2012 Philadelphia Auto Show

I have been driving my dream car for six years now, and I hope to get another six out of it. Therefore, a trip to the Philadelphia Auto Show for me is pure fantasy. I always liked cars, though, and I'm equipped with enough curiosity about them that the Auto Show is entertaining for me. If they we to stop making MINI Coopers tomorrow and I needed a new car after that, I'd probably be looking at the Fiat 500 or one of those small, sporty Hondas or Toyotas.

Fred and some bearded gents check out the Fiat 500, my back-up vehicle.

If I were to suddenly become the parent of another dog, and that dog was a Saint Bernard, I'd probably move up to the MINI Clubman. (The MINI Countryman does not hold the same appeal to me.)

This is me trying on a MINI Clubman.

One of my earliest memories is from the parking lot of the Shop Rite in Rio Grande, NJ. I was grocery shopping with my mom, and as we walked back to our car, a Mustang drove by. A "Bonanza" fan then as now, I noticed the horse on the grill, and it became my favorite car. I must have been two or three. 

Hot stuff: the Ford Mustang

Mustangs are still my favorite muscle car, so it didn't take much for Christine, an impossibly-thin Ford auto show representative with the most awesome necklace I will have to now copy, to talk me into taking one for a test drive at my local dealer. As she explained, "Ford doesn't want to sell you the car; they want you to talk about your test-drive to your friends. That's good advertising for them." I will be rewarded with a $50 gift card, and probably a lot of email. I have loved Mustangs for 45 years but never driven one, so I figure I owe myself.

The indoor Toyota Hybrid test-drive track at the Philadelphia Auto Show

Fred, on the other hand, will be test-driving a Ford Escape Hybrid or a Focus at the "local dealer." He is looking to downsize from a minivan, but needs some capacity for hauling heavy tools and newspaper bundles and bikes. We looked at a bunch, and finally landed at Toyota where we each got to ride in actual hybrid models while the Toyota driver gave us the sales pitch. I was dispatched to the Highlander Hybrid with a list of Fred-questions to ask, and Fred rode in the Prius V Hybrid which he's had his eye on. Unfortunately for us, the sales pitch consisted mostly of a lesson in how hybrid motors work (remedial for Fred and anyone in his inner circle), but I did get to ask my questions and learn a few tidbits about the Highlander. The neat thing was that I rode around in a real car inside the Pennsylvania Convention Center!

The Auto Show is an entertaining afternoon if you like cars. If you don't follow them you have to go in with some sort of a scenario to guide you explorations like my what-ifs above. If your what-ifs include the wildly fantastical, make sure you hit Hall F beneath the main show where you will see mainly after-market products like finishes, glazes, lights, ginormous sub-woofers, and custom wheels. Harley-Davidson is down there, too, and Fred and I signed up to win the bike of our choice and probably more email!

Menacing Margie on a Harley

More tips in case you decide to go to the Philadelphia Auto Show:

1. Take the train if you can. The Market East Station is adjacent and the Auto Show is easy to find from there. Parking is expensive. 
2. The Convention Center is sweltering hot. Don't overdress. 
3. Eat ahead of time (hot dogs are $5), or have your hand stamped for re-entry. We wandered over to 15th & Chestnut on the other side of City Hall for burgers and fries at Five Guys. There are TONS of places to try in Philadelphia for a quick bite, but the Gallery's Food Court and the Reading Terminal Market, also connected to the Market East Station and the Convention Center, will be quite crowded during a big event like this.
4. Wear comfy shoes. Those concrete floors are brutal.
5. Bring a camera. I was amazed at how many people besides me we taking thoughtful shots of the vehicles with serious cameras (rather than a just quick snap with an iPhone of their kid sitting inside). Automobile photography.

Junk Yard Shots

I went to the auto junk yard last week with Fred, and until I got in trouble for shooting photographs (this was not posted, but who would anticipate it?) it was an interesting departure from the ordinary. By 'ordinary' I mean my 'ordinary' because Fred ordinarily comes here often. In fact, he visits all the local junkyards frequently for parts. The idea is this: you find an undamaged part, a wire, or a tire on a junker that works in your vehicle and you buy it for a fraction of the cost of a new one. The vehicles stay around the lot for around 30 days depending on whether new stock is coming in and they have to make room.Bring your tools, because you'll have to remove it yourself. We were in search of a tire for Fred's minivan and so lugged around a jack and a wrench, and other tools I cannot name. (Get it: lugged around?) I happily shot my photos until a guy in a big tractor-looking thing with a car-scooper in front told me no photos were allowed and watched us walk to the van and place the camera safely inside. No photos, fine, but really what horrible misdeeds could I commit? Here are some of those verboten photos carefully chosen so as to not reveal which lot we were at.

Since we were looking for minivan tires, we were mostly in the van/pick-up/SUV department:

Buddy, your back fell off.


Can you find the part you need in there? This spaghetti looks more complicated than usual to me.

This is what's under your bumpers, y'all:

The personal items strewn about was spooky to me. Why? Unless I were on a road trip somewhere and got into a bad wreck, there wouldn't be many personal items other than CDs in my car, and I would retrieve them promptly. Unless... There was one van with a whole lot of women's clothes in it and many brochures on driving under the influence.

While guys pulling parts from these junkers treat the vehicles with some respect (propping up the thing with a found object after removing a wheel for instance), the personal objects are thrown about all over. I suppose customers are hoping to find some treasure in there, but it just added to the gloominess of the place to me.