G. David Felt

Your right, the accord is crashing based on the sales numbers database. Still strong but clearly down big time. Through August, Accord has sold 125,142 cars to date. With only 4 months left and 10's of thousands expected to be laid off by just the airlines industry alone as the loans ends for keeping them on the payroll, I suspect the last 4 months ARE NOT going to make up the 142,425 that will be needed in sales to equal 2019 sales. I suspect they might get close to 200,000 but would not be surprised based on the average numbers right now if they end up in the 190,000 plus range. Seems that the Accord peaked in 1990 with 417,000 plus Accords sold and then has gone down since. Clearly they still have figured out how to make money unlike the US brands. Full details at the link below. https://carsalesbase.com/us-honda-accord/

Washing

As an auto enthusiast, I would say it is not about the financial. For me, I saved for 5yrs and then bought my Escalade ESV Platinum. I CHOOSE to not have auto payments and as such have no problem buying a new auto that I know I will have for 10 plus years. I think when it comes to auto enthusiasts, it really is about what they want long term. Is it a new $100,000 auto or is it a classic in mint condition or a classic that needs a complete restore project? I know that I fall into two camps, auto project and new. That is just my preference. So for me, I agree with the financial sites that one should not spend more than 10% of their yearly income on an auto payment, but the exception is when it comes to being an Enthusiast and where you find yourself. Classic Classic restore project Classic rat project CPO Luxury CPO Performance New Luxury New Performance There really is many different areas of where one falls into for Vehicle and the money it will cost as an Auto Enthusiast. I do not think this is a Money vs Vehicle question. IMHO

greasy

Looking at this car again, outside still Meh in my book, interior is nice for the class of car it competes in. For those that want a car, this should serve them well. I do wonder where the auto market will be by 2025 and 2030. I wonder how many actual cars will still be around compared to trucks, SUV, CUV and some sort of car hybrid, mix of car with CUV. Interesting times we live in for sure.

I understand your concern, I felt that way when I saved up and bought my first $100K auto, my Escalade ESV Platinum. Yet cost of maintaining it, repairs, etc. have been low and over all the pleasure on road trips have been great that I would not want anything other than the Escalade ESV for a road trip auto. Quality products bought for the long haul last in my opinion as long as you follow the maintenance schedule. I see no reason to not keep doing what I am doing. 2006 Escalade ESV Platinum with 140,000 plus miles and here it is 2020. Worth the money.

I liked the video showing the motors that would be used for the SUV/CUV 4x4 class type of auto. Some serious power coming here. Torque will make off-roading a fun world for more people I think. I wonder how soon they would add Crabwalk mode to other EV CUV's down the line.

GM's new EV power train lineup has been released.

GM announced today their new family of EV motors, The Ultium Drive family. The Ultium Drive family is made up of five interchangeable drive units and three motors. This will help transition the current portfolio of auto's to fully electric lineup. Performance, scale, speed to market and manufacturing efficiencies will provide GM significant advantages over past EV auto's. GM is leading the way with industry class leading drive units that use an electric motor and single-speed transmissions to apply power best in class horsepower and torque. Ultium Drives will be more responsive than internal combustion motors with precision torque control of the motors and smooth performance. The design and development of the Ultium Drive modular architecture allows us to offer industry-leading torque with power density across a wide spectrum of different vehicles types. GM has applied their 25 years of EV experience in creating the Ultium Drive family with lighter and more efficient designs. The Ultium Drive family integrates the power electronics into the drive units assemblies allowing for a 50% reduction in electronics over previous auto's thus saving cost and packaging space while increasing capability by 25 percent. To Quote GM press release: “As with other propulsion systems that are complex, capital intensive and contain a great deal of intellectual property, we’re always better off making them ourselves,” said Adam Kwiatkowski, GM executive chief engineer, Global Electrical Propulsion. “GM’s full lineup of EVs should benefit from the simultaneous engineering of Ultium Drive. Our commitment to increased vertical integration is expected to bring additional cost efficiency to the performance equation.” Ultium-Drive-to-Help-Power-GMs-All-Electric-Future.mp4 https://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm/home.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2020/sep/0916-ultium-drive.html

Diesel emission fixer

Totally, Both kids are out on their own, just the wife and I at home and while I have a few more years left to pay off the college loan. I am saving for my next auto. Unlike many, I tend to hold onto my auto's for 10 years or longer, so do not see a problem with buying a $100,000 auto when I hold onto it for so long and enjoy it. After all, EVERY PARENT DESERVES a little luxury in life. Be it a new auto splurge or a splurge on a auto project that becomes your prized ride. Once you have done the family thing, time to pamper oneself. Nothing wrong with that.

Interesting as I cannot find any Venue SE cheap bottom line auto's, but I do find plenty of mid range and up, so your in the 24K and up price range. I also did not find any TB L but found plenty of TB LS starting in the 21K price range. It would still appear that both the TB and Venue compete head to head.

True and neither am I and yet, so many of the registered mechanics are only in select areas like Transmissions or Differentials. I still think we are only around 1% at best of people knowing about carburetors.

How to properly smoke meat! ? Recipes and grilling tips you can get everything here. https://www.youtube.com/user/bbqguys

Have to say that the 2021 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid Plug-in is an attractive CUV. Uses CVVD Tech Motor Digital Key / Smartphone app from the Sonata is used here too Remote Self Parking Apple and Android enabled Full Spec's, pricing, gas mileage and more coming later this year as it goes on sale. https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1129605_2022-hyundai-tucson-hybrid-plug-in-photos-mpg-specs-vs-rav4-cr-v

@balthazar so looking here we have 233,390 ASE repair places in the US. https://www.statista.com/statistics/436416/number-of-auto-repair-and-maintenance-shops-in-us/ At the end of 2019 the number of registered mechanics in the US was 756,600 https://www.bls.gov/ooh/installation-maintenance-and-repair/automotive-service-technicians-and-mechanics.htm#TB_inline?height=325&width=325&inlineId=qf-number-jobs Population of the US is 328,239,523 https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2019/popest-nation.html#:~:text=The nation’s population was 328%2C239%2C523 in 2019%2C growing,continuation of a multiyear slowdown since that period. This would mean we have .23% of the US population that understands Carburetors. Welcome to the .25% club. Honestly, I do think only 1% or less really understand Carburators.

Makes one wonder if the owner of the company was a Star Trek fan and decided Photon was a good name but it did not translate into Chinese, so went with foton.

My one problem with Global trade is the blantent piracy that is allowed. Foton has released their latest truck which is a rip off of the Ford Raptor Gen 1 truck. Only difference is that this is a Mid Size truck, not full size and the engine options is Performance 2.0L Turbo 4 gas (238 hp) or Diesel in 2.0L or 2.5L size engines (no HP / torque ratings yet). Where Ford used a 10sp transmission, Foton is buying and installing the 8 sp ZF manual with all engines. No auto available yet. https://fordauthority.com/2020/09/chinese-automaker-foton-creates-a-ford-f-150-raptor-ripoff-called-the-big-general/

Depeche Mode

You are like me and few others here part of the 1% crowd that understands those things. Ask a Millennial about needle and seats in a carb, Glazed look. Ask about a float bowl, again glazed look. Get into the details of the float or jets and glazed comatose look. Talk about the Throttle blade/s or accelerator pump and you will get some crazy response if they are fast enough to even think of where a blade or pump might be on an auto. Ask them about how they would adjust a choke and you might just get something sexual and perverse. Yea, I do not think many beyond us 1% crowd would understand a carb.

EV sport cars will have the advantage, yet when you look at where the market has moved and what people are expecting out of an Auto, the future for cars is dismal and especially sports cars. The corvette will survive by becoming that $100,000 plus super hyper car that only 1% can afford I think in the future. I suspect even the mustang, Camaro and Challenger are going to be hard to keep around in the long term future.

no different than when people would prank some ones ice auto with sugar in the tank or other things that would bring an ICE to a halt, different hacking / viruses. Everything has a chance to be attacked.

music

Right!!! Raptor, TRX or what is now being called Super Trucks are the new Corvettes. One has to wonder if the Corvette can survive another 10 years without adding a Corvette SUV EV/Hybrid to the family as I will take the 1000HP / 11,500 lb-ft of torque Hummer by GMC truck EV over a corvette.

Very true, This is where QA testing will have to be very solid as testing software and insuring it is not hacked as GM has stated about their new Electrical Nervous system that allows over air updates on the ICE auto's as well as EVs. Need a secure, solid built software nervous system.