Lately I’ve been amazed at the leaps and bounds automotive manufacturers have been making the last few years in regards to fuel economy, at least in relation to engine power. A few examples? A 2010 Chevrolet Camaro V6 rated with 305 horsepower and 29 miles per gallon (highway), and a 2011 Ford Mustang V6 also with 305 horses, but 31 mpg highway. These are just the base models with automatics, and yet their performance would put just about any Ferrari from the 80s or 90s to shame — all while sucking half as much fuel.
In light of this, I’ve been reassessing just how efficient my 2001 Audi TT Roadster Quattro really is. Once considered almost state-of-the-art, the 1.8-liter turbocharged engine puts out just 225 hp — a pretty amazing 125 hp/liter, but just two-thirds the output of the new pony cars’ larger-displacement base engines. And an EPA rating of 26 mpg highway. Not so impressive.
However, it seems like with any manual-transmissioned car, I can easily beat the EPA numbers. My TT does have a stick, so I wondered just what gas mileage I could get if I “tried.” Continue reading »
With college kids arriving in town by the truckloads and Labor Day quickly approaching, one gets the sense that summer is winding down. If there was any doubt, all you had to do was go to Fort Collins’ City Park on the 15th of August when the pool was being shut down. FC has a particularly unusual way to mark this occasion: they allow people to take their dogs off-leash to let them run amok. Swim amok, too.
“Hey, look at that dog!” Leah exclaimed. There were about a hundred here, but the one she was wagging her finger at was not hard to identify. This is because it was wearing a bikini. Continue reading »
Considering the way a couple dogs were barking at us like we were masked robbers, I cannot claim that los perros in Mexico are mute like the ones in Panama. However, I also can’t say the dogs were doing a good job of being frightening since their ruckus only prompted me to walk back towards them and take their picture — something Sarah, Widhar and Ojudju would tease me about as we ambled toward Teotitlan del Valle. Continue reading »
I had just six days in New England, but I tried making the most of it — including visiting three states I’ve never been to before. Yet, I went at a fairly leisurely pace so as to enjoy the moment, even if this meant not making it to some parts (such as Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park in Maine) that I was thinking of visiting. Total cost of the trip, including airfare from/to Colorado, rental car, gas, shuttles, parking, lodging, meals, groceries, museum tickets, and the $110 Boston Marathon: $850.05. The experience: like what those Mastercard commercials say. Continue reading »
I’m an advocate of doing taxes yourself (using tax software) — except in the most complicated scenarios — as that is one of the best ways to learn about and understand your country’s tax codes and tax breaks. It also can ensure your taxes are done correctly (since, most likely, you know your financial situation better than any tax preparer?) and helps one to plan ahead for the future (i.e., how to take advantage of tax deductions going forward). Continue reading »
One thing that frequently makes me cringe is the sheer amount of waste us humans — especially those in the western world — produce.
Most of the time, the reminders are subtle, but once in awhile they go beyond the threshold of the utterly absurd.
For example, there was the time I mail-ordered some valve seals (o-rings), two rubber grommets, a decal sticker, and an air injection manifold for the MGB, and ended up receiving a box the size of a microwave that contained mostly styrofoam and plastic. Or when I went into OfficeMax to purchase a copy of TurboTax (this was many years ago, before I started boycotting Intuit and began using TaxAct online), and came home with packaging the size of a cereal box containing acres of plastic encasing a single CD-ROM. Continue reading »
