I saw a meme about this, but it turns out to be true. Car manufacturers are intentionally keeping inventory low, so they can keep selling cars at a higher price. Average new car payment is now over $800? That's crazy. Even more reason to keep my 10 year old car running.
Mazda's new inline 6 engine is finally here. There has been a lot of rumors and I didn't want to believe anything until Mazda unveiled it themselves. Well looks like that's going to be happening soon. Oh and it really is on a RWD platform, which makes me hopeful for a new RWD Mazda 6 in the future.
A fresh perspective on modifying your car. Just because there is a huge market of aftermarket mods for your car, doesn't mean you have to modify it. Every mod is a tradeoff. If all you're doing is driving it to work and back, do you really need that big turbo upgrade?
Massive power is doable on any platform, but a few simple touches to refine what was there from the factory seems like a really good approach for long-term preservation.
This is also how I see myself modifying my car nowadays. More of a OEM+ approach for longevity, rather than modding for all out performance. It is especially important now as new car prices have gone through the roof, and replacement parts for my Mazdaspeed3 have become scarce and costly.
Life Lessons From A Monk & His Tuned Mini Cooper S — here's another good read. Yes, you read that title correctly. It's about a monk and his tuned Mini Cooper S. I didn't even realize monks can own cars, more so a tuned/modified one at that. This was an eye opening read for me. But more important is the monk's thoughts on finding a balance in life and how that affected how he modified his car.
I can very much relate when the driver in the first car filled up his Corvette ZR1 with gas. Premium octane gas is so expensive nowadays. Although I did find out today, that E85 gas is like a dollar cheaper than 93. So it might be worthwhile to stay on the E30 tune for my Mazdaspeed3 until gas prices come back down. I only switched to the E30 tune because of the extremely hot weather.
Anyway, this is how you do car videos. Less talking, less influencer face time, and more screen time for cars... because that's why we're watching anyway. Excellent video from Gears and Gasoline.
Excellent comparo of affordable sport compacts. Yes I say affordable even though the prices start at $28K and go up from there. But what can you do? Cars are more expensive now. It's just the reality of it.
Interestingly, I watched this and thought that the Elantra N is like the Mazdaspeed3 of the bunch. But if I were to replace my Mazdaspeed3 with one of the cars from this comparo, I probably would go with a dual-clutch GTI. I'm no longer in my 20s and I would prefer a more refined ride as my next daily driver.