The Truth About Cars » YSE Car of the Week

YSE Car of the Week: 2003 BMW E46 M3

Justin Crenshaw — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 14:08:26 +0000

BMW enthusiasts would have you believe that there’s only one “real” M3: the original 1986 model (codenamed E30). That bad boy began life as a homologation special for Group A Touring Car racing. As BMW updated the racer, the road car received power and handling upgrades. When the six-cylinder E36 M3 appeared in 1995 (US), enthusiasts derided [...]

YSE Car of the Week: 2005 Lexus LS430

Justin Crenshaw — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 13:27:44 +0000

Your Shitty Economy (YSE) Car of the Week: the 2005 Lexus LS430. The LS has to be one of the most boring cars in the biz. To paraphrase Jonny Lieberman, grab the wheel and you’re driving Muzak. Handling, sportiness and excitement are as far from the LS430’s vocabulary as Hungarian is from Creole. But even enthusiasts [...]

YSE Car of the Week: 2007 Mercedes R-Class

Justin Crenshaw — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 14:21:27 +0000

Your Shitty Economy (YSE) Car of the Week is the 2007 Mercedes Benz R-Class. Mercedes attempt at a minivan, er crossover thingy has been a huge failure. The ugly, slow selling R-class—a rif on the equally ill-fated Chrysler Pacifica—is as popular as a pet rock at a dog show. Buyers purchasing fifty thousand dollar family [...]

YSE Car of the Week: 2005 Lotus Elise

Justin Crenshaw — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 16:57:37 +0000

This week’s Your Shitty Economy (YSE)™ Car of the Week: the 2005 Lotus Elise. Somewhere along the line responsibility took over your life, leaving no room in the garage for fifty-thousand dollar track toys. It’s amazing how five years and $5,000 a year in depreciation can help rationalize the need for a weekend toy. [...]

YSE Car of the Week: 1997 Dodge Viper GTS

Justin Crenshaw — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 11:53:58 +0000

This week’s YSE (Your Shitty Economy) Car of the Week: the 1997 Dodge Viper GTS. The recently reprieved snake is the epitome of unrefined excess. From the moment you turn the key, you know the folks in the NVH department were banned from the building. Starter button? Ha! Enter “Viper interior” on Google and the [...]

YSE Car of the Week: 2005 Saab 9-5 Aero

Justin Crenshaw — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 21:35:46 +0000

Needless to say, YSE (Your Shitty Economy) Car of the week suffered cataclysmic depreciation, thanks to General Motors. The General bought into the Swedish brand in 1989. After spending $600 million for a half-share, the General proceeded to nickel and dime the automaker to death, mostly through a non-process we know as badge-engineering. Now, if [...]

YSE Car of the Week: 2004 Lexus LX470

Justin Crenshaw — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 20:47:06 +0000

This week’s YSE (Your Shitty Economy) Car of the Week comes to us via Lexus (and Autotrader): the Land Cruiser-with-wood-trim LX470. The low-volume sales of these SUVs proves Americans are not real keen on a tree branch scraping down the side of their $80,000 vehicle. Even though the second gen LX470 is supremely capable off-road, [...]

YSE Car of the Week: Ferrari F355

Justin Crenshaw — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 12:42:29 +0000

For about the price of a loaded BMW 335i, you can grab the ultimate evolution of the non-Ferrari Dino and its flying buttress styling. Your Shit Economy (YSE) Car of the Week: the Ferrari F355 Spider. Supercar? No, super-toy. Which means most pre-adored examples will likely have low mileage. Warning: as RF will tell you, the [...]

YSE Car of the Week: 2008 Chevrolet Suburban

Justin Crenshaw — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 12:30:19 +0000

For this week’s Your Shitty Economy Car of the Week (YSE), we present the Chevrolet Suburban. For years, Suburban was the only choice for families with four or five kids (or dogs) and a need for heavy towing. In recent times, the Suburban has seen some heavy competition. When GM doubled down [...]

YSE Car of the Week: 2001 BMW M Roadster

Justin Crenshaw — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 00:46:07 +0000

For YSE (Your Shitty Economy) Car of the Week, we feature the first true competitor to the Porsche Boxster in the German Roadster Wars: the BMW M Roadster. When it was new (launched 1998), $42K bought you a 240 hp straight-six powered Palmetto pistol. The S54 engine, introduced in 01, provided an extra 75hp, but used examples netted [...]

YSE Car of the Week: 2006 Infiniti M35

Justin Crenshaw — Sun, 31 May 2009 04:28:26 +0000

YSE (Your Shitty Economy) Car of the Week features the feature-packed Infiniti M35. When it sits new on the dealer lots trying to badge snob you away from the multitudes of BMWs and Audis roaming the crowded commuting lanes of our major cities, this M-car screams bargain at $50K. Option-out a 535i or an A6 [...]

YSE Car of the Week: 2005 Jaguar XJR

Justin Crenshaw — Fri, 22 May 2009 13:26:40 +0000

In honor of the global meltdown’s effect on used car prices, we’re initiating a new feature: YSE (Your Shitty Economy) Car of the Week. We begin with the Jaguar XJR. I mean, who would pay upwards of $80 grand for a luxo sedan that has brought up the rear of every comparo test it has ever been [...]