Removing the instrument panel on a W123 consists of sticking a hook in each side of it and pulling hard. You can make acceptable hooks from a piece of dowel and a length of coat hanger wire. It's just a tight friction fit. Very typical of how the entire car is engineered, it is all stupid easy to work on. That said,…

Hertz is keeping them much, much longer on average. Where once getting one with 20K on it was highly unusual, now 35K is ordinary and my record is a Taurus Limited with 60K. At to Ford and Hertz credit, it was indistinguishable from a new one.

Many Hertz locations put the barcode inside the driver's door jamb. Also, many small rental locations are franchises, not company owned. They often do buy their cars locally, and they will often have dealer stickers on the back of them.

I saw it after I posted. You have an unusual situation. I still fail to see how the airline could do any more to accommodate this. My parents flew a number of times with myself and my brother when we were kids in the dark days long before electronic personal entertainment. Just some snacks in a carryon bag and a…

Agree 100%. There is probably a happy medium between the race to the bottom we are in now, such that it is, and the "good old days" (not really) of highly-priced regulated service.

The other issue with checking a bag is you lose all flexibility if something goes wrong. I live in Portland, ME. If my flight is cancelled and I don't have a checked bag, I can easily take the next flight to Boston and take the bus home, even if that flight is leaving momentarily. BTDT multiple times over the years.

I've been flying for a living 50-100K+ a year since 1994. It really hasn't changed THAT much over the years. Other than it is one HECK of a lot cheaper most of the time. Fewer meals, but coach meals were the stuff of comic legend anyway, so who cares? The food you pay for is waaaaaaay better than the slop they used to…

On a traditional airline, if there were empty First Class seats, do you think coach passengers should be allowed to just take them? Those extra legroom seats are no different.

If they want the extra space, they should pay for it. Why should the airline give it away for free? They are not a charity.

What are the hassles, exactly? I travel for a living, 118 flights so far this year, and I find the hassle to be pretty minimal. Pack light, arrive early, book longish layovers when you have a connection. If there is a problem, roll with it. Takes most all of the stress out of it. Driving with other fools on the road…

Terrible is an understatement. It's almost rounding error.

In all seriousness, how exactly is their customer service so shitty? Airlines have very, very, very little control over an awful lot of things. Weather, ATC, airplanes breaking. They deal with all of this the best they can. And they will get you where you are going in a reasonable period of time 95%+ of the time. I'm…

Airlines are a money losing proposition over the long run historically. The years when they make $178M generally don't offset the years when they lose $500M.

Realistically they will just start boarding 15 minutes earlier.

Pro tip - if you are flying on an airline that uses GoGo for their inflight internet, buy a day pass on the ground before you get on the airplane. They are typically 1/2 price or less that way.

The wagon is so much better looking than the droopy-butt sedan. Crying shame we can't get it in the US. I really like this car, but I don't do sedans.

I added the BMW Performance Intake and Exhaust to my 328i wagon. It was exactly what it needed. A little louder, and sounds much better. Previously you could barely even hear the engine below 4K rpm. Just a distant whine. Now it sounds like a slightly quieter and more refined e36 M3. It may not be any faster, but it…

Oh don't get me wrong - if you are not charged with a crime or are not convicted, then I have plenty of outrage to go around. I've driven long distances in the past with wads of cash in the car to buy a car or three myself. But if you are convicted, well, you lose. Don't want to lose your car, don't have drugs in the…

I've driven a Trabant through that tunnel at max revs, does that count? Sounded pretty good!

Ain't no such thing - flat rates are only for JFK.