This year has slipped by so fast that I found myself sitting on weeks of vacation come November. This has resulted in creative new outings to get me away from work. My most recent adventure involved a 2010 VW Jetta and a wide open rode for Laughlin.

The car was great, it's no wonder VW is number one in Europe. The new Jetta rides excellent, and is very ergonomic. I was surprised by the power from the 2.5 liter in-line 5 cylinder engine. It may only have 177hp, but thanks to the 6-speed transmission, this thing scoots. It also averaged a 28mpg loaded with 4 adults and luggage.

I have heard of this city by the Colorado river for years, but never had visited. I quickly learned the history of this town, and it all started with one man. This man is Don Laughlin, a self proclaimed workaholic and true entrepreneur at heart. He got into the slots business early on in life. This led him to what is known today as Don Laughlin's Riverside Resort. The place where I found a hidden oasis in the dessert.

Here's a little nugget of history for you; Evidently the post master contacted Mr. Laughlin about the cities name for a local post office. Laughlin suggested Riverside Resort, the postmaster suggested "Laughlin". Evidently his suggestion was due to both being of Irish heritage. That's how this little steal away came to be named.

Long past are the days of chicken buffets for .98 cents and mobsters cruising down Route 66. The modern day Laughlin in simple words is a throwback to Las Vegas of yester-year. The people are friendly and down home, the traffic is minimal, and there aren't drunk college kids on every street corner!

Among the limited amenities of this town is a hidden jewel. One that can be appreciated by all, and is a must-see for gearheads. It's a great collection of cars from all era's and origins. It's known as the Don Laughlin's Classic Car Collection. Just like the Murphy Museum of Oxnard, this museum is a collection of several owner's vehicles. Most are from Nevada, Arizona, or California.

I love this kind of collection,it makes for an eclectic gathering of iron from automotive past. You will find the usual suspects; late 50's Chevy sedans and early 30's Ford's, as well as a few pro-street cars and ground-up resto's. The cars that stood out to me were a few mid 60's Studebaker Avantis. In my opinion these cars were ahead of their time in design both esthetically and mechanically.

This collection also boasts a nice gathering of classics of the two-wheel variety. Everything from a gorgeous BSA, to a Honda Goldwing used on a ten-year, 50,000 mile road trip. There are also a few nice one-off rides that can't be found anywhere else.

If you find yourself needing a break from Las Vegas, turn to Laughlin. From the 11 casinos, to the river and museum, there is plenty to do in a weekend get away here. Take advantage of $10 rooms and $4.99 buffet specials...and a free tour of some beautiful autos!

Motor On,

Lance

Find out more about the museum at: Don Laughlin's Classic Car Collection
Admission: FREE!
Hours: 10a-10p Mon-Sun

One big annual auto event I try to almost make every year is is SEMA. This is an acronym for the Specialty Equipment Market Association. It's a trade association that consists of several thousand automotive-related companies (domestic and international). From auto-related government issues, to the latest industry news, SEMA is involved with all aspects of the automotive world.

The SEMA Logo

SEMA holds it's annual convention every year in Las Vegas. This event, combined with the AAPEX (Automotive Aftermarket Products Show), makes for the largest convention of the year for Sin City. It's a great place to catch up with friends "in the business". Rather it be the guys from H&R Springs, or an old shop-owning friend in SLO, it's gearheads untie event.

This year showed the evident hurt this recession has put on the automotive industry. It's tough seeing some of these companies struggle. It was evident the exhibitor count was down. This huge event typically takes over every inch of the Las Vegas Convention Center, not this year. Most wings had areas blocked off with make-shift walls. One sliver lining was the fact that attendance was also down, so navigating the halls was easy. .

H&R springs' 2010 modded Mustang

Overall I think the show is still the destination for annual encounters with top existing, and new vendors. It's a great place to see the latest automotive innovations. The aftermarket industry while struggling now, is still a multi-billion dollar annual grossing market. This industry will rebound, not to what it was, but still will bounce back to a better position.

Thanks to SEMA and all they do for the industry. Those of us close, or in the auto industry appreciate all you do. Rather it be emissions laws at capital hill, or giving us an annual event to catch up, you make a difference in the auto world.

When purchasing something we often think about reliability. Will this pair of scissors dull after the fiftieth cut? Will this glove fall apart after a season of riding? No matter what the product, reliability always crosses all of our minds.

This brings me to what we depend on everyday...our transportation. Some buy cars based on this topic alone. I think this is why everyone from a first-time driver, to baby boomers drives Honda Civics. Such cars have not only thrived on the element of reliability, they have made it cool!

So, where do the cars of recent years stack up? According to a recent Consumer Reports article, the answers may surprise you. The 2009 auto survey put out is based on subscribers' experiences with 1.4 million vehicles.

While the Honda Insight tops the import list, the German's take bottom spot with the Volkswagen Toureg. Ford leads top build quality for domestics which I find as very cool, being they are the only domestic manufacturer to not take bailout money.

Lincoln hits a home run with the 2009 MKZ.

Even more interesting is that the much loved Toyota Camry and Honda Accord got beat out by the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan. Those industry savvy have seen a drop in build quality for both Lexus and Toyota since the automotive giant took first place for global manufacturing. Another success story is in the luxury class. The Lincoln MKZ beat out both the Lexus ES and the Acura TL.

2009 Lexus ES, falling short on the all-wheel drive review.

Lexus also came in low on the all-wheel drive list with their ES model. The Nissan Versa and Subaru Impreza WRX were also among the bottom dwellers. This report covers every category of vehicle you could imagine. The nice thing about it is there's no bias to it.

Being subscribed to Car & Driver, Road & Track, Automobile and Motortrend, I notice most reviews are bias. Even I favor some makes over others, but at least I base my opinion on years of wrenching, writing service and towing for AAA.

Likewise this report comes from real world people, individuals that own and drive these cars for more than a day or a month. They require at least a minimum of 100 responses before a car gets accepted to the list. Just FYI in case you were wondering if Bob Lutz and his five best friends got Cadillac ahead of Lexus!

Read all about it at ConsumerDigest.org

Motor On, Lance