The Automobile Thread

Put a deposit down to order a Tacoma today. It could take up to 3 months. Best thing is sale price is supposed to be MSRP. I have a friend who is a Toyota sales manager, but he can't even get me to MSRP. Normally MSRP would be a crappy deal.

I had really wanted to get a Ranger, but it is really dated and underequipped. Should get more on a +$40k truck. (Tacoma is also dated)

Ideally, I'd like a diesel like on the Chevy, but too much extra cost and they have even less availability than Ford and Toyota.

I did just rig a rear fender on my CX bike to continue commuting during my wait for the truck to arrive.

(Anyone want a 2006 Dodge Dakota with a bad engine? Probably going to karsforkids by year end)

 

Congrats! MSRP is no small accomplishment these days. Tacoma is kind of a dinosaur, but a charming one. I miss mine dearly.

 

US-market Rangers have always looked dated though. It's a feature.

 

I love my Tacoma, but your right it’s a dated truck. I wish Toyota would put in features most current vehicles have nowadays. The 2020’s finally got power seats, CarPlay and LED lighting. Too bad I have a 19.

 

Looks like I'm fully back in the Bavarian Brotherhood of Bimmerness! We went out to San Pedro and picked up a 2007 328XI wagon this morning. MUCH better commuter than my wife's current GL450 gas guzzler. That's a great family vehicle, but stupid commuter. This new one isn't the perfect commuter (really, we should both be in Nissan Leafs), but fun, well put together, and pretty damn cheap. Cheaper than many new bikes! And I gotta' say, I LOVE how it matches my 330i!!! Fun day out on the peninsula, and an easy drive home. Gotta' refresh a lot of the fluids, but other than that, in turnkey condition!

 

Really good-looking cars you've got there!

 

Dumb luck and dumb weather next week have forced me to fast-track some plans for the truck that I had hoped to postpone until the holidays when I'm off work.



Despite having nearly a millimeter of tread left, I'm going to forgo getting it patched and just put on the new set of 29s.


The part I was trying to put off is having to install a lift, new rear end gears, and do an alignment to accommodate the taller tires. Sunday is going to be busy.

 

Well this happened:



Firsborn took his eyes off the road, and natural consequences ensued. He's okay, but mentally shook hard. Nobody else hurt. Car is a big question mark... liability only, so have to decide how much money/time I want to throw at it. Beyond the body panels, I thiiiiiink it's only the subframe and control arms that are bent. If not structural, I can swap those out along with the steering rack which is ripped apart and probably get it running for $1,ooo in parts. Then scour the pick a parts for the remaining body parts to swap out over time. It's okay, I'm not busy with anything else.

 

Ouch....^^^^^
When I first bought my 335is (used) I pulled up to a Starbucks and parked. Got an espresso, hopped back in the car and backed up. Rrrrrriiippppp.....WTF?

The front bumper cover was lower than the curb and hooked it.
Front bumber cover, 2 headlights, 2 front fenders, paint. $7k.
But damn, it was perfect when completed. And I don't think it was the first time it had happened.

Best of luck on the repair.

 

aw man, that's a huge bummer. Glad no one was hurt. On the bright side, that's a relatively cheap price to pay for some father-son quality time.

 

Yeah, these front ends are looooow, and that's just the stock ride height! I'll eventually need a bumper cover, and maybe some of the support pieces, but fancy xenon lights are okay (I think)!

I actually like wrenching on cars (and bikes!), and it's sorta' therapeutic to be lying under one. But nobody is hurt, and the car was cheap ($5k), that's why we got it. Right now I'm into it $350 for the parts I just ordered from Pelican... I'll try patching it up and see from there! Steering rack is the next biggie, as it somehow shattered. But this first round is it just get it to the rolling point. At any point I can call it quits and sell it on CL to get a little something back.

Steps: 1) Right side Christmas re-build (just ordered parts that arrive Thursday/Friday)
2) Get it rollable and have proper frame damage check and confirm if front diff is damaged.
3) Steering rack R&R
4) Airbag/modules/sensors/belt tensioner
5) Drive!
6) Front fender, passenger door, front bumper cover
7) Good as new!

 

Also consider FCP Euro because their prices are both competitive and they offer no question asked lifetime warranty on all parts, even wear and tear stuff like rotors and pads. Some actually use that warranty, I wouldn't. Occasionally will also get from Pelican (drove to the pickup window last month) and Rockauto as well if it's the same exact brand/part.

 

What did he hit? Front wheel and tire look dirty, but not damaged....He didn't try to drive up Motorway did he???

 

Thanks, I agree!!! I split between FCP and Pelican. I LOVE FCP's site and ordering process, but they are slow AF coming from the East Coast. Pelican has a crap website, but incredible call support which I've used a few times. And they ship from South Bay, so it usually gets here next day or two at most. I want to get this bolted together while I have a few days off and see what needs to be seen. I need to get a steering rack now, and am going to tempt fate and look for a used on ebay.

Crazy story: He first side-swiped a parked car. Just enough to hook the tire and bend it back. Didn't damage the front bumper or rearview mirror even, just the tire, door panels and fender. But he then over-corrected and somehow slingshot himself up around the parked car and into the driveway where he rear-ended another car. That did the front end damage and popped the airbag.

If his was a regular RWD car, it really wouldn't be that big of a deal. But stupid AWD system that we don't want or need bumps this up. More parts and harder to find. Regular RWD parts are a dime a dozen, but the fancy AWD stuff is a bit more precious.

 

When I replaced my steering rack, I found that BMW didn't sell new units anymore and they were all reman'ed. Ended up getting same exact one at Autozone for like $250 when dealer wanted around $1k.

 

I just bought a 79k mile one off of ebay... fingers crossed!

I had a '65 Mustang and while in the shop for a transmission problem, the steering rack disappeared! Someone actually lifted it from the damn car! The shop gave me a hard time about it, and didn't want to replace it. Finally did, but it took months!
They're out of business and I'm still here!

 

That's a PITA to do with pre-'68 Mustangs. I'm not even sure it's doable without the car being several feet in the air. Probably an inside job.

 

VERY much was. They were rotten.

 

I do not currently own a vehicle.
Wrong time of year to be a full time bike commuter.

 

Uh oh. First - I hope everyone is alright. Second - what's the story? If you told it above, I forgot and I'm too lazy to search.

 

Saw this lineup at the Fashion Island valet in - where else - Newport Beach.

Decisions decisions...

There's really only one choice for our active lifestyles, right?

 

Yup. Not a Lambo fan in general, but the Urus is a seriously cool vehicle.

 

The Merc is totally unrelated, just was on the truck that took my truck away.
My truck had the engine go out. 2 cylinders with large compression losses. Not gonna dump more $ into it. So, it got donated. I have a new Tacoma on "order" and it could be 2-3 months.

 

I’d still prefer the Audi version, I think. RSQ8

 

Nice but none of these would interest me, I saw this the other day at the VW dealership while getting my daughters car serviced. A Lotus Evora GT

 

I had the pleasure of a ride in one with some work colleagues on the autobahn. The way it effortlessly chewed through the miles at a very rapid rate well north of 100 mph with 5 people and luggage on board was staggering.

 

As would I .

I haven't had the pleasure of driving one as it should be driven, but I found it equally impressive driving around city streets and parking lots. Rear wheel steering makes it surprisingly agile in urban maneuvering for a vehicle of its size.

 

On a very different note, I got to fiddle around with a surprisingly cool vehicle today. Shop manager at my LBS got a Ford Maverick. He was raving about it, and I've read positive reviews. Despite its diminutive exterior proportions it felt as spacious inside as I remember my Tacoma feeling. Looks like it could be a fun/practical runabout for a mountain biker, and a good value in the mid level AWD trim.

 

Yeah, those are actually growing on me even though I swore that I'd never own another "truck". I saw one in town the other day and it looks nicer in person than in a picture on a page in a magazine.

 

It was a lovely few weeks we had together...