The G-spot

Started by SVT666, January 09, 2013, 05:30:19 PM

SJ_GTI

Quote from: giant_mtb on August 08, 2018, 12:43:34 PM
It's strange to me that Honda doesn't offer the Accord with AWD...?

They do, its called the TLX.   :lol:

12,000 RPM

They will happily sell you a higher margin CR-V (also the only rational choice here)

I'm personally not a fan of the new Accord's looks. Solid car though.

TLX SH-AWD?
Protecctor of the Atmospheric Engine #TheyLiedToUs

Morris Minor

I drove a Q50 3.0t loaner. I liked the torquey engine, and the transmission is wonderful compared to that in my G35, but I did not like much else about the car. For some reason the low-rent buttons for the cruise control really bugged me. Sort of summed up the car.

(My G's at 70,000 miles btw.)
⏤  '10 G37 | '21 CX-5 GT Reserve  ⏤

GoCougs

Two sets of tires in ~5 months (snows and then regular), new windshield, paintless dent removal, new console lid, painted wheels. She ain't going anytime soon, at least not by choice.

200k or death! (Currently at 155,000 miles).

afty

An update on Afty's G35

Over the past 8 years, Afty and his G35 have worked closely together to commute to and from work, take road trips, and occasionally enjoy a twisty mountain road.  However, given the G35's increasing age and lack of modern features, we are deciding to refocus Afty's car ownership.  Effective immediately, Afty will be driving a Deep Blue Tesla Model 3.  Afty's G35 will be taking a break while it looks for a new role.  We wish it the best of luck.




Laconian

RIP, elusive 6MT G35!

Nice looking Model 3! What kind of battery capacity, and how many motors?
Kia EV6 GT-Line / MX-5 RF 6MT

afty

#1956
Quote from: Laconian on April 07, 2019, 11:47:53 AM
RIP, elusive 6MT G35!

Nice looking Model 3! What kind of battery capacity, and how many motors?

It's a long-range AWD (310 mile range).  Not a Performance.  I thought about getting the Performance, but this one is fast enough for me.  It's really fun!

giant_mtb

What's your charging situation like at home?  And work? 

FoMoJo

Quote from: afty on April 07, 2019, 11:35:03 AM
An update on Afty's G35

Over the past 8 years, Afty and his G35 have worked closely together to commute to and from work, take road trips, and occasionally enjoy a twisty mountain road.  However, given the G35's increasing age and lack of modern features, we are deciding to refocus Afty's car ownership.  Effective immediately, Afty will be driving a Deep Blue Tesla Model 3.  Afty's G35 will be taking a break while it looks for a new role.  We wish it the best of luck.


Nice looking car.
"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."

Laconian

Quote from: afty on April 07, 2019, 12:46:19 PM
It's a long-range AWD.  Not a Performance.  I thought about getting the Performance, but this one is fast enough for me.  It's really fun!

You might have to give me a ride the next time I visit Mountain View.
Kia EV6 GT-Line / MX-5 RF 6MT

Laconian

Alternative title: Advancing our amazing bet on Infiniti
Kia EV6 GT-Line / MX-5 RF 6MT

12,000 RPM

If you turn it into a track beast be sure to use high temp brake fluid

I'd also recommend ~550/650lb springs front/rear.
Protecctor of the Atmospheric Engine #TheyLiedToUs

afty

#1962
Quote from: giant_mtb on April 07, 2019, 12:54:56 PM
What's your charging situation like at home?  And work? 
I have free Chargepoint charging at work.  It fills about 25 miles per hour, and I don't drive a huge amount, so I've been charging twice a week and that's been enough so far. 

I don't have a charging port at home.  I got an estimate and the electrician wanted $2k to install a NEMA 14-50 240v/50 amp outlet!  I think I can get by charging at work and occasionally using 120V at home when I really need to.

There are also a bunch of Superchargers nearby since this is Silicon Valley.  Last weekend I topped off at Target and filled about 45 miles in 15 minutes for $3.52. 

afty

Quote from: Laconian on April 07, 2019, 01:05:25 PM
You might have to give me a ride the next time I visit Mountain View.
Definitely, happy to oblige!

giant_mtb

Quote from: afty on April 07, 2019, 03:28:47 PM
I have free Chargepoint charging at work.  It fills about 25 miles per hour, and I don't drive a huge amount, so I've been charging twice a week and that's been enough so far. 

I don't have a charging port at home.  I got an estimate and the electrician wanted $2k to install a NEMA 14-50 240v/50 amp outlet!  I think I can get by charging at work and occasionally using 120V at home when I really need to.

There are also a bunch of Superchargers nearby since this is Silicon Valley.  Last weekend I topped off at Target and filled about 45 miles in 15 minutes for $3.52. 

Nice. I'm sure you considered all those factors before buying, sounds like you're all set!  I don't live in a very EV-friendly area when it comes to that, so it's interesting to see others' situations.

12,000 RPM

Oh and congrats on the new ride of course
Protecctor of the Atmospheric Engine #TheyLiedToUs

afty


veeman

Beautiful.  I'd love a Model 3. $3.52 for 45 miles seems expensive but I'm sure the cost for a full fill-up is much less than gas. 

afty

Quote from: veeman on April 08, 2019, 08:08:29 AM
Beautiful.  I'd love a Model 3. $3.52 for 45 miles seems expensive but I'm sure the cost for a full fill-up is much less than gas. 
Well, my Infiniti averaged 17.6 mpg during my ownership (it was a pretty terrible gas guzzler).  Premium is currently $4.00/gal here in CA.  So 45 miles in my G35 would have cost $10 in gas.  And Supercharger electric rates are higher than home charging.

12,000 RPM

I still think there is opportunity for decent payback with the home charger if you plan to be there for a while

That supercharger costs $0.078/mile. From what I'm seeing home charging costs about $0.055/mile which would take 87K miles to pay back. Not good. But getting on a time of use rate could take that down significantly if you can hold off your charging until after 8-9PM. I imagine it could knock that mileage break even point to 30-40K miles or maybe better
Protecctor of the Atmospheric Engine #TheyLiedToUs

SJ_GTI

I think the bigger sell for home charging for most people will be the convenience (refuel at home instead of having to go somewhere). Any long term savings would be ancillary.

Laconian

Quote from: 12,000 RPM on April 08, 2019, 11:11:24 AM
I still think there is opportunity for decent payback with the home charger if you plan to be there for a while

That supercharger costs $0.078/mile. From what I'm seeing home charging costs about $0.055/mile which would take 87K miles to pay back. Not good. But getting on a time of use rate could take that down significantly if you can hold off your charging until after 8-9PM. I imagine it could knock that mileage break even point to 30-40K miles or maybe better

I'd like to see the industry stabilize more before investing in a $ home charger.
Kia EV6 GT-Line / MX-5 RF 6MT

BimmerM3

Quote from: Laconian on April 08, 2019, 11:32:52 AM
I'd like to see the industry stabilize more before investing in a $ home charger.

Do you have access to a charger at work though?

Personally, there's no way I'd buy a full EV without also getting a home charger since I work from home. 110v just doesn't charge fast enough.

Laconian

Yes, Google's really good at providing EV charging. It's easier to find a spot if you're an electric car versus any other type.

Plus I think you get access to those HOV lanes...?
Kia EV6 GT-Line / MX-5 RF 6MT

12,000 RPM

VW will single handedly stabilize the EV market :lol:

If his current (ha ha) setup works though then yea prob no reason to buy a charger. I'm still on the fence about getting an EV. I could make it work but it is a bit volatile. Seems like something way better is always just around the corner.
Protecctor of the Atmospheric Engine #TheyLiedToUs

SJ_GTI

Quote from: 12,000 RPM on April 08, 2019, 01:31:06 PM
VW will single handedly stabilize the EV market :lol:

If his current (ha ha) setup works though then yea prob no reason to buy a charger. I'm still on the fence about getting an EV. I could make it work but it is a bit volatile. Seems like something way better is always just around the corner.

Kind of the same for me.

I find the Tesla Model 3 intriguing, just not sure how long they will be in business.  :lol:

The other car makers either seem focused on the very high end (Audi, Jaguar) or really low end (Bolt, Kona).

For me the Model 3 is about where I could be at price wise (low 40's to low 50's) if the car is good enough but I need more players in that space. The Bolt is probably the closest...but for the price it is too much of an economy car.

afty

#1976
Quote from: Laconian on April 08, 2019, 11:32:52 AM
I'd like to see the industry stabilize more before investing in a $ home charger.
Most people install a NEMA 14-50 outlet, which is a standard 240V/50 amp outlet typically used in RV parks. Then you connect the mobile connector that comes with the car and use that.  You can install a Tesla-specific charger for higher amperage, but most people don't -- the NEMA 14-50 is fast enough to charge 100% in 6-8 hours and is usable by other brands of EVs.

afty

Quote from: 12,000 RPM on April 08, 2019, 11:11:24 AM
I still think there is opportunity for decent payback with the home charger if you plan to be there for a while

That supercharger costs $0.078/mile. From what I'm seeing home charging costs about $0.055/mile which would take 87K miles to pay back. Not good. But getting on a time of use rate could take that down significantly if you can hold off your charging until after 8-9PM. I imagine it could knock that mileage break even point to 30-40K miles or maybe better
Agreed, except I get free charging at work, so I expect charging at home to be rare for me.  I've driven my Model 3 more than 500 miles and have only charged outside of work once.  If I lost free charging at work, I'd probably go ahead with the expensive NEMA 14-50 install at home, and I'd switch my electric to a time-of-use plan.

r0tor

There have been at least 4 model 3s that suddenly appeared over the last month in our parking lot at work... Seems to be taking off
2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee No Speed -- 2004 Mazda RX8 6 speed -- 2018 Alfa Romeo Giulia All Speed

afty

I finally sold my G35.  I decided to sell it private party since the trade-in offer was absurdly low.  Selling it privately turned out to be a lot more stressful than I expected. If I had to do it again, I would trade it in and save myself the headache.

I posted ads on Craigslist, AutoTrader, and Facebook.  I got the best leads through Craigslist, surprisingly.  The leads fell into 4 categories:

1) Lowballs off the bat.  "Will you take <ridiculous amount> for the G35?"  No questions about the car, no wanting to see it before lowballing me.  I just replied no and moved on.
2) VIN check scams.  "I need a vehicle history report, please go to vinnumbercheckscam.co and purchase one."  I included a Carfax in my ads, so I pointed them to that and stopped replying.
3) People who didn't speak English.  These people may have been legit, but if we can't communicate we can't negotiate a sale.  Sorry.
4) Legitimate buyers who were actually interested in the car.

Of the legitimate buyers, I spent a lot of time answering questions and eventually scheduling times for them to view the car.  The first 4 people who scheduled a time with me bailed.  The 5th person actually saw the car and liked it.  He had a pre-purchase inspection which found some maintenance issues.  We agreed on a fair price given the issues.

I ended up getting $2100 more than the trade-in offer.  It was probably 20 hours of work, between prepping the car for sale, taking pictures, posting ads, and showing it.  I guess that's a pretty good hourly rate.  But there was a lot of stress from having to deal with strangers from the Internet -- Are they trying to scam me?  Is their mechanic legit?  How should I take payment? etc.  Also scheduling times to show the car was a huge PITA, since I work full time and my weekends are filled with kids' activities.  That made it doubly obnoxious when people would bail on seeing the car after I rearranged my schedule to accommodate them.

Anyway, it's done.  Goodbye G35.  Hope your new owner treats you well.