The Car Thread ... !

[BrettApple]

This is the newest member of our family (car wise, as our actual new member is coming later this month).

We just bought it brand new in July and put it through it's paces all over Colorado in September. Took it through Ouray, Silverton, Telluride, and the like. Went up some Jeep trails that didn't require giant tiers and locking diffs and it did just fine hanging in there alongside some 4Runners and other trucks. I was pretty impressed at how well composed it is on and off road despite the rather anemic engine (2.0L N/A flat four for those who don't know). It climbed over some 11,000 ft+ passes at full speed no problem, just had to rev high to get there. The AWD system worked well on the trails and kept it moving over some rough rock and wheel lifting corners.

I already have a 2016 Tacoma that I've taken on some tougher trails and had a blast with, but we took this one this year to break her in and see how it compared. Milage was about 30MPG whereas the Tacoma can only manage around 14 most of the time on the highway due to getting stuck in 4th gear when going 70+ with any wind at all.

This is our first Subaru and I'm pretty happy with it so far, we shall see how it holds up in the long run as it's going to be our main family transporter from here on our, particularly with the baby. A Camaro and loud Tacoma aren't really ideal for that

 

[Cnasty]

Midsize sedan with a manual is definitely unique!

It really is and added a whole other element to the enjoyment of this vehicle as a family sedan.
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@Cnasty How is the ride quality on those 19" wheels?

It is a bit firmer but wow it hugs the road amazingly well for such a large vehicle. I drive a lot on back country roads and it’s fun as hell!

 

[A.Goldberg]

Went yesterday and ended up with...an Accord!

Got a 2018 that was still on the lot and got a fantastic chunk off the ticket since they rolled in a bunch of 2019s on the lot.
Got the exact configuration I liked:
1.5 turbo
Manual
Gunmetal steel gray
Sport trim

I test drive a Civic and while fun it was not practical for a family of 4 and also only saved about $100 per month on a payment for the trim I was looking at.

First time seeing the new Accords up close and personal on the test drive and WOW!

Interiors is so amazing and spacious, clean, and great look and feel for the price point.
New outside design is fantastic and Audi like with the fast back. Love the look.

Extremely happy and glad I was able to get an ‘18 at such a good deal.

Thanks everyone here for the feedback.

Nice. Looks and sounds (spec wise) great. I’m glad you went with the Accord- I think you’ll be happier in the long run. It’s cool to see manufactures are still putting manual transmissions in their cars. Congrats again.

 

[0388631]

Plus I think the Accord is cheaper insurance wise than the Civic since the latter is involved in more incidents.

 

[Cnasty]

Plus I think the Accord is cheaper insurance wise than the Civic since the latter is involved in more incidents.

That’s great to hear as well. The guy did mention something about Accords and Civics being one of the most stolen cars in the nation? Super!
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Nice. Looks and sounds (spec wise) great. I’m glad you went with the Accord- I think you’ll be happier in the long run. It’s cool to see manufactures are still putting manual transmissions in their cars. Congrats again.

Agreed! Sat in the Civic and while fun and a nice car that has improved recently, it would not be a good fit for our family in the long run space wise. Loved the hatchback look though and nice space for a Civic. But once u test drove the Accord, saw the interior and the massive amount of rear room the choice was made for me.

 

[Huntn]

Apologies if I already asked this, and forgot, but does anyone here buy their replacement tires online? How much can you save? If so any tips? I suppose a key element is to find someone locally who will mount the tires other than a tire store.

 

[bunnspecial]

Apologies if I already asked this, and forgot, but does anyone here buy their replacement tires online? How much can you save? If so any tips? I suppose a key element is to find someone locally who will mount the tires other than a tire store.

I have looked at it, but have never done it.

One of the chief issues I've run into is that the savings is often minimal if there is any by the time I pay someone to mount and balance them. At best, I've worked out $5-10 a tire(especially when considering the specials tire stores often run) and to me it's not worth it considering that if you buy any kind of warranty/insurance you can't just drop it off at the place where you bought the tires.

The only time I'd consider it now is if it were to buy something I can't source locally...and I'll also add that even that goes away when I consider that the tire shop I deal with can source through specialty suppliers like Coker so I can still get the advantage of having them warranty/insure the tire.

 

[44267547]

Apologies if I already asked this, and forgot, but does anyone here buy their replacement tires online? How much can you save? If so any tips? I suppose a key element is to find someone locally who will mount the tires other than a tire store.

I prefer Tire Rack for online shopping, very reputable online dealer. Huge resource for almost any brand/size you’re looking for. Free shipping (And surprisingly fast) to your home or choice of mechanic. As far as savings are concerned, it varies depending what you find for local discounts and what type of tire brand you have as a preference. If it’s a more expensive tire brand, you may not find much of a discount/or savings versus what you’re local sources would charge you. That said, if you do order online or are generally curious looking at inventory of which tire is suitable for your vehicle, Tire Rack is one of the best, with outstanding customer service to add.

 

[Huntn]

I prefer Tire Rack for online shopping, very reputable online dealer. Huge resource for almost any brand/size you’re looking for. Free shipping (And surprisingly fast) to your home or choice of mechanic. As far as savings are concerned, it varies depending what you find for local discounts and what type of tire brand you have as a preference. If it’s a more expensive tire brand, you may not find much of a discount/or savings versus what you’re local sources would charge you. That said, if you do order online or are generally curious looking at inventory of which tire is suitable for your vehicle, Tire Rack is one of the best, with outstanding customer service to add.

I'll check it out. Thanks!

 

[Apple fanboy]

Apologies if I already asked this, and forgot, but does anyone here buy their replacement tires online? How much can you save? If so any tips? I suppose a key element is to find someone locally who will mount the tires other than a tire store.

Obviously might not translate, but I ordered through a company called black circles. They give you the price then you select a booking slot at one of the many garages they work with.
Saved a few quid.

 

[0388631]

What I did for our third car when it needed new tires. Wasn't sure what to get and @D.T. gave me a recommendation and it was simple. I saved a few hundred, IIRC. On weekend mornings when I wake up and can't fall asleep, I go for a leisure drive at a decent enough pace.

This is so the battery doesn't go flat and that the tires get used instead of being new shoes for the car that never get used and crack.

 

[44267547]

Ahead of Detroit A.S. next week:

Not sure how I feel about the 2020 Explorer
Refresh, primarily from the front. I think it’s the mesh grill. Although now that it shares the Lincoln Avaitor platform, offered with Rear-wheel being an option, aside from the already AWD.

Engine specs thus far:

Base engine~2.3l Eco/300HP/300TQ.

Optional~3.0 T.T./365 HP/380TQ.

Previous design from the front I found
More ‘complete’ looking personally.

 

[0388631]

I like the new one. Though looks like the windows are smaller on the new one, probably due to law. The car would look better without all that useless black plastic around the wheel wells. Let's be real, 99% of those vehicles are grocery getters.

The car also looks less like a Land Rover than the old one when viewed from a distance.

 

[A.Goldberg]

I like the new one. Though looks like the windows are smaller on the new one, probably due to law. The car would look better without all that useless black plastic around the wheel wells. Let's be real, 99% of those vehicles are grocery getters.

The car also looks less like a Land Rover than the old one when viewed from a distance.

The Explorer and Discovery 5 have always had a strange resemblance. I feel like Land Rover could have done a better job differentiating themselves. The trunk of the new Explorer reminds me of a 4Runner.

I think the new Explorer looks a lot better than the outgoing model. I presume by switching to a RWD platform they can save some space up front and not have all that excess cladding forward of the front axel. It makes for a much more balanced and athletic aesthetic.

 

[0388631]

Any thoughts on the Supra?

The Explorer and Discovery 5 have always had a strange resemblance. I feel like Land Rover could have done a better job differentiating themselves. The trunk of the new Explorer reminds me of a 4Runner.

I think the new Explorer looks a lot better than the outgoing model. I presume by switching to a RWD platform they can save some space up front and not have all that excess cladding forward of the front axle. It makes for a much more balanced and athletic aesthetic.

I always saw it the other way around. Ford needing to differentiate themselves and not copy, but I may have the timeline of who designed what first wrong in my head. I'm awfully curious about the take rate of the Escape. I've seen so few of them here because other SUVs or even up-market ones are popular. I can't imagine them being anymore popular in your neck of the woods either. Given there's better vehicles for the same or nearly the same price.


Edit: And unless I'm wrong, it looks like the new Explorer has some radar hidden in its lower grill in the middle?

 

[sunapple]

The Explorer and Discovery 5 have always had a strange resemblance. I feel like Land Rover could have done a better job differentiating themselves. [...]

I've never had any issues with that; we don't have those Fords over here

I'm biased towards Land Rover, but Ford did own LR a few years ago so who knows what came from where.

 

[44267547]

The Shelby GT500 clearly is hyping all the media for NAIAS, followed by the ‘overpriced’ Supra, which certainly stands out.

But one of the most interesting (And oddly named) rides to compete, was Kia with the new...Telluride....:

It looks like a combination of a Tahoe and XC90. No pricing available.

 

[0388631]

Honestly.... I thought it was a new Cadillac. It's got a little too much bling to be a wannabe Tahoe.

 

[AustinIllini]

Cadillac sucks now.

 

[A.Goldberg]

Any thoughts on the Supra?




I always saw it the other way around. Ford needing to differentiate themselves and not copy, but I may have the timeline of who designed what first wrong in my head. I'm awfully curious about the take rate of the Escape. I've seen so few of them here because other SUVs or even up-market ones are popular. I can't imagine them being anymore popular in your neck of the woods either. Given there's better vehicles for the same or nearly the same price.


Edit: And unless I'm wrong, it looks like the new Explorer has some radar hidden in its lower grill in the middle?

The Explorer came out well before the Disco 5. That said the Explorer-look seems to becoming more common.

I've never had any issues with that; we don't have those Fords over here

I'm biased towards Land Rover, but Ford did own LR a few years ago so who knows what came from where.

You’re lucky . Something like more than half the police cars in the US are Ford Explorers... which really diliutes the look for Land Rover IMO.

Tata bought JLR from Ford in 2008, likely well before the Disco 5’s development.

 

[sunapple]

The Explorer came out well before the Disco 5. That said the Explorer-look seems to becoming more common.


You’re lucky . Something like more than half the police cars in the US are Ford Explorers... which really diliutes the look for Land Rover IMO.

Tata bought JLR from Ford in 2008, likely well before the Disco 5’s development.

I don’t think JLR’s design language has changed that much in the last decade+, but then again, no idea what year the Explorer is from and what they used to look like

 

[A.Goldberg]

I don’t think JLR’s design language has changed that much in the last decade+, but then again, no idea what year the Explorer is from and what they used to look like

The Discovery 5 was released in 2017. The LR4/Discovery 4 didn’t really follow the same look. The Explorer came out around 2011. I suppose you can argue the Disco is loosely based off the Range Rover Evoke styling which dates back to 2011/2012.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I’ve been driving a 2018 BMW 5 Series in recent weeks (bosses car) and cant say I like it as much as the 2012 version I owned. It doesn’t quite feel as nice to drive in my opinion and I won’t be rushing out to buy one any time soon lol.

Lovely interior however.

 

[0388631]

I test drove the new 5. I liked it, but it wasn't anything like older 5 series, primarily before they got nannied up.

 

[AustinIllini]

I don't like the Supra, honestly. The shape is super weird compared to the concept car.