Real Wheels

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.

Brown comes online Fridays 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 below.

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Arlington, Va.: Warren, I'm a huge fan. I haven't owned a car for the last several years because I've lived in urban areas where cars have been unnecessary. I'm thinking of purchasing a new car soon, either an Acura TSX or an Audi A4 -- do you think either of those cars (or similar cars) would be a tough adjustment for someone who hasn't been used to driving regularly for a few years?

Keep up the great work!

Warren Brown: Good Morning, Arlington:

Either one of those cars would be good, although I'm more inclined toward the TSX, which is a Honda by any other name. My Acura/Honda bias is basic. If you haven't owned a car for awhile, you probably are not used to repair hassles. Honda and its various affiliates generally have very few repair hassles.

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Suitland, Md.: I have no problem with people driving SUVs and PUs and cars with big V8 engines. But there are many of us who would LOVE to drive a 4-wheel vehicle that gets 50-60 (or more) mpg. Why can't the auto industry come up with a vehicle such as this?

Warren Brown: Hello, Suitland:

I don't know about 50 mpg or 60 mpg in a four-wheel-drive vehicle, although something like that might be possible in the new generations of hybrids and other alternatively fueled models coming out.

But I am amused by your question. The reality is that each percentage increase in MPG comes at enormous development costs. We're talking hundreds of millions of dollars. Also, let's not confuse efficiency -- the amount of fuel used per unit of work achieved -- with fuel economy, the overall amount/cost of fuel. They are different.

It requires more work to move four wheels than it does to move two. More work requires more energy, which requires more fuel.

Perhaps, you should ask yourself if you really, truly need four-wheel-drive. Most motorists in this country do not.

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Falls Church, Va.: Good Morning, Mr. Brown. I am looking to buy a used car to use for running around town. What do you think of the 2000 to 2004 Mazda Protege or Mazda 3?

Warren Brown: Great choice! No kidding. A Mazda Protege in good condition at a good price would be perfect. The Protege is the predecessor car to the Mazda 3, which means the Mazda 3 is newer and probably more expensive on used-car lots. But those are good choices.

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Hyattsville, Md.: Hi, Warren.

I'm the type of person who has always paid cash for very reasonable, quality, non-flashy used or new cars. Now that I've got a slightly higher salary, I find myself GIDDY (giddy, I tell you!) about the introduction of the Smart Car to the U.S. Do you have any idea how much these will go for? Sigh. A girl can dream.

Warren Brown: I think the Smart ForTwo in the U.S. will start at around $14,500. But that's just a guess based on corporate rumors. I've been telling anybody at Mercedes-Benz who is willing to listen that there are lots of wonderful dreamers like you. If the M-B officials are smart, they will intro the U.S. version with enough pizzazz and an attractive enough price to make you fall in love. Here's hoping.

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Springfield, Va.: Have you ever tested a Subaru outback. Any opinions on them. Thanks.

washingtonpost.com: The Station Wagon Stealthily Returns Warren's response to the 2005 model (Post, Aug. 2004)

Warren Brown: Yes. And as the attached review indicates, I like the Outback.

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Arlington, Va.: Seems like we finally have something exciting from Tesla Motors - a sexy (body design by Lotus), all electric, zero emission, 250 mile range, fast (0-60 in a scant 3+ seconds), two seater convertible with a 100k warranty that only costs 1-2 cents per mile (per Tesla motors website). No more oil changes, air/gas/oil filter changes, belt changes, transmission fluid changes nor transmissions Combine this with a wind energy source and you have a well-to wheel zero greenhouse gas solution, etc. Ok so it sounds like this is what people are clamoring for. Mass production is around the corner, pricing around $90k. How will it fare against Big Auto and their marketing? And more importantly is it worth this price to the market? (As if the pricing of hybrids wasn't in question enough). What's the total cost of owning an average car these days (in terms of maintenance, upkeep, licensing/emissions/testing, etc do you think)?

Warren Brown: That's all very interesting, Arlington. But at 90K a pop for a two-seater, at best, you're talking a teeny-weeny niche.

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Lorton, Va.: I was wondering if you ever purchased the Solstice. I'm interested in buying another roadster, but can't seem to find one that really moves me. I almost bought a used Boxster, but mechanics I talked to said that it was surprisingly fragile. The Z3 is beautiful, but apparently slapped together, and even the Z4 has little road feel. The Honda would be great to race around in, but seems pretty dull when you're not taking it full-out. I've driven a Miata the past 12 years and it has never let me down, but to buy another...they're so common that there is little cache to fulfill my middle age madness. Any thoughts?

Warren Brown: No, Lorton. I haven't purchased a Solstice. But I have, at my wife's insistence and direction, talked to a number of building contractors and interviewed way too many real estate agents who see no problem -- none at all! -- in fitting us into a million-dollar-plus mini-mansion. Yeah, right.

But it's clear that the Solstice and Impala I want to buy will be sacrificed on the altar of one of those fancy kitchen islands and hung from the rafters of an addition to our current house, assuming that the woman ever, ever, ever finds a contractor she likes.

I think the Solstice and the Saturn Sky are two of the hottest roadster buys, assuming that you can live with their less-than automatic tops and total disregard for storage space. They are roadsters, after all. And roadsters are inherently romantic, impractical automobiles.

I disagree with the "fragile" assessment of the Porsche Boxster. I like that one. But I like the price of the Solstice better. The Miata, oops, the MX 5 is nice. But I don't want nice in a roadster. I want wild. The Solstice is wild.

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Washington, D.C.: For the people who hate those gas guzzling SUV's, but long for those BMW M3 and Corvettes, remember that they use as much gas!

Warren Brown: Yeah, ain't that funny?

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Stanardsville, Va.: Hi, Warren. I am looking for a vehicle that would be great for taking trips: two adults, no kids. I would like great quality and a very comfortable ride. Thanks.

Warren Brown: The Subaru Legacy GT sedan. Seriously. Great all-wheel-drive, reasonably fuel-efficient road car that also fits nicely into suburban-urban commuting. Luxury without the attitude. Kind of nice.

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Washington, D.C.: You're dead right on most people not needing four-wheel-drive. I grew up in the Pacific NW. We all went hunting and fishing, hiking and camping, and you can get to almost anywhere on a logging road with two wheel drive in an old station wagon. In fact, most of the time people who go off road are damaging the terrain, particularly in places like Alpine meadows.

Warren Brown: You are right, Washington. Four-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive do offer some extra measure of traction in inclement weather. But their safety under such driving conditions is in no way guaranteed. If you put too much faith in them in, say, an ice storm with ice-slick roads, you'll try to go to fast and end up in all sorts of trouble. The same thing can happen if you think those off-road vehicle advertisements correctly describe the way you are supposed to drive off-road.

Bottom-line is that front-wheel-drive and rear-wheel-drive, especially with things such as traction and stability control, generally are sufficient for most of the driving we do in this country.

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Cleveland, Ohio: Warren,

I saw a Pontiac Solstice over the weekend.

It's UGLY, UGLY UGLY. What on earth were they thinking when they designed that ? On the other hand, I passed a Saturn Sky today and I was relatively impressed. It'd still have to have a turbo for me to consider buying one.

Warren Brown: Well, Cleveland, we still have the right to our opinions in this country. I think. (Perhaps, I should check with the NSA.)

But, hey, I disagree with you on the looks of the Solstice. I love it. It's wild, in-your-face, upside-your-head. Total attitude. Love it!

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Arizona Bay, Ariz.: "Perhaps, you should ask yourself if you really, truly need four-wheel-drive. Most motorists in this country do not."

So do most of them than get them to stroke their own egos and make up for whatever personal insecurities they may have about themselves?

Warren Brown: Ah, Arizona, we all have egos of one sort or another; and we all have various ways of stroking them. However, I doubt that ego has much to do with four-wheel-drive purchases. I think it's just part of the Neurotic Preparedness Syndrome (NPS), which is a mania for having more than you'll ever need just in case you'll ever need it. The disease usually sets in after a close brush, or what appears to have been a close brush with disaster, such as having gotten stuck in a snowdrift or something. You vow that will never happen to you again. And so you go out and buy a four-wheel-vehicle you really don't need, something to overstoke your confidence and erode your common sense, which encourages you to go out in yet another blizzard and get stuck in another snowdrift, something you could have avoided simply by keeping your butt at home.

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"I passed a Saturn Sky today and I was relatively impressed.": I second that emotion. Saturn's got some great styling on their car. Doesn't' look like a doorstop.

Warren Brown: Noted.

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Severna Park, Md.: What do you hear about these electric race cars coming out of California?

Warren Brown: Which ones? There are so many different kinds of electric cars, I'm puzzled beyond puzzlement over the theme of that movie, "Who Killed the Electric Car?"

note to the movie makers:

GM's Ev-1 is dead along with similar early generation entries from Toyota and Honda (two companies you, for whatever reason, seemed to ignore in your cinematic diatribe).

But rumors of the death of the electric car, as well as the movie claiming the same, are greatly exaggerated.

I mean, exactly what would you call the Toyota Prius, or the various all-electric models on display last spring at the Michelin Challenge Bibendum in Paris?

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Washington, D.C.: FYI, The Saturn Sky is actually an Opel!

Warren Brown: And Opel is actually GM.

Globalism.

Gotta love it.

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Upper Marlboro, Md.: I've written before, but now we are really going to help our kid buy a car this time. We are going to get her a hoopdie, just enough to get to work and college classes. She has to contribute, so we are considering in the $1200 price range, as she hasn't been working that long. Can we get a decent car in that price range that won't cause me (her mom) to have a nervous breakdown every time she drives off? A friend who is a mechanic will be checking the car out before we buy it. Thanks very much.

Warren Brown: Dear UpMo:

No.

The hoopdie you get today could leave you and your daughter in a barrel tomorrow.

Check out CarMax or a similar certified used-car operation. Buy from one of those places. They come with certified mechanics and the equipment to service whatever they sell. It's more expensive to do it that way.

But the world is a funny place. You can pay up front or on the back end. Back-end payments, usually the expensive results of product failure or some other misfortune, usually are more painful.

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Annandale, Va.: Mr. Brown - Just want to let you know that I really enjoy reading your articles. I just saw photos of the Focus 2-door convertible. Do you know if Ford has any plans to bring this vehicle to the states?

Warren Brown: Yes, Annadale. Ford will bring that one to this country, I think in spring 2007 as a 2008 model. No official announcement yet. But that's what some of my Ford sources are saying.

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Gaithersburg, Md.: I'm thinking about buying a 2002-2003 VW Golf, but I've heard that VW has been having mechanical troubles lately. Is that true, and does it apply to these models?

Warren Brown: Hello, Gaithersburg:

It's not so much that VW has been having mechanical problems as it is that the company's U.S. retail and service infrastructure for too long has been too small to handle the rapid increase in VW cars sold stateside. VW is working to fix that problem. But the company makes good cars.

The 2006 Rabbit is the new U.S. Golf, FYI.

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Falls Church, Va.: If our lackluster auto industry can't do anything to improve gas mileage in attractive vehicles (not two-seater pods) then let's get used to one thing: war, war, war.

Warren Brown: I don't know how you've concluded that our auto industry is lackluster or that it can't, or hasn't done anything to improve fuel economy. I suppose you are referencing the Environmental Protection Agency's woefully misleading annual mileage report, which claims that the industry has not made a substantial improvement in fuel economy in the last 25 years.

I've written two upcoming Sunday columns addressing that nonsense. But I'm happy to give you a preview here.

The government's mileage reports are sales-weighted, meaning its fuel-economy ratings are based on the average mileage of new vehicles actually sold, as opposed to those actually produced, still available and unsold.

You, the consumers, have been keeping mileage ratings low by buying-gas guzzlers. And you've been buying them because you can afford them because gasoline in this country is and has been cheap.

But now, faced with higher fuel prices, you are beginning to buy the many fuel-efficient cars and trucks that have long been available.

So, stop blaming the car companies for doing what all businesses do -- giving consumers what they are asking for.

You want to know who is responsible for low mileage ratings?

Look in the mirror.

Also, the auto industry did not declare war or invade anyone else's country.

The politicians you elected, the same ones who promised you cheap gasoline forever, did that.

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Washington, D.C.: I would really like to buy a convertible, but need something that can seat four people and hopefully one that won't break the bank. Any suggestions? All I can think about is the cute little BMW my neighbors have, but I just can't afford that.

thanks!

Warren Brown: Are you kidding? Ever hear of the Ford Mustang, the Volvo C70?

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Framingham, Mass.: My mother has a 1997 Geo Metro which is in great shape, is fun to drive, and gets 50 mpg on the highway. I think my father paid about $6500 for it. Why don't the domestic manufacturers start putting out cars like this? I think they would sell well and the companies could make up in volume what they lose on margin.

Warren Brown: The Geo Metro is a domestic car put out by Chevrolet and now succeeded by the Chevrolet Aveo, which also gets good mileage. And car companies, foreign and domestic, have been making very fuel-efficient cars for years. But America, awash in the cheapest gasoline in the developed world, and benighted by the mythology that cheap gasoline is forever and that God has chosen America and only America to run on cheap gasoline, has not been buying those fuel-efficient cars until recently.

We've become so adept at passing the buck in this country, we aren't even aware that we're doing it. Bad fuel economy? It's all the fault of the car companies. Bad, gutless politicians? Hey, it's not our fault. We all voted for the other guy.

When will accepting personal responsibility ever gain favor in America?

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Washington, D.C.: What do you think of cars having high-brands (Honda vs. Acura, Nissan vs. Infiniti, etc)? Is it usually worth paying the extra money, especially if they're a fairly good car to begin with?

Warren Brown: No.

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Silver Spring, Md.: My wife and I have a baby on the way and probably want to replace our AWD Legacy with either a minivan or a car-based SUV (Honda Pilot size). We looked at the Highlander and don't think it will provide enough storage space if child and pooch are on board. The Sienna would provide considerably more space. We want something more spacious because we also have a large dog. Other car is a '03 Passat ... So if safety (particularly for a child) features (stability control, side airbags), space, and car-like driveability are priorities what would you suggest? Also, are car dealerships the best place to get a baby seat installed?

Warren Brown: Hello, Silver Spring:

I would suggest the Sienna or my favorite minivan, the Kia Sedona/Hyundai Entourage. The dealership should be competent enough to properly install your baby's seat. But for extra measure, check with your local fire or police department. those folks almost always know what they're doing in the matter of child safety seats.

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Burke, Va.: Why did you stop being on the WMAL car show? Your insight was a real treat, especially with your travels around the world.

washingtonpost.com: Warren can be heard on Washington Post Radio 107.7 FM 1500 AM

Warren Brown: It's like this:

I work, first and foremost, for The Washington Post. Anything else I do, freelance, speeches, whatever, is secondary to my employment at The Washington Post, which has been very, very good to me and my loved ones.

(Heck, how many people can say that the got two living donor kidney transplants through The Washington Post?)

So, I am very, very, very loyal to The Washington Post, which means that when The Washington Post asked me if I'd be interested in working for Washington Post Radio, it was a no-brainer. I'm on tomorrow with my buddy JJ Gertler, 11 am to 1pm, WTWP, 107.7 FM and 1500 AM, simulcast nationally and internationally at http://www.washingtonpostradio.com/.

Please check out the show. Give us a call. We'll have fun.

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Warren Brown: Ok, Ria. I'm ending this. Eating lunch. You eat lunch, too.

The rest of you, be kind to one another. Drive carefully. God bless. Check out Warren's Pit Stop tomorrow, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., WTWP, 107.7 FM, 1500 Am, www.washingtonpostradio.com. Bye, y'all.

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