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stoney

Part of the unwashed, middle-American horde
Jul 26, 2006
21,513
7,056
Colorado
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.
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,029
7,549
we have no counterfactual example of a Jon who could have turned out normal but for this travel trauma
 

jstuhlman

bagpipe wanker
Dec 3, 2009
16,622
12,911
Cackalacka du Nord
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. :D
 

stevew

resident influencer
Sep 21, 2001
40,494
9,525
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
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,029
7,549
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
 

dump

Turbo Monkey
Oct 12, 2001
8,194
4,419

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

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,030
5,918
borcester rhymes
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

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,029
7,549
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.


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.


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

roflborx
Jan 23, 2017
3,163
834
Raleigh, NC
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 :busted:
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,029
7,549
I like the LS 430 personally, and even the early LS 460 iterations. Good headroom and feel nice.
 

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
18,850
9,556
AK
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_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
18,850
9,556
AK
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.




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

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

resident influencer
Sep 21, 2001
40,494
9,525
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 :busted:
insert sc300 manual
80 series

subtract ls400/tundra
 

dump

Turbo Monkey
Oct 12, 2001
8,194
4,419
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

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,029
7,549
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.
 

CBJ

year old fart
Mar 19, 2002
12,860
4,154
Copenhagen, Denmark
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.
 
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iRider

Turbo Monkey
Apr 5, 2008
5,648
3,089
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.