Dear hivemind, I need recommendations for a chrome cleaner/rust remover. The Appliance wheels on my '77 Econoline featured here a few months back are in need of a major revival. I wish Quick-Glo was still available because that stuff looks like what I need. Basically something to remove the surface rust, polish and fill/coat with some sort of wax/protectant. Before anyone says anything about aluminum foil and _____, nope, not gonna do it.
Quick Glo and Chromax were the best. When I worked at a bike shop, we used the hell out of it. Both have been gone for a couple of years now.
I’d check out a vintage BMX Facebook group or the BMX Museum forum and see what those guys are using now. I’ve done an OA bath on old chrome parts, but I’m not sure how that would work with a wheel.
I use S100 total motorcycle cleaner on a lot of chrome bike stuff, from plasti-chrome to real steel triple plated HOSS chrome. It's weak enough not to etch, but removes brake dust and road scum pretty easily.
Rust remover I use the turtle wax bottle stuff and a rag to hand rub any rust off. I know a lot of people use twirly brushes in a power tool, but I don't.
All I want is for a manufacturer to make something akin to a 300 C that won’t cost me $450/mo to insure OR German money to maintain. Is that too hard to ask?
Unrelated to everything else in this post:
1) The 2026 Lexus ES has been released and it looks tragically bad. Pretty much every Lexus design takes me a while to appreciate, but YIKES. All hybrid powertrain is to be expected, and the interior has been predictably enshittified as well. Would be just fine if it still looked good. As is, yuck.
2) I found a V8 NC Miata for sale on marketplace and can someone here please buy it so I can live vicariously through you
Even worse, the hybrid version only has 244hp and is slow because it’s so much bigger and heavier than the current car. 0-60 of 7.8 seconds! A total fail.
Ugh. Forget my pro-Mercedes blathering from Sunday; I’ll be right there with you just as soon as I can drop the S600 from my fleet. Wonder how hard it is to get exactly what you want from Lexus versus just taking whatever your dealer has on hand?
It is just such an astonishing contrast between the US and the UK (and probably still more Europe generally). Lexus isn't exactly dead here, but it has an awfully bad limp. And the styling has gone from anonymous to trying-a-bit-hard to hideous. I am a fan of the brand, but I think I might have to accept the prospect of a breakdown over the certainty of being laughed at. Or just find a spare c. 2000 model to keep for the day my current one expires!
I find that surprising… in the Canadian market you can definitely factory order Lexus products. I know, because I have a GX 550 on order (and the lead times are long!)
Jared, you should probably stay with your first love, Mercedes-Benz, and avoid the siren song of Lexus. I just learned that Ladytron released a self-titled album in 2019: the cover contains no Toyota products:
FWIW I was rather disappointed with my 2020 ES350L. Of course it's just a gussied-up Camvalon, but as someone who was a teenager when the original LS400 utterly blitzkrieged the Germans, it still surprised me how cheap it felt and looked in many areas.
It didn't help that the driver's door reverberated like a timpani every time you closed it from the outside, or that the infotainment UI absolutely sucked. (Based on my experiences with service loaners, adding touchscreen functionality in 2022 did nothing to improve the overall system interface or lag.)
Also, while remote start is nice, it's also essentially pointless when the car shuts off the moment you open a door, even with the fob in hand. And what manufacturer today doesn't offer retained accessory power?!?
On the flip side, it was a phenomenal road car (the weight saved from skipping out on door insulation apparently helps it get better than 32 mpg highway) and it was also quite the looker in Eminent White Pearl. Still, I dumped it 17 months after buying it (doubling the 7500 miles on its odometer at purchase in that time) without a trace of regret.
You may want to reconsider your stance on the ES350. I am currently kicking myself for erring on the side of fiscal responsibility and picking up a CR-V Hybrid instead of the ES350 I had my eye on. It still might be worth the bath I have to take to get one
The two interesting things about the new ES are that it's longer than the 3rd-gen LS460, and in the US you'll be able to buy one with a 2-seat executive package that was only typically seen in the flagship luxury sedans. Between that and the hybrid, I expect to see many of them as black cars in New York
I'm excited for the post in the next few weeks when Jack suddenly finds the money for that ES350 he's been lusting after for the past year or two while the current ES inventory gets closed out. The Chinese businessman is now the target customer of the ES instead of the Floridian retiree; the car debuted in Shanghai instead of New York or Chicago as in the past
Ha ha! JB’s Chrysler, the Dodge Challenger and Charger, and the Lexus ES350 were the last new cars I liked. At least a lot of old people bought the ES350s so there will be many clean low mileage examples available for years.
I used to love auto shows, yearly model changeovers, and car magazines, but that’s all over and never coming back. The only automotive content I like now is looking at interesting old cars on Bring a Trailer or YouTube channels featuring old cars.
I maybe should have gotten an IS500 instead of the Chrysler. It's a better car by a long shot. But I'm not sure it would have satisfied my desire for a V8 street hooligan *or* a "proper" Lexus.
I sometimes think the same thing. Im not a huge lexus guy but the is500 looks nice and im a sucker for a v8 and ive never even owned one. Probably more than i wanted to spend at the time but 10k extra over five years isnt that much. But i really like the s4 so i dont think about it too much
I put a deposit on an IS500 and test drove a used one the dealer had. I don't have much bad to say about it, but they did sell the limited edition model I wanted to someone else. I took back my deposit and went next door to buy a new Miata. Still not sure if that was a great choice or if I'll regret it one day.
Maybe I have an overactive sense of dignity and THAT'S why the Casey Putschs of the world offend me, but the Standard Model of internet auto journalist lacks the sheer class to play it straight and hang up the act, instead insisting they're king shit of the world.
They remind me of the $5 B-movie DVDs in the Walmart bargain bin that're covered in critics' accolades, desperately trying to convince me "Transmorphers" is worth two hours of my life.
Dude, you suck. Just slink back into obscurity with your head held high.
"Transmorphers" tricked a girlfriend's grandparents into a purchase back in the day. Her brother just wanted the Megan Fox movie, but ended up being gifted an off-brand ripoff; it was legitimately funny!
"For my generation, Rolex was known as something luxurious but, eventually, and with hard work, obtainable. But I fear that this is no longer the case. Each year, millions of potential customers leave one of the boutiques demoralized, promised that their name is on a list (it's not), and never hear anything. Play this out over decades, it is bound to have a real impact on one of history's greatest brands. Rolex may lay claim to hearts and minds for now, but what about the next generation when they become wealthy enough to play in this arena, having come up in an age where they weren't "good enough" to "deserve" a Rolex, whether they had the money or not?"
"Watches of Espionage blogged about how he feels about the modern-day Rolex buying experience. The complaints echo those I've seen from Rennlist veterans about what it's like to buy a new 911 GT3."
I looked at the ticket prices and laughed. “Nope! Sorry kiddo” Im not paying 5-10k for concert tickets. I am too cheap a person to do it regardless of my income.
Pesky labor laws wont let my oldest, who is five, work! Which is also why i wasnt going to spend 2-3k each for her and her mother. Still wouldnt if she was 16 of course
LOL, just wait until you have 4 teenage girls throwing a simultaneous massive meltdown fit over how you are ruining their lives forever. I’m thankful I had boys.
This dude is living in a past that no longer exists.
"Operators" haven't worn Rolexes in 40 years.
There are maybe 200 million people out there who can afford a new Rolex and are reasonable prospects for one. Rolex makes 1.2 million watches a year. The vast majority of them go to brown or yellow (I'm being sarcastic, but not inaccurate) people now. The numbers are against any Western watch fancier.
At any point you can go buy a Tudor that is of equal quality, occasionally has more features, is designed by the same people, and will have the same lifespan. They are rarer by a factor of four, and history suggests they'll have solid resale value in the long run.
I could have bought a GMT-Master II two weeks ago in Japan. Instead I bought a Grand Seiko. I don't want to be associated with the Rolex market and all that drama. My wife could have bought a Sky-Dweller, but instead she got a Top Gun Doppelchrono because she prefers it. You can argue that we were "lost" to Rolex, but in truth, Rolex doesn't care and neither do we. Rolex can sell their existing production into China alone for the next fifty years.
The GT3 situation is exactly the same. Porsche and Rolex are the My First Luxury Thingy for a swelling class of global strivers, all of whom are terrified of not getting exactly what their peers have. There are better, faster, more interesting cars -- but they don't send that precise message that these people want to send.
They've been running a better-than-usual promotion of 3 free months lately. There isn't a ton of content on there, but most of it is above average, and they excel at science fiction - Silo is excellent.
Apple TV has some great shows lately. Slow Horses is fantastic. Also enjoyed The Afterparty, Bad Monkey, and The Studio. Not sure that the others would be to your taste, but I think you'd like Slow Horses.
Had a meeting today with an old friend who does some consulting work for PCNA; he’s in Atlanta for some dealer meeting Kumbaya.
PCNA is expecting high-spec new GT3s to be $400K+ cars out the door given MSRP, numerous options, tariff impact (uncertain as yet), rapacious ADMs, and taxes on top of all of that.
$400K+ is far above “My First Luxury” altitude. Moreover, the 911 Carrera S is a $200K+ car with modest options.
This is a big problem for Porsche. Their customers have good jobs, but they don’t own the company like, e.g., Ferrari clientele.
I think there is a BIG difference between a typical 911 customer - the professional who commutes in a 911, the guy striving for a GT3, Mr. Corner Office with a 911 Turbo - and a (serious) Ferrari customer who buys new.
Porsche guys on Rennlist fret over losing $50K in depreciation on a car; Ferrarichat guys reason that $50K is a few weeks (or less) of passive brokerage account appreciation.
To be clear: PCNA isn’t happy about the $400K+ GT3 market (unless they all sell!), but figure good builds will be high $200s to low $300s plus tariff, plus whatever ADM the dealer can get, plus taxes on top of ALL of that, and it’s thereabouts.
So if $400K+ gets you a new GT3, which is very similar to the old GT3, which is very similar to the GT3 before that one, and so on … OR it gets you a delivery miles Ferrari 296 GTB (pick your spec, there are nearly 200 advertised for sale nationwide) that will take a 918 Spider to Gapplebees PLUS another ~$100K to buy a Novitec exhaust, a new watch, a nice trip to Europe, etc. which one are you gonna choose?
It has one important thing over a 296: you can be a little cuck of a dude and feel comfortable in one. Owning a Ferrari requires you be willing to deal with the drama and attention.
The answer to your hypothetical is obvious to me but I doubt I think the same way as these customers. My immediate impression of the 296 was to hate on the 6-cylinder engine. Although, that's what you get in the Porsche, too.
you can get away with a 911 in a doctor's parking lot if people think its a 100k car. If they think it costs as much as the house they're looking at they will hate you.
And for my dentist buddies, they sure as hell are going to be wondering how much of their crown payment is going towards your car
He had a small practice with 7 exam rooms, each of which featured an artistic interpretation of one of the wooden boats he had at the time (also 7). This was in the late ‘90s. One day, a grumpy patient pointed at his 80 series Land Cruiser and exclaimed “I PAID FOR THAT!” The wooden boat artwork came home in the Land Cruiser that evening.
There was a guy about 15 years my father’s junior who was also a dentist in my hometown. He did a number of things that my father found distasteful: he advertised (heavily), he had these MEGAWATT veneers that he thought would be another form of (positive) advertisement, and he cheated on his first wife with a dental hygienist. After having married the dental hygienist, he sold his practice and became an employee at a “medical campus” in town.
After he sold the practice, he bought a bright yellow Gallardo to drive to work, which he parked in the sizable parking lot of the sizable medical campus building (he double parked in the corner by the dumpster). Word got around quickly, of course (this was just before 2008). His ex-wife started dating a man in the tree service business who was into drugs, so she followed suit (into drugs, not stump grinding). One day, she appeared at the medical campus tweaked out on meth and keyed every panel on the Gallardo.
The younger dentist is in his late 50s now and drives a Cybertruck. Naturally, my father finds that distasteful, as well.
I had a guy moonlighting with company mowers stop by my (admittedly pretty nice) house in his (admittedly ratty) E90 BMW to try and quote me $150 a pop to mow my lawn, at the time I had my $400 '91 Park Avenue in the driveway. I found a local kid to do it for $50 a mow, who has now grown it into a successful landscaping business (and I now pay $67 a mow three years later)
which Grand Seiko?! I picked up a SBGJ237 and SBGA211 last year after my failed GMT attempt at Rolex ADs These two watches were bought new cheaper than GMTII MSRP, won't even speak of the grey market.
I have the impression the Snowflake (which I bought) is the "starter" Grand Seiko. the very lovely (literally and figuratively) saleswoman at Wako told me it is by far the most popular model.
So I sold some Porsche parts to a PCA member a few weeks back. Guy shows up in. PTS 991 GT3 to look them over. Lives a couple miles away. Personalized plate, 6sp.
Me: "Nice car."
PCA guy:"It's a manual, all my fun cars are manuals."
Me: "Do you track it? Must be fun on track."
PCA guy: "Nah, been busy."
Me: " C'mon out back I'll show you the parts."
PCA guy: "What's that in there?"
Me: "Cayman R."
PCA guy: "Oh yeah, how much HP? What year was that?"
Me: "2012. Like 340, likes short tracks [LIKE THE ONE LITERALLY 20 MINUTES AWAY WHERE DOOFUSES WITH GT3s SHOW UP FOR NOVICE DAY]"
“ Rolex can sell their existing production into China alone for the next fifty years.”
You’ll find that the paradigm is shifting in the luxury goods market and its dependence on China. A lot of luxury conglomerates (LVMH, Richemont, etc) are currently struggling in the Chinese market.
I went to a local winery the other day and the local BMW dealer had overpriced new models with the vehicles stickers on them randomly parked by the path from the parking lot to the tasting area. Last time I’ll go there.
Last time I skied at Beaver Creek they had Audis perked throughout the resort. Maserati had similar at Snowmass. When the Ghibli was new, they were doing test drives for interested parties.
Rolex watches sell themselves. Just like Hermes bags, Ferraris, and GT3s. Every time the WSJ, FT, Bloomberg, or the NYT write an article about “Here’s this thing rich people want that they can’t get” the waitlists expand even further. Rolex solved a fundamental problem for the entirety of the Swiss watch industry by transforming a tool that rapidly lost its tool status / functionality into an acceptable form of status symbol / signaling / jewelry for men.
What’s more likely to be on someone’s wrist in 100 years? A Rolex Submariner that looks very similar to the models available today, or an Apple Watch?
It’s obvious to anyone with a brain that the Rolex (or any watch AD) “list” is non-linear. If you stroll in off the street to buy a Daytona or a Nautilus or a Royal Oak, you’ll get nowhere. If Brad Pitt walks in right after you and decides he wants to walk out with whatever they have in the safe, he will. If you don’t like that game, you can climb the greasy pole over time or pay the prevailing market price and have a dealer overnight you one minutes after your wire clears. To repeat, the author can be wearing a brand new Rolex on Friday if he executes a wire today; he just wants the preferential pricing afforded to better customers.
I do agree that Rolex should have something available for the walk-ins given their volume and ubiquity. You should be able to stroll in and walk out with a “basic” Submariner or Datejust. I don’t understand Jack’s bizarre boner for Tudor - most people want a Rolex, not a “it’s actually just as good, trust me” Tudor. If Rolex ceased to exist, what would happen to Tudor as a brand proposition? Nosedive. If Tudor ceased to exist, what would happen to Rolex as a brand proposition? Onward and upward.
The good thing about the watch secondary market is that they are commoditized, all the same when new(ish). If you want a 992 GT3 in GT Silver with buckets, manual, PCCB, full leather, and nose lift … you probably won’t be able to get exactly that car on a whim, even if you have the cash ready to go.
'I don’t understand Jack’s bizarre boner for Tudor - most people want a Rolex, not a “it’s actually just as good, trust me” Tudor. If Rolex ceased to exist, what would happen to Tudor as a brand proposition? Nosedive. If Tudor ceased to exist, what would happen to Rolex as a brand proposition? Onward and upward.'
I'll go further than that.
99% of people would rather have a perfect Chinese fake GMT-Master than a Tudor GMT made in Le Locle. Because they buy watches hoping to be noticed, to be seen as someone, to impress someone with what they've purchased.
I wear a Tudor, or GS, or the Seagull I had on yesterday, because I already *am* someone. Not the biggest someone, not the most famous, but I am a someone: an internationally recognized author, a champion on two wheels and four, someone who has built and designed systems in lasting use, beloved by enough women to fill a Starbucks. Therefore, I buy and wear what gratifies or interests me. I'm not "that guy with a Sky-Dweller". I'm Jack Baruth, wearing some watch.
Thank you for coming to my intravenous-grade-narcissism TED talk.
You're discussing branding, I'm discussing the actual watch. We are likely both correct in our own way.
There's some awful irony here, too, because today's Rolexes are vastly better than the old ones in every way you can measure. The person who pays $18k for a new "Bruce Wayne" is getting a much better watch than the person who buys an early GMT-Master. Yet there's a common consensus that the latter person has a claim, however mild, to moral superiority.
I am discussing “branding” because that is the most important, essential thing about Rolex! Tudor is trivial in comparison; it’s a barnacle riding along the hull of Rolex’s majestic super yacht.
Can you name ANY brand that has been nurtured and protected as much as Rolex?
Not disagreeing, but it's not important or essential to ME. I wore a Seagull yesterday and I'm wearing an Alpinist today. I judge Rolex as a physical product, not as a brand.
i have a magnificent heavy fake gold copy of some famous brand--with a tiny little extra watch on the band--that a distant relative bought me for $25 or so from some asian street vendor. it keeps good time of course. i like to wear it occasionally and when someone asks me about it i say it's fake but still tells the time!
"I get out of the 300C in a better mood than I was in when I entered it."
That's really what it comes down to. A Tesla Model 3 Performance or a HO Hurricane Charger would be quicker. Something like a Camry LE would get me to the same destinations for less money, with less hassle and more reliably. But, the personal satisfaction from my LX car outweighs whatever negatives it has. I also custom ordered my car so there is nothing on it that wasn't my decision.
I'm not sure what I'll replace it with. A V8 version of the new car would be most likely. Anything else (Mustang GT, used Audi S7, Corvette, etc.) would probably be a supplement rather than a replacement.
Yes it is, especially if the OEM writes software emulates a dual clutch. That would be sport mode on the Audi S4, not quite as fast but fun nonetheless.
This depends on how it's programmed. I don't love it on our x5. The shifts are are all noticeable, and it shifts often. I'm constantly slapping it in and out of sport mode to get it to behave how I want. I think I prefer the aisin 5-speed in my 05 Tundra.
Tried for years to make a manual work on my daily slog...
Many hours crawling through traffic along the 95 corridor cures one of the manual elitism pretty quickly. Don't think I can ever go back to one as my only car again.
"Is Aston Martin doing anything at all to be competitive in 2025, or are they 100% focused on next year?"
if newey has a hand in next years car id wager that being the reason
"the 2026 Hyundai Palisade Hybrid can continue to operate the A/C while it's in EV mode and the gas engine is not running"
riveting. even if nobody else did this would anyone really care?
anyway referring to someone as anon reminded me that 4chan is down and possibly for good which sucks
"Eagle RS-A tires, which are still at legal tread depth"
is it just me or am i shocked that oem tires can last 50k plus miles hooked to a heavy and powerful fullsize sedan? some tires seem like they never wear out (i am convincing myself to get a set of falken rt600s or dunlop star specs for the miata instead of some cheap allseason)
Speed, I know driving conditions are different north of the border, however over the last two decades I have got 75,000 miles or more on Goodyear All Seasons on Helen’s 2005 Jeep Liberty (sold), 75,000 plus miles on Michelins on my 2005 Cadillac STS-V, 75,000 plus on All Season Goodyear on my 2015 Grand Charokee 4x4 (sold) 74,000 miles on Michelins on the 2018 Silverado and we have 50,000 miles on the Michelins on my 2023 Grand Charokee. Modern tyres seem to last if they are not abused (see Jack’s comments regarding abuse).
I put 50k miles on the OE Pirellis that came on my GTI. I replaced them because one picked up a nail and I didn't think it was worth patching such old tires. They had enough tread to go 20k+ miles further.
All hail hemi powered L cars! (Even if your final edition 300c should've been available as a widebody in F8 Green with saddle brown interior like a Charger was)
The ask is the thick end of $100K above the F8 market - granted it’s a special color and the interior was specced quite well, so that is valuable - but the aftermarket body kit would have to come off.
It’s hard to find a modern Ferrari in a good, classic spec: Rosso Corsa or Blu TDF, Cuoio or Beige Tradizione interior, Daytona race seats, silver five spoke wheels.
If you are looking for a device for EKGs outside of a hospital, a cardiologist I know recommended this and said it is better than anything you’ll get out a smart watch. Basically, it is half of a 12 lead EKG. You can’t wear it all the time, but you can measure whenever you need to or on a regular schedule.
My mother got that done a couple years ago, and a friend of mine only a few years older than me just recently got it done. Helped them both greatly so far!
I had two afib ablations. The second worked - that is not unusual. If you do get to that point, do lots of research on the doctor (I can give a recommendation if needed).
Afib was a drag. Before it was diagnosed, I quit skiing because I would do three moguls and have to pull over to stop and pant. Then I had multiple shocks to get my heart back into rhythm. (My wife asked for permission to press the button, not sure what that tells me.) When that stopped working, the next step was lots of drugs including a blood thinner. Afib won't kill you but a stroke caused by blood pooling in the heart might.
"By 2024, the rivers will run red with Canadian blood, but, as wonderful as that sounds, it could be a major problem because it could lead to, horror of horrors, fewer migrants (we offer our apologies for mentioning something so terrifying). Also, people may scapegoat CEOs, the government, and migrants, or even lose trust in a system that required them to finance their own dispossession and displacement."
The EEOC is investigating TCS for discriminating against non-Indians (shocking!)
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have fired around 300 Telegu employees for a scam (Telegu Indians scamming: hoocouldanode?) apparently involving charitable contribution matching. The Telegus would contribute to Telegu "charities" which would be matched by the employer, and then the "charities" would refund the money to the Telegus. These are the people that the Establishment entrusts with your personal mortgage data.
(note that numerous tratorious Indian agents who have infiltrated the US government are pushing back)
The "NIL" fig leaf can be dropped: the NCAA, in direct contravention of its historical _raison d'être_, now allows college athletes to be paid directly and requests federal legislation to create nationwide uniformity.
A quote from the traitorous foreign agents / enemy combatants defending their co-ethnics:
"It has been brought to my attention that Fannie Mae has accused hundreds of my constituents in the Indian-American community of fraudulent behavior and fired them without conducting a full investigation or providing evidence...We also request a briefing for ourselves and our staff at your earliest convenience"
Yeah; I've edited my post to use the words "enemy combatants." In many ways, India in 2025 is worse than the Soviets were in 1975. The latter inspired us to develop better technology and were less successful in infiltrating / colonizing our government and other institutions.
I can confirm those “americans” were lying their asses off. Thank god for free market competition so we can fire those lousy Americans who dont know well enough to lie.
It's interesting how many millions of dollars are spent each year on lobbyists to create a particular form of "free market" which is dominated by scabs from one particular region of one particular country on the other side of the world with nothing in common with ours.
ad The Drive: the first sentence - "Feast your eyes on the 2026 Hyundai Palisade in the proverbial flesh" - is even worse than the headline (which you can blame on the intern-in-charge)
Yes, but the Phenix also contains a GPS (and compass, thermometer, barometer, accelerometer for gait analysis), so you can measure your distances and pace precisely, run simulated races.
I thought about that when i was riding 20 miles+ a day but i wasnt racing anyone and a stop watch worked if i was racing myself. I dont hate the technology but it’s superfluous unless you need precise monitoring
Dear hivemind, I need recommendations for a chrome cleaner/rust remover. The Appliance wheels on my '77 Econoline featured here a few months back are in need of a major revival. I wish Quick-Glo was still available because that stuff looks like what I need. Basically something to remove the surface rust, polish and fill/coat with some sort of wax/protectant. Before anyone says anything about aluminum foil and _____, nope, not gonna do it.
Elbow grease?
Sorry for no practical suggestions
Quick Glo and Chromax were the best. When I worked at a bike shop, we used the hell out of it. Both have been gone for a couple of years now.
I’d check out a vintage BMX Facebook group or the BMX Museum forum and see what those guys are using now. I’ve done an OA bath on old chrome parts, but I’m not sure how that would work with a wheel.
I use S100 total motorcycle cleaner on a lot of chrome bike stuff, from plasti-chrome to real steel triple plated HOSS chrome. It's weak enough not to etch, but removes brake dust and road scum pretty easily.
Rust remover I use the turtle wax bottle stuff and a rag to hand rub any rust off. I know a lot of people use twirly brushes in a power tool, but I don't.
All I want is for a manufacturer to make something akin to a 300 C that won’t cost me $450/mo to insure OR German money to maintain. Is that too hard to ask?
Unrelated to everything else in this post:
1) The 2026 Lexus ES has been released and it looks tragically bad. Pretty much every Lexus design takes me a while to appreciate, but YIKES. All hybrid powertrain is to be expected, and the interior has been predictably enshittified as well. Would be just fine if it still looked good. As is, yuck.
2) I found a V8 NC Miata for sale on marketplace and can someone here please buy it so I can live vicariously through you
https://www.facebook.com/share/1BRkhfCiF7/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Oh, for God's sake, that's just a motherf*****g Crown!
So my timeline for ES350UL ownership just dropped from "whenever" to "sell something and order". Ugh.
And the value of used ones just went up, too.
I’m wondering who the market is for this abomination? It’s really bad.
Chinese market, ASEAN.
It's not as attractive as the current Prius, for crying out loud.
Really good design video showing just how horrible the ES is compared to the current design. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EKskQWCFnYI
Even worse, the hybrid version only has 244hp and is slow because it’s so much bigger and heavier than the current car. 0-60 of 7.8 seconds! A total fail.
Good grief, I'm old enough to remember when 7.8 sec to 60 was quite fast...
1995?
Ugh. Forget my pro-Mercedes blathering from Sunday; I’ll be right there with you just as soon as I can drop the S600 from my fleet. Wonder how hard it is to get exactly what you want from Lexus versus just taking whatever your dealer has on hand?
It’s EXTREMELY hard. You can’t order cars through Lexus or Toyota like you can with pretty much any other OEM. They work by allocation exclusively.
What he said. It's the worst process imaginable.
It’s a downright bizarre business model with Lexus. They are selling cars and SUVs at like $130k and won’t really allow for customization or ordering?
They do sell everything (except the LS) they manage to get their hands on, though, so perhaps I’m the one that’s wrong.
It is just such an astonishing contrast between the US and the UK (and probably still more Europe generally). Lexus isn't exactly dead here, but it has an awfully bad limp. And the styling has gone from anonymous to trying-a-bit-hard to hideous. I am a fan of the brand, but I think I might have to accept the prospect of a breakdown over the certainty of being laughed at. Or just find a spare c. 2000 model to keep for the day my current one expires!
I tried to buy an IS500 but no dealer was interested in working with me.
Another family member wanted a RX350 AWD without 21 inch wheels and we were kindly invited to leave and never come back.
I'm pretty sure you can special order an LC500 but nothing else. They call it Bespoke.
I find that surprising… in the Canadian market you can definitely factory order Lexus products. I know, because I have a GX 550 on order (and the lead times are long!)
Tell them they will get free publicity here at ACF and its worth millions!
Sounds like a real crapshoot to find allocations unless you happen to know someone at the dealer level with an allocation.
Too bad nobody in the Baruth family knows any auto dealers. ;)
Seems the only way to get a Toyota spec’d like you want is wait and buy a lease return.
Jared, you should probably stay with your first love, Mercedes-Benz, and avoid the siren song of Lexus. I just learned that Ladytron released a self-titled album in 2019: the cover contains no Toyota products:
https://www.ladytron.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/ladytron-st.jpg
FWIW I was rather disappointed with my 2020 ES350L. Of course it's just a gussied-up Camvalon, but as someone who was a teenager when the original LS400 utterly blitzkrieged the Germans, it still surprised me how cheap it felt and looked in many areas.
It didn't help that the driver's door reverberated like a timpani every time you closed it from the outside, or that the infotainment UI absolutely sucked. (Based on my experiences with service loaners, adding touchscreen functionality in 2022 did nothing to improve the overall system interface or lag.)
Also, while remote start is nice, it's also essentially pointless when the car shuts off the moment you open a door, even with the fob in hand. And what manufacturer today doesn't offer retained accessory power?!?
On the flip side, it was a phenomenal road car (the weight saved from skipping out on door insulation apparently helps it get better than 32 mpg highway) and it was also quite the looker in Eminent White Pearl. Still, I dumped it 17 months after buying it (doubling the 7500 miles on its odometer at purchase in that time) without a trace of regret.
Apparently a vintage LS400 is also a bad idea, given the poor OEM parts support, among other reasons:
https://www.reddit.com/r/whatcarshouldIbuy/comments/146xs10/why_arent_more_people_buying_these_old_ls400s/
That was already the case when Farah was doing his car a decade-plus ago. They were very unique cars with very few shared parts.
My ES300 can dip into the AutoZone Camry V6 inventory, which is great.
You may want to reconsider your stance on the ES350. I am currently kicking myself for erring on the side of fiscal responsibility and picking up a CR-V Hybrid instead of the ES350 I had my eye on. It still might be worth the bath I have to take to get one
I'd gladly pay MSRP for a Lexus LS 500 with the 5.0L V8 as God intended with the badge.
Exactly. The IS500 has the five-liter, so why doesn’t the big boy?
Cause that's going away in a couple months.
Yeah but it shouldn't have stopped them for the last four years.
So why not sell both and get the is500?
Sell both of what?
the 300 and the Lexus, it should net out even but you will lose _something_ of course in representation and t levels
The two interesting things about the new ES are that it's longer than the 3rd-gen LS460, and in the US you'll be able to buy one with a 2-seat executive package that was only typically seen in the flagship luxury sedans. Between that and the hybrid, I expect to see many of them as black cars in New York
I'm excited for the post in the next few weeks when Jack suddenly finds the money for that ES350 he's been lusting after for the past year or two while the current ES inventory gets closed out. The Chinese businessman is now the target customer of the ES instead of the Floridian retiree; the car debuted in Shanghai instead of New York or Chicago as in the past
Yeah I mean at this point all sedans are basically made for the Chinese market, and if they manage to make their to the states at all it’s a miracle.
again
the solution is a bomb at the three gorges damn
Bring me my (bouncing) bomb of burning gold!
Been saying that sometime in the last 50 years, a 5 or 10 MT airburst over downtown Beijing would have helped the world a lot!
Didn’t Gen. MacArthur almost propose just that in 1951?
Curtis LeMay did, and he could have made it happen.
I think I'm going to be, as the kids say, ass-out.
I can't carry that car payment with what I currently have. I could sell my F-250 but that would make getting to the races a bit tricky.
you just need to get over your car-lust
Well the manufacturers have definitely cured me of new car lust.
Amen. The new year cars used to be hard to get. Now they are hard to want.
Come to think of it like many of the opposite gender these days…
Ha ha! JB’s Chrysler, the Dodge Challenger and Charger, and the Lexus ES350 were the last new cars I liked. At least a lot of old people bought the ES350s so there will be many clean low mileage examples available for years.
I used to love auto shows, yearly model changeovers, and car magazines, but that’s all over and never coming back. The only automotive content I like now is looking at interesting old cars on Bring a Trailer or YouTube channels featuring old cars.
Its better for him than liquor or women
and roughly as expensive as guitars, if he's still got as many as he did when I last visited
I sold $3800 of guitars last week, and am trying to sell $38,000 more.
that was the exact one that popped up in my miata fb groups and you beat me to it
theyre probably as great as everyone says and then some
It is distressingly close to where I live.
It is also distressingly $40k more than I have to spend on a car right now and *probably* distressingly impossible to register in my state.
So. Please someone else buy this.
Can we interest sir in an IS or GS F?
Would buy an IS500 today, tomorrow, yesterday if I could afford one.
I maybe should have gotten an IS500 instead of the Chrysler. It's a better car by a long shot. But I'm not sure it would have satisfied my desire for a V8 street hooligan *or* a "proper" Lexus.
I sometimes think the same thing. Im not a huge lexus guy but the is500 looks nice and im a sucker for a v8 and ive never even owned one. Probably more than i wanted to spend at the time but 10k extra over five years isnt that much. But i really like the s4 so i dont think about it too much
I put a deposit on an IS500 and test drove a used one the dealer had. I don't have much bad to say about it, but they did sell the limited edition model I wanted to someone else. I took back my deposit and went next door to buy a new Miata. Still not sure if that was a great choice or if I'll regret it one day.
Maybe I have an overactive sense of dignity and THAT'S why the Casey Putschs of the world offend me, but the Standard Model of internet auto journalist lacks the sheer class to play it straight and hang up the act, instead insisting they're king shit of the world.
They remind me of the $5 B-movie DVDs in the Walmart bargain bin that're covered in critics' accolades, desperately trying to convince me "Transmorphers" is worth two hours of my life.
Dude, you suck. Just slink back into obscurity with your head held high.
"Transmorphers" tricked a girlfriend's grandparents into a purchase back in the day. Her brother just wanted the Megan Fox movie, but ended up being gifted an off-brand ripoff; it was legitimately funny!
Watches of Espionage blogged about how he feels about the modern-day Rolex buying experience. The complaints echo those I've seen from Rennlist veterans about what it's like to buy a new 911 GT3. https://www.watchesofespionage.com/blogs/woe-dispatch/buying-the-new-rolex-gmt-master-ii-love-hate-review-2025
"For my generation, Rolex was known as something luxurious but, eventually, and with hard work, obtainable. But I fear that this is no longer the case. Each year, millions of potential customers leave one of the boutiques demoralized, promised that their name is on a list (it's not), and never hear anything. Play this out over decades, it is bound to have a real impact on one of history's greatest brands. Rolex may lay claim to hearts and minds for now, but what about the next generation when they become wealthy enough to play in this arena, having come up in an age where they weren't "good enough" to "deserve" a Rolex, whether they had the money or not?"
"Watches of Espionage blogged about how he feels about the modern-day Rolex buying experience. The complaints echo those I've seen from Rennlist veterans about what it's like to buy a new 911 GT3."
Or Taylor swift tickets.
was it you who made some comment a while back about taking out a second mortgage to buy TS tickets for your daughters?
I looked at the ticket prices and laughed. “Nope! Sorry kiddo” Im not paying 5-10k for concert tickets. I am too cheap a person to do it regardless of my income.
Its a good teaching moment. “You want a ticket, get a job”. They will soon learn how many hours at minimum wage they need to work to buy one.
Pesky labor laws wont let my oldest, who is five, work! Which is also why i wasnt going to spend 2-3k each for her and her mother. Still wouldnt if she was 16 of course
LOL, just wait until you have 4 teenage girls throwing a simultaneous massive meltdown fit over how you are ruining their lives forever. I’m thankful I had boys.
This dude is living in a past that no longer exists.
"Operators" haven't worn Rolexes in 40 years.
There are maybe 200 million people out there who can afford a new Rolex and are reasonable prospects for one. Rolex makes 1.2 million watches a year. The vast majority of them go to brown or yellow (I'm being sarcastic, but not inaccurate) people now. The numbers are against any Western watch fancier.
At any point you can go buy a Tudor that is of equal quality, occasionally has more features, is designed by the same people, and will have the same lifespan. They are rarer by a factor of four, and history suggests they'll have solid resale value in the long run.
I could have bought a GMT-Master II two weeks ago in Japan. Instead I bought a Grand Seiko. I don't want to be associated with the Rolex market and all that drama. My wife could have bought a Sky-Dweller, but instead she got a Top Gun Doppelchrono because she prefers it. You can argue that we were "lost" to Rolex, but in truth, Rolex doesn't care and neither do we. Rolex can sell their existing production into China alone for the next fifty years.
The GT3 situation is exactly the same. Porsche and Rolex are the My First Luxury Thingy for a swelling class of global strivers, all of whom are terrified of not getting exactly what their peers have. There are better, faster, more interesting cars -- but they don't send that precise message that these people want to send.
"the My First Luxury Thingy for a swelling class of global strivers, all of whom are terrified of not getting exactly what their peers have"
oh god i hate these people so much
its all so insufferably cringe and gay
Have you watched the “friends and neighbors” on apple tv? Your social commentary on it would be interesting.
I try to avoid Apple TV but I could take a look!
Me too. I watched the free episode on amazon which i should also be trying to avoid
They've been running a better-than-usual promotion of 3 free months lately. There isn't a ton of content on there, but most of it is above average, and they excel at science fiction - Silo is excellent.
Apple TV has some great shows lately. Slow Horses is fantastic. Also enjoyed The Afterparty, Bad Monkey, and The Studio. Not sure that the others would be to your taste, but I think you'd like Slow Horses.
I have. It’s decent.
Had a meeting today with an old friend who does some consulting work for PCNA; he’s in Atlanta for some dealer meeting Kumbaya.
PCNA is expecting high-spec new GT3s to be $400K+ cars out the door given MSRP, numerous options, tariff impact (uncertain as yet), rapacious ADMs, and taxes on top of all of that.
$400K+ is far above “My First Luxury” altitude. Moreover, the 911 Carrera S is a $200K+ car with modest options.
This is a big problem for Porsche. Their customers have good jobs, but they don’t own the company like, e.g., Ferrari clientele.
400k is a serious amount of money
you think porsche is angling for ferrari customers or is it just that the cars arent going to sell
I think there is a BIG difference between a typical 911 customer - the professional who commutes in a 911, the guy striving for a GT3, Mr. Corner Office with a 911 Turbo - and a (serious) Ferrari customer who buys new.
Porsche guys on Rennlist fret over losing $50K in depreciation on a car; Ferrarichat guys reason that $50K is a few weeks (or less) of passive brokerage account appreciation.
To be clear: PCNA isn’t happy about the $400K+ GT3 market (unless they all sell!), but figure good builds will be high $200s to low $300s plus tariff, plus whatever ADM the dealer can get, plus taxes on top of ALL of that, and it’s thereabouts.
So if $400K+ gets you a new GT3, which is very similar to the old GT3, which is very similar to the GT3 before that one, and so on … OR it gets you a delivery miles Ferrari 296 GTB (pick your spec, there are nearly 200 advertised for sale nationwide) that will take a 918 Spider to Gapplebees PLUS another ~$100K to buy a Novitec exhaust, a new watch, a nice trip to Europe, etc. which one are you gonna choose?
good point
a new gt3 is nice but its got nothing on a 296 when it comes to curb appeal or straight line performance especially when its 100k cheaper
It has one important thing over a 296: you can be a little cuck of a dude and feel comfortable in one. Owning a Ferrari requires you be willing to deal with the drama and attention.
The answer to your hypothetical is obvious to me but I doubt I think the same way as these customers. My immediate impression of the 296 was to hate on the 6-cylinder engine. Although, that's what you get in the Porsche, too.
A stupid amount of money.
I’ll have the Miata with LS for $40k please.
an outstanding bargain
you can get away with a 911 in a doctor's parking lot if people think its a 100k car. If they think it costs as much as the house they're looking at they will hate you.
And for my dentist buddies, they sure as hell are going to be wondering how much of their crown payment is going towards your car
My father was a dentist (now retired).
He had a small practice with 7 exam rooms, each of which featured an artistic interpretation of one of the wooden boats he had at the time (also 7). This was in the late ‘90s. One day, a grumpy patient pointed at his 80 series Land Cruiser and exclaimed “I PAID FOR THAT!” The wooden boat artwork came home in the Land Cruiser that evening.
And dad responded “and i wrote it off!”
The problem is the middle aged receptionist parks her rusty cavalier 3 spaces away and gives the nurse shit about leasing a new Camry.
My wife lasted a year and a half parking her 996 in her reserved spot. Just felt mortified whenever she went to work.
The patients don't give a shit, but it isn't great for staff morale. Maybe it is different now that poors lease 3 series.
Another hometown story:
There was a guy about 15 years my father’s junior who was also a dentist in my hometown. He did a number of things that my father found distasteful: he advertised (heavily), he had these MEGAWATT veneers that he thought would be another form of (positive) advertisement, and he cheated on his first wife with a dental hygienist. After having married the dental hygienist, he sold his practice and became an employee at a “medical campus” in town.
After he sold the practice, he bought a bright yellow Gallardo to drive to work, which he parked in the sizable parking lot of the sizable medical campus building (he double parked in the corner by the dumpster). Word got around quickly, of course (this was just before 2008). His ex-wife started dating a man in the tree service business who was into drugs, so she followed suit (into drugs, not stump grinding). One day, she appeared at the medical campus tweaked out on meth and keyed every panel on the Gallardo.
The younger dentist is in his late 50s now and drives a Cybertruck. Naturally, my father finds that distasteful, as well.
That poor Gallardo.
His ex was already winning the divorce by staying thin.
Seems like a town full of colourful characters.
I had a guy moonlighting with company mowers stop by my (admittedly pretty nice) house in his (admittedly ratty) E90 BMW to try and quote me $150 a pop to mow my lawn, at the time I had my $400 '91 Park Avenue in the driveway. I found a local kid to do it for $50 a mow, who has now grown it into a successful landscaping business (and I now pay $67 a mow three years later)
$150 to mow a lawn? GTFOOH! What do you have, like 3 acres?
which Grand Seiko?! I picked up a SBGJ237 and SBGA211 last year after my failed GMT attempt at Rolex ADs These two watches were bought new cheaper than GMTII MSRP, won't even speak of the grey market.
I still want a 41 fluted date just in mint green.
SLGA025.
I went in on a snowflake but got enthusiastic.
I have the impression the Snowflake (which I bought) is the "starter" Grand Seiko. the very lovely (literally and figuratively) saleswoman at Wako told me it is by far the most popular model.
Not the starter, it's 2x the price of the GS quartz. It's more like the GS enthusiasts' choice, basically it is the Focus RS of Spring Drives.
Grand Seiko > Rolex.
Tudor > Rolex.
buy maybe I'm just biased because I have the former and hope to soon(ish) buy the latter
So I sold some Porsche parts to a PCA member a few weeks back. Guy shows up in. PTS 991 GT3 to look them over. Lives a couple miles away. Personalized plate, 6sp.
Me: "Nice car."
PCA guy:"It's a manual, all my fun cars are manuals."
Me: "Do you track it? Must be fun on track."
PCA guy: "Nah, been busy."
Me: " C'mon out back I'll show you the parts."
PCA guy: "What's that in there?"
Me: "Cayman R."
PCA guy: "Oh yeah, how much HP? What year was that?"
Me: "2012. Like 340, likes short tracks [LIKE THE ONE LITERALLY 20 MINUTES AWAY WHERE DOOFUSES WITH GT3s SHOW UP FOR NOVICE DAY]"
PCA guy: "Will you take less for your parts?"
This dude wants to run against you at Waterford like I want to fight Kimbo Slice in his prime, which is to say NOT AT ALL.
The correct reply would have been, “no, and for pricks the price is double”
often the message is just to themselves
“ Rolex can sell their existing production into China alone for the next fifty years.”
You’ll find that the paradigm is shifting in the luxury goods market and its dependence on China. A lot of luxury conglomerates (LVMH, Richemont, etc) are currently struggling in the Chinese market.
Totally agreed, but I don't think that applies to Rolex AT ALL.
There’s a Rolex boutique in Schiphol Airport. Like in the article, they’re all marked as “For Exhibition Only.”
I can maybe understand why things at a local dealer may be that way, but what is the point of “exhibiting” watches in an airport?
I went to a local winery the other day and the local BMW dealer had overpriced new models with the vehicles stickers on them randomly parked by the path from the parking lot to the tasting area. Last time I’ll go there.
Last time I skied at Beaver Creek they had Audis perked throughout the resort. Maserati had similar at Snowmass. When the Ghibli was new, they were doing test drives for interested parties.
So people can lust over them.
That guy is dead wrong.
That attitude is part of “The Luxury Strategy” (there is a book by that title on the topic).
https://medialiteracysp13.wordpress.com/2013/04/11/snob-appeal-approach-youre-not-ready/
Rolex watches sell themselves. Just like Hermes bags, Ferraris, and GT3s. Every time the WSJ, FT, Bloomberg, or the NYT write an article about “Here’s this thing rich people want that they can’t get” the waitlists expand even further. Rolex solved a fundamental problem for the entirety of the Swiss watch industry by transforming a tool that rapidly lost its tool status / functionality into an acceptable form of status symbol / signaling / jewelry for men.
What’s more likely to be on someone’s wrist in 100 years? A Rolex Submariner that looks very similar to the models available today, or an Apple Watch?
It’s obvious to anyone with a brain that the Rolex (or any watch AD) “list” is non-linear. If you stroll in off the street to buy a Daytona or a Nautilus or a Royal Oak, you’ll get nowhere. If Brad Pitt walks in right after you and decides he wants to walk out with whatever they have in the safe, he will. If you don’t like that game, you can climb the greasy pole over time or pay the prevailing market price and have a dealer overnight you one minutes after your wire clears. To repeat, the author can be wearing a brand new Rolex on Friday if he executes a wire today; he just wants the preferential pricing afforded to better customers.
I do agree that Rolex should have something available for the walk-ins given their volume and ubiquity. You should be able to stroll in and walk out with a “basic” Submariner or Datejust. I don’t understand Jack’s bizarre boner for Tudor - most people want a Rolex, not a “it’s actually just as good, trust me” Tudor. If Rolex ceased to exist, what would happen to Tudor as a brand proposition? Nosedive. If Tudor ceased to exist, what would happen to Rolex as a brand proposition? Onward and upward.
The good thing about the watch secondary market is that they are commoditized, all the same when new(ish). If you want a 992 GT3 in GT Silver with buckets, manual, PCCB, full leather, and nose lift … you probably won’t be able to get exactly that car on a whim, even if you have the cash ready to go.
'I don’t understand Jack’s bizarre boner for Tudor - most people want a Rolex, not a “it’s actually just as good, trust me” Tudor. If Rolex ceased to exist, what would happen to Tudor as a brand proposition? Nosedive. If Tudor ceased to exist, what would happen to Rolex as a brand proposition? Onward and upward.'
I'll go further than that.
99% of people would rather have a perfect Chinese fake GMT-Master than a Tudor GMT made in Le Locle. Because they buy watches hoping to be noticed, to be seen as someone, to impress someone with what they've purchased.
I wear a Tudor, or GS, or the Seagull I had on yesterday, because I already *am* someone. Not the biggest someone, not the most famous, but I am a someone: an internationally recognized author, a champion on two wheels and four, someone who has built and designed systems in lasting use, beloved by enough women to fill a Starbucks. Therefore, I buy and wear what gratifies or interests me. I'm not "that guy with a Sky-Dweller". I'm Jack Baruth, wearing some watch.
Thank you for coming to my intravenous-grade-narcissism TED talk.
Non sequitur, once more.
My claim was simply about Tudor; at its essence, Tudor is - has always been, and almost certainly will always be - defined by its relation to Rolex.
This is like that apocryphal Sinatra quote: “You buy a Ferrari when you want to be someone. You buy a Lamborghini when you are someone."
You're discussing branding, I'm discussing the actual watch. We are likely both correct in our own way.
There's some awful irony here, too, because today's Rolexes are vastly better than the old ones in every way you can measure. The person who pays $18k for a new "Bruce Wayne" is getting a much better watch than the person who buys an early GMT-Master. Yet there's a common consensus that the latter person has a claim, however mild, to moral superiority.
I am discussing “branding” because that is the most important, essential thing about Rolex! Tudor is trivial in comparison; it’s a barnacle riding along the hull of Rolex’s majestic super yacht.
Can you name ANY brand that has been nurtured and protected as much as Rolex?
Cadillac. Oh, wait …….
Not disagreeing, but it's not important or essential to ME. I wore a Seagull yesterday and I'm wearing an Alpinist today. I judge Rolex as a physical product, not as a brand.
i have a magnificent heavy fake gold copy of some famous brand--with a tiny little extra watch on the band--that a distant relative bought me for $25 or so from some asian street vendor. it keeps good time of course. i like to wear it occasionally and when someone asks me about it i say it's fake but still tells the time!
Bark is the mastermind behind the backyard chicken coop movement?
or hes long egg futures
I was deeply disappointed when following the link that this wasn't the case.
"I get out of the 300C in a better mood than I was in when I entered it."
That's really what it comes down to. A Tesla Model 3 Performance or a HO Hurricane Charger would be quicker. Something like a Camry LE would get me to the same destinations for less money, with less hassle and more reliably. But, the personal satisfaction from my LX car outweighs whatever negatives it has. I also custom ordered my car so there is nothing on it that wasn't my decision.
I'm not sure what I'll replace it with. A V8 version of the new car would be most likely. Anything else (Mustang GT, used Audi S7, Corvette, etc.) would probably be a supplement rather than a replacement.
I bought my Mustang GT with a manual because it's fun, and I love driving it.
Borg slushboxes are for lazy numbers fetishists.
Zf 8 speed is a hell of an (auto) trans
Yes it is, especially if the OEM writes software emulates a dual clutch. That would be sport mode on the Audi S4, not quite as fast but fun nonetheless.
This depends on how it's programmed. I don't love it on our x5. The shifts are are all noticeable, and it shifts often. I'm constantly slapping it in and out of sport mode to get it to behave how I want. I think I prefer the aisin 5-speed in my 05 Tundra.
While i would still prefer a manual the modern automatics are much better than i expected
To be honest, an automatic in flat as a pancake Illinois with no curvy roads is more apt.
A manual on the twisty mountain roads where I live is a real joy.
In my mind I’m blasting down country roads. In reality I’m commuting 15 miles on an 8-lane surface street. Even a fun car doesn’t make that drive fun.
YOU GUYS ARE ALL WRONG!
Slushboxes are so lame, only Jesus could heal them.
Tried for years to make a manual work on my daily slog...
Many hours crawling through traffic along the 95 corridor cures one of the manual elitism pretty quickly. Don't think I can ever go back to one as my only car again.
I'm super lame, so having never owned a manual-shifted car is on-brand for me.
"Is Aston Martin doing anything at all to be competitive in 2025, or are they 100% focused on next year?"
if newey has a hand in next years car id wager that being the reason
"the 2026 Hyundai Palisade Hybrid can continue to operate the A/C while it's in EV mode and the gas engine is not running"
riveting. even if nobody else did this would anyone really care?
anyway referring to someone as anon reminded me that 4chan is down and possibly for good which sucks
"Eagle RS-A tires, which are still at legal tread depth"
is it just me or am i shocked that oem tires can last 50k plus miles hooked to a heavy and powerful fullsize sedan? some tires seem like they never wear out (i am convincing myself to get a set of falken rt600s or dunlop star specs for the miata instead of some cheap allseason)
Well, the RS-As don't grip so they SHOULD last.
In my experience the all-season "Eagles" don't last, however.
The engine off A/C was called "Dog Mode" by Tesla and also greatly facilitates sleeping in the vehicle, which has now become aspirational.
Porsche had that dog mode in the Cayenne before Tesla had a roadster. I think it had a time limit.
Speed, I know driving conditions are different north of the border, however over the last two decades I have got 75,000 miles or more on Goodyear All Seasons on Helen’s 2005 Jeep Liberty (sold), 75,000 plus miles on Michelins on my 2005 Cadillac STS-V, 75,000 plus on All Season Goodyear on my 2015 Grand Charokee 4x4 (sold) 74,000 miles on Michelins on the 2018 Silverado and we have 50,000 miles on the Michelins on my 2023 Grand Charokee. Modern tyres seem to last if they are not abused (see Jack’s comments regarding abuse).
thats absolutely incredible
i think some tires last longer than the lease of the car and are more likely to age out than to wear out
I put 50k miles on the OE Pirellis that came on my GTI. I replaced them because one picked up a nail and I didn't think it was worth patching such old tires. They had enough tread to go 20k+ miles further.
All hail hemi powered L cars! (Even if your final edition 300c should've been available as a widebody in F8 Green with saddle brown interior like a Charger was)
'a widebody in F8 Green with saddle brown interior'
I'd pay $300 a month more for that, each and every month.
Best I can do is a green F8 with a body kit and a chocolate brown interior
https://www.ilusso.com/used-vehicle-2022-ferrari-f8-tributo-c-4376/#details_detail-5
Gosh, I hate to say this offhandedly, but: WORTH THE MONEY.
The ask is the thick end of $100K above the F8 market - granted it’s a special color and the interior was specced quite well, so that is valuable - but the aftermarket body kit would have to come off.
It’s hard to find a modern Ferrari in a good, classic spec: Rosso Corsa or Blu TDF, Cuoio or Beige Tradizione interior, Daytona race seats, silver five spoke wheels.
I'd be fine returning it to factory spec and selling the stuff, if it's worth anything.
The full kit is $51K (!) plus installation, paint, etc. And then the ugly HRE wheels gotta go too.
Did F1 do a NASCAR for the Chinese sprint race for Sir? He’s been no where before or since and the British press is getting low on excuses.
https://substack.com/@ameliusmoss/note/c-102799818
Took a ride in Bark’s 300. Awesome car. The valet at the restaurant we visited was VERY impressed with it. Glad Chrysler went ahead and made it.
If/when Bark is ready to sell, I hope to hear about it. Might be a nice upgrade from our 300S 5.7.
If you are looking for a device for EKGs outside of a hospital, a cardiologist I know recommended this and said it is better than anything you’ll get out a smart watch. Basically, it is half of a 12 lead EKG. You can’t wear it all the time, but you can measure whenever you need to or on a regular schedule.
https://tinyurl.com/3j4wrrey
I have one. It can't detect afib, which is my most pressing warranty expiration, but I do use it every day.
Interesting. It was an EP cardiologist who recommended it, and he told me that it would detect afib.
It can -- as long as it happens exactly when you're using it.
I don't have it THAT often or I'd already be out of a race car and into a cardiac ablation.
Timing is everything.
I hope it clears up soon. Afib is a hassle.
My mother got that done a couple years ago, and a friend of mine only a few years older than me just recently got it done. Helped them both greatly so far!
I had two afib ablations. The second worked - that is not unusual. If you do get to that point, do lots of research on the doctor (I can give a recommendation if needed).
Afib was a drag. Before it was diagnosed, I quit skiing because I would do three moguls and have to pull over to stop and pant. Then I had multiple shocks to get my heart back into rhythm. (My wife asked for permission to press the button, not sure what that tells me.) When that stopped working, the next step was lots of drugs including a blood thinner. Afib won't kill you but a stroke caused by blood pooling in the heart might.
Then two ablations fixed it all.
Glad you're doing better! Are you able to get back to skiing as well now?
Is the automotive news game still dominated by clicks and monthly visitors, as it once was ?
If so, one wonders if that Drive headline wasn’t just Cernovichian intentional-error engagement bait tactic.
“Nothing gets more clicks or shares
Than making provocative statements
With little errors”
^ I think you're on to something! 🫏 = 🧠
It’s all press releases
The clicks are in the basement, and the monthlies are miserable.
Now it is 100% about affiliate purchases via Amazon and Anker, sadly.
And those sweet bribes
How many power banks and phone cords can one site sell per month?
Not enough, thus the continual hemorrhaging of staff.
OT summary:
Canada will hold an election soon. This document, published in January but recently popularized, is a bombshell:
https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2025/hpc-phc/PH4-207-2025-eng.pdf
A hyperbolic (but not much) summary:
"By 2024, the rivers will run red with Canadian blood, but, as wonderful as that sounds, it could be a major problem because it could lead to, horror of horrors, fewer migrants (we offer our apologies for mentioning something so terrifying). Also, people may scapegoat CEOs, the government, and migrants, or even lose trust in a system that required them to finance their own dispossession and displacement."
The EEOC is investigating TCS for discriminating against non-Indians (shocking!)
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have fired around 300 Telegu employees for a scam (Telegu Indians scamming: hoocouldanode?) apparently involving charitable contribution matching. The Telegus would contribute to Telegu "charities" which would be matched by the employer, and then the "charities" would refund the money to the Telegus. These are the people that the Establishment entrusts with your personal mortgage data.
UPDATE: More details published today:
https://www.breitbart.com/economy/2025/04/23/indian-visa-migrants-lose-jobs-in-ethics-enforcement/
(note that numerous tratorious Indian agents who have infiltrated the US government are pushing back)
The "NIL" fig leaf can be dropped: the NCAA, in direct contravention of its historical _raison d'être_, now allows college athletes to be paid directly and requests federal legislation to create nationwide uniformity.
the election is on the 28th meaning five days from today in which canada will decide if it will slip into irreparable ruin or that but slightly slower
They’ll go all in
US '24 was arguably the same thing.
A quote from the traitorous foreign agents / enemy combatants defending their co-ethnics:
"It has been brought to my attention that Fannie Mae has accused hundreds of my constituents in the Indian-American community of fraudulent behavior and fired them without conducting a full investigation or providing evidence...We also request a briefing for ourselves and our staff at your earliest convenience"
Enemy combatants:
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL)
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA)
Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-MI)
I’m shocked at the lack of ethics. Not.
Yeah; I've edited my post to use the words "enemy combatants." In many ways, India in 2025 is worse than the Soviets were in 1975. The latter inspired us to develop better technology and were less successful in infiltrating / colonizing our government and other institutions.
Have you seen academia though? The soviets werent stupid
I can confirm those “americans” were lying their asses off. Thank god for free market competition so we can fire those lousy Americans who dont know well enough to lie.
" lousy Americans who dont know well enough to lie"
And whose skin color and ethnicity prevent them from joining the cartel.
It's interesting how many millions of dollars are spent each year on lobbyists to create a particular form of "free market" which is dominated by scabs from one particular region of one particular country on the other side of the world with nothing in common with ours.
Im sure banking is 100% a free market and not supported by bought and paid for congressmen
ad The Drive: the first sentence - "Feast your eyes on the 2026 Hyundai Palisade in the proverbial flesh" - is even worse than the headline (which you can blame on the intern-in-charge)
Yeah. Why does this thing have FLESH.
becuase it yearns
Speaking of fitness trackers, have you seen the Gshock fitness edition? Seems pretty cool as a replacement for an Apple Watch.
Some Garmin Phenix watches have built in pulse monitoring (at the wrist; without the chest strap).
Ive thought about a heart monitor so i can get into that nice 120-140 heart beat range but i found i could do that takkng my pulse with my fingers
Yes, but the Phenix also contains a GPS (and compass, thermometer, barometer, accelerometer for gait analysis), so you can measure your distances and pace precisely, run simulated races.
EDIT: It also can also be used in aviation:
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2017/06/16/the-navy-is-issuing-every-f-a-18-pilot-a-garmin-watch-heres-why.html
I thought about that when i was riding 20 miles+ a day but i wasnt racing anyone and a stop watch worked if i was racing myself. I dont hate the technology but it’s superfluous unless you need precise monitoring
Yes! But that would be a left hand watch for me, and I'd have no excuse to wear my MR-G :)