Tariffs are eventually paid by the end consumer. The importer passes the tariff to the manufacturer, who will raise the cost. If the US buyer still makes the purchase, then you’ve just taxed the American people. If the price goes up so high that now a US-made product is less expensive, you have still raised costs and…

Well, the Tsurus probably replaced millions of VW Beetles, which were built up until 2003. Progress, I guess.

Not yet, but it’s on my list since I just moved into that neighborhood

I went to Johnny’s Hideaway for the first time last weekend. You are 100% right. For the Hideaway, this car would be “period-correct”

The 1988 season saw McLaren-Honda win 15 out of 16 races, many of them 1-2. In-team drama was the big story. Sounds kinda familiar now.

One of the most important tools you can pack for towing is an IR thermometer. The things that can fail catastrophically while towing (brakes, tires, wheel bearings) all make their problems known well before they go if you check them with an IR thermometer. I'll shoot the wheel bearings, brakes and tire tread at every…

(NOTE: I worked in direct mail): While this looks bad at first, there’s perfectly legal reasons why mail can be discarded. Example: undeliverable bulk mail not marked with RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED would be discarded if a suitable recipient was not found. Also, EDDM (Every Door Direct Mail) is bundled in 50pc packs and…

Spec TDI sounds like a plan.

The Mountain @ Cadwell Park. They really launch them.

Maybe you’re just hooked on that VTEC (yo!)

This is perfect example of balancing the need for a truck vs SUV plus a trailer. If you need to haul something in an open bed 5-10 times a year, something like a CRV (33mpg EPA) plus a small utility trailer makes more sense. Most people only need to haul bulky items a few times a year (and rarely over 1000 pounds),…

I hear this argument all the time. The driver is a huge variable here, and I’ve seen harder drivers get 20% below EPA and others get 20% above EPA in the same vehicle. I’m pretty good at getting the maximum highway fuel economy out of my vehicles: I’ve been able to get 15-20% over the EPA highway rating on every…

But a reasonable (and proper) way to for a police officer to deal with a tailgater would be to hit the blue lights and come to a stop. Suddenly slamming on his brakes to stop is to deliberately cause a collision, especially when in his own words, he was worried about getting hit. That makes no sense and the officer is…

Maybe. But host arrogance is why we don't have the three musketeers anymore either.

We just wait for DeMuro to buy one used with a warranty and write about it. That’s about as close as we ever get.

Iron Man.

There’s a common sense side to this too. Nobody in their right mind would go 100% in practice session. Qualifying maybe, but nobody wants to run the absolute edge of the car or driver for a full lap in practice. That can carry a higher risk of crashing or breaking something expensive before the race even starts. Sure,…

Designed by Ken Block.

Good point, but the Ridgeline has a trunk. Many a truck box is filled with stuff normally reserved for a trunk. And good luck trying to stuff a dead body into a truck box. Honda wins by liftover height alone.

You are correct. I shopped the old Ridgeline and it could sticker up to $37k. That’s deep into F150 territory with incentives. And the Ecoboost matched the rated fuel economy, but could tow 11,000 lbs vs 5000 lbs (because racecar). It’s a tough sell, but the Ridgeline drove better and parked much easier.