As much as I diss Subarus for their wonky craptacular CVT transmissions. Go to any trailhead where the terrain is gnarly and requires fitness and expertise and the Subarus outnumber SUVs and 4x4 trucks by a good margin. Subies are a lot cheaper than the alternatives and real dirtbags work to live not the other way…

Hilariously I was totally prepared to be mad at the boring lame neighbors...But then...

And there’s a car show in the parking lot?

To each their own.  I think you could apply the same thinking to the club. 

Looking at my own car???

Ford was never choosing between helping or hurting people. They were and are trying to sell more cars. Nothing more. DEI initiatives are marketing, they broaden appeal, For most companies there is no moral imperative behind DEI activities. Now that the right has gone full blown open culture war, they know they…

This is confounding. If you are an exec at any company you are now forced into a terrible corner. DEI isn’t about “woke” it’s about broadening company appeal. It’s basic marketing. Everybody likes to feel represented by the companies they deal with. The far right has enough leverage to stomp out DEI initiatives…

The idea that the local decibel code only applies to modified cars makes no sense. Whether or not the car is modified has zero to do with whether or not it is violating local ordinances. I am sure the driver can lobby local officials if he doesn’t like it, though he may lose.

I used to go to car shows but then I realized that car shows are like strip clubs. You spend a bunch of time, energy and money just looking. My time is better spent enjoying who/what I have.

I enjoyed your post very much. But it’s anecdotes. I look at data through work and it shows much lower fleet wide major component failure rates over time with Toyota and Lexus. Cars don’t get to you until something breaks. Some companies do a far better job than others of keeping their cars out of your shop to…

Please, please, please let other victims of these clowns come out of the woodwork for their pound of flesh.

Things I want:

For the most part I like adaptive cruise on the interstate between urban areas.  I take control if traffic picks up...I turn it back on for stop and go traffic jams.

Probably an unpopular opinion, but bumper height should be non negotiable as well as hood height. If you want to lift your truck, so you can’t see the bikes/pedestrians and small cars in front of you,  keep it off of the street.

This is the same math I did in my head.

Not at all. I’m not offended. I just think the optics were terrible and question the captain and crews judgement and motivation. I don’t have to be offended to point out bad form.

It’s not conflation if they are using a reference to a Nazi symbolizing character from a film. It was an indefensible poor choice on the part of the ships captain.  I’m assuming the intent was not vile, but I can’t be certain. 

You are probably right. The guys who did this probably didn’t do the math and realize they might has well have been flying a swastika.

The Empire from their uniforms to their approach to evil were a representation of Nazis. Vaders helmet shape and the art deco vibe is not a coincidence. Lucas went with the embodiment of evil with the Empire asthetic. Germans, even 80 years later sending out Nazi energy isn’t a good look.

So the country that invented Nazis decided to celebrate a movie villain based on Nazis?