3 Times a Charm

The auto show was this past weekend and I may have gone 3 times. I figure it is cheaper to get my new car smell fix this way rather then buying a new car. Although now I have about 10 more cars to add to my list...You win some you lose some.

12 Cars of Christmas

Instead of a partridge in a pear tree or 5 golden rings, I would be happy if Santa left any of these beauties under my tree.

Road Trippin'

March is officially upon us. Which means that spring is right around the corner. And with spring comes the Road Trip. Road trips are fun any time of year but spring is the best time, it's not to hot and not to cold all you need is a light jacket. This year I have decided to take more random Road Trips, it may be somewhere close, hello Great Salt Lake, or somewhere far, I am looking at you Vancouver. Now buckle up! Below are some pictures from a previous road trip taken with the BobCat to Las Vegas. Poor Caity was sick the whole trip and settled down in the back seat with the trusty portable DVD player and some Friends. Poor Bob had to put up with me driving and singing out loud and most likely out of tune. Hey, if I am driving I am keeping myself entertained. Will you be Road Tripping this spring? If so, where are you going? I am always looking for suggestions.

PhotoShuffle Numero 5

Congratulations to Becky for winning the previous PhotoSuffle. She is now the proud new owner of 10 Bonus Points. This weeks winner might just get their very own MisterE music mix, so comment away...

Junk in the Trunk

First a disclaimer. Don't try this at home. I am a professional. You should not put yourself or anyone else into any trunk. EVER. In the rare event that you do find yourself in a trunk please know that all US cars must have an emergency release handle. Most of these handles glow in the dark. Like I said, I am a professional.

This week's CornerView is all about our own personal style. As you can see by the jeans and hoodie I am not very stylish. That's were the Dodge Charger comes in, it is one sexy beast. If I were in the market for a new car it would be at the top of my short list. How does this work for this weeks CornerView theme you ask? Technically the Charger is wearing me but I think that is close enough. For more CornerView's click here.

Das Auto Show

Tomorrow the tradition continues. I can't remember the last time I didn't go to the Utah International Auto Expo and that's just the way I like it! Although this year my brother, my usual partner in crime is AWOL. He will be missed, especially by the folks at Land Rover whose vehicles he seems to be slightly allergic to.

Christmas WishList: Autos

Do you ever wish for a gifts you know you will never get? I do. Really I find nothing wrong with wishing for things. Now if only I could do something about the hard work and discipline it takes to make those wishes reality...perhaps someday. For now I am content to wish and wait for my lottery winnings. Once I have cashed in my winning ticket, I fear that I would buy enough cars to fill an airplane hanger. Here in no particular order is my automotive wish list this year:

Jaguar XFR

Lancia Delta

Dodge Challenger

Jeep Grand Cherokee

Ford Taurus SHO

Cadillac SRX

Vote for the car that would earn a spot under your tree in the poll on the right.

I Spy: Fiesta

As most of you probably don't know, Ford as lent out 100 2010 Fiesta's to people all of the U.S. for feedback and free marketing before the cars official launch next year. They call it the Fiesta Movement and the agents are set with tasks to complete while they have the car. The point of all this background? I was driving home the other day and what did I see coming around the corner? That's right a new Fiesta and I must say (and I never thought I would say this about a Ford) it looks really good in person, better then in the photos I have seen, especially for a little car. Okay, that's enough auto geekness from me for one day. Happy Driving!

Next Stop: CornerView Junction

Transportation is the theme for this weeks Corner View posts (to find a list of participants click here). Since I was young I have had a love affair with automobiles. Don't believe me? Just check out my posts on this very blog under the autos label. So here are a few pictures of my beloved JP Sally. Yes, I am one of those people who name their cars (I told you I have a strange fascination with automobiles). I realize there are many other forms of transportation and to prove that point I am sharing a few pictures along those lines that I took a little ways outside of my corner, in one of my favorite places, Chicago. Enjoy.

JP Sally enjoying a bath in Southern Utah.

At the bottom of Big Cottonwood Canyon, just minutes from my house.

Nearing the top of the canyon.

At the bottom of the other side of the canyon in the Heber Valley.

CTA bus stop in Chicago, IL.

Chicago's famous "L" train.

Boat docked at Navy Pier.

R.G. reminds you to all travel safe and check out the other CornerView posts!

Sally's Crush

Look out world...JP Sally has a crush.

Utah Auto Expo

Did I go to the Utah Auto Expo this weekend? Do you even have to ask. Did I go twice? Yes, yes I did. Every year this show gets the new car bug out of my system, which if you really know me is a good thing or I would have a new car every three months. I just love the smell of new cars and that smell alone seems to calm the bug every year. So it is a good thing, here are some highlights from this years show:

And if I had any desire to get a new car after all these this sticker price put an end to that (look at the bottom of the sticker!):

The 2009 NAIAS-Detroit Auto Show

This past week saw the start of the North American International Auto Show, or Detroit Auto Show. I have always wanted to go to this show as it always has a ton of far out concept cars that would make anyone want to trade their current car in for one with the latest features. Here a few of the vehicles showing up at this years show. To see all the cars making the rounds click here.

2010 Buick LaCrosse

Cadillac Converj Concept

2010 Cadillac SRX

Chrysler 200C Concept

Dodge Circuit EV Concept

2010 Ford Taurus

Volvo S60 Concept

The New JPSally!

Me and JPSally go back. When the Grand Cherokee was first introduced in the early 90's I wanted one. Sadly over the years I came to realize that the GC was very much out of my price range and settled for a hand me down Plymouth Grand Voyager which shuttled many friends to and from school until dying one night on my way home from work. I coasted all the way down 9400 South from Highland to Poppy due to a lack of transmission, it was a good thing it was 2am or that would have not been possible. After big Red, as she was known, came the Cirrus. Who as nice as she was suffered from a fuel injection problem that lead to her not going when you pushed the gas and then abruptly going a few seconds later. You never had to wonder if the seat belts worked in the Cirrus as you were reminded every time the car had its delayed take off. Russ put and end to this by introducing her to a Toyota truck. Then it was Lizzy the Sebring, she might have been an old person car but she was welcoming and always smelled of leather, which to this day I still miss. But now the time had come where I could afford (barely) the GC I had always wanted. JP wasn't the first model I took home, that honor belongs to the Overland model that the dealership let me try for a weekend, but she was the one that stayed, after the dealership confirmed what I already knew there was no way I could keep the Overland. That is where JP comes in; she was the right color, had the right engine, and the right colored interior (cream colored interiors don't do it for me). So our adventure began and it has been a good run and I felt even better about JP when the 2005 GC's came out and I wasn't in love with how they looked. JP has the classic Jeep look that I think still looks fresh today. Sure the sky high gas prices of last summer might have tempted me to go looking for greener pastures but we stuck it out. That is until now. You see I was browsing around online today and found this...

...I know you can't see much but I just feel and instant connection with the 2010 GC. I am not saying that JP is on the way out, because she is not going anywhere anytime soon I hope. But I may have to find an additional source of income to bring her a sibling! We'll see if the feeling remains once all the camouflage is off.

Snow+Driving=Bad

I hate driving in the snow. It is not that my car does poorly, JPSally rarely has any problems. No, my issue it with all the other "drivers" on the road. It seems that every time it snows each year, regardless of if its the first or last snowfall of the season, people just forget how to drive completely. You get the idiot driver who goes way to fast, guess what buddy that snow from before that melted earlier today is now ice and when you hit your brakes going 25 your not stopping right away. Also when turning you might want to consider slowing down. Yes I mean you crazy lady in the Plymouth Breeze who turned off of Ft. Union and did a 180 before coming to a stop just a few feet from the side of my car while I was waiting to turn left. Oh and the three cars that did the same thing right after you are just as bad, clearly they don't learn from example. Then you get the people who drive so slow that a semi truck loaded with hay has to pass you on the right. I am all for driving for the type of conditions that the road justifies but if you are going so slow that people are passing you on both sides its time to get off the freeway. When the speeding drivers come across the slow drivers this always results in pile ups on the freeway, which I saw three of tonight. You can tell you are one of these drivers if you find yourself facing North in the Southbound lanes, yes that means you 5 divers whose cars where smashed and facing the wrong direction. Well that's all for now, now I have to go and unwind after a stressful drive that resulted in every muscle in my back tensing up. I hate driving in the snow...with other people on the roads anyway.