OT: Talking Cars Tuesday - What's Next?
As we all wait for tomorrow's UFR, here's our 2nd (and probably final) in-season TCT.
So - what's next with cars? What are you shopping for? (Good chance someone on the board has one). What are you excited to see at the auto shows in the next couple of months? What are you driving? Hate it? Love it? Real open this time, let's talk cars!
November 7th, 2017 at 10:25 AM ^
to replace it. it is almost ready to go. it is another diesel 4x4 crew cab, but this one is a couple years old and had a tree fall on it. bought at auction and we (read: friend with body shop) fix it up and it is ready to go this week or next. jazzed about it, especially with snow coming this week.
November 7th, 2017 at 10:28 AM ^
What vintage? I've only got 1 part in the F350s... lots more in the 2020MY.
November 7th, 2017 at 10:40 AM ^
Should've gone with the F-450 Limited. its only $100,000!
November 7th, 2017 at 10:58 AM ^
and i'm sure it will be a 'wow' type of vehicle. but seriously, i live/work on a farm and have no need for a fancy truck and an F350 diesel hauls and/or carries all that i need it to do. it will get scraped, crapped on, crapped in, slid down hills, through brush, cattle, kids, dog, etc. also, i spent peanuts relative to what most folks have to pay for a vehicle as i am rather frugal and deathly allergic to debt payments of any kind. i will hopefully have this one as long as my last one (18 yrs) and squeeze every last drop of use out of it.
November 7th, 2017 at 11:26 AM ^
November 7th, 2017 at 11:31 AM ^
There was a real nice writeup a few years ago about the lux trucks and if they made sense. IIRC the two authors spent a week in Texas with an $80,000 Audi A6 and an $80,000 Lux Pickup (maybe a Ford? I don't recall, wasn't important).
I get the luxury trucks. Let's say you're an oil man. Or ranch owner. Or anything else that makes lots of money. You want something nice. Showing up to your ranch in an $80K Audi doesn't fit. An $80K F-150 does.
November 7th, 2017 at 12:57 PM ^
it would make me uncomfortable. as it is the used truck i did get is way fancier on the inside than i would've wanted, but at the auction your priorties are such that, at least for me, the engine, cab, particular p/u bed are the most important things and whether a vehicle is fancier than my taste (within reason) is secondary.
November 7th, 2017 at 11:31 AM ^
November 7th, 2017 at 12:43 PM ^
November 7th, 2017 at 12:58 PM ^
November 7th, 2017 at 2:37 PM ^
November 7th, 2017 at 10:28 AM ^
Happy with what I have to drive. 2012 Jaguar XF with gas sucking V8, 1974 Triumph TR6 and my wife's 2012 Audi TT convertible. All paid for. Don't want no new stinkin' payments.
November 7th, 2017 at 10:30 AM ^
Just don't race the TT and Triumph. It's awesome how fast new cars are (and sad how comparitively slow old "fast" cars are)
November 7th, 2017 at 11:00 AM ^
The TR6 is a pretty slow car. However, for me, there is nothing better than heading out early on a cool saturday morning with the top down cruising the back country roads for a couple of hours. Sadly, I just put it away for the winter a few days ago. Once all visible traces of salt are washed from the roads in the spring, it comes back out. Can't wait!
November 7th, 2017 at 10:43 AM ^
I'm looking at a new TT to replace my 2001. I really enjoy being able to run around with the top down even though the Michigan convertible season is pretty short. It's a fun car to drive and while it's small, it doesn't feel or drive small.
November 7th, 2017 at 10:54 AM ^
November 7th, 2017 at 11:03 AM ^
Quattro + snow tires does well
November 7th, 2017 at 11:07 AM ^
My wife is on her third Audi. Her current 2012 TT convertible has 190,000 miles on it. Other than brakes and tires, we have replaced the stereo amplifier and the convertible top motor. It has been a great car.
November 7th, 2017 at 12:56 PM ^
190K?!?!? Wow, my 01 only has 82K. I don't drive it in the winter to avoid salt. She must do some serious driving.
November 7th, 2017 at 2:05 PM ^
For the first 4 years she owned it she drove 150 miles round trip for work per day. Then I moved to Ohio so that would add another 600 miles every other weekend. When she moved here full time to be with me in june of 2016 the car had 178,000 on it. Her driving has decreased considerably
November 7th, 2017 at 10:31 AM ^
November 7th, 2017 at 10:44 AM ^
Man, I wish. My brother has my grandpa's old Bonneville. Best seats ever. They're so plush and amazing. They don't get hot in the summer or cold in the winter. They don't need to be heated or cooled. They're just plain comfy.
Seats have become absurdly expensive lately. They're now the third-most complex and expensive piece of any car, after the engine and trans. Customers all think leather = luxury. But leather is horribly uncomfortable in any kind of temperature, thus we need to have fancy heating and cooling systems in the seats too. And they have to move a million different ways. I just want soft plush fake velvety seats back.
November 7th, 2017 at 11:03 AM ^
Manufacturers are getting pushed to move away from leather by animal rights groups. Many higher end cars are now leather "appointed" rather than full leather. It appears to be more than a trend.
November 7th, 2017 at 11:17 AM ^
I seem to eat enough steak to produce the leather seats in my cars. Geez people ... it's environmentally friendly to use the cow hides ... isn't it ?
Go Blue!
November 7th, 2017 at 11:25 AM ^
Newer vinyls (MB V-Tex is what Mercedes calls vinyl. Ferarri uses it too) can actually look and feel better than real leather while being more resilient. -40F, 140F, car interiors see a lot of temperature shifts and real leather can crack and break. The vinyls last longer.
November 7th, 2017 at 12:38 PM ^
Genuine leather used in car interiors is also almost always covered in several layers of plastic anyway. Synthetic leather is becoming the norm and it's not just vinyls. Urethane and olefin based synethetic leathers are in the market as well.
November 7th, 2017 at 11:54 AM ^
Yeah, but leather and "leather" both have the same problems in my book.
November 7th, 2017 at 11:04 AM ^
The new Toyota Crown has wool seats. Wool!
November 7th, 2017 at 10:34 AM ^
November 7th, 2017 at 10:39 AM ^
Get an old M3 and youll be happy.
November 7th, 2017 at 12:21 PM ^
+1 M3
Make it an E46... last of the normally aspirated engines I think. Avoid SMG trans, 6MT is more fun anyway!
I want an E46 M3, but my wife will stab me to death with the keys if I do it. <sigh> Domestication.
November 7th, 2017 at 10:37 AM ^
1991 UM Grad’s Acadia lease is up. Probably rolling in to another one, as it has been completely updated.
My Cadillac ATS lease is up soon and am seriously considering a VW GTI. We recently took a test drive and I️ revved the engine a bit before each shift, as I️ haven’t driven a manual in a while. From the back seat...”daddy, this car just sounds like a midlife crisis.” She is a pistol, that 2026 UM Grad.
November 7th, 2017 at 10:49 AM ^
I'm still driving a 2008 CRV that was fully loaded when my dad bought it, then mom drove it, and then I got it. Still runs great. I'm hoping to get at least 3 more years out of it. Might not be the best looker but for a 2008 I have: voice control to do functions in the car (e.g. change the radio station), an aux port, and a screen or whatever. The only thing I don't have is bluetooth. Great AWD etc..
After my CRV goes, I want to get something sporty for once.
November 7th, 2017 at 11:06 AM ^
The new Acadia is smaller than the old one. Make sure it's big enough. The new Traverse is bigger, and will be similarly sized to your Lambda body Acadia.
I hope the GTI isn't a midlife crisis car, I'm 30 and own a 2015. I will say it's a perfect car if you can just have one car. A-/B+ at everything. Fits 4 adults, decent trunk, great gas mileage, 0-60 in 6 seconds... I'm about to roll 50k miles on mine and absolutely love it.
November 7th, 2017 at 12:32 PM ^
We actually did notice that the Acadia is a bit smaller. Now that we have a third driver in the family, it's not an issue.
Think of the GTI from the POV of a 13-year old girl riding in the back seat while her 49-year old father is test driving it...and redlining it before each shift. In that situation, there is a bit of a scent of a midlife crisis.
November 7th, 2017 at 12:44 PM ^
"Fits" 4 adults.
November 7th, 2017 at 12:46 PM ^
I fit very comfortably sitting behind where I have the driver's seat. I'm an average sized human, it works quite well.
November 7th, 2017 at 1:00 PM ^
I'm not trying to knock the GTI. I had one until about a year ago when keeping it became untenable with the arrival of my kid. I loved it and will probably have one again in the future. However, I'm only an inch taller than you and I can definitely not make the same claim.
Edit and caveat: I had the older body style GTI and it looks like it had 2 inches less legroom (according to car and driver) than the 2015 version so I'll take your word for it.
November 7th, 2017 at 1:17 PM ^
When we test drove the GTI, my kids remarked that they felt as though it had more leg room than my ATS.
That being said, at 5'7", I am the tallest person in our family of four...with my 16-year old son projecting to be 5'6'-5'7".
Although, I am most comfortable driving in a position that would be ideal for your typical NBA stretch 4 or a prototypical left tackle...so leg room is an issue for the driver-side back seat passenger.
November 7th, 2017 at 1:37 PM ^
I also have a 2015 GTI, I'm 6'2" and where I have my drivers seat, it is damn near touching the back seat. Granted, if I need to, I can fit 4 people in there, just a little cramped, but I love the GTI, it's a fantastic car.
I have 62k miles on it, and yesterday I noticed that when I'm stopped at a light on a decline (facing down a slight hill), there is a clicking sound that you can feel in the break, too. Anyone have an idea what that could be?
November 7th, 2017 at 2:00 PM ^
In my manual trans there is a "hill hold assist", where when on an incline, while at a complete stop, the vehicle will "hold" the brakes for an extra second after I move my foot off the brake to the gas. This keeps the stick shift vehicle from "rocking" too far back. It will only do this once though. If I go off the brake and rock and then stop again it will let me get the clutch feel.
Maybe there's a fuse or something else with that programming? That's my guess since it seems hill/brake related.
November 7th, 2017 at 2:14 PM ^
It's a DSG automatic, it just started, but I can feel it in the brake pedal and hear it.
November 7th, 2017 at 11:22 AM ^
for a mid-size SUV, like a CRV or Toyota RAV4 type vehicle. Plan to go to the auto show next year and basically check out every auto makers vehicle in that size and get a good feel for what is out there. Love to hear what people like or dislike about their mid-size SUV.
November 7th, 2017 at 11:36 AM ^
November 7th, 2017 at 1:04 PM ^
I think the new CRVs look great and they now have a turbo fwiw
November 7th, 2017 at 2:43 PM ^
November 7th, 2017 at 3:16 PM ^
Forester and CRV are very good vehicles. The Equinox, however, is crap. Recent versions slightly better than the first garbage Equinox. I would recommend them to no one.
November 7th, 2017 at 3:27 PM ^
The Equinox is all new for 2018. New platform, engines, transmission, the works.
I haven't driven one, but don't write it off too quickly.
November 7th, 2017 at 3:30 PM ^
did not now about the rehaul. It certainly needed one. I will look for it.
November 7th, 2017 at 3:58 PM ^