Q: What are my chances of getting a new supercharged Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 coupe this year? --E.S., Chicago

A: Not very good, even if you're related to a Chevrolet dealership owner. The approximately 600-horsepower ZR1 goes into production this summer and it's expected that only about 2,000 will be built annually. The ZR1 will be the most powerful production car Corvette has ever made and thus will be in huge demand and the object of much media attention. It's speculated that the car will cost about $100,000, but buyers should be prepared to pay more than its list price. Chevy has no control over what its dealers charge for a ZR1, but it might do something to discourage speculators from buying a ZR1 and then "flipping" the car for a tidy profit. Note that the 600-horsepower Dodge Viper SRT10 coupe (Dec. 10 AutoTimes) lists at $83,895, although it lacks the Cor-vette's wide sales acceptance or long, colorful history.

Q: I own a 2006 Toyota Highlander V-6 SUV with all-wheel drive. It's only been driven 6,700 miles, but I'm thinking about buying a 2008 Highlander Limited hybrid. Is it worth the money? --R.W., Elmhurst

A: How "green" do you feel? The 2008 Highlander is larger, with new standard features and a new 270-horsepower gasoline engine. Prices range from $27,300 to $34,150. The Highlander hybrid with its 270-horsepower gas-electric engine costs from $33,700 to $39,950. The regular Highlander delivers an estimated 18 mpg in the city and 24 on highways. The hybrid provides an estimated 31 and 27. I'd opt for the regular Highlander unless I did lots of city driving and felt very "green."

Q: I had the transmission flushed in my 2000 Ford Windstar, although there was no problem with the transmission. I heard that flushing a transmission leads to problems, but had the job done anyway at a cost of $658.73. A few minutes after leaving the repair shop, the Windstar began to shudder when the accelerator was pressed. I returned to the shop, which said "clips" had broken in the transmission and that the repair would cost $500 to $600. It said the problem was a "coincidence" but agreed to charge me only $350. I feel cheated. Your thoughts? --G.K., Chicago

A: Unless other work was done, the trans- mission flushing was wildly overpriced. It's not a big deal and should cost about $100. A flush involves no disassembly for internal transmission work. Rather, a flushing machine is just hooked to the vehicle, with the engine idling, and the machine cleans the transmission fluid. However, the transmission filter isn't changed and can become plugged up. That's because things are stirred up in the transmission during the flushing process -- and stirred-up "muck" from old fluid can clog the filter and cause transmission damage. The best thing is to drain the transmission fluid, put in fresh fluid and change the filter, said Larry Claypool of Frankfort's 'Vair Shop auto facility.

Q: I was surprised to hear that customizing and modifying vehicles has become big business. I'm an older baby boomer and always associated customized cars with the 1950s and a relatively small number of young drivers. --E.H., Chicago

A: Customizing of older vehicles became widely popular in the 1950s -- remember the modified 1949 "James Dean" Mercury in the movie "Rebel Without a Cause?" However, American automakers regularly introduced "longer, lower and wider" -- and more-powerful -- wild-looking cars during the last half of the 1950s. And such autos largely overshadowed privately customized cars from mainly young folks. Automakers even stole custom car features for production models. However, the vehicle customization and "tuning" (modifying for better performance) industry has rapidly grown. It hit a record $36.7 billion in revenues last year. And it's expanding from young adults to "boomer tuners" and "soccer moms" who want to personalize minivans, SUVs and family vehicles, Dodge says. Automakers don't want to be left out of a lucrative market, and thus offer cars such as Dodge's Caliber SRT4 "tuner" model with special styling features and a 285-horsepower engine. (Standard Calibers have 148-172 horsepower and don't look as racy.)

Car question? Send it to Dan Jedlicka, Chicago Sun-Times, 350 N. Orleans, Chicago 60654, or e-mail djedlicka@suntimes.com. Include name and hometown.