Based on what I’ve seen in recent years, the closest match to a manual for the average American today would be an automatic that smells weird and wears itself out faster than your tires (to properly simulate riding the clutch), waits until the engine RPM is high enough to cause minor damage before shifting up, and…

Right-to-work was on the ballot in Missouri but didn’t pass.

Maybe the minivan could have the fun factor of coming up with mods to make it more like what you want. Slowly build it in to a knockoff of the A-Team van or something. Or find an AWD minivan and make it more camper-like for weekend nature trips.

How about a whole new approach that embraces cars being a little floaty? Give them control surfaces. It could end up looking like a weird hybrid of F1, rally, and airplane racing.

Maybe you just need to find the right place to shop where it can be stolen so you get an insurance payout.

Donks vs spinners. Go!

How did you end up writing about cars? Lots of people love a thing, will talk your ear off over a beer, and even have solid knowledge and research ability, but most of them don’t become writers.

Harbor Freight also has a cheap full-face shield. I wouldn’t use it with an angle grinder just because of the power/heat, and you probably can’t wear it with a respirator (maybe a dust mask). But for some tasks you might find it preferable since it is full-face and extends far enough down for a little neck protection.

Not sure about the price for an obvious custom job, but in the past I’ve heard people complain that their newer medium-duty trucks like the one this was built from last “only” 600k miles so 130k seems like it’s just getting broken in.

Maybe the next purchase should be a car-carrier.

Luke Perry’s character in “Jeremiah” also drove a sorta-cool truck. Best guessI see on teh interwebs is that it’s a 1970s Canadian military pickup (or replica) with a custom cage added.

The most common place I see people moving at genuinely unsafe speeds in my area is through construction zones, and I don’t know that geofenced limits would keep up with those. That might require a standardized road work radio transmitter or something (which could also notify autonomous or remotely-driven vehicles). Of…

3rd: Not sure how they count dealerships, but in my area I’ve seen a lot of consolidation over the past couple of years. Smith Chevrolet becomes the “Smith Automotive Group” because Smith bought all the Jones and Williams dealerships.

What’s that? You say California does something asinine and useless? Next you’ll be telling me that a man did something bizarre in Florida while intoxicated.

I’ve spent time in Lawrence. Sounds about right. There were a lot of overly-entitled people there, which is weird until you realize it’s where a lot of the rich people near Kansas City send their kids for college if they’re only able to get in to a state school.

I thought electric cars were slowly moving OUT of the shitbox category, where they’ve spent the past few decades, and in to the usable transportation category. Though I guess maybe a lot of the older ones weren’t so much shitboxes as toys....

I remember the TV ad campaign Hyundai ran telling people to just say “hunday”. Which is not exactly correct, but it’s close enough and at least got everybody saying it the same way.

Oh come now, with the proper speakers and a recording your car could make whatever sound you want. Zoom, blaaat, owsavemefromthisdriver....

Obviously the TSA has not watched the movie “eXistenZ”, where teeth were used as projectiles in a weapon.

I can see it already: “What do you mean I can’t register this as a Toyota Camry? It says Camry right on the front.”