The “problem” is we have cheap gas and complex smog laws. At $3/gallon I don’t blame anyone for buying the V8 whatever. Stripper compacts used to the the CARB offset of choice but between EV and cylinder deactivation there is less need.

“the solution to pollution is dilution”

I wouldn’t say it’s all fit and finish, the seats were considerably worse, acceleration is worse (*), handling is worse...but yes to the premise you’re laying out here. People are paying for “prestige” with a side of “I’m doing my part for global warming...by buying a new car every 4 years"

What he said, assuming you don’t have to relocate frequently for work. (in which case owning is a fairly poor choice).

As someone who spent over 2 years doing the ‘full’ 680/280 drive, this is incorrect. Perhaps it is okay now but ‘normal’ traffic on that road was infuriating, in no small part due to smart4twos and priii shepherding the passing lane.

Ah yes, camera police. Redflex is out there. It can’t be reasoned with, it can’t be bargained with...it doesn’t feel pity of remorse or fear...and it absolutely will not stop. Ever. It’s also a corrupt practice that does nothing for public safety.

Those OG Saturns were curiously good cars, but yes steel rusts. 

Balance should be doable, the machine for spinning a tire up isn’t that large. Alignment is also doable since the best one involves...string, not that I’d trust a random guy to do it

What about if you’ve been temporarily transformed into Lorenzo Lamas?

Challenge...accepted

That’s alright, we can always fix them later.

Ironically, C4s once owned that event so much they were banned.

Martians? I thought the lizard people were from Orion.

Im sorry but CARB is basically a cash grab. If your parts are not blessed by it (for a considerable cash donation) you automatically have an illegal car, even if it's cleaner than it was stock.

So more than just the 2 airbags+seatbelts then? I’m aware many cars now feature “bonus” airbags but I don’t think they’re strictly mandatory (at least at the federal level)

Counterpoint. Waylon Jennings also demonstrated this...more successfully on average.

Do we need all of those things? I know we need some of them in order to laugh in CAFE’s general direction with a V8 that gets 27mpg but if infotainment, stability control, launch control, etc. are required then I am a Chinese jet pilot. Air bags and crash testing are not new requirements.

The C4 electronics weren’t all that complex either unless you mean the goofy dash or electronic adjustable seats. It had a port injected EFI bolted to a SBC. Construction wise it was slightly different with the transverse fiberglass springs but yes it seems like it shouldn’t have been expensive to build when…

The full electronic dash on the Corvette only went from 84-89. I actually kind of liked it but it was difficult to read if you got full sun on the display.