Depends on your plans. I had enough cash to buy my used BMW outright, but chose to finance half of it for 2 years at a very, very low interest rate through a local credit union. Total cost of interest was under $200.

Unibody FWD based? Dope. Might be the biggest nameplate disappointment since the Eclipse. 

I rent cars weekly. I prefer iDrive over 90% of other "infotainment". The only one that's better IMO is Volvo sensus. 

Chevy HHR SS Panel wagon with a manual. Quirky, fast, plenty of space and rare. Sturdy? Well it's cheap and easy to fix 

It makes sense. The extra weight is significant. The parasitic loss of the drivetrain is even bigger. They eek out every additional MPG by streamlining the aerodynamics, cutting weight and reducing drivetrain parasitic losses everywhere they can, and the 4WD drivetrain undoes a lot of it. Honestly a good majority of…

There's one very good reason it's not a wagon: ingress/egress. Roughly 80%+ of Americans fall into the category of "old" or "not in great shape". To that majority, this is easier to use than any sedan or wagon. I'm 26 and in excellent physical shape, but when I injured my knee at the gym, I dreaded climbing in and out…

I made this mistake when I moved to Chicago. I bought a lovely, rare, 6 speed manual 535i and wanted to replace the grandma wheels with something sexy. I splurged on some high quality Continental DWS tires and it drove like a dream.

And yes, like NYC, traffic laws are not enforced by police in Chicago. Just the occasional camera. But everyone has memorized their locations or use Waze to flaunt them.

As someone who bikes (60%), take the train (20%) and drives (20%) in downtown Chicago, I can say a bike most definitely needs a bell. And cyclists blatantly flaunt traffic laws (myself included) that sometimes put them in danger, or danger pedestrians. But all in all, everyone seems to coexist during the cycling…

Any tips on learning to drive without owning a car? My boyfriend needs to learn for his frequent work trips to driving-only cities. He's from Europe and has never driven a car at 30 years old. The issue is we live in Chicago and my car is a stickshift. I think the combo of learning in a city and on a manual is too…

Is the interior still as cheap and plasticky as the normal one? Does the optional Meridian sound system still sound like garbage? Is the infotainment system still junk? 

I'm sorry, but almost any wagon is cooler and more fun to drive than an Explorer. Today an Explorer is what the Dodge Caravan was 10 years ago. It's a minivan that screams "soccer mom". There's nothing cool about a crossover 

I rented a Lime for some short hops around downtown Dallas... Never again. Dallas drivers and anything-other-than-cars do not mix

It varies. I’m usually a proponent of fixing things as soon as they break. But with my current BMW, I knew the clutch was starting to slip about a year and a half ago. I decided to wait until it becomes more difficult to drive. Almost 8k miles later and it’s still fine for daily driving. Should I immediately shell out…

Have you been to LA? That should be a Dire warning to Texas. But alas, they would rather build a 18 lane, 2 level highway instead of a communist public train

The vast majority of my friends in Chicago don’t have a car. I do. I think it’s worth it. I purposely bought a condo with a garage spot for better resale value of the home. And in my prior 3 apartments I always found free street parking. This included right in the heart of downtown, Lincoln Park and Old Town - 3 very…

You’ll notice that BMW is now naming cars M340i and similar. As is Mercedes with the C450 AMG. Basically just diluting their performance brands to sell a mid tier car. The CT5-V will be similar. I fully expect Cadillac to adopt a “V5" nomenclature for the highest powered models, because they shamelessly copy anything…

I think we’re all reading too much into a naming scheme change. Very rarely does the ultimate performance version debut the same time as the new model. This “CT5-V” will be the same thing as the M340i or C450 AMG. Neither of these are the proper high performance version, but rather just a sportier, larger engine of…

The only answer is Land Cruiser. You can pick up FJ60s, FJ80s, and FJ100s in good condition for well under $15k. These are as cool and drama free as vintage SUVs get. It will likely outlive you. 

The money is in crossovers . Unfortunately the F Pace and E Pace are utter garbage and the XJ was a unique and stately Option in its class.