Car Throttle

I went to a junkyard yesterday in search of a few parts for my '97 3-series.  By this point, E36's are starting to pop up in junk yards with mechanical maladies or wreck damage, and the absolute cheapest way to get good parts is from a junk yard.  Sure, it's more of a hassle than finding the bit you need on eBay and clicking "buy it now" - you have to drive to the yard, pay a fee to get in, and find the kind of car you're looking for.  If it's got the part you want, most of the time you've gotta take it off yourself - unless it's already loose.

Turns out the only E36 there was a

As a car fanatic, it can be quite a challenge to find a car with all the right features. When you choose the car you want, there are many different premium options you should consider. If you are spending hours every day commuting to and from work, why not love the car you are driving? Interior Material and Color Let’s start with the interior materials and colors. When purchasing a new car from a dealership, you often get the option to choose a cloth or leather design. Be sure to select carefully to avoid being stuck with something you will get tired of. You should consider things like comfort, color, design, and how hot the material will get in sunlight when making your decision. Many cars offer

Recently I made the drastic decision to kick my Honda Accord to the curb.  In hindsight, this was not the wisest choice, but I'm still a happy camper.  The new car is a 1997 BMW 328i sedan, black over tan leather, with a 5 speed manual.  Due to it having a few "pre-existing conditions" and an intergalactic 166,000 miles on it when purchased, I got it for a steal.  This turned out to be a blessing. Being a 1997, it's an OBD2 car, which means it features the newer "M52" family of engines.  I've long been a fan of BMW's naturally-aspirated straight six engines, and this is a pretty good one.  2.8L, aluminum 24v twin-cam head, VANOS (variable cam timing), direct ignition, electronic traction control -

With summer just around the corner, now is the time of year when convertibles are traditionally at their most popular. However, with the cost of insurance continuing to spiral out of control this is becoming a very costly extravagance. This has been seen in the surge in number of motorists looking for cheap car insurance deals with moneysupermarket.com, who are keen to point out that the increased insurance costs don't automatically mean that all convertible cars should be avoided. However, perhaps the following convertibles should, as they are the ten most expensive to insure: 10. Mercedes Benz SLK Insurance Group: 16 Insurance cost for 22 year old: $4,200 The new Mercedes Benz SLK roadster which has been launched this year is the third generation version of the model

For real.  I love drag racing. I know it's simplistic, primal, and perhaps a bit stupid.  "Real racers turn, too!"  Yeah, I know.  Still, it's one of those sports that's not hard to get into.  You don't have to have a long attention span.  If you don't like the car on the tree, it's gonna be done racing in a few seconds.  And something else is coming up behind it.  Hell, it's a sport that not only condones but encourages burnouts, which is the automotive equivalent of a testosterone storm. So there's not really "news" to report from a local drag strip.  But it's loud, smells great, tons of fun to watch or participate in, and talk about.  Plus, I just picked up a new camera

Hard-parking - Noun.  When one owns a high-performance vehicle which he only drives to and from the garage to the car show. Used in a sentence: "Stop hard parking your car, take it out to the tracks." Hard parking is that guy you know with the sweet M3 with the sweet BBS wheels and the sweet carbon-fibre everything and the sweet AP Racing big brake kit and Tein coilovers and carbon-bucket Recaros and oh my god it's a Grouppe M carbon intake, and all he does it park it up, sparkling clean with the hood up at Euro-snob car shows.  Boo on you, pansies.  Fast cars are meant to be driven heard.  Allow me to explain.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6m9Yomop92Y

A Lamborghini Countach was not equipped

eBay "Other Makes" is like the deep end of the pool when you're 6.  You're free to go there, but you might sink in. There's so much cool stuff in this dark corner of eBay it's hard to pick just a few favorites.  Want some more?  You've come to the right place! You know what's really boring?  Driving just on land.  What you need is a car that can drive directly from the boat dock into the lake.  Might wanna get in on the auction for this 1965 Amphicar if that fits the bill for you.  The seller says it's in working condition, but the pile of junk on it would indicate it's more of a Ran When Parked. Not trying to be a

I spend a lot of time driving around Raleigh, doing a variety of things. I've always got my phone with me, which has a 5MP digital camera integrated into it - it takes better pictures than my old Sony point and shoot!  So when I see something interesting parked around Raleigh, I whip out the phone and take a few shots.  Today, flipping through my pictures folder, I realize there's a big pile of interesting stuff in there - I'll share some of the better "spotted" shots with you all.  Good, bad, pretty, ugly, rare, or fast -  Let me know what you think! This was shot inside Crabtree Mall on US70 while doing some Christmas shopping.  Isn't it sad that the first place I

Here in the United States, it seems like the Toyota Camry exists to make Accord drivers feel better about themselves. Ok, maybe I'm oversimplifying things.  The Camry is, by most metrics, a great car.  It is comfortable, reasonably priced, unbelievably dependable, quiet, good on gas, and has great resale value.  Unfortunately, it's about as interesting as watching paint dry.  Numb steering, sewing-machine engines, a tupperware interior, squishy brakes, automatic transmissions - it was designed to remove you from the whole business of driving, rather than connect you to it.  I realize that to some people (certainly not us, and I hope not our readers!) this is actually a good thing.  But to car guys, we would rather be fixing an Alfa Romeo than driving a

If you're a car guy, chances are one of your past times is Craigslist. The free online classified ad website that has been running since 1996 is the perfect place to find everything from a sitter, to a new dog, to furniture, to your soul mate, to... a car!  Heck, my last car came from craigslist - friendly, knowledgeable seller, cool car, good price.  And while most stuff on craigslist is a bit normal ("2003 Camry, Grey, 86k, call Jeff...") occasionally you'll find something cool.  Here's what turned up with a quick perusal of my local CL. Don't tell me you're not tempted.  What is this heap?  Why, it's an Alfa Romeo Milano!  And what the hell is that?  Well, it was Alfa's competitor