"The good old days weren't always good. And tomorrow ain't as bad as it seems."

Jason and Derek got a huge amount of feedback from the previous episode discussing whether the current car market sucks for Young Enthusiasts. In this episode, the Carmudgeons discuss the feedback — and further define what the problem is — and why that results in outrageous dealer ADMs and shady sales practices.

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First up, Jason is getting beat up on his Cybertruck review — lately having been asked by CNBC whether the Tesla has a snow problem. Meanwhile — all eyes are on the Cybertruck. And our politicized environment just can't cope. 

Second, Derek got lots of feedback from 20-somethings who agreed with him that there are no cool cars post-2000 — and that their economic situation has changed sufficiently that they can't own enthusiast cars, anyway. 

Meanwhile, Jason got the opposite feedback — that things aren't that bad. 

What ensues is, as always, an intelligent discussion about the car market. And how today's economics — and lack of great choices for enthusiast — have encouraged dealers to add slimy markups, prevent buyers from test driving cars they're genuinely interested in buying, and other slimeball practices. 

In short, Jason quotes Billy Joel: "The good old days weren't always good. And tomorrow ain't as bad as it seems."

Except for dealers. Car dealers are just awful.

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This episode is a great discussion coming from a question submitted by our producer Jake: what is the modern equivalent of the Mercedes W201 190E?

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Jason and Derek try to come up with a list of 5 Cars That Are Significant Like the W201 was. 

The first question is what made that old Mercedes so special. The criteria are:

Technical Innovation.

Moving Into a New Market.

Meaningful Change to the Industry.

Democratizing Features Previously Not Part of a Segment

With bonus points for:

Motorsport Heritage

Design

Then, it becomes so much more. And possibly includes the Hyundai/Kia triplets: Hyundai Ioniq 5, Genesis GV60, and Kia EV6. The 1992 Toyota Camry.

The answer lies somewhere between Tesla's Model 3, the Porsche Cayenne, the Toyota Prius, and the Lexus LS400. 

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Derek feels like young enthusiasts have gotten screwed in multiple ways — there are no affordable collectible cars anymore and there are no modern cars that are fun and affordable. Plus, with increased cost of living and sky-high student debt, young people have no chance of owning anything great.

Jason fully disagrees.

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This is a rare instance where Jason Cammisa and Derek Tam-Scott disagree. Jason feels like Derek (who's ironically more than a decade younger) doesn't understand young people: the cars that appeal to Derek (and older buyers) just don't appeal to younger buyers. And the cars that do appeal to young people are too new for Derek to care about them — but they do exist!

What follows is intelligent conversation about getting older, whether cars are actually getting better, whether there are any interesting post-2000 or post-2010 cars — and whether Derek is just too old to understand.

Plus, Jason shows Derek his opulent, ridiculous, and over-the-top new garage decor, talks about his 2020-part-4 surprise Covid, and Derek talks about his new car-sales business: OTS & Company. 

Or, OT Sand Co., dot com.

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It's a special bonus holiday episode of the Carmudgeon Show! The boys meant to do an episode teaching you everything you need to know about tires. 

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The tire conversation lead to fun experiences involving different brands — and Derek discovering Rallycross, which is like autocross, but filthy.

Jason has lots of experience pushing different tires to the limit — and Michelins seem to hold up to whatever he throws at them. Pirellis? Less so. The biggest surprise lately is Vredestein Tires, which Jason has been experiencing recently.

A Bridgestone fan for years, Jason recently placed third overall in a 24 Hours of Lemons race using Bridgestone's new Potenza RE-71RS. They wore well, but gripped fantastically in the dry and (especially) in the wet.

Things the boys discussed: what to know about tire size, ratings, and categories. Pirelli CN36s look great, but are they better than Michelin's XWS repops, manufactured by Coker?

And what's with Jason's Hankook experience? Who is Petlas? Why is Dunlop's Direzza ZII great, and why can't Yokohama make a round s.Drive?

Also — some discussion of efficiency on Jason's Volkswagen e-Golf, which dropped by nearly 40% after switching from the factory Bridgestones to larger, far more aggressive Michelin Pilot Sport 4S. The plan is to try out Vredestein Quatracs over the rainy season to see if he can get some range back.

Don't forget — the only thing touching the ground is your tires. Choose appropriately!

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Jason drives the 2024 Porsche 911 S/T, the latest limited-production sports car from the Rennsport division of Porsche that makes the GT2, GT3, and GT4. And this leads to a discussion of our favorite drives of the year.

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The 2024 Porsche 911 S/T is the 992's version of the 991.1's 911R — the ultimate driver's car within the 911 lineup. A naturally aspirated, 9000-rpm, independent-throttle-body, 518-hp flat-six with a 6-speed manual.

It's limited-production, which is frustrating, but has convinced Jason that it's the best sports car on the market today. Or perhaps ever.

The discussion leads Jason Cammisa and Derek Hyphen to discuss their favorite drives of the year, including quick reviews of:

Rimac Nevera

Ford F-150 Raptor R

Lotus Emira

Toyota GR Corolla Morizo

Lancia Delta Integrale

Renault R5 Turbo Évolution

Ferrari 250 California Spider replice

Ferrari 246 Dino

Toyota GR Yaris Circuit

Audi RS2 Avant

Porsche 911 RS (964)

Porsche 911 GT2 (997)

Bentley Mulsanne EWB

Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 Evolution II

Lucid Air Sapphire

...and of course a quick discussion of the politics surrounding Jason's review of the Tesla Cybertruck, including Matt Farah (The Smoking Tire) objections. [This was recorded before Jason and Matt recorded the TST Podcast to clear the air.]

The Carmudgeon Show is part of the Hagerty Podcast Network

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This episode is an unfiltered chat about the 2024 Hagerty Bull Market — an annual gathering of collector cars that are poised to appreciate in the next year.

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Learn more about the 2024 Bull Market at Hagerty.com/media

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Hagerty Media boss Larry Webster joined as our special guest to discuss the list of cars that made the 2024 Bull Market List — and many that didn't.

Ferrari 308 GT4 Dino

The E9X BMW M3 Competition (E90 and E92)

E46 M3

E36 M3

E30 M3

Porsche 911 (997)

Chrysler Town & Country

A124 Mercedes E320 Cabriolet

Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary 

Mitsubishi Pajero Evo

Jaguar XJ6

Rover SD1

Lotus Omega / Vauxhall Carlton

Lancia Delta Integrale

Honda Beat

Ferrari FF 4RM

Ferrari 612 Scaglietti

FD3S (FD) Mazda RX-7

Z32 Nissan Z

Chevrolet Impala SS (1965-1970)

Ford Galaxie

Jeep Comanche

Jeep Scrambler

Jaguar XKR

C3 Corvette

Ford Thunderbird

Lincoln Continental

Plymouth Prowler

Maserati Quattroporte V

Lancia Fulvia

As always, there are lots (perhaps too many) opinions about the cars. And much comedy.

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It's time for a quick Carmudgeon Catch-Up. The boys have been busy filming, but they're back in the studio for a session to discuss what's been going on. And, it turns out, to ponder what life would be like with only two cars.

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The updates are many! Jason's Dodge Grand Caravan finally got the custom license plate he ordered almost a year ago – and its innocent profanity is making him laugh. 

Beatrice the E30 325i is back on the road after a double-suspension swap with Jason's 325i Touring. Thanks to help from the legendary Bill Arnold Independent BMW, the Spec E30 kit is now on Beatrice, complete with a new clutch and throw-out bearing, and she's ready for track days and rallies. And, of course, taking Jason's niece to Thunderhill Raceway's Teen Survival driving school. Where G learned just how it feels to be in low-earth orbit. 

And the 325iT switched back to factory antiroll bars with H&R's new springs, tuned specifically for E30 Touring, and Bilstein B8 shocks that were a gift from our friend Sreten at M539 Restoration in Germany. 

Meanwhile, Jason also went to Radwood SoCal 2023, where he gave away a gorgeous set of RML Snowflake wheels to a deserving Scirocco fan. He also met @outlaw_welt — a fan and a gentleman who 3D-printed a bunch of Carmudgeon Show and Jason Cammisa Hagerty Show logo pieces. And gave Jason a ride to the airport in his C126 500SEC 6-speed manual. 

Of course, no Carmudgeon Show would be complete without a discussion of Sacco-era Mercedes, and the boys successfully put on a Cars & Coffee in Berkeley on Bruno Sacco's 90th Birthday. More than 100 cars showed up, including almost a dozen W124 500Es. Quite an achievement — and Happy Birthday, Mr. Sacco!

Meanwhile, Jason will have just completed his third 24 Hours of Lemons race at Sonoma Raceway (wish him luck and safety) with Bill Arnold and Randy Pobst. The last time they ran this race, 2 years ago, they won overall in their tired, battered E28 BMW.

And Derek has major news to share: he's parting ways with ISSIMI to start his own dealership. Daihatsu? Daewoo? Either way, Derek will be peddling the Cheapest D in Town! Details to follow!

And he spent a couple days driving his brother's Rivian R1S. Derek's bro has what could possibly be the best 2-car solution ever: an ND2 Miata and a Rivian. This leads the boys to discuss: what would happen if they had to get down to just two cars. Would Jason keep just the Scirocco and the Ferrari? What else? 

And could Derek actually do it?

The Carmudgeon Show is part of the Hagerty Podcast Network.

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The Cybertruck is easily the most controversial vehicle of the last decade, and Tesla gave Jason Cammisa exclusive access to its engineers — to drive it, watch it in a crash-test, drag race it, race it around a go-kart track, and hit it with a sledgehammer.

This is a companion podcast to the "Jason Cammisa on the ICONS" episode, available on the Hagerty YouTube channel.

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As mentioned in the podcast, see the original Car and Driver road test of the 1987 Lamborghini LM002 here: https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a15142136/lamborghini-lm002-archived-instrumented-test-review/

The Cybertruck has finally launched, 4 years after its shape was revealed to the public. What we didn't know in the intervening years was that the shape was the least outrageous part of Tesla's truck.

Underneath the structural stainless-steel skin is an entirely-new method of constructing vehicle, with enormous aluminum castings and a structural battery pack made of Gen-2 4860 cells developed by Tesla. The Truck uses a new 800-volt battery and motor architecture with a switch to run the battery modules in series/parallel hybrid mode for 400-volt backwards compatibility. 

The 12v low-voltage system has been replaced by an industry-first 48-volt architecture, together with a new electrical architecture and gigabit CAN.

And the Cybertruck is the world's fully steer-by-wire vehicle - using nothing but electric motors to turn both the front and rear wheels.

In addition, this 3-motor variant pulls off consistent 2.6-second 0-to-60 runs and manages 11.0 @ 119 mph through the quarter-mile, a production truck world record (by some margin — beating the previous record holder, the Rivian R1T Quad-Motor through the 1/4-mile by 0.7 seconds.)

This podcast is Jason Unfiltered, talking about his experience with the Cybertruck to film the ICONS episode.

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By popular demand, Derek gives a year-by-year spotter's guide to the Air-Cooled Porsche 911.

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The air-cooled Porsche 911 was in production for three decades, with significant changes almost every year. In this episode of the Carmudgeon Show, Derek Tam-Scott, a hyphenated walking encyclopedia on vintage Porsches, chronicles the production changes. Memorize this, and you'll be able to identify the model year of any air-cooled Porsche 911.

We promise we've made this topic far more interesting than you'd expect — with updates on the Piëchisode, unintended defecation, other ICONS episodes, and Jason's profanely-named Dodge Grand Caravan, Jynah.

Plus, a 911 Spotter's Quiz at the end, just for fun!

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This episode of the Carmudgeon Show is a documentary on the Mercedes-Benz W201 — the 190E, which might be the most important Mercedes ever.

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The W201-chassis 1982 Mercedes 190E was a game-changer, because it was a ground-up new car that allowed the luxury car maker to move into the small-car space.

This is the full story of how the W201 came to be (hint: it was a response to US fuel-economy regulations) and the barely comprehensible about of engineering R&D that went into it — 4 billion Deutschmarks. 

In this episode, we talk about all 190E variants — from the base 2.0-liter, 8-valve and 190D 2.5 Diesels, to the 190E 2.3-16 and 190E 2.5-16 Evolution II DTM car.

The Carmudgeon Show is part of the Hagerty Podcast Network.

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