Piston Slap: In Praise of the 2005 Honda CR-V
Chris writes:

Dear Sajeev,

Back in 2005 I purchased a new Honda CR-V. It recently rolled over 200,000 miles. It has never given me any trouble or needed anything but normally scheduled service and the usual wear items (tires, brakes, battery). It has survived the New England winters rust free. Most importantly, it’s paid for.

Is there anything proactive I should do to keep it on the road, maybe even for another 100K? I don’t mind investing now if it will save me major repairs later. As trouble-free as it’s been I can’t see replacing it (nor am I in a position to right now), but given the mileage I feel like I should be waiting for that other shoe to drop!

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Jeep Grand Comanche Episode 2: We Jack 'Em Up In The Yard

If you haven’t heard by now, there’s a new project car in TTAC’s “garage,” a 2000 Grand Cherokee Limited. I of course use the term garage simply because “gravel driveway” fails to have the same ring. Why a car guy doesn’t have a garage is a story for a different time. All I will say on the matter is that I was promised a garage with a 2-post lift and I am still waiting… Back to the car. Before we chop the lid off the WJ Grand Cherokee to convert it into a two door, two seat Grand Comanche we needed to tackle a few projects. We need a lift kit, off-road rubber, then we need to ditch the interior and take care of some general housekeeping items.

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Super Piston Slap: The Life and Death of a Proper LeMons Car
Sajeev writes:

One of the more (in)famous vehicles in junk car racing recently visited the big boneyard in the sky. It’s particularly sad for me, as this vehicle helped me back into the driver’s seat when I needed all the help I could get. The tenacious handling, phenomenal power complete with a BULLITT-worthy soundtrack in a brown station wagon; it was all positively insane. A sad tale indeed, but worth sharing from start to finish. So here’s Mr. Brian Pollock, owner of this brutally competitive Ford Fairmont Wagon, to tell the tale.

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  • MaintenanceCosts What is the actual out-the-door price? Is it lower or higher than that of a G580?
  • ToolGuy Supercharger > Turbocharger. (Who said this? Me, because it is the Truth.)I have been thinking of obtaining a newer truck to save on fuel expenses, so this one might be perfect.
  • Zerofoo Calling Fisker a "small automaker" is a stretch. Fisker designed the car - Magna actually builds the thing.It would be more accurate to call Fisker a design house.
  • ToolGuy Real estate, like cars: One of the keys (and fairly easy to do) is to know which purchase NOT to make. Let's see: 0.43 acre lot within shouting distance of $3-4 million homes. You paid $21.8M in 2021, but want me to pay $35M now? No, thank you. (The buyer who got it for $8.5M in 2020, different story, maybe possibly.) [Property taxes plus insurance equals $35K per month? I'm out right there lol.] Point being, you can do better for that money. (At least the schools are good? Nope lol.)If I bought a car company, I would want to buy Honda. Because other automakers have to get up and go to work to make things happen, but Honda can just nap away because they have the Power of Dreams working for them. They can just rest easy and coast to greatness. Shhhh don't wake them. Also don't alert their customers lol.
  • Kwik_Shift_Pro4X Much nicer vehicles to choose from for those coins.