The 350Z is a looker. We couldn’t resist a closer inspection of this new stunner and so we visited our local store for a test hop. The ‘track’ model that we drove had the huge alloys with the Brembo (racing) brakes. With 287 horsepower advertised it certainly could put them to use! I must say that I wasn’t that thrilled. The shifter was precise but the clutch loose and sloppy. The exhaust note did not inspire and the transmission had a gear whine just like the original Z’s from 1970. There would be some learning curve to be smooth with that long throwclutch. The emission controls don’t allow it to idle down even though the throttle is closed. Lack of space for my roller bag or even the grocery bags was a non-plus unless you were to lean clear forward over the rigid body torsional structure roll bar under the rear hatch.

So, we tried Honda’s offering, the S2000. This is a sports car that’s been out for awhile but I must say that their engineers got it right! By contrast, you feel like you are wearing this ride. Easy to handle. Point and squirt and with the tach in the sweet zone (between 6000 and 8000 revs) it makes awesome Formula One metallic mechanical song underhood. Not a Miata. Never bothered to preview the radio. The driving experience was enough. We came away wearing big grins after this one.

I’m an ebay virgin. I know that ebay is a household term and I do consider myself to be a computer power user. But up until now, I’ve never used the service. My first auction is now in progress! It sure seems like fun. Except for the part where I’m selling my ‘old junk’ at 38 cents on the dollar(!?*!)…

• dial gauge
• Z block
• crows foot
• cam holder
• tune-up
• cyl head socket
• heat xchgr socket

These things have been in my tool box for 20 years. May they find good use and preservation with someone else.

This was due month for the annual safety | emissions inspection and I was successful in starting out early, and got the drop on everyone else with the same intent. I was congratulating myself when the tech approached me in the customer lounge with the unwelcome news that my vehicle had failed 🙁 He was unable to complete the emissions test because my OBD II connector was dangling loose underdash when it should have been secured in its bracket. (tisk tisk – picky, ain’t he?). I knew about the mounting. It disintegrated the last time I plugged in my laptop cable to download a pesky intermittent airbag fault code that I’m tracking. Cheap plastic. “They [factory] need to make the bracket more [robust]. You cannot be the first with this problem…”, he told me. I knew it would be fruitless to argue that my connector link was still serviceable regardless. He was only following guidelines from some thick manual no doubt and wouldn’t bend without a 2×4. So, I collected my rejection slip and departed with the realization that what could have been a 50 minute chore could now easily burn the better part of the day what with chasing down the part at the dealership cross town (assuming that they even had it in $tock and could $pare a man to install it). I drove back to my shade tree garage hopeful to discover remedy. The first object that I laid eyes on was an old paint tray(!) with an 90 degree angled metal foot that would do nicely as a bracket. With a saw, drill, and some assorted screws, washers and nuts, I robbed the piece and fashioned two new brackets that would mate up with the original in place of the broken plastic tabs. In the end I don’t know if I really saved any. I pondered as I measured and fabricated ‘that if my twin had raced for the parts department at about the same time would he handily return with a new bolt-in-part before I had finished’. I suppose there is some personal satisfaction however in my spit ‘n bailing wire fix. Finally, I made my way back for the re-test and it was over and done with in time for a late lunch. Until next year then!

Not that I can claim never to have got-stuck-in-the-mud — what we have is a lapse in driver SA (situational awareness)when said driver tried a short cut out of the parking spot. With some fairness, it was less than ideal parking lot design with the curb and planter anchored on the right side and not visible when entering or exiting the vehicle. After a cell call plea, I arrived with a floor jack and some 2 x 4 boards and was able to extricate this mess. Tell tale mud tracks leading out of the trap showed that ours wasn’t the first or only car to land into the pit. I left the wood pieces for the next poor fellow. Fortunately, there was no physical damage or animals harmed during the creation of this blog. Only mental anguish and some hand wringing and a lesson learned. Okay kids, let’s be careful out there.