Mystery Car 109 Revealed
I saw Mystery Car 109 in the parking lot of Lake Chiropractic in Willowick, Ohio a few weeks ago. While the owner was away, I took the picture but failed to find out what year the car was. However, I found out that this is none other than a third generation Ford Thunderbird (1961-63). I can hear my dad telling his oft repeated story of how Ford ruined the Thunderbird by making it into a bloated four seater. I can see his point. The original Corvette was not very popular compared to the original T-Bird. But things changed and Ford made the decision to make the T-Bird bigger in hopes of pulling in more customers. Just think what it could have been.
According to Wikipedia, the 1961 model came with a 390 cubic inch V8 which produced 300 hp. A later M-Code edition of that engine came with three Holley two-barrel carbs and put out 340 hp. I wouldn’t want the job of keeping those in sync! But I’m sure it was a fun car to drive nonetheless.
Willoughby Beauty Contest: Volvo S60 or Mercedes-Benz C250
The pictures above are of a 2012 Volvo S60 T6 R-Design and a 2012 Mercedes-Benz C250 coupe. The only thing fair about the comparison is that they are both priced in the mid to upper $40k range. Otherwise, these cars are quite different. The S60 comes with 325 hp while this C250 has only 201 hp. The Volvo is an AWD sedan and the MB a RWD coupe. One is an entry-level luxury coupe and the other a top-of-the-line premium sport sedan. And yet, after driving both of them, I still see a comparison. They are both small cars that are extremely fun to drive.
But just to get the conversation going, which one do you think looks better?
Volvo Bluetooth Audio Streaming for … Video Games?
My youngest son and I were returning from a basketball game Tuesday evening when I began to notice a strange sound coming from the back of the car. It was a repetitive noise which would stop occasionally and then continue. It made me think something was knocking against the underside of the car. With only 1100 miles on my 2012 Volvo XC70 demo, I didn’t thing anything could be wrong so soon. I turned my head to get a better listen when it hit me. New Volvos have Bluetooth with Audio Streaming. You can stream internet radio, mp3s, or any other sounds from your Bluetooth device. The sound I heard was Trenton playing a game on my Windows Phone. The car had picked up the sound effects and was playing them over the car’s speaker system!
Review: 2012 Volvo XC70 T6 AWD
One of the perks of working at a dealership is having a demo vehicle to drive. Just before leaving for vacation my demo car was sold to a customer. So, I walked into the Volvo sales manager’s office and asked what I should drive especially since I’d be taking the car on vacation. 
What a surprise it was to see him looking through new car invoices for my next demo! He ended up having me drive a 2012 Volvo XC70 T6 AWD with the Premium Plus trim level. Really?
This is a very nicely equipped car. The T6 version of the XC70 comes with a 300 hp turbocharged inline six cylinder, a 6-speed Geartronic automatic transmission, and All Wheel Drive. Standard options include City Safety, Volvo Sensus with 7″ color screen, Bluetooth with Audio Streaming, Sirius satellite radio, leather seats, and power glass moonroof. Bump up to the Premier Plus and you get the power tailgate, Keyless Drive, Front & Rear Park Assist, Homelink, and Digital Compass in the rearview mirror. This particular car also came with the Climate Package (heated seats, headlight washers, Rain Sensor) and BLIS (Blindspot Info System) with power retracting side mirrors.
With an MSRP of $44,170, I was a little nervous taking our family on vacation in this vehicle. But the feelings subsided after I installed a sheet over the back seat and another in the cargo area. The first sheet came in handy when one of the kids spilled a drink. But otherwise, everything was fine. The three kids fit comfortably in the back seat and behaved … well, most of the time.
A good selection of audio books kept them interested as we did a fair amount of highway traveling.
The first part of the trip took us to the hills of western Pennsylvania. We took the back roads where the speed limit is 55 mph. When we got to the end of that leg, there were two fairly steep hills. As you can imagine, the Volvo had no trouble making it up either one of them. The second leg of the trip took us to central Ohio to visit family and friends. This is when I began to notice the fuel economy. Volvo claims this car should get 17 mpg city and 23 highway. With almost a thousand miles on the car, we were averaging 25 mpg for the entire trip! And that included a trip to Old Man’s Cave in Hocking County and a visit with friends in Orwell, Ohio.
We enjoyed visiting with family and friends but also enjoyed the time in the car. That’s one of the often hidden blessings of driving a Volvo. You don’t have to pull off the road every couple of hours for your body to recover as with some cars. Over the years, Volvo has invested in comfortable seats which keep you feeling refreshed by the time you arrive at your destination no matter how far you had to drive. That’s a good thing to remember when you consider purchasing a less expensive vehicle. It may be a great deal but you may not think so after your next road trip.
Visit www.LeikinVolvo.com for more information about this and other quality cars at Leikin Motor Companies. Also note that all new Volvos come with a 5 years/50,000 miles warranty which includes Complimentary Factory Scheduled Maintenance, Wear & Tear Coverage (complimentary brake pads, rotors, wiper blades, remote batteries, etc.), and Volvo Roadside Assist during the warranty period.
Mystery Car 108 Revealed
Mystery Car 108 is a 1966 Buick Skylark. I happened to own a blue model like the one in the picture when I was 18 or 19. After driving a 1976 Honda Civic, this was the coolest thing I’d ever driven. And despite the fact that I had to rebuild the carb and that the transmission failed, I could see myself owning one again someday.
Mine had the 225 cubic inch V6 which put out a measly 160 hp gross. I had that engine painted by a detail shop and it looked really good! But it wasn’t a real performer; it was more of a cruising car. To get serious performance you had to get the upgraded Gran Sport edition. They offered a 401 cubic inch engine with either 325 or 340 hp depending on the options. According to one source, “a 340-bhp GS got to 60 mph in 6.8 seconds and turned 14.9-second ETs at 95 mph” (howstuffworks).
__________
- http://www.automobile-catalog.com/make/buick/special_skylark_2gen/skylark_2gen_2-door_hardtop/1966.html
- http://musclecars.howstuffworks.com/classic-muscle-cars/1966-buick-skylark-gran-sport.htm
Volkswagen Memories
A college friend, Will Galkin, recently posted on Facebook that his father had unexpectedly passed away. No matter how prepared you are for something like that, it’s a difficult event. Thankfully, he was a Christian and is resting in the arms of Jesus today. As you can imagine, the family is grieving the loss but the event got them looking back at picture albums and remembering good times together with their dad. One of those memories for Will was this picture of his parents and their VW Beetle.
Their bug looks almost identical to the 1971 Beetle my brother had. His came with a semi-automatic transmission. Push the stick forward for first and second gears. Then let off the gas and pull it back for third and fourth. That little car was interesting but eventually left the family when the VW mechanic told us he couldn’t remove the spark plugs because they were seized. Those little cars bring back a lot of memories … for a lot of people.
Mystery Car 107 Revealed
Andrew English of The Telegraph says this car is “so much fun that only the hardest of hearts will fail to love it.” That’s because Mystery Car 107 is none other than the Morgan Three Wheeler — a remake of the pre-1940 Morgan Cyclecar. The little three wheeled car is powered by a 2.0 liter motorcycle engine mated to the transmission of a Mazda Miata. All power goes to the single rear wheel which can take you from 0-60 mph in about 4.5 seconds. And according to English, the car will retail for “approximately £6,700.” That’s about US $11,000 which is just shy of the MSRP for a Kawasaki Ninja 1000. I’m sure the bike is fun but if it was my choice, I’d rather go for the Morgan.
Click here for the Official Morgan website.
What’s the Scoop? — 3/29/12
- Who’s driving a SAAB 9-5 to Mentor Christian School? Pastor Kent Hobi had a rental car…and likes it!
- Basem Wasef offers a Volvo S60 and BMW 328i Smackdown (Auto Trader)
- With gas prices going up, how can you get better fuel economy? (ECredit Daily)
- Are they really going to offer an external airbag? (Geek.com)
- Mercedes-Benz to offer a G63 for 2012 with a 621 hp V12 (The Sacramento Bee)
