“There is no reason a parent’s driving lifestyle needs to be defined by their family. They need a family-capable car. Not - as is the premise of this article - a “family car.””
You realize that for the vast majority of consumers, “driving lifestyle” is a totally irrelevant and silly term? And even for me personally,…
4Runner96
4runner96
Nope, I actually know for a fact khrodes1 doesn’t have kids.
I grew up riding in the back of a 1971 ZAZ 966, before my family immigrated and then had series of rusty used 1980s Honda Civics without AC, finally we were able to move up to a less-used ‘89 MPV with air conditioning. My 5 month old rides in his rearward…
Needless to say you are childless.
“The swap is stupid easy.”
That’s what they all say. Even using an iron block truck motor, you’re looking at notably more cost than just refreshing the 3.9L that’s in there.
Local Toyota dealer told me my wife’s ‘12 Camry with 60k miles needed the entire rear brake system replaced (rotors, pads, calipers) to the tune of $1200 for some minor pad dragging. Cleaned up the caliper pad seating surfaces, high temp brake grease, new pads for $50, done.
I couldn’t figure out whether it was a…
He also wants something that won’t disintegrate like what’s in your avatar.
First off that car has 195k miles. Secondly, it’s generally acknowledged that the LS460s are cost-cut crap compared to the earlier 400/430s, they were released in the era of the worst of Toyota trying ti figure out just how much they could cheap out anywhere you did or didn’t look.
“looks that age like an 80s Benz - which is to say, they’re perfect forever”
Say what?
“Any rational enthusiast or citizen of the world understands that combustion engines are a parasite to society, both necessary for basic function and sustaining life as we know it, while simultaneously polluting our planet and slowly killing us and every other living being. It’s globally and morally right to believe…
Add me to the club of straight-to-minivan buyers. We’ve got two larger dogs that we take with us a lot of the time for weekend trips to in-laws, so just with the one baby in a car seat (plus pack and play/crib, plus stroller, diaper and breastfeeding bags, the dog’s folded crates), We went right for a lightly used…
I agree that H/K quality is right up there these days for the most part, but simply as a function of market perception, their resale value still lags Honda/Toyota, and strictly as a function of high depreciation the total cost of ownership even of a perfectly reliable H/K car can end up being higher than a Corolla.
“There are a ton of people who hate driving, see it as a chore and treat their vehicles just like they are an appliance”
Dude, might want to update your car knowledge from circa 2005.
“the transmission in no way detracts from the way it drives”
I’ve never driven anything as unengaging (short of a Prius) as my friend’s 1.5T+CVT Civic. Great acceleration and fuel economy no doubt, but just about the most joyless powertrain around.
*Sentra
Some jalop you are!
Ironically that ‘93 Camry is better built and longer lasting than arguably any car that’s been brought up in this discussion.
The 2.2L wasn’t exactly a fire breather, but for the era they were very peppy and smooth, these cars have no trouble at all keeping up with modern traffic and are much more pleasant to drive…
Why? It was the GM lumina-based vans (Lumina APV/Transport/Silhouette) that everyone rightly calls the “dustbuster” vans
“Just look at all that rear seat leg room! That’s often hard to come by on sedans, except the most gigantic ones.”
Did they feed you enough freebie steaks and IPAs for you to write that bud?
No published numbers, the photos make it look wholly unremarkable. Most of the midsizers have had massive rear legroom for a while…
Sounds odd, these things were quite robust owing to their RWD architecture, and very well screwed together, pre-cost cutting era of J-VIN cars.
It was just an optional load leveling air suspension for the back axle, nothing in front.
Family owned an ‘89 (RWD, rare base 4cyl) and a ‘98 Allsport 4x4.