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Jalopnik Calls BS On CNN's TSB

Posted by kopok Tuesday, March 23, 2010 0 comments

One of the best things about new media is that we acknowledge the existence and work of others in the same field and help it reach a wider audience. In radio and TV, where I began my career (and still work), the "other guys" are never mentioned, unless it's in connection with videotape of one of their reporters and a barnyard animal dressed in the outfit on page 38 of the Victoria's Secret catalog.

Well, Jalopnik scores again...taking dead aim at CNN's story about a 2002 Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) that purports to show Toyota's known about electronic causes of unintended acceleration in its vehicles for eight years.

I've been a Jalopnik reader and fan for a lot of years (the Samuel L. Jackson Maybach piece still has me laughing three-plus years later)...reporting like Matt Hardigree's reinforces that.

Full story here.

Challenger SRT-8 Auction Dispute Goes Face To Face Saturday

Posted by kopok Friday, March 19, 2010 0 comments

We've been following the story of the Southern California Dodge dealer who put a 2009 SRT-8 up on eBay, found itself with a winning bid of only $29,100 and claims a computer glitch erased their $42,995 reserve, only to have eBay say that couldn't and didn't happen.

Now, Jalopnik reports the bidder and the dealer will be sitting down to talk with each other tomorrow.

The winning bidder posts to the Challenger Talk Forums under the name "Hitman". Here's a link to the most recent page of the thread about the auction gone wrong as of post time. Hit "next" if the page count is above 115 when you get there.

eBay Denies Problem With Challenger Auction

Posted by kopok Thursday, March 18, 2010 0 comments

The stalemate over a $29,100 winning eBay bid for a 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT-8 isn't going away soon.

This morning, we linked you over to Jalopnik, which got the dealer's side of the story...that they were lowering the "But It Now" price and through some glitch, the reserve vanished.

But now, eBay weighs in and says....um...no. Full story from the guys who are in full Woodward/Bernstein mode at Jalopnik. And you can follow the outrage on the Challenger Talk Forums.

UPDATE: eBay Error In Challenger Auction Dispute?

Posted by kopok 0 comments

Yesterday, we told you about the dispute between the winning bidder of an eBay auction and a Southern California auto dealer over a 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT-8.

The winner says he should get the car for his winning bid of $29,100...the dealer says no way...the car's worth more than $40K.

Well, Jalopnik has uncovered the story behind the story...the part where the dealer says it actually did have a reserve of $42,995...went online to lower it...and didn't realize the reserve was deleted from the listing.

eBay's fault or the dealer's? eBay's investigating. And the Challenger Talk Forums are buzzing.

Jim "Runaway Prius" Sikes: The Mainstream Media Finds Neutral, Hunting For Reverse

Posted by kopok Monday, March 15, 2010 0 comments

The wide-eyed breathless mainstream media acceptance of Jim Sikes' claim that his Toyota Prius accelerated unintentionally on a San Diego County freeway a week ago is evaporating...and all it took was a look at the facts (something we've been doing for.....oh, a week), and the release of a memo detailing the inspection of Sikes' Prius, which, in a nutshell says what he says happened...couldn't have.

The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) broke the story first on Saturday...quoting "three people familiar with the investigation" who say investigators found a particular pattern of wear on the brakes inconsistent with Sikes' story.

CBS followed up Sunday, reporting on a memo that says investigators "can't replicate the problems Sikes said he encountered." ABC News said essentially the same thing.

But if you want the full story, it's new media all the way. Jalopnik not only is reporting about the memo, it's published the entire thing....and its headline doesn't pull any punches either.

Story Of The Year: Car Crash Leaves Woman In Persistent State of Sexual Arousal

Posted by kopok Thursday, December 17, 2009 0 comments

Forget the GM and Chrysler bankruptcies. This is the automotive story people will be talking about the most as 2009 draws to a close.

From Jalopnik. Though the original, significantly less smart-alecky version, including an interview with Joleen Baughman can be found on the KOAT-TV Albuquerque website.

The New Car And Driver...And How To Read It

Posted by kopok Friday, December 4, 2009 0 comments

Well, TireKicker told you a month ago about the coming January redesign of Car and Driver, but Jalopnik scores the first look, including a guided tour by editor Eddie Alterman.

This Time It's Real: The Caprice Is Back...For Police

Posted by kopok Monday, October 5, 2009 0 comments

Well, forget that stuff about GM importing the Pontiac G8 as a cop car.

The real deal, according to Jalopnik, is a revival of the Caprice.

Inspiring Badge Envy

Posted by kopok Thursday, September 17, 2009 0 comments

Once supplies run out, you and I won't be able to buy the wonderful Pontiac G8 anymore.

But according to Jalopnik, we'll be able to enjoy the thrill of being pulled over by them, as GM plans to import them as police vehicles.

Jalopnik's Graverobber Swings For The Bleachers

Posted by kopok Thursday, July 9, 2009 0 comments

Jalopnik has a fun regular feature, "Nice Price or Crack Pipe", in which readers debate whether a used vehicle offered for sale (usually on eBay or Craigslist) is worth the asking price.

The contributing writer usually gets a few clever lines in, but Graverobber has outdone himself with today's entry about a 1985 Dodge 600 Convertible with a price tag of $15,000.

And yes, there's a definite P.J. O'Rourke influence at work here.

Why You Should Want To Review Cars

Posted by kopok Friday, June 19, 2009 0 comments

For 26 years, my favorite piece of automotive journalism has been Brock Yates' "Escape From Baja" in the July 1983 Car and Driver (you can download it as a full-color .pdf here...and you really should...scroll to the bottom of the linked page and click on the image).

I mean, really...what could be more fun than 9 frequently inebriated American writers and a photographer driving 8 midsize sedans through inhospitable territory, Biblical weather and (in the case of one of the cars) halfway through a cow before abandoning the trip...and more than $100,000 worth of loaned press vehicles...south of the border (where current press loan documents specifically forbid taking testers)?

Well, it's been a heck of a run, but Brock and the gang (including David E. Davis, Jr, Don Sherman, Jean Lindamood (Jennings), Rich Ceppos, Larry Griffin, Csaba Csere and P.J. O'Rourke) have slipped to #2.

Not having BBC America, I missed Jeremy Clarkson's Top Gear review of the Ford Fiesta until Jalopnik posted it today. If you haven't seen it, trust me...it's worth the 11 minutes it will take to watch it...and the hour you'll spend watching it again with friends. It's epic automotive journalism and great TV.

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