Ongoing General Automotive Thread 2.0

[Sylvanfan]

I'm not so sure Volkswagen is going to be around a whole lot longer either. They're in a bit of a dispute due to plant closures and unions. Given the Geopolitics in Europe right now all the the German manufacturers are going to have to undergo significant change to survive.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Wormius

Subaru BRZ or Toyota Supra?

I was thinking early 90's Miata

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

I was thinking early 90's Miata

Yeah, that’s possible. I remember he said he said he was tall-ish, so a convertible would help.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Sylvanfan

I'm not so sure Volkswagen is going to be around a whole lot longer either. They're in a bit of a dispute due to plant closures and unions. Given the Geopolitics in Europe right now all the the German manufacturers are going to have to undergo significant change to survive.

I will say that the German luxury brands (BMW and MB but not so sure about Audi) probably still are positioned well. China's cheap EV's may decimate regular automakers but there will always be a wealthier segment of the population that wants German prestige and luxury which is something the Chinese will never be able to rival. They have survived and triumphed with Cadillac, Japanese, and Korean brands trying to infiltrate the luxury market so I don't see the Chineses being a major hurdle.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Wormius

Yeah, that’s possible. I remember he said he said he was tall-ish, so a convertible would help.

and bald so no concerns on the salad

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by I-Hate-Hulse

Huh - funny you mention this. Just had one 2 weeks ago. I'm pretty sure it came from driving through the alley by a demolition site. So awesome to have an unplanned expenditure of $1,400 for a new set of tires. Was considered "unrepairable" by KalTire, which is a gear grinder of my own.....

Winter tires seem to be more prone to picking up nails. I seem to get one every 3/4 years, but it's directly linked to construction sites. I used to walk the alley behind my house when there was an active construction site behind me and it was shocking how many nails and bolts I'd pickup every couple of weeks. Like a handful every time - I swear the trades would sweep off flat deck trailers right into the alley.

Yeah a portable air compressor allowing you to drive somewhere to get the tire repaired is important to have on hand now. A friend had a flat and we drove the compressor to this vehicle, added air to allow him to hobble to a shop and have them repair it.

I've wondered if it would make sense to buy a neodymium magnet to attach in by the tires almost like a sacrificial anode. But I realized it was too challenging to make sure it was strong enough to pull the screw or nail away without potentially getting stuck on some other metal part of the vehicle. Plus I'd need 6 or 8 of them. 4 in front of each tire, and then 2 in the back for back up situations.

But... seems dumb to spend around $100 in magnets per vehicle where repairs are like less than $10 depending on the situation. Construction type sites maybe... but in that situation, just build a wider sweep with magnets, a 2x4 and rope to drag around for $100-200 total.

[nomad]

Looking for mechanic recommendations for my Nissan Quest minivan, preferably in central or NW Calgary. Thanks.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Wormius

Subaru BRZ or Toyota Supra?

Don't fit in either. Plus a BRZ is too slow for a cool cat like me.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Wormius

Yeah, that’s possible. I remember he said he said he was tall-ish, so a convertible would help.

Convertibles don’t help worth a ####. It just means you’re staring at the top portion of the windshield frame instead of through it.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by nomad

Looking for mechanic recommendations for my Nissan Quest minivan, preferably in central or NW Calgary. Thanks.

[photon]

New Honda Prelude coming next year, going to be a hybrid but not much more detail available yet. I like the look vs other Hondas. Just not sure the nose matches the rest of the car.

[Erick Estrada]

On one hand I'm happy they may resurrect the Prelude. On the other hand coupe's sell so poorly now that I worry that it will bomb as it's going to likely be pricey. The Integra has sold poorly so it's clear that bringing back a once beloved nameplate from the past doesn't actually matter if the vehicle itself isn't compelling at the price point.

[Ashasx]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

On one hand I'm happy they may resurrect the Prelude. On the other hand coupe's sell so poorly now that I worry that it will bomb as it's going to likely be pricey. The Integra has sold poorly so it's clear that bringing back a once beloved nameplate from the past doesn't actually matter if the vehicle itself isn't compelling at the price point.

The new Integra is an unbelievable amount of money for not a lot of vehicle.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

The new Integra is an unbelievable amount of money for not a lot of vehicle.

Yeah, I checked one out and didn't even bother with a test drive. Sat in it and thought...'you have to be kidding me'.

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Yeah, I checked one out and didn't even bother with a test drive. Sat in it and thought...'you have to be kidding me'.

They also brought back what was a two-door icon -- and let's be real, thanks to Gran Turismo 2 and onward, everyone's favourite iteration of the Acura Integra was the two-door Type-R -- as a four-door only model. Last time that happened, it was the Dodge Charger, which went on to run roughshod over everything else... at the Hertz counter.

Hopefully the Prelude does well for Honda, maybe this is them learning from their mistakes with the Integra re-launch thus far.

[Table 5]

Even the Civic that the Integra is based on is hard to justify. I remember a couple of years ago being pretty enticed by the Civic Sport Touring, as I liked the hatch and manual combo. On paper it looked like a great little city runabout. I just simply couldn't get over the $40K+ asking price for a Civic (that's not even an SI or Type R) when I remember my dad buying a Civic for like 10K in the mid 90s. I know there's inflation and you get more tech in a car today, but still, the value proposition just seems insane in comparison...today's car is not 3-4x better.

That Prelude doesn't look bad, and going hybrid is probably the smart choice. Unfortunately new cars are so pricey now that it's squeezing out the fun car option for most people. When most family/commuter cars were $20-30K, people could throw caution to the wind on a fun car...now that the average price of a new car in Canada is $66K(!), everyone has to be much more conscious of what they buy...and most will inevitably lean towards a lamer crossover that tries to be an everything car.

[you&me]

Rumours of Nissan and Honda merging... Fitting on a page heavy on Nissan and Honda talk.

[photon]

The Honda Prelude Z

[Monahammer]

Dodge not being able to produce a low cost family van anymore is, IMO, the ultimate killer for them. It was a huge part of their market share. Right now the only options under $50k for a van are Kias and Hyundais. Its ####ing bonkers that they didn't try to hang on to this market desperately. They had total dominance in it for decades.

On one hand, my extended family in Windsor is going to be up #### creek (again.)

On the other, at least my ####ing Dad can finally stop buying lemon jeeps. I have been trying to convince him to go with a lexus like me...

[Table 5]

They could've just kept on producing the previous-gen Caravan, alongside the Pacifica, for another 10 years and they'd probably be just fine. It may not have stacked up against the other vans in terms of tech/refinement etc, but it was still popular, and a hell of a value proposition compared to everything else. And not just for families...my dad used one as a work van (and weekend camper) for almost a decade without any issues. He didn't need a fancy van for hauling kids, he wanted something cheap that was still flexible...the Caravan was perfect for that.