About wdb

wdb

The Glickenhaus in the "other" group is the only one that remotely wants my eye.

wdb

The 212's do have an issue with seat seams, and also with fading wood trim. As long as the engine and drivetrain remain bulletproof I'm willing to put up with those.

wdb

You didn't mention the 22 gallon gas tank, which combined with 30+ highway MPG gives the car a 500+ mile range before it needs refueling. Or the silky V6 that is totally capable of flipping from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde at the press of a foot. Or the impressively flat stance it maintains in corners. Find a used one. They're cheap. You really want the wagon. I bought a 2013 S212 E350 in 2020, with 37K miles, at a fraction of its cost new. It is a vault, a bahn-burner, and an astonishingly commodious hauler. Plus I don't see myself at every other intersection. Like you I do grumble about some of the missing features, but also like you I'm able to look past them and see the goodness. And the longroof has its own set of clever and very useful additions, such as air suspension in the rear that automatically keeps the car level even with 12 bags of mulch on board, and a cargo cover that raises up out of the way when the rear hatch is open. I might keep this car forever.

wdb · ‎02-04-2022

E350 kombi owner here. The car is stupendously useful and filled with clever features. I got it so that I could haul my nonagenarian parents + their accouterments (read: walkers) around in comfort, safety and style. Can't do that with a sedan, and I'd need an elevator to get them in/out of a comparable SUV. My wife was stigmatized by her mother's lifelong procession of faux wood trimmed kid haulers and refuses to have one for herself. Foolish girl. I'd love to see her driving a pert little BMW 3 series touring. Longroofs rule!

wdb · ‎30-03-2022

It's great to see Jake Raby get some press. He's an icon in the 996 community. I especially like hearing from a third party about how well the motors perform; it serves to add even more substance to his already great reputation.

wdb · ‎30-03-2022

I inherited "L8R G8R" from my dad.

wdb · ‎23-03-2022

2200 pounds? Really?? That alone would make this lovely thing a true return to the past, and a truly epic drive.

wdb · ‎22-03-2022

I'm with you on the Subaru quality thing. Terrible engines? Just ask my granola-ish neighbor, who has had 3 (THREE!) shortblocks in her Forester -- so far. At least SoA is footing the bill. We had a 2000 Legacy that was okay except for the engine and of course wheel bearings. Our 2005 STi used oil right off the lot; in its defense, it used exactly the same amount of oil at 117K miles as it did when it was new. That actually was a reliable car, one of the few Subarus I know of that comes near the Toyota/Honda level in that regard. But damn, that STi was fun. With 4 winter tires and 3 limited slip differentials, it was so good in snow that I would play hooky from work just to go play.

wdb · ‎15-03-2022

Quite a pair. Fake COPO with "quick flip at Barrett Jackson" written all over it, versus a hotted up Porsche with "long term loving ownership" written all over it. That was fun. I'm trying to figure out whether I like the owner giving their valuation right up front. It was neat hearing them side by side at the end of the segment too. I guess it doesn't make that much difference.

wdb · ‎15-03-2022

When do they tell us what all that stuff was flying off the Air? Enquiring minds and all that.

wdb · ‎10-03-2022

Wow, all these commenters me-too-ing about the Big Bad Supply Chain. I hope you all realize it was invented by an American in the 1950's, perfected by the Japanese in the 1960's, and had been doing a perfectly fine job of supplying the world with stuff for the following 60 years? Until the, you know, C thing happened and started the pendulum swinging wildly. I guess you can fault the people who sustained if for those 60 years, but I can't agree with calling the whole thing some kind of huge mistake. What we had was a unique event, that nobody has ever experienced, an event so large and impactful that it dwarfed normal emergency preparedness plans. Ran over them like a tsunami. And it is still wreaking havoc. What we *need* is Henry Ford types who have whatever gift it is that allows them to look straight through all of it and find a way past. I'm not that person for sure! But I do try to keep an ear to the ground.

wdb · ‎09-03-2022

This is the first I've heard of the Shelby/Brock rivalry over these cars. Fascinating stuff!

wdb · ‎07-03-2022

Reply to self -- bad form? I forgot to mention the lawn tractor. I literally do nothing to that besides run it occasionally. We move wood around in wintertime so it gets used every month or so. That has so far (30 years!) seemed to be enough.

wdb · ‎07-03-2022

My Honda generator has a fuel shutoff that I can use to run all the gas out of the carburetor. I close the valve and let it run until it dies. I also leave the tank full to reduce condensation. I run the generator occasionally too. Unfortunately around here the power goes out a lot! With the snowblower, I drain all the gas out of it in spring, then also run it until it sucks the carb dry. I really think clearing the carburetor of fuel is important with these small motors. I think that by running the engine the various passageways should be getting pretty well suctioned out.

wdb · ‎04-03-2022

I'm acquainted online with a guy who wrenched on that 2000GT. He's a fine person, and that is a fine car.

wdb · ‎21-02-2022

I absolutely love this story. Well told, well lived. A few years back I met a high school kid with a brand new STi. I thought, oh boy, here we go, another silver spooned brat. Well this kid was the opposite. He detailed cars in his off time. He was from a well-to-do family so the cars were Ferraris and Porsches and the like. He busted his butt and his knuckles on those cars. I changed my mind about him. One time he told me about a top speed run he made one night in his STi; he'd hit 170 MPH (according to him!) and he had made the run on "a runway that someone in my family has". Let's just say 'old money' and leave it there. And yet he was learning the value of making an honest dollar. Pretty cool if you ask me. Sort of the opposite of your story I guess. But I'd put money on you two hitting it off.

wdb · ‎12-02-2022

That video is such a tease. I want.

wdb · ‎06-02-2022

Gotta add a zero if you want a jet. If you want to actually use it, figure $1M/year in expenses as well. The cars are cheap in comparison.

wdb · ‎31-01-2022

No CGI in those scenes. Pretty radical, and definitely worthy of mention.

wdb · ‎31-01-2022

I'll never forget the original 'Gone'. My son and I saw a preview that showed the Mustang jumping a barrier, coming down nose-first, and bending the whole front end of the car upwards. We looked at one another and said, "Well, I guess we don't have to bother coming to see that one -- we just saw the ending!" Little did we know. We actually did go to see it shortly afterwards. One of my favorite all-time movies.

wdb · ‎29-01-2022

My dad had a Taurus with that Yamaha V6. Nice motor. I'm not surprised to read about great cars being killed by committee in the 1980's. Running companies has come a long way since that time.

wdb · ‎24-01-2022

Not to be silly, but, my phone. In fact my phone for all of the in-car electronics that don't actually operate the vehicle. Stop putting a bunch of stuff in there that I don't use, like built-in navigation and satellite radio, and just give me a clean interface to my phone. Don't make me pay twice for the same thing.

wdb · ‎19-01-2022

More likely future: autonomic electric cars, owned by a gargantuan monolith, which we peons will be permitted to use occasionally, which vehicles will contain a gizmo over which Big Brother has control. Speeds limits won't need to be enforced by the side of the road because they'll be enforced by the ether. I'm not sure I'd like universal speed cameras either, as far as it goes. That's what it would take to accomplish the first part of your plan. It would also be a heavy, messy solution when compared to a microchip and some radio waves.

wdb · ‎10-01-2022

The best winter "beater" I've owned thus far was a 2005 STi on winter tires. I prayed for snow when I had that car. It was so much fun that it should have been illegal. I used it when I had a 2-hours-each-way commute to what they call an "essential worker" job. Many were the times I would drive around snarled swarms of AWD SUVs on all season tires, being careful to avoid their pitiful attempts at regaining control and/or motion. My wife had a similar job and we had her in either a Cherokee or a Legacy, also on winter rubber. The Cherokee would probably be my "beater" choice except that they rust out in ridiculously short order. Neither of us have jobs like that anymore and so we pretty much just stay home when it snows. Our 2011 Lexus GS350 was surprisingly good in snow on all seasons, although I wouldn't want to try my old commute in it. Current daily is an E350 kombi which has yet to be properly challenged by traction demons.

wdb · ‎05-01-2022

I've been hearing stories from the JDM crowd about states passing statutes outlawing kei vehicles. I would have liked it if the article mentioned that aspect of the kei car market.

wdb · ‎31-12-2021

Wow. Either my comment regarding the predictions was lost, or it was moderated out. If the latter, I suppose I have to rant about politics to get published. Sigh. Don't you all have enough other places to spew this bile. Do you have to do it here too. Shameful.

wdb · ‎30-12-2021

Queue the BaT bashers... I've been enjoying the site for a few years and even bought two cars there. The first one was local and I was able to inspect it; the second was bought sight unseen. I'm happy with both purchases. Although it can be argued that I paid a wee bit too much in both cases, I can safely say that the earlier purchase has easily been worth every penny; the second one is still proving itself to me. Both events were private sales. Neither car was misrepresented in any way shape or form. I think this is an important point. I also think my experience is much more typical of BaT exchanges than the ones that go the other way. That said, the huge increase in the number of auctions does seem to have opened the door for less scrupulous dealers. One must keeps one's eyes and ears wide open. So. Caveat emptor. Carpe viam!

wdb · ‎23-12-2021

I don't understand. Does it have to be made in America? Does it have to be made by a company that pays income tax to the American government? Does it have to be made by American born people? It seems very confusing.

wdb · ‎08-12-2021

GM has some pretty exciting sounding battery tech in the pipeline. Time will tell on them being the ones going bankrupt.

wdb · ‎04-12-2021

Only a 5-speed gearbox in the EB112? That's it I'm out. I too tried to find an angle that flattered the car. I failed. From the front it looks like it's upside down; from the rear it appears to have been sat upon.

wdb · ‎04-12-2021

I dunno. I see an awful lot of huge shiny pickups sitting next to mobile homes around here. I see megadollar cellphones in the drivers' hands too. I think people buy what they lust after, and these days that is a behemoth truck of some kind. And data sent via the most expensive possible path.

wdb · ‎04-12-2021

I'm ambivalent about covering a car that is already indoors. In my particular environment I have only mild concern about rodents, but that cover can't help but make a car look even more enticing to the little critters. I think I'd rather dust it off.

wdb · ‎04-12-2021

Meh. I'm not really a MOPAR guy. If I'm going to spend a few thousand words lamenting the death of ICE I'm going to do it whinging about a Ford.

wdb · ‎12-11-2021

This story goes to show that not all of the loony dreamers on earth are French. Vive la idee! (Or something like that.)

wdb · ‎01-11-2021

Not frustrating exactly but right up there in the "worst experience" charts. I was the junior guy in the shop of a dairy outfit. The trucks went out super early, 3 or 4 AM. In the winter they'd get stuck and I would get a phone call to go out and put snow chains on. Laying on a slick, icy road under a truck that is dripping salty slime down on me, trying to wrestle chains onto a 10.00x20 dualie, the driver yapping incessantly because his schedule was shot to hell. I don't miss that job.

wdb · ‎23-10-2021

I had an SVX with a 5-speed WRX gearbox. It is a really lovely GT car. Production volume was pretty low however, and the cars were unloved, so finding a good one is a real test. SVX-specific parts are hen's teeth anymore also. It's kind of sad actually as the car really is a treat. That big six gets snarfed up by Vanagon folks and airplane builders too.

wdb · ‎23-10-2021

Agree on E46, also E9x and E8x as long as you stay away from the turbo motors. The problem areas are well known and a sharp-eyed owner can stay ahead of them without much trouble. The biggest issue is often the last owner who just wanted a BMW and didn't budget for maintenance.

wdb · ‎02-10-2021

Q: "When is a door not a door?" A: "When it's ajar!"

wdb · ‎29-09-2021

I love the leather in my two little two-seaters. It looks good, feels good and functions well. It fits the location. I love the MBTex in my Merc kombi. It feels good too, and looks good enough that most folks assume it is leather. It is also plastic and I don't have to worry much about when tossing bags of mulch and similar loads into the back of the car. It fits the location. Oh and my E93 has leather with some kind of wunder chemical coating that keeps it from getting crazy hot in direct sun. The car is 14 years old and whatever that stuff is really works. I'm not making much of a point I guess. But to me the stuff on the seats should fit the occasion and location. Sometimes leather is right.

wdb · ‎25-09-2021

I looked long and hard for one of those when I was shopping for a midsized sedan a few years ago. Never found 'the one' and ended up with a Lexus GS350. The RL is no looker but the features sound like they'd make for a wonderful driver. All that said I don't see them becoming 'collectible' per se; sought after by a select few, that will be about it.

wdb · ‎25-09-2021

Z4 3.0si coupe w/manual numbered 818 total in North American markets. Prices are already reflecting that, coming close to Z4M coupe numbers. The 3.0si is a sweet piece, really only needing a LSD (some would say hydraulic PS also) to be a great one.

wdb · ‎24-09-2021

I'm somewhat ambivalent about Vipers but not about what this guy is doing -- using cars as an investment bet. As people like this guy drive prices upwards, my bucket list keeps shrinking to fit my budget. He wins, I lose.

wdb · ‎21-09-2021

Gee whiz somebody taking an electric motor apart instead of seeing how well their handgrenade lob into the trash can is today. Glad to hear it! With that fan hanging on the end you may want to make sure the bronze bushings are in good shape too. Wobbly armatures are not a happy thing. +1 for wanting to see the next episode. Why Ferrari made their engines so needy back then, I do not understand.

wdb · ‎18-09-2021

What, no Mustang II?

wdb · ‎17-09-2021

Great museum. Silly article format. It might work in video a bit better but I am not hopeful.

wdb · ‎17-07-2021

I've been lusting after an old British car in which to revisit the many many years I spent with them in the past. I keep looking at Elans and Sevens, maybe the occasional E Type. But every time I see a picture of your little blue Sprite I think, that would do just fine. Thanks for the stories and for the inspiration.

wdb · ‎17-07-2021

I'm with you -- Ed doesn't know what he's missing. I drove Peugeots for many years; two 505's, the first a 1983 S and the second a 1988 Turbo S 5-speed, with a lovely little 405S manual wagon in between. In every case the ride quality and the seat comfort were unlike anything I have experienced before or since. I daresay the Turbo was the perfect sedan. It did everything with grace, panache, aplomb. It made me grin at the oddest times, like when I took a small bridge too fast and the car got all loose and light -- but just for a moment -- then collected its skirts and gently set the whole works down on the other side, leaving me in no doubt that I was back in complete control. Delightful. Yep, Ed's crazy.

wdb · ‎07-07-2021

Golly, you care about all the wrong stuff. Or maybe you just write like you care? Hard to tell. We recently put up a garage, the first garage I have had in my 65 years (at the time) on the planet. I had outlets put in for electric car chargers. I imagine I'll get one someday, but not quite yet. I'm still having far too much fun picking up BMWs, Mercedes, and Porsches at the bottom of their oh-so deep depreciation curves. I've looked at used Tesla Model S's but a big sedan really doesn't fit my lifestyle at the moment and people for some reason think Teslas don't depreciate. Maybe when the Mustang-E hits that point, maybe then I'll go electric.

wdb · ‎17-06-2021

"HFII" on the keys, horn ring, who knows where else. EGO. 🙂 Spent most of its life in France, did he leave it there after LeMans? Or maybe he stored it there to use on race week for the years he went. Interesting car and story. Should be a humdinger at auction.

wdb · ‎12-06-2021

Well duh.