Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

suydam

85% for this vehicle is 260 miles. Gas is more than $4 here!

roadburner

Today I tried to have a bit of fun with a newer Mustang GT but he wasn't having it.

stickguy

suydam said:

85% for this vehicle is 260 miles. Gas is more than $4 here!

is that a real world result, so it is rated for 300 miles+?

suydam

Real world since we’ve had it. So far the numbers have been better than the ratings, something other Blazer owners have remarked on too. Ratings are 279 miles but I think it must be closer to 300.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

Farmer, that one looks pretty clean for Vermont! I’m sure the frame is nice and rotted though.

I don’t need a whale like that. Would actually prefer a frontier or canyon if going bigger. For a half ton, smaller cab and shorter bed would be the biggest I would go. The 2 door a little storage behind the seats and 6.5’ bed is still a whale but not as big a whale.

You’re better off sticking with your Maverick then. Small and mid-sized used pickups are going for near the same price as full sized. Believe me, I searched for 2 years.

oldfarmer50

suydam said:

85% for this vehicle is 260 miles. Gas is more than $4 here!

Wow! Gas near stickguy is $3.10 for RUG. What is your KWh cost for electricity? For me it’s about $.25 with a 20% increase on the horizon. That’s one of my concerns in general but especially when considering an EV.

benjaminh

stickguy said:

...Leave the RDX alone, flip the Maverick for a sports car....
first step, try out the sporty car alternatives to see if any would even work to have as a 3rd car. Maybe I should buy an old Prelude. I hear those are popular!

Since your spouse really likes her RDX this seems like a wise move. In any case, resale-wise you'd probably take a hit on the RDX at this point, while your hybrid Maverick is still probably in such high demand that you might be able to get close to what you paid for it. But it would be a shame to give up a near-perfect loaded small truck that you custom ordered. Maybe as a third car a used sporty something might work?

tjc78

@suydam said:
Real world since we’ve had it. So far the numbers have been better than the ratings, something other Blazer owners have remarked on too. Ratings are 279 miles but I think it must be closer to 300.

Our EQ hits the rated range in the warm weather … winter time. Not so much.

graphicguy

suydam said:

I’ve been only charging the Blazer at DC Fast chargers as we don’t have Level 2 yet installed at home. With EV America, charges run around $30-35 for a charge to 85%, much less than gas around here, and about 3 times more than home charging will cost. We have a bit over 1200 miles on it.

That's good to hear. IF I pull the trigger on a Chevy, it would probably be the Equinox EV. I like the way it looks and it's cheaper. But, it's also a bit smaller, which is OK.

I was just looking at my breaker box and I have plenty of space to run another breaker for 220. My garage is right above where the breaker box is in my basement. So, it would be a straight shot up a floor to do a Level 2 install.

My sister's late husband was a GM employee. So, I can still use her employee discount (I think). If not, they also offer a family discount.

Still on the fence about reliability with GM, although from what I'm reading, the Equinox seems to be better than the Blazer EV. Can't decide whether not having CarPlay would "bug" me!

Very happy yours is doing well.

Got some numbers from @Michaell and @kyfdx on an EV6 and Ionic (thanks to you both). Both smaller than the Equinox, but they seem to have what I want, and have the advantages of power and fast charging ability.

As these things go, it's going to come down to where I can strike the better deal, probably!

My son laughed at me yesterday and said "what happened to you never owning more than one car every again?"

He's got a point! LOL!

nyccarguy

@xwesx or @qbrozen

From what I understand, 2010 (1st year of that body style) was NOT a good year for the Outback, but still good for the Forester as long as the PPI checks out. This one does have a hit on the Carfax, but they had it repaired and kept it for another 2 years. As usual, I think it is priced too high.

2010 Subaru Forester

They also have this 2010 with only 64K miles listed for $9K.

graphicguy

As I get further and further into the EV rabbit hole, has anyone heard of a "VINFAST"? Saw a YouTuber mention it.

Michaell

graphicguy said:

As I get further and further into the EV rabbit hole, has anyone heard of a "VINFAST"? Saw a YouTuber mention it.

Run away. Fast. Nothing but problems.

Search Fisker Ocean, then take a turn for the worse. That’s VinFast.

Michaell

On the Equinox EV, remember that it’s a lease. It goes back after 24 or 36 months, so long term reliability ought not to be an issue.

laurasdada

Vinfast is a Vietnamese EV. Early hype, but dismal reviews. Haven't heard a thing about them in months, in fact the mention here reminded me Vinfast exists!

sda

@graphicguy said:
That's good to hear. IF I pull the trigger on a Chevy, it would probably be the Equinox EV. I like the way it looks and it's cheaper. But, it's also a bit smaller, which is OK.

I was just looking at my breaker box and I have plenty of space to run another breaker for 220. My garage is right above where the breaker box is in my basement. So, it would be a straight shot up a floor to do a Level 2 install.

My sister's late husband was a GM employee. So, I can still use her employee discount (I think). If not, they also offer a family discount.

Still on the fence about reliability with GM, although from what I'm reading, the Equinox seems to be better than the Blazer EV. Can't decide whether not having CarPlay would "bug" me!

Very happy yours is doing well.

Got some numbers from @Michaell and @kyfdx on an EV6 and Ionic (thanks to you both). Both smaller than the Equinox, but they seem to have what I want, and have the advantages of power and fast charging ability.

As these things go, it's going to come down to where I can strike the better deal, probably!

My son laughed at me yesterday and said "what happened to you never owning more than one car every again?"

He's got a point! LOL!

Are you keeping the Accord?

graphicguy

sda said:

@graphicguy said:

That's good to hear. IF I pull the trigger on a Chevy, it would probably be the Equinox EV. I like the way it looks and it's cheaper. But, it's also a bit smaller, which is OK.

I was just looking at my breaker box and I have plenty of space to run another breaker for 220. My garage is right above where the breaker box is in my basement. So, it would be a straight shot up a floor to do a Level 2 install.

My sister's late husband was a GM employee. So, I can still use her employee discount (I think). If not, they also offer a family discount.

Still on the fence about reliability with GM, although from what I'm reading, the Equinox seems to be better than the Blazer EV. Can't decide whether not having CarPlay would "bug" me!

Very happy yours is doing well.

Got some numbers from @Michaell and @kyfdx on an EV6 and Ionic (thanks to you both). Both smaller than the Equinox, but they seem to have what I want, and have the advantages of power and fast charging ability.

As these things go, it's going to come down to where I can strike the better deal, probably!

My son laughed at me yesterday and said "what happened to you never owning more than one car every again?"

He's got a point! LOL!

Are you keeping the Accord?

Yes....it's been a great car. Comfortable, handles/steers/brakes well, gets 42-44 MPG for the most part (got 48 MPG on one tank that was ALL city driving).

I will use it for road trips.

@Michaell thanks! good point about it being a lease for 2-3 years. I do like the looks of the Equinox. And, super cruise is a major draw.

@laurasdada. thanks for the info on VinFast. Never heard of them until I saw a YouTuber driving one. I had never heard of them. I didn't even know Vietnamese cars were bing imported here. Doing some research, looks like Vinfast has dealers mostly on the West Coast and a few sprinkled here and there, elsewhere. I guess the nearest to me is Indianapolis. I'm not that curious to drive there.

stickguy

GG, what’s the reason for getting the equinox? Just because you want to buy something? If you already have a car that gets great around town mileage, and you won’t use the new one for road trips, doesn’t sound like you are saving money (certainly not with a lease payment). So unless you absolutely need a wagon back, what’s the value add?

Getting a sports car or pickup truck/off road toy, that seems logical if you want to do different kind of driving!

xwesx

nyccarguy said:

@xwesx or @qbrozen

From what I understand, 2010 (1st year of that body style) was NOT a good year for the Outback, but still good for the Forester as long as the PPI checks out. This one does have a hit on the Carfax, but they had it repaired and kept it for another 2 years. As usual, I think it is priced too high.

2010 Subaru Forester

They also have this 2010 with only 64K miles listed for $9K.

As these cars demonstrate, miles aren't everything! The first one looks surprisingly fantastic on the interior. The exterior looks good, from what we can see, but the engine bay has clearly seen a lot of road salt judging by the surface corrosion on the intake and accessories. I'd be curious to see what it looks like underneath, as I'm now a believer in the "northeast factor" when it comes to Subarus! Also would want to make sure it still has good grounding straps so you don't end up with annoying electrical issues.

The second car, by the same seller, I assume, is clearly much more worn on the interior, the headlights are heavily yellowed, and I think it is rather telling that the seller didn't post any engine bay photos. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but the price seems really, really steep for that car.

graphicguy

stickguy said:

GG, what’s the reason for getting the equinox? Just because you want to buy something? If you already have a car that gets great around town mileage, and you won’t use the new one for road trips, doesn’t sound like you are saving money (certainly not with a lease payment). So unless you absolutely need a wagon back, what’s the value add?

Getting a sports car or pickup truck/off road toy, that seems logical if you want to do different kind of driving!

I know. You're right. I might just forget the whole thing.

Test drove the Equinox EV again. Same one as I drove before, only longer...about 20-25 mins. It's glitchy, for sure.

Even if you just walk by the back hatch, it beeps and then opens. I asked the sales person if there was an adjustment that can be set to have it only after a few seconds of the key fob being detected. He said "no". That's not good.

The main screen went blank while I was test driving. Not off...not in a "night mode"...just a true blue blank (or for you tech nerds, the dreaded BSOD on your old windows computers). Pulled over during the test drive hoping it would start up again. There's a button that turns the car off in the main screen, but since it went blank, you can't use it.

Finally, I got out of the car, closed the driver's door, got back in, pressed on the brake pedal, and everything came on, again. Weird.

Then, with no input, the heater came on. I didn't touch anything. But, I guess the temp sensor for the interior glitched out and turned the heater on full blast. It was 80º plus outside.

Took it on some semi rough pavement. Yep, it rattles. The big screens rattle and squeak. There was something underneath the console that rattled a lot (nothing in the console storage areas as they were all empty).

ON the positive side, the Super Cruise worked as advertised.

Needless to say, given GM's issues with first year models, let alone new technology, the Equinox is a hard pass for me.

benjaminh

Thanks @graphicguy for that report. GM seemingly has some issues to work out with its EVs. And that likely means that a Honda Prologue might suffer from the same things. Even with low lease rates that's a reason for caution.

stickguy

car and driver (or consumers reports? Something I read yesterday!) just did a comparison test with a GM model (not the equinox) and the VW id4. The VW actually rated out very well. Better range, and faster charging. Worth a look!

suydam

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparison-test/a61937794/2024-chevrolet-equinox-ev-vs-2024-volkswagen-id4/
Car and Driver. They are a similar size so a good comparison. Charging times are hard to measure in the real world because charging stations are still kind of quirky. You can have a rough idea but it’s never guaranteed.

corvette

The ID.4 has been out a few years, so they've had some time to fix any glitches that were present with the original model.

Got a VM from the last Ford dealer where I had the Maverick serviced, they can do the pending recalls (which apparently take 3+ hours for software reprogramming) as a mobile service at my house. I'm inclined to let them do it, since if they brick the car, it should be immediately obvious.

graphicguy

@benjaminh said:
Thanks @graphicguy for that report. GM seemingly has some issues to work out with its EVs. And that likely means that a Honda Prologue might suffer from the same things. Even with low lease rates that's a reason for caution.

Thinking the same. And, I do love my Honda models, but will cross Prologue off the list.

Still, there are some crazy rebates on these EVs. Dueling Hyundai and Kia stores are hot and heavy with the “have you made a decision? what will it take?”, etc. I threw out what I thought was a ridiculous offer on an EV6. They verbally accepted it. But, you never know until you get in front of them!

The Lexus store is still calling about their RZ450. I told them where I wanted to be. They said we were close, but who knows?

Some of the Kia/hyundai stores around here have scarce EV6/Ionics. Others have a decent selection.

corvette

I think you'll be happy with the EV6 or the Ioniq 5. Those seem to be at the top of their class.

28firefighter

Not a vehicle punch, but I did buy an e-bike this weekend to use to commute the 2.5 miles to the light rail station that just opened near my house. Pretty happy. Electric bike tech has really improved since the last time I rode one. AIMA Santa Monica in Black with a suspension seat post and mirror added.

graphicguy

@suydam said:
https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparison-test/a61937794/2024-chevrolet-equinox-ev-vs-2024-volkswagen-id4/
Car and Driver. They are a similar size so a good comparison. Charging times are hard to measure in the real world because charging stations are still kind of quirky. You can have a rough idea but it’s never guaranteed.

I think the Equinox EV will be formidable once GM gets the glitches worked out (and they will). It’s certainly better looking than the vast majority of EVs out there, especially at the price point.

I like the way the Kia EVs look, too! I like their performance and feature set.

Feel badly for the Lexota EV sales people. Mentioned, the Toyota store near me can barely show a Crown (assuming their least popular model). Plenty of BZ4s (I think that’s what they call them). After the recall, they are taking a while to fill the pipeline.

Pretty easy to get $19,000+ off an EV6, and short of Lucid, probably the best EV out there for that money.

Tesla folks…don’t hate on me. Just not my thing!

ab348

suydam said:

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparison-test/a61937794/2024-chevrolet-equinox-ev-vs-2024-volkswagen-id4/
Car and Driver. They are a similar size so a good comparison. Charging times are hard to measure in the real world because charging stations are still kind of quirky. You can have a rough idea but it’s never guaranteed.

A decent video comparison here btw Blazer and ID4:

https://youtu.be/22abI75vCOw?si=ZwbN-l54ZcKZ2K36

suydam

I love Alex on Autos, but that comparison seemed off to me. One’s a compact, the other midsize. Equinox and ID4 is a better comparison.

ab348

He justified it by MSRP being virtually identical. That Blazer is the one they are leasing on a bargain deal of +/- $300 /mo so it is available to them to do these kinds of comparisons. I agree it probably isn’t valid for a lot of buyers who might not have such screaming deals available to them.

corvette

JRGo was not a fan of the non-CarPlay infotainment in the Silverado EV (about 30 minutes in):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOLskgBOWyU

kyfdx

I was at the VW dealer for service, today. Never even went into the showroom.

stickguy

corvette said:

The ID.4 has been out a few years, so they've had some time to fix any glitches that were present with the original model.

Got a VM from the last Ford dealer where I had the Maverick serviced, they can do the pending recalls (which apparently take 3+ hours for software reprogramming) as a mobile service at my house. I'm inclined to let them do it, since if they brick the car, it should be immediately obvious.

the Ford dealer near me kept calling to offer that service when mine had a couple of open recalls pending. I found it odd since I didn't buy it there, and never had it serviced there. I guess they just came up as nearest dealer to me (though they weren't, and I had used the closer one with my prior Maverick). I didn't take them up on it since it needed an oil change soon so I figured to do it at the same time. Turned out to be a fiasco because they were short staffed and took until the next morning, and ended up not being able to do one set because the TCM wouldn't update so they had to order another one.

I do have a new service bulletin (not a recall, but something related to the infotainment and I am having a glitch) and I am way too busy to take it in and hang around, so will likely call and get a mobile appointment, and see what happens! I will make sure they hook up a battery tender though (I highly doubt they will though).

jmonroe1

kyfdx said:

I was at the VW dealer for service, today. Never even went into the showroom.

————————————————
Sounds like you’re aware of your self-control issue.

jmonroe

au1994

kyfdx said:

I was at the VW dealer for service, today. Never even went into the showroom.

I took the Q5 in for service yesterday as well. I behaved and sat in the lounge and worked so there was no temptation.

qbrozen

@28firefighter said:
Not a vehicle punch, but I did buy an e-bike this weekend to use to commute the 2.5 miles to the light rail station that just opened near my house. Pretty happy. Electric bike tech has really improved since the last time I rode one. AIMA Santa Monica in Black with a suspension seat post and mirror added.

Just curious: what do you do with the bike at the station?

benjaminh

The lease deals are better for a AWD EX Prologue with an msrp of $52k than for a CR-V LX AWD with an msrp of $32k.



https://automobiles.honda.com/prologue

nyccarguy

@benjaminh

For me to even consider a full EV, it would have to be heavily subsidized, heavily discounted, & a very cheap payment. Something along the lines of the Nissan that @corvette has with a $175 per month payment. In Connecticut, we pay taxes on rebates. My city will send me a property tax bill for what will amount to over $800 for the $52K sticker price of the Prologue. I know everyone has issues with "BIG OIL," but at least when you buy gas you are supporting a small business in your community as opposed to the coffers of the electric company.

Maybe as a nationally (or locally) advertised lease the CRV LX isn't a good deal, but overall for $32K you get a nice package. Turbocharged engine, AWD, all the passive & active safety stuff.

graphicguy

kyfdx said:

I was at the VW dealer for service, today. Never even went into the showroom.

Shame....shame....shame!!!!!

graphicguy

Love JRGo. Sometimes he gets into the weeds on things non automotive related (like his lake house). But, overall I like his vehicle related vids.

He spent a lot more time with the GM Google UI than I did. But, I ran into many of the same issues. I agree. It seems like they got only so far and ran out of budget. So, it was left unfinished. I also noticed that BlueTooth connection was spotty. IT seems like rebooting the system (turning the vehicle off and on again), like rebooting it, would solve those issues. But, that's a huge hassle.

Agree about CarPlay and Android Auto. Even though the UI is Google based, even if I had Android Auto, I'd be frustrated. Having come from the tech industry myself, I can see where it would be maddening the more I got used to it and tried to do most of the things I do with the tech in my vehicles.

GM's system IS NOT better than CarPlay....not by a huge margin. Whomever within GM thought it was a good idea to drop CarPlay for what looks to be a step into subscription services which they can charge for, should be fired...immediately.

Having it glitchy (as he spoke about with BluTooth) makes the problems that much worse.

Yes, the screens are nice. The UI? Half Baked, at best!!!!!!

I wonder how that affects the Honda Prologue, since it does have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?

On a separate note, it seems most of the EVs I looked at can be had at 30% off MSRP, if not more.

Interesting phone call with the Lexus sales person last night. I bought up the fact that the RX450 was out of the running because of its short range. She said the dealership would loan me an ICE vehicle if I'm ever going on a long trip for no charge.

I know the local Lexus dealership (Performance Lexus) offers service loaners at no charge. Add to that, loaners for long trips for EV customers, I have to wonder how many loaner vehicles they have in their arsenal? It has to be a bunch.

laurasdada

stickguy said:

GG, what’s the reason for getting the equinox? Just because you want to buy something? If you already have a car that gets great around town mileage, and you won’t use the new one for road trips, doesn’t sound like you are saving money (certainly not with a lease payment). So unless you absolutely need a wagon back, what’s the value add?

Getting a sports car or pickup truck/off road toy, that seems logical if you want to do different kind of driving!

Chronic. Car. Buyers...

graphicguy said:

@suydam said:
https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparison-test/a61937794/2024-chevrolet-equinox-ev-vs-2024-volkswagen-id4/

Car and Driver. They are a similar size so a good comparison. Charging times are hard to measure in the real world because charging stations are still kind of quirky. You can have a rough idea but it’s never guaranteed.

I think the Equinox EV will be formidable once GM gets the glitches worked out (and they will). It’s certainly better looking than the vast majority of EVs out there, especially at the price point.

I like the way the Kia EVs look, too! I like their performance and feature set.

Feel badly for the Lexota EV sales people. Mentioned, the Toyota store near me can barely show a Crown (assuming their least popular model). Plenty of BZ4s (I think that’s what they call them). After the recall, they are taking a while to fill the pipeline.

Pretty easy to get $19,000+ off an EV6, and short of Lucid, probably the best EV out there for that money.

Tesla folks…don’t hate on me. Just not my thing!

GG, have you looked at Lucid's website? In addition to "decent" lease rates, they're offering another $5k incentive for in-stock vehicles, effectively lowering the lease rate further (although I haven't looked at details, but that's how I see it).

graphicguy

laurasdada said:

stickguy said:

GG, what’s the reason for getting the equinox? Just because you want to buy something? If you already have a car that gets great around town mileage, and you won’t use the new one for road trips, doesn’t sound like you are saving money (certainly not with a lease payment). So unless you absolutely need a wagon back, what’s the value add?

Getting a sports car or pickup truck/off road toy, that seems logical if you want to do different kind of driving!

Chronic. Car. Buyers...

graphicguy said:

@suydam said:
https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparison-test/a61937794/2024-chevrolet-equinox-ev-vs-2024-volkswagen-id4/

Car and Driver. They are a similar size so a good comparison. Charging times are hard to measure in the real world because charging stations are still kind of quirky. You can have a rough idea but it’s never guaranteed.

I think the Equinox EV will be formidable once GM gets the glitches worked out (and they will). It’s certainly better looking than the vast majority of EVs out there, especially at the price point.

I like the way the Kia EVs look, too! I like their performance and feature set.

Feel badly for the Lexota EV sales people. Mentioned, the Toyota store near me can barely show a Crown (assuming their least popular model). Plenty of BZ4s (I think that’s what they call them). After the recall, they are taking a while to fill the pipeline.

Pretty easy to get $19,000+ off an EV6, and short of Lucid, probably the best EV out there for that money.

Tesla folks…don’t hate on me. Just not my thing!

GG, have you looked at Lucid's website? In addition to "decent" lease rates, they're offering another $5k incentive for in-stock vehicles, effectively lowering the lease rate further (although I haven't looked at details, but that's how I see it).

Thanks for the head's up. I'll give Lucid a look-see!

pensfan83

It doesn't seem like there are what I would call decent non-EV leases at the moment that don't need big loyalty incentives to be palatable.

explorerx4

GM wanted to own the data that Apple and Google were getting with the Carplay apps.

oldfarmer50

graphicguy said:

Love JRGo. Sometimes he gets into the weeds on things non automotive related (like his lake house). But, overall I like his vehicle related vids.

He spent a lot more time with the GM Google UI than I did. But, I ran into many of the same issues. I agree. It seems like they got only so far and ran out of budget. So, it was left unfinished. I also noticed that BlueTooth connection was spotty. IT seems like rebooting the system (turning the vehicle off and on again), like rebooting it, would solve those issues. But, that's a huge hassle.

Agree about CarPlay and Android Auto. Even though the UI is Google based, even if I had Android Auto, I'd be frustrated. Having come from the tech industry myself, I can see where it would be maddening the more I got used to it and tried to do most of the things I do with the tech in my vehicles.

GM's system IS NOT better than CarPlay....not by a huge margin. Whomever within GM thought it was a good idea to drop CarPlay for what looks to be a step into subscription services which they can charge for, should be fired...immediately.

Having it glitchy (as he spoke about with BluTooth) makes the problems that much worse.

Yes, the screens are nice. The UI? Half Baked, at best!!!!!!

I wonder how that affects the Honda Prologue, since it does have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?

On a separate note, it seems most of the EVs I looked at can be had at 30% off MSRP, if not more.

Interesting phone call with the Lexus sales person last night. I bought up the fact that the RX450 was out of the running because of its short range. She said the dealership would loan me an ICE vehicle if I'm ever going on a long trip for no charge.

I know the local Lexus dealership (Performance Lexus) offers service loaners at no charge. Add to that, loaners for long trips for EV customers, I have to wonder how many loaner vehicles they have in their arsenal? It has to be a bunch.

I’d have to see that promise in writing. I can imagine showing up before your trip and finding out they have no loaners left or they have discontinued that policy.

graphicguy

explorerx4 said:

GM wanted to own the data that Apple and Google were getting with the Carplay apps.

I saw an interview with GM's President (don't recall his name) on YouTube, where he stated they indeed want the data that Android Auto and CarPlay has with their car apps. He went on to say the purpose was to offer subscription services to those customers....much like ONSTAR! So, you want map data updates? You want charge port locations? You want voice texting? GM will give all that to you, for a little bit. But then, you pay. I could have lived with that. But, the glitchiness of it was not something I was willing to live with.

oldfarmer50 said:

graphicguy said:

Love JRGo. Sometimes he gets into the weeds on things non automotive related (like his lake house). But, overall I like his vehicle related vids.

He spent a lot more time with the GM Google UI than I did. But, I ran into many of the same issues. I agree. It seems like they got only so far and ran out of budget. So, it was left unfinished. I also noticed that BlueTooth connection was spotty. IT seems like rebooting the system (turning the vehicle off and on again), like rebooting it, would solve those issues. But, that's a huge hassle.

Agree about CarPlay and Android Auto. Even though the UI is Google based, even if I had Android Auto, I'd be frustrated. Having come from the tech industry myself, I can see where it would be maddening the more I got used to it and tried to do most of the things I do with the tech in my vehicles.

GM's system IS NOT better than CarPlay....not by a huge margin. Whomever within GM thought it was a good idea to drop CarPlay for what looks to be a step into subscription services which they can charge for, should be fired...immediately.

Having it glitchy (as he spoke about with BluTooth) makes the problems that much worse.

Yes, the screens are nice. The UI? Half Baked, at best!!!!!!

I wonder how that affects the Honda Prologue, since it does have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?

On a separate note, it seems most of the EVs I looked at can be had at 30% off MSRP, if not more.

Interesting phone call with the Lexus sales person last night. I bought up the fact that the RX450 was out of the running because of its short range. She said the dealership would loan me an ICE vehicle if I'm ever going on a long trip for no charge.

I know the local Lexus dealership (Performance Lexus) offers service loaners at no charge. Add to that, loaners for long trips for EV customers, I have to wonder how many loaner vehicles they have in their arsenal? It has to be a bunch.

I’d have to see that promise in writing. I can imagine showing up before your trip and finding out they have no loaners left or they have discontinued that policy.

I agree. How long does the trip have to be before you get a loaner? Who is monitoring that? What if someone is going over the lease mileage and "borrows" the loaner to keep those overage fees in check?

graphicguy

@laurasdada ...just looked at the nearest Lucid retailer. They are 2 hours away. that's a non-starter, particularly for service.

explorerx4

BMW is at it again.
Remember the kerfuffle over the heated seats subscription?
Now they are doing the same thing with the M Sport suspension.
All models where it is an option, have all the hardware.
You can pay a monthly, annual or one time charge to activate it.

28firefighter

@qbrozen - they have a bunch of individual bike lockers controlled by an app. Weather protected, etc.

graphicguy

I know I’m knee deep in EV world shopping….I research the daylights any time I plan a big purchase. Good article…

https://electrek.co/2024/09/10/ev-sales-have-not-fallen-cooled-slowed-or-slumped-stop-lying-in-headlines/

Don’t know if our friend “isellhondas” still checks in, but I know he hated the “grinders” who would come into his dealership.

I have 3 dealerships I’ve talked to who are practically begging me to come in and “grind” with them on pricing!

The more things change, the more they stay the same!