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Car Talk (Page 25)
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Irvine, CA
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And many new electric cars or hybrid cars now have a line or multiple lines of neon blue around the grill to show that they are electric! How weird is that? First, why blue and not green? Second, why can't the design of the car show it is electric rather than just adding a blue strip. Designers don't know how to design electric cars. Add a fake grill and some blue strips and call it done.
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Originally Posted by mindwaves
And many new electric cars or hybrid cars now have a line or multiple lines of neon blue around the grill to show that they are electric! How weird is that?
Yeah, I think this is a big mistake. Car manufacturers should take a page out of Apple's book and not introduce new models or anything, and just make the successor of an existing product electric. The Golf 9 (rather than ID.3). The BMW 3-series. The Audi A4. The fact that they don't shows their lack of confidence IMHO.
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I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it.
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Posting Junkie
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: UK
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UK government has apparently just banned new petrol and diesel cars beyond 2030.
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I have plenty of more important things to do, if only I could bring myself to do them....
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Join Date: Oct 2008
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Originally Posted by Waragainstsleep
UK government has apparently just banned new petrol and diesel cars beyond 2030.
Banned the manufacture. Not the use.
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This space for Hire! Reasonable rates. Reach an audience of literally dozens!
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Clinically Insane
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Iowa, how long can this be? Does it really ruin the left column spacing?
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I bought a truck.
Hooked up trailer to wife's car.
Went down to Missouri. Bought truck, hooked up trailer to truck, loaded wife's car, drove home.
Cleaned up truck, removed stickers advertising dog breeding business, cancer, and NRA.
Things I've fixed so far:
- Driver's power seat switch broken
- Power mirrors broken
- Taillight bulb out
- Battery dead
- New wipers
- Bad TPMS sensor
- Transmission internal sensor frame assembly
- Transmission fluid and filter
- License plate bulb
- Air filter
- Coolant flush
- Spark plugs
- Rear diff fluid
- Driver's seat heater
Needs a water pump and the AC doesn't work.
But I already went to Lowe's to buy several small pieces of trim so purchase totally justified.
It came with a 5th wheel-style tailgate for the previous owner's camper. I got a cheap tailgate from the junkyard in the wrong color.
And wrapped it in vinyl.
All in I have less than $6500 into the truck, which is pretty good for a late model V8 4x4 rust free truck with heated leather and bluetooth.
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was this all in a weekend? how do you get it all done?!!
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Clinically Insane
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Iowa, how long can this be? Does it really ruin the left column spacing?
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Bought the truck on the 9th. The little fiddly stuff has usually been between getting home from work and starting dinner. Last weekend I swapped out the transfer case for one that has an all-wheel-drive mode so it's actually useful in the snow, that took about 4 hours. Tailgate wrap was on Saturday when I was taking a break from trimming out our living room. Transmission fluid, filter, and sensors was yesterday, that one probably took a good 4-5 hours.
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Join Date: Jun 2000
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I assume he sold the original tail gate? A 5th-wheel gate is normally an aftermarket part.
Good move with the trailer trick. Saved talking the wife into a cross-state adventure.
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Clinically Insane
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Iowa, how long can this be? Does it really ruin the left column spacing?
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Originally Posted by reader50
I assume he sold the original tail gate? A 5th-wheel gate is normally an aftermarket part.
He said he got the truck without a tailgate.
Good move with the trailer trick. Saved talking the wife into a cross-state adventure.
I have a couple of friends that I would normally do this kind of stuff with but due to quarantine it'd be unsafe to spend 3 hours in a car together. Wife offered to go with, but that would mean tapping grandparents to pick up kids, and we stopped seeing grandparents in October when Iowa started getting really bad. Plus the dog was at the vet all day getting his teeth scraped so we'd have to tap the brother-in-law to pick him up, and it just because kind of a whole mess. Given how dirt dirt cheap he listed the truck for, I didn't want to let it sit for another day. It was easily listed at half of anything comparable, even for the high miles. Easier to get the trailer for $50 and take care of it myself.
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Senior User
Join Date: Jul 2020
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Boring truck, boring crossover.
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Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Southern California
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It sure is nice to be handy
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Clinically Insane
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Iowa, how long can this be? Does it really ruin the left column spacing?
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Originally Posted by MacNNFamous
Boring truck, boring crossover.
You promised. ![Frown](http://forums.macnn.com/images/smilies/oldschool/frown.gif)
Can you imagine if you based everything in your life on "excitement" instead of "usefulness"?
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Senior User
Join Date: Jul 2020
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I bought this a few years ago. Old lady owned, out in Oregon, no salt, no rust, never modified.
1800lbs and 91hp. Thing is a riot. Fixed a bunch of stuff on it with the intention of selling. Prices keep going up... so... idk.
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Here is my $2000 Mini Cooper. Fixed a bunch of stuff, doubled my money when I sold it. Miss it immensely.
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Originally Posted by MacNNFamous
I bought this a few years ago. Old lady owned, out in Oregon, no salt, no rust, never modified.
1800lbs and 91hp. Thing is a riot. Fixed a bunch of stuff on it with the intention of selling. Prices keep going up... so... idk.
Dude! I had one of those in gray! Bought it new. It was a barrel of fun! Rev-happy little four-banger and a five speed.
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Clinically Insane
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Iowa, how long can this be? Does it really ruin the left column spacing?
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Originally Posted by MacNNFamous
I bought this a few years ago. Old lady owned, out in Oregon, no salt, no rust, never modified.
This is the most boring car in the f*cking world.
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Originally Posted by Laminar
This is the most boring car in the f*cking world.
Totally bro, an 1800lb hatchback with almost 100hp and a slick 5spd is boring. The first Honda "Si" ever, boring.
But that crossover and McWhatever truck you have, ooooOOooowweeeeee that is some sexy shit. ![Roll Eyes (Sarcastic)](http://forums.macnn.com/images/smilies/oldschool/rolleyes.gif)
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Originally Posted by Thorzdad
Dude! I had one of those in gray! Bought it new. It was a barrel of fun! Rev-happy little four-banger and a five speed.
It's so fun to drive! I'm not changing a thing on it, other than maybe shifter bushings. Still even has the stock radio. Only bad thing is it was repainted years ago... if it was original paint, that would have been so much better. Seems like the old lady that owned it had a narrow garage and hit the frame of the garage door opening a few times. Oh well, I'll take slight repaint and tweaked bumpers over rust any day of the week.
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Clinically Insane
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Iowa, how long can this be? Does it really ruin the left column spacing?
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Originally Posted by MacNNFamous
Totally bro, an 1800lb hatchback with almost 100hp and a slick 5spd is boring. The first Honda "Si" ever, boring.
![Wink](http://forums.macnn.com/images/smilies/oldschool/wink.gif)
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Join Date: Jul 2020
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Speaking of trucks.... What's everyone think of Rivian....
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Join Date: Aug 2001
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Rivian? My impression is that it's squarely aimed at young suburbanites who buy expensive, decked-out pickups, even though they never in their life actually have a need for a pickup beyond grabbing a few bags of mulch down at the garden center. It has enough cargo space to accomplish the occasional load hauling, while being electric and relatively stylish in a non-overtly-macho way.
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Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
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Originally Posted by MacNNFamous
Speaking of trucks.... What's everyone think of Rivian....
Those Tylenol headlights.
Ew.
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I can't stand those headlights either. They look terrible.
What I find amazing is that anyone who is a huge critic of Tesla will be a huge fan of Rivian, and they're not consistent at all.
Literally doubt Tesla, the entire time, at every step of the way, and noticing all the delays and challenges with bringing a new vehicle to market.
Rivian? Wow it's automatically better nevermind it's just a concept and not in production sure it'll be on time no it has these specs and yeah the charging network is NBD and yeah no dealers or distribution but who cares it's better cuz not tesla
WTF.
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Originally Posted by subego
Those Tylenol headlights.
Ew.
I had to google this to see what you're talking about. Kind of odd, but also somewhat... facelike? otherwise the truck looks like a range rover.
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The headlights are growing on me. I certainly like the look more than I do the evil, angry, slit look of so many new vehicles. The tylenols are at least friendly.
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My issue is that pill shaped element is not repeated anywhere else on the car. Nor are consistently radiused curves. They just look out of place, like they were glued on there from something else. If you cover them up with your fingers, you see a cohesive design.
Subverting expectations, I guess. I hate it.
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Join Date: Sep 2000
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Originally Posted by MacNNFamous
I can't stand those headlights either. They look terrible.
What I find amazing is that anyone who is a huge critic of Tesla will be a huge fan of Rivian, and they're not consistent at all.
Literally doubt Tesla, the entire time, at every step of the way, and noticing all the delays and challenges with bringing a new vehicle to market.
Rivian? Wow it's automatically better nevermind it's just a concept and not in production sure it'll be on time no it has these specs and yeah the charging network is NBD and yeah no dealers or distribution but who cares it's better cuz not tesla
WTF.
On the flip side—and anecdotally speaking—everyone who is a huge fan of Tesla is also a critic of almost every other electric vehicle.
Humans gonna human.
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Mankind's only chance is to harness the power of stupid.
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Originally Posted by MacNNFamous
I bought this a few years ago. Old lady owned, out in Oregon, no salt, no rust, never modified.
1800lbs and 91hp. Thing is a riot. Fixed a bunch of stuff on it with the intention of selling. Prices keep going up... so... idk.
Sounds a lot like my old Peugeot 206 - just under 2100lbs and 110hp. Too bad it kept breaking down in interesting ways.
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The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.
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Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
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Originally Posted by ShortcutToMoncton
On the flip side—and anecdotally speaking—everyone who is a huge fan of Tesla is also a critic of almost every other electric vehicle.
I’m not a huge fan of Tesla, but I do like me some SpaceX.
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Fack just bought another car. How many cars do I have now? I don't know. I'd have to start counting. This is definitely too many. Overwhelmed but it is a bucket list car...
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Well, do you want us to guess what you bought?!? And how much reconditioning are you going to have to put in? Hmm.
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Clinically Insane
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Iowa, how long can this be? Does it really ruin the left column spacing?
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I hope it’s a ‘65 Mustang. Those are super cool cars and should be on every true enthusiast’s bucket list.
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Kind of jealous. For some reason I can’t explain, I want an F150. But nowhere near enough to deal with LHD in UK or pay to convert- assuming it’s even possible.
I’m just fond of them.
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I few years back I bought my college aged son a pre-owned Ford Fusion. While in the dealership I sat in an F150 display model on the showroom floor. The sticker was north of $65K. Now I’m not a pickup dude. And my memories of rednecks with rifles in the back screaming the N-word while speeding off in the other direction like little b*tches plays no small part in that. Along with the fact that I have no use case for a pickup. But DAMN was that one nice! Had all the amenities of a luxury SUV. Almost made me reconsider. Almost.
OAW
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Clinically Insane
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Iowa, how long can this be? Does it really ruin the left column spacing?
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Originally Posted by OAW
I few years back I bought my college aged son a pre-owned Ford Fusion. While in the dealership I sat in an F150 display model on the showroom floor. The sticker was north of $65K. Now I’m not a pickup dude. And my memories of rednecks with rifles in the back screaming the N-word while speeding off in the other direction like little b*tches plays no small part in that. Along with the fact that I have no use case for a pickup. But DAMN was that one nice! Had all the amenities of a luxury SUV. Almost made me reconsider. Almost.
OAW
Well Cars.com named the Ram 1500 its "Luxury Car of the Year." Trucks these days are silly. The more I drive this thing the more I realize how ridiculous it is that this is the most popular vehicle on the road today, it's stupid for a daily driver, getting 15mpg and sitting this high and handling this poorly makes no sense. Now for what I need it to do - towing race cars, hauling a couple thousand pounds of mulch, lugging around dirty, leaking car parts, and carting around oversize home improvement materials, it does a really good job. Honestly though, most of that besides pulling a race car could be handled by a car pulling a trailer. But the truck is fun to tinker with and the kids love riding in it.
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I just hate how big they are. I had a 90s Dakota for a while, with the tiny rear bench seat/extended cab. Could haul 4 people in a pinch, but had a 6.5' bed so it would haul tons of shit and still be big enough to camp in. It was only 2wd so I kept getting stuck at the boat ramp trying to pull out, so I sold it. Looked for almost 2 years to find a clean 4wd dakota... almost all of them are 4 doors, and the only other option in the midsize category, the tacoma, everyone wants a million dollars for them even if they have 200k miles and barely any maintenance done to them.
Full size trucks are just too big. New ranger looks like it'd be a good fit for me, but it's not aluminum, just steel, so it would rust away to nothing in a short time period. I'm not doing that.
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If you guys came over to Japan, you’d be surprised how small trucks are here and farmers get sh*t done anyway. They can haul small farm equipment, transport mulch, soil and an assortment of tools in what I’m sure could star in “Honey, who shrunk my truck?” American trucks are expected to accelerate like cars, be equipped like sedans and handle actual truck duties (for the few who need it). Kinda like a modern G-class.
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I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it.
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I had a GMC Sonoma 4x4 back in the day. It was more than enough truck for anything I was ever going to need to do with it. I’d fill it to the top of the bed with mulch or topsoil or whatnot a few times a year. It was a 6-foot bed, but you could still easily haul a few full sheets of plywood or drywall with the gate down, so long as you secured it right.
It was an extended cab with a couple of those sideways jump seats that pull down from the sides. It was a tight fit back there even for a couple of kids. Thing had the stiffest, heaviest damned clutch I ever drove. Effed-up my left knee to where I couldn’t drive any vehicle with a stick pain-free ever again. My son pulled out in front of another truck on a dark, rainy night and got t-boned. He was ok, but the truck was pretty much bent in half and the transfer case was cracked apart. Insurance totaled it. Never got another truck after that.
Trucks today are ridiculously big. I just don’t get it.
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I can see big trucks when you're towing a heavy trailer. Like a 5th-wheel RV.
For myself, I have an old Ranger, used for the occasional large, heavy, or dirty cargo. Mostly it sits around. I had to add a solar trickle charger to keep the battery from going flat - it's sometimes months between uses. Followed by 3 trips in a week.
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Originally Posted by reader50
I can see big trucks when you're towing a heavy trailer. Like a 5th-wheel RV.
Is that really necessary, though? I have never towed anything with a car, but even a humble VW Passat with a 2 liter 150 hp diesel can tow up to 2.1 tons, and you frequently see regular cars with an RV in tow. Of course, if you do this regularly and/or you live somewhere hilly, you might want a bigger vehicle. But for occasional use, it seems sufficient to me.
Originally Posted by reader50
For myself, I have an old Ranger, used for the occasional large, heavy, or dirty cargo. Mostly it sits around. I had to add a solar trickle charger to keep the battery from going flat - it's sometimes months between uses. Followed by 3 trips in a week.
Wouldn't it be cheaper to rent a U-Haul when you need to transport something big and heavy?
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I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it.
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Originally Posted by Thorzdad
Trucks today are ridiculously big. I just don’t get it.
And usually they offer less space than you think. My father's Range Rover had much less space inside than his old E-class station wagon, and was slower, too. Despite the V8, everything seemed to take a while and top speed was somewhere around 180 km/h only.
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Originally Posted by OreoCookie
Wouldn't it be cheaper to rent a U-Haul when you need to transport something big and heavy?
The Ranger was inherited from my Dad, and is fully paid for. Though not worth much. Why would I want to trade ownership for a recurring rental?
I dislike software-as-a-service. If you own something, you control it. And they can't relieve you of spare money for each trip. Or raise the price when they feel like it. Or have all the rentals rented out already. Or you get the rental the dog threw up in last time. Or previous renter had HIV. Not to worry though, you won't feel different for approx 7 years.
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Originally Posted by reader50
The Ranger was inherited from my Dad, and is fully paid for. Though not worth much. Why would I want to trade ownership for a recurring rental?
Depends on the cost it racks up for insurance and taxes. If it isn’t much and you have space, I guess it can’t hurt to keep it. But the ancillary costs of owning a rarely-used car can quickly exceed what you pay for a rental. I could buy a car for very cheap, Japanese don’t like to buy used stuff. But the fees for the parking spot, taxes, insurance, mandatory biyearly check-ups and most importantly, parking spot would make that a not-so-cheap proposition.
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Location: Iowa, how long can this be? Does it really ruin the left column spacing?
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Originally Posted by MacNNFamous
and the only other option in the midsize category, the tacoma, everyone wants a million dollars for them even if they have 200k miles and barely any maintenance done to them.
Tacoma prices are the worst. 250k mile beat up truck with a V6 that makes 190hp and gets 15mpg, $8000.
Originally Posted by OreoCookie
Is that really necessary, though? I have never towed anything with a car, but even a humble VW Passat with a 2 liter 150 hp diesel can tow up to 2.1 tons, and you frequently see regular cars with an RV in tow. Of course, if you do this regularly and/or you live somewhere hilly, you might want a bigger vehicle. But for occasional use, it seems sufficient to me.
I'm just going to copy and paste my standard reply when anyone brings up towing capacities in Europe.
In Germany, a car (aka anything that's not a commercial truck) towing a trailer is limited to 80kph (50mph). If that trailer is braked, is specifically certified to travel at 100kph, and is less than 20% heavier than the tow vehicle you can take it all the way up to 100kph (62mph).
If you want to tow a trailer heavier than 1600lbs, you need a special license class that involves an entire extra day of schooling - 2.5 hours of theory on regulations, loading, towing, then 3.5 hours of practicing lane changes, parking, maneuvering, then an hour of driving in traffic.
On top of all of that, traditional tongue weights are less than 10% in Europe. A lower tongue weight puts less load on the vehicle's suspension, but greatly decreases stability at speed. In America, recommended tongue weights are 10-15% for greater stability at high speeds.
So when an automaker gives a tow rating to be used in Germany, it assumes:
1. The vehicle will never be going more than 62mph
2. The driver is specifically well-trained in how to tow
3. The percent of the trailer weight that's actually hitting the rear suspension and structure is low
When an automaker gives a tow rating in America it assumes:
1. The vehicle will be going at least 70mph, and potentially up to the 80-85mph speed limits here
2. The driver will have basically no training in driving at all, let alone towing, how to load a trailer, and how to safely handle a trailer at speed
3. The trailer will be putting at least 15% of its load on the vehicle's suspension, greatly increasing the stress on the rear suspension and structure, and the higher speeds mean higher dynamic loads as well.
So let's say the rear structure of a vehicle can handle 400lbs of tongue weight. In Germany, where they can run lower tongue weights because they don't need to worry about stability above 62mph, that would translate to a 5000lb tow capacity assuming 8% tongue weight.
In the US, where automakers need to ensure stability up to 85mph, they have to assume a higher percentage of tongue weight. So that 400lbs of structural capacity only gets you 2600lbs of total trailer weight once you assume 15% tongue weight.
That's why tiny cars in Europe can pull what in America you'd need a half ton to pull around legally.
Wouldn't it be cheaper to rent a U-Haul when you need to transport something big and heavy?
Totally, but that doesn't fit with the US's individualistic society. Why would I borrow from someone else like a ****in' commie when I could pay significantly more to own it like a good capitalist?? My local big box stores will rent you a truck for $18 for 75 minutes. More than enough time to get home and back, and $18 doesn't even cover what I pay per month in insurance on my truck, let alone depreciation, repairs, and maintenance.
I actually went back to my vehicle maintenance spreadsheet and did some math on what ownership costs me. We had a 2011 Ford Edge we bought used in 2012 and then kept for 7 years. Between maintenance, repairs, insurance, registration, fuel, and depreciation it cost $308/month to own that car. My 2013 Focus cost $255/month. The car we replaced the Edge with has cost $585/month so far using the current private party value to estimate depreciation. My car has been $324. In all of the above cases, depreciation has been the largest contributor to the monthly cost. But that's the price of driving a late-model car with recent tech and low miles. And in all cases the cost of registration and insurance was far greater than the cost of maintenance and repairs.
I'm interested to see how the truck shakes out, as it's far past the bulk of its depreciation and V8 4x4 trucks tend to hold their value as long as I can keep it from rusting away.
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For some, it might be economic to have one vehicle that can do it all, rather than a separate car (people mover) and truck (stuff mover): pick up timmy, tommy, and jane from school, and stop at home depot for lumber on the way home. Hence the extended cabs and comfort features.
I probably don't need a wagon but sure feel smug when I need to haul something and have the space. I'm in the sweet spot with my subaru where it's paid for, and things haven't yet begun to rust off. Sitting in the driveway for 9 months probably has helped its longevity even more! *silver linings*
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Yeah I went the other direction. I have to count to figure out how many I own at the moment. I would say it's hoarding but everything I own works (except 1!) and is in good shape.
- economical daily
- towing/camping machine
- annual ski trip machine
- vintage sports car
- vintage hot hatch
- vintage luxury saloon. <- not running project
- vintage sports sedan
and I just wound up impulsively buying another car 3 days ago.
This is too many. I will be culling the fleet next year.
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Wait I forgot one. My girl's VW.
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Originally Posted by Laminar
I'm just going to copy and paste my standard reply when anyone brings up towing capacities in Europe.
That was quite informative, thanks!
Originally Posted by Laminar
So when an automaker gives a tow rating to be used in Germany, it assumes:
1. The vehicle will never be going more than 62mph
2. The driver is specifically well-trained in how to tow
3. The percent of the trailer weight that's actually hitting the rear suspension and structure is low
When an automaker gives a tow rating in America it assumes:
1. The vehicle will be going at least 70mph, and potentially up to the 80-85mph speed limits here
2. The driver will have basically no training in driving at all, let alone towing, how to load a trailer, and how to safely handle a trailer at speed
3. The trailer will be putting at least 15% of its load on the vehicle's suspension, greatly increasing the stress on the rear suspension and structure, and the higher speeds mean higher dynamic loads as well.
I take your points, although I'm not sure the US way of doing things is prudent. (For the record, I received my driver's license in the US, so I don't actually know what German driver's ed is like. But I do know I received nowhere near the education my siblings did.)
I remember that at least for a while Europe had (has?) had a problem with delivery vehicles speeding on the autobahn when the new Mercedes Sprinter was released. That thing was way quicker and could easily reach 160 km/h … but of course, the problem isn't acceleration, it is braking and handling.
Originally Posted by Laminar
Totally, but that doesn't fit with the US's individualistic society. Why would I borrow from someone else like a ****in' commie when I could pay significantly more to own it like a good capitalist?? My local big box stores will rent you a truck for $18 for 75 minutes. More than enough time to get home and back, and $18 doesn't even cover what I pay per month in insurance on my truck, let alone depreciation, repairs, and maintenance.
Wowzers. To be honest, this is the reason right there why I haven't had a car in almost two decades. Don't get me wrong, I like driving and would like to have a car sometimes. But the cost is quite scary.
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It's peanuts if you have a place to park it. My daily has paid for itself in fuel savings many times over, and is reliable AF.
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