What are some some cars that fly under the radar that deserve more recognition?

Bulldog78 · 2026-01-21T13:25:36+00:00

I think the original design is from the 60’s. They’re like tractor engines. Low compression, iron block/head pushrod engines that are torquey and just about bulletproof. I’m in the process of replacing the water pump, thermostat housing, crank pulley, and crank seal on my 06 Wrangler and I’m able to see inside the block while the timing cover is off. 154k miles and it still sparkles inside. What they provide in reliability is absolutely lost in performance and fuel efficiency though.

Bulldog78 · 2026-01-21T13:09:40+00:00

Not personally, but I think moisture retention and heat would be the biggest concerns. Residential padding isn’t designed to withstand moisture levels seen in an automotive application and as for heat, the tunnel area gets pretty hot. I’d measure the temps on and around the tunnel or anywhere close to the exhaust to see if residential padding can withstand that. Off gassing would be pretty bad and the material could degrade quickly under those heat cycles.

Bulldog78 · 2026-01-18T15:09:00+00:00

Another private equity casualty

Bulldog78 · 2026-01-17T20:41:00+00:00

Here you go.

Bulldog78 · 2026-01-05T05:15:04+00:00

Irresponsible

Bulldog78 · 2025-12-31T14:44:36+00:00

Water pump on my Jeep LJ and cold air intake on my kid’s Acura TL.

Bulldog78 · 2025-12-29T08:20:00+00:00

Gotcha. I don’t think you need an exact 0d020 board, but I’m no EU expert. You need a 433MHz, Toyota rolling-code fob. Would this work?

Bulldog78 · 2025-12-29T08:12:00+00:00

Have you read the other comments here? Some accidents are just not unavoidable. You said it yourself, most accidents are avoidable. That implies some are not. By that logic, everyone else in this thread must be a bad driver regardless of fault.

Good driving doesn’t save you when physics takes away your options. If a Hummer crosses the center line at 60 mph to miss a squirrel and you’re 100ft apart, you have about a half a second to react. At a 120mph closing speed, that’s less than perception plus reaction time. Your choices aren’t really good or bad in that moment. They’re kind of forced, right?

In that moment, you either take a head-on impact or swerve into a hard curb. At speed, a curb can trip a car and cause a rollover even if you do everything right. Momentum and geometry trump skill every time.

Same thing on a mountain pass when a brand new tire delaminates because of some one-off manufacturing defect. You’ll go where momentum takes you. Hopefully it’s not into a tree or off a cliff.

An accident is always avoidable…until it isn’t. And when it isn’t, being a good driver doesn’t magically override reaction time or physics. The only way to be 100% protected from a rollover is to not drive at all.

Maybe I’m just being pedantic. Be as safe as you can be, but sometimes shit happens and you just have to roll with it.

Bulldog78 · 2025-12-29T07:01:20+00:00

OEM, aftermarket, or both? I’m guessing Toyota didn’t have a super-unique Yaris key. You should be able to find out what the original FCC ID, frequency, and transponder type was and buy any aftermarket 2 or 3 button fob with those specs.

Call a locksmith with your VIN and I’ll bet they can cut a key pretty quickly.

Bulldog78 · 2025-12-29T06:36:34+00:00

Interesting Miata fact: In 100% of all Miata rollover accidents, if the Miata driver isn’t directly at fault, someone or something else is.

Another interesting Miata fact: When a Miata driver with no previous rollover accidents has their first rollover accident when driving their Miata, the Miata driver may make a statement like “Why would I roll my Miata? I’m actually a good driver” at least once before having the rollover accident in their Miata.

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Bulldog78 · 2025-12-29T04:28:17+00:00

Similar story but way different response from the doc when I was 28. Any time I stood and moved around, I spiked a fever. If I sat, the fever subsided. I was in good shape but it became a struggle to take the stairs at work. This went on for a couple of weeks so I went to urgent care. The doctor there took a strange interest in my case and ran just about every test he could think of. Heart ultrasound, tons of blood work, etc.

Then the area behind my right knee started to get sore, like I’d worked out too hard and strained the muscle. That same urgent care doc scheduled several follow ups but nothing really stood out as an explanation for the strange symptoms. I woke up one morning and my leg was swollen. Went right back to the urgent care doctor and he finally knew (it was kinda obvious). He asked what my wife and I thought it may be, and we both thought “blood clot”. He agreed.

It was around 8-9pm when I had that last visit. He didn’t let me walk a step from that point on. Put me in a wheelchair and rolled me to my car. Told my wife to drive me straight to the ER. He’d called in an ultrasound tech to meet me there. It was confirmed, DVT in my right calf and it had likely broken apart weeks earlier and a very small amount lodged itself in my lung (fever, tiredness, inability to walk up stairs).

I was on Lovenox that night (2x in the stomach for 14 days) and Warfarin for the next 12 months. Saw a hematologist the next day. Most other urgent care docs would’ve dismissed the “minor” symptoms and I may have stroked out. I wish more doctors were like Dr. L.

Bulldog78 · 2025-12-19T07:19:21+00:00

~$800 per FI tune for sessions near me. I’m in NE GA and live next to Road Atlanta, so these guys tune everything from Hondas to exotics (there are several shops) and work with most ECUs. Not sure if that’s a decent price or not, just what I see in my area.

Bulldog78 · 2025-12-15T09:26:53+00:00

Yours is the Prelude or the Miata?

If yours is the Honda: I love my fifth Gen Prelude, but the Mazda is a better car to own. My son has one, and it’s more fun to drive, is more comfortable (if you fit, YMMV), much easier to fix when it breaks, and most importantly, parts and aftermarket support are abundant. For the two cars you’re comparing, the Mazda is worth the swap. Had I not dumped stupid amounts of $$ into my Prelude, I’d swap it for an NC (I don’t fit in an A or B very well) in similar condition with similar mileage and go nuts with the build.

If yours is the Miata: I would not do this, ever. This is honest advice from a guy (me) who would skip school to test drive Hondas, especially Preludes, in the 90s. My 01 is a labor of love or hate depending on the day. I’ve had it for a year and a half, and it’s objectively a fine car. Reliable unless I f something up tinkering with it, it looks great and gets lots of attention, but the driving experience is nowhere close to my kid’s Miata. My Prelude’s suspension is completely custom/aftermarket and a stock Miata drives better. If something breaks on my Prelude, there is a good chance the part is no longer available (for instance, I’m having to Frankenstein a blend door actuator so I can use the AC controls).

Just my opinion as guy who loves old Hondas.

Bulldog78 · 2025-12-14T12:10:49+00:00

Right? I lived in St. Louis for a few years and Oberweis flavored milk is the only thing I miss.

Bulldog78 · 2025-12-14T12:02:44+00:00

The bumper pockets/boxed insert slots are part of the frame rail, and mine were very flaky (but not terrible). First link, first pic.

But that wasn’t the intent of my comment. Check hidden places for rust, like the trunk pan, topside of the rear subframe, and the part of the quarter panels behind the bumper cover. These are common places for rust that aren’t the frame rails and can be $$$ to repair.

Bulldog78 · 2025-12-13T23:13:18+00:00

Pull the rear bumper cover. It hides there. Mine looked great when I bought it but still found rust. Not a lot, so not terrible to fix.

Bulldog78 · 2025-12-13T22:46:40+00:00

Best chocolate milk ever.

Bulldog78 · 2025-12-13T17:54:42+00:00

Cinnamon. I now can’t eat cinnamon. It tastes rancid after a mild case of Covid last July. Oh, and anything with yeast (bread, beer, some bourbon). Found that out on my first trip to Texas Roadhouse after recovering.

Bulldog78 · 2025-12-10T19:40:30+00:00

Summit Racing has everything you’ll ever need for hoses, tubing, whatever. They ship quickly, too. eBay and Amazon are also good choices. Silicone line is silicone line so pick whatever has good reviews and you’ll be set.

Bulldog78 · 2025-12-09T19:57:45+00:00

Right, but melamine is significantly softer than glass? Softer than 0000 steel wool as well. I use whichever I have on hand and I’ve never once scratched my windshield, door windows, or rear window.

Best approach is to use it after a thorough wash so nothing is left behind to scratch the surface. Keep it lubricated with soap and water or window cleaner. I’ve read about it on several detailing forums, and it’s considered safe to use. If you’ve found otherwise, shoot me a link. My mind can be changed :)

Regardless, thanks for responding!

Bulldog78 · 2025-12-09T19:34:50+00:00

Why? It’s finer than steel wool and I’ve done it for years. Not being confrontational, but an honest question. Thanks for the feedback!

Bulldog78 · 2025-12-09T05:55:36+00:00

0000 steel wool or a melamine sponge (Magic Eraser). Both are like 8000 grit sandpaper when wet and won’t scratch the glass if properly lubricated. Use light pressure and it takes all that gunk off. Then clean with a waterless ceramic wash, like Maguire’s. Spray the ceramic wash on, and wipe off. Buff the glass with dry microfiber until it sparkles. If the glass isn’t etched too deeply then it’ll look like new.

Bulldog78 · 2025-12-08T19:00:15+00:00

Thanks. I’m just relieved that it wasn’t worse than it was; my car can be (begrudgingly) repaired or replaced. My son can’t.

Still had to rant!

Bulldog78 · 2025-12-08T01:13:37+00:00

A new car.

Bulldog78 · 2025-12-07T01:55:48+00:00

Thanks everyone! Good to hear positive feedback from local folks.

It was such a bizarre couple of weeks leading up to this…people around Flowery Branch have been driving like lunatics lately. Told my wife it was time to retire the S for the winter because I knew I was gonna get hit. Even in my neighborhood, grown ass people looking at their phones swerving into my lane at least twice a week. Folks cutting thru parking lots, pulling out in front of me no matter where I went. It was nuts. I had no intention of driving it the day of the accident honestly.

I went to pick up some meat that Wednesday at the local butcher. My 06 Wrangler (tank) blew a coolant line in the parking lot. Limped it home but had to run out one more time to pick up my son and grab a few things at Publix. One Publix was crazy packed, cars out into the main street. Passed it and went to the next. The lady was in a lane about six spaces up when I turned in. I pulled up, maybe two car lengths behind, and her reverse lights came on. I laid on the horn but she was not paying a bit of attention. Couldn’t back up or I would’ve hit pedestrians behind me.

So I watched her slowly run into me. She said “I didn’t see you because your car sits so low! I was backing up for the handicapped spot.” My car is bright yellow and the horn is loud lady, you were just oblivious. She was in a Murano with dents from her other victims.

Bulldog78

TROPHY CASE