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The Carmudgeon Show

Hagerty Media
The Carmudgeon Show
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  • Crowning The Hatchback King — The Carmudgeon Show w Jason Cammisa & Derek Tam-Scott — Ep. 191
    Did Jeep accidentally build one of the best hot hatches of the last 40 years? It's is smaller than a Mk8 GTI and could be had with a bulletproof 4.0L inline-six and 5-speed transmission. Can it possibly give the quintessential VW hot-hatch a run for its money? We’ll talk Jeep XJ Cherokee, its origins, and all 8 generations of GTI – from the 16v 2.0L, to the 8v 2-point-slow, the soulless 1.8T, the venerable VR6, and the electric e-Golf! === This episode is sponsored by Vyper Industrial — America’s #1 rated shop chair, tool carts, and creepers, proudly made here in the US. Visit vyperindustrial.com and use code CARMUDGEON for $50 off. === Welcome to the hot hatch episode! We’ll touch on some real oddballs in this one – like the Dodge Omni GLHS, Suzuki Swift, Chevrolet Sprint, and Mitsubishi Mirage. Plus some allegedly fabulous but forbidden fruit: the Peugeot 205 GTi Rally and Renault Clio Williams. Then we’ll dive into the Jeep XJ Cherokee which Jason just did a Revelations episode on. It began as the unibody successor to the giant and inefficient Jeep Wagoneer – a honking SUV with CJ Wrangler guts inside – which, incidentally, was a recipe being emulating across the globe as Toyota and Land Rover (to name a few) were also building more comfortable and luxurious SUVs using drivetrain bits from their more serious off-roaders like the BJ/FJ and Series II/III. The Cherokee followed the Range Rover away from the body-on-frame chassis and adopted unitary construction methods resulting in genuine handling prowess – even out-gripping a W201 Mercedes-Benz 190E. In fact, the chassis bones are so good you can find XJs competing amongst much sportier cars in 24 Hours of Lemons races across the country. Jason even deems the XJ one of his best back road drives ever. Sadly, early cars were excruciatingly slow thanks to an anemic Renault-built AMC engine. But that didn’t stop Jason from getting one of his very first speeding tickets in one. The little XJ made a lasting impression on nearly everyone who had the pleasure of experiencing one – including Derek, whose experiences in his mom’s are literally his earliest datable memories. The little Jeep was so popular that when the Grand Cherokee came along to replace it, so many people were still clamoring for the original Cherokee that Jeep decided they would just build both. After the Jeep, we jump into VW’s perennial hatchback hit: the GTI. All 8 generations have their pros and cons: Jason proclaims the VR6 to be one of the best sounding engines ever produced, and the 1.8T the worst VW ever made. The MQB platform underpinning the latest cars is declared spectacular. The Mk4 is a chubby baby Audi/Mercedes. The Mk6 fixes a lot of the hamster-styling of the Mk5, but the Mk5 has the better steering, just beware understeer. The Mk7 is a delight, especially if you can find yourself a Rabbit or Sport edition in Great Falls Green or Cornflower Blue. But even with a fancy color scheme, the humble e-Golf makes the better city car. Of note: Derek finally goes large-barging with a crew made up of a 560SEC, F-Type SVR, F-Pace SVR, a pair of R129s (one dogleg), and A4 2.8 Avant 5-speed, with his Mk5 GTI track car as a palette cleanser. Lastly, Jim Carrey, Mike Myers and Leslie Nielsen are national treasures, and their comedy blockbusters from the 80s, 90s and 2000s are exquisite. But do they hold up as well today as a Jeep XJ? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  • Classic Car Buyers Beware — The Carmudgeon Show w Jason Cammisa & Derek Tam-Scott — Ep. 190
    How to not get ripped off when buying a used classic car! How to spot fakes, frauds and phonies! The importance of documentation and pre-purchase inspections, and other lessons learned over 50 collective years of car shopping! === This episode is sponsored by Vyper Industrial — America’s #1 rated shop chair, tool carts, and creepers, proudly made here in the US. Visit vyperindustrial.com and use code CARMUDGEON for $50 off. === We start off with a reminder to put fuel stabilizer in your car when it’s going to sit for a while – especially if you’re using garbage California gas. We debate what the acronym “smh” stands for, and discover there seems to be a cat-flatulence epidemic in France. Then we’ll dive right into the importance of the pre-purchase inspection (PPI) – something Jason thought he was more than qualified to perform himself on a Le Mans-blue Alfa Romeo GTV at Monterey Car Week several years ago. However, at the urging of concours car-prep extraordinaire, Tim McNair, Jason acquiesced and let expert automotive consultant, Chuck Wray, take a look at the car, and almost immediately discovered that Jason was moments away from buying two GTVs that had been stealthily welded into one. Derek will fill us in on how there can possibly be multiple “numbers matching” cars with the same serial numbers. And we’ll cover several of the factory-based archival certification programs like VW’s Birth Certificate, Porsche’s Kardex and Certificate of Authenticity, Lotus’ Certificate of Vehicle Provenance, and the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust. We’ll cover Ferrari Classiche (pronounced “classi-kay”), and the handful of exhaustive and painstakingly researched books detailing the specs of iconic models: Carrera RS, The Dino Compendium, and Simon Kidson's The Lamborghini Miura. Plus automotive engineering and restoration atelier, Pur Sang. We take a trip to Esoteria once again to discuss the subtlest model changes on cars like the Scirocco, Rover SD1 3500, Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 RS, Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16 and what each change signifies (or doesn’t in the case of VW’s haphazard product planning). Jason even uncovers a handful of U.S.-spec C43s accidentally left the factory wearing a Europe-only paint color, Black Opal. Which is actually blue. Jason’s approach to not getting screwed while buying a 996 cabriolet on eBay involves arriving at the seller’s in a blacked out E39 BMW 5-series wagon with Argentina plates and wielding a baseball bat – classic haggling. Meanwhile, Derek does everything by the book and pays for a $500 PPI on a Porsche 911 he found online, only for it to arrive smoking and in need of a head rebuild. Both Carmudgeons revel in learning the histories of their cars (and others’ cars): Jason getting the original paperwork for the Ferrari 308 GT4 from distributor Chinetti-Garthwaite to dealer Schwing Motor Company in 1975, and Derek tracking down his friend’s 356’s Kardex and subsequently locating photos of the car with its original owner when the car was brand new. There's loads of automotive history, forensics, anthropology and archaeology in this one! The question is, would you give up your original California plate if it meant no more SMOG checks? Leno's Law hopes to find out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  • Stuck in No Snow & Random Car Reviews — Carmudgeon Show w/ Jason Cammisa & Derek Tam-Scott — Ep 189
    Back by popular demand, it's another Random Number Generator Car Reviews episode, where Jason and Derek pull reviews of cars from their extensive spreadsheet. This, after Jason succeeds in getting his van, Jynah, stuck in the snow. And succeeds, despite there being no snow. === This episode is sponsored by Vyper Industrial — America’s #1 rated shop chair, tool carts, and creepers, proudly made here in the US. Visit vyperindustrial.com and use code CARMUDGEON for $50 off. === Jason takes the van to Tahoe to finally test the Vredestein Wintrac Pros in the snow. He experiences the joys of installing tire chains on the side of a cold, wet freeway while chain-control enforcers allow countless all-season- or even summer tire-equipped SUVs to pass by. The Carmudgeons discuss the importance of tires and the dramatic grip disparity between various tire types in the snow. Then they open up their driving history spreadsheets once again for more random number generator car reviews! Jason heads to Lake Tahoe just after a 4-foot snow storm that somehow never materialized. After trekking another 2,000+ feet up in elevation to Mt Rose, he found some, and a simultaneously serene and serendipitous photoshoot ensued. Caravaning up the mountain alongside the van were Jason’s pals in a VinFast VF8 (which easily beats the van in a roll race) and a Range Rover. Someone has to call AAA – guess who! Jason is incensed by the farcical chain-control restrictions which forced him – driving the FWD van on brand new dedicated winter tires – to pull over and install chains on the slushy roadside, while countless boobs driving AWD SUVs wearing all-seasons or even summer tires were allowed to pass right through (one of which winds up totalled in a Jersey Barrier). The Carmudgeons can’t stress enough the importance of tires. Especially in the wet and snow. We’ll cover stopping distances of various tire types, and recommend excellent videos from both Engineering Explained and Tyre Reviews on YouTube – especially this one measuring stopping distances and acceleration times on snow using a variety of tire types and grip enhancement measures like chains, ladders, snow socks and more: https://youtu.be/W-k_1gz87vM?si=gR3iIm_77Go1vzmZ Following the tire discussion, we dive into yet another Random Number Generator Car Reviews session. The Carmudgeons will recount their drives in the following cars: Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG 4Matic Wagon W210 First-gen Porsche Panamera (alongside a 760Li and S63) B8 Audi S4 3.0 “Tupercharged” Acura TL SH-AWD 6-speed (and ZDX) 1957 Porsche Speedster with 4-cam Carrera engine 1958 Porsche 356 Speedster Intermeccanica 2006 Mk5 VW GTI 2.0T 1960 Alfa Giulietta Spider Veloce 2012 E90 BMW M3 Competition Package 2007 Chevy HHR Panel van 2006 Jaguar XJR 2023 Acura Integra Type-S 2009 Ford Escape 4-cyl 1949 Hudson Super 6 Convertible 2010 Jaguar XFR 5.0 Supercharged 1971 Mercedes 280 SE 3.5 Cabriolet 2019 Mazda3 AWD Sedan 2003 Aston Martin Vanquish 2019 Genesis G70 AWD 1974 Lancia Stratos HF 2008 Ford Expedition 2000 BMW Z3 2.3i 2015 Ford F-350 Super Duty Diesel 2008 Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet Tiptronic Jason once got to play policeman while driving around a 2012 CLS63 AMG Fashion Force “police” car that Mercedes created for New York Fashion Week, where he tickets egregiously modified cars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  • Ford Built A Cayman GT4…in 1985 — The Carmudgeon Show w/ Jason Cammisa & Derek Tam-Scott — Ep. 188
    The Ford Sierra RS Cosworth is best described as... Porsche-great. This week we’re doing a deep dive into Ford’s funky sedan of the 1980s: the Sierra, together with its American identical cousin, the Merkur XR4Ti. In the early 1980s, Ford of Europe (and chairman Bob Lutz) was on a mission to get a piece of the export pie that was dominated by Mercedes, BMW, and Audi. The car they conjured up to do so, the Sierra, was a massive success in Europe. When it eventually made it to the U.S., badged as a Merkur XR4Ti, Lutz's plan to sell the cars to yuppies via independent niche dealers was foiled, and the car was placed on Lincoln-Mercury dealer lots alongside big American barges and clueless salesmen, only to die a slow death. Meanwhile, on the other side of the pond, the extra-spicy Ford Sierra RS Cosworth was born. In fact, the car was so sought-after (i.e. stolen) by British hooligans that insurance companies refused to cover them. And it was so fast it was repeatedly banned from racing, eventually effectively spelling the end for Group A racing. Ford of Europe (headed up by Bob Lutz) was seeing the likes of BMW and Audi making a killing with their U.S. exports and Ford wanted in. The plan was to try something different, and rather than a Ford-branded import program where Sierras would be sold alongside LTDs, Cougars and other giant American sedans, Bob wanted to do a Ford of Europe export scheme where their new car could be sold alongside other European curios like Saabs and Volvos at independent dealers under a new brand name. They settled on Merkur (the German word for mercury – pronounced “maercoor”), but they also needed a new model name as Sierra was trademarked by Oldsmobile (think: Cutlass Ciera.) Ford used the “XR” prefix to denote a variety of upgraded model trims followed by a number which corresponded to the vehicle size – which is where XR4 comes from. Add abbreviations for “turbo” and “injection” and you’re off to the races! Both the Merkur and Sierra RS Cosworth were powered by versions of Ford’s Pinto 4-cylinder motor. The Merkur engine could also be found in the USDM Mercury Cougar XR7, Thunderbird Turbo Coupe, and Mustang SVO. Across the pond however, the Sierra engine went to Cosworth to get an aluminum head with an extra cam. The results were clear: the XR4Ti’s motor needed 13 lbs of boost to pump out 175 hp, while the Cosworth version only needed 8 psi to make 200 hp. But the Cosworth got a whole host of additional modifications beyond the engine, and the resulting package was so exceptional it wound up getting banned from racing repeatedly, until eventually the regs shut down the entire series. The chassis is so exceptional that Jason proclaims it the best sedan chassis he’s ever experienced – on the same level as a Porsche Cayman GT4. Transcendent. A 9.9/10. Where "Beatrice," his extensively modified E30, only managed a mid-8 (for the same reasons that caused Sreten at M539 Restoration to drive his into a tree). The likes of the Lotus Carlton didn’t even garner a 5 from either Carmudgeon. Honorable mentions go to the Maserati Quattroporte, C126 560SEC, and a handful of M products. We’ll even dive into every generation of M5 – E28 through G90. Lastly, we’ll learn about 80s and 90s Lexus dealership brutalism, that “light” means window, our friend Mike’s transient collection of eclectic cars has graced the show at least 3 times (thanks, Mike!), superbly compliant AWD cars like the Delta Integrale and Subaru WRX are good but rarely fun, and Bob Lutz had to fight tooth and nail to get a Chevrolet dealership in NorCal to sell him a Corvair Monza. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  • What Tariffs Mean For Old Cars — The Carmudgeon Show w Jason Cammisa & Derek Tam-Scott — Ep. 187
    A barrage of tariffs are foisted onto the automotive marketplace and throw a wrench into the car importing business (including Derek’s OTS and Co.). Are used cars affected? Not even ChatGPT knows. Jason wants to file a class action suit against VW for sunsetting 3G functionality in Mk7 cars, and Jay Leno puts his name behind California SB 712 to reduce the smog check burden on California-based classic car owners. We’ll start off with 1980s turbocharged lag-mobiles: the Saab 99 Turbo, BMW 2002 Turbo, and Porsche 930. At the time, Lotus deemed this power curve and response time unacceptable and managed to create a significantly better turbocharged experience in the Esprit Turbo. So good in fact that it may be on par with the W124 Mercedes-Benz 300E with a Mosselman twin-turbo setup that Jason recently drove. Next, Jason thinks a class action lawsuit is in order against VW of America. That’s because after 3G cell networks were shut down in 2022, VW failed to maintain the functionality of its Car-Net app that allowed for remote lock/unlock, cabin pre-heating, break-in alerts, charging start/stop and automatic crash notifications. Now, 3 years later, VW has admitted defeat, and has told owners that no fix will be provided. This is quite different from Tesla’s approach, who called in owners and upgraded their modems to run on the newer networks. Derek also notes the class action lawsuit against Mercedes when it was discovered that the clear coat on their Mars Red paint didn't last. Then we dive into the tariff chaos. Mainly the 25% tax on all imported automobiles, which may be permanent like the “chicken tax” on imported trucks, or it may last a few hours? Does it apply to used vehicles? No one is sure. But Derek wasn’t waiting around to find out when OTS was facing a $700,000 duty on a car it was actively importing for a client. Ronald Reagan briefly weighs in on the effectiveness of tariffs, and EU-allergic Switzerland enters the chat. Plus Ford and Mercedes-Benz both have extensive experience evading tariffs from their time importing non-tariffed “passenger” vans into the States, only to have their technicians immediately convert them into cargo trucks by removing the seats and windows then shipping the pieces back to Europe for the next batch. We’ll also cover various shipping methods (container vs "RoRo") as both Derek and Jason have experienced shipping cars overseas – both Derek’s W116 and W124 wagon made the voyage across the Atlantic, as did Jason’s E30 Touring and 190E 2.3-16. We’ll talk Boeing 747 8F cargo planes, RoRo cargo ships, 20- and 40-foot containers, and all of their associated pros, cons and costs. We’ll also dive into the used car market and recent auction results. Why are similar cars fetching wildly different prices at major auctions and on websites like Bring A Trailer? Derek and Jason both weigh in on the factors at play, including two recent BMW 850CSi sales. Lastly, we’ll touch on California SB712, now nicknamed Leno’s Law. A new law working its way through the California legislature that aims to reduce the smog check burden on classic car owners and collectors (as well as the repair shops burdened with maintaining dynamometers for a dwindling pool of cars requiring one for proper smog testing). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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About The Carmudgeon Show

Part of the Hagerty Podcast Network, the Carmudgeon Show is a comedic, information-filled conversation with Jason Cammisa and Derek Tam-Scott, two car enthusiasts who are curmudgeonly beyond their years. Proving you don’t have to be old to be grumpy, they spend each episode talking about what’s wrong with various parts of the automotive universe. Despite their best efforts to keep it negative, they usually wind up laughing, happy, and extolling their love for cars. Which just makes them angrier and more bitter. Jason Cammisa is an automotive journalist, social-media figure, and TV host with over 300 million views on YouTube alone. Jason’s deeply technical understanding, made possible by a lifelong obsession with cars, allows him to fully digest what’s going on within an automobile — and then put it into simple terms for others to understand. Also, a Master’s Degree in Law trained him to be impossible to argue with. Derek Tam-Scott still tries. He’s a young automotive expert with old-man taste in cars, and a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering — which means he knows how to be civil to Jason. Or at least he tries. With a decade and a half’s experience buying, selling, driving and brokering classic and exotic cars, he’s experienced the world’s most iconic cars. And hated most of them.
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