There are a lot of charlatans on the internet, and some members of this special category of people want you to purchase their car as an investment. Anyone who’s browsed the sale ads knows the type of person I’m referring to here:

“No joyrides!”

“Very rare, collectible car!”

“Special opportunity!”

“No lowballers, I know what I got.”

Of course, what they’ve usually “got” is a vehicle priced firmly in loony bin territory. Today we want to know: In the near future, which newer vehicles will be worth far less than what these opportunistic sellers are asking?

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I nearly bought a Suzuki Swift once. If memory serves me correctly, and who knows if it does, it was a 1991 model. Or a 1993. Black, with two doors and the big, honkin’, pavement-pounding 1.3-liter inline-four. A real brute!

Alas, without much money in my pocket (I was, what, 18?) and a pressing desire to not be seen as the guy in the Geo Metro, I made a fateful choice. That Swift stayed exactly as I found it, slowly decomposing in the back corner of a sketchy used car lot, and I turned my attention to another. Sadly, the affordable object of my affection turned out to be a total lemon that soured me on Chrysler Corporation for many years.

But enough about the Plymouth Sundance.

Once in a blue moon, I wonder how different my life might have turned out had I purchased that Swift and become a card-carrying member of the subcompact crowd. Maybe you don’t have to imagine the experience, though. Maybe a very small car wormed its way into your heart and never really left. (Read More…)

We’ve already seen this happen. A manufacturer discontinues a model, but can’t help but feel the nameplate deserved a longer life. So, it keeps it around, waiting to affix it to the exterior of a new model — even if it’s in a different segment than before. Even if it’s a different bodystyle. Yes, we remember the old Chrysler Pacifica crossover. We also remember when the Aspen was a sedan with rust-prone fenders. Hey, how ’bout that Taurus X?

Mitsubishi recently got in on the name game with its Eclipse Cross crossover. Why not grab a handful of a defunct model’s hard-earned cachet and sprinkle it over something new and altogether different? It’s an automaker’s prerogative, but our eyes couldn’t have rolled back further into our heads when we heard the news. Yes, one day we’ll all be driving crossovers (or trucks, but nothing else), but really? Eclipse?

Clearly, automakers are willing to make this controversial plunge. Which begs the question: what nameplate’s next for a utility vehicle resurrection? (Read More…)

Talk about a dated movie reference, but here goes. You’ve got a full-size American passenger car dangling from each hand, but you know in your heart you do not possess the strength to save both. One, unfortunately, has to die. But for the other? Salvation.

We come to this grim scenario for a good reason. Earlier this week, a Wall Street Journal report struck fear and sadness into lovers of large passenger cars with long-running nameplates. While unconfirmed, the report stated that Ford will discontinue the Taurus in the very near future, with General Motors planning to do the same with the venerable Impala after the current generation ends.

Two once-beloved models that fell victim to changing consumer preferences — one dating back to the heady 1980s, the other to the Eisenhower administration. Which one deserves to live? (Read More…)

It’s odd how the same thing can make some people laugh and others feel offended. There are countless examples in a popular culture that cultivates a new outrage du jour practically every day. Even well-intended comments are seen as provocative. Hie thee to Twitter or Facebook for your regular fix of dopamine.

I was reminded of this while my siblings and I were making preparations for our mother’s recent funeral, may her memory be for a blessing. We were sitting in an office at the Hebrew Memorial Chapel, and along with guides and books on Jewish mourning practices, the funeral planner offered us some magnetic signs the chapel had made to discourage texting while driving, and also, I presume, to promote its services (it’s a non-profit community-based organization). (Read More…)

Just after Christmas, we inquired about your favorite German car of the 1990s. The few of you who had awakened from post-holiday eat and drink signed in to share your top Teutonic choices. I suspect more of you are awake now that it’s springtime, and will be able to answer the same inquiry when it’s American flavored.

What’s your favorite American vehicle of the 1990s?

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You got an eyeful last week. Alluring, SEXY new vehicles, all displayed under high-intensity lighting specifically for your your viewing pleasure. Objectify this, the automakers implored.

It’s likely you’re still losing sleep over the 2019 RAV4. Okay, maybe not.

Still, with every show comes a new vehicle that gets under your skin, burrows its way into your brain, and compels a reader to go in search of a nonexistent online build and price tool. Was there a New York reveal that legitimately knocked your socks off, or did you walk away wanting so much more? (Read More…)

Despite the downturn of a few different motorsport series — witness the hemorrhaging of  NASCAR’s fan attendance — there’s plenty of great racing on this planet. Some of it, in fact, is absolutely bonkers.

In Australia, V8 Supercars run door handle to door handle in cars that resemble production machines, just like NASCAR used to do before Brian France decided we all needed a series with confusing points systems and asinine stage racing. IMSA races are generally entertaining, with the added bonus that most of them are livestreamed, then archived on YouTube.

One of the best shows currently on asphalt? Stadium Super Trucks, the gonzo brainchild of Robby Gordon.

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So, who’s excited about the mere possibility of purchasing a German pickup in the relatively near future? Let’s see a show of hands.

Volkswagen says it will build the Atlas Tanoak (pronounced “tan-oke” — unless you’re German, apparently) if the American buying public plays nice. If head office feels good vibes from the concept vehicle’s appearance at the New York International Auto Show, there’ll be a relatively butch-looking new unibody pickup tossed into the midsize market.

Will you be one of the showroom denizens kicking the tires on a Tanoak? While the production version, if built, contains plenty of unknowns — price, payload, practicality — there’s plenty to go on from Wednesday’s unveiling. Maybe a rundown of its would-be rivals is in order. (Read More…)

Back in January, we asked you B&B to tell us about the least reliable car you’d ever owned. The stories poured in, amounting to a shocking 240+ comments. It took us days to emotionally recover from the sad tales expressed in your replies.

But today will not be a day of tears. We want to know: what’s the most reliable car you’ve ever owned?

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The recent report that Lincoln might return the Continental to its suicide doored past aroused a cornucopia of feelings here at TTAC. Among them: guarded titillation, with many — your author included —  envisioning a retro-themed alternative reality in which slab-sided Continentals remain the pinnacle of roadgoing luxury. A crossover-free world in which the 1961 Lincoln is a template for how to clean up in the premium segment.

Basically, the movie Her, only with Continentals instead of high-waisted men’s pants.

The second feeling: a deep sense of distrust in both the automaker and the buying public, as the report goes against everything we’ve heard up to this point — and everything we know about the average American’s fondness for full-size sedans.

Which emotion should gain the upper hand? (Read More…)

These pages have spilled more than a bit of digital ink on the Buick brand in the last couple of weeks. For today’s QOTD, we’re about to spill a little more.

Buick’s current roster holds a couple of good-looking arrows in its quiver, not the least of which is the Regal Tour X (which, it should be noted, is listed proudly as a WAGON on Buick’s own build-and-price site), particularly in the natty shade of Rioja Red Metallic. Here is your Monday question: which Buick vehicle of yore hit it completely out of the park in terms of styling?

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I took a friend out for a spin last night, as there’s no Nor’easter action happening up here, strangely enough. This friend’s automotive tastes fall mainly on an area that’s rapidly fading from the automotive landscape: premium rear-drive sedans, personal luxury coupes, and brawny muscle cars. No crossovers, no SUVs, no roadsters. The Seventies, as he’s been known to say, may have been the last great decade. Mind you, he wasn’t talking about the economy.

Given that his top choices in domestics include the Cadillac CTS (the Dodge Challenger tops the list in the two-door category), I figured he wouldn’t turn down a quick jaunt in the CTS I’m driving right now. For some reason, there was a 3.6-liter, all-wheel-drive model in the local fleet. Out we went. Groceries were purchased, and the Caddy took the long, winding way home.

As a long-time fan of the CTS’ styling (the current model, while it lasts, remains a fantastic design, IMHO), my friend soon inquired as to its price. I ballparked it. “What? No, sorry,” was the reply. “For that money I’m going German.” (Read More…)

Yesterday, TTAC covered news of the launch of a second-generation K900 model in the United States at the upcoming New York International Auto Show and Mobility Conference. Upon considering the K900 and its potential for success, some questions arose about the three different badges on offer from the Hyundai-Kia conglomerate, and what we might do with them.

Where does Hyundai go from here?

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The current-generation Ram 1500 is older than many people realize. As the recession and bailout drama fades further in our memories, it’s sometimes hard to believe the Ram half-tons you see in newspaper adds (“25% off MSRP!”) have barely changed since the 2009 model year.

Sure, Fiat Chrysler saw fit to bestow new engines, transmissions, and the RamBox on buyers, but with the crosshair grille and shapely flanks carrying over from previous generations, it seemed the Ram 1500 was incapable of significant change. And many liked it that way. It was a truck you could set your watch to. (Read More…)