All Your Base Are(n't) Belong to Us

I get a lot of questions about cars from a lot of different people. Honestly, it's hard to answer a lot of these questions without knowing what the other person knows about cars. This is especially true when it comes to car buying advice. However, there is one piece of advice that I can give to all of our readers.

Never buy base!

Allow me to share my reasoning for this. You will not be happy with a base model car. Period.

A high end example of this would be a Porsche 911. Now, you say,"but, Danny, the 911 is such a fine automobile that it would be an honor and a privilege to own such an extraordinary example of ass ended engineering" and proceed to buy one anyways.

For the first couple weeks, things are all rainbows and unicorns with your new Porsche 911. Upon one of these glorious days, a fellow Porsche owner pulls up alongside at a stop light, doesn't acknowledge your friendly wave, and leaves you for dead with his turbos spooling and all wheel drive clawing at the tarmac.

Well, of course he blew your doors off. His 911 turbo costs about $50,000 more than your car. Surely, anything in the same price bracket will be a more even match for your 345 horsepower flat-six motor. That's what you keep telling yourself until a GTR and Corvette Z06 do the same as the 911 Turbo.

What's all this mean? Unless you are buying the Halo car from a company, do not buy the base model just to get the badge on the hood. You will always be wanting something more whether it be luxury or performance. It's a smarter move to buy something in a different category and start checking off those option boxes or buy a slightly used version of that unobtanium that you lust after.

The World's Oldest Race-- Isle of Man TT

An island in the UK, the Isle of Man held its first TT in 1904 and was initially an automobile time trial event.

Now, FIM (Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme) annually holds the Isle of Man TT as the most prestigious motorcycle race in the world. This year's Superbike TT is being held this very weekend but leave it to SpeedTV channel to rather show NASCAR practice than something this majestic. But fear not because this is why we're here! Flappy Paddle Heads takes care of its visitors.

Motorcycle Pr0n! (for best results, watch in 480p)


"... Starting at the town of Douglas on the south-east coast, the course takes a wide sweep to the west and north to enter the town of Ramsey on the north-east coast and thence return to the starting point, each lap measuring 37 3/4 miles (60.7 km) and taking in over 200 bends while climbing from sea level to an altitude of over 1,300 ft (396 m). This circuit is the epitome of the natural road course, all the roads used being ordinary public highways closed for the racing and practice sessions." - Oxford Companion to World Sports and Games

It's about where you're going and how you get there.

Folks, it's a road trip post!

Completing my last final exam at around 11pm last Wednesday night, I receive a call from mom with exciting news that we would be going on a trip to Cape Cod the morning after. Road trips with mama dukes always meant that you'll have to mentally come to terms with her role as the back seat driver for the coming four hour drive. But hey, I was desperate and I really needed this.

I'd like to use this opportunity to just say how important family really is and that I'm really glad we did it. In the end, this turned out to be one of the most pleasant trips of recent memory. My parents are no longer young and they're only going to get older. Another family trip is another memory that we'd be able to share together. When my folks get to an age where they've become too old to travel, I hope not to have any regrets on not spending time with them when I had the chance.

Road trips also remind us what owning a car is really about. Fundamentally, it is mobility. When an owner buys a Ferrari only to leave it in a climate controlled garage, I can only believe that what the owner must feel is a sense of regret and remorse that grows exponentially for every back road that he prevents his Ferrari from stretching its legs on.

Anyway, without further ado, please enjoy the pictures!

Day 1, Cape Cod:

::click on photo to enlarge::

The Lexus GS300 AWD, Joe's Lobster Mart near the Boardwalk, and I.

Considerations were made on whether or not to make this post a review on the Lexus (this is supposed to be a car blog after all) but I was afraid that it'd make readers fall asleep.

Let's get this over with. The Lexus GS 300 awd. Design wise, it's one slippery and handsome bar of soap, or as Lexus likes to call their design direction, "L-finesse". It seats four comfortably, though headroom is a bit lacking and I would have much preferred to leave my hat on while sitting inside.

Performance is good. With all passengers and luggage in the car, the engine was not out of breath when it was asked to accelerate to merging speeds. I'd describe the delivery as similar to that initial feeling you get when an elevator starts to move from underneath you. Boring, pretty much.

The chassis is rigid, the suspension is firm, the dampers are forgiving. The cabin is extremely quiet, the air conditioner blew cold, the leathers are soft, the ergonomics are sensible, the Mark Levinson stereo system was most welcomed. My mom and dad were especially happy with it whenever Lady Gaga's Telephone came on. Really, they're more hip than you think!

In conclusion, the Lexus is a good long distance tourer, but we'd prefer something with a bit more passion (a quid in the Italian swear jar) or a bit more Maserati Quattroporte.


Day 2, Provincetown and Gray GablesToken "editor in front of test car" picture.Paying Uncle Bob a visit!Day 3, BostonTop of the Prudential with Danny ChinCoordinating get up was unintentional. Probably caught a bit of attention though.Danny Chin and I sitting around talking about cars as usual. Note how my left arm is flat against the armrest and my fingers are curving upwards. I'm convinced that this picture was taken when I was in the middle of describing this white Aston Martin V8 Vantage I saw earlier that day and what my arm was actually doing is imitating the Aston's duck tail spoiler. Yes.

All in all, I had a great time and it was great to visit Boston again. Special thanks to Sandra and Uncle Bob, a thank you to my parents for becoming less dorky, and special special thanks to Danny Chin and his family for the hospitality. It was wonderful to see you all again!

I'm sure there will be more road trip posts in the future. It is arguably the most rewarding thing to be able to do as a driver. This sort of combination of spontaneity and freedom is rare and I don't think it's even something I see many major publications write about in detail.

I hope you enjoyed this post, let us know of your memorable road trips or one that you've always wanted to do!

Driving Music

Geezus, I've finally taken my last final last night. I didn't get out of the testing room until 11pm!

This is going to be an awfully short post as I'm heading out in literally 5 minutes to go on a road trip with my parents for the weekend.

But all this made me think about something. What music do you guys like to take with you on the road? Are there songs that are just that much better to listen to when you're driving along?

I'll start things off. Here is a song I brought with me on my last trip,



Share with us what driving songs you like!

Speed is Frustrating

Give me a minute here to vent. Today being Sunday, it's the one day of the week where I can count on an immense amount of motorsport action to be happening around the world. With that being said, I watched only one race today. It was the Motogp race from Le Mans, France.

Now, Motogp is the pinnacle of motorcycle racing. And with most large racing events, there are support races. In the case of Motogp, there are the 125cc two-stroke class and the newly formed Moto2 class, which replaced the 250cc two-stroke class. I've definitely seen my fair share of racing. So, I feel I can make a judgment on what is and isn't entertaining, at least from a viewer's perspective. Without a doubt, Moto2 is the best racing to watch right now.

Here's some quick facts to sway you to give this series an hour of your viewing time. The grid is filled with about 40 riders whose bikes are all being powered by a spec motor, a Honda 600cc 4 cylinder with roughly 150hp. The chassis design differs by team and whether they made it in house or had it made. The bikes themselves weigh in just a tick under 300 pounds. This past race had the top 28 qualifiers covered by 1 second!

However, all that data was found online because Speedtv decided it would rather show the Nascar hall of fame induction on repeat today. I don't want to look up who won the race because I still want to be excited during the race, which will be shown at 1 pm Tuesday or 3am Wednesday. Thank you DVR!

This scheduling has me totally confused. It seems to me that Speedtv is really trying to show Motogp as it was meant to be seen...LIVE. Last year, most races were broadcast at 5pm. The two European races have been shown live at 8am EST this season. This tells me that there are fans in America that have demanded this live coverage just like Formula 1 gets. Oddly, the broadcast format has changed to focus on the American riders with interviews and such before the race. Since time was allotted for those interviews, there is no time at the end of the broadcast for the interview session with the podium finishers. It would seem that Speedtv doesn't know its viewers. If there was enough interest to show live races, then these viewers are educated about the sport. They'd rather know about the race from the top finishers, the riders who obviously can push the machine to the absolute limit and hold it there for twenty-something laps. They don't want to hear for the third time about Nicky Hayden being the only rider to tame the Ducati besides Casey Stoner. We can read that on racing websites if we're so interested. If I really wanted to hear a guy with a redneck twang, I'd just watch Nascar on...Speedtv.

Save your (inner car guy's) soul

It seems to me that America as a nation as well as a people has lost its soul when it comes to the automobile. When thinking about American cars, most people point out the overall lack of reliability, refinement, innovation, or passion. Once in a great while, somebody will stop and consider the sports car offerings of America and summarize it all with the word "power."

Frankly, that makes sense. Looking at the current crop of popular American performance (I hesitate to say "sports car") cars, power does adequately encapsulate them all. There's the Camaro, Mustang, Corvette, and Viper just to name a few. All these cars have enough torque to spin the world like Superman and enough horsepower to be considered supercars just 10 years ago. As an addendum, they would all leave a considerable bulge in your wallet compared to their foreign counterparts.

So, what's the problem? Part of the problem is that "power" meant a whole lot more in a passed time. Power could be used to describe everything from the manufacturing prowess of this nation to its ability to design and engineer the best in the world. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not some southern Republican who favors American products over everything else in the world regardless of quality. I just want to know where the American auto industry, or more importantly, the American consumer took a turn toward mediocrity.

As you would imagine, I am the person that family and friends gravitate toward when they want car buying advice. I love that aspect of being a car guy. If you're that guy, it shows that these people put some sort of faith in you. They trust you. You're not a car salesman trying to collect a commission. When this kind of thing happens, I feel it's my duty to find something that will truly make the person happy. However, I don't know how many times I've scoured the internet, magazines, and Sunday newspapers to find something worthwhile when the person comes back to me and says, "What do you think of a Camry or Accord?" Honestly, I would rather have that flaming Ford Pinto pin me against a fireworks factory. Atleast, that will get my heart beating faster! Please, I implore you, don't do this to that car guy you know. It's the most demeaning thing you can do.

However, about 80% of the people you know probably do something like this. Take some time during a nice sunny day to just sit by a busy street. Take your lunch outside or go buy a carton of "Ben and Jerry's". It doesn't matter what your excuse is. I already know your reason for being outside. Look at the cars that go by. It's a sea filled with boring shapes and boring colors. An ocean of Camrys, Accords, Altimas, etc. I bet the majority of them have the base motors too.

Now, let's consider the facts. We live in a time of unparalleled engineering (yes, even Toyota). New cars are asking for oil changes after huge time intervals now. It's not uncommon to see cars go 10000-15000 miles without an oil change. These cars are lasting longer than ever, even with those sparse oil changes. Never mind the added benefits of computer aided analysis to make cars stronger, stiffer, and safer for the occupants. Add in the fact that fuel efficiency is at an all time high. Most importantly, fuel is cheap. After considering inflation, three dollars per gallon is still less than what our parents were paying during the fuel crisis of the 70s.

Next time you're considering buying a new car talk to that car guy you know for his opinion. Remember to keep an open mind. Chances are he can think of something that will be perfect for you. Performance, luxury, safety, and efficiency can all be had as long as you know the right people to ask.

Douchey Cockboy

Why does one get such a bad rep for driving a bimmer convertible? And shouldn't wearing a bluetooth hands free device and a pair of polarized Oakley sunglasses be setting an example for what's considered practical and being safe?

Ah, profiling. Many of us are guilty of this. Certainly Danny Chin and I are. A person who owns a Hummer is probably trying to overcompensate for something. A Prius driver is either someone that A.) always has to have the newest "it" thing B.) is really into tech C.) likes to brag that they're being green or D.) number crunchers. The bottom line is that they all look smug while doing it. Porsche 911 drivers are wealthy accountants who need a sports car that can hold two golf bags. Owning a Civic Si with Altezza taillights automatically makes you ricer.

See how easy it is? Anyone can do this and this can be a problem. As car enthusiasts, we don’t want to be mistaken for anything else. It would be nice if people can look at our car and say, “Oh, this definitely belongs to a car guy.” But is there really a car out there that can really nail that statement?

Yes, and no. Or yes in a way that isn’t exactly what you were expecting.

The answer, at least my answer, is the kit car. Caterhams, Ariels, vintage Shelby Daytona replicas and the sort are the kind of cars that provide for only a very particular lifestyle. The more extensive the available options are for modification, the more driver-centric the vehicle becomes. These purchases are done out of pure selfishness and disregard to those who love you. Caterhams, for better or worse, are just too obscure of a brand for anyone to understand what the car is and the history it stands for. How many stories have we heard of wives leaving their husbands because she can’t live with a man that loves his car more than his woman?

It’s a double edged sword that many of us would gladly live with.