Oooh nice. I suspect a long black rod interrupted whatever she was doing very shortly after this picture was taken.

yeah rust belt cars throw an extra challenge at you. I tend to start all repairs with a 2x per day dose of antisieze on all bolts for about a week. Upon assembly everything gets antisieze.

THAT STRATOS, WHY NO CLOSE UP PICTURES OF THAT. STOP TEASING ME!! YOUR MEAN!

I can’t believe this won. That guy’s an idiot.

And I know exactly the thought process involved. “Its only another $1,000, I’ve already spent $11,000 and done so much work, there can’t be much more left that’s going to need fixing”.

It is very, VERY misleading to act like the auto industry “did nothing” about emissions. The difference in vehicle emissions from 1979 to 1989 is astonishing, and the amount of money and time that was spent on R&D was incredible. Only someone ignorant would claim they “did nothing”.

Only selling the regional chips in THEIR markets, rather than being like “taste of the (region)“ and mixed around is dumb. I’m in Texas and I want those goddamn Old Bay chips. I can get queso any time I want.

“Tightening the nut behind the steering wheel.”

In a dollars to benefits comparison: polyurethane sway bar bushings (or any bushing replacement). They’re very inexpensive and, especially if your car is of a certain age, will help tighten and flatten the handling noticeably. After that, beefier rear sway bar in any FWD car. They are also things that most people can…

Skip Barber Racing School

Tires.  You can mod the crap out of everything else on your car, but if you can’t grip, you’re just wasting your money.  I finally got a set of summer tires this year, a bit wider than stock, and I can take a corner like I never could before.  It feels like a completely different car.  Always start with tires.

This is the only correct answer. $2K and you’ve got a deal, no other way to think about it. From there, just tuck-in and be ready for the endless gremlin hunt as you try to baseline it.

I LOL’d at the running chicken @ 2:39.

Yes, it’s speed differential that kills, not speed by itself.  If everyone is going the same speed, things are generally OK.  It’s the madman trying to go 15-20 more, or less than everyone else that causes the problem.

I’m old enough to remember when this was called Ghost Riding.

I’d set the remaining $50k aside for V12 maintenance. $4100 per cylinder.

A GM product will run poorly for longer than a lot of other cars will run, period.

Congratulations, Mr. AdmiralAkbar, on COTD!  I would like to gift  you with a BMW which this lovely lady will deliver as soon as the check engine light goes out.

Same here, I get the attraction people have to mod free cars, but why lie and out yourself all at once.

It still annoys me that I have never beaten level 3 of Battletoads.