The Automotive Thread

[jeb6294]

I am torn...sporty 2-door "family" car or "family" truck?

I drove a '10 Accord Coupe with the V-6 yesterday. It was a hoot to drive and looks like it actually has a usable back seat. At another place they had an '09 Chevy extended cab (not a crew cab but with the full bench seat in the back) so it should work with the kids. The Accord was pretty much the top-of-the-line while the truck was a "work"truck so A/C and cruise but power nothing and 4WD is a stick on the floor but that is actually fine with me.

The Accord would be a lot of fun but the truck would be nice for hauling stuff around and I could get rid of the crappy trailer.

 

[MA_PE]

I expect that the Accord will be better on gas, but the truck is certianly more useful. If you do a lot of driving then I'd lean toward the car.

 

[Supe]

You'll be much happier with the car in the long run. Don't buy a truck on the premise that you'll need a truck 2% of the time.

 

[Capt Worley PE]

I expect that the Accord will be better on gas, but the truck is certianly more useful. If you do a lot of driving then I'd lean toward the car.

Concur.

 

[Flyer_PE]

I'm currently trying to decide whether to keep Old Blue ('99 GMC Sierra) for another year or upgrade to a new(er) Big A$$ Truck. I'm caught between being unwilling to fork over the money for a brand new vehicle and figuring as far as used goes, it's better to deal with the devil you know. Right now, I'm figuring on sinking some money into the old beast since I still like it and the upkeep is still a damn sight cheaper than an upgrade.

All new, totally redisigned GM pickups will be hitting the dealers soon, if not already. May be some good deals on the current body style.

That's one of the reasons I'm holding out for now. I'm also seriously considering switching to the blue oval. Comparing GM and Ford at the auto show, the Fords had much better fit and finish. I'm not a big fan of a turbo-charged V6 in a truck though. If I go that route, I'll have to hunt one down with the 5.0 V8.

Either way, I figure I'll wait 'til the 2014s come out and see what the available discounts are.

 

[Capt Worley PE]

I'm currently trying to decide whether to keep Old Blue ('99 GMC Sierra) for another year or upgrade to a new(er) Big A$$ Truck. I'm caught between being unwilling to fork over the money for a brand new vehicle and figuring as far as used goes, it's better to deal with the devil you know. Right now, I'm figuring on sinking some money into the old beast since I still like it and the upkeep is still a damn sight cheaper than an upgrade.

All new, totally redisigned GM pickups will be hitting the dealers soon, if not already. May be some good deals on the current body style.

That's one of the reasons I'm holding out for now. I'm also seriously considering switching to the blue oval. Comparing GM and Ford at the auto show, the Fords had much better fit and finish. I'm not a big fan of a turbo-charged V6 in a truck though. If I go that route, I'll have to hunt one down with the 5.0 V8.

Either way, I figure I'll wait 'til the 2014s come out and see what the available discounts are.

OTR trucks have been using turbos for decades...I wouldn't worry about it. I know they were pretty much like strapping a grenade to the block in the eighties, but I've moved past that mindset. Small displacement w/turbos is the future.

That being said, if I was buying new, I'd go Ford myself. Dodge Ram makes a compelling product, but it is still, well, a Dodge Ram.

And this from a long term Mother Mopar fan.

 

[Dexman PE PMP]

I am torn...sporty 2-door "family" car or "family" truck?

You know which way I would lean...

 

[blybrook PE]

I'm currently trying to decide whether to keep Old Blue ('99 GMC Sierra) for another year or upgrade to a new(er) Big A$$ Truck. I'm caught between being unwilling to fork over the money for a brand new vehicle and figuring as far as used goes, it's better to deal with the devil you know. Right now, I'm figuring on sinking some money into the old beast since I still like it and the upkeep is still a damn sight cheaper than an upgrade.

All new, totally redisigned GM pickups will be hitting the dealers soon, if not already. May be some good deals on the current body style.

That's one of the reasons I'm holding out for now. I'm also seriously considering switching to the blue oval. Comparing GM and Ford at the auto show, the Fords had much better fit and finish. I'm not a big fan of a turbo-charged V6 in a truck though. If I go that route, I'll have to hunt one down with the 5.0 V8.

Either way, I figure I'll wait 'til the 2014s come out and see what the available discounts are.

OTR trucks have been using turbos for decades...I wouldn't worry about it. I know they were pretty much like strapping a grenade to the block in the eighties, but I've moved past that mindset. Small displacement w/turbos is the future.

That being said, if I was buying new, I'd go Ford myself. Dodge Ram makes a compelling product, but it is still, well, a Dodge Ram.

And this from a long term Mother Mopar fan.

I've been a blue oval fan my whole life. Family members didn't have good luck with the chevy line of vehicles and Fords kept us going.

New truck is a Dodge and that's only because they are the ONLY manufacturer that will put a manual transmission in their full size pickups. Ford discontinued it in '08 or '09. Sure shocked the dealer rep when I got up and left when he told me he couldn't get the manual transmission. I know the owner didn't like it either when I explained it to him after he stopped me in the parking lot.

 

[Lumber Jim]

I am torn...sporty 2-door "family" car or "family" truck?

I drove a '10 Accord Coupe with the V-6 yesterday. It was a hoot to drive and looks like it actually has a usable back seat. At another place they had an '09 Chevy extended cab (not a crew cab but with the full bench seat in the back) so it should work with the kids. The Accord was pretty much the top-of-the-line while the truck was a "work"truck so A/C and cruise but power nothing and 4WD is a stick on the floor but that is actually fine with me.

The Accord would be a lot of fun but the truck would be nice for hauling stuff around and I could get rid of the crappy trailer.

Get the car and save your pennies to trade up from a crappy trailer to a beater truck.

I would normally say go for the truck straight away (i'm a blue oval guy myself) but I find that we spend way too much money on gas. Sure is nice in the winter though...

 

[jeb6294]

Given my commute is only 12 miles now, most of the time the mileage wouldn't make too much of a difference. Would only take a few longer drives to make a big difference though. I do have to say, that little Accord was fun. I had a new '97 Cobra way back when that was packing a 305hp DOHC V-8 and this Accord was every bit as fast.

 

[Capt Worley PE]

Given my commute is only 12 miles now, most of the time the mileage wouldn't make too much of a difference. Would only take a few longer drives to make a big difference though. I do have to say, that little Accord was fun. I had a new '97 Cobra way back when that was packing a 305hp DOHC V-8 and this Accord was every bit as fast.

Isn't progress funny? Now the base Mustang has more HP than that.

And gets far better mileage!

We live in great times!

 

[Flyer_PE]

I'm currently trying to decide whether to keep Old Blue ('99 GMC Sierra) for another year or upgrade to a new(er) Big A$$ Truck. I'm caught between being unwilling to fork over the money for a brand new vehicle and figuring as far as used goes, it's better to deal with the devil you know. Right now, I'm figuring on sinking some money into the old beast since I still like it and the upkeep is still a damn sight cheaper than an upgrade.

All new, totally redisigned GM pickups will be hitting the dealers soon, if not already. May be some good deals on the current body style.

That's one of the reasons I'm holding out for now. I'm also seriously considering switching to the blue oval. Comparing GM and Ford at the auto show, the Fords had much better fit and finish. I'm not a big fan of a turbo-charged V6 in a truck though. If I go that route, I'll have to hunt one down with the 5.0 V8.

Either way, I figure I'll wait 'til the 2014s come out and see what the available discounts are.

OTR trucks have been using turbos for decades...I wouldn't worry about it. I know they were pretty much like strapping a grenade to the block in the eighties, but I've moved past that mindset. Small displacement w/turbos is the future.

That being said, if I was buying new, I'd go Ford myself. Dodge Ram makes a compelling product, but it is still, well, a Dodge Ram.

And this from a long term Mother Mopar fan.

If it were a little diesel with a blower on it, I'd be on it like white on rice. For a gas engine, I'll take the normally aspirated 8 since the power and fuel economy numbers are similar enough to be a wash for how I use the truck.

 

[jeb6294]

On paper the Accord's V-6 makes ~270hp which is pretty good for a little car like that. Given it's a Honda I'm willing to bet there about 5 million products out there to boost that number even higher. The trick would be doing ti without looking like a high school douchebag.

The Ecoboost engines sound pretty impressive, but I know when I researched them for our current Explorer I found out their HP and mpg numbers were very "optimistic" so we went with the V-6.

 

[Supe]

Finally got the RX fired up yesterday with fuel injection. Relatively drama free all things considered. Rich as heck right now and stumbling a bit at idle, but no major issues. Have to give the Holley system credit, it does a great job catching itself from stalling out when it's on the verge of doing so.

 

[envirotex]

So. Rebuilt brakes and calipers, check. Brake booster, check. Master cylinder, check. Still almost impossible to get the cruiser to stop quickly...any ideas? It needs an inpsection, and I'm afraid the brakes won't pass...

 

[pbrme]

Did you bleed the lines? Sounds like air pockets.

 

[MA_PE]

agreed. Is the pedal spongy?

Are you losing fluid?

 

[Supe]

Was the master cylinder bench bled?

 

[blybrook PE]

Fragged the warn hub assembly last night while plowing:

The rotor hub assembly is toast. All of the holes are wallowed out and it was GR 8 bolts that snapped, I'm not about to try to drill them out. I pulled a spare rotor assembly off my future D44 axle and swapped out the rotors this morning. The one on the D44 was a goner, will repack the bearings later today after I get a confirmed order made on the new Warn hubs. I can get used for 1/2 price on ebay, but I'd rather buy new and get the longer warranty; specially since I plan to rebuild that D44 and swap it into the truck to replace the D30 that's in there now.

I have sent these same photos on to Warn for their review / commentary. I know they have lifetime warranties on it, but I wasn't the original purchaser, so I have to believe that it's a moot point.

She's a torque monster!

 

[Capt Worley PE]

Manual locking hubs...now there's a blast from the past.