In our last episode of Car Shopping we introduced our contestants:

• the Ford Escape 4×4,
• Ford Fusion AWD, and
• Ford Taurus AWD;
• the Jeep Patriot 4×4, and
• Jeep Liberty 4×4;
• the Honda CR-V AWD,
• the Subaru Forester, and
• the Toyota RAV4 AWD, with
• the Chevy Equinox AWD rounding out the group.

So how did we come up with this cast of characters.  Also from last time, here are our basic criteria:

• all-wheel or four-wheel drive,
• as close to 20mpg city and 30mpg highway as possible,
• real passenger space for five (not just two up front and three bags of groceries in the rear seat),
• cargo/trunk space for backpacks, sports gear bags, and the occasional saxophone, and all for
• less than $30,000.

Let’s look a little closer at each of these requirements.

All-wheel or four-wheel drive.

In the often snowy Northeast winter traction is important; for us, at least, off-road capability is not.  While there are more vehicles available with all-wheel or four-wheel drive now than just a few years ago, this does significantly limit our choices.  It also incurs a fuel economy penalty, around 2mpg city to around 5mpg highway from what I’ve seen.

Auto makers have a bewildering variety of names for their all-wheel and four-wheel drive systems, with varying degrees of normal torque split between front and rear wheels and the amount of torque transfer to the driven wheel(s).  Here is a basic article (at least to start with) on the similarities and differences among AWD and 4WD systems, and another articleon the subject on Wikipedia.

In our case, either an all-wheel drive system which sends some power to all of the wheels all of the time and can shift power to the wheel(s) that have traction, or an automatic four-wheel drive system that engages only when a loss of traction is detected are preferred.  Since we won’t be driving off-road, rarely even on unpaved roads, having a 4WD system with low range or requiring driver intervention is neither necessary since desirable.  We’re looking for the Ronco Showtime Rotisserie of all-wheel/four-wheel drive systems:  We want to “set it and forget it.”

20mpg city, 30 mpg highway.

Sure, I’d love to have an all-wheel drive family hauler that gets 40mpg or more - who wouldn’t?  But it doesn’t exist - not yet anyway.  So I did a little research on Edmunds.com, which has a handy way of filtering vehicle choices based on size, price, type, fuel economy, drive system (all-wheel, four-wheel, front-wheel, etc. - see above), seating capacity, and so on.  Using this tool helped me find the sedans, crossovers, and SUVs that get decent mileage and would likely still have decent passenger space.  This fuel economy requirement was also based on the car we intend to replace, though it requires premium unleaded (yet another way of reminding us that we are not the right kind of people… but, anyway…).

Real passenger space.

The primary mission of the new car will be taking my wife back and forth to work, but she will often need to pick up one or more of our daughters and sometimes a friend for a ride home.  She may also do more car-pooling this year, and having a car with decent adult-sized room in the back seat makes it a little more liveable.  Since I’m 6′4″ one of the key tests for me is to adjust the driver’s seat for me and then see how much leg room there is (or isn’t) for the back seat passenger behind me.  Ideally, I could “sit behind myself” comfortably, but that doesn’t happen often and we might be willing to (or have to) settle for something slightly less roomy.

Cargo/trunk space.

One of the things I have liked about the Suburban, other than the four-wheel drive capability, is its combination of passenger space and cargo space.  For the front seats and middle row, there is about as much leg room as you could expect outside a limousine.  Even the third row seat has decent leg room, but is also a very low occupancy space for us.  The Suburban also has a fair amount of cargo space even with the third row seat in use, and even more with it folded down or removed.  But how often do I really need the combination of all that passenger space and allthat cargo space?  Probaby fewer than a dozen times over the last five years.  Worth it?  No, not really.

So we don’t need to carry eight people, and all their stuff, or enough for a family of five to go camping for a week.  But we do need enough cargo space for each occupant to have a briefcase, backpack, sports gear bag (field hockey, softball, track, etc.), a tenor saxophone, etc.

Under $30,000.

Even among vehicles meeting all the other requirements there is a staggering number of trim levels, options, and accessories that can significantly jack up the price.  For example, the 2009 Ford Fusion SE (the lowest trim level available with AWD) lists for $23,930.  A fully loaded Fusion SEL, by comparison, lists for $31,300.  That’s more than $7,000 in leather trim, electronics, and other comfort and convenience features.  Nice?  Sure, at least some of them.  But really necessary?  That’s a matter of preference, I suppose.  Our preference, at least for now, is to take a pass on most of these.  Power windows, door locks, mirrors, and air conditioning come standard on most vehicles now, anyway.

The $30,000 price limit also has to cover state sales tax, the fact that we’re still a little upside down on the car we plan to trade, and want to keep our payment at or below what we’re paying now.  Sounds a little like “Mission: Impossible” now, doesn’t it?

Stay tuned.

[cue ominous movie trailer music and Don LaFontaine]

In a world where filling your gas tank means taking out a second mortgage and hoping for a Congressional bailout…

Yes, we’ve finally decided to make a change.  But it’s not the Suburban that’s going - not this time, anyway (evil laugh).  It may be a gas hog, but it’s paid for, I don’t drive it very far, and it’s still running well.  Our 2001 Mercedes E320 4Matic wagon, on the other hand, is just too demanding a car for us.  Great ride, solid as a… well, I was going to say “solid as a bank vault” but that wouldn’t be saying much, I suppose.  Room for seven, and decent gas mileage (29 mpg highway, 23-24 in mixed driving) to boot.  And it’s been reliable, but when it needs repairs - heck, even when it needs routine maintenance, yikes!  That giant sucking sound is the money being vacuumed out of our checking account.

Having now been beaten into submission by our uber-German taskmaster (the car, not the service manager), we have set out on a quest to find something less exalted, something less expensive, something… with a warranty.  This has set us to thinking about what we really need from a car.  After doing some preliminary research into the limits of what is available, we have come up with a few basic criteria:

• all-wheel or four-wheel drive,
• as close to 20mpg city and 30mpg highway as possible,
• real passenger space for five (not just two up front and three bags of groceries in the rear seat),
• cargo/trunk space for backpacks, sports gear bags, and the occasional saxophone, and all for
• less than $30,000.

So, who are our contestants, Johnny?

First off, three siblings from Michigan (via Kansas City, Missouri and Hermosillo, Mexico), meet:

• the Ford Escape 4×4,
• the Ford Fusion AWD, and
• the Ford Taurus AWD.

Next, a rough-and-tumble pair also from right here at home:

• the Jeep Patriot 4×4, and
• the Jeep Liberty 4×4.

Adding international flavor, please welcome:

• the Honda CR-V AWD,
• the Subaru Forester, and
• the Toyota RAV4 AWD.

A late entry to our contest is:

• the Chevy Equinox AWD.

Another hopeful who wasn’t quite tall enough for the adult rides and didn’t make the field:

• the Suzuki SX4 Crossover AWD.

On our next episode of “Car Shopping,” it’s “The Rules.”  (Not to be confused with “The Rules.”)

Rush on The Colbert Report.  You don’t see these guys in interviews very often, especially all three of them, but the more I see them the more I really enjoy their sense of humor.  Oh - and the music?  “Do you ever get tired of being so awesome and kicking so much ass?”  “No, I think we’ve gotten used to it.”  What more is there to say?

Declaration of Independence

Flags wave, fireworks fly, and magnetic stickers abound.  But what does it mean to be patriotic?  On the 232nd anniversary of the declaration creating the United States of America, it’s worth a few minutes to consider.  An essay from the Makinac Center for Public Policy captures much of how I feel.

It isn’t that flags, fireworks, or even the ubiquitous magnetic appliques on our minivans can’t be legitimate expressions of patriotism, but too often they seem to be substitutes for actual patriotism.  It’s as though if we put up enough flags we can convince others, or convince ourselves, of our commitment to the ideals on which this nation was founded, even if we are almost completely unable to express them, let alone actually live them.

Patriotism is more than an emotional response, chest thumping, or simple boosterism.  It’s about those noble ideals, and each doing our part to be true to them in the small things in everyday life, and not just the heroic moments that come to a few.

Of course it’s no longer news that George Carlin died yesterday.  I saw him in concert once when I was in college.  At the time I found his comedy really amusing, the play with words, the willingness to question things no one else would.  Listening to interviews with him years later I came to have a better appreciation for the principles behind his comedy, and I’m glad I did.

Always do what’s next - - George Carlin, 1937-2008

I am not a linguist, a grammarian, or a teacher, nor do I play any of those on television.  However, I am a good speller (city-wide champion in eighth-grade back in 1976 - - you do the math), and I try not to mistreat the English language too much.  One thing I am especially careful not to do is to abuse apostrophes (commas and dashes are on their own, as you can see).

Sitting through a presentation yesterday I nearly lost consciousness after being beaten about the head and shoulders by apostrophes strewn around PowerPoint slides like dead bugs on a windshield (”tech’s” for “technicians,” “x’s” for “times,” for example).  Whenever I see an apostrophe being abused I feel its (no, No, NO! not “it’s”) pain.  A sign in someone’s front yard on the way home:

Puppy’s for sale

I wanted to march up to the front door and demand what belonged to the puppy that they were now offering for sale, and how the puppy felt about this.  I didn’t, of course, because I really like having my own teeth (in my mouth, that is).

And in the supermarket bakery section:

Crusty Boule’s

Wince.

But the worst offense to apostrophes, I believe, is in mistaking the second person possessive pronoun for the contraction of “you are.”  I cringe when I see “your welcome” (what?) or “your my hero.”

Stop!  Just stop!!  Panda says NO!

Alright, alright, I admit it, I’m a stickler and a pedant.  We all have our faults.  Just ask Lynne Truss.

The latter part of May and early June are particularly crazy times, both at home and at work.  So, I’m really not off the air for good, you see.  It’s more like having concluded my broadcast day and taking a breather.

What?  You don’t remember when TV stations used to sign off for the night?  Well, now I feel really old.

Thanks a lot.

Over 650,000 US combat deaths since the start of the American Revolution two hundred thirty-three years ago.  We honor the memory of their sacrifice tomorrow, those who lost their lives knowingly and unknowingly, willingly and unwillingly.  Giving them a few minutes remembrance once or twice a year is not enough:  We would honor them better by not squandering their lives in the first place.

At Mass today, on this feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ I was reminded of something I read last fall:

Only a repeated miracle of God from minute to minute keeps me from falling into hell.  I am made out of earth and ashes and spittle and a little mud.  I don’t know why I don’t vanish like smoke.  I am astounded and terrified at the tenacious pride of life that sticks in me.  It says something in the Breviary how God will confront you, and show you that he is not like you.

I walk around with temptation sticking in my stomach like a dagger, so bad I could vomit.  Yet I hang by a thin thread of grace: when I go to take in my mouth the Blessed Sacrament, how can I do it without crawling on my face the length of the chapel?  Every minute I am like a man condemned to death.  If God wills, He can pardon me.  If He does not will, I am executed.  The knife falls.  Every minute I am forced to plead for my life.

- Run to the Mountain: The Journals of Thomas Merton, Volume 1, 1939-1941.

 No crawling on my face was involved today, though God knows it should have.

Both the earthquake in central China and the cyclone in Myanmar were natural disasters with magnitudes of their own.  But the more tragic disasters are of human origin - fear and greed, selfishness and corruption - and make the losses even more bitter.

Absolutely heartbreaking.