The FORD Lounge

[ratdude747]

Upon a re-read of the notice, they need to *add* a relay. Apparently the ABS modules on the original (current) wiring constantly have power, and also have issues with getting water in the connectors, shorting out, and burning cars down. A variant of the recall in the news lately for Hyundai telling owners to park their cars outside as a precaution.

I'll find a way to get it to a dealer and fixed then... last thing I need is a driveway bonfire not of my making!

[Gary Lewis]

Yes, get it fixed!

[grumpin]

Bronco in my friends neighborhood.

[Gary Lewis]

Love it!  

[JimJam300]

I went and did something completely out of character.

For one, I vowed to never buy a new car again. Two, I always thought that crossovers were lame. I'm a truck guy. I've had a couple sporty cars in the past, but I'm a truck guy. Three, I didn't even really do my homework. Well, my wife and I have been adjusting to our new life together and part of that was getting rid of my daily driver Fiesta ST, buying a cheap truck for whenever we needed one, and sharing her 2017 Honda Accord (she walks to work). I hated the Accord so much I actually convinced her to consider trading it in for something more comfortable and viable for long-distance driving and camping.

For some reason there was a thought in my mind to look at a Mazda CX-5. So we went to the dealership for a test drive and as soon as we pulled out of the lot, I said "I hate this". It just drove and sounded like a small car. We switched seats and she drove the rest of the way. She loved it. So I asked if we could drive a CX-9. Immediately I knew it was a car I could enjoy for years. The interior is just as nice as the CX-5 but more roomy, it soaked up bumps like a luxury car, and the road noise was nil. I was sold.

So I bought it.




I am incredibly conflicted because of what past-me would've thought about this purchase, but man, I am happy with the car.

[Gary Lewis]

If tomorrow and the days after you still happy then you made the right choice.  I think Mazdas are well-engineered vehicles, but haven't been in that one so don't know more than that.

[grumpin]

Nice! “Past you” will get over it.

My friend had a Mazda 626 that he really liked. My son had a Mazda 626 also. He called it Stitch! Some of you might get it!

I ended up with that car for awhile, I liked it. It was a manual, ended up being my daughters. Taught her to drive a clutch in that car. After a week or so she burned the clutch up. Wasn’t the best looking but fun to drive and pretty easy to work on.

I agree with Gary, engineered well.

[mat in tn]

I had the chance/need to drive a freinds cx9 a while ago. She needed it couriered.  Anyway it was comfortable. Drove awesome and was not afraid to move. I was impressed. Cant really say a bad choice unless you ended up with payments. But thats another issue😩

[JimJam300]

mat in tn wrote

I had the chance/need to drive a freinds cx9 a while ago. She needed it couriered.  Anyway it was comfortable. Drove awesome and was not afraid to move. I was impressed. Cant really say a bad choice unless you ended up with payments. But thats another issue😩

Yeah I'm doing payments after saying I'd never do it again...

This car is THE BOMB for long-distance driving. I figured out the adaptive cruise control and it basically drives itself as long as you do the steering. I always wanted to get a 2005/2006 Lexus LS430 for maximum comfy but now I don't have to. It's not as fast as my Fiesta was, but it's still deceptively quick for a big car. Overall I'm very happy, and now I don't have to drive my 274k mile Dodge on our upcoming big summer trip towing a pop-up camper through 5 states.

[Gary Lewis]

My 2015 F150 is the most comfortable vehicle I’ve had. But the adaptive cruise is turned OFF. It hits the brakes at times when passing a reflective tanker truck, and if someone was on my tail there would be a wreck.

And the gentle nudge it’ll give the steering if you get too close to the edge of a lane is turned off. One day the guy I was following hit black ice and slide to the left on a bridge. I eased right in case he came back and the nudge was just enough to send me sideways. After recovering, and doing a bit of cleanup, I turned it OFF.

[mat in tn]

two excellent examples of why artificial intelligence does NOT replace responsible human interaction. frankly I don't understand humans desire to eliminate human requirements. I just read the news about all of the lives LOST in a fiery crash in Texas. the cause was a truck crossed into an oncoming van. both occupants of the truck died .the 38 year old passenger and the "13" year old DRIVER! my mind goes immediately to the possible reasons for this which I wont go into. but we as men. humans made all that we know with intellect granted by divine intervention yet some want to avoid being their best and cant be bothered to even drive their own car.
 we don't have to live this life.      WE GET TO !!  

[85lebaront2]

Fellow here on the Eastern Shore had a Subaru with the adaptive cruise control, (a) it wandered a bit and (b), if we were running along and someone switched lanes in front of us and was "too close" it would apply the brakes and I have no idea if it activated the brake lights. Kicking off the cruise and then if needed applying the brakes might be good.

All this "nanny state" crap makes never want to buy a newer vehicle than what I currently own.

[JimJam300]

For me, cars should either be driven purposefully or they should function like a taxi. If I was wealthy, I'd buy a Rolls Royce and hire a driver. If I'm not rowing gears or there's not some exciting, defining characteristic such as a convertible top, I don't feel enthralled with the vehicle and I'd rather it drive for me. Especially in the California Bay Area where the roads are overcrowded, compounded by impatient and terrible drivers in cars too fast for their own good. The only relief I've found is to drive aggressively in a fast car or sit back and relax in the slow lane.

With the growing amount of distracted drivers who don't feel the need to be engaged while driving modern cars, and those who don't care to know the abilities or limitations of their vehicle and having their awful driving reflecting that, I don't think that self-driving vehicles for the future is necessarily a bad thing. Only as long as there is some way to 1. Make it optional for those who still want to drive 2. Use swarm intelligence for localized traffic control without violating drivers' freedom and privacy. Maybe it's just the next logical step in modern cars that have so far removed themselves from what they used to be.

If my motorcycle drove itself it would be like a really boring rollercoaster.

[Nothing Special]

85lebaront2 wrote

....  All this "nanny state" crap makes never want to buy a newer vehicle than what I currently own.

My 89 year old dad feels that all of the available "safety" features are necessary things for him to drive safely.  I don't know if they are good or bad for him, but I know I hate driving his car.  And something really significant is going to have to change for me to ever be willing to buy something newer than my '97 F-250HD for myself (I do get newer vehicles for my wife, but she doesn't like the nannies either).

[81f100custom]

We are going to have a memorial cruise this Saturday to RibCrib in a neighboring state so thought I would take a look at there menu and happen to notice there other locations and looks like there a quite a few of them stacked up around you Gary. Looks like they must have started in OK as there are more there than any other state. Not very many seafood or BBQ places I have not eat at around my neck of the woods and have actually been by this one for other reasons but just never made it in there as of yet. Hopefully I can make the cruise Saturday and check them out. Always up for any kind of cruise and eating. 

[Gary Lewis]

Yes, there are plenty of them around here.  Pretty good eating!

[jdavidsmi]

Is it just me, or have you noticed an uptick in the “snake oil” add’s that guarantees you will increase your MPG, by just dumping their magic elixir into your gas tank?

[kramttocs]

I haven't but it makes sense from a marketing standpoint. As pump prices rise, so will the willingness to try anything that one hopes might ease the pain. Even if it's just a placebo effect.

[Dorsai]

So as I've been easing back into working on my truck again I've been catching up on old threads here, and saw the discussion above about new cars.  I also told myself I'd never buy a new car again, but...



That's my 2022 Lexus NX350.  I was getting by just fine with my old '04 RX330 but it's past 200K miles now, and with the new job I am commuting to the office regularly so I figured it was time to give it a rest.  Plus my son is 16, so the RX will make a good starter car for him and should get him through college, with reasonable care and maintenance.

I have to admit, I am enjoying the safety/nanny features so far...not because I want to drive with them all the time, but because they work so impressively well.  The rush hour commute to the office is a snap with the adaptive cruise, and if it wasn't for the hands-on-wheel sensor demanding my attention it would be fully capable of driving the highway portion of the commute by itself.  I've only had it a month, but so far there have been no cases where the nannies screwed anything up.  

[grumpin]

Nice car! I believe that’s the model my son has. He loves it!