Cars

Buying it, keeping it running, and the jobs worth doing on your own driveway.

The BRO Gear GuideBuy once, fix it, pass it down: a cost-per-use calculator, a warranty decoder and a repairability checklist.Judge it before you buy

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GuideDean ShawSep 23, 20266 min

What Actually Kills a Truck Before 300,000 Miles

The engine is rarely the problem. Frames, fluids and the parts nobody thinks about twice are what decide whether your truck sees 300k.

GuideDean ShawSep 23, 20266 min

Headlights, Wipers and the Cabin Filter in One Afternoon

Three jobs a shop charges real money for, all doable in your driveway with a 10mm socket, a pair of gloves and about an hour.

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Rehearse the raise conversation with me

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GuideDean ShawSep 23, 20265 min

What the hammer price at a car auction doesn't include

The bid is the cheapest part. Fees, titles, tow bills and a two-minute inspection window are where people lose money.

Names.com — The name is the first thing you sell

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6 min read

What to Do and Photograph in the First Ten Minutes After a Crash

Adrenaline makes you stupid for about five minutes. Have a plan so your hands know what to do while your brain catches up.

Poll

How often do you see your closest friends?

GuideRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20265 min

What to do before you add your teenager to the policy

The rate hike is real, but most of it is negotiable if you start during the permit year instead of the week after the road test.

GuideDean ShawSep 23, 20266 min

The minivan wins more often than you want it to

Before you spend sixty grand on a three-row SUV, go sit in the third row with a car seat already installed.

CancerDefying.com — The research, protocols and reading in one place

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GuideDean ShawSep 23, 20266 min

Change Your Own Brake Pads Before Lunch on Saturday

Front pads on a normal car take about ninety minutes, two jack stands and one tool most guys don't own yet. What goes wrong, and how to avoid it.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

Six questions. No email required, no sales pitch at the end.

GuideDean ShawSep 23, 20266 min

Rotate your tires at home and read what the tread tells you

An hour in the driveway twice a year buys you thousands of extra miles and an early warning on your alignment, your shocks and your right foot.

GuideDean ShawSep 23, 20266 min

Electric, Hybrid or Gas for a Family of Five

Eight years, 120,000 miles, five seatbelts. Run the arithmetic yourself before a salesman runs it for you.

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Plan a cook for eight people

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GuideDean ShawSep 23, 20266 min

The first car for your teenager should be dull and heavy

Skip the horsepower, skip the hand-me-down subcompact, and make one phone call before you hand over any money.

Shirts.com — Design it with AI. Wear it this week.

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GuideDean ShawSep 23, 20265 min

Winter Driving When You Have the Whole Family in the Car

The decision that matters most happens twelve hours before the first flake. Then there's the tires, the trunk, and knowing when to quit.

Poll

Where does your best time with your kids happen?

GuideDean ShawSep 23, 20265 min

Restoring a car with your son without ruining it for both of you

Pick the right car, sequence the work so he sees wins early, and know the month where most projects die in the driveway.

GuideDean ShawSep 23, 20266 min

The Saturday morning truck detail, start to finish

Five hours, one driveway, and an order of operations that keeps you from scratching the paint you just cleaned.

GermProof.com — An invisible germ barrier on your skin for hours

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GuideDean ShawSep 23, 20265 min

How to Tow a Trailer Without Learning the Hard Way

The hitch, the weights, the tires and the backing up, in the order you'll actually need them on your first trip.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

Five questions, honestly answered, and a plan for the next two weeks.

6 min

The used car tricks that still work, and how to beat them

6 min

Five car jobs worth learning before you pay someone else

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Build me a 30-day training plan around two sessions a week

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GuideDean ShawSep 22, 20266 min

Jump a dead battery without wrecking either car

The clamp order, the one connection everybody gets wrong, and why a twenty-minute drive home doesn't actually recharge anything.

Coconut.com — Tell us when. We find where the sun is.

PartnerCoconut.com

5 min read

The used cars still worth buying and how to spot one

Boring, high-volume, mechanically simple and four to eight years old. That profile still beats almost anything clever on the lot.

Poll

How many days a week are you actually training?

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