TV Show Rides: That 70’s Show: The Vista Cruiser

We all know the popular sitcom, “That 70’s Show”, which aired from 1998 to 2005, and honed in on a group of 70’s era working class suburban kids as they make their way through the trials of high school and teenage life. Several journeys took place in Eric Foreman’s (Topher Grace)’s 1969 Oldsmobile Vista cruiser. The car was the place where Eric and Donna (Laura Prepon) began, and ended, and began their relationship again. It was where many important talks took place as well. Not to mention, it was the set for many of Eric and Donna’s dates. A hand-me-down station wagon from father Red Foreman (Kurtwood Smith), this old roadie machine got the gang to the water tower, to the dances, to the radio station, bowling alleys, Price-Mart, and Fatso Burger. Now that the show is over, what has become of the green Cheese-stained pantie-bearing wagon? Well, not to worry, the car is in good hands.

The G-Wheel Wheelman

It’s not every day you see something so unique and innovative, you could swear there is nothing like it anywhere else in the world. And that is exactly what came to mind last night. It was around 10:00pm, me and a few of my buddies were sitting outside on the porch of their corner apartment, drinking a few beers and having a hookah session when we saw a kid no older than us stroll into an old parking lot across the way from where we were. He brought along with him what appeared to be at first, a moped with the top portion cut off, and no seat. He fired it up, and the sound of a 50cc motor interrupted the silence, and all of a sudden, we saw him start skating around as if he were on a long board. All of us couldn’t help but stop and stare at this new never before seen motorized skateboard. He spent nearly an hour just cruising around the parking lot, getting used to the feel and handling of the skateboard, before curiosity got the best of all of us, and we just had to walk across the street to see just what this two wheeled skateboard was all about. That is when we met Eric, the owner of the futuristic skateboard that we would then learn the name of;  the G-Wheel Wheelman

At first, we only knew two things; one, we had never seen this before, and two, we wanted to learn more about it. He filled us in on the details of the Wheelman, and what we found out was pretty interesting. The wheelman was designed originally in Japan. It’s a two-wheeled skateboard powered by a mid-engine 50-cc motor from what we thought was a leaf blower, judging by its sound. It’s beefy tires enabled it for all-terrain use and on top of all of that, it didn’t look half bad. The plastics and construction of the Wheelman were designed for abuse, which meant that wiping out would only mean you would pick it up and try again, rather that dealing with mechanical or cosmetic issues. Eric was riding around and demonstrating the basic abilities of the G-wheel rather well, and despite a few falls here and there, he was making it look easy. But after I asked him about how long he had it and and had been riding it, he stated that he had been practicing on the Wheelman for a couple days; and that he could only make left turns. Making right turns would cause him to lose balance and fall over, and he said he intended to spend many more hours practicing before he could conjure up the courage to take his Wheelman Skills to the street. Coming from someone who knows his way around a long-board is saying a lot in terms of the skill level required to actually ride one. In short, it’s no walk in the park, but once you get the hang of it, it’s definitely worth the investment.

You can order your G-Wheel Wheelman HERE. Prices start at $499, a bit on the higher side, but with practice, definitely worth it.

check out a demo of the Wheelman in action HERE

An update for my viewers

I’ve been blogging for a little bit now, and as you may have seen, I haven’t posted any new topics onto my blog recently. The explanation for that is short and sweet: me and a few friends have started a new blog (Still on wordpress, so don’t worry). As a result, I have been writing all of my major posts on that website (followingourownadvice.com) in an effort to populate the new blog with content and media for everyone to enjoy. What I am doing now, is re-structuring my writing process, so that I may provide variety for my readers on both sites, rather than simply cutting and pasting from one to the other. I want my readers to see my posts on following: our own advice and click over to Everything Cars and be able to see even more, unique media to take a look at. This will happen, it just means i’ll be spending more time at the computer and getting more information so that I may publish more posts for you to read. It’s a process, but it’s a simple fix, and it won’t be long before Everything Cars is blooming with new info every week. Thanks for your patience.

Happy motoring!

-Mike

Campus Cruiser Spotlight: Jake “Grizzly” Hodgeman

When you think big city automotive, you normally think of either big luxurious sedans and SUV’s, or those new ridiculous, but improving green city compacts that are filling up the roads. However, when we take a closer look, there are remnants of a still avid American Dream. For a while, many of us believed that the current economic situation was well on its way to killing this dream, but there are still believers out there who beleive that the dream is still alive and roaring down the highways.  I think it was pretty interesting that I happened to find such an example on a college campus.

Driver and Muscle Car fan Jake Hodgeman is doing just that with his Firebird. The UW-Milwaukee sophomore got his first car, complete with a gta appearance kit, with his father when he was just 17 for a bargain deal at $2600. I asked him what made him want to take this one off of  the lot. He stated that “I’m into american muscle. It was new enough for me to modify it and do what I wanted to it so that people wouldn’t ask why I didn’t [fully] restore it. I’m a fan of hatchbacks, and I like to stand out, and the back seats were somewhat useful, more-so than a corvette.”

But don’t think Jake simply signed the dotted line and drove off; he wanted to make the car his own, so I asked him about the modifications he had made to the Firebird since he bought it. He gave me a list of mechanical updates; a new fan, a new fan motor, water pump, Bosch titatium racing spark plugs, new wires, suspension, exhaust, a new racing steering package, and interior cosmetic fixes are among the list of things he has done to the car; and this according to his ambitious plans for the car, is just the beginning.

In addition to mechanical fixes and upgrades, he also beefed up the audio performance as well. He took out the stock stereo in favor of a much stronger Sony XPLOD system, complete with a 500 watt amp, and the ability to defen ears courtesy of a  1000 watt Kennwood sub. The entire set only cost Jake $200; which is a great deal for a great sound. This car screams good times, and I asked him just what the best memory he’s ever had with the car was. I kind of anticipated an interesting story.

He actually gave me a few good stories: his best memory, he stated, was “The first time I got it to top out before I replaced everything. I had just gotten the car, and wanted to see how fast It would go. It was limited to 115, while I was topping out, I went over the crest of a hill, and as I went over and started coming back down, the wind lifted the front end of my car off of the ground.” Needless to say, this would get anyone’s heart racing, and keep it that way for the duration of the mini-shock that anyone would have in this situation. Another fond memory he has with the Firebird comes the day after receiving a citation for going 30 mph over the speed limit. “It was the day after I got the ticket for going 30 over, and me and my buddy actually pulled off a race that spanned a 7 mile stretch of road. The road forks at the end, with my lane going right and the oncoming lane going left. A cop happened to see me and flipped on his lights. After he realized that he wouldn’t be able to catch me, he simply turned off his lights.”

Of course, everyone loves their first cars, but there are always the lingering set of questions that hovers throughout everyone’s head: his favorite and least favorite thing about his Firebird. His answers were pretty simple and straight forward. “[my favorite thing about the car] is the V8’s rumble from the straight-piped catback exhaust. [my least favorite thing] is that it’s not fast enough from 0-60 in under 6 seconds. Jake knows that he’s got a while before he can make the Firebird his very own unique Pontiac, but that hasn’t stopped him from dreaming.

I asked him what his plans were for the muscle car, and he responded with a list that came from what seemed like hours of avid dreams and ambitions. eventually, he hopes to put a twin-turbo-charged 427 motorblock in her, which will produce over 900bhp. He plans to couple that motor to a Trimac t60 6-speed manual transmission, and plans to mount the motor and tranny on a Corvette under-body. Just like the Vette, he plans to put a torque tube underneath the car, along with magentic ride suspension. In the back, Jake plans to put a corvette differential in as well. to complete his custom performance package, a hidden roll cage will stiffen the chassis and improve handling.  Cosmetically, he wants the car to be a real head-turner. A 3-inch fender flare wide body kit will give the car a lower and more aggressive appearance, and LED lights will keep up this aggressive image when the sun goes down. He plans to surround himself with a custom interior, including custom gauges and 3-tone upholstery. He plans to finish the car with a carbon grey paint job, along with orange accents throughout.

Jake is a mechanical engineering student, who is going to Arizona in the fall to finish school. He’ll be staying with relatives, which means he’ll be spared the expense (and drama) of living in the dorms. He believes that these benefits, along with consistently nice weather will accommodate him better, and that he will be able to focus more on getting his degree figures he will be much more accommodated with his new home,  and with all of that saved money, he’ll be able to focus on making turning his dream car, into a reality.

Gallery: Grizzly’s Firebird

Are you a college student? Think your ride has what it takes to be a featured campus cruiser? Send us a picture of your ride, along with why you think you have what it takes for your chance to be the next featured campus cruiser.

The Options List: What To Look For

Buying a car can be either a fun, exciting, and possibly memorable experience. It can also be an experience that can cost you thousands extra if you aren’t careful with how you choose. Choosing the car is a dilemma within itself, because there is so much to consider, based on what your needs are. What makes the biggest difference in how much you will be writing a check for in the end before you sign your name is the options list. This is where the game of buying a car gets serious. The Salesman pitches every reason why you should have this option, or that option, and corners you until you are coerced into complying with his suggestions. The only thing the buyer has on their side when buying a car is knowledge, and experience. Here is a list of 5 Do’s and Dont’s that will help you win the battle against the salesman when it comes to running through the options list.

DO: Factory Rims:

              Okay, so you may think that this is a bit of an oversight. But let’s be honest. Appearance is a huge part of anyone’s agenda, whether you want to believe it or not. So, Though it may be the cheaper route to for-go those alloy rims in favor of the cheaper hub-cap imitation, don’t do it. It may not be noticeable at first, but the rims of a car can be a real head-turner, and if you’re willing to spend the little extra for the authentic forged alloys, you can make your ride look that much better, and in most cases, you won’t have to spend much anywhere else. Plus, they usually last longer. Along with durability, factory alloys will generally add to the overall resale value of the car, making them a good investment.

DO: Navigation

              We live in a hustle and bustle kind of world, and today, it isn’t considered very safe, or legal for that matter, to flip open a paper map. Yes most phones today have GPS capability, and you can pick up third-party systems from your local Best Buy or Wal-mart, but today’s in-car navigation systems have been re-worked and re-fined into simple, hands-free, easy to use interfaces, that have come to meet the credibility of what most brands charge for on-board navigation. In nearly all cases, today’s systems integrate all the functions of the vehicle into one screen, and make driving as easy as speaking a command, without having to dial in any addresses, phone numbers, or even radio stations. This means that driving is much safer, and much easier to handle. Along with the added safety that today’s on-board systems offer, technology is only getting better, and today you are getting more for your money.

DO: LED lights

                   

More expensive than traditional bulb-lights? Yes. Worth the minimal expense? Definitely. Let’s be honest, who wants to spend time and money repeatedly changing out light bulbs every time they burn out. LED lights tend to last nearly 30 years, which translates to plenty of money and time saved from having to take chunks of time out of your day to change a burned out bulb. Not only is it easier to maintain, LED bulbs light up the appearance of the car, and are much safer than traditional bulb lights. Do yourself and your wallet a favor; go for this option. It’s worth it.

DO: Power Seats

               

When you buy a car, the onlything that occurs after you drive it off of the lot is depreciation. In order to benefit you as the driver both now and in the long run, when it comes time to sell it or trade it in, you want to maintain residual value of the car as much as you can. This option in general makes driving the vehicle convenient for you, and comfortable for both you and your passenger. And when it’s time to get rid of the car, this option can add a nice sum of money to the overall value of it.

DO: Power Locks

Convenience for the buyer is a big deal these days, so it’s important to know what options can fulfill the convenience factor when you’re in the market for a new vehicle. Power locks are a convenience feature that is essentially an industry standard for new cars coming off of the line today. The only place you might still find manual locks is on the cheapest trim levels of the lowest priced cars. Power locks enable the convenience of giving both the driver and their passengers instant access to the vehicle. It’s not only easy and convenient, it is also a  good option that will help the car hold a little better value when it comes time to trade it in or sell it.

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Now that you have a pretty good understanding of the options you’ll want to go for when looking at the options list, it’s time to flip the script and take a look at what not to go for. Much of the time, you’ll see some of these options, and while in some cases they add aesthetic value to the overall appearance of the car, they definitely don’t help in terms of practicality, or overall necessity for that matter. Here’s a list of options DON’Ts to look for.

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DON’T: Running Boards:

                  Got your eyes on that SUV? If you do, you may think that it’s a bit high off of the ground. That means you’ll want to throw running boards on the sides so it’s easier to climb in to. Here’s a great idea that will save you money, and unnecessary accessories: don’t do it. If the factory believed that the SUV was too tall, they would have thrown in running boards as a standard option. However, many drivers neglect that door sills can come in great use when it comes to climbing into their truck or SUV. unlike cars, the doorsills of Trucks are much beefier, and a bit wider, which gives them greater functionality. And, if you plan on doing some off-roading, then running boards are definitely not an option. Hit a rock or side swipe a tree and these ridiculous pieces of tubing will get mangled and possibly interfere with your ability to drive after your mishap.

DON’T: Heated Seats

Heated seats can be nice to have, but they really are not needed. They make no real difference on a cold day, and they cost extra to put in as an option. Unless they come standard on your vehicle, don’t spend the extra money on them. If they come in a bundle, that is more of a reason to avoid them; most of those options might just add up to an even bigger waste of money. Stick with the traditional heating system that comes with the car. It’s practical, and it’ll keep you warm.

DON’T: Special, or Limited Edition models

Does anyone really notice the difference? Special Edition models are nothing more than the same car, just with several options that you don’t need in the first place. The only reason it’s considered “Special” is because it has a badge that convinces you that for some reason, that particular model is much better than the same, much cheaper priced model next to it. In other words, don’t believe everything you see when you look at a car. Special editions are usually filled to the brim with unnecessary options and are usually over-priced. The bottom line? There’s nothing special about a special edition.

DON’T: Undercoating/Rust-proofing

It may sound like a sensible, and viable option, but don’t let the title fool you. Rust-proofing and undercoating generally cost thousands extra, and are completely unnecessary for your car. It sounds silly that this is an option don’t, but you can prevent rust and corrosion from overtaking your vehicle by simply paying attention to it. If you wash it when it’s dirty, and touch it up with a nice waxing every so often, you can deliver the same protective measures to your car’s finish for thousands less than you think. Rust-proofing generally does not live up to its name, and can mislead you into thinking that as long as you have your car, you should be scot-free from the worries of corrosion and rust. Today’s cars are finished with solid paints and durable, dependable clear coats that usually don’t require more than occasional TLC. Don’t waste your money.