The Car Thread ... !

[AlaskaMoose]

Hehehe fair enough, that way I would agree. I guess I'm not their intended market. Civic Type R, NSX, yes please...Jazz, nah I don't wear that shade of beige top to bottom 😇🤣

The US "masses" prefer things like dependability, value, and other factors. It's similar to saying, "the best for the money," something that has been achieved by the Japanese automakers such as Toyota, Honda, Nisan, and others. There are numerous European automobiles that are fun to drive now and then, but their reliability is not the greatest, which means that it takes lots of money to keep up with the maintenance. The fact is that Americans prefer Japanese cars over both American and European cars, but keep in mind that Americans do love trucks, both Japanese and American.

8 Reasons Why American People Buy Japanese Cars?

Japanese cars are popular all over the world. Not only bourgeois countries but also developed countries like America tend to buy Japanese cars. We found out some points about American car buyers choosing Japanese cars instead of their country brands.

www.next-drive.co.jp

 

[cyb3rdud3]

The US "masses" prefer things like dependability, value, and other factors. It's similar to saying, "the best for the money," something that has been achieved by the Japanese automakers such as Toyota, Honda, Nisan, and others. There are numerous European automobiles that are fun to drive now and then, but their reliability is not the greatest, which means that it takes lots of money to keep up with the maintenance. The fact is that Americans prefer Japanese cars over both American and European cars, but keep in mind that Americans do love trucks, both Japanese and American.

8 Reasons Why American People Buy Japanese Cars?

Japanese cars are popular all over the world. Not only bourgeois countries but also developed countries like America tend to buy Japanese cars. We found out some points about American car buyers choosing Japanese cars instead of their country brands.

www.next-drive.co.jp

I hear you. The power of JD Power, where not having AM radio gets you down the list 🤣🤷‍♂️

The list is funny, considering 3 is design and the 'glamorous designs' of Japanese cars are highly praised. OK, opinions may differ on that

But yes, I'm not denying that there is that perception regarding reliability.

 

[AlaskaMoose]

I hear you. The power of JD Power, where not having AM radio gets you down the list 🤣🤷‍♂️

The list is funny, considering 3 is design and the 'glamorous designs' of Japanese cars are highly praised. OK, opinions may differ on that

But yes, I'm not denying that there is that perception regarding reliability.

You are hearing me? It sounds more like you are hearing your own biases (the way you feel about the American car buyer). The fact is that not only Americans like Japanese cars and trucks, but also millions of people around the world, all for the same reasons: best value for the money.

About AM/FM: do you have any idea of how many people around the world rely on AM/FM and other radio communication? Around 3-billion people around the world listen to AM/FM radio, although some US car buyers care the least about AM radio.

 

[Eriamjh1138@DAN]

I paid $10k for this little gal in 1998.

 

[JT2002TJ]

I paid $10k for this little gal in 1998. View attachment 2464707

This is one of my all time favorite vehicles…. I have much want…

 

[cyb3rdud3]

You are hearing me? It sounds more like you are hearing your own biases (the way you feel about the American car buyer). The fact is that not only Americans like Japanese cars and trucks, but also millions of people around the world, all for the same reasons: best value for the money.

About AM/FM: do you have any idea of how many people around the world rely on AM/FM and other radio communication? Around 3-billion people around the world listen to AM/FM radio, although some US car buyers care the least about AM radio.

Oh I most definitely do. I’m quite honest and open about that. However I think you are making a mistake taking that list for gospel. 🤷‍♂️

 

[Eriamjh1138@DAN]

I paid $10k for this little gal in 1998. View attachment 2464707

It’s a 1966 Lincoln Continental Four Door Convertible.
It’s not customized in any way. This is how they came from the factory from 61-67.
Yeah, Ford was a little crazy back then. The soft top is folded into the trunk and fully motorized from start to finish, including opening the rear-hinged trunk and closing it. It is done with a single switch on the dash or the key switch by the gas door. The top system was developed for the 1956 Continental Mark II, but wasn’t used until the 1957 Ford Skyliner. This was the second from the last year of its soft top implementation.

Purchased with 85,000 miles, it now has over 133,000 on the original, never rebuilt motor. Burns oil, leaks oil, leaks transmission fluid, leaks top fluid, and has vacuum leaks, top leaks, and window leaks.

Some notable design quirks:
Door locks are vacuum.
Wipers are hydraulic, powered by the power steering pump.
The PS pump is mounted directly to the crankshaft with no belt.
The wipers are triggered by vacuum when you push the button to command the washer squirrels. Normal actuation is done by a cable.
The top and trunk have their own hydraulic pump to raise and lower each.
There are 10 relays that control the top and deck for the raising and lowering. Several limit switches to begin and end each portion of the sequence.

Because of clearance issues, the rear windows will drop 4 inches when the rear doors are opened, then close back up when the door is closed. If the window is already down, nothing happens.

1966 was the first year of the optional stereo 8-track tape system developed by Lear Corporation. This one has the AM/FM radio that is not stereo.

 

[AlaskaMoose]

Oh I most definitely do. I’m quite honest and open about that. However I think you are making a mistake taking that list for gospel. 🤷‍♂️

I am not taking that list for gospel 😃
There is plenty of published data that point at the reasons why so many people around the world prefer Japanese vehicles over US and European brands. I am being quite honest about my reasons, too.

See...I am an old guy what has driven American, European, and Japanese cars and trucks through the years. The most expensive to maintain, by average, have been the European cars. Yes, some can be lots of fun to drive, but other than Japanese cars and trucks, some of the US offerings such as the Corvette and several others provide lost of fun and cheaper maintenance bills.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

I am not taking that list for gospel 😃
There is plenty of published data that point at the reasons why so many people around the world prefer Japanese vehicles over US and European brands. I am being quite honest about my reasons, too.

See...I am an old guy what has driven American, European, and Japanese cars and trucks through the years. The most expensive to maintain, by average, have been the European cars. Yes, some can be lots of fun to drive, but other than Japanese cars and trucks, some of the US offerings such as the Corvette and several others provide lost of fun and cheaper maintenance bills.

That is in the same category of generalisations as us Europeans thinking US offerings can only go in a straight line, and need colossal capacity engines and still produce no power. Surely, that is no longer true, or is it 🤣 Hopefully you get my point.

 

[AlaskaMoose]

That is in the same category of generalisations as us Europeans thinking US offerings can only go in a straight line, and need colossal capacity engines and still produce no power. Surely, that is no longer true, or is it 🤣 Hopefully you get my point.

I don't know what to say about your assumptions. All I have told are some of the reasons for so many car buyers in the US and the rest of the world to like Japanese over both US and European automobiles. It has nothing to do with engine capacity and power, but reliability, lower maintenance cost, and so on.

Almost forgot: I also mentioned the great number of people around the world who listen to AM/FM radio transmissions.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

That is in the same category of generalisations as us Europeans thinking US offerings can only go in a straight line, and need colossal capacity engines and still produce no power. Surely, that is no longer true, or is it 🤣 Hopefully you get my point.

It seems the answer is no.

 

[AlaskaMoose]

It seems the answer is no.

Ok, ok...I got it! 😁

I was thinking about discussing the numerous Japanese and US-made engines.

 

[Herdfan]

Almost forgot: I also mentioned the great number of people around the world who listen to AM/FM radio transmissions.

And I hate every minute of it.

I got satellite radio almost as soon as it came out and it has spoiled me for sure. AM doesn't bother me as much since most AM programming is talk, but I can't stand to listen to music on FM anymore. I can hear a slight amount of static and it drives me nuts.

But kids today have no idea how good they have it when it comes to music. For what they pay for Spotify/Apple Music etc, we would buy an album with 1, maybe 2 good songs.

 

[Flamingdeathbolts]

edit: didn’t realize I quoted a few days old post.

Since we onto Lincoln Continentals. Here is one from few years back at a friends property. Sorry for bad quality pics but I was just amazed of the space inside.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

And I hate every minute of it.

I got satellite radio almost as soon as it came out and it has spoiled me for sure. AM doesn't bother me as much since most AM programming is talk, but I can't stand to listen to music on FM anymore. I can hear a slight amount of static and it drives me nuts.

But kids today have no idea how good they have it when it comes to music. For what they pay for Spotify/Apple Music etc, we would buy an album with 1, maybe 2 good songs.

Yes same, although overhere DAB+ is the digital broadcast radio, otherwise just stream or use internet radio. And even emergency radio has moved away from using AM radio.

 

[Eriamjh1138@DAN]

edit: didn’t realize I quoted a few days old post.

Since we onto Lincoln Continentals. Here is one from few years back at a friends property. Sorry for bad quality pics but I was just amazed of the space inside.

That’s a 68 Lehmann-Peterson converted Limousine, not a factory Lincoln.b. That would explain the extra legroom and TV set in the back.

 

[AlaskaMoose]

And I hate every minute of it.

I got satellite radio almost as soon as it came out and it has spoiled me for sure. AM doesn't bother me as much since most AM programming is talk, but I can't stand to listen to music on FM anymore. I can hear a slight amount of static and it drives me nuts.

But kids today have no idea how good they have it when it comes to music. For what they pay for Spotify/Apple Music etc, we would buy an album with 1, maybe 2 good songs.

I used to listen to AM radio before I retired in 2020 or so, but my wife enjoys AM talk radio. Years ago I listened to music recorded on "vinyl" LP and such, then tape and CD. I collected a ton of music on CDs, too. Still play some of the vinyl on a record player. This player has an option to digitize the songs I listen to. When driving long distances, I listen to one of several play-hours of music I have in an old iPod.

In relation to AM/AM, HAM, SW, and so on, these are widely used thought Alaska for communication (emergency or not) listening, and so on.

 

[Apple fanboy]

I used to listen to AM radio before I retired in 2020 or so, but my wife enjoys AM talk radio. Years ago I listened to music recorded on "vinyl" LP and such, then tape and CD. I collected a ton of music on CDs, too. Still play some of the vinyl on a record player. This player has an option to digitize the songs I listen to. When driving long distances, I listen to one of several play-hours of music I have in an old iPod.

In relation to AM/AM, HAM, SW, and so on, these are widely used thought Alaska for communication (emergency or not) listening, and so on.

Someone at work gave me a CD of there band. I think the only CD player we have is in Mrs AFB Kia Picanto now.

 

[JoeG4]

The list is funny, considering 3 is design and the 'glamorous designs' of Japanese cars are highly praised. OK, opinions may differ on that

Honda/Toyota/Nissan/Subaru make some absolute bangers of car designs sometimes. The Supra (old and new IMHO), gt86, various Z cars, various Skyline GT-Rs, various WRXes, Honda's general designs are usually pretty good.

Like at launch, a shiny new Camry in red with the sport trim? Those look friggin cool. Brand new bright blue TRD Rav-4 with the neat add-ons? Yea those look cool too.

But once you've seen 75,000 of them in that same white or metallic grey color over and over again you get tired of seeing them. That's all.

Also when you buy these things off the lot the ratio of boring vs cool is like 100:1. For every yellow/blue/red/green car there's thousands of white/grey ones lol.

I guess that's where my bad taste comes in! I like dodges and Jeeps because they usually have color options easily available.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

Honda/Toyota/Nissan/Subaru make some absolute bangers of car designs sometimes. The Supra (old and new IMHO), gt86, various Z cars, various Skyline GT-Rs, various WRXes, Honda's general designs are usually pretty good.

Like at launch, a shiny new Camry in red with the sport trim? Those look friggin cool. Brand new bright blue TRD Rav-4 with the neat add-ons? Yea those look cool too.

But once you've seen 75,000 of them in that same white or metallic grey color over and over again you get tired of seeing them. That's all.

Also when you buy these things off the lot the ratio of boring vs cool is like 100:1. For every yellow/blue/red/green car there's thousands of white/grey ones lol.

I guess that's where my bad taste comes in! I like dodges and Jeeps because they usually have color options easily available.

I’ve never seen a Camry or RAV4 and thought cool, never ever. Likewise with a Jazz, Accord, CRV etc.

But yes totally agree at times they knock them out of the park.

Great for a-2-b driving, and when you don’t care about cars. And nothing wrong with that. But let’s keep it real, if one has a poster of a Camry, or a TM3/Y on their wall and dreams like one day when I win the lottery I might have one, is not the norm 🤣

 

[AlaskaMoose]

Someone at work gave me a CD of there band. I think the only CD player we have is in Mrs AFB Kia Picanto now.

I haven't gotten rid of the old USB CD/DVD players and writers to connect to one of my Macs. If you have one of them around the house you could always upload the music to your Mac (or PC), and create a playlist, or just play the music via Airplay on a receiver anywhere around the home, even the TV

 

[AlaskaMoose]

Honda/Toyota/Nissan/Subaru make some absolute bangers of car designs sometimes. The Supra (old and new IMHO), gt86, various Z cars, various Skyline GT-Rs, various WRXes, Honda's general designs are usually pretty good.

Like at launch, a shiny new Camry in red with the sport trim? Those look friggin cool. Brand new bright blue TRD Rav-4 with the neat add-ons? Yea those look cool too.

But once you've seen 75,000 of them in that same white or metallic grey color over and over again you get tired of seeing them. That's all.

Also when you buy these things off the lot the ratio of boring vs cool is like 100:1. For every yellow/blue/red/green car there's thousands of white/grey ones lol.

I guess that's where my bad taste comes in! I like dodges and Jeeps because they usually have color options easily available.

I saw a 2024 red color Camry at a local dealership, and was quite impressed. It had the sort of "sports car" (?) looks with fancy wheels and tires. Could have bought it because I like the normally aspirated V6 engine, and because of its reliability, but my wife and I already have three vehicles. My wife's RAV4 has a sort of grayish/dark green color that looks darker almost black in the shade, and her Tacoma (truck) has a very light-green paint color (MoonRock), while my truck is metallic black.

Mazda is another carmaker that has been producing some good looking compact SUV's in recent years.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Someone at work gave me a CD of there band. I think the only CD player we have is in Mrs AFB Kia Picanto now.

The only CD player I have is in my old 2015 Audi A4 that I use for commuting. I still stream Apple Music to it though and don’t think I’ve ever played a CD in it that I can remember lol.

 

[Apple fanboy]

The only CD player I have is in my old 2015 Audi A4 that I use for commuting. I still stream Apple Music to it though and don’t think I’ve ever played a CD in it that I can remember lol.

Well I recall tapes being the medium of choice in my early cars. They were awful. Especially when the sun got to them. Apple Music or DAB radio for me these days.

 

[avro707]

Watching the Brabham/Eccelstone engineers talking about the Brabham cars Mr.E is selling:

That 1986 BT55 BMW is a wild creation from Gordon Murray. Apparently in the day at Austrian race, one of the BT55 cars topped out at 345km/h - it had a 1.5L 4 cylinder BMW with a 9000-11000rpm power band. Not sure if it was quite the same power as the other rival BMW powered machines, but in qualifying they had over 1400hp. The Brabham had the engine tilted over which didn't help it much.

Because of the narrow power-band they had a 7 speed transmission. A brutal machine.

Purchased with 85,000 miles, it now has over 133,000 on the original, never rebuilt motor. Burns oil, leaks oil, leaks transmission fluid, leaks top fluid, and has vacuum leaks, top leaks, and window leaks.

I'm sure those problems could be put right and keeping the car original. I'm guessing like a lot of classic cars it would cost a fair bit of money though - but worth it.