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