Actually they were extremely reliable. Much of my extended family lives in Romania, and there are still tons of these driving around everywhere. I’ve started two that were just sitting for years in yards belonging to family members, one which was sitting on blocks in a chicken coop area. Both started and ran…

I have two automatic cars and a manual. One of the automatics has extremely strong engine braking, another doesn’t, and obviously the manual does. I think it depends on the automatic transmission.

I have the Hercules hammer drill. It was on sale for around $80. The first thing I did when I bought it was take it apart and put heatsinks onto the MOSFETs. Been running strong in daily use for a few months now. I will say, the corded 1/2 Chicago Electric drill that is $29 is absolutely amazing in its durability. Ive…

My toaster is a Farberware 4 slice toaster oven. It cost about $17 at Walmart and has no model number in a place that's visible without flipping it over. I remember that it starts with a 5 though.

And hydrogen in an internal combustion engine is superior to gasoline. No tendency to detonate under high compression or boost, ice cold air charge if cryogenic port injection is being used (and thus more power and a cooler running engine), and the ability to run at almost any air-fuel ratio, meaning that no throttle…

Beyond that, my 1979 C10 with a built 454 big block and a plain old Autozone radiator for a big block C30 has no issues with overheating on the track either. In fact, it has trouble even getting up to the thermostat opening temperature. Even with the 180 thermostat, if you’re going faster than 40, even with the engine…

Maybe that's you, but I'm the opposite. The only thing I want in my car is a radio. I don't want it to have a touch screen. I don't want any driver assistance. I definitely don't want it to be connected to the Internet or a cell phone network in any way. I'm not about to let people track my car. I want a car with an…

Man, people have gotten really picky about features in cars. My daily driver has a Delco AM/FM radio as its "infotainment system". It informs you as to what station it's set to and entertains you with what you hear over the radio. I have no A/C and a vinyl bench seat. There is no sound deadening foam. My "Nav" is a…

- Enter Sandman by Metallica

I’m genuinely surprised that it’s so low. I put about 25-30K on my daily driver per year. My parents put about 20-25K on theirs as well, and so do most of my neighbors.

I would have gone with the Detroit Diesel 6V53T which is still in production for the military. The military version is rated at around 450 horsepower and over 1000 ft-lb of torque and is a far more reliable engine with zero electronics to leave it vulnerable to EMP attacks.

I have BF Goodrich’s (owned by Michelin I believe) on one car, Mickey Thompsons on another, and Interco’s on the third. Besides this scandal, Goodyear tires just suck anyways, and I don’t buy them. Sadly there have been situations where I had to buy a special belt or hose that was only available from Goodyear.

This isn’t a matter of ethics. It would be if we were talking about something necessary, like food, medicine, or fuel. In both the cases listed above, you don’t need the product in question. You don’t need a Demon, and a diamond is completely useless, unless it’s a synthetic diamond for drilling etc. You could just as…

Other cars you can buy for $40,000:

I am neither nervous nor unsure. Deviating from proper driving technique simply gives me anxiety. I do not get anxiety because of the feeling of only having one hand on the wheel, but because I am not using proper technique and it bothers me.

Actually, some people do, including me and some of my friends. For me, it causes me a lot of anxiety to keep only one hand on the wheel. Additionally, it's a functional thing. In a lot of trucks, resting your arm somewhere would put your arm much further away from the 2-3 foot long shifter than on the steering wheel.

Sadly Ford's going to stop selling the Focus here

This is what my steering wheel looks like. It's very comfortable, and has dimples on the back that fit your fingers. I can't really compare it to a newer steering wheel as I haven't really driven any cars new enough to have one of those thick ones, but it certainly is very comfortable.

Ah I see. Around here there’s more stations with diesel than ones without.

My friend bought a 1997 VW Jetta TDI for $200. After changing out the injectors and injector pump for $600 or so in parts, he has a beautifully running $800 diesel Jetta.