I bought a big gas guzzling suv, and I love it.

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Mikeallison
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Re: I bought a big gas guzzling suv, and I love it.

Post by Mikeallison »

Sclass,

I paid $6000 for this one, which is about a tenth of what it cost in 02. I have a bit of a fetish for machinery that follows the function over form philosophy (sounds like you do to). I love well built and thought out things. This thing looks like the most generic soccer mom suv on the planet, but it is built like a damn tiger tank, and rides like a Mercedes.

The doors have a solid clunk when you shut them. When you turn on the turn signal it feels like you are moving an industrial lever, solid, not cheap and flimsy. It has a curb weight of 5500 pounds, but you look under it and you can see why, everything is heavy duty like an old dodge power wagon. Despite that the interior is dead quite, roomy as hell, and the ride is divine. The lexus v8 makes almost no noise under the hood, and is as smooth as butter under acceleration.

I had all the same concerns buying it as you do, but then I messed up and test drove it. Best mistake I've made in awhile! I Iike to think of myself as a car guy, and I have yet to find anything better put together than this 100 series (of course I've never driven an s class).

Jennypenny,

My girlfriend has a nonhybrid 03 highlander with awd. Hers is great for light duty dirt roads, we used to take it camping all the time, but if the going gets too tough it isn't up to the task. Its unibody design Isn't ideal and the lack of low range gearing make it more prone to getting stuck. I had to shovel it out a few times, in mud and snow, and it had trouble with a few steep inclines on some forest service roads around here. Great reliable little car though!

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jennypenny
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Re: I bought a big gas guzzling suv, and I love it.

Post by jennypenny »

@sclass -- LOL. I love those, but I've learned the value of fitting in and Conquests tend to stick out in Stepford. Still, if I ever run across a deal on an old Defender, especially a military-issued one, I'd be sorely tempted.

George the original one
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Re: I bought a big gas guzzling suv, and I love it.

Post by George the original one »

Mikeallison wrote:
Sat Mar 24, 2018 1:40 am
You pretty much laid out the problem with Subaru, they are great for light duty and nasty roads, but off road you will miss that low range. Still they are impressive for what they are.
https://youtu.be/mbOCzqMYNlo
The current generation Outback (2015+) is definitely impressive and they have paddle shifters to control the CVT low range...https://youtu.be/vbMB97i-Xf4?t=53

Mikeallison
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Re: I bought a big gas guzzling suv, and I love it.

Post by Mikeallison »

George the original one wrote:
Sat Mar 24, 2018 5:42 pm
The current generation Outback (2015+) is definitely impressive and they have paddle shifters to control the CVT low range...
I haven't been sold on CVT yet, but I would love to "test drive" one of those and see what it could do! Is there a way to shut off traction control off road? I can see that causing problems.

Mikeallison
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Re: I bought a big gas guzzling suv, and I love it.

Post by Mikeallison »

ffj,

Nice! 70 series? Do you know what happened to it after you sold it? It might still be running around today, they are tough, and people tend to take care of them. Mine is a bit of a cream puff compared to that old work horse, but I I've grown to like the creature comforts.

Freedom_2018
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Re: I bought a big gas guzzling suv, and I love it.

Post by Freedom_2018 »

jennypenny wrote:
Sat Mar 24, 2018 10:44 am
@freedom -- What kind of off-roading are you planning on? I drive an '06 Highlander Hybrid and I love it. The gas mileage is much better than a traditional SUV. The third seat folds down to make sleeping easier although I'd probably go with an SUV tent set-up myself. It's not going to climb rocky hillsides but it can go off-pavement with no problems.

In my dreams, I'd want a hybrid Xterra. Maybe Nissan will resurrect the model when they go all electric.
From what I have seen on YouTube videos, offroading seems to come in the following flavors:

1. Overlander type : Well appointed and expensive rig setup, all the bells and whistles and satphone etc...ready to take over a small African nation or drive through Jurassic Park.

2. Guys doing stupid stuff: My Jeep is better than your truck..I dare you to...often fueled by some alcoholic libations ...these are fun videos to watch sometimes but they are clearly abusing their vehicles ...focus is on yeehaw and not on offroading skills.

3. Weekend warrior: Regular people having some fun with their everyday driver.

4. Moab rock crawler: Will not be satisfied till finally they can climb the face of El Capitan in Yosemite.

5. Alternative Lifestyle Person: Has freed themselves from the matrix or conversely has almost no resources and spends large amounts of time boondocking in the desert..away from prying eyes.

So I would like to do some combination of 1,3,5 but with a fairly stock rig. Maybe 4 once my rig is depreciated enough that I don't care...for now it will be a replacement for my Honda civic so also my only daily driver.

Ultimately, I'm more interested in the journey/adventure than the vehicle. So anything that can do the job without costing much (upfront, running, insurance etc) and be reliable enough (Land Rovers are out) to not break down on me 50 miles from nowhere, is acceptable. I would also aim to increase my vehicle tinkering knowledge obviously.

M

Freedom_2018
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Re: I bought a big gas guzzling suv, and I love it.

Post by Freedom_2018 »

https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCLL44RCPuw8XIslZBB8jf6A

This guy seems to have some very interesting videos.

(I'm wasting time watching 4wd porn instead of finishing up my Camino Santiago presentation that I told my partner I would be helping her with:)

enigmaT120
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Re: I bought a big gas guzzling suv, and I love it.

Post by enigmaT120 »

I like my '81 Toyota 4x4 pickup (20 mpg), but try not to drive it unless I really can't get my gas sipper Honda out my driveway due to snow, or if I'm hauling stuff like my kayak or bicycle. Like, 18" of snow and I still have to commute to work. I thought I would need it today (working a 12 hour night shift) but the rain melted the snow down enough I was able to get my Insight out. Not sure if I'll make it back up my driveway tomorrow morning but I'll worry about that then.

I don't care about the ride. Noise, bumpy, I just don't care, that truck will get me where I need to go. Having said that, when i finish restoring my '58 Chevy Napco half ton pickup (17 mpg), I'll sell that Toyota down the river. I don't like SUVs because they get worse gas mileage than my pickups, and won't haul as much stuff as my pickups.

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Sclass
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Re: I bought a big gas guzzling suv, and I love it.

Post by Sclass »

Oh yeah,
“It’s the power of love!”

Image

OTCW
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Re: I bought a big gas guzzling suv, and I love it.

Post by OTCW »

Sclass wrote:
Sun Mar 25, 2018 8:52 am
"Two coats of wax Biff."

George the original one
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Re: I bought a big gas guzzling suv, and I love it.

Post by George the original one »

Mikeallison wrote:
Sat Mar 24, 2018 8:30 pm
I haven't been sold on CVT yet, but I would love to "test drive" one of those and see what it could do! Is there a way to shut off traction control off road? I can see that causing problems.
Little button to turn it off is on the Outback's center console, along with the descent/climb button that switches to low range for the CVT. Subaru's advice is to leave the traction control turned on until you have trouble with traction and then you turn it off. There's also a hillholder brake feature that I can never remember how to operate.

CVT is quite nice to drive. The only drawback I've found is that you can't make a quick launch, but if you're already rolling, then it's a bit faster for acceleration than rowing through manual gears.

bryan
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Re: I bought a big gas guzzling suv, and I love it.

Post by bryan »

It would be really fun to compare the "cars of ERE" with the "cars of X" (even to MMM folks). Fun to judge a person by their car :P

I imagine ERE folks picking the right tool for the job. For a transportation and PF goal, at the basic level you buy the cheap used car with decent mileage and repair-ability that you can re-sell in 7 years for about the same price. Another level might be finding/buying a "better" car in need of simple repair that you do yourself (and can re-sell in 7 years for >buy+parts price). I imagine many prefer pre-2000s pickup trucks for the utility. Maybe you have a lust for a specific car and just had to buy it (e.g. 510, 240z, 300zx, 2002, etc). Myself, I have a cargo van. I've never sold a car for less than I've bought it.

Would be pretty rare for one of us to buy new, I think. An electric/hybrid car may be an exception, assuming the car battery would be used for more than just driving?

As for guilty pleasures, I was going to say I don't sweat (though frugality is pretty ingrained) purchases like going out for coffee, beers, food, or trips etc too much; but I don't think they qualify. Now that I think about it I can't really recall any "guilty" (or overspending in general) purchases. Looking around at my possessions and transaction logs, the only thing that stands out is my bicycle (which I bought new about 7 years ago and have ridden it "less" (didn't actually do the math) than the $50 bike I bought 5 years ago).

Kriegsspiel
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Re: I bought a big gas guzzling suv, and I love it.

Post by Kriegsspiel »

George the original one wrote:
Sun Mar 25, 2018 5:19 pm
here's also a hillholder brake feature that I can never remember how to operate.
Ugghh, I had a Forester with the hill holder and I hated it. It would randomly engage, very annoying. And unnecessary, since you can do the same thing with the hand brake.

I hate new technology.

George the original one
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Re: I bought a big gas guzzling suv, and I love it.

Post by George the original one »

Kriegsspiel wrote:
Mon Mar 26, 2018 10:21 am
George the original one wrote:
Sun Mar 25, 2018 5:19 pm
here's also a hillholder brake feature that I can never remember how to operate.
Ugghh, I had a Forester with the hill holder and I hated it. It would randomly engage, very annoying. And unnecessary, since you can do the same thing with the hand brake.

I hate new technology.
No handbrake on modern cars now. You get an electrically operated parking brake.

7Wannabe5
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Re: I bought a big gas guzzling suv, and I love it.

Post by 7Wannabe5 »

I ride the City of Detroit bus system to work, but my Sugar-Daddy sometimes borrows something fresh off the assembly line and drives me around. The vehicle he had last week had fully artificial GUI on rear view mirror and back-up screen. He yelled at me because I was squatting down in the parking lot at Walmart trying to figure out where the cameras were.

Kriegsspiel
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Re: I bought a big gas guzzling suv, and I love it.

Post by Kriegsspiel »

GTOO... can't tell if serious.

George the original one
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Re: I bought a big gas guzzling suv, and I love it.

Post by George the original one »

Seriously, there is no longer a handbrake in most cars now.

"Tesla and Koenigsegg cars don’t even have the little electronic flap-button. Instead, the cars automatically engage the parking brake when the driver places the vehicle in park." https://www.web2carz.com/autos/everythi ... ar-forever

Kriegsspiel
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Re: I bought a big gas guzzling suv, and I love it.

Post by Kriegsspiel »

Well, yea. I'm talking about manual transmissions.

EDIT I guess that wasn't clear. I'm talking about starting a stick shift on a hill.

George the original one
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Re: I bought a big gas guzzling suv, and I love it.

Post by George the original one »

Manual transmissions are going away, too. Floppy paddle shifters are just automatics in disguise.

Mikeallison
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Re: I bought a big gas guzzling suv, and I love it.

Post by Mikeallison »

George the original one wrote:
Thu Mar 29, 2018 6:18 am
Manual transmissions are going away, too. Floppy paddle shifters are just automatics in disguise.
This will be a sad day for me. They are a pain in stop and go traffic, but they are the best if you are out driving for the sake of driving.

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