“Unrealistic” emission standards?

“Crapton”

Not bad. But I’m thinking Minilite.

“If you need to carry that much crap, you have too much crap. Leave it at home.”

I. Want. That. Econoline.

Yeah, me too. But I still think it looks kinda cool. And I almost never say anything good to say about Mopar. 

Can’t speak to the SD flatbed, but the Ranger, yes. Also Datsuns, Nissans, Mazdas, Toyotas, Isuzus, and Mitsubishis. Tiny trucks with sticks are fun.

And an acclamation point after “sad.”

Yes, I agree. I used to be firmly in the “manual or nothing” camp myself, but I grew up.

Depends on the car and your driving conditions, of course, but the idea that an auto trans (whether torque converter or DSG) saps all the sportiness, fun, or character out of a car is just bullshit. A car with crappy handling, poor breaking, or weak throttle response isn’t going to be made a whole lot better just…

In four decades of driving, I bought my first automatic-equipped car in 2016 for just that reason. My commute is about 32 miles each way, and routinely takes as long as 1.5 hours each way, even though two thirds that distance is on interstate highway. My current car has a decent torque-converter auto, with a “sport…

“... a rare bird indeed.”

Leave the AAA sticker on it, too.

Um, nothing, actually.

If they hadn’t needlessly lifted it and put the tacky cladding on it, I’d be planning a trip to the Buick dealer.

Because then there would be no one left to drive a Toyota Paseo, a Mazda MX-3, an Isuzu Impulse, or a Nissan NX.

“...the Alliance wasn’t really all that terrible.”

In the mid-80s. I owned a Renault. It was such an unmitigated P.O.S. in terms of reliability and build quality that it made me hate everything from Renault. It made me hate almost everything from France; Baguettes, Merlot, and Camembert, included.

Yes. This. Thank you.