Guest post by Steve Haas, with thanks.
Leasing vs. Buying
The recent financial crisis may have reduced the availability of great new-car leasing programs, but some are still available.  This weekend’s newspaper, for example, includes an advertisement for the hot Mazda3 5-door (with automatic transmission) for a lease payment of $219 per month for three years.  This [...]

The other day, after returning from a trip out of town, I went to pick up my dogs from the kennel (they like to call it summer camp). As I parked on the street in this semi-industrial, older area of Long Beach, I happened to glance across the street and did the complete cartoon double [...]

Now that Mattel is officially worth more than GM, could the car manufacturers have something to glean from the toymakers?
It is no mistake that the manufacturers of toys and cars share many steps of the design process but diverge very quickly when it comes to the actual manufacturing of their product. Where they also obviously [...]

I recently wrote about a friend’s search for a new vehicle to carry his growing family of soon-to-be three kids… all in baby seats or boosters at the same time. We concluded (and he later purchased one) that a new Honda minivan met his needs the best. A van’s balance of roominess, ease of entry [...]

Interesting times here at the week of Pebble Beach collector car festivities!
After a late drive up Highway 1 from Morro Bay to Big Sur where I am staying, I was reminded that on my “to write list” is an article about driving in fog and safety.
Actually, on the to write list will also be:

An article [...]

As of last Friday, August 8th, fuel prices at the pump had dropped for the 22nd consecutive day. They have continued to drop but on that day, I decided to ask my busy father of 5 friend, Robert Gonzalez, from Twitter a few questions about how the price drop is affecting his family this summer.
Robert [...]

High fuel costs are impacting us in ways that we probably never realized. It is now being reported that traffic reduced 9% nationwide between January and May of this year. That number seems pretty low to residents of larger cities and in Los Angeles, I can tell you from personal experience that journeys that used [...]

When L’il MissMotorMouth was more little, I only had 1950’s dial phones on cords and in the kitchen I had an old pay phone. She grew up without TV and computers and the evil-like. I made all of her toys and baby food. (you think I am kidding at this point). She never went into [...]

Let me first say that this is a glorious, glamorous, elegant, heart wrenching trailer. When I watch it it makes my heart soar and wrenches the momma part of me. The love that Sal Masekala enthuses is nothing for what I feel when I watch any of this. I want what this kid has.
After sitting [...]

Okay- it wasn’t so funny but read and beware if this should ever happen to you!
One day I decided that I wanted to go to a plant sale at the Huntington Gardens.
We got a bit of a late start. Dogs , kid, hair (mine)…you know how it is! We needed gas so I drove to [...]