Auto Trends

Sirius, originally uploaded by destikon

We’re a little bit late here, as this news dropped on listeners a few days ago, but better late than never is what we always say… and we can pretty much guarantee that is what Sirius executives are saying (or should we rather say praying) at the moment!

For those of you who have been enjoying Sirius satellite radio is your vehicle over the past few years, there are going to be a few changes in store for you which could be both a good or bad thing for both you and Sirius.

If you who have been on the fence as to whether or not you are going to keep your service subscription with Sirius, this may be the final insult to knock you right off. Sirius has announced that they will be kicking up their subscriptions up $2 starting March 11^th, plus an additional $2.99 for online Internet radio (128 k).

Their plan is to either get people to lock in the lower rate before March 11^th, or if that doesn’t happen, to at least enjoy the increased funds of those who are planning to stay aboard, and those who will join after the deadline. This is of course a last ditch effort to save them from the fire (debt).

Heck, all they’d have to do is skim a little off the top of Howard sterns several million a year paycheck and they would be back in the green again. But that would just be too easy! No, instead they plan on the help of their loyal listeners to see the sense of locking-in a 3-year subscription of the current rate while they still can.

The problem with this plan, is just how many loyal listeners do they have left. There has been talk of a lot of unhappy listeners after XM merged with Sirius and a lot of popular themed stations were axed. Back in November, their stocks were at $0.25 a share, and today their last trade is sitting at just a little over $0.10.

They have received the coveted prize for worst stock for 2009 by MSNBC, who reminds us that satellite radio may be a siriusly (pun intended) endangered species on the auto forefront. At this moment in time Sirius has a lot weighing against them, such as Apple’s iPod, Ford’s Sync, and Internet radio.

So the “techno-geek” question of the day, is will Sirius be around long enough for you to get the full use out of that 3-year locked-in low rate? Well, lock in and find out if you dare…

Source: Sirius buzz

Obama’s Move on Fuel Efficiency: A Sweet Win for Greens(TIME), originally uploaded by MashGet

40 MPG is celebrating today over Obama’s announcements he made during a news conference held this past Monday the 26th, 2009:

President Barack Obama is wasting no time in sending signals that he is serious about making the U.S. greener when it comes to automobiles. In a news conference yesterday, President Obama announced major steps towards reducing our dependence on foreign oil and lowering greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles.

He first ordered the U.S. Department of Transportation to establish rules by 2011 to raise fuel economy standards to 35 mpg by 2020, accelerating the standards signed in 2007. He also ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to review the denial of a waiver for California to set its own greenhouse gas emissions standards.

The California emissions battle, in particular, has been a long one but will have significant and lasting effects. As NPR points out:

“California’s proposed restrictions would force automakers to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent in new cars and light trucks by 2016.At least 13 other states - Arizona, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington - have already adopted California’s standards, and they have been under consideration elsewhere, too.”

TheCLEAN.org and Civil Society Institute (the parent organization of 40MPG.org) have been leaders in calling for Washington to get out of the way and let the states regulate auto emissions.  So, we are delighted to see progress on greener autos being made to quickly into a new Administration’s term and it appear many others are as well …

Some Michigan residents however, are not so excited about the Obama proposal:

Whether for or against, you better be prepared for some winds of change blowing to a city near you!

1990 Nissan 300ZX Twin-turbo, originally uploaded by swilsonmc

How many vehicles could pull a 0-60 in 5-seconds back in 1990’s? Still thinking… yeah, there weren’t too many. The Nissan 300ZX however was absolute beast hidden within an imports clothes, which in those days, Japanese imports were not quite the hyped up of sports cars as they are today.

If you really want a lovely car, might I suggest the extinct Nissan 300ZX turbo. These beasts were loaded with potential then, and guess what? They are still loaded with potential now. Rated at 300 horsepower in the late 90’s, which means that you have at least 100 horsepower waiting to be freed due to imperfect emissions, insufficient breathing, a so-so exhaust, rather tame tuning, and all this can be easily corrected with a few carefully chosen Nissan performance parts and a good, qualified tuner. While I have never been one for antiques, in this case I would definitely make an exception.

What Made this Z so Great

If you are serious about speed, the Nissan 300ZX came off the showroom with a twin turbo V-6 rated at a generous 300 “turbo” horsepower, which means that you won’t get robbed any of those valuable ponies as you rise in elevation. It is estimated that the Z could run somewhere between a 5 and 6 second zero to 60 stretch, depending on the source. The handling of the ZX was superb with a rather sophisticated (for its time) four-wheel independent suspension… and the rather unique electronic aid called the Super HICAS, which was essentially rear-wheel steering that made calculated adjustments to the angle of rear tires to provide more the body with greater agility, stability, and control at both low and top speeds.

With so much potential, you must be wondering why Nissan took the 300ZX off American soil in 1996. Well, the problem was it was just too good. Not necessarily too fast, or too agile, but more like too technologically advanced to keep it within the price range of its target audience. Combine such expensive technology with the US dollars weakness to the Yen, and what was supposed to be an affordable sports car, became a little more than most people bargained for.

Which 300ZX is Right for You

But if you you were to find one today in decent condition, you would probably not be talking not much over $8,000 for a 1995 (you probably wouldn’t want a 96, which I’ll explain why in a minute) fully loaded 300ZX. So which ZX300’s are worthy of your attention. Well, the first year, 1990 was a pretty good year. It had its full 300 horsepower and sophisticated suspension tuning. 1994 might be a little safer if you plan on having a friend along for the ride, since this was the first year that the passenger-side was equipped with an air bag.

1995 is probably your best find, as it had full power, great tuning, air bags all around, and probably a few thousands miles less. 1996 is a little bit of a different story if you ask most Z enthusiasts. It is true that the books will tell you that it had the same 300 horsepower as all the previous Z’s, but in reality, it didn’t quite feel as spirited. The reason for the lack of gusto was Nissan’s discontinuation of variable camshaft timing, and that can make quite a huge difference in the output of any engine.

So if you are having a hankering for speed during these tough economic times… Speed doesn’t get a heck of a lot cheaper than the Nissan 300ZX!