The Weekly Driver Podcast

William Lai of Fremont, California, and Chris White of West Sacramento, California, are among early adopters to the Honda Clarity. Lai, who has owned three electrics cars, drives the all-electric variety. Walker drives the hydrogen-powered Clarity Fuel Cell.

The Honda Clarity is currently only available in California and Oregon.

Chris White drives a Honda Clarity Fuel Cell. It operates on hydrogen and has a 366-mile range.

A pioneer in the alternative fuel vehicles (the original Insight debuted in 2000, a few months before the Toyota Prius) Honda has also equipped its new vehicles with Honda Sensing. It’s the carmaker’s “intelligent suite of safety and driver-assistance technologies designed to alert you to things you might miss while driving.”

In Episode 35 of The Weekly Driver podcast below, hosts Bruce Alert and James Raia discuss with Lai and White their experiences with their new cars.

Specifically, the two guests detail one component of Honda Sensing, the Collision Mitigation Braking System. It “applies brake pressure when an unavoidable collision is determined.”

William Lai drives a Honda Clarity electric. It has an 89-mile range.

Lai and White believe the system stopped potential catastrophe before it occurred. The two Clarity drivers also provide insight into their driving habits and how the Clarity fits into their respective lifestyles.

White, director of communications at the California Fuel Cell Partnership in Sacramento, was the first person in Northern California to have the Clarity. Lai leased the electric trim after changing his mind from his intial interest in the Chevrolet Bolt.

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Ryan Brutt is a writer and photographer who exudes enthusiasm about muscle cars. His interest is overtly apparent in his new book, Muscle Car Barn Finds. It details the art of automotive scavenger hunts.

Brutt, self-described as an Automotive Archaeologist, lives in Chicago. The contributing rider to Hot Rod Magazine is our guest on Episode 34 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia discuss the book and Brutt’s trials and tribulations as he travels through several states on his mission to discover hundreds of often abandoned rarities.

Consider Brutt’s premise: You’re driving along a country road in Alabama and something bright orange in nearby field attracts your attention. It’s parked near an old barn and partly covered in mildew. You pull into what remains of the driveway in the abandoned lot and your hunch is correct.

It’s a 1966 Mustang Fastback. It looks neglected. But a good washing later, it’s presentable, and another vintage muscle car has a new life. The same scenario could involve a station wagon in Michigan, a Mercedes-Benz in Florida or a long-forgotten pick-up truck in Texas.

They’re all known by the automotive colloquialism, Barn Finds. It’s the sub-set of muscle car barn finds Brutt honors in his new book of the same name.

Sub-titled “Rusty Road Runners, Abandoned AMXs and Camaros and More!” (Motorbooks, $35), the 160-page hardback details the author’s treks to uncover muscle car enthusiasts’ dream machines.

“These old warriors aren’t dead, just resting,” reads a segment of the book’s promotional material. “A drive in the country or through a small-town back street will reveal them lurking under tarps, hidden behind garage doors and stashed behind fences from prying eyes.”

While traveling in eastern Tennessee, Brutt finds what he had long heard about but couldn’t believe until it appeared through some roadside hedges. Past a few roads of project cars in various shapes, sizes and degrees of disarray, a storage shed was home to an array of first-generation Corvettes.

“In all my travels, I had never seen such a collection of really early Corvettes,” he writes. “There were three rows of them with three or four cars per row.”

Brutt also details a no-so-pleasing occasion when he faced the wrath of a husband and wife, who, let’s say, didn’t exactly provide a warm welcome.

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All episodes of our podcasts are also archived on this website, TheWeeklyDriver.com.

We welcome your comments and suggestions for future episodes. Please also consider forwarding the episode links to family, friends and colleagues.

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Mulugeta Gebrewahid moved to Sacramento about seven years fago rom his native Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to be closer to his older brother. Known by friends and co-workers as Mule G (Moo-Lay G), the former warehouseman is a husband and father of seven children. He's active in the Sacramento community via the congregation at Faith Presbyterian Church.

Mule is university educated, but he was unable to acquire a job in his engineering field in the United States, so he worked for several years in a warehouse. About four years ago, via the recommendation of a friend, Mule began driving for Uber. He tells his story in episode 33 of The Weekly Driver Podcast.

Mulugeta Gebrewahid, a native of Ethiopia, has supported his family as an Uber driver for the past four years. Image © James Raia/2015

With his outgoing personality and business savvy, Mule is ideally suited for his job. He enjoys meeting and talking with his customers. Because there’s a wider customer base for riding-sharing programs in larger metropolitan areas, Mule spends several days a week driving in San Francisco. He shares an apartment near San Francisco International Airport with friends.

During this episode, Mule discusses a wide range of subjects: driving on the often chaotic streets of San Francisco to his wide range of customers and how Uber has changed during his tenure with the company. He enthusiastically shares some the unusual circumstances of the rides he’s provided.

Mule also openly discusses his frustration with not being able to find employment to match his education. And he discusses his appreciation for his transition from a near minimum wage, often exhausting physical labor job, to supporting his family and as an independent businessman driving for Uber. He hopes to one day find employment using his university education.

The Weekly Driver Podcast receives support from AmericanTrucks.com.

Every episode of the podcast is archived on TheWeeklyDriver.com/podcast. We welcome comments and suggestions for our show. We also encourage listeners to share episode links on their social media platforms.

The Pacific Coast Dream Machines Show is a daylong festival of engines. Rare and sentimental cars, trucks, aircraft, law enforcement vehicles, tractors, busses, military machines and motorcycles, they're all showcased.

Add lives band, food and beverage vendors to its moniker as “the coolest show earth,” ideally defines the upcoming 28th annual event scheduled from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m April 29 at Half Moon Bay Airport.

The six-hour gathering is a “massive celebration of mechanical ingenuity, power and style.” And it’s the best bargain and with proceeds benefitting the Coastside Adult Day Health Center in Half Moon Bay.

Hundreds of vintage cars will be on display at the 28th annual Pacific Coast Dreams Show, a festival of all things with engines, scheduled 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 29 at Half Moon Bay Airport. Image © Bruce Aldrich/2017

In Episode 32 of The Weekly Driver Podcast, hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia discuss the show with event chairman Chad Hooker.

As Hooker explains and event literature describes, Pacific Coast Dream Machines is “a whimsical, fascinating, amusing, curious and absolutely unique show-and-tell spectacle featuring 2,000 magnificent driving, flying and working machines from the 20th and 21st centuries.

“The world's coolest cars of every era and style, model-T fire engines, vintage busses, custom motorcycles, tricked out trucks, sleek streamliners, one-of-a-kind antique engines and tractors and historic military aircraft will be among the mesmerizing displays.”

Vehicles on display will include: antique horseless carriages and Ford Model T's, fanciful touring and luxury cars, powerful sports cars, custom cars and street rods, muscle cars, vintage and modern era high-performance race cars.

And quirky art and pedal cars, modified street machines with cutting edge styles, exotic high-performance cars, stylish European cars, ultra cool low-riders, sporty compacts, modified imports with flashy graphics, fashionable hip-hop urban show cars, homebuilt kit cars and super-charged turbo cars.

Plus, there are “green” technology/alternative fuel vehicles, streamliners, dragsters, funny cars, gassers and jet cars.

Among the attractions this year are Bob Senz’ Big Cacklefest. It will honor the show founder and a mass synchronized firing-up of the engines of all the magnificent machines on display at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m.

It's one of the west coast's biggest, baddest gatherings of the world's coolest cars. Spectators will get a rare up-close look of hundreds of aviation wonders, headlined by legendary vintage warbirds like the B-25 Bomber and C-47 Skytrain plus stylish homebuilts, classics from the ‘40s and ‘50s, sport and ultralight aircraft.

To show a car, truck, motorcycle, aircraft or another machine, the registration fee is $40 ($50 for entries postmarked after April 15) and includes a dash plaque and admission for two people.

Spectator admission is $25 in advance ($30 at the gate) for adults (age 18-64), $15 in advance ($20 at the gate) for ages 11-17 and 65+, Free for kids age 10 and under (with paying adult). Purchase tickets here.

Parking at the event is included in the admission. There is a designated area for bicycle parking at the south end of the airport/Mezza Luna gate.

Half Moon Bay Airport, 9850 N. Cabrillo Highway, Half Moon Bay CA 94019 is located on Highway 1, about 20 miles south of San Francisco and 5 miles north of Highway 92.

For event information, call the info-line at 650-726-2328 or visit the website www.miramarevents.com/dreammachines

The Weekly Driver Podcast is supported by AmericanTrucks.com.

All back issues of the podcast are archived, here: The Weekly Driver Podcast

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The 2018 Hyundai Ioniq is the first "green car" that can infiltrate the dominance of the Toyota Prius. The Ioniq is available in three modes — a traditional hybrid, full-electric and plug-in hybrid.

The entry-level Ioniq plug-in hybrid Blue Line model is rated at 57 miles per gallon in city driving, 59 miles per gallon for highway treks.

Its rating is several miles per gallon higher than the best mileage in the Prius lineup. In electric mode, the Ioniq has a 27-mile range. The efficient little machine can travel nearly 700 miles using gas only.

The 2018 Hyundai Ioniq has a stylish exterior. Image @ James Raia/2018

Bruce Aldrich and I discuss the Ioniq in Episode 31 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Will the public buy the vehicle? How do its specs match up against the Prius? What else does the now two-year-old nameplate have to offer?

In this episode, we also discuss one of the country’s unique industry shows, Pacific Coast Dream Machines. The year’s show is scheduled April 29 at the Half Moon Bay Airport, about 20 miles south of San Francisco.

Now in its 28th year, Pacific Coast Dream Machines is “a massive celebration of mechanical ingenuity, power and style,” according to an event press release. The description fits. This year's show will be the entire topic of Episode 32 of podcast, and we'll also do live podcast interviews from the show.

Custom choppers are featured in the Pacific Coast Dream Machines show scheduled April 29 at the Half Moon Bay Airport. Image courtesy of Miramar Events.

The recent death of a woman in Tempe, Ariz., who was hit by a Volvo SUV used as an autonomous Uber vehicle remains in the news. Arizona and California have now stopped testing robot vehicles.

Bruce and I discuss the dramatic video that shows the accident and how the various companies involved in the tragedy have reacted.

As always, we appreciate you listening to our podcast. In addition to its weekly distribution on TheWeeklyDrive.com, the podcast is available for free on all major podcast platforms, including iTunes.

All previous episodes are available here: The Weekly Driver Podcast.

Please forward this episode to friends, family and colleagues. We welcome your comments.

Nearly two weeks after a woman was killed by an autonomous Uber vehicle while walking her bicycle across the street at night and outside of a crosswalk in Tempe, Ariz., much is still unknown about the accident.

What is known is that the Governor of Arizona has ended the state's autonomous vehicle testing program.

The Volvo SUV used as an autonomous Uber vehicle in Tempe, Arizona, that killed a woman pushing a bicycle late at night and outside of a crosswalk.

The auto-parts maker that supplied the radar and camera on the Volvo SUV that killed the woman has stated they had disabled the standard collision-avoidance technology in the vehicle.

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have been investigating the case since.

The local police chief initially called the incident "unavoidable." But opinions changed after the release of a crash video, which depicts internal and external views of the Uber vehicle. It also shows the car's safety driver looking down away from the road as a pedestrian suddenly emerges into the headlights.

Bruce Aldrich and I discuss the tragedy in Episode #30 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Bruce adds thoughtful insight into the situation, particularly his opinion on the future of autonomous driving.

Also in Episode #30, we discuss the 2018 Toyota Land Cruiser and my experience driving the large SUV about 425 miles during a round-trip excursion from Sacramento to Fresno. The Land Cruiser is a gas sucker, but it's a beautiful, well-appointed small apartment on four wheels.

The Weekly Driver Podcast is available for download on all major podcast formats. Please distribute this episode to friends via email and post it to your social media accounts.

We would like to acknowledge our continuing upport from AmericanMuscle.com.

And we look forward to hearing from our readers and listeners about our podcast. Future topic ideas are always welcomed.

All previous episodes of the podcast are available here, The Weekly Driver Podcast

The 2018 Lexus LC 500 is arguably the most attractive car made in the past several years. It turns heads in parking lots and gets stared at on the open road. Strangers point at it and give a thumb's up.

The new Lexus belongs on the list of the 100 most attractive cars ever made. It would be among the few modern-day vehicles on the subjective selections automotive publications publish about every 10 years.

The stunning new 2018 Lexus LC 500. Image © Bruce Aldrich/2018

Bruce Aldrich, co-host of The Weekly Driver Podcast, and I shared driving duties in the new Lexus from Sacramento to the Delta hamlet of Courtland and back last week. We were on assignment at Hemly Cider, the craft cider maker.

We discuss the new top-of-the-line Lexus in Episode #29 of our podcast. Succinctly stated, the LC 500 is beautifully crafted inside and out. It's automobile design at its finest.

Also in this episode: I write a weekly automotive column for Bay Area News Group in San Francisco region. I get e-mail letters from time to time and in recent weeks, a few emails were of particular interest.

The new Lexus has run-flat tires. The timing was ideal because one reader of my column suggested I always include information of the type of tires included on new cars. The reader expressed her frustration with bad experiences with run-flat tires — their expense and lousy longevity.

A recent column I wrote about the RV industry and its continuing problems was well-received and several readers e-mailed detailing their issues with sub-par manufacturing and difficulty getting satisfactory repairs.

Thank you for listening to our podcast. All previous episodes are archived and available here . . . The Weekly Driver Podcast.

If you like what we do, please forward the link to family, friends and colleagues and repost the podcast link to your social media outlets.

If you live near a river and your vehicle is parked outside and near trees, there's likely one more reason to be concerned about its welfare — rats. Owners of cars from several manufacturers are increasingly reporting that rodents are eating their vehicles from the inside out.

Reports in several states by owners of Honda and Toyota vehicles, as well as other carmakers' models, are claiming rats are devouring the wiring in their cars and causing major costly repairs.  The problem, owners claim, is that "green car" concerns have resulted in manufacturers using soy-based engine wiring and coverings.

Rats eating engine wiring is an increasing problem for vehicle owners.

Several lawsuits have been filed, with Honda and Toyota stating the litigations have no merit. But several years ago, Honda introduced a rodent-deterrent tape to help with the issue. Toyota has not further commented.

The soy alternative used by car companies is an eco-friendly alternative to wrapping wires and car parts in plastic.

Hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia discuss the rodent problems in cars below in Episode #28 of The Weekly Driver Podcast

Also in this episode, we discuss:

* Winter driving can be frightening. We detail guidelines and commonsense practices while driving in inclement weather as well as the benefits of vehicles with four-wheel drive and all-wheel drive.

* Bruce and his with Alene recently returned from their third time renting an RV. Bruce talks about getting more experience behind the wheel in the increasingly popular way to travel on vacation.

* Genesis, new luxury brand began as a Hyundai Genesis, has been praised since its debut 2017 models. Now, the Genesis has received another top honor. It's rated as the top overall pick by Consumer Reports. Genesis has accelerated past Audi followed by BMW, Lexus and Porsche in the top 5. The remainder of the top 10 in order: Subaru, Kia, Tesla, Honda and Toyota.

We invite you to listen to previous episodes here: The Weekly Driver Podcast

And we welcome your comments and hope you subscribe.

Thirty-two years ago, Karen Saylor's parents drove into a downtown Sacramento, California, car dealership and drove away in a new 1986 turbocharged Chrysler Lebaron convertible.

Like the legacies of many family cars, Karen Saylor fondly recalls going shopping with mother with the Lebaron’s convertible top down. She remembers trips to the Monterey Peninsula when mother and daughter had their hair blowing in the wind.

Karan Saylor is the owner of a 1986 Chrysler Lebaron convertible. All images © Bruce Aldrich/2018

A neighbor in East Sacramento, Saylor is our guest on episode #27 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. She recalls a lot about how much cars meant to her parents and to her husband with whom she owned several Ford Thunderbirds. The Lebaron has a lot of history and Saylor is happy to share it.

Saylor’s parents are deceased as is her husband. The T-birds are gone, but the Chrysler Lebaron remains. It’s beautiful, and it’s homage to the craftsmanship of the cars of the era.

This pristine 1986 Chrysler Lebaron is for sale in East Sacramento.

While an SUV is now Saylor’s daily driver, she still drives the Lebaron. It always attracts attention. It’s in fine shape and has been driven only 48,000 miles in 32 years or about 1,500 miles per year. It has all of its original documentation and service records.

Saylor has decided it’s time to sell the Lebaron. She's asking $5,000. If interested, please contact theweeklydriver.com at [email protected] and I will forward the information to the car’s owner.

Several months ago, Chris Wood decided it was time for a new vehicle. He has a family, including four grandchildren, a 50-pound dog and a 5,000-pound ski boat and equipment to haul. He had $50,000 to spend, but he was faced with a lingering dilemma.

Wood, 63, of Pleasanton, a retired Silicon Valley computer salesman, looked for six months but couldn't find a new sports utility vehicle that fit his criteria and could match the quality his previous vehicle, a 1999 Ford Explorer.

Chris Wood of Pleasanton, California shopped for an SUV for six months before buying a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. Images © James Raia/2018.

“I had it for 19 years; I serviced it all the time,” said Wood. “I put in transmissions and took care a lot of the things and kept it running. My dad gave me enough confidence introducing me to everything. He showed me how to rebuild a carburetor on a lawn mower so could learn how to do things myself."

With his long, satisfying experience with Ford, Wood could have purchased another Explorer. But for 2018 he said the carmaker charges $600 for upgraded white paint. The basic white paint option was eliminated. “I just had an aversion to paying $600 for paint,” he said.

Wood looked for used vehicles, but finding a well-built trailer hitch proved futile. Third-row seating was important and a cargo area large enough for a dog cage. He didn’t want a white interior. Dodge, Honda and Toyota choices were eliminated for various reasons, including not wanting the expense and impractical issues of leather seats.

The 2018 Volkswagen Atlas included 95 percent of what Chris Wood was seeking in a new sport utility vehicle for his family, dog and boat.

“I really wanted an upscale cloth interior,” said Wood. “Maybe I’m the only guy on the planet who likes a cloth interior. I would have paid a leather price for a cloth interior. It’s comfortable. The 19-year-old cloth interior of my Ford Explorer was in great shape the day I sold it. Plus you can’t find five-year-old leather that looks good, in my opinion.”

Wood recently purchased a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas, a debut SUV and his first VW. He provided a list of 16 pros and seven cons after driving the vehicle for 1,500 miles. He meticulously studies the owner’s manual and has about two-dozen colored tabs on various sections. He has other sections marked in red for more tabs after additional reading.

Among the features Wood appreciates in his new Atlas is the standard trailer hitch and better position than after-market options. The transmission shift points are good for daily driving. The rear seat tilt with a child’s seat installed is superior.

Wood is also impressed with the infotainment system, the 360-degree camera, the large navigation screen, the logical and easy-to-understand changes and settings and the automatic engine start-stop function.

Expensive accessories, including the $600 side rail and the cost of installation as well and the $300 cargo cover, $320 roof rails and $300 ski rack are cons. Wood doesn’t appreciate the manufacturer's obsession with warning proclamations throughout the owner's manual. He suggests a section for owners who to do their own maintenance and repair.

"Give me a break," Wood noted. "Let Darwin's laws prevail."

Like many car enthusiasts, Wood’s fascination with cars began with a family vehicle from his youth. His mother and father saved their money and purchased a 1966 Buick Skylark demo model. His family took two cross-country trips in the Skylark, pulling a camper-trailer.

“I tend to be pretty analytical,” Wood said. “My wife and I bought an RV a couple of years ago. We looked for a year for it. We thought about it and really studied and analyzed it. How are we going to use it? What do our friends say who've owned RVs?"

With his new purchase, Wood is 95 percent satisfied.

"It's an excellent vehicle," he said. "I just want people to know about it."