Not sure if your car has this feature or not, but some of the modern VWs started warming the glow plugs as soon as they detected the door opening... which means even shorter wait times and less likelihood that someone would accidentally try to start the car before the light went out. 

While you do have a point, some of the numbers don’t seem right to me. 40k is a base price for almost any full sized truck.... prices I see advertised locally easily run up to 70k. 35k for a feature loaded full sized sedan does seem legit... but I would expect mpgs closer to 35, even 40 in this day and age.

It’s a good point. The perfect camouflage would have been ‘rusted out old jalopy’ because then it would just look like someone’s project car.

And it is true that it’s a wear item, it’s also true that it can take some abuse and still function, and it’s also, presumably, true that the customer has also caused his share of wear and tear to the clutch.

I would say that’s fair...I would also say the shop could use those bargaining chips to assuage the customer if they wanted to keep him. It may have felt like blackmail, but some people are more accustomed to negotiation than others.

There. Finally someone hit upon the ACTUAL case in point here, unwarranted wear and tear to someone else’s property.

While I wasn’t going to name any more names, the sad part is that people almost certainly already have said tattoos.  At the very least, I wouldn't be surprised to see it.

Sausage a sight....HA.

Thanks. I was completely misguided I assuming that planetary gear sets were used in manuals. Don’t ask me how I came to that conclusion (or how I envisioned such a system actually working)... just chalk it up to ignorance.

Wait wait wait. I’m not saying your statement is wrong, but aren’t manuals typically orbital (read: planetary) gear sets as well? The difference lies at the end of the crank, where you either have a torque converter or a clutch... doesn’t it?

If it isn't, it ought to be. 

Wow.... just...wow.

I think you could pull it off and still follow the existing rules.

I gotta agree with you there. Seeing these old pickups reminds me why I fell in, and subsequently out, of love with pickups.

Did you try double clutching? Sometimes that's the key to smoothing out gear changes, and I'm honestly curious if it would help with these little roadsters.

Lol.

We need it to be able to defrost the windshield, and our butts, in -40.  We're already used to having to plug our cars in every night, and current ranges are probably acceptable for most commuters but they won't do us much good if we can't see out the windshield. 

I have resolved that my next car must have a V6, a really good stereo, and top- down enjoyment. Originally, I was looking for a convertible, but I think I’m going to shoot for a targa or sunroof... what with convertibles being a giant pain in the ass for us and all. 

Did VW forget what a wagon is supposed to look like? 

The more you know.  I was going to suggest plating or using a controlled corrosion layer... but alloys are much better.