December 19, 20241 yr 21 hours ago, Gravy Train said: Well, blacking EVERYTHING out doesn't exactly help to determine WTF model it is (or what the wheels look like) from a distance greater than 10'. I like some contrasting features of my car. You get your RSQ8 yet?
December 20, 20241 yr 4 hours ago, Mittens said: Always get a chuckle out of y'all trying to clown Toyota owners because they aren't driving Porsche, BMW, Mercedes, etc, but Americans in general "don't actually care about cars". I'll continue to clown on them because the brand established its reliability reputation by rehashing old technology for decades... but I've beaten that topic to the ground in here before. Now that they've been forced to modernize, let's see if that recognition remains. The one halo car they built was delivered a full decade late and released at a time when it was compared to the Porsche Carerra GT. A decade later, anything resembling "sports" from the brand was one they contracted through Subaru or BMW. When every nameplate in their catalog is outperformed, better featured, or follows a more uniform design language, I'll say Toyota no longer builds cars for people who are passionate about them.
December 20, 20241 yr 3 hours ago, Chewbacca said: You get your RSQ8 yet? I bitched out and bought a Rivian R1T Quad instead. With 835hp / 900ft-#, it's a hoot to drive, but I clearly did this backwards as I'm not yet in Colorado to enjoy the EV benefit. Still Colorado dreaming though, shitty as the RE market and 10-year treasury seems to be. Jealous your project is likely underway. Hope the SQ8 is treating you well, I still have my S6 and don't know what to do with it, but a part of me wants to replace that with a C7 GrandSport 7MT; the car we should have all picked up in 2019 when GM was hurting, slashing dealer incentives to $55K OTD with a 0% note.
December 20, 20241 yr Speaking of Colorado and EVs, how about a nearly-free Fiat 500e lease? https://www.lhmchryslerdodgeramfiatdenver.com/fiat-offer.htm TFL did a video about it-- For CO residents, it's about $1,400 in taxes for a 27 month lease with a 10K/yr mile allowance. 2024 Fiat 500e$0 Down$0 per month 27-Month One Pay LeaseTaxes due at delivery. No other drive-off payment required!No Payments required during the full term of the lease! Edited December 20, 20241 yr by Gravy Train
December 20, 20241 yr On 12/18/2024 at 3:26 PM, Gravy Train said: The only new Lexus models that retain their 5-liter, VVTi V8 are the LC500 and IS500. Everything else is some combination of their 2.4L DI, turbo-4 and hybrid powertrain. Further, Lexus is endorsing 7,500-10,000 mi oil change intervals (synthetic) on these engines. I wouldn't feel comfortable about buying any used Lexus unless the owner was a fanatic about the car. The only Lexus to get is the five liter. They are a dinosaur, which I love. The last N/A sport sedan built is the IS 500. I will own one till they don't make them anymore. When I bought the GS-F in 2019, I could have bought an M5 with about the same miles for a couple of grand cheaper. BUT, Edmund's has a feature that shows estimated repair bills, and estimated trade-in value at 100k miles. The Lexus was estimated to have almost $20k less of repair bills and a $20k difference to the positive on trade-in value. It is truly the most cost effective investment in a depreciating asset that I have ever owned. Boring? Probably to some, but not to the other 90% that have never been in a sub five second zero to sixty, 150 mph+ automobile. Ours isn't a garage queen weekend warrior, it's our everyday family hauler, momma's work car, and the primary transportation, to Austin, for football games. So for us, it is practical and dependable. CHIEF'
December 20, 20241 yr It's still slow, but makes all the right noises and is easy to care for. I can appreciate coveting one of the last GS-Fs (the last attractive sedan Lexus made), then moving on to the IS 500. Analog experiences (with a warranty) are quickly becoming extinct.
December 20, 20241 yr I'll continue to clown on them because the brand established its reliability reputation by rehashing old technology for decades... but I've beaten that topic to the ground in here before. Now that they've been forced to modernize, let's see if that recognition remains. The one halo car they built was delivered a full decade late and released at a time when it was compared to the Porsche Carerra GT. A decade later, anything resembling "sports" from the brand was one they contracted through Subaru or BMW. When every nameplate in their catalog is outperformed, better featured, or follows a more uniform design language, I'll say Toyota no longer builds cars for people who are passionate about them.Meh, my 2021 Landcruiser with us old tech has been flawless in the 50k miles since new. My SQ8 with 3k miles has thrown 2 CELs so far. I like Audis a lot, but this new one is taking the shine off, for sure.
December 20, 20241 yr Surprising-- what were the CELs for? I'd like to think you previously logged 30K miles of aftermarket-tuned V8 power without a hiccup. Hold on to that 2021 Landcruiser, it's the last of the solid and reliable Japan assembled examples.
December 20, 20241 yr Surprising-- what were the CELs for? I'd like to think you previously logged 30K miles of aftermarket-tuned V8 power without a hiccup. Hold on to that 2021 Landcruiser, it's the last of the solid and reliable Japan assembled examples.They don't know. The car starts and immediately turns off. MMI takes a minute to reset and then when I restart, the gauge cluster lights up like a Christmas tree. They run codes and check things out and it all looks normal. Has done this twice so far. Won't be keeping this very long off it keeps that up.
December 20, 20241 yr 11 hours ago, Chewbacca said: They don't know. The car starts and immediately turns off. MMI takes a minute to reset and then when I restart, the gauge cluster lights up like a Christmas tree. They run codes and check things out and it all looks normal. Has done this twice so far. Won't be keeping this very long off it keeps that up. Can you make them buy it back under lemon laws?
December 20, 20241 yr Can you make them buy it back under lemon laws? We are nowhere near that yet. It has started back up both times and the dealer has cleared codes right away. I'd like to know why it does this and get out fixed, though.
December 20, 20241 yr 16 hours ago, Gravy Train said: Speaking of Colorado and EVs, how about a nearly-free Fiat 500e lease? https://www.lhmchryslerdodgeramfiatdenver.com/fiat-offer.htm TFL did a video about it-- For CO residents, it's about $1,400 in taxes for a 27 month lease with a 10K/yr mile allowance. 2024 Fiat 500e$0 Down$0 per month 27-Month One Pay LeaseTaxes due at delivery. No other drive-off payment required!No Payments required during the full term of the lease! It might be time for me to head down to the Fiat dealer. My oldest needs a car and I've been putting off buying one.
February 3Feb 3 On 12/20/2024 at 2:38 AM, Gravy Train said: The best license plate ive ever seen is this car in this exact color with the plate “TOMATO” The 2nd best is this, though ive not seen in person
February 3Feb 3 Track weekend at MSR Houston. Green group, so I have an instructor holding my hand. Anyone else do this stuff?
February 3Feb 3 On 12/19/2024 at 9:54 PM, Chewbacca said: They don't know. The car starts and immediately turns off. MMI takes a minute to reset and then when I restart, the gauge cluster lights up like a Christmas tree. They run codes and check things out and it all looks normal. Has done this twice so far. Won't be keeping this very long off it keeps that up. So it turned out to be a bad instrument cluster. Dealer replaced it and it seems to be good to go. Having issues with the Android Auto interface, though. It will drop and reconnect over and over at times.
February 3Feb 3 6 minutes ago, Chewbacca said: So it turned out to be a bad instrument cluster. Dealer replaced it and it seems to be good to go. Having issues with the Android Auto interface, though. It will drop and reconnect over and over at times. Make sure you aren't losing cell connection. My truck will do the same along Mopac north of Parmer Lane. There are dead spots galore.
February 3Feb 3 1 minute ago, Catpfish said: Make sure you aren't losing cell connection. My truck will do the same along Mopac north of Parmer Lane. There are dead spots galore. So you lose the connection to the car when you lose cell signal?
February 3Feb 3 I lose the Android Auto connection and the screen goes back to a non-connected look. So, maybe I don't totally lose connection, but you don't see any connection icons for a few seconds. Phone calls will also drop. After a couple of seconds, it all comes back.
February 3Feb 3 2 minutes ago, Catpfish said: I lose the Android Auto connection and the screen goes back to a non-connected look. So, maybe I don't totally lose connection, but you don't see any connection icons for a few seconds. Phone calls will also drop. After a couple of seconds, it all comes back. Interesting. There are dead spots all over the place up here but I assumed that would just pause the music, not drop the connection to the car altogether.
February 4Feb 4 3 hours ago, faps said: Track weekend at MSR Houston. Green group, so I have an instructor holding my hand. Anyone else do this stuff? I want to do that stuff but feel like the tracks are too far away to beat up my own car. BTW, is that your G87 or the instructor's? I'm gonna post some some relevent BMW content later.
February 4Feb 4 6 minutes ago, Gravy Train said: I want to do that stuff but feel like the tracks are too far away to beat up my own car. BTW, is that your G87 or the instructor's? I'm gonna post some some relevent BMW content later. It's mine and it's an F87, not a fan of the G87. I live about ten miles away from MSR Houston.
February 4Feb 4 I've been tempted to take my E63 wagon up to RoadAmerica, but if I do it, I will probably wait until close-ish to when I'm planning to get new tires anyway.
February 11Feb 11 Drove past a new BMW XM yesterday on I-70. That is a fucking ugly vehicle. WTF has happened to BMW's styling?
February 11Feb 11 Anyone on the list for a 2025 4Runner? Apparently quick delivery for the TRD model with cloth seats and 8" nav but a few months out for the TRD Premium.
February 12Feb 12 On 2/10/2025 at 7:27 PM, Chewbacca said: Drove past a new BMW XM yesterday on I-70. That is a fucking ugly vehicle. WTF has happened to BMW's styling? Muy feo
February 16Feb 16 Popular Post 1 year ago today I brought home my girl as my retirement gift. She’s gotten new shoes. New exhaust. New intake and 3000 miles of fun
February 20Feb 20 12 minutes ago, SurlyGator said: I thought the latest on that merger was it was dead in the water? Apparently I missed the collapse of the talks. https://www.reuters.com/markets/deals/inside-collapse-nissan-hondas-60-billion-mega-deal-2025-02-12/
February 20Feb 20 6 minutes ago, PittsburghTiger said: Apparently I missed the collapse of the talks. https://www.reuters.com/markets/deals/inside-collapse-nissan-hondas-60-billion-mega-deal-2025-02-12/ Although I would not be surprised if the talks resume after a few months as I don’t see Nissan’s situation improving
February 21Feb 21 I don’t see how Nissan survives unless they completely restructure and go back to the times before the CVT.
February 22Feb 22 1 hour ago, tbone_ said: Their cars used to be good. Old school Maxima says hi. Old school 240Z really says Hi - even if it was Datsun
February 23Feb 23 My wife bought her 3rd consecutive Rogue on Friday. Her money, her car, none of my business.
February 24Feb 24 Test drove a new Model S today. Rode around in full self drive mode for a good long time and I must say I am very impressed. What other cars have something comparable… for those who might want to consider a different brand?
February 24Feb 24 Buy a preowned EV unless you're leasing. Far more value on a steep depreciation curve. I wouldn't dare pay for FSD on a newer Tesla, let alone trust it for much of my driving. Porsche Taycan and Audi eTron GT are comparable offerings from the Germans with better driving dynamics, materials, fit/finish; they both introduced a refresh for 2025 with improved range. The Porsche Macan is now EV as well, and it looks more car-like in this iteration. Lucid Air is a fantastic value on the second hand market. Edited February 24Feb 24 by Gravy Train
February 24Feb 24 On 2/22/2025 at 2:01 PM, tbone_ said: Their cars used to be good. Old school Maxima says hi. The 4 door sports car.
February 24Feb 24 10 hours ago, CoTex said: Test drove a new Model S today. Rode around in full self drive mode for a good long time and I must say I am very impressed. What other cars have something comparable… for those who might want to consider a different brand? I would rather walk than put a penny in that fuckhead's pocket (no CR).
February 24Feb 24 3 hours ago, baboso said: The 4 door sports car. I can still hear the very specific noise that the suspension and tires of my dad's '85 Maxima would make when he would come apexing around the corner leading into the driveway of my childhood home.
February 26Feb 26 On 2/3/2025 at 4:17 PM, faps said: Track weekend at MSR Houston. Green group, so I have an instructor holding my hand. Anyone else do this stuff? I want to take my G42 out to do this some day
February 28Feb 28 On 2/24/2025 at 4:59 AM, CoTex said: Test drove a new Model S today. Rode around in full self drive mode for a good long time and I must say I am very impressed. What other cars have something comparable… for those who might want to consider a different brand? GM's Super Cruise is reputed to have the 2nd best driving assist system, when comparing to original Enhanced Auto Pilot (EAP). Comma.Ai is a 3rd party system retrofitted to cars that has lots of fans. For actual all-road autonomy, in which Tesla made tons of recent progress (and, to be clear, is NOT commercialized at the moment), noone else is supposed to be close.
February 28Feb 28 55 minutes ago, 52-80 said: GM's Super Cruise is reputed to have the 2nd best driving assist system, when comparing to original Enhanced Auto Pilot (EAP). Comma.Ai is a 3rd party system retrofitted to cars that has lots of fans. For actual all-road autonomy, in which Tesla made tons of recent progress (and, to be clear, is NOT commercialized at the moment), noone else is supposed to be close. I drive a lot of GM products with the lane departure feature that will direct you back in the lane. This technology I recently experienced was far superior. Type your destination into the computer, press the blue button, and relax. I presume all manufacturers are working this up and it will be a big deal when it is widely available. I would go so far as to say self-driving will become the exception. Ill drive a super cruise and report back.
February 28Feb 28 16 minutes ago, CoTex said: I drive a lot of GM products with the lane departure feature that will direct you back in the lane. This technology I recently experienced was far superior. Type your destination into the computer, press the blue button, and relax. I presume all manufacturers are working this up and it will be a big deal when it is widely available. I would go so far as to say self-driving will become the exception. Ill drive a super cruise and report back. That's pretty much the consensus: noone is remotely close to what you described as FSD for native in-car implementation. Comma is supposed to be good but I dont have first hand experience. Waymo is fully autonomous, but they operate in a very limited area, and require a gigantic suite of sensors. Mercedes is probably the most falsely-advertised system. They claim to be the only Level 4 system but are ridiculously constrained: basically <40mph on certain preapproved sections of highway only (lol) and in perfect weather condition and traffic density. Ford's Bluecruise is also supposed to be decent comparator to GM's Supercruise
March 2Mar 2 If the tariffs start rolling next week and then heat up in April for Europe, seems like the car market is about to heat back up…May try to pull the trigger in the next few weeks.
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