Or maybe Hanlon's razor applies instead: Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.
How many times do you see people circling the parking when 20 feet away is a spot to park?
But I don't care, this story is B.S., the guy totally was trying report on his agenda and not the facts.
I read that as "drove in circles for over half a mile." I.e., not really enough to make it conk out.
There are other things in Musk's post that make me worry about Broder's reporting, but not this.
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2013/02/elon-musk-new-y...
We'll just have to wait for this "detailed rebuttal" for more information. This is extremely entertaining.