This is the future of cars I've warned everyone about
- Thread starter Ant
- Start date
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The museum I work at has a pair of interesting 2014 cars.
One is a Volkswagen XL1, a limited production diesel/electric hybrid that gets 260 mpg. VW was/is very strict about which countries they could be driven in, required owners to bring them to an authorized dealer for oil changes and even washing, etc. When they found out we had ours in the U.S., they tried to get it "back" (we bought it used from an individual in Europe). We hung up on them, several times. They did manage to remotely turn off the VW charger that came with the car, so we built our own.
The other is a Honda N-ONE that I ordered new while living in Tokyo. It has all the options, including turbo and sport suspension. Whereas old 軽自動車 (kei cars) had their top speed capped by their design limitations, this car is electronically limited to 135 km/h (82-3 mph). When I met a small group of Honda engineers and told them that we had the car (and a 2015 S660), not only were they not upset, they thought it was cool that Americans were getting to see the cars in person. And then they told me about remapping the ECUs to get 100 HP (they're limited by Japanese law to 64 HP) and remove the top speed limiter.
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Another reason to not buy a Volkswagen.
Same here. I did it in a Corvair, a Chevelle, a Mazda pickup... even used to have one of those tank bags on my Yamaha FZ6 that had the map pocket on top with a clear cover.
Newest vehicle I own now (and have ever owned) is a 2014 Yamaha TW200. Basically unchanged since they came out in 1987. Also have a pair of 2000 Xterras, an '03 Silverado base model, a '95 Triumph Thunderbird, an 80s JDM Honda, and the Dart. I have no desire to have anything new.
I did it in a Corvair, too.
It was a Corvair Greenbrier Van, drive it from NJ to LA for my sister.
Lol!
Nice! I once had a '64 Greenbrier. Did my Nashville - Detroit - Pittsburgh (sister) - Ft. Lauderdale trip in a '65 Monza coupe, 95/4.
Edited to add photo:
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moparmat2000
Well-Known Member
My 2022 maverick XLT is the first vehicle I have owned with a screen. It's not a distraction to me. I plug my phone in, pitch it in the center console and forget it's there. The radio has tuning and volume controls on the steering wheel, hands free push to talk or text. I never even look at the damn thing. Just glance at the gages in front of me every once in a while.
abdywgn
dismantler
same here, 2024 Maverick, just set the screen on clock and leave it there. hardly listen to the radio, if it didn't have one that would be fine...and less stuff on the steering wheel to break.
I just bought a 2024.....Caught myself the other day focusing too much on the back-up camera instead of keeping my head on a swivel. It is my opinion that these "safety systems" will make me a poorer driver and take away the "good habits" that I have developed over years of driving. JMO.
missing linc
Loose nut behind the wheel
I've been saying much the same thing about all the new 'safety' features for years. Between them and the continuous 'dumbing down' of the basic standards and skills required to pass a driving test, both written and practical, it's no surprise that there are so many people on the roads that don't have any idea what the hell they are doing.
Yesterday alone, in a span of minutes I had 3 incidents with other drivers on our main north-south route, 2 of them were with the same driver. It's frustrating at best, and potentially dangerous at worst when people have the belief that they have the right to do whatever they want and others will simply get out of the way if only for self preservation.
People drive like they walk these days.
They have no road rules.
They have no road rules.
I for one like back up cameras.
It's a different perspective than either mirror and can almost see around the corner of the vehicle parked next to you.
I bought an aftermarket one for my 2000 Dakota, that's configured both as a trailer connecting guide and a standard back up cam.
That's gonna be great, since I currently have a cap on it.
It's a different perspective than either mirror and can almost see around the corner of the vehicle parked next to you.
I bought an aftermarket one for my 2000 Dakota, that's configured both as a trailer connecting guide and a standard back up cam.
That's gonna be great, since I currently have a cap on it.
moparmat2000
Well-Known Member
I turn my head all the time when backing up, but I do glance at the back up camera to see how close I am when backing up. It's just another tool to use like mirrors are. I dont rely on it 100%.
My radio I just leave it on the AM talk radio channel, or Texas red dirt radio. When phone is plugged in, i can select my pandora and just use my steering wheel controls. Rarely do I look at it when driving.
My radio I just leave it on the AM talk radio channel, or Texas red dirt radio. When phone is plugged in, i can select my pandora and just use my steering wheel controls. Rarely do I look at it when driving.
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Agreed! I like the fact that I can hook up my trailer without anyone’s help. I can get that ball right underneath the hitch without much trouble. I can backup and get as close as possible to objects without wondering how much room I have. I do still use the side mirrors though. I don’t want to lose that skill.
missing linc
Loose nut behind the wheel
There is no doubt that a backup camera has a purpose, the problem is too many people will rely on that alone and not bother looking in mirrors or actually turning around to make sure there aren't any other people, pets, cars, etc. I've had backup cameras in vehicles and found them helpful, but like you, I would still use mirrors. In my job i rely solely on my mirrors multiple times a day when backing up my tractor trailer.
moparmat2000
Well-Known Member
Hahaha
LOL......My buddy just got quoted $500 for the glass portion of his D/S mirror on a 2023 Honda van.....It seems the blind spot monitoring icon really drives up the price.
Super-Cuda
MOPAR .. Move Over, Plymouth Approaching Rapidly!
I would recommend going to a salvage yard.
Way cheaper.
Try here.
REDMOND'S WORLDWIDE LLC | eBay Stores
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I agree....Unfortunately, the newer models are a scarcity in the yards I frequent.
BTW......He paid
LOL.....We should have a bend over emoji!
Anything fancier than a single cab and a stick is just fluff (for sissies!!) 
Wife has a smart phone, I have a state road map, last time I listened to a radio was about 1971.
Go figure??
Wife has a smart phone, I have a state road map, last time I listened to a radio was about 1971.
Go figure??
I expect the blind spot option only comes with the "acoustic" glass, which is just thicker than normal for less wind noise. Base model glass probably interchanges if the door skin rubber dew wipe and glass attaching hardware are the same.
Free pre-'71 music on her phone: Free Access Plan | SiriusXMAnything fancier than a single cab and a stick is just fluff (for sissies!!)
Wife has a smart phone, I have a state road map, last time I listened to a radio was about 1971.
Go figure??
Or add a magnet mount player that you can tuck away: Shop SiriusXM - Save more with exclusive offers on radios for your home and car.
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I am so old (and deaf!) I care nothing about music anymore, just the music of an engine!
Thanks for the heads up though!
MDchanic
Connoisseur d'Junque
I've got a 2021.
The integrated backup camera is a miracle of coordination and calibration.
It's got little colored lines that move to indicate the car's course as you turn the steering wheel, and that show how close you are to backing into things.
I hate it.
The problem is that there is no way to turn it off, or even to turn down the light level, so that when I back into my driveway at night, in the absolute pitch dark, the camera screen sitting right in the middle of the dashboard kills my night vision, so that I can't see anything out of the rearview mirror or the two sideview mirrors, and I NEED to see how close I am to the fence, and to my wife's car (she tends to park diagonally
), and to anything else she may have left sitting in the driveway while I was gone. It's maddening.
I've turned off all of the other warning crap (had to put a bubble mirror on the driver's side because the blind spot is so huge), and the infuriating "I'm gonna turn myself off now because you've sat still for one second too long" feature, but I CAN'T turn off the damned backup camera.
– Eric
Mopar head
DoW nuisance Alien-Squatch extermination team
Throw a small black towel or similar over it.
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