Automotive

First Impressions? LAURIE:      This is the van that is going to redefine the meaning of the word “van”—especially when you consider the price.  Usually we don’t talk about price till the end of our column.  Actually, when I was growing up it was rude to talk about what things cost.  That’s not how it is today…right, Johnny? JOHN:         Yes, Dear. …

  First impression? JOHN:       The Porsche Carrera we drove was red. I love red cars, just love them—but the red Porsche Carrera screamed “Arrest Me Red” sitting in the driveway. A Porsche, my dream car—at age 66? In a 25 mph neighborhood? In a 35 mph village? Hmmmm… Is there no justice? Where was this when I was 25; …

LAURIE:      For those of you who read our column, thanks for returning for yet another installment of “Driving Me Crazy”—(or, as it’s affectionately called in our household, “Who drives who crazy?” And if this is your first time with us, fasten your seatbelt.  This week’s car is the Fiat 500. First impressions?
 JOHN:         Every new car that pulls into the driveway for …

“Not Really That Small”
 First Impressions? LAURIE: Shakespeare’s “Seven Ages of Man”— about halfway between the Second Age, the “whining schoolboy,” and the Third Age, the “lover, sighing like furnace.” That’s the impression I got when I first saw the Nissan Versa Note, that this car would appeal to—18 to 25 year-olds. I bet Shakespeare would agree. JOHN: If there …

First Impressions? JOHN: 1. “I’ll get you, Quattro…” Okay, that is my first impression. Who can forget the iconic tow truck driver who never gets to tow the Quattro because it is so good in the snow? Not me, that’s for sure. They have some new ones too. One is about ‘taking corners, not cutting them’, http://www.ispot.tv/ad/7yVZ/2015-audi-a3-hugs-corners-cuts-none, and that one …

Married couple in their “sensational sixties” talk about today’s hottest, newest cars—and still manage to go to bed without getting angry at night. What was your first impression of the GMC Yukon? JOHN: B-I-G. Really big…huge…monstrous…road hog…wonderful!!! Back off roller skate; don’t mess with The Man! I want a chauffeur. Tell Don Corleone he can ride with me. LAURIE: My …

Married couple in their “sensational sixties” talk about today’s hottest, newest cars—and still manage to go to bed without getting angry at night. First impressions? JOHN: Can you say NASCAR? Varoom, varoom! Talledega? Jeff Gordon? I am not even a NASCAR guy, but the low, sleek styling of the Camaro had me strapped in, talking to my crew chief, holding …

Married couple in their “sensational sixties” talk about today’s hottest, newest cars—and still manage to go to bed without getting angry at night. First impressions? LAURIE: Well, bundling three Hyundai’s into one car review reminds me of the “Three Little Pigs”. The First Little Pig—call him Pepe—was the youngest so naturally he wanted to get the job out of the …

Our make-believe reporter returns yet again with another slate of riveting questions to ask that “sixty-something” married couple, John and Laurie Wiles, the $64,000 question, “Can a married go to bed at night without being angry after talking about cars?”  Stay tuned and find out in their review of the 2014 Buick LaCrosse…  First Impression JOHN: I love a car that says …

What was your first impression of the Porsche Cayman? LAURIE: When I got my first glimpse of that eye- popping, metallic sapphire blue Porsche Caymen two-door sports coupe with red leather interior, and heard the wild, leopard-like purr of its Boxer 325 hp, 7400 rpm engine driving that sleek, ground-hugging chassis, I thought, “How the heck am I going to …