...why American car enthusiasts don’t yet know all American auto import laws back to front is beyond me.

They’re not assumptions, they’re educated guesses based on seeing dozens of these things and spotting the same issues over and over again. The scooter community is well aware of these death traps.

Oh HELL no. This has Viet-bodge written all over it. The body is probably welded together from several different scoots, the engine is probably a collection of beer can gaskets and JB Weld and will grenade on you the minute you get it.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but the markup you see on parts isn’t a markup on the mechanic’s cost, but more often a markup on the list price. Further, shops have this wonderful book that tells them to charge you six hours of labor for something that *may* have taken two hours to actually do.

Precursor to the SVX, which was also a huge disappointment. So much potential...

YES! I learned to drive on the Kadett B (not the Rallye, unfortunately). Very fond memories of this car.

An hour later, I was sitting in the passenger seat of his BMW Z4...

Actually, I think I’d buy Watkins Glen and bring it up to F1 standards.

Fuck Ferrari.

Derivatives.

No suicide doors?

Quick - how many different cars can you spot in this mashup of designs?

Yeah, I get it. Still...

37 screaming French horses.

All hat, no cattle.

If it’s anything like China’s other large-scale civil works, it’s already started sinking into the sea.

Drop zone pilot?

Uh, wait a minute...

I’ve had several - P200, ‘64 GS with a P210 (Malossi), TV175. The P was my only real “reliable” one, had to constantly fiddle with the others. I loved them all, though.