December 22nd 2006.

 

When I started this website, 'lo those  nine years ago, it was an effort to continue to help the many listeners to my radio show
that were cut off from any independent unbiased opinion when the station decided to go all-news and fired 51 staffers, including
the very popular morning man.

The satellite feed that replaced us was fully automated and cheap to operate.

In case you're wondering, the experiment was a complete failure and they're back to doing talk radio again.

So why don't I take up where I left off, as I am frequently asked? Because, folks, AM radio has changed completely.
Satellite radio has them all running and a few weeks ago I got a call from my old station asking me back and also asking
what my compensation package used to be. Actually, I replied, it was a trade off. Publicity for my garage in exchange for
expertise for the station. That's not possible anymore, I was told. You'll have to get a sponsor or pay for the show yourself.

But getting a sponsorship means giving up ones independent thinking. Imagine having to praise the heck out of a GM
dealer right now. How much of my personal credibility would be left after that?

Nine years ago authentic, unbiased opinions on the automobile industry were hard to find. Even today, most sites still want to
sell you a car. The New York Times does, among other prestigious names.

But there are a number of sites that have maintained a pretty independent attitude and there are more of those today than
at any time in the past nine years. I refer to such sites as thetruthaboutcars.com and autoextremist.com.

The latter site is refreshing, even if the author has an ego the size of an aircraft carrier and is given to mellifluous flights of
fancy in his rhetoric that even Shakespeare would have envied. His latest epic goes on for about 12,000 words, if your
eyesight can last that long! What Leslie Charteris used to describe as a turgid bouillabaisse of unsemantic verbiage.

There's another site called autoblog.com that scours the internet for any, yes any, kind of motoring news, no matter how
bizarre or totally uninteresting it may be. Shakespeare would not be envious of their syntax, I should say, and nine out of
the ten items they publish have absolutely no interest for me whatsoever. From time to time however, they hit a  home run
and they are worth visiting every day just in case they do. At least these people have taken most of the work out of keeping
up with what has been happening in the industry as a whole and that leaves me alone to concentrate largely on European
trends and the technical side of things.

 Which is why I'm still doing this, even with all these other highly informative sites for you to choose from.

Even today, the one area that is sadly lacking in website automotive journalism is a good grounding in the technical side of the
equation. I was shocked, but maybe not completely surprised, to find out the other day that 40% of all the warm bodies that
call themselves auto journalists cannot drive a standard shift car.

As you know, I have nothing but disdain for most of the run of the mill so-called auto journalists that will write and say almost
anything to get invited on the next Lear jet junket to Fiji, or whatever.

There are some exceptions, mostly European journalists, whose newspapers are not beholden for 75% of their advertising
to dealers or motor manufacturers and most of their outpourings end up on my site, properly accredited under the rules of fair
use.  

The area that is way undeserved in this arena is good technical advice on what car to buy and how to repair and maintain it.

Working as I do, on the floor of my own little shop every day and being an independent who will take in any car that comes his
way, I see more than all the auto journalists in christendom, of just how many design mistakes and sheer downright quality
problems are built into the vehicles you own.

I get a lot of e-mails requesting technical advice and every one I get is answered within 48 hours.

Many of these enquires come from other parts of the world, certainly not from my doorstep, so my motivation I suggest, is
more philanthropic than commercial.

Anyway, as this year comes to a close, I want to thank the 500 of you (on average) that visit this site every day and I promise
to continue my David struggle to bring some perspective into the Goliath world of hybrids, alcohol fuel, hydrogen, sycophantic
road tests and all the other informational red herrings that are fed to you every day on your television set and in your newspapers
and magazines.