Friends welcome back to GarageDlx. 2019 was an amazing year automotively, and also one of joy and great personal challenges. Best wishes for a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year in 2020 filled with love, laughter, joy, and cars....lots and lots of cars! 2018 ended with the passing of my mother-in-law on Christmas Eve, and on January 2nd my bride Ronnie was admitted to the hospital, for an extended stay that ultimately resulted in the loss of a kidney. Since then she has had a year of ups and downs, but is on the road to recovery.
In January 2006 GarageDlx launched as an e-mail list where I shared my personal car stories. In short order I had lots of great feedback, and what started as a list of a few friends grew to hundreds of followers. After a couple of misguided attempts to share my automotive passion via other media outlets, in 2019 I decided to return to what I do best, GarageDlx and Tales from the Garage.
This year I've launched a much improved GarageDlx.com, and also a weekly automotive Podcast, "Tales from the Garage." Tales from the Garage is co-hosted, but two other great car guys, Natan Tazelaar and Jesus Garcia. But like Ronco, that's not all, THERE'S MORE! I've also launched a 24/7-365 on line radio station GarageDLX.FM where I can also share my passion for great music.
Natan Tazelaar is one of Europe's leading automotive journalists, an automotive historian, someone who knows more about European sports car and Motorsports than any other ten people I know, and a multiple award winning Texas Auto Writers Association journalist. Natan joins us electronically every Saturday from The Netherlands.
Our other co-host Jesus Garcia call's himself the world's oldest millennial, and he is also one the youngest professional automotive journalists working in Texas today. Jesus Garcia is also an award-winning journalist who joins us every Saturday from his ranch in South Texas.
We have over 5,000 songs in our music library in weekly rotation, and we are always adding new music so there is always something fresh to listen to. My radio station pays royalties to all artists and is full compliant with the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act.) You can listen at the direct link www.GarageDLX.FM on any internet connected device, you can also download the Live365 App for any smartphone and tell it to play "Garage D L X." We are also available on any Alexa connected device. Say, "Alexa, play live 365" - It will ask you which station, and say, "Alexa play Garage D L X"
But wait, THERE'S EVEN MORE. I now do weekly new car reviews with over thirty cars reviewed in 2019, we have a YouTube Channel www.youtube.com/GarageDlx and we also post new content daily to Facebook www.facebook.com/GarageDlx, and also on Instagram @GarageDlx. We use the hashtags #GarageDlx #WalkingtheWalk, and #Shadetree.
GarageDlx won the 2019 Texas Auto Writers Association top prize in the web-content category, and amazingly our Podcast won honorable mention in the broadcast category after only 90 days on the air! We have now broadcast over 25 unique episodes of Tales from the Garage, with 48 episodes planned for 2020
Keep scrolling through this post to see photo galleries with just a sampling of the automotive insanity we did in 2019, with lots more coming in 2020!
This was a very busy year automotively and I even managed to work in some time for myself. GarageDlx isn't just a web site, or podcast...we actually do lots of hands-on automotive projects. In 2020 I did two major drivetrain repairs, four engine builds, a complete air-conditioning installation, a shadetree interior project, and more small projects than i can recall. We averaged one major automotive project each month.
2019 Garage Deluxe Projects
Events we attended in 2019
I was also fortunate to be invited to numerous events both public and private. Those included the Texas Motor Press Association Off-road event, Keels & Wheels Concours d'Elegance, Luxury and Supercar Showcase, Texas Early Day Tractor and Engine Association event, a private showing of the Koenigsegg Jesko, and the Pininfarina Battista, the Texas Auto Show press preview, the Texas Auto Writers Association Truck Rodeo, The Houston Autorama, I co-sponsored the Hagerty Labor Day driving tour of Grimes County, and capped it off with the amazing Christmas celebration at Grandview Manor the home of my friend and neighbor Bill Thomas.
CAR REVIEWS
In 2019 I had approximately 30 new car loans from the manufacturers to evaluate and review, and it was quite a list indeed. I've only included the vehicles that I spent where I spent an extended time behind the wheel. There were at least as many others that I took for a short spin.
2019 BMW M850i X Drive
2019 Honda HRV Touring
2019 Hyundai Elantra Sport
2019 Hyundai IONiq
2019 Infiniti QXX50
2019 Infiniti Q60 Red Sport 400
2019 Jaguar F-Pace
2019 Land Rover Discovery
2019 Lexus GS460
2019 Lexus LC500h
2019 Mazda CX9
2019 Mercedes-Benz E63 S AMG
2019 Mercedes-Benz C300 Cabriolet
2019 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500
2019 Mini Countryman PHEV
2019 Nissan Altima
2019 Nissan Frontier
2019 Nissan Pathfinder
2019 Nissan Rogue
2019 Rolls Royce Cullinan
2019 Toyota Avalon Hybrid Limited
2019 Volvo S60 T6
2020 Jaguar I Pace EV400
2020 Jaguar P300 R-Dynamic
2020 Jeep Gladiator
2020 Kia Soul X-Line
2020 Kia Telluride
2020 RAM Eco-Diesel
2020 Subaru Legacy
2020 Subaru Outback
About the Author
