Selling a car privately is as much about perception as it is about facts. Over the years I’ve flipped a few of my own cars and helped friends get more at sale time by focusing on small, targeted fixes that buyers notice — and are willing to pay for. You don’t need to spend a fortune or...
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Maintenance
I’m often asked by readers with older petrol cars how to squeeze more miles...
Buying Guides
I live and work in cities where traffic, tight parking and sudden incidents are...
Buying Guides
I remember the first time I nearly bought a used SUV that looked flawless in...
Maintenance
I remember the first time I had to bleed brakes alone — standing over the car...
I remember the first time I nearly bought a used SUV that looked flawless in photos and on the lot — until I drove it and everything felt slightly off. The steering tugged, the car pulled to one side, and the doors closed like they belonged to...
I remember the first time I had to bleed brakes alone — standing over the car in my driveway, brake fluid bottle in one hand and a length of clear hose in the other, wondering if there was a smarter way than the awkward pump-and-pray method. If...
When it comes time to replace brake rotors, one of the first debates I have with readers, friends, or my mechanic is always the same: aftermarket or OEM? It’s a deceptively simple question with a lot of nuance. I’ve swapped rotors on my own...
I’ve had my fair share of good and bad experiences with garages — from a local independent that squeezed me in on a rainy Saturday to a dealership shop that wanted to replace parts that only needed cleaning. Over the years I’ve learned there...
Electric vehicles are still new enough that extended warranties feel like a murky area for many buyers. I get asked about this all the time: “Should I buy the extended warranty?” “Is the battery covered?” “What about software issues?”...
Winter changes everything about driving a front-wheel-drive (FWD) car. Grip levels fall, visibility drops, and the way your car behaves in a turn or on a slope can surprise you — often at the worst possible moment. Over the years I've lived...
I remember the first time a check engine light started flashing on me while I was merging onto the highway — that instant adrenaline rush and the frantic scanning of the dashboard. A blinking or flashing check engine light is one of those signals...
City driving changes the way I look at cars. Tight parking, stop-and-go traffic, potholes, and the need to keep running costs low mean that a compact car for urban use has to be more than just small — it has to be reliable, cheap to maintain, and...
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been called out or stood in my own driveway scratching my head at a car that won’t start even though the battery reads “perfectly charged.” It’s maddening because the obvious culprit—the...
I’ve spent years wrenching on cars in my garage and coordinating repairs with shops, and one thing keeps coming up: drivers often do small, daily things that quietly shorten the life of an automatic transmission. Unlike engines, which often give...