Every time I’m on a 3-lane highway (each direction) and want to move into the middle lane from one of the outsides I throw my neck all out of sorts trying to make sure nobody has the same idea on the other side that I cant see coming up from behind.

Also a resident, guessing you’re above the canal. We’re probably sitting no more than twenty miles apart right now and know the same people.

Can I get someone to weigh in on a related jacket issue? I was on a club crew team in college and got a kickass softshell jacket with the name of the school and Crew emblazoned across the back and oars and shit on the breast. I graduated in 2010 and am working on a PhD at a different school - one we actually…

Not sure it did. I used to be a parts and service writer (and sometimes salesman and detailer) at a small dealer in PA and can tell you that the 6-speed that came opposite the CVT was great for the car and better than the 5-speed in the previous generation that was already pretty good even if it did top out at too low…

The worst thing Suzuki did was start using the CVT. They made a bunch of weird packaging decisions, but the CVT was probably the thing that took all of their otherwise well-engineered cars and ruined them.

Being at the mercy of whatever vehicles have made themselves available to me at the time, I’ve never gotten to really pick one out the way I’ve wanted. The colors of the cars that found me, however are as follows in chronological order as I’ve parted ways with them:

I worked at Suzuki before they fled the country. While I was unwrapping a batch of Kizashis (good car, crap name) I found a silver one that looked...different. The paint was strange, brighter.

That 14 year old Cadillac may be $2,000, and you may like the idea of owning a gigantic V8 in a car that you think oozes cool, but it is 2006. Gas is going to get really expensive very soon, the car is $2,000 for a reason, you will break down a few hundred miles from home with four friends in the car, you will have to…

Maybe not applicable here: I had to replace the rear calipers on my car and the new ones weren’t coated with any kind of sealant so they gathered surface rust pretty quickly. I ended up painting them black mainly to seal them and because rust is ugly. Not bright, but painted calipers nonetheless.

Yes, the Suzuki X90 is pointless and not particularly good at anything on paper. Having worked at a Suzuki dealer (2007-2011) before they fled the country I got to take one of these home for a few nights. The one I drove had little paint left, power door locks that didn’t, rattles, funny smells and mechanical faults…

I’m impressed with the drivers’ ability to execute slides while transitioning from snowpack to dry pavement and back. That seems like it should be difficult.

I grew up and spent most of my driving years in Pennsylvania, where snow isn’t plowed so much as it is redistributed to other parts of the road. I drove several winters with an old heavy RWD sedan and now have a small FWD economy car. I’ve only really gotten myself in a one winter-induced pickle because I didn’t take…

Had a brake caliper seize on the rear of my car. I replaced it easily enough but in the process mashed the threads of a wheel stud on the non-offending side. Had the other caliper fail shortly thereafter (really should have done both at the same time) and discovered my error only when I twisted the stud right off…

I really like this series. May I suggest following up on these folks and telling us what they eventually buy? Whose terrible advice do they take?

Long time reader, first time poster.