Travel is one way of spending quality time with your family. It’s quite fulfilling specially on a holiday. Hours of drive are not as stressful as everybody think if you travel in the country. Dropping by to places and explore the new horizon. Doing this is worth a thousand while if you ride with capable hands. I’m stating not only in driving but in auto repair as well.

There are several possibilities of trip delay. One should anticipate of being stranded in a strange area. What if you don’t know how to fix? The most practical way is to find a car repair shop. What if you can’t find any? What if you are in isolated spot? You have no choice but to mend whatever damage on your own. Have you realize now how important it is to learn how to fix your own vehicle?

Doing a car repair yourself needs a lot of care.

My cousin travels to San Francisco last year in her brand new Toyota Camry, not knowing she would be stuck in remote vicinity. Luckily, she was found by a good Samaritan and lift her car to the nearest shop, the San Francisco car repair. Waiting for someone to help her cost not only her valuable time but also her heart. She was given a car repair estimates and voila! Her Toyota Camry repair cut a petty budget. She just wished she knew how to do it her own. She never mind the financial cost it did to her pocket but the precious time she wasted waiting…

Lunch went well and I really hit it off with both of the adjusters.  After that we drove to St. Petersburg to drop in on another company.  Unfortunately we did not have time to drive back to see the third client but it worked out for the best as she was swamped and could not take time to chat. 

We made both the drive down and back from Tampa in a reasonable 3 1/2-4 hours.  This included several stops for coffee on the way down and back in addition to a rest stop visit. 

What I really wanted to touch on was the rental car we had for the trip, a 2008 Toyota Camry SE.  It was white and was a very nice looking car.  I am not a fan of Toyotas but it rode very nicely and was roomy inside.  I really liked the seats which were firm and thought the center console that was lit in a soft blue light looked really good.  The ride was also very smooth.  Becks even commented that she liked it when my boss dropped me off early this evening.  Although I did not get to drive (I was not on the rental agreement) from riding in it for close to 8 hours I can see why the Camry is a very popular car. 

The author of the article, Kent A. Sepkowitz, comes from a medical background and appears to approach the topic entirely from the perspective of savings lives (not a bad place to start).

As much as I love cars, love motorcycles, and love going a bit faster than I need to for the heck of it (while feeling very guilty about the fuel consumption increase north of 80kmph/50mph), I have to -- with great hesitation -- agree with Mr. Sepkowitz.  There is absolutely no reason to travel north of 160kmph / 100mph (many non-20-something males might argue for a lower number however my tiny Honda CBR125R motorcycle is limited to approximately 125kmph and I do believe that low of a limit can be a major issue for highway safety when passing or an evasive maneuver is required) and with fuel consumption at the top of everyone's mind, we may be able to effectively counter the passionate arguments that remain for building cars capable of higher speeds.

Sadly, with the American automotive industry in the state that it's in (re: decline), taking away such a major component of the sex appeal of new cars will not be business-palatable.  There is a reason little old Nissan managed to force their previously-dominant competitors in the mid-size segment (Honda Accord, Toyota Camry) to follow their lead:  horsepower.  The 240hp 3.5L V6 in the 2002 Nissan Altima was the official start, in my opinion, of the mainstream horsepower wars.  Having driven a 188hp 1996 Lexus ES300 through my hurried and reckless teenage years, I can absolutely confirm that there is no fucking reason to have a 200+hp family sedan.  Even with my massive stupidity, there was never any reason to come close to flooring the great big 3.0L V6 in the Lexus.  But it sure is neat to tell people your new Honda Accord has 268 horses, 100 or more of which have never left the stable.

Of course, there are many ways to make cars safer, but I think there is no more obvious way of REDUCING FATALITIES (not necessarily accidents) than removing the ability to travel 40kmph (25mph) faster than the average flow of highway traffic (we have a 100kmph limit here on all the major highways in Toronto).

And for those that want to go faster?  Try motorcycles where your the only person likely to be killed by your own stupidity (though you're also WAY more susceptible to death by others stupidity).  And if getting crushed from behind by an SUV at a red light isn't appealing to you, there's always Playstation.

Bullshit Sidenote: I am surprised he mentions cruise control as the necessary component for limiting speed.  Electronic rev limiters have existed and been in use for some time to reduce maximum speeds, albeit at much higher speeds than Mr. Sepkowitz would likely propose.  Although I am not too familiar with the technical details, I do believe installation of such a device would be easy on modern cars that are not even equipped with cruise control so a mandate to include such a device on all new cars could be extended to most newer existing cars as well.  I remember the mid-90s (last generation in North America) Toyota Supra Twin Turbo had a shortened 6th, overdrive gear, with a virtual redline around 5800rpm, limiting the 320hp machine to a 'mere' 155mph.  That rev limiter ruined me in Need for Speed (the video game, not the article).  Even the relatively weak and torqueless Mazda RX-7 got to 158mph, as I recall.  I had to roadhog like a motherfuck to keep those dinky RX-7s from passing me...

... and the cow goes moo

It had an inline 4-cylinder engine with 169 horsepower.  Now I drive a 300+hp monster of a BMW 335i, so I was expecting a disappointing drive.  However, given my lower expectations, the Malibu did well.  It had decent pick-up, nice and comfortable at top speed.  The only hitch came when the accelerator was floored while driving on the freeway;  the engine screamed loudly, the car shuddered a bit, but it took perceptible seconds before it started accelerating.  I would be cautious about overtaking in tight situations.

The car's exterior looks have changed a bit.  I like the new aggressive front grill.  But Chevy had better know what its doing - the grill looks like it would appeal more to younger folks; but I can't imagine the 20 - 30 year old set buying a Malibu over a Honda Accord, a Nissan Altima, Toyota Camry, or even the Ford Fusion.  So they might completely miss their current older market segment, who might prefer a more relaxed look.

The interior is nice and relaxed, though, and very spacious, specially in terms of leg room.  I do also like that there is a single "info" button on the steering wheel, which gives you major car data, including tire pressure.  Thing to note, though - seemed our tire pressure readings were off, way off.  The interior has no major bells or whistles, but that's ok in this price range.  

Ok, on to the one major flaw - you can't drive it aggressively on turns.  The car can't maintain its grip, and skids if you aren't driving carefully.  Again, that means the Malibu is really for the 40+ age group, or at the least for the cautious and conservative type.... who like a dash of danger, delivered by the grill.

Finally, a close-up of the aggressive grill

Some day our videos will upload.  Until then, we drive.

If you have any spare time and you're near a computer, check out :If Looks Could Kill. Don't be fooled by the title, this webisode series has a mixture of drama, suspense and a stash of Lifetime movie potential (which is a good thing). The webisodes follow main character Bianca, an up-coming fashion designer whose world is caught upside down when she meets up with her estranged father (whose apart of the CIA). She soon learns that people are after her, which begins the "cat and mouse" game between her and her enemies and us to help her.

I've been going on the site for last couple of weeks, watching the webisodes and trying to help Bianca find clues to help her (which is often tricky and difficult). Its alot of fun and can be alittle addictive, (kind of like when you're playing a video game and you're striving to get to that top level, but you continue to mess up in the end). Although the contest to win the new 2009 Toyota Camry V6 XLE to win is over, the webisodes will keep you coming back to the site for more.

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As a result of their lack of planning and foresight, the US auto industry is swimming drowning in red ink, scrambling to produce some smaller more fuel-efficient cars that Americans now want like never before. Last month for the first time in over thirty years the top two selling vehicles in the industry were not the Ford F-150 and the Chevy Silverado, full-size pick-ups. In fact the F-150 and Silverado were number 5 and 6 respectfully. Number 1 was the Honda Civic, number 2 was the Toyota Corolla followed by the Toyota Camry and the Honda Accord. This is literally like the fall of the Berlin Wall in the auto industry.

The catalyst to all of this market shake up in the auto industry is none other than 4 dollar a gallon gas. American's appetite for large fuel-inefficient cars has changed over night. Why am I going over all of this? Well this can be a great example for the church as a whole. The church has been riding the wave for many years of plenty of people attending church on Sundays, because that's just what people were expected to do. Just like cheap gas will never return, the hoards of people that automatically attend church will never happen again either. Just as Detroit is scrambling to make more fuel-efficient cars to make the most of 4 dollar a gallon gas, the church should scramble to attract people that don't have a relationship with Christ. The church should stop building the proverbial 10 miles to the gallon SUVs when gas is 4 dollars a gallon. People are hurting and want answers. The church has the answer, it's Christ. We just need to deliver Him in a "Toyota Camry" instead of a "Hummer H1".

My (and my sister's) 1992 Toyota Camry just reached a milestone (just ≡ Sunday, July 20).  She's better known as Gina Bluongo.  400000 kilometres and still kicking.  As far as I know it still has the original engine in it (a four-banger which saves on gas) as well as the original transmission.

And here is one of my favourite pictures from the day (I only shot a few).

In the past few weeks, i've had more than my normal share of altercations with elderly male drivers. The Monday after Independence Day an elderly couple in an enormous Mitsubishi Montero behemoth pulled into the turning lane on College (71B) and decided they wanted in my lane, even though I was right next to them, in rush hour traffic, and couldn't really move out of the way. In that instant I honked my horn profusely and narrowly escaped a major accident by mere inches because the Mercedes SUV to my right and just behind me, gave me room to swerve.

Today I was backing out of the city parking lot behind the station in order to go home for lunch. It's a pretty narrow parking lot, my car's not very small, and I had to large SUV's to both of my sides, so I had to back up, turn the wheel, pull forward, and back up a second time to clear the parking spots. Well in between the my turning forward and final back up, an older man in a Scion box pulled out of his spot behind me and to the right all too fast, backing into my back bumper. I was at a full stop at this point, and it happened so quickly that I didn't think to honk my horn. Out jumps the man wearing shorts that were all too short for a man his age, yelling at me.

Calmly, I said, "You backed into me sir. I was at a full stop and saw you back into me."

He yelled, "Why didn't you think to honk your horn!?"

That somewhat ruffled my feathers, but I remained calm. I replied, "I assumed you would look where you were backing up and see my car, as it's not very small."

He made some other comments, and I mentioned checking for damage. THEN he asked if I was injured, and I wasn't. Neither vehicle was damaged. Those Toyota Camry bumpers that bounce really work. There wasn't even a scratch. I sort of wished there had been some damage because the man had acted the way he had, and I'm just tired of elderly men who shouldn't be driving.

I seriously believe that once a person is old enough to collect Social Security, they should have to pass a mandatory, yearly driving test. I imagine a vast amount of people would agree. Please comment if you do. If you have any stories to share, please do. For a laugh to calm your nerves after your rant, watch South Park's, "Grey Dawn."

5) Toyota Camry Hybrid - The number 5 slot was tough to call with both the 2008 Toyota Camry and Corolla turning in decent numbers. While Corollas highway mileage turned in an impressive 37 mpg, it's city mileage was only 28. The Camry however, turned in 34 mpg on the highway and 33 in the city which overall is much better since most people sit in traffic and need the gas efficiency to be at its peak during slower times.

4) TIE - Ford Escape Hybrid and Mazda Tribute Hybrid - It's a tie for the number 4 slot and a formidable one at that. Ford's Escape Hybrid and Mazda's Tribute hybrid both bring in 30mpg on the highway and 34 in the city which is impressive to say the least, but not when the top 2 vehicles are clocking in the mid to upper 40's. Both the Escape and Tribute are reasonably priced in the mid 20's

2008 Ford Escape

2008 Mazda Tribute

3) Nissan Altima Hybrid - This vehicle gets good mileage, but not incredibly impressive considering it's a hybrid. Only clocking in 33 highway and 35 in the city is nothing to scoff at, but considering that Toyota and Honda's hybrid offerings are in the mid 40's, Nissan's got some catching up to do.

2) Honda Civic Hybrid - Coming in super close to the number one slot is the Honda Civic Hybrid that gets a sweet 40 miles per gallon in the city and 45 on the highway.

1) Toyota Prius Hybrid - And the number one vehicle is number one because of it's supreme efficiency. This gas/electric hybrid car is a 5 passenger vehicle that gets an awesome 45 mpg on the highway and 48 in the city. Yes, you read that right. It gets more in the city because it's primarily running on battery in stop and go situations. A lot of users are claiming miles per gallon in the 50's on a regular basis. A Consumer Reports darling, it currently has a 2-3 month waiting period to get one, but that's not a long wait at all compared to the 1 year plus wait imposed on consumers when they first arrived on the scene. The price is half of what it was then and now sits at a mere $24,000 for the super efficient family vehicle putting it right in line with standard new car costs and with tons of savings down the road.

To my disappointment, Subaru didn't have a good offering for hybrids this year but apparently plans to make hybrid versions of all of their vehicles in the next couple of years, so until then, these are the vehicles you go with to save that precious gas. Or until they have hydrogen cars.

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I remember my peek years as "stay at home mom", what ever that means, since I racked more miles on my Chevy Suburban, than most of the OTR truck drivers. Not only did I tote my kids but most of the neighbor kids or their friends, since their moms and dads were still at work during the after school programs. It was not uncommon to have all 9 seats in my suburban full to the max.

Now I am in the market for a not so small vehicle, since our current vehicle has been a Cavalier. It gets great high gas mileage, in fact two of our kids own the same type of car. But for us older in the years types, climbing out of a compact car is hard on the various parts of the body. Not to mention, we have found the seat itself, very uncomfortable on long trips, which we make many. Now, mind you, we have not just cast this opinion to the wind, since we have driven this car close to 205,000 miles. It's just that now that it's time to start looking, we are going with a slightly more comfy ride with a bit more room.

High Gas Mileage of course will be at the top of our list, and as we shop around, we are finding there is a good group of choices. I will also most likely purchase a great used car, as I have in the past. Check back often as I post my findings and musings as I power-auto shop. The vehicles I will be focusing on will be the Ford Taurus, Chevrolet Malibu, Honda Pilot, Chevrolet Equinox, Toyota Camry and the Ford Edge.

The Bad: Engine needs more oomph, interior seems a little tight for such a big car.

The Verdict: Sensible shoes in a snazzy box.

For the most part, American cars haven't had a whole lot of love heaped upon them lately. While they still have their fans, especially among consumers who want to "buy American" (the coveted "git-'r-done" market) or among legacy owners who've been buying the same brand for decades, American manufacturers have tended to concentrate on trucks while leaving passenger cars to the Japanese and Germans. But the tide has started to turn of late, as Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge have begun channeling new energy into their family car lines, with the new Chevy Malibu being the latest entry into the fray.

The effort devoted to the Malibu is apparent from the first moment you lay eyes on it - it's an honestly good-looking car. In an era when automotive design seems increasingly dominated with origami shapes and strange angles, the Malibu's well-proportioned front end and sculpted sheetmetal make its primary competitors, the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord, look like Klingon shuttlecraft in comparison. 

The model I tested was a mid-level 1LT, one notch above the base LS model. Even in LS form, the Malibu comes laden with standard features, from keyless entry and traction control to front, side and curtain airbags. The 1LT package only adds on a few dalliances such as electronic stability control (a more advanced form of traction control) and 17-inch wheels - not worth the $1285 difference between the models. (1LTs start at $20,930.) My tester also came with the "power convenience pack," which added a power driver's seat, remote starter, and power adjustable petals for $665; all three options also come on the 2LT model, one rung higher on the Malibu ladder. All told, my Malibu went for $21,595.

All Malibus but the top-level LTZ get their grunt from a 2.4 liter, 169-horsepower inline-four cylinder engine; the LTZ gets a 252-horsepower 3.6 liter V6. (However, some cheaper models can select the V6 as an option, while the LTZ driver can also get the four cylinder if he/she wants.) Mine sent the power to the front wheels through a four-speed automatic transmission; a six-speed automatic like the one standard with the V6 should become standard on the four cylinder soon. My 1LT four-cylinder was rated at 22 miles per gallon city, 30 mpg highway; expect these numbers to improve a little with the six-speed transmission.

Inside, the Malibu looks almost as nice as it does out. Hands fall on soft, compliant materials in most places they land; one strange exception was the window sill, which could really use a little more padding, considering how many people like to rest their arm there. (On a related note, like all too many cars, the Malibu's locking mechanism sticks straight up out of the door and into your arm. Will someone please tell the manufacturers that people like to stick their arms out the side window?) Metallic-looking plastic sets off the radio controls as it does in many cars, but the plastic used in the Malibu looks much less cheap than in most other cars. Still, a closer examination of the interior reveals an awful lot of seams where pieces of interior trim jigsaw together.

The cockpit itself is tight, wrapping around the driver in a way that could either be interpreted as cozy or constraining; the charcoal color scheme inside mine definitely pushed it closer to the uncomfortable end of the spectrum. The view out the windshield and windows isn't particularly good, either; quite a few smaller cars, such as the Honda Civic, offer a much more expansive (and safe) view.

The back seat gets better marks, simply on the grounds that it lets a six-foot-four man sit back there without goring his eyes out with his own kneecaps. However, the Happy Meal-solid plastic on the back of the front seats likely means those knees would be hurting if the car stopped in a hurry. (Wear your seat belt!)

So what's it like on the road? The first word that comes to mind is quiet. Chevy touts the Malibu's "acoustic laminated glass" and "extensive sound deadening," and rightly so; you could hear a mouse fart at highway speeds.

But performance, at least on my tester, was somewhat of a downer. While the suspension did a fine job of soaking up speed bumps and potholes without making the car feel like the Queen Mary, the four-cylinder four-speed combo just doesn't have the guts to move the 3,436-pound Malibu around quickly without digging deep into its rev range (and in turn, hurting fuel economy); low-range grunt seems especially weak. The Malibu had difficulty keeping up with stop-and-go rush hour traffic; sudden greens force the engine to rev into the neighborhood of 4,000 rpm just to keep pace. Car and Driver magazine recorded an 8.7 second 0-60 time for the Malibu LT; a comparable Honda Accord did it in 8.2 seconds, while a similarly equipped Toyota Camry did it in 8.9.

 The addition of the six-speed transmission, whenever it comes around, will probably improve the problem, but for now, the four-cylinder Malibu just doesn't feel like it has the guts to keep up with its primary competition, the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. (Equivalent Camrys and Accords weigh about 200 pounds less, and offer five-speed transmissions.) Consider it the price of being able to hear the mouse flatulence.

So what does that leave Chevy, and us, with? Well, certainly not a performance machine; then again, anyone looking for a sporty ride for this sort of money is more likely to look at the smaller, faster Civic Si or Volkswagen GTI - or even a Cobalt SS within Chevy's own stable. The Malibu, instead, is just supposed to be a good old-fashioned family sedan, the sort of car American manufacturers dominated the roadways with for decades. Today, though, the family sedan market is dominated by cars from the Land of the Rising Sun - and they've been doing it better for quite a while now. The Malibu is a good shot; it's brilliant, in fact, compared with the brand's passenger cars of only a couple years ago. And now that gas prices might well have put the Big Three's pickup truck cash cows out to pasture for the foreseeable future, we can expect to see a lot more resources flowing into cars like it. If you need a good mid-size sedan, you probably won't go wrong with the Malibu. But you'll have more fun in an Accord.

Thanks to Mike Poulin and Shearer Chevrolet for their help with this report.

Setelah hampir satu minggu peraduan ini berlangsung, terdapat debat yang hebat tentang perkara ini mengenai status 'kehalalan' atau  ‘keharamannya’. Terdapat banyak pendapat dalam perkara ini terutamanya daripada pihak penganjurnya dan juga beberapa tokoh-tokoh agama.

Sebagai manusia biasa, saya pada mulanya juga teruja dengan tawaran yang diperkenalkan oleh pihak CELCOM. Ya lah …  siapa tak mahu kereta kan, Toyota Camry pulak tu….

Walaupun saya ni bukan seorang ustaz, bagi saya ini satu perkara yang jelas, Setiap peraduan yang menyebabkan banyak pihak yang rugi bagi menguntungan sebilangan pihak yang lain, ia mengandungi unsur perjudian. Selain daripada itu,  semua peserta yang menghantar SMS terdedah kepada kerugian RM 50 (kerana mesti menjawab 10 soalan terlebih dahulu, sedangkan satu sms = RM 5) atau berpeluang mendapat untung sebuah kereta. Hanya seratus orang akan berjaya dari mungkin berjuta peserta. Syarikat pasti atau mungkin meraih untung yang lebih berbanding peserta.

Betullah, seperti kata pepatah melayu, “ Yang Bulat Tidak akan Datang Bergolek dan yang Pipih Tidak Akan Datang Melayang”. Jadi stop-lah berangan untuk dapat Toyota Camry tu secara mudah… Kerja mesti kuat dan mesti focus… jalan mesti ke depan dan bukan ke belakang (pinjam tag Iklan Hari Raya PETRONAS)…

Sila baca di sini ulasan daripada Ustaz Zahiruddin…

The 23 year-old told reporters that plans were in place for him to try an F1 car, probably at Twin Ring Motegi in the future.

"I'm planning on retiring at 30 and going Formula One racing. How's that?," Busch joked at Lowe's Motor Speedway

"We're working on a test session right now at the end of November, or the beginning of December, sometime going to Japan and doing a little exhibition, to see what it's like," he said.

"We'll take a Cup car over there too and just run around there at either Twin-Ring or somewhere like that to show them what the Cup cars are like and try to get into a Formula One car too."

Busch however denied that it was in preparation for a move to Formula One driving.

One of the benefits of killing time – that is, for me, blogging – is that I get sit in front of my PC, stare blankly at the glowing CRT and instinctively placing both my hands on the keyboard’s home keys. That may sound a bit lame for a killing, but lately, that is what it is. This is also one of the times when I dream I have my own tread mill and gym set which would be a healthier way to pass time away. So while I’m not there yet, I’ll let my typing fingers do the walking for now.

Just a few weeks ago while unconsciously surfing the net like a “career zombie” trying to find a plan B after the inevitable pull out of our company, I chanced upon a sticky thread in one of my favorite automotive hangout. The thread is titled: …is looking for new talent . That intrigued me. I was then thinking: I can drive, I can do two-point reverse maneuver, I can blindly pass through Daang Hari at night & I can grab the hand brakes while my wife does an 80 kph turn. Well, what could be better than that? So I clicked to read on.

To my disappointment they’re not looking for dummy drivers. Pun intended? They’re looking for someone who can do Auto journalism. Come to think of it, they’re looking for some dummy of sort. Yes? While I haven’t seen my plan B yet, I might as well make this my plan C. I sent a private message to one of the administrators.

Unfortunately, I received no acknowledgment since then. I actually returned back to the thread to check if my foolish mind failed to see when it was posted. It was just recently. Damn.

Today however, while I absentmindedly check my emails after a graveyard duty, I saw an email from the car forum. My mind woke up in an instance. I’m once again fantasizing of being inside a brand new Toyota Camry for me to do a review; inhaling deeply and sucking all the new car scent it could offer; fiddling nervously with its keys while contemplating on what it could offer as it zoom past Cavite’s potholed highway to test its wide wheelbase and torture its suspension. Reality though sets in just as soon as it left me. Part of the email reply said, “Can you do an article on Auto Financing? Make an outline first, then [sic] we'll start from there”. He must be kidding.

The reply just confused me. It appeared to me as two separate things. Auto Financing is an oxymoron. Know I’m wondering if Auto Financing is either Math or English.

Yahoo! power came in handy. I tried to check what the blog word has to offer regarding Auto Financing. Surprisingly, I didn’t fully expect what I’d find.  The search yield tags made me cringe. It was after all where I’m currently at right now – in debt, financing needed, bad credit, etc. Did someone say before, “What you don’t know won’t hurt you?” It was too late for me to undo. I’ve read it already.

Doing an article about Auto Financing is like doing an autopsy to myself. I would be writing like:

 “…The best time to purchase a car is right after a job promotion. Is your company’s inventory piling up? Is your company getting less attention? And Did the CEOs just recently focus their investments in Vietnam? Is your stock price in a plateau state? Screw it all. You still really need a car. The best financing deals are up for grabs.

Don’t let this chance go to drain. The local dailies motoring section are flooding with irresistible offers. Most dealers are now competing for market share and deals range from 5% off, all-in offers, 3 years + 1 warranty. The list is almost endless (read: You really need a car).

Worry no more. Banks will not only check your credit history, proof of availability…but (a pause and drum rolls is highly recommended at this point) of course also your severance package…”

Ouch. I’d die even before the editor is done proofreading my article. Wait, did I mention what my plan A is? Bum around for months while looking for plan B to Z. Ti abi.

1. Toyota Prius                           46 MPG
2. Honda Civic Hybrid                 42 MPG
3. Nissan Altima Hybrid               34 MPG
4. Toyota Camry Hybrid              33 MPG
5. Ford Escape Hybrid                 32 MPG

If this measure is the sole basis in selecting cars, then these are the cars that should be used by people. But then the use of this measure may mislead consumers for a number of reasons, and one reason is that this measure may vary depending on unique individual situations, and driving environments.

Later my friends and I realized that illegal drag racing was not a very good pastime. Eventually the state highway police caught up with us. My driving license was suspended and dad was really infuriated. He did not talk with me for several months. Although I still continued my college education, I was forced to work in a local bar to supplement my income. My garage business was put on a halt. I even had to ask mom for a ride to the bus stop everyday. Although I had some savings, I have later invested it in many other failed ventures.

When my driving license was returned, I was able to rebuild my garage business. I specialized in “hot rods.” Clients would come from different parts of the county just to have their cars modified in my obscure shop. It was partly because of my skills and partly because of the low fee that I demanded. During those college years, I really never expanded my garage business. I only hired a few mechanics. But when I graduated, I had enough savings to purchase a brand new Cadillac Brougham. I traded that car for my father’s old Toyota Camry Hatchback.