CHIX AND CARZ CONCIERGE SERVICES

As you all know by now, for a chick, I know a lot about carz. So let this chick help you...

Here are some of the awesome services I provide:

*Finding the right driving school or race car driving school
*Fleet Service
*Limo Service
*Exotic Car Rental/Purchase
*Assistance in car buying/leasing
*Carz 101 (Basic automotive education and safety)
*Where to go for parts, service, collision/body work
*Car Shows (all types)

Contact me: chixandcarz@gmail.com

SLEEPLESS IN SOCAL

Besides having a "thing" for carz, I have a "thing" for wordz and letterz. The alphabet and I are BFF's. It began when I was a child. The game of choice in our family was Scrabble. Then Boggle. Now it's Words with Friends, Scramble with Friends and Hanging with Friends. I can't get through a Sunday without doing the New York Times crossword puzzle. You get the picture - I'm a word nerd.

This morning I awoke at 4 a.m. with random, anxiety-ridden thoughts dancing through my head. What should I write for my next blog post? Should I grab my iPhone and take my turn on the many open word games I have? Should I finish yesterday's crossword puzzle? Did I charge my Kindle?

I try to erase these thoughts from my head by closing my eyes and wishing Mr. Sandman would re-appear. He did not. What did appear were more thoughts of letters and words. Only this time it wasn't random. It was organized. The letters of the alphabet kept appearing, in order. My immediate response to each letter was a word that began with said letter. For instance A-apple, B-baseball, C-cat and so on.

Then it hit me. Why don't I do that with CARZ? I went back to the letter A, charged up my neurons and started rattling off a few cars that began with the letter A. Boom. Got my idea for the next blog.

The list below contains models and manufacturers that surfaced from my coffeeless brain. I did not and could not include every make and model. Despite that, I give myself kudos for marrying my love for wordz (and the alphabet) with my love for carz.




A
Alfa Romeo
Aston Martin
Austin Healy
Audi
AMC
Acura
Abarth

B
Bugatti
BMW
Bentley
Buick
Boxster
Bonneville

C
Carrera
Camaro
Corvette
Charger
Challenger
Cayenne
Cobra
Corsair
Chrysler
Cadillac
Cord

D
Dodge
Dart
Dino
DeLorean

E
Eos
Escort
Escape
Edge
Enzo
Evoque
Effijy
Edsel
Eclipse


F
Fisker
Ferrari
Fiat
Ford
Firebird

G
Gellardo
Gran Torino
GTO
GTI
GMC
Golf


H
Hyundai
Honda
Hummer
Hornet

I
Imperial
Infinity
Impreza
Isuzu

J
Jeep
Jaguar
Jimmy
Jetta
Jensen
Justy

K
Kia
Karmann Ghia
Ka
Koenigsegg

L
Lamborghini
Lexus
Land Rover
Lancia
Lincoln
Lotus

M
Mini Cooper
Mustang
Maybach
Mercedes
Mitsubishi
Maserati
Morgan
Mazda
McLaren
Mercury

N
Nissan
Nova
NSX

O
Oldsmobile
Opel

P
Pontiac
Pagani
Peugeot
Porsche
Pinto
Prius
Plymouth
Passat

Q
Q7
Q3
Quattro

R
Rolls Royce
Renault
R8
Rambler

S
Shelby
Spyder
Suzuki
Subaru
Sahara
Sunbeam

T
Tesla
Testa Rossa
Thunderbird
Toyota
Triumph
Trans Am
Tiguan
Toureg

U
Uplander
Ulysse
Uno

V
Volkswagen
Volvo
Veyron
Viper
Vega


W
Wrangler
Wagoneer

X
XK
X16
XJ12
XKR
XF

Y
Yugo
Yeni
Yukon

Z
Zagato
ZX

Dude, Where's My Electric Car?

I'm not ready to trade my car in yet. But when it comes time, I may consider an EV (electric vehicle) or a plug-in hybrid (combo electric/gasoline engine). The key word here is MAY.

I have certain expectations of my future "green" vehicle. It has to be pleasing to the eye and have lots of bells and whistles. I know, I'm spoiled. I'm sort of a car snob. I love beautiful cars with sexy lines. I love cars that whisper my name. I love cars that are high-tech and nerdy on the inside but exude class and elegance on the outside. I love cars with pep in their step and ones with excellent sound systems.

If I were in the market for a new EV today I would only consider two - Tesla Model S (all electric) and the Fisker Karma (plug-in hybrid). This decision is based solely on the inner and outer beauty, not the price, the specs or even a test drive. I know, you're thinking "how shallow is this chick?".  I can't help it. There has to be a physical attraction. You get where I'm going with this, right?

                                                                          TESLA MODEL S

                                                                         FISKER KARMA

After researching EV's, reading the test drive evals, comparing specs, viewing their pictures and seeing some in person, I have absolutely no desire to own most of the EV's on the market. I saw the Nissan Leaf the day I went to test drive the Juke. It wasn't calling my name, I wasn't physically attracted to it. Although I was quite curious, I did get a close-up, eye-balled it a few times, peeked at the interior, checked out the sticker price ($37,500), shook my head and moseyed over to the Juke. I've also seen a couple of Chevy Volts ($41,000) on the road. Not a bad looking vehicle, but not one I can see myself driving. I will make a point of heading to the Chevy dealer to get a closer look and perhaps a test drive.

                                                                             NISSAN LEAF

                                                                             CHEVY VOLT

So far I've only seen one Fisker Karma on the road. It was love at first sight. I took a double take. I gawked, mouth open, flies flying in. I want one of these. Oh, but wait, it's only $106,000. A girl can dream, can't she?

My selection is narrowed down to the Tesla Model S. The price is $49,900 (for the 40 kWh battery after the $7,500 federal tax credit; check to see if your state offers a tax credit). Still pretty steep but less then half the price of the Karma. And there's plenty of boring and unattractive vehicles available at this price point.

Here's what $49,900 gets you:

4-door sedan
Seating up to 7 (5 adults + 2 kids)
19" all-season tires
Frameless windows (similar to the Audi A7)
17" touch screen (as Motor Trend calls it, "an iPad on steroids")
160 mile range (twice that of a Nissan Leaf)
368 cubic feet of storage (front and rear trunks)
4 USB ports
8 Airbags
Door handles retract into the body when not in use
0 Tailpipe Emissions
Handles 120v/240v
Costs approx. 2 cents/mile to charge battery
Quiet motor, smooth ride (according to most evals.)

As of November 2011, 6,500 reservations were taken for a $5,000 deposit. Production begins this month. Hmmmm, if I put a deposit down now (fully refundable), I can hopefully get my Model S this fall.

According to Chris Paine (director of Who Killed The Electric Car), "Model S is a remarkably important car. This car shows that it can be done and it will be done."  I say AMEN to that and let's all get over battery anxiety.

MOTOR TREND MAG FEMALE STAFFERS PICK CHICK MAGNET RIDES

Last October, Motor Trend's Karla Sanchez (online editor) polled a few female colleagues from her office to see what vehicles they found "strikingly sexy". She divided those vehicles into two categories:

Real-World Practical and Fantasy

Now guys, I wouldn't trade in your current vehicles just yet. I guarantee your wives or girlfriends won't agree with their picks in the Real-World Practical category. I know I don't.

Here are their picks.


REAL-WORLD PRACTICAL

1) Toyota Tacoma

2) Land Rover Defender 90

3) Stock Classic SUV's:                                     Toyota FJ40

                                                                                Jeep CJ

Ford Bronco

4) Chevy Tahoe

5) Honda Accord Coupe

6) European Cars:                               Laguna Seca Blue BMW E46 M3

Porsche 930

Audi A4 Avant

MK4 VW GTI

7) Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring AWD

8) Ram HD 2500 Laramie

9) Subaru Outback

I'm stunned these women selected the above vehicles as "strikingly sexy". The only vehicles in this category that I find somewhat attractive are the Bimmer and the Porsche. As far as the selection of the trucks go, a few of the women polled are staff members of Truck Trend. Need I say more?

Here are my picks for the REAL-WORLD PRACTICAL category. They're definitely real-world. Practical - that's questionable!

1) Jeep Wrangler

2) Chevy Camaro

3) Cadillac CTS

4) Infinity G37

5) Land Rover Evoque

MOTOR TREND CHIX PICKS IN FANTASY CATEGORY:

1) Audi R8 GT

2) Classic Cars:                                         1956 Chevy Corvette

1953 Porsche

1957 Jaguar Roadster

1952 Mercedes Benz W

3) Lexus LFA

4) Porsche Cayman S

5) Porsche 911 GT3 RS

6) Range Rover HSE

I agree with the Motor Trend chix on all except the Range Rover HSE. I find absolutely nothing sexy about it. I love classic cars and roadsters. Everything about them are sexy.  I've added 5 more to this line-up. They're way too sexy to be left off the list.

1) Nissan GTR

2) Audi S5

3) Lamborghini Murcielago

4) Fisker Karma

5) Tesla Model S

Some may say that the topic of this blog is quite shallow. I agree, to an extent. Guys don't want women to like or love them for the car they drive and I don't blame them. But hey, let's lighten up a bit, shall we? If a woman was driving one of these cars would it be considered a "stud magnet"?

WOMEN YOU SHOULD KNOW IN THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

Written by: Sindi Wasserberg Lash

Compared to years past, it's a much warmer welcome for women in the automotive industry. Gone are the days where women were mistaken for secretaries or wives. Gone are the days of catcalls and girly calendars on the walls.

With that said, I'd like to introduce you to 10 prominent and influential women in the automotive industry. I read through hundreds of bios and felt these 10 women were especially noteworthy based on their current contributions.  Perhaps I should make this a three or four part series.


BRITTA GROSS

Britta is the Director of Global Energy Systems and Infrastructure Commercialization for GM. She has an electrical engineering degree from LSU. Gross is in charge of prepping the U.S. to be plug-in ready by working with the utility and energy companies to produce the infrastructure to support the electric vehicle. She then goes to federal, state and local governments to help pave the way for the implementation of new policies to support electric cars. Her claim to fame: the Chevy Volt. Chevy expected to sell 10,000 Volts in 2011 but came up short with 7,671. But 1,500 Volts were sold in December 2011, the best month since the Volt was launched in late 2010.



CHRISTINA RODRIGUEZ

"Chrissy" is the Vehicle Dynamics Development Engineer of the 2010 Ford Taurus. "Her job was equal parts engineer, race car driver and vehicle psychologist".  She had to make sure the car was safe, handles well and had the right personality. She holds a mechanical engineering degree from Georgia Institute of Technology and a Master's degree from University of Michigan. Chrissy hails from Puerto Rico where her father was a chemical engineer.



PAM FLETCHER

Pam is Global Chief Engineer for Chevy Volt and Plug-In Hybrid Electric Powertrains. Her prior positions include calibration engineer for Ford, assistant chief engineer for Chevy Tahoe, GMC Yukon, Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra and Cadillac Escalade and chief engineer for Chevy Trailblazer and GMC Envoy. Pam holds a Bachelor's and Master's Degree in mechanical engineering from the GM Institute.



DIANE ALLEN

Diane is a design manager at Nissan. She won a global competition for both the 350Z and the 370Z.




CRYSTAL WINDHAM

Crystal is Director of the North American Passenger Car Interior Design for GM. She won the car of the year award for the Aura and Malibu.



CHRIS BARMAN

Chris is a Vehicle Line Executive for Chrysler. She received her mechanical engineering degree at Purdue University. She was one of the first to work on the electronic stability program and implemented it on the Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger and Dodge Magnum. Now she's responsible for the rear-drive platforms of those vehicles.


KATHLEEN DILWORTH

Kathleen is Plant Manager, Flint Powertrain Operations at GM. She is a chemical engineer who helped launch the 1.4L engines for the Chevy Volt and Chevy Cruze.



MARTI EULBERG

Marti is VP, Global Sales, Marketing and Communications for Fisker. Her first automotive job was district manager in training at Ford in 1987. Her proudest achievements were: BMW - part of a committee that chose the agency for Mini, VOLVO - integrating an unhappy retail network into a partnership with the  factory, JAGUAR - helped launch the brand in a new way. And now with Fisker, she is building the brand from the ground up.


MARY BARRA

Mary is Senior VP, Global Product Development for GM (since early 2011). She received her undergrad degree from Kettering University and her MBA from Stanford. When the CEO of GM put her in this position he received a lot of heat due to her lack of design experience. Chevy sold 2.35 million vehicles in the first 6 months of 2011 - the best 1/2 year performance in the company's 100 year history.


TRISH SERRATORE

Trish is the Senior VP,  National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence. Her first automotive job was business editor for Motor Age magazine. She also co-founded the Women's Automotive Network.



Is it still a man's world? According to statistics by Catalyst and the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, yes, yes it is. BAH.

SHOPPING FOR A USED CAR? DON'T BUY THESE 5 OR ELSE...

Written by: Sindi Wasserberg Lash

According to the latest dependability study from J.D. Power and Associates and Consumer Reports, the following 5 used cars flunked with flying colors:


1) 2008 VW Beetle - owners had trouble with climate control system and power equipment.

2) 2008 VW Passat - shocking because this car gets rave reviews when new. Consumer Reports give it a below-average rating due to problems with the fuel, electrical and climate systems and power equipment.

3) 2008 GMC Acadia - received a worse-than-average rating from Consumer Reports due to problems with the audio system and suspension.

4) 2008 Ford Expedition  - also has a worse-than-average rating by Consumer Reports due to problems with the transmission and audio system.

5) 2008 Chrysler Town and Country - This is the year that the manufacturing quality declined for Chrysler. Consumer Reports give it a much-worse-than-average rating due to problems with brakes, suspension, power equipment and climate system.