Car Show Calendar

The 20th annual “Winter Warm Up” indoor car show will be held 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at Gaillard Auditorium Exhibition Hall in Charleston. The event will include participant judging and People’s Choice award. It is open to all pre-1990 cars and trucks and to any special-interest vehicle or motorcycle. Read More

Boat names, trucking hire highlight wheels and waves enterprises

Looking to buy a big rig, or name a big boat? Well, you've come to the right place. A local trucking dealership has hired a new chief, and one of the country’s largest boating organizations has unveiled its list of top vessel monickers. Read More

Up the Road

Dealer group “stoked” about new Kia outlet in Goose Creek

The physical move for Stokes Kia was hardly a mile north, but the strategic shift has been much more extensive. Stokes Kia relocated to Goose Creek five months ago. Once overshadowed by the Honda outlet next door on Rivers Avenue, the Kia dealership moved to a new 20,000-square-foot center on close to four acres of high ground along well-traveled U.S. Highway 52. Read More

Sudden Unintended Acceleration cases hit close to home

At latest count, there are now 9.5 million vehicles being recalled by the Toyota Corp. for “Sudden Unintended Acceleration” defects. Your columnist is just one of the 9.5 million. Your logical question could be, “How can a former General Motors Corp. employee be affected by a Toyota recall?” The GM-Toyota relationship began in the early 1970s when the Japanese carmaker came to General Motors seeking an alliance in building automobiles in the United States. Read More

A Few Minutes With ... David Warren

Recent Citadel graduate puts customers in driver’s seat as general manager at Luxury Cars of Charleston

The conventional wisdom is that younger people are more technologically savvy than their elders. So it makes sense that David B. Warren, soon after joining Luxury Cars of Charleston as general manager, would be the one to redesign the company’s online menu to be more consumer-friendly. “We have a wonderful Web site,” said Warren, 25. “If you live out(side) of 1739 Savannah Highway (the car store’s physical address), this is the face of the dealership.” Read More

Car Talk

Olive oil a greasy — and ineffective — choice to keep ice off the windshield

Q. We had a big snowstorm this week. Not wanting to scrape the ice off my windshield, the night before the storm I looked around for something to put under my wipers to keep the ice off. Unable to come up with anything, I contemplated alternatives. Then it came to me: Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil! I smeared some Filippo Berio on the windshield and waited for the snow. The next morning, the snow slid off the windshield like a greasy zeppole. Great, I thought. When the snow stopped, I noticed a haze on the windshield. Read More

Car Show Calendar

A cruise-in will be held 6-8 p.m. at Andolini’s Pizza on Coleman Boulevard in Mount Pleasant. The event is free and open to everyone. Read More

Japan needs to level playing field when it comes to imports of U.S. vehicles

It has been widely reported the U.S. “Cash for Clunkers” campaign was so successful that Washington is contemplating a similar Cash for Appliances next. The summer 2009 program was deemed “successful,” particularly for the imported brands. Yes, although the idea was to assist American automakers, Japanese importers sold 319,342 vehicles. Five of the top 10 sellers in the Clunkers program were Japanese makes. Great for international relations. A Wall Street Journal headline read, “Clunkers Lifts Foreign Cars.” The Japanese government is so gratified that it is inaugurating its own clunkers stimulus plans in order to “boost sales of fuel-efficient cars.” That reads well EXCEPT the Japanese government has shut out all U.S. brand vehicles from participating. Read More

Starter value

Eye-catching prices available on 2010 domestic and import models, even without incentives

Shopping for car bargains can be a satisfying experience and gentle on the pocketbook. But don’t be too stingy, especially in the new car hunt. Setting the bar too low, such as only looking at vehicles priced below $10,000, can vastly reduce the choices. A 2010 Nissan Versa sedan starts at $9,990, the only new vehicle with a base price in four figures, based on the widely cited Edmunds.com auto information Web site. Read More

Winter indoor car show on tap, local autocross postponed

Both inside and out, local car enthusiasts are gearing up to show off their restored vehicles or tune them up for the race course. Here’s a couple of examples. Read More

A Few Minutes With ... Todd Smith

McElveen partner champions nimble workplace for slowly improving auto market

While cognizant of the national auto slowdown, Todd Smith is encouraged by McElveen’s strong sales figures in December and early this month. He believes the local company is well-positioned with franchises in Berkeley County, east of the Cooper and west of the Ashley selling new General Motors cars and trucks, as well as Hyundai sedans, coupes and sport utilities and dozens of used cars a week. Yet Smith is at the same time pragmatic, aware that many potential buyers remain on the fence. So once in a while it takes an attraction or two to get people to come out to the showroom, he said. Read More

Car Talk

“As the Hub Covers Turn”: motorist wonders why cap hoodies get misaligned

Q. I live in New Hampshire and have a 2002 Saab 9-5 Aero. About 10 weeks ago, after putting on the snow tires, I personally put the little blue “hub covers” with the Saab logo on the center of each wheel. Just for kicks, I put on the covers so they all were facing exactly the same way. The other day, I was walking up to the car and noticed that all the covers are now misaligned. I’m thinking to myself: “How did that happen? Did someone sneak into my garage at night and purposely reposition the hub covers?” This is really baffling me. Read More

Plug-ins, hybrids mark South Carolina’s recent moves into alternative car fuels

From electricity to hydrogen, South Carolinians are getting their share of new auto technology. Here are a few examples. Read More

Car Show Calendar

A cruise-in will be held 6-8 p.m. at Andolini’s Pizza on Coleman Boulevard in Mount Pleasant. The event is free and open to everyone. Read More

Poor city roads can make negative first impressions for tourists

Many times, first impressions determine a buyer’s mood in making decisions. When buying a used car, for example, potential purchasers are influenced by first impressions — if there are scratches or a badly worn tire, doubts immediately arise. Because first impressions are so important, used-car retailers devote as much attention to the vehicle’s appearance as in the mechanical end to preparing a car or truck for sale. Take the scenario further: first impressions are equally important in buying real estate. If, on first inspection of a home for sale, a prospective buyer notices a broken sidewalk or a front step broken, the client’s eyebrows rise. Now take the first impression fable to another, higher level: picture yourself as a tourist visiting Charleston for the first time. From previous knowledge learned, Charleston is widely known as a “World Class Destination.” Now, first impressions of the arriving tourist are often while driving, of course. Yes, Charleston IS a world class destination – with Third World roads: This is the opinion of many readers of this column. Read More