Around 310 horsepower? I learned to drive in an 350 (I think it was) Oldsmobile cutlass 2 door.Hold my beer (except I don't drink beer...). My Oldsey is a spry 58.
Average US vehicle age now 12.5 years
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Jackson_Slugger
$50 Site Donor 2022
Um 50's? I don't recall that being in the article. The F-150 has also been called out for reliability issues by Consumer Reports and they didn't "recommend" last years models, although I suspect that could be Ford just throwing them out of the factories to meet demand. The Mercedes have been up and down in terms of quality, just look at trade-in values for older ones for that...
I'm not arguing against new tech, just the mindless notion that new tech is automatically better, especially when their throwing these things together as fast and cheaply as possible. Or installing glitchy entertainment and software that they orphan a couple years later. Look at Hyundai/Kia for that and runs on warranty claims...
The 65 4-4-2 was 400 cubic inch, 4 barrel carb (4-Jet) and dual exhaust. My car is a Cutlass; at that time Cutlass was the optional trim package. Later it became the name of the A-Body. I think the HP was rated at 330, but that was not accurate. The 350 was the later small block version of the Olds V8.
You kinda went reaching for a straw man there, didn’t you? EFI is a proven technology at this point. I was thinking more about stuff like the touchscreen not allowing you to turn on the fan or the radar cruise control applying your brakes randomly. Or it not allowing you to start when it throws a fault.
I just drove 100 miles with the radar cruise control on. You can also use the cruise without it. Anyway it applied the brakes three times to keep an adequate distance between me and the car in front. If you know it's on- it doesn't disturb you.While I'm sure there can be an situation it can be " fooled" it hasn't happened yet.
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SammyChevelleTypeS3
$50 site donor 2023
Joe Walsh Analog Man Lyrics....
Always thought these words were so well aimed
at some of us (me too) older folks:Welcome to cyberspace, I'm lost in the fog
Everything's digital I'm still analog
When something goes wrong
I don't have a clue
Some 10-year-old smart ass has to show me what to do
Sign on with high speed you don't have to wait
Sit there for days and vegetate
I access my email, read all my spam, I'm an analog man.
The whole world's living in a digital dream
It's not really there
It's all on the screen
Makes me forget who I am
I'm an analog man
Yeah I'm an analog man in a digital world
I'm gonna get me an analog girl
Who loves me for what I am
I'm an analog man
What's wrong with vinyl, I think it sounds great
LPs, 45s, 78s but that's just the way I am
I'm an analog man
Turn on the tube, watch until dawn
One hundred channels, nothing is on
Endless commercials, endless commercials, endless commercials
The whole world's glued to the cable TV
It looks so real on the big LCD
Murder and violence are rated PG, too bad for the children
They are what they see
The whole world's living in a digital dream
It's not really there
It's all on the screen
Makes me forget who I am
I'm an analog man
Yeah I'm an analog man in a digital world
I'm gonna get me an analog girl
Who loves me for what I am
I'm an analog man
Yeah I'm an analog man in a digital world
Songwriters: Joe Walsh, Gannin Duane Arnold, Thomas Andrew Hester. For non-commercial use only.
Yep - heard it and yes, applies here. But you know, some of this stuff is driven by a desire IMHO of just not wanting to learn/accept change. I mean, at this piont the symbols for on/off, wifi, etc. are all universal and like I told my mom one time who wanted to know how to voice-to-text..."Mom...look at the screen....what symbol do you see that may be something linked to voice?"...."A microphone?". "Yes Mom...." AHAHAHAHAJoe Walsh Analog Man Lyrics....
Always thought these words were so well aimed
Welcome to cyberspace, I'm lost in the fog
Everything's digital I'm still analog
When something goes wrong
I don't have a clue
Some 10-year-old smart ass has to show me what to do
Sign on with high speed you don't have to wait
Sit there for days and vegetate
I access my email, read all my spam, I'm an analog man.
The whole world's living in a digital dream
It's not really there
It's all on the screen
Makes me forget who I am
I'm an analog man
Yeah I'm an analog man in a digital world
I'm gonna get me an analog girl
Who loves me for what I am
I'm an analog man
What's wrong with vinyl, I think it sounds great
LPs, 45s, 78s but that's just the way I am
I'm an analog man
Turn on the tube, watch until dawn
One hundred channels, nothing is on
Endless commercials, endless commercials, endless commercials
The whole world's glued to the cable TV
It looks so real on the big LCD
Murder and violence are rated PG, too bad for the children
They are what they see
The whole world's living in a digital dream
It's not really there
It's all on the screen
Makes me forget who I am
I'm an analog man
Yeah I'm an analog man in a digital world
I'm gonna get me an analog girl
Who loves me for what I am
I'm an analog man
Yeah I'm an analog man in a digital world
Songwriters: Joe Walsh, Gannin Duane Arnold, Thomas Andrew Hester. For non-commercial use only.
My worry isn’t that it gets fooled, my worry would be if it went haywire and applied the brakes continuously. As long as I could pull the fuse and continue to drive then no big deal, but otherwise it would be terrible. I want all assistive tech to “fail safe” so that you can continue to drive if it breaks. And I vastly prefer physical switches over having a bunch of important systems all controlled through the same touchscreen. Much easier to diagnose and cheaper to repair.
As a recent example: I replaced the battery in my Mazda yesterday. When I got in and started it up the electronic brake fault light was lit and the parking brake would not disengage. I have no idea what caused it, and fortunately turning the engine off and back on again cleared it. But between the first and second start, I was imagining how much of a pain it would be to crawl under the rear end and physically remove the parking brake actuators.
People used to say the same about power window and power door. They are standard now and nobody cares. If they are broken you can buy some parts on eBay for $100 and replace the mechanism yourself.
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This thread is kind of turning fun with reminiscing.
But "Plastic engine parts doesn't translate in to less reliable."?????
O. YES. THEY. DO.
I'm not sure what field you make your living in, (I'm in quality control in the welding industry), but plastic (of any kind) is not a reliable material to withstand heat or freeze/thaw cycles or heavy loading of any kind. I own firearms with plastic frames, but the barrels are steel. Buildings, bridges, tools, construction equipment of all kinds...I could go on.....plastic is so weak and unreliable that it is not even considered as a potential material for construction of anything that needs to withstand stresses.
Please, keep your "plastic parts" out of my engines.
But "Plastic engine parts doesn't translate in to less reliable."?????
O. YES. THEY. DO.
I'm not sure what field you make your living in, (I'm in quality control in the welding industry), but plastic (of any kind) is not a reliable material to withstand heat or freeze/thaw cycles or heavy loading of any kind. I own firearms with plastic frames, but the barrels are steel. Buildings, bridges, tools, construction equipment of all kinds...I could go on.....plastic is so weak and unreliable that it is not even considered as a potential material for construction of anything that needs to withstand stresses.
Please, keep your "plastic parts" out of my engines.
New pickup trucks are 80k to 90k with the dealership new vehicle markups.
Most new car prices are insanely high.
A good value I am seeing is the brand new
Toyota Corolla Hybrid: $22,800 to $26,640, with 48 MPG.
Toyota Camry Hybrid: $28,080 to $33,795, with 47 MPG.
according to Consumer Reports Magazine.
Both consistently have much better than average reliability and gas mileage close to 50 MPG.
If you bought one of these and kept it for 20 years, you would have one of the smallest cost of ownership's ever.
These are frugal vehicles both from a repair and MPG standpoint.
I'm not a big fan of 0W-16, so if I bought one of them, I would first use 0W-20, and then gradually move to a 5W-30.
Most new car prices are insanely high.
A good value I am seeing is the brand new
Toyota Corolla Hybrid: $22,800 to $26,640, with 48 MPG.
Toyota Camry Hybrid: $28,080 to $33,795, with 47 MPG.
according to Consumer Reports Magazine.
Both consistently have much better than average reliability and gas mileage close to 50 MPG.
If you bought one of these and kept it for 20 years, you would have one of the smallest cost of ownership's ever.
These are frugal vehicles both from a repair and MPG standpoint.
I'm not a big fan of 0W-16, so if I bought one of them, I would first use 0W-20, and then gradually move to a 5W-30.
I mean Apple Car Play and Android Auto have sorted this all out - it's just a screen now basically. No more crappy proprietary Nav systems. Our Atlas is a 2018 and over 5 years old and is one of the top trim versions. While we had a few things go wrong, none of them were related to the tech stuff eveyrone worries so much about. The only tech bit I ddin't like is the passive safey system called "manuever braking". It uses the parking sensors to determine obstacles and if it "sees" one, it applies the brakes under 5mph. Yeah, not great on a steep driveway. I just turned that feature off. Sorted.
My dad bought a new 1984 Chrysler Laser. Loaded. Had the crazy digital dash/talking bits etc. Yeah, 40 years ago this crap was terrible and glitchy..this is 2023...things really are ok now...hahahaha
Again and again...the data will contradict you....plenty of plastic on that 20 yo. VW W8 Passat I have...it's the least of the concerns hahahaah. Intake manifold on the Sportwagen? Plastic. You don't think this stuff is engineered?
In the mid 70's people were terrified of HEI... Gimmie my points!
Check your info...
Most late-model engines come factory-equipped with plastic intake manifolds. Plastic saves weight and cost, and conducts heat much more slowly than aluminum or cast iron. This helps lower the temperature of the incoming air for a denser, more powerful air/fuel mixture.
f150, sticker on my 2010,4 door,was $30,000, its my last ride I will buy the good Lord willing....
I do, the parts the make the Outback more comfortable than the Focus aren't new tech though... I guess if I think about it, all the new stuff detracts from my enjoyment.
The stability control ruins the fun in the snow and basically just brakes the outside front wheel, which is not of much use in the snow I find. I can't say I've ever even had to engage the ABS, on a wet or dry paved road, let alone stability control but it may help some day, but hasn't in 5 years so far... The CVT is a decent automatic transmission and does get better mileage then the manual version but I like the manual in the Focus.
Electric power steering is too light, just like most cars.
The Outback has more sound insulation and is a bit bigger inside, but that was available in 2005 too.
If we drove a lot on busy roads I could see adaptive cruise would be nice, but I don't so I don't miss that either, regular cruise is fine.
I will say I do like the steering wheel control buttons, but that's not a deal breaker either. My arms still work and so do voice commands to the iphone.
IMO the basic requirements of comfortable long distance driving haven't really changed, the Outback is pretty good at it and so were lots of older cars.
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