Are new cars just too much for us old jerks?

[Tumblin Tumbleweed]

Boomer here.

We bought a top of the line Honda Pilot last year.

I bet we aren't using half of the bells and whistles the vehicle has because we can't figure them out. And I have a MS in Engineering.

Ours is a little smaller than the Pilot and it's all touchscreen touch menu dash, so it's fairly intuitive (think big Android/Apple phone). I still had to literally pull over so I could study the menus of driver assist crap.

 

[The Original Tree]

Because I drive almost 1000 miles a week, gas is expensive and my diesel truck doesn't get 40 mpg.

I have a Jeep Rubicon Gladiator. I drive it on the weekends. What I drive to work every day is a 2018 Ford Focus SEL and it gets 35 miles a gallon on average. Still peppy when you step on the gas. I bought it used with 19,000 miles on it for 20k.

If you drive a 1,000 miles a week, then what you drive is a choice. Is your choice economical, or status, or comfort, or luxury? There are tradeoffs and compromises you can make to make the smartest choice for you. Do you need a diesel truck to do that?

Did you know that you can take a Corvette and get it to get 40 MPG on the highway without sacrificing performance? Our Government will not allow that tune from the factory. Isn't that interesting? It's allowed in certain places in Europe though. And you can take it to a tuner to have it tweaked specifically for that when you are cruising on the highway after purchasing the vehicle.

I am not against EVs. I think it's a foolish choice and it does not save the environment, does not cost less to operate and it's range is limited. But they do have their place in certain applications. In some way, EVs are cool even.

What I don't like is a Commie Fascist Government telling me I have to buy one to save a planet that does not need saving. Also GM and other car manufacturers are actually losing their asses on FORCED EV PRODUCTION after spending billions in development of these electricity hogs. People are not buying them. EV buyers typically buy one EV, drive it 4-5 years, then sell it and never buy a second one. It's the ultimate bleeding heart do gooder purchase that wears off after you have to drive the things every day, and charge them every day and realize the limitations.

Buying an EV is a religious experience not a practical purchase unless you have a specific practical reason to buy one.

I thought we were supposed to be protected from having Religious Green Freaks shoving their Earth Worship down our throats?

At any rate, you CHOSE to buy an Hybrid. That is not what is going on right now. Biden is trying to abolish hydrocarbon fuels and the cars that run on them by 2035 which means you will have NO CHOICE about what you would like to drive.

Once they have everyone permanently dependent on the electrical grid for transportation, watch what they do to your electricity costs like they are trying to do to gasoline only 10 times worse. You will literally be able to own nothing, and be 100% dependent on The Government and The Electrical Grid.

You will own nothing and be happy? So they promise us.

 

[jackflash]

So I just bought a brand spanking new hybrid SUV for my wife. South Korean company. Great gas mileage. Still costs close to $40k (too expensive) because my better half 'just had to have' a certain trim level package. Whatever,.It's what she wanted, and she got it. So far, very, very nice fit and finish. Interior materials (leather seats, shiny plastic) are way higher quality then I ever expected. The entire dash is digital, and the entertainment system easily connects to my mobile device and even charges it. Rocking the fucking future, right? Meh. I have that tech in my '97 Jeep. It's seems the aftermarket tech has taken over new vehicles now.

My family has several vehicles. I bought a new truck last year. Average age of the rest (non new) of our vehicles? 19.5 yrs. old. I've personally wrenched on all of them.

So, this new hybrid SUV is supposed to be 'the future' to a genuine knuckledagger like me. So far, it pretty much seems to be a mobile phone on 4 wheels. When the dealer's 'instruction' was to immediately pair my mobile device to it to get 'the full experience' of this vehicle, I realized how out of touch with a new hybrid (and apparently, new cars in general now) I truly was. My wife asked me to drive it. The car has a push button start. I pushed the button, nothing happens. I push it again. And again. And again like a mental patient. What a fucking piece of shit, right?

Wrong. The car is a hybrid. It pretty much starts out in electric mode, and I'm a complete dope. I just needed to move the shiny 'transmission' selector knob to 'D', and It was ready to go the whole time! Cool. Yes, I'm quite stupid at times.

The presentation of the tech when sitting in the car is impressive, but can be a bit of a sensory overload. There are oodles of unnecessary shit (to me, but remember, I'm a complete dope ^^) in this automobile. There are so many computer controlled options, and little to no manual options. Did I need a daily affirmation from my car that I made the right choice in buying this car? Fuck no. Would I like lane assistance, computer controlled cruise control (including braking) , and passenger alert assist? Fuck no. Would I like to call 911, or speak to a live representative? How about neither. Let me further illustrate, this car has passenger alert assist. Am I driving an 18-wheeler? No. But this car seems to think it's smarter than it's driver.

And it probably is, who knows. Stay tuned. I'll update the experience with it when I can. I like simple. Wife likes other.

Keep it simple. As long as the CJ-5 is posi front & back it will go where you need to go. Basic instrument cluster, broom pole steering column up to 1976 models, three speed transmission standard. The air conditioning system is fully adjustable, like remove the doors & put 'em behind the seats then roll up the rear flap. Need more air conditioning then unbutton the top fold it up & ditch it behind the seats with the doors. Release the two windshield frame clamps & lay the windshield frame down upon the hood & secure it. In this mode it's as close to a motorized skateboard as one can get. The electronic options are what you are packing on your body. If you desire 'simple' then the CJ line of used rigs are for you!

Jeep CJ - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[ABikerSailor]

At any rate, you CHOSE to buy an Hybrid. That is not what is going on right now. Biden is trying to abolish hydrocarbon fuels and the cars that run on them by 2035 which means you will have NO CHOICE about what you would like to drive.

Once they have everyone permanently dependent on the electrical grid for transportation, watch what they do to your electricity costs like they are trying to do to gasoline only 10 times worse. You will literally be able to own nothing, and be 100% dependent on The Government and The Electrical Grid.

Dude...............you gotta lay off the fear mongering. Biden doesn't want to take your car, he just wants the vehicles the government uses for official business to be EV's by 2035 (which is over a decade away) if possible. Incidentally, Biden can propose that, but if future presidents decide it's not feasible, they can change the policy if needed, or keep it if it will work. Lots of technology can advance and change in the following 12 years, and I'm pretty sure it will.

I mean crap............look at the advances made by things you use everyday that have advanced far beyond what they were just a decade ago (cell phones and computers for one).

 

[Natural Citizen]

Did you know that you can take a Corvette and get it to get 40 MPG on the highway without sacrificing performance? Our Government will not allow that tune from the factory. Isn't that interesting? It's allowed in certain places in Europe though. And you can take it to a tuner to have it tweaked specifically for that when you are cruising on the highway after purchasing the vehicle.

I noticed that eBay just kind of quietly banned the sale of tuners.

They didn't openly talk about it, they just changed their TOS to specify it.

But you're right about that.

You can pretty much undo all of the government restrictions that basically handicap a car. It's simple to do.

 

[Cellblock2429]

I noticed that eBay just kind of quietly banned the sale of tuners.

They didn't openly talk about it, they just changed their TOS to specify it.

But you're right about that.

You can pretty much undo all of the government restrictions that basically handicap a car. It's simple to do.

/——-/ Did you know know Mercedes locks their cars high end performance unless you pay an additional $1,200 subscription every year?

 

[Mac-7]

So I just bought a brand spanking new hybrid SUV for my wife. South Korean company. Great gas mileage. Still costs close to $40k (too expensive) because my better half 'just had to have' a certain trim level package. Whatever,.It's what she wanted, and she got it. So far, very, very nice fit and finish. Interior materials (leather seats, shiny plastic) are way higher quality then I ever expected. The entire dash is digital, and the entertainment system easily connects to my mobile device and even charges it. Rocking the fucking future, right? Meh. I have that tech in my '97 Jeep. It's seems the aftermarket tech has taken over new vehicles now.

My family has several vehicles. I bought a new truck last year. Average age of the rest (non new) of our vehicles? 19.5 yrs. old. I've personally wrenched on all of them.

So, this new hybrid SUV is supposed to be 'the future' to a genuine knuckledagger like me. So far, it pretty much seems to be a mobile phone on 4 wheels. When the dealer's 'instruction' was to immediately pair my mobile device to it to get 'the full experience' of this vehicle, I realized how out of touch with a new hybrid (and apparently, new cars in general now) I truly was. My wife asked me to drive it. The car has a push button start. I pushed the button, nothing happens. I push it again. And again. And again like a mental patient. What a fucking piece of shit, right?

Wrong. The car is a hybrid. It pretty much starts out in electric mode, and I'm a complete dope. I just needed to move the shiny 'transmission' selector knob to 'D', and It was ready to go the whole time! Cool. Yes, I'm quite stupid at times.

The presentation of the tech when sitting in the car is impressive, but can be a bit of a sensory overload. There are oodles of unnecessary shit (to me, but remember, I'm a complete dope ^^) in this automobile. There are so many computer controlled options, and little to no manual options. Did I need a daily affirmation from my car that I made the right choice in buying this car? Fuck no. Would I like lane assistance, computer controlled cruise control (including braking) , and passenger alert assist? Fuck no. Would I like to call 911, or speak to a live representative? How about neither. Let me further illustrate, this car has passenger alert assist. Am I driving an 18-wheeler? No. But this car seems to think it's smarter than it's driver.

And it probably is, who knows. Stay tuned. I'll update the experience with it when I can. I like simple. Wife likes other.

Oddly enough these cars are being designed for a generation that is indifferent to the automobile

Even electrics

 

[Cellblock2429]

So I just bought a brand spanking new hybrid SUV for my wife. South Korean company. Great gas mileage. Still costs close to $40k (too expensive) because my better half 'just had to have' a certain trim level package. Whatever,.It's what she wanted, and she got it. So far, very, very nice fit and finish. Interior materials (leather seats, shiny plastic) are way higher quality then I ever expected. The entire dash is digital, and the entertainment system easily connects to my mobile device and even charges it. Rocking the fucking future, right? Meh. I have that tech in my '97 Jeep. It's seems the aftermarket tech has taken over new vehicles now.

My family has several vehicles. I bought a new truck last year. Average age of the rest (non new) of our vehicles? 19.5 yrs. old. I've personally wrenched on all of them.

So, this new hybrid SUV is supposed to be 'the future' to a genuine knuckledagger like me. So far, it pretty much seems to be a mobile phone on 4 wheels. When the dealer's 'instruction' was to immediately pair my mobile device to it to get 'the full experience' of this vehicle, I realized how out of touch with a new hybrid (and apparently, new cars in general now) I truly was. My wife asked me to drive it. The car has a push button start. I pushed the button, nothing happens. I push it again. And again. And again like a mental patient. What a fucking piece of shit, right?

Wrong. The car is a hybrid. It pretty much starts out in electric mode, and I'm a complete dope. I just needed to move the shiny 'transmission' selector knob to 'D', and It was ready to go the whole time! Cool. Yes, I'm quite stupid at times.

The presentation of the tech when sitting in the car is impressive, but can be a bit of a sensory overload. There are oodles of unnecessary shit (to me, but remember, I'm a complete dope ^^) in this automobile. There are so many computer controlled options, and little to no manual options. Did I need a daily affirmation from my car that I made the right choice in buying this car? Fuck no. Would I like lane assistance, computer controlled cruise control (including braking) , and passenger alert assist? Fuck no. Would I like to call 911, or speak to a live representative? How about neither. Let me further illustrate, this car has passenger alert assist. Am I driving an 18-wheeler? No. But this car seems to think it's smarter than it's driver.

And it probably is, who knows. Stay tuned. I'll update the experience with it when I can. I like simple. Wife likes other.

/——-/ If it makes you feel better, a neighbor’s 20 year old sat behind the wheel of a restored 1965 Chevy and had to be taught how to start it and drive. Didn’t know it had non power brakes, steering , how to roll down the windows and a few more things. After showing him what to do, he was able to drive off.

 

[Natural Citizen]

/——-/ Did you know know Mercedes locks their cars high end performance unless you pay an additional $1,200 subscription every year?

Yeah, I'd read something about that on the car forum I post on. Don't remember if it was something new or an old policy oftheirs where it'd maybe always been that way.