Tesla is a pain in the rear to deal with

[JeffKeryk]

What year and what model Toyota hybrid do you own? Is Prius the only one Toyota makes or is there another model....?

We have a 2021 Lexus RX450h F Sport. It gets about the same mileage as our beloved 2006 Acura TSX 4 banger. The 2 proper Toyota hybrids I would be interested in are the RAV4 hybrid and especially the Venza (same as the Lexus NX hybrid).

I think Toyota makes like 16 hybrids in all; sedans (Camry, Corolla, Prius), SUVs (all of 'em) and even the Tundra I believe.
IMO, Toyota makes the best hybrids. Highly recommended. With crazy expensive CA gas, they make sense.

Here's our hybrid; I had just planted 3 Japanese Maples. Love those trees!

 

[demarpaint]

Sure, EVs are in their infancy as mass produced vehicles. As you say, time will tell.
Like ICE vehicles, there will be good ones and not so good ones.
For the 1st 5+ years of ownership, this has been the best car I have ever owned in terms of cost to maintain. I've replaced the 12v battery, 1 tire due to a nail near the sidewall, some blue WW juice and the cabin air filter. Cabin AF is a lousy design; too hard to get to and you need a small torx. Elon's wack.

How many miles on that car? In 5 years people can drive 100K or more, OTOH little to no miles for a garage queen. That can make for a big difference in maintenance costs and in determining overall reliability.

 

[demarpaint]

I don't care how skilled you are, a modern vehicle is not sustainable. I think true sustainability at the "I have a good amount of tools and my head is on squarely" level left the chat sometime around the late 90s, by and large, and that's being generous by including some makes and models that held onto the simplicity of the 80s.

Mine have been sustainable, I've driven many over 200K miles, never needing an engine, and IIRC one transmission. All NY driving, many with a lot of stop and go. I've owned cars from the 1960's into the 2000's. I either got tired of them, or they got so tired and old I decided it was time to get rid of them.

 

[JeffKeryk]

How many miles on that car? In 5 years people can drive 100K or more, OTOH little to no miles for a garage queen. That can make for a big difference in maintenance costs and in determining overall reliability.

About 25K. More than any of our other cars over that time. COVID had wife work at home. I'm now retired. We split the miles over the Model 3 (25K), Tundra (220K), GS350 (100K), TSX (220K). The RX450h (2,700) sees the fewest. 5 cars and 2 drivers.

100k in 5 years is a ton of miles, even in CA where we drive a lot. My classics are garage queens, my other cars are drivers.
The Model 3 is my 1st choice to drive now, with fuel costs, fun to drive and charging at home. The Tesla is not perfect, but I'm pretty spoiled. I bought it for wifey never thinking I would like it so much. I was wrong.

 

[demarpaint]

About 25K. More than any of our other cars over that time. COVID had wife work at home. I'm now retired. We split the miles over the Model 3, Tundra, GS350, TSX. The RX450h sees the fewest. 5 cars and 2 drivers.

100k in 5 years is a ton of miles, even in CA where we drive a lot. My classics are garage queens, my other cars are drivers.

Covid changed the world, it sidelined my wife and myself for a long time with no work. Regarding miles driven, I guess it depends on who you talk to for how far they drive a year. I have two family members and a few friends who easily drive over 20K miles a year. My BIL drives about 35K miles a year working in sales, NY to NJ Monday-Friday on the Cross Bronx Expressway, and quite a few business calls. People in the NY, NJ area know the nightmare that is. It's a great test for a car's reliability, and structural integrity.

 

[MrStamper]

I have no respect for EVs. They are one of the reasons why insurance rates are up across the board. Can’t wait till the fad dies down.

 

[Ws6]

Mine have been sustainable, I've driven many over 200K miles, never needing an engine, and IIRC one transmission. All NY driving, many with a lot of stop and go. I've owned cars from the 1960's into the 2000's. I either got tired of them, or they got so tired and old I decided it was time to get rid of them.

You did all of the work on them yourself? Noone helped you beyond the buddy and a case of beer in your garage?

 

[Ws6]

****ing with faint praise.
Cute!

I mean, look what he listed:

-Roomy
-Good mpg
-Good suspension

What else am I to call it? He didn't say it was fun, relaxing, or anything emotional, just the clinical basics: A good commuter. Go read his post.

 

[Trav]

I don't care how skilled you are, a modern vehicle is not sustainable. I think true sustainability at the "I have a good amount of tools and my head is on squarely" level left the chat sometime around the late 90s, by and large, and that's being generous by including some makes and models that held onto the simplicity of the 80s.

That is some of the biggest load of crap posted on this board in ages. Granted most new cars are getting beyond the DIY level for many repairs but you said I don't car how skilled you are and that would include a pro.

 

[Ws6]

If “sustainability” means “can keep on the road running until the body falls apart around it” I think it made it until the late ‘00s/early ‘10s. When manual transmissions, and non-GDI engines started disappearing.

I dunno. A lot of those cars have a TON of sensors. I think if we truly want to talk about that sort of thing, it's going to be carbureted.

 

[Ws6]

That is some of the biggest load of crap posted on this board in ages. Granted most new cars are getting beyond the DIY level for many repairs but you said I don't car how skilled you are and that would include a pro.

Okay, tell me how many modern cars are maintained without proprietary software from the mothership or a 3rd party "mothership".

 

[Ws6]

I have no respect for EVs. They are one of the reasons why insurance rates are up across the board. Can’t wait till the fad dies down.

I'm sure it will die down any minute.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1231872/battery-electric-vehicle-sales-in-the-united-states/

As to your other assertion, EV's don't even factor. Go look at the data. Here:
https://www.iihs.org/topics/auto-insurance/insurance-losses-by-make-and-model

Just more fearmongering brought to us by Big Oil.

You know what I DO see?

Dodge. A lot of Dodge. Chrysler is just a horrible brand at everything quality related, IMO.
https://www.iihs.org/topics/auto-insurance/insurance-losses-by-make-and-model
They make up EIGHT of the top TEN vehicles by brand for property loss/damages, LOL!

 

[demarpaint]

You did all of the work on them yourself? Noone helped you beyond the buddy and a case of beer in your garage?

That sounds about right. Lets see if I can remember back to my first car when I started driving in 1975. I'll guess I did about 75% of the work myself. There were a few jobs I wasn't sure how to do, or I just didn't feel like doing, so I reached into my pocket and paid someone. I'm sure I'm not alone in doing that on this site either. I doubt that makes the vehicles I owned unsustainable.

 

[Ws6]

That sounds about right. Lets see if I can remember back to my first car when I started driving in 1975. I'll guess I did about 75% of the work myself. There were a few jobs I wasn't sure how to do, or I just didn't feel like doing, so I reached into my pocket and paid someone. I'm sure I'm not alone in doing that on this site either. I doubt that makes the vehicles I owned unsustainable.

I mean on any vehicle past the 90's, of course you could do all that in the 75.

 

[JeffKeryk]

Covid changed the world, it sidelined my wife and myself for a long time with no work. Regarding miles driven, I guess it depends on who you talk to for how far they drive a year. I have two family members and a few friends who easily drive over 20K miles a year. My BIL drives about 35K miles a year working in sales, NY to NJ Monday-Friday on the Cross Bronx Expressway, and quite a few business calls. People in the NY, NJ area know the nightmare that is. It's a great test for a car's reliability, and structural integrity.

My understanding is you guys deal with something called rust. You guys must be bulletproof. My simple Tundra brake job might need the smoke wrench to disassemble in the great state of NY. I barely recognize my own cars on YouTube videos.
Cars last forever here. While I prefer to jump on a plane, many people think nothing of a quick run to LA or San Diego and back. You can fly on the 5. Under 80 mph a soccer Mom Odyssey will mow you down.

 

[demarpaint]

I mean on any vehicle past the 90's, of course you could do all that in the 75.

I went back in time to accurately answer your question. I'm still doing most of my own work in 2024, aside from having a wheel alignment and tires mounted and balanced. In fact the last time I went to a shop was close to ten years ago because the weather was ice cold and I needed a wheel cylinder. Call me lazy. If I run into a problem I pick up the phone and call my brother or my buddy @Trav and he'll tell me how to do it. My vehicles are still sustainable, and I'm reasonably certain if I buy another new vehicle it will be just as sustainable as my current fleet.

 

[chris719]

My understanding is you guys deal with something called rust. You guys must be bulletproof. My simple Tundra brake job might need the smoke wrench to disassemble in the great state of NY. I barely recognize my own cars on YouTube videos.
Cars last forever here. While I prefer to jump on a plane, many people think nothing of a quick run to LA or San Diego and back. You can fly on the 5. Under 80 mph a soccer Mom Odyssey will mow you down.

Yes, rust is going to claim my 2010 Mazda 3 before the engine or transmission. I’ve been using M1 0W-40 and Redline MTL for years but the exhaust basically disintegrated last year .

 

[demarpaint]

My understanding is you guys deal with something called rust. You guys must be bulletproof. My simple Tundra brake job might need the smoke wrench to disassemble in the great state of NY. I barely recognize my own cars on YouTube videos.
Cars last forever here. While I prefer to jump on a plane, many people think nothing of a quick run to LA or San Diego and back. You can fly on the 5. Under 80 mph a soccer Mom Odyssey will mow you down.

Rust is a problem for sure. I rustproof my vehicles, my 88 E-150 has zero rust as a result of rustproofing it. The sun did however take its toll on the paint, maybe one day if I can find the right guy for the right price I'll have it repainted.

 

[Ws6]

I went back in time to accurately answer your question. I'm still doing most of my own work in 2024, aside from having a wheel alignment and tires mounted and balanced. In fact the last time I went to a shop was close to ten years ago because the weather was ice cold and I needed a wheel cylinder. Call me lazy. If I run into a problem I pick up the phone and call my brother or my buddy @Trav and he'll tell me how to do it. My vehicles are still sustainable, and I'm reasonably certain if I buy another new vehicle it will be just as sustainable as my current fleet.

I'd love to know where you plan to get a HPFP or how you plan to rebuild it. That's a pretty simple example. Now let's get into sensors...how you gonna make those?

 

[edyvw]

My understanding is you guys deal with something called rust. You guys must be bulletproof. My simple Tundra brake job might need the smoke wrench to disassemble in the great state of NY. I barely recognize my own cars on YouTube videos.
Cars last forever here. While I prefer to jump on a plane, many people think nothing of a quick run to LA or San Diego and back. You can fly on the 5. Under 80 mph a soccer Mom Odyssey will mow you down.

Fly on the 5? What are you talking about? It is absolute clog. Every time I drove, unless 2am, I would be lucky to hit 60.