Decoder with notching

[ATLANTIC CENTRAL]

Randy, trick question, what weighs less and gets better mileage, a Honda Odyssey "mini" van or the FORD EXPLORER SUV?

The bias against SUV'S is not based on facts. Most of today's SUV'S are midsize and smaller, they are just tall station wagons.

Sheldon

[SeeYou190]

rrinker

For the times I need to carry something, like wood for my layout - I have a truck. Not a huge one, bit big enough to carry plywood. 

There is a U-Haul place less than five miles from my house.

My wife has their "Truck Share" App on her phone. When I need to haul something big or heavy (12 foot drywall, tile, appliances, etc) we just go scan a 14 foot box truck and drive off for about $50.00 for the day.

With that kind of convenience, and the fact I do not need a truck for work anymore, the Colorado will not be replaced with another truck.

Maybe a Camaro is in my future.

ATLANTIC CENTRAL

Since FORD is not making any more FLEX'S, I fear the next car will move us back to a mid size SUV.

That is sad. Ford never marketed the Flex like they should have. I always hated them until I rented one. One drive and it became one of my ten favorite cars.

The new Explorers are incredible. Great cars. I average in the high 20s MPG with them on the highway.

zugmann

I always laugh when people criticize others for wanting a truck they "don't need".  Many of these people have cars that are more performance-orientated.

One of my daughters is that person. She hates people driving unneeded trucks, but she has a Subaru BRZ and her husband has a Camaro SS. They would never dream of owning an economical vanilla sedan because they "need" performance.

My oldest daughter's husband does the same thing Sheldon does now. His Ford truck cost more than my house cost me. It is some giant fully loaded diesel 4 wheel drive four door monster with a leather interior. He calls is a "work truck". 

-Kevin

[zugmann]

SeeYou190

One of my daughters is that person. She hates people driving unneeded trucks, but she has a Subaru BRZ and her husband has a Camaro SS. They would never dream of owning an economical vanilla sedan because they "need" performance.

I wouldn't say a BRZ falls under performance.   They're nicely balanced, and I hear a blast to drive - but not really fast. 

 

SS Camaros are beasts, though.  Esp. the new ones.  I was never a Camaro/Corvette guy, but these latest ones.... man... Chevy designers are doing something right. 

[SeeYou190]

zugmann

I wouldn't say a BRZ falls under performance.   They're nicely balanced, and I hear a blast to drive - but not really fast. 

She drives like me, safe and slow. It could have a two cylinder Onan Performer under the hood and she would be fine with it.

She does love that car. I think it is ugly and noisy.

-Kevin

[York1]

ATLANTIC CENTRAL

My big gripe with most cars is I dislike sitting on a boat cushion on the floor, and my wife's health requires upright seating.

I know just what you mean.

I know it sounds crazy, because it is, but we bought our Ford Expedition for that reason.  When we were looking at cars, my wife sat in the passenger seat of the Expedition and said that was the one she wanted.  (I fainted when I saw the price, but it was her money.)

She has had knee surgeries and other issues, and she wanted to sit up like in a chair.  She also liked the Expedition because it had full motorized controls for the passenger seat -- up, down, back, forth, tilt forward, tilt backward, etc.  In most of the other cars we looked at, the passenger seat just slid forward or backward.

Of course, we are lucky to get 16 mpg on the highway, but I will gladly pay the mileage since it keeps her happy.

[zugmann]

York1

I know it sounds crazy, because it is, but we bought our Ford Expedition for that reason.  When we were looking at cars, my wife sat in the passenger seat of the Expedition and said that was the one she wanted.  (I fainted when I saw the price, but it was her money.)

Not crazy.  It's why a lot of older people buy minivans or things like the toyota Venza, Honda CRV, even the1500 silverados, somewhat, too).  Seats are at regular butt-height. 

[ATLANTIC CENTRAL]

York1

 

 

ATLANTIC CENTRAL

My big gripe with most cars is I dislike sitting on a boat cushion on the floor, and my wife's health requires upright seating.

 

 

I know just what you mean.

I know it sounds crazy, because it is, but we bought our Ford Expedition for that reason.  When we were looking at cars, my wife sat in the passenger seat of the Expedition and said that was the one she wanted.  (I fainted when I saw the price, but it was her money.)

She has had knee surgeries and other issues, and she wanted to sit up like in a chair.  She also liked the Expedition because it had full motorized controls for the passenger seat -- up, down, back, forth, tilt forward, tilt backward, etc.  In most of the other cars we looked at, the passenger seat just slid forward or backward.

Of course, we are lucky to get 16 mpg on the highway, but I will gladly pay the mileage since it keeps her happy.

 

My wife too, both knees replaced, shoulder surgery, so she can't pull herself up out of some "sports sedan", rheumatoid arthritis that now resists most of the medicine.

It makes this car perfect:

It is the second one we have owned - she totaled the first one, and it saved her and the grandchildren.

Here is the first one, I liked the red better:

The FLEX is so practical, it reminds me of when I owned a few of these:

 

Even the 1963 Nova had a better seating position than most "cars" today. And it had no problem beating those Mustangs and Camaros with their low to the floor seats...........

Sheldon

[rrinker]

 Well, given that the Honda and many of the new "minivands" are as big or bigger than the good old full-size vans of the 70's... 

 Bigger, bigger bigger - everyone wants bigger. I really don't get it. Compensating for something? One of my ex's coworkers was maybe 5' tall if she streteched a bit - she drove an Expedition. Almost needed a ladder to climb up into it. Silly. She had no kids, and it was just her and her husband. 

 I've even had someone say, and truly believe, that anythign smaller than say an H2 wouldn;t fit child seats. When my oldest was a baby, I drove a 2 door Z-24. And had no problem putting him in or getting him out of his seat in the back. It was actually harder to get him in and out of my ex's car, a Tempo (which has to be the worst car I was ever directly involved with - hard to service, carb stacked over the exhause manifold so it had a tendency to vapor lock on hot days, an ignition module mounted such that any water getting under the hood would run down into the high tension side, frying the module, etc.) with 4 doors. 

 I can't win though, GF complains my car is too low, and has trouble climbing int he truck, which is just a stock Toyota Truck, 1993 version. 4WD, but no lift or anything. The seats on that definitely are not on the floor - if new ones are like that, it must be something they introduced specifically for the US market models when they gave them names like Tacoma and Tundra. 

 I am somewhat disappointed in this one though - never was much impressed by Toyotas, to be honest, when shopping for a small car, I tried a Corolla, about 2000. The doors felt so light and tinny, I ended up with a Civic, it was a much more solidly buiult car. But my truck - the motor and drivetrain are bulletproof, should be good for another 10-15 years easy. Unfortunately the frame is badly rusting out, and I'll be lucky to get mor than another year or 2 out of it. Cheap garbage steel. Dunno what I will repalce it with, I don;t need a truck often but when I do, I need it, so I don;t want to buy anything new or fairly new and spend a bunch of money.

                              --Randy

[richhotrain]

I guess that this thread effectively ended on page 3.

Or, did it end, for all practical purposes, with OldEngineMan's post on page 1?

[tstage]

I think we've migrated from the DCC North Pole thru the Straits of Diesel to the tip of Cape Vehicle and left the OP somewhere back in the Yukon.   Perhaps we talked this one through and then some, fellas?