The BMW 4 cylinder isn’t a terrible option on its own. It’s lighter, provides more than adequate power, and should be easy to tune. With a manual, it could be the “driver’s version” of the Supra.

Yes and no. The LS and newer engines are cheap, plentiful, compact, have tremendous power to weight ratios, are easy to work on, easy to get parts for, and make great noises. They may be common, but unless you are strictly in it for internet/car show/purist points, in most cases, LS swaps are hard to argue against.

In the mid 90s, I was a car audio installer in a semi-rural area. I probably put head units in 10 of these a month the first 3 months we were open. They were almost always maroon over maroon base models though. 

The VQs are fairly robust, and they have timing chains. The torque convertor automatics are fairly stout too, in my experience. 

Kia/Hyundai may be the right answer now, all things being equal. They may even still be under powertrain warranty at 10 years old.

I’m guessing rust, and the fact that they aren’t great in the snow. I recently moved back to Virginia after 20 years in Minnesota, and I’m shocked by the number of rust free Preludes and Integras that I see on a weekly basis.

I’ve always thought the 5th gen Prelude is a fantastic looking car. I don’t know why I’d ever need a FWD car, but if I did, I’d look for a Prelude.

a twin-turbo straight six could turn the sedan and coupe into an M3/4 killer.

Not really. You could get them loaded up with options, but they were basically F150s with seats in an enclosed bed. I had one that I bought cheap to fix up and sell, and it was about as basic as a truck could be in 2005.

Some used car prices have actually dropped lately. This morning I was shocked to find that manual 987 Boxsters and non-turbo 996 911s seem to be settling back to where they should be vs. the ridiculous prices they were listing for a few months ago.

One (or both) of these.  They are about the same price, and about the same size. Aside from the Jeep-iness, are either of them objectively better or more appealing than any of the other dozens of CUVs in the same class?

It’s amazing how Nissan took the Maxima from a good car that filled its niche really well for many years to a less attractive option than an Altima.

They still do it that way. I’ve had an F30 for 4 years and just found my other 12v port under the glove box when I changed the cabin air filter.

The Mirage would be a great first car because it sets the bar so low that everything that follows will probably seem amazing.  

I once saw a “girl” at the Las Vegas airport down a 20 oz beer and a GLASS of Vodka at 10 am.

Agreed. I once bought an Eagle Talon TSi instead of an Eclipse GSX because Mitsubishi’s are junk.

The interior looks odd. Usually all the black has come off the buttons or has turned in to a sticky mess, but the airbags aren’t scrumpled.

My mom had an ‘85 New Yorker. It had a lot of turbo badges, but felt like the turbo was installed backwards. When it ran at all, which wasn’t often.

This is basically how it works now. If taxes are not paid for a certain amount of time, the property goes to public auction. In some places, the property goes to a “land bank” run by the local government that has the option to sell or use the land in ways that benefit the community.

A good portion of the population doesn’t want to live like that, even if it was affordable.