Introducing ‘Quick Fix’: Practical answers to all your car questions

Here in California, cars have always been king. Just look at the respect with which we refer to our freeways — it’s never just 405, it’s the 405, as a much a unique monument to human ingenuity and aspiration as the Great Pyramid of Giza.

And yet California is in many ways the worst place to be a driver. It’s hard to beat the view from the PCH, but it’s liable to turn into a parking lot at any given moment. And onerous emissions standards — which we’re happy to impose on the rest of the country — can make staying street-legal a tedious slog.

This dichotomy applies to the auto industry in general. As drivers we’ve never had more choices, but those choices can seem disappointingly similar and restrictive — especially if you want a good, old-fashioned gas-guzzler.

We have cutting-edge technology at our disposal, but too often it gets in the way of the driving experience instead of enhancing it.

As for buying a car, every day it gets more and more like going to the dentist. It’s disorienting and time-consuming, and you never know how much it’s going to hurt.

Fortunately we have Lauren Fix to ease our pain. The longtime industry journalist and automotive expert is here to help with Quick Fix, a regular feature in which she answers your car questions — just send them to [email protected].

— Matt Himes, managing editor

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Welcome to Quick Fix, where I attempt to solve your car quandaries, one question at a time.

After decades covering the industry, I’ve developed an immunity to the hype and double-talk surrounding cars. It doesn’t hurt that I’m a mechanic and automotive entrepreneur as well.

I want to use that experience to help you — whether you’re buying a car, shopping for insurance, or dealing with the myriad other complications of being a driver in 2025. Send me your questions, and together we can cut through the BS and get back behind the wheel.

That’s the fun part, after all.

Today’s question comes from Matt in Whittier, California. He writes: “After driving a used Tesla Model X for a few years, my wife is dead set on upgrading to a new Model 3. My question is: lease or buy — especially now that Elon’s allowing lease buyouts?

“Bonus question for you: I doubt it will work, but can you suggest any Tesla alternatives I can pitch to my wife?”

Check out my answers in the video below — and send me any car questions you need answered to [email protected].