Most Liked Automotive Blogs (377)

Nearly all my my cars were in the economy class having manual transmissions. The last group had a Toyota Celica 1.2 liter engine with 5-speed, Hyundai Veloster 1.2 liter with a 6-speed. Four years ago, I switched to a Toyota Corolla with a 2.0 liter engine and automatic transmission. That was different in many ways as it had a Sport Mode. What did it do? Change the gear ratio so the power band made the car quicker in acceleration. It didn't change the horsepower and it didn't affect the steering or suspension.
I only used it a few times. The car had to be at a standstill when changing modes.

My current car a Mazda M3 also has automatic transmission. Equipped with a 2.5 liter engine and sport mode.
In normal mode going 45mph the engine runs 1200rpm. Fast acceleration doesn't redline.
In sport mode going 45mph the engine it's doing nearly 3000rpm and fast acceleration redlines at 6500 rpm. By no means it's a race car, but the modes can be changed 'on the fly' so if I need to slam the accelerator to do a quick move, it's available.

What sport mode doesn't do on this car is change the suspension or steering.
I've read there are some cars in a higher classification (more expensive SUV's) that have economy, normal, sport modes that also affect the steering and suspension where the overall performance in each mode is different.

I used to drive more than 30,000 miles per year and changed cars every 3 to 4 years, just around the time expensive mechanical problems would start. I'm doing less than 20,000 a year now and hope I can keep cars longer. The last purchase was more for seating comfort and the rear storage is slightly taller/bigger.

Sport mode appears to be standard on all the cars I had shopped for, but it's something I will rarely use. However, something I often use is to back shift/down shift that simulates a manual transmission that doesn't need a clutch. So, coming off the highway, I can back shift to slow my speed and since it's all wheel drive, the car stays level where the front wheel drive cars sometimes 'lunge' and the nose dips.
That feature I like!

try federal prison

No lines for auto fuels where I live but costs increases seen every day. Store shelves for home goods going bare though.

no trace.
i believe my little figurine was intercepted by the government. the CIA and FBI are examining my figurine for hidden messages in the dapples. they are decoding the dots for Russian misinformation.

the popular term for a shot. i wish i had a dollar for every time this term was used. to jab is so unprofessional yet people clamber to be "jabbed" as if it's a good thing. i don't care if it is or isn't a vaccine. to be "jabbed" indicates a random puncture by means of force. by hither and dither these jabs occur. like nothing resembling professionalism, just a stab for stab's sake. i cringe when i hear the term. line up, cattle, get your jab here. moo moo

take pride, you jab-asses, wear your bandaid like a medal. quote "i did it for mankind" mantra. you're not fooling anyone but yourself if you call this shot a "jab".

it's part of a master plan to keep my mail box empty. it's part of speaking when in RL nobody listens, very frustrating.
i'm mean because i'm tired of being nice. i got taken to the cleaners being nice

some goodbyes are swift and others are held in cups
to be sipped slowly
some fires take some time to build while others burn
from cast off cares, raging
forget me nots, gathered with hands once held
i clasp my hands to feel whole

on the lighter side because, boy, this place needs a lighter side. i watch films. i watch a lot of films, sometimes over and over. i play them while i do stuff around the house, stopping at a favorite scene or song. i have a few film sound tracks, Last Man Standing with Ry Cooder, Cat People with Giorgio Moroder, I'd like "There Will Be Blood's" track. Some amazing music, or Boogie Nights. when i hear a song, it takes me back to the scene. The Departed's Baby Blue, Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet or The Crow...too many to list.

I have a beautiful necklace
The chain had tangled into a knot
I put it in a cigar box
On a day with time, took the time
With patience, I worked the chain
With fingers, I worked the knot
Not knowing if the chain would break
And the pendant balanced
As judgment balanced
My neck, naked as my heart
After some time, the time spent handling
A delicate strand, freed
The weight of the pendant buffered
The weight of sadness, tangled
?

first, i would like to say, i write what is on my mind. if i am stressed about bills and utilities, it is because that is what is on my mind. i tried writing the encouraging blogs about flirting and romance, but, if you read any of the blogs, they are mostly about human atrocities or Trump.

i do try to entertain or show that even though life is tough, it is possible to continue, even with hardships. if this comes off as pathetic, that is your interpretation.

i like men. i like women. i know myself to know that i'm not cut out for a long term relationship. this doesn't mean i want no relationships. i try to find a balance. what works for me may not work for you. FWB seems to work for me. i'm flighty and like my solitude unless there is, shall we say, a weekly time when I may become a union with the male.

i like to be honest. it saves a bunch of time. of course, things may change. life is flux. i try to hold to the essentials, treat others the way i want to be treated and if i am mistreated, i will return the favor in multiples.

i am cash poor but not word poor. have at it, folks.