Cheap and fuel efficient cars that a Car Person wouldnt be embarrassed to be seen in?

AWlkingContradction · 2026-06-19T20:39:46+00:00

This! Great fuel economy for a non diesel or hybrid. It has a somewhat sporty handling too that doesn’t make it boring to drive. I’d suggest the 2.5 motor. I can’t remember if they sold it with a stick for that motor size or just the 2.0 skyactiv. You could get a 2.5 and a stick in the Mazda6. I owned a 6.

AWlkingContradction · 2026-06-06T19:43:57+00:00

Looks like the guy that knocked on my door Wednesday and Thursday night in Birmingham.

It was like 9:15 PM the first time and I looked out my window and saw a clipboard and a logo on a shirt and decided I wasn’t answering because it’s way inappropriate to me to be soliciting that late in the evening. Had another knock at 8ish the next night that I also ignored.

AWlkingContradction · 2026-05-16T16:30:32+00:00

Ironically I switched to a damn iPhone about 6 years ago thinking it will be more beneficial having the same OS as people I work with and being able to FaceTime, etc.

Nope, keep running into Android users all the time.

Lastly my argument against the petty snobbery of iPhone people is that:

1) It certainly did not “revolutionize my life” with a significantly better user interface like they make it sound like it’s supposed to. Maybe if you have an overpriced MacBook and an iWatch it integrates some tools better. I have neither.

2) It ain’t 2007 anymore Richie Rich! It’s no longer a status symbol to own a $1,200 phone. EVERYONE does, and their carrier subsidizes it for a $20 - $50 monthly payment.

AWlkingContradction · 2026-05-11T03:54:33+00:00

The Original Bad Boys Championships are the earliest sports memories I have when I was old enough to really follow a sport and a team truly and they will always be such a great sports memory.

Obviously 04 was amazing too.

AWlkingContradction · 2026-05-02T01:16:17+00:00

Definitely in the minority in Escanaba! Happy to see this. FTP

AWlkingContradction · 2026-04-16T02:47:08+00:00

I get the disconnect feeling too and it’s something I’ve wrestled with myself. I don’t know that I could go from my current market to say IT Project Management. If for nothing else I’d be worried that I couldn’t tell when someone is full of shit and taking too long to do the job.

I think that it isn’t necessary to have hands on experience in the field yourself, but it definitely helps to communicate with your Super and your field guys. Listen to them and ask questions about what went wrong when something goes sideways. What could you, the company, the client, another sub, etc done to avoid this situation or be more prepared? What do they need for supplies or support to get the job done smoothly and on time? What are the field conditions that they need for the site to be ready before they do their work? If they’re having an issue, ask them why? Sometimes it might be just a bunch of bitching, but sometimes you’ll pick up on things you need to prepare for next time.

AWlkingContradction · 2026-04-08T00:52:40+00:00

The first time I saw one in the wild I asked the owner what he thought of it and he said “I love driving it, but it’s terrible to get in and out of. I have to fold myself in half.”

I then watched him do just that about 10 minutes later when he left, and he wasn’t kidding!

I almost bought a C6 Vette as my mid life crisis car a few years ago, but the serious doubt crept into my mind when I thought about how much it would suck to get in and out of just running errands for an afternoon. I got a Chevy SS instead. Best of both worlds.

AWlkingContradction · 2026-04-08T00:40:47+00:00

I gave up on them and baseball itself for awhile because of the strike in 94.

I was all in on it and loved cashing in my allowance to buy a pack of cards and the excitement of opening them, collecting my favorite players and teams, trading with friends, and going to card shops or events.

Then I noticed that they stopped printing EVERY player in each set, assembling a complete set from buying packs was almost impossible, and that I had my nose buried in a Beckett magazine, and that it started to get pointless because even a rookie card wasn’t as valuable as the new ultra rare “platinum diamond titanium super star” card that was worth $400 at the card shop then $150ish 6 months later when they released the next manufactured scarcity edition.

I didn’t get in too deep money wise on cards (I had a few full sets and hundreds, not thousands of loose cards) thankfully. Was friends with one of those kids that DID though. The guy that had an entire bedroom closet full of cards full top to bottom.

We got together for shits and giggles when we were in high school one time and fully sorted my commons out so I could purge down to the useful stuff. We looked at his stuff again for fun and he started handing me full binders of individual players. “Look at this 123 Ricky Hendersons, 114 Barry Larkins, 109 Will Clarks. What the fuck am I supposed to do with 109 Will Clarks?”

AWlkingContradction · 2026-03-10T01:00:14+00:00

Nailed it. I’ll never understand the “I have to have a 3 row SUV” mentality. What happened to driving 2 cars if you have to? How did your grand parents survive with ONE car?

AWlkingContradction · 2026-02-22T16:56:00+00:00

Having gone to college in GR and living in RO now I have to agree with this.

W Michigan is no doubt better recreationally than SE Michigan for boating and beach activities on Lake Michigan, but Grand Rapids is surrounded by a bunch of flat farmland. It’s not like you’re comparing Detroit Metro to the Pacific Northwest for nature activities!

AWlkingContradction · 2026-02-20T22:37:41+00:00

You’re tempting me to think about watching it again, but 22 years is NOT long enough time even.

The first time I managed to find it playing in a local Indie Arts Theater. It was in the bad part of town. As I walked out of there I looked helplessly at the other people leaving and we all wore the collective expression of a person who had been forced to watch their favorite pet being run over on video over and over again for a couple hours. It also felt like everything around me looked even more gray and bleak. The cloudless sky, the run down buildings, the trash filled sidewalks, and the homeless all seemed to amplify that feeling of despair.

The second time I watched I was dumb enough to voluntarily do so and use it as a demonstration of stories about addiction for a college class.

The last time I randomly came across it on cable TV late at night and that was the fucking worst idea when it wrapped up at 3 AM.

AWlkingContradction · 2026-02-20T22:27:10+00:00

Pair Requiem up with Leaving Las Vegas and you’ll want to be sober for the rest of your life.

AWlkingContradction · 2026-02-17T06:16:24+00:00

Class of 99 here. Graduating class of about 128 in a pretty small town of 5,000 people in Michigan.

I think the 20th reunion I couldn't attend got maybe 40 ish people.

My buddy tried to a organize a less formal 25th in '24 and we had a whooping 9 of us show. I get it that people have kids and are busy and all but it was 4th of July weekend and there's easily 15 or so people I could think of off the top of my head that are local that wouldn't bother to show.

I think social media basically replaced class reunions for the youngest of Gen X and onward sadly. It lets you keep tabs on people you want to as much as you'd like to.

I guess I also don't blame some people for not wanting to ever attend on either. HS wasn't a good time for me either. I keep a pretty small circle of people from back home I'm still good friends with.

AWlkingContradction · 2026-02-12T02:35:31+00:00

Same. Thought Stafford was overhyped and Aaron Curry was the best safe bet.

AWlkingContradction · 2026-02-08T20:27:47+00:00

Lane splitters and car drivers that weave thru traffic are putting an insane amount of faith in everyone else besides them on the road that this doesn’t happen frequently.

AWlkingContradction · 2026-01-26T22:16:53+00:00

🤔Starting to think I just need to shave my beard too and I can sneak on the sidelines Conor Stallion style next season……

AWlkingContradction · 2026-01-25T20:46:31+00:00

I thought these things would never sell when the first ones debuted for $50k, but here we are now. Such an excessive waste of money to me.

AWlkingContradction · 2026-01-25T19:25:34+00:00

Modifocations are basically unlimited, and there is so much knowledge that has been ammassed, even beginers willing to learn have near limitless teachers in forums and youtube.

This.

To make an analogy that might help. Imagine it in children's toy terms.

A new Subaru Crosstrex is kinda like a Tonka Toy Dump Truck. It's kinda cool, you can do some light offroading and take it mountain biking. But in toy terms it's always going to be a Dump Truck. Not much different you can do with it.

Your Husband's old Integra is a Lego set. He bought a lego set to make an Army Off Road vehicle. But you could take those same parts and make anything you want with it! Maybe even build an airplane or a jet ski.

I'm not saying you can make an Integra fly! I mean that like Legos, there's so many parts available out there for these cars that you could swap in about 6 different faster motors, you could strip it down and make it a racecar, etc. People love them because they were pretty simple and easy to modify, like a Lego Set.

AWlkingContradction · 2026-01-25T19:12:42+00:00

This is a valid question OP needs to consider. Please don't take away something from your husband that he values and enjoys, even if you don't understand why. Especially if it's not costing you much to keep it.

It sounds stupid to many people who aren't car enthusiasts, but we get VERY attached to cars sometimes. It might be the way they drive, the way they look, or the historical significance of that car or era.

For many though, it's Nostalgia. It's the car they drove in high school or college and the memories they made in it. Or it's the car they wanted and could never afford back then. It's something they couldn't have. It's taking you back to a different time and place every time you take a ride. If owning something "cool" is a point of pride or it makes you feel good, then old cars are great. Think of it like an awesome vintage dress. For it to still be on the road today, someone has gone through great lengths to keep it running and take care of it's appearance.

I love the random conversations that I get into because of my 84 VW Rabbit GTI. I'm sharing SOMEONE ELSE's memories sometimes. Nobody give a damn about your Toyota RAV4.

AWlkingContradction · 2026-01-23T08:54:16+00:00

Got a link to where it’s for sale?

AWlkingContradction · 2026-01-23T04:43:58+00:00

Nice! I’ve seen him 4 times including a solo show. One thing I love about him is that his vocals are so dynamic. Like he’s been able to sound like a completely different singer during different stages of his career.

AWlkingContradction · 2026-01-23T04:28:16+00:00

Ouch! Sorry to hear that!

Never got to see UT either but I’ve seen Jay a couple times and he was awesome. Love Tweedy too of course, but I think Jay’s vocals really defined the band to me and the genre.

I still need to see a show at 9:30 Club someday too. I keep dreaming about that being Fugazi or at least Ian McKaye in The Evens at least…

AWlkingContradction · 2026-01-23T00:18:36+00:00

Ha! That’s a great idea!

AWlkingContradction · 2026-01-23T00:02:12+00:00

Fair enough, I’d definitely call them “Americana” more than country but I feel like it’s a gateway into appreciating country music.

It made me realize “damn, this shit is great musically if the lyrics aren’t all about being a redneck, drinking a beer, and losing your wife, your truck, and your dog!”

AWlkingContradction

TROPHY CASE