I was always a "car guy". Crossovers & SUV's are ending that.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Fat Charlie

I drive a lightweight car with a manual transmission, and people think I'm a freak. I'm really just a guy who enjoys driving.

Due to knee-ball displasia on both knees, which eventually might lead me to a full knee-joint replacement surgery, driving vehicles with manual transmission is likely to become troublesome for me. Otherwise, for fuel-efficiency and ease of rebuilding a manual transmission, it didn't seem so bad at all.

[NeilBlanchard]

Originally Posted by Ecky

I feel this too. What really kills me reading most new car reviews is how often a vehicle can be reduced to the following:

"Does it have Apple CarPlay or Android Auto?"

Seriously?

Or, it has adaptive cruise control, or not. Or has "soft touch" interior materials ...

[freebeard]

Originally Posted by Xist

Somewhere there is a Model T with CarPlay.

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=amish+buggy+stereo

[Xist]

Pity. I once saw that if you put "Google" into Bing you could Google search from Bing, but I guess you cannot do that anymore.



By the way, Bing had eleven ads and trackers. Don't use Bing!

[freebeard]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Startpage.com

Search mechanism and interface
While Ixquick aggregated results from multiple search engines, Startpage exclusively uses results from Google, which the company pays Google for.[31] Startpage can search in 17 languages: Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish.

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by 320touring

My solution is simple,

I make sure I'm driving the interesting car..

In the last year or so, I've had more people stop and ask me about (or simply take photos of) my cars than ever before.

But I think that's because they're getting so old, some younger "car guys" don't even know what they are (in the case of the Metro/Firefly). In the case of the Miata, I think it's mostly because I've blasphemed and taped/screwed coroplast onto a classic design.

(Hmmm... I wonder if the company could increase sales by rebranding a line of coroplast as Aeroplast...)

[freebeard]

The reason I'm reluctant to sell the SUPERBeetle is that every time I take it out it makes someone reminiscent or just happy.

What makes it acceptable is that I have right of first refusal on a (five-speed three-cylinder) Geo Metro.

[2000mc]

Originally Posted by Gasoline Fumes

And then everybody will install brush guards and roof racks to make their pumpkin seed stand out!

After I debadged, took the bug shield, and roof rack off my pumpkin seed colored suv, my wife complained she can’t find it in parking lots anymore.

#iamtheproblem

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

I must confess, even though I'm not so convinced by the newer generations of crossover SUVs, I still like some old-school ones. They might become a good base for experiences with alternate fuels too...

Notice the CNG tanks under the trunk floor of that Blazer.

[njlou]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

(Generic crossover)

Here's the thing: the mass shift to SUV's and crossovers is extinguishing my interest. In the last couple of years, I've started seeing new vehicles on the road and realized I have no idea what they are. And I don't care to know.

Is it just me? Now I know how most people see all cars?

No it is not just you!!
Todays cars /trucks are victims of manufacturers' laziness and apathy.
Yes they all look the same. After 10 years, my wife still confuses her car with others. More importantly, a great enthusiasm killer is the price/reliability.
It seems that the only "new" features are some cheaply made electronic gizmos. Sometimes I think they are just marking time until electric cars are the norm.
BTW: the lack of interest (for me) extends to today's music.