That pretty much sums up my leave. I can't really pinpoint it, but it just seems like there are fewer stories about car culture, oddball cars, and more focus on what the automakers are selling these days. I first noticed the shift when Murilee left, and the void left behind by the absence of Down on the Street was…

and it's the birthday of Ray Wert and myself. Come buy us (especially ray) drinks!

Hell, I don't have much time to post anymore. I used to post fairly regularly as well. I think Hooniverse carries the spirit of the old Jalopnik but with much less traffic. I don't blame Matt though, I blame Gawker and all the silly redesigns. I also hated the "star" system as well.

Many of the regulars left with the many changes. People throw stones at Wert, but he had a way of blending people of all ages and backgrounds. Hardigree has that "ain't I something" aura and unless you're a hipster, you don't really fit in. And the comments. Wert was like a little bee pollinating a field, he knew…

Of course! And apparently he made one post since 2012.

I thought about that guy the whole time. If I was an eccentric billionaire, I'd buy it for him and have it shipped to his house in a padded box.

FordTempoFanatic!

YES! I thought of FTF immediately when I saw this. Good ol' days :)

This 1984 Tempo for sale in Eau Claire, WI is in absolutely staggeringly good shape. These things didn't look this good in November of 1984 — I'm not sure I've ever seen a car this universally not-gave-a-shit-about (I know, there are some enthusiasts out there) in such remarkably good shape.

Remember the commenter FordTempoFanatic? (or something like that) He would've loved this.

Sure, finding humor in one's own situation has a place, but imagine if you read anonymous Internet posters making jokes about your loss. If someone said something like that within earshot, I'd probably do something about it.

Right... what were those suggestions again?

Memo from Ray Wert

...drive one...

No need, I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

like I said.. go see a doctor. I think you have the dumb.

They'd know the difference?

Can anyone in the car really drive? Back in the day before the internet absorbed anyone who could peck out a post, readers expected the authors to have *some* qualifications. I guess we'll just have to settle for people who *think* they know everything.

I'm no Jerry, but let me try to answer this. Real humor comes from pain, you can laugh no harder than you have cried. The Jewish culture is all about pain and suffering; oy, have we cried.