That’s an excellent challenge. The Buick Skyhawk of the late 1980s had a popup headlamp option, but it wasn’t available for the wagon. That’s the closest I can find.

Very much yes. The Focus RS is for those might balk at the price of a new STI. The 3 turbo would have to be very good to distract me from all the Golf R choices out there.

Good point, it really depends on the spec and I’ve tended to think of middle 928s as the ‘82-’85 cars with SOHC.

A little less cargo space? The Telluride is much closer to the X7 than the X5 in terms of space.

What of the Aspark OWL? I haven’t anything from this company since late last year so it’s possible that it’s dead in the water. But I believe they got as far as where Lotus is now, which is prototype testing. And it’s very similar in weight, battery size, and power target.

Because Bugatti is still building and selling Chirons... 200-plus so far. The One:1 was built in a batch of six a while ago.

Fiat’s 124 spider also had a tiny jump seat in back, even covered in seat fabric (vinyl). The Jag XJ-S convertible also had a carpeted parcel shelf that easily doubled as a third seat... Jaguar later on even offered a 2+2 version of this car. I’m sure there’s lots of others with a seat-not-a-seat. Sadly, today it’s…

I still consider it a lifted wagon. If you lowered the current Outback, you’d have a Legacy wagon with body cladding and a massive built-in roof rack. It’s very tall, but it’s the H-point and body length vs wheelbase that seals it for me.

The TourX is great for the money and it’s such a great deal I think it’s worth using as a daily driver. It’s a little weak on the sport side, sadly. And I’m not talking power or handling, which are both just fine. It’s the transmission. I don’t need a manual, but the Aisin 8-speed is slow to respond, there’s no sport…

Fiat once made an 8V (with a small V8), which was a surprisingly sporting offering. And pre-WWII it build a V12 luxury car called the Superfiat. Modern Fiat doesn’t have the cachet, but it once did. A new Superfiat with this new engine would be neat.

31 highway in the heavier Mazda 6 2.5 T so I could see this offering up 33 highway, which is comparable to, say, a GTI. And that’s impressive given the extra displacement in the Mazda.

That’s a pretty good take, actually. Fortunately for Dodge, there’s no jealous Chevy around to make that impossible.

Dodge is the performance brand... and it’s supposedly getting a new Journey made in Italy and based on the Stelvio.

The Spark is a pretty good car for the money. The EcoSport is underwhelming, but when a Trax goes for $21K Ford can easily get that price.

Sadly, the days when you could sell the same vehicle for 20 years are gone. The Journey gets poor fuel economy numbers, barely meets emissions, and does poorly in overlap crash tests. Fixing all of those things costs money. Not only that, supply-chain decisions made years ago may make continued production all but…

It’s worth mentioning that the 2020 Journey isn’t available with AWD or the V6, which suggests to me that it’s just on the lot in 2020 to use up leftover parts.

I got to briefly drive a 968 Cabrio in Maine a long time ago. It was probably the only one in the state. It was so much more comfortable and quiet than the early cars it was easy to overlook how much faster it was.

Agreed on the Ranger since he’s sunk so much into repairs already. If it’s just the thermostat then absolutely get it done. Cosmetically it looks to need minor things.

I have to agree with this, having had a Scirocco 16V and having driven a few 944s and 924s. The Scirocco was simply more entertaining, even the early 8V cars. It wasn’t hard to work on either. My Golf GTI was much more practical and just as quick, but the Scirocco always felt lighter and more nimble.

I agree. The engine suits the character of the car and since it’s very close in design to a Cosworth BDA it’s also sort of period-correct as well.