The Car Thread ... !

[AlaskaMoose]

you really got to get out of Alaska more
Come to CA, I don't need to make assumptions when almost every household has more than 2 cars and people drive their full-size trucks on 50 mile 1-way commutes 5 days/week, single person ...

No difference in Alaska, except that long distance driving is the norm. Also, roads where you may not see anybody sometimes for hours at a time, just moose, caribou, and other animals. I have lived in Sacramento (left on a military move back in 1983 or so). Also lived in NYC, Hartford, and a few places overseas, including, Korea, Germany, and Spain. CA is a wide-open State where you may have very tall buildings in the inner cities, but also lots of neighborhoods with houses, apartment buildings, and so on, not far from the city center. The problem with having trucks in NYC is that if you don't have a garage, or a private/fenced/guarded parking lot to park your truck, you have to park on the streets. Do you know what happens to any truck parked in the street if you don't have a lockable topper over the bed? The bed becomes a dumpster-full of beer and soda cans, fast food wrappers, and so on...unless you live in some of the Italian neighborhoods. Some of these can be nice and quiet, even at night. I wonder why?

 

[AlaskaMoose]

So that’s why SUV’s are so popular over there. Can’t stand the things.

"SUVs" could be just about any car. Even some of the Subaru sardine-can automobiles are called SUV's. Volvo, Mercedes, and jut about any automobile manufacturer produce SUVs of all kinds of forms and shapes. 😀

Both the Mini Cooper, and Mazda SUV's are cute. Not that I have any use for any of these, however:

The 15 Smallest SUVs Currently on Sale

Looking for a small SUV or crossover? Look no further. We ran the numbers to find the smallest SUVs and crossovers so you don't have to.

www.motortrend.com

 

[macsixtyforty]

It's amazing seeing racks and racks of Range Rovers near the motorway services. They seem to make an awful lot of these.

 

[Chuckeee]

Do you know what happens to any truck parked in the street if you don't have a lockable topper over the bed? The bed becomes a dumpster-full of beer and soda cans, fast food wrappers, and so on..

It is not just pickups, I have a Miata and I cannot leave it out for 5 minutes with top down without some jerks thinking that means the car is an open trashcan.

 

[AlaskaMoose]

It is not just pickups, I have a Miata and I cannot leave it out for 5 minutes with top down without some jerks thinking that means the car is an open trashcan.

I forgot about convertible cars like yours! I lot of people nowadays, specially in the cities and crowded places, don't care about anything but their own property. I am glad that I left the Big Apple and other cities years ago. We have some thieves and "crackheads" in some areas, of course, but I have never had anybody messing around my neighborhood. It's relatively safe over here, and the people are quite friendly and helpful to anybody, even if they don't know you.

 

[Flamingdeathbolts]

almost every household has more than 2 cars and people drive their full-size trucks on 50 mile 1-way commutes 5 days/week, single person ...

It’s fascinating how the vehicle ownership culture has shifted. In the 2000s living in the suburbs every house had a beater truck, ours was a 86 yota, to use for getting lumber, trash hauling, or whatever and then had a fuel efficient sedan to go to work. Now the “truck” has become all in one.

 

[JT2002TJ]

It’s fascinating how the vehicle ownership culture has shifted. I remember in the 2000s living in the suburbs every house had a beater truck, ours was a 86 yota, to use for getting lumber, trash hauling, or whatever and then had a fuel efficient sedan to go to work. Now the “truck” has become all in one.

Costs associated with multiple vehicles have significantly increased. Insurance, maintenance, it’s just cheaper now to have one Swiss Army knife vehicle…

We went from a 3 vehicle household (my wife and I) to a 2 EV household a year ago.

 

[Herdfan]

It's amazing seeing racks and racks of Range Rovers near the motorway services. They seem to make an awful lot of these.

Can you translate this into American?

 

[cyb3rdud3]

A new to me, eco friendly car 🤣 You either love it or hate it, but iykyk

More buttons than a Tesla most definitely.

 

[YoitsTmac]

A new to me, eco friendly car You either love it or hate it, but iykyk

View attachment 2374597

More buttons than a Tesla most definitely.

View attachment 2374598

First gen pano. You gotta tell us roughly what this went for. Cool pickup! It’s okay, you spend most of your time inside it

 

[cyb3rdud3]

First gen pano. You gotta tell us roughly what this went for. Cool pickup! It’s okay, you spend most of your time inside it

Cars are expensive in the Netherlands unfortunately. This is a 2014 970.2. As specified new it was €165,870 in Germany. So basically every option on the list bar the burmester sound system. It was imported to the Netherlands in 2017. I bought it for €27K.

 

[AlaskaMoose]

Costs associated with multiple vehicles have significantly increased. Insurance, maintenance, it’s just cheaper now to have one Swiss Army knife vehicle…

We went from a 3 vehicle household (my wife and I) to a 2 EV household a year ago.

Every product and service costs more along the cost of living. Cars are more expensive, and so housing, medical care, the mechanic, the plumber, and so on. However, at the same time all of these things happen around us, our wages or earnings also increase as we get older, and if you have a good driving record the cost of home and automobile insurance does not spike up very much. What will always hurt you is spending more than what you earn, specially while you are working for a living.

A new to me, eco friendly car 🤣 You either love it or hate it, but iykyk

View attachment 2374597

That's a very good-looking car!

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Don't trucks get an exemption here. I don't think trucks get the gas guzzler tax; I think it is only passenger cars.

It’s funny that we get taxed through the nose for our polluting cars in a tiny country accounting for a fraction of the environmental damage, yet other countries promote it. It’s no wonder drivers here are pushing back on electric cars. Frustrating but still cheaper to buy cars in the UK than most countries due to us being right hand drive, so there’s pros and cons.

 

[JT2002TJ]

It’s funny that we get taxed through the nose for our polluting cars in a tiny country accounting for a fraction of the environmental damage, yet other countries promote it. It’s no wonder drivers here are pushing back on electric cars. Frustrating but still cheaper to buy cars in the UK than most countries due to us being right hand drive, so there’s pros and cons.

Majority of Americans work for small businesses, many of which are contractors, or other blue collar jobs. Trucks/SUVs are a part of being able to work. Add to that, that we have a LOT more spread out land; vehicles are much more a part of American life. Outside of big cities, American kids have to have a car, and typically get one as soon as they are of the local driving age (some places are as young as 15) so they can do part time jobs, get to and from school, and after school activities.

We also have a lot of farms as soon as you leave a big city, even in places one would never believe. An example of this is New Jersey (the most densely populated state), if you drive 40 minutes west of the major highway (I95 also known as the NJ Turnpike that runs along the East Coast of the state) most of that land is farms.

While I am a huge fan of EVs being an all EV household. Taxing trucks puts an unnecessary burden on the average American family, without providing a viable alternative.

Right now EV pickups are $90k+, and we have much stricter towing/cargo regulations here (our tow ratings are MUCH lower). But things are changing, for example Ford has the Ecoboost engine, which is a 3Lish twin turbo engine that produces the power of the bigger 5L+ V8’s. So we are driving the needle towards smaller more efficient engines.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Majority of Americans work for small businesses, many of which are contractors, or other blue collar jobs. Trucks/SUVs are a part of being able to work. Add to that, that we have a LOT more spread out land; vehicles are much more a part of American life. Outside of big cities, American kids have to have a car, and typically get one as soon as they are of the local driving age (some places are as young as 15) so they can do part time jobs, get to and from school, and after school activities.

We also have a lot of farms as soon as you leave a big city, even in places one would never believe. An example of this is New Jersey (the most densely populated state), if you drive 40 minutes west of the major highway (I95 also known as the NJ Turnpike that runs along the East Coast of the state) most of that land is farms.

While I am a huge fan of EVs being an all EV household. Taxing trucks puts an unnecessary burden on the average American family, without providing a viable alternative.

Right now EV pickups are $90k+, and we have much stricter towing/cargo regulations here (our tow ratings are MUCH lower). But things are changing, for example Ford has the Ecoboost engine, which is a 3Lish twin turbo engine that produces the power of the bigger 5L+ V8’s. So we are driving the needle towards smaller more efficient engines.

Most of the older cars that are not ULEZ compliant and in the higher polluting category are owned by working people here too and at the lower end of the pay scale. It doesn’t stop measures coming in to make it unaffordable to drive though.

 

[Herdfan]

Right now EV pickups are $90k+, and we have much stricter towing/cargo regulations here (our tow ratings are MUCH lower). But things are changing, for example Ford has the Ecoboost engine, which is a 3Lish twin turbo engine that produces the power of the bigger 5L+ V8’s. So we are driving the needle towards smaller more efficient engines.

It is hit or miss with the Ecoboost.

I had one in my 2013 F-150 (I'll admit I got sucked into the hype) and the mileage I got absolutely sucked. But here is the kicker, when I was looking I test drove an almost identical truck on a loop from the dealer up the Interstate 5 miles and then back down a 2 lane to the dealer. I reset the mileage before I left and got around 17+.

A few days later my truck shows up and I went about my business but my mileage was 12-13. So I went and redid the same loop and got 13+, not the 17+ from the other truck. They should not be that different.

Maybe the newer 10 speed transmissions have helped, but I get better mileage in my 6.7L Super Duty than I got from that Eco. But it did have plenty of power.

 

[daneoni]

Most of the older cars that are not ULEZ compliant and in the higher polluting category are owned by working people here too and at the lower end of the pay scale. It doesn’t stop measures coming in to make it unaffordable to drive though.

Genuine war on motorists. Especially in London.
20mph zones everywhere
Cycle lanes
ULEZ charge
Congestion Charge
Increasing road tax every year. Now including EVs
Insurance premiums through the roof...especially if you own a JLR product.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

Genuine war on motorists. Especially in London.
20mph zones everywhere
Cycle lanes
ULEZ charge
Congestion Charge
Increasing road tax every year. Now including EVs
Insurance premiums through the roof...especially if you own a JLR product.

All true but I don’t see it as a war. London was horrible. My window sills used to be black, really black. My old 5.0V Supercharged Range Rover is ULEZ compliant. I love cycling, but then again I’m Dutch. My daughter also had a Range Rover. So two JLR product and also an EV. Yet I don’t see it like a war at all. My lungs really like it.

 

[AlaskaMoose]

Majority of Americans work for small businesses, many of which are contractors, or other blue collar jobs. Trucks/SUVs are a part of being able to work. Add to that, that we have a LOT more spread out land; vehicles are much more a part of American life. Outside of big cities, American kids have to have a car, and typically get one as soon as they are of the local driving age (some places are as young as 15) so they can do part time jobs, get to and from school, and after school activities.

We also have a lot of farms as soon as you leave a big city, even in places one would never believe. An example of this is New Jersey (the most densely populated state), if you drive 40 minutes west of the major highway (I95 also known as the NJ Turnpike that runs along the East Coast of the state) most of that land is farms.

While I am a huge fan of EVs being an all EV household. Taxing trucks puts an unnecessary burden on the average American family, without providing a viable alternative.

Right now EV pickups are $90k+, and we have much stricter towing/cargo regulations here (our tow ratings are MUCH lower). But things are changing, for example Ford has the Ecoboost engine, which is a 3Lish twin turbo engine that produces the power of the bigger 5L+ V8’s. So we are driving the needle towards smaller more efficient engines.

There is something else about "taxing trucks," as follows: the trucks that produce the greatest amount of emissions are those with the larger engines in the commercial sector, including the ones on the transportation and construction industries. These include heavy equipment, buses, vans, city/state vehicle fleets, and so on. There is quite a long engine idling times. But the most important thing to take into consideration is that the transportation/trucking industries are heavily taxed, and also that "further taxing" truck owners in the private sector puts a greater financial strain at the family level (I agree with you).

 

[JT2002TJ]

It is hit or miss with the Ecoboost.

I had one in my 2013 F-150 (I'll admit I got sucked into the hype) and the mileage I got absolutely sucked. But here is the kicker, when I was looking I test drove an almost identical truck on a loop from the dealer up the Interstate 5 miles and then back down a 2 lane to the dealer. I reset the mileage before I left and got around 17+.

A few days later my truck shows up and I went about my business but my mileage was 12-13. So I went and redid the same loop and got 13+, not the 17+ from the other truck. They should not be that different.

Maybe the newer 10 speed transmissions have helped, but I get better mileage in my 6.7L Super Duty than I got from that Eco. But it did have plenty of power.

It does take time for a vehicles ECU to learn, even the newer TCUs learn from a drivers habits. If you just got the truck, it would make sense that you would have lower MPG and also a lower instantaneous display of MPG until it learns. Also, something as simple as a temperature swing can make a big difference (for example here in NYC area, it was 20 degrees warmer yesterday. I am not saying these are the reasons, just that it is possible.

The newer 10 speed transmissions make a HUGE difference in power delivery and fuel economy. This is why they use them in these vehicles even though they are much more expensive. In the Ram world the 2012 Gen 4 Hemi Rams came with a bad transmission (6-speed), in 2013 they switched to a newer transmission that improved MPG (8-speed), and provided a much better user experience.

There have been a lot of improvements in the newer smaller engines in these trucks since 2013.

The good thing about the much bigger engines, especially diesels, they have far less of a MPG drop off when under load. If you need to do real work, there is definitely a place for them.

 

[Herdfan]

The good thing about the much bigger engines, especially diesels, they have far less of a MPG drop off when under load. If you need to do real work, there is definitely a place for them.

They don't strain pulling heavy trailers up hills either. Turbo boost will be pegged, but you keep rolling at 70 mph.

 

[JoeG4]

First gen pano. You gotta tell us roughly what this went for. Cool pickup! It’s okay, you spend most of your time inside it

I get what you mean, but I kinda dig the look. It's quirky. In dark colors it does remind me of a giant cockroach lol.

The quirky aspect makes them a little bit more interesting than the 2nd gen. I also think the interior on the first gen is just.. better. The second gen is so plain inside - it kinda looks like an audi. The seats don't look as comfy either.

Don't even get me started about the Taycan lol.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

I get what you mean, but I kinda dig the look. It's quirky. In dark colors it does remind me of a giant cockroach lol.

The quirky aspect makes them a little bit more interesting than the 2nd gen. I also think the interior on the first gen is just.. better. The second gen is so plain inside - it kinda looks like an audi. The seats don't look as comfy either.

Don't even get me started about the Taycan lol.

I was actually looking for a Taycan, but the rear seating is a big no no. It’s so uncomfortable and upright it’s ridiculous. I like the gen2 panamera too especially in Turismo or estate edition. But, they are so stupidly wide that it scratches the wheels when taking it on the Eurotunnel. It’s a car on train tunnel that goes underneath the sea between the UK and France. The alternative would be to go in the lorry/truck drivers trains and that is horrible.

To me the gen 1 but 2014 facelift is at the moment the sweetspot.

Although mine has one big problem. Stupid me didn’t take it on the motor at before buying and it has this big droning noise right at 62mph when in eighth gear. It’s like a previous owner cut out part of the exhaust. Drop two gears or go full throttle it’s fine. But be below 2k revs and damn. So taking it to a specialist or exhaust shop to get that sorted.

 

[JT2002TJ]

I was actually looking for a Taycan, but the rear seating is a big no no. It’s so uncomfortable and upright it’s ridiculous. I like the gen2 panamera too especially in Turismo or estate edition. But, they are so stupidly wide that it scratches the wheels when taking it on the Eurotunnel. It’s a car on train tunnel that goes underneath the sea between the UK and France. The alternative would be to go in the lorry/truck drivers trains and that is horrible.

To me the gen 1 but 2014 facelift is at the moment the sweetspot.

Although mine has one big problem. Stupid me didn’t take it on the motor at before buying and it has this big droning noise right at 62mph when in eighth gear. It’s like a previous owner cut out part of the exhaust. Drop two gears or go full throttle it’s fine. But be below 2k revs and damn. So taking it to a specialist or exhaust shop to get that sorted.

If it is in fact the exhaust, you should hear it at a specific RPM regardless of gear/speed. If you maintain that same RPM (where you are at 62 mph in 8th gear) in other gears do you still have that same drone?

I don't know the Panamera, but if it has an exhaust butterfly valve that can change it, so you only hear it at a specific speed. The other thing is if it does have a valve, the valve could be stuck open/closed. Some BMW owners remove the vacuum hose and plug it with a golf tee (known as the golf tee mod), simply reconnecting it gets the exhaust back to OEM spec.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

If it is in fact the exhaust, you should hear it at a specific RPM regardless of gear/speed. If you maintain that same RPM (where you are at 62 mph in 8th gear) in other gears do you still have that same drone?

Good point - yes it is there.

Since I posted I went to a Porsche specialist, the owners was like wow that is a loud one. They see it a lot where people want more and then do it on the cheap. It's going in on Saturday to inspect in detail and get it fixed. I want it quiet

I don't know the Panamera, but if it has an exhaust butterfly valve that can change it, so you only hear it at a specific speed. The other thing is if it does have a valve, the valve could be stuck open/closed. Some BMW owners remove the vacuum hose and plug it with a golf tee (known as the golf tee mod), simply reconnecting it gets the exhaust back to OEM spec.

Yes good point, when I had a Golf R many people used to do that as well. My range rover has a button to do that, the hybrid porsche doesn't have the PSE option that allows that. Good points though...