Volkswagen Oem 1km-075-112 Mud Flap-splash Guards Gli - Front on 2040-parts.com

Jaguar: from granddad's XJ to my XJS

A love of Jaguars from childhood is a common theme among the Jaguarati and I am no different. My grandfather owned Jaguars for 50 years, each one bought from new and a treasured possession. I was incredibly impressed by these beautiful beasts, where only the crunch of gravel heralded his arrival, nothing as common as an engine note.

Watch the sad, final moments of a crusher-bound heap

Automotive wrecking yards are good places to reflect on the real-world values of heavily depreciated vehicles versus global current scrap-metal prices, and to see which cars have suddenly had the fix-it-versus-total-it line moved by insurance companies (the early-21st-century Subaru Legacy Outback, for example, appeared in large numbers in high-turnover wrecking yards just during the last year, as fairly minor collision damage on these cars is no longer worth fixing). You'll see the things that a car's last owner does in a desperate attempt to sell (or at least live with) an increasingly decrepit heap (as we learned in "Repo Man," you really will find a Little Tree in every car). During a recent trip to a San Jose, Calif., yard, I encountered this sad yet strangely compelling scene.

New Chevy pickup gets luxury trim

General Motors plans a luxury trim level for its next-generation Chevrolet Silverado pickup, its answer to the leather-swathed top offerings of its rivals. GM will name the model the High Country, according to dealers briefed on the plans during a national Chevy dealer meeting this month in Las Vegas. It's a response to the proliferation of high-end pickup models, such as Ford's F-150 King Ranch and Limited and Ram's Laramie Longhorn, which have sticker prices that can top $50,000.