2009 Honda Accord Exl 38k Miles Very Clean!!!! on 2040-cars

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F1 champ Fernando Alonso geared up for rookie run at Indy

NEW YORK - Twice Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso surprised himself with his qualifying success for Sunday's Indianapolis 500, but the Spaniard knows his biggest challenge will come on race day. Alonso, racing on an oval for the first time, averaged more than 230 miles per hour (370 kph) to qualify fifth fastest for a place in the second row in the 33-car field at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "I was a bit surprised," Alonso, 35, told Reuters on Tuesday. "When we announced to come here one month ago, we did it without knowing how competitive we could be, if I was able to adapt to oval racing, to these cars." "I still lack experience in important moments of the race. I will try to compensate with the speed, with motivation and we will see what happens." A lack of experience may cost him on the biggest day of US racing when a champion will be crowned after 200 laps of the massive 2.5-mile oval, but Alonso is geared up for the chance. "You respect the place, respect the speed. You respect your colleagues out there, but at the end of the day, when you are in your car and close the visor, you would like to have one mile per hour more. It's never enough," he said. While Alonso passed the entrance exam with flying colors in qualifying, he knows the hardest test is to come. "The biggest challenge I will face is in the race when you are running in traffic, those groups of cars that form in the race. It changes completely the behavior of the car. "You feel the car very loose... we've been practicing that with the team, trying to create our own groups because we are six cars," Alonso said. "I still lack experience in important moments of the race. I will try to compensate with the speed, with motivation and we will see what happens." GUESSING GAMES Alonso said timing his moves may be a guessing game. "Taking the opportunity to overtake and to pass will be a difficult decision to make," he said. "There are many factors you need to address while you are driving 230 miles per hour. "You have to stay calm, be ready for the last one-third of the race. That is where it comes." Alonso said the race demands a balance between pushing the limit and not crossing the line into recklessness. "With no experience, for me you're not sure sometimes where you are with that line - if you are over the limits of the car, or over the limits of running with the traffic.

Online Find Of The Day: 1998 Honda Accord Dually shows a melange of influences

The vehicles that we choose to drive make a statement about who we are, and this insanely styled, custom 1998 Honda Accord is certainly going to say something about the next owner. The seller in this Craigslist ad claims this "is something that you will never see again," and there's no arguing about that. If you're looking for attention and notoriety, then this Honda is more effective than driving around in any Ferrari or Porsche. First, everyone can see you coming in this thing. With two banks of LEDs on the hood, a 44-inch light bar on the roof and cab lights, this Accord must look like a meteorite burning up in the atmosphere with all of its illumination on at night. In addition, the boat air horns, PA speaker, backup beeper and the unholy noise from the Bosozoku-influenced exhaust stack should make stealth an impossibility. Making friends isn't a problem, either, because with eight CB whip antennas positioned around the car, you're sure to hear every trucker in a tri-state area. Despite the Accord being front-wheel drive, the builder finished this masterpiece off with a dually rear end and fender flares. Don't worry about seeing the utter shock on people's faces when they notice, because the Dodge tow mirrors should provide plenty of rear visibility. The seller claims there's nothing wrong with the car, and he's accepting trades or reasonable offers. Autoblog has called to see how much the owner wants for it and to see what inspired them to go to such extremes. We'll update this story if we hear back.

Even Ferrari swept up in latest Takata recall expansion

The scope of Takata's deadly airbag problems continues to widen. Eight manufacturers announced recalls Friday that affect more than 12 million vehicles, according to documents filed with federal regulators. The automakers include Honda, which is recalling 4.5 million units, Fiat Chrysler with 4.3 million, Toyota with 1.65 million, and Subaru, which is recalling almost 400,000. Some of these cars include the Saab 9-2x and Pontiac Vibe that Toyota and Subaru made for General Motors. Mazda will recall 730,000 vehicles and Nissan has 400,000 affected units. The smallest numbers were posted by Mitsubishi, with 38,000 Lancers manufactured from 2006 to 2007, and as a noteworthy high-end manufacturer, Ferrari is calling back 2,800 vehicles. These are all US-market cars. Beyond America, the Japanese Transport Ministry has announced seven million additional vehicles will be recalled, which means 19.6 million vehicles across the globe are affected by recalls announced. The defects have been traced to an insufficiently manufactured airbag inflator, which lacks a drying agent that would prevent the inflators from deteriorating over time. Thirteen deaths have been linked to the faulty airbags, which have become unstable and are prone to exploding and showering vehicle occupants with lethal amounts of metal shrapnel. A private equity firm, KKR & Co., has been named in a possible buyout of the struggling Takata. Related Video: News Source: ReutersImage Credit: Shutterstock Government/Legal Recalls Ferrari Honda Mazda Automakers Mitsubishi Nissan Pontiac Subaru Toyota Saab Safety