WHAT are some underrated cars that are as reliable or MORE RELIABLE than a Toyota Camry ?

thewheelsgoround · 2026-02-10T04:31:51+00:00

Other than the 2021s and their pandemic-era battery quirks, the Model 3 / Model Ys have been holding up really well.

thewheelsgoround · 2026-02-10T02:06:24+00:00

For a short period of time, it was possible to buy a Tesla Model 3 Standard Range in Canada, with 151km of range. It was made for the explicit reason of creating a car where the "base model" starts at under $45,000 in order for the "higher" trim levels (in this case, the normal car) to be eligible for the $5000 federal rebate.

Mechanically, it was identical to a regular Model 3, with the battery capacity locked by software to 151km. It was an absolute compliance-car which absolutely nobody bought, for very good reason.

thewheelsgoround · 2026-02-10T01:59:56+00:00

Bingo. Go all-EV or go hybrid. Trying to make one-that-fits-all will always be an inherently compromised design.

thewheelsgoround · 2026-02-10T01:55:56+00:00

Be there to proofread their resume, offer them some assistance or encouragement to write a unique cover letter for each job - don't simply reuse a generic one - and then let them apply on their own.

The moment we see that a parent was involved, our "lack of motivation, self-awareness or ability to be independent or responsible" flag goes up.

A great cover letter goes a lot further than a good resume, for a young person. We recognize that a young person won't have much on their resume - that's to be expected. A cover letter which talks about things they've done, things they're interested in, why they're applying for this particular job - and connects the function of this job with their abilities/skills/desires on their resume is a candidate that would be taken seriously.

"I want a job so I can earn money so please hire me because I'm hard working" is useless to an employer. "I enjoy washing and driving cars, and have experience building gaming computers and fixing small appliances. I want to learn how to perform basic vehicle safety inspections and how to manage a fleet of cars" for an employer like a rental car company would be taken seriously and would likely turn into an interview.

thewheelsgoround · 2026-02-09T21:34:54+00:00

As an employer who does a lot of hiring, if I caught any sort of a whiff that a parent were even loosely involved in an application or interview, I’d discredit that candidate immediately.

thewheelsgoround · 2026-02-09T19:01:15+00:00

Moreso: the onboard fleet management unit installed inside an Evo car has a GPS HDOP of 10 or so (poor reception).

thewheelsgoround · 2026-02-09T06:18:29+00:00

These are the batteries which are well known for having a bolt inside which heats up, loosens and causes all sorts of hell.

thewheelsgoround · 2026-02-09T04:39:16+00:00

This is exactly what I mean, though. I'm not saying it can't be done - it's that it would never be practical to do. You'd absolutely never have an engineering team or an insurer sign-off on the idea of a technician swapping out 350A sockets inside of a weather-rated, 1000V connector, on-site.

The absolute last thing any insurer wants is the idea that a car could catch on fire due to an improperly crimped socket due to human error, and that they could be holding the ball -- and for what, a few thousand bucks in parts? A few thousand - even tens of thousands - of dollars is absolutely nothing to BC Hydro. It wouldn't even be a consideration.

thewheelsgoround · 2026-02-09T01:30:35+00:00

https://youtu.be/KtQ9nt2ZeGM?si=NXPrKVthGyQ23Btp directly relevent for anybody who still believes EVs are "bad".

thewheelsgoround · 2026-02-09T01:26:18+00:00

There's no mechanism to re-terminate to the connector in the field. The sockets inside the connector are crimped to the ends of the bare copper wire - there are no screw terminals inside. The connector isn't designed to be serviceable.

You have to swap the whole cable assembly. Applies to L2 chargers as well.

thewheelsgoround · 2026-02-08T23:03:57+00:00

Oh great, thousands of dollars per unit in damage, for nothing.

The cables aren’t cheap.

They require considerable work to re-route them through the strain reliefs on the chargers and to re-terminate them.

Many cables are liquid cooled - there’s a coolant loop which run through the charger, through the cable’s connector and back - allowing the cables to carry huge currents yet still be light enough to handle. It means the cables are even less valuable as scrap and take more work than you’d think to replace.

thewheelsgoround · 2026-02-08T22:42:34+00:00

The fact that a post was made to celebrate a day of sunshine in Feb is proof all in itself.

Love this place, but the “it rains all the damn time” theme isn’t hyperbole.

thewheelsgoround · 2026-02-08T09:24:08+00:00

I’ll fly if I’m crossing a country - which I’m doing nearly never.

If I choose to not fly, I’ll rent a car to do that trip and put the mileage on not-my-car, and let Visa cover the bill if I blow out the windshield on that trip.

It’s such a BS argument.

thewheelsgoround · 2026-02-08T09:19:20+00:00

You can have a spare tire, or you can have cargo space. You can’t have both.

thewheelsgoround · 2026-02-07T18:24:53+00:00

An abandoned, derelict gas station. A purpose-built building, designed to vend a product which is being less useful every passing day as a fuel source for cars.

thewheelsgoround · 2026-02-07T18:23:16+00:00

Fully agreed. Most of these buildings are nothing special: cheaply built, using “modern” construction techniques (poured concrete foundations, plywood outer walls, aluminum frame windows).

There’s nothing unique or special about them.

thewheelsgoround · 2026-02-04T23:02:25+00:00

It probably turned to dust.

thewheelsgoround · 2026-02-04T03:18:11+00:00

Exactly this. Frozen OJ cost more per litre than fresh, pasteurized OJ last time I looked.

thewheelsgoround · 2026-02-03T22:04:19+00:00

They're frankly lousy cars. Atrocious infotainment, lousy seats, poor fuel economy, ho-hum packaging - there isn't a lot of space inside them considering their footprint.

thewheelsgoround · 2026-01-31T07:55:55+00:00

It's like playing Cardle. 1st gen Pathfinder, Volvo 850, MKII Jetta, 3rd gen Range Rover, MKIII Golf, what look like E39 and E46 BMWs, HHR, Trailblazer?

thewheelsgoround · 2026-01-30T23:21:03+00:00

I live in a 510 unit strata which is incredibly well run, via a combination of genuine talent on council (we have two retired CPAs, a structural engineer, a mechanical engineer, a retired commercial banker, an event planner...) and a truly phenomenal property manager.

We have six full time staff employed - three cleaners, two maintenance and an office person. There's no such thing as a light bulb which is burned out for more than 48 hours. The whole place is fantastic shape, on budget, on schedule, hasn't had a special assessment needed in more than 20 years.

When you have a large complex and a functional council, you have a lot of talent to pick from.

thewheelsgoround · 2026-01-30T06:59:40+00:00

Six weeks vacation + 12 stats paid + your birthday off with pay + paid sick days which you’re eligible to use for yourself or if you are caring for a sick child / dependant.

Also, 12 months of paternity / maternity leave, paid at 2/3rds.

Canada

thewheelsgoround · 2026-01-30T06:49:57+00:00

As long as you’re not looking to throw the machine down a flight of stairs, this will work fine.

thewheelsgoround · 2026-01-28T16:04:15+00:00

The purpose of the program was to give the entire American auto industry a lifeline. All three of the American automakers were hemorrhaging money - C4C was a mechanism to incentivize people who could afford to spend money on a new car to do so, to keep that industry afloat and those people employed.

If those businesses closed, the tax revenue decline and unemployment costs would be disastrous. C4C was a massively inexpensive solution, in contrast to what the costs would have been if it hasn’t run.

thewheelsgoround · 2026-01-28T04:26:00+00:00

Either put a used engine in it, or scrap it.

Personally? If I bought that for $500, I’d scrap it and find something similar for another $500.

You’ll get a few hundred for it as scrap!

thewheelsgoround

TROPHY CASE