After almost a year on my dealers desk, our GR Corolla allocation is real with a VIN, it's a month or so out.
White Core
Performance, Tech, and Winter packs.
Floor liners and Roof rack crossbars.
MSRP!

How do I know it's winter,
#1, It's dark all the time.
#2, There's a sled parked next to me at the grocery

In the spring of 2017 a big chapter in my car book closed. My 83 Audi Quattro had sold, ending 25 years of Audi ownership.
It had begun in the early 90's when I came to the realization that my 85 Toyota 4Runner was a fairly terrible winter car. It had an open diff in the rear and really wasn't very capable in slippery conditions. It was also getting it's rust after only a few years of salt exposure.
So, I began to explore alternatives and finally settled on an Audi 200TQ, purchased used. The used prices on these cars were good at the time thanks to the 60 Minutes fake news on runaway Audi's. It was a much better winter car.
Care of the Audi led me to what was called the quattro list. For those too young, email lists were common on plenty of subjects, broadcasting to all members whatever was sent in. I found in the quattro list a very knowledgeable group with members around the world. They were very helpful while I learned and dealt with Audi problems.
After a few years I ended up with another 200TQ (an Avant), and then the 83 Quattro. I did visit an event or two put on by the Quattro Club, and did meet in person a few people that I had met on the quattro list. My last Audi purchase was a 2 year old 2000 A6Q 2.8 5-speed manual. It seemed to be a great car, but later let me down with Audi problems. It was gone after only a few years.
I kept going with the 83 Quattro, always something needing a cash injection.
The quattro mailing list seemed to gradually fade in importance, some of people there ended up on the Audiworld forums. It got more difficult to read with the noise typical of most internet forums, but I did get great support there too on my Audi issues.
After the Quattro left in 2017, I left my old Audi internet haunts behind. As I wandered the internet, I somehow stumbled onto Opposite Lock (Kinja) via Jalopnik and began lurking. I never did sign onto Kinja Oppo, as the process seemed too invasive, but continued to lurk regularly until the hyphen breakaway.
I have enjoyed the excellent community that is the hyphen, finding much in common here besides the cars.
Finally, my world got smaller yesterday with the posting of the Cars and Bids 85 Quattro. Through the discussion of the Quattro I learned that @RallyWrench was one of those on the old quattro list, also enduring Quattro ownership for an extended period.
So, this is a small world, sometimes.
A few Quattro pics, shortly before I sold it,

The manual is all about driver control. The masses don't want to drive. They just want to be passengers in their own cars.
Involving the masses with driving is probably historical.

I can't stand the "my car saved me ads". My rebuttal would be "where were you when you were supposed to be driving"

I posted about this one last month, here is an update.
There are various reasons for a new bike day. From need to want, from strict adherence to N+1, to "I just liked the color".
This bike falls mainly under "I just liked the color". I have thought about the fact that my local area has many miles of crushed limestone, and that a "gravel bike" would be better for those than any of my other bikes. Generally, I don't really want another aluminum bike. I've got the aluminum Fatbike, and it does winter, so that is covered. I didn't see the need for any super expensive carbon framed super light bike for my purposes either.
Then this frame showed up on the bike forums ads. I know the Motobecane name of course, but this is a modern 853 steel frame made in Taiwan, with a carbon fork. The bikes direct site has sold these things for a few years though some kind of partner deal with Motobecane's modern owner as the Mulekick and Whipshot.
This one had obviously been stripped of all the gear for use on something else, but was still in nice shape. It has the 12mm through axles and spacing for up to 40mm tires at 700c.
The groupset is the cheap Chinese Sensah SRX as seen on the bay. I read up and decided to cheap out there, it will be good enough for now. If it breaks later and I still like the bike, no real loss upgrading. It is 1x11 with a 11-50 cassette.
Wheels are Wheel Master built DT Swiss rims with Shimano hubs, Pirelli Gravel tires, 700x35. Running tubes for now.
Brakes, TRP Spyre SLC.
Test rides and bar tape to be done after the snow and ice departs.

Every year about this time, my wife's 87 924S emerges from storage. Only had to fix a turn signal bulb to get it going this year.
This car is another reason I do not trust old german cars.
We've had it for 35 years and it makes me nervous.
But, it makes my wife happy, so there it is.

@CB You forgot #1, Buy a manual transmission vehicle

LSPR 2021 is about to get rolling. Tonight there was a little display down at the harbor park. A couple of my friends brought down their collectors items,

I know I've said this before, but sometimes I get a new bike just because I like the color.
Here is my latest project, a 2009 Gary Fisher Montare, advertised as "Dual Sport". This of course is just another name for hybrid. This bike showed up on my local Craigslist, and was actually a mile from my house. Mostly in nice shape, hardly any frame scrapes or nicks.
I was looking for an light off roader, but better on dirt than my gravel bike.
New Pirelli knobby Gravel M 700x40 tires seem to do nicely for that purpose. I also replaced the chain and the cassette, because they were done. The crank rings are worn, but seem to do fine for now.
Mainly a bunch of cleaning and servicing bearings, and a couple of cables.
This does have my preferred mechanical disk brakes. These are cheap Avids, but they seem fine for now too.
The Suntour spring forks got a cleanout and new seals, they have a handlebar remote lock function which is nice. I'm not a mtb trail rider so they should be plenty.

Something just showed up locally, and I couldn't let it pass.
1981 Araya Road 821, in need of overhaul.
Pic, as found. Brochure page also.
Fairly high end Japanese road bike.

@VincentMalamute said in "Ben why do you have so many bikes?":

bought an Ultegra 8000 medium cage RD for the Seven which supposedly will also run 40T but that remains to be seen.

I think mine is probably long caged, but it's r8000 on my gravel bike 40t.

@ClassicDatsunDebate Sorry for your loss, my condolences.

@jminer said in One Million Posts of OPPO!!!!:

this thing ain't free to run

Thank you for everything, donation made

@Urambo-Tauro I guess I should have said something important..

@Darkbrador said in Good Morning, Oppo:

thing

Martin Mars flying boat

@VincentMalamute said in "Ben why do you have so many bikes?":

@drVanTraveler said in "Ben why do you have so many bikes?":

@VincentMalamute said in "Ben why do you have so many bikes?":

I hope the modern Dura-Ace dual pivots can stop

If you've got a question on the brake pads, I recommend kool stops dual compount Dura 2.

I did have a question about pads since rim brakes on carbon are new to me. A friend recommended Campy red pads for carbon. Do those Kool-Stops work for carbon?

I'm mistaken. It's not the dual compounds, but they do sell a carbon rim pad in the Dura 2.

@ttyymmnn said in Good Morning, Oppo:

@BicycleBuck said in Good Morning, Oppo:

@ttyymmnn

It would be really impressive if they landed the Cub there while the Mars was in flight.

Don't give Red Bull any ideas.

There's no way it could keep up
J-3 Cub = Kite

@VincentMalamute said in "Ben why do you have so many bikes?":

I hope the modern Dura-Ace dual pivots can stop

If you've got a question on the brake pads, I recommend kool stops dual compound Dura 2.

@VincentMalamute said in "Ben why do you have so many bikes?":

bin the Seven and buy a new ti bike

Send it to me instead of the bin

@VincentMalamute said in "Ben why do you have so many bikes?":

So a 30 mm tire 'may' leave 1 mm clearance on each side. I assume that's too little clearance?

I'd say 2mm is better than 1mm. With 1mm anything that sticks to your tire is going to scrape on the frame. I've got one like that.
With the low pressure tubeless 28mm you will probably be comfy.