Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

qbrozen

If there is a speed limit on electric, I have not found it. I think there should be, but they weren't smart enough to put that in. It would be so much better if it would kick on the ICE when cruising at 55 or more. I do as you do and use hybrid on surface streets and esave on the highway. Sometimes I'll use esave on rural routes. For example, took my son to class but planned on running to home depot and the bank while he was there, so I kicked it to esave when I was on the 5-mile 55-mph stretch so I could save some battery for the store runs.

I don't find electric mode to be any different than hybrid. I guess maybe it lets you push the pedal a little further before kicking on the ICE, but foot to the floor gives the same result in either mode. The only time I use electric is when it is cold out and I'm waiting in the parking lot for my kid. It lets the stereo and heat work without letting the ICE kick on and idle.

4xe #3 is supposed to arrive this morn.

qbrozen

Anybody here know much about HD trucks? The friend staying with us also lost her vehicle in the fire, so she's going to need a replacement. But she is pondering the future and wants to get a towable camper at some point, so to future proof, she needs something that, when properly equipped, can handle towing a 15k-lb 5th wheel. Oh, and, at least at the moment, she is anti-GM. So that leaves Ford or Ram since the Tundra can't handle that much. From what I've found, it looks like, at a minimum, she needs a 2500 of either with the bigger gas engine and shorter diff (and short bed if getting crew cab). Sound about right?

stickguy

2500 for sure. And most people at that weight probably go diesel. And get the fancy trans. Maybe a ram Cummings with the Allison. Hopefully don’t need a 3500 dually!

Big trucks are very expensive. Diesels even more. And modern diesels are very maintenance intensive and problematic thanks to the emissions tech.

Maybe a 2500 ram hemi with tow packages is good enough.

Or get a normal car, and an RV.

stickguy

Here’s a chart. Looks like a hemi with right gears can just handle that. But getting up there. That is a seriously heavy trailer.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/chryslermedia.iconicweb.com/mediasite/specs/2021_RAM_2500_3500_HD_TowingChartevlal4hu4iu465hrhh9udegr4.pdf

ab348

If she can compromise to something slightly smaller than a house on wheels, her truck options open up considerably.

tjc78

@qbrozen said:
Anybody here know much about HD trucks? The friend staying with us also lost her vehicle in the fire, so she's going to need a replacement. But she is pondering the future and wants to get a towable camper at some point, so to future proof, she needs something that, when properly equipped, can handle towing a 15k-lb 5th wheel. Oh, and, at least at the moment, she is anti-GM. So that leaves Ford or Ram since the Tundra can't handle that much. From what I've found, it looks like, at a minimum, she needs a 2500 of either with the bigger gas engine and shorter diff (and short bed if getting crew cab). Sound about right?

My cousin has a very large fifth wheel and his 2500 with the gas engine (while in spec to pull it), wasn’t all that great and a total pig. He upgraded to a 2500 Diesel and he said the difference was night and day. Naturally six months after he got the truck he parked the trailer for good at a campground

28firefighter

@qbrozen - Clutch's dealer should be able to order an HD ram at a huge discount - something to consider.

jmonroe1

@stickguy said:
Sandy, my comment probably did not come across the way intended. Nothing about a Corolla Cross (I have never even seen one). Just in general, prepaid maintenance is not something that matters much to me. Especially on a normal car like a Toyota (even an Acura) because routine service is just pretty much an annual oil change.

so saving $50-$60 a year is certainly nice, but not enough to get me to pick a car I like less over one I really want to drive.

$50-$60 a year? Hell, that amount monthly wouldn’t stop some people from driving what they really wanted. There might even be a few in here in that category.

jmonroe

kyfdx

10 years ago, we usually figured $150/mo for maintenance/repair on an out of warranty BMW.

Definitely worth it!

jmonroe1

@ab348 said:
That Nissan looks like an AWD Altima wagon.

But it ain’t black.

jmonroe

explorerx4

15K is a pretty heavy trailer(weighs 2X the truck). Might need a dually HD to be safe. Diesel gets better mileage than gas but maintenance is more expensive.
Maybe tjc78's cousin is willing to sell his truck.

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

Anybody here know much about HD trucks? The friend staying with us also lost her vehicle in the fire, so she's going to need a replacement. But she is pondering the future and wants to get a towable camper at some point, so to future proof, she needs something that, when properly equipped, can handle towing a 15k-lb 5th wheel. Oh, and, at least at the moment, she is anti-GM. So that leaves Ford or Ram since the Tundra can't handle that much. From what I've found, it looks like, at a minimum, she needs a 2500 of either with the bigger gas engine and shorter diff (and short bed if getting crew cab). Sound about right?

She should get a diesel.

So you’re not only taking in a renter but a big rig and trailer. How big is your driveway.

qbrozen

Diesel is another $8k-$10k option on these. That's a crazy upcharge, IMHO.

The bigger gas engines indicate 18k capacity. Should be enough. I might see if I can talk her into a reasonable SUV and separate driveable RV.

tjc78

What’s her lifestyle with it? Does she drive it to a seasonal campground and leave it for 6-8 months or travel around a lot.

ab348

Maybe we need a new board here entitled "Women Who Want Inappropriately Large Vehicles".

qbrozen

@tjc78 said:
What’s her lifestyle with it? Does she drive it to a seasonal campground and leave it for 6-8 months or travel around a lot.

She doesn’t even own one yet.

But ya gotta give credit to someone who doesn’t make the mistake of buying something and then realizing they need more towing capacity.

kyfdx

qbrozen said:

@tjc78 said:

What’s her lifestyle with it? Does she drive it to a seasonal campground and leave it for 6-8 months or travel around a lot.

She doesn’t even own one yet.

But ya gotta give credit to someone who doesn’t make the mistake of buying something and then realizing they need more towing capacity.

If she buys it right away, she'll just need a place to park it. No temporary housing required.

tjc78

@qbrozen said:

@tjc78 said:
What’s her lifestyle with it? Does she drive it to a seasonal campground and leave it for 6-8 months or travel around a lot.

She doesn’t even own one yet.

But ya gotta give credit to someone who doesn’t make the mistake of buying something and then realizing they need more towing capacity.

Yes that’s good planning. I guess my reading comprehension is off today… you said future purchase in your first post.

At any rate depending how she plans to use the camper should play into her decision for the truck. If she is going to be moving it around a lot the diesel may be better in the long run

Couple things to note about trailers. They are making them so fast that the quality has been slipping lately based on some videos I’ve been seeing. Also they age very quickly the more you move them around.

rayainsw

Add my Congrats - nyccarguy !
Looks very nice!
- Ray
Blue - similar to my BMW!

roadburner

@kyfdx said:
10 years ago, we usually figured $150/mo for maintenance/repair on an out of warranty BMW.

Definitely worth it!

I budget $450/mo to maintain all five vehicles. So far so good…

qbrozen

Hi, my name is Q …. No! I do not have a problem!

corvette

Big ruckus on the Maverick boards. Apparently Ford forgot to send out the scheduling emails that normally go out every Thursday when orders get scheduled for production.

au1994

qbrozen said:

Hi, my name is Q …. No! I do not have a problem!

Shouldn’t have starting drinking so early. I’m seeing double.

nyccarguy

Do all 3 of those have temp tags on them?

tjc78

That’s awesome. Same dealer group I got the XC90 from down in MD.

stickguy

apparently he went to CT and stole Bradd's Jeep. Not cool.

So, at this point, is it only the Sprinter still on order? The fleet otherwise complete pending soon to happen flips?

stickguy

on the camper lady situation, I would recommend test driving first. Modern RVs, especially the medium sized ones, are supposed to drive very nicely. Basically big luxury cars. My experience with Transit vans and UHauls/Ryder trucks of various sizes makes me believe this.

But driving a HD 2500 truck pulling a huge gooseneck trailer is whole nother animal.

and as others noted, desired use is important.

qbrozen

I seem to have talked her out of the idea. A more normal vehicle now plus driveable RV in the future.

Yes, I have 3 vehicles with temp tags. I did get plates for the wrx but have yet to put them on.

Still awaiting Volvo and Sprinter.

ML63 and one 4xe soon to be sold. Second (well, 3rd) 4xe likely to be sold after sprinter arrival.

henryn

My experiences are now a few years out of date, but back around 2000 to 2006 I had a 5th wheel travel trailer. Fully loaded, mine came in around 12,000 pounds. I started off pulling that with a Ford F250 with the monster 460 cid gasoline engine. It didn’t take me long to move up to a diesel, there is a night-and-day difference. Trust me, if you’re towing heavy, you WANT that diesel. At the time, the diesel truck held it’s value so well that your total cost of ownership was less for the diesel. And that despite the more expensive maintenance. The diesel option was about $4k at that time, and on a 5 year old truck, was worth about $5k over the price for an equivalent gas model.

My advice, if you plan to tow heavy, go diesel or go home.

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

Hi, my name is Q …. No! I do not have a problem!

Except for that fetish for the color blue.

roadburner

Stella this is building a new engine called the Hurricane- it’s a twin turbo I6. Rumor is that it will be installed in the Wrangler. I think I’ll definitely keep looking at reasonably quick RWD coupes- and put off replacing the TJ until I find out if the JL is the recipient of a proper six cylinder.

explorerx4

Not sure a long I6 will fit in a Wrangler.

jmonroe1

@qbrozen said:
Hi, my name is Q …. No! I do not have a problem!

That paints gotta be cheaper doing it your way.

jmonroe

mjfloyd1

@explorerx4 said:
Not sure a long I6 will fit in a Wrangler.

The 4.0 that was in wranglers for what seemed like an eternity was a straight 6

xwesx

qbrozen said:

Anybody here know much about HD trucks? The friend staying with us also lost her vehicle in the fire, so she's going to need a replacement. But she is pondering the future and wants to get a towable camper at some point, so to future proof, she needs something that, when properly equipped, can handle towing a 15k-lb 5th wheel. Oh, and, at least at the moment, she is anti-GM. So that leaves Ford or Ram since the Tundra can't handle that much. From what I've found, it looks like, at a minimum, she needs a 2500 of either with the bigger gas engine and shorter diff (and short bed if getting crew cab). Sound about right?

I would strongly recommend a 3/4 ton (2500). Anything more would be overkill for a travel trailer because so much of the weight is self-contained. If she was hauling cars on a gooseneck or something, then a heavier-axle 3500 or dually would make sense.

However, if she also wants it as a daily driver, modern heavy duty pickups can be a real chore, and they are expensive vehicles to wear out commuting. If she were hauling the trailer on a regular basis, then I would recommend diesel. Otherwise, don't do it. The extra complexity of emissions, and the high cost of maintaining that as the miles accumulate, are not worth the gains in economy and torque for towing on a limited basis.

explorerx4

@mjflod1,
Those were a previous generation which didn't have a couple of turbos hanging off it.
The I6 will make a lot of power, so if anything it would be a limited edition model.

stickguy

not like they are hanging the turbos off the front. and the bay is wide enough for a V6, so should be plenty of room for that I6.

mjfloyd1

Probably one turbo off the front and the other off the back to make it as long as possible 😂

But seriously, the 4.0 was larger displacement so larger pistons and a longer length than a 3 liter straight 6. Turbos are exhaust driven so will be off the side or even underneath the passenger compartment.

stickguy

they can cram a hemi in there. a 3l 6 should be a piece of cake.

explorerx4

Here's a pic of the 392 V8 in a Wrangler.

cdnpinhead

ab348 said:

"Women Who Want Inappropriately Large Vehicles".

That borders on redundant.

Sandman6472

Drove a couple of 4-door Jeep Wranglers and they seemed to drive much better than the few I drove earlier in the month. Guessing the air pressure in the tires were correct as they weren't going all over the road. They both tracked straight & true but did have to keep a grip on the steering wheel...they just drove so much better.

tifighter

@oldfarmer50 said:
Except for that fetish for the color blue.

Hey now…

Sandman6472

I know I don't drive that much per day to warrant the top model audio units but add in my size constraint and it doesn't leave me a whole lot of choices really. Also drove a Hyundai Kona today and think I could live with one to be honest. Driving my kids Accent earlier tonight on a Krispy Kreme run and again, drove super smooth and got up to speed nicely. Of course, I'd need to get the top of the line model to get the H/K audio and the roof but that's totally doable. Actually took a run to the nearby Toyota store back lot and every Corolla Cross and Rav4 there already had sold signs in the windows. guessing they have others "in transit" and folks are putting down deposits to hold them. Will have to inquire at this store if a factory order is possible as the one store I'm dealing with has already said no to a factory order.
And with my next vehicle, would really want a new vehicle and not a CPO unit if possible. Guess I need to make a spread sheet of all vehicles under 176" and see what comes up. Anything bigger just won't fit on my side of the garage. And an FYI, petrol prices have gone under the $4.00 point in the West Palm Beach area and I paid $4.03 yesterday near the house. So prices are starting to come down as predicted a couple weeks ago.

oldfarmer50

Sandman6472 said:

I know I don't drive that much per day to warrant the top model audio units but add in my size constraint and it doesn't leave me a whole lot of choices really. Also drove a Hyundai Kona today and think I could live with one to be honest. Driving my kids Accent earlier tonight on a Krispy Kreme run and again, drove super smooth and got up to speed nicely. Of course, I'd need to get the top of the line model to get the H/K audio and the roof but that's totally doable. Actually took a run to the nearby Toyota store back lot and every Corolla Cross and Rav4 there already had sold signs in the windows. guessing they have others "in transit" and folks are putting down deposits to hold them. Will have to inquire at this store if a factory order is possible as the one store I'm dealing with has already said no to a factory order.
And with my next vehicle, would really want a new vehicle and not a CPO unit if possible. Guess I need to make a spread sheet of all vehicles under 176" and see what comes up. Anything bigger just won't fit on my side of the garage. And an FYI, petrol prices have gone under the $4.00 point in the West Palm Beach area and I paid $4.03 yesterday near the house. So prices are starting to come down as predicted a couple weeks ago.

Have you considered the Kona EV? With your limited driving, a 250 mile range might work for you and then you can stop worrying about gas prices. Do they have any in the fleet down there?

kyfdx

We rented a Kona turbo, last Summer. We got over 30 mpg, in all sorts of driving. If I'm only driving 10K mi/yr, I surely wouldn't worry about the fuel prices.

laurasdada

Q, are you okay? You appear to be a bit blue...

The A7 PHEV does most of the thinking for me, I can't choose levels of regen braking. Three drive modes, electric, hybrid and battery save (I'll guess same as the Jeep esave). I, too, use the nuclear power for local drives, hybrid on the highway. Sometimes I just use the Radio Shack electric kit motor to battery depletion to test electric range. Haven't used the esave yet.

What's a bit cool to me, I've driven ~360 miles since I last filled the gas tank. I've used 1/4 tank of dinos, averaging 88+ mpg. For a car the size of the USS Massachusetts! But, on the negative side, the at speed handling lists towards the USS Massachusetts side. Still, a wonderful high-speed cruise missile.

explorerx4

The Stellantis I6 is basically the 2.0 I4 with 2 cylinders added(noted as same architecture).
Base version makes 400 HP.

mjfloyd1

https://www.motortrend.com/news/stellantis-hurricane-inline-6-engine-jeep-ram-dodge-chrysler/amp/

nyccarguy

So I might look into getting a L2 charger installed. I charged up last night. Fired it up this AM with a full 99% 25 mile charge. I ran a bunch of local errands on the battery. I filled up Friday night. Have driven about 70 miles since I filled up. According to the Jeep, 1/2 those miles (most which were today) were run on battery.