I bought my 2004 SRT-4 Neon new, and I’m up to 236K miles now. It’s had Dodge’s Stage 2 turbo upgrade kit installed since 2005, and has been rock-solid. I replaced all the seals when I had the engine out at about 190K to fix front-end damage after I slid on some ice. I also took that opportunity to add factory Neon…

You say some folks are reaching for the Back button, meanwhile I’m <rightclick> <Open in new tab>

It’s one of those things that always gets overlooked, but holy shit does it look hard to build a car. From design to manufacturing, everything is complicated. Like, some dude (more likely a team) had to design, test, and build a machine to deliver a seat at exactly there right time to exactly the right place, and it…

I was expecting this to be an XJ-style issue where the body sags at the point where the door hinges attach. Hooo buddy was I not expecting THIS. 

FORD RANGER! Seriously, I figured that would be at the top of the list here. The 4-cylinder Lima engine Ford Ranger is a beast. My 1997 manual trans had almost 400K miles on it when I sold it three years ago. I checked in with the buyer a few months back and he had sold it on to another owner.

The cavalier seems to be the cockroach of chevy

Reverse: One of the things that make me laugh over the current crybabying over critical race theory and the 1619 Project is that it’s painfully apparent how many people have no idea what’s been glossed over in history. The Slocum is a great example; it’s the reason a lot of safety regulations exist, and yet you have…

Vibe, Solstice, Bonneville were all decent cars. Sure they had some typical GM turds (G5/G6, I’m looking at you) but I miss pontiac for actually being interesting.

Back in 2004 I (somehow) cooked the I6 out of my Cherokee, and the wife and I drained our meager house savings for a down payment on a brand new ‘05 Scion tC. We were going to pay off the loan in 4 years, and we agreed to own it for a year with no car payments before buying another vehicle. While paying down the loan…

I heard this early in life and have generally found it to be true:

Heck, going from a 15 mpg truck to a 25 mpg truck saves more carbon than going from a 35 mpg Corolla to a 50 mpg Prius.

NP I put aside all my hatred of K-cars and their terrible progeny. The ragtop caught my interest and then the row-yer-own tranny convinced me “This one will be different!” Nicely preserved and obviously cared for.

I can see a subscription for things like GM’s SuperCruise, which actually updates detailed maps on a periodic basis (monthly?). That means they have laser-scanning vehicles out on every road on some kind of schedule, so there’s actual work being done with that subscription money. Now, whether that makes for a better…

The fear is that you’ll pay $10k upfront for the capability and still have to pay $9/hr to use it.

The software thing seems like a good way for a manufacturer to differentiate itself.

Very likely.

You have the right idea. I don’t think the Maverick really competes with other trucks. It competes with sedans and small/mid SUVs. The hybrid powertrain and low price are the game-changers here. This vehicle will be bought by a lot of people who never really considered a truck before. I keep playing with the online…

OK so I did some research over at the Ford site for 35k you can get an AWD XL Ranger crew cab with the 301 package and FX4 and tow package. 

Yeah, i thought of the sport-trac as well but i think the world has changed since then. Not sure its an apples ot apples comparison. Basically, the Maverick is Fords econobox car replacing the fiesta/focus w/a form factor that Americans love.

“Why didn’t you stop?” Dunn questioned.