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Curbside Classics Archives
About Author: Petrichor
Posts by Petrichor
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![That damned new-car itch is back. I was hoping it would stay away, but it’s an irritating cyclical visitor that emerges out of nowhere at the 6-7 year mark–like a […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Screenshot-2023-06-07-at-06-49-14-1996-BMW-328-Specs-Price-MPG-Reviews-Cars.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Used Car Shopping, Yuppiemobile Edition: 2019 BMW 430i Gran Coupe")
Used Car Shopping, Yuppiemobile Edition: 2019 BMW 430i Gran Coupe
Posted on June 15, 2023 | 36 CommentsThat damned new-car itch is back. I was hoping it would stay away, but it’s an irritating cyclical visitor that emerges out of nowhere at the 6-7 year mark–like a […] -
![Well, that figures. Our family road trip has landed me in the midst of the best driving roads I’ve ever seen and my Fiesta ST is seven hundred miles away. […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/20220617_184139.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "COAL Update & Rental Review: The Prole and the Princeling: Camry Xtra Sporty Edition vs. Audi S5")
COAL Update & Rental Review: The Prole and the Princeling: Camry Xtra Sporty Edition vs. Audi S5
Posted on July 8, 2022 | 22 CommentsWell, that figures. Our family road trip has landed me in the midst of the best driving roads I’ve ever seen and my Fiesta ST is seven hundred miles away. […] -
![Vehicles engineered toward a specific use can be frustrating when they also must be applied as broad-spectrum transportation. Five years and sixty-thousand miles into our 4Runner ownership, I’ve had […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/IMG_20190627_152654384.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "COAL Update: I hate you, 4Runner. I love you, 4Runner.")
COAL Update: I hate you, 4Runner. I love you, 4Runner.
Posted on February 14, 2022 | 56 CommentsVehicles engineered toward a specific use can be frustrating when they also must be applied as broad-spectrum transportation. Five years and sixty-thousand miles into our 4Runner ownership, I’ve had […] -
![As we fly through youth toward middle age, and our children grow older and our bodies grow slower and the ceaseless march of time places year after year behind the […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/IMG_20201104_094015013.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "COAL: 2017 Ford Fiesta ST – Filling the Void")
COAL: 2017 Ford Fiesta ST – Filling the Void
Posted on December 17, 2020 | 41 CommentsAs we fly through youth toward middle age, and our children grow older and our bodies grow slower and the ceaseless march of time places year after year behind the […] -
![Crossovers, you may have noticed, are here for the foreseeable future. Enthusiasts see them as an occupying force and the erasure of driving culture, but the scrimmage line is now […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Title-pic.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Test Drive Review: 2020 RAV4 Hybrid and Mazda CX-5 – The Best Of The New World Order")
Test Drive Review: 2020 RAV4 Hybrid and Mazda CX-5 – The Best Of The New World Order
Posted on August 30, 2020 | 33 CommentsCrossovers, you may have noticed, are here for the foreseeable future. Enthusiasts see them as an occupying force and the erasure of driving culture, but the scrimmage line is now […] -
![I’m not having a good 2020. Most of us aren’t. We’re isolated, disrupted, nervous about finances and health. We’ve been shown just what a fragile illusion our booming economy and […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/IMG_20200628_063340731.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "COAL–2013 Toyota RAV4 AWD Limited: Mom, in Memoriam")
COAL–2013 Toyota RAV4 AWD Limited: Mom, in Memoriam
Posted on July 3, 2020 | 51 CommentsI’m not having a good 2020. Most of us aren’t. We’re isolated, disrupted, nervous about finances and health. We’ve been shown just what a fragile illusion our booming economy and […] -
![VW has paved a difficult road for itself in North America. While huge globally, they’ve never pegged this market and have bumbled around with the wrong product mix for years. […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/DSCN0917-CC.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "COAL: 2010 Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen – Peak VW")
COAL: 2010 Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen – Peak VW
Posted on April 10, 2020 | 42 CommentsVW has paved a difficult road for itself in North America. While huge globally, they’ve never pegged this market and have bumbled around with the wrong product mix for years. […] -
![I’m a bit of a contrarian by nature. I’ll propose counterpoints just for the exercise of it, and by default I am skeptical of trends for reasons inexplicable even to […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/94ebc194cb344508aa032fb4fdd03296.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Borrowed Car Review: 2018 Honda Accord EX – Debbie Downer Drives the Best")
Borrowed Car Review: 2018 Honda Accord EX – Debbie Downer Drives the Best
Posted on August 19, 2019 | 101 CommentsI’m a bit of a contrarian by nature. I’ll propose counterpoints just for the exercise of it, and by default I am skeptical of trends for reasons inexplicable even to […] -
![Buy a car that’s good at being cheap, buy a car that’s good at being interesting, but don’t buy a car that isn’t good at either. I think this basic […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Alt4.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "COAL: 2012 Nissan Altima 2.5–Well, That Was A Mistake")
COAL: 2012 Nissan Altima 2.5–Well, That Was A Mistake
Posted on May 2, 2019 | 120 CommentsBuy a car that’s good at being cheap, buy a car that’s good at being interesting, but don’t buy a car that isn’t good at either. I think this basic […] -
![Simply resplendent in its Seasonal Affective Disorder camouflage paint The new-for-2018 Camry is the sales leader in a quickly declining segment that once was a massive presence in the American […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/2018-Toyota-Camry-SE-122-CD.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Rental Review–2018 Camry SE: Behind the Kabuki Mask")
Rental Review–2018 Camry SE: Behind the Kabuki Mask
Posted on January 24, 2019 | 79 CommentsSimply resplendent in its Seasonal Affective Disorder camouflage paint The new-for-2018 Camry is the sales leader in a quickly declining segment that once was a massive presence in the American […] -
![The nation sways and bends to the 1%. They control monetary policy and have access to the channels of power. Many times, they are the channels of power. The ninety-nine […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Untitled-1.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "COAL: 2016 4Runner SR5–A Car for the 1%")
COAL: 2016 4Runner SR5–A Car for the 1%
Posted on January 15, 2019 | 57 CommentsThe nation sways and bends to the 1%. They control monetary policy and have access to the channels of power. Many times, they are the channels of power. The ninety-nine […] -
![Here we are, the final pair in the quest for an enjoyable, affordable family car two years ago. The 2016 VW GTI was the benchmark to beat, and lightly used […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/2015_infiniti_q40_sedan_base_fqn_evox_1_815.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Infiniti G37 and Volkswagen GTI: The Final Comparison")
Infiniti G37 and Volkswagen GTI: The Final Comparison
Posted on January 7, 2019 | 34 CommentsHere we are, the final pair in the quest for an enjoyable, affordable family car two years ago. The 2016 VW GTI was the benchmark to beat, and lightly used […] -
![Behold King Maw. We turn away in fear–or perhaps disgust–from his oversized visage, fearing ruin and destruction, for what else could follow? How could this have happened to conservative Lexus? […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/IS-Autotrader-1.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Used Car Test Drive: 2014 Lexus IS250 – Beakzilla vs. King Maw, Part 2")
Used Car Test Drive: 2014 Lexus IS250 – Beakzilla vs. King Maw, Part 2
Posted on December 27, 2018 | 32 CommentsBehold King Maw. We turn away in fear–or perhaps disgust–from his oversized visage, fearing ruin and destruction, for what else could follow? How could this have happened to conservative Lexus? […] -
![Kellen was not a keeper I frequently read about cars and personal stories that make me reconsider my entire approach to vehicle ownership, and this happened again yesterday with CCer […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/5af4f9ce15e1d_1525742239744a3baf0IMG_20180506_180904392-940x663.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Question of the Day: What’s Your 50-Year Keeper?")
Question of the Day: What’s Your 50-Year Keeper?
Posted on December 19, 2018 | 68 CommentsKellen was not a keeper I frequently read about cars and personal stories that make me reconsider my entire approach to vehicle ownership, and this happened again yesterday with CCer […] -
![It rose from the waters. It heard your murmurings. Your audible complaints that once-revolutionary Acura had been slipping into bland anonymity combined violently with declining sales and market share to […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/IS-TL.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Used Car Test Drive: 2012 Acura TL – Beakzilla vs. King Maw, Part 1")
Used Car Test Drive: 2012 Acura TL – Beakzilla vs. King Maw, Part 1
Posted on December 17, 2018 | 35 CommentsIt rose from the waters. It heard your murmurings. Your audible complaints that once-revolutionary Acura had been slipping into bland anonymity combined violently with declining sales and market share to […]
