Nov 03 2015
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Random/Other Posts

2 Year Anniversary!

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Hello RNR Automotive Blog Readers! Two years ago on this date, this blog was created. I know that this year, I have been less frequent in publishing reviews, and I wanted to apologize for that. School keeps me busy, and so does work, and unfortunately, that has left me little time to do anything else, let alone write reviews for my blog. However, I haven’t forgot about you guys, so I will try my best to work harder at bringing you these reviews for you to read! I have great cars for you read about. I’ll let the cat out of the bag just so you can know what to expect in upcoming reviews: Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT, E60 BMW 550i manual, 2015 Scion TC manual, 2015 Lexus IS250, 2015 Mercedes-Benz C300, 2015 Ford Focus ST manual, 2013 Subaru Impreza WRX manual, 1965 Ford Mustang, 1989 Nissan Skyline GT-R manual, and many more.  My schedule next semester will be much easier and will allow for more free time, so hang in there! In the meantime, I will do my best to get these reviews underway. With that said, I just want to thank you guys for another great year for the blog. Without your support, the blog would not be with it is today. I want to thank my family and friends for their support. I personally want to thank my friend Miranda for always helping me out as my unofficial editor of the blog. Without her input, my blog would probably be filled with numerous grammar errors. With that out of the way, for last year’s anniversary, I did a review of my 2004 Honda Pilot. This year, I will post pictures from Fall Break that I enjoyed with a couple of friends. Update: Neela (that’s her name) just hit 182,000 miles! And she is still running. 🙂 (Hope I didn’t jinx it). I hope you enjoy the pictures. Thanks again for your support! Here’s to another great year!  Continue reading →

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Oct 08 2015
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Teaser

1999 BMW 328i Teaser

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Review coming soon!

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Oct 08 2015
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Automotive Reviews, Volvo

1995 Volvo 960 Review

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Just like manual transmissions, station wagons are a dying breed in the U.S. Unfortunately, they are being cannibalized by the market’s trend towards SUVs. The image and the lofty driving position that an SUV provides are proving to be irresistible to consumers. Even the Subaru Outback, long a poster vehicle for “outdoorsy” wagons is now being labeled as a “crossover SUV” on Subaru’s website, and the latest generation is as tall as a compact crossover. The emerging SUV market has caused station wagons’ (or in Europe speak: estates) relevance to decrease significantly. The Audi A4 wagon is now a puesdo-SUV thingy called Allroad in which they took a regular Avant (Audi language for wagon) and put cladding and raised the height as to reinforce the Allroad’s appeal as an SUV. Volvo, long associated with boxy station wagons, now features more SUVs than wagons in its lineup. Speaking of Volvo, one of the boxy station wagons it is known for is the 960. Part of the 900 series of flagship rear wheel drive cars in Volvo’s lineup, the 940 and 960 models were introduced in 1990 to replace the preceding 700 series. This is a bit confusing, but what I gathered from research is that the 940 and 960 are actually the same car. Apparently, the 940 denotes four cylinder engines, and the 960 denotes six cylinder engines. In 1994, the 960 received a freshening, and  for the 1997 model year, the sedan and wagon were renamed S90 and V90. In 1998, the S90/V90 were replaced by the S80. Having the chance to review an actual proper station wagon, I knew I just had to review this 960.  Continue reading →

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Sep 06 2015
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Photography

2006 BMW 325xi Photoshoot

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Did some photos for my friend’s 2006 BMW 325xi! Enjoy!

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Sep 01 2015
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Teaser

1995 Volvo 960 Teaser

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Review coming soon!

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Sep 01 2015
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Automotive Reviews, Manual Transmission Cars, Volkswagen

2007 Volkswagen Eos Base Review

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Whenever you think of a Volkswagen and a convertible in the same sentence, the association”chick car” comes to mind. Like for example, if you see a Volkswagen Beetle convertible on the street, you automatically assume that it is driven by a girl. Talk about sexism. Volkswagen’s second convertible offering (up till 2014), the Eos was also subject to the chick car syndrome. I wouldn’t drive a Volkswagen Beetle or an Eos but that’s not because of the stereotype. I just dislike convertibles in general. I also dislike Starbucks and Nutella, so I have pretty popular opinions. Right? Anyhoo, the Eos debuted in 2007 in North America, and it boasted a metal hardtop roof, earning it the title of the cheapest metal hardtop convertible on sale at the time. Right now, here we have a 2007 Volkswagen Eos. Considering its reputation as a chick car, you would assume that it is driven by a girl. You are right: it is driven by my first prom date. She was a cheerleader in high school, she is pretty, and I assume she likes shopping. So she fits the stereotypes of a girl who drives a chick car ( I am assuming). But there is one caveat. This Volkswagen Eos is a stick shift. That’s right, I converted my prom date to manual as she initially wanted an automatic for her first car. The stick shift is also the reason why I wanted to review an Eos even though I have already reviewed a 2012 Eos. With the automatic equipped refreshed Eos in mind, how does the pre refresh manual equipped Eos compare?  Continue reading →

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Jul 27 2015
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Teaser

2007 Volkswagen Eos Base Teaser

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Review coming soon!

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Jul 20 2015
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Automotive Reviews, Honda

2006 Honda CR-V LX Review

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As you may know, I drive a 2004 Honda Pilot, which I love dearly. One of my good friends was supposed to get her mom’s 2004 Pilot when she got her license, but instead she got a 2006 Honda CR-V. This move has jumpstarted a debate between which is better; the Pilot or the CR-V. (Obviously the Pilot is better). Just to annoy her, I resisted reviewing her car because I still maintain that she should have gotten her mom’s car (which by the way is still running strong at over 200k miles), and we could have been car twins. But nope, she got the CR-V. But since I am addicted to finding cars to review, I gave in and asked her if I could review the CR-V much to her delight. Believe it or not, the Honda CR-V and the Toyota RAV4 were one of the first compact SUVs to create a new category of car-based SUVs. The CR-V, based off the Civic, debuted in 1997. Although it was slow, the combination of its go anywhere ability, fuel efficiency, versatility, and affordability made it a success. The CR-V was redesigned in 2002 and retained the first generation’s virtue with more space and power. It received a facelift in 2005 with new visual modifications and the addition of a top of the line SE version.

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Jul 11 2015
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Teaser

2006 Honda CR-V LX Teaser

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Review coming soon!

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Jul 11 2015
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Automotive Reviews, Volvo

2007 Volvo XC90 3.2 and 2014 Volvo XC90 3.2 Premier Plus Review

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Over Christmas Break, we had a gathering in which I encountered a family friend. Amid a discussion, I learned that this person and his family currently own three Volvos, two of which are XC90s. Inevitably, I jumped at the chance to review the Volvos. Much to my dismay, I learned that the XC90s are in fact essentially the same car with the same engine choice, albeit with slight cosmetic and trim differences. I thought why not just combine these two cars into a review? With the SUV boom taking over the market in the early 2000s, safety innovator Volvo found itself without a suitable SUV to capitalize on this newly emerging trend. As a result, the XC90 debuted in 2002 as a 2003 model. The XC90 was designed with safety and versatility in mind, two traits that appealed to families. It quickly became Volvo’s best selling vehicle worldwide (in 2005), and it garnered the North American Car of the Year Award in 2003. I remember reading one of Jeremy Clarkson’s books (A former Top Gear host), and when the Volvo XC90 was brought up, it was noted that he’s had three of them. I remember that he said, “The Volvo XC90 seems like it was designed by engineers who actually have children, not just read about them in books.” I thought, if Jeremy Clarkson, one of the most critical and irrational people on the planet likes the Volvo XC90, then it must be good. Let’s see if I feel the same one about these XC90s.  Continue reading →

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