Piston Slap: Branded Title = Scarlet Letter?

Darrick writes:

Hey Sajeev,

First of all, I want to say that I enjoy your articles and your love of Panther and Fox body Fords. (Woot! —SM)

I’m writing to you about my 2005 Ford Focus SE ZX4 in the hope that you may give me some guidance.

I moved to the east coast (southeastern Virginia) from the Midwest in 2008. A year later, I received a brutal lesson in what coastal flooding can do to a neighborhood and when said flooding finds its way into a vehicle. My Focus sustained $3,500 in damages, and nearly all that amount was due to airbag and seatbelt system damage. I had insurance, so I was only out of my $100 deductible, but the damage cost was such that I now have a branded title due to flood damage.

Read more
Hammer Time: Good Works

Most folks will tell you how great they are. It’s not an evil thing. Just a gut reaction to personal insecurities. The great men… let others do their talking. Evil souls will pay someone for the pontificating privileges (and turn on them after the fact). However the greatest of men… tells no one of their good deeds. You don’t need faith or even a financial perk to ‘pay it forward’ and help out folks in need. With that in mind let me tell you about one of the many great men you’ve never met.

His name is George. Not a famous George like a Steinbrenner or a Stephanopoulos. Not even a Bailey or a Jetson. George is an everyday guy. Like most of us here he is also a bit of a goofball. George spends his work days designing all sorts of logos and emblems for off-beat brands. If there is a cultural creative somewhere in his neck of the woods chances are they would benefit from his talents. Unfortunately one of his in-law’s died from lung cancer a few years back. It was a soul bending, brutal and sickening experience. So he has over the years donated two vehicles towards the American Lung Association. Both Toyotas. Both of which do very well in dealer auctions that focus on overseas markets. Here’s his story. Enjoy!

Read more
  • Bd2 I hope Elon eats one for dinner.
  • Wjtinfwb I really like these, but can't shake the voice in my head that says, "$9000 will just be the starting point. You'll have 20 grand in this baby inside of 18 months".
  • SCE to AUX I hope they're buying good lawyers, too.
  • SCE to AUX Nothing to see here. Gas prices 2021-23 were the same as they were in 2007-2008, adjusted for inflation. The R's were in charge then.https://www.randomuseless.info/gasprice/gasprice.html
  • VoGhost Just reminding us all that we have to tolerate dealers (many of whom are billionaires) in the US if we want new legacy ICE vehicles because the dealers pay for the campaigns of local politicians, with our money.