Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

jmonroe1

@fintail said:
Hey, it's not me There's a very real 90s nostalgia movement out there, however, maybe no different than those who got into Edsels and Hudsons in the 70s when there was a 50s nostalgia movement.

IIRC those V6s had a fun rep (if it's the same unit as in the early Sedona) - V8 mpg with 4cyl performance.

————————————————
FWIW, after that 3.5 V6 engine blew up I learned that it was a Mitsubishi engine which had a pretty good reputation. Of course that didn’t do anything to make me feel better.

jmonroe

sda

jmonroe1 said:

@fintail said:

Hey, it's not me There's a very real 90s nostalgia movement out there, however, maybe no different than those who got into Edsels and Hudsons in the 70s when there was a 50s nostalgia movement.

IIRC those V6s had a fun rep (if it's the same unit as in the early Sedona) - V8 mpg with 4cyl performance.

————————————————

FWIW, after that 3.5 V6 engine blew up I learned that it was a Mitsubishi engine which had a pretty good reputation. Of course that didn’t do anything to make me feel better.

jmonroe

What failed on that engine, the timing belt or chain?

jmonroe1

@sda said:
What failed on that engine, the timing belt or chain?

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It threw a rod or two clear through the block. The strange thing about it was that Mrs. j was decelerating coming to a light. The speed limit is 35 MPH on the main road through the shopping district. So it’s not like the engine was being over revved. I’d be willing to bet she never had that engine past 2500 RPM. Of course I did but not her.

jmonroe

oldfarmer50

jmonroe1 said:

@fintail said:

Hey, it's not me There's a very real 90s nostalgia movement out there, however, maybe no different than those who got into Edsels and Hudsons in the 70s when there was a 50s nostalgia movement.

IIRC those V6s had a fun rep (if it's the same unit as in the early Sedona) - V8 mpg with 4cyl performance.

————————————————

FWIW, after that 3.5 V6 engine blew up I learned that it was a Mitsubishi engine which had a pretty good reputation. Of course that didn’t do anything to make me feel better.

jmonroe

That’s interesting. Those 6G7 motors were pretty robust. I had the 6G73 in two of my Chryslers and the 6G75 in my Eclipse. The 6G74 in your Hyundai must have been a lemon.

roadburner

As I mentioned, I took a CPO 2019 AMG C43 for a drive today. Herewith my impressions:

The Design:
Exterior- Definitely a M-B; the styling is neither exciting or offensive- the same script followed by the G20 3er. The extra cost Cardinal Red is attractive, but rather subdued.
Interior(overall)- Black leather with red stitching. Very attractive and well designed. A very different control structure compared to a BMW, but it would be easy enough to learn.
Seating- As comfortable as BMW sport seats- maybe even a touch better. AMG offers a true sports seat akin to the ones offered in BMW M cars, but you inevitably have to special order it as dealers know they aren't AARP approved.
Instrumentation- The virtual instrument display is much better than BMW's hockey-stick design( which saddles you with a tach that runs counterclockwise). HUD is optional but this car doesn't have it. Like the M Performance cars and their M badges, the C43 scatters AMG badges everywhere(including the IP) to remind you it's almost "The Real Thing."
Steering Wheel- A flat bottom design. I learned shuffle-steering for the track and the flat-bottom makes it a pain. Nice red stripe at 12 O' Clock, though. It has a power telescoping tilt column, which I can easily do without, as in I invariably set it once and forget it.
Telematics- Essentially equivalent to BMW's setup, with the exception of the control wheel/touchpad- I much prefer how BMW combines the touchpad and control wheel into one assembly.
Shifter- I hate, HATE, H A T E the column shifter; it gives me flashbacks of the times that I was sentenced to the purgatory of driving my father-in-law's Park Avenue. Ugh.

The Drive:
Engine- Just adequate; the C43 is supposed to be quicker than my M235i, but if anything it felt slower.
Transmission- The nine speed M-B autobox can't compare to the ZF 8HP used by most every other luxury car company. I floored it at 75 mph and there was an extended pause before the transmission decided on a gear and took off. My 2er would have left if for dead.
Brakes- A bit more touchy than the BMW brakes I'm used to, but I could easily adapt. Like BMW, M-B is cutting costs and using floating calipers at the rear. I like fixed calipers at all four corners.
Suspension- I've read that the suspension is very stiff and uncomfortable. Wrong; if you find that the C43 suspension calibration to be aggressive you are either a wimp, a wuss, or a hand-wringing bedwetter. Even at the stiffest setting both my wife and I found the ride to be more than acceptable. The car had lots of grip(credit the 19" wheel package and Continental SSR summer rubber) but it felt a bit numb. Not bad by any stretch- just not entertaining.
AWD- Sadly it's standard. I know how to drive and the car has less than 700 hp, so I would happily do without it.

Bottom Line- A very nice luxury/sports sedan. A driver coming out of a mainstream family sedan would think he/she died and went to Heaven. Me, I want something considerably more involving- with RWD and preferably with two fewer doors.

stickguy

I started working on the wife about "upgrading" her whip (while downsizing the footprint). so far, not going well. she likes her car (which of course she never really drives now). She does like to complain that she does not know where she is up here. I told her to just fire up google maps and go explore. or, pay attention when we are driving places!

I have been pointing out cars on the short list when we see them. Last 2 days say a Crosstrek, countryman, Lexus UX and Kona. So far none of them elicited a response of "get to the dealer so we can look at one"!

oldfarmer50

You could get her a job at my place. We have several women drivers and she’ll get a tour of the northeast worth writing home about. Not to mention numerous test drives.

28firefighter

@roadburner said:
you are either a wimp, a wuss, or a hand-wringing bedwetter.

Someone paged me?

roadburner

A brief follow-up- with pictures:




A sunroof is optional, but of course this car had one.
Red seat belts are standard, but they were unfortunately deleted on this car.
The "Natural Grain Black Ash Wood Center Console" looks like "100% Injection Molded Plastic".

I will say that the dealership-Mercedes-Benz of Louisville-is a first-rate operation. The overall organization and layout of the facility is much better than my BMW dealer's floor plan- which I find inexcusable since the BMW showroom was built several years later.

nyccarguy

@roadburner - those seats look fantastic

corvette

@roadburner - I know it would give the car a less sporty look, but IMO, an ivory interior would look amazing with that exterior color. The trend of "any interior color you want so long as it's black" for high-performance cars needs to stop.

roadburner

corvette said:

@roadburner - I know it would give the car a less sporty look, but IMO, an ivory interior would look amazing with that exterior color. The trend of "any interior color you want so long as it's black" for high-performance cars needs to stop.

I don't like light interior colors. The black with red stitching suits me fine.

roadburner

nyccarguy said:

@roadburner - those seats look fantastic

Here's a better view:

jmonroe1

@corvette said:
@roadburner - I know it would give the car a less sporty look, but IMO, an ivory interior would look amazing with that exterior color. The trend of "any interior color you want so long as it's black" for high-performance cars needs to stop.

————————————————
I agree that a black interior is way over used as the default color but white seats, while looking very nice, are a bear to keep clean. My ‘75 Grand Prix had white vinyl seats to go with a burgundy exterior with a white landau top. Got lots of complements about how nice that car looked, but man, those seats took a lot of work. As much as I liked that car, I never wanted white seats again.

jmonroe

andres3

roadburner said:

As I mentioned, I took a CPO 2019 AMG C43 for a drive today. Herewith my impressions:

The Design:
Exterior- Definitely a M-B; the styling is neither exciting or offensive- the same script followed by the G20 3er. The extra cost Cardinal Red is attractive, but rather subdued.
Interior(overall)- Black leather with red stitching. Very attractive and well designed. A very different control structure compared to a BMW, but it would be easy enough to learn.
Seating- As comfortable as BMW sport seats- maybe even a touch better. AMG offers a true sports seat akin to the ones offered in BMW M cars, but you inevitably have to special order it as dealers know they aren't AARP approved.
Instrumentation- The virtual instrument display is much better than BMW's hockey-stick design( which saddles you with a tach that runs counterclockwise). HUD is optional but this car doesn't have it. Like the M Performance cars and their M badges, the C43 scatters AMG badges everywhere(including the IP) to remind you it's almost "The Real Thing."
Steering Wheel- A flat bottom design. I learned shuffle-steering for the track and the flat-bottom makes it a pain. Nice red stripe at 12 O' Clock, though. It has a power telescoping tilt column, which I can easily do without, as in I invariably set it once and forget it.
Telematics- Essentially equivalent to BMW's setup, with the exception of the control wheel/touchpad- I much prefer how BMW combines the touchpad and control wheel into one assembly.
Shifter- I hate, HATE, H A T E the column shifter; it gives me flashbacks of the times that I was sentenced to the purgatory of driving my father-in-law's Park Avenue. Ugh.

The Drive:
Engine- Just adequate; the C43 is supposed to be quicker than my M235i, but if anything it felt slower.
Transmission- The nine speed M-B autobox can't compare to the ZF 8HP used by most every other luxury car company. I floored it at 75 mph and there was an extended pause before the transmission decided on a gear and took off. My 2er would have left if for dead.
Brakes- A bit more touchy than the BMW brakes I'm used to, but I could easily adapt. Like BMW, M-B is cutting costs and using floating calipers at the rear. I like fixed calipers at all four corners.
Suspension- I've read that the suspension is very stiff and uncomfortable. Wrong; if you find that the C43 suspension calibration to be aggressive you are either a wimp, a wuss, or a hand-wringing bedwetter. Even at the stiffest setting both my wife and I found the ride to be more than acceptable. The car had lots of grip(credit the 19" wheel package and Continental SSR summer rubber) but it felt a bit numb. Not bad by any stretch- just not entertaining.
AWD- Sadly it's standard. I know how to drive and the car has less than 700 hp, so I would happily do without it.

Bottom Line- A very nice luxury/sports sedan. A driver coming out of a mainstream family sedan would think he/she died and went to Heaven. Me, I want something considerably more involving- with RWD and preferably with two fewer doors.

The RWD Audi R8 V10 accomplishes all that. Better hurry; this is the last year you can get it new.

andres3

I drove the CT4 Blackwing, the thing looks great on paper except for price; over $70K.

Biggest letdown was the 10-speed auto. Not quite ready for prime time at this price. If manufacturer's can't duplicate the magical software and tuning of BMW on the ZF8, then they need to use a dual clutch transmission in their performance oriented cars. Freaking Hyundai is doing it at $33-35K price point. That's not to say it sucked. It was pretty good, but pretty good don't cut it just after you've test driven a BMW m240i at barely over half the price (2018 model).

It's a great car with tons of technology, almost too much. Gadgets, doodads, bells, and whistles. The problem is that this is a lot of expensive stuff from a company I just don't trust. Without trust there can be no sale.

If you are getting the manual one of my biggest criticisms of the car no longer applies, and you should check it out.

qbrozen

@andres3 said:
I drove the CT4 Blackwing, the thing looks great on paper except for price; over $70K.

Biggest letdown was the 10-speed auto. Not quite ready for prime time at this price. If manufacturer's can't duplicate the magical software and tuning of BMW on the ZF8, then they need to use a dual clutch transmission in their performance oriented cars. Freaking Hyundai is doing it at $33-35K price point. That's not to say it sucked. It was pretty good, but pretty good don't cut it just after you've test driven a BMW m240i at barely over half the price (2018 model).

It's a great car with tons of technology, almost too much. Gadgets, doodads, bells, and whistles. The problem is that this is a lot of expensive stuff from a company I just don't trust. Without trust there can be no sale.

If you are getting the manual one of my biggest criticisms of the car no longer applies, and you should check it out.

That’s a shame. The 8-spd in the CTS Vsport was a gem for performance driving.

ab348

Car & Driver would disagree.



They tested a manual trans version, but MT reviewed the automatic and said "the transmission does its damnedest to convince you it's Porsche's PDK in terms of quick and precognitioned shifts" even though their review of the car was of the typical cliched anti-GM variety.

oldfarmer50

roadburner said:

nyccarguy said:

@roadburner - those seats look fantastic

Here's a better view:

I’d rather see a tan interior with that red exterior. The only plus I see with black is that it hides the dirt.

qbrozen

@oldfarmer50 said:
I’d rather see a tan interior with that red exterior. The only plus I see with black is that it hides the dirt.

I disagree. Black always looks dirty to me. Like a black exterior, it shows EVERYTHING.

fintail

That "natural grain" black wood is the worst choice IMO. The natural grain brown is far better, and on this car a carbon fiber trim should have been optional, which would probably be the optimal choice even for a half-tune AMG model. This might look ok with a brown interior, too.

I am a weirdo, but I like the column shift. Makes the console feel airy, but of course I am not drawn to the sport models much anymore.

That car appears to have Distronic Plus, which some no doubt hate, but I find it handy for chore commuting.

roadburner said:

A brief follow-up- with pictures:

A sunroof is optional, but of course this car had one.
Red seat belts are standard, but they were unfortunately deleted on this car.
The "Natural Grain Black Ash Wood Center Console" looks like "100% Injection Molded Plastic".

I will say that the dealership-Mercedes-Benz of Louisville-is a first-rate operation. The overall organization and layout of the facility is much better than my BMW dealer's floor plan- which I find inexcusable since the BMW showroom was built several years later.

mjfloyd1

@qbrozen said:

@oldfarmer50 said:
I’d rather see a tan interior with that red exterior. The only plus I see with black is that it hides the dirt.

I disagree. Black always looks dirty to me. Like a black exterior, it shows EVERYTHING.

Agreed. Black shows everything unless what is on the interior is also black

tjc78

@qbrozen said:

@oldfarmer50 said:
I’d rather see a tan interior with that red exterior. The only plus I see with black is that it hides the dirt.

I disagree. Black always looks dirty to me. Like a black exterior, it shows EVERYTHING.

It does. My truck isn’t even a week old yet and has been garaged. It is still a little dirty.

About that truck….
I am extremely happy with the purchase. I’ve gotten more compliments on it than any vehicle I’ve owned since the 09 Genesis (in burgundy.. not old man grey like @jmonroe ). It’s complete excess for my needs… but so what. A plus my wife likes riding in it although claims she will never drive it. We’ll see.

I made a fast turn in the other morning and unintentionally chirped the tires in it pretty good before the traction control kicked in. May have to switch that off and play. 😎😎

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

@oldfarmer50 said:

I’d rather see a tan interior with that red exterior. The only plus I see with black is that it hides the dirt.

I disagree. Black always looks dirty to me. Like a black exterior, it shows EVERYTHING.

Black shows dust but things like stains pop out on lighter colors. I’ve jumped into some rental cars and didn’t even want to sit down because of stains on light colored seats. Those same stains might have been on a black interior and I never noticed them.

Agree 100% on black exteriors.

jmonroe1

@qbrozen said:

@oldfarmer50 said:
I’d rather see a tan interior with that red exterior. The only plus I see with black is that it hides the dirt.

I disagree. Black always looks dirty to me. Like a black exterior, it shows EVERYTHING.

————————————————
Kinda like the old saying, “a black suit picks up EVERYTHING but women”.

jmonroe

qbrozen

@fintail said:
I am a weirdo, but I like the column shift. Makes the console feel airy, but of course I am not drawn to the sport models much anymore.

While I still am drawn to the sports models, I don’t understand what the problem is with the shifter being on the column. The more console room, the better. What I DON’t like is how some of them work. I dislike having to make 2 movements to go from D to R or vice versa. But that is a tap-shifter issue and not related to where it is located.

corvette

fintail said:

That "natural grain" black wood is the worst choice IMO. The natural grain brown is far better, and on this car a carbon fiber trim should have been optional, which would probably be the optimal choice even for a half-tune AMG model. This might look ok with a brown interior, too.

If they offer some sort of metal trim instead of the wood, either that or carbon fiber would be appropriate for a model with sporty pretensions.

jmonroe1

@tjc78 said:

@qbrozen said:

@oldfarmer50 said:
I’d rather see a tan interior with that red exterior. The only plus I see with black is that it hides the dirt.

I disagree. Black always looks dirty to me. Like a black exterior, it shows EVERYTHING.

It does. My truck isn’t even a week old yet and has been garaged. It is still a little dirty.

About that truck….
I am extremely happy with the purchase. I’ve gotten more compliments on it than any vehicle I’ve owned since the 09 Genesis (in burgundy.. not old man grey like @jmonroe ). It’s complete excess for my needs… but so what. A plus my wife likes riding in it although claims she will never drive it. We’ll see.

I made a fast turn in the other morning and unintentionally chirped the tires in it pretty good before the traction control kicked in. May have to switch that off and play. 😎😎

————————————————
My ‘09 Genny was Cabernet Red Pearl like yours. I also got complements on that car.

My ‘15 Genny (Empire State Gray) was dubbed “Old Mans Gray” by Mrs. j.

jmonroe

ab348

oldfarmer50 said:

I’d rather see a tan interior with that red exterior. The only plus I see with black is that it hides the dirt.

My experience is that a black interior shows every bit of lint, pet hair, dust, fluff and other loose debris more than any other color. The only advantage might be if you work in a coal mine or an oil field.

tjc78

@jmonroe1 said:

@tjc78 said:

@qbrozen said:

@oldfarmer50 said:
I’d rather see a tan interior with that red exterior. The only plus I see with black is that it hides the dirt.

I disagree. Black always looks dirty to me. Like a black exterior, it shows EVERYTHING.

It does. My truck isn’t even a week old yet and has been garaged. It is still a little dirty.

About that truck….
I am extremely happy with the purchase. I’ve gotten more compliments on it than any vehicle I’ve owned since the 09 Genesis (in burgundy.. not old man grey like @jmonroe ). It’s complete excess for my needs… but so what. A plus my wife likes riding in it although claims she will never drive it. We’ll see.

I made a fast turn in the other morning and unintentionally chirped the tires in it pretty good before the traction control kicked in. May have to switch that off and play. 😎😎

————————————————
My ‘09 Genny was Cabernet Red Pearl like yours. I also got complements on that car.

My ‘15 Genny (Empire State Gray) was dubbed “Old Mans Gray” by Mrs. j.

jmonroe

Oh I know. Just couldn’t resist the chance to break your ⚽️⚽️⚽️

sda

I have found black cloth especially prone to showing stains and general soiling. Cloth is more comfortable than most vinyl or leather in extreme temperatures. Black carpet is a pain, too. At least with vinyl or leather, it is easier to keep. A quick damp cloth or leather conditioner will make it look new. As @jmonroe1 mentioned white is tough to keep as well. Looks great new but if not frequently cleaned looks dingy quick and is never all the way clean.

tjc78

I have white leather in the Volvo. You have to wipe it with Lexol (or equivalent) at least once every two weeks or it gets funky. Good thing is if you keep on it the job takes 10 mins. In the winter when we wear jeans the blue rubs off pretty heavily but since I keep it very well conditioned it still wipes right off

IMO doesn’t matter what color you have they all get dirty looking in different ways. Only saving grace is lighter cars are less prone to swirl marks.

roadburner

I’ve never had a problem with black interiors, but then I have OCD when it comes to keeping my cars clean.

tjc78

What does everyone think of this for the truck? I like how it goes up the sides a little. I’ll mostly be carrying suitcases, coolers, etc.

I don’t think I need any protection for the sides. If I ever carry bulk mulch or something I’ll throw a tarp in.

https://www.weathertech.com/ram/2022/ram1500/techliner-bed-tailgate-protection/ram-bed-size/5-7-bed/ram-box-5/no/?OrderItemId=2160350347

breld

@roadburner - nice write up. I’d say pretty unbiased coming from such a BMW enthusiast, acknowledging that a lot of the shortfalls of the MB are similar to ones from other brands.

Is it totally off the list of consideration?

roadburner

I fear that my bride has contracted @breld syndrome; today she said, “Here’s a thought; why not go ahead and buy the C43 and just flip it when you find something you like better?”

tjc78

@roadburner said:
I’ve never had a problem with black interiors, but then I have OCD when it comes to keeping my cars clean.

This was 13 years old at the time. Carpets never shampooed just spot cleaned.

corvette

@tjc78 - that looks ideal, and far less expensive than a spray in bed liner. I might pick something like that up for the Maverick.

carnaught

roadburner said:

I’ve never had a problem with black interiors, but then I have OCD when it comes to keeping my cars clean.

Same with me as applied to lighter colors.

corvette

So, I had two Lyft rides to and from the zoo for a beer festival yesterday evening. The trip out there, I had a not very talkative guy in a third-gen CR-V with very nice two tone seat covers that matched the two tone materials on the doors. The ride was much more jittery than I remember these being. The ride back was in a second-gen Equinox. I'm assuming it had the V6, because the engine did not seem to struggle in normal driving. This one also surprised me with worse ride quality than I remember--I had one as a rental many years back and liked it except for underpowered four banger.

Maybe Lyft drivers just install cheap tires and overinflate them to try to squeeze out more MPGs.

explorerx4

Weathertech should be ok but there are some cheap drop in liners(from China from what I understand) that can develop static electricity buildup.
My nephew had one of those and it caught on fire due to something in the bed moving around and the static electricity cause something petroleum based in the bed to catch fire.

oldfarmer50

sda said:

I have found black cloth especially prone to showing stains and general soiling. Cloth is more comfortable than most vinyl or leather in extreme temperatures. Black carpet is a pain, too. At least with vinyl or leather, it is easier to keep. A quick damp cloth or leather conditioner will make it look new. As @jmonroe1 mentioned white is tough to keep as well. Looks great new but if not frequently cleaned looks dingy quick and is never all the way clean.

General soiling is easy to clean up with a vacuum but stains are forever on fabric seats. Spill coffee on a black and grey fabric seats and see which one shows.

I suppose vinyl or leather might be different. The tan leather of my Lincoln would need a cleaning every so often but the black leather on my Chrysler I really can’t tell.

But I guess it’s a moot point if you’re buying that Mercedes roadburner is considering. If you can afford that you just send the staff out to detail the seats.😀

oldfarmer50

tjc78 said:

What does everyone think of this for the truck? I like how it goes up the sides a little. I’ll mostly be carrying suitcases, coolers, etc.

I don’t think I need any protection for the sides. If I ever carry bulk mulch or something I’ll throw a tarp in.

https://www.weathertech.com/ram/2022/ram1500/techliner-bed-tailgate-protection/ram-bed-size/5-7-bed/ram-box-5/no/?OrderItemId=2160350347

I wouldn’t worry about mulch hurting the sides but most anything else not tied down might. On my old F-150 the sides of the bed were as scraped as the floor.

roadburner

@breld said:
@roadburner - nice write up. I’d say pretty unbiased coming from such a BMW enthusiast, acknowledging that a lot of the shortfalls of the MB are similar to ones from other brands.

Is it totally off the list of consideration?

Thanks for the kind words; as for the C43, it’s not entirely off the table. I may yet go the three-pedal V8 ponycar route.

oldfarmer50

corvette said:

So, I had two Lyft rides to and from the zoo for a beer festival yesterday evening. The trip out there, I had a not very talkative guy in a third-gen CR-V with very nice two tone seat covers that matched the two tone materials on the doors. The ride was much more jittery than I remember these being. The ride back was in a second-gen Equinox. I'm assuming it had the V6, because the engine did not seem to struggle in normal driving. This one also surprised me with worse ride quality than I remember--I had one as a rental many years back and liked it except for underpowered four banger.

Maybe Lyft drivers just install cheap tires and overinflate them to try to squeeze out more MPGs.

I’m surprised you got a SUV as a LYFT. Those rideshare drivers usually go with the cheapest sedan they can find to keep costs down. I’ve seen them use Accents and Elantras.

Unless you got the premium service.

corvette

@explorerx4 - good point on the liners and static electricity buildup. Some people on the Maverick forums are using those very cheap waffle-interlocking rubber mats from Harbor Freight or similar. The ones I've seen up close are extremely prone to static buildup and I know from personal experience that my dog will not walk on them--I assume for that reason.

jmonroe1

@tjc78 said:
What does everyone think of this for the truck? I like how it goes up the sides a little. I’ll mostly be carrying suitcases, coolers, etc.

I don’t think I need any protection for the sides. If I ever carry bulk mulch or something I’ll throw a tarp in.

https://www.weathertech.com/ram/2022/ram1500/techliner-bed-tailgate-protection/ram-bed-size/5-7-bed/ram-box-5/no/?OrderItemId=2160350347

————————————————
That’s like putting a bandaid on a deep wound. If you’re going to protect it then protect the entire bed. I’m surprised Weathertech would put their name on that bath mat like that. Get a good spray-in liner with a guarantee and you won’t be sorry.

When Son #1 bought his GMC pickup last year he talked to folks he knew who had drop-in bed liners and spray-in liners. Everyone who had a drop-in liner said they were sorry they didn’t get a spray-in job. None who had a spray-in said they were sorry. The clincher was when he went to his indy mechanic for his advice. The guy took him to his lot and showed him 2 pickups with rust under the drop-in liner. I’m pretty sure he said the pickups were about 6 years old. That’s all he had to see.

My 2 cents worth. Take it or leave it.

jmonroe

stickguy

that is a nice bed mat. should work nicely for your needs.

JM, it is a lease. rust in 6 years means nothing. Just making sure you can turn it back in without getting dinged for excess wear and tear! The mat is much more important to keep stuff from scratching the floor up, and sliding around

tjc78

Exactly. Just enough protection to avoid excess wear and tear. Probably need one of those bars to secure the cargo from sliding.

stickguy

reparked the RDX today after having it out and had the wife spot to see how close can get. Now have a mark on the wall to line up with to know when it is in far enough to clear the door. as long as I cut that close we can get around the front of the car and access the steps.

based on eyeballing on the cabinet that I think is in the center of the back wall, It seemed to be to one side of the middle and looks like enough room to park the Mav next to it (once I get the junk and exercise equipment out of that side). will either back in or pull in at a slight angle to give some space between them.

of course that will hurt my campaign to get the wife into a different car but I won't give up!