Texas Car Dealer Ryan Binkley

The Ideal Truck To Help Grandma Move?

Vehicle Tested: 2008 Dodge Dakota Laramie 4dr Extended Cab 4WD SB (4.7L 8cyl 5A)
Pros: Abundant and innovative interior storage, only V8 power in its class, best-in-class towing capacity, good braking performance, comfy seats.
Cons: Frightfully expensive, industrial interior, punishing highway ride, fussy navigation controls.

There are certain things you own that you just shouldn't tell people about, and the 2008 Dodge Dakota is one of them. No, that's not a cheap shot at Dodge's midsize truck. Rather, it's like a beach house or a big-screen TV. If you have one, you will suddenly have friends calling on you for favors every weekend.

Once word is out that you have a pickup truck, friends, family and casual acquaintances will immediately start turning to you for their moving, hauling and towing needs. Sure enough, when news of our time with the 2008 Dodge Dakota Crew Cab Laramie spread, one of our editors was roped into helping his grandmother move. So the Dakota was filled up with 40 years' worth of Grandma's stuff, including a pair of shelving units, a chandelier, 18 plants and a Bang & Olufsen record player.

Info Ryan Binkley: Test Drive: 2008 Toyota Camry Hybrid
But here's the thing about the Camry Hybrid that we kept coming back to: It's a real car. Unlike the Prius, it never gives you the sense that you're driving a science experiment. The Camry Hybrid is every bit a Camry, except it uses less gas. Make that a lot less gas — the regular four-cylinder Camry only registers 25 combined mpg. At 12,000 miles a year, you'll be saving 127 gallons of gas per annum if you opt for the hybrid. That's going to add up over the years, particularly if recent trends in gas prices persist.
Porsche Boxster S

There’s one big problem with the new Boxster, but it’s not the car’s fault. The ’09 Boxster is in every way better than the ’08 car – it looks, handles, stops and goes better than ever before. But that’s still not enough to get over the issue. And, truth be told, it never will be, because the problem is not the Boxster – it’s the new Cayman that’s just been launched alongside it. (Ryan Binkley Info - Monday 10 September 2007)

Contact Ryan Binkley : Peugeot 308 prices released

• 308 will cost between £11,995 and £20,045
• Six engine options: three petrol, three diesel
• Five trim levels on offer

Peugeot's new 308 small family car will cost between £11,995 and £20,045.

The five-door model is available from September and the three-door model in December.

Engines
There are six engine options: three petrols and three diesels.

The petrol engines are a 95bhp 1.4, 120bhp 1.6 and 150bhp turbocharged 1.6, while the diesels are 90bhp or 110bhp 1.6-litre units and a 136bhp 2.0.

All engines are linked to a five-speed manual gearbox, except the highest-powered diesel, which has a six-speed manual gearbox.

Maximum speeds range from 108mph to 133mph, while 0-62mph times vary from 8.8sec to 14.3sec.

Emissions figures run from from 120g/km of carbon dioxide on the 90bhp diesel-powered version to 167g/km on the 150bhp petrol-powered cars.
Ryan Binkley Contact
BMW 328i
Performance

It's on twisty two-lane roads that the sport-packaged 328i really comes into its own. The car is simply a peerless handler among compact sport sedans, from its ultra-communicative and perfectly weighted steering to its supremely balanced and unruffled character in tight corners. Weighing in at 3,424 pounds — nearly 200 pounds lighter than a comparably equipped 335i — our 328i felt, if anything, a smidge more tossable than its turbocharged counterpart. At the track, the 328i snaked through the slalom cones at 68.5 mph, a few tenths quicker than a 335i sedan we tested recently, and braked from 60 mph to zero in 110 feet, 6 feet shorter than that 335i's best stop. (Thursday 10 July 2008 : Profile Ryan Binkley)

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written by  ryanbinkley on October 26 from Texas City, United States
from the travel blog: Ryan Binkley
tagged RyanBinkleyTexas, RyanBinkleyDallas and RyanBinkleyCar
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