Been thinking about a new car

[projectnut]

They're only yard art if they're lying on their side or upside down. If they're upside down, they may also qualify as a doghouse.

 

[Mini Cooper S]

We have a 2011 Outback that we really like but we were looking to replace. We went to the local Subaru dealer to check out new and late model Outbacks and found out that the remote start is now smartphone app and subscription based !!! I told the salesman that I didn't want to pay a monthly extortion fee in order to use an option that I already pay big dollars for. He said that if you don't want to pay the monthly fee, the dealer can install a $600!! push button remote to start the car. We thanked him for his help and told him that we won't be driving a Subaru anymore.

Bought a late model Honda CRV from our daughter-in-law in stead. Size, fuel milage, safety and reliability are as good or better than the Subaru but without the extortion payment.

Richard

 

[savarin]

Are modern day managers who make these stupid decisions living in this world?

 

[7milesup]

My wife has a 2018 Lincoln MKZ. She likes the car and was considering another one. Unfortunately, the only non- SUV Ford makes today is the Mustang. Hopefully they'll start making some sedans again in the near future.

Not going to happen. Ford announced the end of their car manufacturing back in 2018. There is significantly more profit margin in trucks and SUVs.

 

[Janderso]

As long as you have started this thread, let me ask ....

I have a 2008 F150 which I purchased in 2011. It has an 8 foot bed and has two doors plus the little ~10-12" rear doors for putting a few things behind the drivers and passenger seats. The second doors only opens after the main door is opened. Not enough room for a person so it does not qualify as an extended cab, but I can put a lot of my hand tools in there and they are out of sight. this area probably only adds about 6" to the overall length of the truck. It has only ~45K miles on it, but starting to get some rust, mostly from sitting around and from the previous owner. I like this truck style and I would actually like to buy a new similar truck. I want an 8 foot bed without one of those big fancy extended cabs. However, I cannot find any model from any brand that looks like my truck. They seem to have quit making them long ago as they could make more money on the fancy "sort of a truck". What good is a 4 or 5 foot bed anyway. -- I know you can get an 8 foot bed with an extended cab but the vehicle is so long you can hardly park it anywhere. There are also bottom end 8 foot bed work trucks without this extra storage space.

Does any body know of a brand/model that looks sort of like my 2008? It looks like this...


View attachment 480439

Boy you said it. Today’s parking lots are not made for a pickup.
My 2017 Super Crew long bed is just about impossible to park.
My 2002 F-150 burned in the fire. I drove it every day to work. It had 256,000 miles on it. Didn’t burn a drop of oil. Never had any work done except maintenance and a few ignition coils.

 

[7milesup]

That actually is the extended cab model. I have a 2000 F-150 4x4 with the extended cab and useful 6-1/2 foot narrow bed. Agree 100% about the 4 door trucks and 4'-5' beds. They're trucks in name only.

An 8ft bed Ford truck is available in a regular cab and a Super Cab. The Super Crew is not available in an 8ft bed because the market share was so infinitesimally small that the decision was made to halt production.

Nobody makes a 4ft full-size truck, so I'm not sure where you get that from. The 5.5' and 6.5' bed trucks with a crew cab is what the market demands. The manufacturers will not make a vehicle to satisfy 2% of the market. I shake my head when someone scoffs at the soccer mom driving a truck around. Who cares. They purchased that vehicle because it fits their needs, not because it did or did not fit someone's perceived notion of what a truck should look like or be used for.

 

[Janderso]

Let me preface what I'm going to say with admitting that I am a car snob.

Everyone has their opinion on cars, and at times, it can get quite contentious when it comes to brand loyalty. I have very little brand loyalty but instead, look for the best value but still fulfill specific requirements. Those requirements are...
Reliability.
Roominess.
Ride quality (a biggie for us)
Cabin noise (also a biggie for us)
High-quality materials.
High-end fit and finish.
Second row comfort for traveling to wineries or shows with friends.
AWD
MGP - meh, not a huge motivator.

We recently (Dec. 2023) purchased a new Hyundai Santa Fe Limited. We also own a 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport that has 183,000 miles on it and still going. The ride, fit, finish and cabin noise are a magnitude better in the new Santa Fe compared to our 2013. Also, the tech in it is quite amazing, especially the self-driving mode. The 2023 Santa Fe has more second-row leg and headroom than nearly anyone else, along with heated seats.
Hyundai is rolling out their completely redesigned Santa Fe in March of 2024. It is going to be larger than the current one but slightly smaller than the Palisade. We are going to take a serious look at it when it shows up.
Keep in mind that Kia has a number of sister ships, although they are slightly more money.

Some of the vehicles that I test-drove (or rented) included...
Ford Edge (old and outdated)
Kia Telluride.
Mazda CX-50 (too small, whiny engine)
Lexus RX-350 (slightly cramped front knee room).
Honda Pilot (terrible electronics interface and the middle row comfort sucked. Literally, it sucked.)
Volkswagen Atlas (too expensive, big and bulky)
Volkswagen Tiguan (Too small)
BMW X5 (too small. It just felt cramped up front.)
Jaguar F-Pace (wife didn't like it. I thought it was fine but still underwhelmed).

@Janderson. Glenda (sp?) will not like some of the suggestions from the other members, especially if she is used to a Lincoln. The ride and comfort of a Subaru are even going to be a step down. The RAV 4, although nice enough, is probably going to be too small. Same for the CRV. The 4-Runner is built on a truck frame. It rides like a truck. Same for the Tacoma.
My friend has a Tesla X. I have driven it and rode in it a number of times. Sure, it accelerates like mad. But the ride is mediocre at best. It also has two different-sized tires on it, so tire rotations are not an option. Expect 25K on a set of tires. The rear seat doesn't even have a middle armrest, for crying out loud. One of his gullwing doors wasn't adjusted correctly, and it rubbed some of the paint off. When it is raining out, and you open up the gull-wing doors, you get a bunch of water in the car. All for $100k. I will admit that I am biased, though, because I hate Musk, but still, I would have expected a LOT more.

There a lot of options out there but keep in mind that the AVERAGE vehicle is now $50k. We paid $43k for the new Santa Fe.

The ride in the Subaru Outback was much better than my wife’s MKC for sure.

 

[7milesup]

Hey @Janderso . I thought we might have lost you! I was concerned that after 6 pages in this thread with no response from you you may have succumbed to sticker shock.

 

[Janderso]

Best car I ever owned was an early Toyota camry, it was unbreakable, it went on forever.
Worst car I ever owned was a Ford Granada. If you can think of a problem it had it, even the door handles kept breaking.
Purchased a second hand Forrester in 1998 and its still going strong. A few things wearing out but basically still fine.
Our daughter uses it every day.
Purchased the new forrester in 2014 and we love it. The comfiest car I've ever driven. Its also higher up than the previous model which I like.
Other than tyres and the airconditioner thats all thats gone wrong so far.

Yeah, I can’t say much about any Ford produced in the 80’s. The pickups were ok.
I was working at Hertz as a corporate parts manager then went to the job I just retired from. the 80’s weren’t good years for GM either.

 

[Janderso]

Around these parts, if you're driving a Subaru, you're sending a message.

I have 4 cars. My newest one is 23 years old. My 2 oldest ones are both over 50. The other one turns 30 right about now. It's birthday was the first week of March, if I remember right.

My wife told me something about that. The message I mean