They retain way too much value for the way their original owners treated them. Also, the emissions tune was pretty bad, so a number of them are already on second engines. I wouldn’t buy a used WRX or STI unless I was going to modify it, because realistically all the ones out there are already modified (and the ones…

Someone did this, and I’ve had a hell of a time trying to find the original article, but so far no dice. What it boiled down to was that for someone who was unwilling to do repairs themselves, the cheapest way to go was to buy a five-year old car and keep it for five years, then repeat. Their methodology also showed…

I took the MSF class because I had been a bicycle commuter for years and loved two wheels. While it was a good experience, the two are very different. A bicycle may be a good gateway to commuting on your motorcycle or riding in the city, because it really ups your situational awareness...but the mechanics? Completely…

Turns out I actually did the math on this (electric power researcher by day). Simple answer is that on average, an electric car’s backend produces only 60% of the CO2 emissions of its gasoline equivalent. And while people talk about living in these coal-dominated areas, simple truth is that the coal fleet in the US is…

I’d say the Fifth Edition rules are worthwhile if you’re tolerant of rules-heavy games, they’ve optimized out a lot of the weirdness that was in the 4th Edition. However, if you don’t like high crunch then Interface Zero 2.0 is a more modern Cyberpunk game that retains a lot of the stylistic cues of both Shadowrun and…

This is an aftermarket setup, but it illustrates it pretty well. The turbo is conveniently located right under the left side where that mesh is. Also showing how close the turbo is to the intercooler inlet helps explain why TMIC cars tend to lag way less than FMIC cars (at the expense of heat soak if you get stuck in…

It’s actually fairly practical to leave the scoop in place after upgrading to an FMIC, because a) only the scooped hood was aluminum, so even after the extra reinforcement it’s still lighter than the flat hood and b) underhood temps are an issue and the scoop helps with that. If you look at the scoop splitter on a WRX…

The full run of revised head gaskets started with the later EJs in 08+ Imprezas. Anything with an FB or FA engine (2012+ everything) has never been touched by the older, problematic design. The 08-11 Imprezas can still blow them, but generally won’t if you follow the maintenance schedule in the manual (i.e. 30,000…

The lack of supercharged 3800s makes me sad. They can’t turn, they’ll fall apart, but they’re fast and cheap. I could buy you two Regal GSs for $5000, easy.

I codrove for a friend on an SCCA TSD rally through the Laurel Highlands in Western PA. It was a decidedly amateur event, but even so we ended up third in class...in his 1994 Buick Roadmaster station wagon. Turns out that the 4-speed and digital dash gave us an edge over the competition (to clarify, this was an…

From a rough Craigslist search, an SRT-4 seems to be worth about as much as an MR2 or WRX with no engine. So there’s that.

The idea had the Celica had some of the best rear seat room in the compact coupe class at the time is somewhat appalling, but it’s hard to argue with the evidence. :-p

I had a 91 Celica, and let me tell you, physical dimensions are no obstacle to the teenage (lower) brain.

If it’s relatively boring (i.e. not worth parting out or selling as a rolling shell) and you’re deciding between donating and scrapping it, remember most of the organizations which organize donations will tow the car for free...if it can’t get to a junkyard under its own power that can make a big difference.

I borrowed my mother’s Prius while my car was in the shop, and at some point the “turtle” light came on. I have absolutely idea not only what it means, but why in the world a car needs a “turtle” light.

The thing that destroyed the majority of DSMs AND Subarus is that the average person who wants the cheapest fast turbo car on the market is not typically a mechanic or very smart.

When comparing sale prices, sources need to be comparable. On eBay, completed 355 listings are between $35 and $45k (all trims, except one outlier GTB), while completed Supra listings range from $40k to $50k (with one outlier which was extensively modified and worth less). Dealer transaction prices on Supras vary more…

People are asking 80k for 355s, but completed listings are between 35 and 45k. Buy it Now price means pretty much nothing.

The physical stunt car was naturally aspirated, the car in the script was a turbo.

Every time this meme comes up I feel the perverse desire to point out that Supra turbo transaction prices are now higher than 355 transaction prices, at least on eBay.