All of this just becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, where manuals die off because no one makes them. As less of them are made, less people know how to drive them, less are bought, less get made, less people know how to drive them, etc.

I like how you spend this entire article trying to blame the government, sugar lobby, and automakers for this, while burying the actual cause as a footnote at the very end

I called a local dealer who confirmed they had one on the lot available for a test drive. Went to the dealer, and they did not have one for test drives available.

As bullish as I am for the electric future, I suspect Toyota is making the smart move right now with extended range electrics like the Rav4 prime and the Prius Prime, rather than going full-blown electric like Ford’s Mustang Mach-e. These vehicles allow you to run electric day in and day out, but move to gas when a…

I’m sure you know this, but...

I’d also like to mention the trend with Manufacturers and dealerships:

Dealership: Orders everything in black, white, and gray. Pushes sales on the cars they have in stock.
Manufacturer: *arms up in the air* Hmmm, I guess people don’t want to buy colorful cars, let’s stop offering colorful cars.

Even if it’s just an advertising gimmick, I can appreciate the heck out of a brand effectively telling buyers to stop being so goddam boring with their color choices. I don’t know if it will be of any consequence, but glad someone is fighting the good fight. 

At some point it became more special to have a non-Eddie Bauer Explorer.

I wanted to see the white leather with green piping, and this is the best I got:

What about the Renault Twingo? Look at its cute and happy little face! It’s even blushing with happiness

The original Renault Twingo has to be featured. It was a revolutionary cute little car and even the hazard button was a clown nose!

The googly eyes are crucial though.

This conversation has to begin and end with the Austin Healey Bug-Eye Sprite. Not only does it have an inherently cute look - it has a sort of earnestness about it - like a puppy that desperately wants to play with you. I just want to go up and give it a floor pan rub. Or scratch it behind the headlights.

I’m getting old and I know child safety and child car seat designs have changed. But my parents hauled my sister and I around in a Dodge Omni and later a Ford Tempo. Eventually, we got a minivan. The percentage of people that NEED a Ford Explorer has gotta be pretty small.

When I called a Kia dealer for the last time ever, they told me the $2,500 markup they had listed online for the EV6 was actually $15,000. I politely told the salesperson that was dishonest and absurd, and he told me “deal with it, maybe it will go down next year” and hung up on me. I was like, I’ll be damned. All the…

In-laws had two tires slashed on their 3 month old Saturn - every car on the block got hit, passenger side) Called the dealer - they sent a tow truck and a courtesy car. When in-laws arrived at the dealer, they were told car would be ready in 30 minutes. Turns out no tires availble from the depot for three weeks, so…

The Rubicon deserves a place on every off road list, especially in 2 door form. Tiny with locking diffs plus its half the price of the 392s, Raptors, etc.

Me too. I had read all about how to do it in the driver’s manual (yes, there was a section of my driver’s manual that dealt with driving a manual), but I had never actually done it. Then one day at my summer job, the boss told me to move a brand-new Camaro, and only when I got in did I realize it had a manual…

The only drawback is the manual tranny. Short wheelbase is the cat’s meow for plowing driveways. I’d bet it was used just for plowing a private driveway - which would mean no salt and very little abuse - and anyone who says a 4.0 HO six doesn’t have adequate torque has never driven one. At that price, unless the frame…

Not sure how old the OP is but as someone in their mid-40's I have very little nostalgia for GM products of this era. The interiors were just fucking terrible. As in they must have contracted with Rubbermaid to produce all of the cheap shitty switches and interior panels. My Grandmother owned a 1996 Buick Lesabre.…