@not_a_virus.exe.vbs: " more time I am at the pump"

I feel like after all my bitching about half-assed resto-versions yesterday, I have to vote NP on this beauty.

same as always.

@Murph: Adjustable ride height should be priority #1 for SUVs. Sorta like a kneeling bus.

@calzonegolem: You're really going to trust pictures of serious engine work like that? It could be throwing fluids everywhere, and he just steam cleaned it.

I'd have to spend days with that car before even considering it. $7500 is too much for a car that has some wonky details - no telling if his ridiculous engine work is as slipshod as his interior decorating.

@KeyserSöze - Professional Blog Commenter: It's gotta be hugely dependent on the vehicle. I can't imagine that most gas vehicles that don't have mid-cycle stop and start are going to see a huge advantage from stopping the engine for 15 seconds at a redlight.

@ndhapple: Yeah, that could have been handled better, but for a left-hand merge, it's not bad. For a bit of perspective, you could drive through Oklahoma City at rush hour - there are some NASTY left hand merges in that town.

I'd believe Dallas and Houston have gotten better the most. The renovations on the major highways through those cities are A+ top notch.

mid-90's E-class. Affordable on a student's budget (if you have a job), and you look like you work in real estate. Plenty of power for the highway, and very comfortable.

3 miatas, assuming your oldest is old enough to drive.

@theart: I had a thought that some hoon should rig their cruise control to maintain throttle, instead of speed.

In the miata: Insurance, driving gloves, miniature first aid kit (mostly sunscreen, aloe, and bandaids).

@spiegel1: not only does my miata have gloves in the glove compartment, but leather driving gloves!

tip: don't bother with your GPS when you're on the ice roads. We lost count of how many times my buddy's garmin told us the road turned left, and there was clearly no road anywhere but straight ahead.

@rocco.butterscotch: Doesn't take too many trips off-road to discover that 50% of a car's ability is the guy in the driver's seat.

@IN THE FACE!: My parents had one when I was but a wee baby. Eventually had to send it to the farm upstate because no local mechanics could work on them, and it ALWAYS needed work - among other things, it went through oil almost as fast as gas. They still occasionally wax poetic about it, I've always wanted to pick…

@Optixtruf: If that's soft-roading, remind me to stay away from your driveway.

$27k is a heck of a pipe. You can get fantastic restos all day long on ebay for ~$10k, and most of them aren't hideous.

@scottlewis19: Is it the same system, though?