Category Archives: Cars

In the short stretch of Old Belfair Highway between Kitsap Muffler and Sam Christopherson Avenue, there’s a large level lot full of old cars, trucks, boats, and heavy equipment. I have driven past it hundreds of times without paying much attention. This afternoon, a 1959 DeSoto parked in the lot’s east entrance caused me to take notice. DeSotos haven’t been made for 50 years so I had to stop for a photo.
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Today’s traffic question is concerned with etiquette in a center turning lane, sometimes called a suicide lane. In the diagram shown above, vehicle A, headed for destination A, will be the first to turn. Once the traffic clears and A makes a left turn to its destination, which vehicle should be the next—B or C? Should C yield to B so that B can pull forward in the center lane in order to turn left to destination B? Or should C, also bound for destination A, take A’s old spot, thus blocking B, and wait for its chance to turn? Assume that all three vehicles are fairly new, carry collision insurance, and none has an intimidating Dodge Ram-style front grille.

I don’t know the answer. Today, on Silverdale Way, I was in vehicle B. C did not yield to me. Neither did D (not shown but going the same direction as C). Only after D turned was I able to pull forward and make my turn. The traffic in the outside lanes was heavy enough to cause a wait between turns and thus give me time to ponder the question. When I got home, I checked the Washington Driver’s License manual. It reminded me that no one has the right-of-way. Instead in a number of situations, for example when vehicles are in an intersection or when an emergency vehicle approaches, the law specifies who needs to yield the right-of-way. Center turning lanes aren’t mentioned, and the rules of yielding to the car on the right or already in the intersection don’t seem to cover the situation.

I have posted two previous entries about a black 1958 Pontiac seen occasionally around Bremerton. The first, almost two years ago, observed that spring is the time to start thinking again about collector cars. Last September a second post confirmed that the car and its owner live on Rocky Point. But until now, you had to take my word that the two-door Bonneville is flat-out gorgeous. The photo shown above was taken this afternoon at the QFC just before I went inside. By the time I finished shopping, the car was gone.

There’s one more picture after the jump.
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There was no warning, not even a hint. Cars & Parts, the best all-around magazine covering the collector-car hobby, is dead. I learned this on Monday, when Auto Enthusiast, accompanied by a brief letter from Amos Publishing, arrived in my mailbox.
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The “Posts” section of a WordPress account keeps track of the number of posts published in a blog. With 99 prior to this one, the Mud Bay blog has reached a milestone worth perhaps two sentences—of which this is the second. So I’m writing instead about a different “100” that just happened in my life. Yesterday the odometer on my collector car (see photo) rolled over and now reads 00021 miles.
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My neighbor finally did it. Today he took delivery of a new 2010 Toyota Tacoma 4 x 4 pickup. I’m almost as excited as he is. ;) The new truck is gorgeous (see photo). He chose the Access cab and got it in super white (by far the best color) with the TRD sport package, an upgraded sound system, and a towing package. TRD stands for Toyota Racing Development. Our local Toyota franchise never seems to get any white trucks, so they had to make an interdealer swap with an outfit in Bellingham. This was key to the deal my neighbor signed last night.

After months of research, the negotiations were surprisingly quick and simple. The salesman showed him a printout with their invoice cost and offered a price $400 above it. My neighbor countered with the invoice amount and that’s about where the deal closed, although the out-the-door cost was roughly $3 grand higher, mostly because of sales tax (ouch). Obviously the dealer makes money when selling near the invoice price. The clincher was that Tacomas continue to sell well despite the lingering recession, their uninspiring gas mileage, and the bad PR other models suffered during Toyota’s recent recalls. This convinced my neighbor that Toyota is not going to offer a general cash incentive on them. Overall, he’s satisfied with the deal and happy with the truck. That’s what matters.