‘Shark Tank’ Star Mark Cuban Flies in Style on These Private Jets

by Gabrielle DeSantis

From humble beginnings to brag-worthy billions, Shark Tank investor Mark Cuban flies in style everywhere he goes. Like other wealthy celebrities, the billionaire entrepreneur has ultra-deep pockets to buy nearly anything he desires. And some of those desirable things are private jets.

How many aircraft does Cuban own, and what are they worth? Here’s everything we know.

How Mark Cuban made the money to afford private jets

Mark Cuban | Bryan Steffy/Getty Images for Lyft

After graduating from Indiana University with a business degree, Cuban moved to Dallas, where he came up with the idea of creating a computer consulting company he called MicroSolutions. In 1990, Cuban sold MicroSolutions to CompuServe for some $6 million, Wealthy Gorilla reported.

Cuban invested part of the proceeds of the MicroSolutions sale to found one of the first internet streaming services, Broadcast.com, in 1995. Four years later, Cuban and business partner Todd Wagner traded the company to Yahoo in exchange for several billions of dollars in stock. According to Mark Cuban Companies, the Yahoo barter was one of the biggest internet trades of all time.

Today, Cuban is one of the top 25 wealthiest people alive, with a net worth of almost $4 billion.

Mark Cuban’s impressive private jet collection

Unlike billionaires Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, who each own one private jet, Mark Cuban owns three luxury jets. He purchased the first, a Gulfstream G550, for $40 million after the Broadcast.com deal with Yahoo.

What makes the deal even more amazing is the fact that Cuban arranged the purchase via email and never saw the aircraft in person before he bought it, Simple Flying reported.

According to Cuban, the Gulfstream jet was one of the smartest investments he ever made. He called the purchase “brutally expensive” while noting to Men’s Journal that in the long run, the pricey jet saved him hours upon hours of time, which is the one asset nobody can own. The $40 million purchase also put Cuban’s name in the Guinness World Records for the largest single e-commerce transaction. The jaw-dropping record stands to this day.

A year after buying the Gulfstream, Cuban spent $36 million on a Boeing 757 so he could transport his basketball team, the Dallas Mavericks, anywhere they needed to go. Outfitted to accommodate players over seven feet tall, the spacious aircraft boasts a medical treatment room, a weight room, and excellent connectivity.

It is unclear how much Cuban paid for the third aircraft in his collection, but Simple Flying described it as a Boeing 767 wide-body that he bought to hire out to high-end charter companies. Never used for that purpose, the enormous aircraft spent several months grounded at Tampa International Airport. Currently, the plane is in storage at Marana Pinal Airpark in Arizona. By the time you read this, it may have been sold for parts.

How he became the successful entrepreneur he is today

Born on July 31, 1958, in Pittsburgh, Mark Cuban was the eldest of three brothers who grew up in the mostly Jewish middle-class suburb of Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania. His father, Norton, worked as an automobile upholsterer, and his mother, Shirley, was a stay-at-home mom.

At age 12, Cuban wanted a new pair of shoes. Noting that his current footwear was holding up well, Cuban’s dad told him he needed to earn his own cash for such an extravagance. So he invented his first job.

Cuban’s superb sense of salesmanship served him well. Instead of applying for a job flipping burgers, he started selling something he knew every family on his block needed. According to Capitalism.com, the young, shoe-hungry entrepreneur purchased packages of trash bags and resold them door-to-door for twice the price.

Cuban bought the sneakers he wanted. Then he went on to buy airplanes and plenty of other luxuries, too.

RELATED: ‘Shark Tank’ Billionaire Mark Cuban Set a Guinness World Record for Buying a $40 Million Jet Online

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Hey Chevy: Why Can’t We Have the 2022 Tornado Van in the US?

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Vanning is seeing a resurgence in interest. Whether from the #vanlife movement or just nostalgia, panel vans are seeing interest and prices rising. Chevy makes the perfect van for these types of transformations but there is a problem. Its new 2022 Tornado Van is not sold in the US. 

Why doesn’t Chevy sell the Tornado Van here?

2022 Chevy Tornado Van | GM

Chevy builds those huge, lumbering Express Vans. While they work well strictly for commercial applications, they don’t work or have the same appeal as Chevy’s previous generations of vans. But this all-new Tornado Van is the perfect incarnation of those hippie vans from the 1960s and 1970s. Why doesn’t Chevy sell them here? 

Right now, Chevy is getting ready to roll out the new Tornado Vans in Mexico. It has only been available in “emerging markets” according to GM Authority. That means countries that need a stripped-down, inexpensive van application. In South America, it has been sold as the N400 van. The N400, in turn, is a Wuling Hong Guang V van sold and manufactured in China. 

The Tornado isn’t as big as the 1970s vans, but it looks the part

Side view of2022 Chevy Tornado Van
2022 Chevy Tornado Van | GM

The only vehicle close to the Tornado that Chevy marketed before is the Chevy Montana. It is a small pickup truck like the Hyundai Santa Cruz. Chevy sees the Tornado Van as a low-cost, versatile vehicle that is agile in crowded town squares. It is not as large as those 1970s vans, but it looks the part.

The cargo area measures 82.7-inches by 57-inches wide with 50-inches top to bottom. The total volume is 115.8 cubic feet. It is rated at 1,433 lbs for hauling. Power is from a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine with 103 hp and 108 lb. ft of torque. It only comes with a five-speed manual transmission. 

“The 2022 Chevrolet Tornado Van is a great alternative for entrepreneurs and established businesses, whether they are small, medium, or large companies,” said Marketing Manager for Chevrolet at GM Mexico, Yammil Guaida, in a statement. “It’s a versatile, practical, and functional vehicle that combines a suitable value proposition to satisfy the needs of customers and become the best ally for their businesses.”

The Tornado’s base price is $13,930 which would appeal to many in the US

2022 Chevy Tornado Van interior
2022 Chevy Tornado Van | GM

For those ordering a Tornado Van in Mexico right now, GM is offering $1,000 off of the sticker price or 19,000 MXN. This is a pre-sale discount only. The base price is $13,930. That in itself would endear it to many vanners and businesses looking for an inexpensive alternative to $70,000 Silverados and GMC Sierras.

Even Chevy Express vans are twice that selling price. So it is puzzling that Chevy wouldn’t give the Tornado Van a try in the US. The closest thing it has is the City Express van. But it faded away after 2018 without a replacement. The City Express was just a rebadged Nissan NV200 which has been phased out of production this year. 

So the Tornado Van is a replacement for the hole left with the cancellation of Nissan’s NV200. It has more of the classic van proportions that did the NV200 and is being built in Mexico like the Nissan van. So, why not put it into the Chevy pipeline and give it a shot in the US?

RELATED: Most Complained About Cargo Vans

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Los Angeles has a … Peculiar approach to speed limits

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Once upon a time, I had quite a passion for law. I loved discovering weird little legal anecdotes, and this one might just be the piece de resistance of weird little legal anecdotes. Within the realm of car safety, speed limits are an oft-debated topic. Unfortunately, the great state of California has just muddled the issue even more. There’s going to be a lot of legalese involved in breaking down this one, so buckle up.

Speed limits are a hotly debated issue

Some argue that speed limits are too low for modern cars | Ben Hasty via Getty Images

Surely, if you’re reading this, you’ve had the speed limits debate before. I, in my infinite and child-like naivety, wrote a paper on why the whole world should operate on Germany’s Autobahn system– with de-restricted zones everywhere. In hindsight, probably not a great idea. However, California has a somewhat interesting stance on the issue and has for some time.

The topic of our discussion focuses on this strange section of California’s legal statutes. In it, it states that “in cases in which the speed limit needs to be rounded up to the nearest five miles per hour increment of the 85th-percentile speed limit,” the DOT may decide to proud down the speed limits in 5 MPH increments, but not any more than that. So, what does all that legal jibberish mean? Well, in typical legal fashion, it’s all in the fine print.

Califonia traffic law is a weird place to be

LA's skyline at sunset, photographed from the highway
Los Angeles at dusk | Patrick T. Fallon via Getty Images

Basically, Cali drivers control the legal limit. Albeit, in a very roundabout and bureaucratic way. More or less, speed limits are set so that only a few drivers instinctively go over them. For example, let’s say you’re driving down a side street, and see a 25 MPH sign after noticing you’re doing 35 MPH. Your body’s internal accelerometer, combined with your driving experience sort of set that speed for you. 35 feels right on that road, and California will abide by that if enough people do it.

It seems the goal here is to reduce the number of speeding tickets issued for minor traffic infractions such as speeding 5-10 MPH over the limit. This L.A. Times article points out that because of that law, the legal limit was raised on parts of Olympic and Overland boulevards. The issue, as the Times points out, is those speeds that drivers “instinctively” go are not always safe.

Should the U.S. consider another approach to speed limits?

A police officer writes a ticket for the violation of speed limits
Getting a speeding ticket is never fun | Jeff Gritchen via Getty Images

This leaves us at an odd place. Clearly, modern vehicles are miles faster than ones even 10 years ago, and drivers are noticing. Obviously, raising speed limits on residential city streets is not a good idea. Just because cars are faster does not mean humans are suddenly more resistant to accidents. However, there is clearly a reason I see nearly everyone doing 80 MPH on the highway where I live. In all likelihood, there’s a balance to be struck here, and let’s just hope it leads to safe streets and less traffic.

RELATED: Three Men Drove to Every State in the US, Setting a New Record

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Bring a Trailer Bargain of the Week: 2006 Acura RSX Type S

by Gabrielle DeSantis

While the 2021 TLX Type S is arguably a bit underwhelming, it is a welcome sign for Acura fans. Brand faithful have waited for Acura to re-focus on performance rather than simply luxury for some time now. That’s because of what the Japanese brand offered in the ‘90s and early 2000s, like the original NSX and the iconic Integra. And there’s another model from this era up for sale this week on Bring a Trailer: a 2006 Acura RSX Type S.

The DC5 Acura RSX Type S is the more luxurious successor to the Integra Type R

2006 Acura RSX Type S rear 3/4 | Acura

Most import fans are familiar with the Integra Type R. But while the ITR was only sold in the US from 1998-2001, the Integra wasn’t canceled. Instead, Acura updated it in 2002 and renamed it ‘RSX.’ And while the US didn’t get the Type R variants, we did get the next best thing: the RSX Type S.

Although not as well-known as ‘Type R,’ Acura’s ‘Type S’ moniker evolved from a similar focus on performance and handling. It’s just that while Type R cars are track-ready models, Type S models are about on-road fun, The Drive explains. So, while the Acura RSX Type S (or ‘Type-S’) isn’t as extreme as the Integra Type R, it’s easier to live with on a daily basis. And when it comes to sportiness, it’s not exactly slouching.

Like the base Acura RSX, the Type S has a VTEC-equipped 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine driving the front wheels. But instead of 160 hp and 141 lb-ft of torque, the engine makes 200 hp and 142 lb-ft of torque. And that’s in 2002-2004 cars. In 2005, intake, exhaust, cams, and catalytic converter tweaks bumped the output to 210 hp and 143 lb-ft of torque, Car and Driver reports.

Plus, rather than the base car’s five-speed automatic or manual, the RSX Type S has a six-speed manual with shorter gear ratios. As a result, later models go 0-60 mph in 6.2 seconds and out-run the Integra Type R in the ¼-mile.

Besides the engine upgrades, the Acura RSX Type S also has larger front brakes, double-wishbone suspension with firmer shocks and springs, and a larger sway bar. And in 2005 it got quicker steering, new dampers and springs, stiffer sway bars, a larger brake master cylinder, a lower ride height, and additional body reinforcement, CarBibles notes. The result is a coupe that still feels “nimble, agile, and easier to drive than most” of today’s compacts, Edmunds says.

There’s a 2006 model listed on Bring a Trailer

A gray 2006 Acura RSX Type S on a tree-lined road
2006 Acura RSX Type S | Bring a Trailer

Edmunds also notes that “even by 2021 standards,” the Acura RSX Type S’s interior “still feels upscale.” And while the 2006 example currently listed on Bring a Trailer doesn’t have all the latest tech, it’s still comfier than an ITR.

In terms of luxury features, this 2006 Acura RSX Type S comes with leather upholstery, automatic climate control, a seven-speaker Bose audio system with a six-disc CD changer, and a sunroof. It also has sport seats, four-wheel disc brakes, a factory rear spoiler, and a rear wiper. This particular car also has XXR alloy wheels and paint protection film in front.

The leather-upholstered interior of a 2006 Acura RSX Type S
2006 Acura RSX Type S interior | Bring a Trailer

Cosmetically, this 2006 Acura RSX Type S does have a few flaws. The front bumper has some scuffs and scratches while the paint is imperfect in several areas. But it has a zero-accident history and only 42,726 miles on the clock. The seller also notes that the oil was changed in 2020 and that the sale includes a car cover.

A well-maintained 2006 Acura RSX Type S is a reliable bargain that’s still fun to drive

As of this writing, this 2006 Acura RSX Type S is listed on Bring a Trailer for $8206 with three days left in the auction. Other examples have sold for at least 25% more on BaT, making this car a real bargain.

In terms of reliability, the later RSX Type S models tend to be the most solid, CarBibles says. But potential bidders should schedule a pre-purchase inspection, paying special attention to the timing chain and VTEC actuator. Also, Honda’s K-series engines naturally burn a bit of oil, though not an excessive amount. Other than that, though, these cars are easy to maintain and enjoy, especially if they’re stock.

In short, this 2006 RSX Type S has all the makings of a 2000s-era compact sports car bargain.

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RELATED: Seller Destroys a 1998 Acura Integra Type R Hours After Selling on Bring a Trailer for $51,000

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