The New Car Fanatic Thread

[Prepuce of Doom 20948]

Just reach out to him? 

Unless you have pointed out that he and/or his preferred president is a moron, I'm not sure why you would suspect that political attitudes are sabotaging your work. Maybe there's a misunderstanding about the urgency, or maybe he caught C19 because he thought it was a hoax, etc. - who knows? Lots of other explanations, and unless I'm missing something, I think you owe it to your friend and your friendship/relationship to not assume the worst and your best approach is to just harmlessly check in on things and go from there. 

Edited February 25, 2021 by Prepuce of Doom

[G650 13709]

Yeah, I'd just ask hey what are we looking at to get the car done, and see what he says. Not bring up the politics or anything at first.

[smuggs 9318]

Pay him a visit.

 

[Thatguy 8266]

2 hours ago, G650 said:

Yeah, I'd just ask hey what are we looking at to get the car done, and see what he says. Not bring up the politics or anything at first.

I did a couple months back and he said he was busy. So I have been waiting patiently.

[Prepuce of Doom 20948]

Was he an asshole about it? Did it seem like he was telling you to fuck off? Or are you just assuming based on political disagreements with mutual acquaintances? 

If he wasn't being an asshole, check in with him again. 

If he was being an asshole, check in with him again, and if he still blows you off, ask him when he's going to get to it. Explain your desired timeline, and make sure he can meet it. If he can't, and/or doesn't seem like he gives a shit, then consider taking it somewhere else, and when you go to retrieve your car, make sure you shit all over his bathroom walls while you're there. Maybe write his name with your poop so there's no further ambiguity between the two of you. 

Edited February 25, 2021 by Prepuce of Doom

[G650 13709]

14 minutes ago, Thatguy said:

I did a couple months back and he said he was busy. So I have been waiting patiently.

Well, let's start by checking in a again and see how it goes. I can recommend some heavies to break his kneecaps if it looks necessary

[conVINCEd 21468]

I’d be civil for as long as possible to someone in possession of my car, who knows a lot of things about how cars work.  Same concept as not complaining at a restaurant until you have your food.

[Handcruser 2805]

Was he an asshole about it? Did it seem like he was telling you to fuck off? Or are you just assuming based on political disagreements with mutual acquaintances? 
If he wasn't being an asshole, check in with him again. 
If he was being an asshole, check in with him again, and if he still blows you off, ask him when he's going to get to it. Explain your desired timeline, and make sure he can meet it. If he can't, and/or doesn't seem like he gives a shit, then consider taking it somewhere else, and when you go to retrieve your car, make sure you shit all over his bathroom walls while you're there. Maybe write his name with your poop so there's no further ambiguity between the two of you. 

Too many words.

Go in there and tell him you need the car by x date. If he can’t do it, take the car. If he can, I’d still take the car probably. He’s had 8 months.

[Prepuce of Doom 20948]

1 hour ago, Handcruser said:

 

Too many words.

Go in there and tell him you need the car by x date. If he can’t do it, take the car. If he can, I’d still take the car probably. He’s had 8 months.

 

You forgot to summarize the poopwriting. 

[CHIEF 5050]

6 hours ago, Thatguy said:

  Asking for advice from the good folks of surly.

  Now I am no way trying to make this political at all, but not mentioning it wouldn't give the full picture. I have a good friend. We've been friends since I went off to college in the early 90's. He owns a big shop. He does all kinds of repairs from run of the mill to full rebuilds of hotrods, and even has a dyno. I dropped off my blown, widebodied 90 Fox Mustang for a few mods that this old dog COULD do, but would rather have someone else tackle at this point in my life. Since I moved back to Texas 5 years ago, I have been taking my rides there for whatever needs to get done. He usually gets them knocked out and back to me pretty quick. He even called me out of the blue to tell me about a line on a drag car chassis that a guy he knew was selling for cheap that was mini-tubbed, and had a full rollcage in it, and parachute setup that I bought. This time I dropped the car off in July and still haven't seen any work on it so far. He is a huge Trump supporter. I am a pretty big opposer to that guy as most of you know. We have had no direct arguments but I have with mutual friends. I don't want to ruin a 20+ year friendship over a 4 year Presidency and a car repair but shit man I want my car back. I built the car. All that is left to do is put the IRS in it(heavy as shit), and write the tune for the new blower. At first I thought he was just really busy, so I let him do his thing. However, I am starting to wonder if it's not because of politics. But weather is about to break, and I want to take it to shows.

   What would you do?

How old of an old dog are we talkin'? This could be part of the problem, especially if he is having health issues. Seven years ago I was up for a full restoration with my son. Now, fuck that. The last one was my last hoorah. One year I was enthusiastic, the next year I wasn't. I wouldn't assume politics got in the way, especially if you are good friends.

CHIEF

[fattyflattie 4636]

7 minutes ago, CHIEF said:

How old of an old dog are we talkin'? This could be part of the problem, especially if he is having health issues. Seven years ago I was up for a full restoration with my son. Now, fuck that. The last one was my last hoorah. One year I was enthusiastic, the next year I wasn't. I wouldn't assume politics got in the way, especially if you are good friends.

CHIEF

I think that’s it is the old dog. 

[Brew 2954]

Wife bought an Escalade today, so I talked to the sales guys about the Blackwings while there. I’m really thinking hard about the CT5 now. He thinks they will still have open orders, but he doesn’t know timing. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a car, but I am intrigued.

[fattyflattie 4636]

4 hours ago, Brew said:

Wife bought an Escalade today, so I talked to the sales guys about the Blackwings while there. I’m really thinking hard about the CT5 now. He thinks they will still have open orders, but he doesn’t know timing. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a car, but I am intrigued.

Enjoy the Escalade.  We've got a ton of miles on that drivetrain, it's solid.  

[TwiceHorn 30928]

4 hours ago, Brew said:

Wife bought an Escalade today, so I talked to the sales guys about the Blackwings while there. I’m really thinking hard about the CT5 now. He thinks they will still have open orders, but he doesn’t know timing. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a car, but I am intrigued.

Blackwing or just -V?  The -V has gotten pretty good reviews and is about half the price.

[Thatguy 8266]

4 hours ago, CHIEF said:

How old of an old dog are we talkin'? This could be part of the problem, especially if he is having health issues. Seven years ago I was up for a full restoration with my son. Now, fuck that. The last one was my last hoorah. One year I was enthusiastic, the next year I wasn't. I wouldn't assume politics got in the way, especially if you are good friends.

CHIEF

He has guys that work for him.

[Brew 2954]

11 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

Blackwing or just -V?  The -V has gotten pretty good reviews and is about half the price.

No, I think if I bought one it would have to be the Blackwing. The V is nice, but I’m not really looking for a daily driver. I would keep the truck for that. I’ve been looking at 3rd vehicle options and primarily been focused on restomods and classics, but something like this may better fit.

[G650 13709]

So I kind of went back and forth, but in the end I had the dealer do a ceramic coat on the DBX since it was fresh and would relieve me of some maintenance work. I've done a couple boats, this is first car.. I'm still a wax diehard, but this stuff is pretty damn nice. I think wax gives slightly more depth still, being able to just wash this and go is cool though.

 

 

 

 

 

[52-80 19022]

Are you basically the only person on the eastern seaboard with a dbx?

 

hell i bet most people on the road wont even know the brand

[G650 13709]

25 minutes ago, 52-80 said:

Are you basically the only person on the eastern seaboard with a dbx?

 

hell i bet most people on the road wont even know the brand

My dealer sold 5(!!!) the week I got mine.

 

But yeah, down in my area I have had like one person even glance sideways, no one has any idea. I think I have seen 2 or maybe 3 Astons my whole life here. The dealer is up in DC and serves everything from NC to SE PA, and the DC metro certainly has a few running around. Mine is probably the only one in a 250 mile radius of my house though.

[smuggs 9318]

On 2/25/2021 at 6:54 PM, Brew said:

Wife bought an Escalade today...

Whoa, my wife bought an Escalade on Thursday too.

 

 

[Brew 2954]

Waiting on the wheels to come in and be installed. They have 6 sold ones sitting waiting on the wheel shipment to come at some point.

[smuggs 9318]

Yeah I'm not a big fan of the sport rims but the dealer said the 12-spokes were a big hold up.

[tbone_ 14016]

What’s the verdict on the redesign?

[G650 13709]

8 minutes ago, tbone_ said:

What’s the verdict on the redesign?

On the Escalade?

 

I drove one as a rental in Florida. I honestly can't tell much difference. The video rear view mirror is annoying AF. Still drives like an aircraft carrier. That's about all I got.

[fattyflattie 4636]

11 minutes ago, G650 said:

The video rear view mirror is annoying AF.

Can it be turned off? 
 

Wife’s new one got 22’s because she loved them.   She’s been bitching all week about the ride of them.  Stupid wives thread needs a visit. 

[smuggs 9318]

Rearview cam induces vertigo. We leave it switched off.

We drove a Navigator and the Escalade. The Navigator has more punch and handles a little better. Interior of the Escalade is more quiet and feels more spacious due to dash/console layout. Bitchin' stereo and has a sportier look than the Lincoln. She's happy with it.

[G650 13709]

19 minutes ago, fattyflattie said:

Can it be turned off? 
 

Wife’s new one got 22’s because she loved them.   She’s been bitching all week about the ride of them.  Stupid wives thread needs a visit. 

Yeah it can be thankfully.

 

Lol. "Why do these tires with no sidewall ride bad?"

[tbone_ 14016]

Yea I meant the Escalade redesign.

[G650 13709]

6 minutes ago, tbone_ said:

Yea I meant the Escalade redesign.

Right on. Yeah, I mean, it's an Escalade. Imo these things haven't gone through a meaningful change in 25 years

[Brew 2954]

47 minutes ago, G650 said:

Right on. Yeah, I mean, it's an Escalade. Imo these things haven't gone through a meaningful change in 25 years

Having been in a variety of them/Tahoe’s/etc over the years, the interior and look of the new ones is improved over the prior models. The dash and upgraded stereo are overkill and too much most of the time, but they are definitely interesting to screw around with. I wanted the duramax and super cruise which this has neither, but they both would be significant advantages over prior iterations as well. With 50k on the Expedition in 18 months, both would have been handy options but they both were still a ways out on being available.

I’m not entirely sure how she ended up on the Cadillac, I thought she was getting a Range Rover or SQ8. Some stupid shit she probably saw on the Internet led to it I’m sure. I prefer the size of it for the number of road trips we take, so whatever.

[Chewbacca 7664]

I can't believe how many people in here let their wives buy vehicles without being present.  Holy shit, talk about setting yourself up for failure.

[G650 13709]

38 minutes ago, Brew said:

Some stupid shit she probably saw on the Internet led to it I’m sure.

I can guarantee it. My wife read the Palisade/Telluride raves and away we go...

 

There's certainly been incremental interior and cosmetic changes, no argument, but the basic platform is the same as it's always been since the mid 2000 models. There is no appreciable difference to driving my folks old 2006 Suburban as it was driving a 2021 Escalade. Not saying this is a knock, they do what they say they will, I'm just surrised they haven't progressed the platform more. But then again people buy them in droves so why mess with it.

[Brew 2954]

11 minutes ago, Chewbacca said:

I can't believe how many people in here let their wives buy vehicles without being present.  Holy shit, talk about setting yourself up for failure.

She goes and looks and picks what she wants, I’m not driving it every day so that’s her deal. I still have to negotiate/pay for it, because they sure aren’t letting her sign for it and leave with it. Besides that, it’s not like there is much negotiating going on with a new model, supply chain issues, etc.

Plus, I’m not doing a whole of negotiating anyways. When it’s time for a truck or when I bought my kid a car a couple weeks ago, I just call my Ford dealer and say here is what I want. They find it and bring it to me and I sign in 5 minutes in my office. He doesn’t call me and negotiate my fees either, so it all works out.

[G650 13709]

Precisely

[TwiceHorn 30928]

4 minutes ago, G650 said:

I can guarantee it. My wife read the Palisade/Telluride raves and away we go...

 

There's certainly been incremental interior and cosmetic changes, no argument, but the basic platform is the same as it's always been since the mid 2000 models. There is no appreciable difference to driving my folks old 2006 Suburban as it was driving a 2021 Escalade. Not saying this is a knock, they do what they say they will, I'm just surrised they haven't progressed the platform more. But then again people buy them in droves so why mess with it.

I gotta say, though, that the Telluride (I have seen them exclusively) is pretty sweet looking to my taste.

Many S/CUVs to me have this steroidal car look rather than being more trucklike.  I guess that really fits their "oeuvre," but I tend to like the truckish ones a lot better.

[G650 13709]

2 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

I gotta say, though, that the Telluride (I have seen them exclusively) is pretty sweet looking to my taste.

Many S/CUVs to me have this steroidal car look rather than being more trucklike.  I guess that really fits their "oeuvre," but I tend to like the truckish ones a lot better.

Oh I agree actually, I like the Telluride look a lot. Especially in white or black with Nightfall package.

 

The motor is way too anemic for me, but my wife could care less.

[smuggs 9318]

Biggest change with the '21 Tahoe/Yukon/Escalade is the switch to IRS. The ride for the rear passengers is a lot less abusive.

[CHIEF 5050]

7 minutes ago, smuggs said:

Biggest change with the '21 Tahoe/Yukon/Escalade is the switch to IRS. The ride for the rear passengers is a lot less abusive.

Are the door handles made out of metal? My Old Man's Escalade was piece of shit. When he got rid of it, the only one that worked and didn't fall out of the door was the driver door handle. They were about $800/each for the plastic turds from the dealership (before Rock Auto and the like), after the second set all the way around he just said "fuck it." That vehicle made me swear off Cadillacs. If it would have been a quality ride, I would be currently driving a CTS-V.

CHIEF

[G650 13709]

16 minutes ago, smuggs said:

The ride for the rear passengers is a lot less abusive.

I've always found them pretty cushy to start with, though I never did much time in the back seats.

[smuggs 9318]

4 minutes ago, CHIEF said:

Are the door handles made out of metal? My Old Man's Escalade was piece of shit. When he got rid of it, the only one that worked and didn't fall out of the door was the driver door handle. They were about $800/each for the plastic turds from the dealership (before Rock Auto and the like), after the second set all the way around he just said "fuck it." That vehicle made me swear off Cadillacs. If it would have been a quality ride, I would be currently driving a CTS-V.

CHIEF

They're plastic and the way my 7 year old boy likes to pull on door handles, they'll likely be laying on the garage floor if it's anything like your pop's old ride.

[CHIEF 5050]

1 minute ago, smuggs said:

They're plastic and the way my 7 year old boy likes to pull on door handles, they'll likely be laying on the garage floor if it's anything like your pop's old ride.

It's crazy to put plastic door handles on a $100k ride. It's gonna suck telling everyone to be gentle with the door handles every time, before you get in. If you can get them to put their other hand on the handle frame at the back of the handle, maybe you can keep it down to two or three replacements over time. I don't mean to rag on your new ride, I love most things about them. Marvelous engine, roomy, and comfortable, but those handles will create nightmares.

CHIEF

[Brew 2954]

40 minutes ago, smuggs said:

Biggest change with the '21 Tahoe/Yukon/Escalade is the switch to IRS. The ride for the rear passengers is a lot less abusive.

Magnetic ride control is much improved over the prior ride. I’m sure it will be a bitch to fix when it breaks, but I’m not sure my wife has seen the end of a warranty period in a long time.

[fattyflattie 4636]

1 hour ago, CHIEF said:

Marvelous engine, roomy, and comfortable, but those handles will create nightmares.

What in the fuck are y’all doing with your door handles?  I’ve got 3/4 million miles on plastic GM door handles back to my 2000 and haven’t broken anything but the tailgate once when I had a roundbale stuck between the tailgate and tool box. That one actually left a nice little gash in my hand.  I don’t like they way the Tahoe/Yukon handles feel, but we haven’t broken one yet. We=wife and 3 kids.  

[fattyflattie 4636]

1 hour ago, G650 said:

I've always found them pretty cushy to start with, though I never did much time in the back seats.

The ride in the back is not good.  To the point we actually had to find a unicorn Denali (bench seats) this go around because none of the kids could handle road trips in the very back. 

[HOOKEM4 4979]

4 hours ago, G650 said:

Right on. Yeah, I mean, it's an Escalade. Imo these things haven't gone through a meaningful change in 25 years

Never driven one nor do I care to, but they are right up there with the land rover in the most ridiculous looking rear end competition. 

[G650 13709]

1 hour ago, fattyflattie said:

The ride in the back is not good.  To the point we actually had to find a unicorn Denali (bench seats) this go around because none of the kids could handle road trips in the very back. 

Interesting. Glad I haven't spent much time back there then. I've always found these things to have zero road feel as opposed to too much.

[ChickenSandwich 9775]

You don’t like 4ft long vertical brake lights?

[CHIEF 5050]

1 hour ago, fattyflattie said:

What in the fuck are y’all doing with your door handles?  I’ve got 3/4 million miles on plastic GM door handles back to my 2000 and haven’t broken anything but the tailgate once when I had a roundbale stuck between the tailgate and tool box. That one actually left a nice little gash in my hand.  I don’t like they way the Tahoe/Yukon handles feel, but we haven’t broken one yet. We=wife and 3 kids.  

The ones on the Escalades either have too fine of threads on the screws that hold them in, or they break off. It is a true "they don't make them like they used to" situation. If they were an old "push button" or "pull up" plastic design, it probably wouldn't be a problem, but "pulling out" stresses the rear two screws of the assembly and either strips the threads, or breaks the plastic screw protrusion off, which remains on the end of the screw. People naturally use the handle to pull the door the test of the way open all the way to the door stop. When you have 500 different people ride in your vehicle over time, they end up breaking the handles.

CHIEF

Edited March 2, 2021 by CHIEF

[conVINCEd 21468]

3 minutes ago, CHIEF said:

The ones on the Escalades either have too fine of threads on the screws that hold them in, or they break off. It is a true "they don't make them like they used to" situation. If they were an old "push button" or "pull up" plastic design, it probably wouldn't be a problem, but "pulling out" stresses the rear two screws of the assembly and either strips the threads, or breaks the plastic screw protrusion off, which remains on the end of the screw.

CHIEF

Their engineers used to work for Samsung.  Refrigerator department.

[Okie State 3732]

Do any cars have metal door handles these days? Can't remember the last time I noticed one that did.