Good friend of mine sold a small start-up company and bought a 2 year old CTS-V Hennessey 640hp package.

Solid recommendation. People are so used to calling BMWs out for poor reliability due to:

You gots to take the doors off to let the mud flow in more easily...

Can it fit 3 car seats across the back?

Nice....I’m coming out of a 2015 m3 which has spoiled me for power. It is perfectly geared 6mt with >400 lb/ft available at 1500 rpms. Totally spoiled now.

When I had a normal, non-demanding job and no young kids I really enjoyed wrenching. I presume I will again one day.

I’ll wait to hear reviews on the steering.

I had a 97 jeep wrangler sahara; sold it for more than I bought it for. If I had kept it for the last decade, I’d probably be a solid $50k richer :)

I said this drive created 8 hours of wrenching as an estimate for replacing the gasket (and cleaning the cat), fixing the speedometer, and ~4 hours to pull and put a new head on (he has done it before, after all). 

Some people measure the cost per mile of ownership. For example, my DD is currently depreciating about $5k/year, costs $1800 in fuel for 15000 miles, and is running about $500/year in maintenance costs. So for 15,000 miles it costs me $7300 or $0.48/mile.

No that’s the 997 right now or MAYBE the 991.1 with the last N/A engines.

Morale of the story: Even an XJ owned by an excellent DIY wrencher for 7 years and with probably hundreds of elbow-grease-hours invested is not a reliable road trip vehicle.

So, so, so spot on. I’d throw stars at you if that weren’t frowned upon. 

Remember, you don’t have to pay local taxes when you live in your car. And in an 80's 7 series and the advent of shitboxes, who wouldn’t want to live there?

David I read your article as stating that you have a wheel bearing pending failure and that you noticed it as a modest squeak you could only hear due to lack of floorboards. If the last sentence doesn’t accurately capture it, then I mis-read and I apologize.

Nope Nope Nope Nope Nope.

I’m pretty sure reinforcement with 2x6s and appropriate structural fasteners would be a huge upgrade for this - or any - vehicle where corrosion is literally making parts dissapear. Wood is a damn fine material to work with AND when it’s being over-taxed it makes loud popping sounds to warn you. That’s the reason it’s…

It sounds good with the ridiculously priced M performance exhaust and certain aftermarket options.

Structural componentry? Bah, I don’t need no structural components to drive my 2-ton vehicle down the road! Hahahaha,death comes riding in a 7 slotted grill!!

David: I want to point out something that should be obvious at this point.