I had that revelation after writing this. Once their mom’s civics rotted out they simply moved on to Subarus. This adds up as I got my license 2 years after the WRX came to the US, so of course I always wanted one but most of my friends started out driving civics that came from their parents and have only started to…

I’m pretty sure the biggest wrenching mistake I made cost me the transmission on my Outback XT earlier this year.

That’s your saab? I wasn’t at the show but I saw pics of it somewhere and was digging it hard.

Yeah, I agree it was weird, and out of the ordinary from what I expect most of those meetups are like. Maybe the reception would have been nicer if I had contacted them in advance, but like I mentioned it was just a random occurrence that I happened to be driving past the parking lot. We also didn’t really make an…

I see what you’re saying, and I wasn’t exactly trying to say that change in a vehicle and surroundings doesn’t have an effect - it certainly does! My point is just that as humans, we can account for that by managing those factors. Learning where the controls for lights and wipers are before pulling out of the rental…

Yeah that’s true too... despite using that expression it does bug me a bit in the modern era. As somebody that has done some fine woodworking with hand tools (although I’m definitely no master) I can say that even an expert woodworker would struggle to work with dull chisels that wouldn’t hold an edge. Now in the time…

Not quite 2 years ago when I first got my Outback XT I took a Saturday morning trip to the local guitar center with 2 friends of mine. On our way out we noticed a bunch of modified Subarus pulling into the parking lot next door. On a whim we decided to pull in and check some of the cars out.

post hoc ergo propter hoc

I’ll take that bait and give you a counterpoint: Earlier this year I drove a rental car for a week in rural Ireland. Tiny car, 5 speed, my first time driving on the opposite side of the car/road than I’m used to, on windy two lane roads that would barely be one lane roads back here in the US but were filled with fast…

I don’t think I’ll get over how crazy it looks when these guys set themselves up sideways in the air for the next turn. Obviously it works, it just looks mental... and I’m thankful for it

Or this? (This guy was neighbor to my friends growing up and I’ve seen this tractor pull a number of times since he fixed it)

Yeah, as both a programmer and someone who lives in deer country and has had more than a fair share of run ins, I can say no amount of sensors alone could truly fix this problem. The worst deer are the ones who run out of the brush in the side of the road RIGHT as you approach. To avoid that you’d need heat seeking…

This. I am a driver that didn’t take driver’s ed before getting my license, so I am a little conflicted about requiring such at thing. At the same time, I did take the MSF class when I was 16 and learned a lot from it, things that even helped my car driving. I also lived in a rural area and had parents that encouraged…

I deserved that....

Haha I suppose your reading would be accurate given what I wrote!

At least that’s AWD and a wagon though. I find it hard to knock a practical car no matter how bland and slow. That said, add a turbo to it and boom! Even better

I must be getting old and boring an cynical. While I respect the right of anyone to rally whatever oddball car they want, the lambroghini just looks large and awkward and slow out there. I’d honestly rather watch the usual volvo 240s and tiny hatchbacks going flat out and (potentially) being faster! Still, props to…

More or less just as easy, and it did make it easier to get to some stuff under the hood. Less likely to fall on your head while wrenching too, unless I guess there was a wind storm or something

Most older BMWs have hoods like that, at least the 2 I had did. It’s one of my favorite parts about them for sure

I was always a fan of your writing, what with fancy Kristen and all. This just bumps you into favorite writer category for me. Logical, coherent, gripping, spelled correctly, etc. Well done, well done