Automotive in Kansas City

Luxury Limousine Service's professional drivers escort groups of travelers to their destinations in a fleet of luxury vehicles. Lincoln Town Cars and SUVs offer a low-key mode of transportation to airports and classy events, and decked out limos add the extra elegance of TVs, AM/FM stereos, and dimmer-controlled mood lights, a prime amenity for setting the evening's tone or finding the bride's earrings in the ice cooler. Luxury Limousine's oversize carriages come in a variety of sizes to accommodate any group, from 8 partiers to 30 marching-band mascots who escaped their cages. Luxury Limousine's rates vary depending on vehicle type and rental duration, so call ahead to ensure the best rate.

The trill of an air wrench. The falsetto song of a squeegee against glass. The sounds of a stock-car repair pit drift from JC's Speedy Lube, where crews work to focus that same level of efficiency on vehicles returning to the road. Along with expeditious oil changes, mechanics perform light mechanical work and employ Genisys scanners to diagnose future problems. Visitors wait for their steel steeds to return to them, passing the time in a waiting area with free WiFi, a flat-screen TV, and steaming cups of Keurig coffee. JC's Speedy Lube also collects an ever-changing stable of used cars, which wow prospective owners with low mileage numbers and past owners who never drove them very far back in time.

Brookside's shopping district is a pedestrian paradise teeming with eclectic shops and enticing restaurants touched with old-world charm. A vine-ripened splash of Taurino Salice Salentino from Berbiglia ($13.97/bottle), when combined with a set of Clean Undies tea lights from 5B & Co. Candlemakers ($8.50 for 10), makes for a romantic dinner and renders washing machines useless. The award-winning Avenues Bistro reels in diners with elegant eats such as the lobster ravioli speckled with succulent Maine lobster in a pool of sherry-laced tomato-cream sauce ($21). Picking up where time machines left off, The (New) Dime Store resurrects nostalgic nuggets such as Valomilk candy and Shrinky Dinks, and also traffics in functional housewares, hardware, and deeds to future properties on Neptune. Customers can also use their gift certificate toward services such as a private Pilates session at Pure Pilates ($65).

Handling more than just the swap-out of your car's oily core, the Jiffy Lube Signature Service oil change comes standard with a fresh-from-the-box filter; a checking and filling of transmission, differential, power-steering, and windshield-washer fluids; and a detailed inspection of the antifreeze and coolant reservoirs, engine air-filtration system, serpentine belts, wiper blades, and exterior lights.

Spot Not keeps cars dapper and scratch-free using an efficient cleansing system combined with a purified rinse for a flawless finish. The sudsy pageant commences with a Tire-Kleen treatment to dissolve the dust of the road before a double high-pressure wash sloughs remaining filth from soiled shells. A cleansing, de-mineralized rinse leaves the car to dry without streaking or spotting, and owners who enjoy pampering their perambulator pals can pay an additional $2 at time of service for the touch-free dryer treatment, which hastens evaporation and protects your ride from embarrassing postbath chassis chafing.

The star of Boss Services' fleet of party buses is a Ford mini-bus called The Boss. The aptly named party mobile is tricked out with tinted windows, lighting effects, and a top-of-the-line music system that can blast more than 400,000 songs. The vehicle's spacious cabin can seat 18 people. As riders sip drinks and carouse in the roomy bus, their driver chauffeurs them from bar to bar, stopping at as many hotspots in the Kansas City area as they desire, for a night of letting loose. Boss Services accommodates birthday soirées, bachelor and bachelorette parties, and all-inclusive tailgate sessions that include food and tickets along with round-trip transportation to Royals, Sporting KC, or Chiefs games and parking.