One of the local autoX instructors told me he bought an RX-8 intending to pull the drivetrain for something else and then sell the body. Turns out he liked it too much to rip it apart, so now he’s just got another car. As another rotary lover, I approved.

Rather than seeing the WRX/STI as outdated, I prefer to see it as the last holdout of a bygone era. At least we’re getting the Civic Type-R next year, even if it’s bigger than it should be.

I’ve never done dealer financing, so I can’t speak to that. My issue is that I don’t trust some random garage to do a thorough PPI. The couple times I’ve looked at cars away from where I was living (never so far away that I couldn’t make a day trip) I went through local owners’ groups to figure out who the good local…

Because I don’t trust some random shop in a city I don’t know to do a PPI. I was also told by every dealer I’ve ever been to that they can’t deliver a car for inspection, and I’ve never had a shop offer to pick the car up.

The Soviets had a huge disadvantage as far as SSBNs go. The problem is they only have two ports to launch them from: St. Petersburg and Vladivostok. Both have very limited waterways to the open ocean, where you really want your hidden retaliatory force to be. As a result, the US basically had an attack sub following…

I’m really confused by this description. Is there a picture you can show me or a more in-depth explanation?

Getting a PPI done away from where you live can be tricky.

Subaru dealers always seem full of 20-something car guys who are super excited. Also, mine has a faux rally car in the waiting room.

I was car shopping earlier this year for a used WRX/STI. Someone reminded me about the existence of the MS3, so I test drove some. They were fine, but that was about it. If I were in the market for a new, FWD, economy car, I’d look at the 3, 6, or CX-5 (depending on market segment) but they’re really sort of an…

I see you have discovered the joy of hot hatches! Out of curiosity: what car are you coming from?

The WRX isn’t just down in power. It’s also got a cable shifter instead of rod, electric power steering instead of hydraulic, smaller brakes, and open diffs. Don’t get me wrong: it’s a great car, especially for the price, but Subaru hasn’t made the difference between the two null just yet.

The RS gearing is meant for autobahn use. On American (and Japanese) roads with our lower speed limits, poor road maintenance, and traffic that always gets in the way, that gearing means the STI keeps up just fine. For serious track use where you’d want the performance above 120mph, you can easily make an STI put down…

Neutral: Mazda survives by going the Subaru route.

1st: Mazda currently has nothing that sets it apart, particularly from the other Japanese brands. If you want the boring, everybody is doing it and it’s reliable solution, you get a Toyota (“Nobody ever got fired for buying IBM”). If you want to be a little different —but not too much — or maybe care a little bit…

The index of refraction for air at STP is 1.00029. That makes less than 0.1% difference.

It’s been done.

Sure, but they also have 70 years of Soviet rocket technology to build on. This thing doesn’t seem like it’s particularly advanced, just huge.

I’m not sure they need more than one. It’s a deterrent weapon.