Car lovers?

Blind_Evil wrote:

There are precisely ... three things that bother me.

One is the auto start/stop. You have to disable it every time you start the car. Can’t imagine the impetus behind that decision. I found that I could pull something in the fuse box but don’t want to yet.

I hate start stop. Not saying it can't be done well, but I've not driven a car that it didn't annoy me on restart.

Third is the perception of owning and driving it. For some reason people think it’s a much more expensive car than it actually was. It cost me a little more than a new base RAV4 but the way people talk to me about it, you would think it was a Bentley.

Yeah, people just don't get you can buy slightly used luxury brands for way less than they think. My car was slightly more than half the price it was new with less than 20,000 miles on it and it being about 3 years old. People are leasing these types cars now to afford more than they could actually buy, and the people doing that probably always want to look like they have the newest stuff. Those of us just looking for deals on cool cars benefit when they come off lease. My car wasn't even a leased car, but the value was obviously affected.

The risk you take is expensive repairs. But I can do a lot of stuff myself, so figure I'll deal if it comes to that.

He said what I was thinking. "This is their ugliest car. Might as well make it hard to see".

It's also a car show stunt - BMW are not currently planning on selling that.

Yea from what I have heard that Vantablack stuff is not very durable and it breaks down quickly under direct sunlight. Still kind of neat though.

Rykin wrote:

Yea from what I have heard that Vantablack stuff is not very durable and it breaks down quickly under direct sunlight. Still kind of neat though.

I'd assume that car would REALLY absorb heat in sunlight, since it's not bouncy any of that light energy back.

MannishBoy wrote:
Rykin wrote:

Yea from what I have heard that Vantablack stuff is not very durable and it breaks down quickly under direct sunlight. Still kind of neat though.

I'd assume that car would REALLY absorb heat in sunlight, since it's not bouncy any of that light energy back.

You could probably make it last longer by putting a clear coat on it or using paint protective film.

Anyone have experience renting your car out through Turo?

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BuzzW wrote:

Also I found a new Car Problem to add to my list. There's a red light on the dashboard that says BRAKE. Now I'm assuming it's just the light to let you know the parking brake is on. The light's always on though. I reached under the dashboard and jiggled wires near the parking brake and the light went out for a few minutes but it's on again. Eh I'm probably just not going to worry about it.

I saw this thread pop up and I went reading back for fun and I forgot I posted this. Just wanted to update that I've been successfully ignoring this issue for almost two years now. The car still stops.

Interestingly, the handbrake light on my dash in my car (2017, 30k miles) had been popping on and off recently, usually under acceleration or hard turning. Turns out my brake fluid was just slightly low, causing that light to come on when it dipped temporarily under the sensor.

Something to consider.

Yeah, I had the handbrake light coming on erratically myself. Right before the brakes failed because there was a leak.

Obviously not what's happening in BuzzW's case, but definitely not something to ignore.

Yeah if I'm being more serious I should point out that I did have a mechanic buddy look at it. The manual says the light can indicate that the parking brake is on (which is not the case) or low brake fluid. But after rechecking everything and messing with the parking brake a bit we figured it might be a short in the dashboard. It's a pretty old car.

I've decided to keep the 2011 Challenger until it dies and I want to change out the head unit. I want it to be a plug-and-play experience as much as possible.

What I'm looking for:

- Good bluetooth for media and phone calls. 95% of what I listen to in my car is podcasts. This is real important. The BT in my car right now SUCKS.
- Apple CarPlay for the maps (Android is bonus but I'm currently on Apple).
- Works with existing steering wheel controls (via harness, converter, whatever).

Not as important, but I would like to add a backup camera to it if possible.

I don't mind something with top-notch sound but it is not of high importance. I don't plan on dropping in any amps or upgrading my speakers at this point.

I don't need navigation other than what I would get from CarPlay.

I don’t care about playing a DVD/CD.

I prefer the biggest screen possible on a double-DIN deck.

I don't care about Sirius or XM or any paid service.

If CarPlay is something that requires software upgrades, I will want to be able to do that.

I haven't done any research, yet, except a quick search on the Challenger forums. I did see in an old post that a guy said a lot of double-DIN decks say they won't fit but they will if I cut out some piece of plastic in the car. I don't mind doing that. Have Dremel, will travel.

So, where should I go to find a replacement head unit with CarPlay? Is Crutchfield a good starting point to find a unit and cable for the steering wheel? Is there a better place? There are lots of car stereo places here in Tulsa, but the last time I went in to one looking for the above, the quote I came out with was around $1,400. That was after I downgraded some of their suggestions.

-BEP

Crutchfield is absolutely the best place to start. Their customer service is just awesome. You can call them up, or get in a webchat with them, and they'll give you suggestions and answer all your questions. I've only used them a couple times, but I've always been amazed by their service.

I may or may not have done some donuts before parking when I got to work...
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Serengeti wrote:

Crutchfield is absolutely the best place to start. Their customer service is just awesome. You can call them up, or get in a webchat with them, and they'll give you suggestions and answer all your questions. I've only used them a couple times, but I've always been amazed by their service.

I second this right here. I have used them for years. Their guides (if you are a DIY type of guy) are great and they are really good about including all the various adapters and stuff you need to make the install as easy as possible. When I bought new car speakers last year they automatically recommended adding the adapters that would plug-in to the factory cable to adapt them for use with the aftermarket speakers I had selected.

r013nt0 wrote:

I may or may not have done some donuts before parking when I got to work...

We would have been disappointed had you not. Three thumbs up.

Serengeti wrote:

Crutchfield is absolutely the best place to start. Their customer service is just awesome. You can call them up, or get in a webchat with them, and they'll give you suggestions and answer all your questions. I've only used them a couple times, but I've always been amazed by their service.

Rykin wrote:

I second this right here. I have used them for years. Their guides (if you are a DIY type of guy) are great and they are really good about including all the various adapters and stuff you need to make the install as easy as possible. When I bought new car speakers last year they automatically recommended adding the adapters that would plug-in to the factory cable to adapt them for use with the aftermarket speakers I had selected.

Great. Thanks.

-BEP

+1 for Crutchfield. Not the cheapest, but top notch support. They will also ship you extra parts right away if something is missed. This happened about 8 or so years ago when I needed a mounting plate for speakers they sold me. Since I'm in VA, I get overnight shipping on everything, but not sure what it's like for anyone else.

r013nt0 wrote:

I may or may not have done some donuts before parking when I got to work...

10/10 - would hoon again.

I ended up replacing my 2014 Honda Civic with 170K+ miles with a 2019 Hyundai Sonata about three weeks ago.

In my dreams, I would've gotten something a little sportier, but frankly, the difference between the two cars in almost every single way is enough to make up the difference. I'm pleased. Not thrilled, but pleased.

I got rid of my '05 Element for a '18 WRX a few months back, and I'm definitely on the thrilled side of that equation. Night and freaking day.

Amusingly, the only modification that was done to it was replacing a piece of trim on the trunk with one from an STI, so it confuses Suby-heads.

Absolutely on the NOT thrilled side of car changes. Got rid of my manual '06 Subaru Impreza 2.5i Wagon for a 2019 Honda Odyssey... at least it has paddle shifters and a fully manual shift mode, except there are so many gears (9), it's kinda a pain. Lots of automated stuff too, and Android Auto, but I'm not a fan of touch interfaces in cars.

I went from a 2014 STi Hatchback (totaled by a drunk driver on my way home from work... at 6pm) to a 2015 Mustang GT w/ PP, to my MX-5 RF.

I miss the STi a lot. Was irreplaceable since that was the last year of the hatch. I'd probably have it back if I could. That said, I love the Miata and whenever I get around to tossing a turbo in it I'll probably be incredibly pleased.

ugh, stupid people that think 4 beers after work on your way home is not a problem. Knew of a guy who did this routinely and drove up I-95. Sorry to hear you lost something like that to someone else's self-centered stupidity.

I sure do miss the 3rd pedal and stick. To give it perspective of how much I enjoy driving a manual, when I didn't have a car in college, I would jump on any chance someone would give me to drive a manual transmission, even an 80's Toyota truck just like the one in Toy Story.

I drove a Hyundai that had a stick shift for a while, that wasn't very fun. But when I think of fun manual transmissions I think of my old '89 Saab 900 Turbo. What a weird fun car. Listening to the turbo whine and hiss while changing gears is an experience I'd love to relive. But the car wasn't maintained very well before I got it, and eventually I couldn't afford repairs for a classic-ish car and parts were really hard to find. We ended up selling it for probably a lot less than it was worth. Every once in a while I check bringatrailer.com and wince at what they're going for these days. Oh well.

I still have my old Saab keyfob attached to my car keys. Technically it didn't come from that car, it came with the first Saab I owned, but still.

I have a 2012 Infiniti G37x with 51k miles that I like well enough other than the gas mileage and it being pretty tight for a family of 4 (our only vehicle). It also has needed some repairs lately. Nothing major but it's only going to keep needing more. So we've been thinking of a crossover. I like the look X3 and GLC300 but don't like the price or possible maintenance costs. Have been considering others.

Had a loaner Infiniti QX60 for a few days and man I was disappointed but I'm not sure how much was the vehicle's fault. First problem is I felt blind and totally disconnected from the road. This may have been due to driving a sporty car for almost 9 years. Even with the blind spot indicators I felt like I had insufficent rear visibility even after repeatedly adjusting the mirrors. Maybe all these crossovers or anything bigger than a sedan are like that.

Hard to describe what I mean by disconnected from the road. I just felt like a big marshmallow. The acceleration and engine responsiveness seemed pitiful compared to my G.

I guess the last note is that the interior was reasonably nice but the two screens felt totally disconnected... like they didn't even use the same fonts or the same resolution and one looked glossier and had a different bezel than the other. Exterior was fine, but I'm not huge fan of the current look of Infinitis.

The X1 actually has more passenger space than the X3 and is a fun SUV to zip around in.

The mid-sized Mazda SUV's are supposedly some of the more fun ones to drive.

Also, the Hyunda/Kia 3 rows are getting rave reviews if you need one that big. For what you get for the money, they look great right now.

I considered an Audi SQ5, and almost bought one. But my daughter is 17, so we didn't have that much time that we needed to have that kind of space, so ended up with an S4 (basically the same chassis and engine, just lower and smaller).

Did like how the SQ5 drove, and it had good back seat room.

LeapingGnome wrote:

The X1 actually has more passenger space than the X3 and is a fun SUV to zip around in.

How? Only rear seat leg room looks bigger, unless the new X1 has different specs than the 2019 (comparison didn't have numbers for the 2020 X1 on this site)

https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/...

MannishBoy wrote:

The mid-sized Mazda SUV's are supposedly some of the more fun ones to drive.

I test drove a CX-9 3 years ago. It was sooooo nice. Ended up getting a Tacoma though because I needed it to tow a boat.