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Auto-Biography Archive
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My 2006 Hyundai Elantra: Saying Goodbye To A “Good Car” – The Changing Definition With The Seasons of Life
Posted on September 27, 2025 | 17 CommentsA good car wandered into our life one day, An unassuming machine, we didn’t know it would stay. As a fan of the odd and unusual we expected to be […] -
I Took Up Backpacking At Age 72 – And Now I’m Hooked
Posted on September 20, 2025 | 27 CommentsAs a child, two of my favorite things were looking at cars and hiking in the mountains (Alps and Rockies). The common element in both was the visual stimulation, the […] -
My Life On Two Wheels – And My 1980 Novara Bicycle Gets Its Second Rebuild in 45 Years
Posted on May 31, 2025 | 35 CommentsYes, I do tend to keep things for…ever? You all know about my truck, which I’ve had for 38 years now, but I have another vehicle I’ve had even longer, […] -
Childhood Classic: Following Cliff Around
Posted on April 17, 2025 | 28 Comments(first posted 3/24/2015) Dad gave me this photo he’d scanned from a slide. It epitomizes my childhood; mop of blonde hair, patched knees on pants, messing […] -
Thank You All For Your Great Car Buying Advice, But I Ignored It And Bought This Pristine 1972 Ford LTD Instead
Posted on April 1, 2025 | 131 Comments(first posted 1/14/2014) As my father could have told you, I never was very good at listening to advice. I really appreciate all the great suggestions and tips in […] -
Auto-Biography: 1961 Ford Starliner 390-375 – Yes Pop, You Can Get A V8 Four-Speed 1961 Ford If You Really Must Have One
Posted on March 9, 2025 | 116 Comments(first posted 11/9/2012) Fathers can be hard to figure out sometimes, and none more so than mine. Now you might be willing to argue that point, but those […] -
Our 2010 Mazda5: A Stick Shift Zoom-Zoom Minivan Joins the Family
Posted on January 12, 2025 | 15 CommentsWhen we said goodbye to Valborg, or trusty ’86 745 GLE, in 2013, we needed another daily driver. Ever on the alert for another stick-shift to replace the Volvo, one […] -
A Tale of Two Volvos: A Slow And Boxy 1986 745 GLE Wagon Replaces The Fast And Sleek 2007 V70R
Posted on January 5, 2025 | 13 CommentsThey both sported the Volvo “ironmark” in their grilles, and both were station wagons. That, and possibly a few miscellaneous nuts and bolts, was just about as far as their […] -
My ’66 & ’67 Mustangs: Keeping The Mustang Flame Alive in the Southwest
Posted on December 29, 2024 | 18 CommentsAfter we said goodbye to the ’65 Ranchero when it crossed the auction block in Palm Springs, there was an obvious empty space in our Riverside County, California garage. What […] -
A Grande Mustang Christmas Story
Posted on December 25, 2024 | 27 Comments(first posted in 12/25/2013) I was living with my brother in the dumpiest rental house between Cheyenne and Denver at a railroad crossing on the fringe of town. The tracks shipped […] -
A 1965 289 V8 4-Speed Ford Ranchero Finds Its Way Into Our New Four-Car Garage
Posted on December 22, 2024 | 8 CommentsWhen it became clear that moving west with (most of) my Volvo product planning/product management colleagues was the only way to ensure my continued employment in that department, the […] -
My Years At Volvo: Organizational Ch-ch-changes
Posted on December 15, 2024 | 8 CommentsIf a wise man once said that change was the only constant, then he surely must have been privy to Volvo’s organizational charts during my career there. In the […] -
Working Where Volvos Were Born – Part Six
Posted on December 10, 2024 | 4 CommentsThis week, let’s set the wayback machine for mid-1999 and Gothenburg, Sweden, for one more look behind the curtain during the development of the second-generation Volvo S40. As the sole […] -
CC/Auto-Biography: 1964 Ford Falcon – The Long, Slow Trip To New York City
Posted on November 30, 2024 | 61 Comments(first posted 11/30/2018) I’ve been waiting for a long time to find a baby-blue ’64 Falcon 2-door sedan with the 170 inch six and 2-speed Fordomatic. The location […] -
Working Where Volvos Were Born – Part Five
Posted on November 24, 2024 | 26 CommentsMy assignment in Gothenburg was in many ways the highlight of my thirty-plus years with Volvo. Representing North America’s interests on the project team tasked with developing the replacements for […]