Tribute: 9/11 Rolling Memorial

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Another year passes as the world carries on, forgetting about that fateful day in 2001 when thousands lost their lives and the United States was changed forever.  As folks in The Big Apple and other cities in the USA hustle to make money and progress, it’s good to know that someone in the heartland still remembers and honors the people who died that day.  We’re talking about John Holmgren of Shafer, MN, who put together the beautiful Rolling Memorial you see above.  One day, while listening to the radio, Darryl Worley’s “Have You Forgotten?” came on.  The song urges the listener to remember what they felt on 9/11, and how we vowed to stand up and bring justice to those who perpetrated these attacks.  John Holgren thought, “wouldn’t it be cool to do a 9/11 truck?”  The rest is history.   The name of every person who died in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 is present on the truck, along with a mural of the World Trade Center towers and the Statue of Liberty.

John and his wife Amy wanted to drive the truck to Ground Zero and around the NY/DC/PA area to show the big-city folks that small-town America still cares and will always remember.  We don’t know if that ever happened, but recently, Road Scholar America picked up the Rolling Memorial as a way to bring awareness to 9/11 charities.  The tractor was replaced and given a facelift, and the trailer continues to carry freight around the USA.  We wish John and Amy well in their travels, and salute them for spending over $40,000 of their own hard-earned money to honor those who died that day.

See more at Road Scholar Charities (there is music on the site, so you might want to turn your speakers down).

A big thank you to those who have fought and died for this great nation.  We will never forget the sacrifices you’ve made.

Review: 2012 Hyundai Sonata SE 2.0T

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Since the beginning of this blog, we’ve always been advocates of the Korean automakers. Regular readers may have noticed though, that our reviews seldom include Korean products. We hope to remedy that, starting with this stunning 2012 Hyundai Sonata SE 2.0T. This particular example was actually purchased by a good friend who had previously owned and loved a string of Honda products. When their quality started going downhill, he started looking to other manufacturers. Did he make a good choice?

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Long-Term Test, 2000 Ford F-250: Road Tripper

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After dropping a good amount of money on maintenance and fixing up little problems, my bank account and I both were ready for a break.  It was time to stop nurturing Dixie (my truck), and start enjoying the ride.  Despite skyrocketing diesel prices, I threw my normally frugal nature to the wind and stretched the PowerStroke’s legs on a few road trips.  The first was a mundane drive up to San Francisco for Chinese New Year.  The trip revealed a lot of things on the truck that really could use improving, most of them coming from behind the cab.  For one, I found that the fifth wheel hitch was really hogging way too much space.  I had a 6′ 9″ bed that couldn’t haul much more than my Accord could.  Adding insult to injury was the fact that the bed light was rendered useless by the tonneau cover, not that it helped much in the first place.

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Review: 2013 Nissan Altima 2.5SL

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My dad and I are suckers for family vehicles.  We love the practicality of vans and large sedans alike.  For years now, I’ve begged him to buy a Civic or a Prius.  Even now as an empty nester, he refuses to budge, citing the fact that these vehicles are simply too small and uncomfortable.  So we both eagerly awaited the new 2012 Camry, only to be bitterly disappointed by the odd looking taillights and lackluster overall design.  Similar sadness ensued when Honda released official pictures of the 2013 Accord.  That’s when we decided to journey the 5 minutes over to our local Nissan dealer, hoping the Altima would do something for us.  Julio Ng at Serramonte Nissan was glad to show us the demo model they had – a decently loaded 2.5SL, albeit without navigation built-in.

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Obscure Maintenance: Secret Warranties

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The complexity of modern cars is becoming a conundrum for manufacturers. Often, the factory support team sees recurring problems that are hard to diagnose but easy to fix. Dealer technicians hate this because they only get paid a fixed rate for performing a repair. Both the dealership and the technician are paid nothing by headquarters for diagnosing warranty repairs. How, then, does a corporation like Ford ensure that their warranties are being honored by their dealers, when nobody is paid to diagnose a problem?

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Stupid Technology: Variable Cylinder Management (VCM)

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Continuing our Stupid Technology series, aiming to help consumers wade through the long list of tech options on new cars, we will examine Variable Cylinder Management (“VCM”) from Honda.  This technology helps save fuel by turning off certain cylinders under light load conditions.  To judge VCM’s success, I would use three criteria: 1) has it been widely adopted?, 2) does it achieve its goal?, and 3) does it do #2 without any major adverse side effects?  Honda’s VCM system manages to fail on all three counts.  Read on to find out why!

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Review: 2011 Toyota Yaris

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Toyota has built an automotive empire on reliability, and value for the money. But with midsize sedans cresting north of $20,000, and even Toyota’s own Corolla retailing for more than $15,000, where can one find an affordable entry-level car that will safely move 5 people from point A to point B? The masterminds at Toyota have crunched the numbers and believe the little Yaris is the answer.

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Preview: 2013 Honda Accord

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Oh Honda…how far you have slipped.  Back in your heyday, you sold 2001 and 2002 Honda Accords at a record pace, giving it the title of best-selling car in the United States.  But alas, after producing a 2003 model that wasn’t everybody’s cup of tea, and following it up with a bloated and uninspired 2008 model, the tables have turned.  Maybe it was the tsunami, or maybe people really hated that daggum Accord, but in the entire year of 2011, you only sold 235,625 Accords in total.  Sounds like a lot, but the Camry put the smackdown on you with 308,510 sales.  Even the Altima and Fusion beat you, and the new Sonata almost caught you with 225,961 examples sold!

But this domination will carry on no longer.  Someone at Honda decided it is time to rally back, and they’re pitching the newly released 2013 Accord as your saving grace.  ”Wait, really?” you ask yourself as you glance at an exterior that looks much like last year’s model.  Haven’t you ever been told that beauty is only skin deep?  Read on to find out what’s so special about this mundane looking sedan.

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Comparison Test: 2012 Chevrolet Silverado vs. 2011 Ford F-150

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Recently, Jerry and I had the opportunity to drive a 2012 Chevrolet Silverado on a short road trip (600 miles or so in total). It was a middle of the road LT model, with power locks/windows but manual climate control and basic wheels/audio system.  The 2wd drivetrain was a 302HP 4.8L V8 mated to a 4-speed auto with selectabe tow/haul mode. Jerry and I both came to the same opinion of the truck, but I decided to write the review since I could compare it with a newer F-150 at work. Read on to find out whether the bowtie or the blue oval wins this battle!

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Review: 2012 Chevrolet Malibu

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When I think of Malibu, I think of the wealthy and pristine stretch of beachfront in northwest LA. Warm beaches are bordered by twisty canyon roads frequented by some of the world’s most exotic Italian machinery. Ferrari’s and Ducati’s look more at home here than they do in Maranello.

So it’s no surprise Chevrolet hoped some of Malibu’s beautiful imagery would rub off on the 2012 Chevy Malibu. Can a sensibly priced family sedan be in the same sentence as perfectly tanned beach bodies? Follow the jump to find out.

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