Cars , Cars and more Cars for the car guys

[Texas Proud]

+1 or a Mazda

I would avoid Fiat 500 ......research owner satisfaction./.....always at the bottom

I had a Mazda GLC when young.... loved the car even though very underpowered... it was a good car (mostly)....

I might have bought another until Ford got their hands on Mazda.... I hate Ford.. all but one was a piece of junk....

SOOO, Mazda is now associated with Ford in my mind and always will be...

 

[griffithee]

Whoa...check out the Bentley & Maserati sales! They will never keep the doors open

My Volvo 26th place of 36

I have had enough of cheap cars and expensive repairs. Now I just go right to the expensive repairs

We have had our Ghibli for a year now and I can honestly say I am head over heals for a vehicle. The 400hp engine gets me off the Houston on ramps onto the highway lickety split. Pricey but worth every penny.

 

[Winemaker]

Are there downsides to owning a hybrid? Thinking my next car will be a hybrid as I do a lot of in-town driving with longer road trips for fun. Not thinking Prius specifically, but with so many models now available as hybrids, there has been plenty of experience to discover the downsides.

-Rita

DW and I rented a Hybrid Full Sized Sedan Hyundai Sonata when in Napa this summer. Ride was nice, but no room in trunk for 4 suitcases. Forced to put two in back seat because the batteries are under trunk.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

DW and I rented a Hybrid Full Sized Sedan Hyundai Sonata when in Napa this summer. Ride was nice, but no room in trunk for 4 suitcases. Forced to put two in back seat because the batteries are under trunk.

That's the nice thing about the Prius -- in addition to the stingy fuel economy, the hatchback and fold-down rear seats make it surprisingly versatile for hauling this and that.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

I had a Mazda GLC when young.... loved the car even though very underpowered... it was a good car (mostly)....

I might have bought another until Ford got their hands on Mazda.... I hate Ford.. all but one was a piece of junk....

SOOO, Mazda is now associated with Ford in my mind and always will be...

We had a 1995 Mazda Millenia (Japanese spelling, I guess) that we enjoyed thoroughly. It was Mazda's attempt to break into the Lexus/Acura market, and was easily the plushest car we have ever owned -- including several Mercedes and BMWs. The aluminum suspension minimized unsprung weight. Its one flaw was its clunky Jatco 4-speed transmission, which was disinclined to let the 2.5L V6 wind up into its torque band. Rust got the best of the car around 225K miles, and we donated it to a charity.

 

[CRLLS]

That's what my new Q50 has. Uses lot of gas too. Buying oil stocks.

I had to look it up. 2018 Q50 3.0t AWD? It is rated 19/26 City/Highway MPG. Not bad. Better than my 17 yr old Jimmy. Of course, I'm only driving about 3k miles per year. Gas cost in the Jimmy is the least of my worries.

 

[Bigdawg]

DD is returning from Ireland with her Master's Degree in a few weeks. When we dropped her off she thought it was cool that her dad was driving a 5 speed manual on the wrong side of the road. She said that she would like to learn how to drive a stick. So I just bought a 2004 Nissan 350Z with a 6 speed manual. Lots of extras on this one. We will have fun with it this summer and then maybe sell it in the fall if she doesn't want it. Paid 55% of book so should resell easily.

 

[Dtail]

Visiting a friend in FLA and drove the BMW Z4 280 miles to get there. 80 degrees each day with the top down.
Every time I drive the car, it feels like a retirement, even though I had the car before retirement.

 

[Bamaman]

Are there downsides to owning a hybrid? Thinking my next car will be a hybrid as I do a lot of in-town driving with longer road trips for fun. Not thinking Prius specifically, but with so many models now available as hybrids, there has been plenty of experience to discover the downsides.

Rita: I have a year old Camry Hybrid, and it gets 48.5 mpg @ 75 mph and about 52 mpg in city driving. With 34K miles, it's never seen the shop. And it's actually quicker accelerating than the gas only version. What I like is the quietness of the car, and it's just so smooth. Mine has a lithium battery under that back seat so I'm not giving up any trunk room.

Toyota said last month they're not going all electric. They can make 1,500,000 hybrid cars with the same batteries it takes to make 350,000 all electric cars.

If Prius Hybrids hold up in New York City cabs, they'll do anyone a good job.

 

[Big_Hitter]

Rita: I have a year old Camry Hybrid, and it gets 48.5 mpg @ 75 mph and about 52 mpg in city driving.

so zero to 60 in about what, 10 seconds?

 

[travelover]

so zero to 60 in about what, 10 seconds?

Like its predecessor, the 2018 Camry SE also is available with a gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain or a 3.5-liter V-6. The former option produces a combined 208 horsepower and managed to scoot from zero to 60 mph in 7.9 seconds and from 50 to 70 mph in 5.1 seconds.

https://www.caranddriver.com/toyota/camry

 

[Big_Hitter]

so the "performance" model does 0 to 60 in 8 seconds?

PASS

 

[travelover]

so the "performance" model does 0 to 60 in 8 seconds?

PASS

It is a Camry . Get over it.

 

[Chuckanut]

Rita: I have a year old Camry Hybrid, and it gets 48.5 mpg @ 75 mph and about 52 mpg in city driving. With 34K miles, it's never seen the shop. And it's actually quicker accelerating than the gas only version. What I like is the quietness of the car, and it's just so smooth. Mine has a lithium battery under that back seat so I'm not giving up any trunk room.



Toyota said last month they're not going all electric. They can make 1,500,000 hybrid cars with the same batteries it takes to make 350,000 all electric cars.



If Prius Hybrids hold up in New York City cabs, they'll do anyone a good job.

I have an older hybrid Camry whose mileage is not as good as the new ones, but it still averages 38mpg. My neighbor’s little Fiat 500 gets about 32 and is a lot smaller and more cramped.

600+ miles on a tank of gas at highway speeds.

 

[HFWR]

so zero to 60 in about what, 10 seconds?

 

[imoldernu]

1996 Cadillac STS..(bottom). 87K miles. Showroom new looks. White w/blue conv. top.
Book value $1000. Emotional value... Priceless...

and... this 98 Lincoln Town CAR... also value $1000. 113K mi.

 

[kitesurfer2]

if I owned a prius, I would probably not go for a drive just for fun.

 

[ls99]

The real test for high performance cars, from mmemory in the late seventies waiting in a traffic jam on the LA freeways was, how doeas it idle in August for a half an hour without overheating?

 

[aaronc879]

Rita: I have a year old Camry Hybrid, and it gets 48.5 mpg @ 75 mph and about 52 mpg in city driving. With 34K miles, it's never seen the shop. And it's actually quicker accelerating than the gas only version. What I like is the quietness of the car, and it's just so smooth. Mine has a lithium battery under that back seat so I'm not giving up any trunk room.

Toyota said last month they're not going all electric. They can make 1,500,000 hybrid cars with the same batteries it takes to make 350,000 all electric cars.

If Prius Hybrids hold up in New York City cabs, they'll do anyone a good job.

Unfortunately this car has the same problem I have in a lot of cars. The center console does not give enough room for my right leg. I am 6'6" with legs longer than average for that height. Some cars I can't even get my right leg past the steering wheel. I wish they would move the console over a few inches even if they have to curve ita little to face the driver. I'm going to try the new Rav4 Hybrid and the Prius AWD since I live in Wisconsin.

 

[aja8888]

The real test for high performance cars, from mmemory in the late seventies waiting in a traffic jam on the LA freeways was, how doeas it idle in August for a half an hour without overheating?

And in order to keep the engine coolant temperature rise from blowing head gaskets, you had to run the heater full blast and keep the A/C compressor off.

 

[Gotadimple]

Rita: I have a year old Camry Hybrid, and it gets 48.5 mpg @ 75 mph and about 52 mpg in city driving. With 34K miles, it's never seen the shop. And it's actually quicker accelerating than the gas only version. What I like is the quietness of the car, and it's just so smooth. Mine has a lithium battery under that back seat so I'm not giving up any trunk room.

Toyota said last month they're not going all electric. They can make 1,500,000 hybrid cars with the same batteries it takes to make 350,000 all electric cars.

If Prius Hybrids hold up in New York City cabs, they'll do anyone a good job.

Thanks, Babaman. I bought a new 2017 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid last June (one of the last 3 in inventory in Seattle). Like you I love how quiet it is. The technology is different than Toyota's in that the gas engine is always engaged. My experience is 50 mpg hwy and about 44-45 around town. Has a very tight turning radius for a car the same size as a Camry.
In talking with my mechanic, he said they are finding that the electric engine takes quite a load off the other mechanics that support the gas engine so there is less maintenance. I did have a problem with keeping a rear tire inflated. It turns out it just needed to be remounted on the wheel and it solved the problem.

I love the car, and I'm sorry I waited this long to go hybrid. The lithium battery is stored just above the right rear wheel well, so there is no impact to trunk room IMO. The little bit over the wheel well never is used when filling the trunk. As long as I can fit 8 sacks of beauty bark in the trunk - I'm good to go!
- Rita

 

[zippy2020]

....Edit to add - The 500 is a chick magnet!

Not this chick....LOL!

Before I bought our current car I spent 18 months researching and test driving. If it didn't have 300+ hp and good torque I wasn't interested.

 

[Big_Hitter]

Not this chick....LOL!

Before I bought our current car I spent 18 months researching and test driving. If it didn't have 300+ hp and good torque I wasn't interested.

right on!

 

[Car-Guy]

Not this chick....LOL!

Before I bought our current car I spent 18 months researching and test driving. If it didn't have 300+ hp and good torque I wasn't interested.

Your post made me smile a little. How things have changed. My first real high performance car I bought back in the mid 90's had 300 HP and I thought it was awesome. Over the years I kept buying the newer makes and models with more and more HP, and now my daily driver is over 700hp from the factory. Where will it stop!