Non Car People Weigh in on Cars

[CarsOfFortLangley]

One lady at work mentioned she was looking for a new car. BIG MISTAKE LADY.

25 minutes later, I wrapped up my speech on why a wagon was superior to a compact crossover. She advised that she thought that all crossovers looked the same, to the point she couldn't tell the difference, even in the interiors.

She thought the Nissan Rouge was nice, but I strongly (REALLY STRONGLY) pushed her towards a CX-30 which she has now sent out some inquires on to dealers. I also subtly hinted that Soul Red was the only colour she should consider, but I think she'll just get grey.

Also, two girls my age who I've worked with at several jobs have been encouraging me to get a Jeep. I presented them with the Gladiator option today (they didn't know it existed) and....they were not fond of the look. To quote them it was "stupid".

So.....yeah. That's all I have to share.

I'm making my way through a 4 pack of IPA tall cans and may or may not have made an irresponsible purchase tonight.

[Manwich]

@carsoffortlangley said in Non Car People Weigh in on Cars:

To quote them it was "stupid".

Well at least they didn't proclaim their love for the Ford Ecosport...

[i86hotdogs]

I have to bite my tongue a lot on this topic with non car folks. My buddy's wife wanted a Chevy Trax because it came with AWD and sat higher. I expressed my negative feelings for the Trax, and she took it very personal. So I just say "it's a fine vehicle" from now on.

Also, my advice to "buy a van" never gets followed.

[Jordan]

I just recommend a Camry or Rav4. Non-car people don't care about sportiness, so I wouldn't curse them with the Mazda shit ride.

[CarsOfFortLangley]

@jordan BOOOOOO. I know you've voiced that before.

I liked my CX-3 and miss it often. I fell in love with it when I used it as a Medic Car at my local track where I offical.

[Exage03040]

@carsoffortlangley

Coworker: So I'm thinking about a new car.

Enthusiast: Well, let me help you. It all started way back when the wheel was invented, long before Jesus was even a thing...

[way2blu]

Friends: ask us for advice

Oppos: recommends some Mazda product

Friends: proceed not to take advice and buy a Toyota/Nissan/etc instead

[SmugAardvark]

@carsoffortlangley said in Non Car People Weigh in on Cars:

I'm making my way through a 4 pack of IPA tall cans and may or may not have made an irresponsible purchase tonight.

Was that irresponsible purchase a Jeep Gladiator? Because I fully condone such actions.

[CarsOfFortLangley]

@exage03040 pretty much

[WhoIsTheLeader]

I get a lot of non car people hating on the Glady. I actually really like it and it's the only truly novel take on a truck for sale right now. Well, if you don't consider selling a truck from 2005 today to be novel.

[CarsOfFortLangley]

@smugaardvark Nah, it was smaller, but also $500.

[way2blu]

On a more serious note, I generally try to ask more questions to figure out friends’ desired use cases for cars before making recommendations. Helps a LOT to know “I really like sitting above traffic” so I can point people to a nice CUV.

I’ve also seen big paradoxes like “Hatchbacks have poor visibility!” and only understood why after asking “What hatchbacks have you driven?” and got “A Prius and a Veloster” as the response.

People who aren’t “into cars” might be missing concepts that enthusiasts like us might consider common knowledge. I try to be understanding of that and provide the best advice I can for that audience.

[CarsOfFortLangley]

@way2blu I work in a national role, and run my own team. She was actually just some lady in some office up north. But she made the fatal mistake of mentioning she was car shopping.

So, I was like "fuck insurance, lets talk about cars!!!!" and yeah...she wasn't as enthusiastic.

[ranwhenparked]

@carsoffortlangley I stopped recommending cars to non-car people years ago. My dad had been talking about buying a new small truck for decades and finally decided to go shopping about 3 years ago, I advised him to look at the Tacoma, he bought a Frontier because it was cheaper, and is now complaining about the fuel economy, the cheap interior that's already showing visible wear after only a few years, and the lack of features, and is thinking he would have been happier with the Toyota. Well, you bought a brand-new 13 year old truck, what did you expect? He does very minimal mileage on it, like 12,000 in the past 3 years, since he has a take-home unmarked car that he uses for work, the driver's seat shouldn't be worn down almost to the foam, and the markings for all the dash controls shouldn't be wearing off in just that time. He's not a big guy, and I've seen how he gets in and out, nothing explains that other than poor materials.

My brother in Florida bought a Focus, after I advised him not to, based on the excessive warranty claims my company had been making on our large, all-Ford fleet (Focuses, Escapes, Fusions, Kugas, Mondeos), the quality control issues I had with my new Mustang, and the announcement by our fleet department that we would be transitioning to Hyundai over the next few years. Well, he just took it back to the transmission shop for the second time to fix something they screwed up on his very expensive, barely out of warranty, transmission replacement. The guy is a kitchen manager at an upscale Italian restaurant with no parking that doesn't do delivery or takeout, which basically means he's been either unemployed or barely employed for the past year, and closed on a condo just before the first lockdown, he doesn't need that. He commutes on a Vespa most days, the Focus has less than 60,000 miles on it, most of which is from pre-pandemic extended road trip vacations.

[SmugAardvark]

@carsoffortlangley Was it a David Tracy-ish purchase...

[CarsOfFortLangley]

@ranwhenparked My wife (now ex I guess)'s friend bought a brand new Focus. I had to bite my tounge. Then the transmission started to act up.... and I had to do everything I could to stop myself from screaming "GET RID OF IT, IT's CURSED" at the top of my lungs. The fact that the powershift trans is already acting up on a car that is a year old...wow.

[CarsOfFortLangley]

@smugaardvark nah, I bought a shotgun. It's something I've wanted for like, 2 years. I am planning an alpine caming trip next week and wanted to take something that could fire flare/bear shells.

I am going WAY into the back country in the dead of winter.

[SmugAardvark]

@carsoffortlangley Ah, well there goes that mystery. But still, fun!

[CarsOfFortLangley]

@smugaardvark yeah! It's an over under. I am not a "gun guy" but wanted something where I could select a barrel based on my needs. I don't want to shoot anything, but a 12 gauge can fire any number of useful emergency rounds out the tubes.

[ranwhenparked]

@carsoffortlangley Modern transmissions are very complicated technology, and Ford is a company that still hasn't mastered something as basic as getting paint to stick to metal, despite 107 years' experience painting metal. Dual-clutch transmissions are a far more recent concept, maybe they'll have them mastered by 2100 or so.

I'd advise him to maybe look at something else, since there's some good deals out there now, but, he really kicked butt to pay it off early, and a new car loan isn't a good idea right now.

[gmporschenut also a fan of hondas]

@carsoffortlangley two exes that bough TV new rouges. Now triggered

[CarsOfFortLangley]

@smugaardvark Such are the wonders of the 21st century. You can buy guns online after having like, a liter of beer.

[SmugAardvark]

@carsoffortlangley I get it. I'm not a "gun guy" either, but I definitely recognize their usefulness in certain situations.

[CarsOfFortLangley]

@smugaardvark I just don't want to die in the woods. Our own government site advises the area presents a heightened bear risk and I am taking Targa and a borrowed JL Rubicon

[Dr. Zoidberg]

@ranwhenparked I told my coworker to not buy a 175k-mile Dakota double-cab 4.7 that "just needed" this this and this, and got it for cheap... He spent three months and three grand in parts (had a blown gasket and warped head -- oops! PPI, folks) fixing it, and his fiance who drives it ended up hating it immediately once it was actually drivable. One day he told me he should have never bought that. And I'm like, I and everyone else TOLD YOU SO. He's like, "Yeah, but you know I don't listen." -_-