They were thinking “Prop this up in the backyard, hook up some wires and we get free electricity for life! Score!”

Sadly, that photo was taken only 3 weeks after it left the showroom in 1976.

I was most impressed by the little blue econobox with the AutoStudio sticker on the hood. Dude knows how to take a corner.

1. For a short time I owned a 1991 Geo Storm GSi. One day, driving in the rain, I noticed that when I turned off the rear wiper the engine would stumble. Just once in a while and just for a second. Then more frequently. Then, one day while turning in the rain it broke the front tires loose when the engine caught after…

Jaguar XK8 convertible. My friend bought a used one a few years ago and let me go for a test drive. I knew it wasn’t a true sports car, but I wasn’t prepared for the Chrysler Sebring-like dynamics and soft throttle response. It was one of those cars that feels bigger than it is and not in a good way.

In 2004 my wife bought a new Audi A4. She financed it but paid it off in one year. She wasn’t really paying attention and didn’t notice until 2014, when she tried to sell it, that she never got the title.

I also failed my first motorcycle test. I took a course with a private riding school. I had hours of riding experience on the road already (illegally) and breezed through the course. They set us up with the DMV for the license test on a closed course. I rolled through it like the seasoned rider I thought I was. The…

First time was bad. Took Mom's '68 Fury wagon, with her along as my licensed driver. This was in NJ, and they have a closed course for testing. I was woefully unprepared. The tester started grumpy and got worse as I bumbled through the course. I finally made one mistake too many. He declared the test was over, I had…

I despise cigarettes and smoking but I believe in the free market. If tobacco is legal, they should be able to advertise.

My favorite part? At 2:49, the dude walking on the sidewalk doesn't flinch or even look as the travel trailer scrapes its AC units off the roof. He's seen it all before.

I bought a Samurai new in 1987 and drove the shit out of it. Never even came close to upsetting it. It may have been slow and rode like a brick but it always felt planted and was one of the most rugged and reliable vehicles I've owned.

This happened on a motorcycle trip in South Texas. We were on an empty two lane road going through hill country on the way to Big Bend when I heard what seemed to be an explosion above us. I looked to the left just in time to see a B1-B bomber at minimum altitude hopping over the hills away from us to the north. I…