It’s not the number of orders... it’s the content. Hitherto, most Presidents have used it to clear up their friends’ parking tickets. Obama is short-circuiting both Congress and related committees with trying to write them as laws.

An excellent question. Automakers claim that cars are heavier because of all the safety standards and gear. People claim they’re underpowered because of emissions requirements. Hondas are getting bigger and heavier. Everybodies getting smaller engines (for us proles).

Due to the age, it wasn’t a danger. Gunpowder of that era had a bad tendency to deteriorate, especially if not kept dry. Nitrocellulose hadn’t come into play yet.

True. New York has never been known as the ‘motor city’... asshat city, yes.

Quit burning money on jets and ships that don’t work, and there’s a few trillion right there.

And in the 70's at least, Toyota trucks were shipped here as cabs on chassis. They were not ‘trucks’. The cabs were shipped with matching paint, and the beds were assembled (and made, I assume) in California and painted to match.

3rd: Is this the wave of the future? The CAR is not more high-tech, only the added crap. It’s up to $3,000 in cars now, for things that do not make it run any better.

Alternately, you can give their opponents complete and open access to automatic weapons and explosives.

Nobody else stopped. Why should they?

Castro himself hasn’t been running anything for years. There’s a few more people to die first. And a group of military leaders... and the rest of his family.

Well, I have heard that there are many parts available, and that anybody who knows basic lawnmower repair and has a 10mm wrench can completely rebuild it. Sounds like the perfect tinker car.

Neutral: What scares me? Anything beyond basic stereo and A/C that doesn’t actually have anything to do with making the car actually run. I have an MP4 player, with no internet, and that’s all I want. My phone does the rest. It only makes more things to screw up, and adds thousands to the cost of the vehicle. …

That could work. A knock-off, minus the suction cups and electronics, could sell for $50. People would pay that for unlimited illegal parking.

It seems like a closed cycle. Car companies want to make money. People demand better built cars.

Georgia was doing that when I lived there. One guy’s 6 year old Mazda couldn’t pass. Then (2002) they said ‘78 and newer had to pass.

I drive an ‘09 HHR with 76,000 on it. I baby it because I can’t get another one. I love it. When I finally bite, it will probably be a Fit.

That sounds like desire over necessity. Many of us outlive that. If you have a vehicle you truly love, you don’t get that ‘new car bug’ as often. And not having payments for the last three years is a fat bonus, also.

I read this whole thing, and glad to see that brake spring pliers aren’t on the list. I never get the hang of those darned things, and do better with a couple screwdrivers and a big pair of needlenose.

So it doesn’t get painted with the same brush when Chrysler has problems.

I could use a little terrifying. I drove a Cobalt for 8 years. I haven’t needed brown pants for a decade.