The Best Thing You Can Do for Your Old Car Is Drive It
Over the past week I had been thinking about selling my sweet little old Volkswagen. It had a few things wrong with it,…
I Finally Have Access To a Shop! What Should I Fix On My Terrible Volkswagen?
My knuckles are cut up. My back is sore. My fingernails are scrubbed. It’s been a while since I’ve wrenched on my car,…
How Much Preventative Maintenance Is Too Much?
Right now, I’m trying to get my 1979 Jeep Cherokee Golden Eagle on the road, and I’m struggling to answer a question:…
My Terrible Old Volkswagen Is Ruining New Cars For Me
My 1974 Volkswagen Beetle is, by modern standards, a complete pile of garbage. But every time I get into a car that is…
Replace The Shocks On Your Busted Old Car, You Won't Regret It
Finally, after way, way, way too long, I replaced the shocks on my car. I would have done it sooner if I had known just…
Find Out Which Totalitarian Government Made The Best People’s Car
Anyone can be a car enthusiast. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you drive. But it takes a special kind of maniac…
My Grubby 1974 Volkswagen Made It Across The Country And It Only Took A Calendar Year
I realize now that the Volkswagen I bought under an oak tree in Sacramento has been here to New York City for a few…
Are Prelude Seats Any Good And Other Idle Thoughts From Modifying A Car
I am idly contemplating a racier set of seats for my sweet, sweet Volkswagen. Something comfy for a road trip but with…
I Did A Seats-Out Clean Of My Car And It Felt Amazing
I like fixing my car. I like driving my car. But I have never liked cleaning my car. This week, though, I took the…
Putting A Wood Deck Into The Back Of My Car Was Way Easier Than I Thought
I don’t know how long I’ve had this stupid fascination with putting a wood deck into the back of my clunky old…
This Time My Shitty Old Volkswagen Got Me Mugged
When you stall a 1974 Volkswagen at an intersection, any intersection, even ones on the far side of Memphis in the…
I Am Flying To Arkansas To Get My 1974 Volkswagen That Was Stranded For A Year
A year ago, I blew the motor in my 1974 Volkswagen while trying to make it from Sacramento to New York City. I made it…
The Little Engine That Couldn't: Why I Own A Dead Volkswagen In Arkansas
It was a clunk, then loud banging from behind me, and then the engine cut off. Any other time before and I would have…
What Car Did You Buy Against Every Sense Of Reason?
When I set out to buy my most recent car, I gave myself a budget of $5,000. I dutifully looked at two almost identical…
The Little Engine That Couldn't: My Worst Day On The Road
It had somehow narrowed down to hours, how I was measuring time. It wasn’t a question of days or weeks anymore. I was…
Surprise Off-Roading And Other Joys Of Driving A 1974 VW Across The Country
I glanced down at my phone to double check the directions Google was giving me and I looked up, at highway speed, and…
A Benefit Of Driving East
Driving eastward across the country sucks, because you begin in the wonderful wide open spaces of the West and you end…
The Little Engine That Couldn't: Crossing The Sierras On Most Of A Motor
You know your road trip is a shit show when crossing the highest mountain range in the lower 48 on three cylinders…
The Little Engine That Couldn't: Three Breakdowns On Day One
I don’t have a lot to contextualize just how horribly my cross country drive in my new 1974 Volkswagen Beetle started.…
The Little Engine That Couldn't: Driving A 1974 Volkswagen Across The Country
It didn’t occur to me at the time quite how ridiculous it was. I was staring at my new car, its engine out and sitting…