Once upon a time I drove a couple 1980s Chevrolet Celebrities

| September 17, 2017

One of these days I’m planning to archive a post that summarizes all the cars I’ve owned. One that I had forgotten was a favorite "company supplied car" when I worked in purchasing and sales at Knight-Ridder/Portage Newspaper Supply out of Akron, Ohio in the early to mid-1980s. The first car was a white Chevrolet […]

Even Brad Paisley owned a 1984 Chevrolet Cavalier

| November 27, 2016

Jay Leno’s Garage on CNBC is one of the automotive programs I record and one my dad would have enjoyed watching with me … too bad it is just a couple years late. Anyway, last week he had musicians who love cars on the program and country music star Brad Paisley shared his first car […]

The Late Great Iconic American Station Wagon

| August 23, 2015

Chuckled at the CNBC post on “Iconic Cars that are no longer around” and remembering our couple of our very functional “woodie-look” wagons of old as well as my father-in-laws’ wagons. Neither of us had the extinct Buick Roadmaster (above), but he had several Chevrolet station wagons … the last being the “White Whale” up […]

For Sale: My mother-in-law’s 2008 Chevy Trailblazer LT 4WD

| June 23, 2015

S O L D My mother-in-law no longer drives her 2008 Chevrolet TrailBlazer LT 4WD and we’ve decided it is time to sell it.  It would make a great family car for somene who is looking for a solid vehicle. The V-6 five-passenger SUV has a low 62,000 miles and spent most winters in Florida. […]

How to: Simple gas struts replaced on a lifting rear door

| June 9, 2015

After my son returned from living in “dusty” Williston, North Dakota for a couple of years, the Chevy Trailblazer he was using came back a bit dusty. We noticed after visiting him last year that one of the big differences from Ohio were the lack of paved roads. Thankfully, we did give some thought to […]

Wouldn’t it be nice to see the El Camino in production again?

| April 16, 2015

When I was in college I worked for a contractor who drove a car-based truck called the El Camino – it was usually seen hauling around a few missing items he had just picked up for the latest project. As I recall, it wasn’t the greatest car … or truck … but to me it […]

The VW TDI Jetta "Value Edition" gets a lower price

| January 10, 2014

If you are thinking about a new 2014 Volkswagen Jetta TDI this year the entry point just got a few dollars cheaper … thank you Chevrolet Cruze diesel for the competition — $22,115.  For an economy special, the Jetta TDI Value Edition actually includes quite a bit of kit, like heated cloth seats, satellite radio, […]

The 2013 Chevrolet Cruze diesel has arrived

| May 25, 2013

I’m looking forward hearing more from owners/drivers of the new Chevrolet Cruze diesel that will be available in the U.S. It will primarily compete with the Volkswagen TDI diesel line when it comes to price, performance and economy … and according to a USAToday article, may beat them at all three. (I’m withholding judgment) The […]

The 2014 Chevrolet Cruze diesel to be at the Chicago Auto Show

| January 29, 2013

One of my favorite automotive sites Autoblog mentioned that the long awaited (2011 post) Chevrolet Cruze diesel will be making an appearance at the Chicago Auto Show as a 2014 model. According to reports it should compete handily in the fuel efficiency area with the Volkswagen Jetta TDI … although I’ll be anxious to see […]

What kind of deals are you seeing on the Chevy Volt?

| March 28, 2012

I’ve sort of wondered just what kind of push GM was going to make in order to start moving their Chevrolet Volts … not that I’m looking. I suspect one of the reasons the cars are not selling well is that they are price way too high for an “experimental” car … who really knows […]

Stylish design highlights the 2012 Ford Focus EV

| November 3, 2011

I’m at traditionalist when it comes to cars and am attracted to the rumble of an internal combustion engine and tactile sensation of shifting gears, preferably manual. But the world is changing and new cars have sophisticated automatics or are going gearless (CVTs) … and expect more and more cars with tiny engines to include […]

The 2013 Chevy Cruze diesel holds promise, but needs tweaks

| October 11, 2011

According to the Detroit News and reporter Scott Burgess, there were a few areas still in need of improvement before 2013 Chevrolet’s diesel Cruze will satisfy most American drivers. He points positively to the estimated 50 mpg and 800 range, but in a recent 587 mile trip around Europe, he was only able to return […]

Diesel Chevy Cruze Coming in 2013 – KickingTires

| July 22, 2011

I’m not sure I’m ready to wait a full 17 months to see Chevrolet’s diesel Cruze, but glad to hear that at least one US domestic is planning to add a diesel option to the North American offerings. This is no small step considering what has to happen behind the scenes at dealerships, parts suppliers, […]

American sized all-electric vehicles by AMP Electric Vehicles

| May 1, 2010

A few years ago when I posted about the opening of AMP Electric Vehicles in my backyard of Blue Ash, Ohio (Cincinnati), the company company was in the planning stages of electrifying two place vehicles like the Pontiac Solace and Saturn Sky. As technology and battery technology improved, so did their vision in building useful […]

230mpg: tAhe EPA needs to modify its calculations

| August 11, 2009

After reading and commenting on an article in the Wall Street Journal this morning regarding the upcoming Chevrolet Volt boasting 230 mpg, about all I can say is we (the EPA) needs to create a new system of calculating fuel economy. It’s a bit misleading for a family sized sedan to be able to claim […]

GM to import engine for Volt and Cruze from Aspern, Austria

| February 5, 2009

Last year, General Motors announced that it would build a $370 million engine plant in Flint Michigan to supply the 1.4L engines for the 2011 Chevrolet Volt and Cruze;  autoworkers in the depressed southeastern part of Michigan thought this was good news with so many jobs were leaving the area. In October, GM started the […]

Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee

  1. lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
  2. digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.
My Desultory Blog