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Car And Driver realizes that while hybrids and alternative fuels may get all the hype, the solution for many people on fuel economy is still the simple old econo-bucket beater. However, they've come up with five reasons why buying something like a cheap old Geo Metro isn't a good idea. Car And Driver makes some valid points, but we're thinking we'd still rather have a old beater. Although our five reasons below the jump won't apply to most consumers — we think maybe consumers should just become more like us. Reliability: Sure, an old Geo may not be as reliable as a brand new Toyota, Chevy or Ford, but it's still more reliable than say, an old MG. Besides, "poor reliability" is just another way of saying "lots of character," and who doesn't want to have a car with a personality? Safety: Yes, a rusty Metro make a Brilliance look like a tank, but who's to say you can't install a roll cage and wear a fire-proof suit and a helmet...
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We're sitting on the precipice of one of the best weekends to do stuff all year — Memorial Day weekend. The issue isn't finding cool goings-on, it's paring down the options. You've got the Indianapolis 500 as the headline attraction for the motorsports-obsessed, beaches and pools are opening up, car shows (or just random Woodward Avenue cruising if you're here in Metro Detroit), and millions of backyard barbecues, only problem is getting there. With prices for 87 octane hovering between $3.85 and $4.25 across the nation this weekend, the sting to the pocketbook will be probably be even higher as everybody gouges you weekend travel warriors. So how about a list of seven smart and easy ways to save some scratch this weekend? Sounds like a plan — the seven best ideas after the jump. 7) Don't Drive This is the tip we obviously advocate the least, so of course we're dropping it to the bottom of the list — but it's also at the top of the post...
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newVideoPlayer("CrazyGas_gawker.flv", 475, 376); All we were able to find on the above video was the caption "crazy guy so upset with high gas prices sets a gas station on fire." At first we were a wee bit skeptical, until we saw the sign in the background advertising the name of the station. Oh of course, it's Crazy Eddie's Chevron . Yup, you know, the guy with the commercial and the tagline "Come to Crazy Eddie's Chevron where the prices -- and the customers -- are insane !" You don't remember that one, eh? Must not be watching the same channels we are. Anyway, if any kids out there are watching this, remember not to walk through the gas as you're spraying it. If you do, we may have to teach you a new word -- "self-immolation."
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var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/offbeat_news/Deadly_Detroit_gas_war_station_owner_kills_rival_over_3_cent_price_bump'; So there's these two stations over on Fort Street near Springwells in Detroit. One's a BP and the other's a Marathon station. Both are known for offering pretty decent gas prices downtown and we've bought gas at both stations depending on which station seemed to have the daily price leverage over the other. But apparently the penny price war between the two stations we'd always taken advantage of has now gone deadly. Last night BP station owner Jawad Bazzi got a bullet to the head over a 3-cent difference in the cost of regular unleaded. Here's what we're told happened: The Marathon station on Fort near Springwells dropped its price to $2.93. That angered Jawad Bazzi, whose regular gas was priced at $2.96. Bazzi walked across the street with a couple of employees to confront the Marathon owner and his posse. The groups argued, then began...
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With the EPA 's new test methods for calculating fuel-economy estimates in effect for model-year 2008, some new models will get updated numbers on their stickers. For instance, the EPA's figures for the Toyota Prius have dropped from 60 city/51 highway miles per gallon to 48/45. With less marketing value to be gained from the arguably more realistic numbers, some dealerships have decided they'd do the righteous thing, and just stick with the original numbers . A survey of 200 Toyota dealers by CNW Marketing Research shows 33% of dealers still tout the 2008 model year Prius as a 60-mpg machine. And who's blowing the whistle on such dealers of compromised scruples? Other Toyota dealers who are playing by the rules. It's been reported that some of the noncomplying dealers have placed ads featuring with the old numbers on radio and TV rather than in newspapers, where there would be a paper trail of their violations. Hello? YouTube? [ GM Inside News ]
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