Some things are too well-loved to be permanently killed off, like Arnold coming back in Terminator 2. If you’re reading this, you’ve probably figured out Tuned In Weekly is back to save the day, as, you’re reading it now! Yes, after a seven-month hiatus, I’m back. Like Arnold’s famous lever-action shotgun-wielding, re-programmed, robot from the future, Tuned In Weekly is going to save all of humanity from a war with an all-consuming artificial intelligence. Well, maybe not anything that extreme, but it will bring back the entertainment and information you can only find right here from the brains of the experts in Audi, BMW, MINI, and VW performance. Now, come with me if you want to live… a really cool guy life with helpful tips and insights about the cars and upgrades you love! 

This week is something of a re-introduction and a look forward to what you can expect for an as-yet undetermined number of weekly articles. Who knows, just like James Cameron’s career, we may go on forever! For now, let’s take a sneak peek at the content we have planned for the first quarter of 2023. 

First up, it’s all things overlanding. Overlanding has become increasingly popular since the pandemic in more casual circles, much to the chagrin of offroad culture, but there’s no gatekeeping here. We’re all excited about bringing overlanding capabilities to the people with in-house designed upgrades to improve fan-favorite family haulers. You (should) have noticed our ongoing series, Built by Mike, on YouTube has shifted focus to his E53 overland build, so it should be no surprise we’re going to dive way into what you can do with that platform, but we’re not stopping there. No, we aim to bring overlanding to everyone who wants to take part, especially if they’re die-hard Euro enthusiasts. 

Our initial articles will do just that: give you insights into how to live the enthusiast lifestyle without sacrificing the need for a family vehicle, or, how to take your family hauler and make it more of a ‘baller hauler.’ Without giving too much away, you can whet your whistle by checking out the Built by Mike episodes over on our YT channel to gear up for an expansive look in the coming weeks at what we currently offer and will offer soon for a host of popular SUVs. 

Check out all the current Built By Mike episodes here to get into the spirit of things.

Next, we’re transitioning back into what you may remember from the previous iteration of Tuned In Weekly and taking a speculative approach to affordable performance car builds in today’s crazy market. 

If one thing is to be certain in this day and age, it’s that nothing is getting cheaper. Or, at least, the stuff that used to be inexpensive isn’t going to be as affordable as it was. However, the hidden upside to that is that many platforms that were unjustifiably priced to be an entry-level option for the budding (or budget-minded) enthusiast are now becoming affordable options. Whether they are affordable in relative terms or in actual dollar for performance terms, we’ll let you decide, but we think we’ve identified some real winners in our current used car market that will make excellent budget platforms for you to scoop up before they too become inflated beyond rational logic. Naturally, we’ll also do our thing and give you more than just some smart buying advice. We’ll help you create a solid foundation for your build and offer some of our predictions about where the enthusiast scene and style trends are headed. 

Finally, to round out our upcoming articles, we want to highlight how important the ability to perform your own maintenance and upgrades has become in this economic climate. Every day, the benefits of self-reliance are becoming more and more apparent, even to the folks who would ordinarily just say ‘I’ll have my people get on that.’ Whether you can still afford to have someone take care of your maintenance and upgrades or not, the ability to do it yourself and the knowledge required to understand why you’re turning that wrench are becoming more valuable. Hell, it might even be the first time that us car enthusiasts are going to come out saving money compared to the rest of society thanks to our hobby.

We intend to highlight exactly what you can do to pinch those pennies by using your hobby as more than just an outlet for entertainment. In the spring to summer months, we’ll help you outline a working guide for maximizing your expenses to both improve your ownership experience and help you achieve your buildout goals for your favorite Audi, BMW, MINI, or VW. Because we care. 

So, with that, it’s f***ing great to be back! I’ve missed flexing my car enthusiast muscles while up here in Vermontland attending law school. So you can bet your kiesters that Tuned In 2 is going to take things up to eleven on the dials. Get ready for some overlanding fun, project car predictions, helpful tips and tricks, and some awesome guides to help you do what you love most this year: enjoy your automotive hobby to the fullest. I can’t wait to be your guide again, let’s have some fun! 

Your overly-enthusiastic keyboard warrior buddy,

Craig Daugherty

PS: should we rename this series Two-ned in? Tuned In 2 Furious? Tuned In 2: The Anti-Electric Boogaloo? Leave your comments for your vote or submit your own idea to help us rename it! Who knows, you might see your submission every Sunday in your email subject bar. 

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