Tomorrow’s post is going to be about cars, but so that I don’t have to get into a long and detailed preamble for the thing, I’d ask y’all to do just a little homework first, and read this article, then this one, and finally watch a short EeewwChoob video about Jeremy Clarkson on cars. (It’s not by Clarkson, but it’s an excellent analysis and summary of the Greatest Living Englishman’s opinion of how cars and their manufacturers have fucked up an industry and pastime that so many of us — like me — used to love, but don’t so much anymore.)
Then with that premise taken care of, we can content ourselves with looking at some exquisite cars and wrangling amongst ourselves about the minutiae — something I enjoy perhaps even more than writing the posts themselves.
See you tomorrow.
I heard that some states are considering making it illegal to own vehicles made before 2009.
They’re probably the same ones trying to ban guns made any time.
The older I get the less likely I am to comply with bullshit
In January I replaced our beloved but aging 2003 PT Cruiser with a 2022 BMW X5, because I wanted an all-wheel drive and enough oomph to pull a trailer, and the mechanic who’s looked after my glorious 2001 BMW 740iL for 20 years is a great guy and concurred with the reviews that said this series of X5 was one of the most reliable SUV engine/trans combos out there. Bullet proof he said.
I won’t even go into all the other gobs of extraneous electronic bullshit loaded into this beast, and will just hit on the Automatic Stop Start system. Your links mentioned the nuisance of having to disable the thing every time you start the car. I wish; that piece of shit is a permanent fixture as of my model year, and not even the dealer or aftermarket coding devices can temporarily, never mind permanently disable it.
Its acronym ASS is perfect for the fucking thing that dies as I pull into a head in parking spot, and then lurches to life just as I get two feet from a concrete wall in a parking garage.
The ASS monstrosity runs on a 48V lithium-ion battery, NOT the standard 12V battery. They are separate parts. Replacement REQUIRES software registration with a BMW diagnostic tool. Skipping this step will destroy the new battery. If I want to leave town for a month, I must leave the hood OPEN when using a trickle charger to be sure the 48V battery stays charged. Yeah. In the driveway. In the weather.
The 48-volt battery powers a Belt-driven Starter Generator (BSG) that replaces a conventional alternator and starter, and recovers energy during braking and stores it in the 48V battery. This stored power is then used to give the gasoline engine an electrical boost (about 11 horsepower) for quicker acceleration and to allow the engine to shut off entirely while coasting to save fuel. The 48V battery also helps keep the vehicle’s main 12-volt battery charged via a DC-to-DC converter.
When this battery dies, a new OEM 48V battery costs over $1,500, plus $400-$600 to install and program it. I’m scared to ask what a BSG or a DC-DC converter costs.
To add insult to injury, I could start and stop smoother on my own than this POS, if it would only let me. Instead, I get this lovely little whiplash every time it restarts, and have the uncertainty that it might fail if I need to make a quick left turn through oncoming traffic or lurch me into a concrete wall in a garage.
Speaking of adding insults, I could fold the seats and get a whole hack of 2×4 x 8 ft studs in the PT Cruiser, but I can’t fit a single 7 ft fence post in this bloated gas bag that is a head taller, two feet longer and 1,740 lb heavier then our late, lamented PT. Car manufacturers have exchanged engineers who love cars for interior decorators, geeks and bureaucrats. Damn them.
I want to say “serves you right for buying a modern German car”, but I think you’ve suffered enough without me piling on.
I appreciate that. I already have a hair shirt in the driveway.
I currently own a 2003 Mercury Marauder and a 2018 F-150. I am seriously considering replacing the F-150 with a 2000-ish Ranger.
My son has a 2000-ish Ranger and he says that at least weekly someone flags him down and offers to buy it. They are still popular with people that just want a simple truck.