Thanks!

In a somewhat related note, in the 50’s and 60’s, the American car companies lobbied against seatbelt laws and rollover tests by arguing that occupants were safer being thrown clear of the accident.     Of course at this same time big Tobacco was essentially selling cigarettes as health products.   

That’s a valid question, to which I raise you what I think is a reasonably valid answer: a $3000 used car with all of the mandated safety features of its year of manufacture (say, 2008), which would still be vastly safer than any motorcycle in an accident.

Tread separations and high centers of gravity resulted in a lot of deaths in SUVs that had nothing to do with someone being reckless. Does personal responsibility stop at the individual or does it include a manufacturer who makes a product knowing it’ll cause problems? Ford and Firestone spent a lot of time trying to…

I’m not poor by any reasonable standard, but I don’t like the idea of a poorer person being killed or maimed by a richer person crashing into him or her with a safer car.

Because it's impossible to use tube frame or square frame supports in pillars... except that it's not.

If the average consumer was capable of both complex safety system analysis and risk analysis, you might have an argument. But not only is the average consumer not capable of performing this calculus, most consumers aren’t. You cannot rely on the general population to be responsible for public safety, and if you don’t…

Yes. If you drive recklessly enough to cause a rollover you are responsible for the consequences.

Wonderful terrible cars sums up just about every British car in my experience (I’ve owned two Triumphs and three Land Rovers).

Seems appropriate given your user name

Better to ask for forgiveness than permission. 

My dad had one of those old extended cab rangers with the jump seats and while they were decidedly uncomfortable, they got the job done. And it provided just the right about of space to stow a bunch of stuff that you don’t want stolen. Plus it had a full bed. And the riculous thing is, I think he paid under 15k for it…

I am confused by this whole transit pickup thing. A transit pickup is already a thing, and a pretty common thing:

Really?

Ford itself would beg to differ.

Ford is inventing the Subaru Baja.

Make a new one of these, you fucking COWARDS

Guys! I would pay to hear you riff online! Take my money!

I love Tim and am always happy to see him turn up. Fine actor, fine human. I'm glad to hear his recovery is still coming along.

Lassie turning off Shawn’s confession in the series finale is one of my favorite television moments of all time.

This has real implications: think how easy it would be to fool a Tesla under Autopilot almost-control with a fake stop sign pretty much anywhere. A motivated troublemaker could color-copy a crude stop sign and put it anywhere they wanted to make things inconvenient or even dangerous for such cars.