Category Archives: Brands

Chevrolet

1967 Chevy Camaro SS Clone – Cool Car Consignment

Hey Cool Car Fans,

I still have to get photos up of a really cool 1981 Delorean DMC-12 that I recently sold for a client of mine, so stay tuned for that post coming soon. The Jeep and the Jaguar that I consigned are both gone, but check out this very cool 1967 Camaro that a client of mine restored.

I’m posting the before and after photos for you to see how far this vehicle has come from where it was to what it looks like now.  And although it’s not an original SS, it’s a pretty cool SS clone and these vehicles are getting more and more difficult to find as time marches on since they only made so many in 1967, which was the first year for this classic car.  How many are left that are in good running condition or available for restoration?

I asked my client to send me details on the story of this 67′ Camaro and he wrote a great story, but before I share with you what he had to say, here’s some information on the 1967 Camaro from Wikipedia.com that I think you’ll find interesting.

“The debut Camaro shared some mechanicals with the 1968 Chevy II Nova. Almost 80 factory and 40 dealer options, including three main packages, were available. The RS was an appearance package that included hidden headlights, revised taillights, RS badging, and exterior rocker trim. It was available on all models.

The SS included a 350 cu in (5.7 L) V8 engine and the L35 and L78 396 cu in (6.5 L) big-block V8’s were also available. The SS featured non-functional air inlets on the hood, special striping and SS badging on the grille, front fenders, gas cap, and horn button. It was possible to order both the SS and RS to receive a Camaro RS/SS. In 1967, a Camaro RS/SS convertible with a 396 engine paced the Indianapolis 500.

The Z/28 option code was introduced in December 1966 for the 1967 model year. It was the brainchild of Vince Piggins, who conceived offering “virtually race-ready” Camaros for sale from any Chevrolet dealer.[1] This option package was not mentioned in any sales literature, so it was unknown to most buyers.

Production numbers:
RS: 64,842
SS: 34,411
Z28: 602
Total: 220,906“

Now for the unique story on this 1967 Camaro SS Clone…

“Hey John,

Here’s the story on my 1967 Camaro and if it wasn’t for the economy and my business needing some additional funds right now I wouldn’t be selling this vehicle. About 16 years ago someone decided to restore this car they completely took it apart down to nothing. They then realized that it was just too big of a project for their skills to put it back together, so there it sat in a garage for another 14 years!

Along came another 67′ Camaro lover, who fell in love with this vehicle and brought it to Colorado. This gentleman also realized it was beyond his skill level to do on his own, so he sold it to a restoration shop. He didn’t want to sell it, but he needed room, but he had the silver powder coated sub frame and new bushings on the vehicle and made it a roller.

This is were I came in and I performed a body off complete restore. It originally had a 6 cylinder engine, but now it has a new 350 and turbo 350 tranny. Since the Camaro sat in the garage instead of driving there was no rust and the body was in great shape. It even comes with the original security key and the original Camaro manual. We’re talking about a vehicle that is 43 years old and it now looks great!

Here are the bullet points…

  • Body-Off Restore
  • Custom Paint with Ghost Flames – Hot!
  • NEW 350 Motor and a Rebuilt Turbo 350 Transmission with Shift Kit
  • New Suspension, Bushings, Shocks, Springs, Leaf Springs Power Coated Sub-Frame
  • All New Fuel Lines and Fuel Tank
  • New Front Disc Brakes – Nice Uprgrade New Break System and Break Lines
  • Interior is NEW with Silver Metallic Paint – Looks Fantastic!
  • Grill is Custom and the Head Lights are Projestor Type with Blue Hallos – Very Cool
  • Dual Exhaust Sounds Good – Not Too Loud
  • High-End Kenwood Sound System, iPod ready with Infinity Speakers
  • Dupont  chroma base Paint for Show Cars – Very Expensive for High-Quality Shine  for Show Cars.
  • A/C Ready and Just needs to be Hooked-Up

There you go Cool Car Fans, another Cool Car Consignment looking for a new home.  This is a pretty cool car for under $25,000 for that unique buyer who is looking for a redone 1967 Chevy Camaro that is a classic muscle car and there are fewer of them that are not rust buckets or have been restored every year.  If you’re interested drop me an email or give me a call for a private showing.

_________________________________________________________________________

John Boyd

Auto Consultant – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy

John is an auto consultant with his license at a car dealership in Denver, Colorado. He can help you save time and money on any make or model, new or used, lease or purchase – nationwide! Call or email John about your next vehicle! jboyd@coolcarguy.com or Twitter @coolcarguy

Brands, Cool Cars, Jeep

1997 Jeep Wrangler – Cool Car Consignment

Hey Cool Car Fans,

Check out this cool 1997 Jeep Wrangler that I took in on consignment last week for Monica, who I like to call, “Off-Road Girl” complete with her Girls Kick Ass sticker on the windshield. This Jeep is pretty hard core for the Colorado off-road enthusiast.  She enlisted me to help her sell it for just under $10,000 with plenty of upgrades and it’s priced right for all these Jeep has got.

I asked her to send me details on her Jeep and she didn’t disappoint, so I had to put some of the photos and all the details here on CoolCarGuy.com for my visitors to check out.

This is a Jeep that was built to take off-road unlike many Jeep Wrangler’s that never really make it “off-road”, at least in the places this Jeep can go, and this one can handle whatever you throw at it.  Here’s what Monica had to say…

“John, Here’s the deal on my Jeep and I’m only selling this so that I can buy a new 2010 Jeep Wrangler as it’s time for me to go with a new one.

  • I’ve kept up with all of the regular maintenance and actually get oil and differential fluid changes more often than recommended.
  • Since 2004 it’s been almost exclusively a “toy” vehicle so it has spent most of its low miles going either very slowly or on the highway. There has been very limited in-town driving.
  • It’s plugged into a charger all winter so the battery never goes dead. It has an Optima Yellow Top that I purchased a little less than a year ago (the best battery they sell).
  • It has Bestop heated seats in the front and a matching Bestop rear seat.

  • It has a Bestop halftop that flips open to provide a sunroof without having to take the entire top off, which is pretty cool for Colorado with all the sunshine we get here.
  • It has Bestop upper door sliders and steel half doors from the factory. If you flip the top back and store the upper door sliders behind your seat you instantly have an open Jeep. Some quick adjustments make it completely air tight so you can drive it in the winter and take it through a carwash when needed.
  • It has a Bestop modular rack system that allows you to buy inexpensive extra parts to move the rack to other places on the Jeep. The coolers have been modified so they are attached to the rack with bolts so you don’t need to use ratchet straps to keep them on the Jeep.

  • It’s never had any problems passing emissions tests. It always passes with flying colors.
  • It comfortably goes 75mph on the highway. It has no shimmy or shake like most Jeeps have (most Jeeps have a shake at 45mph for some reason, even new ones).
  • It’s been adjusted so the speedometer is correct even though the tires are bigger than the 31” tires it originally came with. I’ve checked it many times against a GPS reading and it’s accurate.
  • The stereo system was originally featured in a CarToys magazine. There are two identical head units so you can still use one while the other is being cleaned. They have removable face plates and the original remote controls and manuals are in the blue folder I gave you.
  • I’ll even include free Sirius radio for the first 4-6 weeks (until I get my new Jeep), which is great when you’re out on the trails. The speaker pods are from a newer model Jeep as the originals were not very good.
  • It has onboard air. The short story is that it’s as fast as the air compressor at a gas station. The long story is that it has a York compressor, air tank, and Kilby mount (this, basically, but a few years old).
  • The original axles were fairly weak. It now has a Ford 8.8 axle in the rear and a high pinion Dana 30 axle in the front. The front axle has chromoly axle shafts which are almost unbreakable (axle shafts break often on the trail, so this is a nice feature). Both axles have fairly new ARB lockers in them.
  • It came with a 3.07 gear ratio from the factory which has been upgraded to 4.56. This means it’s much faster on the highway with more torque than it once had.
  • The original drum brakes were replaced with new disc brakes, so it stops better than it would with the original brakes.
  • It has 5 ¾” total suspension lift and no body lift (a good thing, body lifts are the cheap way to do it).
  • It has 35” Super Swamper SSR tires (35×12.50). They are 8-ply instead of 3-ply like most tire sidewalls, so you will rarely get a flat tire, if ever. Most people will get at least one flat every season if they go off-road (it’s just the nature of wheeling). I’ve never had a flat since I switched to Super Swampers. These are basically “the” wheeling tire. They’re fairly aggressive but they still behave well on the highway.   It’s equipped with Eagle 15×10 wheels.
  • It has every skid plate you need, even ones you don’t need. It has Jeeperman bumpers (a popular company that went out of business).
  • It has a Bestop rear oversize tire carrier.
  • The brake lines have all been upgraded to steel lines.
  • The side view mirrors are upgrades, new ones from a newer model Jeep.
  • It has an alarm system with a proximity sensor (it goes crazy when anyone gets near it) and starter kill (you can’t steal it when it’s armed).

And things of note (with reminders).

  • I’m short, so a taller person may need to make adjustments. There are hockey pucks under the driver’s seat that has raised it, and they are easy to remove.
  • The speakers were moved to the front of the roll bar instead of leaving them behind it, which makes the Jeep air tight but also limits head room. A tall person may have to figure something else out, but removing the hockey pucks will help and you’re tall and you fit in it.
  • The mount on the dash is for a Garmin GPSMAP GPS unit. If it doesn’t come off, that strip of dash is easily found in a junk yard.
  • The light just above the stereo will blink if the alarm has been set off while you were away. I printed the user manual for the alarm and it’s in the blue folder I gave you.
  • The air bag light is on, which usually means that the air bags are not working. This model of Jeep usually has the clock spring fail at this point, and this is the symptom. I have not had it checked. If you have the right tools, the fix is inexpensive. Most people do not have the right tools to work with the steering wheel parts, and I believe that getting it fixed at a shop should be under $500 (I’ve been quoted “around $300”).  Sidenote from The Cool Car Guy, I’m always big into disclosure when you get a vehicle from me, even with consignments, so there are no surprises for the new owner.
  • It’s impossible to put the rear seat in with the top as it is. The seat doesn’t weigh much at all, so it’s easy to take out if they want to see the amps or see how much room is back there. It’s basically a truck.
  • I had a piece of heavy duty seat belt installed across the front of “bed” of the truck just behind the front seats. This has really helped stop things from coming into the cab if I’m going down a steep hill or obstacle.
  • There is still a great CB mount attached on the back. All they need is the CB antenna on that along with the CB and cable and they’re good to go.
  • There is a small amount of body damage that happened at very slow speeds on various off-road trails.  That’s going to happen when you’re driving off-road, it’s just part of the joys of off-road driving.  I’ve never even been in a fender bender with the Jeep. It’s never been in an accident with anything other than rocks. I’ve never rolled it and I’ve never even flopped it over on its side, though I’ve come close quite a few times.  See the photos!
  • Yes, that’s the Jeep that spent three solid days on Liberty Trail in 2006. It’s a much better Jeep now. That was an expensive trip.

Let me know if I’ve missed anything! I’m going to put together a list of the extra items I have for sale, and if the Jeep hasn’t sold I’ll send the list to you. If someone buys the Jeep I’ll give them a nice discount on the extras, like the full steel doors in the same color (you might want to mention those even though I haven’t researched selling them yet so I don’t know the cost).

I hope you like the pictures.”

Well Monica, I think a picture is worth a thousand words and your Jeep is over-the-top cool.  I’m sure the next owner is going to love it!

Why buy a used Jeep for $5,000 – $6,000 that you have to put another $8,000 – $10,000 into in order to make it as capable as this one, when you can buy this one for under $10,000 and know that it can handle whatever they throw at it?  That’s my take anyway.

_________________________________________________________________________

John Boyd

Auto Consultant – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy

John is an auto consultant with his license at a car dealership in Denver, Colorado. He can help you save time and money on any make or model, new or used, lease or purchase – nationwide! Call or email John about your next vehicle! jboyd@coolcarguy.com or Twitter @coolcarguy

Brands, Cool Cars, Jaguar

1997 Jaguar Vanden Plas – Cool Car Consignment

Hey Cool Car Fans,

Last week I had a client fly into Denver from out of town to pickup a 1997 Jaguar Vanden Plas from me that I had on consignment for another client of mine. Before he flew into town he wrote to me with a list of questions and concerns he had about the vehicle. I took it to one of the mechanic shops that I work with and had it checked out for him, so her purchased an airline ticket and flew into town not knowing what to expect having never done business before with The Cool Car Guy.

When Mark arrived he told me that he had owned one of these vehicles with over 120,000 miles, but that someone had rear-ended him and totaled out the vehicle. He had looked at a number of them and landed on this one based on the condition of the vehicle and since I was the easiest guy to work with in making sure it was the right vehicle for him. These are not easy to find in mint condition and as it turned out this one was everything he expected with roughly 85,000 miles. It had been well taken care of by the previous owner who had paid over $40,000 for it and had really liked the vehicle as well.

He was an interesting client, like many of the people I come in contact with as The Cool Car Guy. Mark told me that he had worked on a spaceship that is on its way to the planet Pluto. It will be arriving there in another six years!

He also knew the 1997 Jaguar Vanden Plas quite well, especially the electrical system and he explained to me how they had engineered the vehicle’s windshield washer system on the same fuse as the alternator that could cause a load on the alternator. He had created a work around for this problem with his previous Jag should the problem arise again in the future.

Many people are not fans of Jaguar because of the maintenance issues, but the real problem is that there are just not many repair shops, like other brands that know how to work on these vehicles, so it costs more to repair them. The same is true of Land Rovers where in other countries they are extremely popular, but in the United States they can cost a small fortune each year to maintain. The Jaguar’s are very nice luxury vehicles, especially for the money based on the depreciation that takes place in the used car market.

For 1997, the sedans were imported and manufactured from Coventry, England and it was a very cool car that is quite fun to drive. Mark wrote me when he made it back home and said, “Hi John, Thanks a lot. I just returned home today, after a two day drive. No problems with the car, drives great. Hopefully, I will keep it for many years to come.” Another happy Cool Car Guy client and the client who consigned it with me is looking to have me sell his 1981 Delorean for him next. I’ll keep you posted.

_________________________________________________________________________

John Boyd

Auto Consultant – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy

John is an auto consultant with his license at a car dealership in Denver, Colorado. He can help you save time and money on any make or model, new or used, lease or purchase – nationwide! Call or email John about your next vehicle! jboyd@coolcarguy.com or Twitter @coolcarguy

Cool Cars, Jeep

A Jeep Hit’s Over 1,186,072 Miles On The Body

Hey Cool Car Fans,

I was cruising the Internet this morning looking for some cool car stories and I came across one that I couldn’t pass up linking to here at CoolCarGuy.com. There’s a story over at CNN.com about a guy who has owned 26 Jeeps and he has one, a 1983 CJ-7, VEX with over 1,186,072 miles on it, complete with a photo of the vehicle.

He’s gone through five engines that last about 200,000 miles each, which is about right for a Jeep’s 6 cylinder, but what an amazing story of getting the most out of a vehicle.

If you want to check it out click here and you can read the full story for yourself. I think that’s pretty darn cool and author and lecturer Dave Ramsey with his Financial Peace University classes telling people to keep cars for as long as you can, would be proud of this guy. It just goes to show you that if you take care of a vehicle it will take care of you.

On another note, a buddy of mine that I run with Mark Ford and I spotted an old Chevy Citation last week that was parked in someone’s driveway in Littleton that was still going strong. Needless to say, there are some vehicles out there with some serious miles on them that are still being used as daily driver’s or for going off-road as in the case of VEX.

_________________________________________________________________________

John Boyd

Auto Consultant – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy

John is an auto consultant with his license at a car dealership in Denver, Colorado. He can help you save time and money on any make or model, new or used, lease or purchase – nationwide! Call or email John about your next vehicle! jboyd@coolcarguy.com or Twitter @coolcarguy

Honda, Toyota

First Toyota’s Recall And Now Honda Joins In

Many people contact me each month to help them locate a new or pre-owned vehicle at the right price.  All too often, people will tell me that they have to own a Toyota or Honda instead of some of the other brands in the marketplace because of the perception that they are better vehicles.  Sometimes they are better vehicles and I do like the Honda and Toyota brands.

I’m also a fan of many other vehicles in the marketplace that are often overlooked by consumers, which quite frankly are a much better value. I know because I spend tens of thousands of dollars fixing cars each year and I’ve seen problems with every major manufacturer, but usually care and maintenance is the problem and not the vehicle itself.

The media has definitely shown favoritism to these two brands over the years, but since America has now invested billions into American car companies we’re starting to see more press about the challenges facing all the major manufacturers in building modern vehicles.

After Toyota had a major recall this month, Honda is now recalling over a half a million of their small cars based on a faulty window switch that was shown to be a safety hazard.  It’s not that these vehicles are bad, as the article points out, but it is a fact that there are thousands of small parts that go into building today’s automobile, from oxygen sensors to air bag sensors.  I think that people forget this fact all too often.

As we move into more sophisticated vehicles there are more opportunities for parts to malfunction and for a vehicle to have problems, such as a gas peddle or a window switch.  There is no perfect automobile, but if you can reduce the amount of chances for a problem to take place by checking for recalls on your vehicle and having parts replaced it will last you much longer with less likely opportunities for failure, regardless of the specific brand.

Here’s an article detailing this latest recall for Honda.

Honda recalls 646,000 amid Toyota woes

Recalls the latest black mark on industry already battered by recession

WASHINGTON/TOKYO – Honda Motor Co. said it would recall a total of 646,000 units of its Fit/Jazz and City models, including 140,000 in the United States, because of a faulty window switch, after a child died when fire broke out in a car last year.

The announcement came as investors, suppliers and consumers weighed the impact of an unprecedented halt in U.S. production by Toyota, the world’s No. 1 automaker.

Honda’s move, as well as Toyota’s recall due to problems with unintended and dangerous acceleration, come at a bad time for the industry as it struggles to lure buyers back to showrooms after a sales slump that helped drag U.S. rivals General Motors and Chrysler into bankruptcy.

Toyota this week suspended North American sales and production of eight models including its best-selling Camry after regulatory pressure, and widened the recall to China and Europe. A Toyota spokeswoman said the company was still checking on whether any vehicles are affected in Latin America, the Middle East and Africa.

Japan’s largest company, studied for its devotion to quality, could recall about 8 million vehicles in total — more than the number of cars and trucks it sold worldwide in 2009.

In Tokyo, some worried about the knock-on effects to Japan’s image and economy.
“If Toyota has hard times, there’s a high probability that also Japan will,” said Takeo Namekata, a 62-year-old office worker. “Particularly, trade will suffer.”

Honda’s recall added to concerns that the safety-conscious image of Japanese manufacturers would be threatened.
“The Japanese have built their image on reliability, the fact that they make bullet-proof vehicles,” said IHS Global Insight analyst Carlos Da Silva.

“It’s not that their vehicles are worse than the others, (the recalls are) just showing maybe that their vehicles are like the others. The race to cost cuts and the competition between all the brands is so fierce that even the mighty Japanese are doing things that are not as reliable as they were.”
_________________________________________________________________________

John Boyd

Auto Consultant – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy

John is an auto consultant with his license at a car dealership in Denver, Colorado. He can help you save time and money on any make or model, new or used, lease or purchase – nationwide! Call or email John about your next vehicle! jboyd@coolcarguy.com or Twitter @coolcarguy

Cool Cars, Toyota

Details On The Big Toyota Recall

2010MatrixHey Cool Car Fans,

I’ve had a number of clients calling and asking me about the Toyota recall that’s taking place. Following is an article that I’m posting here at CoolCarGuy.com that has been floating around the dealerships the last day.

Hopefully, you’ll find it informative and I’m sure Toyota will get it figured out.

Toyota Temporarily Suspends Sales of Selected Vehicles

TORRANCE, Calif., January 26, 2010 – – Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., today announced that it is instructing Toyota dealers to temporarily suspend sales of eight models involved in the recall for sticking accelerator pedal, announced on January 21, 2010.

“Helping ensure the safety of our customers and restoring confidence in Toyota are very important to our company,” said Group Vice President and Toyota Division General Manager Bob Carter. “This action is necessary until a remedy is finalized. We’re making every effort to address this situation for our customers as quickly as possible.”

Toyota announced it would recall approximately 2.3 million vehicles to correct sticking accelerator pedals on specific Toyota Division models. Toyota has investigated isolated reports of sticking accelerator pedal mechanisms in certain vehicles without the presence of floor mats. There is a possibility that certain accelerator pedal mechanisms may, in rare instances, mechanically stick in a partially depressed position or return slowly to the idle position.

Toyota’s accelerator pedal recall and suspension of sales is confined to the following Toyota Division vehicles:

2009-2010 RAV4,
2009-2010 Corolla,
2009-2010 Matrix,
2005-2010 Avalon,
Certain 2007-2010 Camry,
2010 Highlander,
2007-2010 Tundra,
2008-2010 Sequoia

No Lexus Division or Scion vehicles are affected by these actions. Also not affected are Toyota Prius, Tacoma, Sienna, Venza, Solara, Yaris, 4Runner, FJ Cruiser, Land Cruiser and select Camry models, including all Camry hybrids, which will remain for sale.

Due to the sales suspension, Toyota is expected to stop producing vehicles on the following production lines for the week of February 1 to assess and coordinate activities. The North America vehicle production facilities affected are:

• Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Canada (Corolla, Matrix, and RAV4)
• Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Indiana (Sequoia and Highlander)
• Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky – Line 1 (Camry and Avalon)
• Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. (Camry)
• Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Texas (Tundra)

No other North American Toyota vehicle production facilities are affected by the decision to stop production.

The sticking accelerator pedal recall is separate from the on-going recall of Toyota and Lexus vehicles to reduce the risk of pedal entrapment by incorrect or out of place accessory floor mats. Approximately 1.7 million Toyota Division vehicles are subject to both separate recall actions.

The latest news about the sticking accelerator pedal recall:

Frequently Asked Questions for the Sticking Accelerator Pedal Recall (Jan. 22, 2010)

Toyota Files Voluntary Safety Recall on Select Toyota Division Vehicles for Sticking Accelerator Pedal (Jan. 21, 2010)

The latest news about Toyota’s consumer safety advisory for potential floor mat interference with the accelerator pedal in certain Toyota and Lexus vehicles:

Setting the Record Straight (Dec. 23, 2009)

A Healthy Discussion on Safety (Dec. 10, 2009)

Toyota Announces Details of Remedy to Address Potential Accelerator Pedal Entrapment (Nov. 25, 2009)

Unintended Acceleration: Toyota Addresses the Issues (Nov. 6, 2009)

Toyota’s Statement Regarding NHTSA News Release (Nov. 4, 2009)

Toyota Begins Interim Notification to Owners Regarding Future Voluntary Safety Recall Related to Floor Mats (Nov. 2, 2009)

NHTSA report (Nov. 2, 2009)

Toyota owner letter (Nov. 2, 2009)

Toyota Consumer Safety Advisory: Potential Floor Mat Interference with Accelerator Pedal (Sept. 29, 2009)

Toyota/Carpeted/All-Weather Floor Mat Inspection, Application & Installation Instructions (Sept. 29, 2009)

Toyota Carpet Floor Mat Application Information Chart (Sept. 29, 2009)

Toyota All-Weather Floor Mat Quick Reference Chart (Sept. 29, 2009)

NOTE TO CONSUMERS: We’ve received a number of comments and questions about the floor mat issue and understand the safety concerns. We want to be responsive, but the Toyota USA Newsroom is not intended as a place for consumer complaints, or detailed information about any vehicle features, specs or capabilities. These types of concerns are best handled by our Customer Experience Center where they will be routed to the appropriate customer service representative for Toyota, Scion or Lexus. You can reach our customer service representatives by calling 1-800-331-4331. Prefer to email or chat? Simply access our website email or live chat links for Toyota, Scion or Lexus.

MEDIA CONTACTS ONLY:

Toyota Environmental, Safety and Quality Communications
Brian Lyons (310) 468-2552
John Hanson (310) 468-4718

Toyota Engineering and Manufacturing North America
Mike Goss
Mike.Goss@TEMA.Toyota.com
(859) 803-1698

Media Web site: www.toyotanewsroom.com
Public Web site: http://www.toyota.com and http://www.lexus.com
_________________________________________________________________________

John Boyd

Auto Consultant – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy

John is an auto consultant with his license at a car dealership in Denver, Colorado. He can help you save time and money on any make or model, new or used, lease or purchase – nationwide! Call or email John about your next vehicle! jboyd@coolcarguy.com or Twitter @coolcarguy

Saab

GM Can’t Sell Saab, But Ford Sold Jaguar, Land Rover, Aston Martin

SaabStoryHey Cool Car Fans,

It’s not often that I weigh in on what automobile manufacturer’s do with their brands, but GM has me slightly ticked off and they should have you a bit steamed as well.

GM, formerly known as General Motors, but now referred to by many as Government Motors, after taking $50 billion dollars of tax payer money, can’t seem to figure out how to sell one of their brands, in this case Saab.

They’ve had a number of offers on the table and they were not good enough for GM, mainly because they still have to be involved with Saab during a transition period, but instead they are talking about closing the Saab brand down altogether.  As you will recall they already did this with Pontiac and Saturn.

You may not be a fan of Saab, but there are 5,000 people in the U.S. who are employed because of this brand and another 15,000 worldwide. Didn’t the U.S. government give General Motors a whopping $50 billion to save jobs? I think anyone reading this article could run a car company with $50 billion at your disposal.  Yet, for some reason GM can’t seem to get it figured out.

Saab has been around for 60 years and there are plenty of Saab enthusiasts who drive the brand and GM’s response is that it’s a money losing brand. No doubt it’s a money losing brand because GM owns the company and if GM knew how to manage a car company they wouldn’t have had to take $50 billion from tax payers to run their company.

However, Ford Motor company that didn’t take money from the government in the bailout offer was able to sell Jaguar, Land Rover, Aston Martin and soon to be Volvo. It just goes to show you, that it’s much easier to come to negotiations with saving brands when you are dealing with your own money instead of someone else’s money. In this case, it’s your and my tax dollars that are paying for GM to play like they are the 800lb Gorilla and they are really acting more like a chimp or a chump.

GM needs to sell Saab and quit screwing around with the brand. What many don’t realize who are not Saab owners is the minute that brand is shut down by GM, their vehicles are pretty much worthless. I’m already seeing it with Saturn and Pontiac where many people won’t even look at buying those vehicles now that GM has blown them up, unless they can get an unbelievable deal. Banks won’t finance them once they are gone either, so they will go the way of the classic car and someday they may be worth money if you have cash or a specialized lender that’s willing to give you a loan.

All GM is doing is passing their losses on to the consumer again because of their own greed and mis-management of their brands.  In the meantime, they show us commercials that they are a new car company, but it appears that it’s hard to teach an old dog, new tricks, like how to spin off a car company that you don’t want in your portfolio.

Although, they did figure out how to do it with Hummer, but those negotiations were back in June when they were filing for bankruptcy protection and still trying to figure out, if they had a future (Chinese Company Is Buying G.M.’s Hummer).

For more on this topic, visit Automotive News for details.

_________________________________________________________________________

John Boyd

Auto Consultant – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy

John is an auto consultant with his license at a car dealership in Denver, Colorado. He can help you save time and money on any make or model, new or used, lease or purchase – nationwide! Call or email John about your next vehicle! jboyd@coolcarguy.com or Twitter @coolcarguy

Ford

Cool Car Shot – Robbie’s 2003 Mustang GT

GT1Hey Cool Car Fans,

Yesterday, I had a guy send me photos of his 2003 Mustang GT that he asked me to help him trade on another Mustang that I have on consignment.

The photos were very well done and his 2003 Mustang GT looked extremely clean and in great shape, so I decided to post them here at CoolCarGuy.com for you to check out.

Here’s a run down on the 2003 Mustang GT and this one in particular…

2003 Mustang GT 4.6L 260 hp V8
GT premium package with bullet/mach 1 interior package

GT3Grey leather interior
5-Speed Manual

Overdrive
46k miles
Low jack
Extended transferable warranty
Straight piped exhaust
Lowered 2 inches
Mach 1000 audio system with factory amps and 2 10 inch subs that came from the factory
Custom billet grille

If you’re interested in checking out this vehicle let me know and I’ll track Robbie down and see what he wants for it.

GT2

This could be a great vehicle for someone who is looking for a great Mustang without having to pay a fortune for a new one or the older 1960’s body style.

It’s well equipped and the price range on these varies dramatically depending on condition and features.  In this case, he has a killer sound system built into the trunk of the vehicle.  You can see it in the photo below, so that’s one less expense you’ll have to spend on tricking this vehicle out.

The Mustang also gets pretty good gas mileage for the amount of horsepower that it’s pushing.   You should expect around 18 in the city and 24 – 26 on the highway.  It’s hard to find that kind of fuel economy in a

GT4

performance vehicle, but this 4.6l V8 delivers pretty good gas mileage for the amount of power under the hood.  It looks great too!

You can always reach me using the Contact link on the top right hand side of this page.
_________________________________________________________________________

John Boyd

Auto Consultant – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy

John is an auto consultant with his license at a car dealership in Denver, Colorado. He can help you save time and money on any make or model, new or used, lease or purchase – nationwide! Call or email John about your next vehicle! jboyd@coolcarguy.com or Twitter @coolcarguy

BMW

Cool Car Shot – Photos Of Rob’s Very Cool BMW 335i With Xdrive

Leave a comment

BMW01 Last year I sold a 2005 Pontiac GTO for a client, Rob, that he had placed on consignment with me. He was in Russia at the time, doing some work and needed to sell it, so I helped him sell his vehicle as I’ve helped hundreds of people do over the years. I got an email from him back in September that after several years in Russia, the company he was working for was transferring him to North Dakota.

Russia and North Dakota have the same type of climate, so someone at his company must have a sense of humor.  He said he was going to a place in the middle of nowhere in North Dakota – it’s a big State.  He wanted something fun to drive on those long road trips and that was also reliable.  He decided on a BMW – “The Ultimate Driving Machine”.

BMW02 He asked me to help him get his new vehicle and he was kicking around between the BMW 135i or the 335i with Xdrive, formerly known as the 335xi.  We landed on the latter and I tracked him down the exact vehicle that he wanted with all the features he was going to need for living in North Dakota.  He only had about a week to get his vehicle before he was off to North Dakota and he wanted the window tinting done and a clear bra, but I got it all wrapped up for him within his deadline.

I met him at Murray Motors in Denver with my friend Bob Oetjen to deliver the vehicle and after the delivery I asked him to send me some photos of his very cool new car.  This morning he wrote me the following and sent along the photos you see in this post…

BMW03 The Sweetest Thing the movie “Hey John,

Here are some pics of the BMW with the tint. Let me know if you want bigger versions of the pics for your website. The car is awesome and a blast to drive. Very happy with it. No snow yet here in North Dakota, but it is cold. So the heated seats and steering wheel get used all the time.

Thanks again for doing a great job helping me find the BMW.

-Rob”

Nice job Rob!  Glad you love it and it’s keeping you warm.

BMW04His BMW 335i is probably my favorite production vehicle with the twin-turbos and you can’t argue with the great looking lines of this car that so many car companies want and try to duplicate.  It’s definitely a blast to drive!  I can’t say that about every BMW, but the 328i with the straight six cylinder and the 335i with twin turbos rock!  The Xdrive is an added bonus giving them all-wheel-drive handling and great performance in all driving conditions.

335i Sedan

Peerless performance.

Starting at $40,300 MSRP
3.0-liter, turbocharged inline 6-cylinder engine
300 horsepower
Rear-wheel drive
26 mpg hwy*

More detailed specifications

3.0-liter, 300-horsepower, dual overhead cam (DOHC), inline 24-valve 6-cylinder engine with aluminum engine block, Advanced Turbo technology, piezo direct injection, and Double-VANOS steplessly variable valve timing

Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), including Brake Fade Compensation, Start-off Assistant, Brake Drying, and Brake Stand-by features, with Dynamic Traction Control (DTC), xDrive all-wheel-drive system, 4-wheel ventilated anti-lock disc brakes with Dynamic Brake Control (DBC), Twin-tube gas-pressure shock absorbers, Engine-speed-sensitive, variable-assist power steering, Double-pivot type front suspension with dual forged-aluminum lower arms (328i xDrive and 335i xDrive have steel lower arms and a steel subframe, plus an aluminum thrust plate), Hill Descent Control, Chrome-plated exhaust tips

_________________________________________________________________________

John Boyd

Auto Consultant – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy

John is an auto consultant with his license at a car dealership in Denver, Colorado. He can help you save time and money on any make or model, new or used, lease or purchase – nationwide! Call or email John about your next vehicle! jboyd@coolcarguy.com or Twitter @coolcarguy

Bugatti

The Bugatti Veyron Top Gear Fastest Car In The World Video

Leave a comment

Audi R8 1Hey Cool Car Fans,

One of my friends pointed out to me today that I have turned a number of people on to one of the coolest videos on YouTube that you’ll ever see. It’s about the world’s fastest road car the Bugatti Veyron, but that I didn’t actually have the video or even an article about the car on CoolCarGuy.com.

Needless to say, I took a bit of a verbal lashing for that, so i figured I had better stop that immediately and make sure that I got the video up here for visitors to checkout.  I’ll put it at the bottom of this article and it’s from the show Top Gear when they had a chance to test this vehicle out on VW’s top secret test track in Germany.

The video is about 10 minutes long, but it is totally worth taking 10 minutes out of your busy schedule to watch it.  Even if you’ve seen it before, it’s over-the-top fantastic.  Probably the coolest car ever built for the road, but let me clarify that statement.

A few months ago, I was playing golf with some chaps from California. My friend Walt, had invited me to play in a charity golf tournament for the American Cancer Society at Pradera, a fantastic golf course I might add, and we had our picture taken with the coach of the Denver Nuggets, George Karl, who was there.  I don’t remember what hole we were on, but it was one of those deals where you could win a car for a hole in one or something like that and he spotted me as I came up since I was wearing one of my usual CoolCarGuy.com shirts.

He said, “CoolCarGuy.com, so you’re The Cool Car Guy?  Okay, Cool Car Guy, what’s the coolest car?” You know, when you have about ten seconds to respond to a question that everyone is waiting for you to answer, it was one of those moments, but I was ready.  After all, I am The Cool Car Guy.

Audi R8 2Without missing a beat I said, “The Audi R8.” and everyone in my party looked kind of puzzled at me.  Come on, everyone has their favorite cars. As The Cool Car Guy I try to be an agnostic when it comes to cars because a cool car is really whatever is cool to you.  I actually tell people that all the time, “Whatever is cool to you makes it a cool car.”, but he asked me the question and I love cars – period, end of story.  The Audi R8 is one of those cars that is an engineering marvel and an incredible piece of machinery for the money, complete with carbon fiber and lots of super cool sex appeal.

However, I was also trying to think of a really cool car that I actually see around as well, like a Porsche 911 for example that is the R8 competitor. Not that there are not other super cool cars, from a variety of manufacturer’s, including the Nissan GT-R, which is another favorite of mine for the money, but I was thinking of cars that I actually see and go “I want to drive that!”.  Rarely, but once in a while I will see the Audi R8. And when you do see one, you say to the person next to you, “Wow.  That’s a cool car!” thinking it must have cost around $200,000 plus because it looks like it did.

The R8 is a car that starts for under $125,000 retail, actually starting at $114,200 for 2010, but they can go up from there and it can go from 0-60 in 4.4 seconds, with a top speed of 187mph, it averages 15 mpg with over 420hp and it looks like an extremely cool car.  You would expect a pro-athlete to own one of these just for kicks on their days off.  That would be the Audi R8.  I know, it’s not a Corvette, Viper, Ferrari, Porsche, Lotus, or any number of the American Muscle cars, that came to mind, but if you watch the video at the end of this article, you’ll see the reason why I picked this baby.

George looked at me, laughed and said, “An Audi. I thought only women drove Audi’s.” .  Which was pretty darn funny and everyone laughed at my expense, including me.  He was definitely a funny guy and I walked right into that one with my answer. I started thinking, “I don’t think he has had any of his players pull up in one yet and offer to take him for a ride.  If he did, he might have a different opinion of the Audi R8.  Maybe one of his players should call me and I’ll get them one.” At which point, it was my turn to hit the ball and to make matters worse, I followed it up with a less than cool shot off the tee box.  It was memorable though, which is why I decided to bring it up in this article about the Bugatti Veyron.

Now, in fairness to Coach Karl, the absolute coolest car made is definitely the Bugatti Veyron, but I’ve never driven down the road and seen one pull up next to me since they are $1.7 million.  So, I couldn’t really say that was the coolest car to the coach of the Nuggets because nobody actually drives them, except on shows like Top Gear in the video I’m posting here.  Even though, it’s without a doubt the most incredible car ever built for the road!  Just watch the video and you’ll see why.

However, the photos of this Audi R8 were taken recently in Castle Pines where I was going in to see my client at his jewelry store about his Mini-Cooper I sold.  Across the street, sitting in the parking lot was this super cool Audi R8 and I walked over and snapped a couple photos to put up here at CoolCarGuy.com.  Yes, it’s an Audi.  Enjoy the videos.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaENG1vt6-Y[/youtube] [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO0PgyPWE3o[/youtube]

_________________________________________________________________________

John Boyd

Auto Consultant – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy

John is an auto consultant with his license at a car dealership in Denver, Colorado. He can help you save time and money on any make or model, new or used, lease or purchase – nationwide! Call or email John about your next vehicle! jboyd@coolcarguy.com or Twitter @coolcarguy