Driving MBA and Community Tire Team Up Again

For Teen - Parents- New Car Owners and Driver

Parent Class and Car Maintenance Program Schedule
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Parent ClassA 2 1/2 hour class that provides parents with resources and tips on how to practice driving with their teenager. When: Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at DrivingMBA Scottsdale located at 9089 E. Bahia Dr., Ste. 102; Thursday, April 23 and Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at DrivingMBA Chandler located at 1760 W. Chandler Blvd, Ste. 3Time: 6:30pm to 9pm

Cost: $50/family Car Maintenance Class This 1 1/2 hour class covers the basic operation of a vehicle, the importance of checking fluids and other maintenance items, how to change a tire, and jump-starting a vehicle. The class features minimum class time and maximum hands-on training to help drivers, new and old, understand what to look for when replacing automotive parts; and to be better prepared for roadside emergencies. .

After attending this event, your family will receive a FREE lube, oil filter change, tire rotation and vehicle inspection for one vehicle courtesy of Community Tire. Details in the coupon below. When: Thursday, April 23 and Monday, May 4, 2009 at Community Tire located at 15812 N. 32nd St., Phx., 85032;

Wednesday, April 15 and Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at Dana Tire located at 725 N. Arizona Avenue in Chandler. Time: 6:30pm to 8pmCost: $40/familyTo RSVP for the above events please email judys@drivingmba.com or call 480.948.1648.

Can Congress do Better?

While hearing a lot about the demise of the auto industry recently, I came across some information in that I found very interesting, information one doesn’t normally hear a lot about from mainstream media. This information actually offers some hope for the recovery of the industry much sooner than a lot of people may think. That idea doesn’t really surprise me because I’m convinced that some, if not most of the news about how American manufacturers haven’t been building or planning the right products is, simply stated, hyperbole.

Here’s what the gist of the information is and why I believe a relatively quick recovery almost has to happen. The average age of cars on the road today is aver 9 years old. The age of light trucks is over 7 years old and by 2011 there will be some 35 million cars on the road at least 10 years old. When one does the math, even at 15,000 miles a year, a very conservative number, what that means is that those vehicles have at least 150,000 miles on them. That many miles means lots of dollars have to be spent on maintenance and upkeep.

There are some 250 million vehicles on the road, 5% of which are scrapped every year. 12.5 million cars off the road every year while at present, only 9 million cars are being built. According to industry metrics, three quarters of current sales are replacement vehicles and that demand will increase to 13 million cars by 2012. Now while some people say these numbers are a little optimistic because people are driving less and keeping cars longer, keep in mind that there are 2 million new drivers coming on line every year. Also, based on historical data, GDP directly correlates to auto sales and a 4% increase in GDP propels auto sales up some 7% and when you combine that with cars being scrapped, demographic changes from boomers children beginning to drive along with economic recovery which will happen, it isn’t unreasonable to expect sales of new vehicles to reach the 16 million mark again in 5 years. And by the way, that doesn’t include sales in China and Russia where GM has a very strong presence.

Interestingly it seems as though used car prices are starting to rise which makes new cars more attractive and with the inventory of new homes finally dwindling, construction will spool up and that means sales of trucks will improve. Also, congress is mulling the idea of a 3 to 5 thousand dollar voucher to people to junk older cars, which will not only help stimulate sales but will help get polluting cars off the road.

A lot of people are unaware of is the fact that the Buick LaCrosse and Chevy Malibu have earned best in class in reliability studies from J.D. Powers & Associates, and the Ford Fusion won a comparison study against the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. The Edge is a very solid car and the new F150 is top drawer once again. The problem U.S. automakers face is one of perception and that takes a lot of time to overcome. While Ford, GM and Chrysler are working on smaller platforms, we need to hope that China doesn’t import the Chery and India doesn’t bring the Nano to America before U.S. automakers get it together.

With regards to the Congressional Auto Task Force, well let’s just acknowledge that there have to be some changes made with the Detroit three but those changes have been in the works for some time and I’m no fan of government dictating to the auto industry. There need to be some serious changes and that will be painful. And like it or not, new labor contracts have to happen to make profitability possible on smaller, lower grossing platforms. But all of that will take time and serious negotiations and sacrifice as well trimming the number of dealerships across the country, something that will in fact be very painful but will have to be done. U.S. automakers may have been a bit slow on the uptake, but they didn’t and don’t need government telling them how to build cars.

TOYOTA AND LEXUS HYBRIDS TOP ONE MILLION SALES IN THE U.S.

March 11, 2009 Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), USA, Inc., announced today that total combined Toyota and Lexus hybrid vehicle sales in the U.S. have topped the one million mark.The sales milestone was achieved with an industry-leading six Toyota and Lexus hybrid vehicles including the Toyota Prius, the world’s first mass-produced gas-electric hybrid and the all-time worldwide leader in hybrid sales.
Two for the Road USA will be test driving the new 2010 Prius in Tucson this March

Speed Cameras, Life Savers or Money Makers

According to a landmark study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Arizona leads the nation in red light running crashes and fatalities. Current data show a marked decrease in the number of accidents and deaths from motorists running red lights since the addition of red light cameras in 14 dangerous intersections a few years ago,

That of course is good news. While there was very minor opposition to cameras being installed to prevent red light running, the situation is very different with the addition of over 100 speed cameras and 40 odd mobile vans on Arizona highways snapping pictures of drivers going 11 miles per hour over the posted speed limit. So now there is a battle raging in Phoenix Arizona about the use of those cameras and this is one battle that isn’t close to being over.

The battle lines are simple. One side says that the cameras save lives by slowing traffic down and the other side says they actually cause problems because people speed until they see the signs for the cameras then slam on the brakes which of course can cause accidents. Like most arguments I suspect the truth lies somewhere in between.

American Traffic Solutions, the company that sells the system, commissioned a polling firm, Public Opinion Strategies, to do a survey. Five hundred registered voters in Arizona were asked their opinions on Jan. 13 and 14 and the results according to POS showed that 84 percent of voters surveyed said city police departments should continue using red-light cameras. There was less support, but still firm majorities, for speed cameras run by cities and counties (69 percent) and the Arizona Department of Public Safety (63 percent). POS said the poll's margin of error is 4.38 percent.

Something to keep in mind is that cars are so much safer today then even 10 years ago, and highways are also much better and safer. While people who drive slow say that speed kills, the fact is that speed in and of itself doesn’t kill. Let’s acknowledge that driving 100 miles an hour on city freeways is dangerous not to mention stupid, but driving 75 miles an hour in a 55 mile an hour zone is not as long as people driving slower stay to the right which by the way is what they’re supposed to do.

Where problems happen is in the variance of speeds because some people seem to feel that if the posted speed is 55 mph they can do 55 mph in any lane they want. Unfortunately that usually means they park in the center lane where they mosey along not worrying about the traffic behind them. That in turn causes people to have to change lanes to get around them, and we all know changing lanes on freeways can be dangerous.

Back to the survey numbers for just a minute; I don’t know anyone that argues that red light cameras are a bad idea. But let’s look at the numbers for speed cameras. Over 60 per cent feel they’re a good idea but here’s an interesting statistic about the survey. The demographic groups with the highest levels of support for the DPS program are not surprisingly, older voters and women. Younger voters, particularly men, are more likely to oppose the program.

So the question is, do the speed cameras save lives or are they cash cows for a strapped city. Here’s what we’ve been told so far. Recent numbers bandied about from DPS about lives saved since the cameras were installed have talked about reductions in crashes saving 3 or 4 lives a month. Here’s what wasn’t mentioned. Over the last 12 months there have been some 12 billion fewer miles driven by motorists which is roughly 5.6 percent and will certainly have a direct affect on the number of traffic fatalities. Here’s the kicker though. Some estimates say the Arizona will make as much as 175 million in 2009 from speed cameras.

So, do speed cameras save lives, or make money, or maybe both?

One of our listeners talks about blogs

We always appreciate listener feedback from our radio show and we thought we'd share his thoughts about bloggers and blogging. While there are certainly bloggers out there that provide accurate, good and important information, we appreciate the thoughts expressed by this listener.

Bill/Cathy:

I wanted to tell you that it’s so nice to work with professional people who’ve been in this industry for a long time.

I’ve been contemplating starting a blog but after visiting with a lot of them, visiting their sites along with forums from various automotive sites I’ve come to the conclusion that there is a lot of difference between a blogger and a journalist. Bloggers are filled with opinions with little or no experience behind them.

Having been on the internet since 1987 and seeing all the changes that have come from it, mostly good - but bloggers make me sick. I would call it a cesspool of imitators.

I feel really sad to see all the newspapers and magazines with real writers and journalists being outsourced to bloggers.

I don’t know who sponsors your site or your program but forward this on in hopes they “see the light”. It’s so nice to talk to people who know what the hell they’re talking about.

Jeff

Are U.S. Automakers really building cars no one wants to buy?

by Bill Zervakos
December 2008

There is a lot of hyperbole about how bad the vehicles coming out of Detroit are; ergo American automakers are in trouble. Are American automakers really building inferior products? Let’s look at the numbers from November of 2007 through November 2008 for a few of the key players:

Chrysler, down 47% Nissan, down 42.2% General Motors, down 41.3% Toyota, down 33.9%
Honda, down, 31.6% Ford, down 30.6%

You’ll notice that Ford is down less than anyone else and Nissan sales are even worse than General Motors.

No doubt labor costs for unionized shops are higher than those of non-union shops but are labor costs the reason for the collapse in sales? Leaving aside all the differences in compensation between the U.S. makers and importers, I don’t see how any manufacturer can exist for long with over 30% losses in sales.

We’ve clearly seen the incompetence of CEOs’ on Wall Street, seemingly without consequence or accountability and certainly without any oversight, given billions of dollars specifically, we were told, to loosen up credit for consumers. Instead they chose to use those billions to pay dividends and bonuses while buying other financial institutions, choosing to do nothing about making money available for loans. To then watch Congress address the CEOs’ of the U.S. automakers as though they’re inept seems a bit self serving.

It’s important to point out here that Ford President Alan Mulally has been with the company for just over 2 years, Chrysler CEO Robert Nardelli has been with them since 2007 and GM CEO Rick Wagoner took over the controls of General Motors in 2005. So while there were problems in the past, linking the ills the industry faces today exclusively to these executives performance is short sighted, and appointing a car czar is not the answer.

Rick Wagoner of GM has acknowledged that allowing the EV1 to be eliminated was not the right thing to do. But GM, Ford and Chrysler have made huge strides in developing electric vehicles, some that will be on the road by 2010. They’ve been doing this without government or a car czar telling them they had to. But here’s what we must remember: Detroit built what people were buying. It’s true that some gas guzzlers were incentivized but in a capitalistic society businesses are all about making money and big vehicles were money makers. Proof of that is the 22% increase in truck sales this November, with gas under $2.00 a gallon, over July sales when gas was $4.00 a gallon. The consumer drives the market and will continue to do so.

With legislators pontificating and blustering about how outraged they are with the big 3 CEOs’ and the media right there with them, talking about how irresponsible Detroit has been in product development, without laying out all the facts, it’s no wonder that people aren’t buying American cars. The facts are that there were several automakers, including some importers, that made some pretty bad cars in the past, but today everyone is building pretty solid vehicles. The prevailing perception is that American cars aren’t as good, yet in a Consumer Reports study as far back as 2006 provided results showing that the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan outperformed the Honda Accord V6 and the Toyota Camry V6 in reliability studies. Interestingly those same studies indicated that people will still buy the imports. Perception is true even if it isn’t fact and when a false perception is promulgated, change takes even longer.

So, are U.S. automakers really building bad cars? Not at all, and if people would do their homework and not buy into all the negative hype, they’d be very pleasantly surprised with what’s coming out of Detroit.Other countries are supporting their automakers and we should do no less. If we were in a normal economy and automakers weren’t manufacturing the right products, then the market should be allowed to correct itself. That isn’t the case today.

Generally speaking, I’m not for government intervention but this is a critical industry for America and the three CEOs’ weren’t the cause this financial crisis and they can’t fix it. But allowing any one of the heretofore big three to die could create a tragedy of epic proportions. The facts are, until the consumer starts buying again, all automakers are in peril.

2009 Mazda3 S 5-Door Grand Touring

Well with the entire world hearing about gas guzzlers, the timing couldn’t be much better for checking out this nifty little 5-door sport wagon. The Mazda3 styling is based off the MX-Sportif concept so while the little grocery getter is very practical it stays true to the zoom-zoom campaign that represents the promise of fun driving that Mazda touts.

The 2.3 liter engine produces 156 horsepower and mated to a 5-speed manual transmission, it’s perky enough to make the 3 feel sporty, albeit at higher rpm, which is not too big a deal for most. That said, aficionados will no doubt opt for the very potent MazdaSpeed3 which pumps out 263 turbo-charged horses that propel the car from 0-60 in a mere 5.4 seconds with a top speed in excess of 150mph.

Truth is though this car was designed to be functional with a sufficient amount of form to offer drivers economy, with just a bit of panache, and to that end the Mazda3 S delivers. With 17-inch alloy wheels, xenon headlights and foglamps, side sill extensions, sport styled front and rear fascias and the obligatory rear hatch spoiler; this is a very sharp looking little car.

In the S trim you’ll find leather trimmed seating areas, tilt & telescoping steering wheel, 60/40 split fold-down rear seating, AM/FM/CD with controls in the steering wheel, cruise control and power windows standard. Heated front seats, electroluminescent gauges and a trip computer add a touch of luxury, okay; a very small touch, but nice none the less. Base price for the Mazda3 starts at just under $14,500 but with all the goodies on my tester, the price came to just a tad over $22,500 with shipping. Not bad but there are at least 15 models that compete with Mazda in this crowded segment of the market.

As far as driving the Mazda3 goes, I’m a pretty big boy and I have to say I was very comfortable in the driver’s seat and the car handled better then I expected in actuality. While the steering was quick the variable assist could get a bit heavy at times but overall it wasn’t a problem. The balance of the vehicle was surprisingly good despite the 60/40 weight distribution and the ride actually bordered on nimble.

All in all I have to say that overall I was very pleased with the Mazda3 S, but in the interest of full disclosure I have to acknowledge that I’ve been a Mazda fan for quite a while, having owned a Miata for about 12 years. But the truth is, they are very solid cars that, as I said before, do a better than average job of mixing form and function. So, if you’re looking for something that will deliver close to 30mpg on the highway and 22 around town, maybe you should take a ride in a Mazda3 S before making up your mind. I liked it a lot and I’m betting you will too.