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Independent shops run by one or two mechanics are almost always better than chains. Jiffy Lube and Firestone will upsell you on things you don't need every single visit.

Hill Country in the spring is unbeatable. Fredericksburg for wineries, Enchanted Rock for hiking, and the wildflowers on the roadside are insane in April.

I bring my own parts and pay labor only. A good mechanic won't care. The ones who insist on using their parts are marking them up 50-100%.

Ask on your neighborhood Facebook group or Nextdoor. Mechanic recommendations are the one thing those groups are actually useful for.

Rain + Texas drivers = absolute chaos. The first rain after a dry spell might as well be an ice storm based on how people react. Either 25mph in the left lane or 80mph tailgating. No in between.

The weather changing 40 degrees in one day. I've worn shorts and a jacket in the same 12 hour period. Multiple times.

Nobody in this state understands the zipper merge. Two lanes go to one and everyone treats it like a personal insult.

Marfa is one of the weirdest towns in America in the best way. Art installations in the middle of nowhere, the Marfa lights, Prada Marfa. Combine it with Big Bend for a full trip.

Park in the garage if you have one. If you don't, park in the most well-lit area possible. Motion sensor light aimed at where you park helps too.

Palo Duro Canyon in the panhandle is basically a mini Grand Canyon and nobody talks about it. The drive up there is flat and boring but the canyon itself is stunning.

Look for shops that have been in the same location for 10+ years. If they've survived that long without moving, their reputation is keeping them alive. That's the best signal.

Red light running is the Texas state pastime. The light turns red and three more cars go through. I wait a full two seconds after my light turns green now.

Port Aransas for a cheap beach trip. Not the prettiest beach in the world but the vibe is chill, the fishing is good, and hotels are way cheaper than Galveston.

Cat shield or cage. $150-300 installed. It's a metal plate bolted over the catalytic converter. Doesn't make it impossible to steal but makes it take 10+ minutes instead of 90 seconds. Most thieves move on.

The worst drivers are always the ones on whatever highway I'm currently on. This is a universal law.

The recyclers buying these no-questions-asked are the real problem. A stolen cat sells for $100-500 in scrap. Until that's regulated this won't stop.

Comprehensive insurance covers it but file the claim and your rates go up. My deductible is $500 and the replacement was $2,200. Insurance covered it but my premium went up $30/month. So I'll pay it back in 5 years. Cool.

Whoever designed highway interchanges in Texas clearly wanted to see if humans could navigate 5 lanes merging simultaneously at 70mph. The answer is no.

Big Bend is 100% worth it but you need at least 3-4 days. The drive is brutal but once you're there it feels like another planet. Camp at the Chisos Basin if you can get a spot.

Apartment dwellers are still screwed though. No home charging means relying on public chargers which are slower, more expensive, and sometimes broken. Until apartments have chargers, EVs are a homeowner thing.

The friendliness is real. People wave at strangers, hold doors, and make small talk in checkout lines. Moved from the northeast and this took months to get used to.

The best part is when they finish one section and it's beautiful for about 6 months before the potholes come back because they used the cheapest materials possible.

Toyota Tacoma, Tundra, 4Runner, and Prius are the most targeted. Higher ground clearance = easier access, and Toyota cats have more precious metals. If you own one of these, you're a target.

My concern is long road trips. I drive to other parts of the state regularly and charging adds 30-45 minutes to the trip. Not a dealbreaker but it's not nothing.

The $300/month savings is real. My coworker and I compared over 6 months. Her EV costs about $60/month in electricity vs my $340 in gas for similar driving.