Agreed. It’s really a great motor.

According to the trip computer, 20mpg in mostly city driving. Not shabby at all.

Actually, I found the EcoBoost had very little lag. It had great torque down low and if you put your foot into it you’d get a pretty snappy response.

I had a 3.5l EcoBoost for a couple of years, and determined two things: 1) Yes, it can be a very economical engine; much better than a V8 if driven carefully, leading to 2) You can have Eco, or you can have Boost, but you can’t have them both at the same time.

With those power/torque numbers the 4 won’t be straining.

I’d say the ‘97 Camry has held up well, as has the 1st gen Solara.

I haven’t seen another car (that mere mortals can afford, anyway) that has held its value like the S2000.

We just got my daughter her first car for her 18th birthday: a yellow ‘03 Protege5. With stick.

Not everyone has access to tools/workspace, but I’d get a 2nd opinion and maybe prioritize the repairs.

What they really should have done was combine Geo and Saturn. The two together might have actually made a single viable nameplate.

The big disadvantage is that you have to wait for the engine to warm up, just as with cabin heat.

Because the lenses are facing the back of the vehicle, spray/scratches would be negligible in most cases. In fact, a camera lens is a small enough surface that it could be made with synthetic sapphire/Gorilla Glass to resist scratches.

That’s probably more a function of presentation than actual sensing.

No matter what, there’s going to be some benefit from moving the camera a few inches out from the body; it will have a wider range of view.

Camera lens is a smaller surface to defrost, so should defrost faster.

Mirrors—particularly in an entry-lux car like a Lexus ES—have become expensive, complex devices in their own right with heating elements, auto-dimming glass, and adjustment servos. The cameras might actually be cheaper to replace.

I also think that anyone who sells such a vehicle second-hand is obligated to demonstrate the manual override function for the doors.

I think even if I was that person, $10k is a bit steep... CP.

Two benefits to higher seating position:

God help me, I actually like this thing. And 300hp doesn’t lessen the appeal.