Auto Trends

Everybody is always wanting to know what the celebs are wearing and who they are dating, but what about the cars that they drive? I pondered this question long and hard before taking it upon myself to find out. I had a little help from MSN Cars (U.K.).

Celebrities are a facination to most of us and the most common mistake that we all make is that we tend to perceive the celeb as to the characters that they play. Take Rowan Atkinson for example. He has played the character of “Mr. Bean” for sometime now.

What kind of cars could you most see this goofball in?

Mini Cooper…

Volkswagen Beetle…

Perhaps a minivan of sorts…

Try an MG X-Power and a McLarren F1. 

 *Photo Courtesy of CoolSuperCars.com

Rowan’s McLaren F1 was purchased out of celebration for his hit movie, “Bean- The Movie”. The F1 has been clocked at 240 mph and costs within the range of the upper $600,000’s. The only two cars able to touch it to date is the Koenigsegg CCR and the Bugatti Veyron.

Rowan is an absolute car nut and loves to go fast. If you have ever watched his television show, “Mr. Bean”, you will now be able to appreciate that it is actually him doing all the stunt maneuvers for the Mini Cooper the next time you watch an episode. He is actually quite a professional driver.

But despite his love for most exotic machines of power and speed, there is one car that you will never catch him in, as quoted here:

“I have a problem with Porsche’s—they’re wonderful cars, but I know I could never live with one. Somehow, the typical Porsche people - are not, I feel, my kind of people. I don’t go around saying that Porsche’s are a pile of dung, but I do know that psychologically I couldn’t handle owning one.”

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Let’s step over to the sexy Cameron Diaz, from the movies, “Something About Marry” and “Charlie’s Angels”.

What car would fit her would you say?

Mercedes SL…

Porsche 911 (As Rowan cringes at the thought)…

Nope! She actually used to own and drive the above mentioned German beauties, but she has currently traded them in for her new favorite, the Toyota Prius.

*Photo Courtesy of ToyotaPrius.info

The Prius has the new hybrid engine that switches between the gas engine and electrical engine depending on the conditions of the driving. Such as driving around down at moderate speeds = mostly electric… and driving on the fast paced highways = mostly gas. You get the point…

Actually it is a common misconception that highway driving is the best for these cars. In actuality, it is the slower city driving that the electric engine will have the most capability (at least for many of these models).

Celebrities are embracing these hybrids as they are said to produce some of the lowest emissions available today and the smog suffocated L.A. byways can use all the help they can get. Cameron is also joined by several other celebs driving these new hybrids on a daily basis, such as Harrison Ford, Jeff Goldblum, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Now it looks like we can all drive like the stars in a new and very affordable Toyota Prius!

*Photo courtesy dduchon at Stock.xchng

MacGyver was a great 80’s show, where one man could do almost anything as long as he was armed with a thimble, a roll of toilet paper, and a swiss army knife. But there is some truth to these tales and there are actually a few tricks of the trade that could be helpful in the case of being stranded on a deserted road with out a AAA phone signal in sight. Yes, there are still places in the world where “Can you hear me now?” is as philosophical a question as, “If a tree falls and nobody is there to hear it…” So without further adieu, I bring you a few tips and tricks to common roadside assistance emergencies.

This first tip refers to those awful moments where a radiator leaks that will leave a “hot” car sitting off to the side of a road with steam spewing over the hood. In some circumstances a small leak such as this can be patched by simply adding a few ounces of table pepper to the radiator fluid after it has cooled for 10- 15 minutes. The reason that this works is the pepper tends to collect at the source of the leak and eventually seals it; at least long enough for you to get where you were heading. Egg white can also be used for this, if you are lucky enough to stumble upon one in an emergency situation.

If it is your radiator hose that has sprung a leak, there is actually no better immediate solution than a roll of standard duck tape wrapped around the offending rubber hose. Then to replace the radiator fluid that has leaked out, almost anything wet made of mostly water will make a good substitute. Pure distilled water is probably the best coolant you could possibly use anyway, but due to its obvious tendency to freeze, it is rarely used in its pure form, except occasionally in performance muscle car and race applications where overheating is a problem.

Another common roadside occurrence is the all to familiar flat tire. Not everybody knows how to change a tire… and in some situations, some people are just not comfortable with it. While its maybe not a MacGuyver exactly, it certainly should be. The “Fix-a-flat” aerosol cans you can find off the shelf of just about any gas station actually work and they could save you in a pinch! Just one can will often fill a typical tire to a reasonable pressure and create a gummy coating around the hole that will seal out the leak for at least several miles.

And of course when you are all finished with these repairs and you find that you’ve locked yourself out of your car… all you will need is a tennis ball and a screwdriver to get yourself back in… NOT!

 *Photo Courtesy of CarandDriver.com

The new Saturn Sky is more than just a resemblance to the power hungry Chevrolet Corvette. It actually has a little bit of bite to go with its growl. Well, maybe not exactly a growl, as it is still a 4-cylinder, but she does hiss a bit when the turbo on the optional 2.0 liter releases excess pressure.

Anytime that you have a new car that looks as aggressive as the new Saturn Sky, the question comes up what kind of punch it has under the hood. In this case, as many manufacturers are doing these days, you have two options.

Option A- Enough to get you where you want to go.

Or

Option B- Get you where you want and have some fun doing it.

The 2.4 liter, 16 valve 4 cylinder with 173 horsepower feels a little like the Volkswagens Turbo S back in the days when the “bug” had a steroid injected 1.8 liter turbo to choose from. Or as many of you might be more familiar with (or at least pretend to be)… the Audi TT.

This will definitely get you from A to B in style and you are not going to have to much of a quarrel when you press the accelerator. The Sky will get up and go in under 16 seconds in the quarter mile and that is not too bad for a base engine and a weight of just under 3,000 lbs.

Now imagine what you could do with 260 horsepower.

The Sky Line Red, as it will be called, will be the performance upgrade to the new Saturn and is currently gracing the Saturn showrooms at a price tag of around $30,000.

The base Saturn can find its way onto your driveway for under $24,000… and with good auto finance loan rates, you could be talking just over $300 a month to own and of course a good bit less to lease.

The only real drawbacks that Car and Driver  has uncovered are a lack of trunk space (5 cubic feet of it to be exact), but it is a convertible, so that should not be too surprising.

There is also complaints of the top being a bit of a spoiled three-year-old to get it to do what you want, like sit down on the frame without a bit of a battle. But kids will be kids and nobody is ever perfect, especially for under $30,000.

But going back to the introduction, this car has some beautiful style cues of the new Corvette and for the money, you could buy two of these for the cost of a Vette and still have some money left over to buy a gallon or two of gas to get them home!