I was just responding to the scenario you laid out:

The enormous hassle you just described helped justify to me the convenience fee this seller is essentially charging for having done all the leg work importing this car.

Used to work in the Senate, knew Manchin’s driver. He used to roll up to the senators’ parking garage with either a tinted out Denali or a 3500. Admirable, especially considering the rest of the selection there (mostly hybrid Camrys or the like); nice to know there are other car guys in the family as well.

It’s all too common for an automotive journalist to proclaim that something is “insane”. Simply put, it’s often a go-to, all-filler buzzword that jazzes up a headline. However, this Maserati Quattroporte GTS fits the insanity bill quite nicely, and here’s why.

This is some Enron-style bullshit. Mark-to-market accounting meetings automotive sales figures.

All I can see is foreskin being pulled back

Kind of pointless to register your company in a state with no corporate level tax if you’ve got a pass-through; you’re better off going to FL or another state that has no income tax. I can see some states trying to crack down on this practice (out of state registration), maybe by claiming economic nexus somehow, but…

This is like owners of pass-through businesses who suppress their salary to minimize tax liability. Can you get away with it? Yes. Is the headache that comes with the potential IRS audit offset by the savings? Not a chance.

This Range Rover phenomenon kind of parallels what I see as the two types of American Express Platinum cardholders out there (and probably has a decent amount of socioeconomic crossover as well):

I unfortunately got the idea from an excellent series the NYTimes ran on subprime auto loans; I know it’s not the exact combo shown but got me thinking that an X5M/X6M and STI wagon combo would be awesome.

Given the Philly connection, is it Chaka Fattah? If so, very cool but he might be selling it soon to pay his legal bills...

So are those “Garage not responsible for items lost, stolen, or damaged” signs essentially moot?

Probably thought that even with financing / interest he could “make money” every month by reselling at a profit. Sound investment strategy right there.

Porsche 356 Speedster. I see a guy driving one a couple times a week on my walk to work in downtown DC. Not sure if it’s a replica (in my mind it’s legit) but it puts me in that “some day...” mentality and makes the day go by quicker.

These days I find myself getting more excited at the sight of one of these than most supercars. This and the Isuzu VehiCROSS.

Within this category of annoying drivers lies one of the most hated in my mind, the person who thinks they have to maneuver like a semi truck to make a turn, ie start sweeping waaaaay left to make that right turn. Dear Sonata drivers, the following diagram does not apply to you:

Agreed. I’m cognizant of the whole “vernacular revision” movement going on right now to overhaul antiquated, non-PC terms, but “accident” still has its place in my lexicon.

I spotted this gem a couple years ago, could not stop cracking up.

This thing is serious garbage, I’m so glad to see someone finally calling it out for what it is. I see no shortage of them on the street in DC, the “badge” capital of the country. It’s just such a weak attempt at being the Quattroporte’s younger brother; classic example of a car that someone buys when they simply…

I assume the horribly flawed “heritage, not hate” argument will be deployed at some point in the near future as a defense.