Buzz

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I don’t have a car for you, but I’ll pass along our story as food for thought. I am a Toyota guy also. When we bought our first kid car in 2015, I looked hard for a suitable Toyota or Honda. Even older/high mileage Toyotas and Hondas seemed overpriced for what they were, even at pre-pandemic prices. I got some great advice from a friend who has a pack of kids that had already been through the learning-to-drive phase. He said to get something inexpensive, put good tires and brakes on it, and mentally write it off as already totaled. The drivers in the high school parking lot have all been driving 2 years or less. Accidents are guaranteed to happen. The chances that the car survives are low. If an airbag deploys on a cheap car, it is almost certainly totaled. We ended up buying a 2008 Mazda 3 with about 70k miles on it. It was 7 years old at the time. Base model hatchback. Nothing fancy. No backup camera, blind spot warning, etc. It came pre-equipped with some dents, dings, and scratches. It has been a terrific car and has since been passed down to 2 younger siblings to learn to drive. Youngest currently has it at college 2 hours away. It is 17 years old now and looks crummy, but still runs great. Our Mazda has been involved in a few minor fender benders plus a deer committed suicide by T-boning the driver’s door at full deer sprint. (Wife happened to be driving the car. She was unharmed Deer was KIA.) It is a miracle our Mazda is still on the road after all it has been through. My friend’s advice was spot on. It reduces stress in your life when you let the kid learn to drive a car that you truly don’t care about. View it as disposable. No need for a car that could go 200k+ miles in this situation. Save the Toyota money for the second car. Upgrade them before college after they have a couple of years driving experience. The second car has a much better chance of survival.

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I like Mike Rowe’s cast called “The Way I Heard It.” Short, well written, and honest.

I pull a large box trailer occasionally and my wife usually rides with me. She will spot if I have to back it into a tight space. My two best tips on communicating between the spotter and driver. First, have the trailer spotter use their phone and call the driver. The driver answers using hands free. You both can talk normally and hear every word. Great two way communication. Second, if the spotter sees something going wrong, they say STOP and the driver stops immediately. Work out whatever needs to happen next while no vehicles are moving

I have a Shield with laser that I really like. I have been wanting to get the 2.0 compact with laser also. The one thing holding me back... I can’t find any kind of holster selection for the 2.0 compact with laser. Anybody know of a holster for a 2.0 compact w/ laser? Definitely IWB. Preference would be kydex, but open to see what is out there.

I am fan of a hammerless revolver for certain applications but a S&W j-frame sized gun with a 2 inch barrel is not going to give you the accuracy you are looking for. A Ruger Service Six in stainless has been my go to for almost 30 years if I'm going to open carry in the woods or on a farm. It is a 4" barrel .357. It is simple, powerful, and reliable. Accurate enough, especially firing single action. Heavy but the grip size and overall weight are welcome if you're firing full 357 loads. I usually carry it cross draw on my left hip so it is accessible when seated in a vehicle. If weight and concealability are bigger concerns, then I would go with the S&W Shield in either 9mm or 45. I think the 40 would be punishing. If you can stand the bigger size, then the M&P 2.0 compact would be a good choice also. All are available with a safety.

I had the class on 11/2/13 with Tim Guy of Guy Personal Defense. My experience was exactly in line with the review above, so I will just add my personal experience. I am a former gun safety instructor. Over the years, I have taken a similar class in a few different states including a previous TN class. This one had 26 people on a Saturday. Classroom information was covered thoroughly without being dry. Shooting was handled 5 shooters at a time, so it took a bit to work through all shooters. However, I think this was a benefit since shooters varied widely in experience level. Some needed more individual attention. Tim delivers a good class and a good value. He really bends over backwards to make it a good experience. He also does some women-only classes if that is of interest.

Between these two choices only, I'd take the sp101. I carry a S&W 642 more than any other carry gun. It is significantly lighter than the sp101. I prefer it because pocket, ankle, or belt carry are all easily accomplished depending on the situation. The added weight of the sp101 make that a bit more difficult, but still possible.

When coupled with a quality holster, the 642 is the best ankle carry gun I've ever had. I've tried it with others, but keep coming back to this one.

I'd suggest you find a friend (or rental) with a snub and fire some 357 out of it before you buy one. The flash and recoil are just painful coming from a small/lightweight package. The 357 almost certainly has some small edge in terms of overall energy, but I'm not convinced there is much much difference in a close range practical situation.

If that's your concern, a 3rd gen S&W auto might be a good choice. I have a 3913 that is great. It has an external safety and won't fire with the mag ejected. My main carry guns are a Glock 26 or a S&W 642.

My suggestion would be Suzuki Vstrom 650 or SV6540. Enough power. Should be in your price range. Relatively light weight.

I've got one in my Toyota truck. I really like it, but I have to admit that with my console, it does not have a lot of room inside. Some other vehicles have a larger console that would be nicer. Definitely get the one with the combination lock. I like the fact that you can leave it unlocked if you wish. For example, if I'm in the truck, I might like to leave it unlocked.