General vehicle thread

[roberth]

When people poo-poo on the quality of newer vehicles I like to point out something simple to think about.

Just about any vehicle made in the last twenty years or so will still be road worthy with 250,000 miles on the odometer. Could you imagine driving a vehicle from the 1960?s or 70?s much beyond 100,000 before it was pretty much useless and in need of major repairs or a serious overhaul?

Embrace the technology.

The people that stick to their ?they don?t make them like they used to? philosophy are only kidding themselves.

That is what I'm running into, my 3rd gen is a terrific truck and parts are generally available via Yota Jims but eventually I'll have to get something newer and sell this one.

[laportecharlie]

Whatever happened to spare tires?

[ray1970]

Whatever happened to spare tires?

They quit putting them in a lot of vehicles. I can't imagine how much it boosts profits for the manufacturers by omitting it.

[SideShow Bob]

Keep a eye out at Home Depot and similar store, a couple of years ago I found those cheap compressors on clearance for $7 each. Needless to say I got one for each vehicle and a spare.
I?ve burned one up from being lazy and using it several times to fill low tires and a almost completely flat one, that was the one that burned the compressor out.

I never thought of the patch (plug) kit, but it is a great idea to have on hand.

[MrPrena]

I am not a huge fan of forced induction.

I am not going to ever buy Nissan/infinity due to this stupid Saikawa and their govt vs Ghosn crap.

[cstone]

2003 Toyota Sequoia 165,000 miles
2008 Toyota Yaris 120,000 miles
2006 Ford F250 5.4L gas engine 260,000 miles

The Sequoia and F250 combined cost me less than $10k and with regular maintenance and avoiding someone hitting them, I expect they will last me another 5 or more years. The Yaris is the only manual transmission in group and I bought it new as a commuter car. My daughter learned to drive the stick and it is now her car. I will eventually sign it over to her. It is a fun car to drive and should last another 10 years.

I used to work on cars. I never made the transition into electronic cars and eventually lost my ability/interest in fixing cars, although I do my own fluid changes. Some maintenance is easy, and some things are hard. Like most things, I often decide to exchange money for time. The mechanic I normally use is much faster than I could ever be when it comes to most things. I tell myself that I could be faster if I had a lift and $40k in tools, but I am kidding myself. He would still be faster than me: 1. Because he is more competent in this area. 2. He enjoys it more than I do.

I keep reading that by 2030, more than half of the passenger cars on the road will be electric/hybrid. I can't say that I believe this but I can't say that it won't happen either. Since I probably only have another 25 years of regular driving left in my life (after 80, I will probably limit myself to milk runs or leisure cruising) my next vehicle(s) will probably be my last vehicles.

[cstone]

Imagine an EV that was as modular/repairable as the desktop computers nobody wants anymore. Unplug, unscrew, replace. Common component architecture that would allow manufacturers to compete on speed and reliability without focusing on proprietary technology. Open source software upgrades to tune your vehicle to your desires.

When the engineers get past the battery capacity and charging issues, EVs will definitely be better than internal combustion engine vehicles.

I still wonder why someone hasn't scaled down the diesel electric technology to make vehicles that could run for days without needing to be plugged in.

[cstone]

Please, no government solutions. Non-profit corporations that have been founded by companies in the industry to develop standards. Example-Universal Serial Bus Implementers Forum https://www.usb.org/about

Some people want sports cars and others want work trucks. Some people want gaming computers and others just want to surf the Internet. I don't think the engineering portion of the problem is the tough part.

Apple hasn't publicly admitted it but everyone in the industry has noted that Apple products have increasingly been less DIY friendly over the past ten years. Many of the web sites that focus on opening products and providing information on repair and upgrades have given up on new Apple products because they clearly are not meant to be touched by anyone other than the folks at the Genius Bar.

[ray1970]

When the ICar comes out I?ll buy one for seamlessly integrating with my phone.

[Erni]

@cstone. Fellow Yaris owner here. 2007 auto 130k and now my son is driving it to school until we figure out a car. Fantastic car from a maintanace point of view. Quick enough too. Only 2 complaints: interior noise, and the soft steel rims thst the base comes with. Swapped to some light alloy wheels when I needed new tires and it feels smoother and faster.
I think the Yaris is highly underated due to the "Echo" past and the low price point. If course the interior noise might have something to do with it too...