Car Bloat
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The problem has been the elimination of the full sized sedan. It pushes people into the SUV…
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What do you consider a full size sedan?
Always remember, Operation Valkyrie was an act of sedition.
Warning: I post things that interest me. Read and comment at your own discretion. -
$$$$$
Profit on car = USD$3000
Profit on truck = USD$17000 -
What do you consider a full size sedan?
V6 for a start. Taurus, Impala, Mazda 6, even the damn Charger is being discontinued. There are still a few, but they are prohibitively expensive.
When we bought in 2022, my wife wanted a V6 Subaru Outback (the last remnant of the once mighty station wagon, but now called an SUV. Unfortunately, they were discontinued as manufacturers have to meet newer and harder emissions standards. We want a V6. In our area it’s not unusual to have to make a left turn across 4-6 lanes of traffic from a stop with cars driving 45-50 MPH. You need power, torque, and immediate acceleration. The last thing you need is freaking turbo lag.
We’re also frequently hauling A LOT of weight up 10-13 degree inclines. 4-bangers don’t have enough juice for the squeeze. The Outback would have been ideal, but instead we had to go with a much larger SUV to get the power to weight ratio we need.
The emissions requirements pushed our family into a much larger vehicle, I am sure it’s happening to others.
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I'm not a fan of turbochargers in most cases. There is the mentioned lag, when you put your foot in it. I don't like them because they shorten engine life.
Manufacturers like them because they can give improved fuel mileage under EPA conditions. Fuel mileage numbers they can't meet in the real world.
The Chevy Silverado ships with a turbo four-banger as the base engine. Man would have to be an idiot to buy that thing...
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I know a bunch of people who drive those massive trucks into work every day, all by themselves, with nothing in there but a laptop. They also tend to complain a lot about the price of gas.
I think there might be more at play here than aerodynamics, load-carrying capability and the EPA.
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When you live in the country, a pickup is as handy as a shirt pocket. I still have my 2011 Sierra. When I bought it, my work commute was 32 miles, one -way. Something smaller would have been nice on gas, but I only had money for one vehicle, not two.
A smaller car, even a smaller truck, just wouldn't do. When you hook up to a 16 or 18 foot trailer, that is loaded with 4000 pounds of tractor and 900 pounds of bush hog, a car won't pull it. A Taco truck might, but it darn sure won't stop it.
That's an extreme use, but I've still hauled a lot of firewood, riding lawnmowers, mulch, four-wheelers, building supplies and on occasion, even crushed limestone in the truck bed.
I understand your point and some people buy trucks that don't need them. It's their money, though...
Always remember, Operation Valkyrie was an act of sedition.
Warning: I post things that interest me. Read and comment at your own discretion. -
When you live in the country, a pickup is as handy as a shirt pocket. I still have my 2011 Sierra. When I bought it, my work commute was 32 miles, one -way. Something smaller would have been nice on gas, but I only had money for one vehicle, not two.
Yeah, I get that. When we were in Canada I could see the point of the pickup. The irony is that more people seem to drive them in Massachusetts than did in Ontario.
When we were in the UK last month we noticed that the car size seems to be increasing there, too. It doesn't make any sense, the roads are narrow, parking is limited, and there are congestion charges. Still, that seems to be the way it's going.
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ill admit. i have an Isuzu d max (sorry not available in the US)
(https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a35729438/isuzu-d-max-its-the-only-pickup-truck-i-want/)
(https://www.motorbiscuit.com/time-right-for-isuzu-bring-truck-back/)
the reason i got it, after my jeep patriot aged too much, (besides just wanting it) is that i still need time to time to shchlep big items, wood for example every year for the wood burning stove, items from the plant nursery for the garden, and just in general moving various bach kids furniture here or there. i hate having to pay someone else to move or deliver stuff that i can do myself. and i may be 65, but im not dead yet, as the monty python gang like to say.
yes its a diesel, and maybe not very eco green. but i do like her. jet black.
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“I am fond of pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.” ~Winston S. Churchill
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@bachophile said in Car Bloat:
ill admit. i have an Isuzu d max (sorry not available in the US)
(https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a35729438/isuzu-d-max-its-the-only-pickup-truck-i-want/)
(https://www.motorbiscuit.com/time-right-for-isuzu-bring-truck-back/)
the reason i got it, after my jeep patriot aged too much, (besides just wanting it) is that i still need time to time to shchlep big items, wood for example every year for the wood burning stove, items from the plant nursery for the garden, and just in general moving various bach kids furniture here or there. i hate having to pay someone else to move or deliver stuff that i can do myself. and i may be 65, but im not dead yet, as the monty python gang like to say.
yes its a diesel, and maybe not very eco green. but i do like her. jet black.
Would love to have that truck in the U.S.! Diesels produce torque and that's needed in a truck.
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I often regret selling my pickups, an 88 Jeep Commanche (GREAT little pickup - huge clearance) and my 2000 Ram. I don't need them very often these days, but when I do....
Buy a used one. It's just you and the missus.
Or, if you don't need the hauling and towing capacity, there's a butt load of Maverick competitors coming from Dodge, Toyota, Suburu, Hyundai and others.
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Or ...find a pickup with a standard. You'll never wear the transmission out and nobody under 40 could steal it.
Always remember, Operation Valkyrie was an act of sedition.
Warning: I post things that interest me. Read and comment at your own discretion. -
Speaking of bloat, we rented a car in the UK last month. They "upgraded" us to an MG ZS. Freaking cool, right? I've always wanted to drive an MG.
What an unbelievable POS. 106 horsepower, in a small crossover SUV. I initially thought it was a typo, but no. Luckily we were driving it in Somerset, which is chock full of windy roads and steep hills, so obviously we didn't need the power. Not going downhill, at least.
Setting fire to it would have been a better use of gas.
Worst. Car. Ever.
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Or ...find a pickup with a standard. You'll never wear the transmission out and nobody under 40 could steal it.
I wuz looking in the interwebs...
Found a 2015 Nissan Frontier stretch cab, four-banger with a standard, 105,000 miles, asking $9990.
That's a 200,000 mile truck. Has the itty-bitty jump seats behind the front seat, just big enough for a Chihuahua, but there's enough room there for groceries or a bunch of tools.
