Recent content by Donnie

I have now had copies of the important keys made and placed them in safe hands or places so we can get to an extra key when we need it. It may be five years down the road, but at least we're prepared now.

My wife did it again. She locked her keys in the ignition while she was shopping. I was out of town, and she was an hour away from home. She ended up sitting all afternoon in some strange mall waiting until I could drive an additional 200 miles to get to where she was. She now has an extra car...

It really does pay to have a good relationship with a service center both in your own town and in towns you travel to frequently. We had some car trouble this past week and I was so glad the people at the show knew me. They managed to get my vehicle fixed in no time flat.

I know my nephew bought a bike to save on gasoline. He swears he saves a lot of money. I don't know that I'd like being in the cold and in the elements. I also need to carry passengers. If it works for you, then it's a great option.

Some of my favorite car names are Mustang, Zephyr and Corvette. How did they came up with Corvette, I wonder? What are some of your favorite car names? It probably gets more difficult to come up with great names over time.

Movies with cars Don't forget "American Graffiti" and "Smokey and the Bandit." I remember the first time I ever saw Suzanne Somers in that Thunderbird. I can't believe she's now a genuine senior citizen.

I think this is a good time of the year to buy a car. Dealers are ready to move the cars on their parking lots, especially after the holiday gift buying season has passed. Good luck as you keep searching for just the right ride.

Rotating your tires is one way you actually can save money on tires. It doesn't take all that long, and the money you save in the long run more than pays for the extra tire rotation changes.

I've seen first hand how people abuse their rental cars. I don't think they are kept up well at all. I wouldn't even consider buying a rental car unless there were absolutely no better deals out there.

Usually someone in our family does get a new car around Christmas time. This year, everyone either had one or is putting it off until the new models come out. What can I say? We have a lot of car enthusiasts in the family. I wish I had more of the money some of them spend on new vehicles. That's...

I haven't found anything that lasts longer than a few weeks. It's hard to keep a car smelling good, especially if you have children or are eating in it all the time. I stopped buying anything to hang in the car. I do like the new car smell after a car wash.

Close calls We've all had one or two of those close calls on the highway. There's nothing like one to make you start driving defensively if you weren't doing so before. I never go into an intersection without watching what the cars left and right of me are doing, not since someone did run a red...

I agree. All the fragrances are just so artificial, but I really like the new car smell one. When we get a new car, we like to see just how long we can make that smell last. Sooner or later it fades away. It's nice to be able to add a little of it back.

I tried to get a photo, but he knew I was heading to get the camera, so he got out of here fast. No, he doesn't have a bag. His bike is fairly new. I think the temperature was about 50. For me, it was cold, but he had on a thick leather jacket and chaps. He's young and has no sense, so he was happy.

We spent most of the holiday within twenty miles of home, visiting at various relatives. We did spend Christmas night making a two-hour drive to visit family and have an evening meal. It was midnight before we arrived home, but the weather was good and traffic was light. Last year, we ran into...