I think what he’s saying is that for a brand like Hyundai or Kia that’s starting from scratch, having model differentiation on other variables - like luxury appointments - will be a better place to start. Mercedes may be pointing the way with Maybach. M-B also has Sport/Luxury/Avantgarde differentiation, and I would…

So, here’s the thing about the OSHA (and EPA) guidelines. They mostly regulate current efflux of various things (solvents, metals, etc.). They only sort-of talk about what you have to do to remedy things that were deposited in the past. So an older gas station, and drycleaners from the days when CCL4 would just get…

The average gas station or dry cleaner is far, far more contaminated. (Source: I tried to actually buy part of a Superfund site once.)

Not dismissing, but the question is where along the spectrum from “who cares” to “Exxon Valdez” this situation sits. I’m willing to bet that it’s actually in the “who cares” category, and there are some Small-Town Big Dicks who are giving this guy unnecessary grief.

We have had serious relationship conversations about the difference between “collecting” and “hoarding.” My promise when we moved in together was no more than 1 non-running car at one time. I’ve definitely gotten an earful when I’ve let the number get to 2.

So true. Even 2.0 liter 924s are somehow worth adult-car money nowadays.

The fallacy of false equivalence. The social externalities of a non-running car on your property aren’t anywhere remotely close to those of uranium mining, methmaking, or murder.

I’ve watched civilians interact with professional racing drivers at parties. Civilians are always impressed, but the conversation is very one-sided.

My neighbor has an Outlaw-style oval-window VW Beetle. Porsche 914 2.0L motor, Minilite alloys, lowered and stiffened suspension. And it’s all black errrrythang. He’s got decent metalworking skills and helped us out with the Lemons car. Good dude.

Yup, this. I drove a new LS400 back in 1990 when it had first come out, and the silence and smoothness was really a contrast to the W126 S-Class. It also handled very well for its size, and the fit / finish were impeccable inside and out. I remember thinking “not my cup of tea, but I totally understand why someone…

Agree, although I *have* been tempted by tube-frame Countach replicas with Webb fiberglas bodies. Stuffed with a big-block Chevy V-8 or BMW V-12, and with more modern brakes and suspension, they perform better than a Countach and (in theory, at least) should be more reliable.

Indeed. It is “The #1 imported light beer in the United States.”

Tell me more. Seriously, I’m curious how this works outside of my little Bay Area bubble. Here, if you care what people think of you, you drive a Tesla. If you care what people think of you and can’t afford a Tesla, you drive a Mercedes/BMW/Audi. Everything else is “below the line” - there’s no perception difference…

Ooooh, but test drive them. The Volvo *looks* similar on paper, but the suspension tuning and power delivery are ... well, I found them infuriating. Mercedes sweated all the details on the E-Class, and it’s way more pleasing.

This car could easily be badged as an Infiniti or an Acura, and nobody would be any the wiser. Hyundai/Kia are getting very good at interior quality also.

Deep pockets but short arms. Plenty of guys like me. Or looked at another way, that $500/month difference in payment between the E400 and the E63S is $100k more in rental property that I could buy.

+1. The GLE is pretty cynical, and basically the GLE43 is for people who want the AMG badge but at a sub-$1k lease payment. They’re selling a bajillion of them, though, so here we are.

Put me in the pro-light-beer camp. I don’t day-drink very often, but when I do it’s likely to be outdoors on a hot summer day, and a Coors Light or Corona Light hits the spot.

Line for line, the production version is *so* close to the concept. But they changed the overall proportions and the negative space of the trunklid, and these two changes just ruin it.

Not easy. Transverse engine vs. longitudinal. Maybe if you can find the LS4 out a of a W-body Grand Prix/Impala, but then you’re stuck with automatic transmissions.