The Car Thread ... !

[0388631]

Rav4? I'd think in stop and go traffic, comfort would be more important. Obviously the best choice would be a RS6 Avant, except that's just me talking and they'll never bring it over here. Apart from JLR and Merc, the Macan is your best best. It'll, however, nickel and dime you if you option it out with what you want. The problem with Merc is they take their sweet time updating their cars across the range.

Has the Velar grown on you? Or the current Disco? If you're not concerned about it being a luxury SUV, you could get the Mazda CX-9 in the highest trim available. I think that would be the perfect vehicle to provide much needed room, good looks, not as supple ride, however, you will save money.

I just did a CX-9 Signature build and ticked all the options. It comes out to about $37K MSRP, excluding other fees. If you're not concerned about power or spending extra on luxury features that don't tickle your fancy because they feel dated, then the CX-9 is the vehicle you should look at. You'll save a little over $14,000 compared to most of the other cars. And it's a full size SUV. You could go with Toyota or Honda, presuming you can still get a Pilot with a normal six speed transmission and not the ZF cluster**** or the CVT. The new Highlander's nice. Quiet, comfortable ride. I did have a chuckle at it borrowing certain Lexus elements.

You'll get better resale and reliability with Honda or Toyota, but the CX-9 Signature offers amenities that the other two don't offer. Frankly, it's glaringly obvious Mazda lifted their new interiors in their CX-9 and Mazda 3, 6 straight from Audi, and did a decent job at it.

 

[D.T.]

Agreed. It's an atrocious term.

Not to mention, it's already in more common use for brakes.

I'm not a fan of the term "banger" either. Interestingly you only hear of 4 bangers, not 5, 6, or 8.

Yeah, I've seen this discussion before. Some people suggest it originally derived from old I4s, particularly the really poorly balanced/tuned and typically un-mufflered use in tractors, resulted in a lot of BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG.

 

[T Coma]

Not to mention, it's already in more common use for brakes.



Yeah, I've seen this discussion before. Some people suggest it originally derived from old I4s, particularly the really poorly balanced/tuned and typically un-mufflered use in tractors, resulted in a lot of BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG.

That may be, but I don't know about that "poorly balanced/tuned" bit. Old school farmers are generally some of the best mechanics around, especially considering the slogging, brutal work they demand of their equipment. I used to brag about tuning up my fancy turbo engines and whatnot until I had a farmer friend show me what actual engine work is. Changed my perspective a bit! Of course, don't forget those workhorse 4 (and 2) cylinder engines can run at awfully low RPMs, hence the "banging."

 

[Huntn]

I recently switched to synthetic oil for my last oil change, mentioned a few posts ago in my Fiat 500. I was thinking, great I'm using one less petroleum product- duh, lol.

Both types of engine oil are made from crude oil that comes from the ground. The difference is that synthetic motor oils are made from more advanced refining processes and are of a higher purity and quality than conventional mineral oils or semi-synthetic oils.

Synthetic oil vs. conventional oil. ... This process not only removes more impurities from the crude oil but also enables individual molecules in the oil to be tailored to the demands of modern engines. These customized molecules provide higher levels of protection and performance than conventional oils.

(link, link2)

 

[A.Goldberg]

Rav4? I'd think in stop and go traffic, comfort would be more important. Obviously the best choice would be a RS6 Avant, except that's just me talking and they'll never bring it over here. Apart from JLR and Merc, the Macan is your best best. It'll, however, nickel and dime you if you option it out with what you want. The problem with Merc is they take their sweet time updating their cars across the range.

Has the Velar grown on you? Or the current Disco? If you're not concerned about it being a luxury SUV, you could get the Mazda CX-9 in the highest trim available. I think that would be the perfect vehicle to provide much needed room, good looks, not as supple ride, however, you will save money.

I just did a CX-9 Signature build and ticked all the options. It comes out to about $37K MSRP, excluding other fees. If you're not concerned about power or spending extra on luxury features that don't tickle your fancy because they feel dated, then the CX-9 is the vehicle you should look at. You'll save a little over $14,000 compared to most of the other cars. And it's a full size SUV. You could go with Toyota or Honda, presuming you can still get a Pilot with a normal six speed transmission and not the ZF cluster**** or the CVT. The new Highlander's nice. Quiet, comfortable ride. I did have a chuckle at it borrowing certain Lexus elements.

You'll get better resale and reliability with Honda or Toyota, but the CX-9 Signature offers amenities that the other two don't offer. Frankly, it's glaringly obvious Mazda lifted their new interiors in their CX-9 and Mazda 3, 6 straight from Audi, and did a decent job at it.

Pass on a Mazda CX-9, Pilot, etc. I want something a little more engaging to drive, not a family hauler. All I was saying was that I don't think I need to buy an AMG/S/M level trimmed car with 400hp. I didn't realize there was nothing between a Honda Pilot and GLC43 AMG

I do like the new Disco5 but it's massive, which displeases me greatly. It's about a foot longer than the LR4. I don't think it would fit too nicely in my current garage. I'm not a big fan of the Velar. Seems like it's everything a Range Rover is not, second to the Evoke. Price wise I think it makes more sense to buy a Range Rover Sport. I wouldn't want to make my dad jealous though. I'm not a big fan of the new RR interiors- though the velar does have a cool looking hvac control thing. They also used to be fairly unique vehicles, now everyone and their mom owns one.

Another thing about the F-Pace and JLR lineup are the reliance on touch screens (and now buttons on the velar). I loathe touch screens, especially in cars where you're bouncing around and don't exactly have a tactile sense. Haptic feedback helps but doesn't solve the issue of feeling a button in the first place. I think it's because I swim a lot (1hr+ in the pool 4-5 days a week) the chorine dries out my skin including fingertips, lowering their capacitance. That's why I prefer systems like iDrive, MMI, COMAND, etc. I almost bought the Blackberry Priv when it came out because it has a QWERTY keyboard.

Yeah, I've seen this discussion before. Some people suggest it originally derived from old I4s, particularly the really poorly balanced/tuned and typically un-mufflered use in tractors, resulted in a lot of BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG.

CHITTY BANG BANG CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG

CHITTY BANG BANG CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG

Near, Far in our motored car
Oh what a happy time we'll spend
BANG BANG CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG
Our fine four fendered friend!
-----

...And to believe Mr. Coggins was going to throw him into the fiery furnace.

(In all reality Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a supremely creepy movie)

 

[D.T.]

So this is fun: new part number, suggesting a new source, but resulting in a fantastic new price, for the GT350 intake manifold. Now talking about $650-ish delivered, and it's been shown that the GT350 TB doesn't add much power (and is actually a little trickier to tune), so the only other part needed is a $40-50 TB adapter (to run the stock TB).

That part plus the appropriate tune, opens up a good 40HP, mostly up top, over 5K, but pulling strong through 7600-8000 RPM where the stock IM would fall on its face. That extra RPM range is really effective for Perf Pack cars with 3.73 gears. Very cool, making a stout NA setup of just "bolt-ons" is getting +cheap+

 

[0388631]

Back to the drawing board with Goldy.

(In all reality Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a supremely creepy movie)

And absolutely brilliant and witty.

 

[A.Goldberg]

Back to the drawing board with Goldy.


And absolutely brilliant and witty.

Welcome to my world of anxious indecision. Believe me, I can tell anyone else what to do, but when it comes to myself all bets are off.

 

[JMacHack]

Craftsmen was good back in the day when their stuff was US made. Personal tools wise, I have a mix of SnapOn and Mac. I tend to stick with robust brands.

I have a set of my grandpa's old "Made in USA" Craftsmans, they're just about as tough as new Snap-Ons and cost a lot less too.

Craftsman went to **** as soon as everything started being Chinese-made.

 

[0388631]

Welcome to my world of anxious indecision. Believe me, I can tell anyone else what to do, but when it comes to myself all bets are off.

Isn't that true for everyone?

I have a set of my grandpa's old "Made in USA" Craftsmans, they're just about as tough as new Snap-Ons and cost a lot less too.

Craftsman went to **** as soon as everything started being Chinese-made.

I have some. I've bought pro tools from liquidation/BK sales for cheap. A lot of them were new, never having been used. I think this avenue will go away once a lot of the indie shops close down due to cars becoming more and more advanced. Allens suck regardless of who you've bought them from. Even from companies that specialize in allens/hex and use the very best steel.

Hex screws were common not just in vehicles but a lot of stuff in the 80s and early 90s. The market moved on to traditional screws but they're back now, mostly in appliances. Torx has become the mainstay in cars now. They aren't easy to break, but if you're not careful, you can strip the bolt head and screw up your tool.

Who wants simplicity?

 

[macquariumguy]

I feel like 'pot' needs to be placed on a car terminology embargo ...

It's a term that's older than any of us.

 

[0388631]

GL is getting new airbags. Need to drop it off in two weeks. The other car is due later.

 

[quagmire]

Washed and waxed the Camaro again. 245 miles on her and ready for her 2nd tank of gas( I always refill at 1/4 of a tank).

And bought and installed the front rock guards.

Did buy the rear ones too, but that will require the removal of the rear wheels to get room to install them plus they sent me the 5th gen version. Need to get that sorted.

 

[0388631]

Someone get the smoke signals ready. Goldy has made a choice.

 

[A.Goldberg]

Someone get the smoke signals ready. Goldy has made a choice.

Woah, woah, woah. There is still time for me to change my mind.

 

[0388631]

I hope AU smacks you upside the head. On the other hand, does this mean a GLC63 might be in your future?

 

[2298754]

I hope AU smacks you upside the head. On the other hand, does this mean a GLC63 might be in your future?

The front grille of the GLC63 is quite ugly IMO

 

[A.Goldberg]

I hope AU smacks you upside the head. On the other hand, does this mean a GLC63 might be in your future?

During our sit down last week I think at one point was about to smack me on the head out of frustration. But he kindly refrained.

 

[0388631]

I don't really blame you. Or him for that matter. Even I would be tempted. Though, it's certainly understandable why you would be overly critical. If you finance, you're stuck with the car until you pay it off or sell it or trade it in, or if you lease it, you're stuck with it for 2-3 years. There is something I'd like clarification on. What is the difference between the F-Pace S you plan on getting and the First Edition?

The front grille of the GLC63 is quite ugly IMO

It's from the AMG GT, isn't it? I agree, but if you can get over that or find an aftermarket kit for it, it's still a worthwhile car. Personally, I'm keen on seeing the upcoming M5 in person.

 

[H2SO4]

I wish I had the time and money to sink into my love of cars.

It's probably for the best though, considering what I inexplicably want at the moment is this:

5.0 litre v10 TDI with monstrous amounts of torque and god-awful MPG.

Reasonably cheap and they come well equipped. It just seems ridiculously unnecessary. Also that face with its dopey look of self assurance is kind of charming

Allegedly quite expensive to maintain/repair though because the entire engine needs to be removed for some fairly routine things.

Really don't think it’s that big of a deal, whenever I see that I always think of this;

If it was going uphill, then I’d be impressed.

 

[Huntn]

I wish I had the time and money to sink into my love of cars.

It's probably for the best though, considering what I inexplicably want at the moment is this:

5.0 litre v10 TDI with monstrous amounts of torque and god-awful MPG.

Reasonably cheap and they come well equipped. It just seems ridiculously unnecessary. Also that face with its dopey look of self assurance is kind of charming

Allegedly quite expensive to maintain/repair though because the entire engine needs to be removed for some fairly routine things.

The entire engine? I have a hard time believing such a vehicle would be designed.
If the fuel to run a monstrosity gas guzzler was abundant and cheap, say fantasy fusion , I could see buying something big like:

​

There was a time when it seemed most Americans liked big, tall gas guzzlers, when gas was cheap. I was one of them driving a full size 92 Chevy Truck. I learned over the years that King cabs and 4wd kills gas mileage. My favorite truck was the (small) 1981 Toyota, before Tundras, when trucks were relatively inexpensicve utility vehicles, before they were turned into expensive luxury vehicles by the manufacturers.

As is, I could still see buying a 13 mpg guzzler as a utility vehicle if it offered needed work capabilities. Otherwise, what a horrendous waste of money to run it.

 

[lowendlinux]

The entire engine? I have a hard time believing such a vehicle would be designed.

If the fuel to run a monstrosity gas guzzler was abundant and cheap, say fantasy fusion , I could see buying something big like:
​

There was a time when it seemed most Americans liked big, tall gas guzzlers, when gas was cheap. I was one of them driving a full size 92 Chevy Truck. I learned over the years that King cabs and 4wd kills gas mileage. My favorite truck was the (small) 1981 Toyota, before Tundras, when trucks were relatively inexpensicve utility vehicles, before they were turned into expensive luxury vehicles by the manufacturers.

As is, I could still see buying a 13 mpg guzzler as a utility vehicle if it offered needed work capabilities. Otherwise, what a horrendous waste of money to run it.

shhhh don't tell my wife that my 13 MPG gas guzzler is a waste of money, she knows it gets bad mileage but not that bad.
[doublepost=1493644284][/doublepost]

I've never heard particularly good things about G-Class reliability... maybe I'm conflating repair costs. I suppose considering they don't have things like air suspensions, adaptive suspensions, super technical mumbo jumbo there is a lot less to go wrong. I just wish they weren't so blingy with all the chrome work and that if the interior is going to be so luxury oriented that it wasn't so dated. For the money they charge that post-card sized infotainment LCD is a little disappointing.

My daily driving doesn't really enable me to go over 40mph. It's all stop and go, traffic infested main roads and residential back roads with stop signs every 300 yards. It's basically a 6 mile trip that generally takes 45min Like I said earlier, I don't need a rocket ship.

My significant other has an S60 T6 AWD. Is it the most dynamic sedan on the road? Certainly not, especially now considering how dated the S60 is versus the completion. It's not a bad ride though, 0-60 in sub 6 seconds and as recall not far behind the old 335i. Handling isn't quite Audi or BMW level dynamics, but it's not your mothers old Volvo refrigerator. It is faster however than my Mom's Allroad... it's too bad Audi is so limiting with their 4-series engines. Basically you're stuck with the 2.0T unless you shell out for an S (which obviously isn't an option on the Allroad). I've said this 1000 times before, but Audi really needs to bring the A6 Allroad to the states.

At the time I had hoped my GF buy an SUV, but that didn't happen. I don't expect her to be in the car buying market in the foreseeable future. She only drives about 5,000mi/year. We would like an SUV in our fleet though. As it stands unfortunately our parking is limited with only two tandem parking spaces in a garage. Overnight street parking is banned here, so a third car means finding another space to rent, which can be difficult to find in the right place dand expensive, especially if you want a garaged space. All the more reason to buy a house over a apartment/condo/townhouse.

I'm not a fan of the term "banger" either. Interestingly you only hear of 4 bangers, not 5, 6, or 8.

I 4 wheel with a German buddy who has a G-Wagen and in the 5 years I've known him his truck has only been in the shop once.

 

[Huntn]

I saw one of these parked at a liquor store the other day and did a double take:

BMW i8 $150k
​

Nice looking vehicle although not a convertible.

 

[Apple fanboy]

I saw one of these parked at a liquor store the other day and did a double take:

BMW i8 $150k
​

Nice looking vehicle although not a convertible.

I could live with it!

 

[T Coma]

My wife drives about 2-4 miles a week! Give it another 25 years and she'll be a little old lady!

Oi! But what does she drive? Hopefully something that will be a collectible after those 25 years.