No More Camaros for You!
In an irony probably lost on General Motors, California has banned until further notice the sale of the Chevy Camaro SS and ZL1, the Camaro’s high-performance versions, based on environmental studies on brake pad emissions. The fade-resistant high-performance pads used in these models emit trace amounts of heavy metal dust such as copper and asbestos during braking. […]
The Forgotten Last Muscle Car
Editor’s note: Eric has excerpted this post from his forthcoming book Doomed. It’s a strange but true thing that one of the last real muscle cars was, here it comes—a Buick. The 1973-1974 Century GS Stage 1 455. You have probably never heard of it, even if you are a car guy. Buick sold more of them than […]
Plug n’ Play: New Parts for Old Cars
One of the great things about old cars is you can selectively update them with modern technology without turning them into modern cars. An overdrive transmission, but not air bags. Better tires for more grip, but not traction control that countermands burnouts. Another such upgrade can be performed to an older car’s ignition system. For […]
New Performance Tires for Old Performance Cars
If you own a classic muscle car made back in the ’60s or ’70s, you’ve probably become aware of an ironic problem—It is virtually impossible to find new performance tires for old performance cars. The BF Goodrich Radial T/A is about as good as it gets, and though it’s a good-looking tire, with handsome raised […]
The Rising Cost of Buying an Entry Level Car
There is some good news. After adjusting for inflation, the typical $15,000 or so brand-new economy car—something like a Nissan Versa ($14,830) or Hyundai Accent $15,600)—doesn’t cost that much more than something like a 1970 VW Beetle cost ($1,839) when it was a brand-new economy car. A ’70 Beetle’s MSRP today would be just over $13,000, a […]
The Sold-by-Owner Used Car Market Crashes—Does Anyone Care?
Well, that headline needs a qualifier. The sold-by-owner used car market is crashing. Very few people are buying that way, though information about this is being suppressed by not separating person-to-person used vehicle sales from dealer-to-person sales, which are booming. But we get ahead of ourselves. If you’ve attempted to sell a car lately yourself, you probably already know […]
The Fixable vs. the Tossable
Being able to fix rather than replace things will probably become of greater interest in the years ahead. One such fixable rather than a tossable thing is the now-venerable carburetor, a fuel-delivery device as unknown to most people under 30. Carburetors mix and distribute fuel mechanically rather than electronically, which accounts for their being fixable rather than tossable. […]
Pros and Cons of the Old Car in the New Normal
It is far from a bad idea to consider buying an older car given the “new normal” descending. But, as with most things, there are downsides as well as upsides. Here’s a look at both: Upsides Old cars don’t always cost as much, and you will likely pay cash for it. Then you won’t need […]
The Mysteries of Mechanical Fuel Delivery
If you’re under 40 and thinking about buying a car that’s older than you are, there are some things you may not know but will need to learn about if you want to tune that car. Which will likely have a carburetor, if the car you want to buy was built before circa 1985, it […]
Buying Orphaned Cars
McDonald’s isn’t successful because of its food. It’s successful because of the availability of its food. Whether in LA or NYC, McDonald’s is right around the corner—and so all the “parts and service” you’re looking for and need. You don’t have to drive from NY to LA to buy a Quarter Pounder with Cheese. But […]