Who cares? What’s the Si and Type R version going to look like?

The good news is you can get a car the size of an Accord for the price of a Civic

Or they could just buy a vehicle with a manual transmission and learn to drive something that takes some skill, coordination, and physical involvement.

Trial by fire. It was the year 1999 and I had been working my first professional job, saving up to put a huge downpayment (>50%) on a 1993 Mazda RX-7. I had never driven stick in my life, but the R1 model was the one I coveted. Black on black. Curvy. No option for automatic, no cupholders, no leather, two oil coolers,…

Here’s how I learned stick:

^ This. There is a large population of people who can't afford nice cars, even used, nor have great credit. They are also not of any particular ethnicity.

Fortunately, to help explain Volkswagen's issues, they have me: a self-described automotive expert in the sense that a) I own a car, and b) I sold two cars in 2014, which makes me approximately as successful as the Routan.

This is a stellar, insightful, and hilarious article. Representative of the best that Jalopnik can deliver. Bravo.

Waiting on my 228i as i read this, my day has been made. Thank you for reminding me that i made the right choice. And of course, 6 speed.

Considering Top Gear is always comparing them, what does the 228i have over my new 2015 GTI autobahn? aside from $15k in options? I mean i have similar HP/Torque figures, you literally have to spend 44+k to option up the BMW to comparable levels (Nav, Heated seats, Xenon lights, etc)

Your username makes your comment extra hilarious for some reason.