New Car Time

[Napoleon]

I like the understated nature of it.

Exactly, who would ever suspect it is armored.

[Elmo T]

Doing any repo work in the bad part of town?

http://i63.tinypic.com/2qjc8dk.jpg

[Elmo T]

I should add - if one wonders why they make trucks like this... it is because grant money flows, some see a perceived need, there is a demand (because folks have the $$$), and they look cool.

[cameraman]

Any VIP's here?

Why not go all in with:

http://i67.tinypic.com/2ronzbl.jpg

http://www.lencoarmor.com/international/bearcat-variants/vip/

Plenty of other options for the security-minded driver.

Sadly that doesn't seem to be available in the US probably cuz of the evil EPA regulations & it probably doesn't have 5 mph bumpers either

Their US sales site links to this wee beastie:

http://www.lencoarmor.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/tactical_suv.jpg

[dando]

Any VIP's here?

Why not go all in with:

http://i67.tinypic.com/2ronzbl.jpg

http://www.lencoarmor.com/international/bearcat-variants/vip/

Plenty of other options for the security-minded driver.

Needs a brush guard. #fail :gomer:

[Gnam]

I just went to look! I swear!

2016 Chevy Colorado, 2.8L Duramax Diesel
http://s33.postimg.org/u25d305wf/328fa464ffff49c99d5a9449e7d83ed9.jpg
http://s33.postimg.org/v35ls4mvz/9d2e7037a148c9425288180d2933d820.jpg
http://s33.postimg.org/v740m4hr3/a4a5724637138cfb4fb20e4e1169f054.jpg
http://s33.postimg.org/71gc7pejj/2016_chevrolet_colorado_mid_size_pickup_mo_tech.jp g

[nrc]

Did it come with beer cans in the back?

I see you've had it out mountain biking already. Awesome. :gomer:

[datachicane]

I just had a clutch get tired at about the 100k mark, and while I was at it thought I'd upgrade from 3-sp to a nice 5-sp built to my spec with custom gearing. Total price tag was less than last year's O2 sensor and coil pack tab on my wife's minivan.

I love driving a 50 year old car.

[opinionated ow]

My poor old Renault Scenic is in its last days. 275,000km is a pretty good life. I suspect she will get close to 300,000km before I buy something else but I'm going to have to start looking. Why is everything turbocharged and automatic these days?!?

[Gnam]

:laugh:


Mercedes-Benz Starts Luxury Pickups

Mercedes-Benz is building pickups with nubuck-leather seats and oak trim, in a bet that double-cab trucks will reel in wealthy parents and sailboat owners the same way off-road SUVs did a few decades ago.

In late 2017, the luxury-car maker will start selling mid-size pickups, smaller than Ford Motor Co.’s F-150 that’s popular in the U.S., with seats for five people. Mercedes presented two near-production stylings of the X-Class in Stockholm this week, one with a brash metallic-green paint job featuring an electric winch at the front and the other a less rugged version designed for city driving.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-10-25/mercedes-benz-starts-luxury-pickups-for-adventurers-rich-dads

https://s16.postimg.org/rvdrk8739/image.jpg

[WickerBill]

Oh, that hood is not working.

And the declining roofline is the epitome of "I don't understand the American truck buyer".

[Gnam]

A few seasons in the Nascar Truck Series will straighten 'em out.

[Insomniac]

I've noticed cargo van ads on TV recently.

[SteveH]

A few seasons in the Nascar Truck Series will straighten 'em out.

:D

[Gnam]

Disaster.


$10,000

2007 Ford Mustang with HAND FORMED STEEL BODY, except for the door skins and roof. Hand formed grille, 2008 Lotus Eliese headlights and 1989 Cadilac tail lights. Electric front tilt hood. Remote door latches. A Vortech V-3 supercharger

http://monterey.craigslist.org/cto/5826471484.html

https://s12.postimg.org/o3an0tfsd/01313_6_Vn_Hk_VEXUe_Y_1200x900.jpg

[datachicane]

That car's been looking for a new home for years now. The overspray on the low-line factory wheels is the ultimate mark of a quality custom build.

[chop456]

Looks like the Homermobile.

[Napoleon]

The overspray on the low-line factory wheels is the ultimate mark of a quality custom build.

:rofl::rofl:

[nrc]

We have been assimilated.

912

But wait. Maybe there is still hope.

913

Yes, we've taken the leap and purchased a Mazda CX-5. It's not replacing anything, we've just decided that since neither of us really prefers a utilitarian vehicle we would just add one. I'm tired having to borrow a truck or pay for delivery and Missy would rather get back to something smaller and sportier than her Mazda6. Although she still enjoys the 6 she's been missing her Clubman and once our friends drove us into the Highlands in their Audi S3 sort of sealed it. So she'll need something to haul around about a million cubic feet of dance costumes and I'll need something to pull a small trailer of firewood when we finish burning all our dead Ash trees.

The CX-5 checked all the boxes and was a natural choice since we're happy Mazda owners. We still prefer a manual so the big question was whether the little 155hp 2 liter that comes with the manual would be enough to haul the thing around. We were able to find a used manual for a test drive which answer the question. It's adequate. The engine is willing and you just have to stir it a bit more than most. If you enjoy a manual shift, there's plenty of shifting to enjoy.

From there it was just finding one and making a deal. I have to say it was probably the easiest car deal I've ever made. Between incentives and motivated sellers I'm definitely going to try to move car buys into December whenever possible.

[chop456]

Sweet wagon! :)









:runs:

[SteveH]

Nice car Richard. Have one in the garage which we picked up just a year ago. No complaints. Mazda is very under rated.

[opinionated ow]

Oh, that hood is not working.

And the declining roofline is the epitome of "I don't understand the American truck buyer".

I believe it was designed more with Australia in mind than the USA.

[Gnam]

We have been assimilated.

912

But wait. Maybe there is still hope.

913

Have you verified the 0-60 time? ;)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRdM_6fKWrE

[nrc]

Have you verified the 0-60 time? ;)

Unfortunately I don't have a stop watch with a calendar feature. :)

[nrc]

Sweet wagon! :)


:runs:

It's a Super Sports Wagon with a CB and the optional rally fun pack. :)

[chop456]

I love wagons/hatchbacks. Just not much reason for me to have one anymore. The Civic hatch will get a look, but the price is far higher since it's new and boy-racerish.

[WickerBill]

The final WickerBill family hauler will be delivered today. Hoping it is as bulletproof as the Saturn Outlook was, but rides a lot less like a truck.

954

[SteveH]

:thumbup:

[nrc]

The final WickerBill family hauler will be delivered today. Hoping it is as bulletproof as the Saturn Outlook was, but rides a lot less like a truck.

954

Shoulda got the Police Interceptor model. It's got a cop motor, cop tires, cop suspension, and cop shocks.

We've been happy with the CX-5. We were out in the country looking at property this weekend and I was happy to have something I could take down a rutted dirt road without worrying about it too much.

[chop456]

Shoulda got the Police Interceptor model. It's got a cop motor, cop tires, cop suspension, and cop shocks.


I hope it runs good on regular gas.

[WickerBill]

This is momentous, because the wife is a dyed-in-the-wool GM zealot. Dad worked at GM, she's never driven anything but a GM, and dad told her if she brought home a boy with a Honda, he'd plasma-cutter the car in half.

So even getting her to consider a Ford was a huge challenge. However:

- the new GMC Acadia is really kind of awkward-looking, unless you go all the way up to the Denali trim
- the new Chevrolet Traverse re-made the back end to look like a Suburban. I think it looks way better than previous Traverses; she hates it.
- She says we're too young for a Buick


Plus, the final nail in the coffin of GM, at least for her, was the red. GM uses mostly a raspberry red which only looks remotely good if completely, 100% clean. Ford's ruby red metallic makes her giddy.


We are now a three Ford, one GM family. :)

[opinionated ow]

https://images.cdn.autocar.co.uk/sites/autocar.co.uk/files/styles/gallery_slide/public/images/car-reviews/first-drives/legacy/stan4089.jpg

I really hope they make this in RHD because I covet this car more than anything else.

[indyfan31]

The final WickerBill family hauler will be delivered today. Hoping it is as bulletproof as the Saturn Outlook was, but rides a lot less like a truck.

I REALLY like the new Explorers, my wife refuses to drive anything bigger than her Escape.

[nrc]

https://images.cdn.autocar.co.uk/sites/autocar.co.uk/files/styles/gallery_slide/public/images/car-reviews/first-drives/legacy/stan4089.jpg

I really hope they make this in RHD because I covet this car more than anything else.

Looks like the forbidden love child of an Audi TT and an Escort ZX2. Looks much better from the side. Alas we'll never see it here. But if FIAT can come back to the states surely it's time for Renault as well. There can't be that many people who remember the Renault Alliance.

[nrc]

gfbvtr
This is momentous, because the wife is a dyed-in-the-wool GM zealot. Dad worked at GM, she's never driven anything but a GM, and dad told her if she brought home a boy with a Honda, he'd plasma-cutter the car in half.

So even getting her to consider a Ford was a huge challenge. However:

Ah! I guess I assumed that this was replacing Darth Fusion given the family situation.

I've given up trying to be open minded about GM. Even if I see one that looks ok outside the interiors are just blah.

[WickerBill]

About a year after purchasing the Fusion, I took a job working from home. The Fusion literally goes to the airport and back, and maybe out for a little fun every so often.

Five years old in December, just crested 30k miles. She's still a puppy.

[TravelGal]

This is momentous, because the wife is a dyed-in-the-wool GM zealot. Dad worked at GM, she's never driven anything but a GM, and dad told her if she brought home a boy with a Honda, he'd plasma-cutter the car in half.



BWWWHAAAA. At least he didn't threaten to cut the boy in half. I'm telling TravelGuy. Of course, when he went to work for Honda in about 1995, he had a white 1968 Plymouth Valiant. Upon leaving work and looking out into a sea of Hondas in the parking lot, he was the only one who could immediately spot his car. BWWWHAAA. Yep, silly mood today.............. Congrats on the new wheels. WB

[nrc]

About a year after purchasing the Fusion, I took a job working from home. The Fusion literally goes to the airport and back, and maybe out for a little fun every so often.

I'm always wary of those "make money working from home" scams. I'm glad it's working out for you. :)

[TravelGal]

I'm always wary of those "make money working from home" scams. I'm glad it's working out for you. :)

:laugh::laugh: Working pretty well for me too. I just noted 7204 miles on the 2014 Accord when I got back from The Grove (famous Farmer's Market) this afternoon. Gotta knock of those long trips. :D:D

[WickerBill]

I'm always wary of those "make money working from home" scams. I'm glad it's working out for you. :)

I laughed out loud. Some days, it feels like a scam. Most days, I yell at the walls. :)

[SteveH]

Been working out of my house since 1995. You can always be at work. Which isn't always the best.

[WickerBill]

My least favorite words from the spouse: "Well since you're home, can you...."


I'M WORKING! Pretend I'm downtown until 5pm!

[TravelGal]

Been working out of my house since 1995. You can always be at work. Which isn't always the best.

I hear ya. It's the "turn on the computer before you make your coffee" and "check those emails before you go to bed" syndrome.


My least favorite words from the spouse: "Well since you're home, can you...."

I'M WORKING! Pretend I'm downtown until 5pm!

Massive computer hugs. I still struggle with it sometime but generally when I'm sitting at this desk, I'm left alone. Problem is, there is no water cooler so when I venture from the office door, I'm fair game. LOL.

[chop456]

Bought an Accord in March. Love it so far. Currently have a 2017 Camry SE as a rental. Hate almost everything about it except the slightly better mileage. Awkward shifter, crazy multicolored displays, terrible ergonomics and the steering seems to employ a bizarro-variable assist system where the slower you go, the harder it is to turn the wheels. I think the only thing I like better on the Camry besides the mileage is that the fuel door release is pull instead of push. I can't wait to get my car back. :\

[WickerBill]

That doesn't sound like variable-assist steering, it sounds like non-power steering. :) :)

[chop456]

I'd agree but it's '82 Cadillac on the interstate and '44 Willys in the corners. Really strange.