2021 Chevy Blazer
How far can you stretch a name?
The Chevy Blazer was (once-upon-a-time) a full-sized, two-door, truck-based SUV with a removable roof and a V8 engine....
2020 Lexus GS350
What killed the Lexus GS350?
After 27 years in production it looks like 2020 will be the final year for this mid-sized luxury-sport sedan, which...
2021 VW Atlas CrossSport
VW was the small car company. It made Beetles by the bushel that fit in your back pocket, almost. But America super-sized and small...
2021 Nissan Leaf
How much are you willing to spend on a car to spend nothing on gas?
This question arises - or ought to arise - whenever...
2021 Hyundai Venue
Really small crossovers are the new in thing - chiefly because bigger things can come inside taller packages.
The new Hyundai Venue, for instance, is...
2021 Hyundai Venue Rant
Here are some preliminary thoughts about Hyundais' new ultra-small crossover, the Venue; the full review should be available within the next few days -...
2021 Mazda3
The Mazda3 just got speedier.
In addition to its standard 2.0 liter and optional 2.5 liter engine, you can get it with another engine. A...
2021 Lexus UX200
Lexus built the first luxury crossover SUV - way back in 1998, when it introduced the RX300. It’s hard to believe now, but before...
2020 Ford Fusion
Ford only sells one sedan - the 2020 Fusion - and this may be your last chance to buy one. It’s going to be...
2021 Honda Odyssey
It’s ironic that two of the things that make for a family-friendlier vehicle have been disappearing from the market: Sliding - rather than swing-open...
2021 Buick Encore GX
It’s an irony of history that Buick - once upon a time known for its Barcalounger big cars - now sells one of the...
2020 Dodge Charger
Most American cars used to be like the Dodge Charger still is.
They were big, they were rear-wheel-drive and they offered big V8 engines.
Now almost...
Classic Cars
Parts Store Archeology
Once upon a time, oil came in cans.
They stacked nicely but made a mess when you tried to extract the oil, which you did...
The Forgotten Last Muscle Car
It’s a strange but true thing that one of the last real muscle cars was - here it comes - a Buick.
The 1973-1974 Century...
Old School Fast
Fast is not just about the numbers. Does it feel fast to be traveling 500 miles per hour in an Airbus? It feels much...
Plug n’ Play
One of the great things about old cars is you can selectively update them with modern technology without them turning into modern cars.
An overdrive...
It Used to Be Fun
New cars have everything going for them except fun. Most are suffocatingly “safe” - and as entertaining as anything else with that word attached...
The Fixable vs. The Tossable
Being able to fix rather than replace things is probably going to become of greater interest in the years - perhaps weeks - ahead.
One...
New Performance Shoes for Old Performance Cars?
If you own a classic muscle car made back in the '60s or '70s, you've probably become aware of an ironic problem: It is...
Reader Question: S10 MAP Sensor Debacle?
Here's the latest reader question,along with my reply!
BaDnOn writes: I've had a problem for some time that I need to get back to correcting...
Reader Question: ’68 Cougar?
Here's the latest reader question, along with my reply!
Kristy writes: I have a '68 Cougar that I bought in Tucson, AZ in 1995 when...
First They Came for the Muscle Cars . . .
You had to be there to remember - and to understand - so here’s a refresher.
In 1964, group of young Pontiac engineers created the...
Reader Question: Second Gen Trans-Ams?
Here's the latest reader question, along withmy reply!
Huy writes: I was watching your old clip with the AMSOIL for the 2nd generation Trans-Am. I'm...
Motorcycles
Reader Question: Mummified ’83 Silverwing?
Here's the latest reader question, along with my reply!
Kyle asks: I am having my grandmother ship a 1983 Honda GL650 Silverwing to me. It...
Enter the ZRX
I started one of my bikes yesterday after it had been sitting for the past six months - the time it took for me...
First Bikes
Bikes are not unlike shoes in that you want one that fits.
If you're a big guy, there are bikes that won't. And if you're...
No Helmet, no Diaper . . .
It's hard to not get down when you see what's going on all around. The poltroonish passivity of the populace. Stay safe!
Diaper up!
So I...
The DeadWire
People aren’t getting much of a charge out of Harley’s first electric motorcycle, the LiveWire . . . literally.
Owners - and there aren’t many -...
Reader Question: Home for Old Kaw?
Here's the latest reader question, along with my reply!
Fred asks: I've been a reader for years (but a slacker on donations). I used to...
Cycle Therapy
There are sound, practical reasons for owning a motorcycle that transcend fantastic gas mileage and low buy-in cost. I speak of the therapeutic aspects of...
Little Stinker Emerges!
Yesterday was one of the first warm/dry days we've had up here in The Woods of southwest Virginia, so I decided to step away...
Motorcycles in the Saaaaaafety Crosshairs
Motorcycles are the last vehicles still largely free from Uncle’s asphyxiating grasp. That is about to change.
The unelected regulatory apparat known as the National...
Does Biker Deserve Death Sentence?
You may have seen the video below that documents a road rage incident which occurred the other day in California.
A motorcyclist is riding adjacent...
2018 BMW K 1600B
Motorcycles aren't subject to Uncle's fuel-efficiency fatwas.
Not yet.
Which explains why BMW is putting its sixes in its bikes . . . while removing them...
Diaper Report: 12/2/20
I parted ways yesterday with a friend of more than 20 years' standing over his sickness - and my refusal to indulge it or...
Turbos Used to be Fun
Leave it to government to suck the joy out of everything. Like turbos, for instance.
Turbochargers were something special. If you saw a car -...
Have a Look at a Gesundheitsfuhrer
Here is a picture of Sheila Kuehl, Gesundheitsfuhrer of Los Angeles. Isn't she lovely? Or handsome, depending on which "gender" it "identifies" as.
Note that...
Latest Radio: Bryan Hyde Show 12/1/20
Here's the audio of my weekly chat with Bryan Hyde, who hosts the Bryan Hyde Show in Oregon! We talked about wishful thinking -...
The Cars We Could Have Bought…
The cars you're allowed to buy today are the cars government allows to be manufactured. But what kinds of cars might we be able...
Latest Radio: David Knight Show 11/30/20
Here's the audio of my appearance on David Knight's show earlier today; my segment begins around the 1:01 mark.
Got a question about cars, Libertarian...
No Smoking Within
A reader pointed out an interesting parallel between the wearing (or not) of the Holy Rag and smoking (or not).
Both are moralizing crusades -...
Bye-Bye, Passat
VW is apparently going to stop selling the Passat in the U.S. - adding to the roster of RIP'd sedans in favor of crossover...
Do Buy an Old Car – Better Yet, an Old Truck
For several sound reasons, political as well as economic, the purchase of a new car in this new environment is arguably a very bad...
Don’t Buy a New Car
There’s a very sound reason to not buy a new car, given the (s)election of El Presidente Biden. It is that the incoming jefe...
Latest Radio: KMED/Bill Meyer Show 11/25/20
Here's the audio of my weekly chat with Bill Meyer over at KMED radio in Oregon!My segment begins at appx. the 24:30 mark.
. ....
The Quarter-Million-Dollar Plastic Car
What do you get for a quarter-million dollars in a car these days? You get the same plastic bumpers that come on $15k cars....
Cycles
Reader Question: Mummified ’83 Silverwing?
Here's the latest reader question, along with my reply!
Kyle asks: I am having my grandmother ship a 1983 Honda GL650 Silverwing to me. It...
Give ‘Em an Inch . . .
The problem with giving an inch is they always take a mile. This is why it is so important to never give them the...
Enter the ZRX
I started one of my bikes yesterday after it had been sitting for the past six months - the time it took for me...
Reader Question: Some Bike Advice?
Here's the latest reader question, along with my reply!
Sam writes: On Wednesday I saw a guy riding a green and white Kawasaki Super Sherpa...
First Bikes
Bikes are not unlike shoes in that you want one that fits.
If you're a big guy, there are bikes that won't. And if you're...
Reader Question: 1980 Harley Starting Problem?
Here's the latest reader question, along with my reply!
Jon asks: I hope you can point me in the right direction. I saw your video...
Two-Wheeled Post-Corona
Old motorcycles, like old cars, are probably going to experience a resurgence in interest as people become interested in low-cost transportation again.
There may be even...
Rueing the Sherpa
As hysteria about Coronavirus spreads - faster than the disease and possibly more dangerous than the disease - I’m really regretting having sold my...
Reader Question: Is Motorcycle Culture Dying, Too?
Here's the latest reader question, along with my reply!
Dex asks: I think Harley is dying because Harley riders are dying. Whenever I see a Hog,...
Reader Question: Air-Cooled Bikes in the South?
Here's the latest reader question, along with my reply!
Bill asks: I hope you'll take a moment to answer this question for me. For many...
The DeadWire
People aren’t getting much of a charge out of Harley’s first electric motorcycle, the LiveWire . . . literally.
Owners - and there aren’t many -...
New Car Reviews
2021 Chevy Blazer
How far can you stretch a name?
The Chevy Blazer was (once-upon-a-time) a full-sized, two-door, truck-based SUV with a removable roof and a V8 engine....
2020 Lexus GS350
What killed the Lexus GS350?
After 27 years in production it looks like 2020 will be the final year for this mid-sized luxury-sport sedan, which...
2021 VW Atlas CrossSport
VW was the small car company. It made Beetles by the bushel that fit in your back pocket, almost. But America super-sized and small...
2021 Nissan Leaf
How much are you willing to spend on a car to spend nothing on gas?
This question arises - or ought to arise - whenever...
2021 Hyundai Venue
Really small crossovers are the new in thing - chiefly because bigger things can come inside taller packages.
The new Hyundai Venue, for instance, is...
2021 Hyundai Venue Rant
Here are some preliminary thoughts about Hyundais' new ultra-small crossover, the Venue; the full review should be available within the next few days -...
2021 Mazda3
The Mazda3 just got speedier.
In addition to its standard 2.0 liter and optional 2.5 liter engine, you can get it with another engine. A...
2021 Lexus UX200
Lexus built the first luxury crossover SUV - way back in 1998, when it introduced the RX300. It’s hard to believe now, but before...
2020 Ford Fusion
Ford only sells one sedan - the 2020 Fusion - and this may be your last chance to buy one. It’s going to be...
2021 Honda Odyssey
It’s ironic that two of the things that make for a family-friendlier vehicle have been disappearing from the market: Sliding - rather than swing-open...
2021 Buick Encore GX
It’s an irony of history that Buick - once upon a time known for its Barcalounger big cars - now sells one of the...
Reader Question: Small Pick-Up Options?
Here's the latest reader question, along with my reply!
Mitch writes: I own three cars, which given how much I drive (I usually walk or...
Reader Question: Miracle Fuel-Saving Gadget?
Here's the latest reader question, along with my reply!
Jeff writes: I came across an ad for a product that claims it can increase a...
Reader Question: Paddle Shifters?
Here's the latest reader question, along with my reply!
Damon asks: Do you think paddle shifters are a gimmick to make people feel as though...
