This was (well, is) fresh blacktop from last summer. But, the sunshine has dried everything up and the road salt has turned it white for today. This is the shit that makes me laugh at YouTube mechanics in southern states that think it's a big deal to have to use a breaker bar once in a while.

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Quote from: giant_mtb on February 25, 2024, 12:42:05 PMThis was (well, is) fresh blacktop from last summer. But, the sunshine has dried everything up and the road salt has turned it white for today. This is the shit that makes me laugh at YouTube mechanics in southern states that think it's a big deal to have to use a breaker bar once in a while.

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It's so incredible to see so many 80s cars running around without rust here.

Pff... He have had 3 rain storms now and that still wasn't enough to wash away all the raw salt pellets still sitting in parking lots

Tires were at 30psi the other day when it was around 50F outside. Today it dropped to about 12F outside...tires are now at 26psi.

SCIENCE.

Quote from: giant_mtb on February 28, 2024, 10:52:32 AMTires were at 30psi the other day when it was around 50F outside. Today it dropped to about 12F outside...tires are now at 26psi.

SCIENCE.

I blame deflateGate on Bill Bellichik and Tom Brady

Quote from: r0tor on February 28, 2024, 11:24:08 AMI blame deflateGate on Bill Bellichik and Tom Brady

LOL Yes.

Quote from: AutobahnSHO on February 25, 2024, 04:53:59 PMIt's so incredible to see so many 80s cars running around without rust here.

80s cars without rust are garage queens here.  Shit, even late 90s/early 00s cars in any semblance of good condition are becoming really rare...that red Cobalt in the picture I posted is in what I would consider "decent" shape for its age.  Rusted out rockers?  No big deal, completely normal here. I'm sure it's quite rusty and fucky underneath, but, not bad cosmetically.

Quote from: giant_mtb on February 28, 2024, 03:08:37 PM80s cars without rust are garage queens here.  Shit, even late 90s/early 00s cars in any semblance of good condition are becoming really rare...that red Cobalt in the picture I posted is in what I would consider "decent" shape for its age.  Rusted out rockers?  No big deal, completely normal here. I'm sure it's quite rusty and fucky underneath, but, not bad cosmetically.

I'll have to take some pictures some time. I see at least a dozen old Rangers running around every time I do errands in town...  Sooo many other cars, too!

Quote from: AutobahnSHO on February 28, 2024, 03:31:17 PMI'll have to take some pictures some time. I see at least a dozen old Rangers running around every time I do errands in town...  Sooo many other cars, too!

There are still a number of old Rangers running around in the salt encrusted town where I now live and most are in surprisingly good condition.  I've come to the conclusion that guys who drive these old Rangers see them as a collectors item and take good care of them.  They're still the best looking small pickup out there.

Quote from: CaminoRacer on February 29, 2024, 09:53:00 AM

The old meme actually came true

Quote from: CaminoRacer on February 29, 2024, 09:53:00 AM

Wtf is that

Bane Sienna!

Quote from: giant_mtb on February 28, 2024, 03:08:37 PM80s cars without rust are garage queens here.  Shit, even late 90s/early 00s cars in any semblance of good condition are becoming really rare...that red Cobalt in the picture I posted is in what I would consider "decent" shape for its age.  Rusted out rockers?  No big deal, completely normal here. I'm sure it's quite rusty and fucky underneath, but, not bad cosmetically.

I had a 2013 Infiniti QX56 which I sold to Carmax in 2022 with over 150 thousand miles on the odometer.  Everything looked and worked fine in the interior and the engine and transmission were fine too.  No leaks. No external body rust on the paint. But underneath it was a rust bucket. The air suspension quit working because components of it had rusted off. I had to get rid of it. 

One of my brother in laws, a big Tesla fanboy, thinks he can drive his Model S for the next 10 years because it looks new on the outside and he got a replacement new battery 2 years ago (his car is 5 years old). I doubt it with his car being in Massachusetts. 

The Model S burns through its drive units every 100k miles. Spendy fix.

Quote from: CaminoRacer on February 29, 2024, 10:53:33 AMBane Sienna!

You merely adopted the hybrid; I was born in it, molded by it. I didn't see the mpg until I was already a vehicle, by then it was nothing to me but mind blowing! The mpg's betray you because they belong to me.

Quote from: Laconian on February 29, 2024, 11:49:19 AMThe Model S burns through its drive units every 100k miles. Spendy fix.

They burn through drive units, entire battery packs, and MCUs on the regular.  No one is driving these things for 300k miles without spendy repair bills.

Quote from: MrH on February 29, 2024, 12:58:24 PMThey burn through drive units, entire battery packs, and MCUs on the regular.  No one is driving these things for 300k miles without spendy repair bills.

I wonder how in the end the full cost of purchase and such maintenance vs purchase, maintenance and gas on comparable ICE car compares.

https://jalopnik.com/1-2-million-mile-tesla-model-s-has-gone-through-13-moto-1851081004

The drive unit replacement is around $6k.

Refurb HV pack replacement is $12k-20k.

I'd rather buy gasoline as usual and take care of the usual wear items that both EVs and ICEVs share (tires, bearings, ball joints, tie rods, shocks, etc) than have a sudden $6k+ cost.

That's the equivalent of blowing an engine and/or transmission. It is a catastrophic failure.

This is acceptable to people because they think not having to change their oil for $50 every 5k miles and sitting around at charging stations is some sort of godsend.

Quote from: giant_mtb on February 29, 2024, 01:49:04 PMI'd rather buy gasoline as usual and take care of the usual wear items that both EVs and ICEVs share (tires, bearings, ball joints, tie rods, shocks, etc) than have a sudden $6k+ cost.

That's the equivalent of blowing an engine and/or transmission. It is a catastrophic failure.

This is acceptable to people because they think not having to change their oil for $50 every 5k miles and sitting around at charging stations is some sort of godsend.

It's not something common in other EVs or newer Teslas. First adopter problems, IMO.

Quote from: CaminoRacer on February 29, 2024, 02:20:38 PMIt's not something common in other EVs or newer Teslas. First adopter problems, IMO.

Probably true. I'm just talkin' shit.

Probably comparable to buying a used Mercedes S Class.

I may have to make a trip to the busy side of our metro area- they installed a diverging diamond interchange. Some FB dummies think it's the end of the world...

Quote from: AutobahnSHO on February 29, 2024, 07:51:57 PMI may have to make a trip to the busy side of our metro area- they installed a diverging diamond interchange. Some FB dummies think it's the end of the world...

They're great once you figure it out. There's a lot of them around Utah now.

Quote from: CaminoRacer on March 01, 2024, 08:26:22 AMThey're great once you figure it out. There's a lot of them around Utah now.

Yeah I saw at least one out there (Bangerter highway?).

This one here is in an area where the traffic has exploded 3-5x more than infrastructure could handle.

There will still be bottlenecks but at least traffic won't be backed up into the 70mph 2-lane interstate....

Considering Stellantis is about to bank several brands on this architecture.... Is this really the massive abortion I think it is?

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a60047406/2024-dodge-charger-daytona-ev-revealed/

It looks like an updated version of the same late-90s platform they've been using for 20 years. Not great.

Quote from: CaminoRacer on March 05, 2024, 03:30:12 PMIt looks like an updated version of the same late-90s platform they've been using for 20 years. Not great.

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a46456020/2025-dodge-charger-jeep-wagoneer-s-stla-large-platform/

Sounds like it's an entirely new platform that can underpin FWD,RWD, longitudinal ICE, transverse ICE, and EV configurations.  No way the old MB platform can do all that.


Makes sense to make one platform that can do it all.  The compromise is that in order to do everything, the platform probably doesn't have great handling dynamics, but these cars never handled well to start with.

It's not my cup of tea in size or style but it's not ugly or offensive IMO.