Back to the Accord

Beep beep! AOL AUTO published my first-car story which is a tribute to my clunky former Honda Accord which I really loved and still think about. (Yes, I used to have New Kids on The Block hair.) The photo to the left with my shaggy curly hair was taken outside my friend Aime's apartment building in South Beach across from Fienberg Fisher Elementary on Pennsylvania Ave. I was by default the designated driver (because I had a car.) And the photo to the right is how the model looked from the rear. (Note: this car below wasn't mine. Just a clone.)

Small cars with big attitudes

They want to save gas but they don't want to necessarily look like they do. Here's an article I wrote on how the owners of small eco-friendly cars from the Smart cars to Toyota Prius are customizing them like their bigger muscle car counterparts.

Impala impresses

  Consumer Reports recently lauded the new 2014 Chevy Impala, calling it one of the best cars it has ever tested. The vehicle had top honors among all sedans, capturing a ranking owned by Japanese and Euro models for the past 20 years.

In South Florida, classic Impala, those from the early 1970s, remain popular. They've been retrofitted, raised and splashed with cool colors.  Down here, they're known as donks and I wrote an article about the donk culture.  I wonder if the new Impala will become a classic in the spirit of the donks one day.

Some donks spotted just outside Fort Lauderdale.

Computer, where am I?

Has  your car's GPS sent you to a wrong address? Car navigations can help us get somewhere or get us lost.  Here's my story on how some drivers found themselves off the beaten track in SOMEWHERE, Florida.

Roll like a Miami Heat player

Miami Heat players are best known for their moves on the court but they also like to hit the town in their swanky cool rides. SouthFlorida.com posted a gallery of Heat wheels including some of the cars that Lebron James and Norris Cole owned or currently drive.

To the left, James purchased a gleaming white Chevy Camaro when he first moved to Miami from Ohio.    

Last year, The Collection dealership in Miami gave Dywane Wade a big birthday gift - a McLaren MP4-12C.

                         

Strange car spotted on AIA

A co-worker of mine, Rod Hagwood, spotted this customized car rolling along AIA in Fort Lauderdale Sunday afternoon. Does anyone know what car this is?  It's dropped really low to the ground. The car, which turned heads along the beach, reminds me of a classic Volkswagen Carmenghia but this one seems bigger.

Where do food trucks come from?

Where do food trucks come from? Food truck factories, of course, and they're churning out more mobile eateries thanks to the demand in South Florida. My article on how food truck builders are shifting into high gear

Beep beep! Trendy Trucks pulling into your neighborhood

La Boutique on Wheels in South Beach

First came the food trucks. Now mobile boutiques. These stores on wheels are popping up in South Florida as well as NYC, Boston, and Los Angeles.  Some of these trucks are former Chevy Step Vans from the 1970s. Others are library bookmobiles transformed into clothing stores.  Here is my Sun Sentinel article on the trend.

South Florida's hot (used) car market

South Florida tops the list of the most affordable places to buy a used car.  Vehicles sold in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties go for about 7 percent less than the national average, according to an article in the South Florida Sun Sentinel.  In addition, there are a lot of used cars for sale in SoFla that family members sell after their elderly loved one passes away.

what's in a car name?

South Floridians love to name their cars from Frank Sonata to Wanda the Honda. Here's an article I wrote on some of the more colorful and meaningful car names in the tropics


(image of Turtle, a 1952 Ford F-10 pickup truck)