That’s a slight misconception. Citizens don’t press charges, prosecutors do. And before a prosecutor even gets to make that decision, the case has to be referred to them, which means the cops have to do their job first. Read more

“Lifted Sedan” was Toyota USA’s own marketing, even though the Japanese arm called it a crossover from the very start. Read more

There are a number of these that actually have FMVSS and CMVSS stickers in their door sills. I featured one or two of them on my cars for sale column. Someone (or someones) went through the work to make some of these legal! Read more

Yes! The car has equipment and instrumentation with weather seals, the seats are water resistant, and the HVAC vents are moved to a place where they can’t fill with water...not that you’re going to get much cooling or heat in such an open vehicle. Read more

What kind of huge beer are you buying? I’ve moved an entire apartment using a Fortwo. Boxes were in the trunk and on top of the folding passenger seat, and furniture was in a trailer.

All of the vehicles featured appear to be press cars. There’s no need to blur the plate of a press or manufacturer vehicle. Not even the big auto mags do that. Read more

Yeah, that confuses me, too. DHS wants you to think that people can sail through security with weapons on them. And, that could be true. But they certainly aren’t being used on those flights! Read more

Oh yeah, the good thing is that flying is safer than it’s ever been. I should have noted that. We’re past the days of 747s getting bombed out of the sky and hostage situations at 30,000 feet. Read more

Oh, there is some data on that! The Department of Homeland Security likes doing sort of “secret shopper” things with the TSA where DHS agents pretend to be passengers and try to sneak weapons through. Read more

Damn right it is! :D
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Heck, even in places where towing regulations aren’t lax, there are still tow companies that operate on the wrong side of the law. Two years ago, my condo association made up reasons to have a non-existent tow company tow a few of my cars. The guy who towed my cars was the son of the business “owner,” not an employee… Read more

Smart USA’s people told me that importing the diesel was possible, and was even considered. Read more

2006 Smart Fortwo CDI. 70 MPG, baby diesel sounds, and filling up next to big rigs never gets old. Also, I am contractually obligated to right the wrong of the Fortwo making it onto the worst list today. lol

As far as your data concerns go, titles are already electronic, so a hacker could try doing this now.
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Ah...yeah, those were dark times. I recall the 2008s had a transmission problem that necessitated a design change for 2009. Then there were the software updates to fix other problems. And then there were the roof crazing problems, the deletion of features in 2009, bubbling paint, and other things. Read more

Oof! Off the top of my head, the front springs can crack on Smarts in the Midwest, but that usually happens closer to 100k miles, not 30k. At the same time, it does seem that not every Smart was created equal. Many of them are like mine and just go miles and miles without ever needing a thing. And some end up burning… Read more

Yeah, owners love rebadging (upbadging?) them as MBs. The logic is that the company is owned by MB, so toss those badges in the trash and glue on MB badges. Eh, to me a Smart is a Smart, so mine keep the Smart badges. Read more

DAVID!!! Holy crap this is like getting Hanukkah and Christmas presents at the SAME TIME! Your stories are captivating as always. :) Read more

Most U.S. Smart sales went to NYC and SF, or basically the two cities in America where parking sucks the most. Read more

I’ll give you the bad shifting (which was fixed in 2016 with the third-generation’s 5-speed manual or optional DCT) but the understeering and high-speed driving feel are easily fixed with wide tires. Mercedes engineered them to understeer on purpose, and most of that comes down to narrow tires. Yeet those things into… Read more