I hope the blue Barracuda hasn't been taken to SF in its fine new condition, after I saw it struggling to get out of a steep uphill parking space in Alamo Square last year.

@evoCS-Hench-Minion to the stars: As I recall, the Volkswagen Vanagon was designed the same way. One was tested in a frontal offset against a Volvo 745 and the Volvo came off worse because the VW used the Volvo's crumple zones against it.

@VetteWrecker: The kind of Pinto I love is the wagon, particularly the pre-facelift Squires and the earliest Cruising Wagons.

@TechnoDestructo: You're right. I got a Clubman S up to nearly $55k including a full $10 grand in dealer accessories on their configurator this past October.

You can theoretically pay even more than that for a Mini if you max out every single option and dealer accessory.

I went through a phase in high school where I loved Yugos. Then I graduated to the Pinto, which I still have a ridiculous love for. And while I don't ever want a Yugo, I do think a clean Pinto with some power would be fun to have. My interest in AMC products is also growing by the day, and there's now a LeMons racer…

Shame they didn't do this in 2003 when the Marauder came out. It would have been perfect.

1964 T-Bird. I used to dislike them, always preferred the first-gens. Years ago I had an unusual interest in the '63s and was collecting every Hot Wheels variation I could get; that interest has faded. Didn't know how to tell a '64-66 apart until a couple of years ago, and since I took a good long look at a…

@Joshuman: I have nothing against Costco. Saving money is saving money and they usually have pretty good quality of products and services. I'm just saying, some folks don't like big-box stores for 'certain' reasons and I think the author of this post may fall in that category.

My paternal grandfather came from a farm in Ohio and flew B-17s and was shot down over France in 1943. He was a POW in Stalag Luft III (the one from "The Great Escape") until the Allies liberated it in '45. He moved to California around 1960 and co-founded a food brokerage business which he ran for about 30 years…

First car I ever remember lusting after was a Mercedes SL500 in elementary school in the '90s. Tourmaline Green was probably my preferred color, not that I knew what any of the factory colors were called at the time. When I hit middle school, I wanted a Bright Atlantic Blue or Teal '95 Mustang GT. Come high school, my…

@Brian: Cogito Ergo ZOOM!: I can think of two, one of which involves a self-righteous attitude and the other a distaste for large corporations. Mmm, political spin.

@DThr33: I can't even get 93 octane here in California. 91 is the highest I ever see, 87 is regular grade.

Beat to hell 2001 Toyota Echo 2-door, it was my driver training car.

@Baby beater Benz: You haven't heard the 2.8 V6 in my 6000STE. Not a lot of power but it sounds pretty badass (at least to me). By the way, that muffler is as close to stock as you can get for that car these days.

I wouldn't buy my mom anything. She has a silver 2006 Saturn Vue FWD V6 with leather, side airbags and DVD entertainment system and loves the thing. Every time we pull onto a dealer lot to look at cars the salespeople ask if she's trading and she says she won't sell it for any price.

@Volvo4Life - S60R Totaled :(: Well that looks like shit. What did they do, transfer the whole site over to Wordpress?

Riding shotgun around the 'Ring in my cousin's US-spec Jetta GLI VR6 last year was one of the single greatest experiences of my life. I doubt my '99 Regal GS would handle the track quite as well, but it would be damn fun while it lasted.

Anyone who can appreciate the Pontiac 6000 STE for its merits as a competent, home-grown sports sedan and BMW-fighter by the standards of its time is all right with me.

Petition time.