Autos

Buying it, keeping it running, and the jobs worth doing on your own driveway.

The BRO Gear GuideBuy once, fix it, pass it down: a cost-per-use calculator, a warranty decoder and a repairability checklist.Judge it before you buy

StoryDean Shaw4 Oct 20266 min

Detroit's best idea was a big engine in a cheap car

The muscle car began as a loophole, a price tag and a few engineers who knew exactly who was buying. That's still the formula worth chasing.

The Classic Cars Still Cheap Enough to Buy This Year

From the Autos archive

Older stories

GuideDean Shaw23 Sept 20265 min

Winter Driving When You Have the Whole Family in the Car

GuideDean Shaw23 Sept 20266 min

The first car for your teenager should be dull and heavy

GuideDean Shaw22 Sept 20266 min

What it really takes to get a car past 250,000 miles

GuideDean Shaw22 Sept 20266 min

What to check before you hand a stranger cash for a car

GuideDean Shaw22 Sept 20266 min

Your first project car should be boring, cheap and popular

GuideDean Shaw22 Sept 20266 min

Twenty minutes with the engine off tells you most of it

Autos on video

Worth an hour of your evening

From channels we rate. Plays on YouTube or TikTok.

Doug DeMuro4 Oct

The New McLaren Logo Looks Like A Hotel

Doug DeMuro3 Oct

Special Editions of the WRX and BRZ are Coming!

Doug DeMuro2 Oct

Meet Bentley's First EV: the Torcal!

Scotty Kilmer8 Oct

How to Replace Brake Pads and Rotors in Your Car (COMPLETE Guide)

1A Auto: Repair Tips & Secrets Only Mechanics Know21 May

Most Common Brake Installation Mistakes!

Car and Driver1 May

How to Replace Your Car's Brake Pads

The F-Series6 Sept

1987-1993 OBS F-Series: Front Brake Pad Replacement

Scotty Kilmer30 Dec

How to Check Used Car Before Buying - DIY Inspection

DEBOSS GARAGE28 Jun

12 Things To Check Before Buying A Used Car

ChrisFix7 May

How to Test Drive and Buy a Used Car

Budget Mechanic8 May

How to Inspect a Used Car For Red Flags and Not Get Scammed

Chevy Dude24 Nov

INSPECT Like a PRO! The BEST Way to Check a Used Car

Royalty Auto Service25 Dec

Everyone Should ALWAYS Do This Before Buying A Used Vehicle!

The Car Care Nut7 Dec

Don't Make These Mistakes When Buying a Used Car!

CarEdge21 Sept

DO NOT Do This When You Test Drive a Car | Former Dealer Explains

Car Wizard7 Aug

4 things you MUST check before you buy any used car! CAR WIZARD shows how not to be scammed!

TikTok@powertool1990

What to look for when buying a used car part 2 #mechanic #automotive #cars #carbuyingguide #carbuyingtips #mechanics #mechanicsoftiktok #techtips #tips #toyota #honda #reliablecar #foryoupage #fyp #usedcar #inspection

TikTok@xiucheshimei

Detailed inspection of a used car#tips #car #drivinglessons #fpy #foryou #diy #knowledge #cardrivinglessons

TikTok@roadskillshub

Five secrets to buying a used car – learn them to avoid buying a scrapped vehicle! #cartips #drivingskills #expertising0 #viralvideo #carknowledge

TikTok@billythecarkid

Always ask the dealership for the full vehicle inspection report—this shows what the mechanic actually found, not just what was repaired. Carfax is useful, but it only shows documented repairs, not the real condition of the vehicle during inspection. #negotiation #carbuyingsecrets #buyingacar #carbu

Autos quizzes

Quiz yourself, then your friends

All quizzes

GuideDean Shaw23 Sept 20265 min

Start With a Weekend Project, Not a Barn Find

Most project cars die in the disassembly phase. Pick the job that fits the two days you actually have, and the car stays a car.

GuideDean Shaw23 Sept 20266 min

Sell Your Car Yourself and Keep the Dealer's Margin

The private sale is worth thousands more than a trade-in, and most of that money is earned in the two hours before you list.

Ask BRO

Build me a 30-day training plan around two sessions a week

Ask it

GuideDean Shaw23 Sept 20266 min

Find the Rust Before It Finds Your Brake Lines

A flashlight, a magnet and twenty minutes under the car will tell you whether you're looking at a project or a trap.

Names.com — The name is the first thing you sell

PartnerNames.com

6 min read

Pick the truck by the door jamb sticker, not the tow rating

A half-ton that says it tows 11,000 pounds will still be illegally overloaded by a 7,800-pound travel trailer. The math is in the door.

Poll

What was your first ever job?

GuideRay Okonkwo23 Sept 20265 min

The lease is cheaper every month and that's not the point

Work a $38,000 SUV through both deals, month by month, and the winner isn't obvious until year four.

GuideDean Shaw23 Sept 20266 min

What a Classic Car Actually Costs You Every Year

The purchase price is the cheap part. Insurance, storage and the stuff nobody warns you about is where the money actually goes.

Shirts.com — Design it with AI. Wear it this week.

PartnerShirts.com

GuideDean Shaw23 Sept 20266 min

Getting your motorcycle license and choosing a first bike

The weekend course, the endorsement, the gear budget, and the short list of bikes that won't put a new rider in a ditch.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

Six questions. No email required, no sales pitch at the end.

GuideDean Shaw23 Sept 20266 min

Pull Your Own Check Engine Code in Ten Minutes

A twenty-dollar scanner and a parking space is all it takes to find out whether that light means a loose gas cap or a tow truck.

GuideDean Shaw23 Sept 20266 min

Replacing a Car Battery Without Waking Every Warning Light

The swap takes twenty minutes. The part nobody tells you about is what your car forgets the second the power goes away.

Ask BRO

Build me a revision plan that I will actually stick to

Ask it

GuideDean Shaw23 Sept 20266 min

What Actually Kills a Truck Before 300,000 Miles

The engine is rarely the problem. Frames, fluids and the parts nobody thinks about twice are what decide whether your truck sees 300k.

CancerDefying.com — The research, protocols and reading in one place

PartnerCancerDefying.com

GuideDean Shaw23 Sept 20266 min

Headlights, Wipers and the Cabin Filter in One Afternoon

Three jobs a shop charges real money for, all doable in your driveway with a 10mm socket, a pair of gloves and about an hour.

Poll

Where does your best time with your kids happen?

GuideDean Shaw23 Sept 20265 min

What the hammer price at a car auction doesn't include

The bid is the cheapest part. Fees, titles, tow bills and a two-minute inspection window are where people lose money.

GuideDean Shaw23 Sept 20266 min

What to Do and Photograph in the First Ten Minutes After a Crash

Adrenaline makes you stupid for about five minutes. Have a plan so your hands know what to do while your brain catches up.

Coconut.com — Tell us when. We find where the sun is.

PartnerCoconut.com

GuideRay Okonkwo23 Sept 20265 min

What to do before you add your teenager to the policy

The rate hike is real, but most of it is negotiable if you start during the permit year instead of the week after the road test.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

Five questions, honestly answered, and a plan for the next fortnight.

6 min

The minivan wins more often than you want it to

6 min

Change Your Own Brake Pads Before Lunch on Saturday

Ask BRO

What should I wear to this?

Ask it

GuideDean Shaw23 Sept 20266 min

Rotate your tires at home and read what the tread tells you

An hour in the driveway twice a year buys you thousands of extra miles and an early warning on your alignment, your shocks and your right foot.

GermProof.com — An invisible germ barrier on your skin for hours

PartnerGermProof.com

6 min read

Electric, Hybrid or Gas for a Family of Five

Eight years, 120,000 miles, five seatbelts. Run the arithmetic yourself before a salesman runs it for you.

Poll

Where does your best time with your kids happen?

Older articles

Older Autos stories

Autos

Detroit's best idea was a big engine in a cheap car

The spark plug job is easy until the last quarter turn

A supercar is bought. A coachbuilt car is argued into existence

The best collector-car deals aren't under the auction lights

What to Buy When You Need Three Rows and a Trailer Hitch

The Classic Cars Still Cheap Enough to Buy This Year

From the Autos archive

Winter Driving When You Have the Whole Family in the Car

The first car for your teenager should be dull and heavy

What it really takes to get a car past 250,000 miles

What to check before you hand a stranger cash for a car

Your first project car should be boring, cheap and popular

Twenty minutes with the engine off tells you most of it

Worth an hour of your evening

Quiz yourself, then your friends

Start With a Weekend Project, Not a Barn Find

Sell Your Car Yourself and Keep the Dealer's Margin

Find the Rust Before It Finds Your Brake Lines

Pick the truck by the door jamb sticker, not the tow rating

The lease is cheaper every month and that's not the point

What a Classic Car Actually Costs You Every Year

Getting your motorcycle license and choosing a first bike

Pull Your Own Check Engine Code in Ten Minutes

Replacing a Car Battery Without Waking Every Warning Light

What Actually Kills a Truck Before 300,000 Miles

Headlights, Wipers and the Cabin Filter in One Afternoon

What the hammer price at a car auction doesn't include

What to Do and Photograph in the First Ten Minutes After a Crash

What to do before you add your teenager to the policy

The minivan wins more often than you want it to

Change Your Own Brake Pads Before Lunch on Saturday

Rotate your tires at home and read what the tread tells you

Electric, Hybrid or Gas for a Family of Five