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“The ugly duckling. It may be rusty, but it runs better than most newer cars” What things have gone wrong with the car? Headliner falling down.

Driver seat a little twisted and ripped.

Engine valve noise, probably from driving 388,000 KMs.

Fenders and rear quarters rusted as well as other rust spots and peeling paint.

Speakers blown, but still work OK.

Valve cover leak and minor power steering hose leak.

General comments? Bought the truck for $500 and drove it 143 KMs home, and was surprised at how well it was running, and how well it rode for being a rusted cheap Bronco II.

The body is ugly brown on tan with a shade of rust, but still solid. Most of it is just surface rust.

4X4 works great, the manual transmission shifts good, and the clutch seems to be fine.

Heat works amazingly well, and surprisingly so does the A/C.

Handles bumps really well, and you do feel them, but you feel them in most true 44 offroad vehicles.

Carburated engine starts up quick, like as soon as the key hits the start position, it’s running, and very quiet and smooth, you can barely hear or feel the engine running except for the minor valve tick.

I definitely need to put in a tachometer in it so I know it’s running, because it’s so quiet that every time you get to a stop sign or traffic lights and push the clutch in, everything is quiet and it seems like the engine stalled, but it’s still running quiet and smooth.

I am very happy with this vehicle so far, even though it has 388,000 KMs. I would have no problem fixing up the body a little bit to get rid of most of the rust, and if I ever had to replace the engine or transmission, I would, but the way it seems right now, I almost think it would last another 300,000 KMs.

Check Cristian Truers’s new auto cars buying guide for more information, or read his interesting auto cars tips.

There are plenty of cars from around the world that never go on sale here in the U.S. market, one of them is the shapely Euro only Ford Mondeo. While the Mondeo was previously a true world car, being sold around the globe, the full size family car hasn’t been sold in America for almost a decade. Aside from missing out on the attractive styling of the fourth generation Mondeo, we are also missing out on Ford U.K.’s latest economical offer. The Ford Mondeo Titanium ECOnetic is a next generation turbo diesel powered family sedan that offers outstanding fuel mileage at a very affordable price, not to mention a few stylish options.

The ECOnetic part of the Mondeo’s nameplate comes from the car’s 2.0 Liter TDCi power plant that produces a maximum output of 115 HP that with the help of an optimal gear indicator helps the turbo diesel Mondeo to get an estimated average of 54.3 MPG. These numbers alone would be impressive for any vehicle, but when you consider that the new Mondeo ECOnetic is available with a set of stylish lightweight 16 or 17 inch rims, a lowered suspension as well as an optimized aero package complete with air deflectors and a rear spoiler all aimed at reducing fuel mileage robbing parasitic loss from heavy spinning items and aerodynamic drag that acts like a parachute pulling the car back from its intended direction of travel. In addition to all the items that make the ECOnetic Mondeo so great, the price trumps tem all; starting at only 23,295 for the space saving five door model and 24,545 for the estate.

Ford is introducing a new high series addition to its Mondeo line-up powered by ECOnetic technologies - the Mondeo Titanium 2.0 115PS TDCi with 139g/km CO2 emissions.

Targeting company car users increasingly conscious of company car tax costs while not compromising vehicle specification, the model is offered in five-door hatchback or estate form. Both deliver CO2 emissions of 139g/km and a combined fuel economy of figure of 54.3mpg.

While benefitting from Ford ECOnetic environmental features, this new model is otherwise identical to the standard Titanium series. The following features are added to help reduce CO2 emissions and improve fuel economy:

16in Y-Spoke lightweight alloy wheels (standard) 17in Y-spoke alloys (option) An optimum gear change indicator Aerodynamically optimised sports suspension and air deflectors Rear spoiler (five-door only)

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While a majority of automakers are bailing out of the Tokyo Motor Show, it is nice to see that there will indeed be a few new models to look at when it comes to be show time. One such vehicle will be a special edition sports car from he light weight English race car builders at Lotus. While the boffins from across the pond have already engineered every unnecessary ounce out of the Exige in the hopes of creating a hard core driving experience, this particularly dark model focuses on making the little Lotus as sinister looking as it is lethal. The special edition Tokyo Motor Show Lotus Exige is named the Scura, which is the Italian word for dark, due to its dramatic black bodywork and a GT3 inspired rear end.

Priced at around $75,000 the Exige Scura features a trio of Phantom Black stripes to break up the large panels of matte black paint, however the carbon fiber bits and suede wrapped racing buckets go a bit further towards showing off the Scura’s true purpose of being an all out competition vehicle. Only now instead of laughing at bright orange bodywork, other drivers will stay out of this Lotus’ way. Like all Exige models the Scura is powered by a supercharged four cylinder engine that delivers a maximum output of 257 HP 174 lb-ft of torque, while it can sprint from 0 to 60 MPH in only 4 seconds and reach a top speed of 152 MPH.

Lotus Cars unveils its latest special edition - the Exige Scura, so called due to its dramatic matt black and carbon fibre theme, at the Tokyo International Motorshow on 21st of October 2009.

Translated as ‘dark’ from Italian, the name ‘Scura’ reflects the stealth character of this already fierce looking Lotus and its stunning soft-feel matt black paint finish. Limited to just 35 cars globally, this Exige evokes a desire to ‘indulge your dark side’. This is a serious looking car and enhancements to performance and a reduction in weight from the production level Exige S means that the Exige Scura demands to be driven by a serious driver.

Contrasting high gloss ‘Phantom Black’ triple stripes run the length of the car and a carbon fibre front splitter, oil cooler inlet vanes, side airscoops and rear spoiler enhance the stunning distinction between the different textures and exaggerate the tactile quality of the velvety touch to the matt black paint finish.

Luke Bennett, Director of Lotus Cars said, “The Exige Scura is a stunning vehicle which offers an adrenaline fuelled experience and is a real head-turner! Our Exige customers choose Lotus because we deliver thrilling performance and dynamic design and this special edition fits the bill on both counts.

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We are more accustomed to hearing about the classic American tuners from Hurst Performance creating special edition Challengers and Mustangs, however they have teamed up with Chevrolet to auction off the very first preproduction HURST/Camaro on eBay prior to the 2009 SEMA show in order to fund the SEMA Memorial Scholarship Fund.

Now the auction is already under way, and aside from this 445 HP stunning silver and black pony car, the highest bidder will also walk away with a very special SEMA experience prize package. The package includes two tickets to the show, a two night stay at the Las Vegas Hilton, $1000 worth of American Airlines flight vouchers to get you there and a pair of passes to the eBay party at the Bellagio while in Sin City. The winning bid will ensure that the SEMA Memorial Scholarship Fund, a program that fosters industry leadership by supporting the education of students pursuing careers in the automotive aftermarket, continues on.

As if the trip of a lifetime to Las Vegas isn’t enticing enough, the HURST/Camaro comes complete with plenty of goodies of its own, like a set of 20 inch forged aluminum HURST T-2 wheels, a Hurst Competition Plus short throw pistol grip shifter and a Hurst AIRSPEED rear deck spoiler to complete the aerodynamic modifications. The modified muscle car rides on an aftermarket Eibach suspension to give the Camaro just the right stance, while a Magnaflow stainless steel performance exhaust gives the HURST/Camaro a much more aggressive bark to match the car’s bad boy livery.

SEMA, in cooperation with General Motors and Hurst Performance Vehicles, announced today that it will auction the first pre-production HURST/Camaro prior to the 2009 SEMA Show. The proceeds are to benefit the SEMA Memorial Scholarship Fund, a program that fosters industry leadership by supporting the education of students pursuing careers in the automotive aftermarket.

The car will be auctioned on eBay Motors during the two weeks prior to the show. “SEMA has a wonderful history of supporting our industry through scholarships made to deserving students,” said Scooter Brothers, Chairman of the SEMA Scholarship Committee. “The SEMA Scholarship Committee is delighted that Hurst Performance, along with GM, is making this generous donation with this one-of-a-kind HURST/Camaro. We look forward to a very successful auction culminating at the SEMA Show this November.”

“We are thrilled to be able to support the SEMA Scholarship Fund by contributing this very special Camaro,” said Bob Kern, General Motors SEMA Relations Manager. “GM is very committed to growing this industry and we are certainly dedicated to be part of a program that helps enrich the lives of so many young, aspiring automotive scholars.

Check Cristian Truers’s new auto cars buying guide for more information, or read his practical auto cars tips.