Random Thoughts Thread

[G. David Felt]

25 minutes ago, oldshurst442 said:

Blazer SS EV for 2024

 Yeah, Id take a Bonneville GXP over the Chevy EV. 

I like the EV part of the Chevy over the 4.6 liter V8 for the Bonnie.  But I much much prefer the sedan part of the Pontiac versus the crappy CUV part of the Chevy.

While I find this funny, I do agree with you that the GXP in an EV format would be hot! This still looks good to me after all the years.

? Imagine instead of holes, black grill area with the Chevy Bow Tie since Pontiac is dead. This would be a sharp looking EV and way better looking than anything Tesla, European or Asian has to offer in an EV sedan.

[Robert Hall]

I like the Bonneville profile, but that interior is over the top overwrought. 

[G. David Felt]

Interesting story on a Camaro EV.

Chevrolet Camaro EV Rendering Imagines Zero-Emission Pony Car With Equinox EV Styling - autoevolution

 

[trinacriabob]

Good morning ....

- - - - -

By the way, guys, that "Planet of the Apes" was a good movie!

[trinacriabob]

Dodge Chargers ... and coupons!

Coupons are funny because they might expire on July 31 which, to me, means the 31st is included.  Some might interpret it to mean they end on the 30th.

As for the Charger, they say production for Charger and Challenger will end in 2023.  Does that mean 2023 will be the last model year, for which production typically starts later in 2022?  Or could it mean that they will still produce them in 2023 so a 2024 model year might be the last one?

I'm hoping it's the latter.  But I'd prefer someone chimes in and/or may have seen other news and articles.

[Robert Hall]

Just saw an article claiming Stellantis is planning a new generation of lighter ICE Chargers and Challengers on a new platform for 2024-5ish... can't recall where, I think it was a credible source..

Edit: it was Motor Trend..read it this morning...no timeline mentioned.  Hope it happens.  Can't be all CUVs and SUVs, need some largish coupes and sedans too...

https://www.motortrend.com/news/next-gen-dodge-charger-challenger-hellcat-v8/

Edited July 29, 2022 by Robert Hall

[regfootball]

1 hour ago, trinacriabob said:

Dodge Chargers ... and coupons!

Coupons are funny because they might expire on July 31 which, to me, means the 31st is included.  Some might interpret it to mean they end on the 30th.

As for the Charger, they say production for Charger and Challenger will end in 2023.  Does that mean 2023 will be the last model year, for which production typically starts later in 2022?  Or could it mean that they will still produce them in 2023 so a 2024 model year might be the last one?

I'm hoping it's the latter.  But I'd prefer someone chimes in and/or may have seen other news and articles.

i just read an article yesterday that said that Stellantis is going to have a new gas rwd Charger/300/Challenger platform on line in 25-26-ish.....I'll hunt for the link.  that is new info.  Before, it was believed there was going to be no replacement for the current platform but that new news seemed to indicate otherwise.

If true, its a major plus for Stellantis.  And the customer.

13 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

Just saw an article claiming they are planning a new generation of lighter ICE Chargers and Challengers on a new platform for 2024-5ish... can't recall where, I think it was a credible source..

Edit: it was Motor Trend..read it this morning...no timeline mentioned.  Hope it happens.

https://www.motortrend.com/news/next-gen-dodge-charger-challenger-hellcat-v8/

yes, that was what i read.!  beat me to it.

[regfootball]

how bou this, Bonneville dash + touchscreen

Edited July 29, 2022 by regfootball

[Robert Hall]

10 minutes ago, regfootball said:

how bou this, Bonneville dash + touchscreen

Neat..but covers about a dozen vents..

[G. David Felt]

5 hours ago, Robert Hall said:

Just saw an article claiming Stellantis is planning a new generation of lighter ICE Chargers and Challengers on a new platform for 2024-5ish... can't recall where, I think it was a credible source..

Edit: it was Motor Trend..read it this morning...no timeline mentioned.  Hope it happens.  Can't be all CUVs and SUVs, need some largish coupes and sedans too...

https://www.motortrend.com/news/next-gen-dodge-charger-challenger-hellcat-v8/

Interesting read for a full assumption of what will move forward, Stellantis did state in their 2030 roadmap that they would be looking to still have 50% of every product line to be ICE at 2030, but that could also change based on customer purchase trends. 

I would question if a V8 survives till 2030, I suspect that once you have the 500HP Twin Turbo I6 engine and an EV version that people will move over when they compare drive them side by side. Not everyone, but many that do not want to mess with the complexity of ICE will move to EV.

[ccap41]

2 minutes ago, David said:

Not everyone, but many that do not want to mess with the complexity of ICE will move to EV.

While ICEs are more complex, the general public seems to see EVs as more complex, just because they're a newer technology and drastically different. At least the handful of people I've talked to that don't follow the automotive world seem to think they're more complex vehicles and are afraid of the technology being too new still to consider. 

General public tends to be really stupid. ?

[Robert Hall]

 

51 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

While ICEs are more complex, the general public seems to see EVs as more complex, just because they're a newer technology and drastically different. At least the handful of people I've talked to that don't follow the automotive world seem to think they're more complex vehicles and are afraid of the technology being too new still to consider. 

General public tends to be really stupid. ?

I think a lot of the BS EV's have added on is where the 'more complex' comes in...like the doorhandles on Teslas or Mach-es,  the 'self-driving', etc... an EV doesn't need that stuff to be usable.

And the 'refueling' is definitely perceived as more complex and time consuming--the struggle to find a working charging station, the apps for using the charging station, the time it takes to charge, having to carefully plan trip routes around the availability of working charging stations, etc vs the ubiquity, speed and simplicity of refueling at gas stations...

Edited July 29, 2022 by Robert Hall

[ccap41]

3 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

I think a lot of the BS EV's have added on is where the 'more complex' comes in...like the doorhandles on Teslas or Mach-es,  the 'self-driving', etc... an EV doesn't need that stuff to be usable.

I completely agree. They make themselves seem more complex because they add unnecessary things and then they go ahead and make 90% of your interior controls all through a screen instead of just making hard buttons that everybody knows how to use. 

4 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

And the 'refueling' is definitely perceived as more complex and time consuming--the struggle to find a working charging station, the apps for using the charging station, the time it takes to charge, having to carefully plan trip routes around the availability of working charging stations, etc vs the ubiquity, speed and simplicity of refueling at gas stations...

YUP! All while just being able to simply plug in when you park in your own garage instead of stopping at a gas station. So many people act like they're taking road trips every weekend and they'll be stuck wasting HOURS sitting at a charger. 

[trinacriabob]

8 hours ago, Robert Hall said:

Neat..but covers about a dozen vents..

That dash was a little lopsided, and I thought that when they released the last Bonne, but it could be rearranged into shape, somewhat, and convey the same idea.  Pontiac has always had the best dashboards of the GM stable, except when they went overboard with them ... just like they did with ribbed cladding.

9 hours ago, regfootball said:

i just read an article yesterday that said that Stellantis is going to have a new gas rwd Charger/300/Challenger platform on line in 25-26-ish.....I'll hunt for the link.  that is new info.  Before, it was believed there was going to be no replacement for the current platform but that new news seemed to indicate otherwise.

If true, its a major plus for Stellantis.  And the customer.

yes, that was what i read.!  beat me to it.

Thank you.  I'm totally content with my current car, but understand that I will have to part ways with it sooner or later.  That said, if I am going to buy something, I'd like to buy into the current base Charger platform as late as I possibly can. 

Sadly, my GM rewards points will be thrown to the wind.  I do not believe that Chevy/Buick can't support 1 or 2 sedan lines.  Perhaps it's that they can't design some smart and appealing ones that would divert customers from being potential Cam-cord buyers.

[trinacriabob]

9 hours ago, Robert Hall said:

Just saw an article claiming Stellantis is planning a new generation of lighter ICE Chargers and Challengers on a new platform for 2024-5ish... can't recall where, I think it was a credible source..

Edit: it was Motor Trend..read it this morning...no timeline mentioned.  Hope it happens.  Can't be all CUVs and SUVs, need some largish coupes and sedans too...

https://www.motortrend.com/news/next-gen-dodge-charger-challenger-hellcat-v8/

Thank you, thank you!

If this is the way it will play out, then that means a person might be able to look at the outgoing model and the incoming model and decide.  But it might also mean that, if tapering down production, the opportunity to order the outgoing model - or find it on the lots (where distance is not an issue) - more or less the way you want it decked out might be challenging.

Edited July 29, 2022 by trinacriabob

[oldshurst442]

I dont understand the emotive reactions regarding EVs and their lack of music making engine noises....

Last week, I was enjoying a nice quiet jaunt to a neighborhood park, all by myself, for a brief but necessary me time, when  a 2012ish Hyundai Elantra drove by me at a snail's pace while I was walking and not a hint  engine noise came from the car.  I did hear the tires rolling, but no mechanical noises.  The Elantra was as quiet as it could be, not just as a modern vehicle with quiet mufflers, but just as quiet as an EV is.   

Considering North American cars being bought are of the appliance variety,  that triggered me...about this nonsense of engine noises and how the internal combustion engine makes music...because there are hardly ANY sweet sounding sports cars being driven daily anymore... 

When I got home, I got into my wife's ecoboosted Fusion of 1.6 liters of shytty 4 cylinders to see how quiet the Fusion is and I immediately said to myself what is it that we are going to be missing again?  Certainly not the shytty   'ps'    'ps'    blow off sounds of little turbos and muffled and restrained 4 cylinders that inherently sound like crap.   The Fusion too is quiet at idle inside the cabin. A tiny wee of engine noise comes through.  Its quiet on the outside too, although it wasnt as near as silent as this particular Elantra was.  

The V8 pick-up trucks do have a nice burble to them, but the mufflers today on them have a droning sound to them inside the cabin and anything less than full throttle is very very muted on the outside. 

Which in turn, comes to the reason why I made this post today...

YESTERDAY, I served a young gentleman, a good looking bloke around 25ish, with a very very sexy young lady companion of his.   I didnt notice the car he drove when he entered the restaurant, I didnt even notice the car being parked in the front while he and his lovely lady friend ate, but I certainly did notice his 2020ish Camaro ZL1 when he was leaving.  I rushed outside to see it, he got out of his car when he saw me, laughing that I was like a little kid wanting to see his car.

He started it up, drove away and the glorious LT4 was making these glorious sounds...  

Or so I thought...

Although I did appreciate hearing this particular V8 and I long for a similar V8 myself, I dont have this sense of loss regarding Chevy small blocks, Mopar Hemis, Ford DOHCs and screaming Ferrari V8s and V12s when EVs rule the world.

Dare I say, after seeing and NOT hearing soul sucking CUVs,  day in and day out for the last 10 and even 20 years now, the occasional V8 I do see and hearing it that loud, now just makes me think its a relic of the past.  EVs have got my juices flowing in other ways, including how our future is being shaped up with EVs in mind and the loss of a V8 and the smell of gasoline cant go away fast enough...

 

I was listening to a Porsche Taycan review this morning

 

And Porsche's electric motor 'whine' isnt a 'whine' at all.  It sounds like a Star Wars space ship trying to go to hyperspace speed. 

And I think Im starting to appreciate that sound more than I do internal combustion engine noises.  

Maybe I still prefer a Hellcat supercharger whine over an EV whine, (GM's supercharger whine is similar to the Mopar's) and I maybe still prefer the good 'ole big American V8 burble, and let us not forget the Ferrari symphonies, but an EV motor whine does sound like the science fiction future we have all been promised since the 1960s, actually...  Ironically enough, an EV sounds like a fossil fuel burning jet engine with its afterburners full on...    Looking at Chryslers Jet powered concept as to why I say wee havee been promised this future since the 1960s...

Also...robots.  

 

Edited August 1, 2022 by oldshurst442

[G. David Felt]

11 minutes ago, oldshurst442 said:

I dont understand the emotive reactions regarding EVs and their lack of music making engine noises....

Last week, I was enjoying a nice quiet jaunt to a neighborhood park, all by myself, for a brief but necessary me time, when  a 2012ish Hyundai Elantra drove by me at a snail's pace while I was walking and not a hint  engine noise came from the car.  I did hear the tires rolling, but no mechanical noises.  The Elantra was as quiet as it could be, not just as a modern vehicle with quiet mufflers, but just as quiet as an EV is.   

Considering North American cars being bought are of the appliance variety,  that triggered me...about this nonsense of engine noises and how the internal combustion engine makes music...because there are hardly ANY sweet sounding sports cars being driven daily anymore... 

When I got home, I got into my wife's ecoboosted Fusion of 1.6 liters of shytty 4 cylinders to see how quiet the Fusion is and I immediately said to myself what is it that we are going to be missing again?  Certainly not the shytty   'ps'    'ps'    blow off sounds of little turbos and muffled and restrained 4 cylinders that inherently sound like crap.   The Fusion too is quiet at idle inside the cabin. A tiny wee of engine noise comes through.  Its quiet on the outside too, although it wasnt as near as silent as this particular Elantra was.  

The V8 pick-up trucks do have a nice burble to them, but the mufflers today on them have a droning sound to them inside the cabin and anything less than full throttle is very very muted on the outside. 

Which in turn, comes to the reason why I made this post today...

YESTERDAY, I served a young gentleman, a good looking bloke around 25ish, with a very very sexy young lady companion of his.   I didnt notice the car he drove when he entered the restaurant, I didnt even notice the car being parked in the front while he and his lovely lady friend ate, but I certainly did notice his 2020ish Camaro ZL1 when he was leaving.  I rushed outside to see it, he got out of his car when he saw me, laughing that I was like a little kid wanting to see his car.

He started it up, drove away and the glorious LT4 was making these glorious sounds...  

Or so I thought...

Although I did appreciate hearing this particular V8 and I long for a similar V8 myself, I dont have this sense of loss regarding Chevy small blocks, Mopar Hemis, Ford DOHCs and screaming Ferrari V8s and V12s when EVs rule the world.

Dare I say, after seeing and NOT hearing soul sucking CUVs,  day in and day out for the last 10 and even 20 years now, the occasional V8 I do see and hearing it that loud, now just makes me think its a relic of the past.  EVs have got my juices flowing in other ways, including how our future is being shaped up with EVs in mind and the loss of a V8 and the smell of gasoline cant go away fast enough...

 

I was listening to a Porsche Taycan review this morning

 

And Porsche's electric motor 'whine' isnt a 'whine' at all.  It sounds like a Star Wars space ship trying to go to hyperspace speed. 

And I think Im starting to appreciate that sound more than I do internal combustion engine noises.  

Maybe I still prefer a Hellcat supercharger whine over an EV whine, (GM's supercharger whine is similar to the Mopar's) and I maybe still prefer the good 'ole big American V8 burble, and let us not forget the Ferrari symphonies, but an EV motor whine does sound like the science fiction future we have all been promised since the 1950s, actually...  Ironically enough, an EV sounds like a fossil fuel burning jet engine with its afterburners full on...    Looking at Chryslers Jet powered concept as to why I say wee havee been promised this future since the 1950s...

Also...robots.  

 

As much as I love my SS, both my wife and I are pretty much over the Borla Exhuast and the sound you have inside. I am very much excited for the day I retire all my ICE for EVs that are full size and fit me. Cannot wait to be able to sit inside a Rivian R1S or Hummer SUV and if it fits me, I will happily pay my reservation fee to get one ordered up the way I want it.

Agree, ICE is a relic of the past and I am happy to move into the future.

Yes, I will always appreciate the V8 rumble and those powerful autos of the past, but I am far more ready for the future. Who knows what it will be for me, but I do owe my wife a full-size crew cabin pickup truck from a bet I lost in the 90's to her.

Right now, leading the way is the Rivian R1T and R1S or the Hummer Truck and SUV, but also a future Cadillac Escalade EV and Chevy or GMC Silverado pickup could be there too.

EXCITEMENT!!! ?

[G. David Felt]

I know someone on this forum that would love this auto.

New Dodge Charger Widebody Ute From Smyth Performance Dubuts (musclecarsandtrucks.com)

Very cool Video and one web site thinks the C9 BEV Corvette is in this video.

C9 Corvette Utlium Chassis Teased In Chevrolet Blazer EV Video? (musclecarsandtrucks.com)

[daves87rs]

On 7/27/2022 at 7:41 PM, David said:

Interesting story on a Camaro EV.

Chevrolet Camaro EV Rendering Imagines Zero-Emission Pony Car With Equinox EV Styling - autoevolution

 

Now that is pretty cool….

[G. David Felt]

Very cool Video!

 

[G. David Felt]

Knew it was only time, but Tesla is no longer the EV sales leader in Europe. Stellantis of all companies is now the EV leader though it does look like VW could surpass them by the end of the year. EV wars to come! ?

Stellantis Overtakes Tesla In Europe EV Sales, Targets Top Spot (insideevs.com)

[surreal1272]

It is insane that a near 10K lb. beast can move like that.

[trinacriabob]

I was looking at consumer reviews of the last few years of Dodge Chargers.  Just surfing.  I came to learn that these cars weigh about 4,300 pounds.  I don't know if that's with a V8, or just the base V6.  Two cylinders can shave off about 100 to 200 pounds, based on past cars that published weight with both 6 and 8 cylinder engines.

No wonder they feel "planted."

[trinacriabob]

What random thought I really had, based on some discussions I've had with a friend who is looking for a professional job and thinks sending out than you letters help.   She is well qualified for any of the jobs she's applying for.

I told her my opinion:  they've already made up their mind about the candidate, and they do it quickly, after she sort of hinted at seeing this with the results of what's going on.

When wrapping up college and more college, the placement office went on and on with their scripted arsenal of job hunting tools and they would always stress the thank you letters.  What I saw is that there are certain candidates (graduating students) they liked and it was certain companies who were all over them like a cheap suit.  Those people didn't need to send thank you letters, even though I don't know if they did or didn't.

[G. David Felt]

58 minutes ago, trinacriabob said:

What random thought I really had, based on some discussions I've had with a friend who is looking for a professional job and thinks sending out than you letters help.   She is well qualified for any of the jobs she's applying for.

I told her my opinion:  they've already made up their mind about the candidate, and they do it quickly, after she sort of hinted at seeing this with the results of what's going on.

When wrapping up college and more college, the placement office went on and on with their scripted arsenal of job hunting tools and they would always stress the thank you letters.  What I saw is that there are certain candidates (graduating students) they liked and it was certain companies who were all over them like a cheap suit.  Those people didn't need to send thank you letters, even though I don't know if they did or didn't.

Interesting observation, up till 2019 Dell Technologies in Seattle would hire 100 interns working on their bachelors and usually 95 to 97 would accept a job from us before they graduated college. Once graduated, they would come to work for us. 

In 2019 we had 50 Bachelor and 50 masters' interns

In 2020, 2021 and now 2022, we are only hiring masters' students for Interns and still have the same very high rate of hiring.

My Niece graduated this year at age 21 with her master's in accounting, specializing in Taxation. The two places she did interns at, one working on her bachelors and one on her masters both offered her jobs before she graduated. When she graduated, she took 4 weeks off and then went to work at the company she chose before she graduated.

If the people have the right skill set, they get hired before they even graduate college with a guaranteed job. For those that did not do internship while in college, I can see you have to network for job interviews and I do believe a thank you note is important, but not a letter in the mail as it was in the 70's to 90's. Now getting their cell phone number or email address and sending a message within an hour of leaving from the interview is very important I have come to notice as it can be the difference between you or another getting a call back that day with an offer.

Interesting how head hunting also plays a roll in jobs today. One needs to stay on top of the trends and work areas that pay.

[ccap41]

11 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

What random thought I really had, based on some discussions I've had with a friend who is looking for a professional job and thinks sending out than you letters help.   She is well qualified for any of the jobs she's applying for.

I told her my opinion:  they've already made up their mind about the candidate, and they do it quickly, after she sort of hinted at seeing this with the results of what's going on.

When wrapping up college and more college, the placement office went on and on with their scripted arsenal of job hunting tools and they would always stress the thank you letters.  What I saw is that there are certain candidates (graduating students) they liked and it was certain companies who were all over them like a cheap suit.  Those people didn't need to send thank you letters, even though I don't know if they did or didn't.

From one of my business etiquette classes, they highly suggested sending thank you letters and/or emails immediately. They all said, at the very least, if the decision is a tie and one wrote a letter and one didn't, you have a leg up. It will never hurt your odds, only increase them.  

10 hours ago, David said:

My Niece graduated this year at age 21 with her master's in accounting, specializing in Taxation. The two places she did interns at, one working on her bachelors and one on her masters both offered her jobs before she graduated. When she graduated, she took 4 weeks off and then went to work at the company she chose before she graduated.

Congrats to her! I just too my final final exam for my bachelors in accountancy. I'll FINALLY be a graduate. Funny enough, my last class was "advanced taxation". I'm not a fan of taxes so I don't plan to use my degree for a tax job. 

If she got her masters, does she also plan on getting her CPA? Everything I've heard/read is that a CPA will get you way further than a masters, when it comes to accounting. I assume she has the credit hours, if she got her masters. I'll be graduating with 152 credit hours after changing majors and schools a couple times when I was younger and a CPA requires 150 credit hours so that's next on my plans. 

[G. David Felt]

6 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

From one of my business etiquette classes, they highly suggested sending thank you letters and/or emails immediately. They all said, at the very least, if the decision is a tie and one wrote a letter and one didn't, you have a leg up. It will never hurt your odds, only increase them.  

Congrats to her! I just too my final final exam for my bachelors in accountancy. I'll FINALLY be a graduate. Funny enough, my last class was "advanced taxation". I'm not a fan of taxes so I don't plan to use my degree for a tax job. 

If she got her masters, does she also plan on getting her CPA? Everything I've heard/read is that a CPA will get you way further than a masters, when it comes to accounting. I assume she has the credit hours, if she got her masters. I'll be graduating with 152 credit hours after changing majors and schools a couple times when I was younger and a CPA requires 150 credit hours so that's next on my plans. 

Congrats ccap41, always great to get your education. I always have told my relatives that a college education is not just getting a degree in a specific field, but it shows you can start and finish a project which is very important to companies, and one does not have to stay in the field they got their degree in. I am a perfect example of this as I have my education in the medical field and in international sales and marketing and I am a computer engineer by choice.

Yes, my niece has already started to study for her CPA as the company she works for is going to pay for all the testing here in Washington. The company that won her was Tax Services | Deloitte US

For 21 years old, she is a tax specialist consultant and started at $80,000 a year. Not too bad for a 21 year old. Yes this Uncle is very proud of her hard work and accomplishments. My gut tells me based on her comments, she will get her CPA, get the experience of a large tax company and then strike out on her own.

Again, congratulations on getting your Bachelors, always a major awesome accomplishment and goes a long way in achieving a better quality of life.

[ccap41]

41 minutes ago, David said:

Congrats ccap41, always great to get your education. I always have told my relatives that a college education is not just getting a degree in a specific field, but it shows you can start and finish a project which is very important to companies, and one does not have to stay in the field they got their degree in. I am a perfect example of this as I have my education in the medical field and in international sales and marketing and I am a computer engineer by choice.

I've always told people what you said plus that you know how to learn things. Even if you don't end up in your field of study, it shows that you know how to learn things and you have the ability to learn whatever new career path you'd like, like exactly what you did. 

My sister has her bachelors in Biochemistry and she used it for a few years and now she works for Pella Window and is in marketing.. drastic change! 

Speaking of Deloitte, there's a Deloitte downtown here in STL as well and I was told by a friend's sibling that once I have my CPA they could help me get a job with them. 

45 minutes ago, David said:

Again, congratulations on getting your Bachelors, always a major awesome accomplishment and goes a long way in achieving a better quality of life.

Thank you! It's been a loooong road...but I've finally done it! I've only taken two semesters off since high school (graduated in 2007) so I don't really know what it's like to not be taking classes. I was full-time for the first 5-ish years but once I started at my current employer I was only taking one or two classes a semester and trying to take something every summer, if it was available. 

Back in March I landed an actual accounting position within my company as I was only 1 summer class from graduating and a bachelors was required. That was a decent raise but with current inflation, the raise wasn't felt as much as it would have been a few years ago. I have a ways to go before I'm making what I would really like to make. 

[G. David Felt]

9 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

I've always told people what you said plus that you know how to learn things. Even if you don't end up in your field of study, it shows that you know how to learn things and you have the ability to learn whatever new career path you'd like, like exactly what you did. 

My sister has her bachelors in Biochemistry and she used it for a few years and now she works for Pella Window and is in marketing.. drastic change! 

Speaking of Deloitte, there's a Deloitte downtown here in STL as well and I was told by a friend's sibling that once I have my CPA they could help me get a job with them. 

Thank you! It's been a loooong road...but I've finally done it! I've only taken two semesters off since high school (graduated in 2007) so I don't really know what it's like to not be taking classes. I was full-time for the first 5-ish years but once I started at my current employer I was only taking one or two classes a semester and trying to take something every summer, if it was available. 

Back in March I landed an actual accounting position within my company as I was only 1 summer class from graduating and a bachelors was required. That was a decent raise but with current inflation, the raise wasn't felt as much as it would have been a few years ago. I have a ways to go before I'm making what I would really like to make. 

Words of wisdom I have always lived by as both my grandfather's taught me. They were both Drill Sergeants in the Marines at Pendelton. Spent plenty of summers there causing chaos with the new recruits, but my grandfather's always told me to pay yourself first to save so retirement is comfortable, second save for buying quality products that last as you will spend less out of pocket than instant gratification of buying stuff all the time, third, whenever you do a project and need a tool, buy the tool and take care of it as you will always have the tool to do future projects and the final nugget of wisdom, never stop learning, nor listening to others point of view as while you can always agree to disagree, you just might find a pebble of knowledge worth saving that can benefit your future life.

Wishing you all the best as you grow your career and move around, never be afraid of change as that is one constant, we can all count on.

Change is inevitable. 

Just see the revolution in the auto industry and supply chain to know the truth.

[trinacriabob]

@ccap41

Congrats on your soon to be completed degree.  That landscape used to be very different.  You would just get a BSBA, BBA, or BS Acc. with an accounting concentration (120 cr. hours), go to work for a firm where you got the right experience, and then take the CPA exam.  Different states then started phasing in the 150 cr. hour requirement (semesters, not quarters) and it was sort of muddy.  In some places, I believe, you got the regular undergrad. in accounting but they weren't very specific about what the next 30 cr. hours should contain and in some places it had to be in business and/or accounting.  I wondered if it was to thin the ranks.  The reality is that, for those extra 30 cr. hours, you could get a M.Acc., which might be more practical and aligned with what you studied before.  I have a cousin who went to UF who did BS + M.Acc. in succession, so he had 5 years of accounting education.  Either way, they are now wanting 150 cr. hours to sit for the CPA exam, with a stipulated number of cr. hours in specific accounting subjects.

Sure, for some jobs you need a CPA or it helps, but It can also go to waste in jobs like auditing and accounting policy inside a corporation when you were attracted to it because you like to do exacting work - like working with numbers and data.

For people who graduated a while back, just the BS with a CPA followed by a law degree usually leads to a lot more money, if that's how you run the show and that's what you value, than BS Accounting with an MBA (other than accounting) and a CPA.  These people often ended up in the exact same jobs that BS + CPA got.  In big cities, a lot of people would add the MBA later, since great schools were offering them at night, weekend, hybrid, etc.

What few classes I had in Business Law were like pulling teeth.  My attention span can get short when I see no numbers, graphs, formulae, tables, and information I can easily retain.  Even though I can retain quirky information fairly very well, too.

[G. David Felt]

Saw this that Toyota is hurting big time.

Toyota Sales are Going From Bad to Worse (jalopnik.com)

and then I see this on various sites

Toyota Will Fix That Viral GR86's Engine Killed by RTV Sealant (jalopnik.com)

Have to say the actual details show that Toyota is gonna feel the pain and buying back their first EV due to wheels falling off the auto is a terrible start to their EV portfolio.

TMC Announces April Through June 2022 Financial Results - Toyota USA Newsroom

Very interesting how Toyota will no longer let the public see their recalls, you have to enter VIN or License plate and state.

Lookup Safety Recalls & Service Campaigns (toyota.com)

I would say Toyota is a model to avoid!

[G. David Felt]

Cool, Choice Market is now also offering gas and electric rate for charging in Colorado.

Choice Market Announces Disruptive Convenience Store Format with Autonomous Checkout (prnewswire.com)

New Gas Station Lists Electricity Price Right Next To Gas (msn.com)

Choice Market

[G. David Felt]

Tesla reported earnings and info about the company. Tesla Cyber Truck will go into production summer 2023 but with a bit of bad news. No truck priced at $39,900, it will be higher priced, and he blames inflation for the increased prices plus they will produce the top end models first, so really like always Tesla never really was going to honor a low-end price on their truck, they want $75 to $100,000 auto's.

Elon Musk Has Bad News About Tesla's Cybertruck - TheStreet

[ccap41]

11 hours ago, David said:

Tesla reported earnings and info about the company. Tesla Cyber Truck will go into production summer 2023 but with a bit of bad news. No truck priced at $39,900, it will be higher priced, and he blames inflation for the increased prices plus they will produce the top end models first, so really like always Tesla never really was going to honor a low-end price on their truck, they want $75 to $100,000 auto's.

Elon Musk Has Bad News About Tesla's Cybertruck - TheStreet

Yep, not surprised here. I think everybody with a brain knew there would never be a sub 40k truck from them. 

So how late is summer 2023? Is that like 5 years since they showed it? More? 

[G. David Felt]

2 hours ago, ccap41 said:

Yep, not surprised here. I think everybody with a brain knew there would never be a sub 40k truck from them. 

So how late is summer 2023? Is that like 5 years since they showed it? More? 

When pushed during the quarterly financial meeting, he would only say Summer 2023, so I would expect end of Summer 2023 if production starts at the beginning of the year with deliveries by the end of the year if that. Tesla loves to Alpha, Beta test on their paying customers rather than do the real engineering work of testing before releasing a product to market. Since we have only seen 1 Cybertruck, I have to question just how much actual testing and real-world work has been done on the truck since no one seems to ever see test mules.

I have to wonder if they will rely on what they did with their current auto's and when something breaks, they will then upgrade it to be more truck worthy.

I would not want to drive let alone own a Tesla Cyber truck built in the first 18 months as the rest of Tesla autos have proven how much testing they do on the owners to fix and only now are the Tesla 3, Y , S and X pretty solid in certain areas, but still sucking after all this time in fit n finish.

Tesla Cyber Truck Power Train should be pretty decent, but the rest of the truck and the unproven new battery packs are very questionable since real world testing does not seem to have been done yet.

[ccap41]

11 minutes ago, David said:

I would not want to drive let alone own a Tesla Cyber truck built in the first 18 months as the rest of Tesla autos have proven how much testing they do on the owners to fix and only now are the Tesla 3, Y , S and X pretty solid in certain areas, but still sucking after all this time in fit n finish.

I think that kind of goes for every manufacturer. All vehicles have a teething period that nobody should buy an all-new vehicle. Most every "car guy" knows you shouldn't own a first model year vehicle from any manufacturer, not just Tesla. 

[G. David Felt]

@A Horse With No Name Thought of you today as I found this Wood Worker who builds custom furniture out of old growth wood. Amazing stuff.

Custom Woodworking, Tutorials, Epoxy Resin Workshops - Blacktail Studio

Blacktail Studio - YouTube

Enjoy guys, love the stuff he is building.

[trinacriabob]

Good morning ...

 

[G. David Felt]

This is a Freaking Beautiful Dark Walnut Table this guy built.

 

[G. David Felt]

Very cool to see this happening.

Wonder who will be next to beat Kia? 

[G. David Felt]

So it seems those that buy EVs have better credit than those that buy ICE.

EV buyers have far better credit than ICE shoppers (greencarreports.com)

Very cool reading.

Charged EVs | EV sales hit new record in Q2, as legacy vehicles struggle - Charged EVs

Some good info on the various brands, while Tesla leads still, Hyundai, Kia, Ford and GM are starting to eat away at them.

[G. David Felt]

Seems Lucid has rolled out a $6,000 Stealth look package. Nice.

Lucid Motors shares new 'Stealth' exterior upgrade for the Air (electrek.co)

Stellantis will be one to watch as they roll out a ton of BEVs over the next 2 years, 28 BEVs to be exact for global purchase by the end of 2024.

https://electrek.co/2022/08/08/stellantis-bev-sales-rise-50/#more-249379

First Half 2022 Results | Stellantis

NICE, We know now when we will see the American family of stuff happen. From the First Half Report of Stellantis.

Upcoming Events: Dodge, Jeep and Ram to reveal more about their electrification strategies.

• August 16 and 17: Gateway Muscle and Future Muscle Reveals as part of ‘Dodge Speed Week’
• September: Jeep 4xe Day
• November 3: Q3 2022 Shipments and Revenues
• November: Ram Revolution

[ccap41]

5 minutes ago, David said:

Seems Lucid has rolled out a $6,000 Stealth look package. Nice.

Lucid Motors shares new 'Stealth' exterior upgrade for the Air (electrek.co)

Stellantis will be one to watch as they roll out a ton of BEVs over the next 2 years, 28 BEVs to be exact for global purchase by the end of 2024.

https://electrek.co/2022/08/08/stellantis-bev-sales-rise-50/#more-249379

First Half 2022 Results | Stellantis

NICE, We know now when we will see the American family of stuff happen. From the First Half Report of Stellantis.

Upcoming Events: Dodge, Jeep and Ram to reveal more about their electrification strategies.

• August 16 and 17: Gateway Muscle and Future Muscle Reveals as part of ‘Dodge Speed Week’
• September: Jeep 4xe Day
• November 3: Q3 2022 Shipments and Revenues
• November: Ram Revolution

The BEV Jeep is pretty intriguing. I wonder what size they're going with for their first BEV. 

[Robert Hall]

6 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

The BEV Jeep is pretty intriguing. I wonder what size they're going with for their first BEV. 

My guess is Compass-sized?  It looks similar to the current Compass...

[G. David Felt]

This should be a cool episode.

https://www.rivianownersforum.com/threads/rj-scaringe-brings-r1s-r1t-to-jay-lenos-garage.3564/

[ccap41]

52 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

My guess is Compass-sized?  It looks similar to the current Compass...

I just assumed that was 100% render that somebody threw together. I doubt whatever it is looks just like that. 

[Robert Hall]

23 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

I just assumed that was 100% render that somebody threw together. I doubt whatever it is looks just like that. 

Who knows, it looks like the render came from Stellantis (says Source: Jeep).   Not some rando on the internet as is common w/ future vehicles.

And the rendering matches these photos of an actual vehicle testing in Europe.

https://cleantechnica.com/2022/08/06/all-new-electric-jeep-caught-undisguised-in-europe/

Edited August 8, 2022 by Robert Hall

[Robert Hall]

Saw a blue Rivian R1T last night up close when leaving a concert..was driving out of the lot..very sharp up close, I like the lighting front and rear.

Edited August 8, 2022 by Robert Hall

[G. David Felt]

2 hours ago, ccap41 said:

I just assumed that was 100% render that somebody threw together. I doubt whatever it is looks just like that. 

Stellantis supplied in their press release.

Dare Forward 2030: Stellantis’ Blueprint for Cutting-Edge Freedom of Mobility | Corporate Communications | Stellantis

There are two Jeep images supplied by Stellantis on their gallery.

Stellantis Strategic Plan - Reveal Cars | Events | Image album | Corporate Communications | Stellantis

Reading through the updated Stellantis Dare Forward 2030 plan, this is the actual first Jeep BEV compact size that will come to the US and global markets next year.

[trinacriabob]

Wishing the python hunters in South Florida productivity and success ...