Car Chat

Started by FoMoJo, August 26, 2014, 05:59:31 AM

cawimmer430

Quote from: 12,000 RPM on February 12, 2019, 04:51:21 AM
The EU is nuts, but when have they ever cut off someone's electricity for dissent? Don't respond to crazy with crazy.

They have not - YET. Besides, that theory isn't from me, but from some hardcore political nuts who watch every step of the EU and see a conspiracy behind every move.

I do think this could be plausible in the future since the EU is introducing all of these censorship laws (GDPR, EU Article 11 & 13) aimed at those who criticize their ways and behind-the-back dealings, and they have a desire to get rid of printed money and move everyone into digital currency (aka potentially more control over consumers)...
-2018 Mercedes-Benz A250 AMG Line (W177)



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12,000 RPM

Quote from: cawimmer430 on February 12, 2019, 07:30:40 AM
They have not - YET. Besides, that theory isn't from me, but from some hardcore political nuts who watch every step of the EU and see a conspiracy behind every move.

I do think this could be plausible in the future since the EU is introducing all of these censorship laws (GDPR, EU Article 11 & 13) aimed at those who criticize their ways and behind-the-back dealings, and they have a desire to get rid of printed money and move everyone into digital currency (aka potentially more control over consumers)...
I wouldn't buy into conspiracy theories man.

As for the move to digital currency, that's not really the EU's doing, but more consumers. What percent of your money do you keep in cash and gold bullion? The move away from hard currency started as soon as fiat money was invented.

EU has enough real problems that people shouldn't be resorting to conspiracy theories and hypotheticals to bash it.
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cawimmer430

Quote from: 12,000 RPM on February 12, 2019, 08:07:38 AM
I wouldn't buy into conspiracy theories man.

As for the move to digital currency, that's not really the EU's doing, but more consumers. What percent of your money do you keep in cash and gold bullion? The move away from hard currency started as soon as fiat money was invented.

EU has enough real problems that people shouldn't be resorting to conspiracy theories and hypotheticals to bash it.

I don't, but a small part of me thinks it could be possible simply based on the bizarre behavior of the EU in recent times.
-2018 Mercedes-Benz A250 AMG Line (W177)



WIMMER FOTOGRAFIE - Professional Automotive Photography based in Munich, Germany
www.wimmerfotografie.de
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shp4man

Not sure what percentage of petroleum products Germany gets from Russia, but dependence on the Russians could become problematic.

cawimmer430

Quote from: shp4man on February 12, 2019, 10:14:28 AM
Not sure what percentage of petroleum products Germany gets from Russia, but dependence on the Russians could become problematic.


Russia and Kazakhstan are the biggest suppliers. We have a handful of natural oil supplies but not enough to meet local or even regional demand.




Link: https://www.faz.net/aktuell/wirtschaft/wirtschaft-in-zahlen/schneller-schlau-woher-kommt-deutsches-oel-her-infografik-15914568.html
-2018 Mercedes-Benz A250 AMG Line (W177)



WIMMER FOTOGRAFIE - Professional Automotive Photography based in Munich, Germany
www.wimmerfotografie.de
www.facebook.com/wimmerfotografie

cawimmer430

What's the deal with leather and why do people want it so badly in [mostly luxury] cars?

I'm asking because I've been examining the MB-Tex & Microfibre AMG seats in my A250 and I honestly wouldn't be able to tell the difference between MB-Tex (fake leather) and genuine leather.

It's interesting how in Japan the Toyota Century, the ultimate Japanese luxury car, has like sheep's wool as the preferred fabric material for the seats due to it being quieter and softer than leather. If I remember correctly leather seats may not even be offered for the Century.
-2018 Mercedes-Benz A250 AMG Line (W177)



WIMMER FOTOGRAFIE - Professional Automotive Photography based in Munich, Germany
www.wimmerfotografie.de
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r0tor

Holy fuck... 1 million more people late on car loans then at the peak of the last economic crash

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/car-loan-payments-fed_us_5c637947e4b07115222b2014
2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee No Speed -- 2004 Mazda RX8 6 speed -- 2018 Alfa Romeo Giulia All Speed

SJ_GTI

Quote from: cawimmer430 on February 13, 2019, 05:36:31 AM
What's the deal with leather and why do people want it so badly in [mostly luxury] cars?

I'm asking because I've been examining the MB-Tex & Microfibre AMG seats in my A250 and I honestly wouldn't be able to tell the difference between MB-Tex (fake leather) and genuine leather.

It's interesting how in Japan the Toyota Century, the ultimate Japanese luxury car, has like sheep's wool as the preferred fabric material for the seats due to it being quieter and softer than leather. If I remember correctly leather seats may not even be offered for the Century.

IME leather breathes a bit better than vinyl. I guess if they have perforated vinyl it might work just as well. Fabric of course breathes even better than leather, but I find it to be both less comfortable and harder to keep clean.

Eye of the Tiger

Quote from: r0tor on February 13, 2019, 06:19:22 AM
Holy fuck... 1 million more people late on car loans then at the peak of the last economic crash

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/car-loan-payments-fed_us_5c637947e4b07115222b2014

Mine's not late. I must be a 1%-er.
2008 TUNDRA (Truck Ultra-wideband Never-say-die Daddy Rottweiler Awesome)

SJ_GTI


Eye of the Tiger

Fuckin a, I forgot to pay my electric bill.
2008 TUNDRA (Truck Ultra-wideband Never-say-die Daddy Rottweiler Awesome)

MrH

Quote from: SJ_GTI on February 13, 2019, 06:22:18 AM
IME leather breathes a bit better than vinyl. I guess if they have perforated vinyl it might work just as well. Fabric of course breathes even better than leather, but I find it to be both less comfortable and harder to keep clean.

Fake leather is a massive industry and there's a ton of different materials and styles.  Some feel great and some feel awful.

I like Toyota's fake stuff better than the real deal leather.  PVC (vinyl) isn't used nearly as much as it used to.  Most are doing some sort of polyurethane.  Good PU is the stuff people have a hard time distinguishing from leather. PU breathes a lot better too.

I haven't seen Mercedes's latest fake stuff.  All the German OEM's old stuff was terrible PVC.  I'm guessing it's a lot better now.
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12,000 RPM

Quote from: r0tor on February 13, 2019, 06:19:22 AM
Holy fuck... 1 million more people late on car loans then at the peak of the last economic crash

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/car-loan-payments-fed_us_5c637947e4b07115222b2014
The Ramseyists are having a big circle jerk session, celebrating the fate befalling all these debt loving idiots

As always though it's not that simple
Protecctor of the Atmospheric Engine #TheyLiedToUs

MrH

Quote from: r0tor on February 13, 2019, 06:19:22 AM
Holy fuck... 1 million more people late on car loans then at the peak of the last economic crash

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/car-loan-payments-fed_us_5c637947e4b07115222b2014

:huh:

Subprime gonna subprime I guess?  Even with that many in default, I guess they're still making money
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2019 Acura RDX SH-AWD
2023 BRZ Limited

Previous: '02 Mazda Protege5, '08 Mazda Miata, '05 Toyota Tacoma, '09 Honda Element, '13 Subaru BRZ, '14 Hyundai Genesis R-Spec 5.0, '15 Toyota 4Runner SR5, '18 Honda Accord EX-L 2.0t, '01 Honda S2000, '20 Subaru Outback XT, '23 Chevy Bolt EUV

12,000 RPM

Default rates up and your first concern is the profitability of the lenders :hammerhead:
Protecctor of the Atmospheric Engine #TheyLiedToUs

MrH

Quote from: 12,000 RPM on February 13, 2019, 07:45:34 AM
Default rates up and your first concern is the profitability of the lenders :hammerhead:

My concern isn't about the profitability of the lenders, but of the general health of the industry.  I mean, what should be my concern?  The people getting repo'ed?  Pay your bills :huh:  I don't have much sympathy for that.
2023 Ford Lightning Lariat ER
2019 Acura RDX SH-AWD
2023 BRZ Limited

Previous: '02 Mazda Protege5, '08 Mazda Miata, '05 Toyota Tacoma, '09 Honda Element, '13 Subaru BRZ, '14 Hyundai Genesis R-Spec 5.0, '15 Toyota 4Runner SR5, '18 Honda Accord EX-L 2.0t, '01 Honda S2000, '20 Subaru Outback XT, '23 Chevy Bolt EUV

MX793

Sounds like lenders started lending more freely than during the recession, offering more sub-prime loans, and people who couldn't really afford them took them.  Basically the same sort of thing we saw before the Recession.  Lenders willing to give money to people who can't really afford it and borrowers without the personal finance savvy to realize that just because the loan is available, it doesn't mean they can safely afford to borrow that much without a high likelihood of default.  The practice is borderline predatory and while the borrower certainly carries a lot of the blame, I can't say I feel sorry for the lenders if they lose money (which they probably aren't).
Needs more Jiggawatts

2016 Ford Mustang GTPP / 2011 Toyota Rav4 Base AWD / 2014 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 ABS
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CaminoRacer

Quote from: MrH on February 13, 2019, 07:31:52 AM
Fake leather is a massive industry and there's a ton of different materials and styles.  Some feel great and some feel awful.

I like Toyota's fake stuff better than the real deal leather.  PVC (vinyl) isn't used nearly as much as it used to.  Most are doing some sort of polyurethane.  Good PU is the stuff people have a hard time distinguishing from leather. PU breathes a lot better too.

I haven't seen Mercedes's latest fake stuff.  All the German OEM's old stuff was terrible PVC.  I'm guessing it's a lot better now.

I'm a big fan of PU. I'd take it over real leather most of the time.
2020 BMW 330i, 1969 El Camino, 2017 Bolt EV

MrH

Quote from: MX793 on February 13, 2019, 08:08:21 AM
Sounds like lenders started lending more freely than during the recession, offering more sub-prime loans, and people who couldn't really afford them took them.  Basically the same sort of thing we saw before the Recession.  Lenders willing to give money to people who can't really afford it and borrowers without the personal finance savvy to realize that just because the loan is available, it doesn't mean they can safely afford to borrow that much without a high likelihood of default.  The practice is borderline predatory and while the borrower certainly carries a lot of the blame, I can't say I feel sorry for the lenders if they lose money (which they probably aren't).

I don't feel sorry for either party.  They're both freely entering these agreements.
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2019 Acura RDX SH-AWD
2023 BRZ Limited

Previous: '02 Mazda Protege5, '08 Mazda Miata, '05 Toyota Tacoma, '09 Honda Element, '13 Subaru BRZ, '14 Hyundai Genesis R-Spec 5.0, '15 Toyota 4Runner SR5, '18 Honda Accord EX-L 2.0t, '01 Honda S2000, '20 Subaru Outback XT, '23 Chevy Bolt EUV

12,000 RPM

Quote from: MrH on February 13, 2019, 07:49:31 AM
My concern isn't about the profitability of the lenders, but of the general health of the industry.  I mean, what should be my concern?  The people getting repo'ed?  Pay your bills :huh:  I don't have much sympathy for that.
I'm not telling you what to do or think, just offering my opinion. People pay their bills when they can... obviously something has changed. That change could be an economic canary in the coalmine. Not to mention, people getting their cars repo'd kicks off a downward spiral that's detrimental to the economy at large. So even outside the basic human decency/empathy thing, there are bigger issues besides industry health/lender profitability (these terms are interchangeable) IMO just as a participant in the economy. Again just my opinion, not an edict or command
Protecctor of the Atmospheric Engine #TheyLiedToUs

FoMoJo

Quote from: 12,000 RPM on February 13, 2019, 09:38:54 AM
I'm not telling you what to do or think, just offering my opinion. People pay their bills when they can... obviously something has changed. That change could be an economic canary in the coalmine. Not to mention, people getting their cars repo'd kicks off a downward spiral that's detrimental to the economy at large. So even outside the basic human decency/empathy thing, there are bigger issues besides industry health/lender profitability (these terms are interchangeable) IMO just as a participant in the economy. Again just my opinion, not an edict or command
Or it could simply be all the bragging about what a super economy and people think, "Oh, things are going to get better for us, wages are going to go up, so let's get a new car." :huh:

The problem is, it didn't happen for them.
"The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once." ~ Albert Einstein
"As the saying goes, when you mix science and politics, you get politics."

cawimmer430

Quote from: SJ_GTI on February 13, 2019, 06:22:18 AM
IME leather breathes a bit better than vinyl. I guess if they have perforated vinyl it might work just as well. Fabric of course breathes even better than leather, but I find it to be both less comfortable and harder to keep clean.

Interesting. I never considered that since my ownership experience with leather/vinyl has been limited.
-2018 Mercedes-Benz A250 AMG Line (W177)



WIMMER FOTOGRAFIE - Professional Automotive Photography based in Munich, Germany
www.wimmerfotografie.de
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cawimmer430

Quote from: MrH on February 13, 2019, 07:31:52 AM
I haven't seen Mercedes's latest fake stuff.  All the German OEM's old stuff was terrible PVC.  I'm guessing it's a lot better now.

I actually feel that the leather available in the Mercedes' of the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s looked (and feels) pretty awful, and that includes my dad's 1989 500SL. The MB-Tex available today looks so much better than the real leather in older Benzes. And this is why today I can't tell MB-Tex from genuine MB leather apart; because today MB-Tex looks and feels like real leather, at least to me.

Check this out. The fabric seat cover options look and feel so much more premium (at least to me), as you can see by this Alcantara Mercedes W116 (1972-1980) cockpit.

-2018 Mercedes-Benz A250 AMG Line (W177)



WIMMER FOTOGRAFIE - Professional Automotive Photography based in Munich, Germany
www.wimmerfotografie.de
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Eye of the Tiger

#6533
Quote from: cawimmer430 on February 13, 2019, 09:59:05 AM
I actually feel that the leather available in the Mercedes' of the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s looked (and feels) pretty awful, and that includes my dad's 1989 500SL. The MB-Tex available today looks so much better than the real leather in older Benzes. And this is why today I can't tell MB-Tex from genuine MB leather apart; because today MB-Tex looks and feels like real leather, at least to me.

Check this out. The fabric seat cover options look and feel so much more premium (at least to me), as you can see by this Alcantara Mercedes W116 (1972-1980) cockpit.



That is HAWT. Can I get a 240D with that interior?
Oh, and in that baby poop green with matching hub caps.
2008 TUNDRA (Truck Ultra-wideband Never-say-die Daddy Rottweiler Awesome)

Morris Minor

Quote from: shp4man on February 10, 2019, 03:34:46 PM
Interesting. Keep up the Jap superiority idea. How quaint.  :muffin:
Toyota superiority. He was talking about Toyota.
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shp4man

Modern Toyotas aren't really that much better than the competition. Heresy, right?

They used to be.

cawimmer430

Quote from: Eye of the Tiger on February 13, 2019, 04:12:51 PM
That is HAWT. Can I get a 240D with that interior?
Oh, and in that baby poop green with matching hub caps.

You can!  :ohyeah:

-2018 Mercedes-Benz A250 AMG Line (W177)



WIMMER FOTOGRAFIE - Professional Automotive Photography based in Munich, Germany
www.wimmerfotografie.de
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12,000 RPM

Quote from: Xer0 on February 11, 2019, 05:39:23 PM
I just don't see the benefit of saving 5K on a new 230 vs a barely used M2.  I thought a 230/228 might be a good fit for a bit but the way BMW pricing works you have to add a good amount of things to the 2 series to get it where you want vs the M2 which comes with all of it standard.
I guess it depends on if you want an out of warranty BMW

A used M235i is the real difference splitter
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Xer0

Quote from: 12,000 RPM on February 13, 2019, 08:32:22 PM
I guess it depends on if you want an out of warranty BMW

A used M235i is the real difference splitter

The 2 series, and the N55, is apparently the apex of BMW reliability so thats good.

12,000 RPM

Most robust engine with the least shit to break. I can dig it. Next time I can buy a car hopefully my kids will be in front facing seats. Hopefully all the 2s aren't lunched/riced by then. I'm OK with an auto so we'll see
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