Like most people *everywhere*, there is a good chance that due to the Coronavirus health crisis you find yourself these days with a little more time on your hands and a lot fewer places to go. I’m not a profoundly social person, but even I have found the inability to engage in even the most basic of interactions outside the home a little frustrating – and I have no doubt I am wearing thin on my family. Thank goodness for carry-out beer pickup from my favorite local. But I digress. If you’re reading this, there’s a better than fair chance that you’re a Car Geek like us. With that in mind, I decided to lay out some ways to actively engage in full-on Car Geekery whilst adhering to all applicable stay at home, social distancing, and whatever other rules apply to your locality. Interested? Read on!
Tag Archives: Porsche 911
Change is in the Air…..
There’s change afoot here at TTS. No, neither of us has gone transgender, and yes, it will include some more frequent posting. This once-a-quarter pattern isn’t really working for us, although traffic has remained remarkably substantial. The internet is a fascinating place. First off, if you’re not following us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, please do! You’ll find more frequent tidbits through those outlets than on the official blog, although this remains our home of homes. But all that’s not what I’m really here to talk about, either. This is first and foremost a car blog, and as such the interesting content is about cars. So brace yourselves, folks, as there are changes coming to the TTS fleet!
Subaru SVX: Polarizing Styling, Please
I’ve been considering returning to a two-door as my daily hack. Almost five years ago, my grumpy lower back immediately complained about installing our newborn son and his car seat into the rear compartment of my 1991 BMW 318is. A four-door was in order, and we soon found our rusty-but-trusty 1995 Mercedes-Benz E320. Now, said munchkin is able and (usually) willing to climb into his car seat by himself. The Benz is just fine for now, but it can’t hurt to consider a replacement that might need some work before being pressed into daily service. Continue reading
Fiscal Responsibility & Financial Planning – TTS Style!
Suppose for a minute that you have managed to finagle your personal finances through a series of questionable actions to the point that you have somewhere in the neighborhood of $20K available in liquid funds. Now suppose further that you are cunning enough to convince whomever else in your household that has a say in how your money gets spent that you are car savvy enough to take that $20K and turn it into at least 25% more over the next 1-3 years. We’re not talking penny stocks going up 100X in value, but is there not some appeal to our automotive selves in the ability to buy and enjoy a car that we find interesting and end-up selling it on at a net gain? Continue reading
TTS: Five Fun Cars Near the Bottom of the Depreciation Curve
Last week’s trip to Europe has me contemplating all sorts of next moves related to the things automotive in my life. Really, there are 2 considerations: upgrade the Accord Hybrid to something modern and fun with all of the bits and baubles that one expects with a new car, or buy something fun as a weekender – ostensibly in place of the recently-acquired Mercedes 300D Turbodiesel – that may even be well-positioned to start appreciating if looked after. Truth be told, as dull as the Honda is, I cannot deny the benefits of using the carpool lanes to commute from Fairfax, VA to Washington, D.C. every day. It easily saves me an hour a day. That leaves me looking at the classics.
The Car Geek Life, During And After COVID-19
If history teaches us anything, it’s that we humans forget things – even bad things – pretty quickly. You might argue it has something to do with our resilience as a species, but it’s equally likely we are just slow learners. In either case, the Coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic has impacted all of us on a global scale, and there is a good chance things won’t be exactly the same once the planet re-opens for business, or at least lands on what becomes the “new normal.” We’ve already talked about how to enjoy our car addictions in lockdown mode, but now we’re looking forward. As Car Geeks, we’ve been pondering and debating what that means to us as individuals and to the car hobby in general. Here is a short list that we here at Totally That Stupid agree on (more or less).
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2 Comments | tags: Acura NSX, Alfa Romeo, Amphicar, Blockbuster Video, BMW, BMW 330i, BMW M3, Car Geeks, Cars and Coffee, Cars and Coffee Irvine, Chivas Regal, Classic Auto Mall, Copter Kids, coronavirus, COVID-19, Datsun Roadster, Duetto, E55 AMG, Grand Blanc High School, Grease Movie, Isolation Island Concours D'Elegance, Lotus Elise, malaise-era, Mazda Miata, Mercedes Gullwing, Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-Benz Museum, Millennials, Pandemic, Peppermint Twist Drive-In, Peterson Automotive Museum, Porsche 911, Porsche 986, Porsche 996, Rad Report, Radwood, Scotch, Techno Classica Essen, Twister Movie, Zoom | posted in Commentary, Resources, Totally That Stupid