Never before have I been so uninspired/disinterested...

The reliability of all the new technology is what concerns me the most at the prices being asked. In the late 2000s or 90s you could be reasonably sure you were buying a reliable vehicle. I may be proven wrong. I mean some touch screens from the earliest cars are still functioning. Will the new vehicles be able to go 200,000 miles over 10yrs drama free like you could expect with older vehicles?
 
Wanna fast powerful good handling vehicle?
Regular cab long box 3500 4x4 with a L5P 6.6L Duramax & 10 speed.
Tires? 325/50/22s on 22x12" wheels should work.
 
The reliability of all the new technology is what concerns me the most at the prices being asked. In the late 2000s or 90s you could be reasonably sure you were buying a reliable vehicle. I may be proven wrong. I mean some touch screens from the earliest cars are still functioning. Will the new vehicles be able to go 200,000 miles over 10yrs drama free like you could expect with older vehicles?
Yeah or will they be legislated off the road???
 
Wanna fast powerful good handling vehicle?
Regular cab long box 3500 4x4 with a L5P 6.6L Duramax & 10 speed.
Tires? 325/50/22s on 22x12" wheels should work.
I did that in 2020 with a Ford 7.3l gasser. Sweet spot no doubt but I was really cramped driving it.. Maybe a Supercab next time.
 
I think we have some really cool choices in 2023. Many even with manual transmissions.

GR Corolla
GR 86/BRZ
GR Supra
Golf GTI/R
WRX
Civic SI
Civic Type R
Integra Type S
RS3
S3

The list goes on. Lots of sporty options in the sea of "blah" SUVs/CUVs and pickups.

Don't forgot Veloster N, Elantra N, and Kona N. On this track and this driver, the Veloster N beat the Honda Type R.


 
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I did that in 2020 with a Ford 7.3l gasser. Sweet spot no doubt but I was really cramped driving it.. Maybe a Supercab next time.
I hear ya. I've done a few BBC 454s in square body's with T400s and 4:10s.
The regular cab 2019 and newer GMs are larger than the 1973-2018s.
The 6.6L gasoline engine is 400 hp.
With a little work and a cutting torch, a 640 CID crate engine should provide the excitement you are looking for.
Edit; The 2500 double cab and regular box would be an option for more interior room. That's what my 2011 LML is.
 
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You are right, OP, and it's not just cars. Most consumer goods are tacky. Houses are garbage with slate gray kitchen cabinets and two-story "lawyer foyers" at the front door that aren't actually usable. Computers with Windows 11 aren't as nice as my gold standard, W7.

I put a cheapo bluetooth head unit in my kid's 99 camry so he can safely receive phone calls on the road. This thing takes three icon presses, on a quarter-inch of the all-touch-screen screen to turn dark. Any use of the UI brings it back to brightness, which is dreadful driving at night. It, a device which I own and install, wants to be the center of attention. Same with the stock head unit in my Prius, going dark is a multi-step process that isn't "remembered" for next time.

I do appreciate advances in energy saving stuff like batteries and solar panels, but am personally avoiding little turbo engines and CVTs where I can. We could be in a second "malaise" era and not know it yet. The cars perform fine, better than ever, but so also did the ones from 15-20 years ago. But people buying cars (IMO) are doing so because their old ones are worn out, not because something particularly exciting is in the showroom.

Cars and cute utes all want a little snarl to the grill and have too many swishy body lines trying to hide their obesity. Light duty trucks are stupidly overdone and way too tall.

Clothing fashion sort of stopped developing in 1995 with jeans and a t-shirt. People, especially women but guys too, looked better in the 1970s and 80s and before.
 
ive been on bitog since the mid-late 90s. MANY of the folks here are names I’ve known for 2 or more decades. We are also aging out… we had car lust in younger years and have learned through life that much of that lust is passing, unfulfilled. We see the new cars, read the marketing promises, and know, “nah.“ my 23 year old son is certainly excited about new or slightly used modern vehicles.

something that changes the landscape could be the dwindling diy. Our generation still has several that turn wrenches, change our own oil. Many of my coworkers, however, have also reached an age where they have the resources to pay to do have it done, or simply don’t want to fool with it, or can’t have the ability to keep doing it; so they are paying someone else. Regardless, with the DIY culture shrinking, awareness of what’s under the hood isn’t there. I actually don’t remember the moment I looked under the hood of my f150 or the Lexus. I’m sure I did, for a thorough inspection, but whatever I did wasn’t done as a major part of the purchase decision. At least the Lexus seems conservative in its technology approach, though the dual-injection v6 is pretty advanced.
 
If I were looking, maybe the new Prius, but I'd have to drive it. If you want fun, it is hard to beat a Tesla. I am waiting for the Highland later this year. Maybe a Venza, or NX? Ford F-150, but others have spoke to Ford's problems.

And they all cost too much, so there's that.
 
except for the miata, the only car that was beautiful and had a little soul in the mazda lineup was the mazda 6. and they killed it. best car i have owned in my life was a 2018 mazda 6 turbo signature in soul crystal red. trading this car for a 2019 cx-5 turbo gt was a stoopid move, even stoopider was trading that cx-5 for a 2021 mazda 3 sedan turbo gt awd. none of these vehicles can hold a candle to that 2018 mazda 6 signature. i lament this car and i am trying to find a used 2021 mazda 6 signature with low mileage.
 
I was more excited to find my 2011 Ranger than I am about any of the recent new cars. The expense, complexity, lack of durability and reliability, and nanny + spy tech all put me off new stuff. Engines and transmissions shouldn't routinely grenade at under 100,000 miles, but in too many models they do. Oh, yes, let's not forget how ugly the new stuff is.
 
Im doomed if i had to buy something new today. Really isnt any out that even catches my eye.
This is how I wound up with my Camry. Nothing excited me. Might as well get something boring and reliable. In 8 years since I've had my Camry, nothing else has excited me. The Challenger is beautiful on the outside but too austere on the inside for me. Just seems like Dodge put all their efforts on exterior styling. But based on some comments in this thread, people like simple interiors. I prefer a large touch screen and new technology.

The Mazda CX70 and Toyota Crown are some possibilities coming soon.
 
Do you notice all the manufacturers media events they host these days?They invite every so called youtube “car journalist“ to the event and then those npc drones rave how the new model is so much better then the out going model. I guess when you get free air fare, hotel, food, you have to simp for the product. Every CUV looks the same today.

For the person who said every VW looks the same these days, you’re right. I was a diehard dubber the last 20 years owning 6 of them. The early 2000’s were their prime. Soon as they finally jumped on the CUV bandwagon, there whole culture died.
 
While I agree that most cars offered today are downright boring, and miss the mark of what some of us are looking for in a car, I disagree on where the blame lies. It seems totally unfair to blame the auto companies or the media. It is clear, at least to me, that the blame for boring car options, lays squarely at the feet of the consumer.

What the American consumer wants out of a car these days, is one that they can pack their 2 kids, and 2/3 of all their personal belongings, in a vehicle that is big enough to haul half of their son's soccer team and their gear. They want all the latest connectivity features, so they don't have to go through electronic gadget separation anxiety, by being momentarily disconnected from their social media and games. They want built in entertainments systems, cup holders, a/c controls for every row. They need two cup holders for every passenger, and enough USB ports for an airport terminal.

I totally agree with you on black interiors. They are just plain boring. It seems that the consumer has decided that an interior that hides dirt, so they don't have to do any real interior cleaning, is more important to them that having a beautiful interior. A black interior is just short of a total show stopper for me, while looking at cars. A car with a black interior would have to be a home run on all my other criteria, for me to buy it. And even then, I question if I would regret it, every day I ride inside a boring black interior.
 
If the Mustang got totaled and there were zero used cars available that I liked, I could probably tolerate a new Civic, as Honda has really cleaned up the sedan's design. I've always liked the current generation Toyota Corolla XSE hatchback, so that's a contender. I also like the current Kia Forte GT as well. My hardest adjustment would be getting used to the power deficit over what I drive now. There's not much else of any interest to me on the new car market, now that the 7th generation Mustang is here. (Yuck).
 
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