It seems my fortune is looking up. I got this message that they are ready to give me eazy cash for my worthless real estate. A F150 is within reach. Here is the transcript of the message:

“Hello there my name is _⁠_⁠_⁠_⁠_ calling from US global real estate hope you're doing well _⁠_⁠_ my call quickly as we work with motivated buyer is looking for a property in your area they can pay the _⁠_⁠_⁠_⁠_⁠_⁠_ possible market value _⁠_⁠_⁠_⁠_⁠_⁠_⁠_⁠_⁠_⁠_ if you're thinking about selling and would like to get back on the market value or would like a pre-appraisal estimate to find out the highest possible price for any property please call us right away _⁠_⁠_ number 1-800-212-2805 again this is David with US global we have motivated buyer looking for property if you would like to sell quickly but _⁠_⁠_ _⁠_⁠_ _⁠_ _⁠_⁠_ market value possible or _⁠_⁠_⁠_⁠_⁠_⁠_⁠_ _⁠_⁠_⁠_ appraisal estimate any property please call us at 1-800-212-2805 again 1-800-212-2805 thank you and make it great day…”

Yes. I am motivated as long as I can get into one of those monstrous SUV with no money down. F150 is too meh. I'd like a fully loaded sleek black Escalade like the Washington elites:





Oh, IRS also has been calling me that there is an warrant out for my arrest.

 

Pulled from Consumer Reports, but it was a 10 year old article. Found a more recent one and it is now 11 years. That's vehicle age, not ownership. That is still younger than any vehicle I own.



This kind of stuff scares me. Reeks of pre-recession...

 

The average age of vehicles on the the road in the US has been around 11 for a while now. When this number trends up slightly the industry freaks out which mean demand for new cars are down. It is like GDP as a measure for the health of the economy.

It is now trending near 12 and hence this article in Dec last year: As Average Age of American Cars Nears 12 Years, a Challenge and Opportunities for Manufacturers

The average age of my vehicles are 16.2 years, and that includes my 2 year old Porsche. Cars are, like fridge, washer and drier, durable goods. I always regard them better last 25 years or more and I budget the purchase prices accordingly. By law automotive company are required to stock parts 15 years. That may have changed now.

I observed one neighbor who bought a new Toyota only 2 years ago. She is one of those that take million short trips a day. Now the car is trashed, and may have residual value of 15%.

 

Whats Grandpa going to do without his Crown Vic??

 

Forget Grandpas. The biggest buyers of Crown Vic had been law enforcement. They too has jumped on the SUV bandwagons. Compromising in riding in an SUV when you can have the keys to military armored vehicle is much more palatable than driving a tiny Crown Vic.

 

This also significantly increases the cost of LEO fleets, vehicles and maintenance.

 

Not sure which you are referring to. SUVs or military vehicles. When 80% of cars on the road are SUVs, you want also a SUV to execute that pit maneuver.

You know Police departments often get the military armor vehicles waterfalled from DOD for free right? It is the federal government's peace dividend so the DOD keep getting shiny new toys, and the defense industry is kept humming. All good except the tax payers. I wonder what is the average age of DOD's vehicles.

 

To answer that - I was referring to SUV's but maintenance on military vehicles is even worse.

Yep, I do know that the PD gets 'free' hardware from the military - and I believe 'militarizing' the PD is a bad move. If you bring a gun to a knife fight, you're chances of deescalating things get slimmer. You may win in the end and if that's the motive, that's one thing. Deescalation it is not.

I don't think a Crown Vic, Charger or GM sedan has a problem pitting a SUV - most videos I've seen, the SUV backs off while the sedan does the dirty work. The SUV (pitted by a sedan) usually rolls over (high center of gravity).

 

BTW, Crown Victoria has been discontinued as far back as 2012. Here in my neck of wood, LOE has more SUV than police interceptors. Per Wikipedia:

The Crown Victoria Police Interceptor is the only Panther-platform vehicle that was directly replaced, as Ford introduced Ford Police Interceptor sedan (based on the Taurus) and the Police Interceptor Utility (based on the Ford Explorer)

I agree that pit maneuver work best with a heavy car with low center of gravity. Those police specials have massive rotors that fill the wheel barrels, heavy duty steel rims that are extra wide, not to mention the special suspension bits not found in the civilian counterparts.

 

Average dod vehicle age is very old, that's why the m998 humvee which went into service in 1998 is about to be replaced, most of the dod vehicles are very old designs, no replacement for the hemtt (1982) yet either, they were still producing replacements for both though. The fmtv Vietnam era duce and a half replacement is finally fully fielded and that thing started in 96

 

Speaking of pit maneuver. I clinch each time I watch movies or TV with vehicle chase when one try to force the other off the road. They mostly doing it all wrong with the aggressor try to use his front end or mid section to force off the other guy parallel to him. Seeing the footage of car accidents, it take so little to upset a car traveling at speed and change its direction. Among the most dangerous are being hit on the side of the rear, like the bad driver that follows too close and change lane after you are supposed to have passed.

 

Happened to me in one of my r56, I was blindsided never saw it coming

The car that did the pit manuver on me fled

 

Was it that truck?

 

Yep, I know the crown vic has been discontinued. I have seen alot of the Chargers and GM versions too (caprice?). Some places might still have a few crown vics in their lineup. That car seemed to be around forever. By comparison to any of the sedans, the police SUV's cost more to buy, significantly more to run and significantly more in maintenance.

 

Agreed, the movies show it wrong. The police videos show it right.

 

no a car pit maneuvered us, truck was in fast lane along with the car in front of it, we were in next lane over just in front of the car, the car pit maneuvered us and crossed 4 lanes to get off an offramp. The truck was changing his radio station or something and did not see any of this or us and hit us and pushed us 1/2 mile down I285, never stopped the witnesses drove around him and flagged him over he did not see our car and had so much weight on the back he never felt it

I pooped my pants a little, I remember turning to my wife and telling her, I don't think he's gonna stop, the smoke was rolling into the car, flat spotted all the tires down to cords, the car did start up so we could get it on the flatbed, the tires were about to fail

 

Amazing! Glad you were not hurt and that it was not worse. Did they catch who hit you?

Is that a DoD sticker on the windshield? If so, and if you're military, Thank You for serving.

 

Thanks there is some minor bruising but nothing serious the car that hit us got away

 

I suspect he meant average life span of new car ownership is 8 years as a good portion of these people need continuous high of the toxic new car smell (outgassing).

When I bought the Porsche, the dealer said to me that you may not want the extended warranty as most gets tired of their car after 1 or 2 years. I rolled my eyes, thinking if I am one, I fail miserably of not picking a car that I feel worth keeping for a decade or more.

 

Just in for April US auto sales. From Reuters:

"Auto sales have been on a bit of a roller coaster ride this year, with a weak performance in February followed by a jump in sales for some automakers in March.

Ford Motor Co (F.N) posted a 4.7-percent decline in sales compared to April 2017, with retail sales to consumers down 2.6 percent. The No. 2 U.S. automaker said sales of its popular pickup trucks were up 0.9 percent, but SUV and passenger car sales were down 4.6 percent and 15 percent respectively.

For years, U.S. consumers have been shifting away from traditional passenger cars in favor of larger and more comfortable pickup trucks, SUVs and crossovers."

For Ford trucks is the bright spot. SUVs and rollovers sales are down, and sedan sales had crashed and burnt.

You can read the rest of the article here.

Is it just me? Every time I hear crossover I cannot help but to have the image of distracted driving where the vehicle has crossed the centerline on a two lane highway and rollover'ed. I have enough nightly news videos to back up. Vehicle in structure is way up, hit and run is way up, and the most ridiculous accidents are way up.

 

I could not believe my eyes when I saw the tiny clip preview video of this Rolls Royce SUV. I have some soft spots for classic RR, but this? Please, I will take the black Escalade with 90% tint all around that is less gaudy.

https://www.topgear.com/videos/briti...royce-cullinan





I had driven a few RR Silver Shadows and yes, hooning them but never crashed one. The bloody suspensions are rather soft and is like riding a dinosaur around a bumper car event.

 

They (ultra-luxury brands) all have them now.

Bentley Bentayga:



Lamborghini Urus:



Maserati Levante:




And the only one I find truly interesting, the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrafoglio:




Of course none of these are true SUV's, more high-seating position sedans, but this is the current trend in automobile purchasing. Personally, I blame Porsche as they were the first high-end manufacturer, especially one almost exclusively sports car-oriented, to dive into the SUV/crossover market with the Cayenne. They sell everyone they make, so I suppose it makes perfect economic sense.

 

YES! SUVs are pretty much dead.

Consumerism is both a wonderful and awful thing.

 

I don't worry about it too much. Automotive trends come and go, and as soon as the trend changes, the traditional automobile as we know it will likely make a triumphant return- either that or they'll all go autonomous and become some unrecognizable box with no controls whatsoever. When that happens, I'll walk.

 

Make sure to look both ways and catch the drivers attention before crossing the street. Wait, how exactly would a pedestrian know that the driver who isn't actually driving will see them?

I think I'm staying home.