The Economy

Fun / Unreliable----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Fun Reliable

Lamborghini --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2023 Corvette / 2014 V-6 Mustang convertible -------- VW GTI --- Subaru BRZ / Toyota GR86 --- Mini-Cooper --- Mazda Miata

 

My 2014 V-6 Mustang convertible ain't given me any trouble.

 

Jaguars and Alfas have their own suites in the unreliable wing.

 

The BRZ is not a bad successor to the WRX.

 

Back in the mid-'60s when my Dad had his midlife crisis, he bought an XKE. It was so beautiful, and went so fast. And I believe it was on the road about once every three days he owned it. The most spectacular flaw was that all the hoses were made of natural rubber! So when we got the first bout of subfreezing weather, a few (many) leaks developed.

 

Mid-60's Jaguars, and basically all English sports cars (particularly after they were owned by British Leyland) were notorious for maintenance issues, particularly issues with the Lucas electrics. So much so that there's a hoary old joke among English sports car guys:

Why do the British drink warm beer?

Because Lucas Electrics makes their refrigerators.

 

An English golf buddy of mine drove an early aughts Jag up until a few years ago, when the control unit for the electronic stabilization/traction control went on the fritz. He got a quote of something like $3,000 to replace it, which he felt like he needed to do before he was going to sell it. I did a bit of the internetting and found a guy who'd reprogram it for something like $100. Whaddaya have to lose? I popped it out, a week went by (the car was driveable without it), the module came back in and I popped it back in. Twenty minutes of "work," a one-week wait, and $100 had him good to go. He promptly sold/traded for a Ford.

I got a six pack of Miller Lite out of the deal.

 

Ford bought Jaguar in '99. He already had one, and a lot of the internals were Ford made or sourced by the mid-aughts.

 

JDMs, yea or nay?

 

WRONG!!!!!

JD Power quality survey: Alfa Romeo takes top spot | CNN Business

 

Rigged survey. Alfas were harvesting ballots. Lexus really won . . . by a lot!

 

So David Brooks posted a photo of a burger and bourbon at an airport restaurant on social media and complained about it costing $78. He added “this is why Americans think the economy is terrible.”

The restaurant responded by pointing out 80% of that tab was spent on liquor.