Warren Brown talks about all your automobile issues! He has been covering the automobile industry for The Washington Post since 1982. Brown, who joined the newspaper in 1976, has what many people think is a particularly cool job: He gets to test drive all manner of cars, from top-of-the-line Mercedes sedans and the newest sports cars to Volkswagen Beetles and SUVs. His auto reviews are lively, detailed accounts of a car's good and bad points, addressing everything from a car's highway performance to its "head-turning" factor and sound system.

Join Brown online Wednesdays at 11 a.m. ET to answer your questions on every aspect of the automotive industry -- from buying your dream car to the future of the internal combustion engine.

The transcript follows .

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Washington, D.C.: Hey Mr. Brown, I have a 2002 Honda Civic SI with 36000 miles on it. I am Wondering what the best price would be to sell it at? It has a parking scratch over the passenger rear wheel fender, but otherwise perfect. Would appreciate your advice.

Warren Brown: Good morning, Washington.

Check www.kbb.com, cars.com (Washington Post), or www.edmunds.com for local used-car retail prices. Plug in the appropriate information on your car, including your zip code. The resulting numbers should give you a good idea of its current value in this area. Take care.

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Alexandria, Va.: What's the word on Audi's A3? Looks like fun.

Warren Brown: And it is. Another new-product home run for Audi. Here's hoping that Audi's dealers have caught up to the quality of their cars with better service.

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Atlanta, Ga.: Hello Warren,

As a former engineer for GM, I agree wholeheartedly with your assessments of the company's trouble. There are many talented people there, however, cost restrictions due to high legacy costs eventually hurt the products. Also, some of the old bosses there seems to be out of touch (or a step behind) with the current market.

With that being said, I also feel that the engineering pool in the American automotive industry is slightly diluted because many of the most talented engineers and scientists are working in the defense arena, where there are more jobs, but also more complex problems and more sophisticated technologies. Contrast that with Japan or Germany, where they do not have a significant defense industry, so most of the engineering talent is concentrated in manufacturing and consumer products.

Not really a question, but just my observations.

Warren Brown: And welcome, thoughtful observations at that, Atlanta. We thank you. Here's hoping that the White House reads this chat. Are we blowing up our future?

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Toronto, Ontario: What would you comment about Mercedes SLR model? One of them just passed by me yesterday ... I am still dreaming. Thank you.

Warren Brown: I think that about sums it up, Toronto. I drove it once at the Virginia International Raceway. Darned nice car--fast, exceptionally fast, light, nimble. Carbon fiber body. About a $450,000 price tag U.S. Ultimately, just a dream. That's all.

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Arlington, Va.: I found your article "Caution -- Elitist Look-Alike Communities Afoot" Warren Brown, May 8, 2005; Page N02, a little off subject as well as misinformed. We all agree that North Arlington, especially 22207, is an elitist white enclave but one needs only to drive down Lee Highway to see that the elements of a walkable community that you mention have not been applied here. In your article you seem to be portraying Dan Burden as an architect of elitist communities. In reality, most of his work has been focused in P.G. County, Maryland -- especially in downtown Oxon Hill and Fort Washington. As for Halls Hill, might it be possible that a more walkable Lee Highway and Glebe Road could actually provide Hills Hill residents with greater access to the surrounding area, breaking down some of the barriers that you mention?

washingtonpost.com: Caution -- Elitist Look-Alike Communities Afoot (Post, May 8)

Warren Brown: I disagree.

The article is not at all off-subject. (Off what subject? The relationship between cars and society, which is what the Car Culture column is all about? The relationship between cars and democracy, diversity, and all other aspects of American life? Can you truly separate the automobile from any aspect of modern American life? So, exactly "off" what subject?)

As far as being "misinformed," I heartily disagree.

Let's take your "Lee Highway" analogy, an aptly named highway for this subject if ever there was one. And let's take the George Mason Blvd. nexus as well.

My family and I, coming in from Pennsylvania, moved to Arlington in 1976 on the North Patrick Henry side of George Mason, just south of Lee Highway. We were politely informed by black walking-distance neighbors on the Halls Hill side of George Mason that "no blacks" were supposed to "live on that side." Several white neighbors were friendly, but others pointed out that we were "obviously not from the area" inasmuch as blacks generally "don't live on this side." Those attitudes have nothing to do with infrastructure. They have everything to do with human barriers that are much more difficult to break down, barriers which we keep erecting with pretty names like "walkable communities."

Have you ever asked yourself why Lee Highway has been left as a barrier between Halls Hill and the neighborhoods North of Lee? Have you ever asked yourself about the literal wall in the area of what is now the Virginia Medical Center, the wall literally separating the black walkable community from the white walkable community?

Do you know how many times I have had to deal with the Arlington County Police in reference to my son who grew up as a teenager in the mostly white neighborhood north of Lee, the kid who frequently was stopped and questioned because some policemen thought he was in the "wrong" neighborhood walking to his own home?

Have you visited Celebration in Florida, or the "walkable" communities around River Bend road in Fairfax? Do you notice anything? Bottom line is that what separates us, what exacerbates urban and other problems is not so much infrastructure as it is us. I mean, exactly how many times have YOU walked through Halls Hill, or through any other community in which most of the people did NOT look like you?

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Olney, Md.: Who else is doing carbon fiber bodies? What are the pros and cons?

Warren Brown: There is some carbon fiber work in the Corvette C6. I don't have a list of others, but I know they exist. It's a funny technology. On the one hand, because it is light and tough, it can be used to enhance fuel economy, assuming that things like engine size and horsepower are kept in check. But carbon fiber alone is horrendously expensive, which means it frequently is used on high-end cars whose tremendous horsepower begs for something to help mitigate the fuel resource waste.

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D.C.: Thanks for taking my question. I would like your advice on whether to keep my car. I have a 1998 Ford Explorer Sport. I don't commute in it so it only has 50K miles. Nothing is wrong with it, except its gas mileage. I never commuted with it and therefore use much less gas than most people, so was never too worried about the gas mileage (I wouldn't have bought it for a commute). But I wonder if it's as safe as today's cars, for example it doesn't have side impact air bags. Time to get something else? Thanks.

Warren Brown: Yes, D.C., I would keep it. And thanks for pointing out that "use" has as much to do with fuel economy as does the inherent fuel efficiency, or lack thereof, of the vehicle itself. If you are using your vehicle judiciously, it makes little financial sense to incur the finance and insurance costs, taxes, and gas-pump panic hysteria pricing to buy something supposedly more fuel-efficient that you are going to use the same way. Some people are doing goofy things like going to e-bay to pay $1,000 more for an already premium-laden Toyota Prius gas/electric hybrid that comes nowhere near getting its listed EPA 60-miles per gallon rating. That's silly.

As far as safety is concerned, THERE IS NO GUARANTEE that switching to a vehicle with side air bags means that you are going to live longer than if you simply stayed in the vehicle you are in. Think about that. If we all could predict the exact kinds of accidents we were going to have, if we all new exactly how and when we are going to die, we'd have a different world, wouldn't we?

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EPA gas mileage "suggestions": I noticed this morning that one of the local news stations is planning an expose on the EPA mileage "thingies" that they put on cars and how they aren't accurate. It totally made me think of how you're always saying in your chats that those are suggestions not written in stone. So, I'm mad! You broke the story first! How can they steal your glory?

Warren Brown: Geez, haven't you heard? No one takes local TV ratings-ramp-up " news exposes" seriously.

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Washington, D.C.: Mr. Car Wizard!! What is the best way to get a good deal when a family is looking to buy 2 new cars (different models) from the same dealership? What kind of offer should we make -- below invoice or what? Any advice is most welcome. Thank you.

Warren Brown: In this market, you RULE. Be polite, but firm. Do your research. Check all of the available rebates and discounts, including the manufacturer discounts to dealer. Take as many of those discounts as possible. But be reasonable, fair. The dealer does have to make a profit. We all do. Otherwise, none of us would be able to buy anything. But you are buying two cars at once from the same place. Thus. most dealers with common sense, and a desire to keep you as customers, will try to work out something quite favorable.

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Tysons Corner, Va.: Warren,

As an Audi A4 owner I just wanted to say that Audi service is dependant upon relationships with the service managers and the dealerships themselves. I live in Tysons but take my car to Audi of Alexandria (certainly not the closest dealership to me) simply because of the consistently stellar treatment I am given by my service manager, Brad, and the staff in general.

Just thought I'd share a positive Audi service view.

Nick

Warren Brown: Thanks, Nick.

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Germantown, Md.: Hey Warren! Love the chats! You mentioned a while back that there is little difference between Altima and Maxima. What is the difference -just size and price? Do they share the same engine? And what about the Infiniti G series? It looks to me like it is priced like a Maxima, so I assume that it is based on the smaller Altima?

Warren Brown: Yes, Germantown. The primary differences include size (Maxima a bit larger), price (Maxima generally more expensive than Altima), and trim levels (Maxima a bit more fancy). The Maxima has a standard 3.5-liter V6 that develops a maximum 265 hp. The Altima has a standard 2.5-liter, inline 175-hp four; but the Altima offers an optional 3.5-Liter, 260 hp V6. Not much difference at all. The Infiniti G series also shares structural and other similarities with those vehicles.

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Washington, D.C.: WB:

Why is it that Toyota recalls 800,000 trucks this week for a potentially dangerous suspension problem and the news says nothing. But GM recalls 2 million trucks for a non-safety issue and everyone starts saying GM builds garbage and the media piles on. Especially when 2 million GM trucks is a smaller percentage of trucks sold by GM than the 800,000 trucks sold by lower truck volume seller Toyota.

Is there an anti-GM bias in the automotive news and magazines? I often think the folks at Car and Driver and Motor Trend are in love with imports.

Warren Brown: Good question. And, yes, although the media will deny it, there is a bit of anti-GMism in their blood. It goes with the way journalists are trained. We are taught that our mission is to afflict the comfortable and to comfort the afflicted. But no one ever told us who gave us the right or the power to be that judge. The assumption is that if you are big and rich and, God forbid, if you say or do anything that can be regarded as arrogant, you are a worthy media target because you are by definition "comfortable."

Now, I haven't met a single journalist, publisher, media empire stockholder or advertiser who wants to be, longs to be poor; but the media have this notion that if you are poor you are by definition virtuous and deserving and in need of media protection. It is a bias if ever there was a bias; but we media types are, of course, not biased.

We are objective. And if you don't believe that, just look at the way we cover traffic accidents. If a SUV strikes and kills a pedestrian, we run with headlines that say: "SUV Kills Pedestrian," you know, as if the SUV was driving itself. That's because SUVs are big, see?

But if the driver of a Mini Cooper strikes and kills a pedestrian, our headlines say: "Pedestrian Dies in Traffic Accident," as if by magic, because, well, the Mini Cooper is small. Subtle, don't you think?

But that's, as one of our earlier chatters put it, that's "off subject."

So, with GM and Toyota, it goes like this: GM is big, bad, clumsy, American, arrogant, Detroit, always screwing up.

It doesn't matter that Toyota sells big SUVs, makes proportionately as many mistakes, has had more than its share of safety problems (certainly in Japan), Toyota is virtuous, smart, fuel-efficient, innovative; and when Toyota makes a mistake, well, it's no big deal, because we all know that Toyota, which captured our hearts with small cars before it began selling big trucks (for the same reason GM sells them), means well.

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Waldorf, Md.: Good morning Warren! What is your opinion of the Scion? Are they good cars?

Warren Brown: Yes, they are good, small cars which deliver outstanding value. They owe much to the Toyota Echo, one of which I own. See how objective I am?

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Alexandria, Va.: I am about to get into the market for a new car. What do you think of the new Hyundai Sonata? What is the word on its release date other than "Spring of 2005?"

Warren Brown: The new Sonata is a hands-down winner. I'm traveling to Alabama tomorrow (Thursday, May 19) to look at the new Hyundai plant and talk to the workers and executives. Will tell you more about the plant and the Sonata in Sunday's Car Culture column. Hmmm. It'll be good to walk around Montgomery. In the past, I'd spent much of my time there running. Things change when people change.

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Olney, Md.: How do today's car designs stack up to the classics of the 30s and 40s? Who's the new Bugatti?

Warren Brown: I was born in 1948, Olney. So, much of my personal reference to vehicle design stems from the late 1950s and 1960s. But I've been to enough classic car shows around the world to say that there is no real modern Bugatti, in terms of the heaviness and ornateness of design, and that's probably a good thing. In terms of space and resources, we simply can't afford those designs anymore. Besides, they weren't terribly efficient. Sleek, aerodynamic, expressive designs now rule. Cadillac nowadays is one of the more expressive. And the Chrysler 300, of course.

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Alexandria, Va.: I live in one of the most walkable communities in this area, Del Ray. It has become an upscale area that is very nearly color-blind as everyone of all races and sexual orientations lives here. It is possible. You just have to look for it.

Warren Brown: I do look for it, Alexandria, which is why I know it's currently hard to find. I did not say impossible, just hard to find. And another thing: The aim of becoming a diverse community is NOT to become color-blind. It's to accept the beauty, richness, fabric and value of all of those different colors. Color-blindness should be no more of a quest than a search for an all-white or all-black rainbow.

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Falls Church, Va.: Mr. Brown: Ford cornered the market on platinum group metals and it made headlines in the business press a couple of years ago. Is it possible that this signals Ford's continued reliance on catalytic converter-equipped combustion engines in the future instead of cleaner, non-catalytic engines like CNG, propane, bio-diesel, hybrids and fuel cells? Or, will we see Ford attaching converters to its hybrid engine and other alternative prototypes?

Warren Brown: This is the deal Falls Church: Ford, GM, DaimChrysler, Toyota, et al will do whatever it is they have to do to keep making cars and trucks and selling them at a profit. If that means changing technology to meet changing environmental and other demands, that is what they are going to do. The primary role of any living organism, individual or corporate, is to continue living. No one is about to roll over and play dead.

And with that, good folks, I wish you well. I'll see you all next week. Think large. God bless.

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