They’ll say that until it kills one of their ornamental dogs. For some people, it’s only a problem when it’s their problem. The way cats are, you shouldn’t know they’re there. I have coyotes that make rounds through the property following the deer and resident beavers, river otters, blue herons . . . all kinds of…

Waiting to see if the really funny guy with a cracking unique sense of humor is going to tag you with the “watch out badass” meme for posting what should be a pretty common reaction.

I didn’t know they broke the 3rd generation into two different generations, but it sounds fine to me. There are all kinds of cars with less changes that are talked about as being different generations. Oh, it’s got wind wings, a different cam grind, and changed carbs? That’s a MkII. Carb and cam change again and a…

The only two things I’ll add to this is that the subsequent valuations they use to calculate excise drastically over-depreciates the vehicle, so the tax is less than it would be if they used a more realistic market calculation. I assume this is done so that they don’t swim in value disputes. The other thing is that…

Strangely, the Focus ST has a full size spare with a real tire, but it’s mounted on a steel wheel. Raises the luggage floor an inch or two over what the space saver in the non-turbos requires.

Here’s the thing about those cars with the spares under the hood—those Subarus were 175/70-R13 IIRC (they could be chucked like…

It’s like half a Kettenkrad and all the worse for it as those could turn.

I love these cars (had a wagon and sedan) and I can tolerate the goofy scoops and practice reupholstering the interior in a proper velour, but those doors suck and the price would be way too high even if it was the hardtop coupe that I prefer.

Running cable to a rear brake without having too much friction in the housing isn’t simple with this type of frame and cantis were the rage at the time this was probably built. Earlier, some of them had the side pull brakes with the arms reversed so that the cable housing came in from underneath so the housing could…

That’s a type of mixte style bike. I read somewhere that there’s a more specific name for the kind with the single top tube that splits at the seat tube instead of twin tubes all the way, but I’ve only ever really heard them referred to as mixtes. They were popular in the ‘70-80s and a lot of them have bad components…

Seeing as the ST only came with a manual and the issues were with the DCT, it’s kind of relevant here. If you’re happy with your car great, but it’s funny that you mention transmission concerns when I didn’t.

Not asking for your sympathy and I don’t need it. I’m doing better than I deserve, but thanks for playing.

I have a 2016 Focus ST with about 170k miles. It’s been in for several sets of tires and I got the struts replaced somewhere over the 130k mark, though they weren’t terrible and I had a small coolant leak I couldn’t find just a few months ago. Turned out to be a small $50 hose that looked intact, but would leak under…

That’s what happened to me—Ford beat my CU with 0% and $500 off for owner loyalty.

I believe it. They really work to get you even if you come in with arranged financing. When I got my last car, Ford beat my CU, but I only got that offer after telling them I had CU financing. At 0%, I don’t know where they make money, but they were obviously eager to have me with them.

I did this with my ST and Ford financing gave me $500 and 0%, so that was an easy decision. I forget what my CU was, but it didn’t beat 0%.

I hear a lot of bad things about KIA dealers, but I’ve never looked at them. They’re making some pretty good looking cars now, so they really need to fix that dealer problem or they’ll turn off the potential new customers they’re attracting.

I was lucky to have two decent experiences with the two last cars I bought…

Good point. With a good income, at least it’s possible to usually get away with it (at least for a little while). Though, those people probably aren’t buying Nissans, either!

Not that banks and CUs don’t discriminate, but if these better qualified candidates are getting shitty terms from the dealer, why wouldn’t they go to a CU or bank instead? Presumably, someone who has better qualifications has some sense of financial awareness. Or is it just “better qualified” as in 400 vs 300 credit…

When I was a teenager, I kept looking to buy a hearse, but they all had fairly low miles (for their age) that were all at very low speeds their entire lives and the engines all had issues.

Starred for agreement on the obnoxious safety BS that’s useless to anyone who pays even the minimum of attention. I would pay extra to not have that garbage. My sister has an Ascent with that Eyesight nonsense and it’s constantly flashing and beeping. I’d be tempted to run over a jogger just so I wouldn’t have to hear…