Understanding Car Categories

What is the difference between a vintage and an antique automobile? I was curious and decided to take on my own question and seek answers to ease my mind and others who are as intrigued as I am.

My first Google search was for the words ‘vintage automobile’ – and my results took me to Wikipedia with the following explications: A vintage car is commonly defined as a Automobile built between the start of 1919 and the end of 1930

My second Google search was for the words ‘antique automobile’ – and again I was directed to Wikipedia with the following explications: An antique car is generally defined as an Automobile over 25 years of age.

With these explanations, it will be much easier to distinguish the difference between the two, and I hope that this fast and easy search with the above results will also help you, the reader in clarrifying the myths between the two.

I also found that the term ‘classic car’ is often used as a synomym for antique car, however, also according to a Wikipedia find, the formal use of the term classic car usually applies only to certain specific high-quality amount of vehicles from the pre World-War II era.

So much to learn, and fully understand when discussing older vehicles that marked history in some way. Now just when I thought I was beginning to understand, I found yet another term, ‘collector car.’ So back to the internet to find out what that means…

According to some, I found that a ‘collector car’ is the term that refers to any of the antique cars, vintage, classic, special interest, muscle or pony cars… ok, here I go again, more terms….

Some information that I found explains that the collector car market is always expanding, so the definition does as well. According to another web search, I found that cars from the 1970’s that would have been abandoned are now being rescued and restored – so if you have the budget you can become the owner of a collector car. Depends on your prerequisits of the fascinating world of the automobile, the nostalgia related to the car, and the amount of money you want to spend, and time you want to dedicate to the restoration project.

Now onto the ‘special interest’ category… these cars were designed anywhere from 1920 to 1970 which generally include all eras of collector cars. Um, confused again, lets continue to search for information. Special interest automobiles are identified as automobiles either for their engineering or style appeal. So factory show cars fall into this category, as do celebrity automobiles.

And now comes the muscle and pony class. This class generally directs it’s members to 1964 or later. According to one group, the car has a high performance listing such as the AMC AMX, Buick GS, Chevrolet Camaro SS and Z-28 models and the list goes on. These are apparently a hot commodity in the collector car marketplace.

Pony class – sounds like something I would hear being called out at the county fair, however, the pony class in the automobile industry simply means, automobiles produced later than 1964 as in the muscle category, but fall into the Ford Mustang class. Some quick examples would be the Mercury Cougar, the Firebird, the Javelin, the Challenger. Pony cars are basically muscle cars with a top of the line performance package.

Who knew that automobile collectors had so many different categories available to them, and that each category is also very defined either by era, performance packages, celibrity status, restoration and value.

So when looking at an older car, remember the year is an important starting place in order to understand what kind of automobile it really is, either classic, antique, vintage, special interest, muscle or pony division. But all in all, the car’s value is always in the eye of the beholder.

Karen Eryou

Employer found

Good afternoon to all the blog readers, I wanted to update you with the flood of emails I sent out and the hits we had on our website by people interested in my credentials and our projects that I landed a job.

Yup, in just a short time; 2 weeks to the day to be exact, I find myself beginning a new career, once again in transport, but more behind the scenes instead of into the line of fire.

This is only a temporary position for now, as I will be replacing someone who is out on maternity leave. But one never knows, if she will return to work, or falls in love with the life of motherhood and want to become a stay at home mommy.

Which ever it turns out to be, I will either be staying on board this new venture, or I will once again be looking after my three months are up; but I will have yet again, added a new experience to my resume.

I would like to say thanks to each and every one of you, who took the time to read my resume, click on our website link to learn more, and follow up with an email back. I appreciate each one of you, and the time you spent here amongst the pages of our website.

Have a great day, and I will embark upon my new journey next Monday morning.

Karen Eryou

P.S. Happy birthday wishes to Cinnamoroll – HK fans will understand!!!

Barack Obama, presidential material

With only a few hours left out on the Democratic campaign trail for the electoral states of Texas, Ohio, Vermont and Rhode Island, I decided to speak my mind about Barack Obama.

I don’t claim to know a lot about him, however, I have done some research, and I must admit that from a Canadian point of view, if that matters at all, seeing the economy on both sides of the border, I strongly believe that Obama has a plan to make change happen. It won’t be instant, nothing is except dehydrated potato mix and other fast food, it will take time, and citizens will have to make a point of being patient with this man, in order to get America moving again.

He has a great track record for anyone his age; he chose to dedicate his life to public service, he served as a community organizer, civil rights attorney, and he was the leader in the Illinois State Senate. He continues to fight for working families in Washington.

Senator Obama serves on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which oversees health care, employment, schools, as well as retirement programs. Hence, he is still working hard for the working class.

He is also a member of the Foreign Relations Committee which works closely with the Iraq policy, and he also serves on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, again, focussing on care and services these brave men and women deserve after fighting for, and serving their country.

He is a family man himself, married wife Michelle in 1992, and is the father of two young daughters. Obama is also a religious man, attending Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago’s South Side.

Barack was born on August 4th 1961 in Hawaii. He went on to graduate from Columbia University in 1983 and moved to Chicago in 1985 where he was employed for a church-based group seeking to improve living conditions in poor neighbourhoods that were plagued with crime and unemployment. By 1991, he graduated Harvard Law School, where he was the first African American president of the Harvard Law Review.

He has accomplished so much in so little time, and I strongly believe that he can accomplish more, changes that would be good for Canadians as well as Americans.

On June 14th 2006, Barack gave a speech in Washington addressing his beliefs, the ways the world has changed, and why he wants to make a difference; the name of this speech: “Take Back America.”

He spoke of his family, the history behind his name, his ancestors and their roots, he also spoke about why he decided to become a politician, and how he would travel to bake sales and barber shops to meet the people of America. In this speech he spoke of September 11, he spoke of the war and the flag-draped coffins that arrive at Dover Air Force base, he spoke of the present government and those who run it, he spoke of health care, and FEMA, he also addressed the issue of jobs being lost and the big corporations heading to Mexico or China for cheaper labor.

He’s aware of the situation we are in today, and he also knows that Americans are well aware of the current situations. He believes that as individuals we each have responsibility and as a group we have collective responsibilities to each other.

Obama believes in his political party – and suggests accessible health care for all Americans, not one that will force Americans to choose between a health care plan that will bankrupt the government and one that bankrupts families. The same idea with tax breaks for families who can’t afford insurance, he believes that a modernized health care system would give every family a chance to purchase insurance at a price they can afford.

He discusses his points of view on terrorism and fundamentalism – military diplomacy, and the strength of the US alliances.

Obama sees an open, honest government that doesn’t peddle the agenda of which lobbyist can write the largest cheque.

Together, with Obama, the Democratic Agenda would be the American Agenda. Because he wants citizens of the US to be proud Americans once again. Put an end to being divided, and running into ideological walls and roadblocks. Obama strongly believes that Americans everywhere are desperate for leadership, they are longing for direction, and they want to believe in government once again.

I’m as intrigued by the Obama craze as any, but I believe that if change is to come, he would be the best candidate for what he believes in. I believe that Americans are not only looking for change, but believe that change is needed in Washington. A new chapter needs to be written in the US history books, and Obama just may be the right person to bring on the changes that we, as Canadians and Americans, need.

Obama did not just surface from nowhere and decide to run for the Presidency of the United States, he’s worked hard, he’s dedicated, and he honestly believes in change.

If you believe in change, make a difference, be heard, and let your vote count.

Barak Obama might just be your next Superman.



Karen Eryou

Employer wanted

It sure is nice to sit at home and look outside to an empty parking lot, only to realise you are the only one sitting at home, searching once again for a well-deserved job. It’s not so nice after all.

Being a dedicated worker and enjoying new challenges have always been my best descriptions; however, last week, February 19^th to be exact, I was confronted with a letter by the new accountant at a small privately owned transport company where I had been employed for over a year, and had accomplished many things that would have cost the owner much more money than my salary actually was to do these out of office.

Having been a member of the workforce for many years now, I always pride myself on my accomplishments and what I can offer the new employer.

I’ve had some rough times lately with employers as they have been in financial binds or decided to restructure in order to save a couple salaries along the way.

In my most recent stint in the transport business I worked on obtaining the ACE accreditation for crossing the border (electronic manifests); C-TPAT approval and its Canadian counterpart PIP. I also had the owner of the company contact a transportation lawyer (whom I knew from other transport jobs I had in the past), this in order to fight traffic fines and save our valuable transport points – this in maintaining a satisfactory listing from the Quebec government.

I also worked more than 40 hrs per week – eating lunch at my desk while answering the phones, all to make sure that the drivers were well attended to, and if a problem happened, I was there to handle it and find a quick solution - I also worked from home during snowstorms – and during holidays in order to make sure everything was running smoothly.

I also helped design and write the content of a website that this last employer did not have. In working with the website aspect, I would send out massive personalized emails to potential customers, and draw them to the website. If we only received one prospect from a massive email campaign, it was one potential customer that we did not have prior to my email, and this tactic generated traffic to the website for future potential customers. People got to know who we were and the services we offered. I would call our customers to let them know where their shipment was each day, and would also give them a call once we were delivered. I strongly believe that customer service needs to be this way. The customer is the one paying the bills.

Business development takes time – and it does not always see a quick turnaround, but one prospect’s interest is one more than what we had before the email campaign.

Job restructuring sucks – as it presently means that I must find a better job, or one that will see my talents and offer me a decent wage for services rendered, and in today’s market with a strong Canadian dollar, trade with the US is happening at a much slower pace.

Some job restructurings are acceptable in the eyes of an employee – but for one to ask that a talented employee, who takes their job at heart, is asked to take a considerable pay cut for at least a year, and continue to work as hard as before, it hurts… it almost seems as the employer was not appreciative of everything that I obtained for him; nor was he fully understanding of the impact that he was asking me to take.

My rent does not go down in price, and the cost of living does not go down either, I still have a car payment, and I still have food to purchase and put on the table each day. So how can one accept such an undertaking? I’m asking myself that each and every day. Did I make a wrong move, should I have stayed and got behind on my bills for this employer? Then I always come back to the same answer in my mind, I don’t think so, I truly believe that things happen for a reason, and something better will come along. I will be faced with a new bunch of challenges, and maybe be respected for my knowledge and my work ethics.

The internet job searches have not produced anything concrete yet, a few leads, but no firm job offers. I’m still sending out my resume on a daily basis, even to companies in my area that are not posting job openings; and even to companies who do have job openings, that I’m not totally qualified for, all this in hopes that maybe someone out there will be interested in the person that I am, and the talent and knowledge that I have to offer, and give me a chance.

I enjoy scrapbooking and greeting card design in my spare time, cooking, writing, business development, etc… and would love a good paying opportunity; even a legitimate work from home offer would be great right now. Anything would be great – the bills are not taking a detour from my mailbox just because I’m not presently employed. They don’t know that – but I sure do, and the stress level of not knowing when the bills will be paid is high.

Here’s to a better day, a better economy, a better job market, and a potential employer with a heart who’s not shy about paying a decent salary for work rendered.

Karen Eryou