Letters to the Editors
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Subject: I Wanna Work Car Shows!
From: Emile
How do you get a job involving direct contact and work with the auto shows? I would love to find a job that was focused on going to the shows; one that involves helping to set up, advertise and all the other stuff that comes with the car show scene. I have been around cars and love to travel, so I wonder, is there a job that involves doing both? Any suggestions? I currently work for a Mercedes dealership. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Thanks for your question. Positions involving the responsibilities you've mentioned tend to be centered in the field of automotive public relations.

One approach would be to contact the Mercedes corporate office. Auto show activities are typically managed by an automaker's public relations department, so you may want to see if there are any openings in the company's PR department that involve this sort of responsibility.

Another option is to contact PR firms that have a high percentage of automaker clients, to see what openings exist. TBWA\Chiat\Day is one such firm.

You could also contact the various auto shows directly to see if there are any openings that exist internally. Though these shows happen only once per year, each of the larger shows — such as the Los Angeles auto show and the Detroit auto show — has a staff that works pretty much year-round to make sure the event is a success.

Of course, your success in landing a position will largely be dependent on whether your skills and qualifications match those being sought by the employers you've targeted. Good luck in your efforts. — Ed.

Subject: Used Car Best Bet?
From: Eric
I have used your site multiple times, but am dismayed and confused by your decision to rate the 1999-2002 Honda Odyssey as a Used Car Best Bet. I have read countless reviews and reports that address the inherent transmission issues with this vehicle and Honda's poor response to this issue. Given that the transmission needs to be replaced before 60,000 miles and some have to be replaced again and again, why have you guys rated this van so highly?

Thanks for your question. You're right; some Odysseys from the generation you've referenced have suffered from transmission failure. The number was large enough to merit attention from Honda, which agreed to extend the warranty on these vehicles so this issue could be addressed. Still, we feel that the number of affected vehicles isn't large enough to constitute a majority. We had an Odyssey from that generation in our long-term test fleet and it exhibited no major transmission problems during its tenure with us. Read more about our experience with that Odyssey.

The Odysseys in question come with much to recommend them, including spacious interiors, superb crash test scores and carlike handling. In the end, we felt that these fine qualities superseded the flaw that plagued a minority of these Odysseys, and that's why we chose to bestow these Hondas with our "Used Car Best Bet" designation. — Ed.

Subject: Cover the Carver One!
From: Shervin
Hello. Any plans to do an article on the Carver One?

We haven't covered the Carver One because this three-wheeled vehicle is more of a car-bike hybrid than a true car; our focus has tended to be on more traditional automobiles. However, this is a very interesting vehicle, and we'll definitely share your suggestion with our editors for their consideration. — Ed.

Subject: Honda Civic vs. Mazda Mazda3
From: Paul
I simply do not understand why your editors would give the Honda Civic a higher rating than the Mazda Mazda3 by including the Si in the comparison, and then never mention the Mazdaspeed Mazda3! When adding the Mazdaspeed 3 into the discussion, there is no comparison. Come on — why did you slant the rating?

Thanks for your comments. We categorize vehicles on our site based on the way they are categorized by their manufacturers. Honda classifies the Si as a trim level within the Civic lineup, and we have followed the company's lead on our site. Mazda, on the other hand, classifies the Mazdaspeed 3 as a separate model from the Mazda3; we have also followed this automaker's lead. As such, we have rated the Mazdaspeed 3 as a separate model, while the Si's ratings are factored into the overall Civic evaluation. — Ed.

Subject: Road Tests for Real-World Buyers
From: Kevin
I really enjoy reading Inside Line. However, I keep looking for reasonably priced car comparisons and end up reading about M3s and Benzes. Not that I don't enjoy dreaming about the new Skyline, but what about some match-ups from cars that us mere mortals (or those who don't want to take on a five-year, $60K loan) can afford. Perhaps low-priced convertibles? Prius vs. Civic Hybrid? Maybe you could do a story on what it's like to own a five-year-old "normal" car ($15K-$25K). I find myself in older cars much more than newer ones (amazing how they get that way once they drive off the lot), yet I don't seem to see reports on your long-term cars except blogs. Perhaps delve a bit more into some of the data you already have lying around.

Thanks for your feedback. Though Inside Line's focus has always been geared toward enthusiast-oriented cars, the site does features on more practical, attainable vehicles as well. You'd suggested a comparison between the Prius and the Civic Hybrid. In fact, Inside Line has already presented that very comparison, written a couple of years ago.

We're pleased to report that in the months ahead, we'll have even more of this sort of content to share. Edmunds.com plans to begin conducting road tests separate from those shown on Inside Line. The Edmunds.com tests will be aimed at everyday shoppers looking to make buying decisions, and will address models such as the ones you've mentioned. We plan to begin publishing these tests within the next few weeks, and we're certain that they will go a long way toward meeting the needs of readers like you. — Ed.

Subject: Import Bias?
From: Don
I really don't have a question, more of a comment: I think your reviewers are in the back pocket of the import marketers. I've been a car nut for many years and have bought and driven many performance autos and many inexpensive compacts. I pay as much attention to the details as I imagine an automotive journalist would. I often disagree with comments made about American cars. It just seems that these manufacturers have not been able to transcend the poor reputations that are the result of missteps made in the past.

I understand why the American public has a hard time seeing the truth behind the import mystique; they are sheep and are afraid to make their own decisions. But you guys are supposed to be above that level. I pray that honesty and common sense will prevail. No harm intended, gents; just my thoughts.

Thanks for your feedback. Take the time to check out the many reviews that we offer covering domestic vehicles and you'll see that there are quite a few that earn top marks. Models like the Ford Mustang, the Dodge Charger and the Dodge Magnum have earned Edmunds.com Editors' Most Wanted awards in recent years. The Chevy Malibu has also logged strong performances in recent comparison tests, placing above the much-revered Toyota Camry in our 2007-2008 V6 Family Sedan Comparison and our 2008 Four-Cylinder Family Sedan Comparison. — Ed.

Subject: All About Rollout
From: Steve
I see you have now added the NHRA-style 0-60-mph testing that incorporates a 1-foot rollout. What exactly does this rollout do?

I own a BMW 335i coupe. This model logged a 0-60-mph test time of 4.8 seconds without rollout. What time do you expect it to achieve with this new mode of testing?

Thanks for your question. Rollout is a drag racing term. In drag racing, the staging light and the timing beam are spaced approximately 1 foot apart. If one were to "shallow stage" in a drag racing event, crossing just barely over the staging light, the Christmas tree (lights) would be armed and begin counting down to green with the car 1 foot behind the timing beam. When the driver drops the hammer, he gets 1 foot of free acceleration before he breaks the timing beam and the clock starts. In that foot, the typical street car will use 0.25-0.3 second and achieve 3-4 mph. Racers making qualifying runs want to do this to get the lowest quarter-mile E.T. (elapsed time) possible. Rollout, in effect, is a 1-foot head start that clips about 0.3 second or so off an E.T.

Why is this important for zero to 60? Well, rollout shouldn't be used for 0-60 runs. The measurement is, after all, zero to 60, not 3.5 to 60.

But some popular magazines and automakers use rollout anyway in order to generate and publish the fastest number possible — without mentioning it to you, the reader or customer. We measure true 0-60, and focus on that figure in our article text.

Not knowing all of this, some have said that Edmunds times are too slow. And in an odd way, the perceived quality of one's data is tied to how fast one can get the car to go — meaning the incentive to use rollout (and not tell) is high.

Since our GPS instrumentation can output both formats, we've begun to show the "with rollout" number for several reasons: (a) to illustrate the magnitude of the misleading effects of including rollout by contrasting it to true 0-60; (b) to provide a number that may correlate better with those published by certain manufacturers and others that incorrectly apply rollout to 0-60; and (c) to show that we're not slow...we're doing it right.

On top of all of this, other readers have asked us to produce something called a 5-60 "street start," a type of measurement commonly thought to strip away the effects of the initial wheelspin and launch technique. This number serves that purpose as well, though launch technique is still very important.

Bottom line: Even though we show both on the data sheet, true zero to 60 is what we talk about in the text of our articles. It's the one that really matters. Expect a full "How We Test" article to explain this and other behind-the-scenes aspects of our testing program in the coming weeks.

The 335i would undoubtedly have a faster time with a rollout — probably by about 0.3 second or so, as we mentioned earlier — but we can't say for sure how much faster until we've had a chance to test it in this way. — Ed.