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Yep, that’s what I expected. And yeah, I wanted that Dodge, too, even though I already have a perfectly good truck. All right, it’s time for me to step waaaay outside my comfort zone. I am not a motorcycle guy by any means, but I’ve always thought scooters were cool. Granted, the only things I know about them I leanred from Roman Holiday and Third Eye Blind videos, so don’t expect any deep insightful commentary; I’m still learning....

Brüder is a newer player in the camper world, but it seems that the company has some good ideas. This company packs its trailers with so much tech and noteworthy ideas that breaking down its entire lineup would probably result in a 9,000-word post. So what I’ll do for this entry is talk about the company’s flagship, the EXP-8. This is supposed to be the pinnacle of Brüder’s prowess, and so much of what’s found here trickles down to the company’s smallest EXP-4....

So let’s see which battered race car you picked, and we’ll get to them. Great. And now I’m hungry for Doritos. Moving on: As David has pointed out, the key to finding a good deal on a cheap used car is to know how to drive a stick, and be willing to do so daily. Look for a manual transmission in a car that nearly everyone else would only want with an automatic, and you can save some money and feel all gearheady and superior about it....

Anyway, in an effort to counteract any possible bad fortune, here’s a picture of Ugo Sivocci, the guy who started sticking four-leaf clovers on Alfa Romeos to counteract a streak of bad luck. It seemed to work for him, at least for a while – he was killed in 1923 while testing the Alfa Romeo Tipo P1 car for the Italian GP, so clearly the clover has its limits. Despite this, or perhaps as a way of honoring Sivocci, Alfa adopted the symbol, and also I think they have a corporate policy of not walking under ladders....

[Ed note: This is a new featured called “Every Car I’ve Ever Owned” where we feature someone interesting who tells us their car buying philosophy and gives us a list of every car they’ve ever owned. First up is Lehman McGrath Keen III (better known as Leh Keen). A Georgia native, he’s currently racing in the 2022 Porsche Carrera Cup for 311RS Motorsport and is the main progenitor of the Porsche 911 “safari” craze with his Keen Project 911s....

In celebration of my wedding tomorrow, this list consists of cars, trucks and a motorcycle that I’d love to roll away in, with “Just Married” on the back. My wedding is at EAA’s museum and has a Top Gun theme, complete with aviator shades and Danger Zone. Of course, you’ll see pictures of what it’ll look like when I get them. I search the entire country for a good balance of price and vehicle condition....

Welcome to The Morning Dump, bite-sized stories corralled into a single article for your morning perusal. If your morning coffee’s working a little too well, pull up a throne and have a gander at the best of the rest of yesterday. More Ponies, More Problems Building cars is hard, and electric cars can be a whole different sort of hard. As such, Ford has recalled 48,924 Mach-E electric crossovers built between May 27, 2020 and May 24, 2022 for high voltage contactors that could overheat and either open up or weld themselves shut....

Maybe they’re not trying to deceive us. I’m not really sure. But it’s not often I’ll find an old brochure photo that’s in a location I know exactly and have been before, so I was excited, you see. Also, I want to note how strange it is to see such an aggressive name like “Fury” rendered in that wedding-invite script up there. But 1970s typography loved that crap, especially for car badging....

And with me stuck in California a little longer than anticipated, I’m glad it’s here to keep me entertained. Let me start with how I got here. As I type this, I’m sitting in an uncomfortable chair in a cheap hotel in Ontario, California. Had everything gone right, I’d actually be brewing you a Mercedes’ Marketplace Madness from the comfort of my apartment with a cute bird on my shoulder....

Welcome to The Morning Dump, bite-sized stories corralled into a single article for your morning perusal. If your morning coffee’s working a little too well, pull up a throne and have a gander at the best of the rest of yesterday. Get To Know The Name Tom Zhu Tesla is either killing it, or struggling hard, or fixing things, or in the best position ever, or in the worst position ever....

I’ve always loved Edsels. They’re the perfect blend of quirky and classy, and — because of their rather unfortunate reception back in the 1950s (which led to a quick demise) — I see them as underdogs. They spent far too many years not receiving the love they deserve, and I want to make up for that. But maybe now, shortly before I’m supposed to be moving to LA, isn’t the ideal time....

Four years ago I introduced myself to the world of off-road antics through the Gambler 500. My vehicle for that event was supposed to be a scooter, but ended up being a Smart Fortwo. That event changed my life, and now the Gambler will forever be a part of me. It was so much fun off-roading my little Smart that I made it a goal to wheel in as many regular cars as possible....

The design itself I think is conceptually compelling: On a wagon-like vehicle, the D-pillar, right behind the second-row side window, is angled rearwards to such a degree that a traditional, visible and upright D-pillar is rendered unnecessary. Instead, the back window wraps around to the side, creating something that looks rakish and sleek. Or, at least it should, but the problem is that I’m not sure I’ve ever really seen it executed just right....

Porsche announced this news today, and it was a bit of a surprise to me. It could be solely a publicity thing around SEMA time, though my dream is that Porsche is actually teasing a future safari-themed 911. That could make sense, given rumors and spy shots that suggest that Porsche is working on a Dakar-inspired 911. Whatever the impetus for the announcement, I’m here for it because this pair of 911s looks absolutely awesome....

Welcome to The Morning Dump, bite-sized stories corralled into a single article for your morning perusal. If your morning coffee’s working a little too well, pull up a throne and have a gander at the best of the rest of yesterday. Stellantis Will Build Two More North American Battery Plants Building a ton of EVs first requires building a ton of batteries, so Stellantis is already looking to expand its North American network of battery plants....

Before we get into that, I do have one other piece of old news to tell you about. I had an email conversation with a reader named Eric Hesse while I was out, regarding a car we featured way back in October: a Mazda GLC wagon. As it turns out, Eric and his wife were already on their way to California to buy the little Mazda when it appeared in the Showdown....

“Honestly, I’m not even sure what to make of these changes,” Ryan Levenson, who owns the EV Cannonball Run record in a Tesla and makes videos about EVs, told me in a DM. “A Part of me is excited more people can afford to buy a Tesla and part of me is disappointed for recent customers who had to pay more to buy a car just a couple days ago, especially anyone who purchased in the last 12 days....

Let’s start with what isn’t new. The 6.6-liter gasoline V8 stays completely unchanged for 2024, still making 401 horsepower and 464 lb.-ft. of torque. However, the gasoline engine is now mated to the same 10-speed Allison automatic gearbox as the diesel. Gas-powered models get a 3.73 axle ratio while diesels get a 3.42 axle ratio, and cheap and cheerful way of maximizing component sharing. As for that 6.6-liter Duramax diesel V8, its output jumps to 470 horsepower and 975 lb-ft of torque, giving a properly-equipped Silverado 3500 2WD regular cab diesel a maximum gooseneck towing capacity of 36,000 pounds....

This phenomenon is starting to happen in America, too. In December 2022, the Ford Mustang Mach-E electric crossover outsold the Mustang coupe in the land of apple pie by nearly 1,000 units. What’s more, I’ve previously reported that Ford is ramping up Mach-E production for 2023. Unless customers really show up for the new 2024 Mustang coupe, we’re looking at a future where the Mustang brand is primarily electric....