’s powerful, comfortable, spacious, rugged and luxurious — at least as much as pick-up trucks can be luxurious. The new Ford F-150 is also expensive. We review

Read more

Episode 41, Goodbye to the VW Beetle, Ford sedans

The automotive industry is always changing. But two of the more significant announcements in recent years — the apparent demise of the VW Beetle and the jettison of the majority of Ford sedans — is the focus of Episode 41 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia discuss the recent announcements by the respective carmakers in the news-oriented edition of our ongoing week chat about all things cars and trucks. The pending loss of several Ford models and the icon Beetle came, respectively, in a press release from the former and the text of a speech by a VW executive in Europe. The Beetle was first sold in the United States in 1949. Sales of the

Read more

Episode 40, Classic car owners, renters meet on DriveShare

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:33 — 40.6MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MorePeter Zawadzki is as passionate about classic cars as any enthusiast. About four years ago, he had a keen idea to allow others to share his appreciation. He decided to rent out his 1958 MGA. A couple made it part of their wedding celebration. Fast-forward and the success of the initial transaction is the Hagerty DriveShare Program. It’s the online marketplace for owners of classic vehicles to rent their wheels to other enthusiasts. It’s worked. Getaway weekends, weddings, anniversaries and pending buyers who seek to test a comparable vehicle to a classic they’re considering purchasing, are among the reasons owners and renters meet on

Read more

Episode 37, Garage Time: Airbnb for DIY mechanics

Andrew Koretz formerly lived in a building in Chicago that didn’t have a garage. He had to improvise. When he needed to change the oil in his car or motorcycle, he used the roof of a parking garage across the street from his residence. A self-described gearhead, Koretz, 31, enjoys do-it-yourself challenges. But while working on engines from his former vantage point, he noticed plenty of vacant homes. The result is Garage Time (www.bookgaragetime.com). The online marketplace is the equivalent of Airbnb or VRBO for vehicle owners who wish to work on their vehicles, but who don’t have available facilities. Koretz is our guest on Episode #37 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Bruce Aldrich and I ask Andrew about his

Read more

Episode 38: Driving the 2017 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell

The Honda Clarity can thank its predecessors. Modern-day alternative fuel vehicles arrived in the United States in 1999 with the debut of the Honda Insight, a hybrid-electric that resembled a horizontally positioned peanut on wheels. The Toyota Prius arrived a few months later and remains the dominant leader in the segment with its family of “green” vehicles. Several manufacturers continue their quests to infiltrate the market, most notably Honda. It debuted the Honda Civic GX (later called the Civic CNG), its compressed natural gas sedan, in limited markets, in 1998. It was eventually available to consumers throughout the country, but production stopped with 2015 model. More innovative is the Honda Clarity Fuel Cell, one of the three Clarity models available.

Read more

Episode #39, Indy 500, Danica Patrick and a reporter’s legacy

Mark Glover has been a journalist for more than 40 years. He’s reported on sports, news and business and with a keen interest in automobile racing, particularly the Indianapolis 500. Glover, who lives in Sacramento, will be attending the Indy 500 with his son. It’s a special time, since the duo has been attending the event together for nearly 30 years. The elder Glover is well into his second half-century of witnessing what is called the “Greatest Spectacle In Racing.” Glover is our guest on Episode 39 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-host Bruce Aldrich and I talk with Mark about his history at the Indy 500, the event he first attended with his father when he was a young

Read more

Episode 36, New sales for old cars, vintage car passion

Lending Tree, a leading online exchange based in Charlotte, N.C., connects consumers with banks, credit institutions and other lenders to negotiate the best deals. It also releases studies to provide pertinent statistics to customers. A recent study, tabulated with thousands of transactions, details the top 50 metropolitan areas whose car buyers purchased the oldest used cars. The national average age for a used car purchase is six years old. Jen Jones, an autos writer for Lending Tree, is our first guest on episode No. 36 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Responding to co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia, Jones provides insight into the survey. She explains why it was done, what the results mean and the surprises Lending Tree discovered

Read more

Episode 35, Honda drives into the future with Clarity

William Lai of Fremont, California, and Chris White of West Sacramento, California, are among early adopters to the Honda Clarity. Lai, who has owned three electrics cars, drives the all-electric variety. Walker drives the hydrogen-powered Clarity Fuel Cell. The Honda Clarity is currently only available in California and Oregon. A pioneer in the alternative fuel vehicles (the original Insight debuted in 2000, a few months before the Toyota Prius) Honda has also equipped its new vehicles with Honda Sensing. It’s the carmaker’s “intelligent suite of safety and driver-assistance technologies designed to alert you to things you might miss while driving.” In Episode 35 of The Weekly Driver podcast below, hosts Bruce Alert and James Raia discuss with Lai and White

Read more

Episode 34, Journalist Ryan Brutt: Will travel for barn finds

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (46.1MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreRyan Brutt is a writer and photographer who exudes enthusiasm about muscle cars. His interest is overtly apparent in his new book, Muscle Car Barn Finds. It details the art of automotive scavenger hunts. Brutt, self-described as an Automotive Archaeologist, lives in Chicago. The contributing rider to Hot Rod Magazine is our guest on Episode 34 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia discuss the book and Brutt’s trials and tribulations as he travels through several states on his mission to discover hundreds of often abandoned rarities. Consider Brutt’s premise: You’re driving along a country road in Alabama and something bright orange in

Read more

Episode 33, Ethiopia to Sacramento: An Uber Success Story

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:46 — 38.1MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreMulugeta Gebrewahid moved to Sacramento about seven years fago rom his native Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to be closer to his older brother. Known by friends and co-workers as Mule G (Moo-Lay G), the former warehouseman is a husband and father of seven children. He’s active in the Sacramento community via the congregation at Faith Presbyterian Church. Mule is university educated, but he was unable to acquire a job in his engineering field in the United States, so he worked for several years in a warehouse. About four years ago, via the recommendation of a friend, Mule began driving for Uber. He tells his story

Read more

Episode 32, Coolest show on earth for all things engines

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 31:18 — 43.0MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreThe Pacific Coast Dream Machines Show is a daylong festival of engines. Rare and sentimental cars, trucks, aircraft, law enforcement vehicles, tractors, busses, military machines and motorcycles, they’re all showcased. Add lives band, food and beverage vendors to its moniker as “the coolest show earth,” ideally defines the upcoming 28th annual event scheduled from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m April 29 at Half Moon Bay Airport. The six-hour gathering is a “massive celebration of mechanical ingenuity, power and style.” And it’s the best bargain and with proceeds benefitting the Coastside Adult Day Health Center in Half Moon Bay. In Episode 32 of The Weekly

Read more

Episode 31, Hyundai Ioniq, Pacific Coast Dream Machines

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 30:09 — 41.4MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreThe 2018 Hyundai Ioniq is the first “green car” that can infiltrate the dominance of the Toyota Prius. The Ioniq is available in three modes — a traditional hybrid, full-electric and plug-in hybrid. The entry-level Ioniq plug-in hybrid Blue Line model is rated at 57 miles per gallon in city driving, 59 miles per gallon for highway treks. Its rating is several miles per gallon higher than the best mileage in the Prius lineup. In electric mode, the Ioniq has a 27-mile range. The efficient little machine can travel nearly 700 miles using gas only. Bruce Aldrich and I discuss the Ioniq in Episode

Read more

Episode 30, The strange case of death by Uber in Arizona

Nearly two weeks after a woman was killed by an autonomous Uber vehicle while walking her bicycle across the street at night and outside of a crosswalk in Tempe, Ariz., much is still unknown about the accident. What is known is that the Governor of Arizona has ended the state’s autonomous vehicle testing program. The auto-parts maker that supplied the radar and camera on the Volvo SUV that killed the woman has stated they had disabled the standard collision-avoidance technology in the vehicle. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have been investigating the case since. The local police chief initially called the incident “unavoidable.” But opinions changed after the release of a crash

Read more

Episode 29, Stunning new Lexus, bad tires and RV woes

The 2018 Lexus LC 500 is arguably the most attractive car made in the past several years. It turns heads in parking lots and gets stared at on the open road. Strangers point at it and give a thumb’s up. The new Lexus belongs on the list of the 100 most attractive cars ever made. It would be among the few modern-day vehicles on the subjective selections automotive publications publish about every 10 years. Bruce Aldrich, co-host of The Weekly Driver Podcast, and I shared driving duties in the new Lexus from Sacramento to the Delta hamlet of Courtland and back last week. We were on assignment at Hemly Cider, the craft cider maker. We discuss the new top-of-the-line Lexus

Read more

Episode 28, Rats eating cars, winter driving, Genesis shines

If you live near a river and your vehicle is parked outside and near trees, there’s likely one more reason to be concerned about its welfare — rats. Owners of cars from several manufacturers are increasingly reporting that rodents are eating their vehicles from the inside out. Reports in several states by owners of Honda and Toyota vehicles, as well as other carmakers’ models, are claiming rats are devouring the wiring in their cars and causing major costly repairs.  The problem, owners claim, is that “green car” concerns have resulted in manufacturers using soy-based engine wiring and coverings. Several lawsuits have been filed, with Honda and Toyota stating the litigations have no merit. But several years ago, Honda introduced a

Read more

Episode 27, The legacy of one family’s 1986 Chrysler Lebaron

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 23:05 — 31.7MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreThirty-two years ago, Karen Saylor’s parents drove into a downtown Sacramento, California, car dealership and drove away in a new 1986 turbocharged Chrysler Lebaron convertible. Like the legacies of many family cars, Karen Saylor fondly recalls going shopping with mother with the Lebaron’s convertible top down. She remembers trips to the Monterey Peninsula when mother and daughter had their hair blowing in the wind. A neighbor in East Sacramento, Saylor is our guest on episode #27 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. She recalls a lot about how much cars meant to her parents and to her husband with whom she owned several Ford Thunderbirds.

Read more
Previous Next