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I stick with only top tier fuel which means Exxon/Mobil, Shell, BP, or Costco around me. While premium could be a waste of money, running 89 octane could have merits depending on your particular operating conditions along with the factory ECM calibrations. Some companies like Ford, Porsche, and...

The problem with the German cars is just how unreal upkeep and maintenance can become once you are out of warranty. Toyota goes the other route and are usually very cheap to maintain when out of warranty. The exception can be some of the Japanese built ones like the 4Runner which is extremely...

Talk with your dealer as they likely are partnered with automotive upholstering specialists who have significant experience doing this. The dealer I bought from has a 100 car indoor showroom and a short walk revealed that they had added heated seats to numerous vehicles on the floor. Prices...

I have to bring up this really good point. Modifying the factory taillights in any way is highly illegal. Even worse, it can decrease visibility and create a dangerous situation for either yourself or someone who is behind you. We have some crazy ass drivers here in Cincinnati and I have nearly...

My concern with that much of a drop is whether the driveshaft angle is going to change enough to cause problems over the long term. Lowered or raised vehicles have a tendency to suffer from abnormal wear in the CV joints as well as deterioration of the half shaft seals over time.

The Civic used to be something special back in the 90's. Ford had the Escort, Toyota had the Corolla, Chebby had the Cavalier, but these were mostly appliances. The Civic EX back in that era was probably one of the most desired cars among the younger crowd because of the driving experience and...

Yes, and those are 7 speed manual transmissions. I do not think I have seen an actual 7 speed automatic although I do not keep up with the latest cars as much these days. Considering how tall 7th gear is, I think 6 speed manuals will continue to be fine.

The only Civic I considered was an EX-L with navigation. The other top contender was a Ford Focus which also ran way above $25k for the ones that had the equipment I wanted. I absolutely wanted heated seats along with factory navigation, but did not want to pay too much as this is mostly a stop...

Where do you live and where are your paint chips located?

If you have the patience to follow all the steps, Zaino Bros showroom polish is considered by many to be the gold standard. Each additional layer you add really adds more depth, but it is a lot of effort.

There is no such thing as a 7 speed transmission in the Corolla as the CVT is simply simulating set gear ratios when in manual mode. Lots of cars these days have 8 and 9 speed transmissions. The newer Corvettes and Porsche's with the actual manual transmission do have available 7 speeds, but I...

You are correct in that vehicles these days are engineered to have a lifespan of about 150k miles. It is very likely that your Toyota is not really going to fare much better than your Honda's which generally do not fare any better than Fords and Nissans. Of course these vehicles on average fare...

A dealer will very likely not disable the speed limiter because they could be held liable should someone loose control of their vehicle at high speeds. Investing in better tyres is absolutely critical as stated above. As for the warranty, it has to be proven that a modification caused a...

It was ultimately the use of direct fuel injection in the Civic that turned me away combined with the $25k MSRP price which is $2k more than my LE Premium for the similar level of options. I am not convinced in the use of DI until we see more adoption of duel fuel injection systems like in the...

Also check out the Ford Fusion. It is one of the quietest mainstream cars and is only 1 decimal louder than a Lexus ES350. Mine was whisper quiet. The a Corolla by comparison roars.

It all depends on the factory ECM calibration. Many manufacturers program for regular, but constantly use the knock sensor to adjust to higher octane fuels. Some Fords take advantage of this and can see a small increase. If Toyota uses a calibration that seeks higher octane, then it could see a...

Extended oil change intervals are nothing new. European cars have had them for a long time. I even had a Land Rover that had 12k intervals. Most Fords and GM will go well over 10k miles based in the oil monitor. What really matters is a good full synthetic like Mobil 1 extended performance along...

0-60 is more in the 8-10 second range. Speedometers can be fairly inaccurate at higher speeds due to the margin of accuracy they are allowed by the DOT. If you were able to reach 120, it would take a lot longer from 80 than 15 seconds.

The burning smell is almost universal to all new cars. It is just the anti corrosion stuff burning off from the exhaust parts as well as from the engine and anywhere else that was coated. It takes a lot more than a few feet with the emergency brakes to damage them, and even then the smell is...

How long did it take you to get there?