I decided to add one more hints page for the IWON series and in particular hints for the SpongeBob Squarepants Collapse game. This is a fun a game and with these few simple tips your score should improve dramatically. Like all IWON games be sure to resize the window so that you only focus on the game and don’t get distracted by those annoying advertisements. Resize the screen so at least the one under the board (the one that keeps changing) is out of view.
First a few of the basics. The game builds a row of colored squares at the bottom of the board then pushes them onto the playing field and by doing so raises all the other squares above it to the next higher level. The object then is to clear the squares before they reach the top of the playing field. This is done by clicking on a group of three or more squares of the same color. Each level has a certain number of rows that must be played without going over the top in order to proceed to the next level. Each higher level has more rows to be played and the speed with which the rows are added increases as the game moves on. Sounds simple enough, let’s play.
First points, since it is always about the points, we need to know what are the things we can do to get the most points possible. Two simple things to remember. 1.) the higher the level played, the higher the point values given and 2.) the more squares cleared with a single click the higher the point value given. In other words a string of four like colored squares will give you more points than a string of three like colored squares. Likewise a string of 20 like colored squares will give you a boatload more points than just a three square combination.
So how do you get too have large numbered combinations? There are a couple of ways. One is too wait for the squares to build up a bit before attacking them. Of course the squares aren’t going to automatically group themselves together by color so we have to help them out. In the early levels (1 through 3) there are only three colors. A fourth color is added for levels 4 on up. Pick a color you want to work with and then try to eliminate the other colors. As those colors are removed the color you picked will start to be grouped with other colors of its kind. Just continue to remove the other colors where possible and then at the last minute, when the squares have reached the top level, click on your color and you will get a mega combo bonus. This will clear a lot of space and you can start working on the next color.
You may have noticed two other objects that appear on the board from time to time. The first is the squid. It acts and sounds like a bomb and will take out several squares that surround it regardless of color. It can be useful at times and will generate bonus points based on the number of squares it takes out. To get the most squares don’t be too anxious to click on it when it first appears. If you wait for a few new rows to appear under it then it will remove the squares not only above it and to the sides but those below it as well. This is the way to get the most points from the squid. Practice with the squid in the early levels but you will soon find that there are better ways to gain points by avoiding the squid, or only using him in special situations.
The better way to gain points is to use the other bomb. It is the round colored balls that will appear from time to time. By clicking on these balls, all the squares of the same color on the board at that time will be removed giving you a mega combo bonus as if they were all connected and selected at once. This is how the real point gains are made. Again, it is important to wait before selecting the colored ball bombs. The more squares of that color on the board at the time you click the bomb the bigger the bonus, so I try to wait until there are squares on the top level and I have to hit something or it will be game over.
With that in mind, let’s say you have a red ball bomb showing. I would start focusing on the other colors and removing as many of them as possible. As I remove them there is more room for new red squares to take their place as the rows advance. As soon as I get as many red squares on the board as possible, and there are no more combinations of other colors to be removed, and the squares are in the top row ready to go over, then I select the red ball bomb and clear all the red squares at once. This gives me the largest number of squares combination possible and I have just received the largest bonus point total possible and now I can set up for the next color combination.
There is another reason to wait for the last possible minute and that is to combine different color ball combinations in an effort to clear the board. This is easy to do if on one of the early levels. Say you are on level one and you have a red bomb and a blue bomb. Since there are only three colors, after you hit the red bomb and then hit the blue bomb the only color squares left will be the green ones that will now be conveniently grouped together and you can click them and clear the board gaining the cleared board bonus. You can sometimes get the cleared board bonus more than once on a level, but the higher the level the harder it is to get. Level one cleared board bonus is 10,000 points, level two is 20,000 points and so on. You can get the clear higher levels but it gets harder because you have four colors to work and the rows are coming faster. Remember that you have to clear all squares on the board before the next row advances.
A couple of rules to remember about the squids and the bombs. Using a squid will remove all items near it including the color bombs. If you want to keep and later use the color bomb make sure that it is far enough away from the squid when it is set off, otherwise it will be gone.
Using the color bomb on the other hand will remove the squid no matter where it is on the board. My opinion is no big deal. Once you start using the color bombs, you will seldom use the squid. In fact once you get into the higher levels, you may only be using the color bombs. That is because the rows will be advancing so fast you will only have time to search and click on color bombs. Of course, that is where the points are.
One other note about the color bombs is to be sure you select it and not something next to it. There are times when you are about to click on the bomb and the rows advance and you get the next lower square. If the square is the same color and adjacent to the color bomb it will treat the bomb as a regular square and only remove the group, not all squares of that color. If you are near the top when this happens then you will have to click like crazy to clear enough squares before the next row advances.
When the rows are advancing fast then you will want to play the color bombs and they usually will come up pretty fast as well. If you are getting near the top and there are no bombs in sight, the only thing left to do is to start clicking like mad. Sometimes all you can do is sweep your cursor over the board and click as you go. Sweep back and forth and just keep clicking. Precision is great if you can do it but once it gets moving you will have to try for luck.
The last two things to leave you with are the play advance secrets. When you are ready for faster play and the lower levels just don’t excite any longer try pressing the number 4 or the number 8 when the level is in play. This will immediately jump you to that level. Remember that you can only go up to that level; you cannot go back down to that level.
The other secret I just learned today. You can click on the screen just below the preview box where the new advance row is being built. Each time you click it, it will advance that next row. This way you can quickly fill the screen with the new rows and then start clicking away. This works well with the early levels especially if you have a color bomb in play but by the time you reach the upper levels, you’ll be too busy to worry about speeding things up.
Once you have SpongeBob Squarepants figured out you can try the regular collapse game. It is very similar but adds a twist with squares that change color and you have to try to synchronize your click so that it matches up with the squares around it.
Practice makes perfect and these tips will have you scoring in the millions almost every time and in no time at all. This really is a fun game and judging by the number of people who play it, it is worth the effort to learn a few tricks. Happy clicking.
This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farr West.
Click here to go to IWON Tips Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5.
26 January 2009
23 January 2009
Doggone Telemarketers
I got a call yesterday. Now normally a phone call is a good thing, or at least it should be. This one however came from a computerized telemarketer. They are the worst. The computer told me that I had to act quickly in order to extend the warranty on my vehicle. The computer gave me two choices, one to talk too an agent or two too be removed from their list. Since I have received several of these calls before and hitting two didn’t seem to help, I pressed one.
A person who called himself Steve came on the line and asked me for the year and model of my car. I in turn asked him for the name of his company. He immediately replied “nunya”. I told him he wasn’t being funny before he had the chance to complete his “nunya business” joke but he went ahead and did it anyway insulting me in the process. He then called me names, while I tried again to pry the name of the company or its location out of him. He then said “my job sucks” and hung up on me.
This was at 5:55 pm last night and I immediately tried to call Qwest to see if there was anything that could be done to identify, block or reprimand said caller. After all we are registered with the “Do Not Call” registry for just this reason.
The Qwest phone was answered by a computer. Computers have no business being on or near phones. Computers don’t understand English even though they pretend to be bilingual. After 15 minutes of convincing the computer that I wanted to talk to a human I was finally put through to customer service, or that is I would have been if they were open having just closed at 6:00 pm. Remember that I started this call for assistance minutes before the closure but got tangled up with a computer.
I tried again as I was furious with the rude caller and now with the lack of service rubbing salt in the wound I was determined to find a solution. I recalled from the previous attempt that one of the selection items was for technical support and it was offered 24/7. Another round of confused computer got me to a human. He unfortunately worked the internet issues but Ryan was at least kind enough to try and help me with the problem. He put me on hold while he tried to find someone that could help.
Warning, for a telephone company Qwest has the absolute worst hold recordings. It is one annoying voice that repeats over and over the same Qwest advertisements to you trying to convince you to sign up for more of their products. No musical interlude, no real variety, just the same lame 6 sentence script repeated over and over and over.
Ryan came back on and told me that he also found the customer service department closed but gave me their number again and the hours of operation and wished me well. 30 minutes later and still no results.
Later that night, 8:12 pm to be exact, the phone rings again and the same computer with the same automotive warranty offer is calling me. Again I press 1 determined to find out who is dumb enough to try this yet again. If it is Steve, he is about to get an ear full.
This time it is Jennifer with the same opening question of what is the year and model of your car. I reply in a kind voice, “Jennifer what is the name of your company”? Without as much as a sigh she hangs up the phone on me. Cold dead silence. No I really want to do something. This shouldn’t happen to me and it shouldn’t happen to anyone I know and it shouldn’t happen to anyone I don’t know. This company does not deserve to exist.
Today I try again to take action. I call Qwest. Again the computer answers, it still doesn’t speak my language but it finally puts me through to someone that does. This does not help. It turns out that they do not have access to my records and cannot tell me who called. They would have to have a court order to access them. I was also told that they do not keep those records. They offered this solution, hit *57 immediately after to start a trace. They will then charge me a fee, $1.85 in this state, to run the trace if it is successful and no charge if it is not. She also told me that the chances of it working were not good. She then offered to sell me an upgraded package for the phone including caller id, caller block and some other nonsense that would double my phone bill. No thank you.
She then gave me the phone number for their annoyance department. I called that and guess who answered. After going the rounds with the computer yet again, I finally got to talk to a human. Much the same we can’t do anything about it, sorry, and have your tried our extra services along with their extra fees. She did tell me that this is happening a lot and that the government is aware of the problem. She ended by giving me the number for the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) and the states attorney general.
I looked up the attorney general on the web and after perusing their site I found nothing that gave me any confidence that they would actually do anything about this problem. They do have a buyer beware list posted but it mainly is a list of business they have fined over the past couple of years over technicalities. And like any good government agency I am sure that they kept the fine for themselves and the defrauded consumers get nothing. I never will understand that.
I then went ahead and called the FTC and talked to someone that took the information for a complaint and sounds like they will send me a form to fill out. I at least got a reference number. She relayed the fact that there are a lot of automotive warranty scams going on right now. I told her the timing was right as I had just gotten the African e-mail scam yesterday (you can see it in one of my other post).
So I still don’t have a solution, and I am still pretty miffed. If the government knows about this why aren’t they actively pursuing the criminal activity and bringing justice to bear? If we can have a war on terrorism, why can’t we have a war on fraud? Why is it we spend more resources picking on people that disagree with archaic asinine speed limits that serve no other purpose than controlling the general public, than we do to track down and put an end to people that willingly and knowingly commit theft through fraud and abuse? What these people are doing is no accident, it is deliberate and intentional. They should be held accountable.
I know I get easily flustered by this and it makes me far more upset than I should allow, but when our government that is meant to protect us from just this kind of thing, does not live up to its responsibilities at the high costs we pay, maybe it is time to start cutting back. Quit expecting everything from our government but at the same quite paying everything for it as well.
And what about Qwest? You would think that a company that brags about its customer service over and over and over would take a little more active role in resolving those that would abuse the telephone services of their customers. You would think that they would work more strongly at ensuring their customers had a worthwhile and satisfying experience with the use of their product. Of course, I would like to see the internet community ban together and eliminate the spammers, or at least put a big hurt on.
Am I expecting too much? Yes, and No. I do expect better. Especially when better is so easy to identify and better is so simple to do. But if it was so simple wouldn’t they be doing it? Some do, and some don’t. Either way, I know that they could. And when expectations are not met for whatever reason, disappointment comes in and the business/consumer relationship is strained. Therein lays the problem and also the opportunity. Businesses that continue to disappoint their consumers will eventually find that another business will come along that is willing to fulfill their consumers’ expectations. Those consumers will no longer be their consumers. The same applies to governments.
Changes take time but they do happen. Let’s keep our expectations high and our outlook for the better. We don’t always have to accept as we look for what we expect.
This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farr West.
A person who called himself Steve came on the line and asked me for the year and model of my car. I in turn asked him for the name of his company. He immediately replied “nunya”. I told him he wasn’t being funny before he had the chance to complete his “nunya business” joke but he went ahead and did it anyway insulting me in the process. He then called me names, while I tried again to pry the name of the company or its location out of him. He then said “my job sucks” and hung up on me.
This was at 5:55 pm last night and I immediately tried to call Qwest to see if there was anything that could be done to identify, block or reprimand said caller. After all we are registered with the “Do Not Call” registry for just this reason.
The Qwest phone was answered by a computer. Computers have no business being on or near phones. Computers don’t understand English even though they pretend to be bilingual. After 15 minutes of convincing the computer that I wanted to talk to a human I was finally put through to customer service, or that is I would have been if they were open having just closed at 6:00 pm. Remember that I started this call for assistance minutes before the closure but got tangled up with a computer.
I tried again as I was furious with the rude caller and now with the lack of service rubbing salt in the wound I was determined to find a solution. I recalled from the previous attempt that one of the selection items was for technical support and it was offered 24/7. Another round of confused computer got me to a human. He unfortunately worked the internet issues but Ryan was at least kind enough to try and help me with the problem. He put me on hold while he tried to find someone that could help.
Warning, for a telephone company Qwest has the absolute worst hold recordings. It is one annoying voice that repeats over and over the same Qwest advertisements to you trying to convince you to sign up for more of their products. No musical interlude, no real variety, just the same lame 6 sentence script repeated over and over and over.
Ryan came back on and told me that he also found the customer service department closed but gave me their number again and the hours of operation and wished me well. 30 minutes later and still no results.
Later that night, 8:12 pm to be exact, the phone rings again and the same computer with the same automotive warranty offer is calling me. Again I press 1 determined to find out who is dumb enough to try this yet again. If it is Steve, he is about to get an ear full.
This time it is Jennifer with the same opening question of what is the year and model of your car. I reply in a kind voice, “Jennifer what is the name of your company”? Without as much as a sigh she hangs up the phone on me. Cold dead silence. No I really want to do something. This shouldn’t happen to me and it shouldn’t happen to anyone I know and it shouldn’t happen to anyone I don’t know. This company does not deserve to exist.
Today I try again to take action. I call Qwest. Again the computer answers, it still doesn’t speak my language but it finally puts me through to someone that does. This does not help. It turns out that they do not have access to my records and cannot tell me who called. They would have to have a court order to access them. I was also told that they do not keep those records. They offered this solution, hit *57 immediately after to start a trace. They will then charge me a fee, $1.85 in this state, to run the trace if it is successful and no charge if it is not. She also told me that the chances of it working were not good. She then offered to sell me an upgraded package for the phone including caller id, caller block and some other nonsense that would double my phone bill. No thank you.
She then gave me the phone number for their annoyance department. I called that and guess who answered. After going the rounds with the computer yet again, I finally got to talk to a human. Much the same we can’t do anything about it, sorry, and have your tried our extra services along with their extra fees. She did tell me that this is happening a lot and that the government is aware of the problem. She ended by giving me the number for the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) and the states attorney general.
I looked up the attorney general on the web and after perusing their site I found nothing that gave me any confidence that they would actually do anything about this problem. They do have a buyer beware list posted but it mainly is a list of business they have fined over the past couple of years over technicalities. And like any good government agency I am sure that they kept the fine for themselves and the defrauded consumers get nothing. I never will understand that.
I then went ahead and called the FTC and talked to someone that took the information for a complaint and sounds like they will send me a form to fill out. I at least got a reference number. She relayed the fact that there are a lot of automotive warranty scams going on right now. I told her the timing was right as I had just gotten the African e-mail scam yesterday (you can see it in one of my other post).
So I still don’t have a solution, and I am still pretty miffed. If the government knows about this why aren’t they actively pursuing the criminal activity and bringing justice to bear? If we can have a war on terrorism, why can’t we have a war on fraud? Why is it we spend more resources picking on people that disagree with archaic asinine speed limits that serve no other purpose than controlling the general public, than we do to track down and put an end to people that willingly and knowingly commit theft through fraud and abuse? What these people are doing is no accident, it is deliberate and intentional. They should be held accountable.
I know I get easily flustered by this and it makes me far more upset than I should allow, but when our government that is meant to protect us from just this kind of thing, does not live up to its responsibilities at the high costs we pay, maybe it is time to start cutting back. Quit expecting everything from our government but at the same quite paying everything for it as well.
And what about Qwest? You would think that a company that brags about its customer service over and over and over would take a little more active role in resolving those that would abuse the telephone services of their customers. You would think that they would work more strongly at ensuring their customers had a worthwhile and satisfying experience with the use of their product. Of course, I would like to see the internet community ban together and eliminate the spammers, or at least put a big hurt on.
Am I expecting too much? Yes, and No. I do expect better. Especially when better is so easy to identify and better is so simple to do. But if it was so simple wouldn’t they be doing it? Some do, and some don’t. Either way, I know that they could. And when expectations are not met for whatever reason, disappointment comes in and the business/consumer relationship is strained. Therein lays the problem and also the opportunity. Businesses that continue to disappoint their consumers will eventually find that another business will come along that is willing to fulfill their consumers’ expectations. Those consumers will no longer be their consumers. The same applies to governments.
Changes take time but they do happen. Let’s keep our expectations high and our outlook for the better. We don’t always have to accept as we look for what we expect.
This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farr West.
Side trip to Ohio in a 300
Just a quick note to let everyone know that I am still alive and kickin’. I had to go TDY last week to the lovely state of Ohio. We saw the coldest temperatures in the area since 1994, -13 degrees Fahrenheit. Throw in a little wind and it is cold.
The rental car was a Chrysler 300 with a V6. I am guessing it was a V6 even though I didn’t raise the hood. It just acted like there wasn’t an overload of power. Although the ride was o.k., it is a car that I would rather ride in than drive if that tells you anything. In fact I was just fine with the other person driving on this trip except for the side trip I took to the Dayton Art Institute.
By the way, the Dayton Art Institute is a wonderful place to visit. They have quite a varied selection of items from all parts of the world. I had been there once before and discovered new things with this visit. I didn’t have a lot of time to explore but it was still worth the effort to go. Admission is free (which is always a plus) and supported by donations. The museum is open late on Thursday’s which is the only way I would be able to see it as the working day usually last until 5:00. Unfortunately all too many things such as museums close at 5:00 pm meaning that a working trip leaves very little chance to experience the local culture. In an effort to accommodate the working stiffs, many of the museums have one night a week with extended hours and I am glad. It is just a matter of finding out which night and working your schedule around that night.
Back to the Chrysler, I was disappointed. The 300 name has brought about some classic cars and when Chrysler decided to resurrect the name I had high expectations for another classic in the making. The styling does draw on the spirit of the originals but doesn’t fully capture the classic nature that belies its history. There are too many references drawn from other model lines that weakens the uniqueness that the 300 should be. A prime example of this is the aftermarket addition of a flying “B” emblem for the front end to give the car the mistaken appearance of a Bentley to those that would not know.
As I said before this was a rental and therefore a base car. Quick calculations of the mileage suggested less than 20 mpg for the tank used, which for a slightly underpowered V6 and several easy highway miles was rather disappointing. Again this may be due to my high expectations for the current state of cars but it seems that Chryslers are still not known for being high mileage vehicles, (in more ways than one).
The on-center feel is a large dead zone, but thankfully it did track fairly straight. I hate it when you get a car that likes to wonder, constantly requiring input. This trait was not present here. But when you did turn the steering wheel and you expected it to return to center, too often you needed to assist it in returning by spinning the wheel back yourself, especially if you were trying to hustle your way along. This is not a slalom machine and will never be mistaken for one. It feels bulky.
Slick roads provide a safe and easy slow speed way to check the handling response for many cars. A quick trip to an empty parking lot after a fresh batch of snow revealed that yes this car is rear wheel drive. It also should that this car did not come with anti lock brakes or traction control. This did not turn out to be a problem for this car as it had a good set of tires that allowed it to perform as requested.
The car will understeer when pushed hard in the right conditions but will also hang the rear out with application of power. Doughnuts are quite possible in slick conditions. Feedback was sufficient to counter any adverse reactions as well as control the drifts at these slower speeds. At higher speeds on dry pavement however I would use much more caution with this car. As mentioned earlier, the steering does not react on its own very quickly while the power from the V6 would not be enough to generate its own oversteer corrections. With a proper set of tires and driven well below the limits I think the car would display fairly neutral handling.
But then handling is not what this car is all about. This car is about the appearance of luxury at an affordable entry point. As I referred to the aftermarket add-ons before it seems that many buyers agree. Beyond the rebadging, I have seen paint jobs, darkened windows, over bassed stereos, and the totally ridiculous oversized wheel and tire packages applied in a large portion of the 300 cars out there. Personally, this has not increased my desire for the 300. If anything it has made me lump it into a category with the Buick Regal from the 80s or the Pontiac Grand Prix from the 70s. The 300 will be prime lowrider candidates in a decade or so when the used market will be flowing with them.
When I alluded to mileage before, I need to expand on that here. Chrysler to me has made what I like to call a good 80,000 mile car. That is they seem to be worn out by about 80,000 miles. In this day of Hondas and Toyotas that easily see 150 to 200,000 miles with many going well beyond that, an 80,000 miler doesn’t make enough economic sense to me. Now I know that there are examples of Chryslers that have way more miles than 80K and my association is based more from the 3 decades previous to the last one but I still believe that a good judge of a cars lifespan can be based on its past. If you are looking at any new car and want to see what you can expect in 5, 10 or 15 years go shopping in the used car lot and see what an average used car like the one you are looking at is like. Between that and consumer reports, you might want to reconsider a purchase. Cars are too expensive to allow yourself to buy on impulse.
That said, I must admit that I still like Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth and I wish them well. The auto industry needs all the competition it can handle and especially from the innovators. Chrysler has been a leader in the automotive world and brought about change by introducing new ways of thinking such as the Dodge Viper, the redesigned Ram truck and the minivan.
Chrysler along with all auto makers is walking a fine line now. I hope that they do not choose the path of mediocrity. I hope that they do not choose the path of politically correct compliance. I hope that they do not choose to trade quality for cost control. I hope that they do not give up our passions.
This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farr West.
The rental car was a Chrysler 300 with a V6. I am guessing it was a V6 even though I didn’t raise the hood. It just acted like there wasn’t an overload of power. Although the ride was o.k., it is a car that I would rather ride in than drive if that tells you anything. In fact I was just fine with the other person driving on this trip except for the side trip I took to the Dayton Art Institute.
By the way, the Dayton Art Institute is a wonderful place to visit. They have quite a varied selection of items from all parts of the world. I had been there once before and discovered new things with this visit. I didn’t have a lot of time to explore but it was still worth the effort to go. Admission is free (which is always a plus) and supported by donations. The museum is open late on Thursday’s which is the only way I would be able to see it as the working day usually last until 5:00. Unfortunately all too many things such as museums close at 5:00 pm meaning that a working trip leaves very little chance to experience the local culture. In an effort to accommodate the working stiffs, many of the museums have one night a week with extended hours and I am glad. It is just a matter of finding out which night and working your schedule around that night.
Back to the Chrysler, I was disappointed. The 300 name has brought about some classic cars and when Chrysler decided to resurrect the name I had high expectations for another classic in the making. The styling does draw on the spirit of the originals but doesn’t fully capture the classic nature that belies its history. There are too many references drawn from other model lines that weakens the uniqueness that the 300 should be. A prime example of this is the aftermarket addition of a flying “B” emblem for the front end to give the car the mistaken appearance of a Bentley to those that would not know.
As I said before this was a rental and therefore a base car. Quick calculations of the mileage suggested less than 20 mpg for the tank used, which for a slightly underpowered V6 and several easy highway miles was rather disappointing. Again this may be due to my high expectations for the current state of cars but it seems that Chryslers are still not known for being high mileage vehicles, (in more ways than one).
The on-center feel is a large dead zone, but thankfully it did track fairly straight. I hate it when you get a car that likes to wonder, constantly requiring input. This trait was not present here. But when you did turn the steering wheel and you expected it to return to center, too often you needed to assist it in returning by spinning the wheel back yourself, especially if you were trying to hustle your way along. This is not a slalom machine and will never be mistaken for one. It feels bulky.
Slick roads provide a safe and easy slow speed way to check the handling response for many cars. A quick trip to an empty parking lot after a fresh batch of snow revealed that yes this car is rear wheel drive. It also should that this car did not come with anti lock brakes or traction control. This did not turn out to be a problem for this car as it had a good set of tires that allowed it to perform as requested.
The car will understeer when pushed hard in the right conditions but will also hang the rear out with application of power. Doughnuts are quite possible in slick conditions. Feedback was sufficient to counter any adverse reactions as well as control the drifts at these slower speeds. At higher speeds on dry pavement however I would use much more caution with this car. As mentioned earlier, the steering does not react on its own very quickly while the power from the V6 would not be enough to generate its own oversteer corrections. With a proper set of tires and driven well below the limits I think the car would display fairly neutral handling.
But then handling is not what this car is all about. This car is about the appearance of luxury at an affordable entry point. As I referred to the aftermarket add-ons before it seems that many buyers agree. Beyond the rebadging, I have seen paint jobs, darkened windows, over bassed stereos, and the totally ridiculous oversized wheel and tire packages applied in a large portion of the 300 cars out there. Personally, this has not increased my desire for the 300. If anything it has made me lump it into a category with the Buick Regal from the 80s or the Pontiac Grand Prix from the 70s. The 300 will be prime lowrider candidates in a decade or so when the used market will be flowing with them.
When I alluded to mileage before, I need to expand on that here. Chrysler to me has made what I like to call a good 80,000 mile car. That is they seem to be worn out by about 80,000 miles. In this day of Hondas and Toyotas that easily see 150 to 200,000 miles with many going well beyond that, an 80,000 miler doesn’t make enough economic sense to me. Now I know that there are examples of Chryslers that have way more miles than 80K and my association is based more from the 3 decades previous to the last one but I still believe that a good judge of a cars lifespan can be based on its past. If you are looking at any new car and want to see what you can expect in 5, 10 or 15 years go shopping in the used car lot and see what an average used car like the one you are looking at is like. Between that and consumer reports, you might want to reconsider a purchase. Cars are too expensive to allow yourself to buy on impulse.
That said, I must admit that I still like Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth and I wish them well. The auto industry needs all the competition it can handle and especially from the innovators. Chrysler has been a leader in the automotive world and brought about change by introducing new ways of thinking such as the Dodge Viper, the redesigned Ram truck and the minivan.
Chrysler along with all auto makers is walking a fine line now. I hope that they do not choose the path of mediocrity. I hope that they do not choose the path of politically correct compliance. I hope that they do not choose to trade quality for cost control. I hope that they do not give up our passions.
This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farr West.
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