Today we get more power out of smaller engines than we did 20 years ago. I wonder if you could easily fit a more entertaining engine in to that space today.
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Would you feel better if they called it “Terbo”? Like the old modem protocol.
Stanley Steamer.
Maybe instead car manufacturers should focus on adding smartphone capabilities to their keys.
I went around one like that on a test drive once. The salesman took me on his usual test drive loop, but didn’t warn me about that ramp even though it was on an interstate and we were in a Trans Am. He was looking a little nervous partway through, but no more nervous than I was trying to brake and turn without doing…
Those ages don’t surprise me that much. Paying for a new car and the insurance that goes with it today probably means that a lot of buyers are going to be reasonably well established in their lives. Young+irresponsible struggle with the financing and down payment, young+responsible wait until they’ve saved more money…
I think most people actually do care about performance, but it’s not the race-car level of performance they’re looking for. It’s the level that won’t make them feel like they’re going to die when they head up the on-ramp and merge on to a highway.
When I was a kid it was common for pickups in the area to use mud/snow tires in back and more average tires up front. They were all RWD because 4WD was still an expensive upgrade. Having a little more grip in back would help get you moving, and learning how to drive appropriately for the vehicle and surface kept you in…
In case you were wondering what happened to KITT when he got old... had a mid-life crisis, went from black to red, then one crazy night had too much high-octane trying to keep up with the younger cars and ended up in the lake.
I wish I could say it’s a bad business move, but I can’t.
You’re missing a key step: unloading at the end. You can’t overdo it loading because then you won’t have enough energy to unload without breaking anything.
I worked with a guy years ago who didn’t drive his Corvette convertible because he was afraid somebody would cut the top to get in and steal it.
If you want to stretch things a bit, eclipses were terrifying events for some ancient civilizations and were sometimes associated with evil.
I got a Chevy Sonic sedan rental on my last trip. It was pretty bad, especially since I’d never been to that area and didn’t already know (for example) which lane I needed to be in. I have trouble believing those things are built well enough to last on fleet duty, so I have to assume that they’re getting a killer deal…
Opportunity missed: should be at least that many light bars pointing to the sides and back as well.
If it’s “pure” does that mean it won’t have traction control, ABS, speed-sensitive power steering, automatic headlights, rain-sensing windshield wipers, and the list goes on and on....
They could offer a special edition stick and clutch model with no heat or AC, AM radio with a single speaker in the middle of the dash (8-track as a premium upgrade), hand crank windows with wing-style vents, bicycle wheels and whitewall tires, wicker seats, huge tail fins, a crank starter in the front, and a buggy…
Maybe if this trend continues companies will end up waiting until 2021 to put 2021 model year cars on the market.
In small towns you can sometimes build a relationship with a dealership, but that’s partly because they don’t have a ton of turnover. Even if your last salesman left your new salesman or the manager might remember you. They also know that if they’re dicks you can make a drive up to the big city and buy from a…