General Car Talk Discussion Thread
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Surprisingly, I think the rental Mustang(Enterprise) and BMW 328(Sixt) were the only two which didn't need air added.
Also, check new car tires and cars returned after a service -- apparently most dealer service shops fill to 32 psi for tires, even when the door sticker says "35 psi," "36 psi" or something other than 32.
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nist7 (11-13-2018)
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After a scary experience in a rental, I now check the tread on all 4 tires prior to accepting a rental car. Torrential rain on what turned out to be near bald tires Not a fun time.
Same with svc, like mentioned above. I think my C specs call for 36f/40r, so 32 all around would definitely set off the TPMS light.
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nist7 (11-13-2018)
Team Owner
you should make a proposal to your company on how much they spent on rentals for you vs. leasing a car for you
It might be cheaper for them just to lease you a car.
It might be cheaper for them just to lease you a car.
Team Owner
After a scary experience in a rental, I now check the tread on all 4 tires prior to accepting a rental car. Torrential rain on what turned out to be near bald tires Not a fun time.
Same with svc, like mentioned above. I think my C specs call for 36f/40r, so 32 all around would definitely set off the TPMS light.
Team Owner
Damn that's a good idea to check the tires
Safety Car
It's essentially only rental car as the option because in my contract I can be let go with 30 day notice and I'll need to move and find a new job. So I think this is why rental car is the standard for transportation instead of a lease. I think they get corporate discount rates as well from the rental companies.
I don't mind it. I get to try out all kinds of diff cars (I use National Emerald Club) and the airport manager knows me well now and will pull essentially any car I want except probably the Maserati Quattroporte (understandable....though I actually haven't asked....heh). I usually change out a car every 3-4 weeks.
Last edited by nist7; 11-13-2018 at 01:07 PM.
Team Owner
Well if that is the case, that is even better.
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nist7 (11-13-2018)
Turd Polisher
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After a scary experience in a rental, I now check the tread on all 4 tires prior to accepting a rental car. Torrential rain on what turned out to be near bald tires Not a fun time.
Same with svc, like mentioned above. I think my C specs call for 36f/40r, so 32 all around would definitely set off the TPMS light.
Wife and I went to Colorado a month ago ... took in a Toyota Corolla later in the afternoon and didn't bother checking the tires.
Woke up the next day to drive to our next destination and I noticed the front tires were well past the wear bar.
Fortunately, no rain / snow that week ... regardless, I gave them an ear full and got the added insurance waived.
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civicdrivr (11-14-2018),
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Team Owner
The *actual* truth to Tyler's story is that he had a corolla for a rental car and subsequently did fwd burnouts until the tires were past their wear indicator bars. He then proceeded to give the rental company an earful so he wouldn't have to pay for the shit econo tires and had his insurance fee waived.
Ex-OEM King
The *actual* truth to Tyler's story is that he had a corolla for a rental car and subsequently did fwd burnouts until the tires were past their wear indicator bars. He then proceeded to give the rental company an earful so he wouldn't have to pay for the shit econo tires and had his insurance fee waived.
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TylerT (11-14-2018)
Team Owner
Bro... Have you never driven a corolla through a puddle? Burn outs for days!
Team Owner
The *actual* truth to Tyler's story is that he had a corolla for a rental car and subsequently did fwd burnouts until the tires were past their wear indicator bars. He then proceeded to give the rental company an earful so he wouldn't have to pay for the shit econo tires and had his insurance fee waived.
Dont think Corolla had that kind of power.... TLX or RLX maybe.
Team Owner
Now that's bullshit and you know it. You can rev anything to 6000rpm and then throw it in drive.
Team Owner
Yah i think in Corolla's case, instead of a burnout, you would just break your front axle or driveshaft or maybe it will just launch and go.
120lbs of torque at 6k rpm will not have much to show
120lbs of torque at 6k rpm will not have much to show
Safety Car
More Luxury Buyers Ditch the Imports and Pick Up a Truck
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/15/a...rucks-suv.html
Shopping for a luxury sedan....ends up with a Raptor. lol. Some times I feel like people have no idea what they really want....or they met a very very good salesman.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/15/a...rucks-suv.html
When Lee Victorian was looking for an upscale car to complement his wife’s BMW last year, he was leaning toward an Audi A6 — a sedan whose acceleration, refinement and dazzling array of advanced technologies, like automatic braking and radar-based cruise control, he found alluring.
But what he drove off the lot was an entirely different kind of premium vehicle, and one more luxury buyers are choosing: a pickup truck.
Mr. Victorian, a retired Michigan state trooper, bought a Raptor version of the Ford F-150. The Raptor is a truck with the soul of a racecar: It has a 450-horsepower engine, a 10-speed transmission, electronic ride settings for seven different road surfaces, big chrome wheels, a power tailgate, cameras at all four corners and an adaptive cruise control system similar to the Audi’s. With all those options, the sticker price came to about $80,000.
“Man, this truck is so slick,” Mr. Victorian said. “I stop at a light and people give me the thumbs up and take pictures of it. The truck is the celebrity.”
For the last few years, the auto industry has been roiled by a significant shift in consumer tastes. In droves, Americans are turning their backs on family sedans and small cars and flocking to bigger, roomier models like sport utility vehicles and trucks. In January, two of every three new vehicles sold were classified as trucks, including S.U.V.s, pickups, minivans and the lighter cousins of S.U.V.s known as crossovers.
Now a new dimension to this trend is emerging: Even upscale buyers who long favored Lexus, Cadillac, Jaguar and the German luxury brands are gravitating to trucks and S.U.V.s. What they are buying are often special-edition, fully loaded models, like Mr. Victorian’s Raptor, that sell for as much as or more than BMW’s flagship 7 Series sedan.
“We are seeing it,” said Tom Libby, an auto industry analyst at the research firm IHS Markit. “There is movement from luxury cars to luxury trucks.”
General Motors’ GMC brand — which sells only trucks and S.U.V.s — accounted for 11.3 percent of domestic sales of models with an average price of $60,000 or more in 2017, according to data from Edmunds.com. Five years earlier, the brand made up a mere 0.1 percent of those sales.
Ford and Chevrolet saw similar but smaller jumps, driven by increasing high-end truck and S.U.V. sales. At the same time, the portion of over-$60,000 sales for luxury brands including Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, Jaguar and Cadillac shrank.
That is providing a tailwind for the Detroit automakers when overall new-vehicle sales in the United States are slowing. General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler, with its Jeep brand, dominate in trucks and S.U.V.s, and now they’re scrambling to roll out more high-end versions.
It’s a competitive — and crucial — segment. With demand for cars shriveling, the Detroit three and even some foreign manufacturers acknowledge they are now losing money on many of the cars they sell. But a $60,000 truck can generate tens of thousands of dollars in operating profit.
At a recent investor conference, G.M. outlined a plan to produce more of the pricey Denali versions of GMC S.U.V.s and trucks. The company showed data indicating that the Denali line had an average sale price of $56,000 — more than the average price of a BMW, a Mercedes-Benz or an Audi.
“This thing,” G.M.’s president, Dan Ammann, said of the Denali line, “is a money machine.”
The other Detroit carmakers are heading in the same direction.
In October, Ford began making new versions of its eight-passenger Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator full-size S.U.V.s, and already has decided to make 25 percent more this year than it originally planned. In January, Navigators sold for an average of $77,000, thanks to strong sales of the top-of-the-line Black Label edition.
Fiat Chrysler is preparing to add more Jeep models, including a pickup and a full-size Grand Wagoneer.
In 2017, S.U.V.s and crossovers made up 41 percent of the market in the United States, up from 30 percent in 2013, according to Autodata. Luxury cars have gone in the opposite direction: They made up 5.4 percent of the market last year, down from 7.5 percent four years earlier.
And the priciest S.U.V.s and trucks are selling fastest. The high-end Lariat, King Ranch and Raptor models make up more than half of all F-150 sales, up from one-third a few years ago. Denali editions account for 29 percent of GMC’s sales, up from 21 percent.
Low gasoline prices are one reason that sales of high-end trucks are rising. Years ago, pickups and big S.U.V.s often traveled only 11 or 12 miles on a gallon of gas. Today, their fuel economy is often double that.
“The complaint that S.U.V.s are horrible on gas is not such a roadblock anymore,” said Mark Scarpelli, owner of two Chevrolet dealerships and a Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep franchise in Illinois.
At the same time, automakers have appointed special-edition S.U.V.s and trucks with the same kinds of advanced technologies and comfort features that consumers once found only in luxury cars. Want an interior trimmed in African mahogany? You can get it in the Black Label Navigator. Want an S.U.V. that accelerates like a Porsche (and isn’t a Porsche)? Try the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk and its 707-horsepower V8.
Chuck Ducher, a retired school psychologist in Onsted, Mich., just bought an F-150 Lariat with a bevy of options, including heated rear seats. “I can put my mother back there, and she’s in heaven,” he said. “There’s no doubt in my mind this is a luxury vehicle.”
Wes Lutz, owner of a Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep dealership in Jackson, Mich., said he was surprised at the way customers were snapping up the most expensive models on his lot. This month, he had two Trackhawks this month, each with a sticker price of $93,000.
“They won’t be here more than a few weeks,” he said. “It’s incredible. We never used to play in that price range.”
Increasing competition from upmarket S.U.V.s and trucks is adding to the struggles of the luxury makers. Most have long relied on cars for the bulk of their sales, and are suffering now that bigger vehicles are in favor. In 2017, for example, BMW’s sales to individual customers at dealerships in the United States fell more than 5 percent, according data shared among automakers. The decline in BMW’s total sales was less because of a big jump in sales to rental car fleets, a type of customer that luxury brands tended to shun in the past.
Out in Tacoma, Wash., Gary Gilchrist sees the trend just about every week at his GMC dealership.
“We’ve been taking in Lexuses on trade-ins, BMWs,” he said. This month, he said, a customer turned in a 2012 BMW 550i and bought a $71,000 GMC Sierra Denali pickup.
“People used to want German cars for the image factor,” Mr. Gilchrist said. “Now, if you have a Denali, you get that. People turn their heads to look.”
But what he drove off the lot was an entirely different kind of premium vehicle, and one more luxury buyers are choosing: a pickup truck.
Mr. Victorian, a retired Michigan state trooper, bought a Raptor version of the Ford F-150. The Raptor is a truck with the soul of a racecar: It has a 450-horsepower engine, a 10-speed transmission, electronic ride settings for seven different road surfaces, big chrome wheels, a power tailgate, cameras at all four corners and an adaptive cruise control system similar to the Audi’s. With all those options, the sticker price came to about $80,000.
“Man, this truck is so slick,” Mr. Victorian said. “I stop at a light and people give me the thumbs up and take pictures of it. The truck is the celebrity.”
For the last few years, the auto industry has been roiled by a significant shift in consumer tastes. In droves, Americans are turning their backs on family sedans and small cars and flocking to bigger, roomier models like sport utility vehicles and trucks. In January, two of every three new vehicles sold were classified as trucks, including S.U.V.s, pickups, minivans and the lighter cousins of S.U.V.s known as crossovers.
Now a new dimension to this trend is emerging: Even upscale buyers who long favored Lexus, Cadillac, Jaguar and the German luxury brands are gravitating to trucks and S.U.V.s. What they are buying are often special-edition, fully loaded models, like Mr. Victorian’s Raptor, that sell for as much as or more than BMW’s flagship 7 Series sedan.
“We are seeing it,” said Tom Libby, an auto industry analyst at the research firm IHS Markit. “There is movement from luxury cars to luxury trucks.”
General Motors’ GMC brand — which sells only trucks and S.U.V.s — accounted for 11.3 percent of domestic sales of models with an average price of $60,000 or more in 2017, according to data from Edmunds.com. Five years earlier, the brand made up a mere 0.1 percent of those sales.
Ford and Chevrolet saw similar but smaller jumps, driven by increasing high-end truck and S.U.V. sales. At the same time, the portion of over-$60,000 sales for luxury brands including Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, Jaguar and Cadillac shrank.
That is providing a tailwind for the Detroit automakers when overall new-vehicle sales in the United States are slowing. General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler, with its Jeep brand, dominate in trucks and S.U.V.s, and now they’re scrambling to roll out more high-end versions.
It’s a competitive — and crucial — segment. With demand for cars shriveling, the Detroit three and even some foreign manufacturers acknowledge they are now losing money on many of the cars they sell. But a $60,000 truck can generate tens of thousands of dollars in operating profit.
At a recent investor conference, G.M. outlined a plan to produce more of the pricey Denali versions of GMC S.U.V.s and trucks. The company showed data indicating that the Denali line had an average sale price of $56,000 — more than the average price of a BMW, a Mercedes-Benz or an Audi.
“This thing,” G.M.’s president, Dan Ammann, said of the Denali line, “is a money machine.”
The other Detroit carmakers are heading in the same direction.
In October, Ford began making new versions of its eight-passenger Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator full-size S.U.V.s, and already has decided to make 25 percent more this year than it originally planned. In January, Navigators sold for an average of $77,000, thanks to strong sales of the top-of-the-line Black Label edition.
Fiat Chrysler is preparing to add more Jeep models, including a pickup and a full-size Grand Wagoneer.
In 2017, S.U.V.s and crossovers made up 41 percent of the market in the United States, up from 30 percent in 2013, according to Autodata. Luxury cars have gone in the opposite direction: They made up 5.4 percent of the market last year, down from 7.5 percent four years earlier.
And the priciest S.U.V.s and trucks are selling fastest. The high-end Lariat, King Ranch and Raptor models make up more than half of all F-150 sales, up from one-third a few years ago. Denali editions account for 29 percent of GMC’s sales, up from 21 percent.
Low gasoline prices are one reason that sales of high-end trucks are rising. Years ago, pickups and big S.U.V.s often traveled only 11 or 12 miles on a gallon of gas. Today, their fuel economy is often double that.
“The complaint that S.U.V.s are horrible on gas is not such a roadblock anymore,” said Mark Scarpelli, owner of two Chevrolet dealerships and a Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep franchise in Illinois.
At the same time, automakers have appointed special-edition S.U.V.s and trucks with the same kinds of advanced technologies and comfort features that consumers once found only in luxury cars. Want an interior trimmed in African mahogany? You can get it in the Black Label Navigator. Want an S.U.V. that accelerates like a Porsche (and isn’t a Porsche)? Try the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk and its 707-horsepower V8.
Chuck Ducher, a retired school psychologist in Onsted, Mich., just bought an F-150 Lariat with a bevy of options, including heated rear seats. “I can put my mother back there, and she’s in heaven,” he said. “There’s no doubt in my mind this is a luxury vehicle.”
Wes Lutz, owner of a Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep dealership in Jackson, Mich., said he was surprised at the way customers were snapping up the most expensive models on his lot. This month, he had two Trackhawks this month, each with a sticker price of $93,000.
“They won’t be here more than a few weeks,” he said. “It’s incredible. We never used to play in that price range.”
Increasing competition from upmarket S.U.V.s and trucks is adding to the struggles of the luxury makers. Most have long relied on cars for the bulk of their sales, and are suffering now that bigger vehicles are in favor. In 2017, for example, BMW’s sales to individual customers at dealerships in the United States fell more than 5 percent, according data shared among automakers. The decline in BMW’s total sales was less because of a big jump in sales to rental car fleets, a type of customer that luxury brands tended to shun in the past.
Out in Tacoma, Wash., Gary Gilchrist sees the trend just about every week at his GMC dealership.
“We’ve been taking in Lexuses on trade-ins, BMWs,” he said. This month, he said, a customer turned in a 2012 BMW 550i and bought a $71,000 GMC Sierra Denali pickup.
“People used to want German cars for the image factor,” Mr. Gilchrist said. “Now, if you have a Denali, you get that. People turn their heads to look.”
Team Owner
For special or unique cars like Raptor, Hellcat, not only luxury brand buyers, but exotic car owners also love them.
But that does not translate to Luxury brand buyers are buying Trucks... no they are not... not even close.
I think there are more BMW owners switching to freaking Minivans than Trucks.
But that does not translate to Luxury brand buyers are buying Trucks... no they are not... not even close.
I think there are more BMW owners switching to freaking Minivans than Trucks.
A lot of people my age have transitioned from racing Civics and Evos to now taking Tacomas and Tundras off roading
Guy I know who has owned a SL55, then 997 Turbo, then an F430 Spider picked up a Rubicon Hardrock not too long ago lol.
Guy I know who has owned a SL55, then 997 Turbo, then an F430 Spider picked up a Rubicon Hardrock not too long ago lol.
Team Owner
That i can see..... a lot of the ricers back in the days with myself included are no longer in that Vtec just kicked in yo age anymore.
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nist7 (11-16-2018)
Think it just comes with age. A lot of folks I used to see at meets are in that same ballpark of getting into off-roading or just checking out car shows; they got the late nights and street racing out of their system. For the rest, they just bought faster toys.
Team Owner
A lot of the modding money went to Jeep and pickups. Gotta offroad in flat Florida yo. To the article, definitely see a shitload of Burbs, Tahoes, etc as well. I myself would prefer a nice midsize sedan with looks and some power but not necessarily a big ole V8 as I'd still like some handling.
Team Owner
My car mod $ has gone to travels. Instead of buying 1 exhaust for $1500, i used it to buy 1 or 2 airfare tickets to another country.
BTW: This is the 3rd time i am typing this response.... the last 2 just disappeared after i clicked Post Quick Reply... WTF.
BTW: This is the 3rd time i am typing this response.... the last 2 just disappeared after i clicked Post Quick Reply... WTF.
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1killercls (11-20-2018),
nist7 (11-19-2018)
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T-t-triple combo!
Team Owner
I fixed it!! AZ is trippin.
Azine Jabroni
Rental while I get some minor damage fixed on the S4 is a Cadillac XT5.
I've been in expensive Chevys and they're not much behind this. The interior on literally every upscale brand I have been in is superior. I would take the Honda leather interior over the XT5.
I've been in expensive Chevys and they're not much behind this. The interior on literally every upscale brand I have been in is superior. I would take the Honda leather interior over the XT5.
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So, better or worse than a Traverse Travesty?
Asking for afriend Floridaman.
Asking for a
Azine Jabroni
Moderator
I liked her 3G CTS a lot more.
She's still missing her 2G CTS. She got the 3G expecting the same 'Cadillac' plush ride of the 2G & hated the firmer ride. The 3G was riddled with CUE issues & she got a GM buyback on it, and moved to the XT5.
Azine Jabroni
Our receptionist has an XT5, that she moved into from a 3G CTS. I've driven it & didn't find it to really be anything special
I liked her 3G CTS a lot more.
She's still missing her 2G CTS. She got the 3G expecting the same 'Cadillac' plush ride of the 2G & hated the firmer ride. The 3G was riddled with CUE issues & she got a GM buyback on it, and moved to the XT5.
I liked her 3G CTS a lot more.
She's still missing her 2G CTS. She got the 3G expecting the same 'Cadillac' plush ride of the 2G & hated the firmer ride. The 3G was riddled with CUE issues & she got a GM buyback on it, and moved to the XT5.
But the thing has the soul of an equinox. It's Cadillac doing a 2009 Acura where it's hard to differentiate it from its mainstream equivalent.
Moderator
Agreed, not much different than a high-line Chevrolet/GMC SUV.
Senior Moderator
In the world, I'm seeing LOTS of who own a high-end sports car like a Porsche 911 and then, their daily is a nice pickup like a Waptor.
Personally, I'd never be in a truck. Not yerrow-neck enough.
Personally, I'd never be in a truck. Not yerrow-neck enough.
Senior Moderator
Although, if I ever got a truck, I promise I'll get gonads for the back, drive like an idiot, and tailgate everyone. Cuz, that's just how it works here.
Team Owner
Top end trucks are crazy nice on the inside. I can't speak for the raptor- but it is an 80-100k truck = outside the realm of most people = just fine for brand name
It's true!
It's true!
Team Owner
And they're super useful. I too could never buy a truck. I don't like riding so high up and the fuel economy is crazy compared to a car.
But man... There are many times where I could use one. Then I start sourcing friends or whatever, to get one. And then I'm working on someone else's schedule. Just gets annoying.
And those Long horn editions like RAM has, or whatever the top trim of every brand is... Those are some crazy nice vehicles on the inside.
But man... There are many times where I could use one. Then I start sourcing friends or whatever, to get one. And then I'm working on someone else's schedule. Just gets annoying.
And those Long horn editions like RAM has, or whatever the top trim of every brand is... Those are some crazy nice vehicles on the inside.
Senior Moderator
And they're super useful. I too could never buy a truck. I don't like riding so high up and the fuel economy is crazy compared to a car.
But man... There are many times where I could use one. Then I start sourcing friends or whatever, to get one. And then I'm working on someone else's schedule. Just gets annoying.
And those Long horn editions like RAM has, or whatever the top trim of every brand is... Those are some crazy nice vehicles on the inside.
But man... There are many times where I could use one. Then I start sourcing friends or whatever, to get one. And then I'm working on someone else's schedule. Just gets annoying.
And those Long horn editions like RAM has, or whatever the top trim of every brand is... Those are some crazy nice vehicles on the inside.
Senior Moderator
Albeit, then again, how many people who own an SUV really use the SUV for it's other purposes?
So, maybe the truck is the new-SUV?
So, maybe the truck is the new-SUV?
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nist7 (11-20-2018)
Safety Car
Pretty much just for show and the ride height and the interior room.
Trucks used like that are even less practical than SUVs since you have the bed which is exposed cargo space vs an SUV where at least your stuff is covered in an interior space.
But such is very true for many similar vehicles....Tacomas/Tundras, Wranglers, etc. etc.
All show and no go.
Trucks used like that are even less practical than SUVs since you have the bed which is exposed cargo space vs an SUV where at least your stuff is covered in an interior space.
But such is very true for many similar vehicles....Tacomas/Tundras, Wranglers, etc. etc.
All show and no go.
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But you nailed it... It's a $80,000 vehicle. The perfect status symbol. Because what are you going to do, buy a $40,000 sedan? The Jonses will laugh at you!
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nist7 (11-20-2018)
Safety Car
My building is an ocean-front condo where lot of pretty wealthy people live. In the parking garage there's at least TWO brand new shiny Raptors. The tire shine is always there and I never seen a speck of dirt or dust.
One of the Raptor owners used to have a Escalade ESV and then switched it out for a Raptor. Both of these trucks barely fit into the parking space.
And actually Raptor isn't even the best all around off roader...more like a baja vehicle. It's large width would not do well on lot of trails in Hawaii where width is not a friend. Would be good for other types of trails I suppose.
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