Rockin' Supercar: The Rebirth, Short Life, and Death of a Shark-Fin-Equipped '85 Toyota Tercel Wagon

Sometimes a very ordinary car becomes something special, maybe even loved, but that's not always enough to keep it out of the jaws of the crusher. This is the story of a second-gen Toyota Tercel wagon (known in Japan as the Sprinter Carib) and its journey from auction to lumber-hauler to kid transportation to a Chinese steel factory. Around the turn of the century, while I was working at a doomed dot-com in San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood, I discovered that the city auctioned off all the unclaimed tow-away cars every week at nearby Pier 70.

Used car market pressure eases

AN INCREASE in the number of used cars coming into the market has “taken the edge off prices” and calmed some corners of the industry, according to used car pricing experts CAP. A greater influx of part-exchange cars arriving at dealers is partly responsible, and with many franchised dealers focusing for the time being on selling those vehicles, competition to acquire stock on the open market has decreased. CAP reports that the pressure has been lifted on some dealers who had become frustrated at how expensive it was becoming to source cars at fair prices.

Chevrolet expanding into South Korea

Chevrolet, the most famous and best-selling General Motors brand, will expand into South Korea in 2011, the automaker said on Wednesday. Enthusiasts in South Korea are in for a treat: At the Busan International Motor Show where the announcement was made, Chevy showed a Camaro, which will be one of the products offered. Last year, Chevy accounted for 44 percent of GM's global sales and saw a sales increase of 21 percent over the previous year.