Wandering Wednesday

This is not a recent comment, but seems relevant in light of recent events. The remark was made by Alecia Beth Moore, better known to the world as Pink or P!nk. She tweeted more than a decade ago, “Kanye West is the biggest piece of shit on earth. Quote me.” I’m just doing what she asked…

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My daily computer football league playoff game was really a tale of two games. The Los Angeles Cobras scored 23 second-quarter points to take a 23-21 halftime lead over the Texas Tornadoes. LA was the only team to defeat Texas during the regular season and the score was 46-44; the first half of the playoff game seemed like a repeat of the regular season game would occur.

However, LA did not move the ball well in the second half. Matthew Stafford, the Cobras’ quarterback, had very little success after halftime and threw two interceptions to boot. Texas QB Joe Burrow did not have a great game, either, also throwing two interceptions, but both were in the first half. After an otherworldly 144.3 passer rating in 573 regular season attempts, Burrow’s rating for the playoff game was just 90.9. (The real NFL record for single-season passer rating is 122.5 by Aaron Rodgers in 2011. Of course, adjusted for league averages I don’t know what the best performance is.)

The Tornadoes just kept grinding out yardage in the running game (Damien Harris had 129 yards rushing on 20 carries) and made enough completions in the passing game to keep moving the ball and adding points, mainly Justin Tucker field goals. Texas’ defensive lineman Dean Lowry had two huge fourth-quarter sacks of Stafford and Texas advanced, winning 40-26.

Just five playoff games remain and it is exceedingly likely I will write about all of them. In many ways, this most recent season was the most enjoyable of any computer or table-top season I have ever played. Unlike most of my seasons, where–for some reason–the majority of games were decided by 10 points or more, nearly half of the games were decided by one score (8 or fewer points). Of course, in the real NFL more than half of the games are one-score games.

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My long-time friend Vin, we met in graduate school and have known each other for 40 years (wow, we’re getting old), graciously sent some photos he recently took at a local car show (local for him, not for me). Here are two of them:

Can’t go wrong with any Hawk from Studebaker and a C6 Corvette, in Red no less. Part of me still wants to buy a Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk (shown below), but I worry about maintenance and safety.

If anyone wants to offer an opinion on a potential purchase of a Gran Turismo Hawk, as opposed to a Pontiac Solstice GXP, I would like to read it. Thanks. Oh, “buy both” is not an option, at least not at any time in the near future.

#WanderingWednesday

#FuckKanyeWest

#ComputerFootballSeason

#StudebakerGranTurismoHawk

#somanyCARSjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Freeform Friday

I am not exactly a fount of ideas today.

My Mustang has already had its first hiccup. A couple of days ago and out of the blue, the nav map seemed to have no idea where I was and did not correctly show my heading. When I started the car yesterday, the map righted itself after a few minutes, but I was unable to play audio from any source other than Sirius/XM. I could not switch to FM or use the songs from my iPhone.

I decided the only solution was something Ford discourages, a Master Reset of the SYNC system. That, as of now, seemed to fix all of the problems. I hope this is not an ongoing issue. Even though the car is still, obviously, under the bumper to bumper warranty, the last thing I want is a repeat of the Z06 nonsense where repairs take an inordinate amount of time because parts are not available.

My wonderful wife’s Corvette memory seat setting has been finicky for quite some time. In order to get the steering wheel and seat in her desired setting, my wife first has to move the seat a bit. Then, pressing the #1 setting button in the door finishes the job. The car is supposed to automatically go to the correct settings for her key fob. On occasion, it does function properly, but most of the time she needs to “remind” it by noodging the seat.

EVERYTHING comes with a trade-off. The modern safety, convenience and entertainment systems in cars add complexity. I am not an electrical engineer and don’t know if such issues are the result of too many devices for a standard 12-volt system to handle. Once again, I fully understand why many automobile aficionados prefer cars from the pre-computer era. No, I am not going to show that picture of a Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk in light green with a white top.

Well, it’s not the one in light green and white. What do you think of this paint job? This is a 1962 model, which I would not prefer over a ’63 or ’64, but supposedly the interior has been replaced. The ’62s were notorious for a bad vinyl interior that virtually disintegrated over time.

The seller, an independent dealer of classic cars in Michigan, is asking $15,900 for the car. That’s not an outrageous amount, some sellers are asking twice that much for allegedly pristine examples, but that doesn’t leave much money for modifications for me. Hemmings has another Gran Turismo Hawk listed at $9,900, but it’s a ’62 with no mention of a new interior and is in an exterior color that does not appeal to me. Good paint jobs are VERY expensive.

So many cars, just one life.

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We received rain yesterday that, once again, was not really forecast by the National Weather Service. My admittedly anecdotal impression is that WeatherNation seems to be a bit more accurate in forecasting rain for our area. Here are a couple of videos from yesterday.

Hopefully, in one of these videos you can see the mountains in the distance that are in sunlight while it was raining at our house. When I write a post and insert videos I do not exactly know the content as all I see is wpvideo and some numbers/letters inside of brackets. I think the video to which I refer is the second one.

#FreeformFriday

#EverythingIsATradeOff

#StudebakerGranTurismoHawk

#DesertRain

#somanyCARSjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Sluggish Saturday

I couldn’t drag myself out of bed early enough this morning to attend a nearby car gathering. Am I already taking the car culture here for granted? I hope not…

I don’t know if it’s allergies or something else, but my quality of sleep has not been good for most of the time we have been in Arizona. To be honest, though, it wasn’t that good before we moved, either. I think the last time I had consistently good sleep was in the summers between school years and that was a LONG time ago.

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Two years ago today I unveiled the first automobile in my 11-car Ultimate Garage 2.0. (It was a 1956 Packard Caribbean convertible, by the way, in case you don’t click on the link, or even if you do.) It simply doesn’t seem possible to me that it’s been two years. The ever increasing swiftness of the passage of time is the most powerful indicator of advancing age, in my opinion.

I am thinking about and trying to formulate Ultimate Garage 3.0. If I do publish the list, though, I will not do it one car at a time. It is a virtual certainty that 3.0 would have more cars than 2.0 and I just wouldn’t want want to drag it out. If I finish and publish 3.0, I will do it in two or three posts. Also, I will not have posts prior to the reveal writing about the cars that just missed the cut.

I have decided to have fewer restrictions than before. Who knows? I might even include a car that was only available with a manual transmission. However, I will not include cars of which only 10 or 50 were made. That might be the only restriction.

Of course, I would be very happy if any of you decided to submit your Ultimate Garage. You can have as few or as many vehicles as you like with as few or as many restrictions as you like. Be assured, though, that my Ultimate Garage 3.0 will remain highly idiosyncratic and personal.

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Lot F276 at the Mecum Auction in Indianapolis, a beautiful 1963 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk restomod, was bid to $50,000, but did not sell yesterday. Dirty Dingus McGee speculated the build cost $100,000 and the reserve would be around $60,000. For the nth plus nth time, Mecum does not allow its online photos to be captured (why?) so I cannot show the actual car. Although I haven’t quite finished watching yesterday’s broadcast, I don’t think the car was shown, anyway.

Once again, I will use my recently purchased 1:18 model as a stand-in for a photo:

Yes, I have written many times that my “ideal” Gran Turismo Hawk would be in British Racing Green, maybe with a Cream top, would have wire wheels and probably be a restomod. If you’re going to dream, then dream big.

#SluggishSaturday

#INeedBetterSleep

#UltimateGarage3.0

#StudebakerGranTurismoHawk

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Happy Mothers Day 2021

Happy Mothers Day to those for whom this day is named. This is the 18th Mothers Day without my marvelous mom.

Today also marks 26 weeks that my wonderful wife and I have lived in our Arizona home. Yep, a half year has come and gone.

The wheels of time turn relentlessly.

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One might dismiss the remarks of Andrew Bailey, Bank of England Governor, as being those of an old fogy. (By the way, Bailey is 62.) Nevertheless, this is what Bailey recently said about cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, “They have no intrinsic value. I’m going to say this very bluntly again. Buy them only if you’re prepared to lose all your money.”

Once again, sovereign fiat currency is backed by a nation’s ability to tax and to borrow. Cryptocurrencies are backed by nothing except people’s faith in them.

I also believe that the dramatic rise in the value of many of these “instruments” will be halted by the same event that legitimizes them: governments regulating cryptocurrencies. It is also possible that countries will begin to issue their own digital currencies.

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In this article from Classic Cars, Andy Reid (no, not the NFL coach) shares some tips for buying your first collector car. The article is worth reading. I particularly liked this passage:

“Complication does not mean computers, but could mean a non-syncro gearbox, a 2-stroke engine that requires oil to be added to the fuel at each fill up, or expensive service needs.

You may find out that after doing this you don’t really want a classic Hemi Cuda or an MGB but instead want a newer Dodge Challenger Hellcat or a BMW Z4. This is where you need to listen to both your heart and your head.”

Without deep pockets and/or excellent mechanic skills many collector cars will simply be too much to handle for many owners. A relevant passage from Reid’s piece: “However, you also need to understand that, at a fundamental level, no collector car, especially one 25 years old or older, is going to be perfect…This is not the owner hiding anything from you but simply a fact of life with older cars.”

As I have written before, while at this particular moment in time I am not in a position to buy a car like the one shown below, my lack of mechanic skills would also give me pause before purchasing such a vehicle, although in the end my heart might overrule my head.

See the source image

Yes, this is another picture of a Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk. If you plan to watch the upcoming Mecum Auction from Indianapolis, pay particular attention to lot F276 (meaning the car will cross the block on Friday, May 21st). I have mentioned this car before and it would be the best of both worlds because it looks like a GT Hawk, but has a modern drivetrain, suspension, brakes, etc. Still, this is where the deep pockets would be relevant assuming I had room for another car.

Dirty Dingus McGee estimated that the car cost at least $100,000 to build and might have a reserve of about $60,000. The latter is simply beyond what I want to spend right now for an automotive “toy.” Of course, I have no place to park it, anyway.

I would very much like to read any thoughts or suggestions you have on buying a collector car, whether or not it would be your first.

#HappyMothersDay2021

#WheelsOfTime

#Cryptocurrencies

#BuyingACollectorCar

#StudebakerGranTurismoHawk

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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I Couldn’t Help Myself

Yes, I finally bought one:

OK, where will I keep it? We already have three cars in our three-car garage and our lot has no room for another vehicle. Surprisingly, my wonderful wife was not upset with this purchase at all. Maybe this will make things clear:

Well, I did finally buy one…a model of a Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk. Apparently, it was shipped all the way from the UK and arrived in pristine condition. Cleverly, the side view mirror was shipped in a little plastic bag to protect it during transit as was the driver side window “assembly.” Both were easily affixed with a dab of Gorilla Super Glue. Here are some more photos:

Maybe not so ironically, I would say the probability of my acquiring a real one someday has increased dramatically. Maybe that means that if I publish an Ultimate Garage 3.0, then the Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk will have to be a part of it.

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From Corvette Blogger comes this piece titled, “Corvette is the Fastest-Selling New Car for the Third Consecutive Month.” Here is a chart from iseecars.com via Corvette Blogger:

Corvette is the Fastest-Selling New Car for the Third Consecutive Month

Note that the average price of a new Corvette sold in March did decline by about 5 percent compared to the price in February. It is also very sad to me that besides the Corvette, the Lexus IS 350 is the only car on this list. Also notice at least four hybrids on the list, but no pure EVs. From the Corvette Blogger piece, a picture of a new C8 Corvette:

Corvette is the Fastest Selling New Car for the Third Consecutive Month

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I guess I should note the death of POS Bernie Madoff. Yes, he was evil and ruined the lives of many people. Still, all I can hear in my head is that the success of a scam doesn’t depend on its cleverness, but instead depends on the greed of the mark.

Many of those people “receiving” years and years of above average returns must have had some doubts, but decided not to look that gift horse in the mouth. Despite receiving warnings about Madoff’s operation from Harry Markopolos as early as 2000, the SEC did nothing. Even Madoff said he could have been caught in 2003, but:

“I was astonished. They never even looked at my stock records. If investigators had checked with The Depository Trust Company, a central securities depository, it would’ve been easy for them to see. If you’re looking at a Ponzi scheme, it’s the first thing you do.”

As most people know, it was the financial crisis of 2008 that led Madoff to turn himself in as he could no longer meet redemption requests. As of December, 2020, the total of recoveries and settlement agreements was about $14 billion. How much Madoff actually stole during the years of his Ponzi scheme is a matter of some debate.

Madoff gave capitalism and Jews a big “black eye.” It is ironic that the lunatic socialists in this country want government to control our lives, but government failed to intervene sooner in the Madoff case despite years of warnings. EVERY institution of human beings is flawed, because EVERY human being is flawed. That includes government.

#ICouldntHelpMyself

#StudebakerGranTurismoHawk

#C8CorvettePopularity

#POSMadoff

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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The Countdown Continues

17 days until my wonderful wife and I receive our second vaccination against the damn virus, 31 days until “full immunity.” As I fully understand, at our age that time will fly by.

We cannot wait to attend car shows and to visit car museums, to dine inside at restaurants, to visit antique shops. Those activities are really all we’ve missed as we are not partiers nor did we travel multiple times a year. I have mentioned to my wonderful wife that when we are “fully immune” I would like to go back to the last restaurant where we dined indoors before all hell broke loose, an IHOP in Sun City, Arizona. Remember, we were vacationing here last year at this time to attend the Mecum auction.

I hoped, but did not expect to be living here at the time of this year’s Mecum auction. I certainly never expected to be here and be unable to attend. No one can consistently predict the future with any degree of accuracy.

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I keep thinking about this car, a Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk that was offered on Bring A Trailer back in 2018. It looks like a 1964 model given the landau roof, but it doesn’t have to be from that year. For me, I differentiate the years by the rear deck molding or lack thereof.

IF I ever acquire one I would like to have it painted green, although a little darker than this one, and would like to fit it with wire wheels. Granted that I have never seen this car in person, but other than one I saw at the AACA Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania, this is the nicest Gran Turismo Hawk I have ever seen. For me, dark exterior colors muddle the lines and I am not a fan of white cars, either. Here is a photo I recently “published” of a 1962 model at the Mecum auction in Arizona last year:

Note the rear deck molding is basically all metal; that is how the ’62s were outfitted. For 1963, the bottom of the molding had a black strip so “Studebaker Hawk” stood out. For 1964, the molding was removed as the deck stamping was finally changed from the original used since 1956. For the ’64s, “Studebaker Hawk” was shown as a badge in stainless or some other “chrome-like” metal against the “plain” rear deck.

If space for another car were not an obstacle, one reason I would hesitate to buy one of these is service. I am certainly not qualified to fix one myself–my acquisition of a service manual for all 1959-64 Studebakers notwithstanding–and I have little idea what shop would be qualified to work on the car. I have read about one shop that specializes in working on “classic” cars located at the Scottsdale Airpark although the name eludes me for the moment. (Damn advancing age!)

Any thoughts or opinions you have would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

#TheCountdownContinues

#GetVaccinated!

#MecumGlendaleAuction

#StudebakerGranTurismoHawk

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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A Very Mixed Bag

At noon local time on Tuesday, the minimum age for registering for a COVID-19 vaccine was lowered to 55 in this state. A limited number of vaccine appointments were made available, first on the state’s Department of Health Services website.

All of those appointments were gone by 2 PM. Amazingly, I was able to snag one for myself, for next Friday at 6:15 AM. State Farm Stadium, one of the public vaccination sites, is open 24/7 when they have vaccine supply.

Very unfortunately, I was unable to get an appointment for my wonderful wife. Later, I tried the website of the national pharmacy chain where we had secured appointments for her parents, but with no luck. All vaccine appointments are currently booked. So much for vaccine hesitancy, huh?

I have continued my efforts to get her an appointment, but it seems as though no more new appointments will be available for awhile. I am very conflicted about being able to get a vaccine while my wonderful wife cannot.

I know supply is still somewhat constrained, but this is an unfortunate turn of events, a very mixed bag, if you will. I was hoping to get both of us signed up with the national pharmacy chain and then I would have cancelled my state appointment. The best laid plans of mice and men…

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Those who sympathize with the cause of the “Palestinians” should read this article, which appears in the bastion of liberal news, The New York Times. The piece is titled, “As Palestinians Clamor for Vaccine, Their Leaders Divert Doses to Favored Few.” From the article:

“…in secret, the [Palestinian] authority has diverted some of the thousands of vaccines it has received to some senior members of the ruling party in the West Bank who have no formal role in government, according to two senior Palestinian officials and a senior official from the party, Fatah, who all spoke on condition of anonymity.”

“Vaccines have also been secretly given to top figures at major news outlets run by the authority, according to one of the senior Palestinian officials and two employees at those outlets. Family members of certain government officials and Fatah leaders were also given the vaccines, the senior official and a former government official said.”

In my opinion, the “Palestinians” have no moral ground on which to make any claims for themselves about any issue. Their governments (yes, they have two governments: one in the West Bank and one in Gaza) are beyond corrupt. The “citizenry” is obsessed with the annihilation of a sovereign state that has existed for more than 70 years and is the only democracy in the Middle East.

Maybe those inclined will see this article as more reason to sympathize with “Palestinian” citizens. Well, they elected Hamas as the ruling “party” in Gaza. Hamas is a terrorist organization that has only one policy initiative: to annihilate Israel. (Yes, I know the Times article is about Fatah.)

I stand by my statement. The “Palestinians” have no moral ground to make any demands for themselves.

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Taking deep breaths to calm down…

May is about eight weeks away. In late May of 2019 I began to unveil my Ultimate Garage 2.0. As I have mentioned before, I am considering an Ultimate Garage 3.0 to be revealed in May and/or June of this year.

Version 2.0 had 11 cars. My first Ultimate Garage, released on my first blog hosted by the Evil Empire, had seven. I am aiming for 10 cars for 3.0, but it will not be easy to limit my choices to ten.

Some have offered the opinion–and not in the form of a blog comment–that I should only include cars I’ve actually driven. I understand that view, but feel it’s too limiting. An Ultimate Garage is an exercise in fantasy, which by definition is not grounded in reality.

A car on the bubble for 3.0 is this one, a car that just missed the cut the first two times:

See the source image

From FastLaneCars a picture of a Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk, a 1962 model to be exact. The timeless design of this car is an homage to the original Loewy coupes, designed by Robert Bourke and Holden Koto.

In profile or rear three-quarter view, I still think the car looks stunning. While if somehow I had the means and the space to acquire one it would probably be restomodded, for an Ultimate Garage exercise I would include a stock car. Here is sort of a three-quarter view I took at the Mecum auction in Arizona almost exactly one year ago. First, an aside: a very mixed bag also means getting started on being vaccinated against the damn virus, but not being completely vaccinated in time to attend either the Mecum or Barrett-Jackson auctions that will take place here later this month. Yes, that’s a shallow and selfish perspective; I’m only human and I LOVE attending car auctions.

Part of me almost feels obligated to include the Gran Turismo Hawk for 3.0, like I can’t leave the car out again. Those of you, like C/2, who were gracious enough to send me your own Ultimate Garage almost two years ago, can do so again. Of course, you can send me your Ultimate Garage even if you weren’t reading this blog two years ago. It’s amazing how writing about Ultimate Garage 3.0 and the GT Hawk succeeded in calming me down.

#AVeryMixedBag

#IStandWithIsrael!

#UltimateGarage3.0

#StudebakerGranTurismoHawk

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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It Might Have Been…

“For of all sad words of tongue or pen, The saddest are these, ‘It might have been.'”

Many are familiar with this line by John Greenleaf Whittier, but most are probably not aware that it is from his poem “Maud Muller.” The picture below is an example of “it might have been” although certainly not the most poignant or significant. As much as I love cars and cars from defunct American makes, I am not so dense as to be oblivious to the rest of the world.

From Studebaker Hawk 1956-1964 Photo Archive by Ed Reynolds (I hope Stephen Cox, “Mr. Hawk,” has a copy of it) is a picture of Brooks Stevens’ rendering of what the 1965 Gran Turismo Hawk could/should have looked like. I really like the more modern look of the front grille and trunk lid. The fact that this car could still look fresh in the mid-1960s is, of course, a tribute to the original design of the “Loewy coupes” that were actually drawn by Bob Bourke.

The reality is, and yes hindsight is 20-20, production of the GT Hawk could have continued even after the shutdown of the main Studebaker factory in South Bend, Indiana in December, 1963. While the Avanti was made in a “special” area only in South Bend, GT Hawks had been manufactured in Canada. Of course, Studebaker was in its death throes as an automobile manufacturer by this time and the money for even the modest changes proposed by Stevens simply did not exist.

While no longer in the lead as candidate for Corvette companion/grocery car, the Gran Turismo Hawk is still in the running. Who knows how many iterations of rank will exist between now and the actual time of purchase?

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A dialogue between me and Dirty Dingus McGee about yesterday’s post got me thinking about my favorite 100 or 200 cars of all-time. I am never going to be able to rank that many cars, but I thought about adding a feature to Disaffected Musings. I would call the posts “In Or Out?” and would show a car and then ask you to say if it would make your top 100 without your actually putting a number on it. Does anyone like the idea and, if so, would you participate?

#ItMightHaveBeen

#JohnGreenleafWhittier

#StudebakerGranTurismoHawk

#InOrOut?

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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The Purity Of Cars

To me, of course, cars are more than just transportation. Many of them are rolling sculptures and/or masterpieces of engineering.

To restomod or not to restomod has always been the subject of quite a debate in the car world. The difference between restoring and restomodding is well described by this excerpt from this webpage:

“Restoration essentially refers to taking a great classic car and bringing it back to life with all (or most) of the original factory parts. The process involves repair of the visible parts (e.g., body trim, interior, etc.), as well as the parts not easily seen (e.g., electrical, suspension, brakes, etc.). The result is a beautifully preserved automobile in factory-new condition with authentic parts – just like it came off the showroom floor decades ago.”

“Restomod (restoration + modern parts/technology) draws from all the amazing advancements in automobile technology over the past 40+ years to enhance the performance, comfort and safety of the classic car. A restomod car has the timeless appearance of the original, but the outdated guts of the car have been replaced with the more modern, high-performance parts of today. You achieve the same great look, but your vintage car will be revved up with all the latest bells and whistles to create a much better ride for the owner.”

Not surprisingly, since these definitions come from a website called restomodstore.com it’s no shock that they prefer restomods. I am thinking about this topic because I am still thinking about buying a car like this, although 2-3 years in the future (if I live that long):

See the source image

From Mecum auctions a picture of a 1963 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk offered at their 2012 Indianapolis auction. Once again, the intent is not for this car to replace my 2016 Corvette Z06, but to be a “companion” to it.

Part of me would prefer to keep the car stock, if possible. I mean, if the car’s original drivetrain is shot I probably wouldn’t buy it, anyway, because of the cost of replacement. However, and as I have stated in the past, I believe that since this is the 21st century, why wouldn’t I want to drive a car with more modern components?

At the heart of this debate for me would be whether or not to do an EFI conversion for an original Studebaker engine, if such a thing is even possible. Oh…EFI stands for Electronic Fuel Injection. In that way, the car retains its original engine, but an engine that will run more reliably with more power and better fuel economy.

Obviously, the cost of such a project would play a role in whether or not I would do it. All other things being equal, though, I must report that at this time and place far removed from my acquisition of such a car, I am leaning towards doing the EFI conversion. Who knows? Maybe it would be something that I might try to do myself with the help of a friend.

I would very much like to read your thoughts on this debate, on the subject of the purity of cars.

#PurityOfCars

#StudebakerGranTurismoHawk

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Just Another Wednesday?

From Wikipedia:

“The name [Wednesday] is derived from Old English Wōdnesdæg and Middle English Wednesdei, ‘day of Woden’, reflecting the pre-Christian religion practiced by the Anglo-Saxons, a variation of the Norse god Odin. In other languages, such as the French mercredi or Italian mercoledì, the day’s name is a calque of dies Mercurii ‘day of Mercury.'”

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Maybe millennials are not committed to central cities, after all…this CNBC article mentions that, according to the Census Bureau, 2018 was the fourth consecutive year in which a “noticeable decline” occurred in the millennial population of major cities. A 2018 Ernst & Young survey of 1,200 adults aged 20-36 found that more people in this group are buying homes in the suburbs than in cities.

In Sunday Suburbia I expressed my preference for living in the suburbs. I also noted that the suburbs have been the most populous part of the US in every census since 1970. Given the trends mentioned in the CNBC piece I guess that won’t be changing any time soon.

A relevant chart showing the 1950 and 2010 central city populations for a few selected locales:

	1950	2010	Pct Chg
Baltimore	949,708	620,961	-34.6%
Chicago	3,620,962	2,695,598	-25.6%
Cleveland	914,808	396,698	-56.6%
Detroit	1,849,568	713,777	-61.4%
St. Louis	856,796	319,294	-62.7%
Washington, DC	802,178	601,723	-25.0%

Yes, some of the loss of population in these cities is due to migration to other metro areas, but much of it is simply a move to the suburbs. For example, Baltimore’s central city population declined by about 16% from 1990-2010, but the metropolitan area population (which includes the central city) increased by about 14%. Sorry to change time frames, but I can’t find metro area populations for 1950 and I wanted to show the full scope of population decline for these cities, which began shortly after the end of World War II.

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So, two of the three books about Studebaker have arrived; the other will not be delivered as the order has been cancelled by Amazon due to a “technical problem.” As I order more and more items from third-party sellers I have encountered more difficulties in order fulfillment.

One of the books that was delivered was this:

In all honesty I only ordered the book to get more information about and more pictures of this car:

See the source image

From blog.consumerguide.com a picture of a Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk, the automobile with which I am currently obsessed. (OCD is a bitch even if it’s OCD-lite.) A slight disappointment is, except for the front and back covers, all of the photos in the Reynolds book are in black and white.

Do any of you have your own obsessions that you would like to share? I promise that no one will judge…

#Wednesday

#FlightToTheSuburbs

#StudebakerBooks

#StudebakerGranTurismoHawk

#Obsession

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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