I’m definitely not against buying a car with branded title- I just did it last month. But that does sound kind of sketchy. If the carpets were wet, everything below them was too, including the undercarriage. With that cavalier attitude, I wonder if they even checked anything. Did water get into the CV boots? How’s the…

I would have to guess about 0.46 surfboards.

I just bought it with only 58k miles, and I don't know how it was used for those miles.  It would be nice for peace of mind to have it done, but I do see your point.

I think I might hold off on taking my ‘12 Impreza in for this one.  Incidentally, the nearest Subaru dealer to me is running radio ads trying to hire mechanics. I imagine they're pretty busy.

Yeah, run the numbers separately and jointly every year.  I make a bit less, and jointly usually gets us something like an extra $100 or so.

Having done some research on clearcoating bare metal, I doubt it was very effective. But someone did it.

You laugh, but I wish I had space for another car, because this is local to me.

Always love it when I get Jalopnik articles about bikes (RIP Lanesplitter).

I remember years ago reading about a bike with patina (rust) that the builder/owner then put a clear finish over.

The nice thing is that when money is not, in fact, an option, there’s still a Toyota for you:

Just last month I had a good experience buying a 2012 Impreza from a local lot/shop that specializes in buying totaled cars and selling them with rebuilt titles. They had pictures from before the repairs, priced very well, interior in great shape, and low miles.

I know. While I’ve enjoyed the hell out of reading about his hopelessly rusty hail Mary Easter Jeep Safari projects, I’m wanting more and more to see something on the GOOD old Jeeps he has just sitting and collecting rust.

There isn't a pillar between the front and rear doors, so that vertical bar aft of the seats is extra. Plus, while it’s a unibody, there is a pretty substantial frame-like structure under there. Kind of needed when you have a profile like this:

I fail to see the problem.

Even up to '96, it was just a panel with 4 screws, according to my Haynes manual at the time.  I was... not particularly pleased... with that discovery.

I will have you know that the fan in my 1997 Ranger was completely reliable. It blew at full blast, no matter what, whenever the truck was running, without fail. And the pliers I used to adjust the temperature were extremely durable. And I only had to remove the entire dash to replace the heater core once.

They’re kind of like whitewalls in that way. In period/vehicle correct applications they look anywhere from ok to excellent. Try slapping it on a modern car, though, and you have an incongruous mess.

Direct rear visibility is nice, but having spent nearly the first decade of my driving life in two consecutive pickups with caps (that’s three panes of glass to get dirty, two of which are almost impossible to clean well), side mirrors will get the job done. Worked in an 18 year old Geo Tracker with opaque plastic…

What could go wrong?