Car Trivia to Consider while Warming Up your Vehicle

Oil changes, brake pad checks, transmission fluid flushes. Here’s what you want to do, okay…

Actually, let’s put all that aside just for one day and, well…lighten things up just a little with some interesting bits of car trivia.

So get out your scorecard, or your No. 2 pencil, or for that matter your favorite uncle who thinks he knows everything about cars, and see if you can teach him a thing or two.

(Answers below)

1) What’s the best-selling car of all time?

1. Toyota Corolla
2. Honda Civic
3. Volkswagen Beetle
4. Ford Focus

2) The most fuel efficient vehicle…in 2006?

1. Honda Insight
2. Toyota Prius
3. Smart Fortwo Coupe
4. Volkswagen Golf TDI (Diesel)

3) Which Japanese car became the first from that nation to be produced in the U.S.?

1. Toyota Camry.
2. Nissan Maxima
3. Mazda Miata
4. Honda Accord

4) What was the first “pony” car? (That is, the first compact car that offered a smaller version of the dominant “muscle” cars that previous dominated the American auto scene.)

1. Mercury Cougar
2. Ford Mustang
3. Pontiac Firebird
4. Chevrolet Camaro

5) What was the first minivan to introduce a rear seat that folded into a floor.

1. Honda Odyssey
2. Mercury Villager
3. Toyota Sienna
4. Dodge Caravan

6) What year saw the first nationwide smog control legislation?

1. 1966
2. 1961
3. 1973
4. 1970

7) What was the total amount of cars and trucks on the road in 1962, and what is the total number today?

1. 72 million / 207 million
2. 50 million / 108 million
3. 78 million / 237 million
4. 145 million / 192 million

After perusing the detailed answers below, give us a call at Golden Triangle Auto Care to set up an appointment if your favorite car is in need of service!

Answers

1. C – Volkswagen Beetle. Sorry, Ford Focus, while you have been the top seller worldwide two years running, it’s going to take a few more years, and then some, to eclipse the classic Beetle from its No. 1 spot.
2. B – Toyota Prius. You probably can’t go too wrong answering ‘Prius’ to just about any fuel efficiency question. The car which really put fuel efficiency on the map came through in 2006. And while we’re at it, if you guessed Prius for 2012, you’d be right again, to the tune of 42 mpg combined city and highway driving.
3. D – Honda Accord. The first Accord rolled off the line in Marysville, Ohio just about 21 years ago. Coincidence or not, the American production proved more than a symbolic gesture, as during its first year of production, the Accord became the best-selling Japanese model in the U.S. The car would go on to hold that title for 15 straight years.
4. B – Ford Mustang. While you couldn’t go wrong owning any one of these cars, it was the Mustang that blazed a trail for the eventual tidal wave of American compact vehicles. The Mustang arrived with a bang; following its introduction at New York City’s World’s Fair in April 1964, the car sold over 1 million units in its first two years.
5. A – Honda Odyssey. Not only does the Odyssey’s fold-down rear seat provide you with more potential floor space, but the minivan itself will also put extra cash in your pocket if you ever want to sell; this Honda was named 2013’s residual value winner in the minivan segment.
6. C – 1973. Where would we be without smog control? Well, if you’re still behind the wheel of a high mileage 1972 Honda Civic…you don’t need to worry about it, as only model years 1973 and later are required to pass the emission portion of any inspection.
7. C – 78 million / 237 million. Come to think of it, let’s all be glad for that 1973 legislation regarding smog control.