OT: Talking Cars Tuesday - What's Next?

Submitted by JeepinBen on

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!

xtramelanin

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.  

xtramelanin

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. 

 

JeepinBen

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.

xtramelanin

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.   

Stuck in Ohio

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.

Stuck in Ohio

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!

Stuck in Ohio

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

MaizeAndBlueWahoo

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.

JeepinBen

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.

Sllepy81

November 7th, 2017 at 10:34 AM ^

car when we move and absolutely nothing new is pulling me in. It appears the Japanese have almost all but canned there's which is sad. I'm looking at 70-80s European and 90s Japanese now instead. I don't really like big American muscle, I like light and smaller cars. The Tokyo auto show was a massive let down for me, no rotary, no new Z, no supra.

k1400

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.

1989 UM GRAD

November 7th, 2017 at 10:37 AM ^

Son just turned 16. Got him a 2017 Honda CRV. Very impressed with the safety and technology features at the somewhat reasonable price. Hoping to get 10+ years out of it for both of our kids.



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.

4yearsofhoke

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.

JeepinBen

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.

1989 UM GRAD

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.

The Maizer

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.

1989 UM GRAD

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.

AdamBomb

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?

JeepinBen

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.

rob f

November 7th, 2017 at 3:58 PM ^

at the 2018 Equinox after having eliminated the brand (after checking out the 2017 version) from consideration, and I will say that it's better looking. What I've since read about it seems to look promising, too, but as bad as the previous model was, I remain skeptical about it. Like the Jeep Cherokee, it may look good but I care much more about performance, utility, and durability than looks when it comes to vehicles.