Cars & Bikes, Driving & Riding

[Morkle]

Was just talking to some folks about just how large the new Ranger is. They missed the point; it should have been Colorado sized at best.

This is what is annoying. The Ranger is just above mid-size imo, and is basically the size of the old F-150, as the F-150 has moved larger.

[CBear3]

Truck market is ridiculous, and only going to get worse as companies like Ford start abandoning the the sedan market.

[offsides]

Don't know if this was mentioned here before, but I was reading about this variable compression ratio motor. Hard for me to wrap this old brain around the way it works. I think the day of the shade tree mechanic is over.

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a1534 ... der-turbo/

[NTP66]

That’s pretty cool. Time will tell to see how it holds up in real world scenarios. I do wonder what that means for repair costs, though. That’s quite a bit of extra moving parts in there.

[robbiestoupe]

Yeah with all the extra bearings in the rod, I can't see how this will work out over the long run.

[offsides]

Just when I thought I had seen it all. How about an electric motorcycle with a hubless rear wheel? Not even sure how this works.

https://newatlas.com/rmk-e2-hubless-ele ... cle/55307/

[NTP66]

Could they have made the renderings any darker? Looks pretty cool, though. I imagine there are wires in the brackets providing the power for what I assume is a magnetic drive.

[DigitalGypsy66]

We're looking at (eventually) replacing the Odyssey with a Pilot or Passport. I really liked the idea of the Passport, a slightly smaller SUV. We owned a CR-V when there were just three of us, but that's too small for us now.

Honda has something...interesting going on with the Passport pricing. The base model starts at $31,990. The larger Pilot starts at $31,450. Of course, no one buys base models, so the pricing is a little tighter for the actual vehicles. The top end Elite trim level is around $44K for both SUVs. Plus, the Passport gets slightly worse mpg - 20/25 to the Pilot's 19/27.

This doesn't make sense to me. Why buy a Passport if you get more vehicle with a Pilot for the same price? I guess the two SUVs are so close in specs that a significantly lower priced Passport would steal many Pilot sales?

Also, I never buy a car during the first model year, so this would be a 2020 purchase at the earliest.

[NTP66]

You sure about that? The top of the line Pilot is nearly $50k.

[DigitalGypsy66]

Ah, I didn't see that. You're right. My screen was too small. The Pilot has an extra trim level.

[Factorial]

Nobody buys base models?

[DigitalGypsy66]

Nobody buys base models?

Sure they do, but they are hard to find. Dealerships usually don't have many in inventory, at least Honda dealers.

I have a friend who had to order a base model Odyssey to get non-auto sliding doors. They kept trying to upsell him on a mid-tier model, but he refused.

[NTP66]

Source of the post Dealerships usually don't have many in inventory, at least Honda dealers.

Very much this. When I was at Acura a few weeks back, I browsed the lot. Not a single base TLX on the entire, massive lot.

[DigitalGypsy66]

Yeah, we've bought from six different dealerships in SC over the last 15 years. We were most definitely in the market for a lower tier Honda, and there were very few available. The closest we came was my wife's 2010 Civic LX - but it had a automatic transmission and upgraded sound system. Not quite base model.

[NTP66]

I think a lot of people are willing to splurge a little for a higher class model at that price point. Base models are rarer, but if you're set on one, dealerships can find them at other dealerships for you, so it's not like you're out of options. My buddy is a sales manager at a Chevy dealership, and he buys cars from other dealerships across the entire east coast all the time if it's what the customer is asking for.

[Shyster]

Oh boo hoo, you can't find base models. Try finding a fully-optioned car with a manual transmission.

[NTP66]

Those likely aren't any more rare than base models.

[Factorial]

Not sure about this year, but VW has been only offering a manual on base trims and not at all on other models like the Passat.

[Shyster]

Those likely aren't any more rare than base models.

Oh yeah? How many of those TLXes had manual transmissions?

[NTP66]

Those likely aren't any more rare than base models.

Oh yeah? How many of those TLXes had manual transmissions?

Most were 9-speed autos. In fact, every single SH-AWD/A-Spec TLX that I looked at had an auto.

[Shyster]

Those likely aren't any more rare than base models.

Oh yeah? How many of those TLXes had manual transmissions?

Most were 9-speed autos. In fact, every single SH-AWD/A-Spec TLX that I looked at had an auto.

I know. The TLX isn't offered with a manual.

[NTP66]

You’re probably going to be limited to lower end models if you want a manual. Looking at the Civic, for example, the lowest two lines have a 6-speed, while the rest have autos.

[Shyster]

Depends on the manufacturer and the specific models. For those curious, here's a current list of all of the new vehicles that still offer a manual:

https://www.tflcar.com/2018/11/manual-cars-suvs-2019/

From what I see, the brands that do not offer a manual on any vehicle include Alfa Romeo, Audi, Buick, Chrysler, GMC, Infiniti, Lexus, Lincoln, Mercedes, Ram, and Volvo.

[Willie Kool]

From what I see, the brands that do not offer a manual on any vehicle include... Buick...

The Regal was available with a manual trans for all trim levels, from 2011-2017, but only in FWD. Kind of surprised they don't still offer it, since Opel still has a 6 spd manual as an option on the Insignia.

[NTP66]

I called my insurance agent today to find out when I can expect my deductible reimbursement. April 2020... lol.

I doubt they made a lump payment to finish it off, since they had only been making $100/month payments previously, but I received a check for my $300 deductible payment today, as well as a letter stating that my $200 Deductible Savings Benefit had been restored on my insurance. Nice!