@Kaiser-Machead: The Kashmere Beige E34 in the background? I have one I'll sell for a hundred thousand bucks.

@Ben Wojdyla: You're right on the absurdity part. Google "Self machine sydrome". It was only a problem on around 12 million cars.

@crwi: I fear nothing as much as drivers in powerful pickups. Being up high in the air with good visibility and lots of power makes regular people feel like gods. By far the dumbest drivers on the road tend to drive snazzy trucks. It doesn't help that they appeal to a doucheball demographic.

*I* have nothing against offshore drilling per se, but man, I bet the white house is regretting the timing of their recent announcement.

I saw a MiTo running around Ann Arbor last weekend, a couple blocks from my house. Seeing that thing parked on American roads caused major cognitive dissonance.

I like gasoline powered cars as much as the next guy, but am still in favor of using as many modes of transportation and as many types of fuel as is possible.

@BLS: Of course, most SUVs have no occupants other than the driver. The Boeing, though, is almost always going to be totally full.

No European car has ever been the best performance bang-for-the-buck.

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I'm torn.

If they need to ask, whichever Honda or Toyota is the right size. I lean towards Hondas, but in spite of recent headlines you gotta respect Big Beige.

@Turboner: Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahah. I would _never_ suggest an Audi to anyone who wants something easy to live with (which is what they want if they're asking). And yes, I've owned several, know a lot of die-hards and still have my B5 Passat.

I liked the one my friend had back in high school in the mid-90's. It compared favorably to the other cars my friends were driving. But by today's standards?

BMW hasn't routinely put LSDs in non-M cars since the mid-90's, sadly. An S3.64 was the first upgrade I made to my E34. :)

@AmphetamineCrown: All-Clad is nice but there are comparable stainless clad aluminum pans for half the price at most large restaurant supply stores. Two things matter: 1) the pan needs a THICK aluminum bottom (and sometimes sides) and 2) it needs to be covered in stainless steel. Aside from that, brand is totally…

@LandofMinos, In Soviet Australia, internet censors you: You mean when one beats a V8 in a straight line. Which ain't that far off. I really don't care what makes my car move as long as it moves FAST.

Fuses (19 year old bmw, so LOTS of spare fuses), tire pressure gauge, owners manual. The rest goes where I don't have to listen to it rattling around.

Hideously ugly and horribly made.

GTFO. My '91 E34 came with a $40K stack of receipts, and it doesn't have anywhere near the complexity of this beast. Having spent time in the hands of a dipshit, this thing is a time bomb.

@kettlewhistle: No, the meat is hot enough to kill whatever gets transferred back to it. Plus, you're not trying to kill _all_ the organisms in the meat, just _most_ of them. There's a time-temperature relationship related to the reduction in bacteria counts, and any piece of meat worth eating will still have at…