...trying to steal Grampa's 1970 DeVille

Car Geek Extraordinaire

Well, if you made it here, thank you. In case you were wondering, here's a little bit about me. The following three posts might help explain things:

Back Then
I have been obsessed with automobiles and driving ever since I was a toddler. As a kid in the 70’s growing up on Long Island, I could identify the make and model of any car on the road, and usually could also tell you the model year by looking at the trim and light configurations. Cadillacs were my dream cars, and I also loved all things Mopar. The way other kids read comic books, I read the owner’s manuals from peoples’ glove compartments. Cover to cover. I would go to the library to check out and study Chilton’s repair manuals and by age 10, with the guidance of my Uncle, I was a little back-yard mechanic, doing oil changes tune-ups and brakes for family, friends, and neighbors.

Back Then (continued)
Following the energy crisis in the late 70’s, Detroit downsized (and ruined) every American car in their desperate attempt to reduce cost and meet the demand for efficiency. That broke my heart; but I’ve never given up hope that somehow, someday, American car companies would invent a way to have efficiency without sacrificing luxury. I got my hands on my first Edmunds New Cars and Trucks Buying Guide and Consumer Reports’ Annual Auto Issue in 1980, and every year thereafter. I was in hog heaven, studying the availability of motors and option codes, reliability trends and road test results, specifications and prices. I appreciated the unbiased reviews which were based on facts and statistics, unlike the fiction the newsstand car magazines wrote for their sponsors. By the time I turned 12, I was dispensing advice to grown-ups on how to price and negotiate car deals as many were reluctantly buying their first Japanese cars at the time.

Now
I am passionate about the intersection of where humans, processes and technology all come together, and specialize in leading large customer service and support operations. Aside from cars and business, my interests include real estate investing, renewable energy, genealogy research, gadgets and computing, consumer economics, quality food, and common-sense independent politics. My hero is Nikola Tesla and of all his many inventions, I am especially intrigued by the means by which he used wireless energy to power his electric 1931 Pierce Arrow, needing no battery.