I think we’re talking about a difference of type rather than degree. A mystery-malfunctioning car that’s been well-appreciated by the sun is just a completely different animal than a well-kept, properly running version of the same car. I would spend none dollars on a gremlin-infested beater.  I MIGHT spend $5k on a…

there’s a check engine light looming from the dash

I remember being surprised to find out the old Cherokee 2.8s had less power AND worse fuel economy than the same car with the 4.0 motors. As I understood it, within certain limits an engine that’s straining harder runs less efficiently.

Holy shit the ‘meh’ face on that Honda is my spirit animal. 

Is there a ‘2019' design aesthetic? Are creases over? It looks like there’s an arms race going for huge lower grille gaps, but that can’t go on much longer. I guess Toyota’s looking for something more consistent with the FRS.

Cool, but there’s only one Toyota engine in my heart.

Oof. Talk about a tough situation. It isn’t fair to the many souls enshrined there that they should be shunned along with a few dozen war criminals (and thousands of bad-acting soldiers who weren’t charged). But the sensitivity of countries occupied by Japan in WWII is real and can’t be ignored. Adding the criminals…

^ this. Shinto, culture and history are almost interchangeable qualities in Japan. Maori culture in New Zealand is similar - things Maori consider sacred (eg silver ferns, kaori, kea, kiwis) are just universally respected in NZ.  It doesn’t matter whether a specific person is religious or not. It’s just part of being…

That is a lot of actuated joints aka points of failure. I’d like to see how you can reinforce all of those to the point that you can count on them for years, and still have a practical car.

The story is fantastic, but it’s simply too dense and prolonged to do in a movie format.  You’d need something on the scale of Game of Thrones, ten + episodes for ten seasons, to do it justice.  And god help you with the effects budget. 

My sound’s off at work, so...that is Cristopher Walken, right?

Torchinsky already stirred this pot when he argued that the 1st gen Mercedes M class is the most important car of the last forty years (I’m probably paraphrasing a little).

Um, yeah, don’t look up duck sex habits. 

I’m sorry Kristen, but the top picture is clearly a New Beetle.

THANK YOU.  I was really stumped which car they were going for down there. 

Could you compare your experience with the FD2 Type R versus a US-spec Si of the same generation? At first I thought you were describing my very own car (2015 Si) but now I realize JDM gets the extra spicy peppers. Thanks!

It’s not utterly useless NOW, is it?  Well done sir. 

You think this is hard to rationalize? Come on Torchinsky. I can justify picking Reese’s out of my kids’ Halloween bags, I can handle this.

...rich white dude who can complete passes under pressure, dodge hits better than most, and has an eerie sense of exactly where the pass/no pass line of scrimmage is, even when he scrambles halfway to the sideline....

Why read this? It’s like asking whether to get a Forester or a ragtop Wrangler. They’re different categories of car. Both are excellent in their category, but the answer mostly depends on what you want the car for.