• Cyburbia is a friendly big tent, where we share our experiences and thoughts about urban planning practice, the built environment, planning adjacent topics, and anything else that comes to mind. No ads, no spam, and it's free. It's easy to join!

Vehicles / bikes 🏍 Car Talk

DVD said:
This is just one of those WTF momments. Do car engineers not realize you need to change that part on a regular basis? or do they know that it forces people to pay a dealship to do the work? Either way WTF.
Click to expand...

I suspect the battery location was driven by some other priority such as crash testing or some such.
 
My Gen 3 Prius had the battery in the back inside the hatch that can only be opened electrically. There is a jump point under the hood but it is still a pain to get to when it's dead. I was happy to see that my new to me 2021 Prius Prime has the 12 volt under the hood where it belongs. I have seen the video of how you have to get into a Tesla with a dead battery. Sometimes low tech is better... now get off my lawn.
 
My Subaru has some good access in the engine bay:
  • Battery and fuse box easily accessible on the driver's side engine compartment near the front
  • Oil filter is on top of the engine, easily accessible when the hood is open (so the only thing under the car that needs to be accessed for an oil change is the drain plug)
Also, interesting unlock/start features:
  • Keyless entry and iginition with a fob
  • Mechanical key built into the fob in case the fob battery dies
  • RF chip built into the fob that will start the car by touching it to the Start button in case the fob battery dies
  • A user setable PIN code that can be entered using a button on the liftgate that unlocks the car
  • Remote start via Subaru app (can't be shifted out of Park unless the key is present and the Start button is pushed before driving)
There are some things that aren't so well thought out too, such as the Homelink garage door opener built into the mirror which is great, except it's only active when the car is in ON mode (not OFF or ACCESSORY). So I pull into my garage, shut the car off, then realize I haven't closed the garage door yet, turn the power to ON (without starting the car), hit the garage door opener, then shut it off.
 
Last edited:
mendelman said:
FYI

That Caravan is being priced at $12,000.

Nope.

Good luck. 😉
Click to expand...
Around 1999, my wife and I were car shopping and the local Dodge dealer still had a new 1997 Stratus in the building. They would not go lower than the new 1999s on the lot. That, and the fact the battery was accessed from underneath the car, told me a big "no" was in order.
 
I don't remember what car it was but I had something where you had to remove the left front wheel and open a hatch to get at the battery. Perhaps it was a Plymouth Breeze.
 
giff57 said:
I don't remember what car it was but I had something where you had to remove the left front wheel and open a hatch to get at the battery. Perhaps it was a Plymouth Breeze.
Click to expand...
Yes, the Cirrus, Stratus and Breeze shared platforms. What kind of auto engineer designs battery access in such a way?
 
For T-man


1755266959539.png
1755266990886.png
1755267015777.png
1755267043200.png
 
mendelman said:
This is the most beautiful production car ever made.
Click to expand...

Thats what Enzo Ferrari said.

I agree too.



My only complaint about the E-Type is that the convertible and the coupe look different, but it's impossible to keep the coupe hatch lines with a convertible.
The Miata has the same problem but to a lesser degree.
 
Planit said:
Thats what Enzo Ferrari said.

I agree too.



My only complaint about the E-Type is that the convertible and the coupe look different, but it's impossible to keep the coupe hatch lines with a convertible.
The Miata has the same problem but to a lesser degree.
Click to expand...
I prefer the coupe over the convertible.

But that's true of most coupe vs. convertible cars.

EDIT: Also why I like(d) the first gen BMW Z3 coupe:

1999-bmw-z3-m-2dr-cpe-3-2l.jpg
 
So son (22) wanted a new to him car. He has been driving around a 2007 Focus with 160,000 miles that his grandmother gave him at 16 with with 90k. Found a 2016 Focus with 42K and drive with it with my FiL who is a mechanic. Saw no flaws and I would guess had been driven by an old lady to church and the store. One-owner and all service was done at the dealer it was initially purchased from and then treaded in to the same and then sold to my son. Not a great rate he has but as a first time buyer who has not cared much to take care of his credit (he does have a $500 max cc) glad he was approved. He will look at a refi in a year. Has a few more options than his old, which my youngest will drive in place of his 2WD Ranger, in the winter months to his welding job.
 
Gedunker said:
Nice looking truck! Way back in the day, my brother handed down a VW Rabbit hatchback to my dad that was "safety green", a little whiter/lighter green than your Jeep. I was away at college, but next time I saw that car dad had painted it an institutional brown matte color (using brushes and a roller, btw). Apparently, he was not going to be seen driving a bright green foreign car, lol. (The effect of the safety green showing through after scratches and dings was ... unpleasant.
Click to expand...
Brings back memories. My high school boyfriend drove a green convertible Rabbit. It had been his mom’s. His sister drove a brown one that had been his dad’s.
Big Owl said:
I bought one for my daughter's car about a month ago. It replaced a 5 year old battery and it wasn't dead but it was weak. I was getting her car ready for her to take to college. I would like to replace her windshield wipers & restore the headlight lenses before she leaves.
Click to expand...
I did the headlight lens restoration on the 2014 Outback, turned out way better than I thought they would.
 
WSU MUP Student said:
I love it!

When I bought my Gladiator in '22 it was the height of the COVID supply chain chip shortage and basically the only colors I could get were black or white. I really wanted one of the more "interesting" colors like a gunmetal blue (which was what I had on the Wrangler I traded in towards my Gladiator), orange, olive drab, tan, etc. But I ended up with white, which I've grown to really like but every time I see one of the more interesting colors I do get a bit jealous.

I don't think that metallic green that you have was an option back in 2022, but if it was, I would have definitely considered it. Very good looking Jeep!
Click to expand...
Your post popped back in my head, because there's a guy in town that has a white Gladiator that he added Scrambler-style vinyl decals. Looked pretty dope... closest example link I could find quickly: https://adventurelifeusa.com/products/bg002?variant= (Scrambler Style Stripe Kit for Jeep Gladiator)
 
^^^I had one of those.

The denim Levis special edition too. Bought it used because that's all the money I had after I totaled my '77 Corolla in '81.
 
Planit said:
^^^I had one of those.

The denim Levis special edition too. Bought it used because that's all the money I had after I totaled my '77 Corolla in '81.
Click to expand...
Woah! Thats Cool! Was it 4 speed?

The Levi Gremlins are considered a holy grail collectible now, among "boring car" enthusiasts!

1758129172856.png
 
The Terminator said:
Woah! Thats Cool! Was it 4 speed?

The Levi Gremlins are considered a holy grail collectible now, among "boring car" enthusiasts!

View attachment 65377
Click to expand...
I saw one last weekend in Shipshewana, IN that had been restored. Orange, as I recall

1758129802785.png


The "guaranteed for one year or 12,000 miles" thing in that ad reminds us that cars are a different product now than they were back then.
 
The Terminator said:
Woah! Thats Cool! Was it 4 speed?

The Levi Gremlins are considered a holy grail collectible now, among "boring car" enthusiasts!

View attachment 65377
Click to expand...
Three speed manual on the floor with overdrive - so I guess that works as a four speed.

I don't know if I would even want to keep it as a collector.

I drove it off the side of the road in a curve and into a river as I was avoiding someone over the centerline. There was a 2 foot gravel shoulder & another 2 foot grass before the embankment & I slid right in. Of course they never stopped & nobody believed that story. There was a guardrail installed within a couple months after that, so I can claim that roadway improvement.
 
I asked Itty Bitty what kind of car she would be if she were a car. She responded, "Hot Pink Mercedes".

I personally would be a VW Campervan or a Lamborghini.
 
WSU MUP Student said:
Welcome to Detroit in the spring... the absolute worst time to be here! :rofl:

Honestly, late April might not be too bad, weather-wise. At least we'll be past the neverending dreariness and grey skies of December through early April.

And I apologize in advance if you happen to turn on a Tigers, Red Wings, or Pistons game while you're in town and are forced to hear this 84x a game:
Click to expand...
Lived there 6 years, and never.... oh nevermind. Those musicians weren't even BORN when I lived there.
Big Owl said:
When my youngest daughter was 4, she had a red Hyundai on her Christmas List.
Click to expand...
I used to have one. Loved it.
1759506824827.jpeg
 
DVD said:
My kid wants every car out there. She needs a VW bug and a bus, a 57 chevy, a '30s roadster, and the list goes on.
The other kid just wants a purple charger.
Click to expand...

Our oldest wants to take driver's ed but her schedule for extracurriculars is so jam packed that we haven't been able to schedule it. She wants to get her license but she has expressed no interest in a car of her own... which is good because she's not getting one.

I however am in the market for a second car for myself. :rofl:

I'm keeping an eye out for a fun, but useful, used vehicle that I can drive but could also be available for our daughter. I'm thinking I really want a station wagon like a not-too-old Audi A4 or A6 or a Volvo. I would love to get a cool old Mercedes wagon or one of the super boxy Volvos but if I'm going to be letting our kid drive it on occasion I'd feel better with her in something newer with more safety features other than just "big and heavy". But, we live within walking distance to her school and she can walk or ride a bike to all of her friends houses and into downtown or to a few other areas if she wanted to get a job so we definitely do not need another vehicle in our driveway. But if the right one comes along...
 
WSU MUP Student said:
Our oldest wants to take driver's ed but her schedule for extracurriculars is so jam packed that we haven't been able to schedule it. She wants to get her license but she has expressed no interest in a car of her own... which is good because she's not getting one.

I however am in the market for a second car for myself. :rofl:

I'm keeping an eye out for a fun, but useful, used vehicle that I can drive but could also be available for our daughter. I'm thinking I really want a station wagon like a not-too-old Audi A4 or A6 or a Volvo. I would love to get a cool old Mercedes wagon or one of the super boxy Volvos but if I'm going to be letting our kid drive it on occasion I'd feel better with her in something newer with more safety features other than just "big and heavy". But, we live within walking distance to her school and she can walk or ride a bike to all of her friends houses and into downtown or to a few other areas if she wanted to get a job so we definitely do not need another vehicle in our driveway. But if the right one comes along...
Click to expand...
My son just turned 15. Our driveway only fits the two cars we have and there's a overnight ban on street parking from December-March. Luckily he can also walk or bike most places. He wants to learn to drive a manual and I'd love to have something to do that with.
 
WSU MUP Student said:
Our oldest wants to take driver's ed but her schedule for extracurriculars is so jam packed that we haven't been able to schedule it. She wants to get her license but she has expressed no interest in a car of her own... which is good because she's not getting one.

I however am in the market for a second car for myself. :rofl:

I'm keeping an eye out for a fun, but useful, used vehicle that I can drive but could also be available for our daughter. I'm thinking I really want a station wagon like a not-too-old Audi A4 or A6 or a Volvo. I would love to get a cool old Mercedes wagon or one of the super boxy Volvos but if I'm going to be letting our kid drive it on occasion I'd feel better with her in something newer with more safety features other than just "big and heavy". But, we live within walking distance to her school and she can walk or ride a bike to all of her friends houses and into downtown or to a few other areas if she wanted to get a job so we definitely do not need another vehicle in our driveway. But if the right one comes along...
Click to expand...
Late model year VW Golf Sportwagon. paging @luckless pedestrian
 
Faust_Motel said:
My son just turned 15. Our driveway only fits the two cars we have and there's a overnight ban on street parking from December-March. Luckily he can also walk or bike most places. He wants to learn to drive a manual and I'd love to have something to do that with.
Click to expand...
Finding a decently cheap manual vehicle has been frustratingly hard. Looking for one for my son. I am going to have a used vehicle lot by the end of the spring of next year between mine, my daughter's and his car.
 
arcplans said:
Finding a decently cheap manual vehicle has been frustratingly hard. Looking for one for my son. I am going to have a used vehicle lot by the end of the spring of next year between mine, my daughter's and his car.
Click to expand...
A survey of Carmax, just to understand what's out there, reveals a handful of Corollas and some Crosstreks. I've seen the costs and maintenance liabilities on Minis and not really interested in Fiat/Stellantis stuff.

Maybe the answer really is always Miata...
 
Faust_Motel said:
A survey of Carmax, just to understand what's out there, reveals a handful of Corollas and some Crosstreks. I've seen the costs and maintenance liabilities on Minis and not really interested in Fiat/Stellantis stuff.

Maybe the answer really is always Miata...
Click to expand...
No way man.. strait cash hommie. We are talking sub 5K.
 
arcplans said:
We are talking sub 5K.
Click to expand...
Wow. Good luck with that. That is really low by today's standards.

But...find him a 'cheap' last gen Lincoln Town Car/Mercury Grand Marquis. You might be able to find a decent condition one and they are fun big V8 RWD couches. Most shops know how to repair them and there's NOS parts everywhere.

My 16 year old loves/prefers driving my daily driver 2002 Lincoln Town Car instead of our 2015 Honda Civic 4dr...granted he is 6'-2", 230lbs, but still... ;)
 
Last edited:
I'm looking for a not stupid-expensive Toyota Tacoma, with a manual tranny. Typically, Carmax has about 1600 Tacomas at any one time, of which an average of 52 are manuals. And none of them are not stupid-expensive.

That's why I'm still driving my '17 Mazda 3 sport hatchback, 6-spd manual.:| :indifferrent:
 
Our youngest and I went to get ice cream Saturday evening and somebody had a brand new Subaru Impreza WRX sedan parked out front. It was pretty nice looking and it reminded me that Subaru still makes things other than crossovers, which seem to be all I see from them anymore.
 
mendelman said:
Wow. Good luck with that. That is really low by today's standards.

But...find him a 'cheap' last gen Lincoln Town Car/Mercury Grand Marquis. You might be able to find a decent condition one and they are fun big V8 RWD couches. Most shops know how to repair them and there's NOS parts everywhere.

My 16 year old loves/prefers driving my daily driver 2002 Lincoln Town Car instead of our 2015 Honda Civic 4dr...granted he is 6'-2", 230lbs, but still... ;)
Click to expand...
It's doable if you know what you are looking for. Got my daughter a 2006 toyota highlander for just 5.5k last year. Put some work into for new brakes, rotors, etc, but I find working on cars to be extremely therapeutic.

This one caught my eye.. debating:
 
I miss the days when I wanted my first car and would read my dad stuff from the classifieds on Sunday mornings. His response when I'd read an ad to him was "Son, for you we are looking for a three-digit car."

But we went through the "son's first car can be dad's fun car" phase, looking at a barn-stored VW Beetle and almost pulling the trigger on a Saab 96. In the end he bought something new and my first car was the '88 Cherokee- which all things considered was just fine.

Speaking of... https://vermont.craigslist.org/cto/d/richmond-1965-saab-96-stroke/7885741011.html

Faust_Motel said:
Speaking of... https://vermont.craigslist.org/cto/d/richmond-1965-saab-96-stroke/7885741011.html
Click to expand...
But realistically if I was looking for a manual under 5k this is what I'd probably grab off my local CL: https://vermont.craigslist.org/cto/d/springfield-2009-scion-tc/7881095893.html
 
My brother has a second home out here and he and his wife drive in from Florida every fall for football season, drive back after Thanksgiving and then comes back out for a month of spring skiing in February; 2,300 miles each way. He and I drove up a month ago to see our parents in WA and I causally said if he ever sells his truck to talk to me first. He then says he will likely sell next year as he does not want to be driving a high mileage truck out and back to FL. It is a 2021 F-150 Platinum with 65,000 miles. I'm in the market for a truck to tow a camp trailer and the usual mountain activities. So come next year, I will see what transpires. Most miles are highway, never taken off road by him but does use 4x4 in the winter and no rust on the frame. Fingers crossed.
 
Gedunker said:
I'm looking for a not stupid-expensive Toyota Tacoma, with a manual tranny. Typically, Carmax has about 1600 Tacomas at any one time, of which an average of 52 are manuals. And none of them are not stupid-expensive.

That's why I'm still driving my '17 Mazda 3 sport hatchback, 6-spd manual.:| :indifferrent:
Click to expand...
Still driving and its only 2017? Thats brand new! Give it another decade and 100k miles. 6 speed 3's are one of the better new cars you can still buy with a proper manual, thats why you have one!

I have still yet to own a car newer than 1999. Might come sooner than anticipated, I would love to get my hands on a MK4 VW Jetta TDI Wagon (1999-2005) or a Pontiac Vibe GT (2002-10).

2000s Cars are now old enough that they feel like from another era (no infotainment, heads up display or back up cams) but modern enough that they're not going to have trouble keeping up with traffic or feel overly unsafe (of course, no car is truly "safe").
 
^^The thing is, I'm 65 with arthritis in my knees and probably my hips too. Getting in/out of a little sport hatchback ain't no fun anymore. That's why I'm looking for a Tacoma.
 
Gedunker said:
^^The thing is, I'm 65 with arthritis in my knees and probably my hips too. Getting in/out of a little sport hatchback ain't no fun anymore. That's why I'm looking for a Tacoma.
Click to expand...
I am developing arthritis in one of my fingers, so far not terrible but Im going to see an orthopedist next month.

Why not just get a 1992-99 Silverado 1500? The GMT 400 era trucks are bulletproof, and aren't you in a non-salt state? You'll be able to score a super clean GMT400 for like 10k, get one out of Texas or the Carolinas. New Tacoma's are at least a 30-60k investment.

90s Silverado:

-No infotainment

-No creature comforts besides heat/ac

-Many of them were equipped with the venerable Chevy 350, a Cummins 6.5 Diesel was also available.

-Pretty ergonomic and comfy for the driver, despite being a fairly basic truck.

-"Like a rock"

-You'll own it outright

-Not impossible to find one with a proper 5 speed manual

-You can easily wire in an aftermarket back-up cam and bluetooth head unit, if you really must.

-Built to last forever, rust is what takes them off the road

New Tacoma:

-Pricey, you may have to finance.

-Is a computer on wheels that wants to drive itself

-Has distracting infotainment and heads-up displays

-Computer modules upon modules that send your real-time driving data to NHTSA, the Insurance companies, and Law Enforcement

-No V8 option, dealer will give you a hard time if you ask for a manual.

-If you get a manual. it's the 6 speed "iMT" that rev matches and downshifts for you, ruining allot of the fun.

-Built with planned obsolescence
 
Gedunker said:
^^The thing is, I'm 65 with arthritis in my knees and probably my hips too. Getting in/out of a little sport hatchback ain't no fun anymore. That's why I'm looking for a Tacoma.
Click to expand...

Years ago I had a little 1992 or '94 (I cannot even remember anymore) Ford Ranger and a friend of mine had a Dodge Stealth. I thought that was one of the coolest looking cars at the time and really loved it. One long weekend he wanted to move a bunch of stuff from our barracks in NC back to his parents' house in TN and asked if we could swap vehicles and I jumped at the opportunity to cruise around in the Stealth, especially since some other friends and I were planning to go down to Myrtle Beach that weekend. I had never been in his car before that weekend and after driving it for a just a bit to run some errands around town and getting in and out of it a few times I was ready to drive it off a pier into the river. My god it was a horribly uncomfortable vehicle to get in and out of but I was so unaccustomed to something that low. I am not a big guy by any means and it made me wonder how some bigger folks do that with little sports cars and hatchbacks everyday.
 
Gedunker said:
I'm looking for a not stupid-expensive Toyota Tacoma, with a manual tranny. Typically, Carmax has about 1600 Tacomas at any one time, of which an average of 52 are manuals. And none of them are not stupid-expensive.

That's why I'm still driving my '17 Mazda 3 sport hatchback, 6-spd manual.:| :indifferrent:
Click to expand...
After I sold my 2007 G6 (V6) in 2014 I was considering a Mazda 6 with the manual. Really wanted a manual. I just did not care for the clutch in the 6. Ended up with a 2014 Altima which I totaled in 2021. No recollection of the accident. Now have a 2020 Altima. I miss my G6 V6, and Pontiac in general.
 
Back
Top