My first memory is sitting in the driver’s seat of my father’s 1988 Mercury Sable station wagon – the red leather steering wheel’s stitching prickling my fingers as I pretended to drive. By the time I was three, I could identify the make and model of about every car on the road.

 

Eventually, Motor Trend taught me to read and appreciate the enthusiast’s perspective, while Consumer Reports opened my mind to reliability and inspired a fascination with auto safety. I then began memorizing the safety rating of every vehicle and learning the different testing standards of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). You know, like most nine-year-olds…

 

Not one to let a passion go, I continued digging deeper and found opportunities to incorporate cars into my adult life. While managing a successful 12-year-long consulting career, I secured automotive projects, wrote auction listings for bespoke Porsche 911s at night, and attended panels on Autonomous Vehicle policies in DC.

 

I have traveled to the Geneva, New York, Detroit, Chicago, LA, Paris, Tokyo, and Frankfurt Auto Shows, not to mention museum and factory tours across three continents. While there’s nothing I love more than seeing a new car reveal, I’ve enjoyed celebrating automotive history at the Pebble Beach, Lake Como, and Audrain Concours. As much as I am drawn to a 1940s Delahaye, my greatest love is for the more quotidian vehicles – especially 80s/90s Volvos. I even won a 1990 Volvo 240 in a writing contest.

 

Most recently, I have contributed over 90 articles to JDPower.com’s New Car Shopping Guide covering EVs, hybrids, towing, tires, maintenance, and more.