Cars, Man

[orbital]

What are you driving now and how has it been treating you?

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2017 Santa Fe Sport ~ 6-speed
..has SHIFTRONIC transmission option, which lets you shift sequentially if you want.
It will not upshift on it own until fully into redline which is like 6500rpm.
Bet I use it every time I drive depending where I am, not the whole time, just in certain spots..
{also has much better lights up front over the '16 model___ led DRL, fog, HID}

I'd buy another Korean car without question

KIA, Hyundai & Genesis are under the same 'umbrella' if you will

 

[Monocrom]

I've not been to a car lot in since 2021...is it really still like that? I can't imagine there are too many people wanting to buy new cars today. Most of what's out there isn't compelling enough to get people out of their existing cars, and the prices make it even less palatable.

It always surprised me how much cheaper used cars are in the UK compared to the USA.

Oh yes, it's really that bad! Yes, most new cars are trash. There's only three non-luxury brands even worth looking at. Toyota, Honda, and Mazda.

If you want to technically Buy American, Buick is the only one out of those with a decent reliability rating.

As far as car culture in the UK, it's cultural differences; mainly. One of the aspects is that their cars are right-hand drive. But that's just one.

 

[orbital]

Due to popular outcry, RAM brings back the HEMI V8 for 2026... and I couldn't resist. BMW gone.

And, to denote the V8 Hemi, they add the "Symbol of Protest" to the front fenders...

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needed repost of DHart brand new 2026 Hemi Ram

 

[TPA]

I hear many positive things about Toyota, but I've rarely driven one. In 2024, we rented a Toyota Camry and within 2 miles I drove back to the car rental place and swapped it for a Chevy Blazer as the aircon wasn't working right. I dunno.. obviously not impressed by the failure, but the interior felt really cheap and dated compared to what I'm used to... even the Blazer felt like an upgrade despite GM's insistence of weird designs and dumb button locations.

 

[orbital]

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I post alot about racing.. hope that doesn't bother too many.
Trans-Am series is at Road America this weekend.

50 years ago

At Turn Five during the 1976 Trans-Am. Carl Shafer driving a Camaro Chevrolet 454 C.I. (Car 21) leads Al Holbert in a Porsche Turbo (car 14), followed by George Follmer in a Porsche RSR (car 16) and Ludwig Heimrath, also in a Porsche RSR (car 74). Photo Courtesy of Road America Archives.
_________________________ _____________________________
Modern Trans-Am are fast, really fast

 

[pnwoutdoors]

I hear many positive things about Toyota, but I've rarely driven one. In 2024, we rented a Toyota Camry and within 2 miles I drove back to the car rental place and swapped it for a Chevy Blazer as the aircon wasn't working right. I dunno.. obviously not impressed by the failure, but the interior felt really cheap and dated compared to what I'm used to... even the Blazer felt like an upgrade despite GM's insistence of weird designs and dumb button locations.

Had a buddy in ~1986 IIRC who purchased a Toyota Celica Supra (GT) brand new. For the time, that thing definitely felt upscale for the sort of car it was. I think it was the first Supra year. He loved that car. It had some decent get-up-and-go. And the interior appointments were quite nice. Not top-end Mercedes, Bentley or Rolls, no, but for a sporty sedan not bad.

Today's average car doesn't seem to be capable of getting away from the "plasticky" approach to the interior. Toyota, Honda don't seem immune; certainly neither does Chevy, Ford or GM. Last time I went looking for a car, I was fairly impressed by the mid-size SUV that Lincoln had (MKx, I think); that didn't have the typical mid-sized-to-baby-SUV "plasticky" type feel. Haven't seen the newer rigs by Lincoln, the last couple of years, but I would guess they've kept them a notch above the "average" vehicles out there.

 

[TPA]

It was hard for me to believe, but my custom E-Class hasn't been driven since December(!) Poor thing.
So I took it out for an hour drive tonight, along with getting some fresh fuel. Surprisingly, it started right up. It did show "Start Engine" with a battery icon when I sat down, but no hesitation or slowness on starting. Somehow the tires didn't feel flat-spotted or out of round. AC was freezing cold.

I totally forgot how nice this car is. It felt so good being back in it. For that hour, the past year's worth of crap faded away and it was just me and my cocoon, which is exactly what the car was built to be. I know I have fancier cars, but this one still gives me the most smiles per mile.

Today's average car doesn't seem to be capable of getting away from the "plasticky" approach to the interior. Toyota, Honda don't seem immune; certainly neither does Chevy, Ford or GM. Last time I went looking for a car, I was fairly impressed by the mid-size SUV that Lincoln had (MKx, I think); that didn't have the typical mid-sized-to-baby-SUV "plasticky" type feel. Haven't seen the newer rigs by Lincoln, the last couple of years, but I would guess they've kept them a notch above the "average" vehicles out there.

I actually have to give some credit to VW. The 2026 Atlas rental we had a few months back didn't feel anywhere near as plasticky as everything else I've driven lately. Yes, the wood trim was fake, but at least it had that. They had enough sense to go with the open-pore rough finish instead of the ultra-gloss fake wood which other manufacturers have tried over the years. I'll also throw some shade at Mercedes on the plastic crap. In the late 2010s they started this "gloss piano black" finish on center consoles, which was a terrible idea. It was made of plastic, so it was a fingerprint magnet AND scratched easily. If it was made of something more durable it might have been forgivable. Now they're using it everywhere AND getting rid of physical switches, going with capacitive touch sensors. No tactile feel, and maybe I'm the only one but many times the buttons don't register my fingers.

 

[Chauncey Gardener]

I totally forgot how nice this car is. It felt so good being back in it. For that hour, the past year's worth of crap faded away and it was just me and my cocoon, which is exactly what the car was built to be. I know I have fancier cars, but this one still gives me the most smiles per mile.

 

[Chauncey Gardener]

 

[orbital]

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Think I'v mentioned before, went to Pikes Peak around '89. It was mostly dirt then.
Former factory Porsche driver Romain Dumas won it outright again in a Ford Super Mustang Mach-E.

The electric sound is annoying, but if you focus on how he doesn't 'lift' in spots,, nutso fast

 

[pnwoutdoors]

Think I'v mentioned before, went to Pikes Peak around '89. It was mostly dirt then.

Was in Colorado in '72. The Climb was definitely dirt then. Amazingly terrifying climb, at the speeds they were hitting in those turns. Went up to the peak a few times. Certainly wouldn't have wanted to go off-road along that route, myself.

 

[orbital]

Was in Colorado in '72. The Climb was definitely dirt then. Amazingly terrifying climb, at the speeds they were hitting in those turns. Went up to the peak a few times. Certainly wouldn't have wanted to go off-road along that route, myself.

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Believe it was '88 I was at the climb.
we got there a little late and remember looking in the back of Ari Vatanen's Peugeot and thought how small the motor was.

From '88 below (starts at 40 seconds for vid)

 

[TPA]

Saw the title and thought she was attempting to drive on I-95 in Miami at rush hour. Disappointed.

I did do a couple of runs on the Giant's Despair hillcilmb in a rental Chrysler Pacifica.
"Don't be gentle, it's a rental."

 

[Chauncey Gardener]

 

[bluflaam777]

 

[aznsx]

This is arguably the most ‘special’ Camaro Chevy ever built, made only a few of, and actually weren’t ‘supposed’ to make any of. Many/most were plain vanilla base Camaros even more plain than this one, the kind one would barely notice going down the street. No badges on the sides, not an SS or RS - nothin’. If you want to know why this one just sold for $1,430,000 at the big Mecum Indy auction recently, you can bring up the rather ‘robotic’ video linked below this first link and in ~15 minutes, you’ll know / see the whole (very interesting) story of exactly how and why these cars came to exist.

https://www.mecum.com/lots/1166884/1969-chevrolet-camaro-zl1/?aa_id=765027-0

 

[orbital]

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Always knew about the COPA

That story would make a great movie

 

[aznsx]

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Always knew about the COPA

That story would make a great movie

Basically a Can-Am engine in a plain-Jane Camaro.:-)) Maybe COPO at its best.

 

[TPA]

Currently driving a 2026 Hyundai Palisade SEL. Pearl white with white interior. Normally SUVs look like suppositories or a dog taking a squat, but it's actually attractive. We picked it up from the airport brand new (350 miles on it). So far, we like it. HOWEVER, the cruise control system has an eye detection system which is absolutely obnoxious. Frequently it says to put my hands on the steering wheel and look straight forward, when I already am! It even started automatically slowing down the car on the interstate despite me very much steering and driving the car. Very obnoxious, way too frequently. If it wasn't for that, and no way to disable it, it's off the purchase list. Which is sad, as so far we've liked it.

 

[pnwoutdoors]

This is arguably the most ‘special’ Camaro Chevy ever built, made only a few of, and actually weren’t ‘supposed’ to make any of. Many/most were plain vanilla base Camaros even more plain than this one, the kind one would barely notice going down the street. No badges on the sides, not an SS or RS - nothin’. If you want to know why this one just sold for $1,430,000 at the big Mecum Indy auction recently, you can bring up the rather ‘robotic’ video linked below this first link and in ~15 minutes, you’ll know / see the whole (very interesting) story of exactly how and why these cars came to exist.

https://www.mecum.com/lots/1166884/1969-chevrolet-camaro-zl1/?aa_id=765027-0

Comedian/actor Tim Allen has a 1968 COPO Camaro 427 in his private collection. Was shown at the 2013 SEMA show, and was showcased on a segment of Jay Leno's Garage a few years back. 505 hp, 470 torque. Custom Detroit Speed suspension. Brembo brakes. A few tweaks for a "clean" vintage look. Good-looking vehicle.

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