Looks like you can call that white one “Lucky Pierre”.

As a fellow Michigander, and the driver of a 30 year old car, you have my sympathies for your troubles sourcing clean parts. Might I suggest you look along the western half of your travel route? You’re more likely to find a good skid plate out west that you can grab on your way out.

1. Kia Soul. No. Unless your new religion is fluid maintenance, keep a spare engine lying around.

Ever.

IRL crash tests have actually been on the decline for most of the last 20 years. It is generally accepted for a manufacturer to submit computer crash simulations instead. Some still do get crash tested, or sometimes IIHS or NHTSA will request an actual crash test of a model or line, but the numbers of those compared…

When won’t a 4v fit? The width of the 4v is the same as the 2v, the intake is simply narrower. It’s still big, it’s just not bigger than a 2v.

It’s not an “emotional support animal”, it’s just an animal. You can train a dog, you can even train the right cat (though, to most, you’re just the help), but that’s pretty much it. Oh, you’ve got a support dog? Papers, please, cuz I want to see Fido’s credentials. Oh, you’ve got an emotional support <insert…

Tell us about the Dodge Mirada.

Good write-up, I’d like to recommend replacing the coil boots (cheap insurance), and point out that the dark bands on the spark plugs at the base of the porcelain is from combustion byproduct and pressure leaking through between the insulator and ring. If you ever see that, replace them all, no matter how young they…

Irrelevant. This is the story that the affected customers will tell.

I don’t know if anyone has mentioned it yet, but a “Field Service Action” is Fordese for RECALL, not Technical Service Bulletin. This is a recall. I’m sure glad I got out of wrenching in Ford dealers, this is going to be a complete fiasco for every poor bastard involved at every miserable level.

Who cares, it will have paid for itself by the time it was stolen.

I want to help find these guys. Looks like a Toyota Corolla. Yeah, that’s the ticket.

Who are these guys; I want to buy them some beers and join their revolution.

That’s right. Pull over, call your mommy to come get you.

Wow, she needs some love. If it’s going to be held up as a valuable collector car, it needs to look like one. I live in Michigan of all places, and I can find 20 more just like this one during the summer, and most of them will be in better shape. Though Ford doesn’t own this one, they should still offer to restore it.

I can’t see the government approving of a car with no controls. There has to be a means by which to provide manual input. Even if it’s just a damned xbox controller stuffed in the glove box (works for the Navy).

As it is with any studless winter tire. They’re soft, it’s why they work.

Why can I only star this once? It’s worth 100 stars.

Nokian should be at or near the top of any list of the best winter tires available. Blizzak are also very good. My wife has a set of spare wheels with Blizzaks, my winter beater has a cheap set of Nokian Nordman 5s. The Normans are easily equal to the WS80s on her car, and they cost less.