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2012 Audi TT RS: Nice Car, Too Much Money


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2012 Audi TT RS, front

USA Today called the new TT RS “the poor man’s R8.” The latter car costs “$115,450 to $154,350 to start,” whereas the TT RS will come in at $57,725, including shipping.

Both are overpriced. For that kind of money, you can buy a Porsche Boxster or Cayman with real handling and sports-car performance. Audis like this have always struck me as just a little too frou-frou, a little too Teutonic slick. These are cars for the sports-car poseur, not the real enthusiast.

That said, the new TT RS, going on sale this summer, will please those who like 5-cylinder power, Quattro all-wheel-drive, a 6-speed manual, “magnetic ride control” and of course all the goodies—electro- and otherwise—like 10-way power seats.

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Hot Rods Are Cool, Still and Forever


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1935 Ford Custom

In the car world the really creative hot-rod nuts who toil in crummy backyard garages or expensive custom workshops are the ones the car media ought to celebrate. But mostly, they don’t get no respect.

Hemmings compared the gorgeous Chip Foose creation above, a 1935 Ford Custom Coupe, to cars of the past created by custom coachbuilders. Or, as one commenter (Rick Block) put it:

Nowadays, folks like Chip Foose create a completely different chassis and mate an engine unrelated to the chassis. I think it would be more fitting to say Foose etal would be called constructors, much like the english and/or american sports car companies such as Shelby, Caterham and Lotus [sic].

Hot rods are really a combination of both approaches, and we’ll show you a few we like. The U.S. Senate, which can’t do anything much else these days, has designated July 8 as “National Collector Car Appreciation Day.” Collectors and restorers of old cars deserve to be celebrated.

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Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet Takes On Audi A4, BMW 3 Series, Lexus R


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You gotta give Nissan credit for setting its sights high.

With its new, and extremely odd, Murano CrossCabriolet, Nissan hopes to snag buyers away from the Lexus RX, Audi A4 and BMW 3 Series. That’s certainly a strange mix of competitors, but at about $47K, it’s certainly priced with those vehicles. But will it actually take sales from them?

Maybe that’s not such a far-fetched proposition.

By all accounts, the Murano CrossCabriolet shouldn’t even exist. At any other automaker, the idea would have never gone further than a designer sketch or, at the most, a one-off auto show concept. A convertible SUV just isn’t on the shopping list of most carbuyers. Yet somehow the lure of creating something entirely different prevailed over common sense and the Murano convertible has been born.

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Selling Your Car Directly to an Individual—Without Problems


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Most car gurus know they will get a better price selling their car privately rather than through a dealer. It’s retail versus wholesale. But to make that extra money, you’ll have to do a number of things that may be intimidating or difficult for you. In fact, they should be neither if you follow the guidelines we offer here.

For women who are leery about meeting and dealing with guy shoppers, my advice is always: Bring a friend with you. Here’s a good checklist. Selling privately takes time and effort, but you should reap some very tangible rewards.

Here are the steps:

  • Preparing the car and getting a vehicle history report
  • Pricing the car to sell
  • Advertising on DealFinder and locally
  • Dealing with buyers and lookers
  • Arranging financing and delivery

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What AWD Sedan Would You Recommend to a Friend?


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The winter of  2010-’11 has so far been defined by blizzards, freezing temperatures and deep snow. Pretty harsh stuff!

There’s been more than once, even in my AWD SUV, when a simple jaunt to the grocery store turned into an epic quest reminiscent of Top Gear’s drive to the North Pole.

This winter I’ve certainly made a lifelong commitment to AWD, and it seems I’m not alone. I got a call from a friend who wanted advice on what used AWD sedan to buy in place of her aging MINI Cooper. She had narrowed her choices to a Volvo S60 AWD, an Audi A4 Quattro, an Acura TL SH-AWD or a Lexus IS AWD.

All are fine choices, but I took the opportunity to point out a car she hadn’t even heard of…

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