We kind of decided the breaking point on our 2005 Freestyle will be if the transmission goes, because apparently the CVT is impossible to find replacements for. Of course, if we have an accident that fires the airbags, we’ll be getting a new car, too.

The Sears Catalog was the Amazon of the 60s & 70s.

Thats a bit surprising.  My ‘12 sierra is a flex fuel and it is rated for more power with e85. I put 1 tank in to try it and got 13mpg vs my usual 17.5mpg. Sure it was more powerful, but I’m not accepting a 25% drop in fuel economy

Neutral: my family has a place in Albany, GA and the property managers who live next door to it basically dismissed this as “fake news” and a “global warming hoax.” Unfortunately it sounds like zero prep was done. They called in tears last night as they had mattresses on top of them in their hallway. It was still a…

Neutral: Its really tough to tell. A lot of countries are more culturally protectionist than legally protectionist.

Agreed. There will undoubtedly be a stigma associated with Chinese cars at first, but if they make them cheap enough people will buy them and over time build quality will improve. If they sell them cheap enough, they will succeed. There are not shortage of people already buying crappy shitboxes, but China can swoop in…

larger percentage of people are getting fat, out of shape, and old

1st gear: I have to say that, even if I’m not even 40 years old, getting in and out from my small SUV is noticeably more comfortable than any cars I ever had. My last car was a Boxster, I drove it daily it for over 8 years and I must admit that, passionate as I am about cars, some days I really wasn’t looking forward…

But the tailgate has to be down to do it...

Can confirm. See also: shaving, applying makeup (San Francisco so it’s not gender-specific), eating, picking nose, yelling at phone/other vehicle occupants.

They make poverty-spec trucks. Nobody buys them because nobody except fleets actually wants a completely stripped truck. The change in transaction prices isn’t due to Ford raising prices $1000, it’s due to people buying higher end trims.

My math skills were particularly weak yesterday.

Ford has also been really slow to bring new products to market. When did we hear about the new Ranger like 3 years ago? It’s supposed to drop sometime next year right? A truck that is based on a global market platform released in 2015 that isn’t going to drop in America until it is already 4 years old. They finally…

Neutral: Ford has a perception problem.

They made the TC with the 1.6L EB. It was dropped in favor of the 2.5L.

A Jeep Wrangler is a terrible car

Ultra low mileage cars are not cars. The are museum pieces. Even considering turning them on and driving them ruins the value.

the A/C compressor and condenser fan need to be changed and the system needs an evac and a recharge, the brake fluid needs to be flushed, the throttle body needs service and an alignment needs to be done.

Neutral: Can’t we just fix the EPA cycle once and for all? Make it perfectly repeatable under specific conditions (we can keep calling them “city” and “highway” if we want), then ALSO list economy at 60, 70, and 80mph steady-state, flat road cruise speeds. I’m tired of manufacturers trying to game the system.

I have been to Charlotte, the Rock, North Wilkesboro and Darlington for Cup races. Each one was better than the nonsense on Sunday.