Wedding season is overspending season. We’re obligated to lavish the young couple with matching “bride and groom” keepsakes of sentimental value simply because the registry says so. Not even in rural Sullivan, MO would you find a bridal registry including two matching turbocharged Dodges old enough to legally toast the happy couple with Walmart champagne. […]
While you weren’t looking, the last Honda Civic hatchback sold in America has become the best economy performance bargain on the market. From its 2002 introduction until now, you, along with the automotive media and buying public, wrote it off for its insulated driving experience and honey-I-shrunk-the-minivan looks. Even though it was designed to address […]
Most people drive around with more car than they need. After years of driving, this excess becomes less and less jarring, until you find yourself in a two-ton AWD fortress with dual-pane glass and enough alphanumeric safety aids to stump whole legions of claims attorneys. Here to purge you of your coddling is a race-tight […]
One of the more unfortunate tendencies of human beings is to reduce a culture to stereotypes and rash generalizations. For example, the Dakotas are not merely Fargo jokes and wide open spaces, but an exercise in pragmatism. As in, inexpensive land, low taxes, low unemployment, low crime (except for that fellow with the woodchopper) and […]
The Morris Mini is the golden retriever of cars, instantly recognized and adored by the masses for its playful demeanor. Its introduction in 1958 was a precursor to the British invasion. Over the following decades, the unapologetically British runabout has had its identity seeped into the public view like Earl Grey tea on tooth enamel. In […]
General Motors’ top strategy during its mismanagement of Saab was parlaying the company’s jet history into a vague aeronautic brand association. It doesn’t add up: a logo that features a mythical winged beast (not showing its wings), and a home country with an air force 1.5% the size of America’s (according to Global Firepower, a website […]
The Fiat 124 Sport Coupe pilfered most of the sedan’s components and the Spider’s five-speed manual transmission in the sedan-inspired three-box design. It had a more menacing aura than the doe-eyed Spider, yet offered more versatility and similar performance. This CC-generation 124 has shed its I-beam bumpers but retained the hardy 1.8-liter engine. Lest there […]
After completing just 39,000 miles, this carotene-hued ankle-biter is listed by the owner’s parents. They say he wanted his ownership to be as reliable as possible. You’ve got to hand it to him for finding the least expensive route of British sports car ownership: not driving it. It’s also possible that after parking it in […]
In April, we took the Maple-leaf wraps off of the Canadian-only Pontiac Firefly, basically a turbocharged Geo Metro. Starting with the 1.0-liter G10 three-cylinder engine, Chevy added an intercooler (the size of a postage-stamp) and a snail (the size of… a snail) for a grand total of 70 horsepower. Today, someone has lifted the Firefly drive train, ECU, […]
At 2,200 pounds and 160 inches long (15 inches shorter than a 2015 Versa), the original 510 was not a substantial car. But it had a substantial impact. Simply constructed, with a stout four-cylinder powering the rear wheels, it offered budget-BMW 2002 fun while maintaining daily usability. Thanks to rust, most have dissolved away like […]