Charles Ofria

Charles Ofria was an automotive journalist who was active in the automotive industry for over 40 years. During the '70s, he was owner-operator of Ofria Automotive, a thriving auto repair shop in Brooklyn, NY. During that time he became involved with auto mechanic training when he set up courses to help prepare mechanics to take the then new A.S.E. (Automotive Service Excellence) mechanic certification exams.

2001 Cadillac DeVille DTS Road Test

 Category: $45,000 - $60,000 Luxury Sedan Who should buy this car: An upwardly mobile executive that wants it all. Power, comfort, lots of…

6 years ago

A Short Course on Automatic Transmissions

Summary The transmission sends power to the drive wheels and makes sure that the engine is running within a specific…

6 years ago

Hybrid Power Systems for the New Millennium

The Concept -- How Hybrid Cars work in simple terms The Cars -- What it's like to drive them The…

6 years ago

Is Your 4 to 8-year-old Child Using an Adult Seat Belt?

Children between the ages of four and eight years old fall into an area that,up till now, has been neglected…

6 years ago

What Type of Vehicle Should You Buy?

Sedan? Minivan? SUV? Crossover? What type of vehicle should you buy? We discus the good and the bad qualities for…

6 years ago

Run Flat Tires: A Look at the Michelin PAX System

Summary Out of necessity, a spare tire and the tools for mounting it became standard equipment in every car, and…

6 years ago

Is the Car You Are Considering Driver Friendly?

Today's cars have features that would boggle the mind of folks just a few years ago. The problem is that…

6 years ago

How Much Should You Spend for Your Next Car? (and what will you get for your money?)

Summary When evaluating a vehicle, note that innovative engineering does not always equate to a higher price.You can expect different…

6 years ago

Would You Put Your Child in an Oven?

Summary From the year 1996 to 2000, more than 120 children died from heatstroke because they were left in a…

6 years ago

2001 Volkswagen Passat GLX Road Test

Car enthusiasts consider Volkswagen to be one of the top manufacturers of competent automobiles in the low to mid price…

6 years ago

2005 Scion tC Road Test

Do you remember your first car? I know I do. It was a 1957 Ford Fairlane 500 2 door hardtop.…

6 years ago

2001 Mercedes Benz C320 Road Test

Ah,the "Mercedes Mystique." It began more than a century ago when the founders of Daimler Benz invented the automobile itself…

6 years ago

2005 Mazda3 Road Test

Tons of competition crowd the compact sedan category, which includes some notable entries like the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, Ford…

6 years ago

2006 Lexus GS430 Road Test

It never fails. I road test a bunch of cars, become impressed with a few and, in the process, bump…

6 years ago

2006 Mercedes Benz CLS Road Test

Summary The 2006 Mercedes Benz CLS is a luxury sports sedan with many practical features.Piloting the CLS500 on roads is…

6 years ago

Toyota 4Runner Road Test

Toyota took a perfectly good truck and made it as quiet and smooth riding as a car. After finishing my…

6 years ago

2003 Toyota Matrix Road Test

Finding a brand new market segment is a dream of most automobile manufacturers. It means that, for awhile at least,…

6 years ago

2001 Ford Focus ZX3 Road Test

Summary The 2001 Ford Focus ZX3 is a bright, spunky, two-door compact sedan in the $10,000 to $15,000 category. It’s…

6 years ago

1957 Ford Fairlane 500 2 Door Hardtop

This was my first real car (actually, I had a 53 Studebaker Commander before this one, but I never got…

6 years ago

BMW 745i Road Test

I am fascinated whenever one of the megabuck sedans comes up for a complete makeover because manufacturers typically use this…

6 years ago

2001 Buick Regal GS Road Test

Summary The 2001 Buick Regal is an all-American sedan with a superb 240 horsepower supercharged V-6 engine and an interior…

6 years ago

2002 Honda Civic SI Road Test

Summary The 2002 Honda Civic SI is a diminutive car capable of transporting 5 people in reasonable comfort or a…

6 years ago

2002 Jaguar XJ Road Test

Want to know how it feels to be seen as a person with undeniable class? Get behind the wheel of…

6 years ago

2004 Ford F-150 Road Test

Attributes Details Category: $20,000 - $37,000 Full Sized Pickup Truck Who should buy this truck: Anyone looking for a full-sized…

6 years ago

2001 Chrysler 300M Road Test

Category: $25,000 - $35,000 Luxury Sports Sedan Who should buy this car: A family looking for a well-rounded, roomy sedan…

6 years ago

2004 Chevrolet Malibu Road Test

Summary The 2004 Chevrolet Malibu is a midsized four-door sedan with a comfortable and complete interior. The components in the…

6 years ago

2006 Audi A3 Road Test

German manufacturer Audi is trying to cut itself another slice of the United States sales pie with the recent introduction…

6 years ago

2001 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Road Test

Summary The Corvette Z06 is an energetic sports car that costs $40,000 to $60,000. It’s exciting to drive, with a…

6 years ago

2005 Buick LaCrosse Road Test

Take a good look at the new Buick LaCrosse and you'll pretty much get the whole story without ever stepping…

6 years ago

What it’s Like to Drive a Ferrari

Today more people than ever before can afford to own a Ferrari. The question is: how many of these new…

6 years ago

2006 Ford Explorer Road Test

Ford does trucks better than any other manufacturer selling vehicles in the USA. That is not my opinion, it is…

6 years ago

2003 Infiniti G35 Road Test

Traffic was crawling and I was impatient. I was driving a car intended to turn the sport sedan field on…

6 years ago

2003 Ford Expedition Road Test

Category:$35,000 - 45,000 Large SUVWho should buy this car:A family looking for a large go-anywhere vehicle that is comfortable,kid friendly…

6 years ago

2005 Ford Five Hundred Road Test

Category:$22,000 - $30,000 Front-drive (or AWD) SedanWho should buy this car:Anyone looking for a comfortable, roomy sedan withall-weather traction capability…

6 years ago

2006 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Road Test

When I was a child, the world of personal motor vehicles consisted of 3 distinct types--cars, trucks and jeeps. If…

6 years ago

2006 Infiniti M45 Road Test

Category: $45,000 - $55,000 Rear-drive Sports Sedan Who should buy this car: A person who refuses to compromise between a…

6 years ago

2007 Lexus ES350 Road Test

Category:$30,000 - $40,000 Mid-Size Front-Wheel Drive Luxury SedanWho should buy this car:A person looking for a comfortable, upscale front-drive sedan…

6 years ago

2001 Volkswagen Beetle GLX Turbo Road Test

Car enthusiasts consider Volkswagen to be one of the top manufacturers of competent automobiles in the low to mid price…

6 years ago

2002 Jeep Liberty Limited Road Test

Category: $15,000 - $25,000 Sport-Utility Vehicle Who should buy this car: Someone looking for a small SUV that thrives on…

6 years ago

2006 Lincoln Zephyr Road Test

Category:$30,000 - $35,000 Mid-Size Near Luxury SedanWho should buy this car:Anyone looking for a comfortable, classy, mid-sized sedan with clean…

6 years ago

2007 Mazda CX-7 Road Test

Category: $24,000 to $33,000 Mid-Size Car-Based SUV Who should buy this car: A person looking for a fun-to-drive, car-based SUV…

6 years ago

2007 Mercedes Benz S550 Road Test

Category: $85,000 to $150,000 Luxury Sedan Who should buy this car: A person who wants the best sedan in the…

6 years ago

2003 Mini Cooper Road Test

Category: $16,000 to $20,000 Sub-compact car (or large go-cart) Who should buy this car: A person looking for an alternative…

6 years ago

2001 Toyota Sienna Road Test

Category:$20,000 - $30,000 MinivanWho should buy this car:A family in need of a reliable, comfortable and practical people and stuff…

6 years ago

2006 Ford Fusion Road Test

Nothing in recent memory has captured the hearts and imagination of the American public like the 1986 Ford Taurus and…

6 years ago

2002 Volvo S60 AWD Road Test

"Volvo. It's boxy but good." Ever since the movie "Crazy People" used that phrase in a fictitious advertising campaign, the…

6 years ago

2001 Lexus IS 300 Road Test

When Lexus goes on the prowl for another new market segment, the automotive press takes notice. This is because, when…

6 years ago

2001 Volvo XC Cross Country Road Test

Volvo built its first Cross Country wagon in 1996. It was an all-wheel drive version of the popular V70 wagon.…

6 years ago

2003 Honda Accord Road Test

In today's mid-sized sedan market, there are really no bad choices.  Any car you buy in this class will deliver…

6 years ago

Oldsmobile Aurora Road Test

Category:$30,000 - $40,000 Family SedanWho should buy this car:Someone looking for a stylish, roomy, powerful sedan built in the USA…

6 years ago

2002 Lexus SC 430 Road Test

Summary The 2002 Lexus SC 430 is the first ever Lexus Convertible. It has a fully automatic retractable hardtop and…

6 years ago

2006 Lexus IS 350 Road Test

I recently had a chance to sample the newest version of the small sport sedan from Lexus, the new 2006…

6 years ago

2006 Mazda5 Road Test

Category: $17,500 to $25,000 Front-Wheel Drive 6-passenger Compact Wagon Who should buy this car: A person looking for a small,…

6 years ago

2003 Mercedes Benz E-Class Road Test

Category:$50,000 to $60,000 Rear Drive Luxury Sport SedanWho should buy this car:A person looking for a world class European luxury…

6 years ago

2004 Mazda 6 Road Test

So you are in the market for a mid-sized sedan and you realized that there is a bewildering array of…

6 years ago

2002 Nissan Altima Road Test

It's not often that a mid-sized sedan comes along that combines startling good looks with blazing performance in a price…

6 years ago

2003 Nissan Murano Road Test

It's getting harder to pick out a car these days. Unlike you, who know to come to publications like CarParts.com,…

6 years ago

2002 Ford Thunderbird Road Test

Summary The power for the 2002 Thunderbird comes from a 252 hp 3.9-liter 32 Valve DOHC V-8 engine that is…

6 years ago

The Mercedes Benz S Class Road Test

Whenever you see a shiny black Mercedes S-Class go by, the tendency of, as Leona Helmsley might say, the "Little…

6 years ago

2001 Saturn L200 Road Test

When GM rolled the first Saturn off the assembly line in 1990, they introduced a radical new way to build…

6 years ago

2007 Toyota Camry Road Test

I happen to like vanilla ice cream.  Especially those premium kinds from the companies with the fancy names.  But "vanilla"…

6 years ago

2003 Toyota Corolla Road Test

Summary The 2003 Toyota Corolla is in the 9th generation of Corolla, a compact sedan in the $13,000 to $20,000…

6 years ago

2007 Toyota Yaris 4 Door Sedan and 2 Door Liftback

When people go shopping for a new car, it goes without saying that (unless you are the head of a…

6 years ago

A Short Course on Automobile Engines

Summary Air enters the engine and proceeds to the throttle plate. You can control the amount of air using the…

6 years ago

A Short Course on Brakes

Summary The typical brake system consists of disk brakes in front and either sturdy disk brakes or affordable drum brakes…

6 years ago

A Short Course on Wheel Alignment

Summary Camber, caster, and toe-in are crucial factors in wheel alignment.A proper wheel alignment involves adjusting wheel angles so that…

6 years ago

2002 Lexus ES300 Road Test

Every time Lexus has a press preview for a new car, I approach the event with great expectations. This latest…

6 years ago

2005 Chrysler 300C Road Test

I have to admit that I began this road test with low expectations. When I first saw the prototype for…

6 years ago

2001 Lexus LS 430 Road Test

When Lexus introduced the First Generation LS 400 in 1989, a surprised automotive press embraced it as, quite possibly, one…

6 years ago

2008 Nissan Altima Coupe Road Test Review

Hi everyone, I'm Charles and I am addicted to the look of the Infiniti G35 Coupe, but I can't afford…

6 years ago

Understanding Your Dashboard Gauges

Summary The most common dashboard configurations today include a speedometer, tachometer, fuel gauge, and temperature gauge.The speedometer displays wheel speed.…

6 years ago

A Short Course on Charging Systems

Summary Your vehicle’s charging system mainly consists of the alternator and its wirings.This system is responsible for keeping the battery…

6 years ago

A Short Course on Ignition Systems

Summary The purpose of the ignition system is to create a spark that will ignite the fuel-air mixture in the…

6 years ago

Does Your Car Do This? (Common Symptoms and What to Do About Them)

The steering wheel vibrates at certain speeds, usually between 50 and 70 miles per hour. This is usually caused by…

6 years ago

2002 Infiniti Q45 Road Test

There are always special cars that make the pulse of an automotive journalist kick up a notch or two. For…

6 years ago

2006 Honda Civic Hybrid Road Test

Gas prices are on everyone's minds these days. And the outlook for the future is not any brighter. Working people…

6 years ago

2001 Lexus ES 300 Road Test

Ever fall in love with a car?  If you are looking for a comfortable, good looking sedan with room for…

6 years ago

Mercedes Benz CL500 Road Test

Category: $95,000 to $130,000 Premium Luxury Coupe Who should buy this car: A person looking for the ultimate luxury coupe…

6 years ago

A Short Course on Cooling Systems

Summary The cooling system is responsible for dissipating the enormous amount of heat created by the engine. A cooling system…

6 years ago