The details of that crash are particularly horrific since they came close to saving the plane a few times but overcorrected. 

We didn’t necessarily have brand loyalty, though I was, for some reason, a big fan of GM as a kid. We did have a few GMs over the years, including an original Oldsmobile ‘dustbuster’ van, a Chevy Blazer, and a GMT400 Suburban. My parents loved their early E36 BMW 318i, which they sold after 270,000 miles and bought a…

I think the key lesson for the McParland method is to help avoid the dog and pony show. Dealerships usually bank on the fact that you are more likely to buy if you’re there, and the inconvenience and time involved will wear you down. If you’re firm, then it’s probably fine, but it’s going to be a hassle.

Two notes: The Ferrari California was pretty much only an automatic, and both are GT cars, not sports cars. I agree that a stick with the V8 would be great, but I wouldn’t say that that was what knocks the price of the Maserati. 

The great recession shortly afterwards didn’t help either.

Agreed. It isn’t like he didn’t try to make good cars, but he missed the boat on where the market was going, and in turn where to position Cadillac. 

The seats are usually the element in hot rod builds that I don’t like. Part of it is the seat and cushion design are such a departure from the original design, and overpadded with leather that they just stick out. 

An old Wrangler is certainly not even close to being good as a daily driver, but for a trail/off roader, you’ll have fun - even with the 2.5 low output. But Wranglers do have a bit of a price of the Jeep fever, so an alternative would be the Suzuki Samurai.

To be fair, Nissan was bleeding money before Carlos Ghosn took over. I agree that their appeal certainly dropped down, but they probably would not have survived otherwise. 

Could be. Facebook Marketplace is also a terrible place to list a car. 

The first message would be asking for interior pictures. Seems like an odd omission, and probably the very thing that would determine the NP/ND vote. 

Exactly. People lose sight that our commodities require energy, and there isn’t a silver bullet option that can magically make everything net zero. That said, more efficient systems that can be supported by renewable energy will save in the long term. Hopefully technology and mining improvements can help mitigate the…

Improving the efficiency of the home is always a great first step. Solar is great, but if the home is inefficient, you’re still just wasting energy. Plus, you may end up with more solar panels simply to offset the waste, which also drives up the total cost. 

Tacos are expensive - get a Jeep.

I would just get a second set that looked better, but I agree that keeping the original wheels is important given the overall condition of this Miata. 

Porsche was my first thought too. Some models have certainly shined brighter than others, but all have been engaging cars that execute their goals well. Even the “lowly” more modest cars are great fun to drive.

Costco generally offers better quality items than Sam’s Club, such as their prime meat selections and wine selection.

“Modern” seems like it would be subjective. Is the 4Runner modern? If you had a 20 year old Cherokee (which itself was already a 15 year old platform)... probably.

The G70/Stinger platform is a great GT style car and quite capable, but the tuning and traction control settings keep it from being the top performance sports sedan. As long as you aren’t expecting it to be more than it is, it seems like a good package.

I don’t mind the brightwork and personally do not care for blackout packages, but I agree that choices are good, and it’ll be a popular option nonetheless.