Considering there is now enough vacant land in Detroit to cover the city of Boston completely, the place is definitely hurting for some good news.

Remember what I said about car shows going downhill?  Well, a reader alerted me, and I just saw the news today myself so I’ll pass it directly on to you.  The 2010 International Auto Show in Detroit is BOOKED SOLID.

There will be seven hundred different car models on display there, and what’s more, fifty of them will be never before seen models.

I can’t understand for the life of me, however, why Detroit is putting this show on in JANUARY.  January poses one of the biggest chances for inclement weather in the entire year, possibly only matched by February or maybe December.  The key thing is, about the closer you get to mid-January, the more likely you are to get serious snow mixed with ice mixed with a slow frozen death.

There’s an old joke in Michigan, and it’s got two endings.  The joke:

People say Michigan is a four-season state.  Not true; it only has two.  The two seasons in Michigan are winter and road construction (some substitute “road construction” with “winter’s coming”).

And this is why it’s probably a terrible idea for Detroit to have this show in the Russian roulette of horrible weather that is January.

Tags: car show, Detroit, detroit auto show, horrible weather, january

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Parting with a car (1990 Toyota Corolla AE92)you have dreamed of having since you were in college has to be one of the hardest things to do. After fulfilling everything you had wanted to do with it, ranging from mechanical, body works, interiors and simple in-car entertainment audio system, one can imagine the cost and effort a person would put into it. I realized that effort but in the end, it all boils down to practicality and needs.

The Toyota Corolla 16 Valve does not have the common problems of high fuel consumption nor major car repairs. The AE92 had nothing to fix except perhaps for some minor paint job if you really wanted your car to stand out and live to its “Car Show” finish. But you have to take into consideration the year issue. The car is depreciating in cost and while you would want to part with it at something more, you just have to admit that you will not get it for the value you had gotten it along with modifications you had already spent on it.

Why should you read this? When it comes to selling your old car, you have limited options. Especially if you have a car that is reaching the 20 year age limit, you have to make decisions. Unless you are the famed car collector, if you are going to sell it, sell it now when the market value is still acceptable. Prolonging it will only drive the car value lower and eventually you may find it outrageous.

Figures? I had sold the car for about $2,200.00. I had bought the car as well for almost the same amount and then spend over $2,000.00 in modifying it. In the end, that amount used for improvement became my means of living a dream.

In the end, it was the depreciation value that claimed that investment even if the car still looked great. The next best thing to do with such a car? Don’t sell it to the car buying business wolves. Sell it to a friend who will value it. That is exactly what I did. Now the problem is, what car will I use to replace it!

Tags: body works, car collector, car entertainment, car repairs, car show, car value, depreciation, fuel consumption, living a dream, mechanical body, paint job, practicality, Toyota, toyota corolla, toyota corolla ae92

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Every year in June, about 200 woody cars take part in an event called Woodies On the Wharf in Santa Cruz. This year, the Woodies on the Wharf exhibited over 200 wooden-bodied cars from as far away as British Columbia. These old woody cars are a real joy to look at. If you are not familiar, a woody is type of a car with a rear part of the bodywork made of wood.

The wood is then finished in a clear varnish, either over the entire wooden area or just on the framework. In Europe, early woodies were usually built on luxury car platforms, such as Rolls-Royce. Woodies have been produced from all kinds of cars and makers. Pricing for a restored woodie may start around $50,000 and could go as high as $200,000.

Tags: car show, Santa Cruz, wood, Woodies

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This is not the traditional high-end car show where you get to see over-spoofed cars in the market today. Rather, this car show held in Dublin Park in Madison showcases around 90 cars of the best European or British car known today. Not as flashy or eye-boggling, the cars on hand were a product of how motorists value their vehicle, common yet stylish in their own right.

“If all you ever go to is Pebble Beach car shows, then all you ever see are show cars,” Pender says. “And then people like me see that and think– there’s no way I could ever afford to be in this hobby.”

The cars on hand were not the usual luxury looking cars known whenever a car show is announced. Rather, local and fully restored cars were on hand, showing local audiences the true hobby of a car lover while at the same time using the funds to help local organizations. The two beneficiaries were First Stop, a non-profit ministry which helps homeless people change their lives and The Autism Resource Foundation.

(Source) WHNT

Tags: alabama british motoring society, audiences, autism resource, beneficiaries, british car, car lover, car show, Cars, dublin park, foundation source, homeless people, motorists, north alabama, pebble beach, showcases

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The upcoming Chicago Auto Show was forecasted to be a flop but apparently it is promising to be one hot ticket come this weekend. In fact, attendance is expected to swell, squashing all these rumors which has made the organizers quite enthusiastic of the 2009 car show.

“While there’s no hard science behind it, our best guess is that the buzz about the show is spreading virally,” said Jerry Cizek, general manager of the show produced by the Chicago Automobile Trade Association. “We had unusually large crowds in our opening weekend. Evidently, those people are returning to their communities with reports of a fun, bright, affordable auto show that’s packed with family entertainment – and topped off with the great deals that America’s consumers are seeking.”

Over the closing weekend of the show, organizers are suggesting that patrons utilize the vast – and devoid of any weather complication – Millennium Park underground parking lot. Shuttles will bring customers from there directly to the door of McCormick Place via dedicated bus routes, eliminating the thought of any long walks through inclement conditions or traffic tie-ups. The free shuttles will operate Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 21-22 only.

(Source) Press

Tags: car show, chicago auto show, millennium park

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