[stoney]

A buddy I talked with yesterday recommended that we look into European delivery. It looks like they've stopped for 2021, but are planning on re-starting for 2022. Price on the car drops by over $10k, which is one hell of a nice European vacation. And worst case, if because of COVID it keeps getting cancelled, then they will just deliver to US maintaining the European price. Apparently it happened a bunch (talked to their European delivery service team earlier) in 2020/21.

If we went that route, we'd probably leave Hannah with grandparents for 3 weeks and take Haley to Europe with us. We'd probably head south, go through Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, then off towards Geneva, with a dogleg to the Matterhorn for pictures, then Milan, Monaco, and drop it in Nice. It's about 6-7 days of total driving time as partial days, so 1-2 days in each place, depending on where Wifey's priorities would be (see Paris and Milan). Obviously scrub places as needed to keep on timelines. Milan, Nice, and Monaco are kinda meh*, having been to all before, so I'm pretty sure we'd transit through and not stay long.

 

[jonKranked]

we'd probably leave Hannah with grandparents for 3 weeks and take Haley to Europe with us

And this is how you give the younger child a mental complex.

 

[SkaredShtles]

And this is how you give the younger child a mental complex.

This. Leave both the rugrats at home.

 

[stoney]

And this is how you give the younger child a mental complex.

She's 4. She'll be fine.

 

[jonKranked]

She's 4. She'll be fine.

My parents pulled that kind of shit on me. Look how I turned out

 

[SkaredShtles]

My parents pulled that kind of shit on me. Look how I turned out

Point well made.

 

[Toshi]

we have no counterfactual example of a Jon who could have turned out normal but for this travel trauma

 

[jstuhlman]

i, too, am a jon whose parents left him with the grandparents whilst vacationing in europe. i was four. i showed them how to drive to the mcdonalds in the next town over. pretty sure i turned out great.

 

[SkaredShtles]

<snip> pretty sure i turned out great.

*We* will be the judge of that.

 

[jonKranked]

we have no counterfactual example of a Jon who could have turned out normal but for this travel trauma

Not specifically travel trauma, but being the generally neglected younger sibling.

 

[jonKranked]

we have no counterfactual example of a Jon who could have turned out normal but for this travel trauma

Somewhere in the multiverse is a version of me that isn't clinically depressed and grappling with crippling anxiety.

 

[Changleen]

Somewhere in the multiverse is a version of me that isn't clinically depressed and grappling with crippling anxiety.

I think a lot of us have been there, bro. SSRTs and therapy worked very well for me and left with a great toolkit to deal with 202x’s bullshit.

 

[stevew]

unicorns

 

[stevew]

And this is how you give the younger child a mental complex.

better than my grandparents neighbors in philly...they would cut a switch from the willow tree...would not want to stay there if i got out of line...

that is trauma

 

[CBJ]

That Rivian would be perfect for me.

 

[jonKranked]

I think a lot of us have been there, bro. SSRTs and therapy worked very well for me and left with a great toolkit to deal with 202x’s bullshit.

Not like this.

 

[stevew]

@Full Trucker ....if you go to pikes peak this year...

 

[6thElement]

Pretty cool conversion, retains the original 4 speed manual gearbox and needs the clutch pedal.

 

[Toshi]

So they keep the motor turning all the time even at 0 accelerator pedal signal so as to accomplish that clutch trick?

ain't nobody got time to watch videos

 

[maxyedor]

Built this truck for a friend like 11 years ago, since then he got into MTBs and now it’s fulfilled the destiny of all Toyota pick ups abd become a shuttle rig

That “trunk lid” flips down don’t worry.

 

[Jm_]

Pretty cool conversion, retains the original 4 speed manual gearbox and needs the clutch pedal.

Did they put the battery behind the rear axle just for funsies?

 

[dump]

Opinion | The Look of Cars Is Driving Me Out of My Mind (Published 2021)

New cars are packed with technology, but they lack style and personality.

www.nytimes.com

There are many forces pushing for sameness. Constraints imposed by safety regulations and aerodynamics have left car companies little room for experimental designs. The bigger constraint is what customers want — vehicles with roomy interiors that ride high, with the feel of a living room, or perhaps a throne."

I never heard this ride high speak until about 15 years ago, when automakers started pushing taller and taller vehicles. Now it gets repeated ad nauseam.

and in short:

I have written often of my love-hate relationship with cars. I love cars as products; I hate them as infrastructure. I love watching the car industry for its dynamism, its technological innovation and the way it has anticipated and altered the public’s aesthetic preferences; I hate the industry for the way it has dominated politics and urban planning, for the way it has billed its products as a necessary part of modern life.

But every year the product side of cars offers less to love. The industry’s biggest innovations are now driven by Silicon Valley — by advances in batteries, cameras, networks and artificial intelligence. Cars are growing brains, and I’m glad for it. I just wish they weren’t also losing heart, soul and personality.

 

[Sandwich]

I love sedans, and it makes me sad that they are dying. I love how quiet they are- how the cabin is a small, confined space, and that the trunk, regardless of how big it may be, is an enclosed metal box. They're quiet, they are efficient, and usually they offer stiffer structures than wagons or hatchbacks. I no longer need to sleep in the back of my car (I never really needed to I suppose) and my desire to carry plywood in my commuter is pretty limited. It's hard to imagine a more ideal car for taking people places than a sedan, or even a Model S/Stinger. Plus I hate the driving position of an SUV

 

[Toshi]

I never heard this ride high speak until about 15 years ago, when automakers started pushing taller and taller vehicles. Now it gets repeated ad nauseam.

People like higher h-points. Easier to get into, especially for The Olds (@Serial Midget and @SkaredShtles back me up). This has been a trend for a long time.

All-new Ford Five Hundred combines space, style and command of road | Car News | Auto123

Read this car news article from 2002-04-03. All-new Ford Five Hundred combines space, style and command of road

www.auto123.com

The H-point of the Five Hundred is two to four inches higher than the car's mid- and full-sized sedan competition. The design also affords a more "upright" position of the front seats, delivering the "command-of-road" position coveted by SUV buyers..

"It's an ergonomist's design dream," says Theodore. "It's a car that you step into rather than crawl into or in some cases fold yourself into."

Then CAFE footprint rules came into play, and they favor tall boxes over squat boxes. And that's that.

How the Carmakers Trumped Themselves

Automakers wanted rule changes. But not, they say, these rule changes.

www.theatlantic.com

When the automakers endorsed Obama’s cafe standards, they still exacted two concessions. These set the stage for what was to come.

First, the new cafe standards would apply differently to different cars. Light trucks would have to meet less stringent rules than cars. And all the rules would automatically adjust to match the “footprint” of new cars—the idea being that the rules should account for the size of car that’s popular with consumers. If one automaker sells mostly crossovers and pickups, it shouldn’t be held to the same standard as another that sells mostly sedans and coupes.

 

[roflbox]

part of me wants to do the following:
sell the silverado
buy 1st gen tundra
buy ls400
buy 80 series

will this actually happen? probably not, but these are my thoughts

 

[Toshi]

I like the LS 430 personally, and even the early LS 460 iterations. Good headroom and feel nice.

 

[boogenman]

I love sedans, and it makes me sad that they are dying. I love how quiet they are- how the cabin is a small, confined space,

Coming from a guy with a G80

 

[Jm_]

I love sedans, and it makes me sad that they are dying. I love how quiet they are- how the cabin is a small, confined space, and that the trunk, regardless of how big it may be, is an enclosed metal box. They're quiet, they are efficient, and usually they offer stiffer structures than wagons or hatchbacks. I no longer need to sleep in the back of my car (I never really needed to I suppose) and my desire to carry plywood in my commuter is pretty limited. It's hard to imagine a more ideal car for taking people places than a sedan, or even a Model S/Stinger. Plus I hate the driving position of an SUV

It’s true, those are good for stuffing bodies in.

 

[Jm_]

People like higher h-points. Easier to get into, especially for The Olds (@Serial Midget and @SkaredShtles back me up). This has been a trend for a long time.

All-new Ford Five Hundred combines space, style and command of road | Car News | Auto123

Read this car news article from 2002-04-03. All-new Ford Five Hundred combines space, style and command of road

www.auto123.com

Then CAFE footprint rules came into play, and they favor tall boxes over squat boxes. And that's that.

How the Carmakers Trumped Themselves

Automakers wanted rule changes. But not, they say, these rule changes.

www.theatlantic.com

Ergonomically, the higher (not lifted) stuff IS better and as they take all soul out of cars, this is what we are left with.

 

[stevew]

part of me wants to do the following:
sell the silverado
buy 1st gen tundra
buy ls400
buy 80 series

will this actually happen? probably not, but these are my thoughts

insert sc300 manual
80 series

subtract ls400/tundra

 

[SkaredShtles]

People like higher h-points. Easier to get into, especially for The Olds (@Serial Midget and @SkaredShtles back me up).

 

[dump]

People like higher h-points. Easier to get into, especially for The Olds (@Serial Midget and @SkaredShtles back me up). This has been a trend for a long time.

I suppose americans are people too. Suv and pickup obsessed people. Never once heard the higher up talking point from any non-americans. I suppose it makes sense when everything around you is massive and lifted. Have you seen the fullsize GMCs driving around? The hood height is taller than my regular car. I look forward to the day when ladders will be required to get into your car… because, i like the higher viewpoint and it’s easier to get into. Ha!

 

[Toshi]

I suppose americans are people too. Suv and pickup obsessed people. Never once heard the higher up talking point from any non-americans. I suppose it makes sense when everything around you is massive and lifted. Have you seen the fullsize GMCs driving around? The hood height is taller than my regular car. I look forward to the day when ladders will be required to get into your car… because, i like the higher viewpoint and it’s easier to get into. Ha!

Yeah, those super high vehicles are stupid for usability. But between an old-school sedan vs. CUV or even minivan the latter kinds are easier to slide into.

 

[dump]

Yeah, those super high vehicles are stupid for usability. But between an old-school sedan vs. CUV or even minivan the latter kinds are easier to slide into.

Yes, agreed.

 

[Sandwich]

Coming from a guy with a G80

well I'd argue a G80 is more confined than a GV80. the open hatchback allows a lot of noise in.

 

[Changleen]

https://twitter.com/TheWarOnCars/status/1462798344271667202?s=20

 

[jimmydean]

 

[DaveW]

https://twitter.com/TheWarOnCars/status/1462798344271667202?s=20

Nice Ken Block imitator lower down on that feed.

https://twitter.com/WorldBollard/status/1466063175892275203

@stevew Dat you?

 

[CBJ]

Well looks like I am keeping the Volvo until at least 2023 as it was possible to extend the lease. I like the car and its super practical for what I need. You do get caught up in new car hype but I am happy to extend that for a while.

 

[iRider]

I suppose americans are people too. Suv and pickup obsessed people. Never once heard the higher up talking point from any non-americans.

Not only american. VW offers a Golf Plus from 2004-14 that was taller and marketed at the elderly or those that want to sit higher. Mercedes A Class was similarly marketed.