tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83555204441792704152024-03-18T20:52:13.426-07:00The Anti-CamryRants from a guy who hates the Tan Camrys and Corollas of this world.Mr. Anti-Camryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14615450885574021946noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355520444179270415.post-8690645982078670342010-02-10T20:58:00.000-08:002010-02-10T21:11:54.591-08:00Commenter of the DayI'd like to thank our newest reader, the Anonymous Rocket-Rocket, for the Comment of the Day.<br /><br />He accurately sums up the Camry and Corolla, as well as Northeastern regional favorites. Well stated, Rocket... a thoroughly enjoyable read, and a spot-on analysis!<br /><br />BTW, did you know that the Anti Camry is now on Twiter? Follow us at<a href="http://twitter.com/anticamry"> http://twitter.com/anticamry.</a><br /><br />Enjoy-<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">WOW... I love this blog. I have been fearing the tan camry for several years now. I live and work in Boston MA and North Hampton NH. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Other cars to fear:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">1. Toyota Camry (tan/forest green/burgundy. -- This includes older lexus ES 250/300</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"HORRIBLENESS" level : 11/10</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Avg danger level : 10/10</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Avg driver skill :.0001/10</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Notes: avg camry driver consumes white bread sandwiches. One slice of wonderbread, between two other slices of wonderbread, with a stale pickle somewhere in there. AND THEY LIKE IT.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">2. Toyota Corolla (tan/light blue)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">CLUELESS LEVEL : 10/10</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Avg danger level : 9.996/10</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Avg driver skill :.0003/10</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">NOTES: Average corolla buyer suffers from msg poisoning from all of the cheap 2.99 chinese buffets they adore.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">3. Toyota Avalon (all)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Avg danger level : 9.95/10</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Avg driver skill :.0011/10</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">NOTES: words cannot describe>>>> the fear I have instilled in me from these unstable, lane floating, bland as water boiling,......</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">4. Nissan Altima/older Infinity G35</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(includes old trashy MAXIMAS)</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Avg danger level : 19.9/10</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Avg driver skill :.0002/10</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">NOTES: These jerks are the the ones that are 20 mph faster than everyone else who is going 80 already and they zoom in and out between cars w/o signals... Most are or soon will be dead... hopefully</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">5. Ghettofied civics/accords. Those which are so low, and the drivers sit in reclined positions as they think they are doing something kick-ass by making 0 to 60 in 15 seconds. BAD ASS!!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">AVG danger level : 11.9/10</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">AVG driver skill : -9/10</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">NOTES: THESE CARS ARE JUST PLAIN SILLY</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">6. Anything from the country of KOREA...........ANYTHING*</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">AVG danger level : undetermined</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">avg driver skill : sad, very sad</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">*WHY............ WHY WOULD ANYONE BUY ANY CAR MADE IN KOREA!!!!!!!!!!!!!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">7. LARGER TAN SUV's. Suburbans in TAN especially. These # ton SUVs automatically makes 110 pound blonde trophy wives dive at insane speeds while texting and talking on cell phones.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Avg danger level : call to find out</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">avg driver skill : depends if they can see beyond the dashboard</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">NOTES: Special drivers exam should be required for these little women with big bux and big attitudes, and little soccer kids... floating these land boats down the skinny New England back roads at 80 MPH.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">8. Mitsubishi GALANT (MAROON)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"Horribleness" level : 11/10</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">AVG danger level : 10/10</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Avg danger level : 10.5/10 (usually tailgaiters/aggressive)</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Avg driver skill : .5/10</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">NOTES: usually missing exhaust systems</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">9. Honda ELEMENT ever see these things try to park on a city street??? OMFG</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">AVG DANGER : 8/10</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">AVG DRIVER SKILL : 0/10</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">NOTES: If I ever have to ride in one, I know they have rubber floors, which are handy for rinsing off the puke I just might spew.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">10. SMART CARS WITH DENTS</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">....SERIOUSLY </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">COMMENTS: OMFG</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">QUESTION:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">so how many of these sudden acceleration probles are actually mechanical, and how many are actually human/typical toyota driver error???</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">I mean ...COME ON! I an sure a huge percentage of them have probably accidentally tapped the accel button on the cruise control and scared themselves because they were not aware what it does or that they even had a button there???</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">BASED on typical driver awarness studies from.... ME, the average toyota driver:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">1. Does not know how to activate cruise control</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">2. Probably does leave the floor mat over the gas pedal</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">.............Well... fun ranting and raving on this snowy New England afternoon. So glad im not out there sharing the highways today with those TAN CAMRYS IN THE SNOW...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">M-</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">BTW (FAMILY CARS 2008 BMW x3 / 2010 VW CC VR6 4 motion / 2009 AUDI TTS........ Real driver cars/suv>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>></span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">BLAM!!!!!!!</span>Mr. Anti-Camryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14615450885574021946noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355520444179270415.post-66978754352084536442010-02-09T07:43:00.000-08:002010-02-09T07:50:25.972-08:00I'm not making this upSeriously, people. This is proof that people who buy and drive Corollas <span style="font-weight: bold;">aren't good drivers</span>.<br /><br />Today Automotive News reports the following:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Toyota Motor Corp. faces yet another possible federal investigation, this time of the electric power steering in 2009 and 2010 Corollas.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is considering a formal investigation of alleged defects reported in the compact car, agency spokeswoman Karen Aldana said.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Automotive News found that the Corolla has been the subject of 83 power-steering complaints since April 2008, 76 of which have reported that the vehicle unexpectedly veers to the left or right at 40 miles an hour and up.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Complainants have compared the movement to being buffeted by strong winds, sliding on black ice, or hydroplaning. They said that after trying to straighten the car, it can overcorrect -- <span style="font-weight: bold;">requiring the driver to use a tight, persistent, two-handed grip on the wheel to travel in a straight line</span>.</span><br /><br />Really? They have to hold the steering wheel to make the car drive straight? No shit?<br /><br />I think the Toyota drivers deserve what they get. When you veer off the road and crash, one less idiotic driver on the road for me to contend with.<br /><br />Also today, Toyota has announced it is <a href="http://www.autosavant.com/2010/02/09/toyota-to-announce-a-large-prius-recall/">recalling all 2010 Prius models</a>, to install new software to make the brakes work. <br /><br />After all of these recalls and investigations, will anybody buy Toyota's blandmobiles anymore?Mr. Anti-Camryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14615450885574021946noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355520444179270415.post-32709526920674640402010-02-04T14:24:00.000-08:002010-02-04T14:27:30.268-08:00Admissions of a Camry DriverRhonda Talbot tries to blame seven separate accidents on her Camry.<br />starts at about 55 seconds...<br /><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/35171119#35171119">http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/35171119#35171119</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355520444179270415.post-3637657013592542482010-02-03T09:25:00.000-08:002010-02-03T09:29:41.358-08:00US Government Urges Camry Drivers to Stop drivingIn a move that we at Anti Camry have been calling for over the course of several years, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced that drivers of Toyota Camrys and Corollas should stop driving their cars and return them to the dealerships.<br /><br />While LaHood gave this statement under the auspices of Toyota’s “ThrottleGate” recall, sources close to the secretary have indicated that the instruction was done for general public safety in a bid to rid the roads poorly-driven late-model Camry and Corollas. The fact that the other affected Toyotas are also being taken out of service is being seen as a bonus by those in the Anti-Camry movement.<br /><br />“We couldn’t have ever dreamed that our suggestions would be implemented by the Transportation Secretary,” said a spokesperson for the Anti Camry blog. “The removal of all those tan Camrys and Corollas, which we had always assumed would be a self-fulfilling request as driver after driver crashed their cars due to lack of driving skills and interest, has been <em>unintentionally accelerated </em>by the Toyota Motor Company itself, and aided by the Federal government.”<br /><br />Because of the recent recall activity, some critics wonder whether the “curse of the Tan Toyotas,” so long documented by Anti Camry, has actually been a result of shoddy engineering that causes the cars to be unable to be driven well, rather than just because of ennui on the part of their drivers. We contend that while the built in difficulty-to-control aspects certainly contribute to the poor driving styles, it still appears that the main factor is the drivers.<br /><br />Having identified the fact that unskilled drivers in Camry and Corolla vehicles (their inexperience amplified by worry over the recall and by unpredictable electronic throttles) are the cause of so much frustration and danger on our nation’s roadways, Secretary LaHood had no choice but to act. For that, he gets our <em>Public Servant of the Month </em>Award.<br /><br />While chaos is anticipated at Toyota dealerships nationwide, attorneys across the country have begun salivating that prospect of lawsuits against Toyota for such reasons as Loss of Use, Accidents caused by Unintended Acceleration, and Emotional Distress. While the first two of those are valid concerns, anybody who actually bought or leased Camry and Corolla vehicles can be shown to have been experiencing a type of emotional distress known as severe depression (caused by the knowledge they would be sentenced to driving their dull transportation appliances); Toyota will be able to vigorously defend against this type of lawsuit.Mr. Anti-Camryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14615450885574021946noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355520444179270415.post-82016437613809811672008-10-24T06:48:00.000-07:002008-10-24T07:10:54.870-07:00Parking lot folliesAs I was walking back to <a href="http://eriksphoneblog.blogspot.com/search/label/Volvo">my car</a> after leaving the bookstore, I had to walk past a gold Camry attempting to pull out of a parking spot. My first concern, as it is upon seeing any Camry in motion was for my own personal safety. I detoured and took the long way around to make sure I would not be backed over. It was dark and rainy, and even under the best conditions Camries have a way of unintended contact with cars, rocks, posts and pedestrians.<br />So I really think that the car would have, even with my detour, backed inot/over me, if not for the intervention of a curb. The driver was in the last parking spot in a row, and had a CR-V on his left, and curbing on his right. As he attempted to back out and to the left towards me, his wheel impacted the curb unexpectedly. So he stopped, look around curiously and pulled back into the spot. Then he got his bearings and took another shot at it, this time heading straight across the aisle and for the Volvo. Fortunately he turned just in time, and missed it. He put the car in Drive and headed off into the rainy darkness to make his impact felt elsewhere on the roads of Madison.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355520444179270415.post-35045495048476408622008-09-30T10:24:00.000-07:002008-09-30T10:40:47.844-07:00A typical Camry kind of guyI have a colleague at work about whom I've got a pretty low opinion. He's a small, twerpy kind of guy, in his mid-30s, who shows up between 9:30 and 10:30 every day, and usually leaves by three in the afternoon to "beat traffic". He says he's working from home, but he's never in the office when I call his cell phone, and the small amount of work he actually gets done backs up the idea that he isn't actually working. He's the kind of guy who is much better at making excuses than making progress. He lives in east Vancouver rather than in Portland. All of that being said, you can totally picture the kind of under-achieving guy I'm talking about.<br /><br />He and his wife recently got rid of their minivan (they are childless) and bought a new Camry, because his wife didn't l ike driving the minivan. Less than a month after buying the new transportation appliance, she left him, taking his paid-off Pathfinder and leaving him with the Camry and its monthly payment. (<span style="font-style: italic;">She also took his "beloved" cat... while I was listening to this drawn-out sob story I was contemplating a faked dropped-call to get him off of the phone</span>... ) He was telling me this tale of woe, about how she has filed for divorce, asking for $1000/month in alimony, plus education expenses, all while he's paying his $1700 mortgage and the $300/month Camry payment. If he makes an equivalent amount to what I make (which I hope he doesn't, because he does so little work), he'll have about ten cents to rub together at the end of the month.<br /><br />The thing is, I'd bet it's the Camry purchase that drove her away. The guy is totally an underwhelming underachiever, and the Camry purchase was surely the icing on the cake for his wife. That purchase surely signified to his wife his utter lack of aspiration, and his inability to make good decisions or to make her happy by buying her fancy things. It sounds like he deserves the Camry, it seems to suit the dull, underwhelming person he is.Mr. Anti-Camryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14615450885574021946noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355520444179270415.post-27515570238414274432008-09-18T07:23:00.000-07:002008-09-18T07:38:22.716-07:00More Anti-Camry RageWhile the weather is nice in the midwest, I'm leaving my snooty Swedish car at home and riding my bike the 3+ miles to the office. It is a pretty nice commute, about half on dedicated bike paths, and the rest on wide, low-traffic roads. Usually, I am able to make my commute and not have any close encounters with cars.<br />I follow traffic laws, stop at stop signs, and ride with tracffic. I ride predictably and make my intentions clear. My bike is well-lit when it is dark out.<br />Yesterday on the way home I had not one, but two close encounters of the idiot-Camry variety. The first was an old lady in a metallic-maroon (burgundy?) Camry who made a left turn in front of me to pull into a strip mall. She was either going to visit a Cousin's Subs, Cost Cutters, or a video game store. But she made her left from the right lane (not the turn lane) and she didn't signal. I had to slam the brakes on hard to avoid her. If I'd been 20 feet ahead on the road, I'd have been a Camry hood ornament.<br />So I thought, wow, I was lucky there, but the rest of the ride should be okay. I made it about a mile close, and was maybe half a mile from home, when a tie-wearing, business-oriented Camry driver started pulling out of his driveway as I was riding up a hill. It was a long driveway, which crosses a sidewalk, and then the grassy area between the sidewalk and the road. Most people back out until they are past the sidewalk, and then re-check for road-users before backing the rest of the way into the road. but this guy slowed down to where I thought he was going to stop, but then kept right on coming, backing outright towards me. I yelled at him . "Hey Watch it!" And his window was down, so he stopped and and I rode past replied, "Sorry, I didn't see you." Well, no shit. The key is that you have to actually look!!! I told him he should start looking, since I was there every day. What an ass... I have been remiss in updating the anti-Camry, but I'll try to get back on it. There have definitely been no shortage of incidents.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355520444179270415.post-59144885234506042492008-09-17T18:09:00.002-07:002008-09-17T21:47:34.040-07:00CluelessWe've all seen it. The Camry driver who is so oblivious to what is going on outside of his or her own little cocoon of blandness that he or she should simply not be driving anymore. Their car should be seized in exchange for a lifetime bus pass. Here is the latest in a long line of clueless Camry operators:<br /><br />Last weekend I went to a big Saab meet-up in my region. It took place at a now-historic 1950s drive-in/diner which is well-known for hosting car shows and car club gatherings. A secondary parking lot at this drive has signs which read something like "Reserved on Weekends for Car Shows." In other words, don't park in that lot if you aren't in the show. I arrived and backed my Saab into a spot beside another Saab. More Saabs were arriving and backing in. I think we had over 25 Saabs at our gathering. As the Saabs were arriving, so did a tan Camry, piloted by a frumpy middle-aged woman with two grade-school aged children in back. She pulled in and parked between two of the Saabs in our group, then proceeded to waddle over to get a big order of fries and root beer floats.<br /><br />The primary parking lot of the drive-in was less than half-full, yet she bypassed that lot and then parked her dun-colored appliance in the middle of our shined-up Saabs. Jaws dropped. People stared. And away she waddled, clueless that we were staring, let alone that she had parked in the middle of our gathering. Eventually she and her greasy-fingered offspring returned to their car, haplessly backed out of the spot, and drove away. A late-arriving Saab driver carefully reversed into the spot she had vacated, and all was right in the world. Actually, all was right in the parking lot. All was still not right in the world, because Tan Camry Lady was surely off to cluelessly bungle somebody else's afternoon.<br /><br />Fast-forward eleven days, to this very afternoon. I got an email from the Anti Camry comment reporter, letting me know that Gary from <a href="http://www.caroftheday.org/">Car of the Day</a> had commented on my blog. It turns out he shares my views on Camrys and their siblings. I read of <a href="http://www.caroftheday.org/2008/05/20/i-have-a-problem/">his disdain for the hated transportation appliances</a>, and left a comment. He later posted a small <a href="http://www.caroftheday.org/2008/09/17/anticamry/">piece about this very blog</a> on his site. I've started the stopwatch, as my fifteen minutes of fame havae surely arrived. I'm totally famous on the internet. As my head spins from the excitement, my iPhone beeps a reminder that it's time to go pick up my daughter from daycare. I grabbed the key to the Saab 9-3 Aero convertible I'm testing this week for <a href="http://www.autosavant.com">Autosavant</a> and headed out the door.<br /><br />On my way across town, a formerly-gold Camry, whose ten-year-old paint resembled the texture brushed fiberglass of a former colleague's failed Fiero-to-DeLorean conversion, darted out of a grocery store parking lot, across three-and-a-half lanes of traffic, and stopped at a red light, straddling two lanes of traffic. As I approached that red light in the road's right lane, I crept up to the light near the sidewalk so that I could be beside the Camry and therefore get ahead of it when the light turned green. As I waited for the light to change, I was thinking that I could write about this car on for the Anti Camry. The car had no wheelcovers, a visibly dirty dashboard, and a broken front-passenger door handle. The driver wore no seatbelt, though the passenger, text messaging on a cell phone, did. The driver glared at me as I looked over his sorry car. When the light turned green, I roared away before he even managed to figure out which pedal he should step on to make the car go. I saw him in my rearview mirror just before I turned off. It looked like he had finally decided to go with the right lane. It had only taken him a half block to make that decision.<br /><br />Even though I'm not writing regularly here on the Anti Camry, rest assured that fleets of tan Toyotas are still bungling me up. I just haven't got the time to write about them as often. I do still believe that the purchase of a new Toyota should come with free-and-mandatory driver training. They should also come with a sticker on the front window that reads "Keep Right Except To Pass". Not that the drivers would actually notice. Because they are clueless.Mr. Anti-Camryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14615450885574021946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355520444179270415.post-1841607340192275852008-04-30T14:29:00.000-07:002008-04-30T14:48:36.440-07:00Learn to drive, Jackass!Thanks to FedEx, I've just experienced a wonderful road rage incident perfect for posting here. After preparing my monthly expense report, I walked it up to my post office to put in in the FedEx drop box there. As I didn't have any envelopes, I planned to use the envelopes that are in the top of the drop box. After walking up there, the drop box was out of suppies. They had address forms, but no packaging. Poop.<br /><br />I walked back home and got into my 900 and drove over to the FedEx/Kinko's in the strip mall near Costco. I hate driving there because it is located next to a very busy intersection for coming in/out of the strip mall, and it is difficult to back out of the parking spot and get out of the lot.<br /><br />After sending my reports, I backed the car out of the spot and waited to turn left to the main driveway of the strip mall. Traffic in/out of the strip mall doesn't stop, but entering from either side (as I was) the traffic has stop signs. I waited for over two minutes for an opening, and the car across the driveway from me had taken their turn. The next opening was my turn go, and turn left onto the driveway. Instead, the ten-year-old Chrysler minivan across decided to drive straigh across. I jammed on my brakes to not hit him, and was stopped in the driveway. As I honked my horn, the male driving the Chrysler jammed his brakes on, so I couldn't move forward. He just sat there glaring at me.<br /><br />While we were sitting there, blocking traffic, I put down my window to yell obscenities at him, to tell him it was my turn and to "Learn To Drive!" and The Jackass opened his door. He looked back to his bumper, I think he though I had hit his dirty van. When he saw I hadn't hit him he closed his door and <span style="font-style: italic;">peeled out</span> taking off, without saying a word. By this time, other cars on all four sides were honking at us. What a fooking tool. My blood was boiling.Mr. Anti-Camryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14615450885574021946noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355520444179270415.post-4187361475991874962008-04-17T11:39:00.000-07:002008-04-17T11:54:01.830-07:00Learner's Permit Plus Toyota Camry Equals...When somebody is learning a new skill, he should be trained on how to use all of the tools required to to perform that skill with the utmost precision. Unfortunately, my next-door neighbor's 16 year-old daugher is not being given that opportunity.<br /><br />The eager young woman is being taught to drive in her father's dented tan Camry. Driving a car such as this, she'll never have the opportunity to learn about vehicle control, steering feedback, or any of those other aspects of driving that are "sensed" rather than learned from a book. I fully expect to see more dents in their Camry, and I'd wager that she'll back at least one tire into the "ditch" across the road from their driveway when she learns to reverse out of the driveway.<br /><br />My one hope is that she can read the Camry's alarm fob instructions, and teach her father how to not set off the alarm with the PANIC button. I'm totally over the sound of his false car alarm.Mr. Anti-Camryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14615450885574021946noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355520444179270415.post-10349603965577846912008-03-09T14:52:00.000-07:002008-03-10T18:15:32.321-07:00Camry achieves first NASCAR winIn racing news today, Toyota has claimed the first victory by a foreign nameplate in NASCAR since a Jaguar won in Linden, NJ in 1951. Kyle Busch was first at the Sprint Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and team-mate Tony Stewart finished second. Although this was a "stock-car" race, this wasn't won by a stock Camry, however. This was a rear wheel drive V8. It did, however, have the blinker on for the entire 500 miles. The right-side blinker. <img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/nascar/2008/images/03/09/race.8.440.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div>PS, look for the link coming up to Tony Stewart's rant about Goodyear Tires. Stewart said that Goodyear should be embarrased and should "pull out of NASCAR, just like they pulled out of IRL, F1 and CART...f that is they best tire they can put forward for this level of racing." </div><div>Tony Stewart Link(s) <a href="http://blog.al.com/blogoftomorrow/2008/03/tony_stewart_doesnt_tread_ligh.html">one</a>,</div><br /><a href="http://www.nascar.com/2008/news/headlines/cup/03/08/tstewart.tires.atlanta/index.html">two</a>,Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355520444179270415.post-90403259918611273302008-02-27T21:56:00.001-08:002008-02-27T22:05:20.463-08:00Don't Rent a Sports Car from Hertz!I'm making travel arrangements for a trip to my brother's wedding this summer, and was just online at Hertz to do so. Here is what I found:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c395/kr900/Hertz.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c395/kr900/Hertz.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Click on the photo and look closely- the fourth car down is the Toyota Camry, which is described as "Full Size, Sports Car, Automatic." Any person, organization, or company who is promoting a Camry as a Sports Car is a company you and I shouldn't be doing business with!Mr. Anti-Camryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14615450885574021946noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355520444179270415.post-6844141180163461882008-02-18T17:43:00.000-08:002008-02-18T17:54:57.082-08:00<a href="http://pittsburghdish.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/crash2cropped.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://pittsburghdish.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/crash2cropped.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l291/n1riw/n1riw2/ha081707e.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l291/n1riw/n1riw2/ha081707e.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://mywebpages.comcast.net/n1riw/mm71306c.jpg"></a><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355520444179270415.post-58328729494112156622008-02-04T13:43:00.000-08:002008-02-04T13:50:55.483-08:00Corolla CommercialWhat is worse than being stuck in a Corolla? <a href="http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=154343766#">Being stuck inside with wild animals..</a>.<br />I bet this guy wanted out of the Corolla as bad as my brother did.<br /><br />I'd rather <a href="http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=154343766#">ride the bigwheels down the hill</a>!!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355520444179270415.post-52007450289802505012008-01-24T15:33:00.000-08:002008-01-24T15:45:30.147-08:00The Corolla is not a mid-sized car.In my travels for work, I rent cars from Avis on an almost weekly basis. They have locations almost everywhere. By definition, then, a place without Avis is basically nowhere.<br /><br />I traveled to Nowhere this week, also known as Walla Walla. They don't have an Avis location, only Hertz and Budget. According to the popluar saying, the town is so nice they named it twice. If the ancestors of the Hertz agent are responsible for naming it, perhaps the double name is because they forgot they named it the first time.<br /><br />I don't really have anything against the town, it's actually pleasant to visit in the spring and fall. However, when I landed there on Tuesday at 9:00 PM, it was 11 degrees. I hustled across the snowy tarmac and into the terminal, and over the Hertz counter, where the agent confirmed that my car was mid-sized, as that was all he had. When I was handed the Toyota key, without a remote fob, I was confused. Don't all modern cars have keyless entry? <br /><br />Not the Corolla I was rented. Now my first comment was that the Corolla isn't mid-sized. Well, according to the agent (and the Hertz fleet guide) it is. When I got out to stall 5 in the ice-covered parking lot, I found that my Corolla was completely iced over, and frost even covered the INSIDE of the rear window. <br /><br />I started the car, let it warm while I de-iced. The Suzuki and the Kia parked on either side of my car were equally icy, and no more desirable. Finally de-iced, I set about pulling away.<br /><br />Immediately the lack of traction from the econobox tires was apparent. A touch of the brakes confirmed that, yes, in 2008 new cars are still available without ABS. <br /><br />I've decided that the CE moniker on the back of the Corolla means Crappy Econobox. What joy I experienced stomping on the gas pedal and letting the tires spin, spin, spin on the ice. <br /><br />I don't have anything good to say about the car. When I did reach dry pavement, the accelleration was uninspiring, the brakes were merely adequate, and the cockpit wasn't big enough for me. The motor was noisy. I 4-wheel drifted each corner as quickly as iI could on Wednesday afternoon to return the POS to Hertz. Yuck. I don't want to drive one of those again.Mr. Anti-Camryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14615450885574021946noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355520444179270415.post-19510780563523238022008-01-04T11:47:00.000-08:002008-01-04T11:55:29.129-08:00RAM YA!<a href="http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c395/kr900/0104080740.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c395/kr900/0104080740.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Erik sent this one to me from his cell phone; he's driving from Madison to Cocoa Beach, and he happened to be behind this appropriately-licensed Camry. From the looks of it he's just leaving Madison. Hopefully this Camry isn't an omen of Camrys to come on his trip.</div><div> </div><div>I wonder whether RAM YA 1-6 were already taken? Perhaps the driver has already gone through those plates on his previous Toyotas that he rammed into things?</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>Mr. Anti-Camryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14615450885574021946noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355520444179270415.post-5933117082385675632007-12-19T08:24:00.000-08:002007-12-19T08:27:32.945-08:00Just another Toyota operator<div>Here's the problem with Toyota building a full-size pickup: your typical Toyota driver doesn't know a thing about how to drive. Which leads to the following display of Toyota driver aptitude:</div><a href="http://safetycenter.navy.mil/photo/images/images-251-300/photo262.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://safetycenter.navy.mil/photo/images/images-251-300/photo262.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>Mr. Anti-Camryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14615450885574021946noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355520444179270415.post-44026343087063467192007-12-14T09:16:00.000-08:002007-12-14T09:24:39.986-08:00Coming soon- reserved parking for your dented Lexus<strong>As a part of my work with Autosavant.net, I receive TONS of worthless press releases by most major automakers. This one from Toyota/Lexus just takes the cake. The press release is in <em>italics </em>below:</strong><br /><br /><em>LEXUS CUSTOMERS NOW HAVE RESERVED PARKING AT WACHOVIA CENTER IN NEW DEAL WITH COMCAST-SPECTACOR<br /><br />(Philadelphia, PA – December 10, 2007) Lexus drivers in the Greater Philadelphia Region now can have priority parking at the Wachovia Center as part of a new sponsorship package between Lexus and arena owner Comcast-Spectacor.<br /><br />“Lexus continues to be a great advertising partner of ours,” said Comcast-Spectacor President Peter Luukko. “As we continue to look for new and exciting opportunities for our fans and our sponsors, Lexus remains a terrific partner.<br /><br />“As a result of this new arrangement, we’re able to offer our customers who drive Lexus cars an opportunity to park in a specially designated space with other Lexus owners.”<br /><br />As part of the new three-year advertising and sponsorship package, Lexus drivers can park in a designated Lexus parking spot in either of two lots in the Wachovia Center (C-Lot and E-Lot). Additionally, these new parking sections will feature Lexus advertising prominently featured on the light polls.<br /><br /> Comcast-Spectacor (comcast-spectacor.com) is the Philadelphia-based sports and entertainment company which owns the Philadelphia Flyers (NHL), the Philadelphia 76ers (NBA), the Philadelphia Phantoms (AHL), the two arenas in which their teams play, the Wachovia Center and Wachovia Spectrum, four Flyers Skate Zone community ice skating and hockey rinks and Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia.<br /></em><br /><strong>I can just imagine all of the smug Lexus drivers in the Philadelphia area, beleiving they are fully elite because of the opportunity to park their cars in special lots. I actually like to think of it a a concentration-camp for bad drivers and banged-up cars. If we could force Lexus and Toyota drivers everywhere to park in brand-specific parking lots, we could significantly reduce the risk of risk of parking lot damage to our own more-special, carefully-driven-and-maintained cars.</strong>Mr. Anti-Camryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14615450885574021946noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355520444179270415.post-22833927348232970122007-12-12T11:59:00.001-08:002007-12-12T12:07:44.312-08:00Snowy weather brings out the best in Camry drivers...Oh, for the lack of a camera when you need it...<br />Driving on Madison's unplowed residential streets today I came across two drivers living obliviously in Camry-land (the state of being so immersed in Camry-ness that the rest of the world ceases to exist).<br />I encountered these two drivers within 100 yards of one another (but scarily, within mere feet of me!) One: had parked right up next to a snow bank on an unplowed street and was spinning, spinning, spinning to no avail to get out. This Camry was parked on the opposite side of the street from every other car, making an extremely narrow passageway on the snowy lane. Two: after negotiating the stuck white Camry, I was coming upon a maroon Camry headed towards me driving on the wrong side of the road towards me. I stopped to allow this errant plasti-mobile room to re-attain the correct side of the road, but the driver piloted her craft even more to my side of the road, and inched closer to me, motioning to me that i should pass on the wrong side of her. Once I was passed, she continued on the wrong side of the road towards stuck white Camry. I didn't see what transpired when push came to stuck. What a bunch of morons...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355520444179270415.post-18119295027361361182007-11-30T15:10:00.000-08:002007-11-30T15:12:07.259-08:00Hall of Shame<a href="http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c395/kr900/DSCN0851.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c395/kr900/DSCN0851.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>This really speaks for itself...</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>Mr. Anti-Camryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14615450885574021946noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355520444179270415.post-43703990281394407632007-11-05T15:04:00.000-08:002007-11-05T15:07:22.317-08:00I know it is old news...Stupid Toyota...<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://blog.lexus.com/2007/10/post.html">http://blog.lexus.com/2007/10/post.html</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355520444179270415.post-68259973730201652862007-10-31T10:23:00.000-07:002007-10-31T10:28:44.469-07:00Danger--Camry Operator in Borrowed Passat<span style="font-weight: bold;">Madison, WI </span><span style="font-style: italic;">October 31, 2007 </span><br />An alert has been posted to drivers, cyclists and pedestrians in and around Madison, Wisconsin. A Toyota Camry driver has been spotted behind the wheel of a late-model, white Volkswagon Passat sedan. The Passat was seen on the corner of Old University and Chesnut Drive, failing to make a left turn at a clear intersection, then proceeding at between 10 and 15 MPH down Chesnut, and then stopping at a green light at a construction site on Chesnut. The driver was last seen headed towards University Hospital. The driver has not been in possession of the Passat for long, as all bodywork was still attached and free of scrapes, scratches and dents.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355520444179270415.post-22486743522461070632007-10-24T16:05:00.000-07:002007-10-24T16:09:42.498-07:00Dead Cat<span style="font-family:verdana;">Dear cat owner-<br /><br />If I ever catch your cat in my garage again I will kill it. I may come kill you too, or at least I will sue you. Yesterday when it was so unseasonably warm and sunny, I had just finished washing my Volvo, and I put it away in the garage. While I was putting the supplies away, my wife came home and I helped her get our daughter out of the car and in the house.<br /><br />When I came back to the garage minutes later, your dirty cat was sitting on the hood of my Volvo. It had left footprints on the hood, and dirt had fallen off of the cat onto my car. I would have thrown something at the cat, except it was on my car and I didn’t want to further sully my car that your cat had just dirtied. Seeing your cat on my car caused a rage to surface in me that I’ve been working for years to reduce.<br /><br />Nearly ten years ago, when I lived in a different state, I pulled my then-new Saab coupe into the garage of my home on a warm summer evening, leaving the windows open. I went into the house without closing the garage door. I came out later that evening to go to the store, and I climbed into my beautiful Saab and drove away into the warm, dusky evening with the windows still open and the radio playing. Upon arriving at my destination, I rolled up the windows, locked the car, and shopped.<br /><br />When I returned to my car a few minutes later and climbed in, I instantly smelled cat urine. I searched the car for a cat, but none was found. When I returned home in my reeking car, I saw a cat standing in our garage. It quickly ran out when I drove up.<br /><br />As I inspected my car in the light of the garage, I was distraught to discover that the cat had climbed up on the hood of my car, and in through the open driver’s window. It left paw prints on the driver’s seat before standing in the driver’s footwell of the car and pissing on the carpet, pedals, floor mat, and footwell’s center console. I ended up disassembling the center console, lower dash and lifting the carpet to use “pet odor” cleaning solutions on the carpet. I hand-washed all of the interior plastic parts in the kitchen sink.<br /><br />If I had ever seen that cat again, or if I had found out whose cat that was, I would have gotten sweet revenge. For good or bad, that never happened. Perhaps it would have been cathartic. Perhaps it would have been pathetic.<br /><br />Ever since, I’ve never left my car parked with the windows or sun-roof open far enough that cats could get into the car. I don’t like to leave the garage door open for any length of time. I’m neurotic about it. So the fact that your stinking, dirty cat was in my garage sitting on my freshly-washed car last night absolutely crossed the line. Consider yourself warned.</span>Mr. Anti-Camryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14615450885574021946noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355520444179270415.post-75562875946674559172007-10-04T21:27:00.000-07:002007-10-04T21:35:31.587-07:00Camry Hybrid- for Planet Clueless<span style="font-family:arial;">As a car enthusiast, I subscribe to a few car magazines, and I watch several auto-themed websites to keep up with car news. I’m used to seeing all types of crazy ads promoting cars, but this one really got under my skin. It is titled “<span style="color:#3366ff;">THE CAMRY HYBRID. FOR THE NICHE MARKET CALLED EARTH</span>”<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117705257190497970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBIVpBhg71NrqSr2fv64rqbsIh9cJGrpBdPf26BxCGFs5oCsP5v36pwgVMPyJilF5CTC9Z1C4amt5B7RTwOUM0cHl9-i9pDvzFCBHEDhQ7tbjQuk5BNbJ1oyR4b0TuLgAxreBSY7LYqqk/s400/Planet+Camry.jpg" border="0" /><br />The first paragraph includes the phrase “<span style="color:#3366ff;">Engineered to squeeze up to an unheard-of 500 miles from a single tank of gas- practically twice the mileage of a regular mid-sized sedan</span>”. The next paragraph states “<span style="color:#3366ff;">It’s a feat that some claim is still years away. And without Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive®, it would be.</span>” Too bad that <span style="color:#ff0000;">isn’t true</span>.<br /><br />My wife and I own a 2001 Saab 9-5 sedan, with 2.3 liter, four-cylinder LPT turbo engine and 5-speed manual transmission. On highway trips in the 9-5, we routinely get 30-32 MPG. We occasionally see results approaching 35 MPG. At just 32 MPG, we can travel almost 600 miles on an 18.5 gallon tank of gas. And that’s without the added complexity of a hybrid powertrain. So that feat of 500 miles- without the hybrid system- isn’t <span style="color:#3366ff;">years away</span>. It’s years <span style="color:#ff0000;">ago</span>, as in 8 years ago, when the 9-5 was introduced to the US market. Of course, the 9-5 isn’t a regular mid-sized sedan. It’s a phenomenally competent, stylish, comfortable, spacious car, with a well-designed driving environment, none of which really applies to the Camry.<br /><br />The ad goes on to describe the Camry’s hybrid system, stating that “<span style="color:#3366ff;">The technology combines a highly efficient, gasoline-powered engine with a self-charging electric motor.</span>” Umm… what is a self-charging electric motor? I’ve been an electrical engineer for over 10 years now. Motors aren’t charged. They’re powered. Batteries and capacitors are charged. I think they tried to simplify the words used to describe the fact that the motor uses regeneration to charge the BATTERY. Whatever. We all know that the people who operate Camrys don’t have any sort of technical understanding of how vehicles actually work.<br /><br />Finally, you can see a little drawing in the middle of the page, a line-drawing of the hybrid system within the car. The caption under the drawing reads “<span style="color:#3366ff;">Despite its unique technology, the Camry Hybrid drives just like a regular car.</span>” <span style="color:#ff0000;">I know that to be untrue.</span> No modern Camry drives like a regular car. It drives like a nine-year-old Buick with a 97 year-old deaf guy behind the wheel, at about 52 MPH in the left lane of I-5 with a dent in the back bumper and a scraped right-rear door.<br /><br /></span>Mr. Anti-Camryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14615450885574021946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355520444179270415.post-28421909488520268092007-10-02T20:54:00.000-07:002007-10-02T20:56:13.496-07:00I’m a professional writer. Now, what should I write about?On Sunday I had a phone “interview” with the editor of Autosavant.net. He had posted on Autosavant.net that the site was looking for additional contributors, and requested a short email from people who were interested.<br /><br />I replied, we set up a phone conversation for Sunday, and now he’s waiting for my first piece, which I promised him by the end of the week. Great. As a car guy, I’ve always wanted to be a bit of an automotive journalist. Here is my chance. There’s just one problem. I can’t think of anything to write about.<br /><br /> I’m afraid the demand for posts about a Saab 900 has pretty much been satisfied by the <a href="http://saablog.blog.com/">saablog</a>. And there are only about six of you who like to read my gripes about drivers of inferior products. So what relevant auto-related topic should I be writing about?Mr. Anti-Camryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14615450885574021946noreply@blogger.com4