I love cars. :D
I started working on them in my late teens, and grew attached to the smells, sounds, and speed of 350 horsepower small blocks, 400-500 big blocks, and later the multi-valve small displacement engines pulling all sorts of cars into all sorts of crazy speeds.
For the last 6 years or more, I have owned a
1997 Ford Taurus V8 SHO.
It has been a very reliable, very fast, and very maneuverable mode of transport. For both street and track I could ask for nothing better for my money.
But, at 10 years, the reliability ratio to the age of the car is starting to equalize. No serious repairs done to date ... yet. So, do we want to spend any money on a 10 year old car versus putting that money into a new one?
From a business perspective the answer is a resounding
no!
On the hunt for a replacement in the last year or so, there were many contenders to replace the SHO. But, none really stood out from the pack.
The key elements that needed to carry forward from the SHO:
- Reasonable power (200bhp+).
- Too many times in this city the power is required to escape others concentrating on other things.
- The power is important for highway travelling which we do a fair amount of for our business.
- Reasonable fuel consumption (when not into the throttle).
- SHO gets 340KM on 60 litres consistently for years in the city.
- Handling must be on par or vary close to the SHO's Semi Active Ride Control.
- Better product carrying capabilities than the trunk or back seat of the SHO.
While doing an install at a client site, the phone system technician was in working on setting up the phone system integration into the SBS network with me. He had an Chevrolet HHR Panel as his company transport.
What caught my eye was the lack of glass in the rear passenger doors. Right away, the element of security came to mind for any system or component contents that may be in the vehicle while parked.
The other thing that struck me were the lines. On the Wikipedia entry for the
HHR (Heritage High Roof), the styling cues pull from the 1940's era Chevy Suburban 2 door.
Neat.
This last weekend the dealer provided an HHR SS that was the standard 4 door layout for me to scoot about with on errands and to take Monique for a spin.
What a lot of fun that drive was. The vehicle is stable at any speed, in corners, into twists and turns, and flat out a blast from "
not to 60" in a shade over 6 seconds.
GM's quality, fit, and finish have come a long way over the last couple of decades ... and that really shows through in the HHR I got to play with.
So, we signed on the dotted line for one. We should see it in about 6 to 8 weeks.
Anyone looking for an excellent second car, or primary get-about, that has power to spare, the Taurus SHO is now available. ;)
Any suggestions for logos and the like for the sides and back? The HHR SS Panel will be black with an ebony interior.
Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
*All
Mac on SBS posts are posted on our in-house iMac via the Safari Web browser.
