Driving through Oregon’s John Day Basin, I begin to feel adrift in time.
Unlike Don, I was not fortunate enough to take our Porsche 911 Carrera 4S tester on an extended road trip. Instead my lively driving maneuvers were relegated to select on-ramps and a few local windy roads. Other than that, the 911 was my daily driver – picking up laundry, stopping by the grocery store and running various errands. I took the long way, mind you. I’m not stupid.
We select cars for practical reasons and maybe choose our car colors out of practicality too – most will choose white over black in the hot Southwest, for example. But when we fantasize about our dream cars, we dream in living color, says Leatrice Eiseman, director of the Pantone Color Institute and author of “The Color Answer Book” (Capital Books, 2003).
As of July 1, Washington joined five other states by enacting a law prohibiting driving while talking on handheld cell phones. Whether you agree with its premise or not, cited violations will cost you $124.
This week, we’re driving Hyundai’s flagship 2009 Sonata Limited, a fully equipped four-door sedan that competes nicely with names costing twice as much in the mid to larger size categories.
Dear Mike: I drive a 2006 Dodge Magnum 3.5L and I use 89-octane gas. I live in the Northeast.
Why I love it: “Old Gold” was purchased new and served as the family car for 14 years (the pic shows my sister and I on the day it was purchased). In 1985 I turned 16 and it became mine. I used it all through high school and college. It was usually reliable and always fast. After college, life started getting complicated and poor Old Gold sat neglected for 12 long years, until I started her restoration in 2003.
