OT: Talking Cars Tuesday - Overkill
Cars today sure can be great. So many of them are so darn capable! That said... many of us are guilty of overbuying.
Maybe you've got a 3rd row that you never use. A pickup truck that's never towed. A fast car that's always traffic/safety limited. An SUV that mall-crawls and never sees even a dirt road
What's your over-capacity vehicle? Have you ever used it for its full intention? Was it awesome?
But kid hauling is so much more fun with the top and doors off!
Most times my diesel pickup is overkill but when towing my RV out to Colorado it was just the ticket. When I backed a 8000lb trailer of manure through the mud into a farmer's field to help my brother, it was awesome. When I took it to Silver Lake and went pretty much anywhere I wanted to and taught my 12 year old the basics of driving out on the dunes (far off in the corner on a weekday morning), it was also awesome.
This whole post seems sneakily subversive. You're really talking about Harbaugh's unwillingness to let his Ferrari (JJ) out of the garage, aren't you?
Why you drive a sports car if you ain't hittin the throttle?
Just bought a 2023 Ford Maverick, and I paid "over-capacity" on additional warranty/insurance b/c wifey likes to get in accidents every 1.5 - 3 years, (8 accidents over the past 25 years) and she doesn't understand why I did it.
She says we need to save money, and I said stop getting into accidents....TEARS....
(To be fair, my last ticket was 12 years ago, no accidents.)
Anyway, I know I over paid, but I can't afford to be w/o a vehicle if she does her "magic".
Frustrated but happy with the additional coverage.
:-(
Had a 5 speed manual '04 Subaru Forester XT that, after some modifications, was putting down over 330 wheel horsepower, so probably around 400hp at the crank (depending on actual drivetrain power loss). That's not a ridiculous number, especially nowadays, but still pretty good. The thing about the '04 XT though, is that it had 4.10 gears in the rear axel, so it had better acceleration compared to other vehicles with similar power. Downside is it ran out of speed at the top, but Subarus aren't really for top end anyway. It could run high 11's in the quarter mile and sub 4 second 0-60 with it's combination of all wheel drive, power, and gearing. Never launched it much as the stock transmission was at (possibly past) it's power limit, but man, that thing was like a rocket. Beautiful thing too was it looked absolutely stock outside of the large (and loud) exhaust. Can't tell you how many other cars that thought they were fast that I pulled away from while the driver's jaw was on the ground as to how this little old Subaru SUV was making them look bad. Was fun while it lasted, and absolutely overkill for driving 5 miles in the city to work everyday.
Traded a 2019 Chevy Silverado 2500HD with the 6.0L and 4.10 rear gearing in for a 2022 Chevy Traverse. We got rid of our 11K pound 5th wheel and I couldn't justify driving around at 11-12 mpg non-towing with a 75 mile round trip daily commute. The Traverse gets more than double that for mileage and will still tow our Kawasaki Teryx4 SxS on a landscape trailer just fine, with a better ride and a lot more passenger space. Drove another Chevy Silverado 2500HD with the diesel prior to the gas guzzler and that was a fun drive...shocked a lot of people at red lights when they got the crazy idea to drag race a big truck...torque wins that battle most of the time (that diesel might have had a performance chip making it a 400hp, 800tq monster).
p.s. The most fun one to drive in my whole story is that side by side Kawasaki...wheeeeeee!
My current truck gets used to do what it’s designed for. Hauls stuff, pulls trailers and occasionally goes off road.
That’s said, my last vehicle was a 3 row QX56 that rarely saw either back 2 rows get used. I just wanted an SUV at the time but needed the capacity for hauling stuff in it. But it did pulls some trailers as well.
22 Mach 1 - occasional grocery getter because it's new and any excuse to drive it is still a thing. One of my car clubs actually finds places to test limits. I'm usually the most restrained one but it's still exhilarating. Buck and a quarter is the highest I've seen on the evidence gauge. (Closed course. Professional driver. Do not attempt.)
23 Hyundai Santa Chuz (grown-up Subaru Baja/4 door El Camino) Bought as a grocery getter. Used the truck bed several times. Used it for its clearance and AWD on forest roads once. 99% of the time it's overkill for the job.
When I bought a 2017 Cadillac XT5, I was so sure I needed the roof racks because I would occasionally use them on our previous Audi Q5. The Audi racks were really easy to get on and off the vehicle. The racks for the XT5 have gathered dust in the basement ever since I got them. Not easy to use and, given the XT5 has more interior volume than the Q5, the need for putting something on the roof isn't really there anymore. A relatively cheap case of overkill.
My 2011 BMW 335Xi had more performance than needed for it's primary use, but I always pushed it through highway on and off ramps to bring a smile to my face. Those grippy summer tires worked wonders.
My current car has all sorts of buttons for music -- on the steering wheel (never used), a dial and then preset buttons, and a weird panel on the console between the seats that I still haven't quite figured out after five years of owning the car. I miss my old Alfa Romeo which had exactly what I needed: an ignition, a gear shift, a radio with dials, and heat/AC, basically just on and off. This is probably what attracts me to Volkswagen's -- they still seem to be able to simplify all the extras.
I have a GMC pickup with a Callaway supercharger rated at 560 hp.
It gets much more use as a truck for hauling and hunting than for burning up the road. I got two tickets within a year of buying it.
I'll probably sell it fairly soon for another truck while it has some value as it's about 8 years old.
In December I picked up a Mach E GT (Not a Mustang) Mustang.
I convinced myself I needed the Extended Range battery for all those long drives I take. In its first six months, I have only had to charge twice away from home. Both when I was doing round trips to Portland from Seattle. But since the order banks were closed for the Premium ER, I "had" to get the GT to get the bigger battery.
I had myself in a fritz about range. It hasn't crossed my mind but a couple of times since I purchased it and finding an available charger hasn't been an issue.
I also love the quickness of electric vehicles. Makes everything I've owned before seem boring.
With the sole exception of a 2017 Subaru that's being stored on pads and a battery tender awaiting the younger son to relocate out of NYC (within 60 days, yay), every car is used to its intended purpose and capacity. That Subie is about as under-utilized as possible. 😒
Told them to up the ped’s…
I wish I could go more unpractical. I overthink things in how I use them, which is good and bad. So most of my overbuying is only slightly out of depth. I got a Mazdaspeed 3, which was super practical with the hatch, but a ton of fun to drive. I had to get winter wheels and only got 30 mpg a handful of times, which is bad for such a small light car.
Same with my family hauler. I probably should have got a minivan, but I liked how the 2017 explorer looks a lot better. I also loved having 350 hp and 350 torque on such a big vehicle. It's a little more cramped, but we hold all our kids (4) and sports equipment fine.
Even my "lotto" cars (cars I'd buy if I won a huge lotto) have a practicality to them. A porsche 4s Targa manual has jumper seats to put a kid or luggage in and a frunk, and 4 wheel drive means I can drive all year. The Corvette E-ray is similar. A 4 wheel drive car that can lift up (with the correct package) to get in steeper driveways, and the frunk and trunk allow for great space to pack for travelling. Plus a convertible does't take away trunk space when you put it down.
I love cars. It's important to me that any car I have has a certain level of useability so it is driven. Love when I see people with totally crazy cars out enjoying them.
I was hoping this was about the band Overkill.