There's not a single new car I would buy at this point

[Jon651]

I think the turbos, hybrids are to increase milage #s for the mfrs vehicle lines. And we're told they are nice things for us.... until they break.
I would have to drive 50k a year to even consider the minor fuel savings.
Just my opinion

The auto manufacturers play a delicate balancing game, juggling what their potential buyers want, what the feds dictate, what the technology will support, and what they can provide for the price. Sometimes they get the mix right; other times, not so much.

For example, the right mix of horsepower, high mileage, low emissions, and reasonable cost places a small turbo 4-cylinder higher on the list than nearly anything else - until the governmental regulations, corporate priorities, and/or the whims of the buying public change, again...

 

[dockmurgw]

I am not the demographic that vehicle manufacturers care about, and at 62 years of age I can safely say neither are most of the members of this forum. While I hate the touch screen display on my F250, the target demographic loves it as evidenced by GM focusing on how big the screen is in adds for their trucks. The smart phone generation is the target demographic, they will get what they want.

 

[zeke]

2005 Tundra in base commercial version with standard cab and 8 ft bed. In order to keep the international criminality profitable, can't be having em track me were ever i go. It does have air conditioning, but still has roll down windows and no intermittent wipers. It will need couple grand worth of work on it this year.

 

[TX-Dennis]

I guess I'm weird for an older fellow. I kinda like all the tech in newer vehicles. But I was always a wannabe computer nerd. My son is a real one. I just pretend to know what I'm doing.

 

[LVSteve]

“Adaptive Cruise Control” on new vehicles drive me crazy! It’s on my wife’s 2020 Mazda CX30. Thank my lucky stars it’s not on my 2016 Mazda CX-5.

Adaptive Cruise Control that cannot be defeated and run as normal cruise control is a no sale redline for me.

 

[LVSteve]

I am not the demographic that vehicle manufacturers care about, and at 62 years of age I can safely say neither are most of the members of this forum. While I hate the touch screen display on my F250, the target demographic loves it as evidenced by GM focusing on how big the screen is in adds for their trucks. The smart phone generation is the target demographic, they will get what they want.

Even the younger demographic is beginning to admit that touchscreens are next to unusable when the vehicle is moving.

 

[S&W Fan]

I drive a 2010 Nissan Titan 4wd with under 97000 miles. I’m very precise about maintenance, just put on some new tires and recently did brakes/suspension. It’s a great truck, very comfortable, lots of power and all the features I need. On the flip side a good friend just bought a new Tahoe Z71 and if I had the money I’d buy one in a NY minute.

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

Two of the very best vehicles I ever drove were
1972 (might have been a 1971) Chevy C10 pick up truck fleet model. White inside and out. No headliner just vinyl mats. Red Naugahide bench seat. AM radio. Heater and that's about it. Three speed on the tree with a straight six under the hood.
Next up was a 1976 Toyota FJ40 land cruiser. Hospital doors, had to get out and manually lock the hubs. Heat-no AC no computers no nutin' else. Wish I had them both back....

 

[sigp220.45]

I guess I'm weird for an older fellow. I kinda like all the tech in newer vehicles. But I was always a wannabe computer nerd. My son is a real one. I just pretend to know what I'm doing.

Same here. Last year we bought a new Hyundai Sonata because I wanted all the stuff my fellow geezers hate - full driver’s assist with the lane change nanny, collision avoidance, adaptive cruise, and a bunch of other cool stuff. 10 year/100,000 bumper to bumper warranty, under 30K. Of course my wife drives it mostly while I bomb around in my 1999 2WD stick shift Explorer.

I was hoping the bugs would be worked out in EVs, but that’s gonna be a little longer. Maybe the next car.

 

[ladder13]

Adaptive cruise? Love it, use it all the time. Now if only the idiots filling the gap would cease and desist.

 

[LVSteve]

Adaptive cruise? Love it, use it all the time. Now if only the idiots filling the gap would cease and desist.

...and that's exactly why I won't have adaptive cruise. It is unusable on US roads because 95% of drivers suffer from Asphalt Agoraphobia.

 

[Farmer17]

Count me as a fan of the newer vehicles. My 2018 Ram V6 Quadcab was bought new for $24,200 Otd has trailer towing class 3 hitch, bedliner, PW/PW, power heated mirrors, backup camera, full diagnostic screen, tilt, cruise, Sirrus XM radio, remote entry, trailer tow button, and more. Smooth, quiet, powerful, great handling, and gets 21mpg in the city on cheap E10 gas with 210K miles on it. I can turn off the fasten seat belt alarm but I haven't figured out hot to turn off what prevents being able to drive in reverse with the drivers door open. That's very important on construction sites with nails or sharp rebar on the ground or launching a boat.

 

[delcrossv]

Anyone else sick of the over complexity of these things and their high price for the displeasure? Ever since the CAN/BUS system all these things are a nightmare. Now we got what, 8, 9 computers in a vehicle fed by how many sensors? Apparently, KIA has an issue where the back up camera can brick the whole car. No one seems to know how this crud works. I don't even want to see what a complete list of DTC's looks like today. I don't need or want a computer between me and my window regulator, seat motor, HVAC, etc. I can tolerate ONE of them for the motor tune, and MAYBE the transmission. That's it. Oh, and no push button shift. I'll take that mechanical linkage that never shorts out, thank you very much.

Man oh MAN am I glad I hung on to this thing. 156k on the clock, 31 years old next month, and EVERYTHING WORKS! EVERYTHING!!!!! U joints are $8, wheel cylinder $6, air filter $13, AC Delco plugs and wires $50, so and and so forth and I can do it all myself. The way things are going today, if I can't fix it myself I don't want it. 3rd party is just too unreliable and expensive. Oh yeah, and no more emissions testing on this rig because it's 25+ years old. Would love to find a clean 90's K2500 suburban locally, but that's not going to happen.

The one computer in this Blazer is an 8-bit processor with a PROM chip like the old Nintendo Entertainment System, and it never tells me what to do, unlike my 2019 Pilot. It's like engineers back then must have assumed people's cranial processor was accustomed to taking in data, making useful information out it, and then making appropriate decisions. The Pilot can almost do that as well as me but it likes to lock up the brakes when it approached a road plate....

By the way, my highschool ID card is still in the center console along with a best-of Jimi Hendrix cassette tape. I've been rocking this truck 28 years. Just hasn't been a daily driver the whole time due to a couple other more modern cars that helped me really appreciate the Blazer when they failed me. What loyal piece of equipment. Just loyal!

I'm with ya' man, I'm with ya.

and

 

[quikdraw67]

We both got new, leftover 2023 VW Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport, specifically because we did not want the 2024 models.

The 2024 did away with the 3.6 VR6 engine that's been around for a while (and also built in Germany) for a new 2.0 4 cylinder turbo, I drove the 2024 and was not impressed. Also, in the 2024 Cross Sport, when in Sport mode, engine sounds are piped into the cabin. Tacky.

Plus, the traditional shifter was replaced with what I call the domino. The touch screen got huge, and the very easy to use smaller touchscreen of the 2023 along with the button and dial HVAC controls were replaced with a not so user friendly all touch system.

I'll deal with some electronics. TBH there wasn't much difference between my 2018 Tiguan and the 2023 Atlas dash wise. It was logically laid out and easy to operate, just like my 2013 Jetta and 2016 Tiguan.

It's our plan to keep these as long as we can. We both like our vehicles. They go good in the snow, and aren't bad on gas for bigger vehicles (and especially for drivers with a lead foot )

I do miss the CD player that the 2018 had. But Amazon Music helps fill the void when SiriusXM gets old.

 

[Doug M.]

I have concluded that bigger touch screens are better because they can be read faster instead of being a distraction.

 

[FortyFiveACP]

I'm with Quikdraw. My wife's daily driver is now 19 years old and we are interested in a 3-row Chevy Traverse but they did away with the V6 in 2024 and only sell it with a new and unproven 2.5L 4-cylinder turbo. This is a 5000-pound SUV with a 5000-pound towing capacity and the early reports on the engine are not very positive (noisy, feels underpowered, etc.). In any event, I feel like it's going to be about 5-7 years until we have a sense of the reliability and durability of the 4-cylinder turbo. Obviously, we keep our cars 20+ years and I have very little faith in this turbo-4 lasting for that long and giving good service over a range of duties.

 

[LVSteve]

I have concluded that bigger touch screens are better because they can be read faster instead of being a distraction.

Can't agree. Bigger screen means that they can cram more icons on the screen, making them equally hard to activate. To get your finger to accurately operate the icon, you still have to look at the screen far too long. I speak from experience of nearly wrecking trying to work a touchscreen while the car was moving. If I were in charge, they would be banned overnight.

 

[quikdraw67]

I'm with Quikdraw. My wife's daily driver is now 19 years old and we are interested in a 3-row Chevy Traverse but they did away with the V6 in 2024 and only sell it with a new and unproven 2.5L 4-cylinder turbo. This is a 5000-pound SUV with a 5000-pound towing capacity and the early reports on the engine are not very positive (noisy, feels underpowered, etc.). In any event, I feel like it's going to be about 5-7 years until we have a sense of the reliability and durability of the 4-cylinder turbo. Obviously, we keep our cars 20+ years and I have very little faith in this turbo-4 lasting for that long and giving good service over a range of duties.

My wife traded in a 2018 GMC Acadia, the twin of the Traverse, for the Cross Sport. It had the 3.6 V6. It had plenty of power. But my wife was never happy with it, She had 2 GMC Envoy's before the Acadia, and the Envoy's were body on frame and much heavier vehicles.

The build quality of the Acadia was questionable. Mrs. QD67 said the transmission slipped and I agreed with her. The dealership could never find a problem. Sh'es much happier with the VW.

I mayself would not buy a GM vehicle, but that's me

JMHO YMMV

 

[smoothshooter]

If you are worried about theft, invest in a Ravelco anti-theft device. They claim there hasn't been a vehicle stolen using one of their devices in 48 years.

What does one of those cost, including labor/installation costs?
And will it scramble the electronics on the new cars when connected?

 

[SLT223]

I'm with ya' man, I'm with ya.

and

Whoa! My heart fluttered a little. Is the 2500 a 7.4L? Pretty sure that 2dr Tahoe is a ‘99. Think that was the only year they replaced the 1500 emblem on the door molding with “TAHOE”. I like those one model year details. I’ve been the hunt for a 99 2rd with barn doors in the back. Hens teeth I tell you!