Car Reporters - Car people talking about the car business.

23Sep

By Carl DurrekNo Comments

News

Opinion Time

The original Batman series which starred Adam West offered a Batmobile which was not only unique in its look and design but actually was a prototype vehicle that had been resurrected from mothballs by one of the show’s creators who happened to own the vehicle. This car was thrust into comic book lore and history when it was cast as the character that it is, the Batmobile which was driven by Batman and took the caped crusader and his trusty sidekick on many crime fighting missions around Gotham City where the evildoers always seemed to meet with a Whap!, Bam!, Boom! or other great catch word for getting beaten by the heroes. (more…)

21Sep

By Rocco PennNo Comments

News, Nissan

Now that We See it What Will it Really Be

Before the Frankfurt Auto Show Nissan had to answer questions regarding their new Gripz concept that looks a lot like a crossover SUV that is made to replace the Z model sports car that we have loved from Nissan for so many years. If this SUV were to actually replace the Z cars there would certainly be a worldwide uproar and protest, at least until the production of the Gripz is official and we get to drive the SUV that is now carrying the Z-badge. (more…)

18Sep

By Nathan EhingerNo Comments

Brands, News, Scion

2016 Scion iM: A New Hatchback with Maturity

Even though the market for hatchbacks keeps on changing, Scion is confident the new iM will be a heavy hitter for them. One of the main reasons for this level of confidence is the fact that the iM comes in the Scion way which is a mono-spec sales plan meaning it comes as is with only dealer installed upgrades offered for the vehicle. By doing this Scion is able to undercut many of the other automakers with their hatchbacks including the Ford Focus, Kia Forte5 and Mazda3 which all are typically around $23,000 which will be more than $3,000 above the new iM. (more…)

16Sep

By Manny BatemanNo Comments

News

What Happened to All the Cars?

Cars don’t last forever even though some of the parts they are made from seem to do so. We have seen pictures of cars with trees growing out of them because of the metals that are present which do not break down with time or elements but can actually last forever unless they are put through the process of breaking them down. So what does happen to a car when it no longer runs and is not a model that anyone is going to try and restore or rebuild; let’s take a look at the death process of a car. (more…)

12Sep

By Carl DurrekNo Comments

Alfa Romeo, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, News, Porsche, Volvo

Will it be or Won’t it be?

Whether that’s a mock of Shakespeare’s famous quote or simply a happy accident is hard for me to determine but the subject today is whether or not a car will become a classic in several years. Typically a classic car has to be at least 25 years old, but for the interest of a real classic it also has be to be one that is desirable and brings a bit of charm form the era it was made in. With cars these days made almost to be disposable after a few years it’s interesting to discuss whether or not some are meant to become classics. Someday our future generations will be able to say “they sure don’t make them like they did in 2015 anymore”; let’s look at some vehicle they might be talking about. (more…)

8Sep

By Carl DurrekNo Comments

News, Nissan

The Teaser Revealed

About a month ago Nissan teased us with a shadowed view of a concept photo of what was expected to be a compact crossover SUV that would be revealed at the Frankfurt Auto Show. While the photo did spurn a great deal of speculation about what the vehicle would be the real thing from a design standpoint is certainly more than could be expected. This new concept that has been revealed is the Nissan Gripz Concept which is expected to eventually become a production model put Nissan well in the lead for sporty, mainstream, compact crossovers. (more…)

5Sep

By Carl DurrekNo Comments

Hyundai, News

Looking Forward to the New Elantra

Elantra The next generation Elantra is already out on the streets in South Korea as the Avante. Even though the company uses different names for the car (most do for their models) the Avante is very much what we expect to be the new Elantra. Of course when it is revealed as the Los Angeles Auto Show late in November we will get a full look at the new version of a car from Hyundai that we have already loved in many versions, but this one appears to be more stylish and sculpted in nature. (more…)

3Sep

By Manny BatemanNo Comments

News, Porsche, Tesla

Another Tesla Fighter, the Porsche Mission E Concept

Tesla has revolutionized the industry of the all-electric powertrains with their models that do not have even a hint of a gasoline powered backup engine. The statement given when asked about this alluded to the fact that Tesla is doing their thing well while others with EV offer only a small range and don’t seem to know what they are doing. Even though that is not word for word what was said, it covers the gist of the bold arrogance that came out of Tesla motors which felt like a shot at other companies. (more…)

1Sep

By Rocco PennNo Comments

Ford, News

Sometimes You have a Piece of History

In today’s world we have the ability to look up and verify nearly everything in history as long as it has been subjected to being entered into the Internet somehow, which is one massive data bank. How many remember encyclopedias? That was the Internet for my generation, but I digress. This verification of historical data applies to nearly everything from genealogy to automobiles as long as you know what to look for and can find the documentation to back it up. This was certainly the case with an original from the past that had a bit of an unexpected history. (more…)

28Aug

By Carl DurrekNo Comments

BMW, Chevrolet, Fiat, Ford, Jaguar, Jeep, News, Ram

When You still Want to Shift

For many years the idea of driving a sports car with an automatic transmission was laughable. These transmissions were capable of taking the shifting off our plates but couldn’t give us the fuel mileage we would get from a manual and certainly couldn’t give us the performance we desired. That has all changed and now more cars are fitted with automatics than ever before because they are now made to deliver better fuel mileage and certainly can shift faster and smoother than we can ourselves. Even with that thought, if you want to enjoy a manual transmission and handle the shifting duties yourself, here are twenty cars that still allow you to do so. (more…)