QUESTIONS TO THE GOOD CAR GUY IN AUGUST

Demanding answers, The Good Car Nation sends questions to The Good Car Guy with more frequency than can be handled. Some of those selected for public consumption are available below. To see more like these, check out the Questions label.

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What Helps A Car's Resale Value? The greatest attribute any new car can have is a badge... a good one. In this age of image-conscious everything, nothing matters quite as much as the history behind the logo. That's why the typical Hyundai resale value isn't quite as high as it could be, despite great quality ratings. Despite this, some vehicles overcome their badge. Chevrolet isn't perceived to be the most durable brand, but the Corvette will keep half its value after five years. As far as treating your car in a way that will maintain its resale value - service it at the dealer and keep all its records. And buy a Toyota or Honda. 

Is a long wheelbase good or bad? A long wheelbase (the distance between the centres of the front and rear wheels) is neither good or bad, to be precise. There are distinct advantages to a long wheelbase, most notably, ride quality. Although working in tandem with highly tuned suspension geometry and, to an extent, the tires; a long wheelbase spreads the impact of a bump or dip over what is basically a longer period of time. Take a ride on a motorcycle to feel the impact of a bump on a short wheelbase vehicle. Spreading the distance between the wheels by way of a long wheelbase and a wide track (the distance between the left and right wheels) aids handling as well. Picture the stability of an 8-month old baby on all fours before he stands up to a position where his feet (wheels) are close together. Now switch that to a vehicle. It should be made clear that one of the planet's most famous sports cars, the Porsche 911, has a wheelbase some 5 inches shorter than that of a Mini Cooper. That isn't the only case where the 911 flies in the face of conventional wisdom. Audi stretched the wheelbase of its A4 significantly for 2009 to aid ride & handling. Now the engine isn't so noticeably hung out in front of the front wheels but is seen to be spreading the weight of the car more equally between the front and rear axle. 

What is a list of bad new cars? The selection of this question for publication may seem relatively self-serving, but for an honest list, where else to turn but GoodCarBadCar.net's The Bad 8? This important link will take you to the introduction, while this is a link to all members which include the Chrysler Crossfire and Sebring convertible, Ford Taurus, Kia Amanti, Lexus SC430, Lincoln Town Car, Nissan Versa sedan, and Saab 9-5. This was a list for 2007 in North America.

How long should a Toyota Yaris live? Strange questions are answered too. The Good Car Guy spent a good amount of time in a 5-dr Yaris hatch and found it to be exactly what was expected. Good interior design works with space efficiency and can't-go-wrong dynamics to achieve a class-competitive rating without exciting or offending. Assuming the questioner wants to know how long a Yaris will survive, GCBC is out of answers. JD Power gives the '07 Yaris an Initial Quality rating of 3/5, an overall mechanical rating of 3.5/5, and a predicted reliability rating of 3.5/5. That compares with an '07 Hyundai Accent that achieves ratings in the same categories of 4, 4.5, and 4, respectively. If you're referring to the length of time Toyota will compete with a Yaris or Yaris-size car, lengthen your expectations. So long as this segment exists, Toyota will be a player.