trinacriabob

I'm employing some elbow grease these days to touch things up that I've let go, especially inside. I have a collection of toothbrushes sitting on the floor in the back seat after using them for 2 weeks that I use to scrub some areas, such as places within the engine bay, for one. - - - - - At around noon, I went to the oil change place. I went back to the one that gave me a great BYOO (Bring Your Own Oil) price last time. As it turned out, I made it so that I had exactly 4.5 quarts of Castrol GTX full synthetic in my possession ... and that's the amount it takes. I have fresh synthetic oil again as of this afternoon and no bottles of engine oil around.

It's always a new car to someone - especially when renting - and a person has to get used to its parameters. Unless it's a Chevy Spark or a Ford Fiesta, neither of which are for sale in the U.S. anymore. When I see rims equal to the sidewall of a tire, the first thing I think of is that the ride isn't meant to be a cushy one.

Yes, and a potential "profit center" for rental agencies - especially overseas - when you scuff up the alloys on their cars so equipped.

Random thought: Things you don't see anymore ... curb feelers.

I would agree with this only when moving. Or if transporting a large object that a person just bought. And that periodically happens for most people. And a SUV/CUV would be immensely helpful. However, for every other occasion, it's a sedan or a coupe for me. I really miss them. Also, I prefer one that sits higher and has better visibility, so that's why sports cars, which are fun to drive, are checked off the list ... even though I have always liked Firebirds and Camaros, once owning a Camaro as a second car for a short while because I couldn't find a used Firebird I wanted.

It made it! I did it! Never did I think this vehicle, delivered to me new some 15.75 years ago in a suburb of Portland, OR, would move out of the PacNw, or even California. Well, it did. On trips out of town, I usually rent a car, whether from a neighborhood location or from whatever airport I use. I wanted the car to "see" (LOL) the Atlantic Seaboard, and here it is, at Virginia Beach VA, doing just that (see photo - at Rudee Inlet, with Oceanfront district to the left and Croatan Beach to the right). The plan was to continue up along the coast and take it for the quick tour of NYC where it would quickly circle its 5 boroughs: I-278 across Staten Island, the Verrazano Bridge, aorund Brooklyn and Queens on the Belt Parkway (stop at beach at Far Rockaway near JFK airport), up through Queens on the Van Wyck Expwy or parallel route, the Whitestone or Throg's Neck Bridge into the Bronx, I-95 across the Bronx (stop in little Italy) and the skinny part of Manhattan (stop at the Cloisters for a view over the Hudson and the GW Bridge), and then, finally, cross the GW Bridge before heading into New Jersey. That circle tour is no more than 25 to 30 miles ... and 5 boroughs ... such a deal. Sadly, I did not continue north to NYC for some unforeseen developments. (The car has been running like a champ.) Oh well, as a consolation, never did I think I'd drive the car to Toronto 3x, including a visit to and photos of it at the GM plant in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, where it came off the line. Doing goofy and quirky things can make life interesting.

Thanks for putting this up. It's interesting, but it definitely skews toward the early years. Yes, it was called the Fireball at first. Then, when it came back in the catalytic converter era (1975), it was just the 231 cubic inch. And, yes, 231 is 75% of the old small block Buick 310 V8, so they did shave off two cylinders. He's right in that the engine really got momentum when it became Series I, Series II, and Series III, but he doesn't focus much on the later and better years. And he's right that the 3.6 DOHC V6 has had problems here and there, despite becoming the new flagship V6 engine for GM. He mentions the addition of the balance shaft in 1988 and that's when it became the 3800. (I'm at a loss right now for what a balance shaft looks like.) However, I don't think he mentioned the transition from odd-firing to even-firing, which was a really big deal and a 1978 M.Y. occurrence. The funny thing is that the bigger colonnades of 1975-1977 ran with the odd-firing V6 and the downsized ones that went from about 4,000 lbs. to 3,500 lbs. ran with the even-firing V6, which they accomplished by offsetting the journals in the crankshaft. At idle, the difference was noticeable. I've put just about 400,000 miles on the Series I and Series III 3800s I've owned (combined). I love this engine. Throw in an odd-firing V6 '76 Regal coupe that my dad had, an '80 even-firing V6 Century Limited sedan (basically a Regal for those years) that my dad had after that, and a hand-me down Cutlass Supreme Brougham coupe with this engine ... and add rentals (from late '80s Toros and Parks to mid-90s Regals to early 2000s so equipped Impalas) and I think I might get to 500,000 miles of driving some version of this engine! What a hoot. This was the loss leader for Buick mid-sizes ... the triangle rear window coupe '76/77 Century Special coupe ... stripped down and probably having an MSRP of $3,999. This has the rally wheels but they came with blackwalls and hubcaps. Here's an engine bay with the 231 c.i. V6 pushed all the way to the back and with no A/C That some didn't have A/C occurred enough and ensured the loss leader price, as well as a boring dashboard. But nothing to go wrong.

Join me in wishing @A Horse With No Name, our long-time member and friend who knows how to mix up insightful observations and zany humor, a happy birthday! Enjoy your special day ... and cheers.

Word. And your penciling of the situation makes sense. People have become increasingly more disconnected from each other, music has gotten crappier, etc. etc. Is it any wonder that the choice of vehicles has become more disappointing as well?

BONUS Don't say I didn't try. This also shows the infotainment center graphics (complete with orange/amber effects), that weren't to my liking, especially for songs and artists, unless there was another way to set this up - - - - - END OF PHOTOS

INTERIOR Full view of instrumental panel, console, and part of front seating Angled view of instrumental panel, console, and part of front seating A fair deal of ergonomic comfort is built into the front seats (that stuff in the creases is sand, which is an all too common occurrence in this area since people will take their rental cars to the beach) Rear seats (you can barely see the dark blue/light blue/red striping theme toward the top); the visibility was good and the rear view mirrors and alert systems helped, though I do still turn my head, "old school style" Cupholders in the rear seat armrest as well as 2 air vents and 2 USB ports at the rear of the console ... as you can see, the rear seat leg room is fine but not generous The speedometer is to the left and the tachometer is to the right, which is opposite what I expect to see ... but the mapping is centralized, which makes it easy to use ... there are both fuel and temperature gauges, and the speed readout can be set to digital within the speedometer - I was satisfied with the main IP pod The vents circulated air very well and conditioned air came on very quickly, but I'm not so sure how I liked the controls beneath them and above the console This is the console at night with the shifter and you can see the "P" indicator on a button at the rear of the lever while the others are attained by moving the lever; anymore, a lot of settings such as brakes, drive mode, and others are on buttons on the console These are the blue graphics that make their ways onto the front passenger doors at dusk; the cross hatching is sort of interesting The trunk size is fairly good for the size of the car and the roofline There is also this additional shallow space beneath the trunk floor, and the spare and other things are below this, which might be the actual floor of the trunk

EXTERIOR Side view near Parque Nacional Peneda-Geres Rear angled view above the town of Viana do Castelo Front view of grille at pick up Large, skinny tires, with no curvature at their sides, and aluminum alloy wheels - taking photos at pick up When you step out at dusk and the mirror is still extended outward, the logo and BMW are reflected on the ground When you step out at dusk and the mirror is finally folds inward automatically, the logo and BMW are reflected on the side of the door and will finally go out on its own

Good morning

Couldn't take a photo. It was ugly, anyway. It was the "entry level" Tesla with a license plate saying: OUTA GAS He or she could also be: OUTA AMP

This was the last of 3 rental at different locations in Portugal and a vehicle I never thought I’d be writing a review about. Again, I rented an automatic vehicle with one of the major agencies and the description indicated a Toyota Corolla Hybrid automatic or similar. Anymore, you go up to a kiosk, as if ordering at McDonald’s, to kick off your rental at major European airports. It’s important to have one’s data for the transaction ready. If there are questions or hiccups, agency personnel are on hand. I was doing this and then, at a certain part of the screen, a car description, including specifics like the license plate, appeared. I asked the agent what this was all about. I was told that a BMW Series 2 Gran Coupe was the car I was being assigned. I almost didn’t want it and asked if they had something else. They didn’t. I started looking at this smallest member of the BMW family in awe. I also sked my phone what its cost might be since insurance might have certain parameters. It appeared to come it at somewhere between 37,000 Euro and 42,000 Euro, depending on how it’s equipped. I could not form an immediate opinion of this car. I was in a stupor that I would be driving this car for 4 days. Also, its controls and settings are not that easily learned. I did learn most, while a few more obscure ones went unlearned. They do not correspond to the settings we know in American domestics, Japanese cars, or even VW-Seat-Skoda. As I got used to the BMW 2 series, what shone was how planted this vehicle was and how nicely weighted the steering was. This car was driven on city streets in or near Porto, on the tolled highways, and on 2-lane roads, with one foray into the twisties into and out of Parque Nacional Peneda-Geres. It fares well everywhere, but it really inspires confidence on the highway where, for its size, it’s sort of a small “bank vault” and on two-lane roads where it corners with agility and remains composed. I had only driven a college friend’s BMW 3 series with a manual transmission from Santa Barbara back to L.A.’s San Fernando Valley and it, too, shone for being nimble and planted, although they were not the most reputable as the years wore on. My friend eventually moved on to a new Ford Mustang with a V8. With this BMW’s good handling, the ride is also very controlled – firm and smooth. Noise suppression is also excellent and the maximum posted highway speeds, or slightly more than that, produced negligible wind or road noise. It’s a car that doesn’t wear on the driver for a long-haul trek. The engine was a twin turbo diesel and, when pushed, it responded very well and the engine produced more of a strong hum rather than the clanging sounds one would except of a diesel. It didn’t really sound like a diesel from inside the cabin. However, if standing outside the car when it was idling, it did sound a little like a diesel, but not quite like the old school Oldsmobile diesels that sounded like they were gargling with metal marbles. The car responded well to quick and defensive merges and prolonged grades on highways, which Portugal’s interior definitely has. The other part of the powertrain equation is the transmission. It was a geared automatic with 8 speeds. The truth is that you could barely feel any of the shifts, making me question if BMW could have sold out and gone the CVT route. That wasn’t the case. If pushed, the first few shifts could barely be felt, with changes into the remaining gears being imperceptible. This outshone the 8-speed automatic in larger Toyotas that I have driven a time or two and which featured excellent shifting. At this point, virtually all foreign manufacturers, and especially the premium ones, are adept at making automatic transmissions. We’re not talking about Smart cars and Opels from right around the New Millennium. There is no doubt that this small BMW is an attractive vehicle. For being a small sedan, it’s billed as a Gran Coupe and the looks are svelte enough. The rapport between the exterior volumes is pleasing to the eye and any sculpting and character lines work well, including the ones carved into the front fascia and the rear taillamp assembly and bumper. One thing that was unexpected and make for a good chuckle is the frameless doors. I haven’t seen that in decades. Hello, GM colonnade coupes of yesteryear. I don’t know if I liked it or not. However, it probably helps give the car a sleeker look. The cabin was comfortable and there is suitable room for the front passengers. The seats are defined with bolsters and adjustable supports for the lumbar and the front edge of the cushion. The only other car with aggressive bolstering in its seats I’ve ever driven is the last Pontiac Grand Prix where the price point didn’t allow for them to spend enough money to thoughtfully design them. It appeared that this small BMW’s rear seat room was decent, though not ample, but the trunk was surprisingly roomy. I’m not giving this car a score of 100 or anything like that. It made for a few annoyances. I’ve already mentioned the slight difficulty with setting up and getting used to the controls. To that, add infotainment and climate controls graphics and operation which weren’t pleasing to the eye or user friendly. Graphics at night have orange/amber backlighting and Pontiac proves that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. It, too, leaned toward this color for illumination, not to mention an often similar “twin kidney” grille up front. Unlike other cars, and less expensive cars, the infotainment center Bluetooth did not display my music collection with the additional graphics about the artist as less expensive cars readily have. The adjacent red and blue stripes often seen on the grilles of BMWs make their way into the lower part of the dashboard and extend onto the front door panel. This effect can be seen at dusk. The most irritating thing to me was the automatic transmission lever. It’s a standard lever. It’s not a push button or a round dial that some cars have gone to. It was easy to put it into drive and reverse, but there was a button at the back of the lever that parked the car, or so it seemed. This could lead someone to push the button and think they were free to go. If the lever was not returned to P, the car was not parked and would still be running. The build quality of the console and the levers and buttons appeared to be excellent, but operating it caused some head scratching at times. This BMW 2 series coupe/sedan is expensive to purchase and expensive to maintain, especially for the incomes and purchasing power in some of its markets. As time marches on, major repairs or replacing parts is expected to be expensive. That would require weighing how much one wants to own one of the “ultimate driving machines” vis a vis weighing the costs of ownership. As for one of its costs – fuel – that was surprisingly favorable, with consumption being sparse and diesel fuel being less costly in Europe. This was a serendipitous experience and a pleasant surprise. It was a lot of fun to drive this BMW and sample the confidence it inspired, be it on major highways or on challenging two-lane roads. I also find it humorous that with all the cars I’ve rented and upgrades I’ve been given stateside, I’ve yet to turn the key on a Cadillac and put one in gear. However, I got to drive a car and brand I would have never expected to. The price of the rental for those 4 days was reasonable (read: one helluva upgrade) and presumable priced in line for the anticipated Toyota Corolla Hybrid. I don’t know if I’d want to own a BMW 2 Gran Coupe overseas as its owner would have to contend with a lot of rambunctious drivers in “beaters” and on more challenging roads. However, if money is no object and one can afford the repairs down the line, or is leasing one, this could be a great way to go about motoring. - - - - - PHOTOS FORTHCOMING

MECHANICAL The engine bay is simple and easy to work on - most things are within reach (the fluids, the battery, etc.) The engine shroud foretells that there is a small engine beneath it Counting the exhaust manifolds tells one that there is a 3-cylinder engine powering the car

INTERIOR Simple interior and dashboard with symmetry and things easy and predictable to reach and operate; there is no console and I'm not sure there was a fold-down armrest for the driver as is the case in some small cars The infotainment and climate control areas work well and the vents distribute climate controlled air effectively Things come full circle - the vent at the far right (and far left) made for a chuckle - its shape is like something from an older AMC vehicle or perhaps a larger Chrysler that one of my mom's friends hailing from Brooklyn, NY would have driven once transplanted to "the Coast" Being a subcompact, rear seat legroom is not generous The fit and finish is acceptable and, upon getting in, the headrests are immediately pushed down for maximum visibility With its slightly rounded shape, seeing around the rear sail panel was not too difficult, something that is definitely appreciated The trunk is small, but it handles several suitcases better than does something like a Chevy Spark or Smart car, where the depth is minimal ... also, the cover for the trunk is integral and something you want when traveling

EXTERIOR Side view of the car in a small town on the coast of the western Algarve View of the car adjacent to the beach in a fishing village on the south coast of the Algarve Front angled view Rear angled view

I like to rent cars with automatic transmissions in Europe when I do rent a car because it eliminates one stressor and allows better focusing on traffic, signage, and defensive driving. Sadly, they milk tourist for this, with rates often being double. Stateside, your base Fiesta or Spark is implicitly automatic. So, it’s “funny” overseas because the purchase cost of that vehicle for the agencies is not twice as much because of the gearbox. That said, in the not so populated Algarve, the south facing coast of Portugal where it’s a collection of beach towns spread across some 150 miles, I decided to go with an econobox with a manual transmission and save some money. It all worked out, but it sure was interesting. I was given a Kia Picanto, a small car with shape that is angular in some areas and jellybean like in others. It’s a spartan vehicle. It takes no time to get used to this car and its controls. Anymore, the windows, door locks, and mirrors are electrically adjusted, even in the smallest of cars. The seats are adjusted by a large metal lever placed under the front seat. There is another lever underneath the steering column to operate the tilt steering wheel feature. The Kia Picanto powerplant is a small 1 liter 3-cylinder engine and, since these 3 cylinders sit in one cylinder block, the engine is dynamically balanced. (I’m thinking of the early odd-firing Buick 231 V6 before they offset the crankshaft journals to smooth it out.) The transmission is a 5-speed manual. I had to take what I could get. I often wish that the R gear was off on its own, outside of the “H” to one side, and 5th gear was also outside of the “H” and on the other side. This prevents possible shifts from 5 to 2 instead of the intended 5 to 4, for example. The clutch operated nicely, and it was almost impossible to have the clutch slip and stall the vehicle. This only happened once in a week. That said, I took to driving this little Kia and it went along with getting back on a bicycle. It all comes back to you. The biggest demerit is that it’s not that powerful. Its engine under 70 horses. It’s fine off the line for everyday driving in a small town and maybe working up through the gears. However, to speed up on a major highway with the maximum speed limits, the rpms and noise go way up, yet it picks up speed very slowly, especially if on a grade, and even a minor one. That said, this is not the car you want to pass other cars in or, if you do it, it requires generous “margins.” With a small engine, the Kia Picanto’s fuel consumption is low. Keeping to 90 to 100 km on the open road instead of 110 to 120 km makes for better fuel economy. The steering is nimble and what the tires are doing is felt. In fact, there is little isolation. The car is fairly noisy and especially when trying to pick up speed on the highway, or simply maintaining higher speeds on the highway. Harsher roads and pavement imperfections can come through as jolts. The handling is mostly acceptable, but it should not inspire confidence. One needs to slow down on curves and in cloverleafs because you can sense that this car is not pinned down. It has its limits. The build quality is acceptable for the price point. The materials are not top drawer, but they seem to be assembled reasonably well. The seating surfaces are on the harder side and suitable for everyday driving but probably not for long trips. There is no console. The best aspect of the cabin might be the simplicity of the dashboard and controls for those who dislike complex cars or people who need to jump into a rental and go. Are you looking for an entry level car to get around in at an entry level price that will function as your personal go kart? If so, this is what the Kia Picanto is. Incidentally, Picanto is a funny name and its sort of a Kia quirk. With Kia’s Sorento, the name seems to be derived from the Italian seaside resort of Sorrento, yet they’ve omitted the second “r.” With the Picanto, the name approximates the Spanish word “picante,” which means spicy, and it was morphed to Picanto. I noticed that immediately. For a short while and for short- to medium-haul driving, the Kia Picanto can make for some high school or college fun … or driving experiences akin to that. You can look at this car as “less is more,” along with being cheap to buy and operate. However, other consumers may require more than what this subcompact offers. - - - - - PHOTOS FORTHCOMING

My parents certainly did not send me to Catholic grade school to hear and learn jokes like this in the 7th grade: Q: Why is $h!t tapered at the end? A: So your butt won't slam shut.

INTERIOR PHOTOS The dashboard made sense and a symmetrical one is always easier to deal with; there is no highly defined cubby at the front of the console that would hold personal devices without some sliding around Straightforward console and shifter, just as if it were a conventional geared automatic transmission - I have seen some that, even if they have dials or other mechanisms, aren't that simple to use The seating was comfortable and here you can see some of the detail of the fabric and the stitching, as well as the two cupholders and the armrest, under which there is a console box ... many functions are moving to consoles, either through buttons or tabs you push down/pull up The rear seat room is about average and there are air conditioning vents to the rear That's what the rear pillar looks like, but, surprisingly, it wasn't too bad to see around when maneuvering; when I get into cars, I always push down all the headrests as much as possible, such as to the right of this photo This is what the trunk looks like with the liftgate open and you can see that the cover is integral and attached, which is how it should be Obviously, this trunk area has the protective surface cover, which is great for luggage and hard objects, and it can be expanded by pushing forward the 60-40 rear seat you see in the back - - - - - END OF PHOTOS

EXTERIOR PHOTOS General side view Front angled view Rear angled view; this shows the chunkiness of the transition from the rear door to the liftgate area Close-up of rear liftgate; I believe opening it required lifting the Toyota logo ... I've seen that gimmick with other brands and it's sort of cool Dropping it off into a rental car parking structure that is a little cramped! This photo was interesting because the door colors look different to me or it's the lighting at work over the sculpted lines of the side profile.

Yep, there was a Subway I'd always stop at, either on my own or with friends, while getting in line for the Peace Arch or Pacific truck crossing. Those were the days. In a weird way, it had nice lines. Definitely a good vehicle.

Is Birch Bay around Bellingham, near the Canadian border, and often murky? - - - - - I liked this stretch of Firebird years and it's rare to see a Trans Am convertible, especially in an accessible parking space. Not a judgment ... just saying. Nice car, but the pewter color or whatever it is isn't that flattering.

As for Costco, I just checked in on Levi's 505 jeans - the basic model with a zipper - and they've been $29.99 for a long time. I figured $32.99. Nope. They were $35.99 or $36.99. - - - - - Back on topic: I got a new serpentine belt put on today. I went in at 8:00 a.m. and was able to wait for it. I replaced the original one, which went over 125,000 miles! Unbelievable. And the original one didn't look all that bad. (Check out the photos.)