Under Construction
You may have noticed some changes lately to Motor Talk. Please bear with us as we update the blog for some exciting future enhancements. Thanks – The Raupe Brothers
Car Wall of the Week
One of our favorite websites is carwalls.com and each week they upload various car photos that work as great art for the desktop of your computer. Here is this week’s pick…
We chose the (Not available stateside) Audi TTRS. What makes this TT stand out from the normal 2.0t versions is its fire breathing 340hp 5 cyl turbo motor which sounds amazing, and goes like stink thanks to the standard Quattro all wheel drive set up. Keep up the good work Audi, now hurry up and bring it to the states!
Hot Links – Thursday, April 22nd Edition
[Source Image: FoMoCoNews]
1. VWs crashing into fake pigs. Tell us that’s not cool…. http://bit.ly/d8y4Mv
2. A ford concept that looks just like an Audi A1. Well, it is the first concept in a while from FoMoCo… http://bit.ly/cUwxAk
Hot Links – Tuesday, April 20th Edition
[Source Image: egmCarTech]
- Hmmm…maybe a US version of a VW Amarok isn’t such a good idea…http://bit.ly/a1BJh3
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Are smartphones leading to smartcars?… http://bit.ly/d8sVSl
Hot Links – Monday, April 19th Edition
[Source Image: Autoblog]
- The not so glory days of the Imperial, courtesy of Hooniverse…http://bit.ly/ddoPWz
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Yeah it’s French but, hey we need bigger Cars instead of bigger Trucks… http://bit.ly/9mMhkx
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WAGON WATCH! – http://bit.ly/dnu0jf
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Now that is a Volvo… http://bit.ly/cyYw8U
- The good news is there is another wagon being made. The bad news is that it will not be sold here. http://bit.ly/ampf9U
Car Wall of the Week
One of our favorite websites is carwalls.com and each week they upload various car photos that work as great art for the desktop of your computer. Here is this week’s pick…
Yes we are aware that it is a Scion and that generally we aren’t the biggest fans of the brand, but the iQ could be huge for this market. Think of the iQ as a better version of the Smart ForTwo.
Car Wall of the Week
One of our favorite websites is carwalls.com and each week they upload various car photos that work as great art for the desktop of your computer. Here is this week’s pick…
We at Motor Talk are not always fond of big trucks, but the Ford SVT Raptor is an exception. It is simply awesome! Keep up the good work SVT. We look forward to the 6.2 liter model next year.
Website Wednesdays: Fastest Car On Water, Ford Raises The Pony Car Bar, Cinderella Turns Mean, Ladies of The Night, and The All New E-Class Wagon
A look at what’s going on around the automotive blogosphere.
Quite possibly the best attempt at an amphibious Vehicle – Watercar, builder of the worlds fastest amphibious vehicles may have also created the go anywhere, do anything Jeep!
Ford puts the Camaro on notice, again – Watch as Matt Farah of The Smoking Tire reviews quite possibly the most important Mustang ford has ever produced?
Cinderella finds her glass shoe after all – Follow along as our friends at txgarage.com start the build on Kevin’s 98 Mustang GT. Hopefully turning one of the slower mustangs ever made into one hell of a monster!
Clearly Posted – The most entertaining road sign ever! Just incase you are worried about accidently running over a prostitute.
Finally a proper estate from the other side of the pond – The all new Mercedes E-Class Wagon (Estate) has arrived, including a rear facing third row seat, which will keep the kids happy. And if we are lucky we will get a AMG Tuned E63 Model, which will keep dad happy.
Top Ten Cars NOT Available in the US
Having watched way TOO MUCH Top Gear has led to a negative side effect: we have been exposed to cars we CAN’T get! The part we don’t get is why aren’t these cars listed below available here?! We created our list by selecting cars that we think would actually sell here, not what we want. With this in mind enjoy our findings and we are sorry if you now have the same problem we have: lusting for cars we CAN’T get.
Oh yeah, while we are at it, this is our formal request to the car manufacturers to go ahead and bring these 10 cars stateside. Don’t worry we will not charge you for the free advice. Just, consider it good will from a couple of generous Americans.
!WARNING! – DROOL INDUCING IMAGES BELOW – !WARNING!
1. Ford Focus RS: WHY? WHY? For years we suffered with the US version of the Focus and at least that problem is coming to an end next year. Now, if only Ford would grant us the RS version. Bring this stateside and there is little doubt it becomes an immediate collector car. Besides, what did they do across the pond to deserve this? The good news is that there is a little rumor that the next RS will be a global RS. Hopefully, global means United States.
2. Fiat 500: Of course the photo we found is the Abarth version. In case you aren’t sure what Abarth is, it is basically an SVT or AMG version – code for this is the one you want. There is actually some hope for this coming here soon as Fiat has talked about bringing it sometime in 2012. Our only concern now, is will Chrysler still be in business by then and if not, will Fiat want to stay in the US market if that happens?
3. Volkswagen Scirocco: 3 spots and 3 hot hatches…hmmmm. We really believe that these WILL sell! I mean how could you resist any of these 3 hatchbacks? This is the perfect VW for the guy that loves the build quality provided by VW but, does not enjoy all the gay jokes that come with owning a VW.
4. Land Rover Defender: Yeah we know the platform is about 70 years old and dates back to the original Willys Jeep, but look at it!!! It looks TOUGH! If GM could sell all those crappy Hummers, then surely the Defender could sell here. And yes, we know that Land Rover tried it before, but that was when Americans didn’t care as much about their image. Nowadays all Land Rover needs is a good marketing campaign and they are selling all the Defenders they want. Forget practicality, today it is all about image, see death of minivans and wagons. All kidding aside it would be great to have an affordable option to Jeep. On the other hand that might spell trouble for Chrysler and we don’t want to see that.
5. Any Alfa Romeo: Sure they break, A LOT! But look at all that style! Think of Alfa Romeos as Anti-Toyotas. Now that, would be good for the country.
6. UK Ford Ranger: Nothing too special here except that it is an updated Ford Ranger. Why do we have the feeling that Ford is doing the same thing to the Ranger that they did with the Focus for years. They update the UK version and leave us with the ancient version. Again, Ford – WHY? Other than us being upset about being left out-again, the Ranger is the ONLY compact pickup left, so it’s guaranteed to be the bestseller in it’s segment. Well, maybe that’s exactly why Ford hasn’t updated the Ranger. We never claimed to be marketing geniuses.
7. Ford Falcon UTE: Okay, so the further we get down this list, the more we get to cars we just like. But, hey nothing says, Cool Redneck like a Falcon Boss!
8. Volkswagen Polo: This isn’t the most exciting pick but, actually makes sense to bring to the states. More and more car companies are bringing back smaller cars, now it is time for VW to do the same. Oh yeah, and go ahead and give us the GTI version when you do decide to bring this stateside VW.
9. Mazda MPV: Yes we know it is a minivan and yes we know that they are a dying breed. However, this is the minivan to have. The Honda and Toyota minivans are boring, the Chrysler/Dodges are not exactly the most exciting to drive and the Hyundai/Kia are lacking in style. We think the Mazda MPV solves all these problems.
10. Volkswagen California: Another minivan rounds out the Top Ten. Now, this is what VW should have sold as their van instead of the Routan. Sure, it is a hippie van but, tell me that pop-up roof isn’t cool.
Motor Talk Straight Talk – 12 million cars sold in the US a year, give us the GOOD ONES!
Maintenance Mondays: Online Tools – AutoBeef
Maintenance Mondays – A step by step look at basic automotive maintenance
This Monday I take a look at a website we recently discovered when it was recommended by a fellow colleague that runs his own Car Shopping Service. We were discussing all the issues and worries customers have when purchasing a new/used car and he suggested we check out AutoBeef – CarComplaints.com.
The website is very straightforward and easy to navigate. Our favorite sections were the “Current Problem Trends”, “Worst Vehicles” and “Common Complaints”. I found it rather interesting how many Honda and Toyota owners that seemed to be unhappy with their car. This is surprising for two reasons: 1. The media is always gushing over how reliable they are and 2. Most Honda/Toyota owners think a car is an appliance and have NO passion about their car – good or bad. Of course, maybe this is why they have so many complaints on the website, if you expect your car to be reliable and it isn’t, you are pissed. On the other hand, if you buy a Yugo, don’t you expect it to break down?
When you click on any section you get a neat little graph ranking problems from highest to lowest. You can then get even more detailed information on each problem when you click on a specific bar.
They even have the ubiquitous Facebook/Twitter/iPhone links, so you can get car complaints anywhere, anytime and at a moments notice. Now, that is a depressing feed to follow – people complaining about cars.
After checking out the AutoBeef’s website we came away with knowledge we already had. However, we spend way too much time discussing cars and the majority of shoppers would likely come away with a more rewarding experience. If nothing else, they would probably have less heartburn when it came time to make their purchase.
Overall I think AutoBeef is a very user-friendly and basic website that ALL car buyers MUST check out. Even if you do consider yourself a Gear Head.
Motor Talk Straight Talk
So easy a child can do it
Motor Talk 