The officer should be cited. No way was that safe for anyone concerned. Just a very sad example of poor judgement by someone who should know better. How much in work comp will this cost the city?   

Congrats Roberto! Just remember what you did - the last time I rotated my tires, I have used unkind words to recall the tech who also just “zipped” my lug nuts. Nothing that a trip to the dealer for new lug nuts didn’t fix. 

Nice price... if you really want this particular car from a unique time. Although it is AMAZING that it is a manual! No one these days would consider making a convertible sedan with a manual.  

Thanks for the Flashback - ugh...all the rental cars I drove.

If this is your thing, a new Dodge 3500 with a Cummings Diesel is a much better buy. This is the last year a manual is available. 

I was just thinking that it is time to go and Mk VII GTI new before everything goes all digital. In the mean time I have my wife’s ‘01 Mk IV to remind my how well VW does electrics. Mad door locks provide endless entertainment!

Thank you for the story. Though I wonder that given that the Quad-4 was bench marked to other engines, why didn’t they put in balancing shafts to begin with? Does the penny saved really costs a pound? Consider that Porsche licensed the counterbalancing shaft in their 4 cylinder engines form Mitsubishi (if I correctly…

That miss on the Fiero came to mind as I read about the iron duke. Talk about a major blunder. That engine could have made that car a success. 

Just a second... you have to “ask a friend” who is into cars AND you are commenting on jalopnik? Pardon, but it seems that if you are on this site you must have some interest or passion about cars. 

I take it that the BMW was manual. I share your observation on mislabeled cars, with respect to auto/manual. The “errors” are frustrating. Only a photo is valid proof. 

Not really. 161K miles on MKIV Golf. No long trips - just in town running around. Original clutch. 

Thank you for a neat article and the reminder of just how far they have come. This was a discussion the other morning. Just how long do TDI glow plug lights stay on with the record polar vortex temps?

Dreadful, but I really want to know what camera is in this car!

Rebuilt engine? By whom and why? If these are looked after they are durable - I put many more miles on mine without burning oil or having to rebuild the engine. 

JB4 = Not available in California. Bummer

Damn! You let the secret out - tools! However, don’t forget hands on experience. Consider that having the right tools and the experience of event done it at least once, and soon you are on the way to expertise! 

I have done 45 mph on a mountain bike descending mountains of Southern California. Kind of scary to realize that nothing is really balanced and the bike was not designed for such riding. Compare that to an 18 mph crash on my commuter bike. Lycra doesn’t offer much road rash protection.

The prior event posted here had divine inspiration. In the past year there was a story on Jalopnik about a lady getting religion while driving. I recall she closed her eyes while at the wheel during prayer. The result was that she ran through a 3-way stop sign only to crash into a house? Someplace in Texas.... anyone…

Good point. Imagine engineers designing critical engine parts that don’t shake them selves loose - in a diesel engine!

Given recent investment markets, I really do thing that a purchase of one of these would provide a better return than the markets. I wish I had the spare cash!