So, I decided to pay off my Mazda 3 Sport earlier than planned, because I just wanted to be done with it. I had saved the money for the payoff already, but keeping the money invested worked out better than I anticipated. Not only was I able to pay off the Mazda, but I have…
Minimalist Modding
One of the perils of social media is that is makes you long for things you didn’t even know you wanted beforehand. That goes for just about everything material, but more so for cars. Cars may be the largest depreciating consumer item that takes a significant amount of a person’s net income, but that are…
Yet Another Use For Duct Tape
Over the years I’ve used duct tape for seemingly 101 applications. Recently one of our MSCA drivers came up with an unorthodox, yet effective, application. The Problem Most of us drivers have experienced the annoying slow tire leak. This is typically the result of a nail, screw, etc., that punctures a tire in such a…
Taking A Car To Its Limits
A dirty little secret I learned from years of riding motorcycles, way before I learned it about cars, is that one rarely gets to the edge of what a vehicle is capable of on the street. This is why the most useful sport bike displacement I’ve found for riding on the street is 600-750, but…
And The Winner Is…
My beloved Mazda 3 Sport! I decided to invoke the purchase option at lease-end, and buy the Mazda out-right. Rather than try to do it all with one car, the plan is to keep the Mazda as a daily driver, and get a sportier weekend driver, once the Mazda is paid off
The Next Ride
The lease on my Mazda 3 is almost up. So, what will I get next? Will I stick with the Mazda 3? The Practical Contenders In this category are vehicles that need to fit four adults comfortably. This include the Suburu WRX, Alfa Romeo Guilia, Volkswagen GTI, and of course, I could decide to keep…
Building Chassis. Well, Sort Of.
I picked up another DIY project. Two actually. I needed to put together two new to us, single-bed, wooden bed frames, since the boys had outgrown their five-year-old bunk-bed. The misses got the bed frames, including head and foot boards for both, second-hand. However, one of the frame sets didn’t include cross-slats. Pre-work With none…
Toyota MR2 – Unguilty Pleasure
One of the MSCA members who is pretty savvy at finding automotive bargains, that are actually fun, told me some time ago he had a surprise. I was indeed surprised when I watched him zip into a parking space in front of our breakfast spot. It had been years since I’d seen a Toyota MR2,…
How Are You Holding Up?
It seems like it’s been a lifetime since MSCA has had a meet-up. Unfortunately, the current spike in COVID-19 cases in Arizona doesn’t inspire confidence. Still, the current state of affairs won’t last forever, and we, once again, will be out there together. What I enjoy most about MSCA isn’t just the driving, and the…
Finally, Fixed Those Damned Fenders
Again, I have our current coronavirus pandemic to thank for helping me have the time to finally fix the fenders of our resident 2010 Toyota Corolla SE. That single-owner beast has clocked over 192,000 miles. I’ve told its owner that our mission is to get it past 300,000 miles. And, yes, it’s quite doable with…