I bought an ex-rental 1998 V6 Sebring Convertible in 1999 for $13.5K and drove it for 6 years and added 70K miles. Aside from a leaky top, which was replaced under factory warranty, it was fine, in a utilitarian way.

About 6 years ago, I bought a 1989 Bertone for my son to drive. Great car. Only problem was the passenger side seat controls quit. Two years later, a Focus pulled out of a parking lot driveway and was obliterated by the Volvo, which remained driveable. Traded it even (and crumpled) for an ‘89 740 turbo wagon. Still…

Yep, sad is the best word for HD. I learned to ride on a Honda over 50 years ago, but the first bike I bought was a police surplus Hog. The only good thing about it was ease of repair, ‘cause it broke weekly. All I needed was two sizes of Vicegrips, screwdrivers and a hammer. Then, I sold it for a profit, bought a…

Is this Boxster any larger inside than the previous gen? I’m 5'-11", 160 lbs and my wife is 5'-8", 140 lbs. I sold the Porsche and bought a larger 2-seater convertible (SL55 AMG) just to have a reasonable amount of space for us, snacks, drinks and a few small items like my wife’s purse.

Another thing to know about animal behavior: just because the animal is stationary alongside the road does not mean it is safe to proceed. On my way to work, I saw a Deer feeding on the grass a few feet off the canyon road. Not being in a hurry, with nobody behind me, I stopped, honked my horn and waited. The Deer…

Every rich person I’ve ever known, all four of them, were/are remarkable tightwads with money. Two of them drove Mercedes, one a BMW, and one a Tesla (that guy just bought a DB 11 as a second car, and is apologetic about it). $245K for a new Bentley is kind of nuts. But, whatever... If you’re OK with a sedan and want…

Pretty sad sales number. Thinking a 4-seat ragtop would be more practical than my 2-seater, I test drove both the 2017 Camaro SS and Mustang GT. Both were plenty quick, comfortable and handled reasonably well. Both gave me the sensation that the car’s physical length and width were too big, especially the Chevy. Also,…

I park my 1967 Imperial on the street whenever I go someplace. It’s too big to park easily in a public garage.

The premise here, that more automotive complexity yields more failures is only partially true. Summarizing 55 years and dozens of vehicles worth of experience, it seems to me that there are other factors in play as well: materials quality, build quality, computer systems reliability, service and repair diligence. Two…

I’m not sure brand matters as much as the architecture of the car and how they are maintained, especially older cars with no or few electronics. For example, in 1980 I bought a 1961 Olds F-85 with 185K miles for $250 as a winter beater in Denver. It had been owned by a rancher who used it to haul hay out to his herd.…

Setting aside the question of whether Tesla makes good vehicles, I studied the financial situation of the company. No matter how optimistic I made my assumptions about their near and long-term progress, I couldn’t see how investors and bond holders come out of this deal in one piece. My best guess is, a purely paper…

You mean, “toke.”

Nice pics, Kristen. As for “analog” clocks, that really is a misnomer when it comes to automotive clocks produced after about year 2000. Both the rectangular numeric display dash clock in my Benz and the round “analog” one in my Phaeton are based on microprocessors. The only differences are the clock face and…

Big congrats, David! Also, condolences regarding the funeral, etc.

Aaargh. You just had to remind me of yet another bonehead mistake I made in days past. When replacing the timing belt on my Fiat 128 coupe, I didn’t have the cam gear in the correct position and bent the valves. I towed the car over to Click and Clack’s shop in Cambridge. Tom laughed at me for being an idiot, but in a…

Look, man, we all make bonehead mistakes, especially under the shade tree or in the family garage. One of my worst, and one of many, may serve as a warning to others. When replacing the clutch in my 1966 Spitfire Mk II, I assumed that all the nuts on the bell housing and clutch assembly were the same because they were…

Street racers can read? !!!

I checked out a 2018 ATS-V coupe (big motor, loaded) at a local dealer who priced it at $62K. Despite the excellent driving dynamics, the car felt cheap and rough compared to my Benz (not that I have any brand loyalty at all). Also, too much of the exterior bright trim looked and felt like chrome plated plastic.

I know this is Jalop and manuals rule. At least 80% of the dozens of vehicles I’ve owned had “standard” transmissions. But, now that I’ve been driving a Benz SL55 AMG with paddle shifters for a year, I’m not so sure manuals are still the answer. In fact, my lap times at Thunderhill when shifting it myself were only a…

You’re wrong, Alanis. Attractive humans are nice to look at, especially alongside attractive vehicles. Why not just go 50/50: for every booth babe have a booth dude?