Pearley: Wagons Are Having a Vibe Shift

Classic gems, tasteful customs, legendary supercars - for Silvian, they're all fair game. He's been in love with cars and motorcycles for as long as he can remember, so it made perfect sense to eventually turn that passion into a full-time writing career. Around six years and more than 3,000 articles later, he is still going strong and doesn't plan on hitting the brakes anytime soon. Remember the subprime mortgage crisis that ultimately resulted in the global financial meltdown of 2008? Bad loans, sketchy financial instruments, and defaults from high-risk borrowers plunged the world into the worst economic downturn since The Great Depression. Lessons were learned and measures have been taken to make sure something like that never happens again – right? So you’d think, but there’s a reason why we’re bringing up the GFC and it most certainly isn’t good. A Reuters report recently brought some chilling details to light about the current state and trajectory of auto loans in America. Many parallels can be drawn between where said market stands right now and the factors leading to the housing crash nearly two decades ago, which is rather concerning to say the least.

Gilbert Smith is an automotive journalist with over five years of specialized research and writing experience. Before joining CarBuzz in 2024, he produced in-depth buyer’s guides and feature articles for Vehicle History, focusing on practical insights and detailed automotive analysis. The Mazda CX-30 was already one of the most affordable crossovers on the market, and a number of lease and purchase incentives for October are helping to make the deal even sweeter. From thousands of dollars in cash back to rock-bottom APR, here are our favorite Mazda offers.

Classic gems, tasteful customs, legendary supercars - for Silvian, they're all fair game. He's been in love with cars and motorcycles for as long as he can remember, so it made perfect sense to eventually turn that passion into a full-time writing career. Around six years and more than 3,000 articles later, he is still going strong and doesn't plan on hitting the brakes anytime soon. Regardless of your opinion on Tesla or its eccentric founder Elon Musk, there’s no denying that the Roadster’s recent reveal was absolutely wild. That thing just drove upside down, flew over a Semi and other Teslas while doing a barrel roll, and launched itself from zero to 60 mph in a single second. Call them gimmicks if you will, but the new Roadster basically broke the internet after its long-awaited official debut. And if there’s one thing Musk is more proficient at than anyone else, that would be his unmatched ability to get people talking even if it comes at the expense of overly ambitious or downright preposterous claims.

Matt Nelson is an automotive journalist with nearly a decade of experience in all things cars.  He's spent years working at dealerships in sales, finance, and service. He's since traded in his pens and wrenches for a keyboard, and leveraged the expertise gained from his work experience into a writing career. When it comes to cars, facts, and the truth, Matt’s equal love for all three meant automotive journalism was the only path forward. Ever since the age of six, when he’d spend his time helping his father fix his family’s old Buick, Matt has had a keen interest in anything and everything with four wheels. Naturally, once Matt started working, he ensconced himself in the automotive industry and held positions spanning from car detailer, mechanic, to automotive sales and finance. Because he’s seen it all, driven most, and heard a lot, auto journalism came naturally to him. With a passion for cars like Matt’s, it’s safe to say every article will showcase his penchant for truth, accuracy, and overarching desire to make sense of the modern, complex automotive world. This means every one of his readers can be at the forefront of the most important automotive news.

With Halloween just around the corner, it's nice to see automakers embracing the holiday spirit without taking themselves too seriously. Just last week, Tesla began rolling out a Halloween-themed software update that, as the automaker put it on X, "turns your Tesla into a haunted house on wheels. " Days later, Rivian brought Ghostbusters to its entire lineup as part of its own Halloween surprise. Tesla's Halloween Mode comes as part of update 2026.38.3 and brings along a host of goofy ghost-themed add-ons. For example, you can frighten pedestrians by speaking through Tesla's Boombox feature — the car will now repeat your message in a not-so-robotic but suitably scary voice. There's also a new lock sound available, with your Tesla now growling as you lock the car.

Under the hood of cars and trucks, you'll find many fluids flowing around, lubricating and actuating different components — especially if the vehicle has hydraulic power steering. With the exception of the coolant, most are classified as a type of oil, even if you don't think of them as such. That's because we often classify hydraulic oil as simply a fluid — on the flip side, who refers to engine oil as engine fluid? Hydraulic fluids are more for hydraulically actuating things, such as the braking system, automatic transmission (though there are important differences between transmission and hydraulic fluid), and power steering system (again, if it has it). So what's the difference between hydraulic oil and motor oil? It all comes down to viscosity, purpose, and the various ingredients that treat their given systems right. With that being said, engine oil also actuates some components hydraulically, but we'll get into that shortly.