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MotorBiscuit Contributing WriterMore articles: Cars

Joe Santos

Joe Santos has been an automotive journalist since 2013 and joined MotorBiscuit in 2020. He writes strongly on consumer advice and new cars, and we consider him an asset to readers looking for guidance in buying and selling autos.

Joe earned a Bachelor’s in Journalism from California State University, Fullerton, and spent years as a Road Test Editor at Kelley Blue Book, after which he served in various automotive-related roles, including an autonomous vehicle trainer for GM, a vehicle sales manager, and an Audi brand specialist.

Joe’s prized possession is a 2008 Honda S2000 in Laguna Blue Pearl, with which he attends local car meets. Joe is also a content creator for LTD Global, a B2B support firm.

2,773 posts From Author
Cars

5 Surprisingly Quick Honda and Acura Cars

Hondas and Acuras have historically been known for their reliability and easiness to own and drive. However, they’re not typically known for their speed. Sure, there have been many sporty Honda and Acura models in the past, however, they have always been meant more for a road course or autocross track than a drag strip. …
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2019 Honda Fit
Trends

Is the Honda Fit Worth Buying?

The subcompact car class is a tough segment to be in because a budget price means that prospective buyers are looking for every ounce of value they can in a new car. And while the battlefield is tough, the Honda Fit has soldiered on for decades doing its best to be at the top of …
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Male hand on gear shift in automatic transmission vehicle
Trends

What is a Dual-Clutch Transmission?

When car shopping, it’s important to know everything you can about a car. And while it’s hard to keep all of the technical stuff in mind when looking at a multitude of cars, important parts like the transmission is a good thing to understand. Nowadays, you might notice that a lot of cars use a …
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2020 Nissan Versa
Trends

The Versa is the Worst Nissan Vehicle You Should Never Buy

Like other Japanese brands, Nissan cars have historically been known for their reliability and sportiness (on some models), however, the quality of their products has been questionable as of late. The Versa is one such example, Consumer Reports noted low scores on the “owner satisfaction” index in the last two generations and while this new …
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Cars

Fuel-Saver Flashback: Honda CR-X HF

Taking a look back at the history of Honda’s compact car lineup, it’s easy to see why the brand has garnered such an amazing reputation for achieving stellar fuel economy. During the mid- to late-80s, while gas prices were on the rise and large American cars ran rampant, Honda was producing cars like the CR-X; …
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Cars

The Audi RS3 Nardo Edition Is More Than a Special Paint Job

For those not in the know, the RS3 is the special race variant of Audi’s A3 lineup. Its powerful engine, sporty suspension, and short sedan stature prove that great things can come in small packages. But how do you make something great even greater? Let’s take a look at the new Audi RS3 Nardo Edition …
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A car salesman showing a customer around
Trends

The Truth About Car Sales

With car sales at an all-time low around the country and many car salespeople currently without jobs, I figured it would be a good time to tell you the truth about selling cars. Over the years, there have been many stories published around the web, and even on Motorbiscuit, detailing the “lies” and “tricks” that …
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2018 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross driving in snow
Crossovers

Is the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross Better Than the Honda HR-V?

Does anyone pay attention to Mitsubishi anymore? Probably not. At least not since the 1990s, when cars like the Mitsubishi Eclipse and the 3000GT were fast and furiously roaming the streets. But since then, the brand has been largely off the radar. Believe it or not, Mitsubishi has been building cars since then, and one …
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Cars

5 Reasons Why the Kia Optima is Better than the Honda Accord

The 2021 Kia Optima was unveiled in recent months and is yet to go into production, however, the current generation still has a lot to offer. Refreshed for the 2019 model year, the 2020 Kia Optima hangs with some of the best that the mid-size sedan category has to offer, including the formidable Honda Accord. …
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Crossovers

Best Bang for Your Budget: Honda CR-V or Honda Accord?

We like doing car comparisons in order to bring you a fair and even comparison between two competitors in the same segment. After all, comparing apples to apples is a good idea when shopping for the second-biggest purchase of your life. But what if you’re more of a price shopper and are looking to stick …
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Hybrids & EVs

Fuel-Saver Flashback: Audi A3 e-tron

Over the past decade, Audi has been taking massive steps toward bringing electric cars to the market. In fact, they have a lofty goal of bringing 30 electric cars to their lineup by the year 2025. But every giant leap is usually preceded by smaller steps, in which case, the Audi A3 e-tron was part of …
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GM Ultium EV battery pack
Hybrids & EVs

General Motors Partners With Honda to Build Two Electric Vehicles by 2024

General Motors and Honda might seem like an unlikely pairing, but partnerships between Japanese and American automakers are not uncommon. After all, the two brands paired up in making the Saturn VUE once upon a time. That’s right, that old American SUV had a Honda V6 engine in it. But now, the duo is back …
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Trends

What is Variable Valve Timing?

Cars today have all kinds of technical gadgetry and wizardry to make the most horsepower and get the best mileage. One such technical system is called “variable valve timing,” in which the car’s engine control unit, or computer, opens up the engine’s valves at various times and for different durations to get the most power …
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Cars

Fuel-Saver Flashback: 1992-1995 Honda Civic VX

Long before the first hybrid car was introduced in the U.S., manufacturers had to rely on smaller engines and longer transmission gearing to save fuel. During the 1990s, when gas prices were steadily increasing and SUVs started to become popular, Japanese brands like Honda made some of the most fuel-efficient cars on the road. One …
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Hybrids & EVs

Get 3 Years of Complimentary Fuel with the Hyundai Nexo

How would you like to get 3 years of complimentary fuel? Well, you can if you lease or purchase a Hyundai Nexo. What is the Hyundai Nexo? It’s Hyundai’s new hydrogen fuel-cell SUV, the only one on the market. It produces zero emissions and motors along as quiet as an electric vehicle. There’s only one …
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Cars

Is the Toyota Avalon the Perfect Blend Between Budget and Luxury?

Although it’s been around for decades and belongs to one of the most well-known brands on the planet, the Toyota Avalon is often overshadowed by its Camry younger brother. And if that weren’t bad enough, those looking for a luxurious full-sized sedan would often look more toward a Lexus ES. But what they might not …
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Hybrids & EVs

Fuel-Saver Flashback: Honda Civic Hybrid

At first glance, you might see a Honda Civic Hybrid on the road and think that it’s just another Civic. Technically, that’s what Honda wanted you to think, but that Civic had a little trick up its sleeve. Let’s take a look back at the fuel-saving Civic variant that upped the fuel-economy quotient in Honda’s …
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Hybrids & EVs

Fuel-Saver Flashback: Fisker Karma

Over the past decade, electric cars have been all the rage, thanks mostly to Tesla and its successful product line. However, the decade also brought about lesser-known brands like Fisker, who didn’t have as much to celebrate as Tesla did when they produced the Karma. Never heard of it? Let’s take a look back at …
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Cars

Look Forward to a Brighter Future with the MINI Cooper Sidewalk Convertible

For the most part, special editions of cars are just new takes on a current model. This usually means a special paint job and wheels and a couple of minor tweaks here and there. But for the 2021 MINI Cooper Sidewalk Convertible, it means a little more. A new take on a modern MINI Most …
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Trends

Why You Shouldn’t be Afraid to Buy a 2020 Volkswagen GTI

The 2021 Volkswagen GTI (Mk8) debuted last month, ahead of its original unveiling time and location of the 2020 Geneva Auto Show, which was cancelled. The new model boasts a stronger engine, updated styling, and new technical gadgetry, however, that doesn’t mean that buyers need to go for what’s shiny and new. In fact, there …
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