I’m sorry you had such a bad experience. I drive coast to coast every summer, and it my favorite thing to do all year. I love seeing the country and seeing the land change, and the people change, too. It’s like a Tolkien book, except there are plenty of places to eat barbeque and only a passing amount of swordplay.

As…

So refreshing to read an article that makes zero excuses for a human foible, but also doesn’t catastrophize for effect. This is why you keep me coming back.

I completely agree about shabby Rolls.  There’s a great one in Martinsville VA for sale at a pawn shop.  It’s only about 10% as bad as this, but it’s old and fire engine red.  It’s glorious.

I once ran out of gas in my baja bug. The fuel gauge was not exactly broken, but it was vague. I knew better.

Fortunately, it was so light (lots of fiberglass, not even a back seat), I just stood on the tube running board with the driver’s door open and kicked it home 1.3 miles, like a scooter. Being on a very slight…

Me, too. A thing of beauty is a joy forever.

I guess I’m thinking about whether it would make sense to think of it was over $20k with another few grand in maintenance about to boil. Big difference between one with 100k miles, IMS done, and no CEL. It’s not $20k+ with a big blank check to go with it.

Maybe this just reflects my own bad luck with slightly-run-down…

Sorry, but even a well-tended 911 at 150 becomes suspect. And an occasional CEL quickly becomes a constant companion. And IMS...and...no.

A closer call than I’m letting on, but CLE+150k+IMS takes it under 20k, lack of fried-egg headlights notwithstanding.

If I’m gonna drive something old, it’s got to either be James Bond/French-Riviera-esque or something a dictator would drive.

Beautiful and fast or beautiful and majestic.

This is ugly, unsafe, janky, and uncomfortable. Neither James Bond nor a dictator would approve.

No, no, no, friends. Meme value alone is NP. That it’s a convertible means you could even enjoy it. 

What’s the first rule of cheap cars? When you’re sitting in it, you don’t have to look at it.

I’m sorry, this is a tremendous car for the price. It’s a close call, but I’m making it. A warm drive in the country sitting…

The first question with a car is always “how much GTI could I buy for the same price?”

Having grown up on Chevy trucks, I’d say the rough equivalent—for me—is “How much comparable Chevy could I buy?” Now, “comparable” comparing Chevy to Toyota means at least seven years newer and 2/3rds the miles.

There’s a ‘98 Chevy…

This makes me deeply sad. Because my wife has a HyHi, and while it’s adequate for a lardy, car-based crossover, it’s...well, I was going to say it’s not even close to Corvette. But I guess it isn’t.

This isn’t saddening, I guess, it’s a paradigm shift. It’s like learning that your dog didn’t really go live on a farm…

Wait, wait...is this literally true?  A Highlander?

My NP was inexcusable.  But the heart wants what the heart wants.

1) That stings.
2) I cannot deny it.

Here is an example of my nice price process when evaluating any car. There are automatic base-price bumps you total up to see where you are. These are not debatable:

1) Runs : $800

I’m definitely in the “technically nice price but still bad idea” camp.

And I think the lines are nice without being straight-70s box or grotesque toad-shaped bubble. And while I don’t usually go in for this sort of thing, it seems to me that some more interesting wheels and a little drop might seriously improve it in the looks department.

Here is my ad to sell that GTI:

Dude...yes. I honestly kept two quarts in the back all the time, in a 1 quart vitamin water bottle, so I could easily add parts-of-a-quart. I checked the oil every fill up without fail. Transitioning to life with a Camry...besides being completely boring, there’s no vague sense of accomplishment in arriving anywhere…

And also, I need to see the owner or get a few clues, at least. My current new-to-me-last-summer car is a 2006 Camry XLE with 80k miles. Beige, 4-cyclinder.

Well, we’re already at an old-lady index of 95. I already knew what I needed to know. The light scratches at each door handle clearly indicated multi-jeweled…