Another Sign Of The Carpocalypse

(I hope Jalopnik doesn't go 1-800-Call-Sam on me for using "carpocalypse".)

One of the horseman of the carpocalypse rode through my workplace.  We used to have a cafeteria in our building which was run by a major catering company.  Between the layoffs and people cutting back on spending, they couldn't make money at it.  

Gone are all the made-to-order stations, and the hot entree line.  The cafeteria was changed into a convenience store--prepackaged sandwiches and salads, candy, chips, and bottled drinks.  Prices also went up.

The horseman left with heads hanging on his saddle.  Two managers, a chef, several cooks, and others lots their jobs.  I heard him rapping on the way out as he rode, "I'm rollin' down a hill, snowballin' gettin' bigger..."

Cutting Back

I am, thank God, employed.  

However, I don't have high confidence that I will be employed at the end of the calendar year. Considering the way the economy is going, I guess I have about a 50% chance, assuming that there is no rebound in car sales.  

So, my family has been cutting back to save some more cash for our rainy day fund.

Here are a few examples of ways that I have been saving money:

• We don't have cable or satellite TV anymore, we are using one of those digital TV converter boxes on our 10 year old analog TV to watch free over-the-air TV.  With rabbit ears.  It works, and besides, TV is over-rated.  Everyone could benefit from more reading time.
• I don't subscribe to the local paper, instead I read it for free online (sorry Detroit News and Free Press).  I get a few other magazines such as Consumer Reports for free as hand-me-downs from other family members.  There's some thrifty advice you'll never read in CR: hobo your Consumer Reports!
  
• My family has nearly stopped eating out.  Except for the occasional lunch with my co-workers, or a night where we don't have the will to cook anything.
• I have gotten used to driving no more than a couple of miles over the speed limit.  My mid-sized sedan with its <2.5l>
• I am stretching my oil changes out to 6,000 miles (manufacturer suggests 3,000 miles on my wife's car and 5,000 on mine).
• I have cut back on beer and wine consumption.  I used to take a bottle of beer or a glass of wine every day, now I find myself stretching it out by drinking on weekends.  I do have a weakness for scotch, though...
• I have cut back on how much meat I eat.  I think I eat red meat less than once a week now, and chicken or fish no more than a couple of times a week.  I admit this is also to improve my overall health, but you can save quite a bit of money this way.
• I have cut back on buying gadgets, except for ones that have an actual useful purpose.  For example, my old Dell laptop (Windows XP, P4) works fine, no need for one of the new ones--I just replace broken parts, which are cheap and plentiful, when something breaks.  I did buy a new digital camera, but I sold the old one on eBay so it was not a big investment.
• My wife and I don't give each other expensive gifts for birthdays and holidays, just small items to express the thought.  

If you think about your spending habits more carefully, you might be amazed at how many places you are spending that you could trim back, with a little bit of adjustment.

Of course, I'm one of thousands doing the same thing.  As a result, the economic death spiral accelerates.  Restaurants are closing, food producers are hurting, newspapers are going out of business, magazines are getting skinnier (even Consumer Reports).  

The Volvo S80

The average sales rep or executive will tell you that one of the most important factors of their careers is to make a good impression. This can be referred to the suit you're wearing, the way you have your hair cut, but more than ever, the car you drive. The executive car has got to look the part, as well as being a great endurance machine with reliability as a paramount concern. These days the recession has put pressure on businesses to cut back on all their budgets, so wildly expensive company cars are not part of a viable business model. So what company car do you choose when you need style, performance, reliability, but at a price tag that won't leave your balance sheet looking rather blank? Consider the Volvo S80.

The Volvo S80 definitely ticks the aesthetic boxes. The model I tested came in silver and its sleek lines made it look like the kind of vehicle The Silver Surfer would drive if he gave up superpowers and decided to get a job as a Senior Executive at a Blue-chip company. It was also an immensely pleasurable place to sit; the plush surroundings and impressive dashboard gives the impression of class and quality that belie the modest price-tag.

The Volvo S80 I tried, the 2.0 Litre Petrol version, was an extremely pleasurable drive. The four cylinder engine makes the right sounds when you push it and gets the power down on to the tarmac, but remains a very calm and smooth ride. In demographic terms, this is perfect for the target market; executives.

Volvo have an unrivalled reputation for safety and reliability, which must surely be a major plus point when considering the Volvo S80 as a company car. It combines the ability to make a great visual impression, whilst maintaining the kind of grace and dignity in performance terms to give you a very pleasurable drive.

Pete J Ridgard is a writer and a car enthusiast. Here he discusses the merits of driving a Volvo S80.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Pete_J_Ridgard

The Plymouth Barracuda

One of the most interesting, for many, hobbies are cars. Cars provide so much to do and so many aspects to appreciate that people fall in love with the entire concept. From car shows to show off your beauty, clean engine, clean insides and perfectly restored Plymouth barracuda, to talking about the many things that are not viewable from the outside, cars have become an incredible crowd pleaser.

It may make sense to go to a car show and talk to other owners about where one might find a Plymouth Barracuda for sale -- but if a collector knows of a Plymouth Barracuda for sale, why wouldn't they buy it for themselves? This car is a classic and a beautiful ride that captures the attention and imagination of anyone you drive past in it, but the real fun is in restoring her back to factory and getting into the guts of this American classics's chassis.

Although many people who own this model are set against selling it, you can find a Plymouth Barracuda for sale in good condition online, on a car website that helps connect buyers and sellers. Finding a Plymouth Barracuda for sale for a steal isn't so hard, if you just know where to look online. Offline you would be hard pressed to find one cheap, but online you can find one in decent shape for under a grand. The beauty of the Internet is that it is a wonderful way to network and categorize things for sale into one spot. You can use the web to locate hard-to-find cars anywhere across the country at whatever price is right for you.

One of the web's other benefits is it often gives you more information on the specific car, and you can quickly and easily do any research you need. For example, imagine you find a Plymouth Barracuda for sale, but the details mention that it's missing a part from the engine. You can do a quick online search to find out if the missing part is available, and how much it costs. With this information, you'll know if this Plymouth Barracuda for sale is really worth the asking price!

No matter whether you are looking ofr a Plymouth Barracuda for sale, or any other Old Cars For Sale, there are tons of great resources availabe to help us now online. Hints and Tips on Project Classic Cars

About the Author

Bernardo Barlow writes regularly about autos related topics. I hope you enjoy this article.

The Mercedes-Benz SLK350 Review

Too small and uncomfortable.. That more or less sums up what I think of the Mercedes SLK 350.

I have always enjoyed Mercedes cars and my SLK experiences started with a 2002 SLK 320 Manual. It was bright red and my, so called, friends referred to it as a "hairdressers" car!

Looks aside, it was not a bad car, the gearbox was a bit notchy and the suspension was not very sporty but on the whole I quite liked it. So when I first took delivery of my SLK 350 auto with the F1 style front end and the more powerful engine I was excited, I like to drive fairly quickly and I enjoy driving for drivings sake. The new car looked better than the old model and the interior felt more up to date.

My first drive of the 350 was quite interesting. As I pulled away, with far too much throttle, the rear wheels snatched at the tarmac for grip and the car snaked it's way up the road. My first impression was positive, I like a lively drive and this certainly felt quite lively. But my initial impression did not last for very long. I discovered that if I drove the car with too much vigor that the gearbox would soon start to mess about, it would refuse to change up and hold the car in a gear for far too long. On one occasion I arrived at a t-junction which was on a fairly steep incline; the car would not move! it just sat there with it's engine revving away. After what felt like an age a gear was found with a bang and away we went.

I continued my drive in a far more sedate manner and the car behaved as it should, but this experience had tainted my view and I was never particularly happy with the car's performance.

Another problem with the SLK 350 Auto is one of having a very slow gearbox when it comes to selecting reverse gear after drive. If you are driving along a busy high street and spot a parking space you pull up just past the gap and select R on the auto box and then wait.......it feels as though it's going to take forever. The only thing I will say about this is that it's a problem with ALL modern Mercedes auto's and the SLK is not alone.

The Interior cabin of SLK is quite well appointed, if a little on the small side. There is a distinct lack of accessible storage and trying to find find somewhere to put your house keys, mobile phone and pack of gum is quite a challenge.

The folding roof is quite superb and should be a standard feature on all cars. The only small problem is the amount of luggage space space left when the roof is folded down.

The cars performance on a nice wide open, smooth, bump free road is very good. The car accelerates well and stops well. The engine feels a little harsh when being driven in anything other than a docile way and I have already given my opinion of the gearbox.

The car's suspension is very hard and is set up in such a way that hard driving into corners will produce a little initial under-steer followed by very controllable over-steer. The suspension is, in my opinion, just too hard for everyday use.

In conclusion, The Mercedes SLK 350 is not my type of car. It's not an exciting drive in the sense that a Caterham or a TVR is exciting and it's not comfortable like some of it's bigger brothers. I think this car is targeted at the 50+ female driver who does not want to drive quickly and is more interested in the look rather than build quality and performance.

Colin Mather Business Entrepreneur and Trainer http://www.colinmather.com tel: +44(0)7545 091838 email: colin.mather@colinmather.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Colin_Mather

The Jaguar D Type

The Jaguar D-Type was built between nineteen fifty four and nineteen fifty seven, a total of three years. The D type shared the same engine design as the previous C Type Jaguar, although this was the only similarity between the two cars, with the D Type having major changes made from its predecessor. The most notable change was the monocoque chassis, which was highly innovative and drastically improved aerodynamics and efficiency, a large feat for a competitive racing car. The car originated as a competitive racing car, but once Jaguar ceased racing the D-Type was converted for public sales.

The Jaguar XKSS was the road car created from the left over D-Types. An additional seated was added to the car, a full windscreen, a passenger door, and other changes to make the car more practical for the general public.

Unfortunately for Jaguar, a fire destroyed nine of the twenty five cars which were either completed or close to completion on the twelfth of February nineteen fifty seven. The market for high performance European cars was highly profitable in that time, the main reason for converting the unused chassis into production cars to gain back some of the investment.

The design on the D-Type really mirrored that of an aircraft, with the innovative introduction of the monocoque body style. The fuel for the car was within bags within the cells of the chassis, another design aspect which mimicked that of aircraft engineering. The aircraft style like engineering was down to the work of Sayer, a former Bristol Aeroplane Company worker, who successfully brought his innovative design to the table.

From a mechanical standpoint, the D-Type shared many attributes with that of the previous C-Type. The engine was unchanged, and the disc brakes kept. The major changes came from the work of Sayer, who managed to make the car much more aerodynamic and efficient. The body style was so successful the Jaguar E-Type maintained many features as the successor of the legendary D-Type.

Bonhams auction sold a first factory production D-Type for £2.2m in the summer of 2008 at their popular auctions.

Classic Cars For Sale has Jaguar cars for sale. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andy_Webbed

The best 1950 Allard J2

If you have been looking for a stunning sports car that exemplifies the best of English and American technological innovation and design the 1950 Allard J2 tops the list. These cars were produced during the 1950s and they were incredibly popular during this time period. What was even more amazing is that the cost of these cars was quite moderate. These cars enjoyed a popular appeal in both Europe and America when they were first produced and still today they are one of the most highly sought of older sports car models. This roadster was only produced as a limited series of 99 vehicles between the years 1950 and 1951.

The J2 Allard gave a driver an impressive amount of speed and performance and the handling was smooth enough to make them suitable for highly experienced or novice handlers. When the 1950 Allard J2 was put onto the racing circuit the sporty vehicle quickly earned first place listings in race courses on both continents. Sebring and Bridgehampton were only two of the places where this little speedster earned its reputation. Today these well built coupes are perfect specimens to be used on road rally courses and of course the cars are highly desirable by people who only want them placed in show competitions.

One of the best known construction features of the 1950s Allard J2 is the split I- beam axle used in the front end design. This gave the cars that fiercely distinct elongated nose; but it also made it possible to attach the special telescopic shock absorbers and heavy coiled springs that created an exceptional ride. There was a track rod at the rear of the split axle design and it was fashioned from three separate sections. In addition there were two idler arms at the rear and two radial arms which were also attached to the axle beams. To give the vehicle additional stability and suspension assistance there was a de Dion axle connected to the axle at the rear with the same style of coils and telescoping shocks that were used at the nose assembly. The incredible power of the J2 Allard in 1950 was made possible by a special Ford torque tube which was very much different from what other similar speedsters were using.

When the very first of the 99 1950 Allard J2 vehicle models were being rolled off the assembly line they were made with the souped up V8 Mercury flathead engines. These engines gave the cars incredible power and speed but as the racing legend of the Allard J2 models grew the increased need for even better speed was a must. This need was answered by installing new V8 engines in the Allard vehicle line including the Ardun OHV flathead and the Chrysler Company's powerful Hemi V8 model.

The chassis of the original 1950 J2 Allards all had exceptionally deep sides and these were interconnected with four big bore tubing assemblies. The cars transmissions had more bracing than just the four large diameter tubes and this gave the vehicle outstanding stability but still the overall weight was quite light. This made these roadsters one of the speediest sports car designs on the road.

The lightweight bodies of the 1950 Allard J2 sports coupes were constructed from featherweight aluminum sheets that were molded and then attached with specialized bolts and fasteners. The fasteners were designed for quick and easy release and together the bolts and fasteners made stripping the car easy and fast. This meant that if the cars needed to be worked on by a mechanic, upgraded, or repaired it could be done in the shortest time frame possible. Even road, in-house or mechanical testing on the vehicle was able to be accomplished in unusually fast turnover times due to the innovative engineering and design of the cars.

There were some specific 1950 Allard J2 vehicle models that were only built for competition on the racing circuit. These powerful workhorses were equipped with the strongest V8 engines and tanks designed to hold 40 gallons of racing fuel. You could always tell one of these cars because the place the spare tire is mounted is not at the tail end of the car but on the side midway between the driver cockpit and forward fender.

A J2 Allard in 1950 was an amazing machine with some superior statistics including a 331 cc Cadillac V8 engine. This powerhouse could knock out 300 horsepower without flinching, and remember this was almost 60 years ago. The automotive engineers were forward thinking and highly innovative when it came to creating power and speed for the 1950 Allard J2 cars. In addition to a 331cc engine the Allard used triple, double barrel carbs and meticulously designed camshafts that combined to deliver some of the most powerful roadsters of the mid 20th century. Sports car enthusiasts pay dearly whenever they have a chance to purchase one of these rare cars from the 1950s.

Find the best buy and sell autos and read the latest auto reviews at vehicleride.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Fei_Lim