Augh – Car shopping is so frustrating!

[JSH]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

The original look is quite clean, but the fake-chrome grille of the facelift version doesn't look so bad at all.

The top spec version with the chrome grill isn't bad. The lower trims aren't nearly as appealing with the whole front painted body color. I do like that the facelift got rid of the plastic body cladding. Still - to me it looks like it is trying to hard to look like the truck side of the family.

Ideally I would like early version rounded front (with lower hood and better sight lines) without the plastic side cladding.



Some had the front painted black for contrast

[redpoint5]

Yeah, but who cares what color certain plastic is painted? You'll spend 99% of time inside the car, and 1% approaching it.

[freebeard]

That's why they make Plasti Dip.

[Piotrsko]

And for those big jobs, Monsterliner is factory color tintable in 5 gallon buckets

[JSH]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Yeah, but who cares what color certain plastic is painted? You'll spend 99% of time inside the car, and 1% approaching it.

I do. Looks isn't a huge factor in the purchasing matrix but it is a factor when I'm spending thousands of dollars on a car. The more expensive the car the more it needs to match want I want.

I wouldn't have paid the extra $2,330 for that Limited trim when it was new but today the difference in price is tiny.

[freebeard]

The more expensive the car the more it needs to match want I want.

They are available in a limited palette and sheen. I like Motor Oil Plast Dip.


https://www.dipyourcar.com/products/...ant=5631734596

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by JSH

to me it looks like it is trying to hard to look like the truck side of the family

Just like the Aerostar back in the day?

[JSH]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

Just like the Aerostar back in the day?

This Aerostar? Looks nothing like a truck to me.



My mother-in-law had one back in the 80's with a 5 speed manual

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by JSH

This Aerostar? Looks nothing like a truck to me.



My mother-in-law had one back in the 80's with a 5 speed manual

We had one with a 5 speed manual. By my dad sold it when it reached 300,000 miles. It and the Chevy Astro always felt a bit truck-like to me. The seating position seemed a bit higher than your typical minivan, more like a truck.

[JSH]

I had a 2019 GMC Terrain AWD as a rental last week. It returned 31.5 mpg by the trip computer*. Better than I expected considering most of the trip was spent going from sea level to 4,000 feet once or twice a day. This is the 4th time I've had an Equinox or Terrain as a rental and they have returned low 30's every time.

The Terrain and Equinox are back on my radar.


*The first tank was 32.5 mpg by the trip computer and 31.2 hand calculated but that hand calculation includes an unknown number of miles driven by the previous renter.

The second tank was 29.2 hand calculated vs 29.1 on the trip computer

The trip computer showed an average of 26 mpg over almost 10K miles. I have no idea how someone can get that bad of fuel mileage. I got above 30 driving 5 mph over the speed limit most of the time and Hawaii has cities of any size and no traffic congestion to speak of.