As a soon to be former owner of a dragon edition, it looks much better without the exterior graphics.

What is idiotic is that for 30+ years we have let an unelected group of bureaucrats at CARB control the entire US automotive industry.

Tell that to my wife who just traded in a mint Jeep Dragon edition for a 2012 Ram MegaCab after borrowing my Dodge diesel this summer for pulling the RV and hauling the kids and dogs on summer vacation.

Yes, it’s the diesel that adds around $10k to the price. I just bought a completely stock 2012 MegaCab Laramie 4wd with the hemi for $18k, though it does have 168k miles

I’ve done quite a few, but moving cross country 2 years ago was borderline insane. I bought my 1999 Dodge quad cab long bed 5 speed manual new. When we decided to move from Virgina to Montana we looked at the options and decided to self move, reasoning we could sell the trailer at no loss after the move.

I’m not helping the average. I bought my 1999 Dodge ram 2500 QLB diesel 5mt new. I’ve owned several other vehicles in the interim, but with maintenance less than $1000/year wife and I have decided we can’t imagine a reason to ever sell.

1. A manual transmission. Every single article here has people bemoaning the “enthusiasts choice”, but no mention here that it’s been years since you could buy a Ford truck with a manual transmission?

4000lbs of gravel or landscape rock is pretty comfortable in my 3/4 ton Dodge diesel longbed

When the differential bearings started failing in my Range Rover ($5k) I drove it directly from the mechanic to CarMax and walked away with a happy check.

My God, I haven’t felt a rush of lust like this since Junior high. Me likey!

Same here. Bought my first new truck in ‘99 and it’s rounded the curve and started going up in value ( thank you Cummins diesel!).

I’m in the same boat. The S2K was my touchstone of sanity back when I commuted 25 miles from the northern Virginia suburbs to down near the Pentagon. I rarely got to really push it through the Twisties, but all I needed to do was drop the top and crank up the stereo and the traffic just melted away.

My 99 quad cab lwb diesel 5spd single owner is still running strong with 175k on the clock and very little rust. Had one rear wheel Arch that had to get patched for rust, but I still love her. In 19 years the only major issues have been front bearings and a VP44, knock on wood.

I get a quarter of beef every year from our family ranch and the Chuck is one of my favorite roasts for sous vide. Arm roast is also excellent after a good 24ish hour soak.

What’s missing is the really interesting cross state analysis. Take 5 or ten cars and show me graphs of identical coverage across all 50 states.

I’ll take two. Time to sell the house and cut expenses. This looks like the perfect home on the road.

I did something similar this weekend, but not sous vide. I make crustless quiche muffins (technically fritatta) using eggs, heavy cream, bacon crumbles, diced peppers, green onions, shredded cheese. Bake, cool, and they make perfect breakfast to go that I keep in the fridge. They fit my diet perfectly (keto/LCHF), but…

My first adult bike was an 86 V65 Magna when I was 20. Unbelievable that I lived, I’m not sure entirely how. I miss that bike more than I miss my S2000. I’ve been debating a commuter bike and I’m not even sure what brands I want to look at. I’ll look at HD, but I’d be surprised if they made the cut for dollars to…

18.5 years on my 1999 Dodge Ram 2500 QCLB Cummins Diesel 5 speed, 172k miles. It’s been my daily for about half of those years, the rest of the time I have a motorcycle or fun car as primary, but 40k miles in the last 2 years. I budget $2000/year for maintenance, which is about two months finance on a new one...

I own a ‘99 2500 5 speed, since new. Occasionally I let people borrow it after a driving lesson. Convincing people to start in 2nd without applying right foot pressure until the left is completely disengaged is incredibly difficult. 170k on the factory clutch, knock on wood!