Talking Cars Tuesday Says Its Time For You to Pick a New Car
Mates,
With apologies for being a bossy boiler (Thomas the Tank Engine reference), you have been given sufficient budget to be used solely to purchase a new car or truck. Any vehicle you want. Today. And it will be delivered today, kind of like you strolled onto the car lot and 'bingo', there is that exact vehicle you want and they hand you the keys on the spot.
Simple questions today: What car or truck do you choose? Why that particular vehicle?
Have a great day,
XM
p.s. Bat light for Jeepin' Ben, you do this best of all of us.
Jeep Grand Wagoneer
I think jeep was going with some of the ugliest designs I have ever seen, but lately their newer rides are much nicer looking.
Yeah, that Jeep pickup truck thing is Aztec ugly...
A few years ago there was an article in the WSJ about the Jeep pickup. It started out something like this "On the northern outskirts of Toledo Chrysler (or FCA, or whatever they were then) has a plant that prints money ... "
They were referring to the plant that assembled the Jeep pickup.
"Aztec ugly" is a wonderful phrase. All the automotive atrociousness in the world packed into two simple words. Bravo.
ps I kinda like the Gladiator myself.
April 23rd, 2024 at 10:13 AM ^
I love how the 2 door and 4 door jeeps look. The truck has always bothered me. I think a lot of the isue I have is the dumb rear door. I think it throws all the dimensions off by not being a properly sized, and shaped rear door. They savfed money by using the same rear door from the 4 door jeep. I think it'd still be ugly, but that would fix one of my main complaints.
April 23rd, 2024 at 10:21 AM ^
Cybertruck is the only vehicle that I consider Aztec ugly.
April 23rd, 2024 at 10:16 AM ^
I know the question stated unlimited budget, but $100K for that thing is insane. I'd go Land Cruiser or the Lexus version for a giant luxury SUV.
I’d like to get the Lexus LX myself. They are going for $109k+.
Agree wholeheartedly here. The GW is a nice ride. But 100k puts it in the same price range as an Escalade, Lexus LX or a Range Rover. I would take each of those three over the GW. Honestly, I'd probably buy a Yukon for 70 and just pocket the extra 30, but I don't have kids/need for "all that ride."
stay far away from a Grand Wagoneer. Reliability is absolutely garbage. Literally everyone who owns one has had some sort of issue with it, i.e. electrical just shutting off while driving. Jeep as a whole is really suffering from brand reliability issues.
Literally not everyone, some yes. I have the pleasure of working on these. Some have had issues My wife has a Wagoneer, zero issues.
I will say this, either they are trouble free or a complete mess with nothing between.
April 23rd, 2024 at 10:20 PM ^
Let me save you the trouble. I own one and it is hot garbage. The electronics on it die constantly, and are super slow and laggy when they do decide to work for 5 minutes. My virtual display (where the speedometer would be) has decided to freak out and restart while driving, which was great. The lift gate has stopped working multiple times each requiring a new visit to the dealership to fix. Heated seats randomly stop working when you actually need them. The seat release buttons decide to not work sometimes, usually when picking up or dropping off kids, which is great. It might be the worst car I’ve ever purchased.
Nissan Z. It is by far one of the cleanest "retro" modern cars. For a while I loved the new Supra but I can't get my brain to love the BMW powerplant in a Toyota.
Normally, I would ask you to post a picture, but you need an IT degree nowadays to do that. (rabble rabble please fix this rabble rabble)
Have driven both. I'd take the Acura Integra Type S over either of them.
April 23rd, 2024 at 10:14 AM ^
The nissan Z rear end is a marvel of retro modern design.
I do not own one, but Tesla has some outrageous deals right now. Leases lower than a lot of mid tier vehicles. Worth checking out if you don’t tow or plan on going on long road trips. I wouldn’t own one out of battery warranty, but honestly, there aren’t many vehicles I would own outside of their warranty period.
I just bought a Hyundai IONIQ 6, and I absolutely love it. All the features you could ask for, all-electric, drives wonderfully, long range, and a unique look. It also has a great warranty. I've driven a Tesla 3, and it was great too, but I'm very happy with the IONIQ, and I don't have to get in arguments over the company selling it to me.
I really wanted an Ioniq 6, but my prior car died (with under 40k miles on it, thanks Ford!) about 6 months too early so they weren’t out yet. Went with the Kona electric instead, which I also love, but the Ioniq looks cooler and travels a few miles further.
The 6 is an impressive feat of engineering if you can get over the looks.
April 23rd, 2024 at 10:21 AM ^
Definitely a divisive look. Honestly, I didn't buy it for the looks, but I get people asking me about it and saying how cool it looks. This may sound crazy, but the styling reminds me a bit of the old Citroens. I can say that my friends are generally envious.
Model Y leases have fallen to the point where I'd start to retract my advice to absolutely not ever get a Tesla.
I'll finally get my F-150 back. As much as I want another one, the need isn't sufficient to justify the cost - even though a used one, 7-10 years old, would suit me just fine. I have a 5x8 trailer to drag around behind the Edge, and that works for everything I need. Even if constantly dragging a trailer sucks! BTW, that Edge Sport is one of the most fun cars I've ever driven, and I had a Ford Probe and T-Bird Turbo Coupe back in the day.
For a commuter car to get to me to work and back, almost any mid-size sedan will work. I'm not picky, but I do want enough power to safely drive on interstates at speed (ie: enough power in reserve to actually speed up when I need to), and I don't want to hear anything but my radio. If you can't sound-proof your car reasonably well, or can't keep engine noise out of the cabin, GTFO here...
I recently purchased a newer vehicle. Found a very low mileage 2021 Lexus ES 350. Just getting accustomed to all the bells and whistles. It sure drives/rides nice.
I'll be buying a Wrangler Rubicon 4xe in few months. I'm looking forward to that after 3 Grand Cherokees.
If I had unlimited budget, I'd get a Porsche 911 Turbo.
I'm 2 months in on a 24 Grand 4xe. Enjoy it very much. First hybrid. Only wish the EV range was longer (26 miles) but covers most of my daily drive so not complaining.
Good luck. We have a '22 Wrangler Sahara 4xe and here are the issues we've had so far
- coolant leak at 12,000 miles
- leaking shocks at 12,000 miles
- Front & rear gasket leaks at 21,000 miles
- battery coolant heater failure at 23,000 miles
Not good. I work for a tier one and get a monthly car allowance but I have to drive car from a list of cars that have significant content. I had very good luck with the first 2 Grand Cherokees I had but the last one which is only a year and half old has not been good. Like you referenced above the touch screen would go out randomly. That seems to have finally been fixed through an update. The water pump also went bad a month after I had it. I think they short cut a lot of quality procedures during covid and it's showing now.
The “e” versions of the wrangler are serving to attract the tax credit. When in gas mode they’re more inefficient owing to the extra weight of the vehicle with the battery pack
Forego that and get a Jeep with a pentastar six cylinder. The electric motor makes a smooth stop/start if you can find that hybrid or order from Jeep directly.
Really, really fun car. Interestingly biggest crossover to Jeep from other brand owners happens to be …Porsche.
Makes sense to me in that they’re both unique vehicles w particular purposes.
Do I get to keep my current vehicles?
Yes - Audi A7 or BMW M4.
No - F150, GMC Sierra, or possibly the new Tacoma if I like the test ride.
yes, you keep your others. A7 is a beautiful car, have been eyeing them myself.
For 2 snow free months?
the old joke in the UP: there are four seasons, june, july, august and winter
Elk Rapids cousin has a bugout place near Newberry/Paradise. 10 miles of wide dirt road and then a few miles of logging type road to diesel and solar world. Modern industrial inside (he's a retired builder), very cool with modern conveniences but you need to stock up and bring it in with you because no nearby stores.
My wife is not a fan although she likes the interior. We're just adjusting to a new (2021) home transitioning from 1914. Lots of antiques to sell soon.
April 23rd, 2024 at 10:24 PM ^
Interesting you opt for an M BMW but not an RS Audi?
This has been on my mind a lot lately. My kids (5 and 6) are getting to the age where I'm really looking forward to packing up and road tripping and was considering the VW Buzz when it's released. But the range on one charge is a little more limiting than I was hoping for. Both of our cars are paid off and I work exclusively from home so we really don't need to rush into anything. But happy to hear any recommendations for a good sized car for a family of four that would like to start road tripping.
Road tripping in an electric vehicle with young kids seems like it would be a nightmare. The added stress of trying to plan charging stops while trying to keep kids entertained would be too much for me. I'd go with a hybrid.
I had the Kia version for a rental in Pensacola a few weeks ago and it scared the hell out of me. Turn on the air and the range dropped 20 miles, merge into traffic and the range dropped. Factor in the hotel and city in general had next to no charging stations and I’m out. Now my daughter who drives 150 per day round trip to the hospital she works at, yep she’s a candidate. Although she’d forget to plug it in. My neighbor just drove his lightning to gatlinburg and let’s just say it didn’t go well. Luckily he’s 70 so was in no hurry to get there. He’s also wise and carries a Honda generator with him.
I've found that the extended breaks from charging (three kids total, but the oldest doesn't always come with us) is better on their ability to tolerate a long road trip than stopping to gas up for 10 minutes and hitting the road again. I get some time to walk around with them or to throw the football back and forth. Nice break for me too I guess.
April 23rd, 2024 at 11:30 PM ^
Ditto...healthier driving and auto-pilot is sweet. Much more relaxing drives. I have never had issues charging or road tripping.
But let's be real...it is about the acceleration. Kids love the 0-60. EVs just make you smile.
My wife loves the quiet as well. Never going back.
Love my Rivian R1T. If it were totalled in an accident today I'd go out and get another one.
If the Denali EV were available right now I might choose that, but they don't really exist yet.
That's not very hillbillyish of you.
I have a diesel with over a quarter million miles on it that spews smoke everywhere. It felt irresponsible not to balance that out.
That's better
its actually a stealth diesel truck, covered in radar-defeating coating. won't show up on radar, but you might be able to track the heat signature.
April 23rd, 2024 at 11:35 AM ^
"covered in radar-defeating coating"
Soot?
Soot, pollen, road grime, bird shit.
That Rivian is a sweet looking vehicle!!
We'll likely be headed up there with it again in the fall. The fact we can use Tesla charging stations now will take a lot of stress out of the cross country trip. Some of those Electrify America stations are crap.