Ugh. So annoying to have your $32,000 Honda parked next to a $19,000 Honda and have them look pretty much the same. That must be how Cadillac owners felt from 1984 to 1996 or thereabouts every time there was a Cavalier next to their downsized Fleetwood.
The funny thing is that I don’t think the cars are exactly the same color. Not in the “Marysville-can’t-paint-cars” sense, but in the actual different-paint-code sense. Why, as KRS-One once famously asked, is that?
Early next week we will have the #BikesOutForHarambe photos. If you haven’t got yours to me yet, now’s the time. If your email was rejected, try again; as a consequence of the server move I did, some emails got bounced. With that said, let’s cover what Bark and I wrote this week.
Brother Bark suggested a ponycar to replace a Bimmer and revealed how dealers game the CPO system.
For R&T, I gave you a tour of “Tire Mountain” and entered the Matrix… in a trackday.
At TTAC, I dissected a spinning Miata and examined the Lexus value proposition.
Last but not least, R&T released my essay on the V-8 that is about to show up in your mailbox (if it hasn’t yet).
See you after the weekend, unless you’re coming to Nelson Ledges tomorrow!
I was dating a chick back in 2007 when she went to get a new car from Honda. It was a 2008 Accord. I made her get the major upgrades of the time: Navigation, Fog Lights, Moonroof, etc.
At first she really didn’t want to do it because it was extra money.
For the length of the time she had the car she always commented how she was glad she did cause she saw many base models without the extra goodies on the road and she felt special.
All top trim models need as much differentiation from the lower models as possible. 20″ wheels (when the lower trims only have 17, 16 or less), Foglamps and spoilers go a long way to making a sale.
I still feel a lump in my throat every time I see the blind-spot camera wart on another 2016 Pilot’s passenger mirror that’s not on my poverty-spec LX, or when I pass an EX trim with the gray-shadow accented version of my LX’s flat-silver 18″ wheels. But then I remind myself that I’m $3000 richer. And that my wife loves it and couldn’t care less about those dubious distinctions. And loves me for getting it for her.
And for consolation, in anything other than direct sunlight, the unadorned black door handles on my dark gray example are indistinguishable from more upscale versions’ body-colored versions. I’m so vain. But I’m even more cheap.
I am a diehard Panther man, last of the Aero series Grand Marquis.
Got a sweetheart deal from the family of the Original Owner ™, actually a couple, when they stopped driving (or were stopped from driving) in their 90’s.’
Managed to get a chip tuner for it, years after it was made, which makes a noticeable difference in power.
But the only regret I have is that they didn’t bother to spring for the dual exhaust, and for the optional sixteen inch wheels, which would have enabled me to put larger calipers on the front. Probably less than a couple of grand easily, but would have made a really good car even better.
I could always retrofit those two items, but I waver between saying WTH and doing it anyway, and telling myself its crazy to do those two mods in an old car that runs well anyway.
But getting the extras almost always pays off in the long run, unless it is some really dumb option like a vinyl top for the greenhouse, to make it look like a fake landau or something.
Nobody ever picked up a nice deal on a used vehicle that they like and that isn’t made anymore, and then said “Darn, I wish they hadn’t put those upscale option on the car!”.
Adding twice pipes to any vehicle is cheap and always worth it .
_Especially_ FoMoCo Products because their design always includes corked up exhaust to keep them quieter than the competition .
Plus of course , you can add that all important crossover pipe and mufflers to suit how much you want to hear it when running…
-Nate
But what to make of the Accord Sport model? Big wheels, spoiler, LEDs, looks fancy and is indistinguishable from the V6 Touring without checking the badge. But it gets you the poverty spec interior and even worse the base 4 speaker stereo that would be embarrassed to find itself in a Kia Rio.
When I was shopping Accords I decided I couldn’t live at a level below the EX-L simply for the sound system, but the exterior suffered and looked poverty spec compared.
When I started shopping for my Honda Fit(s), I would have been happy with the base LX because it comes nicely equipped but I got great deals on new-old-stock ’15 EX examples, so I got keyless entry, a better stereo with a bigger touchscreen, a moonroof and 17″ aluminum rims. Keyless entry and push button start is very nice to have here in Michigan where we have to wear gloves in winter and it’s nice to not have to take your glove off and dig in your pocket for a key. My grandson likes the moonroof and it’s less noisy for venting when I smoke than using the driver’s side window. I’d like to think that I’m not vain, but I admit that the hubcaps on the base car look sort of cheap, but then no Fit looks as cheap as a Nissan Versa.
Spinning Miatas , heh .
At least they didn’t roll it .
-Nate
This ties in well with the Lexus article at TTAC! I feel like your average man or woman on the street thinks a Lexus costs about 40 grand (or more!) and a Camry about 25. Nobody’s gonna notice if you have the XLE V6; it’s still a Camry. I mean, I’ll notice and maybe be just a little jealous, but I’m probably not the target audience.
everyone who’s anyone knows that the Camry to fawn over is the XSE V6.
Kidding.
I love the Clash quote in the V8 article, but no 426 Hemi?!?
Yep, once you hear a V8 there’s no going back.
Even kids agree…
I loved how casually Bark riled up Stickshift Nation by pointing out, correctly, that today’s automatics are superior. Viewed objectively, three pedals for two feet is a pretty silly system.
You should take the bus and sell your car(s). One person per vehicle is pretty silly when you can stuff 50 into one and still get from point A to B.
There’s this thing called “individual preference.”
And to the same end, in a slushbox you have 2 pedals for one foot, so what exactly have you gained?
What you’ve gained is that you need never work two pedals simultaneously with one foot. Which is something I’ve been doing for 30 years on both the street and the race track. And which is also a pretty silly system.
Shut your dumb face
Let’s be aware here that Steve is a man with more SCCA wins than I have Paul Reed Smith guitars.
I’ve always looked at is as automatics are superior for 99% of the driving out there. a manual in the hands of a skilled driver on a course is a different matter entirely. the driver may choose to hold a gear in a situation where an automatic will up- or down-shift at an inopportune time.
The best automatic transmission is transparent, and the best manual transmission is slow but fun.
Let’s be real hear - the absolute ‘fastest’ transmission around a race track would be a CVT that holds the engine at torque peak until it needed to hold the engine at horsepower peak. The driver would simply use the throttle as a torque rheostat.
Additionally, we all know part of the fun of bikes is rowing through that sequential manual transmission. One down, five up, and one gear at a time just like God intended.
Look, God help me if I buy an FR-S or Miata because I want to run time attack records - I’d be much better off getting good tries and instruction / track time on my current car if I cared about saving time.
But I’m not buying an FR-S / Miata for my inner Senna, I would buy one to make regular driving a bit more fun / and because marketing works and it’s convinced me that my inner Senna wants one.
One up, three down, just like the Limeys first made them, before NHTSA decided we should all have to adopt the Japanese shift patterns.
At least that’s how my memory of long ago remembers it…
I’ve given this a lot of thought. The best look at these Accords is from the driver’s side 3/4 view-the haunches-the rear-quarter window into the slight wheel flare-what you see pumping gas. That sells it for me.
Jack, you paid extra for a car without that damn retainer:
http://www.brunerortho.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/retainer-photo-of-front-teeth.jpg
Harsh but fair!
When does the digital (iPad) release of R&T drop?
I honestly don’t know. I have an Android tablet and it doesn’t seem to be available for that, so I’m never quite sure what’s going on there.
just dropped this evening.
TTAC: Come for the Jack, maybe, possibly, per chance, stay for something else.
Seriously, the only reason I visit TTAC and the only time is via the weekly round up.