Perhaps surprisingly, my best experience was at a Mazda dealer, although I’ve had good experiences helping my parents buy cars at the Toyota dealer under the same local network. (I also had an excellent BMW test drive at another of this chain’s stores).

I don’t believe a lot of buyers realize how good “economy cars” have gotten, and how much the gap has narrowed between standard and luxury brands in general. For instance, I last bought a car in 2012 and began by looking at the typical “entry level luxury”as I was in that general bracket. But I also test drove a few…

Tempting, but I’d need more yard space and a partially-loose, weathered tarp before getting a sit-in-the-yard car.

I had an 85-mile round trip commute (although not in a very high-traffic area) and wanted something efficient, engaging, and reasonably comfortable with a manual transmission. I tried a bunch of cars and bought a Mazda 3. That may be too obvious/dull suggestion, but I’ve been happy with it. It does have a fair amount…

Perhaps AI has secretly gotten good enough to mimic stereotypical driver behaviors for various brands.

I had a ‘92 Nissan Sentra (XE, I think) that was full of lies. The heat buttons lied. The AC buttons lied. The accelerator might not have lied, but it let me know it was thinking about it and might get back to me. The gas gauge lied but never really tried. Fortunately the odometer and notebook I kept in the car didn’t…

Good point. A main reason I picked a Mazda 3 over a 6 was that I could get an upper trim level with cool stuff. (And it was more fun.)

Similarly, I looked for a manual Accord to test drive in 2012, which would have been my third (after a ‘90 and ‘00). No dealer in my area had one. One had a Civic, but that wasn’t the best year for them. However, the Mazda dealer had a few manuals in stock, so now I have one. (I also tested a used BMW 328i with a…

I’ve never been in one even though I was around when they were. While I owned both a Chevette and Pinto I have no desire for a Yugo. The memories of walking around in search of a payphone are still too vivid.

My first thought was also the Mazda 3 hatch, but based on my 2012 sedan I’m not so certain about two adults in the back with a tall driver for more than a few minutes. So I’d double check that. Other than that I think it would be a great choice, but watch for rust on any before 2011 or so if it’s been in a…

I’ll guess it’s so people know it’s new. Morgan may have driven it around and, if anyone noticed, they asked how old it was, perhaps expressing surprise that Morgan has made or designed anything in the last couple of decades. So, they wrapped it in some camo, drove it around, and surprised everyone that Morgan is…

If there are different factions I’d go with the pristine ones a dad keeps on the shelf—possibly some still in the packaging, wanting to get out—and the beat up ones that a child plays with. They get to see the sandbox, see the heinous things under couches, talk to the forgotten toys and presents under beds. Things…

I’m very late on this, but last summer I was in traffic among a group of exotic, collector, and interesting cars. I don’t know what the event was, but the cars were impressive, and I felt extra poor among them. But the one I remember the clearest—and smiled when I saw it—was a sparkly green dune buggy. It looked…

In some areas of the US, I suspect crumbling roads are making sales of sports cars—Porsche or otherwise—more difficult. For instance, there are some fun, curving roads between where I live and a favorite place to hike, but several sections are in bad shape. While driving home after a hike a few months ago I spotted a…

Is an old-fashioned, easily accessible, volume knob too obvious? Manufacturers look like they’re going back to a good ol’ volume knob, but I noted a lack of them while shopping a few years ago. Even though my current car has up and down volume buttons on the steering wheel I still use the volume knob.

If only they’d taken a moment to listen they may have noticed that the rhythm and song being expertly performed is achingly beautiful. The mockers display an astounding lack of rhythm or understanding of what they’re seeing.

Maybe Lego’s designers visited Bowling Green on the day of the holiday party?

This was my first thought, even into the early 00s. Here’s a 2000 Accord Coupe cluster as it reached 200K miles. Yes, the photographer took a photo while going 67MPH.

That sounds like a good fix. I used rope and bungee cords while trying to find a better solution. I was told either remove the gas tank and weld it, which would have been expensive, or do what nearly everyone else did and replace the bumper with a board. I took a third option: sold it and bought a Pinto.

I don’t know. Standing at the side of a road looking at the now dragging bumper—fallen before I could even get it back home from the shop—and laughing because I could do nothing else at that point ruined Olds for me. But having nearly every part break at some point taught me a lot more about how cars work. Or don’t…