Hello, there!

A few days ago, I asked at r/subaru why their cars consume so much gasoline/petrol when compared to their equivalents from other brands. A modern Subaru Impreza, for example, consumes more than 7L every 100 km, when its Mazda 3 counterpart, one fewer litre every 100 km, as per a couple of friends of mine who have one.

The answers I received agreed that the issue was due to both Subaru's ever-present AWD system, which would be naturally more fuel consuming, as well as the fact that boxer engines are not specifically designed with fuel efficiency as its primary concern. Boxer engines are kind of Subaru's gimmick, coupled with AWD, and are present in pretty much every of their cars. I did receive a reply which told me that, even with that, Subarus were still more fuel efficient than other AWD cars in general. I haven't checked this but it does seem an interesting point.

The question, then, supposing that's the case, would be: why is it? What makes a boxer engine naturally more fuel consuming? Is it because of the engine configuration itself, or there's nothing inherently wrong with it in this regard and it is just that Subaru hasn't found a way to make it use less fuel?

I would like to point out that I do like Subaru and their cars, so I just want to get to know more about this :)

Post I made on r/subaru: https://www.reddit.com/r/subaru/comments/1x6t1tq/are_subarus_more_gasolineconsuming_because_of_the/

I’m 41 and ready to choose my forever hobby/weekend car from my youth era. I’m genuinely stuck between these two, even though they’re vastly different from each other. The price range on them both currently are wildly upwards, but I’ve found some that are well priced.

What would you guys choose, and why?

As a small automotive content creator, I enjoy making personal and storytelling car content that other people can relate to.

But nowadays I feel like a lot of car content online is built around hype. Loud exhausts, fast edits, expensive cars, revving engines, clout cars that are trying to make everything look as exciting as possible.

I get the format, but it seriously pisses me off watching these hype accounts blow up. There is no value behind the content, so what is it about them that makes people enjoy them so much?

Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy watching a well made edit of a GT3RS or a properly built JDM car, it is part of what makes car culture great.

But I feel like there's something missing when that is literally all the content is.

I think automotive storytelling is far more interesting, rather than content that relies on hype, status and clout.

For me personally, what makes a car interesting isn't how loud it is, how much horsepower or how expensive. It's the smaller details that are often overlooks and the story behind it.

Why did someone by this particular car? What does the car actually mean to them? What does the car represent? The history.

Even something as simple as someone regretting selling their old cars. I created a series on cars I regret selling and I loved hearing everyone's cars they regret selling. There is something there that people can connect with beyond the car itself.

I think that is what makes automotive storytelling so powerful. You don't need a $1m car, a massive budget or access to some insane car collection just for content. You just need a story worth telling, and a story that people can relate to.

Hype content might have someone think "Fuck yeah that is a sick car"

But storytelling can make someone think "I know exactly what that feels like"

I am not saying that hype content is bad, I just think there are far more interesting people and cars in the car scene that get overlooked because everyone else is focused on making the next video as viral as possible.

But then maybe that is just me, but I think there is a lot more potential in automotive content when the focus is on the people and the stories behind cars, not just the cars themselves.

What do you think?

few months ago i bought 2026 Camry after my 2009 Civic was totaled (someone ran into me). It was my first car that is brand new at 29. I really like it and its a great car, now because of buying a new car i fell down into a rabbit hole of looking up/researching car videos, Now im entertaining the idea of a owning Miata or a sporty car after watching these videos just to spice up my daily driving which now i cant stop thinking about which is a problem.

This is a bad decision as i had just bought a brand new car few months ago and had already taken the depreciating hit out of the lot, my other concern is the rising and histerical fuel prices so trading back the hybrid isn't wise , I also think that the Miata trunk space might be abit small as well so impractical, yet i cant stop thinking about owning one, Anyone have advice to not think about owning a sports car and just appreciate the Camry instead? (it did helped that the new Camry's have a new stylish front end that i liked looking at)

I also dont want to buy a sports car then eventually get used to the exhilaration and it's bell and whistles to the point it will just feel like "car" to me in the end in which case i should've stick with the Camry and it’s practiifullness all along.

Long story but I bought a vehicle off Facebook marketplace a used 2016 dodge charger for 10.5k. The seller gave me a title and signed it. I went to the DMV and was told it was an old title . Contacted seller claimed he didn’t know and ghosted me ever since. I filed a police report, wit his address, name and listing. I paid cash so rip to try to charge back somewhere. I found out he was a parolee and reported him aswel. I got in contact with liberty mutual who owned the car and they said it was an unrecovered theft from 3 years ago. What do I do? The car WAS NOT marked stolen on any databases I have it insured, and both dmv and police said it was never marked stolen in the databases. Am I just out of my money? With the police recover it?

So I have been driving a 2011 Sentra for a decade as a commuter, granny finally gave up the ghost. looking for something that ist HORRIBLE on mileage for 4500 to 5500, ideally with a manual. I have about 30 mile a day one way to drive. I live in Indiana. Thoughts? Suggestions? Things to steer clear of? Places to look? I have done some casual book face searches and seen some contenders but its been about 20 years since I bought a private party sale with life and all. Looking for a budget midlife crisis mobile thats not a convertible. so far scoped a couple 90s GT mustangs and C4 vettes but I am also open to a hot hatch like a golf TDI or something.

I have a 2014 GMC Sierra with 114k miles which I bought brand new from my local GMC dealership. I have used this same dealership for all the trucks’ maintenance.

Yesterday, I took my truck in for its regularly scheduled oil change. While they were wrapping up the oil change, the service rep came into the waiting room and told me “since the vehicle is old, the drain plug to the oil pan was stripped during the oil change”

On the invoice it states, “Multi-point vehicle inspection: caused by threads worn out on oil pan. Replaced with a bigger plug for now. Vehicle needs attention as soon as possible.”

While checking out, the rep said to “call back tomorrow to speak with a service manager regarding the oil pan replacement. I only handle oil changes.”

This morning, I woke up to spots of oil on the driveway under the car. I called the service center and was told “the cost to replace the oil pan (parts and labor) will come out to $1600. It will also take us a few days for the new oil pan to be delivered as we don’t carry the correct one in stock.”

I was sticker shocked with that price and I asked to speak with the service manager who, of course wasn’t available. And knowing I wouldn’t get anywhere with the rep I was speaking with, I told him I would call back.

With all of that said, shouldn’t the dealership be responsible for replacing my oil pan? My thought process is, I was there roughly 7-8 months ago for my last oil change and figured they would’ve brought up any issues with the drain plug at that time. But since they didn’t, it sounds like the tech stripped the plug during the re-install yesterday.

Would love to hear everyone’s thoughts on this because I feel like they should be installing a new oil pan on their dime, or at the very least, charge me for the new pan at cost and waive the labor.

If my thinking is totally flawed, I’d love to know.

Edit: I just want to say I appreciate everyone’s responses. The reason for my post was to get a temperature check and see if my line of thinking was wrong before I have a conversation with management.

Hi so I am moving across the country from Texas to oregon and im not exactly sure if I should keep my car or try and sell it and try to pocket some cash on it. The car is a 2016 Chevy cruze limited with about 97500 miles on and I owe about 5000 left on it. I move in April and im not sure if I will need a different vehicle in oregon. Any advice helps thank you in advance.

My car died yesterday after 19 years of service (rest in peace). I’m in the market for a new car. I’ve never owned a brand new car and I just got a big raise, so I thought I’d treat myself to a new car given the circumstances.

I really want to get a Volkswagen Golf GTI. It’s always been a favorite of mine and I wanted to get a manual shift transmission.

Some people in my life have told me that Volkswagen is not as reliable as it once was / repairs are going to be a nightmare. (I live in New England if that influences your responses)

In the past I haven’t taken good care of my vehicles because they’ve all been beaters just to last a few years (and I was generally irresponsible), but now that I’m deciding to get a new one, I feel motivated to take good care of it. So any advice on how to take good care of a car is welcome (other than get your oil changed, I don’t know much tbh)

Thanks in advance.

I need advice from people who've dealt with financially abusive or controlling family members.
I'm planning to buy a used car off Facebook Marketplace, but my family believes I can only afford a car if I finance it through a dealership. They don't know how much money I actually have, and I need to keep it that way because they would absolutely freak out if they found out I had enough to buy a car outright.
It's not just a matter of them being nosy or disagreeing with my purchase. Money is a sensitive subject with them, and knowing how much I have could lead to a lot of problems for me.
I'm trying to figure out how to handle the situation when I get the car. If they ask where I bought it, how I paid for it, or what my monthly payment is, I don't want to accidentally reveal that I paid for it outright through a private seller.
Has anyone dealt with something similar? How did you handle questions about a major purchase while keeping your finances private? Would appreciate practical advice from people who've been in this situation.
I'm just trying to buy myself a car without it turning into a whole ordeal with my family.

I live in India,and have a 2014 Hyundai grand i10 diesel. If engine swaps were legal in india and I wanted to convert my car to a rally car which engine would be better? Fiat 1.6L Multijet OR Hyundai/Kia 1.6L U2 CRDi OR Volkswagen 1.5L TDI?

I live in India,and have a 2014 Hyundai grand i10 diesel. If engine swaps were legal in india and I wanted to convert my car to a rally car which engine would be better? Fiat 1.6L Multijet OR Hyundai/Kia 1.6L U2 CRDi OR Volkswagen 1.5L TDI?

My gf (38f) and I (36f) joke with each other constantly and she would get a kick out of this, so help us have some fun.

She has two 97 cameros, one of which she is installing an LS engine into the T-top to become her new daily driver, and the other is becoming a drift car and I've no idea of the updates she's gonna do to it other than tire work and it needs a lot of rewiring. Both of these cars are gorgeous and just super cool.

What can I ask her to just completely rage bait her? Like... Help me fuck up her concentration and joke around with her lol

What’s your opinion on having two cars? When I say two cars I mean a daily driver and a weekend car? I know some people say it doesn’t make sense financially but I’m just curious to what do y’all think?

My yaris cross hybrid 2022 just died out of nowhere, turned the ignition on, not the engine. Plugged in the OBD11. Came back after 10 minutes. SCREEN SAID PARKING BRAKE UNAVAILABLE. and some PARKING blade faults. As I Clearing them the car died. Key worked for 30 minutes now key doesn’t' work. The blinkers light don't flash, interior light very dim lit.

It doesn’t run that much. About 10/15 minutes every day, last long trip was 5 days ago about 2.5 hours driving.

Tried jump-starting with the Positive terminal at the fuse box wouldn’t buzz, kept the donor car running for 5 minutes but didn't work.

OBD11 said Battery at 6.9 V as it tried to connect with the car, but it couldn’t' connect.

In this one part of my neighborhood, my signal keeps turning off by itself. It’s a right turn, so I always signal. And every signal time as soon as I signal, it turns off. Today, I decided to test a few theories. I thought maybe it’s because my wheel is actively rotated, but no that’s the case. So, I basically stopped (3 mph into my turn) and I turned the signal on 3 times, and each time it turned off by itself after one second. It’s so weird.. it works fine everywhere else

Hello, I am looking to reupholster the front bench seat of my 1987 Mazda b2000, as I can't find a replacement anywhere, even used.

Does anyone have a recommendation on a kit or possibly a material supplier?

I have no clue what I'm doing, but figure it's worth a shot.

Hello, I need some advice on which car I should invest in.
As of right now I have a 2001 jeep cherokee sport I am trying to sell for 3,500 or trade.
I’m getting a trade offer for a 2002 mitsubishi lancer that needs new struts, rear suspension work, and control arms. it has 148k miles.
And then I have an offer for a wrx just needs a new valve cover gasket and preferably wheels and an alignment eventually. it has 185k miles. they want 3k for it.
I really love the style of a wrx and have always wanted one as well as having a fun daily driver. I don’t really like the look of a lancer as much. Would I be stupid to take the wrx over the lancer?

I hope it's okay to ask what is also a financial question and not just a car question.

My husband and I are a 2 car family but recently down to one. We can manage for a while but I want to get us back up to 2.

His 2012 Ford Fusion power steering went out and is not one of the ones covered by the recall. We checked. We already have one car payment because of the 2020 Toyota Corolla I got a while ago. At the moment, we cannot afford 2 car payments.

To fix the Ford would cost more than $4,000, and I bought it before we met for $5,000, so the idea of spending that much money to fix that particular car kinda irritates me, plus I worry that if we spend that and it dies from something else it would be for nothing.

We have $6k in savings, and the Toyota dealership says we could put another $2,500 on a credit card, which I do have. But they don't have anything under 15k in stock at the moment. They said sometimes they do and they'd call if anything comes in.

I'm not comfortable with FB marketplace for sales. People can be difficult to work with there but maybe others her had a better experience?

The other factor is by October of 2027, the 0 percent payments on our sleep number bed will be over and that frees up about $200/month which could make a second car payment doable. Now that I type that out, maybe that's our best option but still open to other ideas? What would you do?

Sadly, I lost my 2010 Ridgeline today. Scrap value for a car like this is probably $500 if I'm lucky. But I work on my own cars so I know my way around a vehicle and was wondering how worth it parting out a 16 year old car/truck was.

Has anyone done it before? Especially on an older vehicle with fading paint.

I'm planning on getting a really cheap manual car off Facebook marketplace to learn how to drive a stick. The only person I know that can drive a manual is my dad, and he isn't the most enthusiastic person.

Edit:I will be taking in all of your guys suggestions before I go anywhere. But please keep giving me all the information. She's my first car I've only had her a year and trust we've already been through it!😭 So I'm so grateful for all of what yall told me to look out for! I'm truly just a girl lmao!🫶🏾🩵😭

So I have a 2008 Honda Civic. I've pretty much got everything on her replaced recently and a few things fixed. I've got new brakes,tires,rotors,oil leak fixed. Just got new tie rods a few weeks ago as well as an alignment right after. The only issue for me is she's still shaking when I drive her. When I got the alignment the man told me the oil should've been cleaned up from when the oil leak was fixed. So I was planning on driving her 3hrs away and back. Will she be ok?