The Bore Car Thread Of Distuinguished Motoring Gentlemen

[TVC15]

Oh no, this wouldn’t be a Tesla. This would just be a cheapie until my Cybertruck is ready late next year.

[Mr. Gundam]

Oh no, this wouldn’t be a Tesla. This would just be a cheapie until my Cybertruck is ready late next year.

That was for Bebs. 

[Tripon]

So happy for you Bebpo. Now you can keep the S2000 on as your mistress.

I think I might need car buying advice. Is this thread for that? If I decide to move to LA and want to buy a used car, would there be any benefit in looking for one here in the Bay vs there? Trying to do some vague planning for the next few months and I want to know if I should be looking now.

LA has slightly better prices (~10%) on the used market since everyone over there has a car so there's just more reselling going on. The weather and traffic patterns are similar between both areas so I don't think there would be any difference in wear and tear under the skin.

This will help people to help you if you can answer it:

What's your budget to spend?

What can you do on your own? (i.e. oil changes, etc.)

Do you just want a car that takes you A to B, or want a luxury car/sports car?

Daily driver type or weekend warrior?

Speaking personally, if you can spend a little bit, reliability is your concern, plus you want a luxury car, and don't a hybrid, I'd buy a used Lexus with somewhat high miles. This 2009 Lexus LS is only $16 before taxes and fees. Even at 102K miles, it'll last another 150K miles with regular maintenance.

https://www.carmax.com/car/18552290

[Bebpo]

My wife does not work in the insurance wing of the company, but she works for a large multinational insurance company that often moonlights as a crime fighting Australian bird. With that out of the way...

“Whatever you do, don’t buy a Tesla. Insurance rates are insane because they are basically cost prohibitive to repair.”

I'll find out tomorrow when I call my Insurance to add it, but I'm already paying pretty damn high for my S2K. It's an old ass 11 year old car and I pay ~$1,100 /yr for insurance.

[Bebpo]

Quick google search says in CA average insurance is between $1,900-$2,500.
Definitely pricey if that’s the case, though not too insane.

[Momo]

I'd do just about anything to own even a replica of the R5

[Bebpo]

My wife does not work in the insurance wing of the company, but she works for a large multinational insurance company that often moonlights as a crime fighting Australian bird. With that out of the way...

“Whatever you do, don’t buy a Tesla. Insurance rates are insane because they are basically cost prohibitive to repair.”

So unless they change stuff, this wasn't bad. Went from $1,200 (I thought it was $1,100) with my current car to $2,400 for both cars, so basically $1,200 for the Tesla which is the same as I'm already paying.

[bork]

$2400 for one driver?

[Bebpo]

I have 4 drivers on my insurance. Our family all has each other on.

Also you're not in CA, right? CA has the highest rates I think.

[Tripon]

CA rates are stupidly high. They also place rates on zip code, so if you live in the poor part of town, you are more likely to pay more in insurance, vs a higher Income area

[team filler]

bebs spends more on car insurance than my entire life for a year

[nachobro]

wow my insurance is 1/4 that for two cars, but only two drivers. living in a poor state is ok sometimes.

[Bebpo]

Don't even get me started on property taxes, home insurance, etc...
CA is a nice place to live, but lol is it expensive.

[nachobro]

also helps that my cars are a lot lower end. i've only got a scion xb and a jetta

[Tripon]

I think I paid around $1100 this year for car insurance for a Kia Niro. And from what I understand, that's on the low end.

[Tripon]

[Bebpo]

So I've been driving the Model 3 around and learning all the features and I gotta say it's pretty fun. Feels like a new videogame toy with all the tech stuff.

I thought I'd never use any of the auto-driving assist stuff because I don't trust that shit and I like the feel of driving.
4 days later and I'm in cruise control all the time driving around without hitting gas or brake and just adjusting speed and follow distance with my controller as a go
Not really pressing the brake at all around town and using auto-regeneration braking to pretty much brake
Starting to use the autosteering to steer in the lines in conjunction with the cruise control and basically drive itself though I don't reaaaally trust the autosteering yet and it's a little weird so I grab back control whenever it starts to do anything even slightly odd
Recording 360 degree dashcam footage onto my USB when driving and in sentry mode
Dictacting text messages and sending them through the console and having it read text messages that come in
shouting OPEN GLOVEBOX and not getting over watching the glove box pop open
Heating the seats a little at night (never had heated seats before)
Setting driver position so when I park the car automatically moves the seat and wheel to get out and then when I get in it puts it back in place
Having my home location saved so when I get within 20 feet for my garage the side mirrors fold in and make it easier to park, then they unfold when I've backed out and start to drive away

Technology is very much growing on me.


That being said...
It's  having your car be like your phone OS where it's constantly glitching out and you have to soft reset it. So far in 4 days here's all the glitches I've run into. Resetting the OS (takes about 20 seconds) has fully fixed it each time.

-Got in car first night and rear view camera was just a black screen with no image.
-New Feb update added ability to text, half the time I go to my contacts the text icon that lets you text isn't there, only call & address navigation. Had this happen about 3 times so far. Definitely seems like the new feature needs more patching.
-Last night I pulled up my contacts and it was blank and they had all disappeared.
-This morning I went to unplug the charge plug and it wouldn't unplug so I couldn't drive away. I pressed the button on the plug which is supposed to make the light blue for safe unplug but it didn't. I googled and it said use the app or car OS to "unlock charge port" and pressing that turned it blue and I could pull it out.
-I use my phone Tesla app to unlock my car as a key and about 2 times so far it hasn't worked and I've had to use the actual key to open it.

So yeah, that's all fairly minor stuff and a 20 second reset of the OS fixes, but it's pretty obvious that the OS is glaringly still a work in progress and as buggy as an early iOS/Android OS needs a lot of patching as the upgraded features keep getting added.

Now with an OS as glitchy as that, would you trust it to drive you car fully? I still don't think that's a good idea, but I'm warming up to the idea of buying the full navigation add-on and letting it drive while having my hands on the wheel and paying full attention to grab control back at any moment. Not gonna be one of those dumbasses who are taking naps or playing videogames or watching movies and get killed.

[nachobro]

this is the first winter i've had heated seats and holy shit they are amazing. that and ios carplay are about as fancy as my car gets but i've been loving them very much

[bork]

Friend of mine got a Tesla Model X.  That shit is terrifying to ride in with the turbo boost and auto-drive on- I made him drive manually.

[bork]

this is the first winter i've had heated seats and holy shit they are amazing. that and ios carplay are about as fancy as my car gets but i've been loving them very much

Love having heated seats

[Bebpo]

Going back to my S2K and driving it for a few days, the biggest downside I notice from the Model 3 is the acceleration. Accelerating with the S2K feels...slowwwww now. Model 3's acceleration in the dual motor version is pretty insane when you kick it down on a freeway on-ramp. Feels exactly like those rollercoaster rides that shoot off at the start like The Mummy or Incredicoaster. And mine's only 0-60 in 4.4. You can buy a $2,000 upgrade to lower it to 3.9 and the performance model is like 3.6 which is insane. I see the upcoming Tesla roadster is gonna do 0-60 in 2.2 seconds which uhhhhhhhhhh, I can't even imagine the g-force of that. Pretty nuts how fast these Tesla motors boost. Very fun!

[nachobro]

Yeah electric car acceleration is really amazing. I test drove a Chevy Volt and even that had a super fast acceleration, especially in sport mode. Top speed of course doesn't quite match up to a Tesla but I was still really impressed.

[Tripon]

https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/hyundai-elantra-hybrid-design-tech/

[Bebpo]

Sooo, it was a nice day out and I thought once I got my work done I'd take my S2K out with the top down for a drive and get some nice sun, and...it won't start.

Been driving it like once a week to keep the battery going, but the history is that it's had severe electrical issues since I've had it that no mechanic, even an S2K experts shop have ever truly figured out what the root is. I've been through about 3-4 batteries and replaced the starter 2-3 years ago and each thing seems to fix it for about 1 year and then the car starts having issues starting.

The starter issue was getting bad again which is what prompted me to get my Tesla so I'd have a reliable DD.

This is what happens when I try to start it, the lights are fine and power on the inside is fine but it just won't catch the engine and start.




I'm thinking I should probably unscrew and pull the battery out and take it to an auto shop and have them check it. If it's low/dead can get a replacement and put it back in and see if it works. Otherwise would need to have a tow truck tow it out of my garage and idk how the hell you even do that since the tow hook stuff is in the front and the front is facing my garage wall and there's no room in the alley behind it to have a truck to pull it.

I feel like you'd need to put it in neutral and get a bunch of people to physically push and roll the car out of the garage into the middle of the alleyway and then tow it.

So hopefully replacing the battery will at least get it to start and fix the electrical starting issue for a few months/year or two. Will see.

[Bebpo]

My dad lent me a car battery charger and charged all day yesterday and it seems good now. Looks like it was just the battery. Hopefully lasts a while, but overall good news. Went for a nice drive today by the ocean and through some park/type areas. Was nice smelling the water/sand/dirt/grass/trees coming from being couped up.

[Akala]

it seems like you could probably move an s2000 a little on concrete by yourself, definitely if the tow driver helped.

if there are chronic battery issues why not back in?

[Bebpo]

Because there is only one thing with cars I am worse at than parallel parking (which I'm actually ok at as long as it's not a super tight spot) and that's backing into spaces!  :'(

[G The Resurrected]

I was thinking about looking at getting a car now while this slump is putting the hurt on a lot of car companies. Jokes on me though since most are shut down, the cars on the lots aren't seeing any major incentives or discounts just extended predatory loans. I was hoping to use a 60 month offer which I secured with a credit union at 1.7%, but now that doesn't seem to be possible. I've never bought a new car, and am strictly looking at 2019 RAV4 Limited models.

Does anyone got any tips on what I should be shooting for or how I can get the best offer possible with a dealership? A lot of the dealerships are just straight up assholes when I tell them I'm not willing to use them to finance the vehicle through them. I'm just looking for the best offer for me that will help me get a new/ish car. My 2002 Lexus RX300 is robbing my wallet each time something needs fixing, thanks no less to Toyota shutting down their international parts supply.

[Tripon]

I was thinking about looking at getting a car now while this slump is putting the hurt on a lot of car companies. Jokes on me though since most are shut down, the cars on the lots aren't seeing any major incentives or discounts just extended predatory loans. I was hoping to use a 60 month offer which I secured with a credit union at 1.7%, but now that doesn't seem to be possible. I've never bought a new car, and am strictly looking at 2019 RAV4 Limited models.

Does anyone got any tips on what I should be shooting for or how I can get the best offer possible with a dealership? A lot of the dealerships are just straight up assholes when I tell them I'm not willing to use them to finance the vehicle through them. I'm just looking for the best offer for me that will help me get a new/ish car. My 2002 Lexus RX300 is robbing my wallet each time something needs fixing, thanks no less to Toyota shutting down their international parts supply.

Is there a reason why you're targeting the 2019 RAV4? The 2020's should be in stock? Unfortunately, you picked one of the most popular cars in one of its most popular trims. I don't know what you were getting offers of, you could try using a car matching service like Truecar.com or Costco's car buying service. With Truecar, you'll get multiple offers and you can match them against each other for the best deal.

There's two main types of car sellers on the dealership, the department selling directly on the lot, and the department that deals with internet/volume sales. Guys on the lot have to get as much profit as possible per car, while internet/volume guys need to worry more making sure they sell the numbers to reach the manufacturer incentives. Most dealerships have to meet a quota so they can qualify for a manufacturer incentive that will give them a discount on all cars they can order. So some dealers will play ball and give you a discount if it means they can make a sale that helps their overall number.

Anyway, if you want the RAV 4 specifically, I think you just have to eat the buyers premium that car has. if you want a nice used car without getting screwed, I'd suggest checking the local CarMax or look online and see a used RAV 4 or used Lexus SUV is something you don't mind paying for. If anything, you can get a trade in value at Carmax so if you're going to trade in your car as well, at least you know your floor and the dealership you do go to can't undercut that.

I tried to search Carmax a bit and they seemed and most of the locations seemed to be shutdown too, so it depends on what you can do. Maybe it'll get better if you can wait a month or two.

[brawndolicious]

My dad lent me a car battery charger and charged all day yesterday and it seems good now. Looks like it was just the battery. Hopefully lasts a while, but overall good news. Went for a nice drive today by the ocean and through some park/type areas. Was nice smelling the water/sand/dirt/grass/trees coming from being couped up.

Ragnarok043 seems to have a good method for diagnosing a parasitic drain:
https://www.s2ki.com/forums/s2000-under-hood-22/parasitic-battery-drain-1179515/

I was thinking the only culprit could be something is causing it to short-circuit and discharge slowly when you aren't driving it. If you're lucky, you just got a couple dud fuses.

I was thinking about looking at getting a car now while this slump is putting the hurt on a lot of car companies. Jokes on me though since most are shut down, the cars on the lots aren't seeing any major incentives or discounts just extended predatory loans. I was hoping to use a 60 month offer which I secured with a credit union at 1.7%, but now that doesn't seem to be possible. I've never bought a new car, and am strictly looking at 2019 RAV4 Limited models.

Does anyone got any tips on what I should be shooting for or how I can get the best offer possible with a dealership? A lot of the dealerships are just straight up assholes when I tell them I'm not willing to use them to finance the vehicle through them. I'm just looking for the best offer for me that will help me get a new/ish car. My 2002 Lexus RX300 is robbing my wallet each time something needs fixing, thanks no less to Toyota shutting down their international parts supply.

Crossovers, especially Japanese crossovers, are really hard to get a deal on these days. You might want to try the Hyundai dealership in Gilroy, my brother got a really good deal on a Santa Fe last year. Sedans and hatchbacks often have decent discounts but everyone wants an SUV now.

[Akala]

Because there is only one thing with cars I am worse at than parallel parking (which I'm actually ok at as long as it's not a super tight spot) and that's backing into spaces!  :'(

It's a good skill to have! Practice in your new one using the backup camera and mirrors, total easy mode but will get you the technique. Try to get it with just the mirrors and that will translate to older cars.

[nachobro]

i was never great at backparking but with the cameras on new cars it's pretty easy now

[bork]

i was never great at backparking but with the cameras on new cars it's pretty easy now

This, plus having hatchback-style cars makes it even easier for me.

[Tripon]

It’s all change for the next Toyota GT86. The coupe will be much more powerful, use a turbocharged engine, and won’t even be called GT86 - in line with the Japanese’s company’s more recent performance cars, it’s expected to adopt the mantle ‘GR86’.

Key details for the car have been divulged via a presentation slide and other details purportedly leaked from a dealer conference, as posted on GR86.org. According to this new information, we’re looking at an output of 256bhp (260hp) from a 2.4-litre boxer engine.

As with the current GT86, that engine will be supplied by Subaru, which will make its own BRZ-badged version of the GR86. That matches the output of the recently developed 2.4-litre ‘FA24’ found in the Ascent, an engine we’re anticipating to be the starting point for a 400bhp boxer designed for the next WRX STI.

Never thought I see the day where Toyota embraces a turbo engine.

[Momo]

[Tripon]

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a32613857/2021-kia-optima-k5-name/?utm_campaign=socialflowTWCD&src=socialflowTW&utm_medium=social-media&utm_source=twitter




Kia trying to upscale the K5/Optima.

[Tripon]

Trying to create a sub for heated seats. Fuck you BMW. 

I'm all too aware that connected cars aren't a popular topic around these parts, and that's unlikely to change with today's news. BMW is planning to move some features of its new cars to a subscription model, something it announced on Wednesday during a briefing for the press on the company's digital plans.
It's not an entirely new idea to the auto industry—Tesla has pioneered the idea of shipping vehicles with hardware that can be enabled at the time of purchase or later on for a fee. And BMW has done something similar in the past with infotainment features; for a while, if you wanted access to Apple CarPlay, you had to pay an $80 yearly subscription until the automaker abandoned that idea.

But those were for digital services—now the Bavarian carmaker has plans to apply that model to features like heated seats. BMW says that owners can "benefit in advance from the opportunity to try out the products for a trial period of one month, after which they can book the respective service for one or three years." The company also says that it could allow the second owner of a BMW to activate features that the original purchaser declined.

In fact, BMW has already started implementing this idea in some markets, allowing software unlocking of features like adaptive cruise control or high-beam assist (in the United States, those options are usually standard equipment). Other features are more whimsical, like having a Hans Zimmer-designed sound package for your electric BMW or adaptive suspension for your M-car. Indeed, the company says that its forthcoming iNext will "expand the opportunities for personalization." I'm sure y'all can't wait.

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2020/07/heated-seats-as-a-service-bmw-wants-to-sell-car-features-on-demand/

[Tripon]

BTW, if you're in the car market. You might get a deal on a new car. Used cars prices are the highest I seen on average since the height of the last recession in 09-10.

[G The Resurrected]

I’m still in the market, but moved on from a 19’ Rav 4 to a 21’ Rav 4 Prime, which doesn’t look to be shipping in 2020 now.... I was thinking about looking elsewhere but nothing is really matching the value. I could care less about resale, that tax credit is yummy in a shit year like this year. The only other offering is the Ford Escape. It has the edge on tech, but it’s reliability is questionable and it’s fit and finish seems to be an issue. I’m starting to rethink the plug in idea and am looking at the 21’ Venza (aka The harrier or the baby Lexus RX with a Toyota badge.) Dealers are still shit, and they are smart enough to work with competing dealerships....

I got my down payment, loan, and a trade in. I’m ready, it’s just not happening for me just yet.

[T-Short]

It’s all change for the next Toyota GT86. The coupe will be much more powerful, use a turbocharged engine, and won’t even be called GT86 - in line with the Japanese’s company’s more recent performance cars, it’s expected to adopt the mantle ‘GR86’.

Key details for the car have been divulged via a presentation slide and other details purportedly leaked from a dealer conference, as posted on GR86.org. According to this new information, we’re looking at an output of 256bhp (260hp) from a 2.4-litre boxer engine.

As with the current GT86, that engine will be supplied by Subaru, which will make its own BRZ-badged version of the GR86. That matches the output of the recently developed 2.4-litre ‘FA24’ found in the Ascent, an engine we’re anticipating to be the starting point for a 400bhp boxer designed for the next WRX STI.

(Image removed from quote.)(Image removed from quote.)

Never thought I see the day where Toyota embraces a turbo engine.

Huh weird. 256bhp for a turbo 2.4 is obviously a massively conservative specific output, considering the naturally aspirated FA20 in the original BRZ/86 was already delivering 200+bhp. But I guess it's a starting point. Hopefully the low center of gravity can be retained even with the increased space demands of a turbo.

[T-Short]

Also, I still don't have a car after selling my BRZ two years ago, but I work for a car company now, sell your Teslas bois 

[G The Resurrected]

Congrats on the new job Hyoushi.

I've wondered how Polestar and Lucid are differentiating themselves from Tesla in the EV market. Both seem to have different focuses, be it design or performance/reliability. I just wonder how longterm some of these brands will be at the end of the day. With so much investor money going into the EV market to compete with Tesla there are gonna be some winners and a lot of losers. Especially for those that aren't working with existing car manufactures already. I can't tell if the goal of some of these companies is to be eaten up or not, but it is interesting to see what's coming out.

I'm looking forward to checking out Lucid's facility in AZ when it gets completed. My Uncle single handedly got them to commit to building their plant in Casa Grande. Of course he's driving one of their prototypes around right now on the daily. He says its his dream car, he's a former Tesla owner (Model S, Model X) and current E-Tron nut.

Whats the riding position on the Polestar 2? Low, Neutral, or is it high (doubt it, but I've seen stranger things)

[T-Short]

Congrats on the new job Hyoushi.

I've wondered how Polestar and Lucid are differentiating themselves from Tesla in the EV market. Both seem to have different focuses, be it design or performance/reliability. I just wonder how longterm some of these brands will be at the end of the day. With so much investor money going into the EV market to compete with Tesla there are gonna be some winners and a lot of losers. Especially for those that aren't working with existing car manufactures already. I can't tell if the goal of some of these companies is to be eaten up or not, but it is interesting to see what's coming out.

I'm looking forward to checking out Lucid's facility in AZ when it gets completed. My Uncle single handedly got them to commit to building their plant in Casa Grande. Of course he's driving one of their prototypes around right now on the daily. He says its his dream car, he's a former Tesla owner (Model S, Model X) and current E-Tron nut.

Whats the riding position on the Polestar 2? Low, Neutral, or is it high (doubt it, but I've seen stranger things)

Thank you. It's just an internship for now, until the end of November, but hopefully they'll want to keep me.

As for long term prospects, well, it's super hard to tell of course. Everyone's getting into it now. Polestar has the benefit of the Geely ownership and to some extent parts and tech sharing with Volvo Cars, but next year is sort of a make or break year for the brand, I guess. But so far the interest for the 2 is promising!

The riding position is not as low as the Polestar 1 obviously, so I guess it's neutral. I'm hoping to get an actual test drive soon, we'll see!

[T-Short]

https://twitter.com/OllieKew/status/1280803621538578432