I always think that loud pipes do safe lives, but they also shorten others, when somebody is ready to do anything to stop that infernal sound.

For many years of cross-country motorcycle touring I kept five $20's in my “tire repair kit”. Never had to use them.

What do you say in the first two paragraphs, which are covered by an add? 

Tough was driving my 1963 Mercedes-Benz 220SEb up California Highway 1 and back. No assist on the steering and a beautiful 20-inch diameter white bakelite steering wheel to two hand steer with.

You really need to try this one on first to make sure it fits. You may need to take your shoes off to get both feet into the foot well.

I wasn’t big like that, but one hand always ended up touching the ground getting out of my Jaguar E-type. And that was Oregon, and the ground was always wet.

Buying a 5 year old hi-tech hybrid is like buying a 5 year old Leica digital camera. Best left to collectors who want everything they ever made. 18 miles just isn’t enough megapixels compared to what you can get now.

The Russia Navy has the world’s oldest active naval vessel, the Kommuna. This ship was commissioned by the Czars Navy in 1913.

There is also the “psychological size” of the engine measured by how much you feel intimidated by the task of working on it. Even at only 3.8L, the straight six in my Jaguar E Type was simply immense.

My MGB often wouldn’t start until a got out the knock-off hammer that came with the car and gave a medium whack to the electric fuel pump.

My 1972 Peugeot 504 had door panels that had a hood edge up at the top at the window sill and at the bottom had a very early application of Velcro. Literally, after first removing the door and window handles, and a little metal trim at the door pull, and a violent ripping sound as you pulled harshly on the bottom…

I was thinking it drove off a 3 foot high loading dock. Everything is no longer right and there is no place to start. With mentions of water damage maybe it drove off the plaza into a fountain at the port cochere of some Vegas dive.

I responded to one of those annoying security questions used to prove you are who you are online, this one was “what was the make of your first car” and I responded with MG. The website responded, “name too short”. 

With a lot of pricey old cars, restoring the interior is more expensive than a complete rebuild of the mechanicals. I restored an early ‘60's Mercedes Coupe and the to restore the front and back seats in new Mercedes leather was twice the engine rebuild.

In 1985, the mechanic who was handling assisted living for my 1970 Peugeot said the car was worth $500. It needed at least $2500 in repairs to keep it on the road. If done, it would be worth $600.

I test drove a couple used examples in the mid 1970's thinking of buying one. Even at age 22, 5' - 10" and 150 pounds, it took me an unpleasant minute or so to squeeze inside. Once inside, everything was very nice and comfortable in a cheapish sort of way.

I am waiting for Tesla to offer a $2500 optional package of round, chrome bezel Smiths gauges.

I did that analysis about 8 years ago when staring at my old Apple “Cube” computer sitting like the brick it was on a closet shelf. I tracked down the share price of Apple stock on the day I bought the Cube and all its shiny peripherals. If I had spent that money on Apple Stock? Something like $240,000.

But of course, every component that contributes to global warming is only adding a small percentage to the total. But if every component has idiots arguing that “our” percentage is so small we should get a pass (for the consumers) the result is what they just said.

But I still do not want what is obviously the Predator’s home planet version of a Baleen Whale.