Junkyard Find: 2007 Saturn Vue Green Line

Honda beat everybody to the production gasoline-electric hybrid game in the United States, putting the Insight in showrooms in 1999. Toyota followed with the Prius a year later, but it took GM until 2006 to introduce its first true gasoline-electric hybrid here. That car was the 2007 Saturn Vue Green Line, and I managed to find one in a Denver-area car graveyard recently.

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Junkyard Find: 1964 Mercury Montclair Four-Door Hardtop Marauder

Here's a car trivia question for you: what engine name went on to become the designation for a body style and then a car model name in its own right? The answer is, of course, Marauder.

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Junkyard Find: 1993 Nissan Stanza Altima GXE

Over the last couple of decades, the Nissan Altima has become the butt of countless online jokes and is now generally considered the most wretchedly disposable of US-market motor vehicles. We can assume that this is the result of so many years of ex-fleet Altimas being dumped into the market after full depreciation, coupled with a general sense of utter dysfunction in Nissan HQ. In any case, the Altima is an icon now, and I've spent years trying to find a first-year example in the car graveyards I frequent. Finally, in a Denver-area boneyard, I found this battered '93 GXE sedan.

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  • Jalop1991 Ah gots me mah four wheel drive, I ain't need no sissy "winter" tahrs that are all just marketing gobbledygook anyways. Tahrs is tahrs, y'all need four wheel drive in the snow.
  • ChristianWimmer Honestly, the W220 S-Classes aren’t as bad as people make them out to be. The early models had some issues which were thankfully mostly taken care off with the facelift, though strangely rust remained an issue. The important part is that these days the faults are known and there’s a thriving online community [for any car] that gives useful DIY tips on preventative maintenance and where to get genuine OEM or solid [reliable] aftermarket spares. When I worked for a Benz dealer in the early 2000s I got to drive plenty of these (mostly S320, S320 CDI and S500 models and once an S400 CDI V8 Turbodiesel) and I found them relaxing, comfortable and great Autobahn cruisers. Best of all the W220s actually handled compared to the floaty and boat-like W140 predecessors.
  • MaintenanceCosts I love EVs but long road trips are the worst scenario for them. If my road trip doesn't have any off-highway driving, the ideal vehicle for it is a Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid Pinnacle. If it does, then the best choice is a 2021 or earlier Toyota Land Cruiser.
  • Sobhuza Trooper Didn't anyone learn anything from National Lampoon's VACATION? The answer is obvious: Wagon Queen Family Truckster
  • Sobhuza Trooper Portland Oregon to Portland Maine via a 1999 Bentley Continental R, the highpoint of 20th century automobile transportation.