Chevrolet Sprint Turbo

MINI at 11

My 2005 MINI Cooper S is turning 11 years old this month.  I ordered it on 11/18/2004.

Here's a picture that the salesperson took of it on 1/11/2005, when it arrived at the dealer in Ohio.  Since there were no dealers on the west coast that were taking orders (or had a 9 month wait), I ordered it at a dealer in Ohio and had it shipped out to me in Seattle.  I wonder what happened to the MINI parked next to it.

Bentley T2

Wednesday Morning Cinema

Volvo 122 (Amazon)

Went to Ballard on Friday to see Dale Watson at the Tractor and this was in front of the restaurant we had dinner at.  Appropriate for old Ballard, but was surprised to see it in new, gentrified Ballard.

Cars & Coffee

Turned out to be a nice morning for some cars and coffee.

Alfa Romeo 164S

It lives near me.  I've been meaning to stop and snap a pic of it for quite a while.  Today is the day.  Looks to be in good shape.  The US headlights have been swapped for the Euro projectors.

Shameless plug: Daily Turismo Radio Guest Spot

I was interviewed on Daily Turismo Radio last Saturday:

Buick Riviera

Polaris Slingshot

Gianni's Cars Part 14: 1997 Mazda Miata

My son and I went halves on this one.  It is his driver until he finishes his AA and then I will sign the title over to him.  It's a '97 with 124K on the clock.  Two owner car, the original owner owned it up until last year, when their neighbor bought it.  They decided that a two seater with two little kids wasn't the best idea.  Most of the maintenance has been done by the dealer for a pretty penny.

Mazda RX-8 with Mazdaspeed stuff slathered on it

Be sure to check out RyanM's RX-8 Buyer's Guide on Daily Turismo.

V-J Day: 70th Anniversary

Today is the 70th Anniversary of V-J Day or Victory Over Japan Day, marking the end of World War II.  The Flying Heritage Collection at Paine Field in Everett had a V-J Day themed Fly Day today to mark the Anniversary.  They flew their P-51 Mustang:

P-47 Thunderbolt:

And F6F Hellcat:

The Historic Flight Foundation also joined in with their F8F Bearcat:

Eagle Summit Wagon

Gianni's cars Part 13: 2015 Mazda CX-5

After 11 years it was time to part with our 2004 Toyota Sienna "Mini" van.  Our 14 year old Siberian Husky got sick in the back and we and a professional detailer could not get the smell out.  Without going into specifics, here's a recreation:

So we traded it in on a 2015 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring.  It was a local CPO car with 7,800 miles on the clock.  It was interesting to run the CARFAX's on CPO cars.  Some were rentals, Some came from out of state, some came thru auctions.  Although I would not trust a CARFAX to reveal if a car has been in an accident, it does provide a valuable history of where a car has been and how many owners.

We got the Grand Touring since my wife wanted to go back to having leather instead of cloth.  We decided not to get another minivan since we wanted something smaller now that our kids are solidly in their teens.  We wanted AWD as we are skiers (my daughter skis on a team), so we are up on the pass from January 1 thru March.  We did 11 years with the Sienna, which was fine with a set of Blizzaks on it, but the WADOT is getting more and more cautious about throwing the "chains required, except for 4 wheel drive" flag and I hit my limit with chaining up by the side of the road and getting to the ski area soaking wet with aching fingers.  

We looked at a few CUV's and the Mazda was the best choice as far as driving dynamics.  Also, the Honda CRV seems to be grandma's favorite and the RAV4 is for people that don't really like cars and will just automatically default to Toyota (There are 4 RAV's in my wife's family - they were surprised that we didn't just buy one) Plus we could get it in "Soul Red".  There are too many grey cars on the road these days!

Ford Courier

OT: All Better

Got my Miata back from the shop after the jackass hit and runner bent the front fender.  All better and even better, it still has the parts it left Hiroshima with.  Millen Autobody did the excellent work.

NA meets ND

Had a pint with my friend and fellow Bothell resident, Terry at the Hop and Hound.  He just took delivery of a 2016 MX-5 Launch Edition.

Ford Mustang

Mazdaspeed Miata

Subaru GL (Leone) Hatchback