I would love a classic mini as a toy car. But I would have to scale down the garage a good bit and learn how to be a mechanic.

Having owned a CooperS and now a STi, I might be persuaded to at least go test drive a AWD CooperS. The MINI was so much fun while it was running and while my STi is way more powerful and capable it’s honestly not as much fun to be in or drive.

I’m impressed you got so many miles. Maybe mine developed those same issues earlier in their life. I remember I got the recall for the timing chain no less than a year after I sold the car. I’m trying to talk my wife in to a Countryman as her next car since AWD is beneficial in CO and I do drool over the new CooperS…

Yep the old R56, it was a wonderful car when it wasn’t breaking itself. I still take a second look when I see one out but then I get in my STi that hasn’t broken and I drive home not to the mechanic.

I’m glad you mentioned that the US market buys a ton of the British accessories because I was going to ask. I had a MINI and I like the UK but I didn’t put it all over my car. It would be really funny if it was similar in the UK. Everyone with a Ford had it covered in American flags. I do miss my MINI sometimes…

I agree and while I’m rather conservative I too think that if you do good work for a company that is profitable you should be rewarded accordingly. However, that will never happen as long as people are willing to accept low pay for themselves and not do anything to better their situation. Gone are the days of a…

Agreed, it’s all about expectations and accessories. The first house I bought was built in the 40s and was a bit bigger but was only $92k all the way back in 2011. It was as you described yours but it was in good shape and perfectly livable if not in the best part of town. The generation before me didn’t have…

While I think this is a terrible misstep and if I lived there my garage would stay nice and shut. However, I live in a HOA community in CO and it’s been really good. I pay $45 a month and that includes access to the 4 rec centers including the pools, all of the dog parks, trails and all of the public space…

When my General Altimax Arctics die in another winter or two I’ll be moving to a set of Nokians. The Generals have been really good in the snow and were a good budget tires, but as often as I get in the snow to go skiing I think upgrading is a smart move.

Similar experience we had when my wife went to look at a Ghibli. They were selling one they used to show off before they got the dealer up and running and had it marked at like $75k. He was trying really hard to sell that car as a screaming deal and use the 4 boxes to figure out what my wife was willing to pay per…

If you want a good Islay try Ardbeg 10. Smokey and full flavored but really good. Give Oban a try too for a good Highland malt. I prefer the 14 over the18. Like you I found Yamiazaki 12 overpriced and bland.

I made sure my motorcycle policy specifically stated aftermarket parts coverage. I have up to $3000 of coverage for my exhaust and bar end mirrors. I’m sure they are mostly concerned with stuff like bags, but it covers my stuff as well. When I got my hail damage fixed on my car I opted to get a carbon fiber hood and…

I was lucky enough to ask a dealer about this before spending money. The parts department of my local Subaru dealer had a Cobb accessport and some other Cobb parts for sale like a downpipe and intake among others. I asked if I bought the parts from them and had them do the install would my car still be under warranty…

I’ve gotten the wagon bug lately as well. However, I would be trading in a STi so the wagon would need to be fun and AWD as well. Seems like the fun wagons are way over reasonably priced and the wagons that are reasonably priced aren’t all that much fun.

This perfectly explains my dad. He is in his 70s and has never worn a seat belt until the last couple of years. That’s pretty sporadic as well even now. He was a police officer and always gave some BS answer about it wasn’t safe to have the belt hook his gun if he needed to get out of the car quickly. However, he…

My wife has them on her Jaguar, the car turns in to a sled on even the faintest amount of snow. Granted it’s probably because of the RWD and the 285 rear width more than the tires. Wouldn’t mind trying them on my STi, but I prefer my dedicated summer and snow setup. I usually get 20-30 ski days in a year so leaving…

Don’t forget to splatter some on the rear window too for when it inevitably blows out the exhaust.

Lots of WRX and STi here in and around Denver. I have one and it’s great but it’s not worth $50k. It fits my needs well so I see no reason to get anything else but for the price they want now some other models are starting to look more attractive.

Agree with this, although subprime auto loans with extended time frames will all come to a head at some point. The devastation will be much less than the mortgage crisis. Mainly because there are very few debt instruments that collateralize subprime auto loans. When it pops it won’t hit nearly as hard as 2008.

I bet it will come out too in 1-2 years once they have it dialed in for racing. I have a ‘15 Street Triple and have really been considering trading for the new 765. It seems like such a big improvement over my bike especially since I own the base model. I’d love the adjustable suspension and extra power and I’m not…