All About Cars

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OK, now I’m just bragging, but meandering up the coast of California on a sunny morning with the top down in a little Mazda Miata is a pretty damn good way of making a living. The sun’s out, the road is winding and I have nothing to do today other than enjoy the scenery. Though I’m not quite sure why I’m driving the aforementioned Miata. Or, more accurately, I’m sure I’m going to be disappointed, ambivalent or just plain confused about the major change Mazda has wrought to its iconic little roadster for the new model year — a retractable hardtop.

When Mazda announced it would be building a collapsible hardtop version of the MX-5, it seemed like the answer to the proverbial question that nobody asked. After all, nobody much complained about the soft-top, and the electro-hydraulic retracting tops on the market are notoriously expensive, not to mention that, when stowed, they eat up cargo space already at a premium in most convertibles, especially a little one like the MX-5.

Imagine my surprise then when Tony Harold, the product planning guru for Mazda Canada, announced that the power retractable roof would cost but $2,195 extra and that it would be available on all trims levels of the MX-5 from the base GX ($28,095) to the top-of-the-line GT ($34,195). What were Mercedes, Jaguar et al. talking about when they claimed that the high cost of retractable roofs was the justification for their high prices and the reason for not installing such a collapsing top on their expensive convertibles? What makes this even more amazing is that MX-5s ordered with the folding roof also get all-new quarter panels and a taller trunk-lid to blend into the collapsed roof’s silhouette.

As for my second concern, trunk space, it turns out that, when stowed, the entire roof is stored ahead of the MX-5’s trunk so none of the little Mazda’s admittedly precious cargo capacity is diminished. I confirmed this by transferring all of my luggage from the trunk of a soft-top to a hardtop version.

If anything, the hardtop version has a smidgen more cargo space. Once again, I have to ask, why does a much more expensive Mercedes-Benz SLK have to lose so much of its trunk space every time I want to drive alfresco? Surely, if a minuscule MX-5 can accomplish the task of stowing a hard roof without penalty, so can a more expensive SLK.

The rest of the MX-5 stays much the same. The roof and its related gear exact a 36-kilogram weight penalty, but the 166-horsepower (163 in the automatic version) 2.0-litre four handles that without much difficulty. The rear suspension has been stiffened to accommodate the extra avoirdupois so there’s no difference in handling. And the roof is only 10 millimetres taller than the soft version, so the Miata doesn’t look much different with this hardtop than it would with the old-style roof that required stowing in your garage. And there are plenty of bonuses. In situ, the roof adds to the chassis’ structural rigidity, calming the ride and aiding handling a bit.

The big advantage, however, is in the greatly diminished wind noise. Anything over 120 kilometres an hour in the soft-top version makes anything less than a bellow unintelligible to the passenger even though he’s barely half a metre away. With the hardtop up, it’s quite easy to hold a conversation without constantly screwing your face up in the “eh?” mode. For that reason alone, the $2,195 Mazda Canada is asking for the hardtop is a steal.

It also adds to new-found all-round ability of the recently revised MX-5. While the new MX-5’s greater power and sporty handling have been applauded, there’s been an even bigger jump in the roadster’s everyday ability. Not quite as small as it once was, the new MX-5 also doesn’t feel as tiny. The overriding impression is of a teenage runabout that’s matured into an adult automobile. The new MX-5 feels more planted, more stable and less nervous than Miatas of old.

You just walked out of the local mega-mart, bags in hand, and noticed that something was wrong with your car. It looks scratched! After close inspection, you see that the mark isn’t rubbing off and that your new car is now scratched. What to do - get out the touch-up paint?

For God’s sake NO! The sound of the words “touch-up paint” always make me cringe.

Don’t get me wrong - if you have a big, deep scratch, touch-up paint is probably appropriate. But I don’t recommend that an average person uses it. First of all, it’s very hard to apply correctly unless you’re experienced. Second of all, it’s usually overkill. There are other methods of reducing the appearance of a scratch that are easy and relatively cheap.

Most scratches can be fixed with a process called “wet-sanding”. Wet sanding is done by a professional, and it involves moving paint and clear coat molecules around to reduce the appearance of a scratch. It works on light scratches, but deep scratches are another matter.

How do you know if you have a deep scratch? Can you feel it with your fingernail? Is bare metal showing? Is the scratch longer than 10″? If you can answer any of these questions with a yes, go to the local body shop. Make sure to get a written guarantee and a few quotes — repairing a deep or big scratch can cost anywhere from $50 to $1000 dollars, so check around.

If the scratch is light, your local body shop should be able to fix it up for less than $40. Make sure the shop you’re going to us has a written guarantee and that you understand it. Usually the person repairing your car will tell you what it’s going to look like when they’re done.

One last thing - these are only methods to reduce or diminish a scratch, not to truly repair it. A true repair would involve a new paint job for the scratched panel and paint blending for the nearby panels, and I think that’s a terrible idea to fix a light or even heavy scratch. It’s better to fix these things inexpensively - they’re just going to happen again. Just remember, the scratch isn’t going to miraculously disappear. It will look a LOT better though.

Mack Financial Services and Mack Canada announced that truckers Gordon Hooge and Kenneth Lawrence are the top winners of the “Mack Highway Free Payment Extravaganza” for the fourth quarter of 2007. Customers in Canada who financed any new Mack highway model were entered into the program for a chance to win free payments. A total of 24 customers won free payments in 2007.

First prize is free payments for a year. Second prize, won by Keith White Trucking and Nidish Enterprises, is no payments for six months. And third prize winners Gerald Herter Trucking and Warren Transport are free from payment for three months.

Mack Financial Services is a division of the Volvo Group and supports Mack Trucks, Inc.

Dunbar Public Works Director David Nelson has asked the city council to buy a couple of new dump trucks for his department.

At a council meeting Monday, Nelson requested a new GMC C5500 truck that could be using for hauling. Nelson said General Truck Sales has offered the city a deal if it purchases two new trucks.

The new trucks would haul the same amount as the city’s one current truck, he said. Drivers could operate the new vehicles without being required to have their commercial driver’s license.

Nelson told council that the dump truck the city uses now is 12 years old and has been driven 210,346 miles.

“My goal is to save the citizens of Dunbar some money,” Nelson said. “We need the trucks. I believe we should purchase the trucks.”

Council member Connie Boardman expressed reservations about acting too quickly. Boardman suggested the city solicit bids to get the best deal on the purchase.

“I just want to make sure that the City of Dunbar is getting the best price and the best trucks,” Boardman said.

In other news, the city’s two new police cruisers have been put into operation.

Mayor Roger Wolfe said he’s already received positive feedback from residents since the new cars made their debut.

Also Monday, city officials announced they need lifeguards at the city pool this coming summer.

Anyone interested should bring a copy of his or her lifeguard certification to the city recreation center and fill out an application.

More than 100 dump truck drivers convoyed to Washington, DC, honking their horns while circling the U.S. Capitol to protest high diesel fuel prices on Thursday, April 10.

Truckers met in Forestville, MD, to line up for the convoy to DC. They drove in a loop several times around the National Mall to raise Congressional awareness on the impact that recent changes in the economy, including fuel, have had on the trucking industry.

One dump truck had a sign attached to the side that read “Fair compensation,” according to The Associated Press.

Plummeting car sales have led to a slump in prices, and some car sellers are headed for the wreckers’ yard, says an industry commentator.

“There’s blood on the showroom floor and it’s inevitable that some car retailers are going to go to the wall this year,” said Clive Matthew-Wilson, editor of the Dog & Lemon Guide for car buyers. “On a positive note, there are some real bargains out there at the moment.”

But while car buyers might be happy, Mr Matthew-Wilson predicted a grim year for sellers.

“Car prices traditionally go up with the sun and come down with the rain: we are heading into winter at a time of global uncertainty and local economic gloom. Couple this with cautious buyers and an oversupply of cars in the New Zealand market, and you’ve got a perfect recipe for disaster.”

According to Independent Motor Vehicle Dealers Association chief executive David Vinsen, the used-car market is “slow and slowing”.

Land Transport NZ figures show new-car registrations for 2008’s first quarter rose 3.6 per cent. Used imports fell 8.2 per cent. Comparing March 2008 to March 2007, sales from the public to dealers have dropped nearly 21 per cent, private sales are down by over 7 per cent, while sales from dealers to the public are down nearly 20 per cent.

Sales from dealer-to-dealer have fallen nearly 28 per cent, while registrations of used imports of have dropped nearly 18 per cent.

Mr Matthew-Wilson blamed a combination of factors.

“The economy is in decline, which has made buyers suddenly cautious,” he said. The new vehicles on sale were ordered during boom times, so there is now an oversupply.

“Although overall imports of Japanese secondhand vehicles are falling, a few dealers brought in vast numbers of vehicles in anticipation of tighter government controls on vehicle emissions,” Mr Matthew-Wilson said.

“There are now too many vehicles chasing too few buyers.”

The recession had also hit optimistic car buyers who had already bought expensive vehicles during the economic boom and were now suffering financial pressures as the downturn begins to bite.

Turners Auction general manager for marketing Todd Hunter said repossessed vehicles going to auction had risen 100 per cent in the year to March 2008, with 700 going under the hammer.

The Fairfax-owned online auction site Trade Me - now the dominant force in car sales - was the only retailer reporting growth, and increasing numbers of commercial car dealers were using the website to move stock.

In the twelve months to March 2008, about 170,000 vehicles were sold on Trade Me compared to 115,000 the previous year.

But Mr Matthew-Wilson said that despite more new cars and upmarket second-hand models being offered on Trade Me, the median price remained at around $11,000.

“This suggests that while volumes are up, prices continue to soften,” he said.

The second-largest auction house, Turners, did not reveal sales figures but said that lower prices had meant a major increase in bargain hunters on the auction floor.

According to Statistics New Zealand, it was a $41 million fall of 5.8 per cent in the value of car sales which sent the nation’s overall retail sales down in February. That followed falls of 0.6 per cent and 2.5 per cent in January and December.

When Mike Patton of Galesburg saw a pristine 1935 Hudson Terraplane for sale on the Internet, he thought it was the find of the century.Little did he know, a few thousand miles away, movie executives at Universal Studios also were eyeing the same rare car. And on top of that, one of the biggest names in Hollywood, Johnny Depp, already had been shown pictures and fallen in love with it.

Patton, who has a dozen or so cars from different eras, decided to pay the price asked by the Bay City Motor Company in Bay City, Mich., knowing this was a chance he couldn’t easily ignore.

“It was really a neat-looking car,” Patton said of the beige-colored vehicle. “It’s the only Hudson Terraplane that I had found anywhere on the Web, much less for sale.”

So he wired the company the money on a Monday in December. Late in March, he received a phone call from David Cotten, founder and partner in the Bay City Motor Company.

“They really want the car,” Patton recalls Cotten saying of the Universal representatives who contacted him. “They want to work something out and said they had to have that car or there wasn’t going to be any shooting.”

The Universal representatives wanted the Terraplane for a new movie starring Depp as 1930s gangster John Dillinger, which was about to commence shooting. Set to release sometime in 2009, the movie also stars Christian Bale as Melvin Purvis, the FBI agent who led the manhunt for Dillinger; Channing Tatum as Pretty Boy Floyd; Stephen Graham as Baby Face Nelson; and Academy Award-winner Marion Cotillard as Dillinger’s paramour, Billie Frechette.

The crew has spent the spring filming in Wisconsin, Indiana and Chicago, where Dillinger was shot to death outside the Biograph Theater on Lincoln Avenue.

The film is based on Bryan Burrough’s 2004 book, “Public Enemies: America’s Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-34.”

So why was it so essential that this new film have that exact car?

“Apparently Dillinger had quite a few cars, but his favorite car was the Hudson Terraplane,” Patton said.