Good day to you all, my dear Autopian friends! Thanks for coming back to another installment of Members’ Rides. At this point, I have been doing these for more than a year, and it is so much fun, so thanks for being Members, thanks for reading, and more importantly, thank you to everyone who has allowed me the privilege of featuring your cars on the site! Last time, we met Higgins, Robert’s wonderful Datsun Roadster which is going to be the star of an upcoming movie. I have always loved the classic British roadsters, especially the ones that aren’t actually British!
Members’ Rides is where we share the cars and stories of Autopian Members. The potential to be featured here is a perk for Autopian Members of every level, from the ultra-affordable “Cloth” tier all the way up to “Rich Corinthian Leather.” Click that link and join today!


Today we meet Kurt, a computer security guy living a great life up in Tacoma, Washington, where he’s built an excellent collection that manages to be practical while still being incredibly unique and fun in so many ways.
How did you get into cars?
I probably started with Richard Scarry’s Cars and Trucks and Things That Go, but Dad and Grandpa were both aerospace engineers, and my parents’ first date was in a borrowed MG Midget (I think) that lost a wheel on said first date, so it’s probably in my blood. I’ve never considered myself a wrencher, but I built a fair few RC cars in my youth, and it turns out from my recent self-education that many of the principles are similar.
What’s currently in the garage?
- 2018 Kia Stinger GT2
- 1999 Honda Prelude
- 1966 Chevy C10
How long have you had the stinger?
Back at the beginning of 2022, we moved back to Washington and needed a car that checked the following boxes:
- Automatic as my spouse is not a car person, and doesn’t drive stick
- Four doors because we have an elderly herding dog with hip problems
- Not boring.
Did you look at anything other than the Stinger?
I considered a Giulia QV, but it was about twice as expensive, so I decided to be “fiscally responsible”.
Were you looking specifically for the GT,2, or is that just what was available?
I was actually originally looking for a Sunset Yellow Stinger, but the one I saw had very sus cosmetic damage that belied a medium-speed impact that was never reported. The dealer pulled the Chroma Red GT2 out of detailing when I walked back in, and I was like “What about that one?”

How do you like this?
The Stinger is great, if overly polite for my tastes when stock. A Magnaflow exhaust and Eibach suspension kit will wake it right up. The interior is easily as nice as my old JCW Mini. The spouse also approves. This is the first enthusiast car they’ve driven, and they kinda “get it.” I’ve been told I’m allowed to buy another Challenger now.
Kia has a hit or miss reputation for reliability. How has this one been for you?
My Stinger has been in for two recall repairs (fuel pump, driver’s side charge pipes) while I’ve owned it, and I believe one recall repair before I owned it (brakes). That’s it. It has thus far not given me any problems, though I may have a guardian angel because I have also owned two Minis and never had a problem with either of them. Religious adherence to the maintenance schedule probably helps (did I mention I’ve owned two Minis?). It does seem to have a small coolant drinking habit, but no obvious leaks or milkshakes. Mysteries abound.
Anything you don’t like about it?
It would be so much more engaging with a good manual transmission. Mine is low thanks to an Eibach kit that dropped it 0.8″ from an already not-incredibly-high five inches Due to that, it picked up some very minor exhaust leaks from scrapes and damage to flex tubing. With this, plus living in Washington, I get some pretty spooky-sounding crackles when I pass through standing water. That is my spouse’s least favorite part of the car.
It’s a modern liftback with a pretty aggressive rake, so you get the mail slot rearview – in my opinion, the Challenger’s rear visibility is better, and that’s kinda embarrassing, given that Challengers are pretty caked up to begin with.
Minor nits – some of the interior trim pieces (vents, knobs) are Kia parts bin, so they’re crap. I replaced the center vents with Benz-style vents when the trim pieces broke off of all three adjustment knobs.
These have always seemed to punch above their weight class. What are your thoughts?
They’re REALLY excellent value for the price. There’s a reason every journalist loved them. I had a rental Kia Soul last year and I was like “what the F*** is this, Kia?” because I have been spoiled by my Stinger. If you get the upper trims, they are fantastically comfortable. Heated/ventilated seats, good sound system, nice power seat adjustments, reasonably good cabin noise (they do have some trunk rattle, because Kia). I was briefly associated with a Stinger owner group who had a member who had traded in a Panamera for one, on purpose.
How did the Prelude come into the picture?
I impulse-purchased it for probably too much money because I thirsted for the three-pedal life. I made it two whole years!
Have you always wanted one of these?
I love Preludes. My first car was a Prelude Si. When I was a teenager, I wanted one of these SO BAD and now they’re (kinda) cheap! I would have liked a better color, but there are not a lot of survivor Preludes out there, and even fewer manuals. I suspect it being a halo in Honda’s lineup at the time had a lot to do with the lower manual take rate – things were already starting to look grim for standard transmissions even back then.
When did you pick this up?
I found it in 2024, and then I spent the better part of a year playing “hide the car from the police” street parking it. No tickets!
Any fun plans for this or just trying to enjoy and preserve it?
Right now, I am just enjoying it and preserving it as long as I can. There’s a lot of stuff like door seal rubber that is basically impossible to get in any condition approximating new. I’m treating the ownership of this car as an exercise in staying in the moment.
I see the exhaust and wheels, any other mods on it currently?
It’s got an AES cone filter/intake, but that’s it. It’s an H22A2, which doesn’t really take to boost and if I wanna go fast, the Stinger is right there.
Do you feel Honda peaked in the 90s, or is there something they make today that you think is better than this?
I am cautiously optimistic for the new Prelude and will be taking one out for a spin. I hate that the new one isn’t a manual, but I am placing my trust in Honda choosing this nameplate on purpose and doing right by the “engaging touring coupe” of the previous generations.
Will the Prelude be a long-term part of your garage?
That is such a hard question. Some days I think I’ll be buried in it; other days I remember that the MK6 releases in less than a year, I have a preorder for a Slate, and the new MR2 is theoretically dropping in the next year or two.
If it somehow blew up or died tomorrow, would find another one? Or what might replace it?
I would be very sad. I don’t think I’d replace it immediately. The truck is enough of a handful maintenance-wise right now and the Prelude is being neglected because it’s functional and safe to drive without constant minding. If I were to replace it, it would probably be something with easier to source parts for. A big part of my enthusiast joy is driving. Having a complicated, potentially expensive treasure hunt between me and the open road is not my idea of fun.
How often do you drive the Prelude?
Every week. It’s effectively my daily, though I work from home. It’s got some parasitic draw, so if I don’t drive it regularly, it kills the battery. I’ve only got space in the garage for one car on a tender, and the C10 gets the tender.
It looks pristine, what kind of shape is it actually in?
It photographs really well. The trunk liner is no good, a lot of the rubber is slowly checking out, some of the clips on the side skirts have left the chat, and it’s definitely got rust bubbles in both rear quarters and some rotten pinch welds. It’s definitely a ten-foot car.
What’s the best thing about it?
The Honda manual transmission. So good. It is my opinion that Honda makes the best transmission readily available to us plebs who can’t drop six figures on a vehicle, or do not want to sign up for the German Ownership Experience. My family had diesel VWs growing up and they were frequent residents of the warranty repair line. Having Honda reliability is nice.
And the worst?
Honda rust. The car is mechanically in great shape but has potentially terminal tinworm in both rear quarters. A local shop that specializes in resto work quoted me $8k to fix it.
I know there has to be a good story behind that amazing truck. Where does it fit in?
Last time I visited for my mom’s birthday, I found out one of her friends’ husbands had a ’64 Comet. I helped him wrestle a Ford Y-block back into the engine bay, and a friendship was born. That was my first serious wrenching project, and I figured, if I can put an engine back in a car, I’ve got this!
I started looking for a domestic classic with good parts availability. I’ve always loved the first-generation C10, and when I found a mostly-running example for $4k, I jumped at it. It’s a one-and-a-half-owner truck that was bartered to the guy who sold it to me a couple of months before I bought it. That was a fun title transfer let me tell you! It sat in a different barn until I bought it. It was a dailied, road-tripping vehicle as recently as 2009, but definitely sat for a while. First thing I did after getting it home was to swap all the fluids. As a matter of fact, I learned how to do an oil change on this truck.
How good of shape is it in?
It’s rough. It was a barn find truck, but it’s got rust basically everywhere. Fortunately, most of it is surface. There are some corners under the hood that are rotted, and I have new floor pans that need to be welded in. The bench seat needs to be reupholstered, and the interior is very dirty because I have been laser-focused on getting it back on the road and Doing Truck Stuff.
What made you want the L6 specifically?
I passed over so many C10s of this generation that were either factory V8s or V8 swaps. The guy I bought it from was gonna V8 swap it. I’ve found one other C10 of the same generation at local shows that still had an L6 in it. I just think the L6 is a good, honest truck engine, and I’m not looking to make crazy power (though I am told the 292 is a favorite of Brazilian tuners, so this may change), plus I love a distinct exhaust note.
How long have you had this one?
I bought it in November of last year, and it’s spent the winter in the garage in varying states of disrepair. I learned a lot from this truck, including when I should throw in the towel and get professional help. Projects that sit too long with zero progress are horribly demotivating.
Is it a good-driving project?
It is a running, driving, stopping, insured, and plated truck! I am waiting on a high-temp version of the adapter I designed for the Rochester 1bbl carb to drive it longer distances.
What makes the C10 infinitely better than modern trucks?
I can fix most of it with a factory manual and a 110-piece mechanic set. I love that it doesn’t have a computer in it. A truck like this does not pretend to be a luxury barge, or a people mover, or a commuter. It is Elemental Truck. It exists to Do Truck Stuff.
Any modernity that you wish this had or that you plan to add to it?
Eventually it’ll get a tachometer, and I may wire up a hazard button. A big part of why I love this truck is manual everything. My day job is computers, so I like to have a respite from computers.
How often does this get driven?
I finally managed to get it back into serviceable shape in the last month or so. It did a 30-minute drive from a classic shop to a tire shop, then 30 minutes on the freeway to home on one of the tiny $20 aftermarket Rochester single-barrel filters. Originally, this was a California car (still has the San Francisco dealer badge), so it had a closed PCV system. Custom fabricating replacement parts for that has been an … experience, to say the least.
What would be in your dream garage?
- Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead. The engineering that goes into these is bonkers and I’m a sucker for wood. And buttons.
- 1960 Ford Thunderbird. The best Thunderbird. I love squarebirds and the triple taillights.
Thank you for sharing Kurt!
Are you an Autopian Member? Do you have an awesome garage you want to share with all of Autopia? Go here and fill out the survey to get added to the list. Don’t miss out, we have a lot of fun, and you could be world famous and see your cars plastered all over the best car site on Earth! Click Here to learn more and become a Member today!
I absolutely love the Prelude. I have so much nostalgia for those.
I’m glad that you enjoy the stinger! Kia has always been a hit or miss for me, but the stinger is intriguing.
That C10 is purdy.
In one of his videos, Mr. Regular (Regular Car Reviews) said something along the lines of KIA/Hyundai having an “A” team and a “B” team for car design. I believe this was comparing the Kia Niro to a Hyundai Ioniq5. But I agree and think the start of this was when the Stinger was introduced. My dad has a 2018 Stinger and it still amazes me that that car is made by the same company that makes the Accent.
Also, this is a perfect set of vehicles, something for every purpose which is always great. I love the idea of old trucks as a project because in most cases they are still about 90% as usable for what “truck things” a new truck would be used for.
I hadn’t thought of the ’60 T-bird in so long, I had to look for an image. Found this: https://www.volocars.com/vehicles/17388/1960-ford-thunderbird. Haven’t lusted after a classic this much before, nice dream garage pick!
That Prelude engine compartment shot is amazing! And yes, Honda transmissions click and clack so good. The color is great and I wish I could see that car driving around in my neighborhood!
Nice C10, hey are such a great honest truck, like the lines on them too, nice 60s style before the 70s/80s box trend happened. When I was like 4 or 5 my mom had one, treked her, my 2 siblings and me, and an old English Sheepdog, and all our worldy posessions from Colorado back to Ohio in it, not the best of times but the truck didn’t fail.
Maybe to zazz up the Honda maybe paint the rims? It still looks pretty solid.
Hey Kurt… Fellow Tacoman here. Nice collection!
My dad had a C10 of that generation when I was growing up. I learned to drive a manual (three on the tree) in that truck long before it was legal for me to be behind the wheel.
I think the Stinger over the Alfa was a wise choice. The way things are going for Alfa, it would’ve been orphaned pretty quickly. Kia is not going anywhere.
I have a ’17 Accord V-6 and love it. But I am not wild about the newer ones. I put more than 160 K miles on a 5M Jetta TDI and managed to still be on the original clutch when I sold it, but the Honda is a 4D and a stick wasn’t available on those. I’m ok with that. Tacoma is (as you know) hilly and I’m developing neuropathy in my feet, so a third pedal could be tough now.
As a ’99, the Prelude would have made it juuust under the wire at Griot’s last weekend! Sure would have been a welcome sight amongst all that recently-imported stuff. Great-looking car; I hope you’re able to keep it on the road for a long time!
I may try to bring it next year. Even though the wheels are reps and it’s a driver spec car in a meh color, I think there are maybe six other running & driving mk5s in the area based on my spots
Love the C10! Way to keep the old stuff doing what they were meant to do!
Big fan of the Stinger as well. Such a great looking car
(Also looking forward to the Tales From The Slack explaining “Forbestheweirdo”)
It does that to me a lot. That was my screen name here before I started contributing and any time I get logged out it reverts back to that for some reason and I just haven’t gotten around to fixing it this time yet.
I love me a first-gen C10. Mine was also a ’66, too!
A two-door, a four-door, and a truck. What more could one want? Nice garage, for sure. Thanks for sharing it with us, Kurt.