Ain’t Fuelin’ – Kickstart or Die Trying

This new video series has been in the works for a couple of years. I was getting ready to launch it in the third quarter of 2011, but when Google drastically slashed the amount of traffic it was sending to this website in mid-July of that year, I put the series on the back burner. This is the reality of life on the Internet. Google controls the bulk of the traffic to content websites. They decide who gets traffic and who does not. Is it fair? Absolutely not. Is it reality? Absolutely. The sites that do exceedingly well in the rankings today are big sites that can afford staffs that specialize in search engine optimization, as well as those that use tactics that optimize their rankings. Smaller sites, particularly one person operations, are simply out of luck in Google’s new world order. Quite simply, they determine what you see.

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Ain’t Fuelin’ Hangout with EricTheCarGuy

In the first of a series of hangouts we have planned to support our new video series, Ain’t Fuelin’, I chat with special guest Eric Cook, a.k.a. EricTheCarGuy on YouTube. Eric and I run long on a bunch of fuel economy and car maintenance, including: is it worth it to have an engine rebuilt on a car with 200K on the clock and is there a market in refurbishing older fuel efficient cars, like the Honda Civic and Volkswagen TDIs?

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2013 Dodge Dart Rallye Review

MPG-o-Matic 2013 Dodge Dart Rallye Review Summary: For many folks, the old Dart wasn’t legendary (Klick and Klack aside). It was a compromise, the little Mopar you bought if you couldn’t afford one of the truly sought-after models, like the Barracuda, Challenger, Road Runner, Charger, or GTX. Be that what it may, today’s Dart is a splendid and affordable sedan, with a chassis that owes its heritage to Alfa Romeo and a power plant swiped from the mighty little Fiat Abarth. With plenty of interior room and top-notch in-cabin technology, the Dart is well worth a look.

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How High Will Gas Prices Climb This Time?

Hold onto you wallet. Gas prices have risen consistently over the last month, edging ever upward. Once again, California leads the nation into the abyss, with a state average of $4.203 per gallon, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California. While today’s prices are still below the records set last fall, we’ll see those historic numbers eclipsed if the rise is unabated. In all likelihood, it won’t be long until that happens, as prices typically rise into the summer driving season, when demand peaks.

So what’s pushing the roller-coaster up hill this time?

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2013 Volkswagen Beetle TDI Manual Convertible Review

MPG-o-Matic 2013 Volkswagen Beetle TDI Review Summary: If you’ve ever dreamed of a fuel-efficient clean diesel convertible, those dreams just came true. The 2013 Volkswagen Beetle TDI is the most fuel-efficient – and only diesel – ragtop offered for sale in the USA today. When equipped with the six-speed manual transmission, it delivers a driving experience unlike anything else on the road. The joy of heavy pedal rapid-fire 3000 RPM shifts coupled with light-footed fuel-stingy glides is positively splendid. While the back seat is tight and the styling is not everyone’s cup of tea, the Beetle TDI delivers competently.

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