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Vehicles / bikes šŸ Car Talk

kjel said:
I learned how to drive in a 1970s Dodge Dart.
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I owned a 1972 Dodge Dart.

1673150113498.png
 
I'm hoping for a vehicle that doesn't exist yet- an EV or at least a PHEV AWD Ford Maverick.

Right now, not even the hybrid is AWD, though on the forums it sounds like this is a possibility and like they have been testing out a PHEV (though probably not AWD) version.

Possibly GM/Chevy could come through with an EV competitor, but these are kind of just rumors so far.

I'd really like to get away from all of the maintenance complications of internal combustion. I've lived through my share of water pump failures, timing belt changes, serpentine belt failures, thermostat/radiator failures, etc. and I'm ready to move on. Oh, also 3k catalytic converter failures (probably just a sensor but it's embedded in the cat so you have to do the whole thing). I don't even like having to do oil changes.

I'd love to make lumber trips and boat trips easier. I have a take-apart boat that would fit disassembled in the Maverick bed where today I have to cartop the main module. PHEV would let me have all my commuting be on electrons. EV just appeals to me for simplicity. AWD is admittedly more of a want than a need but as long as my son is ski racing there are days we need to leave at the crack of dawn in whatever weather to get to a race somewhere an hour away and AWD is dang nice to have in those conditions. I always run studded snows in the winter.

Anyway, we'll see if I can nurse my old-enough-to-buy cigarettes car along another couple of years and see what pops up on the market.
 
mendelman said:
If I move into an EV auto, I hope to have a chance for a Honda e.

It's likely just right for my wants and needs.

Honda-e-via-Honda-UK.png
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That looks a lot like an old Civic and also like my Fiat 500. To me that's a perfect commuter/personal vehicle. I think I heard the Fiat 500 is coming back to the US, this time as a full EV.
 
Faust_Motel said:
I'm hoping for a vehicle that doesn't exist yet- an EV or at least a PHEV AWD Ford Maverick.

Right now, not even the hybrid is AWD, though on the forums it sounds like this is a possibility and like they have been testing out a PHEV (though probably not AWD) version.

Possibly GM/Chevy could come through with an EV competitor, but these are kind of just rumors so far.

I'd really like to get away from all of the maintenance complications of internal combustion. I've lived through my share of water pump failures, timing belt changes, serpentine belt failures, thermostat/radiator failures, etc. and I'm ready to move on. Oh, also 3k catalytic converter failures (probably just a sensor but it's embedded in the cat so you have to do the whole thing). I don't even like having to do oil changes.

I'd love to make lumber trips and boat trips easier. I have a take-apart boat that would fit disassembled in the Maverick bed where today I have to cartop the main module. PHEV would let me have all my commuting be on electrons. EV just appeals to me for simplicity. AWD is admittedly more of a want than a need but as long as my son is ski racing there are days we need to leave at the crack of dawn in whatever weather to get to a race somewhere an hour away and AWD is dang nice to have in those conditions. I always run studded snows in the winter.

Anyway, we'll see if I can nurse my old-enough-to-buy cigarettes car along another couple of years and see what pops up on the market.
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Coming soon, it looks like.

www.motortrend.com

The AWD Ford Maverick Hybrid Seems To Be In the Worksā€”With a Surprise

The wildly popular small truck was caught testing a new electrified powertrain.
www.motortrend.com www.motortrend.com
 
I wouldn't mind a Subaru Solterra but my 2014 Outback is humming along just fine. I'd rather wait until they have a few years of production runs as well. Toyota co-designed the electric motor so it should be fine.
 
Edsel will be a great name for this new model line we're betting the company on. - Henry Ford (probably)
 
Revzani Vengeance: The next evolution in the soccermom SUV. Billed as the "World's Most Agressive SUV" and starting at a base price of $285,000, you can take your whole family in style and safety to the ballpark or warzone.
The optional military package comes with run-flat tires, thermal imaging, bulletproof glass and body armor, gas masks, blinding lights, electrified door handles, smokescreen, and pepper spray mister for just $125,000 more.

The thing looks like something out of Robocop.

1SWAT_BLUE_MATTE.jpg
 
Looks like car designers are taking a page from all the dystopian movies. I can see it now...guns blazing, buildings on fire, this SUV swerving around traffic racing to get to a destination then finally getting to the school to pick up the kids with the back loaded with groceries. Just another day in LA.
 
One of my neighbors just got a Rivian SUV. I've seen quite a few of the trucks around and they look nice enough but I really like the SUV (this is the first one I've seen in the wild). It's nice and boxy, which is a quality I like in a vehicle!

bureaucrat#3 said:
Revzani Vengeance: The next evolution in the soccermom SUV. Billed as the "World's Most Agressive SUV" and starting at a base price of $285,000, you can take your whole family in style and safety to the ballpark or warzone.
The optional military package comes with run-flat tires, thermal imaging, bulletproof glass and body armor, gas masks, blinding lights, electrified door handles, smokescreen, and pepper spray mister for just $125,000 more.

The thing looks like something out of Robocop.

View attachment 59569
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I had never heard of the "Rezvani" until I saw one in front of my daughter's middle school one day last spring while I was waiting to pick her up. I had to take a pic to send to a couple of my friends because we had just been talking about stupid vehicles. At first I thought it was some sort of souped-up AEV Wrangler (it does indeed share some parts with the LJ Wrangler) and that's when I learned that they market themselves as a "Tactical Urban Vehicle" and the eyeroll-inducing specs... perfect for driving your kids to soccer practice and school in the rough and tumble streets of Bloomfield Hills and Birmingham, Michigan. :r:

59a36039-6a94-4115-b187-5c04ad6da8e3-jpeg.1776266


I picture 99% of the buyers of these as tech/crypto bros.

I've seen the one in the photo above a bunch of times at and around the school since I took that picture and have also seen another one in the area as well.
 
Never heard of a Rivian before, but suspect WSU is on point with virtually none of the buyers having no actual need for a tactical vehicle.
 
Maister said:
Never heard of a Rivian before, but suspect WSU is on point with virtually none of the buyers having no actual need for a tactical vehicle.
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I think you're confusing Rivian...

rivian.com

Rivian - Electric Adventure Vehicles

Whether itā€™s taking families on new adventures or helping fleets electrify at scale, our vehicles all share a common goal ā€” preserving the natural world for generations to come.
rivian.com rivian.com

With Rezvani.

www.rezvanimotors.com

Rezvani

Make your own path. Tactical Urban Vehicles. Rezvani produces Tank and Hercules SUV's and armored vehicles.
www.rezvanimotors.com www.rezvanimotors.com
 
There's a couple of Rivians rolling around where I live. They look pretty slick, and still look "like a truck" to me, which I like.
 
Faust_Motel said:
There's a couple of Rivians rolling around where I live. They look pretty slick, and still look "like a truck" to me, which I like.
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I see one on the highway once in a while, usually the richer part of town, but they just look like a truck. It almost makes me think shouldn't that be a Chevy logo?
 
Faust_Motel said:
There's a couple of Rivians rolling around where I live. They look pretty slick, and still look "like a truck" to me, which I like.
Click to expand...

My friend a couple of blocks over just bought one. His prior vehicle was a Subaru WRX STI. This truck is faster than it--holy smokes! I will say that the Rivian does have a number of design features that solve things that have always frustrated me about trucks. It also has the coolest suspension system I've encountered.

In my opinion based on the finish levels, I think Rivian is well-positioned as an acquisition by one of the big car companies. It reminds me of a Land Rover inside. Rivian has a SUV coming out as well that has been directly compared to Land Rover as a superior product for similar price.

the challenge with EVs is diminished performance when towing. That is what is keeping me from considering them (I have my Pathfinder specifically because I needed about 6,000 pounds towing capacity for our travel trailer). That's the thing they need to solve, although Rivian has asserted that they do not experience significant diminished range when towing an Airstream. I think Ram is being clever with its plans to offer a range extender engine detached from the drivetrain--basically a generator engine.
 
Starting to see a few Rivians around here as well. I don't love the headlights, but otherwise it doesn't look bad. The front reminds me of a cartoon animal nose.

rivian.jpg


I do like the extra storage. It also seems like they took some more time to make a unique vehicle instead of a standard truck that is an EV.
 
Maister said:
Never heard of a Rivian before
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They have a decent chance of survival. They're the supplier of the electric Amazon trucks and Ford owns a stake in them. They're working the industrial market first, then transitioning into the private vehicle market.
 
Unpopular take: I think that Rezvani is kinda bad ass looking and if money was no object I'd probably buy one.
 
Faust_Motel said:
There's a couple of Rivians rolling around where I live. They look pretty slick, and still look "like a truck" to me, which I like.
Click to expand...

The benefit of being in California is you get to see many of these new cars far more easily than other places in the US. I remember seeing the Rivian in the camo wrap during their final testing and thought it looked great then. Seeing both the truck and suvs on the road, I would totally get one. It's not as big as a modern full size truck, but more in line with a full size from the 90s that is far more suited for daily use in and around town.
 
...soon to be son in law is a nuclear engineer. With this or that tax break he has coming he is buying a Tesla soon. He tells me battery technology is a fast paced sector of improvement.
 
Doohickie said:
Well yeah. Batteries are currently the weak link in EV tech; they get most of the R&D dollars.
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The newest models have a Fred Flintstone option that lets the driver put his feet through the floor to get through gridlocks most cheaply.
 
MD Planner said:
Unpopular take: I think that Rezvani is kinda bad ass looking and if money was no object I'd probably buy one.
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It does look like the next generation of the Pontiac Aztec... probably what the Aztec would've looked like before GM value-engineered it to death and put it on a dang minivan platform :p
 
Is this real or a tiktok hoax?

Dude claims that the low temp dashboard warning sign of
-4Ā°
coincidentally looks like someone using the lavatory.

I've seen:
images


But I've never seen:
68465847-11834975-Bathroom_humour_Jett_Wade_shared_the_snap_his_wife_sent_him_of_a-m-50_1678281312006.jpg


Anybody have the answer, or must I wait for Snopes?
 
78rpm said:
Is this real or a tiktok hoax?

Dude claims that the low temp dashboard warning sign of
-4Ā°
coincidentally looks like someone using the lavatory.

I've seen:
images


But I've never seen:
68465847-11834975-Bathroom_humour_Jett_Wade_shared_the_snap_his_wife_sent_him_of_a-m-50_1678281312006.jpg


Anybody have the answer, or must I wait for Snopes?
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Some dashboards have an external temperature readout and that's exactly what I would expect -4 degrees to look like. (It's not a warning, it's just the external temp.)
 
I enjoy dailying a simple 5 speed Toyota from 1999. No infotainment (AM/FM + tapes and CDs work fine), no navigation (redundant luxury feature, as we all have google maps in our pocket now) back up cams or lane departure (use your eyes, that are on the road not a screen), no temperature readout on the dash (use your sense touch, is it cold outside Y/N?) and no TPMS (again, use your eyes, have an analog gauge). I like that I don't have to worry about carburation, adjusting my valves or maintaining points ignition, but 90s/early 00s cars are the perfect middle ground - fuel injected with OBDII, but not a complete computer car like my father's Crosstrek.

I have still yet to own a vehicle newer than M.Y. 1999. I'm trying to hold off until 2030, at which Ill probably inherit my fathers Crosstrek (when he gets a new
'30 Solterra) and convert it from CVT to 6 Speed Manual and run it until 2050.

One thing I would love to see, are electric vehicles with conventional manual transmissions. I don't even know if that's possible with electric motors, but a 6 speed all electric Civic SI sounds pretty steazy to me.
 
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