Japanese Nostalgic Car

With the holidays coming it’s time to think about gifts. My wife will be the first one to tell you that car enthusiasts are impossible to shop for. The stuff we want is so specific, whether it’s a particular part or book or Hot Wheels, that she would have to spend days on eBay or some Facebook group full of jackals to find an item, and then it would still probably end up being wrong.

As someone who has recently rekindled an interest in plastic model kits I think they make a pretty good home run present. There’s enough diversity to get the right car or close to it, and attributes like color won’t matter. They’re simple enough for the casual tinkerer but complex enough if you want to get really hard core about it with customization, and they appeal to a variety of age groups.

What’s the best gift for a car enthusiast?

The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What car will go extinct in the next five years?“. Continue reading →

Stylish. Powerful. Affordable. These are attributes that typically make a very desirable car. Unfortunately, it also transforms them into dirtbag magnets. Once noble motorcars like the Infiniti G35 are now, at least in southern California, most often seen in various states of clappedness weaving through traffic like an Altima on a doughnut spare and steroids. At the current rate of attrition we think it’s unlikely there’ll be any garage-worthy examples left by 2028, but we hope we’re wrong.

What car will go extinct in the next five years?

The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What does your car cleaning regimen consist of?“. Continue reading →

We hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving long weekend last week. Perhaps you were able to get some quality time with your car because today, November 28, is Car Wash Day in Japan. In fact, it’s one of two Car Wash Days, the other one being April 28. In Japanese, the numbers 1128 and 428 can be read as a homonym for the phrase “high luster” or “high gloss”. Here in southern California, it’s necessary to wash, clay, and wax twice a year to protect the paint, as the harsh sun tends to pulverize the clear coat and discolor plastics. That, and buying a whole ‘nother car that you don’t care about as a daily beater.

What does your car cleaning regimen consist of?

The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What’s your favorite childhood road trip memory?“. Continue reading →

The holiday season is upon us, and that means a lot of traveling to visit family and friends. Some of our earliest experiences of automotive adventures are sitting in the back of the family station wagon, in the days before seat belt laws, and going on what seemed like never-ending car rides across states to visit relatives. Perhaps the prevalence of screens on such drives might be one reason why the younger generation has less interest in cars, but in the days before smart phones or headrest-mounted screens we looked for cool cars in interstate traffic and alphabets in road signs to keep ourselves occupied. Studying mom and dad operate the controls and buttons on the dash gave us an appreciation for the machinery. These were good times.

What’s your favorite childhood road trip memory?

The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “Why aren’t there more good looking cars?“. Continue reading →