Kim and Rodman

I would love to get my hands on that set of photos.

Spike Jonze Volvo S40 documentary/ad

In researching the S40/V50, I came upon this strange ad, The Mystery of Dalaro.

John Kerry plastic surgery before and after

Why?

2010:

2013:

WTCC in Sonoma this weekend

Can't wait to go on Sunday. This year, Ladas will be participating.

Pics from last year here.

The search is almost over

FWD Volvo V50 T5 with a six-speed stick. It's newer than the Merc C-class, better looking (inside and out), and is probably more fun to drive. Plus, there seems to be plenty of sticks made so finding the right one should be easier.

Thank you for your patience as I have been bouncing all over the place, with random car ideas. I'm actually quite fond (and proud) of being a one-car family, but I guess a second car was inevitable. Once we get this, then we're going to look for a Fiat 500 Turbo to replace the trusty Civic.

Bombing in Egypt

Though it has been chaotic in Egypt, car bombings are almost unheard of there. This morning, one was set off outside the interior minister's residence. He survived the assassination attempt, but this is a whole different ball game. I still can't imagine it descending into civil war like in Syria, but if you had asked me three years ago, I would have said civil war in Syria was impossible.

What is the car of the 2010s?

Apparently, it's a Fisker.

New eastern span of Bay Bridge finally open!

I can't wait to drive it.

BTW, I took advantage of the bridge closure last weekend and visited all seven major ferry terminals in 8 hours 28 minutes. I will not be riding ferries for a loooong time.

3 cars I was thinking about this long weekend

Car shopping update. That Saab 9-5 still has a day of bidding to go. It's at $20,000 (the fair market value) and reserve still has not been met yet. Coupled with the hassle of picking up the car in Nevada, I am bowing out of this one. To make matters worse, the dealership selling the Saab has been spamming me daily.

I'm not serious about any of the cars below, but I did briefly consider them as my next ride.

1. Saab 9-7x. I walked by a Chevy Trailblazer and remembered-- Didn't they make a Saab out of this? They did, and it was horrible.

Here is a TTAC review where they were less diplomatic.

2. 2013 Acura TSX wagon. My neighbor is a manager at the local Acura dealership. He drives a pristine, white, first generation Legend coupe with a stick. His wife drives a new, white, TSX wagon. Of all the modern wagons, this is one of my favorites, looks-wise. As a previous TSX owner, I know they are ultra-reliable and solidly built. When I sold my 100,000 mile TSX, it looked no more than a couple years old. My only gripe is that the wagon does not come with a stick. But as this New York Times article reveals, Acura projected just 3% of TSX wagon owners to want sticks, and it just didn't make sense to just make 100-150 of them a year.

If I were to buy a new car, this would definitely be on my short list.

3. 1993 Mercedes 500E. One just came up for sale at the Buggy Bank. I can't stomach the maintenance and repair costs on one of these, so I'll pass.

Stallone driving Cadillac Allante in Tango & Cash

I watched the first half of this really cheeseball 1980s movie before falling asleep last night. The opening scene is bad. Weird Japanese commercial bad.