“They just don’t make ‘em like they used to.” No one can deny that. I have no expectation of my 2006 Saturn Vue outlasting my friends 1931 Lincoln, let alone being a collector vehicle or worth restoration. I truly don’t expect it to last the 25 years to be called a “classic” (but that’s a completely different blog!).

 That being said, there’s also nothing quite like a brand new car. The unblemished paint, uncrushed carpet, spotless interior and, of course, learning all the new gadgets. As part of my automobile education, I took my first trip to the Cleveland Auto Show this week.  It was interesting to see what the manufacturers are coming up with to draw attention to their cars. Being able to sit in all the cars  gave me insight on what I really like.

 I had been eyeing the ads for the new Lincoln MKZ and was disappointed to find nothing about the car wowed me as I expected and sitting in the driver’s seat just didn’t feel right. Ladies, you know what I’m talking about. There are features you look for in a car but if it doesn’t feel right when you sit in the driver’s seat all the bells and whistles will not make up for that.  Several years ago when Ford came out with the retro look Mustang I was sure I wanted one. I took one for a test drive only to discover nothing was in my reach.  Of course, I had to check out the beautiful Shelbys at the IX Center, but alas, the chemistry didn’t happen.

 All in all, it was a nice show. Having never been there before I don’t have a perspective on “the good old days”. Help me out…have you made the trip? How does this year compare? Was there anything you had to have?

The media has been deluging us over the past couple weeks with news of various Toyota recalls and the shutdown of manufacturing and sales due to known defects. This type of action is without precedent but the fact that it is happening to Toyota, long regarded as the quality leader in mass production automobiles, is nothing short of astonishing.

 Other manufacturers have been quick to jump in and try to steal sales while Toyota dealers have taken extraordinary measures in an attempt to maintain their customer base. Many have opened their service departments twenty four hours a day to address recall repairs and many are offering full meal service all day long to service clients.

 With all of this going on, I'd like to hear your Toyota story, whether it involves a recalled car or not. I must admit, I've only owned one Toyota in my life and it was just an entry level model my wife and I purchased when we were first married. From an ownership standpoint, it was one of the most reliable and cost efficient cars I have ever owned. When I totaled it (my fault) at 184,000 miles, it also proved to be a very safe vehicle. What's your Toyota story?

The all important December car sales numbers are in and Ford is the big winner. Unit sales increased more than 30% over December, 2008. All in all, this capped off a banner year for Ford sales relative to the rest of the industry. Toyota, Honda and Nissan all showed double digit increases over last December's sales but the other two major U.S. manufacturers registered sales declines. General Motors sales were down nearly 6% and Chrysler showed a 4% decrease.

 As you may recall, Ford was the only major U.S. auto company to refuse the government's bailout money. They obviously had a plan and it's working. Unfortunately, we the people are effectively the proud owners of GM and Chrysler through the federal bailouts. Seeing as how these companies were in trouble to begin with and our government has never been known as a model of efficiency ($600 screwdrivers anyone?), I don't have a very optimistic outlook for these companies as quasi-government entities. What do you think about the future prospects for GM and Chrysler's?

It was just announced by Toyota that they would be marketing a plug-in electric automobile in 2010, that is, a car that can be plugged into an electrical outlet for re-charging when not in use.  Great idea—but it was done more than 100 years ago!  At the turn of the century there were three types of horseless carriages—cars powered by steam, electricity and the internal combustion engine.   Steam was the proven power source.  Electricity was all the rage, thanks, in part, to Thomas Edison.  And while the internal combustion engine was getting better it was still smelly, erratic, noisy and hard to start.  The electric car proved to be popular with women drivers in cities.  They could drive the cars from their homes to downtown department stores or clubs, where charging stations had been installed; their cars’  batteries could be charged while they did their business.  Women loved electrics because they were easy to start, quiet and easy to operate.  The last electric car was built in the U.  S. in the early 1930’s.  Steam had proved to be too complicated.  And the internal combustion engine jumped to number one with the invention of the self-starter.  Several electric cars were manufactured in Cleveland for many years, including the Baker and the Rauch & Lang.

It has been a tough year in the automotive world. Two of our country's three largest manufacturers have gone through bankruptcy, hundreds of thousands of people in automotive related industries have lost their jobs and, outside of the ill-advised "Cash for Clunkers" program, sales were down even from last year's depressed numbers.

Even hobbyists and enthusiasts have been hit. Vintage muscle car prices have taken a meteoric drop, professional racing has seen fewer teams and entrants and several events were postponed  or cancelled.

Despite all of this, there are still many things to be thankful for. Nationally, Ford is showing great success with a world class product line and new GM products are showing some promise. Manufacturers have learned how to make performance cars that are also efficient. The Camaro and Challenger are back and we have the best Corvettes and Mustangs ever.

From an enthusiast's standpoint, we are blessed locally. From the great tradition of the Father's Day show at Stan Hywet and the world class Glenmoor Gathering concours to any number of cool cruise-ins just about any night of the week, we continue to have a great opportunity to share our passion. Our region pioneered post-war drag racing and sports car racing and we still have an abundance of local venues to experience these great sports.

As you can see, as car guys*, we still have a lot to be thankful for. Even small things, like my 2003 Suburban passing 100,000 miles with no major problems, make me grateful. Please let us know what you're thankful for.

I just returned from the annual pilgrimage to Hershey, Pennsylvania to attend the annual AACA Fall Meet.  With 9,000 spaces, this is the biggest vintage automobile flea market in North America; I don’t know of one any bigger.  The weather—which is a major factor for an outdoor event like this—was reasonably good this year.  High winds on Wednesday uprooted a few tents, but it was milder on Thursday.  There were intermittent showers on Friday and it poured on Friday evening and early Saturday, but the car show scheduled for Saturday took place.  Approximately 1,300 cars were registered.  (Remember, all vehicles 25 years and older now qualify for AACA membership, so that means a 1984 Dodge van can be displayed.)  For the first time there were rooms available at the Hershey Lodge and other hotels.  There were many open spaces in the flea market.  AACA stated all spaces were paid for so these were expensive “no shows.”  It was good to be there again, but the number of pre-war parts and literature (which interest me) is dwindling and there’s too much non-automotive junk for sale. Truth be told, most people probably go just to be around other car people, see old friends and tell car stories.   If they find some needed parts, so much the better.  There were many international visitors; I visited with people from England, Mexico, Netherlands, France, Spain and Germany.  A number of cars were sold to foreign collectors.

Unsurprisingly, GM (I don't know if it was the new GM or the old GM) announced the other day that Saturn was being closed down immediately and permanently. It was originally reported several months ago that Roger Penske was buying all of Saturn, except for the Spring Hill Tennessee manufacturing facility, to fold into his vast automotive empire. Apparently, he recently came to his senses and killed the deal.<

GM had a huge opportunity in the creation of this brand to make themselves, and the U.S. a world leader in the small car market. Unfortunately, due to the corporate arrogance and lack of attention to detail which ultimately brought the entire company to its knees, they failed miserably. The eagerly awaited initial Saturn models were poorly engineered, horribly constructed and plagued with several fatal flaws. Things eventually got better, but the die was cast in the buying public's eyes. The very last Saturns were actually good cars, but most were imports from GM divisions overseas, which is totally counter to Saturn's original vision of a world-class, American made small car.

Despite this, there are a lot of Saturns out there. Heck, I'm almost ashamed to admit that my sister and her husband are proud(?) owners of his and hers Saturns. A big question remains about parts and service for all Saturns on the road. Will you or anyone you know miss Saturn?

In past posts, I have written about the lack of  interest in the collector automobiles from young generations and how essential it is to get youth involved and passionate about the industry. I recently found out about a company that “gets it” when it comes to youth initiatives— Hagerty Classic Insurance, the nation’s leading collector automobile insurance company based in Traverse City, Michigan, has started a Youth Judging program—and the event is coming to Northeast Ohio on September 20^th during the Glenmoor Gathering of Significant Automobiles in Canton!

The Youth Judging program is a perfect opportunity for youth to get up-close-and-personal with world-class collector automobiles, learn how to judge them, and even meet the owners. Hagerty provides all necessary items for the event including an official Youth Judging shirt, cap, and clipboard—all the parents have to do is sign their child up before the event and get them to the show!

Youth ages 8-14 are invited to participate in Hagerty’s Youth Judging event during the Glenmoor Gathering held at the Glenmoor Country Club. A coloring contest will be sponsored by Sugardale and FedEx Custom Critical will be giving away a scale model FedEx transportation truck to the first 100 youth through the gate! This is a great opportunity to round up the whole family for a day of fun that will not be forgotten any time soon!  If you are interested in signing your child up for this great opportunity, please call Tabetha Salsbury, administrative assistant at Glenmoor, at 330-966-3600 for more information or post a comment here and I will give you more information. All participants must be registered by September 12^th to participate in the Youth Judging event, so please call right away! See you at the show!

OK, it's official, the controversial "cash for clunkers" program has been passed and implemented. It didn't take long for the auto manufacturers, both foreign and domestic, to inundate us with commercials and roll out special promotions around this.

 Effectively, the government will pay you $4,500 in trade towards the purchase of a new car that fits their definition of a "clunker". The catch is that it can't be anything that you can "push, pull or drag" into the dealership. It has to be a currently registered vehicle manufactured after a certain date and it has to get a certain percentage worse gas mileage than the new vehicle you are purchasing.

This has been done in other countries for many years, primarily to reduce emissions from older vehicles. The major purpose of the program just introduced in our country is to spur car sales and help stimulate the economy. My question to you is, will this law stimulate you to buy a new car?