Going through the Motions

Hi again,

I thought I’d go on a bit of a rant today about something that’s been bothering me for a while now: complacency behind the wheel. The other day, I was trying to merge onto the 400 just north of Toronto and nearly ran into the back of the car in front of me because they were trying to join the flow of traffic (which was travelling the speed limit of 100 kph or higher) while going 80 kph. This made it impossible for them, me, and the other 5 cars behind me to merge safely without cutting normal people off and looking like assholes. Just because you’re going at a speed your comfortable with like a kindergarten-level driving school student, doesn’t mean you aren’t making everyone around you feel much less comfortable. You’re the one causing traffic jams and accidents, you tool (Relevant Meme). So the next time you believe that slower means safer, remember that the Autobahn is the safest highway in the world because it doesn’t have speed limits and the drivers all know that they’re in control of a potentially very destructive force of engineering. As such they are able to react to problems with authority and clarity of vision which is something I think North American drivers either lost or never had. If someone passes you on the highway when you’re slowing down, remember that they are a safer driver than you because they are more aware of what’s going on around them and didn’t hesitate to make a move. Same thing with accidents causing traffic jams because people stop to look.

I hope at least a handful of people related to this and got a little frustrated just thinking about it 🙂

Have a great day!

New cars

I really don’t know why anyone would buy a car that is brand new from a dealership. It seems like any and every other possible choice when shopping for an automobile is superior. Think about it. If your new car loses 33% of it’s value as soon as its driven off the lot, you might as well get the one-year-older previously owned model for a drastically reduced price. It’s essentially the same car that had a newer year put in front of it and maybe they replaced the carpet with a more lightweight weave or slightly changed some of the interior dimensions, but all the high priority items have stayed the same. If you like throwing money away to prove to random strangers that you appear to be successful, then new cars are definitely the right choice. If it’s financed, two or three years from now you’ll be paying a ridiculous monthly fee probably equal to that of the current year model at that time. Especially for economy cars, if you’re going to buy a Civic, no one will really care that it’s the newest model. It’s a Civic. The new body design doesn’t hide the fact that it’s always been the same concept underneath. Just buy used. You save on initial price, insurance, and headaches involved with new electrical implementations.

American vs. Eurasian

Hello everyone,

Like many I used to be quite biased against the American-made sports cars. I used to think they didn’t have enough engineering expertise to innovate in the area of handling. But now it seems that an increasing number of American cars are being tested around the undisputed test track champion of the world, the Nurburgring Nordschleife, and posting some pretty spectacular times, the ’09 Dodge Viper ACR taking the 6th overall production car time. Even Cadillac, long branded as being luxurious and dependable, are starting to breach into the sports sedan/coupe market with the CTS-V and choosing to compete directly with the industry standards of BMW, Audi, and Mercedes in this class. What I’m getting at is that whether you believe it or not, the American automotive industry is once again booming. There may still be a stigma attached to them because of the government bailout but a less publicized story is that they payed it back in full only a short time (5 years ahead of schedule) after it was granted to them. As it stands they hold their own against all of their direct competitors in terms of build quality and performance in their respective classes. I still wouldn’t go as far as to say that I’m converted but they’ve definitely earned their stars and stripes in my book as of late.

Everyone have a good one,

Mat in the Hat

Second Post!! lol

hello again!

I happened upon the reincarnation of one of my all-time favourite cars yesterday: the Lancia Stratos. This newly revamped version looks like a life-sized hot wheels car and that was what was always great about it, along with being so light and agile. Here’s a picture of the newest version of the fabled rally champion: http://bit.ly/fykDVK. However, if you look at this picture the interior leaves something to be desired in terms of comfort http://bit.ly/gVX7T8. Racing seats with all-metal accents makes for a pretty uncomfortable and bland ride. Could’ve used cooler mats is all.
There was a kit car version of the original reviewed on BBC’s Top Gear and Jeremy Clarkson does a far better job of describing it than I can so if you have the time I’d highly recommend checking it out on Youtube.
Anyway this got me thinking that whoever wants to should post their favourite car from recent history that needs to be brought back to this decade.

Happy holidays and happy posting,
Mat in the Hat

Welcome!!

Hey everyone and welcome to MatMyCar‘s official blog!

Our company prides itself on the ability to deliver custom, quality car mats priced to fit anyone and everyone’s budget. Unlike the big dealerships that charge an arm and a leg for a bland, unoriginal mat, we allow you to personalize the look of your car’s interior for a fraction of the cost that going through outdated channels would incur without any unintended acceleration! (we’re looking out for you Toyota owners). But seriously, Toyota’s initial cure for the recall was to zip-tie their mats to the floor whereas every one of our custom mats is securely fastened with a dual-locking system for absolutely immovable certainty. That’s just the practical side of things, as the real treat is to be able to choose the colour of the trim and base while also having the ability to incorporate text and designs into the mix. You can even define the texture of the weave in order to achieve exactly the look you desire.

I look forward to checking in with you again,
Mat in the Hat