#2020 honda fit news

[starkeygirls]

i n v i s i b l e s t r i n g

chapter 1

rafe cameron x pogue!reader

summary: really bad at these!

wc: 2.5k

warning: none! i haven't written in a while, this is a rewrite of a story that i started in 2020, so please bare with me as i get back in the groove of writing.

a/n: guess who's back, back again. determined to finish this series. rafe and sofia in s4 really inspired me to get back into this fic, hope you all like it ◡̈ pls reblog/comment/etc.. would love to hear your thoughts ◡̈

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Sometimes you really fit into Figure 8. Sometimes you all did. Like when John B was off with Sarah and he was wearing the clothes that she had bought him to go out golfing or go to brunch at the yacht club. Or when Kie was dragged to a kook event by her parents at the country club. Pope wore his suit when he had different scholarship and college interviews- and he really gave the kook boys a run for their money with how good he looked in his steamed suit. JJ was the least likely to really look like he would ever fit in on Figure 8, and that was because he never wanted to. He reserved his ‘money suit’, as he called it, for when he had to work as a busboy, and occasionally picked up other gigs. You, however, were fitting in more often than you would have liked. 

You tucked your white cashmere sweater into your long, green pleated skirt. Letting out a small huff as you sprayed your perfectly curled hair one more time. Throwing your purse over your shoulder, you trudged down your hallway, your sneakers cost more than $400. You could still remember how your jaw dropped when you saw the pricetag, and apparently the kooks ate these shoes up. They needed them in every color, every new style that came out. It was madness, if you were being honest. It was like they were just giving away money. 

That’s what it seemed like, at least. You had been working at a retail store in the main strip of Figure 8 for over a year now. It was the only way you could afford the clothes you were wearing. You got a steep discount off the price, and you knew how to shop sales better than anyone. 

Your kook masquerade was always squished the moment you walked out to your car. The old beat up Honda that was always parked out front was nothing like what a kook would drive. It was too old. A 2005? The kooks didn’t know what anything from that year was- maybe only their participation trophies from little league that had the year engraved, that was about it. 

Unlocking the car, you tossed your bag onto the passenger seat, closing the door and buckling up your seatbelt. 

“Please start, Hilda..” You mumbled, closing your eyes and taking a deep breath as your hand turned the key in the ignition. She did, as usual- but you would never forget the time that she broke down. You cried for the ten minutes it took John B and JJ to rescue you. They were like your own little mechanics. Pope had called you in the car for the ten minutes while you sobbed and tried to calm you down- it didn’t work. Nothing worked until you saw your car fixed. You still owed them for saving your ass that day, regardless of how many times they assured you it was really nothing.

Crossing over the bridge from The Cut to Figure 8, you sighed: traffic. You knew by now the traffic was always bad as you headed into the main strip of town. It was the most popular place. Coffee shops, restaurants, stores.. Who wouldn’t be there if they had the money and time? Yeah, the coffee was overpriced and no one knew how to drive in their expensive cars, but it was still nice. Nicer than The Cut where people revved their engines when you scurried across the street.

–

It took you a half hour to finally pull into the parking lot behind your store. Saturdays were always the worst traffic wise, but boy, was it a good sales day. Checking the time, you bit your lip as you contemplated running to the cafe a few shops down to get a coffee. Technically you had time- you were always early. You had a fear of being late if you were being honest. You knew it looked bad, and it wasn’t hard for you to just leave a little early for wherever you were going. It took you two minutes to walk to the cafe, and you would give yourself ten minutes to be in the cafe, another two minutes to walk back, and you had twenty minutes until you had to clock in. What if the cafe was busy? What if it took you fifteen minutes in there? 

You slammed the car door and walked towards the Cove Cafe. The bell dinged as you walked in, a smile pressed to your lips as you pushed your sunglasses to your head. It wasn’t busy. What a relief. You smiled at the barista as you walked up to the counter. You and Gabriella had become good friends from your constant stops to the overpriced coffee shop. 

“The usual?” She asked with a grin, scribbling onto the cup as you nodded your head. You still had ten minutes to get back to the shop before you had to clock in. You smiled and waved back to Gabriella as you left the shop, sipping on the drink that had become a staple to your routine.

–

This Saturday was not a good day for sales. The weather must’ve been too nice, or everyone had gone to the mainland. The traffic you had fought through died down, and the small shop was deserted. Main Street in general was deserted. You and your co-worker, Abigail were basically staring at each other for four hours. It was painful at this point. You both had resorted to hiding off to the side hall to watch Netflix shows, peering your heads out when you heard the door open. 

Most of the time it was one or two people wandering in- usually tourons who just looked around and pulled you away from the show. It was your turn to walk out there when the door dinged, watching as two people walked in. Your eyes squinted as you looked to the security camera before heading out from behind the curtain. 

You tried to hide your surprise- and disgust- as your eyes glanced over to see Topper Thorton and Rafe Cameron in the small store. What did they want? Were they making rounds because Sarah was complaining about something John B had said? You knew it wasn’t a good idea John B was hanging around her. Were they threatening your group? 

Was it too late to shove Abigail out here? Was it too late to lock the doors and pretend you never opened? Were you allowed to not greet them? Spit in their faces? 

“Do you have this in a large?” Rafe’s question knocked you from your thoughts, blinking a few times before you furrowed your brows. 

“Let me go check for you.” You smiled at the two boys before heading behind the curtain where Abigail was. “How did I get so unlucky to have to deal with Topper and Rafe? How come you got a Hollywood directors cousin and I get two assholes who aren’t going to spend any money?” A groan escaped your lips before you brought yourself down the stairs to the stockroom. 

– 

“So you’re going to take the three shirts, the sweater and the two pants and then we’re going to order you the polo in the salmon color, and the sneakers, right?” You ran by him one more time. 

“Yeah, and ship it to the store if you can.” Rafe nodded, tapping his American Express Platinum card against the wooden counter. You nodded, typing away on the ipad register. It was a relief to finally be getting them out of the store, though they were a lot less of a pain then you had originally thought they would be. In fact, they were really respectful a complete 180 from what you were used to experiencing. They had hung back up everything they had tried on, and made sure to get a full glance of everything they could want in a different size or color before making you run to the stockroom once they were aware it was in a basement.

The only awkward part of the whole interaction was when you had absentmindedly walked back to the fitting rooms and saw Rafe shirtless as he spoke to Topper about the shirt he had on. 

“Pants fit well.” You awkwardly smiled, diverting your eyes from Rafe’s toned chest. You didn’t hate having them in the store, and he was about to drop a lot of money which was only going to be more money in your pocket.

“You’re all set. Everything should be here by Wednesday the latest. I’ll give you a call when they get here.” You smiled, watching him tap the heavy card against the card reader. His blue eyes glanced up to meet your own eyes. 

“Could you text me, actually? The number on file is my cell.” Your eyes glanced to Topper as he smirked, eyes glancing your way. To be honest, you were surprised. It wasn’t like you weren’t allowed to text customers for outreach or order updates- but it was the look Rafe was giving you, it was the smirk Topper had plastered to his face, it was the way Rafe was leaning on the counter. 

–

“And then as if spending an hour with them wasn’t bad enough, he asked me to text him when his order got to the store!” You were pacing in the living room of the chateau. You had driven straight there after work, it was a bit of a usual for all of you. After work on Saturdays, everyone would meet at the chateau and unwind, usually a beer or two, and pizza. 

“Why are you dressed like you’re from the 60’s?” JJ asked, as if he hadn’t been looking at you for the past fifteen minutes you had been ranting. 

“That isn’t the point, idiot.” Kiara chimed in, shaking her head at JJ’s comment. “Love the sweater by the way.” She smiled. 

“Dude, it retails for like three hundred, I almost threw up when a woman asked me where it was in the store the last time I wore it and then she bought it in the three colors we have.” You smiled back, finally plopping onto the couch next to JJ. His eyes were wide as he looked to your sweater, before petting it. 

“Fuck, it’s soft.” 

“It’s cashmere and get your grubby hands off of it. You probably have oil or beer on your hands, and it’s dry clean only.” Your hand smacked at his.

“So when’s your first date with Rafe.” JJ teased, a groan leaving your lips as your head fell back.

“Where the hell did a date even come into this? If he gets my number that’s just another way to threaten us.” 

“I wish John B and Sarah were here to hear all this.. Sarah would lose it.” Kie laughed. “But, we would probably get to the bottom of it. She would just text him and see what was up. Either we’re overthinking it, or we’re perfectly on track for whatever his twisted mind is thinking.” 

“So are you going to wear cashmere on your date with him? Do you think he’ll pay?” JJ continued, a grin planted to his face. He wasn’t going to let it die down, which you should have expected. Jeez, where was Pope, John B and Sarah when you needed them? 

– 

Your fingers hovered over your phone after you had texted Rafe, the chat bubble signaling he was responding - and fast. There was no need to be nervous about whatever he was saying, it was your job, after all. Texting him as he requested for the order he placed - you hadn’t done anything wrong or out of the ordinary. 

You jumped a bit feeling your phone vibrate in your hand, eyes scanning the text saying he would probably show up right before you closed because he was busy. Your lips pulled into a tight line, preparing yourself to have to stay past close. You hearted the message without even thinking, all sense of professionalism threw itself out the window. “Fuck,” you muttered under your breath, too late now to undo what had been done. 

–

The store was in nearly perfect condition, you had told Abigail to head home, that you would wait out Rafe’s arrival on your own, assuring her he would surely only be about 5-10 minutes. You finger spaced the racks twice, re-folded your tables and even dusted off the mannequins as you waited for his arrival. It was now thirty minutes past close, the doors had been locked, your fingers tapped along the desk as a sigh escaped your lips, eyes rolling. Pulling your phone out of pocket, your fingers fired off a message to Rafe. 

hey! i’ve gotta close up, we’re open from 9-7 tomorrow, just tell the associate you’re picking up :) 

Grabbing your things from the back, your keys twirled around your fingers, jumping as a figure was looking into the glass doors of the store. A gasp escaped your lips as your eyes looked to Rafe’s, a smile pressed to his lips as he caught the panic course through your body. A small debate ran through your brain, should you even let him have his things? He should and could wait until the following day. Teach him a lesson on being punctual. 

His hand knocked on the door, smile still pressed tight to his lips. It was almost cocky, like he knew that you would let him in. Before even making a conscious decision, your feet were carrying you to the door and unlocking it. 

“Maybe we should add a watch to your order, seems like you could use it.” Your tone was a bit harsher than you intended, but at this point, he was wasting your time. Holding the door open, you quickly locked it after he entered. 

“I’m only thirty minutes late.” 

“You knew when we closed, you’re abusing my kindness.” 

“Is that what you call the attitude?” Your eyes were glaring at this point, feet carrying you quickly to the back where Rafe’s items were packaged neatly, a bow around the handle of the bag and all. Grabbing it, you gasped yet again as he had been closer to the curtain to the back than anticipated. A chuckle escaping his lips. “You look like a deer in headlights.” 

“Can you just take your things and go? I’ve spent enough time in this store.” A huff escaped your lips as you shoved the bag to Rafe, already walking towards the front door to escort him out. “And don’t worry, I’ll send you watches during my next shift so you can work on being on time.” 

“So you want to see me again?” Rafe’s eyebrows raised, smirk pressing to his lips. He clearly was in no rush to leave, or leave without frustrating you any bit he could. 

“Right now I would love nothing more than to watch you leave, Rafe.” Unlocking the door, and opening it you motion for him to leave, your patience growing thin as he took his time walking from the store. “Thanks for shopping with us today.” You mutter before closing the door behind him and locking it. 

–

Scrolling through your phone, a text pulled your brows together. 

so, how’d i look walking away?

[theflowergothic]

Kelly Piquet Master Timeline - Amendment 1 (Some things I missed the first time around)

(Masterlist)

Hey y'all! Welcome to the first amendment for the Kelly timeline! In these amendments, I will be adding things that happened during already-published parts of the timeline, but did not add before for a variety of reasons (not knowing about it, not having proof for it before, etc).

Sorry this took a bit to release. I've been dealing with a bit of irl stuff this past week that took my attention away from working on Max/Kelly things aside from updates to the timeline. In fact, you might have seen me crack on Twitter over it! Yay!

By the way, you may notice some repeats from the official timeline. Those are events that I did cover in the original, but with new information/context that I initially missed.

Let's go!

As always, you can find the full timeline here.

A new person has entered the grid!

Christiano “Tuka” Rocha: A former Brazilian race car driver Kelly considers her first love. The two would remain in touch until his tragic death in a plane crash in 2019.

1999

March-October, 1999: The 1999 F1 season. Jos serves as a test driver for the Honda Formula 1 Project.

2000

Unknown dates, 2000:

Kelly and Tuka meet. She is most likely 11 and he is most likely 18.

2002

Unknown dates, 2002:

Tuka visits Kelly and her family while she is visiting France. She is most likely 13 and he is most likely 20. (Archive)

2004

May, 2004: The Jordan racing team considers Jos as a replacement driver for an underperforming Giorgio Pantano. But, a test drive is canceled after he discovers he is too big to fit in the car.

2012

November 10-11, 2012: Max has a series of flirty/amorous exchanges with former world karting champion Laura Tillett on Twitter. She is 21 and he is 15. (Archive) 

December 7-10, 2012: Max has more flirty exchanges with Laura Tillett on Twitter. She is still 21 and he is still 15.

2015

September 30, 2015: Max turns 18. He spends the day obtaining his road driving license. He would move to Monaco shortly afterwards. (Archive 1, 2)

Mikaela also posts on Twitter to celebrate Max’s birthday, calling him her “love”. (Archive)

2016

December, 2016: Kelly leaves her job at Formula E. Officially, she claims she resigned because of burnout, mentioning she “was literally on a plane every week” to a new destination. But, unconfirmed rumors claim she was fired for sleeping with a married man. (Archive)

2018

September 14, 2018:  Kelly likes an Instagram post by Victoria. This would be her first of many likes on Victoria’s Instagram.

September 23, 2018: Victoria likes an Instagram post by Kelly. This would be her first of many likes on Kelly’s Instagram.

September 30, 2018: Max turns 21. Lando makes an Instagram post wishing him a happy birthday. It is not liked by Max, but it is liked by Kelly.

October, 2018: Kelly likes several more of Lando’s Instagram posts.

Late October-Early November, 2018: Kelly and Daniil’s daughter is conceived.

November 13, 2018: Lando makes an Instagram post celebrating his 19th birthday. It would be liked by Kelly.

2019

January 8, 2019: Lando likes an Instagram post by Kelly. This would turn out to be one of several posts he would like on her account throughout 2019 and 2020, including a post about breastfeeding.

March 17, 2019: Lando makes his F1 debut at the 2019 Australian Grand Prix, driving for McLaren. He would finish in 12th place. At this point, he is 19 years old. (Archive)

On the same day, Victoria likes a post by Kelly. She would proceed to like several more posts on Kelly’s account throughout her pregnancy, with Sophie doing the same on some of the same posts.

November 14, 2019: Tuka is seriously injured in an airplane crash near Bahia, Brazil. (Archive)

November 17, 2019: Tuka succumbs to his injuries sustained in the plane crash at the age of 36. He is memorialized as a hero for trying to save the lives of others  in the same crash. (Archive)

November 19, 2019: Kelly makes a memorial post for Tuka on Instagram, calling him her “first love” and mentioning he made her “feel like the most special girl in the world” and “feel very special feelings”. (Archive)

December 4, 2019:  Daniil makes an Instagram post about the end of the F1 season. Kelly likes the post. It would turn out to be her last like on his account.

December 6, 2019 (Most likely): Kelly and Daniil end their relationship. While Kelly makes a since-deleted Instagram post implying she broke up with Daniil, varioussources claim it was Daniil who broke up with Kelly for a variety of reasons.

2020

Unknown dates, 2020:

Max and Dilara break up. Despite that, Victoria, Sophie, and Jos continue to follow her on Instagram. Daniil would also follow her at a later date.

January 31, 2020: Kelly likes another Instagram post by Max. This would turn out to be one of several posts she would like on his account throughout 2020.

2021

July 16-18, 2021: The 2021 British Grand Prix. During the first lap, Lewis attempts to overtake Max, resulting in the latter retiring and going to the hospital after a collision. Max would be released that same day.. Lewis receives a 10-second penalty, but ultimately wins the race. (Archive)

Initial reports would say Max was unharmed in the collision. But, in subsequent interviews, Max would admit he felt the after-effects of it in races, including blurred vision. (Archive 1, 2)

September 3-5, 2021: The 2021 Dutch Grand Prix. Max achieves poll position and finishes first, starting a three-year winning streak at the race. (Archive)

Kelly leaves the race altogether after qualifying, and Max spends a night at his motorhome on the track. According to speculation, Kelly and Jos had a fight over her sharing photos in his residence. Jos unfollows Kelly on Instagram.

2023

Unknown dates, 2023:

An anonymous Tumblr user makes a summary of the rumors and scandals surrounding Kelly to that point. (Archive)

2024

June 21-23, 2024: The 2023 Spanish Grand Prix. Max starts in P2 and finishes first. This would turn out to be his last Grand Prix victory until November. (Archive)

June 28-30, 2024: The 2024 Austrian Grand Prix. Max finishes first in the Saturday sprint race. This would turn out to be his last victory in general until October. (Archive)

During the second half of the main race,  Lando makes multiple attempts to overtake Max. This culminates in a collision when the latter tries to block him. Lando would retire from the damage, and Max would place fifth. (Archive 1, 2) 

Of note is that while Kelly posted about Max’s pole positions and sprint win, she would not say anything about the results of the main race.

[toothlessplushie]

Here’s my thoughts as a massive Redbull fan (since 2020, not a glory hunter) and hopefully it’s a bit comforting

With Adrian apparently planning on leaving It’ll be interesting to see what happens. Remember newey isn’t the be all and end all of formula 1 car design but he is a massive advantage. Ground effect was his thesis topic so the ground effect aero era was definitely perfectly suited to him. The new regulations aren’t ground effect and are less aero based than the way they are now.

But what I’m most interested in is his gardening leave. Adrian has to take a year of gardening leave due to his position in the team. A year completely removed.

If he leaves at the end of the year, like the rumours suggest. He helps the development of the Redbull 2025 car and sits out the 2025 season completely. The teams will be developing their 2026 car as soon as they are able in 2025. If he joins another team it won’t be until the start of the 2026 season when the car is mostly developed. Meaning there will be no Newey car on the 2026 grid until at least part way through until the first serious upgrades.

If he sees out his Redbull contract which I’m sure Redbull will try and get him to. He will work the 2025 season and be involved in the 2026 car development. He’ll sit out the 2026 season and if he does will join another team for 2027. By this stage the teams will have their base concept for the new regulations and will be working within them. So the first newey influence won’t be there until part way through 2027/2028

The biggest problem comes if Adrian leaves effective immediately and then can join a team part way through 2025 and influence the 2026 car of the bat.

As a Redbull fan, newey will be a terrible loss but it hopefully won’t be an immediate one.

2026 will be all about engines as well as fitting cars into the new regulations. Engines are a massive influence in formula 1 look at the Honda vs the Renault Redbull both newey cars but the Renault engines were shit. The epic Ross brawn merc engines were a part of their runaway success particularly at the start of the turbo hybrid era. Those who get their engines right will have a better start than the others (Redbull will probably fuck up their engine let’s real)

And the teams aren’t just one man. Lewis’ raw ability and talent combined with the merc engine lessens the impact of poor strategy and pit stops that merc sometimes had that is clearer now with a much worse car. Max’ talent and skill is making the car to look even better than it is. So while you definitely need a good car. And Adrian has been known to provide them (ignoring early turbo hybrid Redbull and early Redbull plus whatever he had going on inbetween championship winning cars (there is blunders in there)) it wont change everything and it wont be right away.

[carboautoparts]

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[imnosuperman12]

Best Man Speech

Good evening everyone!

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Daniel and I’m Mark’s favorite brother. Thanks everyone for coming out to support tonight! 

Growing up, I always looked up to my big brother. In a very literal way because I was shorter than Mark until I started college. (But now on a good day, I’m taller than him by about a centimeter. Or at least my driver’s license says so.) 

I also looked up to him in a way you would look up to any role model. I had a Pokémon backpack in 1st grade because he had the red and blue version on the original Gameboy. I listened to songs by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Incubus, because he taught me how to download songs off Limewire. I even learned how to drive in the Health Careers High School parking lot because he let me drive his car (though if he were to tell the story, he would tell you that I ran his Honda Civic over the curb on my first try because I didn’t know my right from my left). 

I think above all that, I’m most grateful that God blessed me in making sure we are the same shoe size, and that basically all his clothes also fit me. To this day, my closet is 90% hand me downs.

All jokes aside, Mark it’s been such a privilege watching you grow up and mature into the man you are today. You’re the glue of your Clark and Health Careers High School friend groups who remain close to this day. You navigated life as the eldest child, with all the independence and stubbornness that comes with that. You showed me that as scary as it is to move across the country to follow your dreams in a new city, you can still show up for your family and the people you care about back here in Texas. And I’ll forever be grateful for that lesson.

Now I’m particularly emotional tonight because I don’t get to just talk about the groom, but I also get to talk about the bride too. 

For those of you who don’t know, I had the privilege of meeting Anvy when we were 14 years old. She was actually one of my first friends in high school because we were in first period band class together our freshman year at Health Careers. We eventually became teammates and competed in local and state competitions together. And honestly, at one point in time, Anvy was consistently in my MySpace top 10. Which for you millennials in the room, was a big deal in the 2010s.

Some of my core memories from those years include trying a gallon boba challenge at Suck It when it was on DeZavala (even though half our team was lactose intolerant), practicing how we would sign our professional signatures in cursive (which is why I know your full name is Anvy Thai Vu), and even just spelling words in new ways (like the color grey spelled G R E Y, and the word color spelled C O L O U R).

Now let’s fast forward to 2020. And to be vulnerable here, I have never been in love. But I do know what love looks like. I see love in my parents who have now led a marriage for going on 33 years. One that isn’t always big romantic gestures, but one that endures and chooses each other each and every day. I see love in my sister, who poured her heart out into single handedly planning and executing a rehearsal dinner just a few days ago, without expecting much in return.

And I see love so clearly in how Mark and Anvy cared for each other through COVID. It was a scary time to have a loved one (much less 2 loved ones) in the world’s epicenter of a pandemic, shown all over the news for months. But I’m forever grateful that you had each other to lean on when times got hard. When subways were hazardous, y’all learned how to ride electric unicycles. When life got mundane, you found adventure in new recipes and hobbies (including giving Maxx honestly a better quality of life than me). When life slowed down and gave us no choice, you still continued to choose each other. And that is my hope for you in the years to come.

For those of you that do not speak Tagalog, the Philippine national language, the words Kuya and Ate are reserved for referring to an older sibling in a respectful way. And for the longest time me and Kristina avoided giving Mark the satisfaction.

But in this moment, I invite everyone to raise a glass to my Ate Anvy and Kuya Mark. Mahal ko kayo. Congratulations to you both. I wish y’all a lifetime of happiness.

[eazy-group]

No need for an RV with these great camping cars

New Post has been published on https://eazycamping.net/no-need-for-an-rv-with-these-great-camping-cars/

No need for an RV with these great camping cars

Consider this the summer in limbo, and not just because we have to bend over backwards to make any plans at all. With summer plans scrambled due to the coronavirus pandemic and more Americans wary of airline travel and hotel stays, it’s time to restore that timeless American adventure and hit the road.

It won’t take an RV or a vacation rental to explore America’s national treasures while still maintaining distance from other Americans. Camping requires some gear—glamping requires an excess—but our list of camper-ready vehicles come from the factory ready for adventure.   

2021 Chrysler Pacifica

2021 Chrysler Pacifica, 2020 Chicago Auto Show

2021 Chrysler Pacifica, 2020 Chicago Auto Show

2021 Chrysler Pacifica, 2020 Chicago Auto Show

The versatile family hauler can become a cabin on wheels if the weather becomes unbearable. Available now in all-wheel drive, the 2021 Pacifica comes with second- and third-row seats that fold into the floor (the hybrid model does not come with second-row Stow ‘N Go seats). Other vans have heavy, removable seats that become a pain in a pinch, such as during that surprise hail storm or when that shrill animal cry gets closer. And closer. With 140.5 cubic feet of space behind the front seats and room enough to fit four-by-eight sheets of plywood, the Pacifica could fit a full-sized inflatable mattress with just a little squeezing on the side. If that’s not enough space, it can tow up to 3,600 pounds (when a $995 towing package is equipped), good enough to tow everything from recreational toys to small travel trailers. 

2020 Subaru Outback

2020 Subaru Outback

2020 Subaru Outback

2020 Subaru Outback

The poster child for the outdoorsman, the predecessor to the do-it-all SUV, the Swiss army knife of cars, the Sultan of Swat, the King of Crash, the Colossus of Clout—you get it, even if you’ve never seen “The Sandlot” or visited Colorado. The Outback is all grown up, and handles suburban outings with the same capability as back-country romps. The low, wide, flat floor, and wide door openings make loading and unloading gear a cinch, and dogs love jumping in and out. Collapsible roof racks with tie downs come standard, as does all-wheel drive and a slew of safety features. Available water-repellent interiors, skid plates, a trailer hitch with 3,500-pound towing capacity and so many aftermarket roof-top tent options make this classic as modern as ever. And it’s the only vehicle on our list that can answer the call of the wild with efficient urban driving.

2020 Honda Ridgeline

2017 Honda Ridgeline Black Edition

2018 Honda Ridgeline

2018 Honda Ridgeline

Any pickup truck could make our list, but since the Ridgeline shares a platform with the Honda Pilot crossover SUV, it’s the smoothest-riding pickup and our pick for an impromptu camper. The truck bed extends from 64 inches to 83 inches with the tailgate down, which is long enough to be a makeshift bed in a pinch. With 50 inches across, a twin mattress could fit, or a full-size could get squeezed by the wheel wells. If not being used as a pillow, the dual-action tailgate swings out to the left for easier bed access and a clever floor locker can double as a cooler. A truck-bed audio system on the RTL-E trim sweetens the deal, and an available bed extender or roof-mounted bike carrier means you can bring along the toys. There are some pretty sweet aftermarket tents that extend over the bed, as well. 

2020 Jeep Gladiator

2020 Jeep Gladiator with Mopar accessories

2020 Jeep Gladiator

2020 Jeep Gladiator

Jeep’s mid-size pickup truck, or the Wrangler with a bed, offers all the capability of a Wrangler with the added versatility of a pickup that can tow up to 7,650 pounds. And you can take off the roof and doors for a night under the stars. For off-roaders, the long wheelbase limits its breakover angle compared to the Wrangler, though there are few places that would worry the Gladiator. The 5-foot steel cargo bed might not be the best for sleeping, but the available Trail Rail system with a 115-volt AC outlet and all the Mopar parts means you can equip the Gladiator in a way that tells others: “I’ll sleep when I die.”

2020 Dodge Durango SRT

2018 Dodge Durango SRT first drive

2018 Dodge Durango SRT first drive

2020 Dodge Durango SRT

As much as we love the performance from the 475-hp 6.4-liter Hemi V-8 in the Durango SRT, we prize the three-row SUV here for its towing capacity of up to 8,700 pounds ($1,195 package required), which is the most for any SUV not based on a truck. That’s good enough to tow some 30-foot travel trailers, and when you unhitch it at the campsite you can cruise around the local sights with gusto. Or find a straight to hit 60 mph in 4.4 seconds. Careful on arriving at the campground late or leaving early; the unabashed V-8 rumble might cause your neighbors to enact social distancing in a much more hostile way. It seats six, too, with comfy buckets in the first two rows, so if you had to sleep in the car, you could recline and cocoon yourself in blankets or catch a flick on the rear entertainment center ($1,995). That’s not really camping but at least you’re out of the house.   

2020 Toyota Land Cruiser

2020 Toyota Land Cruiser

2020 Toyota Land Cruiser

2020 Toyota Land Cruiser

It doesn’t matter that this three-row SUV is nearly old enough to get its own driver’s license, the Land Cruiser is beloved the world over for its rugged capability and SUV versatility. The 381-hp V-8 and truck frame give this heavy 4×4 the kind of off-road confidence expected in a truck but with a boxy body. It seats eight but no one will be happy about that. The third row can never get out of its own way, however, even if it’s split and swung out to rest against the wall. The off-road ready Heritage Edition deletes the third row to seat five, and comes with a mega roof rack coveted by posers and brozers alike. Options are limited but tow hooks, skid plates, mud-and-snow tires, a split liftgate/tailgate, and an integrated hitch capable of towing 8,100 pounds come standard. What it lacks in interior refinement and features, the Land Cruiser makes up for in bona fide go-anywhere capability. It’s not the roomiest if you need to crash in it overnight, but there are so many aftermarket accessories and roof-top tents you may never need to.

2020 Land Rover Defender

2020 Land Rover Defender

2020 Land Rover Defender, 2019 LA Auto Show

2020 Land Rover Defender, 2019 LA Auto Show

Land Rover might be the only brand with an off-road reputation on par with the Land Cruiser, and the return of the boxy Defender two- or four-door SUV puts the British brand firmly back in the bush. Thick bumpers, big wheels, heavy cladding, and a tailgate-mounted spare belie the blend of luxury and rugged finishes found inside, such as a touchscreen, alpine lights, and exposed rivets. The Defender X off-road model has locking center and rear differentials, and all Defenders come with four-wheel drive and 11.5-inches of ground clearance, which is nearly an inch more than a Wrangler. An available jump seat could let you sit three up front to get the best shots on safari, and other options such as a 1.7-gallon water reservoir for cleaning off muddy pets or shoes, an electric winch, or roof and side carriers let you customize your outback adventure. The various “packs” are almost as cool as the Defender itself; the Adventure Pack comes with a seat backpack and integrated air compressor. 

2022 Volkswagen Microbus

Volkswagen ID Buzz electric bus concept with 1964 VW Microbus

Like the Defender, the Bus is back. Almost. And when it arrives for 2022 as the ID Buzz or the Electric Bus or whatever it’s going to be called, it will be an all-electric van. Little is known about the reboot of the 60s counterculture icon except that it will be a key part of Volkswagen Group’s plans to build 27 different electric vehicles across all brands. Since most established campgrounds have electricity, finding one with EV chargers is getting easier. Ride on, plug in, drop out.

[atlanticcanada]

N.S. bookstore overcomes fire, COVID-19, now construction in Sydney

Every title inside On Paper Books in downtown Sydney tells a story, and the bookstore itself has a tale of its own.

"We opened in December of 2020, so I always tell people that we're COVID babies,” bookstore co-owner Alison Uhma said.

Uhma and her partner Donnie Calabrese purchased stock from a second-hand bookstore in Sackville N.B. in hopes of starting their own store. It wasn’t long before the location they were renting burnt down in a fire.

"After the first location we were renting burned down, we decided that we would open a new and used bookstore,” Uhma said.

The pair found a new location and the business has been up and running on Charlotte Street in Sydney for about two and a half years.

Now, there’s another hurdle to overcome.

Major construction is ongoing on the block in front of their store as part of downtown Sydney’s redevelopment project. Uhma said this has reduced foot traffic.

"I'm an optimist. But I'm really looking forward to when it's done,” Uhma said.

"I think it's going to be really great for the downtown. It's a little bit slower, but we were expecting that. So we're just looking forward to the rejuvenation project being complete."

All of these business challenges are in addition to having to compete with retail giants like Amazon and big box stores.

However, by focusing on local authors and bringing them in for events and book signings, Uhma says there's a market for what they offer.

"I never really consider that a battle, or being up against something,” Uhma said about competing for book sales with big box stores.

“I always say, you know, they have a rocket ship and we have a Honda Fit. It's just different lifestyles."

Like the titles they carry, the bookstore’s owner agrees that the shop’s story is not boring.

"No, it's not. It's stranger than fiction, probably,” Uhma said with a laugh.

For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page. 

from CTV News - Atlantic https://ift.tt/WjGKwVF

[superkilometerfilter]

Low Maintenance Car – A Great Way To Save Money?

Low maintenance car is a dream come true. It’s a vehicle that hardly ever breaks down and if it does, it’s inexpensive to repair. Such cars are everybody’s favorites, as they make our life simpler. But for some reason, people are still reluctant to buy them.

Today we’ll check out the list of the cheapest cars and brands in terms of maintenance. We’ll also examine what makes them so inexpensive, and figure out why people don’t navigate toward such vehicles.

WHAT MAKES LOW MAINTENANCE COST CARS CHEAPER?

Low maintenance costs cars are budget-friendly for several reasons, including auto insurance, initial quality, reliability, depreciation, and ease of repairs.

Auto insurance

According to Carfax, a low-cost insurance premium is one of the main factors that reduce the price of owning a vehicle. Since insurance is the costliest expense for car owners, buying a more affordable package could be a solution.

However, it’s important to check out what’s included in the low-cost insurance policies. Purchasing something that won’t offer adequate coverage will essentially cost you more.

Initial quality

Investing more money into a car will reduce your long-term expenses. Even though you can find numerous reliable vehicles under $5,000 or $10,000, you’ll get better quality if you pay more. You see, pocket friendly cars are usually quite old, which can easily translate into a high level of abuse. Therefore, paying more for a younger model could reduce your costs in the future.

Reliability

Low ownership cost cars are usually the most reliable as they hardly ever break down. Naturally, if a vehicle doesn’t light up the “check engine light” warning every other day, it will be quite cheap to maintain. Brands, such as Toyota, don’t require frequent visits to the service stores.

Depreciation

Depreciation is another factor that can increase the cost of owning a car, but it can also reduce it. If you buy a vehicle that holds its value quite well, you’ll certainly be able to resell it for a decent price. Also, the longer you have a car, the less the percentage of depreciation is in the ownership costs.

The ease of repairs

Finally, the costs of maintenance can reduce significantly depending on the ease of repairs. Older cars are usually simpler to take apart, as they don’t require special tools or expertise. More popular models are also cheaper to own, as their parts are widely available on the market. Therefore, special makes and limited edition vehicles are significantly more expensive to maintain.

BEST LOW MAINTENANCE CARS EVER MADE

The list of the best low maintenance cars can shift significantly from one model year to another. The maintenance costs might also be low in the beginning, and increase significantly after 5 years. Therefore, we included the models that are the least expensive to maintain and remain cheap even after years of usage.

Honda Fit

The annual cost of maintaining Honda Fit amounts to $300 on average. New releases could cost slightly more to repair. However, with this model, you’ll still be able to keep your expenses at a minimum.

Nissan Leaf

Consumer Reports conducted research that revealed 2011 vehicles that were the cheapest to maintain. They chose to examine older cars to see which models remained inexpensive after the expiration of the warranty.

According to their research, Nissan Leaf costs $0 to maintain. It’s probably the cheapest vehicle to keep on the road. It mightn’t be the most exciting model to drive, yet it certainly won’t increase your expenses.

Toyota Corolla

The 2011 release of the Toyota Corolla costs only $245 to repair annually. That number increases to $710 for newer models, but that’s still cheap compared to other cars. That’s exactly why this vehicle stays on this list over and over again.

Honda CR-V

Honda CR-V is extremely cheap to maintain for an SUV. 2011 release costs around $300 annually, while 2020 and 2021 models are a bit more expensive ($965). However, you shouldn’t forget that this car has incredible reliability scores, i.e. the chances of it breaking down are low.

Kia Soul

Kia Soul is yet another vehicle that is cheap to maintain and has impressive reliability scores. You’ll only have to take it to the mechanic for regular maintenance. It doesn’t really like surprises, which means you can relax and enjoy your drive. But if you do encounter an issue, it won’t be an expensive one.

WHICH LOW MAINTENANCE CAR BRANDS ARE THE BEST?

If we look at the available data, we’ll see that currently, the best low maintenance car brands are Subaru, Hyundai, Kia, Toyota, and Honda. The majority of their vehicles are cheap to repair and don’t have major problems.

Subaru

Subaru is a brand that always delivers reliable and durable vehicles. The majority of their cars are a breeze to repair. Most of the parts are color-coded so that you can find and access them easily. They also have a huge collection of information that can help you solve minor issues yourself. Mechanics also find it easy to repair Subaru cars. Consequently, Subaru vehicles are quite cheap to repair.

Hyundai and Kia

Hyundai and Kia deserve a place on this list because they offer impressive warranty coverage. They provide their customers with a 5-year (or 60,000 miles) warranty that pays for all the major issues you might encounter. They also have a 10-year warranty that will cover the vital parts of the car such as the engine, transmission, and axles. Since you’re covered for so long, you won’t have to worry about high maintenance costs with these brands.

Toyota

Since Toyota builds functioning, affordable, and reliable vehicles, their models are usually quite affordable in terms of maintenance as well. Search for “best low maintenance cars on sale” and you’ll be slapped with the name Toyota. They appear abundantly in such lists because their cars don’t cost an arm and a leg to service.

Honda

Even though Honda has certain models that don’t meet our expectations (and to be honest, every brand has), the majority of their releases are cheap to maintain. This is especially true for their older models.

Some brands are certainly more promising than others in terms of maintenance costs. However, there’s one thing you should remember. If you choose a car with a high performance engine, 10-speed automatic transmission, or special edition interior, you’ll pay a crazy amount of money for maintenance. In that case, brands don’t even matter. Less powerful vehicles are always more affordable to repair.

THE RESALE VALUE OF LOW OWNERSHIP COST CARS

Just like any other vehicle on this planet (except for classic models), low maintenance cost cars also depreciate a lot during their lifespan. After five years of ownership, only 40-45 percent will be left from their original value. Therefore, if you purchase such a vehicle, be ready to face substantial depreciation.

For example, Kia Rio is among the cheapest vehicles to maintain. However, its price drops from approx. $15,000 to $8,000 in five years. You lose more than half of the initial value if you purchase it new.

The solution here is to go for a used model. In that case, the previous owner will bear the burden of depreciation. If you know how to sell a used car, you should be able to resell your vehicle with a decent value. Keep in mind that people aren’t always willing to purchase low ownership cost cars.

WHY ARE PEOPLE RELUCTANT TO BUY CARS THAT ARE CHEAP TO MAINTAIN?

As a rule, people are reluctant to purchase cars that are cheap to maintain because of the following factors:

Age: let’s face it – the cheapest cars to maintain are old. Yes, their younger siblings are also more affordable compared to other models, yet they are still more expensive. If you truly want to save money on maintenance, then you have to go for an older release. Nowadays, people are rarely willing to buy cars that are older than 10 years;

Mileage: naturally, an old car will also have high mileage. Even if the driver didn’t use the vehicle frequently (which is also not the best case scenario), it would still accumulate significant mileage in 10 years or more. Unfortunately, high mileage vehicles suffer from poor value;

Features: as we’ve mentioned above, cars that are inexpensive to maintain are basic. They won’t have an exciting engine or impressive features. Every new capability increases the cost of maintenance. Therefore, people who want powerhouse engines and cool add-ons, won’t necessarily navigate toward cars with low maintenance costs;

Market trends: people are more likely to buy popular cars and those trends change frequently. Some low maintenance car brands might have been famous years ago, but they mightn’t be in the top charts today. As a result, they lose customers.

WHY DO SELLERS USE THE MILEAGE BLOCKER IN SUCH CASES?

Sellers might use the mileage blocker with low-maintenance vehicles to attract more customers. As mentioned, these fellas aren’t best sellers on the market. Therefore, retailers have to do something to get things going. Since they can’t do anything about factors such as age, features, or market trends, they choose to modify mileage.

Now, the mileage blocker is a module that stops recording mileage without leaving a trace. It’s an ethical device that manufacturers designed for testing purposes. However, due to its useful features, some people use it for fraudulent reasons.

Namely, sellers activate the mileage blocker on public roads to prevent the car from counting additional miles or km. With smaller mileage, they can attract more customers and even increase the value of the vehicle. Using this tool for deception is unethical.

I understand the reasons behind such actions – sellers want their customers to purchase reliable, low-maintenance vehicles. They take matters into their own hands and mess with the factors that they can actually change.

But that doesn’t mean that it’s okay to use this tool in such a way. It’s better to buy the mileage blocker for testing the performance of your car. It’s truly an interesting module with useful and practical features. In order to fully benefit from its features, you can get good technical support and costumer service from the team.

FINAL TAKEAWAY

A low maintenance car is a great way to save some money. Unexpected repairs and scheduled maintenance can potentially amount to serious money. If you want to reduce the costs of owning a car, it’s better to choose the model that hardly ever breaks down.

Keep in mind that these vehicles don’t sell as fast as we’d like. If you’re not ready for long-term ownership, maybe it’s better to buy something else.

[f1]

FIRST LOOK: AlphaTauri reveal livery for 2023 AT04 at glitzy New York F1 season launch

AlphaTauri have become the latest F1 team to launch their 2023 season, showing off the livery that will adorn the yet-to-be-presented AT04 challenger during a special event in New York. Long-time team boss Franz Tost, continuing driver Yuki Tsunoda and new arrival Nyck de Vries were all on hand for Saturday’s reveal, which followed Red Bull’s own season launch in the Big Apple a week ago. WATCH: AlphaTauri’s new F1 car roars into life with pre-season fire up Coinciding with New York’s famous Fashion Week, the launch represented a perfect fit for the AlphaTauri fashion brand, who are owned by Red Bull and replaced Toro Rosso as the Faenza squad’s official name in 2020. In a suitably stylish unveiling, AlphaTauri presented a now traditional deep blue and white colour scheme for their new car, which will be powered by Honda engines running under the Red Bull Powertrains moniker. However, red highlights now complement the palette courtesy of Polish oil refiner and petrol retailer ORLEN linking up with the team as a ‘Principal Partner’ for 2023, having moved across from rivals Alfa Romeo. A dash of red has made its way onto the AlphaTauri livery AlphaTauri head into the new season looking to turn their recent F1 fortunes around, having slipped from sixth in the 2021 constructors’ standings to ninth in 2022, when all-new technical regulations came into play. Japanese racer Tsunoda keeps his place at the team for a third successive season, with De Vries arriving in place of Alpine-bound Pierre Gasly after the Dutchman’s impressive stand-in performance for Williams at last year’s Italian Grand Prix. BARRETTO: Why AlphaTauri’s newest recruit Nyck de Vries could be 2023’s dark horse Speaking at the launch of AlphaTauri’s new livery, and looking at the year ahead, Tost said: “I think that the whole field will be much closer together. Of course, the big three teams still have an advantage from their infrastructure, from the personnel side, but I’m quite convinced that in 2023 the cars will be much more evenly matched. “In addition, while [Max] Verstappen won the championship quite early on in the season last year, I don’t expect that one driver will have such a big advantage this year and win so early. “I think it will become a fight that goes on until the end of the season. That’s what the fans, spectactors, and we all want to see.” With the AT04’s livery out in the open, it means half of F1’s 10 teams have revealed their colours ahead of the new season – Aston Martin being the next outfit due for launch on February 13. TEAM GUIDE: The essential lowdown on Italian team AlphaTauri as Tsunoda and De Vries prepare for 2023 AlphaTauri and the rest of the F1 grid will gather at the Bahrain International Circuit for pre-season testing from February 23-25, with the opening round of the campaign following a week later at the same Sakhir venue. via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com

[soupbrothel]

I posted 4,662 times in 2021

43 posts created (1%)

4619 posts reblogged (99%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 107.4 posts.

I added 36 tags in 2021

#save - 5 posts

#yeah - 5 posts

#dead - 4 posts

#whore. - 4 posts

#hm - 4 posts

#reigen arataka - 4 posts

#me and who - 3 posts

#🥺🥺🥺 - 3 posts

#i’m obsessed - 2 posts

#sns - 2 posts

Longest Tag: 137 characters

#so i may have sent some anonymous asks to ppl pretending to be a ‘new shifter’ wanting to know if certain things would be considered okay

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

Naruto Car Headcons

Sasuke: shitty 2003 silver Honda Civic thats super clean inside but is never more than a 1/4 tank full

Kakashi: 1984 Nissan 300ZX, it always inexplicably smells like cigarettes despite him never smoking. He doesn’t have car insurance

Sakura: I know with my whole heart she’s one of those girls whose parents got her a VW bug for her first car

Naruto: whatever it is he crashed it in the first week :/

Iruka: sea foam green 2013 Prius and he bought it used

Kiba: his moms gold 2007 Chrysler Town & Country that can fit the whole squad and was hotboxed once a week AT LEAST In the 7/11 parking lot

Hinata: doesn’t have a license bc her parents won’t let her drive

Shino: White 2020 Honda Civic Sport, not a single person besides him has been in that car bc he doesn’t want anyone fucking up the interior

Shikamaru: refuses to learn to drive or ask for a ride, choji just picks him up

Choji: Red Jeep Wrangler and he keeps it very clean

Ino: 2019 BMW 3 series in bright blue, she definitely stole it

Tenten: suzuki hayabusa motorcycle

Neji: Tesla Model S and he’s smug about it

Might Guy: 1988 Plymouth voyager in forest green with wood paneling

Rock Lee: inherits Guys car as a grad gift

Asuma: lifted Ford F350 XL and it hasn’t seen a speck of dirt

8 notes • Posted 2021-05-30 02:40:26 GMT

#4

Spotify block feature when

9 notes • Posted 2021-03-17 04:54:08 GMT

#3

literally the only kakashi headcanons that matter are the ones where he needs to ask for money from his 12 yr old students

11 notes • Posted 2021-06-16 20:24:58 GMT

#2

If I think too much about iruka adopting naruto I go insane

17 notes • Posted 2021-05-16 08:15:52 GMT

#1

heres my kankuro fan cast 🥰

24 notes • Posted 2021-02-09 07:22:51 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

[weraceasone]

hii!! i was wondering what do u think we can expect from mclaren and their switch to a merc engine next year? obviously the merc engine is currently the best (..ignoring those last two races), but do you think the car will adapt to the engine, especially because they only have two tokens to use to upgrade their car to fit the new engine? could '21 be a "stabilizing" year?

hey there! as this question is more on the technical side, I’m going to explain it a little bit for anyone who is confused by this question and then I’ll end it with my thoughts!!

basically, there were supposed to be regulation changes going into 2021, but due to the pandemic they postponed that (to keep costs down for the teams). this means that all the chassis designs will be the same next year as they were this year, apart from a few small surface-area aerodynamics that are allowed to be improved. and in order to regulate what the teams change; a token system has been introduced. at the beginning of the 2020 season, components of the car were split into two groups based on when the homologation needs to be frozen (homologation = the procedure that a part must undergo in order to participate in the championship). so for example, some parts need to be frozen by the first round of the season and some parts need to be frozen by the eight round. and once the homologation is frozen, those parts can only be updated between that date and the end of the 2021 season using two tokens. some homologated components have a value of one token, which means they can be updated twice. bigger components (e.g., the rear suspension) have been assigned a value of two tokens, which means that the teams can only make one change.

what this means for McLaren is that they have a problem, because changing to the Mercedes engine means that they have to make changes in order to fit the power unit into the car and on top of that, they will also have to redesign their rear suspension components. what McLaren did to prevent running out of tokens, is change as many things as possible before they were homologated (such as the new front structure they have since Russia). but the most important change they’ll have to make going into 2021 is the fact that the bodywork will have to be changed in order to supply the correct amount of cooling for the Mercedes components. however, the Renault and Honda powered teams prefer to place some of the cooling components above the engine intake. this results in a bigger engine cover but allows the sidepods to become more tightly packaged. Mercedes and Racing Point don’t do this, but Williams does do this. so in that way, McLaren may be able to continue without too many changes.

and now onto my thoughts; personally I think they’ll be fine. I think what they have done so far in order to prevent running out of tokens has been really smart and I suspect they’ll end up solving the cooling issue in the way Williams has done. we’ve seen this year that the McLaren is a very good car and I personally think they’ll continue to improve next year. maybe in the beginning we’ll see a few problems, but I suspect there will be an upward trend in their results throughout the season. the Mercedes engine is very reliable and I personally think a few podiums are possible and possibly even a win (if something happens to both the Mercedes cars). I am very optimistic about it!!

this mostly turned out to be an explanation, but I do hope everything was understandable, including my thoughts. I hope you’re having a good day! 🧡

[austinbiketoursrentals]

Safe Ways to Vacation in a Post-Pandemic World

By Stephanie Haywood

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, travel spending in the United States declined by 42% in 2020 — with domestic travel falling by 34% and international travel declining by 76%. But now that restrictions are being lifted in many areas of the U.S. and the world, pent-up demand is on the rise. In fact, online searches for travel in May 2021 were up 270% compared to May 2020, and Google predicts that figure will likely rise, according to TravelPulse. Yet, it’s hard to say if or when travel will once again feel safe or normal.

The good news is, there’s no need to put all travel plans on hold for the next year or two. It’s very possible to travel safely in the post-pandemic world, and these tips from Austin Bike Tours & Rentals will tell you how.

Take a Road Trip

Road trips are probably the safest way to travel in this age, especially if you’re traveling with your immediate household. However, you’ll still need to take safety precautions against COVID-19, like wearing face masks in public or around non-household members; keeping hand sanitizer and antibacterial wipes readily available; and distancing yourself from others while pumping gas, checking into hotels, and stopping for food or restroom breaks. 

You’ll also need to find a few safe places to stay along the way, whether it’s hotels, vacation rentals, or bed-and-breakfasts. But if you’re still not comfortable staying in a hotel or vacation property during the post-pandemic, you can try hammock or tent camping, or you could travel in a sleep-friendly vehicle such as the 2021 Chrysler Pacifica, 2020 Subaru Outback, or 2020 Honda Ridgeline, though that might be a little less comfortable for some.

Hop in an RV

As another pandemic-friendly travel option, you might choose to plan an RV road trip with your family or other household members. You can park your recreational vehicle at RV parks and campgrounds, and many truck stops, casinos, schools, and Walmart parking lots allow for overnight RV parking as well. A few things you can do on your RV vacation include:

●      Visit a local brewery or winery.

●      Enjoy a hike, bike ride, walk, or another nature activity.

●      Purchase a movie projector and watch an outdoor film.

●      Pick your own produce at a local farm or orchard.

●      Lounge on a sandy beach.

●      Pack a picnic lunch or dine on a restaurant patio.

If you’re planning your first-ever RV vacation, Madeline Diamond of Travel + Leisure shares five mistakes you’ll want to avoid when traveling by recreational vehicle. Additionally, it’s important to keep your distance from campground staff and other campers — and bring your own portable shower and toilet to avoid using shared facilities.

Enjoy a Staycation

If you’d prefer to stay in your own city or town, staycations are another safe option. You could rent a private vacation property for a few days of exploring your city or town, allowing you to get away from it all without wandering too far from home. Vacation rentals are professionally cleaned and sanitized after each guest, and they limit face-to-face interactions between you and other travelers.

If you live in or near Austin, for instance, you could rent a vacation home that’s close to all your desired attractions. like the 351-acre Zilker Park, Lady Bird Lake, or Mount Bonnell for a little hiking. You just never know what hidden gems you may find in your very own city or state!

 Traveling by train, bus or airplane may be out of the question for now, but you can still satisfy your wanderlust by planning a road trip or staycation. There are so many different things to see and do in the world, and many are within a day’s drive of your home. You just need to pack up your car, truck or RV and set off to find them!

Looking to rent a bike from a shop at the heart of Austin, or take a bike tour? Just pick your custom fitted hybrid/gravel bike from Austin Bike Tours & Rentals and you’re off! Tours include several different unforgettable rides in downtown Austin. Each adventure is unique from one another and our talented tour guides will show you the city in a different light. Contact us today at 512-277-0609.

[meaningofmotorsport]

Why is Vinales leaving Yamaha?

The question posed by this article, is one which I have no clear answer for, nor do most people in MotoGP have the answer to it seems! So, instead I will discuss possible reasons, and where his future may lie!

Vinales came to MotoGP as a bright young star, with a lot of momentum behind him, after winning the Moto3 title in 2013, and riding superbly in his rookie year in Moto2. His first two years in the top class, saw him excel on a Suzuki which was not ready to battle at the front. Yet, he was able to score good points, and in his second year, achieve his first win at Silverstone, as well as three other podiums! When he then signed for the factory Yamaha squad, it looked as though he would be their flagship rider for the years to come!

To begin with the signs were good, with him taking wins and podiums in his first few years, unable to beat the might of Marquez, but holding his own against Rossi very well. At that point, the expectation was that the bike was holding him back, and when the equipment matched that of Ducati and Honda, combined with his growing experience, he could bring titles to the team!

This brings us to 2020, where Marquez is out through injury, and the Ducati has fallen back in the pack, so the door is wide open for Maverick. There was a new young pretender at Yamaha, who had done brilliant things in 2019, although as Vinales had a stronger year, he was still top dog. However, as the year unfolded, major weaknesses in Vinales’ game became clear, mainly in wheel-to-wheel combat. Confidence was also a major issue, and whenever rain came, or there was uncertainty, he dropped like a stone! This all meant, that combined with the problems that Quartararo had, Yamaha completely missed an open goal in 2020, as the more confident, better racer of Mir, stole the title from them!

So, here we are in 2021, a new year, and a new Fabio, who has cleaned up his act, and is on top form! Yet, we still see the same Vinales, lacking confidence, needing to stick to a plan, rather than go on instinct. All this means, is that in the unpredictable world on MotoGP, Quartararo is demolishing Vinales in every way! Then comes the announcement, that he will be leaving the team at the end of the year, which makes no sense to most people!

The main theory behind it, and one that has been suggested by Maverick himself, is that the team had shifted focus to Fabio, and has no faith in him. This may be true, and given the relative performances, you wouldn’t blame them, so he has no reason to start kicking and screaming about it! He said that the change of Crew Chief was disrespectful, yet it is completely justified if one rider is much slower than the other.

In that situation, the problem is either in the engineering set up of the bike, or the rider himself, so by arguing it wasn’t the Crew Chief, he is effectively saying ‘I am the problem’. If that is the reason he gives to leave, saying the team didn’t support him, it really means that he didn’t like being beaten by a better rider! I know it is harsh, and I want Maverick to do well, but looking at the pace of them both, it is the truth!

Another reason could be his comfort level on the bike, as results like at the Sachsenring, suggest he isn’t at one with it. This would be surprising, as the smooth Yamaha should be the perfect bike for his style of riding, but the issues could be deeper than that, and we may never know the full details. If this is the case, where could he find a better fit?

Ducati, Honda, and KTM, all seem to have bikes you need to grab by the scruff of the neck, at least more than the Yamaha, so those wouldn’t be viable for him. Which leaves Aprilia and Suzuki! Most of the speculation is for him to replace Savadori next year at Aprilia. This may not be a bad move, as the bike is improving all the time, and could be able to fight at the front soon, plus he should be able to outperform Aleix, although I doubt it would be easy.

Don’t count out a move to Suzuki though! We all know the plight of Rins this year, and that bike is the smoothest on the grid, he knows the team well too which could help! My only reservation, is that with Mir on the other side of the garage, he could find himself in a similar situation if he went there, as Mir can be quite aggressive!

Even considering all these options, I do not understand why he would leave what is clearly the strongest team on the grid this year. Yes, he may not be able to beat Fabio, but doing anything else could be a big risk, and may ruin his career if he is not careful. The main thing though, is that he is happy in his choice, as the barrage of social media chatter on him during the past year or so, must have been tough. If he can find the right home for himself, it could be the rebirth of the star we witnessed five or so years ago!

-M

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[actualmermaid]

Apparently the Honda Fit is being DISCONTINUED in the US after 2020. I'm not even in the market for a new car but this is, frankly, a homophobic attack on my future car shopping plans

[briansastro10]

BNHA X Cars

KaminariSo, this is basically BNHA Street racer AU. But to be more precise I’m picking the cars for the characters from BNHA. Because cars have characteristic, it has personality and it describes you as a person. Not just based from the body but the engines and the car as whole. So, this is my pick of cars for the character of BNHA

Part 1 For the boys

I’m going to divide it into 2 cars. One is for daily drive/Sports car and the other is The Supercar. The Sports car will describe them as characters individuals. While the Supercar will describe their full potentials.

Midoriya Izuku

Midoriya Izuku, The protagonist of the Anime. He is too good of a boy to mess around street Racing. The Color for his car is obviously Green, in that case I Recommend Him.

Sport car/ Daily Drive:

The Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX.

To be more specific. It is Brian’s First car In the Fast and the furious franchise (R.I.P Paul Walker). This car is one of the Tuners favorite car to modify. It is run by 4G63 Engine, it is the same Engine that run an EVO F*CKING LANCER which is one of the finest cars that has been made on earth (Minus the Turbo). So it plays well with the whole inheritance thing with All Might.

Supercar:

For the supercar, I would Recommend McLaren 675LT

This car Look Great In green. The whole characteristic of this car reminds me of Midoriya. This car shown how it can blend to the society, how it was able to move fast and aggressively while at the same time maintaining Elegance. This car looked slim, but its performance is something else 3.8 L V8 Twin Turbo Rear Wheel Drive (RWD) Gives the ability for the driver to drive like a maniac. The car produces more or less 675 Horsepower (Just like its name) and can go to 0-100 Km in 2.9 Seconds and a top speed with 330 Km/h (205 Mph).

Bakugo Katsuki

For Bakugo, His car has to be loud and Fast! He needs a car that’s intimidating. For the color I’m Thinking Red, Yellow or Black. But since the car need to look Antagonizing, I’m going with black. So, the car that I propose.

Sport Car/ Daily Drive:

Dodge Charger SRT Hell Cat 2015

This car is a 6.2L Hemi V8 Supercharged. The roars in this car is nothing short. This car is for sure is Intimidating. The roar of the engine is equivalent to Bakugo’s Roar of explosive anger. I was considering the newer one like the SRT Redeye Hellcat or even The Demon. But the demons is more of the inner demon screaming trying to get out. It needed a Rumbling sound of the V8, The insane roar that is deafening.

Supercar:

For the Supercar, it is very difficult. I can choose Hyper cars but they just felt a bit too well mannered compared to Bakugo. But I’ve given a lot of thought and the only car that fits is This

Pagani Zonda R

This car is basically an f1 with a two-seater and a roof. This bad boy is a track only car. So, it is “Street Illegal!!” But that won’t stop Bakugo for using this beauty. This car on high rev speaks will be all the explanation needed on the reason why I chose this car. A car with 700 BHP and only weight 1,070 Kg (In comparison Ford focus weight 1,471 Kg) Which is like a feather.

Todoroki Shoto

For Todoroki His car has to be cool, matured and Luxurious but also High performance. I’m a bit mixed up with the colors Whether I should make it blue or white or red. But since I cant decide I leave it in the ‘Grey’ area. Get it? Ill just get on with it.

Sport Car/ Daily Drive:

Aston Martin DB11

Aston Martin is well known on it’s Luxury and History. Which fits Todoroki’s Prince aura/Characteristics. The performance is also nothing short, Aston Martin is also well known to make a brilliant Engine for racing. A twin turbocharged V12 Produce 600 BHP with a top speed 201Km/h (125Mph).

Supercar

For the Super car, I think Lamborghini Huracan Performante.

It is a naturally aspirated 5.2L V10 Engine AWD. This car has a fierce fiery engine on its car but still has that cool matured Body. And the ALA (Aerodinamica Lamborghini Attiva) Is brilliant. It is an active Aerodynamic system that allows the car to go faster.

Tenya Iida:

Sport Car/ Daily Drive:

Is the Brabus 800 GT 63s

This car is perfect fot Iida, It has a look in which my friend quote “Sophisticated Look”. And Mind you this car is probably The Fastest Car! For the sport/daily drive Car compare than anyone else in the list. This car packs a crazy 800 BHP and that’s says it all

Supercar:                  

The fastest Car In the world! In 2010. The specific look that I would like to go is Drift From Transformer: Age Of Extinction. That Blue Lining is perfect for Iida. For some people engines might be boring, But this car have the power of 1200 Horses in it

Kirishima Eijiro

Sport Car/ Daily Drive:

The car that this Manly man need to go with is the 2020 Mustang Shelby GT500.

The Engine has a named called the “Predator” V8 Engine. 750 BHP is nothing short and the roar from within is on par with Bakugo’s SRT Hellcat.

Supercar:                    

I was having second thought of choosing this car. But whenever I think of Kirishima in a car, This car always pops into my head

Lamborghini Adventador SV. This car Looked manly and menacing. Why I thought about this car, is that it associated it self with a bull in which Kirishima and this car can relate to. A loud V12 Engine roars loud and deep in a intimidating voice and its perfect.

Sero Hanta

Sport Car/ Daily Drive:

For Sero the car has to be traditional but still a good car nonetheless. So I pick A classic Porsche 911 turbo 1982.

It is a classic sports car, It is tunable which make the car run fast.

Supercar:                    

Ferrari 458 Italia

This car is a normal Aspirated V8 with a high rev engine. It creates something Revolutionary From something traditional.

Kaminari Denki

Sport Car/ Daily Drive:

It has to be the SUPRA!!!!!!          

This car is definitely a meme, it fits with Kaminari Personality.  Seeing them is like “WTH ARE YOU DOING?!” Because both Kaminari and the car would do something ridiculously stupid.

Supercar:

For the Supercar I Would say The Lexus LFA

Lexus is one of the Artistic Legacy of the JDM Cars. It is one of the legendary Supercar that ever existed. The Normal aspirated V10 Sounded like Pure Thunder striking down on the earth. Sound menacing and amazing. It fits for Kaminari Racing Persona (Or even his villain Persona).

Mashirao Ojiro

Sport Car/ Daily Drive:

Ojiro is a traditional Japanese person, So his car has to be totally Japanese. My pick have to be The S30 Fairlady Z.

To be exact the RB26 Swapped Fairlady Z from Sung Kang (Han’s Actor car from “Fast and Furious”) And that’s all I need to say about this car.

Supercar:

For the Supercar It has to be the last piece of The JDM Legend. It is The GTR R35 NISMO.

This car is perfect for Ojiro, They both are the Representative Character of Japan.

Tokoyami Fumikage

Sport Car/ Daily Drive:

Blackbird 370 z

For me it’s a no Brainer. This car was featured as the Replacement of Blackbird in wangan Midnight When they aren’t allowed to use the Porsche. The slick Headlight and the whole body look is the description of Tokoyami Dark Shadow

Supercar:

Mclaren MP4-12C

That Describes Tokoyami as a whole. One of the best car that ever created in history that changes the whole world. With the black fierce look, This car looks like a shark that flies on land.

Sato Rikido

Sport Car/ Daily Drive:

Sato is a muscular guy. So His sports car is definitely a Muscle Car. But It seems I have a trouble in finding it, It has to be a classic but not too old. In that reason I recommend Saleen s281 2000

It has that sporty look but still have the Muscle car Essence and history

Supercar:

For the Supercar It has to be The Corvette C8.R

This car is a new take to American cars. It is a Incredible move from the American automotive Industries.

Koda Koji

Sport Car/ Daily Drive:

For Koda He is definetly a good Boy so hew probably uses a 4-door car. For instance The Subaru WRX STI 2016.

It doesn't seems Menacing but it still can move around well and when it drives, it definetly drives well.

Supercar:

For the Supercar it is definetly a NSX-R 1992 Tuned with a Rocket Bunny Body Kit.

Koda is definitely a Honda city boi. From the name itself, I am 100% it fits with Koda. Back in the day if you want a Ferrari but you can’t afford one. You’ll buy an NSX.

Shoji Mezo

Sport Car/ Daily Drive:

For Shoji I think Ford’s Trophy truck.

A friend of mine said that Shoji, is the kind of guy who would drive a van for daily basis (So I guessed it has to be an American Car). But to me, Shoji is the Kind of guy that likes to get Dirt under his wheels. And I'm pretty sure Shoji is the kind of kid that doesn’t Mind flying in the car on daily basis.

Supercar:

For the Supercar I propose, Ford Gt.

It is well planted and the car is very wide. Fitting to describes Shoji’s ‘Arms’. Although it might not have similarities with his daily car, But this car is all I could think of.

Aoyama Yuga

Sport Car/ Daily Drive:

For the Daily Drive, it is obviously something Luxurious, Something High class Like Bentley GT 2019. The V8 Version.

It is a confiscated yet sporty look in a car, It looked like as if he stands out compares to the other Luxury Cars

Supercar:

For the Supercar, It has to be describe as “Noblesse oblige” And the Car that fits the most is Noble M600.

It is a Supercar with all the classic features. It is a RWD Manual Transmission Car, a twin turbocharged 4L V8. Packs 640 BHP 0-60 in 3.1 Second.

Mineta Minoru

Sport Car/ Daily Drive:

It’s the Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder GTS

Basically, this car is the Japanese Equivalent To pimp rides. Even though This car is featured in The Fast and The Furious, It is just a now show car. Compared the old one, This version is a slower and much more difficult to Modify. But it is still a nice car and fun to drive with, and it is a popular car in the car culture.

Supercar:

For Mineta The Supercar might be really difficult. So in the end I just came up with the Villain version. (Inspired by ‘Nadaboodraws’ Villain Mineta on Instagram) I came up with this

It is the Audi R8, It is one of the best Affordable Supercar you can get in the world. It is 4wd But it is still an aggressive car with a mean Look.

Okay that’s all I can give for this part. For the next one will be the girls of class 1-A. If you have different opinion let me know, I would love to hear all of your thoughts and if you use my list you can go ahead and use it (But please do tell me, because hearing it will be my vindication and that would make me really happy). Anyway, thank you for reading until this far.

[wazafam]

Since its initial release in 2001, Fruits Basket has cemented itself as one of the most popular titles in the shoujo. The recent 2019 remake of Fruits Basket has only served to provide further proof that the story of Tohru Honda and the Sohma family is a timeless tale of love and friendship.

RELATED: The 15 Best Anime For Beginners

Fruits Basket's themes of spirits, curses, love, and friendship are popular tropes in other anime as well. While some series attempt to subvert these tropes and play up the comedic aspects of the story, others take a more serious approach and attempt to tell stories full of thoughtful characters and intense drama. Whichever method is the case, there are a number of excellent animes like Fruits Basket that fans of the show could also grow to love.

10 Natsume's Book of Friends

A finalist for the first Manga Taisho award in 2008, Natsume's Book of Friends was later adapted into an anime that spanned six seasons and several feature films. The story is centered around Natsume, an orphaned teenage boy who has the ability to see yokai or spirits. He inherits an object called the Book of Friends from his grandmother that allows him to control spirits whose names are written in the book. However, rather than use the book to control spirits, Natsume chooses to release spirits instead and even forms a close bond with a precocious spirit called Madara. The overall effect is a story brimming with optimism and full of beautiful imagery.

9 Orange

Boasting a unique storyline and magnificent visuals, Orange has established itself as one of the most intriguing animes of the past decade. One day, Naho Takamiya begins to receive letters sent from herself 10 years in the future. The letters instruct her to somehow avoid making the biggest mistake of her life, and that the mistake has to do with a new transfer student, Kakeru Naruse. What follows is a slowly unfolding but thoughtful story that is sure to require viewers to have more than a few tissues readily at hand. Orange serves as an example that it's possible to tell an old story in new and interesting ways.

8 My Love Story!!

Fruits Basket is not only full of touching moments but also tons of laughs, and the same is true for My Love Story!!. Takeo Goda is a hulking giant of a high schooler who desperately wants to find true love, but every girl he likes falls for his handsome best friend, Makoto Sunakawa.

RELATED: 10 Best Shoujo Anime of 2020, Ranked

One day, Takeo saves Rinko Yamata, a shy girl who loves to bake, and he is instantly smitten. Rinko feels the same way about Takeo, but neither of them is able to express how they feel. My Love Story!! offers a fun spin on the love triangle story with its fresh take on high school romance and goofball humor.

7 Kamisama Kiss

The beginning of Kamisama Kiss starts off very similar to Fruits Basket. Like Tohru Honda, Nanami Momozono is a homeless high schooler who is kicked out of her apartment due to her father's gambling debts. The kind-hearted Nanami is invited to live at a shrine after saving an earth deity named Mikage, where she meets Mikage's familiar, Tomoe. Over time, Nanami finds herself falling for Tomoe, and despite the taboo against yokai filling in love with humans, Tomoe beings to feel the same way about Nanami. Throughout the series, Kamisama Kiss explores these themes of love and breaking barriers in a heartwarming fashion.

6 Your Life In April

Your Life In April is a spirited tale of how living life to the fullest is never a waste of time. Kosei Arima is a piano prodigy who loses his ability to hear himself play the piano after his mother dies suddenly. Years later, he meets a young violin player, Kaori Miyazono, whose free-spirited nature entices him back to the world of music. Kaori's and Kosei's relationship blossoms as does their music as they grow closer to each other. The series features one of the best soundtracks in years as well as amazing performances and visuals.

5 Kakuriyo: Bed And Breakfast For Spirits

Kakuriyo: Bed And Breakfast For Spirits hits on many of the major tropes established in Fruits Basket. Aoi Tsubaki is a college student who is able to see Ayakashi, a type of lesser yokai. One day, Aoi encounters an Ayakashi named Odanna, who ends up kidnapping her and taking her to the Hidden Realm, the world where spirits live. Odanna asks Aoi to marry him in order to pay off a debt her father owes him. Aoi manages to talk Odanna into letting her work at his inn, and the two's relationship develops from there. The series manages to weave together magical and romantic elements into a visually pleasing narrative that is quirky and charming.

4 My Little Monster

The themes of learning how to socialize and accepting one's true feelings are important concepts in Fruits Basket, and the same is true for My Little Monster. Shizuku Mizutani is a studious student who has little interest in anything else but her plans for the future until she meets fellow classmate Haru Yoshida.

RELATED: 10 Of The Most Heartwarming Anime Series From 2020, Ranked

Shizuku is considered cold and callous, while Haru is seen as wild and violent, but the two strike up an unlikely friendship and develop feelings for each other. Together they grow to care for each other and learn how to express themselves to their family and friends. This odd couple story manages to take familiar themes and make them feel fun and new thanks to great performances from the main characters.

3 Lovely Complex

A buddy comedy that also doubles as a love story, Lovely Complex is an example of how opposites attract. Risa Koizumi is a very tall girl for her age, while her friend, Atsushi Otani, is very short for his age. The two friends are always joking around with each other, but when they both end up developing a crush on other people, they make a pact to help each other find love. Their endeavors fail, but they end up growing closer together, and along the way discover that size doesn't really matter what it comes to attraction.

2 Kimi Ni Todoke: From Me To You

Another nominee for the first Manga Taisho award as well as a winner for Best Shojo Manga at the Kodansha Manga Awards, Kimi ni Todoke is an uplifting coming of age story. 15-year-old Sawako Kuronuma is ostracized by her classmates despite being a sweet and easy-going girl. Her life changes when a popular boy, Kazehaya, starts a relationship with her and Sawako begins to make new friends. Kimi no Todoke: From Me To You, treats fans to a charming love saga about misfits that defy expectations.

1 Ouran High School Host Club

A fresh take on the themes of mistaken identity and the reverse harem, Ouran High School Host Club manages to parody many of the tropes common in shoujo anime. Haruhi Fujioka is a student at the prestigious Ouran Academy. One day, she accidentally breaks an expensive vase owned by the Host Club, and its all-male members force her to become a member of the club. After donning a male persona, Haruhi learns what it takes to be a host, and hilarity ensues. The show has been a fan favorite since its release over 15 years ago, largely due to its tongue-in-cheek style and self-aware humor.

NEXT: 10 Best Sports & Fitness Anime Of All Time, Ranked

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