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Dylan W.

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Congratulations! Everyone who knows you’re a car guy but couldn’t tell a spark plug from a lug nut has now appointed you their pro-bono car buying consultant.

It may sound as though I’m frustrated by this, but the truth is, if I was planning to upgrade my wifi, I’d phone an IT buddy before scouring the internet.

If you can’t afford to be picky with your next car, I’d recommend the same cars anyone with a brain between their ears probably would, with one exception:

Skip the Civic and Corolla. Spring for the Jetta.

“But German cars scare me!! I hear parts are expensive, and they aren’t as reliable.”

I’m guessing your grandpa, still faithfully driving his ‘96 Tercel after two decades, told you that.

***SWIPE LEFT TO CONTINUE READING***

In all honesty, the Civic isn’t a poor choice. But once you’ve drunk the Volkswagen Kool-Aid, you’d recommend the Jetta in a heartbeat and defend that decision to the bitter end.

There’s just something profoundly superior about the Jetta. It’s difficult to articulate and even harder to recognize at first glance, but I’m going to try to put my finger on exactly what it is.

For starters, the Jetta would win the blind taste test. It just would.

Honda and Toyota heard your concerns, and addressed them, but the result was never a particularly compelling low-cost people mover. The Jetta had something they couldn’t quite quantify.

On the other hand, Volkswagen somehow managed to make the same basic proposition feel like something more.

Throughout the Jetta’s production, Volkswagen has sprinkled in a handful of Easter eggs that are enough to put a smirk on even the most casual driver’s face.

The pen holders, oddly abundant little storage compartments, and pop-out cupholders are just a few examples, but they only scratch the surface of what I’m getting at.

Perhaps the most compelling aspect of the Jetta is its driving position and overall ergonomics, both of which feel unusually well-considered.

The historically firm and supportive seats put you relatively low and reclined, with your legs extending naturally toward the pedals, the steering wheel falling perfectly into your hands.

Controls and instrumentation by @mostlystreetparked

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12 days ago

“Poor man’s Ferrari”
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#car#ferrari#italy by @mostlystreetparked

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13 days ago

A “sleeper” is typically a vehicle whose performance is anything but apparent from its appearance.

However, make no mistake, a sleeper doesn’t have to humble a Huracán to earn the title.

When it comes to off-roading, the uninitiated have a habit of financing too much vehicle for their needs, only to tack on an overpriced roof rack before chucking the street tires.

Hey, it’s their money, not mine, but staring past all those rubber duckies just to keep up with a Corolla on an access road has to sting.

For that reason, I affectionately crown the Corolla All-Trac a sleeper, its unassuming capability putting it squarely in the category.

Weighing just under 2,700 pounds and boasting 6.3 inches of ground clearance and, in some cases, a center-locking differential, the Corolla All-Trac punches well above its weight, no pun intended.

Back in the day, you could find quite a few of these kicking around in the mountains, driven by ski instructors, rural commuters, and the occasional pizza delivery driver who didn’t want to get stuck.

Ironically, the places where the Corolla All-Trac was most useful may have also been where it met its demise, which helps explain why they’re so rare today.

Old Toyotas may be famously durable, but even they have an Achilles’ heel: salt, snow, and mud.

Despite the charm we see in them today, the Corolla All-Trac was once just an inexpensive tool, used hard and eventually replaced rather than preserved.

There’s something satisfying about knowing a humble Corolla can tackle obstacles others spent considerably more money trying to make their SUV look capable of doing.

It never needed to look like an off-roader because it was busy being one.
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#carspotting#car#corolla by @mostlystreetparked

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18 days ago

It has a V4 engine, and that isn’t a typo. And yes, the strut brace doubles as a coolant expansion tank.
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Special thanks to @rabbitrunsgood
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#saab #sonett #car by @mostlystreetparked

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20 days ago

Some folks complain that cars keep getting bigger, and in many cases, make a fair point.

However, there was a time when sedans stretched as long as Suburbans. Let me tell you, it wasn’t to give your passengers more legroom.

By the late ‘70s, Mercedes and BMW were no longer niche alternatives to their American counterparts.

Their restrained styling and superior quality redefined luxury, making them formidable competitors.

Over the years, they aged more gracefully, but what American luxury sedans lacked in refinement, they more than made up for in sheer presence.

Call them stubborn, but Continental buyers weren’t bothered by squeaks and rattles so long as the interior was wrapped in crushed velour and accompanied by more ashtrays than seats.

The professor types laughed at it, while the riverboat gamblers swooned over it.

Ergonomic seating? Forget about it.

Body roll? More of a feature than a flaw.

Six feet of hood, zero regrets.

I rarely defend five-mile-per-hour bumpers, but on a car like this, they somehow complement the tombstone grille and unapologetic excess.

Rather than reinventing luxury, Lincoln doubled down on what its legacy buyers already loved, tossing them a bone in the late ’70s that they’d happily chew on for another decade.

I mentioned that its competitors aged more gracefully. A W126 S-Class, for instance, looked modern for much longer.

But today, I’d much rather be graced by the presence of a faux-luxo-barge like the Continental.

Hell, I’d love to get my hands on one just to park it in my driveway, pull up a lawn chair, and spend the afternoon admiring the sheer audacity of it.

#carspotting #car #lincoln by @mostlystreetparked

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a month ago

Everyone is replaceable and everyone is unique.

Both of those things are true.

There’s no shame in being obscure or eccentric, unless that difference begins to feel aimless or cliché.

If you’ve owned Italian cars long enough to roll with the punches, it’s fair to say you accept their quirks as part of their charm.

Italian cars are not merely the sum of their parts, and unlike your coworker, that unique feeling you get behind the wheel might be truly irreplaceable.

Love or hate the Alfa Romeo Milano, it might be one of the few things that defy the philosophical paradox I’m describing.

Unapologetically Italian? Absolutely.

Unique? Undeniably.

Replaceable? Not even on paper.

You might cackle if I told you what its actual competitors are, and burst out laughing if I suggested the cars it’s arguably much more akin to.

Its market positioning places it against the Mercedes-Benz 190E, yet its underlying character is much closer to that of a Porsche 944.

Often considered “the last real Alfa,” the Milano placed far greater emphasis on being a true sports sedan than on being a refined people mover for the masses.

Beneath its polarizing shell is a rear mounted transaxle and inboard brakes.

Unconventional? No doubt.

Italian cars are often characterized by their emotional appeal over rational thinking, but there’s more logic behind this design than meets the eye.

This unique blend of engineering resulted in a finely tuned balance, allowing the Milano to handle with the agility of a sports coupe, far spicier than your average compact sedan.

The Busso engine, long considered one of the best sounding V6s, is the cherry on top, producing far more growl than rasp.

Unless you can give a C5 corvette 4 doors, you’d be hard pressed to find a true Milano alternative.

Turns out, some things really are irreplaceable, though your employer might beg to differ.
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Special thanks to @carspotting.la and @andrew_car.spots for sharing this gem with me June 2025 #carspotting #car #alfaromeo by @mostlystreetparked

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a month ago

A motorcycle and a P-51 Mustang had a baby. Somehow, it grew up to be a sauna on wheels. #car #messerschmitt #kr200 by @mostlystreetparked

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a month ago

This isn’t your trophy wife’s G-Wagen… unless she prefers diesel fumes to champagne and a clutch pedal to a chauffeur. #car #mercedes #300gd by @mostlystreetparked

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a month ago

It wouldn’t be an Italian car without a fire extinguisher‼️ #cars by @mostlystreetparked

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23 days ago

There are those who scoff at the notion that American cars were once the best, but I believe there was a time when they were, with cars like this Imperial LeBaron Southampton serving as a prime example.

Then again, I still question whether that could ever be considered fact, or if patriotism alone has shaped our perception of it.

I suppose there is no objective truth to the matter.

“You won’t see the LeBaron on the streets in great numbers, simply because a car of such integrity and excellence cannot be produced by the usual production-line methods.”

Not only was it priced exclusively, production was intentionally limited, and with only 1,026 produced in total, that wasn’t merely a sales pitch lifted from the brochure.

With exaggerated fins that bordered on the gothic, the 1961 Imperial LeBaron Southampton carried the excesses of ’50s styling into the new decade, serving as the most dramatic expression of designer Virgil Exner’s “Forward Look.”

Even the name Virgil Exner sounds as though it belongs equally to a world famous fashion designer and the Antichrist, an appropriate pairing for a car that presents itself as both elegant and sinister.

Clearly the Imperial was intended to mingle with the likes of Rolls-Royce, and theoretically its price, exclusivity, and attention to detail put it in the conversation.

That being said, I have a hard time imagining an expat handing over the keys to his Rolls-Royce for an Imperial in 1961, but I’ll be damned if the LeBaron wouldn’t have earned a second look.

Perhaps that is where the British mind and American imagination part ways.
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#carspotting #car by @mostlystreetparked

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a month ago

Drop that note. Knock on that door. If it has flat tires and expired tags, you have nothing to lose, unless a door slammed in your face is a dealbreaker.

You’d be surprised. Some folks will watch a car slowly disappear into their driveway simply because they haven’t the slightest idea how to rid themselves of the damned thing.

When @carspotting.la shared this diesel I-Mark collapsing on the curb in front of a mini mart in 2024, I practically sprinted to get there.

Much to my dismay, it seemingly vanished without a trace, other than marking its territory with a puddle of black oil.

All hope was lost. Had I asked the store clerk about it or knocked on the door of a nearby residence, I could already picture the suspicious glare and short remarks coming from someone who likely knew little more than myself.

People often send me photos of ’65 Mustangs expecting me to swoon, blissfully unaware that I’d much rather see a Ford Festiva. Others understand my taste and, fortunately, have an eye for them too.

I had all but forgotten about the local diesel I-Mark. Months had slipped by before @____thaddy happened upon it on the other side of town one day, thankfully having the wit to snap a photo and send it my way.

My eyes must have been deceiving me. There it was, roadworthy, registered, and apparently back out on the town. Clearly not doomed to the fate I imagined, thankfully.

To say I was surprised is an understatement. However, upon closer inspection, it became clear why it might have been saved.

After all, a stick-shift diesel passenger car from the past has a surprisingly compelling use case today.

If you bought a GM diesel from this time period, I doubt you’d be eager to have another. Conversely, if you ponied up for a W123 diesel, you’ll understand the appeal of a car like this immediately.

Vintage diesels, when well-executed, have a way of being robust yet mechanically simple.

Pair low entry cost with phenomenal fuel economy and tremendous reliability, and you have yourself a practical daily driver with far more soul than your coworker’s Hyundai Accent.
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#carspotting #car #isuzone by @mostlystreetparked

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a month ago

Just checking in. #cars by @mostlystreetparked

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2 months ago