Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

ab348 · July 2024

For some reason I became fascinated with the new Mazda CX-70/90 introduced last year, I think because it was a new direction for Mazda, a much larger vehicle with new powertrains replacing their ancient 2.5L 4-banger (mostly) and 6-speed auto transmission. Most of them came with a turbo inline 6 and an 8 speed. The initial reviews from the usual suspects were glowing of course. But a year or so in, man, what a disaster. The online discussions are a litany of endless recalls, fault codes, things just not working, poor operating characteristics, and many lemon law buybacks or sales/trades at distress pricing just to get rid of it. Quite remarkable how they could release something so underdeveloped, though with so many things that were new to them, it is not totally surprising. But you don't expect that from a Japanese make. I wonder what the repercussions might be.

suydam · July 2024

I didn’t know that. I sure see a lot of them in the day care parking lot. A friend of mine is seriously considering one. For those wanting a 3-row vehicle, they seem like a good option.

andres3 · July 2024

oldfarmer50 said:

28firefighter said:
I love the style. Just want them black. And the cost to powder coat doesn’t make sense. I’ll probably keep them though in case I change my mind.

I never got the idea of black wheels. Bright wheels were suppose to make up for white walls falling out of favor I guess. Painting them black seems odd somehow. Having said that, a white car would be the best place for black wheels.

I still equate black to old cheap steel wheels, so not my favorite either, but agree, best on a white car.

ab348 · July 2024

suydam said:
I didn’t know that. I sure see a lot of them in the day care parking lot. A friend of mine is seriously considering one. For those wanting a 3-row vehicle, they seem like a good option.

Even Savagegeese, who are real Mazda fanboys, say now to stay away from it until Mazda can afford to do a refresh in a couple of years. They also said to only get one (if you must) on a 2 yr lease so you don’t get stuck with it. It finished last behind the Pilot and Grand Highlander in their comparison. The third row is so tight it’s barely useful even for little kids.

sda · July 2024

I typically like Mazdas and have had several. That's a shame because they can't afford buyer's remorse as a result of unreliable product.

pensfan83 · July 2024

Seems like maybe they focused too much on style and not enough on substance.

greg128 · July 2024

ab348 said:
For some reason I became fascinated with the new Mazda CX-70/90 introduced last year, I think because it was a new direction for Mazda, a much larger vehicle with new powertrains replacing their ancient 2.5L 4-banger (mostly) and 6-speed auto transmission. Most of them came with a turbo inline 6 and an 8 speed. The initial reviews from the usual suspects were glowing of course. But a year or so in, man, what a disaster. The online discussions are a litany of endless recalls, fault codes, things just not working, poor operating characteristics, and many lemon law buybacks or sales/trades at distress pricing just to get rid of it. Quite remarkable how they could release something so underdeveloped, though with so many things that were new to them, it is not totally surprising. But you don't expect that from a Japanese make. I wonder what the repercussions might be.

Toyota has been having similar problems with their new Twin Turbo V-6 in the Tundra. Many owners are having engine failures at low mileage. The recall covers around 100K trucks and Lexuses (Lexi?) The remedy is to provide a short block to the dealer and the resulting disassembly and reassembly of the engine components and removal of the body from the frame results in a $30,000 warranty repair bill. I have seen some YT videos of Toyota technicians complaining about the complexity of the job and the owners are not happy about their brand new $70K trucks being torn apart. A better alternative would be to provide a complete long block but it appears Toyota is cheapening out.

I saw another YT video by an owner of a late model Lexus GX 550 ( or something) who looked at a new one with the same V-6 engine and he was very disappointed with it compared to his older model. He claimed the interior materials were cheaper and the powertrain less refined compared to the V-8. He also complained of vibration at idle. He showed video of various interior details comparing his older model to the new one. The dash materials and headliner seemed like downgrades in the 2024.

It is possible that as a company that builds 12 million vehicles per year Toyota is relying too heavily on its reputation for reliability and not enough on quality control. My son's 2020 Camry hybrid with under 50K miles is starting to have tire wear and vibration problems that have been hard to pin down. However he is getting 45MPG consistently. I drove it when he first bought it and it drove well, had adequate power and the sound system was pretty good, but I was not impressed with the hard seats and the plasticky interior. I told him the reliability should be excellent and I hope that is the case in the long term.

andres3 · July 2024

greg128 said:

ab348 said:
For some reason I became fascinated with the new Mazda CX-70/90 introduced last year, I think because it was a new direction for Mazda, a much larger vehicle with new powertrains replacing their ancient 2.5L 4-banger (mostly) and 6-speed auto transmission. Most of them came with a turbo inline 6 and an 8 speed. The initial reviews from the usual suspects were glowing of course. But a year or so in, man, what a disaster. The online discussions are a litany of endless recalls, fault codes, things just not working, poor operating characteristics, and many lemon law buybacks or sales/trades at distress pricing just to get rid of it. Quite remarkable how they could release something so underdeveloped, though with so many things that were new to them, it is not totally surprising. But you don't expect that from a Japanese make. I wonder what the repercussions might be.
Toyota has been having similar problems with their new Twin Turbo V-6 in the Tundra. Many owners are having engine failures at low mileage. The recall covers around 100K trucks and Lexuses (Lexi?) The remedy is to provide a short block to the dealer and the resulting disassembly and reassembly of the engine components and removal of the body from the frame results in a $30,000 warranty repair bill. I have seen some YT videos of Toyota technicians complaining about the complexity of the job and the owners are not happy about their brand new $70K trucks being torn apart. A better alternative would be to provide a compltet long block but it appears Toyota is cheapening out.

I saw another YT video by an owner of a late model Lexus GX 550 ( or something) who looked at a new one with the same engine and he was very disappointed with it compared to his older model. He claimed the interior materials were cheaper and the powertrain less refined compared to the V-8. He also complained of vibration at idle.

It is possible that as a company that builds 12 million vehicles per year Toyota is relying too heavily on its reputation for reliability and not enough on quality control. My son's 2020 Camry hybrid with under 50K miles is starting to have tire wear and vibration problems that have been hard to pin down. However he is getting 45MPG consistently. I drove it when he first bought it and it drove well, had adequate power and the sound system was pretty good, but I was not impressed with the hard seats and the plasticky interior. I told him the reliability should be excellent and I hope that is the case in the long term.

I think part of the problem is Toyota was living on the backs of their legendary engineers of the 90's that designed things that came out in the early part of this Century. Then they used the same damn V6 for 20 years. And it's a great V6, but 20 years is a long time. Anyone that hasn't done anything in 20 years will be rusty at it again, and I suspect many of the legendary engineers are retired and sipping Margaritas on a Coastal shoreline somewhere.

suydam · July 2024

The RAV4 is a great vehicle.. Their hybrids have always been good too. Ive never cared for their interiors though. They always seem pretty bare bones.

tjc78 · July 2024

What a week!

Philly to Atlanta
Atlanta to Newark
Newark to LA
LA to Philly

I had a brand new Altima and two new loaded Malibus.

The Malibu was kinda slow but in LT trim with most goodies it was a great drive (preferred over the Altima) …I do like my sedans.

Oddly the Malibus had Bose, lane keep, leather, cooled seats but no blind spot monitors. Weird omission

xwesx · July 2024

It had no blind spots.

ab348 · July 2024

greg128 said:

Toyota has been having similar problems with their new Twin Turbo V-6 in the Tundra. Many owners are having engine failures at low mileage. The recall covers around 100K trucks and Lexuses (Lexi?) The remedy is to provide a short block to the dealer and the resulting disassembly and reassembly of the engine components and removal of the body from the frame results in a $30,000 warranty repair bill. I have seen some YT videos of Toyota technicians complaining about the complexity of the job and the owners are not happy about their brand new $70K trucks being torn apart. A better alternative would be to provide a complete long block but it appears Toyota is cheapening out.

Toyota is no stranger to expensive, elaborate recalls though, as evidenced by their long-running rusty frame replacement campaign on Tacomas. The Mazda situation seems different though. The recalls have affected all sorts of systems, from the engine and transmission to the suspension to the steering rack to many of the new advanced nanny/convenience features that they never used previously. A couple of my favorites are the emergency braking seeing a phantom ghost threat in front of the vehicle and bringing it to a full stop on the highway in traffic, and the “smart” cruise control, which reads speed limit signs via a camera, accelerating the vehicle to extralegal speeds after someone entered Canada from the US when it confused km/hr with mph. Then there were the smaller but annoying issues ranging from things like washer tank sensors flashing when the tank was full, overly heavy steering that required a small coil spring in the steering rack to be replaced, elusive shudders and vibrations that dealers cannot duplicate, any number of software patches for various things (over a dozen I’ve read about) or the vehicle shutting down unexpectedly but then restarting and running normally. I can certainly understand why owners are disillusioned. It’s a shame, as it is a handsome looking vehicle.

andres3 · July 2024

ab348 said:

greg128 said:

Toyota has been having similar problems with their new Twin Turbo V-6 in the Tundra. Many owners are having engine failures at low mileage. The recall covers around 100K trucks and Lexuses (Lexi?) The remedy is to provide a short block to the dealer and the resulting disassembly and reassembly of the engine components and removal of the body from the frame results in a $30,000 warranty repair bill. I have seen some YT videos of Toyota technicians complaining about the complexity of the job and the owners are not happy about their brand new $70K trucks being torn apart. A better alternative would be to provide a complete long block but it appears Toyota is cheapening out.
Toyota is no stranger to expensive, elaborate recalls though, as evidenced by their long-running rusty frame replacement campaign on Tacomas. The Mazda situation seems different though. The recalls have affected all sorts of systems, from the engine and transmission to the suspension to the steering rack to many of the new advanced nanny/convenience features that they never used previously. A couple of my favorites are the emergency braking seeing a phantom ghost threat in front of the vehicle and bringing it to a full stop on the highway in traffic, and the “smart” cruise control, which reads speed limit signs via a camera, accelerating the vehicle to extralegal speeds after someone entered Canada from the US when it confused km/hr with mph. Then there were the smaller but annoying issues ranging from things like washer tank sensors flashing when the tank was full, overly heavy steering that required a small coil spring in the steering rack to be replaced, elusive shudders and vibrations that dealers cannot duplicate, any number of software patches for various things (over a dozen I’ve read about) or the vehicle shutting down unexpectedly but then restarting and running normally. I can certainly understand why owners are disillusioned. It’s a shame, as it is a handsome looking vehicle.

That "smart" cruise control doesn't seem so smart to me.

nyccarguy · July 2024

@greg128 said:
Toyota has been having similar problems with their new Twin Turbo V-6 in the Tundra. Many owners are having engine failures at low mileage. The recall covers around 100K trucks and Lexuses (Lexi?) The remedy is to provide a short block to the dealer and the resulting disassembly and reassembly of the engine components and removal of the body from the frame results in a $30,000 warranty repair bill. I have seen some YT videos of Toyota technicians complaining about the complexity of the job and the owners are not happy about their brand new $70K trucks being torn apart. A better alternative would be to provide a complete long block but it appears Toyota is cheapening out.

I saw another YT video by an owner of a late model Lexus GX 550 ( or something) who looked at a new one with the same V-6 engine and he was very disappointed with it compared to his older model. He claimed the interior materials were cheaper and the powertrain less refined compared to the V-8. He also complained of vibration at idle. He showed video of various interior details comparing his older model to the new one. The dash materials and headliner seemed like downgrades in the 2024.

It is possible that as a company that builds 12 million vehicles per year Toyota is relying too heavily on its reputation for reliability and not enough on quality control. My son's 2020 Camry hybrid with under 50K miles is starting to have tire wear and vibration problems that have been hard to pin down. However he is getting 45MPG consistently. I drove it when he first bought it and it drove well, had adequate power and the sound system was pretty good, but I was not impressed with the hard seats and the plasticky interior. I told him the reliability should be excellent and I hope that is the case in the long term.

My best friend has a 2017 Lexus LX 570 that he bought as a certified used Lexus a few years ago. He’s a chronic car buyer as well and had kept it for 3 years so far. He loves the V8. He loves the solid highway ride. The overall build quality is magnificent. There are cons. His doesn’t have CarPlay. The fuel economy really is abysmal as is the highway range. For a big vehicle, it has a small gas tank. It has held its value well too.

tifighter · July 2024

Currently in Montana. Sienna is getting 37mpg. With AC blasting and going over Lookout and 4th of July passes. Not bad.

au1994 · July 2024

nyccarguy said:

@greg128 said:

Toyota has been having similar problems with their new Twin Turbo V-6 in the Tundra. Many owners are having engine failures at low mileage. The recall covers around 100K trucks and Lexuses (Lexi?) The remedy is to provide a short block to the dealer and the resulting disassembly and reassembly of the engine components and removal of the body from the frame results in a $30,000 warranty repair bill. I have seen some YT videos of Toyota technicians complaining about the complexity of the job and the owners are not happy about their brand new $70K trucks being torn apart. A better alternative would be to provide a complete long block but it appears Toyota is cheapening out.

I saw another YT video by an owner of a late model Lexus GX 550 ( or something) who looked at a new one with the same V-6 engine and he was very disappointed with it compared to his older model. He claimed the interior materials were cheaper and the powertrain less refined compared to the V-8. He also complained of vibration at idle. He showed video of various interior details comparing his older model to the new one. The dash materials and headliner seemed like downgrades in the 2024.

It is possible that as a company that builds 12 million vehicles per year Toyota is relying too heavily on its reputation for reliability and not enough on quality control. My son's 2020 Camry hybrid with under 50K miles is starting to have tire wear and vibration problems that have been hard to pin down. However he is getting 45MPG consistently. I drove it when he first bought it and it drove well, had adequate power and the sound system was pretty good, but I was not impressed with the hard seats and the plasticky interior. I told him the reliability should be excellent and I hope that is the case in the long term.

My best friend has a 2017 Lexus LX 570 that he bought as a certified used Lexus a few years ago. He’s a chronic car buyer as well and had kept it for 3 years so far. He loves the V8. He loves the solid highway ride. The overall build quality is magnificent. There are cons. His doesn’t have CarPlay. The fuel economy really is abysmal as is the highway range. For a big vehicle, it has a small gas tank. It has held its value well too.

Thats the Land Cruiser rebadge, right? I can attest to the great engine and bad mpg. I never cracked 20 on the highway with mine. It is a great cruiser (pun intended) though. I added CarPlay to mine but I would have thought by 2017 they would have added it. Especially at that price point.

qbrozen · July 2024

@tjc78 said:
What a week!

Philly to Atlanta
Atlanta to Newark
Newark to LA
LA to Philly

I had a brand new Altima and two new loaded Malibus.

The Malibu was kinda slow but in LT trim with most goodies it was a great drive (preferred over the Altima) …I do like my sedans.

Oddly the Malibus had Bose, lane keep, leather, cooled seats but no blind spot monitors. Weird omission

What the heck are you doing? Muling?

qbrozen · July 2024

@suydam said:
I’ve really been enjoying driving the Blazer EV around town. Plenty of power, handles beautifully. Still learning some of the tech, but I’m getting there. Google Assistant is great. The big screen is very nice for the Nav. map. We will take it out next weekend for a short trip (80 miles) to visit friends. Planning a longer trip mid-September to see what it’s like to charge on the road.
We will be driving cross-country mid-October to help out when our daughter has baby #2. Jury still out whether we will opt for the Kia or the Blazer. They are both good road trip vehicles and the dog will be happy in either.

Cross country in an EV? Good grief!

nyccarguy · July 2024

ab348 said:

greg128 said:

Toyota has been having similar problems with their new Twin Turbo V-6 in the Tundra. Many owners are having engine failures at low mileage. The recall covers around 100K trucks and Lexuses (Lexi?) The remedy is to provide a short block to the dealer and the resulting disassembly and reassembly of the engine components and removal of the body from the frame results in a $30,000 warranty repair bill. I have seen some YT videos of Toyota technicians complaining about the complexity of the job and the owners are not happy about their brand new $70K trucks being torn apart. A better alternative would be to provide a complete long block but it appears Toyota is cheapening out.
Toyota is no stranger to expensive, elaborate recalls though, as evidenced by their long-running rusty frame replacement campaign on Tacomas. The Mazda situation seems different though. The recalls have affected all sorts of systems, from the engine and transmission to the suspension to the steering rack to many of the new advanced nanny/convenience features that they never used previously. A couple of my favorites are the emergency braking seeing a phantom ghost threat in front of the vehicle and bringing it to a full stop on the highway in traffic, and the “smart” cruise control, which reads speed limit signs via a camera, accelerating the vehicle to extralegal speeds after someone entered Canada from the US when it confused km/hr with mph. Then there were the smaller but annoying issues ranging from things like washer tank sensors flashing when the tank was full, overly heavy steering that required a small coil spring in the steering rack to be replaced, elusive shudders and vibrations that dealers cannot duplicate, any number of software patches for various things (over a dozen I’ve read about) or the vehicle shutting down unexpectedly but then restarting and running normally. I can certainly understand why owners are disillusioned. It’s a shame, as it is a handsome looking vehicle.

Toyota is no stranger to expensive, elaborate recalls though, as evidenced by their long-running rusty frame replacement campaign on Tacomas.

I feel like no manufacturer is immune to recalls. Don't get me wrong, Having to replace entire engines is both elaborate and very expensive. I'm curious to see what it does to the resale value of the affected years. In fact, of the 3 Toyotas I've owned/leased each of them has had 2-3 recalls. The thing is that Toyota realizes there is a problem, works on a solution, then makes sure it doesn't happen again. Not to pick on Ford and upset @explorerx4 , but how many ECOBOOST F150s are out there with the cam phaser issue? Is it a problem? Yes. Will a dealer address the problem and replace the entire engine if necessary? Yes. As long as the vehicle meets certain parameters relating to oil change intervals. Some guys who do their own oil changes get the @jmonroe shaft if they don't have proper documentation and receipts.

nyccarguy · July 2024

au1994 said:

nyccarguy said:

@greg128 said:

Toyota has been having similar problems with their new Twin Turbo V-6 in the Tundra. Many owners are having engine failures at low mileage. The recall covers around 100K trucks and Lexuses (Lexi?) The remedy is to provide a short block to the dealer and the resulting disassembly and reassembly of the engine components and removal of the body from the frame results in a $30,000 warranty repair bill. I have seen some YT videos of Toyota technicians complaining about the complexity of the job and the owners are not happy about their brand new $70K trucks being torn apart. A better alternative would be to provide a complete long block but it appears Toyota is cheapening out.

I saw another YT video by an owner of a late model Lexus GX 550 ( or something) who looked at a new one with the same V-6 engine and he was very disappointed with it compared to his older model. He claimed the interior materials were cheaper and the powertrain less refined compared to the V-8. He also complained of vibration at idle. He showed video of various interior details comparing his older model to the new one. The dash materials and headliner seemed like downgrades in the 2024.

It is possible that as a company that builds 12 million vehicles per year Toyota is relying too heavily on its reputation for reliability and not enough on quality control. My son's 2020 Camry hybrid with under 50K miles is starting to have tire wear and vibration problems that have been hard to pin down. However he is getting 45MPG consistently. I drove it when he first bought it and it drove well, had adequate power and the sound system was pretty good, but I was not impressed with the hard seats and the plasticky interior. I told him the reliability should be excellent and I hope that is the case in the long term.

My best friend has a 2017 Lexus LX 570 that he bought as a certified used Lexus a few years ago. He’s a chronic car buyer as well and had kept it for 3 years so far. He loves the V8. He loves the solid highway ride. The overall build quality is magnificent. There are cons. His doesn’t have CarPlay. The fuel economy really is abysmal as is the highway range. For a big vehicle, it has a small gas tank. It has held its value well too.

Thats the Land Cruiser rebadge, right? I can attest to the great engine and bad mpg. I never cracked 20 on the highway with mine. It is a great cruiser (pun intended) though. I added CarPlay to mine but I would have thought by 2017 they would have added it. Especially at that price point.

Yes. The Land Cruiser with the Lexus Body & Badges. Pre-Predator Grill. He was shopping for a Land Cruiser when his Raptor was in the shop for Cam Phaser issue. Despite a higher original MSRP, a Lexus of similar year & mileage was significantly cheaper than a similar Land Cruiser. He drove it from CT to FL a few times before he moved to FL and barely got 300 miles to a tank.

tjc78 · July 2024

@qbrozen said:

@tjc78 said:
What a week!

Philly to Atlanta
Atlanta to Newark
Newark to LA
LA to Philly

I had a brand new Altima and two new loaded Malibus.

The Malibu was kinda slow but in LT trim with most goodies it was a great drive (preferred over the Altima) …I do like my sedans.

Oddly the Malibus had Bose, lane keep, leather, cooled seats but no blind spot monitors. Weird omission

What the heck are you doing? Muling?

LOL
I had a site visit and a new member of my team to meet in Atlanta.

A staff meeting in NY at one of our DCs

A site visit in Costa Mesa CA

Not the way I’d normally do it but my wife is away next week so I had to cram it all in one week.

jmonroe1 · July 2024

qbrozen said:

@suydam said:

I’ve really been enjoying driving the Blazer EV around town. Plenty of power, handles beautifully. Still learning some of the tech, but I’m getting there. Google Assistant is great. The big screen is very nice for the Nav. map. We will take it out next weekend for a short trip (80 miles) to visit friends. Planning a longer trip mid-September to see what it’s like to charge on the road.

We will be driving cross-country mid-October to help out when our daughter has baby #2. Jury still out whether we will opt for the Kia or the Blazer. They are both good road trip vehicles and the dog will be happy in either.

Cross country in an EV? Good grief!

————————————————-
The world needs another data point which could be another nail in the coffin about doing something like that.

jmonroe

Michaell · July 2024

jmonroe1 said:

qbrozen said:

@suydam said:

I’ve really been enjoying driving the Blazer EV around town. Plenty of power, handles beautifully. Still learning some of the tech, but I’m getting there. Google Assistant is great. The big screen is very nice for the Nav. map. We will take it out next weekend for a short trip (80 miles) to visit friends. Planning a longer trip mid-September to see what it’s like to charge on the road.

We will be driving cross-country mid-October to help out when our daughter has baby #2. Jury still out whether we will opt for the Kia or the Blazer. They are both good road trip vehicles and the dog will be happy in either.

Cross country in an EV? Good grief!

————————————————-
The world needs another data point which could be another nail in the coffin about doing something like that.

jmonroe

It can be done - just needs a bit more planning, and patience.

I've watched a number of YT videos of folks making long distance road trips in an EV. Do they travel as far as an ICE car in a day? Probably not. But, they are spending far less on "fuel" - especially since many EVs have free charging as part of their programs.

Sometimes, it's about the journey, not the destination.

tjc78 · July 2024

Sometimes, it's about the journey, not the destination

You just made Steven Tyler proud

mjfloyd1 · July 2024

When I had a V8 Land Cruiser I often joked that it could pass anything except a gas station

oldfarmer50 · July 2024

Boy, if you think today’s pickup prices are high, you can’t even get a break on the old ones:

$70,000
https://www.mecum.com/lots/1119086/1986-chevrolet-c10-silverado-pickup/?aa_id=584843-0

suydam · July 2024

“It can be done - just needs a bit more planning, and patience.

I've watched a number of YT videos of folks making long distance road trips in an EV. Do they travel as far as an ICE car in a day? Probably not. But, they are spending far less on "fuel" - especially since many EVs have free charging as part of their programs.

Sometimes, it's about the journey, not the destination.”

We are older and don’t drive as far in a day as we used to. We are planning to visit people and see sights along the way. Taking a couple of long day trips in September and early October should give us an idea. The Blazer is such a great road trip car, but if we don’t feel comfortable doing that yet we will take the Kia.

Michaell · July 2024

suydam said:
“It can be done - just needs a bit more planning, and patience.

I've watched a number of YT videos of folks making long distance road trips in an EV. Do they travel as far as an ICE car in a day? Probably not. But, they are spending far less on "fuel" - especially since many EVs have free charging as part of their programs.

Sometimes, it's about the journey, not the destination.”

We are older and don’t drive as far in a day as we used to. We are planning to visit people and see sights along the way. Taking a couple of long day trips in September and early October should give us an idea. The Blazer is such a great road trip car, but if we don’t feel comfortable doing that yet we will take the Kia.

Personally, I'd take the Kia. Get the best of both worlds - gas for the long distances (and if you can't find a charger), and EV mode for the around town stuff.

ab348 · July 2024

suydam said:

We are older and don’t drive as far in a day as we used to. We are planning to visit people and see sights along the way. Taking a couple of long day trips in September and early October should give us an idea. The Blazer is such a great road trip car, but if we don’t feel comfortable doing that yet we will take the Kia.

I watched a YT review of the Blazer EV and it appears to be a capable vehicle. The one I saw reviewed had a retina-searing orangey-red and black interior which seemed nice although I wondered what motivated GM to choose such a color. I like interiors other than coal-mine black but that seemed to go too far the other way for me. I remain confused by the seemingly slight differences (other than price) between the Blazer and Equinox EVs since they are very similar in size. Even with the gas version I never quite got the point of the Blazer.

nyccarguy · July 2024

@andres3 - you left out the most important detail about your new (to you) X3 ///M40i purchase. How many keys did it come with?

oldfarmer50 · July 2024

Even I could afford this:

$37,000 Leased to President Eisenhower.
https://www.mecum.com/lots/1123412/1957-lincoln-continental-mark-ii/?aa_id=609729-0

I saw one just like this a few years ago at the Saratoga auction and always wanted one.

nyccarguy · July 2024

@suydam said:
“It can be done - just needs a bit more planning, and patience.

I've watched a number of YT videos of folks making long distance road trips in an EV. Do they travel as far as an ICE car in a day? Probably not. But, they are spending far less on "fuel" - especially since many EVs have free charging as part of their programs.

Sometimes, it's about the journey, not the destination.”

We are older and don’t drive as far in a day as we used to. We are planning to visit people and see sights along the way. Taking a couple of long day trips in September and early October should give us an idea. The Blazer is such a great road trip car, but if we don’t feel comfortable doing that yet we will take the Kia.

I’ve watched numerous Facebook reels that tell me I can renovate my master bathroom myself without. That doesn’t mean I’m going to do it.

jmonroe1 · July 2024

oldfarmer50 said:
Boy, if you think today’s pickup prices are high, you can’t even get a break on the old ones:

$70,000
https://www.mecum.com/lots/1119086/1986-chevrolet-c10-silverado-pickup/?aa_id=584843-0

————————————————
Do you think you could get a magnet to stick to many of those body panels?

jmonroe

jmonroe1 · July 2024

Michaell said:

jmonroe1 said:

qbrozen said:

@suydam said:

I’ve really been enjoying driving the Blazer EV around town. Plenty of power, handles beautifully. Still learning some of the tech, but I’m getting there. Google Assistant is great. The big screen is very nice for the Nav. map. We will take it out next weekend for a short trip (80 miles) to visit friends. Planning a longer trip mid-September to see what it’s like to charge on the road.

We will be driving cross-country mid-October to help out when our daughter has baby #2. Jury still out whether we will opt for the Kia or the Blazer. They are both good road trip vehicles and the dog will be happy in either.

Cross country in an EV? Good grief!

————————————————-
The world needs another data point which could be another nail in the coffin about doing something like that.

jmonroe

It can be done - just needs a bit more planning, and patience.

I've watched a number of YT videos of folks making long distance road trips in an EV. Do they travel as far as an ICE car in a day? Probably not. But, they are spending far less on "fuel" - especially since many EVs have free charging as part of their programs.

Sometimes, it's about the journey, not the destination.
————————————————
I believe you. I’ve had many journeys in my day now it’s all about the destination.

I wouldn’t even think about driving to Myrtle Beach anymore. Total of at least 12 hours road time and 10 hours driving time broken up by a one night stay at a motel then getting up early to get to the beach by noon. Contrast that with an hour and 20 minute flight. Those roads will never see me again.

For me it’s all about convenience now a days.

jmonroe

xwesx · July 2024

oldfarmer50 said:
Boy, if you think today’s pickup prices are high, you can’t even get a break on the old ones:

$70,000
https://www.mecum.com/lots/1119086/1986-chevrolet-c10-silverado-pickup/?aa_id=584843-0

Ew, and it isn't even a real one.

corvette · July 2024

@greg128 - has Toyota announced what the official repair will be on the recalled vehicles? I can't imagine any manufacturer not trying to cheap out and just tell dealers "inspect for manufacturing debris" or run a UOA or something prior to replacing all those components.

xwesx · July 2024

jmonroe1 said:
I believe you. I’ve had many journeys in my day now it’s all about the destination.

I wouldn’t even think about driving to Myrtle Beach anymore. Total of at least 12 hours road time and 10 hours driving time broken up by a one night stay at a motel then getting up early to get to the beach by noon. Contrast that with an hour and 20 minute flight. Those roads will never see me again.

For me it’s all about convenience now a days.

jmonroe

Yeah. Road trips. /shudders

jmonroe1 · July 2024

xwesx said:

jmonroe1 said:
I believe you. I’ve had many journeys in my day now it’s all about the destination.

I wouldn’t even think about driving to Myrtle Beach anymore. Total of at least 12 hours road time and 10 hours driving time broken up by a one night stay at a motel then getting up early to get to the beach by noon. Contrast that with an hour and 20 minute flight. Those roads will never see me again.

For me it’s all about convenience now a days.

jmonroe

Yeah. Road trips. /shudders

————————————————
When I think of road trips lately I can’t help but think of your trek to Ohio. Man, I don’t think I could have done that when I was at my fighting weight. How many miles/hours is that?

jmonroe

suydam · July 2024

Road trips are getting tougher as we age, no doubt. We did it two years ago when grandbaby #1 arrived. That way we could take our dog with us, had our own own car while we were there, and had the flexibility to stay as long as we liked. They actually asked us to stay 2 weeks longer than we originally planned. Back then we had the little Buick Encore, which was a little champ, but the two cars we have now are big upgrades. They have a Toyota RAV4 PHEV, so we could just take turns charging in their garage. The Blazer would have to be charged at a public station but that would work too because we don’t have to do it as often.

greg128 · July 2024

corvette said:
@greg128 - has Toyota announced what the official repair will be on the recalled vehicles? I can't imagine any manufacturer not trying to cheap out and just tell dealers "inspect for manufacturing debris" or run a UOA or something prior to replacing all those components.

As far as I know there is not a fix for the issue. They will deal with each individual failure and hope it will be a small number of vehicles. They claim the cause was "machining debris" causing main bearing failure but suspiciously it includes engines made in USA and Japan. They insist it was not an engineering defect. Only time will tell as these engines mile up.

mjfloyd1 · July 2024

@greg128 said:
As far as I know there is not a fix for the issue. They will deal with each individual failure and hope it will be a small number of vehicles. They claim the cause was "machining debris" causing main bearing failure but suspiciously it includes engines made in USA and Japan. They insist it was not an engineering defect. Only time will tell as these engines mile up.

I heard that the fix was a new short block so they have to disassemble the old motor and reuse a lot of parts. Would be way less labor to get a new long block.

mjfloyd1 · July 2024

Q7 going bye bye has been put off for a week. Located a replacement and waiting to see when it comes in before I turn in back in.

explorerx4 · July 2024

Some things are pretty much the same.

suydam · July 2024

Ummm, no. Today’s EVs aren’t slow! I prefer the drive and power to ICE engines actually.

nyccarguy · July 2024

@mjfloyd1 said:
Q7 going bye bye has been put off for a week. Located a replacement and waiting to see when it comes in before I turn in back in.

Can you share details or are you waiting for it to be completely not your problem any more.

mjfloyd1 · July 2024

Waiting for it to not be my problem anymore. Details will follow when it is done

corvette · July 2024

suydam said:
Ummm, no. Today’s EVs aren’t slow! I prefer the drive and power to ICE engines actually.

I still haven't gotten a chance to give the Ariya 100% torque, but I know it's faster than the Maverick.

xwesx · July 2024

jmonroe1 said:
When I think of road trips lately I can’t help but think of your trek to Ohio. Man, I don’t think I could have done that when I was at my fighting weight. How many miles/hours is that?

jmonroe

It varies by route. We're getting ready to leave in a smidge under three weeks (August 1), and this route, which takes us down through Oregon again, will be about 5,200 miles and, according to The Google, 87 hours of driving. My folks are all getting older, and my father isn't doing so well again (plus it is his birthday on 8/7), so we're taking the opportunity to swing through there and spend a few days with them. I want to say that the one-way trip can vary between 4,500 and 5,500 miles depending on route.

My wife and I agreed that this time we will take the Crosstrek.

oldfarmer50 · July 2024

jmonroe1 said:

oldfarmer50 said:
Boy, if you think today’s pickup prices are high, you can’t even get a break on the old ones:

$70,000
https://www.mecum.com/lots/1119086/1986-chevrolet-c10-silverado-pickup/?aa_id=584843-0
————————————————
Do you think you could get a magnet to stick to many of those body panels?

jmonroe

Watch Uncle Tony’s Garage on YT for the answer.

clm8 · July 2024

oldfarmer50 said:
Even I could afford this:

$37,000 Leased to President Eisenhower.
https://www.mecum.com/lots/1123412/1957-lincoln-continental-mark-ii/?aa_id=609729-0

I saw one just like this a few years ago at the Saratoga auction and always wanted one.

My dad had one of these when I was a teenager. I got to drive it a few times, it was a wonderful road car, not too much fun around town. I drove it 3 hours to auction at Auburn by myself, I was 16 or 17. It sold for $5200, he bought it a few years earlier for, I think $3500. This was in the mid 70's. I'd love to drive one again.

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