Car Talk 5: The Juice is Loose!

[Johnny_P]

New Civic Si looks decent. If it stays cheap, that's an even better deal.

Looks were toned way down
Lower power from same 1.5T engine
No more 2-mode dampers
Sedan only
Manual only

Missed opportunity for sure. Like, it’s getting harder to justify the price.

[CaleDeRoo]

It'll be interesting to see how the regen from slowing down with a trailer will compare to the overall range degradation from towing, especially in a situation like a landscaper who is making frequent stops in urban or suburban areas, and if manufacturers will make this a large part of the tow/haul mode in ev trucks.

Hell, my Volt in max regen mode would use almost zero range when driving in stop-and-go city type traffic. I imagine a truck towing a trailer might do surprisingly well.

I think the landscaper application makes a lot of sense for EV trucks. Even better would be if battery powered yard tools got to the point where they could be used and charged from either the truck or maybe the trailer has a battery pack with a drive unit to help take the load off the truck.

Speaking of Volts... Carvana increased their offer on my mom's '19 Impreza. She could trade it in on a '18 Volt LT through them and eliminate her car payment and pocket a check for about $4,000. What did the volt do better than your cucktrek, and what did it do worse?

FWIW my mom has a limited trim hatch with every option.

[D Griff]

New Civic Si looks decent. If it stays cheap, that's an even better deal.

Looks were toned way down
Lower power from same 1.5T engine
No more 2-mode dampers
Sedan only
Manual only

Missed opportunity for sure. Like, it’s getting harder to justify the price.

I haven't looked, but the current/prior gen was like $24K and drove way better than a $30K GTI They were always pretty dang cheap and there's no nickel/diming for packages for anything, you just get everything for the price - better seats, nice transmission, LSD, etc. Shopping on power though, yeah, it's a bit of a rip when non sporting models of other cars like this are basically at 200 hp now.

[D Griff]

My mower is a 17 year old Craftsman with a 6.5 hp Briggs & Stratton engine. They tend to run forever with minimal maintenance. All I do is every other year I change the oil, spark plug, air filter, and sharpen the blade, and it still runs like a champ and starts on the first pull about 98% of the time. But when it does finally die I'll probably get a battery mower. By then the battery life and charge time should be a total non-issue.

Pollution from these things are truly

I had a ~20 y.o Briggs and Stratton until recently. It was free which was cool, but maintenance is a waste of time and they pollute more than cars which is

[ChrisoftheNorth]

Hell, my Volt in max regen mode would use almost zero range when driving in stop-and-go city type traffic. I imagine a truck towing a trailer might do surprisingly well.

I think the landscaper application makes a lot of sense for EV trucks. Even better would be if battery powered yard tools got to the point where they could be used and charged from either the truck or maybe the trailer has a battery pack with a drive unit to help take the load off the truck.

Speaking of Volts... Carvana increased their offer on my mom's '19 Impreza. She could trade it in on a '18 Volt LT through them and eliminate her car payment and pocket a check for about $4,000. What did the volt do better than your cucktrek, and what did it do worse?

FWIW my mom has a limited trim hatch with every option.

The Cucktrek is better in every way unless there's interest in charging and running around in all electric.

The Volt is really compromised with interior space, especially in the rear seats and hatch. If it's just her and she doesn't take much in her car, she can charge often and just cruises around town, she'd probably like it just fine.

I'll also caution that since it's an EV, the heater and AC aren't great. There were some winter mornings in the Volt where I was freezing the entire way to the office even with the heater on full blast. Pre conditioning in the garage can help

[CaleDeRoo]

Speaking of Volts... Carvana increased their offer on my mom's '19 Impreza. She could trade it in on a '18 Volt LT through them and eliminate her car payment and pocket a check for about $4,000. What did the volt do better than your cucktrek, and what did it do worse?

FWIW my mom has a limited trim hatch with every option.

The Cucktrek is better in every way unless there's interest in charging and running around in all electric.

The Volt is really compromised with interior space, especially in the rear seats and hatch. If it's just her and she doesn't take much in her car, she can charge often and just cruises around town, she'd probably like it just fine.

I'll also caution that since it's an EV, the heater and AC aren't great. There were some winter mornings in the Volt where I was freezing the entire way to the office even with the heater on full blast. Pre conditioning in the garage can help

She's 64, retired, and has a cat. She's planning to move into a new build apartment complex here on Charlotte, so chances are high she could charge for free. She probably only drives 50mi a week or so.

The hardest part of this possible deal is the fact that she probably wouldn't be able to test drive a volt, at least without me helping her.

The other option I thought of was a new mini oxford but those seem to be fake news

[wap]

My mower is a 17 year old Craftsman with a 6.5 hp Briggs & Stratton engine. They tend to run forever with minimal maintenance. All I do is every other year I change the oil, spark plug, air filter, and sharpen the blade, and it still runs like a champ and starts on the first pull about 98% of the time. But when it does finally die I'll probably get a battery mower. By then the battery life and charge time should be a total non-issue.

Pollution from these things are truly

I'm sure you're , but I run it like 45 minutes a week for 5.5 months/year, and all my other power yard tools are battery, except for the snow blower, which I use MAYBE 6 times/year and last year I used 2 or 3 times only, so I think my my outdoor maintenance footprint is pretty

[Johnny_P]

Pollution from these things are truly

I'm sure you're , but I run it like 45 minutes a week for 5.5 months/year, and all my other power yard tools are battery, except for the snow blower, which I use MAYBE 6 times/year and last year I used 2 or 3 times only, so I think my my outdoor maintenance footprint is pretty

Equivalent emissions are like 5,000 miles a year for a car for just the lawnmower. The snowblower might be about half that, they’re even worse.

[Johnny_P]

Looks were toned way down
Lower power from same 1.5T engine
No more 2-mode dampers
Sedan only
Manual only

Missed opportunity for sure. Like, it’s getting harder to justify the price.

I haven't looked, but the current/prior gen was like $24K and drove way better than a $30K GTI They were always pretty dang cheap and there's no nickel/diming for packages for anything, you just get everything for the price - better seats, nice transmission, LSD, etc. Shopping on power though, yeah, it's a bit of a rip when non sporting models of other cars like this are basically at 200 hp now.

They still have some draw for sure but it’s a bit diminished. A WRX is pretty close in price and is way faster. And the H/K 1.6T models offer about the same performance but are cheaper with better warranties and can be had with a DCT…

[wap]

I'm sure you're , but I run it like 45 minutes a week for 5.5 months/year, and all my other power yard tools are battery, except for the snow blower, which I use MAYBE 6 times/year and last year I used 2 or 3 times only, so I think my my outdoor maintenance footprint is pretty

Equivalent emissions are like 5,000 miles a year for a car for just the lawnmower. The snowblower might be about half that, they’re even worse.

My snowblower has basically the same engine as my mower, 6.5 hp B&S, and I run it maybe a half-dozen times/year. How could it be twice as bad?

[ChrisoftheNorth]

The Cucktrek is better in every way unless there's interest in charging and running around in all electric.

The Volt is really compromised with interior space, especially in the rear seats and hatch. If it's just her and she doesn't take much in her car, she can charge often and just cruises around town, she'd probably like it just fine.

I'll also caution that since it's an EV, the heater and AC aren't great. There were some winter mornings in the Volt where I was freezing the entire way to the office even with the heater on full blast. Pre conditioning in the garage can help

She's 64, retired, and has a cat. She's planning to move into a new build apartment complex here on Charlotte, so chances are high she could charge for free. She probably only drives 50mi a week or so.

The hardest part of this possible deal is the fact that she probably wouldn't be able to test drive a volt, at least without me helping her.

The other option I thought of was a new mini oxford but those seem to be fake news

There's nothing unique about a Volt that would her test drive, I think the biggest difference is the form factor and lack of space. Whether that matters to her or she THINKS it matters to her, The Volt probably feels quite a bit quiker than the 2.slow Impreza

The Volt and Impreza likely have the same ingress/egress and driving position, but rearward visibility isn't great in the Volt because GM hates windows.

She sounds like an ideal candidate for a Volt with her driving habits, she could pretty much drive it in EV mode constantly. BUT, apartment living and EVs are a TON of right now.

What's the point/goal here? Get out of payments?

[ChrisoftheNorth]

Equivalent emissions are like 5,000 miles a year for a car for just the lawnmower. The snowblower might be about half that, they’re even worse.

My snowblower has basically the same engine as my mower, 6.5 hp B&S, and I run it maybe a half-dozen times/year. How could it be twice as bad?

Per use, the snowblower is probably working harder than the lawnmower, which just means more emissions.

Small gas engines are terribad. I've been slowly transitioning to Ego battery operated stuff, and I like it so much more. Quieter, no gas to keep around, just as powerful, etc.

I still have a 2-stroke leaf blower, which is probably worse than any 4 stroke mower or the like, and I need to get a 2-stage snow blower which I'll go Ego if I can find one to buy.

[D Griff]

She's 64, retired, and has a cat. She's planning to move into a new build apartment complex here on Charlotte, so chances are high she could charge for free. She probably only drives 50mi a week or so.

The hardest part of this possible deal is the fact that she probably wouldn't be able to test drive a volt, at least without me helping her.

The other option I thought of was a new mini oxford but those seem to be fake news

There's nothing unique about a Volt that would her test drive, I think the biggest difference is the form factor and lack of space. Whether that matters to her or she THINKS it matters to her, The Volt probably feels quite a bit quiker than the 2.slow Impreza

The Volt and Impreza likely have the same ingress/egress and driving position, but rearward visibility isn't great in the Volt because GM hates windows.

She sounds like an ideal candidate for a Volt with her driving habits, she could pretty much drive it in EV mode constantly. BUT, apartment living and EVs are a TON of right now.

What's the point/goal here? Get out of payments?

A lot of the newer/ apartments he's talking about have chargers, you get the best parking at the place and 'free' fuel.

[Johnny_P]

Equivalent emissions are like 5,000 miles a year for a car for just the lawnmower. The snowblower might be about half that, they’re even worse.

My snowblower has basically the same engine as my mower, 6.5 hp B&S, and I run it maybe a half-dozen times/year. How could it be twice as bad?

Ah brain fart I was thinking leaf blower which are 2 stroke not a push behind snow blower which is likely 4 stroke. Whoops.

[wap]

My snowblower has basically the same engine as my mower, 6.5 hp B&S, and I run it maybe a half-dozen times/year. How could it be twice as bad?

Per use, the snowblower is probably working harder than the lawnmower, which just means more emissions.

Small gas engines are terribad. I've been slowly transitioning to Ego battery operated stuff, and I like it so much more. Quieter, no gas to keep around, just as powerful, etc.

I still have a 2-stroke leaf blower, which is probably worse than any 4 stroke mower or the like, and I need to get a 2-stage snow blower which I'll go Ego if I can find one to buy.

Between the 2 machines - mower and blower - I probably burn MAYBE 6 gallons of gas/year, so that equivalent of 5,000 miles of car exhaust is for ME. More like 150 - 200 miles/year.

But, as I said, I'll probably get a battery mower one of these days. Maybe even a snow blower, too, if the power and running time are there. I usually only use mine for bigger, heavier snows so it's usually running for at least an hour.

[wap]

My snowblower has basically the same engine as my mower, 6.5 hp B&S, and I run it maybe a half-dozen times/year. How could it be twice as bad?

Ah brain fart I was thinking leaf blower which are 2 stroke not a push behind snow blower which is likely 4 stroke. Whoops.

Both of my machines are 4-

[D Griff]

Per use, the snowblower is probably working harder than the lawnmower, which just means more emissions.

Small gas engines are terribad. I've been slowly transitioning to Ego battery operated stuff, and I like it so much more. Quieter, no gas to keep around, just as powerful, etc.

I still have a 2-stroke leaf blower, which is probably worse than any 4 stroke mower or the like, and I need to get a 2-stage snow blower which I'll go Ego if I can find one to buy.

Between the 2 machines - mower and blower - I probably burn MAYBE 6 gallons of gas/year, so that equivalent of 5,000 miles of car exhaust is for ME. More like 150 - 200 miles/year.

But, as I said, I'll probably get a battery mower one of these days. Maybe even a snow blower, too, if the power and running time are there. I usually only use mine for bigger, heavier snows so it's usually running for at least an hour.

That is not how the works

The mower pollutes hundreds of times more per gallon than a car - things like cats, computers, etc. do work. But you're also correct, you're not using the things all that much.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

Per use, the snowblower is probably working harder than the lawnmower, which just means more emissions.

Small gas engines are terribad. I've been slowly transitioning to Ego battery operated stuff, and I like it so much more. Quieter, no gas to keep around, just as powerful, etc.

I still have a 2-stroke leaf blower, which is probably worse than any 4 stroke mower or the like, and I need to get a 2-stage snow blower which I'll go Ego if I can find one to buy.

Between the 2 machines - mower and blower - I probably burn MAYBE 6 gallons of gas/year, so that equivalent of 5,000 miles of car exhaust is for ME. More like 150 - 200 miles/year.

But, as I said, I'll probably get a battery mower one of these days. Maybe even a snow blower, too, if the power and running time are there. I usually only use mine for bigger, heavier snows so it's usually running for at least an hour.

Modern cars are amazingly clean. There's still some carbon and C02 emissions, but overall compared to a lawnmower with ZERO emissions restriction effort at all, it's night and day. 5k miles is very believable to me.

I have a single stage snowblower from Ego, and I've cleared 6" from my entire circular driveway on a single charge before. It's really

[wap]

I get that the mower and blower don't have cats and modern cars are :mindlbown: clean, but 6 gallons/year through a 4 stroke motor is not killing any polar bears is all I'm saying.
I do sometimes wonder about the fire pits that we all enjoy lighting on our patio's/camp sites and how dirty they are, though I would imagine their main problem is particulates and returning sequestered carbon and heat back into the atmosphere.

[wap]

Between the 2 machines - mower and blower - I probably burn MAYBE 6 gallons of gas/year, so that equivalent of 5,000 miles of car exhaust is for ME. More like 150 - 200 miles/year.

But, as I said, I'll probably get a battery mower one of these days. Maybe even a snow blower, too, if the power and running time are there. I usually only use mine for bigger, heavier snows so it's usually running for at least an hour.

Modern cars are amazingly clean. There's still some carbon and C02 emissions, but overall compared to a lawnmower with ZERO emissions restriction effort at all, it's night and day. 5k miles is very believable to me.

I have a single stage snowblower from Ego, and I've cleared 6" from my entire circular driveway on a single charge before. It's really

I really need/want a 2 stage that can handle up to 10" . We don't get snows like that that often, maybe once/year, but when we do, it sure is to have a machine that can handle it. The way I use mine is, any snowfall <3" I'll shovel it by hand, primarily for the exercise. Anything >3" and I fire up the machine. That's one reason why I use it so few times per season.

[CaleDeRoo]

She's 64, retired, and has a cat. She's planning to move into a new build apartment complex here on Charlotte, so chances are high she could charge for free. She probably only drives 50mi a week or so.

The hardest part of this possible deal is the fact that she probably wouldn't be able to test drive a volt, at least without me helping her.

The other option I thought of was a new mini oxford but those seem to be fake news

There's nothing unique about a Volt that would her test drive, I think the biggest difference is the form factor and lack of space. Whether that matters to her or she THINKS it matters to her, The Volt probably feels quite a bit quiker than the 2.slow Impreza

The Volt and Impreza likely have the same ingress/egress and driving position, but rearward visibility isn't great in the Volt because GM hates windows.

She sounds like an ideal candidate for a Volt with her driving habits, she could pretty much drive it in EV mode constantly. BUT, apartment living and EVs are a TON of right now.

What's the point/goal here? Get out of payments?

Yes the idea is to get her out of payments since she has been complaining about how much rent is here in Charlotte. At least in areas that are nice. Eliminating the car payment would free up about $400/mo which she likes the idea of since she has to start paying on her portion of my brother's student loans now, buuuuuutttttt I'd hate for her to regret the change in a year or something.

[D Griff]

There's nothing unique about a Volt that would her test drive, I think the biggest difference is the form factor and lack of space. Whether that matters to her or she THINKS it matters to her, The Volt probably feels quite a bit quiker than the 2.slow Impreza

The Volt and Impreza likely have the same ingress/egress and driving position, but rearward visibility isn't great in the Volt because GM hates windows.

She sounds like an ideal candidate for a Volt with her driving habits, she could pretty much drive it in EV mode constantly. BUT, apartment living and EVs are a TON of right now.

What's the point/goal here? Get out of payments?

Yes the idea is to get her out of payments since she has been complaining about how much rent is here in Charlotte. At least in areas that are nice. Eliminating the car payment would free up about $400/mo which she likes the idea of since she has to start paying on her portion of my brother's student loans now, buuuuuutttttt I'd hate for her to regret the change in a year or something.

I mean... it's not like an Impreza is THAT great

[CaleDeRoo]

Yes the idea is to get her out of payments since she has been complaining about how much rent is here in Charlotte. At least in areas that are nice. Eliminating the car payment would free up about $400/mo which she likes the idea of since she has to start paying on her portion of my brother's student loans now, buuuuuutttttt I'd hate for her to regret the change in a year or something.

I mean... it's not like an Impreza is THAT great

[D Griff]

THey say 'povert spec' in this video

I had never heard it outside of this group before (other than using it outside of here as well).

I feel like this was coined on DFD (possibly by Max) many years ago. Are we influencers???

[wap]

THey say 'povert spec' in this video

I had never heard it outside of this group before (other than using it outside of here as well).

I feel like this was coined on DFD (possibly by Max) many years ago. Are we influencers???