I’m kicking off 2026 with short stories and videos about one of my favorite topics, cars.

My view on cars comes from more than 60 years experience driving, repairing, breaking, repairing again, and even racing things with 4 or more wheels. I realized somewhere along the way that not everyone “does cars” and sometimes the best gift I can give a friend is by lending a helping hand with their ride.

So, sit down and relax, and if you’re sitting stranded alongside the road, call triple A. Sorry, but I don’t do towing….

Now, a few disclaimers about www.keepyouroldcar.com.

First, consider safety, yours, your passengers, pedestrians, bicyclists, other motorists, law enforcement, and the man who drives the ice cream truck. If anything here sounds weird, then email me or comment and call me out. Keeping an old car on the road is an ongoing process. For me, it’s a source of delight, mostly, but some cars go through dark periods–perhaps you hurt their feelings–and suck up a lot of cash.

But before you ditch your buggy, consider the replacement cost for something comparable. That is, again, assuming your car has decent tires, brakes, and if at all possible, air bags. My deal-breaker for a daily driver is that it has to have airbags. Period. Yes, we do own an older car that is pre-airbag–but not pre-seatbelt–but it’s a once-in-a-while Sunday driver.

But back to cost. If you are looking at the value of your car, and Kelly Blue Book is the most common source for this, then you’re doing to see that sinking money into an old car will never come back in the form of resale value. Right?

The value of keeping an old car on the road, for me, is having something that you know so well and can tinker with enough to get you home, safely, in a pinch and that, all in all, costs far less than monthly car payments. Even more than this is the fact that a car, no matter it’s age, represents a huge impact on the environment in it’s manufacture and even in it’s eventual disposal. So, yes, newer cars may garner a few more miles per gallon, but they often do so by using batteries that are not free of substantial environmental impacts.

And you’ll notice in the writing that appear here, that I still advocate walking, riding your bike, and (gasp) taking public transit.

So, assuming you’re still with me here, I have a peculiar take on keeping an old car on the road. I think it can be fun, cost effective, environmentally sensitive, and even a safer way to go. You may disagree, and you’re free to make comments or message me to that effect.

But what I hope is that those gear-heads out there who have the same thoughts will drop me a line, and even a picture of your ride and a bit about its history. Do so at readermail@keepyouroldcar.com. Because I use a spam filter, I ask that you put “old car” in the subject line.

That’s all for now. Thanks for stopping in.