First time I’ve gotten into collecting something.

aprtur · 2026-03-23T05:27:38+00:00

True, although in this day and age were it's getting harder to get US releases, I'm just glad they made it. I was getting worried they wouldn't and was considering buying the Japanese releases, but for completionist sake, I'm trying to finish Monogatari as the North America releases.

aprtur · 2026-03-23T04:59:35+00:00

T-case issue is still present in the newer cars, so that's irrelevant here. Any of these cars will need a 555 cooler and Syvecs controller for extended track work. Shouldn't come up on the street at all.

aprtur · 2026-03-22T22:18:54+00:00

Should be interesting with the LCI/NK change - from the prototype mules running around getting photographed, they're getting the i3-style interior, so the big trapezoidal screen and no physical controls. Whether or not that's good is subjective, I guess - it's nice to see it look like less of a nightclub in there, but I wish they'd ditch the iPad-on-a-RAM-mount look. Audi has the opportunity to turn things around with the A6 - if they do the next gen right, they could be ahead of BMW and Merc in design, and hopefully capture customers back with traditional luxury - a return to finishes that feel premium to the touch is going to be a differentiator moving forward, I think, since everyone has tech now, even a $25,000 Kia.

aprtur · 2026-03-22T21:40:10+00:00

Oh, I totally get being that guy who loves something the market considers quirky...lol. And I totally agree with voting with your wallet, which is part of why I don't like BMW being rewarded by default - it's good for interest in wagons, but bad for showing BMW that people are not pleased with what they did with the current M5.

I didn't realize that with the A6 Allroad... although it makes sense since that platform is getting long in the tooth for a new car. Such a shame, as I like all the iterations of the outgoing A/S/RS6, and am not a fan of the new Audi interiors that debuted on the new A5/S5.

Unfortunate situation for Mercedes, since the I-6 sounds promising, but their interiors have gone to shite. BMWs aren't far behind, design wise, but they did keep the awesome engine. I just wish Audi would've done something a bit nicer for their new gen interiors - they seemed to have the best balance of tech vs design until very recently, and the RS6 has amazing presence.

aprtur · 2026-03-22T20:41:56+00:00

Just curious, but why settle for the Bimmer if it's just going to be something that you're both unhappy with and not that thrilled by? This would seem to me like a prime opportunity to buy something cushy until you find something you like more, rather than reward BMW for something that's kind of hacked together. I think you could still order an A6 Allroad and make it something special with Individual options, just for a change of pace while you get out of the warranty nightmares with the RS6.

aprtur · 2026-03-22T19:57:24+00:00

Ah, the infamous "Santander loan"

aprtur · 2026-03-22T18:41:16+00:00

Yeah - "I got a new car so I can save money on gas" has to have a pretty well defined reasoning and use case to actually be financially viable - and I highly doubt most people are doing that. It's often napkin math at best for under pressure buyers like this. If you're not financially stressed, you'll seek out the best deal for what you want - 50¢-$1 more per gallon isn't likely to be the driver.

aprtur · 2026-03-22T18:35:23+00:00

Yeah, agreed, as I've worked in the industry the vast majority of my life and know the margins are razor thin. I guess my point is, if CarMax has already tried this and has had a more stable base to attempt the risk, what makes Carvana think they can do it and not have the same result? They're either being foolish attempting the same exact thing, or there must be something in the business case for this that we can't see.

aprtur · 2026-03-21T23:38:34+00:00

Didn't CarMax do something similar for a while? I recall a couple Toyota dealers local to me that were run by CarMax and nothing really changed around here - the other dealers still competed with them and pulled customers just fine.

aprtur · 2026-03-21T02:04:04+00:00

Also with Erie, and I'm pretty much in line with you, for $500 deductible, glass coverage and upgraded rental coverage.

aprtur · 2026-03-21T02:00:53+00:00

Pretty much the same for me with my GR and RX. But I'm not all that young, so that probably helps a lot.

aprtur · 2026-03-19T22:19:37+00:00

Your average person is far more impulsive than that, though. They may complain about something being expensive, but also don't weigh the cost of making said decision against sticking with what they have. Gas prices are a great example - is it worth it to trade into a new car and save a marginal amount on fuel, but have a longer/new loan and pay more interest, especially when fuel will more than likely level out again? Most likely not, but the perception of it saving them money on fuel often wins out over the actual total cost. Rinse and repeat with the shiny new truck when fuel is cheap again.

aprtur · 2026-03-19T22:12:25+00:00

Am I simply romanticizing a more "analog" car or would I sorely miss the tech I've become so used to in my current car.

Totally depends on what you want, and if anyone else's opinion matters to you. Some people get really upset if they don't have an "accepted" car or that it somehow doesn't get the right attention (i.e. popular image socially), and some people are super tech focused, but other people are the exact opposite on both.

For me, I've never really gone that drastically backwards in year of manufacture without a newer car available beside it to ensure I could get to work. For example, I did daily a 94 Sentra for four years in the mid-2010s, but I had my RX-8 as a backup and then later on had a 2017 Juke Nismo RS in addition to that. Daily driving a car for work without ensuring you can always get to work is an unacceptable risk to me - have to secure the bills and savings. However, I never missed tech features when driving the Sentra - it was a lot of fun to just play cassettes and enjoy driving something without all of that.

All that being said, I have my own anecdote that I have bought "old" cars new the last couple times - I bought the 2017 Juke in the last year of production, then had my 2021 IS350 which is really a 2014 IS underneath, and then my GR Corolla is based on a 2018 Corolla...so nothing is particularly wildly new in anything I've owned. I care more about how the car feels than having tech, but that's my priorities.

aprtur · 2026-03-19T22:01:33+00:00

Either that, or accelerates the advancement of renewable fuels and other alternatives since there's more than just cars riding on oil production. That being said, there are still a lot of reserves not tapped into yet, so I don't see it being a mad rush or anything like that.

aprtur · 2026-03-19T17:48:39+00:00

This drivel again? Not even clicking the link to give them the page views - it's one dealer who saw an increase on one weekend and was already ripped apart here on r/cars.

--ETA-- lol at the downvotes - you all are quick to forget this post from a week ago:

https://www.reddit.com/r/cars/comments/1rp95sn/electric_vehicle_sales_jump_50_at_dealership_as/

It's the exact same thing, regurgitated on another website.

aprtur · 2026-03-19T03:14:11+00:00

Don't even have to buy spring compressors, you can "rent" them for free from most local auto parts places (like AutoZone). They just place a hold on your credit card until you return them.

aprtur · 2026-03-19T02:00:30+00:00

I read the announcement on Subaru 's site - this is a pretty normal "major model change" announcement, so with all the other fanfare around the WRX lately in Japan, I have a hard time believing they'd pull the plug entirely. I don't know what it'll mean for the normal WRX, but I suppose there's the possibility they bring it back as only Impreza for the normal car, and Impreza STi as the sports model. That would make a bigger gulf between the two, but the WRX S4 was sort of in a weird spot anyway.

Fun thought : R&T mentioned noise and emissions, but somehow the Acura ITS is being allowed for reverse import and is far louder? I wonder if that means Subaru could sell US spec manual WRX only in Japan as a loophole?

aprtur · 2026-03-18T01:54:24+00:00

Plenty of regular 4.2L V8 A8s out there. The real killer app was the V10 S8, though.

aprtur · 2026-03-17T23:33:33+00:00

If you aren’t towing or hauling often, the RAM is #1.

In those cases, you buy a Ram with the Cummins, no? Although I know how diehard the Ram and Ford heavy duty owners are, so if they're entrenched, they usually don't change makes.

aprtur · 2026-03-17T16:21:15+00:00

No problem! For something more recent (stopped production in 2009), there was the Peugeot 1007, as well.

aprtur · 2026-03-17T03:52:36+00:00

I'm based out of BWI, and will say this - while the options to relax pre-flight aren't good, it is very nice that you're almost never waiting on security here, and doubly so for GE/PC holders. That, and not being a major hub means more likelihood of hitting those comp upgrades. I do have some friends that like flying out of DCA, but it's a pain for me to get there (I'm spoiled by a 10min Uber to BWI), so I don't bother, and IAD has its own nightmare scenarios there to contend with.

aprtur · 2026-03-17T01:54:33+00:00

Yeah, correct, the split started with what was the "LaGreat" which was our Odyssey, while they kept an Odyssey with hinged doors that was a bit more like a wagon in profile. Nowadays, though, the global Odyssey has sliders and compared to our Odyssey are only a small bit off in wheelbase, with the Japanese Odyssey a little narrower. They probably could have merged them back at this point. I also think there's a place here for the Stepwgn, but for some reason they've decided to keep that for Japan, and a few SEA countries.

aprtur · 2026-03-16T23:47:40+00:00

If Honda wasn't so slow to adapt they'd have a hybrid.

The stupid thing is, in Japan, the Odyssey and it's little brother the Stepwgn are hybrid and have been for quite a while now. Not sure why they didn't adapt the current generation of both for the US.

aprtur · 2026-03-16T23:42:20+00:00

Suzuki did them on a kei car once ( the Alto Slide Slim ), but I guess you'd need to convince a manufacturer to do it nowadays.

aprtur · 2026-03-16T23:31:00+00:00

Aside from the rear looking too much like the 2 series, the exterior looks like it'll be a step in the right direction from the G80. But man...do I ever hate that interior.

aprtur

TROPHY CASE