We’ve been recently discussing the Jeep Grand Wagoneer over on TTAC, which has reminded me of a very unusual used car: the second-generation Jeep Grand Wagoneer. No, I’m not talking about the various facelifted and updated versions of the original Grand Wagoneer, which came out in the 1960s and used the same outdated chassis for decades. I am instead referring to the 1993 Grand Wagoneer, which was really just a rebadged Grand Cherokee. Here’s what happened: when Chrysler ditched the Grand Wagoneer in the early 1990s, they were highly afraid of losing loyal customers. That makes sense, as many...

In the late 1990s, Lincoln beat Cadillac to the full-size luxury SUV punch by releasing the Navigator just before Cadillac debuted the Escalade. The vehicle you see here is an attempt at achieving a second such release date victory. The Lincoln Blackwood was offered in the 2002 and 2003 model years with a retail price of around $53,000. Of course, not one Blackwood changed hands anywhere that figure, because the truck was fraught with shortcomings. In theory, the idea of the Blackwood makes perfect sense. I once read Lincoln decided to build the truck after discovering some absurd number of their...

I think, if you asked around, you’d find that this site really needs some more Volvo content. And so I’ve decided to provide that in the form of a short piece on Volvo’s forgotten model: the S90. I know what you’re thinking: there is no S90! You’re crazy! Also, this site does not need any more Volvo content! You’re probably right about that last bit. I’ve covered a lot of Volvo stuff here, largely because they build loads of very unusual cars. Like the S90. OK, so you’ve heard of the S40, and the S60, and the S80. You had forgotten about the S70, but now you sort of remember that,...

Remember the Chrysler PT Cruiser? I’d like to call that a “Chrysler bad idea,” but in reality, it wasn’t. The thing sold like crazy, and I still see them around, each in the hands of elderly people who are really pleased by them. But the General Motors version was a bad idea. The Chevrolet HHR, which stood for ‘Heritage High Roof’ was a copy of the entire PT Cruiser idea, from the retro styling to the dull driving experience. It was even designed by the same person, Bryan Nesbitt, who joined GM after the PT Cruiser’s launch. Chevrolet eventually decided to make a panel version of the...

I’ve always liked the Ferrari California. Why? For one, it drives like a Ferrari. Seriously: it’s small, it’s quick and the handling and suspension are tuned precisely as you’d expect from a Ferrari, which is to say that it’s a lot like a Lamborghini or a Porsche but you believe it’s way better because it has a Ferrari badge. It also sounds like a Ferrari. Even with the stock exhaust, jamming the throttle on the California unleashes exactly the sound you want from Italy’s finest. This seems counterintuitive considering the California is a front-engined four-seater, but it’s true. ...

Hello dear readers! A few housekeeping items. First and most importantly: I’ve now posted a list of my favorite columns through a link the header. I’ve noticed that the people who come here from Jalopnik don’t always realize I write for TTAC, and the people who come from TTAC don’t realize I write for Jalopnik, so I decided to post the very best stuff from both places right here in an ongoing effort to make you think that all my writing is that good. The columns are, at the moment: Sports Cars Don’t Really Attract Women – May 24, 2013 [Jalopnik] I Think Honda LaneWatch Is Awesome...

Let’s be honest: most of the Honda Accords out there are four-cylinder sedans with an automatic transmission. But you can, in theory, get a V6 Accord. And you used to be able to get a stick shift. Of course, it’s no surprise a V6/stick combo was available in the “sporty” Accord coupe. But here’s an interesting fact: for two short years – 2006 and 2007 – you could also get an Accord sedan with a V6 and a stick shift. I consider this the high-water mark of the entire Accord run, although LaneWatch comes damn close. Anyway: for those of you minutiae-obsessed enthusiasts out there,...

Ah, the Jimmy Diamond Edition. This one is worthy of a serious mention in the GM Bad Idea section, except for the fact that I have a confession to make: I actually like it. And by that, I mean I like it in a “Oh the Plymouth Prowler is cool, but I would never let my friends see me driving it” kind of way. Let’s start with what the Jimmy Diamond is: ugly. But also a luxurious special edition version of the Jimmy sold late in its model run to try and earn a few sales from shoppers who thought the Oldsmobile Bravada was a little too retirement village. There were a few major updates that...

I recently visited Charleston, South Carolina, which is a beautiful southern city wherein I actually heard an old woman remark to two boys playing outside: “Aren’t y’all gonna come inside for some supper?” Charleston is also home to possibly the single wealthiest contingent of southerners, virtually all of whom are actually from the north. I won’t get in to demographics here, but basically Charleston became a popular place for northern money in the late 1800s and I think the exact same people are living there today, with the exact same money. If you’ve ever wondered where they sell all...

I haven’t done a “GM Bad Idea” segment in a while. This is not because GM has stopped having bad ideas. On the contrary, I have seen several new Cadillac XTSs on the road, and there’s absolutely no way they were purchased by anyone who didn’t receive an enormous GM incentive. But I’m not here to knock the Cadillac XTS. That can be done in a future column. Instead, I’m going to call out another bad idea from our friends at General Motors: the Oldsmobile Aurora. You may remember the original Aurora. It’s the car that resembles a rather large, windswept sand dune. It also had no...

I once had a W124 500E. This was very impressive, but only to me and about three other people. Everyone else mainly said: Why the hell did you buy this crappy old Mercedes? This is especially true because I sold a 2001 E55 AMG to get it, and I actually paid more for the older, crappier Mercedes. But there was one impressive detail about my W124. In fact, it was an impressive detail of all W124 models, which – by the way – is the chassis code for the E-Class made from 1985 to 1995. And that one impressive detail is the mirrors. You see, all W124 models had two different mirror sizes. ...

To begin: I know I didn’t post much last week. There’s a reason for that: I took a five-day trip to Charleston, one of my favorite cities, and my hotel overlooked a drawbridge. As a result, I simply sat on the balcony and excitedly watched the bridge go up and down. This left little time to post here. Fortunately, I’m going to remedy that today with a new “it exists” piece about one of my favorite subtly cool vehicles: the 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9 Limited. This one is so subtle I actually completely forgot about it until I received a suggestion from a reader to write it up. Let’s...

The Land Rover LR3 is a wonderful SUV. It’s also cheap to run, provided you’re comparing it to a fleet of midsized warships, or possibly Denmark. But for all its flaws – and there are many – the LR3 has one interesting bit of minutiae that may slightly brighten your day when you see one on the road: its fender vent. Note that I didn’t say “vents.” That’s because the LR3 has only one fender vent, located on its passenger side. Interestingly, the vent is actually functional: when you’re fording a stream of up to some ungodly amount of inches known only to the person who...

It’s getting harder and harder to distinguish different cars. For example: I’m quite sure the Hyundai Azera, Acura RLX, Toyota Avalon and Lexus ES are all the exact same vehicle, just with different badging. Perhaps the Asian manufacturers have banded together to give GM a taste of its own medicine. There are, however, a few unique touches that set apart today’s crop of new cars. And the very best is Hyundai’s “atomic” tail lights. The atomic tail lights are only included on the Sonata Hybrid, which should probably the subject of its own minutiae column for the insane number of tiny...

Let’s get one thing settled right away: the Maserati MC12 is not a “rebadge.” You won’t find another vehicle that shares any exterior components with the MC12, except for possibly a large sailing yacht. (Seriously, why is the MC12 so big?) But most people don’t realize that Maserati’s “halo car” is little more than a rebodied Ferrari Enzo. The two vehicles ride on the same mid-engine chassis, use the same 6.0-liter V12, and even share a transmission, which Maserati renamed “CambioCorsa” instead of Ferrari’s “F1.” To me, this is reminiscent of Chevrolet’s “MyLink”...