Label Whores: Your Dream Laptop has Arrived!!!

I have a great passion for technology (my colleques poke fun of my 24" widescreen "TV" monitor attached to my docking station ... not like its one of the 30" Apple Screens ... and of my obsession with having the latest technologies), and awesome cars (my girlfriend is jeoulous of my 335i sometimes, despite assurances that I love her more), however I'm thinking that Ego Lifestyle may have taken things a little too far. I found an autoblog article a few days ago about a "Bentley Laptop" and did a little investigating. The only place I found that actually could sell the laptop was the Avant Gallery in Miami Beach, FL. I called to inquire about this Bentley Laptop and I must say, they were very couteous. It would appear that a sales price of $19,200+Tax (wait time of 3-4 weeks) allows them to be well-compensated for their excellent service. The specifications of the laptop could be found in a Dell notebook for, probably, around $1,000. So the break down appears to be $1,000 for the notebook and $18,200 for the exclsivity, design, and brand name. Unlike some critics, I gotta say, if you're an automotive enthusiast, the Ferrari Laptop (Acer) & Lamborghini laptop (ASUS) have a cool look and feel and are both, for their time, high-end technology. Personally, I like them. I'm just waiting for "The Ultimate Driving Machine" to unleash "The Ultimate Web-Surfing Machine" with a BMW Logo. That being said, some people might think of people like me as a label whore... evidently one that is good enough for a Ferrari or Lamborgini Laptop (around $2,000), but is not even in the same league as the Bentley Laptop that costs 10x as much with far less impressive specifications for the price. In all honesty, I'm not even sure that Paris Hilton could justify that purchase... but then again, no one ever accused her of thinking logically. All this has gotten me thinking... maybe I should start a company called "Label Whores R Us" and financially rape as many people as possible. Ok, maybe the name is a little much, but you've got to admit... Anyway, I've posted some pictures of the Laptop below. If you're Paris Hilton, go for it. For the rest of us, we'll just have to dream about it. On second thought, if I had to have a dream about portable computers, I'd rather dream about an OQO.

____________________________

Jeff Rance, II
Online Part Sales Manager

Direct: 972.792.4823
E-mail: JT2 at JT2Auto.com

JT2Auto.com ShopTRD.com USAToyotaParts.com

Toyota of Richardson Parts Department
404 Monte Blaine Lane, Richardson, Texas 75080-4606

Toll Free 800.527.2781 Main 972.238.4460 Fax 972.238.4470

Gas Gone Wild!

Well, it appears that today's topic of much conversation is that of HIGH gas prices. Some of our friends over in Europe have been experiencing ridiculous prices for quite some time now; as a matter of fact, one of our guys just got back from a vacation in Germany and was amazed to find common gas prices of $7-$8 per gallon. Even more shocking: people all seemed callused to it. Maybe it's because it sounds better when quoted in Liters rather than Gallons (imagine paying by quart for gas... yuck), more likely, however, they have just resigned themselves to the fact that they're not in America - maybe that's why the world has such a bad attitude toward us... we get gas cheaper than them, haha.

Anyway, back on topic: I tend to believe in the incredible ingenuity of the American and Japanese (Toyota being a Japanese Brand) people, especially when it affects their pocket-books and livelihood. We are not like the French on that clip of End of Ze World on YouTube "but I'm le Tired...then have a nap... AND THEN FIRE THE MISSLES"... we get pissed off and immediately get moving on finding a solution... that's the beauty of Capitalism!

This being said, what is up and coming and what is already here?

Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive
Toyota currently leads the marketplace with their Hybrid Synergy Drive that combines the power of gasoline engines with that of electric, thus allowing impressive performance and fuel economy. At the present time, the Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive really does seem to be the most cost-effective way to save on gas and have decent performance - faster than a Moped :-). I'm going to get on my soap box for minute and address the people that say that you pay a huge premium on all Hybrid vehicles and it will take forever to earn your money back via gas savings. Let's take a closer look... a Toyota Corolla is NOT the equivalent to a Toyota Prius... that's the end of that comparison (just like a Toyota Yaris is not a Corolla); the Camry Hybrid (187HP), comparably equipped to the XLE Trim costs about $500 more than the I-4 (158HP) and $1,500 less than the V6 XLE (268HP); the Highlander is the largest difference in price, with about a $5,000 premium over a comaparably equiped V6, but offers additional safety features (VDIM) and 3rd Row Seating as standard. If you're looking for something economical and need it now at a price less than your house, Toyota is your best bet (no other manufacture has a better Hybrid System than Toyota. period). Read More Here.

Tesla Motors' Electric Supercar
There is another up and coming automaker, Tesla Motors, where for a cool $110,000, you can get from 0-60MPH in 3.9 seconds while achieving the equivalent to more than 250MPG. It cost less than 2 cents per mile to drive compared to my current 25 cents per mile! If not for the 6-digit price tag, I'd definitely check into getting one. The way I calculate it, I'd have to drive it 261,000 miles (@$5/gallon) to get back the savings over my BMW 335i (or about 14.5 years @18k/yr). Sell it for $60,000 and we might have a deal! Read More Here.



BMW's Hydrogen Sedan
Okay, I know I work for a Toyota Dealership, but I gotta' say, I LOVE the drive of a BMW. Don't get me wrong, my Camry is great for my day-to-day commuting, but there is just something about knowing that you could smoke just about anything on the road on a whim and kill it on any track in the world. BMW (last I heard) had 20 working prototype vehicles known as the Hydrogen 7 that combines the fun of driving with incredible efficiency of essentially burning water. BMW is also developing their version of Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive as an interim while attempting to build demand for Hydrogen refueling stations, but I'd much rather put water in the tank for guilt-free driving (and, in my opinion, their not going to be able to catch up with Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive any time soon... especially by partnering with Chrysler of all companies... go figure... I guess they and Mercedes want to keep it in the German family). I gotta' say, the free maintenance - well pre-paid if you consider the price of a BMW - should add assurance that the Hydrogen system will work...or at least is paid for if it doesn't. Read More Here.



So we've explored a few different technologies (both available and coming) that each cost more than your base, run-of-the-mill four banger, but as time goes on, I'm sure it will be like any technology, and prices will continue to become more affordable, yea even the industry standard.

A few additional options to increase fuel economy available that we've not discussed include...

* (but who cares about the added efficency when you're paying 25% more for it... which REALLY doesn't make sense, as a bi-product of regular gasoline refinement; additionally, this isn't really a new technology),

*Ethanol (nice idea, but like Diesel, costs more than it's worth)

*Superchargers / Turbochargers (I'm all for better performance AND fuel savings, but this isn't really a new technology either... great idea, though... and a direction BMW, Mercedes, & Ford seems to moving toward).
___________________________________

Jeff Rance, II

Online Part Sales Manager

Direct: 972.792.4823

E-mail: JT2 at JT2Auto.com

| JT2Auto.com | ShopTRD.com | USAToyotaParts.com |

Toyota of Richardson Parts Department

404 Monte Blaine Lane, Richardson, Texas 75080-4606

Toll Free 800.527.2781 | Main 972.238.4460 | Fax 972.238.4470

Great Political Campaign... Vote Toyota for your next Vehicle!

Wow... what do you think?

___________________________________

Jeff Rance, II

Online Part Sales Manager

Direct: 972.792.4823

E-mail: JT2 at JT2Auto.com

| JT2Auto.com | ShopTRD.com | USAToyotaParts.com |

Toyota of Richardson Parts Department

404 Monte Blaine Lane, Richardson, Texas 75080-4606

Toll Free 800.527.2781 | Main 972.238.4460 | Fax 972.238.4470

The Redesigned 5.7L Toyota Tundra Leads the Competition

Here are some great videos of the Toyota Tundra kicking some tail...or pulling it, rather...

2007 Dodge Ram v.s. 2007 Toyota Tundra 5.7L


2007 Ford F-150 v.s. 2007 Toyota Tundra 5.7L


2007 Chevrolet Silverado v.s. 2007 Toyota Tundra 5.7L

I keep telling our New Car Sales Team they need to do this, but alas! I must resort to using another dealerships demonstration. I think the redesigned 5.7L Toyota Tundra is a lot like the Supra in it's day... WAY AHEAD of it's time. I'm still waiting for some customer footage of the Toyota Tundra 5.7L with the TRD Supercharger; that should be some fun!

___________________________________

Jeff Rance, II

Online Part Sales Manager

Direct: 972.792.4823

E-mail: JT2 at JT2Auto.com

| JT2Auto.com | ShopTRD.com | USAToyotaParts.com |

Toyota of Richardson Parts Department

404 Monte Blaine Lane, Richardson, Texas 75080-4606

Toll Free 800.527.2781 | Main 972.238.4460 | Fax 972.238.4470

This could be the beginning of a beauuuutiful relationship!

Well, ShopTRD.com is now officially blogging. What can you expect? Well, mainly we're going to highlight new offerings and post some videos and pictures of customer's vehicles, and just cool stuff we have found dealing with Toyotas, Scions, Lexus and the occasional non-Toyota product. Stay tuned, we've got some great stuff to come!

___________________________________

Jeff Rance, II

Online Part Sales Manager

Direct: 972.792.4823

E-mail: JT2 at JT2Auto.com

| JT2Auto.com | ShopTRD.com | USAToyotaParts.com |

Toyota of Richardson Parts Department

404 Monte Blaine Lane, Richardson, Texas 75080-4606

Toll Free 800.527.2781 | Main 972.238.4460 | Fax 972.238.4470