Proud former-Texan of some two decades (proud of the "former" part, not the "Texan" part). You're assuming there are any definable principles involved... There are not. Texas likes to act like it's pro-capitalism, pro-democracy, somehow hyper-American, but it's really just a collection of auctions to the highest…

It's vague as to whether they will ALL be flat 4s or if it will simply be a more entry level option 914/914-6-style (a comparison made all the more poignant due to the evolutionary history of the model). It certainly makes sense as a way to unfetter development of the platform without having to stay under the 911, and…

If they can figure out the build quality side of things, this has the potential to be our Lada Niva/Fiat Panda market standard bearer. I'm not going to hold my breath on anything related to Chrysler achieving anything related to quality any time soon though…

Anything that gets us closer to the return of painted dashes is a plus in my mind. I don't know that the undoubtedly cheap plastic everywhere else (or Chrysler build quality) does this cute ute any favors, but I am all for bringing some character back automotive interiors.

I'm not arguing the KG as a 30 year car necessarily, just saying that the things the Porsche is being knocked for (specifically low power and perceived obsolescence) aren't the shortcomings they're being made out to be. My KG is all but free of rust after 57 years having lived in Germany, Texas, Hawaii, and now…

Why can't people just learn to adjust their goddamn mirrors properly? "Blind spot indicators" in the side view mirrors are becoming mandated standare because people don't know how to adjust their mirrors, now this? WTF??? Instead of putting useless crap on cars to make them more expensive to buy and maintain, how…

Safety is absolutely a significant concern. Accidents are absolutely survivable in even the most primitive of cars, it's the threshold of what level of accident is survivable that has changed over time. If I'm in just about any accident in a city driving scenario, I may have some injuries, but I'll almost assuredly be…

How do they figure???

Not to double post in a single thread (I haven't sorted out the update yet), but I DD a car with 70hp (ish), and it looks pretty nice. It's light, and the drivetrain is very efficient, so performance is actually pretty good (early Porsches anyone?). Do a Google image search for " '57 Karmann Ghia". The first picture…

My DD is a '57. Seen and raised.

TLC had them too.

The lack of transfer case (from the contemporary engineering perspective) was because the engine was so massive for the platform. It came out of a much larger truck (I want to say it was a multi-ton class, but I don't remember how many), and the philosophy was that a transfer case simply wasn't needed due to the…

This gets my vote. I DD'd a '74 for a while, and it was so much better than any Jeep jeep I've ever encountered. Better build quality (by miles), better overall engineering (a bit of a feat for something so simple), and much more capable. The only criticism I can think of for the platform is the "scene" tendency to…

In high school I worked at a music store as a guitar tech/salesman. I was once able to fit two people (one being an 11 year old boy) and a full 5-piece drum set with cymbals, stands, throne, etc. into a 350Z (which, given the general trends of the automotive industry when it comes to the size of vehicles was almost…

I'm not super familiar with American muscle cars (save growing up with a few 60s Mustangs that I was too young to know anything about save they were fun to ride in), but I feel pretty comfortable in saying that adding a "mild cam" (or however he put it) isn't going to add over 100hp. This is a guy who loves his car.…

I know this is not the main attraction, but it does get a little slow at points and I have to know what the deal is with the glowing rectangles over the doorways that seems to pulse in and out of existence?

I think there are some Jalops that aren't really thinking it through. If you combine the 5 mph bumpers that that truck is WAY new enough to have (assuming the regulations don't require a higher speed) combined with the very very low apparent speed and the obviously significantly reduced traction on the ice, that…

It's time for three cylinders. The tyranny of the quad-piston engine as the default cylinder count for cars is finally coming to an end, and with ever-increasing demands on efficiency and emissions, getting rid of that extra cylinder makes sense. There's less internal friction, less weight, and cheaper manufacturing…

I would say fakery in general. I like an honest car. If you need faux louvres/ducts/etc. to be cool, you're just not cool. It's the modern equivalent of the gaudy 50s chrome. It's like the car designers saw those horrible stick-on chrome louvre decals that you see all over F150s at construction sites and thought,…

Fixed it for ya.