My car's getting older, and I have recently moved to a new place with no garage. I'm worried about it starting in cold weather. More details inside! [more inside]
posted by Richat on Dec 11, 2009 - 13 answers

Does buying used through an auto-broker make sense for me? [more inside]
posted by furtive on Oct 31, 2009 - 3 answers

Car was totaled, bank that gave auto loan charged off the loan account because the collateral is gone despite us continuing with full and on time payments. What are our options? [more inside]
posted by Nickel on Oct 11, 2009 - 4 answers

I'm looking for a charity that will take a non-operational car, use it to train people in auto repair by fixing it, then sell it or give it to someone that needs a car. This is in the SF bay area. [more inside]
posted by EatenByAGrue on Jul 14, 2009 - 3 answers

I'm looking for a new car mechanic in Melbourne, Australia and/or tips for finding a reliable one in general... [more inside]
posted by Silentgoldfish on Mar 26, 2009 - 4 answers

I'm replacing the 6.5" door speakers on my 1999 Chevy S-10 (regular cab) and I have two questions. [more inside]
posted by carsonb on Feb 13, 2009 - 4 answers

Is there a precursor to Moore's Law for internal combustion engines? If so, can you provide details, please?
posted by Exchequer on Apr 24, 2008 - 7 answers

1. Is blue antifreeze special? 2. If the coolant reservoir is half-full, can I keep driving until I can get what I need? [more inside]
posted by Blazecock Pileon on Jan 25, 2008 - 12 answers

Is there any difference in performance between pre-gapped sparkplugs (such as these) and ones that you have to gap yourself? [more inside]
posted by Aanidaani on Jan 14, 2008 - 7 answers

UsedCarFilter: Is buying used from a rental car company, specifically Enterprise, a good idea? First hand experiences appreciated. [more inside]
posted by Cogito on Sep 14, 2007 - 26 answers

The key in my wife's Camry wouldn't turn until I jiggled the steering wheel. [more inside]
posted by codswallop on Aug 16, 2007 - 20 answers

My hatchback car (Honda Fit) doesn't have a separately-locking trunk or glovebox. Can I add a lock-box or secret compartment somewhere inside the car for stashing a few items, for those times I must turn over my keys (parking garage, valet)? Ideally I'd only be securing/concealing 3 deck-of-cards-sized items: iPod, GPS, EZPass. There are no official Honda accessories that do this, nor can I find any Fit-fanatic mods that have addressed it.
posted by xo on Aug 1, 2007 - 4 answers

Searching for cars by interior space? [more inside]
posted by Marky on Jan 2, 2007 - 11 answers

Did this mechanic try to "trick" me into a repair that costs more than the car is worth? [more inside]
posted by hootch on Nov 2, 2006 - 9 answers

Should I get a car part at a junkyard/salvage yard/auto recycler, and how do I go about it? [more inside]
posted by matildaben on Sep 5, 2006 - 18 answers

I'm thinking about buying a new car in the next year. I live in Seattle, Washington, where the sales tax is about 8.8%, but I visit Oregon frequently, where there is no sales tax. Would there be any drawbacks to buying the car in Oregon to avoid the sales tax? I would still register and insure it in Washington.
posted by matildaben on Mar 17, 2006 - 18 answers

What kind of car is the safest to drive? There are lots of studies on which cars are best in a crash, but I suspect that some cars crash less often than others, so I am interested in statistics that take the rate of accidents as well as crashworthiness into account. [more inside]
posted by procrastination on Dec 27, 2005 - 24 answers

Winter Driving: Subaru AWD, automatic transmission, ice, and other fun. [more inside]
posted by five fresh fish on Dec 2, 2005 - 19 answers

How dangerous is it to drive with earphones? I drive a noisy, noisy little car with a crappy stereo, and the tempation to just listen to my flash mp3 player with some Koss isolating earbuds is pretty strong, yet I don't want to endanger others or die in a fiery wreck. But at some point, with the car as noisy as it is, what's the difference?
posted by anonymous on Jan 31, 2005 - 26 answers

How to sell a non-moving car? [MI]
posted by defcom1 on Jan 31, 2005 - 10 answers

I want to fix a couple of things on my car. However, looking under the hood causes to me to collapse with the vapors, forcing me to go purse shopping for an hour to mitigate the effects. Does anyone have an online walkthrough-to-fixin-up-your-car for guys like me? (Details inside.) [more inside]
posted by billybunny on Jan 6, 2005 - 28 answers

CarFilter: My wife's old Toyota (1996 Tercell) is having an odd problem. I know very little about engines, and Google has turned up a variety of possible answers [mi] [more inside]
posted by sixdifferentways on Dec 16, 2004 - 15 answers

AutoFilter: In a moment of terrible mental absence this morning, I drove about half a block in second gear with the hand brake engaged. While the right rear wheel smoked and the brake glowed visibly red, there seem to be no other consequences an hour after the fact. Does this merit a call to the mechanic to check it out if other malfunctions haven't arisen?
posted by Verdant on Dec 16, 2004 - 19 answers

Driving to Mexico. I read that when driving into Mexico as a tourist one must post a cash bond, or provide a credit card to ensure that the vehicle is not sold inside Mexico. Does anyone have experience doing this, and is there a way around it? How much will the deposit/credit charge be?
posted by NorthCoastCafe on Nov 23, 2004 - 10 answers

I was stop and go driving for about an hour today (hanging flyers for my job; the car's a manual transmission '95 Saturn) and after I finished I was heading back to the store when I hear a pop and my stick shift is just wobbling around. I still have to hold the clutch to start the car but it is stuck in second gear so I can get it going but only drive 10-15mph. What in the hell just happened?
posted by untuckedshirts on Jul 9, 2004 - 11 answers

My hardworking but strapped bro. needs to buy a family vehicle for about $4k. Reliability is really important, and it has to carry him, spouse, and four kids (ages 3-13). I know about the online reliabilty ratings but wanted to get your insight about how to find the best vehicle, and what your experiences have been. It'll mostly be used about town, with occasional 60+ mile trips to relatives. Thanks.
posted by mecran01 on Jan 13, 2004 - 15 answers

Has anyone ever shipped a car, enclosed, cross country? I am researching quotes for my boss and I wondered if anyone had any personal experience or problems that I should watch out for. [more inside]
posted by sugarfish on Jan 12, 2004 - 9 answers

I've just moved out to san fran and feel like i need a convertible. found a sweet little Karman Ghia for 5 grand. Has anybody had any experience with these good/bad/ugly?

oh, and how long has ask metafilter been here? (pretty damn cool)
posted by NGnerd on Dec 10, 2003 - 14 answers