To Shift for Oneself
Leaving aside the fun, is there a stronger argument to be made for the manual transmission vs. the automatic? It depends on your perspective. There is inherent simplicity, certainly. A modern manual transmission isn’t much different than the ones made decades ago. It is still almost entirely a mechanical thing and entirely controlled by you. […]
Accidents Happen…
The thing about accidents, of course, is they’re unpredictable. They just kind of happen usually at a time (and in a place) that’s not convenient. They are also stressful and that’s pretty much when our capacity to make good decisions is at a low ebb. Which is why it’s a good idea to be ready, […]
Toyota’s Z-Car
Nissan’s Z-car may have been the first Japanese sports car to make a real splash in the United States back in 1969, but crosstown rival Toyota wasn’t going to sit on its hands indefinitely. Especially since Toyota had technically beaten the Z-car to the punch by four years with the stunning 2000GT, which made its […]
How Come No New Icons?
Car companies have been resurrecting iconic car names one after the other—the latest being Ford’s Bronco. Previous efforts include the Thunderbird reboot and from General Motors, the GTO, Impala, and (current) Camaro, also resurrected in the early 2000s. But why aren’t new icons being made? The short answer: Iconic cars can’t be made anymore because […]
If MPGs Were Really the Reason
Gas mileage has been a kind of fetish object for the government officials these past 40-something years. But is it really about gas mileage? Or is gas mileage just the excuse for something else—something even more sinister than a handful of people contravening what buyers want, as expressed by their willingness to buy? Let’s consider a couple of things […]
Automotive Pre-emption
New cars do lots of things cars didn’t do in the past, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Convenience has its merits. But what about pre-emption? Cars once did as they were told by their owners and no more. If you didn’t want the doors to lock or the lights to come on, they didn’t […]
The Thousand Dollar Windshield
Most people don’t know this — yet — but replacing a new car’s windshield can cost as much as a new transmission used to cost. Sometimes, more. Because it’s not just glass you’re replacing. Embedded in the glass — part of the “assembly” is safety technology. It’s usually part of the rearview mirror, technically, but […]
The Weirdmobile
One of the best reasons to go to an old car show isn’t so much because the cars are ancient but because they are weird — relative to the same, as they are today. Weird under the hood, especially, which is sometimes under the trunk. One such oddball is the Chevrolet Corvair, which GM built as a kind […]
Ready for Driving Again
It’s hard to sustain a state of panic, a sense of imminent doom, when the sun is shining, the breeze is warm — and you’re getting your classic car ready for spring. This is a necessary and therapeutic annual ritual. Like the first green shoots and buds on the trees, it marks the end of […]
A Good Time to Buy a Classic Car?
People who’ve longed to buy a classic car may be thinking now is a great time to go shopping for one. Maybe. But classic cars are not like new cars or even used cars. Classic cars are an indulgence, while new/used cars are necessary appliances. No one needs a classic car. Those who own them tend to […]