The car is beat up. Its headlights have gone hazy, the black paint has lost its gloss, and the interior is ragged, with the door panels and console nicked and peeling. It seems someone loved this car and used it hard. Actually, did they love it at all? I twist the key, and the 2011… Continue reading Test Drive: 2011 Porsche 911 Carrera S vs 2011 BMW M3
After six years and eight months, I am finally out of extended warranty on my 2011 BMW M3 Competition. The M3 has been, by far, the highest-maintenance vehicle I’ve ever owned. How needy was the M3? I’ve owned it for 65,123 miles, 6 years and 10 months, and in that time the M3 needed $43,706… Continue reading Long Term: 2011 BMW M3
This November, I had a frustrating track day in my 2011 BMW M3 at Sonoma Raceway. While it was a beautiful day with a dry track, a quick run-group, and a purring M3, the best lap I could manage was over 2 seconds slower than my personal record at Sonoma Raceway. I left the track… Continue reading Performance Driver 3 at the Sears Point Racing Experience
Well, that was quick! In a blink of an eye—seven months to be exact—our Tesla Model 3 has accumulated 10,000 miles. We love the fleet, frugal and tech-forward Model 3 as much as ever, but we have discovered a few things about the car, and ourselves, that we’d like to share. To our surprise, we… Continue reading Long Term: 2018 Tesla Model 3 after 10k Miles
Yes, it’s happened. The most sports-car-minded, petrol-brained enthusiast (me!) has bought his first electric vehicle. So what’s the new EV in my long-term fleet? Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the 2018 Tesla Model 3 Mid Range! Why did you buy a Tesla Model 3? I wasn’t planning to purchase a new car, but my lust… Continue reading Long Term: 2018 Tesla Model 3 Mid Range
It has been four years since I last took my 2011 BMW M3 to the track. I remembered that my M3 was good on the track, but I forgot exactly how good it is. The track is truly the M3’s spiritual home. Today’s track day was at Thunderhill on the 3-mile track (CCW with the… Continue reading Long Term Update: 2011 BMW M3 at Thunderhill
I've done my 1,000-mile break-in with the CTS-V wagon, though in this case, the break-in was of the owner rather than the car. I now feel like I have a rounded view of the super wagon. The majority of my break-in miles were urban, back and forth to school and the supermarket as I play… Continue reading Long Term: 2014 Cadillac CTS-V
My $55,000 purchase of a performance station wagon was made on 9/10ths emotion and 1/10th logic. The emotional draw is obvious: A supercharged, Corvette-derived V8 spins—and I do mean spins!—the rear wheels of the most distinctive and attractive vehicle to ever come out of Cadillac. The logic is tenuous: “Honey, there’s seating for the whole… Continue reading Long Term: 2014 Cadillac CTS-V Sports Wagon
I have been thinking about selling the Focus RS for nearly a year. In April 2017, I got a quote from CarMax to purchase the vehicle. They offered $33k, and I thought I could do a little better. But life intervened, and I did not post my car for sale until April 2018. My car… Continue reading Long Term: 2016 Ford Focus RS
The original purchaser of every Ford Performance vehicle—Focus RS, Focus ST, Fiesta ST, Mustang GT350, F 150 Raptor–receives complimentary tuition to the Ford Performance Racing School at Utah Motorsports Campus. Ford has tailored classes that honor the high-performance capability of each model and teach owners how to reach those limits safely. As the first-owner of… Continue reading Ford Performance Focus RS Adrenaline Academy
Mike's Steering Column 