I lol'd at the brake piston down the storm drain story. I did something very similar by hitting the electronic parking brake switch on a friend's Audi, while of course the calipers were removed. Live and learn.

I had a '99 Escort sedan with auto that I daily'ed for a year. By some miracle I never had any serious powertrain problems with mine, plenty of other issues though. Nonetheless, this is one of those cheap compact cars that gave cheap compact cars a bad name for years to come.

It's been problem free for 2+ years and 11k miles, it's never seen a shop other than for state inspection and tire replacement, and I've autocrossed it on about 25 occasions without a hitch. I'm running a piggyback ECU amongst some other more minor mods and even still not a single hiccup. I'm really surprised, I…

I simply did a sort by price on TireRack for something that would fit a 15x7 wheel (I run snow tires on the stock steelies) and the DZ102's were the cheapest; just like the Mazda2 those tires are a great bang for the buck, perfect match.

Last summer I bought a used Mazda2 MT for 9 grand to use as a daily driver, and for the dollar it may be the best car I ever bought. If I didn't already have a modded 500 Abarth for autox and track use I'd be tempted to buy another Mazda2 and bring it up to spec. Even with mild summer tires (205/50R15 Dunlop DZ102's)…

My first thought as well. I have one and bought it for those exact reasons: it's a cheap, reliable, fuel efficient daily driver that can also be fun when tossed around the twisties. Four doors and a decent sized boot, to boot. Just buy some snowies for it and it's good year round. (Btw, 100hp feels fine in a car this…

Good point about the Top Gear threads. Those are usually my reminder to watch the new episodes.

Are you sure you couldn't live with that? It is a Porsche after all.

That's a misrepresentation, the price is actually a whopping $7.99 this month.

Which is why the correct term is "winter tires" or "ice and snow tires" (they help with snow, cold road temps, and ice).

Good tip on the wiper blades. I need a set for the Mazda 2.

Incorrect, snow tires make a huge difference in reducing braking distance in snow and ice. Or actually try a set and tell me that you aren't stopping quicker vs. an all season tire.

Yup, I use the Hola! app for Chrome then just go to BBC.co.uk and do a search for Top Gear.

That's too bad. I have one that has served me well for 2 full seasons of autocross so far, and it has yet to see the dealership for any reason. But at least Fiat was fair about it and you got what you deserved.

Smart man. The modern no-frills subcompact is more practical than a lot of people think. I have a used Mazda 2 that I paid $9k for, great daily driver.

Yes! I only recently learned of this tip. No overflowing reservoir and no potential of damaging the master cylinder by forcing fluid through it the wrong way. Just buy a bleeder bottle (Genesis or equivalent) to keep the mess to minimum.

E60 M5 is my pick as well. I've seen other ones go for $15,000 with high mileage. That's a proper fast car that will fly under most people's radar (unless you straight pipe it).

Lol, yes indeed. Now if only the weight distribution were better because of that.

Freak?? I own one and can't even figure how the engine fits in there with the lack of overhang.

Could be a great opportunity, I picked up some F1 wheel locks when the Toyota F1 team closed shop back in '09. They had mirrors, wheels, body shells, etc. all for sale online.