Domestic Automakers stopping making cars.

[AngliaGT]

Jalopnik comments on trucks, or rather the "brodozers", sighted much too often on our roads. https://jalopnik.com/a-big-ass-truck-does-not-make-you-tough-1836882824

In California they're called "growdozers".

 

[JPSmit]

Jalopnik comments on trucks, or rather the "brodozers", sighted much too often on our roads. https://jalopnik.com/a-big-ass-truck-does-not-make-you-tough-1836882824

Not sure who actually read this but there is a fabulous LBC connection around 'toughness'

 

[pdplot]

These clowns are rampant down south and in Texas. Ride right on your tail and try to intimidate. They all think they're Dale Earnhart.

 

[DavidApp]

Of course he real men drive these. There was one in a hotel parking lot where I was staying.

David

http://f650pickups.com

 

[Brooklands]

Very few trucks in our 55+ Community, but then the garages are small. My wife has a Subaru Forester which is our "hauling" SUV, and I drive a Subaru Impresa 5-door which is as close as I could find that was a AWD station wagon.

My son-in-law and my younger son both drive club cab pickups. Neither puts them in a garage due to the size.

And I agree Tom about the infrastructure for the electrics. I do not look for charging stations, but I do not see them around either. It is like when hydrogen fuel-cell car cars were being touted. They had potential, but no fueling stations unless you plotted your course from one station to the next.

 

[NutmegCT]

Dave - good to see you on BCF again. Thanks for the Christmas card.

I wonder, when gasoline autos were first getting started, you could depend on local hardware and farm supply stores to have gasoline. You pulled up in front, bought a few bottles of gasoline, and went on your merry way.

Today you can fill up your gas tank in about five minutes. But how long does it take to "fill up" (recharge) your battery at a charging station?

Happy new year to you and Peg.
Tom M.

 

[DavidApp]

This guy did a coast to almost coast drive in a Tesla 3. Seemed to be relatively painless as the app calculated where the charging stations were.


David

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uC95WACQhCY&t=2s

 

[YakkoWarner]

Two of my grandsons came over yesterday on a Christmas run in the oldest grandsons new Tesla AWD duel motor with a performance package, whatever that entails. He's single makes tons of money, even bought another airplane a couple weeks ago! He had a few girlfriends and I asked him once why he isn't married, he said all girls want is your money! Smart kid!:highly_amused: The car, quite impressive and makes zero noise. He said the battery package, which is under the floor, is supposed to last over 100k miles and $2,000 to replace. He didn't say how much it cost, but I know it's slightly more than I would pay!

View attachment 61660

The Teslas are really nice - but obviously way out of the price range of most working people. What I don't like about them (other than the price) is they are constantly internet-connected which makes me think that the scene in Furious_8 where all the connected cars get hacked and weaponized isn't really a Hollywood fantasy. If I DID have the $$ to buy one I'd find the internet connectivity antenna and manufacture a malfunction of some sort.

There is a big perception that trucks and SUVs are somewhat safer for the occupants in a collision - and there may be truth to it. When I had my big 1984 4-door Lincoln town car, that felt pretty safe but it was larger than a Surburban by several inches. My one serious collision incident involved being blown up after getting hit (while completely stopped) in a Mustang, so I can't rule out the size=safety argument completely since the pickup that hit the Mustang was still mostly drivable afterwards. In bad weather situations I prefer to drive my big F250 truck on the hopes it may be safer than the little Mazda2 if run into, but I couldn't afford to drive that thing to work every day and the Mazda is pretty nimble and fun to zip around in (and 36MPG doesn't hurt either). I had to get new front struts on it and they warned me that when the motor mounts are worn out they will have to come from overseas because there is no inventory of the manual transmission motor mounts in the USA....

 

[vette]

What I don't like about them (other than the price) is they are constantly internet-connected..... If I DID have the $$ to buy one I'd find the internet connectivity antenna and manufacture a malfunction of some sort..

I hate to tell you this but big brother is already sitting on your lap. Many of the new cars in the last few years are internet connected. I just bought a new 2019 Corvette in November. Even though I DID NOT subscribe to the GM offered 'OnStar' interconnected service I have gotten two monthly reports that list any anomalies currently with my car. It list such things as emission systems normal, fuel system normal, cooling normal, etc. It then states that no service is required at this time. So since I have not subscribed to any automated maintenance monitoring I was quite surprised to get these reports.

 

[AngliaGT]

There was an article in the local paper about the newer cars,& the information
the car companies are able to collect from them.The companies wouldn't disclose what
all information that they're collecting,or who they're sharing it with.
The article said that when you're charging your Smartphone in one of these vehicles,
they can download the information on it.
Another reason that I want an older pickup.

 

[waltesefalcon]

The newest car I own in an 08 Toyota and I refuse to buy anything newer because of the internet connectivity, touch screens, etc, that all cars now seem to have.