full of badass battery power as they hi ho hum down the road. Just like your refrigerator, your dishwasher, and your vacuum cleaner, now your car can be electric, too!
Shhhhhh don’t remind them they left cars off and are not as bright as they think they are. If they believe that list covered the issue and will resolve all ills just wait.
Most of these weenies call the Challenger a Charger anyway. I experience more D-bags in Audis, BMW's and Subarus around here than the typical Pony car or Charger.
Replace every “Audi” mention with “Tesla”, change “2016 A6” to “2022 M3P”, and strike “Unless it’s an S4 of course.” I made the mistake of laying eyes on the Tesla subreddit once... biggest cluster of circle-jerking I’ve ever had the misfortune of seeing.
I think more V8 Challengers also get picked up as cruisers by older boomer types who want a “fun” weekend or daily car versus the Charger crowd. Kind of like the American lower priced BMW 6 coupe.
I had one a couple of weeks ago as well. My initial impression was that the tires must have had 50psi in them, they didn't. How can a car with so much body roll ride so poorly over expansion joints and cracked pavement?
I’ve finally listed my ‘01 Miata. It needs to be gone by thanksgiving, because my Boxster needs to take its place in the garage for the winter and because I just don’t need it anymore.
136,000 miles, blue over tan LS, new continental extreme contact tires, new alternator, window regulators, top. I love the car, bought it with my first ever political paycheck. But it’s time.
I’ve got it listed at $7450, which seems lower than what’s on autotrader rn. But since it needs to go, and since I appreciate the advice and wisdom of our commentariat and Jack’s frequent kindness to me, I’ll offer a significant discount to any ACF reader who wants it. If you’re in WV, OH, PA, VA, KY, or any nearby state I’ll drive it to you; if you come get it (car is in Parkersburg, WV) I’ll buy dinner at the nicest local restaurant or throw in a detail.
Jack should have my contact info, but my email is p c g b r y c e at gmail dot com. If nobody bites, I’m selling it at a mild loss to the dealership I worked at in high school; the Boxster top is leaking and it can’t spend winter outside in my driveway.
Conversely, blue cars are my favorite. If it weren’t for my dad’s recalcitrance to ride with me to Baton Rouge, I’d be driving a blue A5 Sportback Prestige.
You should probably list it on Craigsilst just in case. The parameterized email alerts are very convenient for buyers who aren't able to be on FB 24/7.
I'll be level with you: If it wasn't for the fact I'm out of cash and out of space, I'd be making tracks your location as we speak. I trust pretty much everyone here implicitly. I'm just annoyed at the decisions I've made that prevents me from taking you up on what would amount to a screaming deal on a Miata (and food).
It’s entirely possible I buy a Bandit or Ninja or VFR, but at this rate probably more Zegna trousers and silk ties. My mother can only stand so much cardiac angst with my Boxster. It also half goes to repay a loan to my dad, which covered a lack of liquidity when I bought the A4.
Something something “I’ve pulled your chestnuts out of about 53 fires, from the time you crushed your kindergarten nemesis with a lifetime table to the time you simultaneously managed to blow two Golf tires in Volga, West Virginia in the dead of winter. Repay me”
We took a moderate ($30k) 10-day bridge loan from my in-laws between when we bought our current house and sold our old one. Literally just to avoid having to move same day or put stuff into storage or whatever. Brought him a check for the amount after 10 days and second closing. He said “give me half, pay me the second half next year.” Wife says fine.
Couple months later she’s at his house and he starts giving her a hard time about “well I was gonna do X but you haven’t paid me back yet…”. To her credit, wife drove home, got her checkbook, and wrote him a $15k check right then and there. And then told him to fuck off. Looking forward to pissing on his grave. Fuck that guy.
Tempting as I just sold my 2003 GTI but the jury still seems out to me how well a 6'2 200lb guy fits in a miata. The one time I wish for a smaller frame is when Miata is spoken.
Good to know, mostly worried about headroom. I think my 2024 calling will be a LS2 C6 (cheaper than LS3) as I know I fit in those with a Mustang as backup. Challengers, as fond of them as I am, are expensive to insure around here for obvious reasons.
I’m reasonably sure that 300 was damaged or abused in some way before it was placed in to the (apparently already snowy) Ontario press fleet. Years ago (here in Canada) I drove a Saturn Sky press car and while showing it to my friend at his shop, we decided to put it up on the hoist to see what they’d done to a Cobalt or Cavalier or whatever to make it a sports car. Lo and behold, the subframe had an absolutely massive dent in it - this thing looked like it was dropped on an I-beam at some point. I’d guess they cobbled together a literal factory second at the plant or shined up the training mule and sent it out to pasture in the hands of hapless auto writers, various people who apparently are still able to draw (probably a retirement) income off outlets like Driving.ca and would otherwise have no way of telling if a car wasn’t quite right (I’m sure it isn’t)
Hope you have an excellent day, my birthday brother!
I must admit that I'm looking at a battery system for my solar power system. Currently I use my electrical co-op. Because battery backups that'll run the house start around $20K and only go up from there and we're on a trunk - so power is dependable.
But then suddenly, a thought occurs: How much are EV's? And don't I get a tax write off? If I don't register or insure it, because I'm really just using it as a back up, will it be CHEAPER for me to buy one instead?
I think I need to run some price comparisons this weekend and find out how much a two-way charger would cost...
Not sure if you're familiar with congressman Thomas Massie, but I remember seeing a tweet from him where he showed that his backup system is the battery from a totalled electric car.
My electrical bill isn't exactly low, and I put in a solar power system to address about half of what I use - and this month they just raised the cost of electricity by almost 20 percent across the state. So waiting for the inevitable brownouts....
I can't wait until we get to start rationing everything! Not just our electricity, but our natural gas, our water, our food. Just think how fun it will be to stand in bread lines with all your friends! You could make a day of it! The bright, bold new future ahead is bright, my friend. Very bright. So long as you ignore the blackouts.
Biden wants to bring an UNLIMITED number of those very same Palestinians who turned Lebanon from the resort jewel it once was, to the hell hole it is today!!
And they WILL because the 'Palestianians' have set up 'states inside of states' where they rule (like warlord despots) in EVERY country they've been in! Hence why Egypt and Jordan will kill them if they ever come back!
So if you don't have a couple guns, better go buy 'em now! Because in a few years, you are going to NEED one, just to protect yourself from those peace loving and ever oppressed people.
Is a $20k battery backup really better than $5-10k of nat gas Generac standby? I guess if you’re in an area with no nat gas, but otherwise, that’s where I’d spend my $$$.
We have propane. And I've thought about that as well. It's about $10K here for a generator installed. The advantage of a battery is that I don't have to worry about the cost of propane going up, or supply shortages.
So it's a matter of trying to figure out what's coming and staying one step ahead. That's why I got the solar power system, because I knew power was going to get more expensive as no one is building any new capacity, but they're pushing electric cars to consume what's already lacking.
Right now, my co-op works as a battery, I get back what I put in for (effectively) free. But they don't generate any power, so for all that I may have faith in them, I don't have faith in their suppliers. Thing is, Texas has known for over a decade that they were running out of power.
But because of all those bribed politicians we got a bunch of windmills all over the place that are a new loss to the system. Rather than Nukes or Gas or Coal, that are net gains.
As for the windmills, the amount of ecological damage they're doing is huge. One of these days someone is going to win a major lawsuit and they'll all be outlawed overnight.
They also missed Challengers somehow? I honestly thought that was a fake/photoshop pic in the spirit of satirizing what these Cars and Coffees have become.
Exotics haven't been exciting for some time. Now, if I see a spotless 90s Eddie Bauer or a clean early 80s Lesabre on the road? Now those are genuine "head turners" for me.
I know how incredibly lame and sad it is, but that is absolutely the appeal to RadWood and the like for me. Went to the Philly one a couple years ago and saw an absolutely *mint* second gen Probe GT. What a fine car that I absolutely never see!
But how else could one truly appreciate a low mileage third-gen Maxima without a seven figure investment from an insurance company and teal hats you can buy for only $35 though?
The banning specific cars thing is stupendously ill-informed.. those three aren't the only cars that can and will do a burnout, but it sounds more like someone saying "we don't like YOUR KIND around here".
@Jack: You can cream your pants all you want, Yuki is no closer to a Red Bull seat. Arguably he exists more to entertain than who you're calling 'washed up' having dragged multiple dogs up to the podium.
I thought this might be a hard weekend for you! I agree that Yuki will never get that seat, although one wonders why Honda didnt push harder for it. Don't people in Japan drink Red Bull?
Its not a hard weekend for me at all. Any weekend with good racing is good. Note that both the Australians were on the receiving end of a rules quirk that had them a lap down through no fault of their own.
Honda can't just demand that a Japanese driver gets a seat in the best team on the grid at all other expense. They did not commit the level to resources to make such demands.
Also the days of Honda having much sway in the Red Bull fold are numbered.
Yuki on his own has NOT demonstrated anything more than flashes of competence.
Honda is entitled to one seat of the four that Red Bull controls.
Yuki’s path forward is to hop to Aston Martin - or whatever it will be called at that point - in 2026, when Honda becomes their power unit supplier (and Red Bull is building their own power unit with a Ford sticker on it; note that Ford is PAYING Red Bull $30MM / year for the privilege - and that’s a fucking deal given Andretti’s travails).
Red Bull makes $30MM / year and has someone to blame if (or when) the Red Bull-designed power unit fails to meet Verstappen’s expectations.
Ford gets to pretend they’re in the big leagues for only $30MM / year; imagine the egg on the face at GM if Red Bull Ford is dominant and Andretti Cadillac is outside the 107% threshold, assuming John Malone doesn’t mercy kill their bid.
Imagine having … $300K (or whatever) … to spend on your choice of mid-engined junior supercar or “special” paint to sample 911 or a monster truck (or whatever) and being excited to spend a weekend morning (1) getting up super early, (2) driving to a parking lot in the burbs, (3) parking your trophy next to other cars just like it, (4) and standing around drinking stale coffee while entertaining the advances of carspotters. And then if you’re lucky, someone in their pony / muscle car will crash into you as they leave.
Shhh, people watching the exotic owners and the gargoyles they let ride shotgun at these events is my favorite part. I don't want them to become self aware and stop coming. There is even a specific show for these people here that requires an annual membership to join. It is always a toss up what there will be more of, Lambos or bad Botox.
Depends on you perspective i guess. I go to one a few times a year but it's not check out supercars or to show off my own not-supercar. It's little gems you find in the sea of relatively mundane cars that make it worth it for me.
Last time it was an absolutely beautiful restromod E30 M3
I read somewhere that the reason so many guys cause trouble in Mustangs is because they're the most common, most affordable RWD car, so it's the first step up from that turbo Civic.
"Oh, my EK had 300 horsepower, Just like this S197. No problem!"
Yes problem, if you've only ever driven FWD or AWD, and half of those were slushboxes. 300 naturally-aspirated horses through the ass end is totally different from the dog-dragging-its-ass-on-the-carpet FWD turbo-four you thought was the shit
Most of all they came with some aggressive summer only tires that wear out rapidly and are very sensitive to temperature and conditions. So if you’re used to economy cars, and you get in a RWD car with relatively twitchy handling on tires that you don’t expect to be bald after 6k miles and it’s rainy and under 40*, you’re going to have a real bad time.
I shall not defend the elitist, curated C&C crowd, but the primary reason the Mustang/Charger/Challenger crowd was banned is due to losing two prior venues due to people sideshowing. They averaged out the offenders and here we are.
Note how they didn’t ban any Z cars, Infinitis, WRXs, GTIs, Civics, donks, slabs, C4 Corvettes, G8s, GTOs, or 240SX.
I’d rather have an event with restrictions than no show at all.
I suppose so. I'd rather stay at home and clean my Radicals than drive somewhere to watch a bunch of nerds standing next to 1200-mile brand-new supercars.
But think of all the FUEL RUN and GUMBALL stickers you’re missing out on! Not to mention the rare chance for someone to loudly explain why their 1,200-mile 2018 California T is going to be a surefire blue-chip collectible.
Don’t forget the caterpillar mustaches, telephoto lenses, and autism speaks vibes.
As I said above, the guy with the $300K - or more! - “exotic” car is taking precious time out of his weekend to show up and *perform* for those people.
Alonso might be the most adaptable open-wheeled driver since Rindt. I think Lewis’ bad weekends are so infrequent that they tend to get magnified, while Alonso’s chances to show his skill are so scarce that they get almost over-exaggerated. I appreciate both drivers, and who’s better depends on the conditions and circuit, not an easy answer.
I don't really understand Chrysler's strategy. Setting aside the idiocy of ev stuff Chrysler has been starved of product for over a decade. Killing the 300 just exacerbates that. I don't know why they can't just adapt it for the hurricane 6 and sell it for another decade. As it stands now they are going to roll out with a Pacifica and eventually some EV that costs a billion dollars that nobody wants.
Separate and unrelated, I wonder if the current interest environment will cause manufacturers (not just auto) to diverge from the dollar tree/Tiffany strategy and possibly cater to the middle. Wishful thinking perhaps
The poor HAVE TO buy any piece of crap you put in front of them, regardless of quality.
The rich WILL buy any piece of crap you put in front of them, regardless of quality.
The middle will fight you tooth-and-nail on price, negotiate you to the bone after that, complain endlessly about quality and continually demand improvements.
The Alonso / Checo battle was the highlight of this F1 season for me, along with qualifying in Monaco. It was a good clean drive for Checo, but he's still back battling with Alonso while Max is cruising 35 seconds up the road with pace in reserve.
It's hard to compare drivers in different cars, so I have no idea how Alonso and Hamilton compare pace wise, but it terms of racecraft, I think Alonso blows him away. Of course part of this is because of his career moves, a lot of the time canny racecraft was all Alonso had to rely on.
Re Danny vs Yuki, it's really too bad a flying tire robbed us of a chance to really see them head to head this race. Before Danny's injury, I was in the can Checo ASAP camp, but now I think RBRs apparent strategy of wait and see which Checo shows up in 24 and let Danny/Yuki fight it out in the same car until then is a good one. Checking off the 'finish the drivers championship 1-2' box this year ironically makes canning Checo mid season in 24 easier.
In addition to his well-documented F1 exploits, I recall watching him in person at various races (Le Mans, Indy, Daytona 24, Sebring). One memory in particular: during his Daytona 24 victory, he was in for a relatively early night stint (before midnight). It was cold, windy, and terribly rainy (the race was ultimately red-flagged). He drove his Cadillac like a man possessed, scything in and out of traffic and making series regulars with vastly more experience of the car, tires, track, traffic, rules, etc. look like mobile chicanes. I remember watching from a (mercifully) covered awning in the high banks (from which you can see the entirety of the track). Alonso exited the bus stop sideways and had overtaken two other DPi competitors for position before he reached the spot where Earnhardt crashed. He passed them like they were in reverse!
I have been a Porsche “VIP” each year that I’ve been to the Daytona 24. They typically have three suites in the “high banks” suites that are located near the transition from the tri-oval to the road course. There’s ample outdoor club seating that is covered. I have spent the night in there several times.
The food comes from Daytona’s in-house caterer and is - unfortunately - terrible. The first year we went (2017?), my entourage and I got a talking to for ordering pizza delivered directly to the track.
I have nothing to contribute to the thread this week other than the fact that I’m starting to the think the F1 season is too long with a schedule that could stand to trim at least a half dozen races.
Correct, sir. Eliminate all street tracks (sorry Monaco, your watch hath ended). Eliminate all tracks built with slave labor (sorry, middle Eastern oligarchs). Go to Portimao, every year. Race in Germany, every year. Race in France, every year. Istanbul. Mugello.
Singapore was a great race this year, and Monaco qualifying was exciting. Agree 100% on all the middle eastern tracks and the remainder of the street circuits. Also, can we put Interlagos on the calendar twice?
The problem is, if they cut back to 20 tracks, it's all the purpose built European tracks that would get dropped.
Yes, that's right. I recognize that they will never return to Donington Park, for example. But seeing today's gigantic F1 cars blast along a featureless straight with no elevation change is boring. And to think that Germany and France cannot justify a race while countries like China get one is just ludicrous. IMO the racing is best when you have high-speed corners, elevation change, and unforgiving runoff areas.
Agree 100%. Elevation change makes tracks for me. That's part of why Miami is so terrible. In general, flat tracks with acres of paved runoff are boring. All the stupid track limits issues this year really bring it home. There wouldn't be track limits issues if going off track made you crash.
I'd love to see F1 on some real US tracks rather than Miami and Vegas, but they'd probably have to ruin the tracks for everyone to meet the modern FIA standards.
Quoting myself (because why not) "F1 and Liberty Media don’t need my advice but I suggest that all other Grand Prix tracks be plowed under and replaced by an exact clone of Interlagos. Tilke had the right idea with COTA but he didn’t go far enough."
get more out of reading the dealer brochure then you do from the articles...and then they shove the electric cars up our ass and I tap out.
Badass writers telling us how badass the electric future is gonna be.
none of them look they can fight or have been in one
That and trikes. They're all pimping trikes now.
?
What, are they two or have equilibrium issues?
Nah, it's just where the PR money is flowing at the moment.
(Sigh)...Seriously?
full of badass battery power as they hi ho hum down the road. Just like your refrigerator, your dishwasher, and your vacuum cleaner, now your car can be electric, too!
You just made me realize there's gonna be Dyson CUVs and I'll never forgive you for it.
itll still suck
Mustangs, Camaros and Chargers…what about Challengers???
Shhhhhh don’t remind them they left cars off and are not as bright as they think they are. If they believe that list covered the issue and will resolve all ills just wait.
Nobody tell them about the SRT8 Magnum either!
Let them find out!
A young man came to our SCCA race last weekend with his Dodge Magnum to which he's fitted a 2020-vintage Charger nose. It was just lovely.
A forgotten gem. An acquaintance had a new one.
Did I ever mention that I'm a station wagon fan? Minvans too but don't get me started.
Most of these weenies call the Challenger a Charger anyway. I experience more D-bags in Audis, BMW's and Subarus around here than the typical Pony car or Charger.
Its a lifestyle mannnnn.
Ridiculous.
Has to be a green S5.
True Audi lifestylers drive nothing but the S8
I drove an S4 once. Sounded awesome. Stalled it a bunch. Still awesome.
Replace every “Audi” mention with “Tesla”, change “2016 A6” to “2022 M3P”, and strike “Unless it’s an S4 of course.” I made the mistake of laying eyes on the Tesla subreddit once... biggest cluster of circle-jerking I’ve ever had the misfortune of seeing.
its reddit
all they do is circlejerk
Seems like the Charger has a worse reputation than the Challenger.
Interesting. Rented a V6 Challenger last week and had a lot of fun with it, I could definitely cause cars and coffee consternation with a V8!
My experience is that Challengers tend to be driven by guys who just want a nice car.
Chargers on the other hand, especially Hellcats, are the province of Tough Guys, troublemakers and bass enthusiasts.
Bass as in the musical instrument or bass as in the fish?
I think more V8 Challengers also get picked up as cruisers by older boomer types who want a “fun” weekend or daily car versus the Charger crowd. Kind of like the American lower priced BMW 6 coupe.
Fo' does, mo' hoes
I had one a couple of weeks ago as well. My initial impression was that the tires must have had 50psi in them, they didn't. How can a car with so much body roll ride so poorly over expansion joints and cracked pavement?
Yeah the one I had would make a thunk over expansion joints.
Having rented the Camaro, two Mustangs and the Challenger this year I’d pick the Mustang
Alright, since this is the open thread:
I’ve finally listed my ‘01 Miata. It needs to be gone by thanksgiving, because my Boxster needs to take its place in the garage for the winter and because I just don’t need it anymore.
136,000 miles, blue over tan LS, new continental extreme contact tires, new alternator, window regulators, top. I love the car, bought it with my first ever political paycheck. But it’s time.
I’ve got it listed at $7450, which seems lower than what’s on autotrader rn. But since it needs to go, and since I appreciate the advice and wisdom of our commentariat and Jack’s frequent kindness to me, I’ll offer a significant discount to any ACF reader who wants it. If you’re in WV, OH, PA, VA, KY, or any nearby state I’ll drive it to you; if you come get it (car is in Parkersburg, WV) I’ll buy dinner at the nicest local restaurant or throw in a detail.
Jack should have my contact info, but my email is p c g b r y c e at gmail dot com. If nobody bites, I’m selling it at a mild loss to the dealership I worked at in high school; the Boxster top is leaking and it can’t spend winter outside in my driveway.
Just the local FB marketplace and Miata forums for now
Conversely, blue cars are my favorite. If it weren’t for my dad’s recalcitrance to ride with me to Baton Rouge, I’d be driving a blue A5 Sportback Prestige.
You should probably list it on Craigsilst just in case. The parameterized email alerts are very convenient for buyers who aren't able to be on FB 24/7.
GOD
DAMNIT
I CAN"T KEEP BUYING THESE FUCKING THINGS
You know my approach to bad ideas: dive in head first! I’ll make you a great deal!
I'll be level with you: If it wasn't for the fact I'm out of cash and out of space, I'd be making tracks your location as we speak. I trust pretty much everyone here implicitly. I'm just annoyed at the decisions I've made that prevents me from taking you up on what would amount to a screaming deal on a Miata (and food).
You say this and yet we have no evidence that you have asked that home-schooled, christian, daughter of your client out!
Anything worth doing is worth overdoing.
i mean ive already got three whats one more
Is a portion of the Miata slush fund going to a motorcycle, perhaps?
It’s entirely possible I buy a Bandit or Ninja or VFR, but at this rate probably more Zegna trousers and silk ties. My mother can only stand so much cardiac angst with my Boxster. It also half goes to repay a loan to my dad, which covered a lack of liquidity when I bought the A4.
Never repay your parents!
Something something “I’ve pulled your chestnuts out of about 53 fires, from the time you crushed your kindergarten nemesis with a lifetime table to the time you simultaneously managed to blow two Golf tires in Volga, West Virginia in the dead of winter. Repay me”
We took a moderate ($30k) 10-day bridge loan from my in-laws between when we bought our current house and sold our old one. Literally just to avoid having to move same day or put stuff into storage or whatever. Brought him a check for the amount after 10 days and second closing. He said “give me half, pay me the second half next year.” Wife says fine.
Couple months later she’s at his house and he starts giving her a hard time about “well I was gonna do X but you haven’t paid me back yet…”. To her credit, wife drove home, got her checkbook, and wrote him a $15k check right then and there. And then told him to fuck off. Looking forward to pissing on his grave. Fuck that guy.
I'd never let trousers or parents interfere with me enjoying a motorcycle.
And especially some sort of trouser/parent combination!
Grab a Bandit!!! I still miss mine.
It's a beautiful car. Wish I had an extra garage space, too.
Tempting as I just sold my 2003 GTI but the jury still seems out to me how well a 6'2 200lb guy fits in a miata. The one time I wish for a smaller frame is when Miata is spoken.
I’m glad to be 5’11 and 175, I fit into nearly everything. My dad is 6’0 and 245 and fits ok in it.
Good to know, mostly worried about headroom. I think my 2024 calling will be a LS2 C6 (cheaper than LS3) as I know I fit in those with a Mustang as backup. Challengers, as fond of them as I am, are expensive to insure around here for obvious reasons.
If you really want to, you can fit.
It won't be pretty.
I’m reasonably sure that 300 was damaged or abused in some way before it was placed in to the (apparently already snowy) Ontario press fleet. Years ago (here in Canada) I drove a Saturn Sky press car and while showing it to my friend at his shop, we decided to put it up on the hoist to see what they’d done to a Cobalt or Cavalier or whatever to make it a sports car. Lo and behold, the subframe had an absolutely massive dent in it - this thing looked like it was dropped on an I-beam at some point. I’d guess they cobbled together a literal factory second at the plant or shined up the training mule and sent it out to pasture in the hands of hapless auto writers, various people who apparently are still able to draw (probably a retirement) income off outlets like Driving.ca and would otherwise have no way of telling if a car wasn’t quite right (I’m sure it isn’t)
Hope you have an excellent day, my birthday brother!
That’s what’s really sad. Instead of giving writers a ringer, you give them an old nail, and they can’t tell.
The US press car ran a 12.5@116 so at least the engine was right!
A new possible use for EVs?
I must admit that I'm looking at a battery system for my solar power system. Currently I use my electrical co-op. Because battery backups that'll run the house start around $20K and only go up from there and we're on a trunk - so power is dependable.
But then suddenly, a thought occurs: How much are EV's? And don't I get a tax write off? If I don't register or insure it, because I'm really just using it as a back up, will it be CHEAPER for me to buy one instead?
I think I need to run some price comparisons this weekend and find out how much a two-way charger would cost...
Not sure if you're familiar with congressman Thomas Massie, but I remember seeing a tweet from him where he showed that his backup system is the battery from a totalled electric car.
I think you can buy just a battery pack from Tesla as a backup power supply.
POWERWALL!
not cheap though.
Powerball, then Powerwall.
I SAID MAYBE
YOURE GONNA BE THE ONE THAT SAVES ME
wait wrong song
The F150 Lightning is bidirectional like that. I could use my solar all day then run off it at night.
Of course at that point you're using an $80k truck to save $100 a year.
For what I installed it was going to take 12 years to earn it back.
Now they just raised the price of electricity, so it's going to take about 9.
As I'm planning on never moving again, I figure it's worth it.
My electrical bill isn't exactly low, and I put in a solar power system to address about half of what I use - and this month they just raised the cost of electricity by almost 20 percent across the state. So waiting for the inevitable brownouts....
I can't wait until we get to start rationing everything! Not just our electricity, but our natural gas, our water, our food. Just think how fun it will be to stand in bread lines with all your friends! You could make a day of it! The bright, bold new future ahead is bright, my friend. Very bright. So long as you ignore the blackouts.
Oh, don't worry!!!
Biden wants to bring an UNLIMITED number of those very same Palestinians who turned Lebanon from the resort jewel it once was, to the hell hole it is today!!
And they WILL because the 'Palestianians' have set up 'states inside of states' where they rule (like warlord despots) in EVERY country they've been in! Hence why Egypt and Jordan will kill them if they ever come back!
So if you don't have a couple guns, better go buy 'em now! Because in a few years, you are going to NEED one, just to protect yourself from those peace loving and ever oppressed people.
You're lucky if it's only rationed. Natural gas is banned on new builds in VIC, AU.
I'll be putting solar in my house too, as soon as I can get the magnetic fields stable enough to hold the hydrogen plasma past activation density.
You photovoltaic guys'd be better off hooking up alternators to a catwheel and having a corgi chase a stationary cheeseburger all day.
If the creek down at the back of my property had more of a regular flow, I'd build a dam and put a couple of small turbines in.
Economics of our inEVitable future
Is a $20k battery backup really better than $5-10k of nat gas Generac standby? I guess if you’re in an area with no nat gas, but otherwise, that’s where I’d spend my $$$.
We have propane. And I've thought about that as well. It's about $10K here for a generator installed. The advantage of a battery is that I don't have to worry about the cost of propane going up, or supply shortages.
So it's a matter of trying to figure out what's coming and staying one step ahead. That's why I got the solar power system, because I knew power was going to get more expensive as no one is building any new capacity, but they're pushing electric cars to consume what's already lacking.
Right now, my co-op works as a battery, I get back what I put in for (effectively) free. But they don't generate any power, so for all that I may have faith in them, I don't have faith in their suppliers. Thing is, Texas has known for over a decade that they were running out of power.
But because of all those bribed politicians we got a bunch of windmills all over the place that are a new loss to the system. Rather than Nukes or Gas or Coal, that are net gains.
As for the windmills, the amount of ecological damage they're doing is huge. One of these days someone is going to win a major lawsuit and they'll all be outlawed overnight.
And then what?
then we dont have them ruining the landscape
hooray
A prepper acquaintance tells me batteries are better for quietness, as you don't want your neighbors to know you have power when they don't.
They also missed Challengers somehow? I honestly thought that was a fake/photoshop pic in the spirit of satirizing what these Cars and Coffees have become.
Exotics haven't been exciting for some time. Now, if I see a spotless 90s Eddie Bauer or a clean early 80s Lesabre on the road? Now those are genuine "head turners" for me.
I treat FWD C-body spotting with more seriousness than I would a 512BBi.
I know how incredibly lame and sad it is, but that is absolutely the appeal to RadWood and the like for me. Went to the Philly one a couple years ago and saw an absolutely *mint* second gen Probe GT. What a fine car that I absolutely never see!
Sadwood would have been great had it stayed true to its original form: a show for Nineties vehicles without Fat Brad, the DWA nerds, and stupid merch.
But how else could one truly appreciate a low mileage third-gen Maxima without a seven figure investment from an insurance company and teal hats you can buy for only $35 though?
But you gotta have merch!
If people can't hawk merch, they have go get straight jobs, you monster!
The banning specific cars thing is stupendously ill-informed.. those three aren't the only cars that can and will do a burnout, but it sounds more like someone saying "we don't like YOUR KIND around here".
@Jack: You can cream your pants all you want, Yuki is no closer to a Red Bull seat. Arguably he exists more to entertain than who you're calling 'washed up' having dragged multiple dogs up to the podium.
car racism
I mean yeah actually. Specifically Chargers and Challys but broadly the rest are super popular in the black community.
i literally mean being racist towards dodge ford and chevrolet as a company rather than the owners
But what if it's a WHITE car...with limo-tinted windows?
quadruple the penalties with no chance of bail
I thought this might be a hard weekend for you! I agree that Yuki will never get that seat, although one wonders why Honda didnt push harder for it. Don't people in Japan drink Red Bull?
they have what
Really? 🤣
Its not a hard weekend for me at all. Any weekend with good racing is good. Note that both the Australians were on the receiving end of a rules quirk that had them a lap down through no fault of their own.
Honda can't just demand that a Japanese driver gets a seat in the best team on the grid at all other expense. They did not commit the level to resources to make such demands.
Also the days of Honda having much sway in the Red Bull fold are numbered.
Yuki on his own has NOT demonstrated anything more than flashes of competence.
Alonso: Stroll :: Daniel : Yuki.
Ricciardo doesn't seem to have any volition.
If luck puts him at the front he gets a good result. If luck puts him at the back, bad race.
NOR, VER, and even HAM have the ability to change their luck (and even PIA (to prove I'm not a traitor))
That's partially true but I haven't given up on him just because there is a young driver that could replace him.
His record reads similar to those drivers you mentioned before he made the ill fated switch to McLaren
Now we're referring to people with capitalized letters?
Are we now all airports?
Honda is entitled to one seat of the four that Red Bull controls.
Yuki’s path forward is to hop to Aston Martin - or whatever it will be called at that point - in 2026, when Honda becomes their power unit supplier (and Red Bull is building their own power unit with a Ford sticker on it; note that Ford is PAYING Red Bull $30MM / year for the privilege - and that’s a fucking deal given Andretti’s travails).
That IS a deal, isn't it?
It’s a deal for both sides, actually.
Red Bull makes $30MM / year and has someone to blame if (or when) the Red Bull-designed power unit fails to meet Verstappen’s expectations.
Ford gets to pretend they’re in the big leagues for only $30MM / year; imagine the egg on the face at GM if Red Bull Ford is dominant and Andretti Cadillac is outside the 107% threshold, assuming John Malone doesn’t mercy kill their bid.
Cars & Coffee is the lamest shit of all time.
Imagine having … $300K (or whatever) … to spend on your choice of mid-engined junior supercar or “special” paint to sample 911 or a monster truck (or whatever) and being excited to spend a weekend morning (1) getting up super early, (2) driving to a parking lot in the burbs, (3) parking your trophy next to other cars just like it, (4) and standing around drinking stale coffee while entertaining the advances of carspotters. And then if you’re lucky, someone in their pony / muscle car will crash into you as they leave.
Shhh, people watching the exotic owners and the gargoyles they let ride shotgun at these events is my favorite part. I don't want them to become self aware and stop coming. There is even a specific show for these people here that requires an annual membership to join. It is always a toss up what there will be more of, Lambos or bad Botox.
This is absolutely true. But it’s not worth it to me to devote any of my time to attendance.
The people watching at the Amelia Island concours is also top tier.
where? i wanna go look!
Look into Cars and Cappuccino they might have one in your local area, I'm sure the attendees are the same regardless of the city the event is in.
🤣
Depends on you perspective i guess. I go to one a few times a year but it's not check out supercars or to show off my own not-supercar. It's little gems you find in the sea of relatively mundane cars that make it worth it for me.
Last time it was an absolutely beautiful restromod E30 M3
🤣
I read somewhere that the reason so many guys cause trouble in Mustangs is because they're the most common, most affordable RWD car, so it's the first step up from that turbo Civic.
"Oh, my EK had 300 horsepower, Just like this S197. No problem!"
Yes problem, if you've only ever driven FWD or AWD, and half of those were slushboxes. 300 naturally-aspirated horses through the ass end is totally different from the dog-dragging-its-ass-on-the-carpet FWD turbo-four you thought was the shit
See “S2000s driven by the kids of moderately successful dry cleaners 2000-2010.” It’s just a Honda, right??
The AP1 cars had a reputation for being a bit twitchy.
Most of all they came with some aggressive summer only tires that wear out rapidly and are very sensitive to temperature and conditions. So if you’re used to economy cars, and you get in a RWD car with relatively twitchy handling on tires that you don’t expect to be bald after 6k miles and it’s rainy and under 40*, you’re going to have a real bad time.
Or the best time ever!
Right...
I shall not defend the elitist, curated C&C crowd, but the primary reason the Mustang/Charger/Challenger crowd was banned is due to losing two prior venues due to people sideshowing. They averaged out the offenders and here we are.
Note how they didn’t ban any Z cars, Infinitis, WRXs, GTIs, Civics, donks, slabs, C4 Corvettes, G8s, GTOs, or 240SX.
I’d rather have an event with restrictions than no show at all.
I suppose so. I'd rather stay at home and clean my Radicals than drive somewhere to watch a bunch of nerds standing next to 1200-mile brand-new supercars.
But think of all the FUEL RUN and GUMBALL stickers you’re missing out on! Not to mention the rare chance for someone to loudly explain why their 1,200-mile 2018 California T is going to be a surefire blue-chip collectible.
Well, now you've convinced me!
that's my favorite latemodel car!
Don’t forget the caterpillar mustaches, telephoto lenses, and autism speaks vibes.
As I said above, the guy with the $300K - or more! - “exotic” car is taking precious time out of his weekend to show up and *perform* for those people.
That's what happens when you give money to people who are uncertain as to its use.
Sir - that’s why it should be given to ME!
Who's got more money than they know what to do with?
The Guv-Mint!
hey i represent 1/3 of those things
no its not the mustache one
Autism doesn't speak, it doesn't know when to shut up.
correct
Alonso might be the most adaptable open-wheeled driver since Rindt. I think Lewis’ bad weekends are so infrequent that they tend to get magnified, while Alonso’s chances to show his skill are so scarce that they get almost over-exaggerated. I appreciate both drivers, and who’s better depends on the conditions and circuit, not an easy answer.
Meanwhile I'm getting ready to write up a friend's 30K mile '91 Brougham d'Elegance. Cotillion White over blue velour.
Dear EVs: Die.
Die, die, die.
Die.
Please let it have a 350 and an astroroof
Sadly no, it's a 5.0 with no Astroroof. But 21k original miles. Even has the factory Royal Seal tires!
I don't really understand Chrysler's strategy. Setting aside the idiocy of ev stuff Chrysler has been starved of product for over a decade. Killing the 300 just exacerbates that. I don't know why they can't just adapt it for the hurricane 6 and sell it for another decade. As it stands now they are going to roll out with a Pacifica and eventually some EV that costs a billion dollars that nobody wants.
Separate and unrelated, I wonder if the current interest environment will cause manufacturers (not just auto) to diverge from the dollar tree/Tiffany strategy and possibly cater to the middle. Wishful thinking perhaps
There's no profit in serving the middle.
The poor HAVE TO buy any piece of crap you put in front of them, regardless of quality.
The rich WILL buy any piece of crap you put in front of them, regardless of quality.
The middle will fight you tooth-and-nail on price, negotiate you to the bone after that, complain endlessly about quality and continually demand improvements.
Why deal with that?
Perfect!
Dollar Tree/Tiffany strategy. That's great!
Alonso drove a brilliant race.
The Alonso / Checo battle was the highlight of this F1 season for me, along with qualifying in Monaco. It was a good clean drive for Checo, but he's still back battling with Alonso while Max is cruising 35 seconds up the road with pace in reserve.
It's hard to compare drivers in different cars, so I have no idea how Alonso and Hamilton compare pace wise, but it terms of racecraft, I think Alonso blows him away. Of course part of this is because of his career moves, a lot of the time canny racecraft was all Alonso had to rely on.
Re Danny vs Yuki, it's really too bad a flying tire robbed us of a chance to really see them head to head this race. Before Danny's injury, I was in the can Checo ASAP camp, but now I think RBRs apparent strategy of wait and see which Checo shows up in 24 and let Danny/Yuki fight it out in the same car until then is a good one. Checking off the 'finish the drivers championship 1-2' box this year ironically makes canning Checo mid season in 24 easier.
Alonso’s racecraft is superb.
In addition to his well-documented F1 exploits, I recall watching him in person at various races (Le Mans, Indy, Daytona 24, Sebring). One memory in particular: during his Daytona 24 victory, he was in for a relatively early night stint (before midnight). It was cold, windy, and terribly rainy (the race was ultimately red-flagged). He drove his Cadillac like a man possessed, scything in and out of traffic and making series regulars with vastly more experience of the car, tires, track, traffic, rules, etc. look like mobile chicanes. I remember watching from a (mercifully) covered awning in the high banks (from which you can see the entirety of the track). Alonso exited the bus stop sideways and had overtaken two other DPi competitors for position before he reached the spot where Earnhardt crashed. He passed them like they were in reverse!
Best part of your comment: "watching from a (mercifully) covered awning in the high banks (from which you can see the entirety of the track)."
I have been a Porsche “VIP” each year that I’ve been to the Daytona 24. They typically have three suites in the “high banks” suites that are located near the transition from the tri-oval to the road course. There’s ample outdoor club seating that is covered. I have spent the night in there several times.
The food comes from Daytona’s in-house caterer and is - unfortunately - terrible. The first year we went (2017?), my entourage and I got a talking to for ordering pizza delivered directly to the track.
Hilarious about the pizza! I've been to the GRM brunch a few times and the food was adequate at best. Lately I drive across the street to Panera.
I have nothing to contribute to the thread this week other than the fact that I’m starting to the think the F1 season is too long with a schedule that could stand to trim at least a half dozen races.
They should pare it back to no more than 20, just make sure they keep Zaandevoort
Definitely Zandvoort, for its many similarities to Imola!
Correct, sir. Eliminate all street tracks (sorry Monaco, your watch hath ended). Eliminate all tracks built with slave labor (sorry, middle Eastern oligarchs). Go to Portimao, every year. Race in Germany, every year. Race in France, every year. Istanbul. Mugello.
Singapore was a great race this year, and Monaco qualifying was exciting. Agree 100% on all the middle eastern tracks and the remainder of the street circuits. Also, can we put Interlagos on the calendar twice?
The problem is, if they cut back to 20 tracks, it's all the purpose built European tracks that would get dropped.
Yes, that's right. I recognize that they will never return to Donington Park, for example. But seeing today's gigantic F1 cars blast along a featureless straight with no elevation change is boring. And to think that Germany and France cannot justify a race while countries like China get one is just ludicrous. IMO the racing is best when you have high-speed corners, elevation change, and unforgiving runoff areas.
What track in Germany would you use? They made Hockenheim into Hokey-heim because of the Greens.
Agree 100%. Elevation change makes tracks for me. That's part of why Miami is so terrible. In general, flat tracks with acres of paved runoff are boring. All the stupid track limits issues this year really bring it home. There wouldn't be track limits issues if going off track made you crash.
I'd love to see F1 on some real US tracks rather than Miami and Vegas, but they'd probably have to ruin the tracks for everyone to meet the modern FIA standards.
See my comment above.
Quoting myself (because why not) "F1 and Liberty Media don’t need my advice but I suggest that all other Grand Prix tracks be plowed under and replaced by an exact clone of Interlagos. Tilke had the right idea with COTA but he didn’t go far enough."
https://tinyurl.com/y6y3rdfv
Well, that's just because you have so many other things in your life! I need every F1 weekend I can get.
absolutely!