Next Stop is Martinsville Speedway “The Paperclip”

This weekend race fans should expect to get their Bristol fix at Martinsville AKA “The Paperclip”. If you remember the last two races at Martinsville they were everything but boring. I don’t think there was one straight panel left on any of the cars at the end of the day.

Then there was the Matt Kenseth vs Brian Vickers battle. The two of these guys traded paint and took nips at each other all day long, until at one point Brian Vickers spun-out trying to get the rear bumper of Kenseth for one last swipe. Clint Boyer seemed highly amused by the whole ordeal by chuckling on the radio and making a few funny comments.

If your looking for a fantasy league pick for the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 on April Fools Day, Jeff Gordon currently has the most wins out of all the current drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with 7  under his belt.

However, my eye is on the 88 this weekend. Earnhardt has had a great start to the season with top five runs, and he’s fast at Martinsville. He almost won last season and finished in second place to Kevin Harvick who passed Earnhardt late in the race and never looked back.

1A Auto Blog Asks: How Often Do You Really Wash Your Car?

 

Last weekend was beautiful outside, so after a much needed yard clean up, I wrapped up my day by washing some cars of their wintery mud & salt.  As I was washing the bugs, dirt, and mysterious goo off I began pondering, how often do other people wash their cars? Do I wash them more or less often than my peers? So I’m throwing the question out there for you guys to enlighten me.

[polldaddy poll=6084083]

 

Brand New Cars Being Listed At 50% Off MSRP On eBay Right Now!

A car dealer in Florida on eBay called AutoNationDirect has just launched a seriously incredible promotion from March 23rd to March 30th that is about to make your jaw drop.  Over the next 8 days, they are going to be selling 29 BRAND NEW cars at 50% off MSRP. Too good to be true? Well, as long as you meet the terms and conditions (which look doable to me), you get a fully warrantied, brand new car for a ridiculously low price. Here are the terms and conditions quoted from the listing:

Other Terms and Conditions:

  • $500 PayPal required immediately after clicking “Buy it Now”
  • Full payment required within 3 days of deposit.
  • Only specified VIN’s offered.
  • Vehicles available first-come, first-served while supplies last.
  • Vehicles are to be shipped out of Florida and buyer is responsible for arranging shipping and insurance.
  • Tax, shipping, tag and title fees are additional.
  • Price includes all consumer rebates and dealer fees.
  • Limit one vehicle per household.
  • Employees of eBay or AutoNation and their families are not eligible for this promotion. Brokers and Dealers are not eligible for this promotion.
  • The Program Period starts at 12:00PM ET on March 23, 2012, and ends at 11:59PM ET (or until supplies last) on March 30, 2012.
  • Cash deals only, no financing.
  • Buyer must agree to sign a talent release to be used for public relations purposes.
  • Buyer will be contacted by an AutoNation Direct Consultant and must complete the buying process and take delivery of the vehicle within five days of purchase.

The first vehicle up for grabs (which sold before I could even finish writing this blog post) is a 2012 Chevy Camaro V6 Automatic with 12 miles for $12,720. It came with the factory warranty, black paint, and a price that you will never ever beat at your local dealer. eBay Item Number 180849077707

Which vehicles will be up for grabs next? Looks like at least one Corvette, a few SUV’s, trucks, and several smaller sedans. Hit the link, grab some popcorn, open your wallet, and lets watch this play out.

Updates 7pm 03/23/12:

2012 Ford Mustang sold for $15,142 – eBay item # 180849190034

2012 Ford Focus sold for $9,842 – eBay item # 180849123159

2012 Chevy Sonic sold for $8,727 – eBay item # 180849182021

Updates 3:30pm 03/24/12:

2012 Ford F150 SuperCrew sold for $19,315 – eBay item # 180849290385

2012 Ford Fiesta 5 door hatchback sold for $10,415 – eBay item # 180849286794

Updates 11:45pm 3/24/12:

2012 Chevy Volt (Yes, I just said Volt) sold for $22,615 – eBay item # 180849301004

2012 Chevy Cruze sold for $9,530 – eBay item # 180849294243

Updates 7:15am 3/26/12:

2012 Ford Edge sold for $15,130 – eBay item # 180849332448

2013 Chevy Malibu sold for $13,480 – eBay item # 180849326181

2011 Chevy Cruze sold for $9,957 – eBay item # 180849328836

2012 Nissan Sentra sold for $9,210 – eBat item # 180849306196

2012 Ford Focus sold for $9,842 – eBay item # 180849123159

AutoNationDirect on eBay

Their current live eBay listings (may be zero in between car sales)

Supra Loses a Door at 185mph at TX2K12

Since the year 2000, there has been an event going on called the TX2K.  It was initially intended as a drag racing event for Toyota Supras, but quickly grew into a thrilling cornucopia of insanely fast cars, including many, many exotics. This year I have a friend that went to it, which I’m hoping to steal some pictures and video from in the future.  Until then, here is a video of a Toyota Supra losing a door at about 185mph.

The same guy that posted that video also has some amazing Supra dyno pull videos where 800 horsepower seems to be the minimum. Absolutely. Sick.

Porsche 356 Convertible Dream Project

One of my long term dreams in life is to own a beautiful old Porsche. I haven’t yet decided which model or just how old it will be, but a convertible ehem… sorry, roadster really does sound quite nice. It doesn’t necessarily have to be super fast, but it will need to be as functional and nimble as it was when it was new. I want to carve the farm surrounded rural roads of New England without a radio, totally enveloped in the amazingly distinct sounds that the air cooled engines can only produce. Maybe I’ll be wearing a well worn leather jacket with some cracks in it, along with a cool hat. Yeah, a hat… that will be nice.

This car that we have here today was spotted on eBay, and it is a long way from carving rural roads.  In fact, its a long way from just about everything, including resembling an actual vehicle. That said, these cars are worth an absolute fortune when restored properly. So even though it appears that this Porsche had a major role in a horrific accident that took place at the bottom of a swamp 40 years ago, it still has extremely significant value! In fact, with 6 days still left, the 20 bids have already hit $15,000! Crazy? Like a fox. Let’s think about it. Imagine that you hypothetically buy this car for 20 grand (bargain alert!). You then dump $50 grand into it restoring it over the next 5 years while you break in your leather jacket. When it’s done, the car will be worth more than what you have into it. Convertible versions of these 356’s go for $80K+ depending on their quality and history. Although this one is rougher than most (all?), it may be the bargain of the week!  Luckily for me and my family, I know how long it takes me to get metalwork to my impossibly straight standards, so the closest this Porsche will ever be to me is in my dreams. Is this a project for you?

Images borrowed for eBay item number: 290685130752