I drive a 1997 Cadillac Deville around Southern Michigan. My commute is only a few miles, far too short (bet you don't hear that much.) I've had it for over a year now. I thought it would get routine, but it still puts a smile on my face every time I drive. I took it on a 1500 mile road trip and let someone…

Winter. Though I do have a list of (not urgent) things that need to be done as soon as the driveway thaws (and the motorcycle comes out :) Do I get bonus points for owning an old luxury car?

I actually like that idea a lot. I wonder if there is a way of doing it with a smartphone, you could use the camera for image recognition and get sensor signals through one of those OBD dongle things.

Most cars these days will display trouble codes on the instrument cluster. Look online to find the right button combination (hold down HVAC hotter+off buttons on the car I have.)

I'd really be interested in hearing from someone involved in emissions testing over there. Cheating the test cycle was a big problem here at one point, but the EPA clamped down on it. It would surprise me if it's still possible on the Euro cycle.

I don't know about Europe, but in the US none of that happens. Road loads must be derived following very specific rules and are double checked by the EPA for accuracy. Exhaust gasses are used because the test is to enforce emissions standards. It's really just to get a level playing field for emissions purposes. …

Rolls Royce. They were pressed into the airplane engine game during the second world war. After that they were on the forefront of jet engine development. In 1971 Rolls Royce went bankrupt trying to stay competitive in the jet turbine marketplace. The company was nationalized then split two years later. Today…

Access to the bus is not a bad thing in and of itself. It's the remote control functions that are a problem. These functions force the control modules to obey certain commands given by the infotainment system. Why is that functionality there to begin with? Because we demand it, people will not buy cars without it…

Enthusiasts prefer rear wheel drive because (all else equal) vehicles handle better that way. Now that is fairly vague, what do people mean by "handle better?" In this case we are referring to high speed cornering ability.