Hone - the final stage of machining, sharpening, etc. precise refinement. Home in - taking a larger idea and breaking it down to the core concept. Dictionary says the former is interchangeable with the latter, but not the inverse. Now, get that concours overspray on properly. ... View more

Rivian stock price would disagree. $100k for a truck with a full-charge that can’t do the same work as a F150 with 10 gallons of fuel. ... View more

Why the digging in of heels? Because we live in a world where actual facts are discounted, where the media and government work together to push their narrative da jour, and the green agenda is replete with misinformation. People don’t know what to believe and are being TOLD what to believe, rather than being given the data and make a business case for themselves. To EV or not to EV, should be a free market decision. Not one of legislative fiat, punitive taxation, or social credit pressure. Question 1 - where is the power going to originate? Georgia Power almost has their nuke plant complete. 250% over budget. Grid infrastructure, generating capacity, and local recharging is at best 10 years out. More likely 25-30. Question 2 - outside of solar, hydro, and nuke power, there is little to any CO2 reduction benefit. So why the push? The actual data is there, we are all being lied to, and it’s a shame. Even when posting links to the Govt data, many don’t want to read the truth. By far, the most beneficial to pocketbook, environment, and most proven and reliable are hybrids. EVs accelerate better, are more viscerally appealing, but suffer the lack of solid battery tech. IF we had many more nuke plants, had cheaper power overall, and the battery tech on EV improves, it would be a hard economic case to go with an ICE. And so it is. Im a capitalist. I don’t have an EV or a Hybrid. But if I could make a strong business case, I’d consider it. ... View more

Are you willing to decrease your cash position in trade for a physical asset. If yes = Affordable. If no? Easy financing? If yes = affordable. If no? Are you cheap? If yes = please check out our rust ventilated and Oldsmobiles selection. ... View more

I named my 1st son after a Hornet (and not because of CARS) and my 2nd, who sadly passed, after those pesky Brothers who built one of the best pre-war cars. And I’m a GenX kid with a penchant for Muscle cars, big Buicks, and embarrassing Porsches with a midsized garbage malaise sedan. Tastes can be eclectic. ... View more

He prefers farmland. And desert for his stupid windmills. ... View more

Crewcabs and wagons were the way before. Then Roadkill. ... View more

The best dailies have carbs and are owned by people that think they work on voodoo. Got one for $450 because the dude didn’t know how to tune a carb, let alone follow the vacuum hose diagram, and it wouldn’t pass emissions. Went out on our first date with my wife in it. When I refused to valet it because the dude didn’t know what a carburetor was, and it was winter (in Phoenix), knowing that toolbag would flood it out, I demonstrated my value by paying the guy to let me park it myself. Yup, I’m that cool. Even brought home our precious babies in it. ... View more

It’s just money. What is and isn’t affordable doesn’t have the same reality that it once did. My early boomer parents bought a 3 story colonial on a 1.5 acre wooded lot with a view for $40k. When they retired my Mom balked at the price of a new 2000 Buick, rambling some nonsense about it relative to the original price of her house. If you want an old muscle car with subpar handling, mediocre brakes, a ridiculous amount of torque - go for it! It’s only money and one day you’ll be dead. Or, save it, drive a Tupperware pod, and give it to your zoomer grandkids to lose on Rivian. Oh, too soon? Point is, enjoy life. In a MOPAR, a Miata, or a whatever. ... View more

1/2 ton, short bed, towing a massive early 60s GM full-size through the Rockies in winter. ... View more

To say they are strict is an understatement. A childhood friend lived in Germany for a few years, transferred by a major Ag company. He wanted to take his Camaro but the red tape and inspections were too much. The company had a fleet of vehicles for Americans that weren’t there permanently. ... View more

I have had a few Grand Cherokees. A 318 ZJ, a 4.0 WJ, a 4.7 WK, and a Hemi WK2. Next is probably going to be a V6 or I6 Wagoneer or Grand Cherokee L. I’m not a “Jeep guy” or “MOPAR guy”, well…maybe I am now, rather Im a guy who didn’t really like trucks, enjoyed off-roading, camping, and hiking, and collected old garbage cars that need trailers to go from A to B. Jeeps were the better fit. Torque matters and a boosted I6 with torque is a win. Or V8 WK2 vs a relative’s Pentastar V6 Grand, the V8 is hands down better, except in fuel economy. ... View more

Run 89. It makes a difference. 91, none. 93 reportedly can cause problems. But we can’t buy that precious sweet engine love in the SW. 91 octane donkey whizz or race gas. ... View more

Boosted engines tend to have a wide torque band, where as NA do not. Granted the Hemi had a 2-stage runner system which extends that torque curve, the boosted inline has a broad torque curve. It’s an under square inline 6, with boost, which is essentially the best combo for small displacement with big torque. ... View more

4.56 gears weren’t bad when the limit was 55. Most folks didn’t go much past 60 in traffic on the Iowa 2-lanes. Try towing a trailer in SoCal, 55 is the limit 😉 everyone around you is running 80. My 4.10 geared K25 GMC Suburban HATED life on those freeways. Towing a trailer gave me an excuse. ... View more

It is a relative comparison. My buddy likes 40mpg vehicles. For him, the thought of 15 mpg at $5 per gallon is mind blowing. For me, I’m so used to blending race gas with pump gas, under $8/gallon doesn’t phase me. ... View more

Depends on how you drive a Hemi. Ours, Grand, 3.45 gears, 65RFE, 22ish on the Highway, steady state to San Diego or OC at 75. Pure city, 17 if my wife drives, 13 max if Im driving. I drove it for a week while she was visiting relatives, barely got 13. Granted every rush-hour on-ramp stop light was a full throttle delight. In the true urban kid-shuttle family vehicle existence of city and highway, 18-19 mpg, week after week. But the staggering display was towing a midsized rear drive sedan on a trailer from the dirty south to AZ. Just over 5,000 lbs, in tow haul, several times over 17 mpg. That car wasn’t like towing a boat, it was square, stuck up over the height of the Jeep and was just as wide. 65 mph the whole way, no issues. ... View more

I know folks that worked there too.  Some in ties.  Some in coveralls.   there was more than 1 V8 car.   the garbage Caddy aluminum V8 was in a couple mules.  All were crushed, that’s what they did.   The coveralls guys hated the Caddy engines.    Side-bar, I was going to swap a 4900 with a 4.5 TBI intake and 305 TBI unit into a XJ.  I was talked out of it by an Engineer.   The PFI (pre-Vortec) 7400 Caprice was a shock.  Crushed because that wasn’t allowed, but built to benchmark the LT1s.   The G80 failure rate discussion was enlightening.   All about being able to say “we have an automatic locking differential.”      They had some wild stuff there, but their best and brightest seemed to be burned out.   ... View more

HP v Torque.   the 190 HP Quad 4 needed many more gears in the trans to beat a 190 HP 305 with more torque.    Don’t agree?   Okay, no better example exists than the W-body LS4 V8 vs W-body 3.6 V6.  303 HP vs 306.  4-speed auto vs 6-speed.  20 lbs weight more in the V8 car.   The V8 car has more torque under the curve and thus accelerated faster.   Could the V6/6speed car be geared to perform similarly?  Possibly.   But the drivability would suffer.  ... View more

… and packaging.    More interior space.    my driver’s Ed instructor lost his MIND when I took my driver’s test, in the snow, in an El Camino.    They used Corsicas and I just couldn’t deal with FWD in the snow.  I rarely drove the Lumina, and to be honest I felt the car was hot garbage from day-1.   ... View more

That’s not why.   a good excuse, but not the reason.   ... View more

2.8/3.1s were (are) awful.   there is no defending them, or their variants and offspring.  Those engines are straight-up unreliable garbage that weren’t good at anything, except their odd rumble.   The 3.8/3800 Buick was significantly better, but GM had their ridiculous hierarchy.   That POS Lumina 3.1 never got better mileage than any of the 3800 LeSabres, nor did it perform better, last longer, or have fewer issues.   ... View more

We are in agreement.  You don’t get it.   you stated a ‘need’ for a vehicle.    Nearly every modern society since the Roman Empire has had 4 generations of recurring behavior.   They aren’t always in sync, which is why strong leaders emerge in each generation.   You suggest that “need” is the determining factor.    I suggested “want” is the determining factor.    Consider that. ... View more

The Ram effect is muted with curves. Friction associated with the boundary layers and stuff like that. Besides, cut the hood. Or get another hood and cut it. ... View more

Awesome! Naysayers: plenty of Hondas at the dealer. Skeptic caustic types: Actually, this is a modern version of “tunnel rams are good”, but you wouldn’t know that. Balancing carbs is a science. A hillbilly science, but that doesn’t matter. Purist resto original types: yes, I let my kids eat ice cream in the car. When I’m too old to drive, my kids and their family will enjoy them, just like I did with my grandfather. So it is with the ridiculous intake. Or the kid who stuffed a ridiculous Honda into an equally ridiculous small car. Embrace the fun, listen intently with the enthusiast and encourage them, and most importantly stop trying to be a sheep with the others. ... View more

He gets his gas where you all should too. A can, from a reputable supplier, that is sealed and not vented to allow water abosrbtion by the ethanol. ... View more

So, using vintage leaded fuel from a can not a pump in a vintage car means I’m not paying road taxes and is illegal? Snitches get stitches. ... View more

We should be using soybeans (for anything but food) and switch grass to let the land heal. 100%. ... View more

Depends on the commodity markets. Generally speaking, no. Depending upon the net cost after the sale of the grain for feed, maybe. But one thing is undeniable, distillers grain is a better feed than regular dent. ... View more

Yes. Lots of E85 compatible components are out there. ... View more

And the royalties (fees paid to the king…err govt) were simultaneously increased. ... View more

While you are correct in a demand driven pricing model the cost will increase, but the widespread use of distillers grain as a protein rich feed has grown significantly since the early 2000s, so it doesn’t necessarily induce scarcity. Ethanol production does not remove feed grains from the market, but it does foster a dual use of the feed stock. It does however impact food from the context that sweet corn and HF corn syrup production. The production is heavily subsidized, so without getting political, the mandate is in essence picking winners and losers. ADM, Beef and Corn producers win. But alas, here we are. BTW, much of the Ethanol issue is due to water. Ethanol is hygroscopic and the wholesaler mix based on the destination, maybe full of water or other trash. I’ve run plenty of tests on E10 blends in Phoenix and the water content is obscene for such a dry climate. If you can find pure gas for your classic, use it. If you have a vintage classic, the cost of a vintage grade fuel or race gas is 100% worth it. ... View more

Go to the department of energy website listed in my post.    You say I used bad math, but don’t understand the use of comparing BTU?   Really?   You’re an engineer….  Well, fine.   BTU -> heating value.  1 BTU = 3412 kWh.   That’s not electromotive force, that’s simply heating value.  Should we convert to Joules?    Why heating value?  Gas go boom in engine, make car go.   Bunker Oil, diesel, Nat gas, or coal -> heating value to generate power.    (hence the link you didn’t click on)    You cannot compare the heating capacity (BTU to kWh) without addressing the thermal efficiency of the process.   We are talking fuel consumed to miles traveled.   You danced all around it, but failed to click on the link, failed to read the DOE data, failed to actually understand what their real-world data states.    It takes 10,600 BTU of liquid petroleum (bunker oil or diesel) to generate and deliver 1 kWh to your home.  Period.  That’s the DOE data, not mine, see the link.   120,000 btu per gallon of gasoline.   23 mpg.   5217 BTU per mile.  That accounts for thermal and mechanical efficiency.    0.5 average kWh per mile for a similar BEV SUV.  10600*0.5 = 5,300 BTU/mile.    You’re comparing heating value, but not addressing the specific thermal efficiency of power generation and delivery.  It is in the MPG rating of an ICE, but the magic wall holes don’t get the juice for free or at 100% efficiency.    If you want to say that a BEV that gets power from solar panels, wind, tidal generation, or even hydro or geothermal, you have a point and a valid one.     when it comes to energy to get oil vs materials to generate electricity, you might want to avoid the Lithium and rare earth element discussion.  again, not trying to be a jerk, but my data is sound, and I have sources.   When you compare a BEV, the data the government uses to rate them is flawed.   It isn’t just the heating value, it is heating to kWh of electromotive force.   and that’s precisely why Hybrids are a far better immediate alternative.    ... View more

Our experiences often cloud our outlook and lead to generalizations.   Rightly or wrongly, it is a part of the human condition.   classism is terrible phenomenon that is as old as time.   I’ve been to many car events, but not all.  Been to a few tracks, different events, and thus my opinions are perhaps jaded.   I work a white collar job and get paid well.   But I remember the days as a laborer and thus respect the trades people who genuinely have mastered their craft.    But when it comes to folks looking down their (collective) noses at the laborers, the working class, those who are on the first couple rungs of the ladder, yeah…I make my judgements early.    it’s like people who kick dogs or are mean to kids - they pretty much outed themselves.   ... View more

Lots of wide-open space in the Midwest, but not many canyons to carve. I know all sorts of old British and German sports car fans. Not a single one of their machines is what I’d call “reliable” in even old car relativity. ... View more

We were pre-approved for $150,000 before attending BJ in Scottsdale and I’m not rich. Easy money is relative. I don’t like debt, so any of it is suspect, but 120 easy monthly payments sounds like a prison sentence. ... View more

One can get decent financing on a collector car. Don’t tell me you’ll drop $50k on a depreciating Tupperware transport pod, but won’t drop $50k for a car you’d enjoy. Sure, I would have loved any of the 3 GNXs in Scottsdale, but a nice Grand National that had some miles is perfectly acceptable. ... View more

Too much TV. Buying a basket case to flip and make a profit is as real that monkey show on Discovery. Yell Whoo and drink some donkey whizz beer. The REALITY is this: Some buy classics to enjoy, some to invest, and some buy a pile because it’s all they can afford up front, but can fund a resto, or their build is sentimental. I got a 63 that will require far more $ than it is worth. But it isn’t about the resale. It’s the memories. New or old, that comes with a classic car. And that, my friends, is why the market ebbs and flows, but never dies. ... View more

They’ve been tangible hedge against market correction for quite sometime. Also, exceptionally good vehicle (no pun intended) to hide and/or launder wealth. ... View more

L-O-L ... View more

These cars in stock form are slow. Perfect for restomods ... View more

Cant get new station wagons that can pull a wet stick out of a dog’s (rear). I love wagons, but they haven’t been decent in nearly 30 years. My Jeep has low range, 7,200 lbs towing, has WAY more power and torque than the LT1 GM wagons, and is very comfortable on long drives. True, I can’t fit a piece of sheet rock in it, but I have a truck for that. Minivans are worse. Low slung, under powered, overweight, people haulers. ... View more

SUVs don’t inherently kill a brand, but a SUV/CUV heavy line up can indicate an image crisis. Jeep and SUV is obvious, but Buick is on the ropes. As SUV/CUVs are the natural progression after 80s nightmares, so it became that brand loyalty eroded away. There is something to the mainstream fans, GM and Ford, but once we tiptoe into the Euro brands and exotics, the lesser knowns and eclectic collectors, what brand SUV they drive is like a factor of practicality over preference. I could have got a Buick Rainier V8, but it had no low-range, so it was right out. Enter the second Grand Cherokee. It wasn’t a brand preference, rather the perfect fit of size, function, and ability. Towing, 4x4 and off-road capability, plus room for the family. We have a Ford 3/4 ton. Again, not a preference, rather the perfect fit of capability, fuel economy (diesel), and rear seat room for kids. I had a GM truck, but it was steaming garbage off-road and that’s important to me. So, yeah, I’m the GM guy with non-GM daily drivers. Back to SUVs…. They represent the family vehicles in a world of fickle gadget focused, feature demanding customers. Originally Tahoes were good because they were smaller suburbans with more capability than a front drive, heavy minivan. If you’re gonna get bad fuel economy, might as well have something with truck longevity. Cars, well, there were lots of good cars, but all the regs made them unappealing, the gadgets were difficult to make them profitable, and let’s face it … if you can’t build quality, build profits. So what about everyone else? Meh. When consumer tastes change, so will the line ups, or they will die. Porsche - not concerned. Buick - 5 years, tops. ... View more

I own 1/3 of a 120 acre ranch. Some places even the Grand Cherokee can’t access.  But the old 3/4 tons can drag a stock trailer out there to pick up cattle.  In places I mean “drag” the trailer over rocks and high spots.  ... View more

Yeah.   Ever seen what happens to a little kid in a car seat when a Civic is t-boned by a Volvo?    I bet that Dad would endure the scorn and ridicule of the entitled class, looked down their intellectual noses at the poor, down blue collar fool in his pickup.    been doing this for 30 years, never had to testify when a 3 year was killed because the truck was severed in an accident.   ... View more

You have to understand many Honda/Toyota devotees are stuck in a prior era of quality.   my Brother in Law is one. He went on and on about how one domestic brand is pure garbage, but my sister’s 2021 Honda has been in to the dealer 17 times.  Never 3 times for the same issue, so they can’t lemon law it.   Went on a hunt, had to leave the Ridgeline in the parking area before heading deep into the mountains.   Whoa, he said, glad you have 4 wheel drive, he said.  I said, I’m still in 2wd, we’re just in 1st gear of a HD 5-speed.   Hondas and Toyotas aren’t bad, they just fit a different market.    ... View more

Your data is incorrect, it was the Ford Super Duty that was #1.  No doubt due to extensive fleet sales.  If one backs out the HD market, I guess that changes things.    data is fun to manipulate.  ... View more

I pushed my old truck past the max rating many times and never smoked a transmission.   My current one, I run at max GCWR frequently, 246k miles.  Must be a unicorn.   ... View more

Yeah…amazing what a little research will show a person.  ... View more

Actually, I can.   They overspec and undercool their transmissions.  And the 9HP is new.  Do some research before spouting off your Honda love.  They are great at many things, towing isn’t one of them.  ... View more