J. Clarke articles

There was a time when American cars wore their chrome bumpers like jewelry. They were shiny, substantial, and practically part of a car's personality. But by the late 1980s, those gleaming metal fixtures were disappearing behind painted plastic. The reasons went well beyond changing fashion.

You drive out of the car wash expecting a spotless vehicle, only to discover your dashboard flashing warnings about malfunctioning safety sensors. Suddenly, that expensive driver assistance technology seems surprisingly fragile. But did the wash actually break something?

You probably don't think about Formula 1 or the Indianapolis 500 when you're driving to the grocery store. But some of the technology helping keep you safe has an unexpectedly glamorous racing history. From better brakes to stronger passenger compartments, motorsport has helped develop and popularize innovations that eventually reached everyday vehicles. Some originated in competition, while others were perfected there before becoming familiar road-car equipment.

Everyone wants to squeeze a few extra miles out of a tank of gas, especially when prices keep climbing. Unfortunately, some supposedly clever fuel-saving tricks can actually make your car less efficient. From questionable driving habits to expensive products promising miraculous results, plenty of popular advice doesn't hold up under scrutiny. Here are 29 things that might be doing your gas mileage more harm than good.

Remember when getting a fully loaded car meant adding features that made everyone jealous? Twenty years ago, automakers offered everything from elaborate entertainment systems to surprisingly clever mechanical gadgets. Some cost hundreds or thousands of dollars, while others required upgrading to expensive trim levels. Today, many have disappeared entirely, and a few survive only in unusual corners of the new-car market.

A new car’s window sticker tells you what the vehicle costs to buy, not necessarily what it costs to own. AAA’s 2026 analysis estimated average new-vehicle ownership and operating costs at $12,863 per year. Depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, maintenance, taxes, tires, and increasingly complicated technology can dramatically change the financial picture after you leave the dealership.

Car brands can disappear surprisingly quickly. A merger, shrinking sales, corporate restructuring, or one badly timed recession can erase a badge that drivers grew up seeing everywhere. Yet plenty of discontinued marques remain highly visible at car shows, auctions, enthusiast gatherings, and in garages where owners refuse to let them fade away. These 24 departed names left behind cars distinctive enough to keep people talking long after the dealerships closed.

A hybrid warning can be confusing because the car may continue behaving almost normally after the light appears. Unlike a conventional car, though, a hybrid combines an internal-combustion engine with electric motors, a high-voltage traction battery, power electronics, and sophisticated control systems. A warning involving that equipment deserves prompt attention, even when the vehicle remains mobile.