Dos and Don’ts for Selling Wheels and Tires Online

April 3, 2024 / Andy Lilienthal / Leave a comment

While recently trying to sell a car, I wrote an article about common sense tips for selling a used car. Because, frankly, many people are really bad at it. And while shaking my fist at clouds the other day (and looking for 17″ wheels for our Forester XT), I noticed people are also really bad…

Continue reading →

Top 5 Common Sense Tips For Selling A Used Car

February 2, 2024 / Andy Lilienthal / 2 Comments

I’ve bought and sold more cars, trucks, and SUVs than I’m willing to admit. I’d like to think I know how to effectively sell a car. However, it’s moderately appalling how bad some people seem to be at it. Ask me how I know. However, whether selling on Facebook Marketplace, Craiglist, OfferUp, or even Nextdoor,…

Continue reading →

Avants Weird and Wacky Car Show Was Also Wildly Wonderful

January 29, 2024 / Andy Lilienthal / Leave a comment

You know that “Keep Portland Weird” saying? It pertains to cars too. The Avants car club hosted the inaugural Weird and Wacky Car Show on Saturday, January 27 at IPD in Portland. To no one’s surprise, the show lived up to its name and did not disappoint.

Continue reading →

Our New-To-Us On-Roader: 2005 Subaru Forester XT

January 15, 2024 / Andy Lilienthal / 4 Comments

For 23 years, we had a sporty on-road car of some sort. While sporty didn’t necessarily mean fast, it always meant upgraded suspension and stickier tires at a minimum. Whether it was my SR20DE-powered Nissan Sentra SE-Limited or 2001 Ford Focus ZX3, our 1998 Honda Prelude SH, or 2013 Subaru Impreza WRX, we always had…

Continue reading →

Crankshaft Culture Gear Garage: AO Coolers Carbon Series 36 Pack Cooler Review

November 13, 2023 / Andy Lilienthal / 1 Comment

Words by Andy Lilienthal; photos by Mercedes Lilienthal When we got our first ARB fridge/freezer, I said if I ever needed to use a cooler again it’d be too soon. Well, that was a stupid thing to say. There are simply times when you need a soft-sided cooler. We found ourselves in such a situation…

Continue reading →

Our Favorite Vehicles From the 2023 SEMA Show

November 11, 2023 / Andy Lilienthal / Leave a comment

The SEMA Show is sometimes referred to as the pulse of the automotive aftermarket. It’s where brands and manufacturers showcase their latest and greatest aftermarket accessories. And every year there are hundreds—if not thousands—of cool custom vehicles to be seen. From hot rods and imports to trucks and vans, SEMA has some really awesome vehicles….

Continue reading →

Opinion: ’80s and ’90s Style Is In, But What’s Ugly Then Is Still Ugly Now

September 6, 2023 / Andy Lilienthal / Leave a comment

Style and trends are a funny thing. There’s always this desire for retro, whether we’re talking clothes, music, or automotive styling. Currently, ’80s and ’90s style is in, and the nostalgia can hit hard. Heck, we own three 1990s Mitsubishis. But some people are making caricatures of these retro rides, going way overboard—even more overboard…

Continue reading →

2023 NW Overland Rally: Trophy Challenge

June 19, 2023 / Andy Lilienthal / Leave a comment

Each year, a host of attendees at the NW Overland Rally in Plain, Washington participate in the Trophy Challenge. This is a lighthearted competition that mixes semi-precision driving and Nerf gun shooting! Go too fast, get disqualified. But if you complete the course above the set time and shoot some cups with the Nerf gun, you could be crowned the winner! I put together this video from the 2023 NW Overland Rally Trophy Challenge for you, so enjoy!

Continue reading →

Adding a Light Bar, Lights, and Armor to our 2022 Subaru Crosstrek

April 15, 2023 / Andy Lilienthal / Leave a comment

Our goal with our Crosstrek was to add just a bit more capability to it. We want to hop in it and go pretty much anywhere we want (within reason). So after we added the 15×7 Reika Seeker wheels and 215/75/15 BFGoodrich KO2 tires, we added a light bar, lights, and armor to our 2022 Subaru Crosstrek. You can see how we did this in our Subaru Crosstrek video above.

Continue reading →

Finding Our Long-Lost Suzuki Sidekick, The Teal Terror

February 16, 2023 / Andy Lilienthal / 1 Comment

Before our JDM Pajeros or Delicas, before our Jeep Cherokee, we had a great little 1995 Suzuki Sidekick. We called it The Teal Terror. We sold the Teal Terror in 2016, and I always wondered what happened to it. Well, we recently found out. Check out our sister site, Subcompact Culture for the whole story.

Continue reading →