What vehicle do you drive?

lurkingdirk · Monday at 3:20 PM

Punko said:
Have you looked at Tesla's?

On local market there are a ton, a lot with very high mileage and warrantee (so they seem reliable/worth fixing), and a good bunch with very low miles that have had their depreciation.

Haven't really considered it. I don't know why, maybe cause of all the stupid press about them and what people think of you if you own one. I don't care what people think of me, but I don't really want to have my car targeted for vandalism, either. And I'm in a relatively small town, not a lot of people service them here.

Punko · Monday at 3:26 PM

lurkingdirk said:
Haven't really considered it. I don't know why, maybe cause of all the stupid press about them and what people think of you if you own one. I don't care what people think of me, but I don't really want to have my car targeted for vandalism, either. And I'm in a relatively small town, not a lot of people service them here.

People aren't going to vandalize a random tesla. They require maintenance like once every 2 years so that shouldn't matter.

If you live in a place where you think vandalism is likely to happen, you should worry about things besides a new car?

Cad · Monday at 4:04 PM

lurkingdirk said:
Haven't really considered it. I don't know why, maybe cause of all the stupid press about them and what people think of you if you own one. I don't care what people think of me, but I don't really want to have my car targeted for vandalism, either. And I'm in a relatively small town, not a lot of people service them here.

Wherever your nearest Tesla service center is, thats where it would be serviced, if at all. My Model 3 performance is 5+ years old now and has never been for "service" of any kind. It's never been back to any service center since new. Body shop yes, service center no.

lurkingdirk · Monday at 4:35 PM

Punko said:
People aren't going to vandalize a random tesla. They require maintenance like once every 2 years so that shouldn't matter.

If you live in a place where you think vandalism is likely to happen, you should worry about things besides a new car?

I'm not worried about where I live, but I go into Chicago and other major cities a lot. That's where I'm worried. But your point is a good one.

Cad said:
Wherever your nearest Tesla service center is, thats where it would be serviced, if at all. My Model 3 performance is 5+ years old now and has never been for "service" of any kind. It's never been back to any service center since new. Body shop yes, service center no.

Nearest Tesla service centre is four hours from here. Dunno, I like cars that are more easily serviced. I know the Teslas require little to no servicing, but I'd like people on hand if it does happen.

Cad · Monday at 4:59 PM

lurkingdirk said:
I'm not worried about where I live, but I go into Chicago and other major cities a lot. That's where I'm worried. But your point is a good one.

Nearest Tesla service centre is four hours from here. Dunno, I like cars that are more easily serviced. I know the Teslas require little to no servicing, but I'd like people on hand if it does happen.

If the local service center wasn't a couple miles from me I'd feel the same.

Furry · Monday at 5:09 PM

Punko said:
One thing that is nice about Belgium is living close to the german autobahn.

My car is limited at 250km/h and it is quite easy to do that during low traffic hours.

Anyone that watches AutotopNL on youtube knows how it is I guess.

The US should consider this. Darwin would approve.

I love the autobahn. I hit 280km/h last time I was there and I remember some bmw 80s rusting shitbox lada looking car flying by me like I was parked. On that huge straightaway downhill south of Frankfurt I think.

I felt like the car was gonna fly apart and kill me at any second, great fun. Getting over 200 is pretty difficult in a lot of places with traffic.

If you ever want to experience the American autobahn, put your blinkers on on 635 in Dallas at 8pm. We don’t have speed limits either!

Maximis Velocity · Monday at 5:23 PM

Furry said:
I love the autobahn. I hit 280km/h last time I was there and I remember some bmw 80s rusting shitbox lada looking car flying by me like I was parked. On that huge straightaway downhill south of Frankfurt I think.

I felt like the car was gonna fly apart and kill me at any second, great fun. Getting over 200 is pretty difficult in a lot of places with traffic.

If you ever want to experience the American autobahn, put your blinkers on on 635 in Dallas at 8pm. We don’t have speed limits either!

especially in the 635 express tunnel after 8pm

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Brahma · Tuesday at 8:15 AM

Preference?

Burren · Tuesday at 8:34 AM

Brahma said:
Preference?

Both. At the same time.

Denamian · Tuesday at 6:17 PM

So my mom is shopping for a crossover/small SUV. Looking to keep it to $35k or less, paying cash. She doesn't drive much, as her 2013 escape hasn't hit 30k miles yet, but she just had to have the subframe repaired as it's rotting. She does some light towing, but mostly short distance rural and suburban driving.

She tested a Kona the other day, which she liked, and is going to check out a Crosstrek next. VW Taos and Honda HR-V are on the radar as well. I'm partial to the Crosstrek and Subaru offers a factory trailer hitch for it, which is a plus. When my dad had a hitch added to his Palisade by the place the dealership recommended, they royally fucked up something electrical and it took months to get fixed properly.

Just looking for Ideas to kick around.

Siliconemelons · Tuesday at 6:22 PM

Honestly… model Ys are great for that kind of use case and can be in that price range even new sometimes with the incentives.

Parents dont have to bother with oil changes or any real mantiance as the years go on, just charge at home every now and then. Gtg

Burns · Tuesday at 7:17 PM

Denamian said:
So my mom is shopping for a crossover/small SUV. Looking to keep it to $35k or less, paying cash. She doesn't drive much, as her 2013 escape hasn't hit 30k miles yet, but she just had to have the subframe repaired as it's rotting. She does some light towing, but mostly short distance rural and suburban driving.

She tested a Kona the other day, which she liked, and is going to check out a Crosstrek next. VW Taos and Honda HR-V are on the radar as well. I'm partial to the Crosstrek and Subaru offers a factory trailer hitch for it, which is a plus. When my dad had a hitch added to his Palisade by the place the dealership recommended, they royally fucked up something electrical and it took months to get fixed properly.

Just looking for Ideas to kick around.

Looks like you/they have most of top brands covered already. Going from memory of reading this thread, I think the top 3 rated makers are Honda/Acura, Hyundai, and KIA? As an added bonus, they are all competing for highest percent of the vehicle produced in the US too. Toyota/Lexus is still great (also mostly US produced vehicles), but not top anymore because of some cost cutting during/after COVID? Not sure where Subaru sits, but don't remember any negatives about them.

Also, didn't FORD start shitting the bed around 2010, trying to eke out short term gains; going from middle of the pack to squarely at the bottom? So pretty much any of those are going to be a step up from the Escape.

Burren · Tuesday at 8:30 PM

Burns said:
Looks like you/they have most of top brands them covered already. Going from memory of reading this thread, I think the top 3 rated makers are Honda/Acura, Hyundai, and KIA? As an added bonus, they are all competing for highest percent of the vehicle produced in the US too. Toyota/Lexis is still great (also mostly US produced vehicles), but not top anymore because of some cost cutting during/after COVID? Not sure where Subaru sits, but don't remember any negatives about them.

Also, didn't FORD start shitting the bed around 2010, trying to eke out short term gains; going from middle of the pack to squarely at the bottom? So pretty much any of those are going to be a step up from the Escape.

Basically, don't buy American; Ford, GM, Chrysler (now Stellantis). They are noticeably inferior to Japanese and Korean cars in quality, reliability, and fit/finish.

Axiel · Tuesday at 9:30 PM

I'm not sure where this empty headed idea that "Korean" cars are particularly reliable came from. Hyundai/Kia make a quite a few models in in Mexico, most of their engine blocks/heads/transmission cases are made there too. They cut corners every where you can't see, and nearly all burn oil by 100k miles. They're cheap for a reason.

A few models made in Mexico for US market-
2025 Hyundai Tucson
2025 Kia K4
Kia Rio / Hyundai Accent
Kia Forte / Hyundai Elantra

Chanur · Tuesday at 9:40 PM

Furry said:
I love the autobahn. I hit 280km/h last time I was there and I remember some bmw 80s rusting shitbox lada looking car flying by me like I was parked. On that huge straightaway downhill south of Frankfurt I think.

I felt like the car was gonna fly apart and kill me at any second, great fun. Getting over 200 is pretty difficult in a lot of places with traffic.

If you ever want to experience the American autobahn, put your blinkers on on 635 in Dallas at 8pm. We don’t have speed limits either!

I've done 160 MPH on the 5 freeway coming back from Fomosa raceway as a 20 year old with a friend's dad in his modified Impala SS racing my friends Trans Am. I've also done 130 heading to Pomona in my Super Charged MR2 around the same time frame. Not legal or particularly smart but we have the roads at least then.

Burns · Tuesday at 10:08 PM

Axiel said:
I'm not sure where this empty headed idea that "Korean" cars are particularly reliable came from. Hyundai/Kia make a quite a few models in in Mexico, most of their engine blocks/heads/transmission cases are made there too. They cut corners every where you can't see, and nearly all burn oil by 100k miles. They're cheap for a reason.

A few models made in Mexico for US market-
2025 Hyundai Tucson
2025 Kia K4
Kia Rio / Hyundai Accent
Kia Forte / Hyundai Elantra

I'm not in the market for a car, so just going on what I remember people in this thread have said. Here is the end of the year Consumer Reports ranking from 2024:

2025-08-12 21.01.22 www.consumerreports.org 1fd0cac0b27a.png

2025-08-12 20.55.53 www.consumerreports.org b38de5651680.png

Here is their predicted reliability only for new cars:

2025-08-12 21.05.57 www.consumerreports.org a3a0ade75536.png

Which Brands Make the Best Cars? - Consumer Reports

CR tells you which car brands make the best vehicles based on Overall Score, factoring in average road-test score, reliability, owner satisfaction, and safety.

www.consumerreports.org

Who Makes the Most Reliable New Cars? - Consumer Reports

Consumer Reports' latest car reliability survey ranks the brands, reveals how regions compare, and who makes the most reliable new cars.

www.consumerreports.org

Furry · Tuesday at 10:15 PM

Chanur said:
I've done 160 MPH on the 5 freeway coming back from Fomosa raceway as a 20 year old with a friend's dad in his modified Impala SS racing my friends Trans Am. I've also done 130 heading to Pomona in my Super Charged MR2 around the same time frame. Not legal or particularly smart but we has the roads at least then.

I've done plenty of stupid stuff, but generally my car has held me back from being tooo stupid. I had to make a blind swerve when I was a lot younger and racing someone like 120 down the highway in heavy traffic. It would have been rip bozo if my spidey sense that I was good was wrong. I've calmed down a lot since those days.

What's cool about the autobahn is its kinda like cooperative racing. Especially when you end up behind someone you can tell really knows the road and how to push it. It's fun trying to keep up with someone like that. You can drive really damn fast without actually being terribly stupid. If you love driving, you're missing out if you haven't been to germany.

Chanur · Tuesday at 10:17 PM

Furry said:
I've done plenty of stupid stuff, but generally my car has held me back from being tooo stupid. I had to make a blind swerve when I was a lot younger and racing someone like 120 down the highway in heavy traffic. It would have been rip bozo if my spidey sense that I was good was wrong. I've calmed down a lot since those days.

What's cool about the autobahn is its kinda like cooperative racing. Especially when you end up behind someone you can tell really knows the road and how to push it. It's fun trying to keep up with someone like that. You can drive really damn fast without actually being terribly stupid. If you love driving, you're missing out if you haven't been to germany.

I do like to drive. I used to do the test and tune Friday night races at the various tracks in Southern California. Used to street race before Fast and Furious got the cops really serious about it.

Would like to go to Germany eventually. Hopefully I can. Really want to drive the Alps actually.

Lanx · Tuesday at 10:27 PM

Denamian said:
So my mom is shopping for a crossover/small SUV. Looking to keep it to $35k or less, paying cash. She doesn't drive much, as her 2013 escape hasn't hit 30k miles yet, but she just had to have the subframe repaired as it's rotting. She does some light towing, but mostly short distance rural and suburban driving.

She tested a Kona the other day, which she liked, and is going to check out a Crosstrek next. VW Taos and Honda HR-V are on the radar as well. I'm partial to the Crosstrek and Subaru offers a factory trailer hitch for it, which is a plus. When my dad had a hitch added to his Palisade by the place the dealership recommended, they royally fucked up something electrical and it took months to get fixed properly.

Just looking for Ideas to kick around.

fyi, curt is the 3rd party hitch subbie guys use

i only bought it cuz it was 50bucks, haven't used it but it's there, install was silly had to do a bit of drilling

Denamian · 2025-08-13T01:39:54-0400

Lanx said:
fyi, curt is the 3rd party hitch subbie guys use

i only bought it cuz it was 50bucks, haven't used it but it's there, install was silly had to do a bit of drilling

Subaru offering a hitch as a factory option is one of the appeals of it. She doesn't haul anything particularly heavy, mostly yard waste. She just want's minimal possible fuckups with it.

Siliconemelons said:
Honestly… model Ys are great for that kind of use case and can be in that price range even new sometimes with the incentives.

Parents dont have to bother with oil changes or any real mantiance as the years go on, just charge at home every now and then. Gtg

Electric infrastructure in northern NY is complete ass, the nearest service center is hours away and prices starting at the top of her range make this a no go.

What vehicle do you drive?

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