Showcase with a car and a driver

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If Window shop if I went to Uncle Ben’s school of common sense, the theme of tonight’s show would be, “With heavily underrated engines comes great reliability.” Since answering a challenge is much easier than a moral obligation, the team was to find the most reliable car on sale with a budget of $10,000.

Road and track Senior Editor John Perley Huffman made a trip to The Internet Wayback Machine — or estate sale — in a 1992 Toyota Camry. The XV10 has never enjoyed such hyperbole when compared to the Lexus LS400, the race-winning Toyota GTP, the rebuilt Mercedes and the platonic form of the Toyota. Pity those potentially desiccated seals though.

Pearly “Thunderstealer” Huffman chose the Camry Senior Editor Joey Caparella is planned to present. Caparella switched to his Plan B, a second-generation Lexus GS300 based on the legendary Toyota 2JZ. Despite concerns about the unsightly steering wheel cover, a penchant for foggy taillights and Caparella’s insider trading by choosing a version of his own car, the GS received tepid praise.

Contributed by Jonathan Ramsey asked, “What’s the point of a reliable car that I don’t want to be seen in?” The answer led him first to a Land Cruiser in Ontario that was disqualified for being too weird. Stopped at a 2008 Subaru Outback in excellent condition. Others noted the risk of a blown head gasket not matching reliability, proving that Ramsey may never abandon his mantra that it’s better to look good than get where you’re going.

Executive Editor KC Colwell rolled into the unexpected gem it’s known for, the manual transmission Honda Element. The banter immediately moved on to the placement of the seats, the cup holders, the cleanliness of the intake manifold, and why no one sees the Honda Element anymore. No one has ever discussed or even mentioned the Element’s reliability.

Editor-in-Chief Tony Quiroga thought he could beat the Lexus GX470. He answered every challenge to its all-wheel drive complexity, Walmart service history, and supposedly missing nut: “It’ll never break.” According to the source, used GX prices should skyrocket, and Lexus should sell every GX it can make once this show airs. But will TQ cruise to victory?

Power and reliability are inversely related, the same relationship between reliability and joy, adventure and excitement. However, this episode of Window Shop proves that boring cars are directly proportional to the odds of a crossfire fest.