Q. I leave my car parked from January through April when I go on vacation. When I return, the brakes make a scraping noise for a few days before the noise disappears. Should I be concerned about that sound? --M.F., Roselle

A. A January-through-April vacation! Many workers are happy to get two weeks off. But no, that sound is nothing to worry about. Let a car sit for a long time and moisture allows residual material to enter the brake system. It just takes some braking action to get rid of it. The brakes likely also "grab" a bit when you initially use the brake pedal when you begin driving the car after its long rest. That's also normal. However, it's definitely a bad idea to let a car sit undriven for months because, for instance, various seals throughout it begin drying up, causing leaks. It's a good idea to add a fuel preservation additive to keep the gasoline from going bad. Inflating tires 10-15 psi above the manufacturer-recommended pressures also helps.

Q. I don't agree that the old chrome car bumpers -- replaced by plastic bumpers -- would eat into auto fuel economy (Nov. 29 AutoTimes) by adding weight. For instance, the 1989 Mercury Grand Marquis had chrome bumpers and got better fuel economy than the 2008 Grand Marquis, which has plastic bumpers. --J.S., Chicago

A. The 1989 Grand Marquis was a full-size model that weighed 3,828 pounds. It delivered an estimated 17 mpg in the city and 24 on highways under the old, more-generous EPA test procedures with its 5-liter, old-style 150-horsepower pushrod V-8, which provided sluggish performance. The far more livelier 2008 Grand Marquis provides an estimated 16 city, 24 highway with its more sophisticated overhead-camshaft 4.6-liter, 224-horsepower V-8 under the stricter, more realistic EPA test procedures. It weighs 4,135 pounds, partly because of added comfort and federally mandated equipment. The new EPA tests would drop estimated economy of the 1989 Grand Marquis by a few miles per gallon. It's misleading to state that newer cars just have "plastic" bumpers because the fact is ignored that they have considerable impact resistance equipment under the plastic coverings. Moreover, the old chrome bumpers would look odd on today's more streamlined, aerodynamic cars, although they looked OK on most old cars.

Q. I have a 2000 Ford F-150 Harley-Davidson model truck with about 100,000 miles on it. I hear this limited-production model might be worth a lot of money. How much could I get for it? --J.S. Chicago

A. Sorry to say, your specially trimmed model isn't all that special and is valued at $7,625, although it would be worth more (about $9,000) with lower mileage. You shouldn't have a hard time selling it, Jim, because there are legions of Harley motorcycle fans out there.

Q. I enjoyed your article on the high-performance Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution (Nov. 15-16 AutoTimes) and got the improved new model to replace my 2006 Evolution. However, although the new model is far more comfortable, I find that it's very difficult to drive on winter roads with its high-performance summer tires, despite its sophisticated all-wheel-drive system. --D.W., Chicago area.

A. For decades, Chicago area owners of high-performance cars such as Corvettes and collector autos parked their cars from November through March not only because winter weather with salted roads was hell on the appearance of their vehicles, but also because high-horsepower autos such as your Evolution tended to slide a lot on winter roads. There now are far more high-performance cars than there once were, and many should be be ideally equipped with specialized high-performance winter tires that provide far more traction on ice and snow -- although they wear rapidly on summer roads. Visit an area high-performance tire specialist or call the Tire Rack (1-888-371-8473), which has a major tire testing facility and sells a variety of winter performance tires. Each time I attend a new car preview in California in winter, I envy high-performance car owners there because they have warm, dry roads on which to drive -- not to mention challenging, noncongested winding mountain roads that simply don't exist in Illinois.

Q. Would you consider a car such as Nissan's racy new improved 370Z sports car to be the equal of a car such as the Porsche Cayman S, which costs about twice the price of the "Z?" --E.H, Westmont

A. The rear-engine 370Z is almost as good as the impressive mid-engine Cayman S. The shorter, lower, wider 370Z is more luxurious and powerful than its popular predecessor -- the 350Z. But Porsche has a more potent sports car name and reputation.

Q. Which do you like better -- the new Dodge Ram or new Ford F-150 pickup truck? --F.K., Chicago

A. I've driven both and found them to be smoother and more refined, besides improved mechanically. More than ever, they drive much like large cars. But Ford has made the new F-150 more of a work truck than its predecessor -- aiming it more at such folks as tradesmen, contractors, farmers and others who need a large pickup for their occupations.