I saw a Pontiac G5 coupe the other day. I guess I was shocked that I had never noticed them before. There don't seem to be many out there and it's probably because of how they look. It looked like a Chevy Cobalt mated with a tennis shoe or something. Where there should be a nice line continuing, it abruptly ends and that when they slapped some ugly on it.

I guess I don't understand why cheap cars have to be ugly. Do they hire less experienced designers to make cheap cars? I mean, don't they want to sell more than 10 of them? I don't get it. Maybe this is part of the reason that Pontiac's no longer around.

I might be spoiled with my RSX. It's a 2002 and I still love it. I wish they kept making them. The nice thing is that they're kind of rare. It's just so cliche seeing someone driving a Pontiac and they all look the same. They seem to slap the same headlights and grill on every car. Every time you look in your rearview mirror, you see it. How annoying. Not very creative. I guess if you don't know what to buy and just give up, you buy a Pontiac. I used to really like them because they were so sporty. It just seemed like they stopped caring somwhere in the 1990s and that was their downfall.

If you own one, no offense. This is just my opinion and, I'm sorry that you own one. :-)

-T

I don't have one yet but I'm on the lookout for a 1988 or 1999 Toyota MR2 Supercharged with manual transmission in great shape.

I did go an look at one in North Carolina in July but it had cooling problems along with steering and brake issues. I learned a lot looking at that one. I've also been looking on eBay for probably over a year - a bit more now though.

I may wait until next year once I sell my condo and get a house unless I find a really great deal in the meantime. It would have to be REALLY great though.

People keep asking me, "Why an MR2?" Well, if you don't know, I can't really explain it but I'll try. For me, my uncle let me drive his when I was like 17 years old and I loved it. It's a mid-engine car, so it's balanced really well - which helps it being rear wheel drive. It's only about waist high, so it's really low to the ground. They're just awesome. The one I want is the MK I model but a few years in, so they're not exactly like the 1985 models but better in my opinion.

I found out today that MR2 means "Midship Runabout 2 Seater." That's what the emblem on the hood is for.

There's a huge audience out there, too. People love these cars.

Some things I've learned already:

• The alternators rust since there's a vent right above them where air is supposed to come in. Unfortunately, water can gather there and drip right onto the alternator.
• Rust is the big issue. High mileage doesn't mean a whole lot.
• The cooling system is a little more complicated since there is a radiator up front under the hood.
• The exhaust system is less complicated since it's right by the engine.

So the search is on!

-Tony

So this is the 3rd installment in my TSX test driving adventures. I think they really want to sell me one of these. The other posts:

• Test Driving the '09 Acura TSX
• Test Driving the '09 Acura TSX - Part Deux

Being wintertime, I really enjoyed the heated seats! I've never had a car with that feature before and am seriously thinking of making it a necessary feature on the next car I get. I'm not a huge fan of the electronic rear view mirror. You can't move it up like on other cars but It seemed to have adjusted itself for nighttime. It got sort of bluer or something. It did cut down the glare, but I actually prefer the old way - and that's just one more thing that can break.

I did some more paddle shifting. I'm still not a fan of it though. When you turn, it's hard to shift. It's alright on straight runs. I love stick shift, so this definitely did not compare. It is nice to drive automatic once in a while, so having the option is nice. If I lived in a metro area like Chicago, I'd have to ditch the stick shift and get automatic. So I prefer the way they do it in the 2009 Acura TL.

Since I did more night driving this time, I noticed that the xeon lights, although really bright, just didn't give enough light down the road - especially on the road up to the ski hill. It just cuts off and goes from really bright to dark. I found myself looking farther ahead than where the light ended and that was really dark. I don't have that problem with the normal headlights on my RSX. I love when they come on though, it's like you lit a gas torch or something.

It didn't have GPS navigation but that's ok. The stereo and computer are pretty cool. It gives you a lot of info and the menu is easy to use although the display is really boring and you have to get used to it at first and figure out what each number means. Acura should get a designer involved more with that as it could be done better.

I remembered that there was no gas door button this time. Last time I searched the whole car for it instead of just trying to open the door - doh!

I love the acceleration and the car, again, is just very comfortable. Very me. Everything is where you'd expect it. The memory seat positions are cool, too. And did I mention I like the heated seats??

The RSX is running better. I got it back this morning. It was just a sensor, but it was figuring out how to mix the air and gas, so I should see my gas mileage improve again. I was just thinking the other day how I used to get better gas mileage - like 400 miles per tank. I had been in the 340 range for a while now but I also have the snow tires on, so that could have made a big difference in gas mileage.

Oh, and a noise I thought the transmission was making was actually just the snow tires. I took a mechanic out on a test drive and we figured that out. Those things are really loud, wow. They get ya through the snow though. I'm glad I put them on.

-Tony

The 2009 Car of the Year is the Hyundai Genesis. This was announced at the beginning of the Detroit Auto Show a few days ago. I've seen commercials for it and I was surprised that this was a Hyundai. I thought it was a Lexus or something. It looks nice. It looks like a Lexus from the front and a BMW from the back. the Genesis Coupe looks like a Honda Accord Coupe. If I somehow end up going to the Chicago Auto Show this year (I used to go but now I ski quite a bit), then I'll definitely check it out. I'd consider buying this car.

2009 Car of the Year: Hyundai Genesis
Luxury Hyundai takes prestigious award as the 2009 Detroit Auto Show kicks off. F-150 wins for trucks.

The Hyundai Genesis won the prestigious Car of the Year Award Sunday at the start of media preview days for the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. The redesigned Ford F-150 won the Truck of the Year award.

It seems to me what Hyundai has done in maybe the last 8-10 years is copy the design of other cars. I've seen elements of Saabs, Jaguars and the Honda Accord in their car designs. It's hard to tell a Hyundai Sonata and Honda Accord apart sometimes. I think doing this is fine. Why not? "It's what people want" (to borrow a line from Volkswagon) and that's good business. Chevrolet has their own, same kind of design/style. You can look at a car and know it's a Chevy even without seeing the logo on it. That's fine. That's how it's maybe "supposed" to be. I personally think the Chevy design isn't all that good. It looks old. Honda has its own type of design, too, but the difference is that Hondas look cool, new and modern. So Hyundai breaks some marketing rules buy not having consistent design but hey, it works. Their cars look great.

My folks traded in their Chevy Trailblazer last year for a Hyundai Sonata. I've driven the car a few times now and I like it. I'm a big Honda / Acura fan, so it felt comfortable to me. Hyundai has a great warranty and their cars are popular. They've really changed their image and they're building cars that people want. That's just good business and makes sense for an economy like we're in right now. Good job, Hyundai!

Some links:

• Check out the Hyundai Genesis: HyundaiGenesis.com
• And they have a coupe, too: HyundaiGenesisCoupe.com

Happy Driving!
-Tony