971: The Kingdom Of Cars, Good Cop / Bad Cop, Are VWs Fun Enough?
Annotations will appear as you listen
0:00
61:52
Car
Chevrolet Corvette
The Chevrolet Corvette is a famous sports car from America that looks cool and goes really fast. People talk about it because it's been around for a long time and is known for being a great value for a high-performance car.
Term
CVT
CVT means Continuously Variable Transmission. It's a type of car transmission that helps the car change gears smoothly without the usual steps of traditional gears, making it more efficient.
Car
Honda That Honda
The Honda That's is a small car made for city driving in Japan. It's designed to be practical and easy to park, making it a good choice for busy streets.
Term
production vehicles
Production vehicles are regular cars that are made and sold to people. They are different from special cars that are just made for testing or showing off.
Term
Nürburgring
The Nürburgring is a well-known racetrack in Germany where many car companies test their cars. It's famous for being very difficult and is a place where cars are timed to see how fast they can go.
Term
lap records
Lap records are the fastest times that cars have completed a lap on a racetrack. Car companies often try to break these records to show how fast their cars can go.
Car
Dodge Viper ACR
The Dodge Viper ACR is a super-fast sports car that's built for racing. It's known for being very powerful and fun to drive on a track.
Term
Watkins Glen
Watkins Glen is a racetrack in New York where many car races take place. It's a popular spot for testing fast cars and is known for its exciting races.
Car
Porsche Cayman
Car
Porsche 718 Cayman GT4
The Porsche Cayman GT4 is a sporty version of the Cayman car, made for people who love fast driving. It has a stronger engine and better handling for a more exciting ride.
Car
Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
The Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 is a super-fast version of the Corvette sports car. It's built for high performance and is often used in racing.
Car
Porsche Gt3S
The Porsche 911 GT3 is a special version of the Porsche 911 sports car that is built for speed and handling, especially on racetracks. It's popular among car enthusiasts for its performance.
Term
Magnaride
Magnaride is a special type of suspension system that can change how the car feels while driving. It helps make the ride smoother or sportier depending on the situation.
Term
markup
Markup is the extra money that car dealers add to the price of a car. If a car is very popular or hard to find, dealers might charge more than the original price.
Car
Nissan Frontier
The Nissan Frontier SV is a type of truck that's good for carrying things and driving on rough roads. It's a reliable choice for people who need a vehicle for work and fun.
Car
Harley-Davidson Low Rider ST
The Harley-Davidson Low Rider ST is a type of motorcycle that's known for its comfortable ride and classic look. It's great for both short trips and long rides.
Car
Volvo S60 T6
The Volvo S60 T6 is a stylish and comfortable car that offers a fun driving experience. It's equipped with a powerful engine that helps it perform well on the road.
Car
Volkswagen Golf R
The Volkswagen Golf R is a sporty version of the regular Golf car. It has more power and better handling, making it fun to drive.
Car
Toyota Corolla
Car
Toyota GR Corolla
The Toyota GR Corolla is a sportier version of the regular Corolla that has more power and better handling. It's designed for people who want a fun driving experience in a compact car.
Car
Toyota GR 86
The Toyota GR 86 is a small sports car that is fun to drive and easy to handle. It's designed for people who enjoy a sporty feel when they're on the road.
Term
all-wheel drive
All-wheel drive means that power goes to all four wheels of the car, which helps it grip the road better, especially in bad weather.
Car
Honda Civic
The Honda Civic is a popular small car that many people drive because it's dependable and gets good gas mileage. It's available in different styles, like sedans and hatchbacks, which makes it a good choice for many drivers.
Term
front-wheel drive
Front-wheel drive means that the front wheels of the car get the power from the engine, which can help with fuel economy and space inside the car.
Company
Subaru of America
Subaru of America is the branch of Subaru that sells cars in the U.S. They help people find and buy Subaru vehicles, including popular models like the WRX.
Car
Toyota Supra
The Toyota Supra is a fast sports car that many car fans love because it can be customized and tuned for even more power. The newest version is built with help from BMW, making it very modern and exciting.
Car
BMW Z4
Car
BMW 235I
The BMW Z4 is a sporty convertible, which means it has a roof that can be opened. It's designed for fun driving and has a powerful engine, making it exciting to drive.
Car
BMW M235i
The BMW M235i is a sporty two-door car that offers a powerful engine and a fun driving experience, making it a popular choice for enthusiasts.
Car
BMW M240i
The BMW M240i is a two-door sports car that delivers strong performance and a thrilling driving experience, making it a great option for car lovers.
Car
Scion Frs
The Scion FR-S is a small sports car that's fun to drive and easy to handle. It's made for people who enjoy a sporty driving experience.
Term
winter tires
Winter tires are special tires that help cars grip the road better when it's cold and snowy, making driving safer in winter weather.
Car
Lotus Elise
The Lotus Elise is a small, lightweight sports car that is very fast and fun to drive. However, it doesn't handle well in bad weather like snow, so it's not the best choice for those conditions.
Car
Subaru BRZ
The Subaru BRZ is a small sports car that is fun to drive. It has a rear-wheel-drive system, which means the back wheels get the power, making it great for handling and performance.
Part
ceramic, rinseless wash
A ceramic rinseless wash is a special soap for cleaning cars that doesn't require a lot of water. It helps keep your car shiny and protects it from dirt and grime.
Company
Griot's Garage
Griot's Garage is a company that makes products for cleaning and taking care of cars. They offer a variety of items that help keep cars looking great.
Car
Ram 1500
The Ram 1500 is a big truck that's great for carrying heavy loads and towing. It's comfortable to drive and has a lot of modern features, making it a good choice for both work and everyday use.
Car
Kia Sorento
The Kia Sorento is a family-friendly SUV that has plenty of space for kids and pets. The 2016 version is known for being comfortable and having good features for families.
Car
GMC Yukon XL
The GMC Yukon XL is a big SUV that can carry a lot of people and stuff. It's great for families or anyone who needs a lot of space.
Car
Volkswagen Gti
The Volkswagen Golf GTI is a fun and sporty version of the regular Golf car. It's popular because it drives really well while still being practical for everyday use.
Term
pricing
'Pricing' means how much a car costs. It's important to know the price to decide if you can afford it or if it's a good deal.
Car
BMW F34
The BMW 3 Series is a small luxury car that is popular for its sporty feel and comfortable ride. It's a good choice for people who want a nice car that drives well.
Car
Honda Crosstour
The Honda Crosstour is a car that looks a bit like an SUV but is more like a big sedan. It's designed to be useful for carrying things and has a lot of space inside.
Car
BMW 440I
The BMW 4 Series is a stylish two-door car that is fun to drive and looks great. It's made for people who want a luxury car with a sporty edge.
Car
Kia Stinger
The Kia Stinger is a stylish car that looks sporty and drives well. It's a good option for people who want a fun car without spending too much money.
Car
Genesis G70
The Genesis G70 is a fancy car that is made to compete with other luxury sedans. It's known for being comfortable and having a lot of modern features.
Car
Lexus Ls
The Lexus LS 400 is a fancy car that was one of the first models from the Lexus brand. It's known for being very comfortable and lasting a long time without problems.
Car
Mini Clubmans
The Mini Clubman is a small car that has a unique look and more space than a regular Mini. It's fun to drive and is a good option for people who want something different.
Car
Mercedes-Benz GLA AMG
The Mercedes-Benz GLA AMG is a fancy small SUV that is fast and sporty. It's designed for people who want a luxury vehicle that can also be fun to drive.
Car
Hyundai Elantra N
The Hyundai Elantra N is a sporty version of the regular Elantra car that has more power and better handling. It's made for people who want a fun car that they can still use every day.
Car
Hyundai Veloster N
The Hyundai Veloster N is a sporty hatchback that has a powerful engine and is fun to drive. It stands out because it has three doors instead of the usual two or four.
Car
Hyundai i30
The Hyundai i30 is a small hatchback car that's good for everyday use. It's known for being comfortable and affordable.
Car
Hyundai Kona
The Hyundai Kona is a small SUV that is popular because it's stylish and has a lot of space inside. It's a good choice for people who want a car that's easy to drive and has room for passengers.
Car
Lotus Amira
The Lotus Emira is a new sports car that's designed to be light and fast. It's built for people who love to drive and want something exciting.
Car
Ferrari 360
Car
Porsche 928
The Porsche 928 is a stylish sports car that was made by Porsche a long time ago. It has a powerful engine and is known for being both fast and comfortable to drive.
Car
Nissan 300 ZX
The Nissan 300 ZX is a sporty car that was made for many years and is loved by fans for its speed and style. It's known for being fun to drive.
Car
Lotus Evora
The Lotus Evora is a sports car that's built to be light and fun to drive. It's different from many other cars because of its design and how it handles on the road.
Car
Mazda Mx5 Miata
The Mazda MX-5, or Miata, is a small, two-seat convertible sports car that's really fun to drive. It's known for being light and agile, making it a favorite among car lovers.
Car
Mazda Miata
LIVE
Love them or hate them. Everyone has an opinion on cars. But we believe we're all one great car away from a car enthusiast. So we're here to help you find a car you love, and let it take us to everything else in life. I'm Todd. I'm Paul, and this is the everyday driver car debate. Well, happy Friday, February 14th. It is Valentine's Day. If you have someone in your life that is concerned about Valentine's Day, and you don't yet have plans, I'm sorry. It's going to be a rough weekend for you.
Hopefully you've stepped outside of that. That's the thing my wife and I do is she's like, I love that you buy me flowers often because I try to, but she's like, do not buy me any flowers within like the 15-day period on either side of Valentine's Day when they just randomly mark them up. It's going to say, because they're too expensive. Why do that? Buy them when they're cheap. So we have a long relationship. That's where we are. So we will be not worried about Valentine's Day, but if you are okay, cool. Either way, it's a cool weekend. We hope you're a great weekend. We hear back with another podcast of a little bit of news up front from Corvette Land.
We have two good car debates and some good questions. There's a lot going on while we are sitting here recording in a blizzard. I mean, it's not blizzarding in the podcast studio. That'd be weird, but everywhere around us, it's blizzard. Speaking of Valentine's, the companies that are no longer Valentine's, is Nissan and Honda. They are not dating anymore. No chocolates for Honda, no chocolates for Nissan. No flowers either. It's Honda, the dream is dead. It was going to be so good. Mitsubishi has ejected. Nissan didn't like being a subsidiary.
Honda, they thought they were going in as equals, but they just don't have the mojo, the tech, how do they see that old portfolio? Yes, they anyway, yeah. All that CVT dealing Nissan that you invested in over years, this is why that didn't pay off. Nobody wanted them. They weren't compelling. You don't have a compelling portfolio. So don't be surprised at Honda. Why did you put, put you like three notches below? Yes. Uh-huh. And you didn't like that. But apparently they're still courting other companies, but they don't want a partnership.
They just want to collaborate like Foxconn, a company that builds iPhones. We'll see. I, I'm very curious to see how all of this shakes out. There was, I think any of us looking from the outside instantly saw that Honda was the lead dog in that discussion. I don't know why Nissan is surprised. But no, so that's not happening. So Mitson to the dream is dead. I'm sorry about that. That did happen in other random news, because that's been in a lot of places. But I'm sure you've seen so far that the Corvette ZR1 has been officially announced. The configurators up. I even played with it.
But the big news is that GM has been running around breaking a lot of rap lap records done by production vehicles, street cars. They kind of did the same tour that Dodge did with the Viper ACR right before that went out. But lots of tracks in the US that are known tracks, but not tracks like the ring. And what I mean by that is the ring is one of those places that all of us in Cardam, okay. We're all concerned about what's the ring time kingdom of cars. Yes, and you can look up online Wikipedia and lots of other
places. There is the running list of you can find what every car did on the ring. These tracks don't really have that pack. One of the tracks where they broke the production record was Watkins Glen, who doesn't really keep a majorly updated list. This doesn't mean it's not impressive. But the point I'm making is that what is it? Five tracks that they went around. Five tracks, brand new production car records at every one of these five tracks and the other interesting thing about it is twofold. The people driving are excellent drivers, but they're not
race drivers. These are development engineers at GM and they are like, I think GM calls them like class six drivers. GM's internal classification system for driving capability. They are the top of that, but these are not guys that are professional race drivers. So it also asks the question if it was a professional racing driver, what would these times be? Because theoretically, they'd be faster still. What I like is that as good as these drivers are knowing that there is a level of pro driver that can extract more
of the car, but this makes it more relatable. These guys are development engineers and they know what they did to the car. They know how they developed it and engineered it. And then they went out and said, I can trust my own work. Good point. That really resonates. It feels aspirational. Whereas the pro driving level is reserved for the top class of athletes on the earth and not to take anything away from these guys. I aspire to have the driving skills these guys do. I totally agree with you. Yes. I actually watched the Watkins lap.
And that was done by Bill Wise. He's the lead performance engineer for chassis controls, because you and I went to Watkins in October of 2024. Thanks to Mark Cody and Santi of our Northeast region for HOD. Santi allowed us to drive his GT4 2016 GT4 Cayman. You hated that experience so much. I was in Cody's race prepped Corvette. And so we got to experience the track. So I felt like I knew it a little bit. And I knew where the where the car was supposed to be on track. Sure. Yeah, yeah, totally.
And I'm watching this video recording. Yeah, it was astonishing. It felt like I could aspire to that. Give me a ZR1. Give me a ZR1 is step one. Yes. I can aspire. I could look towards getting there. I could do that. And it was astounding. But either way, the car is fast. Complete hands down. Absolutely. But what I like is it seems more controllable than the power output and the aggressiveness of the car would suggest. Okay.
It seems like the time. I mean, there might be one more with Zora coming. If they add electric motors, then even more. Yeah, but this seems actually like, you know what? In the hands of a capable driver that still isn't a pro, this seems like aspirational attainable, which is interesting because what a car for the price. They're still expensive. But I'll sell one to anyone. Yeah, I mean, $200,000 is really the legitimate reality where these cars are going to be. I got them the configurator and played around today. And did you build one?
I did build one. What'd you get up to? Well, actually, the way that I was building it wasn't showing me a price because some of the stuff I picked and I'll explain why in a minute isn't currently available due to supply chain issue. So they couldn't even give me an actual price. But here's one of the interesting things that I saw is I was trying to build one that was not obnoxious. All right.
Okay. And one of the things I discovered, that means don't buy the car. Don't buy the ZR1 is really what that means. Yeah, totally, totally agree. Not just go to Nissan.com. I'm sorry. Wow. That was a shot, but a great one. Really shots fired. But the thing was interesting is Magnaride, which we all want. Okay. Magnetic ride control. Yeah, which with all those settings. And the Cup 2 tires, which on a car like this, you also want is only 1,500 bucks. However, it seems like a deal.
Magnaride's never been all that expensive, but if you click that, you're instantly required to get the carbon fiber extra wings pack, which is like $50,000, which is $85,000. Okay, $85,000.
So if you want Magnaride, you've added 10 grand of the car and you can't get Magnaride without, unless, look, I know the configurators change, but this was the one I was at from Chevy.
You can't get Magnaride without spending 8,500 to get all the crazy winged nastiness that I don't even think is necessary. If you want this as a street car, and let's be honest, most people want this as a street car.
I know, I know that people buy Porsche GT3s and never take them to the track. Also a tragedy, also a car where some of these lap records, that's the car that it beat was the 911 GT3.
You don't need the weird wing, I don't think it's necessary, but it is necessary of what you're doing is chasing ultimate lap times. I think the car looks great without all the wings, but then you can't get Magnaride, which is interesting.
I'm always curious to see how these packages shape out. At some point we'll do an online configurator, we'll do it for real, but it's just now starting.
This is so much car for the money, roughly $200,000, but then on the other end of the spectrum, it's $200,000. This is not an every man car at all.
And I'm very curious to see what markup is, because we know that'll add probably at least 50 grand.
Where are these really going to land, and what are people actually going to do with them? I'm worried by it, trundle it to cars and coffee.
With your 1,064 horsepower, 828 pound feet of torque, twin turbo V8 flat plane crank, you can brag all the numbers.
And that's what the ZR1 allows you to do is continue to brag the numbers.
But cool that their development folks actually went and put their money where their mouth is.
That is super cool. So do you want one? Test forth coming. We'll see.
Some people think nature is like this, but actually it's like this.
That's why Columbia engineers everything we make for anything nature can throw at you.
Columbia, engineered for whatever.
Drew is in Lansing, Michigan, writing to us because he's wrestling with the practicality versus fun equation in his life.
Drew, thank you for writing. He's been listening to us for about three years.
But in the last nine months, he's listened to every episode with an increasingly hard to resist urge to acquire a new car.
Our work here is done. We're succeeding, Paul.
We're infecting everybody with the car disease.
We saved the manuals.
Everybody has the car disease.
Yes.
What's third on the list?
Well, I mean, that everybody feels like they need to be looking at their current car going,
should I trade? That's happened to Drew for sure.
Yes. He currently drives 2017 Nissan Frontier SV.
His other vehicle is a Harley low rider ST.
So he's been a believer of the fun motorcycle and practical daily mantra most of his life.
But he's gotten sick and tired of his truck.
Drew travels three weeks of the month Monday through Friday for work and has one week a month using his personal vehicle for local work.
He gets reimbursed mileage. So he's only home on the weekends.
Okay.
He bought his soon to be fiancee.
Congratulations.
A 2020 Volvo S60 T6 absolute blast to drive and be driven in.
But her dream car is a GR86.
Hang on to that bit of information. We're going to come back.
Yeah. Okay. Keep going.
Drew's soft budget. I like this new soft budget category.
Soft budget is excellent. I like it. That's just newly introduced.
The soft budget is 35 grand. He thinks it can be pushed into the forties with our combined persuasiveness.
You have listened to the podcast Drew. I think it's very funny. I love it.
Just think of yourself Drew in an interrogation room with a single light bulb.
It's swinging back and forth. It's pointed at you.
The two of us walk behind you.
How you feeling about that budget there Drew?
Don't beg us to do a good cop bad cop.
I'm not sure who's who by the way, but anyway.
He's been going back and forth between a 2019 Golf R manual.
GR Corolla manual and inspired by his soon to be fiancee.
So if she hears this, does she not know that they're about to be engaged?
She's about to be proposed to.
If you listen to this early, am I giving it away?
I don't think fiancee, but now by the time she listens to this either surprise,
or that told me I'm not sure which one that was.
Yeah. Anyway.
Okay. He's in Lansing where it's currently snowing.
Hey, it's known here in Park City.
That's why he's considering the Golf R GR Corolla for the all-wheel drive combo choice.
But he's been seeing a lot of GR 86s out on the road and has caught the two-door sports car bug.
Interesting.
Okay. Love it.
Drew thinks he has watched our GR 86 videos.
So many times his girlfriend banned him from watching them on the living room TV.
If you're going to watch that again, you need to go on another room.
Maybe that's the third thing.
You've watched it so many times your significant other has banned you.
Reach to the place where the significant other is no longer willing to tolerate our voices and faces.
And you have to do that somewhere else. That's terrible.
Let's not get to that place.
Drew's best friend is Manuel GR Corolla.
He lives to drive.
He's waiting for warmer weather to visit him in Columbus and test drive it.
All-wheel drive and Rubel drive are his preferences.
And he recently drove his friends 2013 Civic SI before this GR Corolla.
It wasn't a big fan of handling whether that was front-wheel drive or the setup of the car itself.
He's not sure.
So if we have suggestions for other considerations, he will gladly take them.
It just has to be manual.
Love that.
This is great, Drew.
I do love the GR 86.
And it's one of those emails, Drew, where we see it and we think you're leaning towards the GR 86.
You're dreaming of one.
You've got the budget for it.
Your girlfriend is encouraging it.
It's actually her idea.
Drew, you're all out of excuses, my friend.
Yes.
This is what that means.
This is the equation.
I've got the budget.
The money's there.
Girlfriend approach.
Her idea.
So I can always point to her like you.
This terrible choice was your idea.
No, no, no, don't do that.
Don't do that.
I mean, you'll know the choice.
You'll know the choice.
But don't do it.
Yeah.
Right, winner tires.
You want it.
You've got the two-door sports car bug.
And you just need the lightest of pushes off the cliff.
Just a little shove in the back.
Just consider my words.
The little tap on the shoulder.
Ah, you're falling off the cliff.
Go get yourself one.
I think that's a great idea.
They're awesome.
Automatic manual.
Don't care.
But you want the manual.
So excellent choice.
We drove the GR Corolla against the WRX.
So if you're considering the GR Corolla, go look the WRX.
Styling might not be for you.
Super of America is in Detroit.
So, you know, you probably see a lot of Subis.
Giant Detroit.
Michigan area.
But Drew, look to BMW for your Alts.
There's lots of choice there.
Like the Supra from BMW.
Sure.
The 235i, the 240i and the Z4 are all excellent contenders.
Very true.
Because Drew, I was thinking, with that kind of budget,
the soft budget starting 35 and up to 40,
what if you got one for you and one for her?
Instead of one car Drew, get two for twice the price.
No.
Welcome to the podcast.
Glad to have you back.
Go ahead and maybe give yourselves permission to get two Z4s.
Or a 235i and a Z4.
Or a Supra and a Supra is probably too much money.
You could find two of these and now they're two different driving choices.
I'm not saying you have to sell the truck even though you're sick of it.
I think the truck's going to need to go.
Truck's going to go and the Volvo's going to go away.
I think the Volvo is probably staying.
I think the truck is definitely going.
I think the Volvo is staying because they do like it.
But I agree.
They could clean out the entire garage and get,
because at that point, you could get one of those BMW like M235s
or M240s and the fun 2-door sports car.
Yes.
That's only two seats.
You could do all of the above.
And then swap back and forth.
Of course, you can have daily comparisons over dinner.
There you go.
I love that.
So 40 grand a spend.
Go find yourself 235i, manual, and a Z4.
Similar, but different.
What kind of two-door fun do you want?
Do you need a little bit more boot space?
Take the 235, you want the Z4.
And that way nobody has to fight over keys.
Because if the Volvo stays,
and well, she's going to be driving a lot because you're not going to be home.
If the truck goes, Volvo stays,
and then your weekends are for swapping cars.
Because you got both.
I do like it.
This is good.
I'm going to circle back to that 86 discussion
because first off, you said you've considered the GR Corolla
but your best friend has one.
Okay, you've listened to the podcast
where I had to put it out there.
You can't do that.
You can't buy the same fun car as your best friend.
Because then why would you swap keys?
That's not how this works.
Well, we have different colored cars.
You have to not get the fun car your best friend has.
Okay, this is one of the places where Paul and I have got this dial.
We do, we do.
Okay, because we don't buy the exact same fun car.
And then we have the ability to not only swap,
but we go, wow, I really like your car.
Then we go, I still like my more.
So it works out wonderfully.
Okay, this is the key.
So you simply, frankly, even if the GR Corolla
and I'm being ridiculous,
but even if the GR Corolla is the perfect car for you,
you can't because your friend has one.
Or maybe he's bought his.
What if he bought his?
Your friend gives you a smoke and deal.
There you go.
So you can go get a GR 86 plus a GR Corolla.
You've got it solved.
That frees your friend up to write in for his own debate.
Oh, you're self perpetuating.
You're like this.
That's very good.
Yeah.
Get something different for him.
That way you've got, it's a known car to you.
It's the GR Corolla.
Base is covered.
And you're doing your friend a favor.
We're here to help.
I didn't expect it to go there,
but that works too, Drew.
So other things to think about here.
Look, you've said you want rear-wheel drive two-door sports car.
You've stated that.
But that's where you've wound up here.
That's what intrigues you.
So why are we really shopping anything else?
I think we need the land there.
I'm going to give you two.
And then I'm going to go back to where we started.
I think you could look at Corvettes in your budget.
I think that's worth looking at.
Detroit, come on.
The V8s are great.
Snow tires are your friend in all of these scenarios, by the way.
Yes, you could go buy a Cayman.
But in your discussion here in the middle,
I want to circle back to the fact
that your fiance's dream car is the GR86.
That your budget allows you to get one brand new,
which means warranty,
which means which color do you want?
It's a car.
She wants it's a car.
You want there's no discussion of you have to get her on board.
That is a huge hurdle.
You don't even have to accomplish.
It's just like, I like that car too.
Let's go get one.
And you can put snow tires on it.
And as we have proven,
and I did it with the FRS, we did it with the GR86.
I think just thinking about a garage right now.
If you had a Corvette or a Cayman or the GR86,
and it's dumping snow outside,
and all three have winter tires on it,
I think you picked the 86.
It's the easy way.
All three will be good in the snow,
but the 86 is the easiest to drive in the snow.
The one you're going to worry about the least,
and the one that's the most playful
and won't get away from you in every situation
while still being an amazing driver's car.
The GR86 is legitimately an all-weather car.
The others can be,
but I never thought twice about snowstorm and GR86.
I'll be honest, I think twice,
snowstorm and Lotus Elise.
I've got full winter tires.
They're good.
But I do go, how bad is it out there?
How bad is it?
The GR86 was like, I don't care.
Sure.
It is a phenomenal, terrible weather car.
It is a phenomenal, great weather car.
It comes down to tires.
You set it at the top, Paul.
This is one of those emails
where somebody writes in and we go,
and I'm at the end of the email.
You've answered your questions.
There's nothing more.
Multiple times through the email.
But I didn't want to talk it through
because sometimes that's what happens here.
Is you write it out and you don't see
that you have connected the dots
and you kind of need us to go, yeah, you did it.
Well done.
I think GR86, go to your local Toyota dealer
and if need be, go to other Toyota dealers.
Figure out the one that can get you the one you want
in your spec.
I love those Hakone, but they're hard to find.
I'm not even a green car guy,
but the current Hakone with those gold wheels,
awesome.
That's a good one.
Go get that Hakone.
You can.
There's like less than 1,000 I think.
So those are cool.
But I mean, they don't have the,
I don't think they have the great blue anymore.
They may.
I haven't looked to figure it out for a little bit.
But with the blue that we had was awesome,
there's a lot of good colors.
And I'll give you the alt.
If you can't get the one you want,
wonder over to Subaru,
who can't seem to sell the BRZ
and get one of those probably for a deal.
Oh, if they got two,
they could safariize the BRZ.
Now that's interesting.
Lift that for like winter duty.
There you go.
And still have the lower,
more canyon car.
There you go.
We've got a version.
We've got winter and summer 86s.
In the canyons of Lansing.
I like that more than I should.
Yeah.
If you've got a debate like Drew's,
write to us every day,
driverTV at gmail.com.
Car debates, topic Tuesdays,
GR86 discussions.
Should you buy the car?
Should you buy the GR86?
Should you buy the car you're already thinking about or not?
Yeah.
That's right.
Permission, right?
Oh, yeah, permission.
Right to us for permission.
I'm happy to do that,
unless it's saved money
and then we do a really bad job.
Hey, what's up, y'all?
Kelly Clarkson with Wayfair.
My favorite thing about the holidays.
Dacking out my whole house.
It's not a competition,
but if it was, well,
I'd win the season with Wayfair.
Outdoor inflatable Santa.
Got it on Wayfair.
Trees, lights, and ornaments.
Wayfair.
Hosting bus tabs like dining sets,
beds, sheets, and towels.
Wayfair.
For everything in your style,
delivered with fast and free shipping,
visit Wayfair.com or the Wayfair app to win the season.
But again, it's not a competition.
Wayfair every style, every home.
Wintertime means you might be stuck inside,
but you can still clean your car
with ceramic, rinseless wash
from our friends at Grios Garage.
It lifts dirt, grime, and contaminants,
and it leaves behind a ceramic shield
that enhances water beating
and self-cleaning ability.
But if you are getting out the hose,
Grios now offers car wash pods.
Just like the pods you use for the clothes washer,
you drop one of these in your wash bucket
for the perfect amount of soap.
These car wash pods even work
with your foaming sprayers too.
Or if your winter project has faded trim,
or you need to protect the trim on your car,
try satin finish ceramic trim restore
that renews those old trim pieces
and is good for tires too.
Plus, there's plastic all in one
to remove fine scratches and swirl marks
and restores dull plastic surfaces.
Remember all Grios Garage products are 100% guaranteed
and all liquid products are made right here in the USA.
When you're ordering at Grios Garage.com,
use the code driver10 for 10% off everything else on your order.
That's g-r-i-o-t-s.
Enjoy the finest quality car care products you can buy
at Grios Garage.com.
So my dear friend and co-host Paul
does a really good job of linking things
in these emails that he puts together for the podcast.
And sometimes the connective tissue is not what you expect.
I would like to point out real quick.
We have two carb debates back to back here
and they both are Nissan Frontier owners.
I'm so happy you saw the connective tissue.
That's the connective tissue.
I was like, oh my gosh, both of them had Nissan Frontier
as they're getting out of.
That is kind of amazing.
This is Don writing in from East Tennessee.
He's been listing for a long time.
Thank you for doing that.
Every car magazine he can imagine
his entire life, watch a lot of videos, including ours.
I was just really thankful to have you
as a long-term family.
We really appreciate it.
Most of his vehicles in his life have been pickup trucks.
He owned a, here it is, Nissan Frontier for nine years
and loved how reliable and simple it was.
Then his family outgrew it and he bought a used Ram 1500.
The truck allowed him to purchase a pull behind camper
to take the family on fun camping adventures.
That does sound really cool.
His wife was driving a 2016 Kia Serrento
used as the family vehicle.
But when they start to outgrow that
because the two growing boys and the dogs and the gear
and the stuff we're towing was all a little bit too much.
They had a big discussion about what should we do?
And then he went, you know what?
I've got to solve this for real.
He traded in the Ram.
He set up fixing the Serrento problem.
He traded in the Ram, bought a 2022 Yukon XL.
You did it right, sir.
That was awesome.
Once you get to, I need a lot of space
and I need to tow.
You just go get the big boys.
All at the same time.
You just go get the big body on frame,
U.S. made monsters.
That's how you solve it.
Got the Yukon XL.
He said he actually loved it.
And the problem was his wife drives the Yukon
when she needs to drive something,
which means if you're following along,
he's now relegated to the Kia as his everyday car.
And oh, does he hate the Kia?
He hates it a lot.
So the Yukon solving a problem,
but the Kia while getting better gas mileage than the Yukon,
which is why he takes him on his commute,
he just dislikes it so much.
But the Yukon solves a problem.
So we are replacing the Kia
and trying desperately to find some fun in here.
Thinks buying a fun car,
price somewhere between $25 and $30,000 should be acceptable.
Is that your soft budget, Don?
Well, but my question is,
should be acceptable beads,
have you spoken to your wife about this yet?
You're mentioning this to us as
this is one of those things that teenagers say
to other teenagers about their parents.
Yeah, you can come over tonight.
That should be fine.
Nobody's talked to the parents yet.
That's true.
So you say, buying a fun car between $25 and $30,000
should be acceptable.
My question back to the top of this, Don,
is have you spoken to the other half in your life
and gone, this is my plan?
I think he hasn't.
I think he hasn't either,
but you know what, the wife and kids are listening now.
So let's just charge on for him.
I think he's airing it publicly.
All right, Don's requirements include four doors
because he got two children, aged 7 or 11,
he would like a hatch,
so he can put his 50 pound dog in the back
for short trips to the park,
vet and groomer,
and it has to be automatic.
He's not happy about that,
but his wife needs to be able to drive this car.
She travels out of state
for work several times a year
and he does not want the UConn
parked in long-term parking at the airport.
Now, this is an odd twist here because
ultimately we're getting a car for you
to enjoy and have fun.
Right.
But then it becomes,
this is the place where I'm a little confused.
What's wrong with the UConn going to the airport?
If your wife goes out of town,
you want to drive the UConn, I guess,
while she's gone,
she took the fun car away from you.
That didn't work at all.
Anyway, on we go.
He wants it's not sitting there.
I suppose.
And I guess not available.
If it's just sitting outdoors,
you could always upcharge for the covered parking.
See, now you're solving problems differently.
You can tell that we travel a lot.
See, this is how I think.
Maybe not valed, but...
No, no, no.
But most airports have decent covered parking.
You just pay more, of course you do.
Slight mint.
All right. Well, Don's normal commute is 20 minutes.
He regularly has to drive 45 to 90 minutes for work.
So if she had the UConn and parks at the airport,
then he would have the fun car.
You would have the fun car to go to work.
And drive the boys, right?
I don't see why it's a problem.
But that's unless he needs the UConn.
This sounds like a conversation.
Nice.
This sounds like a conversation.
They need to have internally
once the fun car has been bought.
I think the whole airport part of it
throws us kind of off into a different world.
But we'll see.
Don knows the Jera Corolla is the hot buy on the market right now,
but it's so expensive.
Well, you could go talk to Drew's friend in Columbus
to see if he will sell.
Yeah.
Just suggest I'm just trying to bring people together here.
You're doing a good job there.
Well done.
And he says he's concerned with the ride quality.
He likes the interior of the Hyundai Alonter N better,
but it does not have a hatch.
He thinks the Volkswagen GTI or Golf R
would also be cars to consider.
By the way, Don, have you noticed that Volkswagen has announced
the refresh plus new pricing for the Golf R
that makes it just under 49,000.
We'll call it a $50,000 Golf now.
Now, we had the problem with the Marizzo version of the Corolla.
The Jera Corolla.
Yeah.
That's a $50,000 Corolla.
No one needs that.
Yeah.
Now, the Golf R is sort of a luxurified hot rod for 50k.
Yeah.
Nobody ever thought the Golf R would be that much.
Sure, yeah.
If you're spending $50,000,
that opens up a world of options
that I'm not sure the Golf R needs to be considered in.
I agree.
Well, look at the other way.
I have $50,000.
I'm going to run out and get a Golf.
What?
What are you thinking?
What are you thinking?
I'm not going to run out and get a Corolla either.
What are you doing?
You're right.
Sorry.
I'll get a Marizzo Corolla instead.
All right.
He's not sure if the Volkswagen's are fun enough.
For $50,000, did the Golf R get more fun?
Well, for $50,000.
Is it fun enough?
Whatever it is, you bought better, be fun.
Well, yeah.
You're buying it as a fun car.
You spent 50 grand, and it's not fun.
That's a fail.
That's true.
All right.
Don's in East Tennessee about a year and a half ago he moved there.
And he wants a car that will be fun on a mountain road.
Love it.
So his left field options that he wants our opinions on are the F-34 generation BMW 340iX Grand
Turismo.
Those have depreciated down into his price range.
It's got around 300 horsepower.
Like the GR Corolla, it has all-wheel drive, like the GR Corolla.
It's heavier, rear drive, bias drive, train, and has a way better interior than the GR Corolla.
Well, Don, that's a low bar.
Really, really low bar.
Everything has a better interior.
But that's not why we buy the GR Corolla.
It's not why we like them.
So would he be foolish to consider this car, would it be dynamic enough?
The consideration is it's not just you.
If it's the most dynamic hardcore focused and you're sharing it, that might not be appreciated by your significant other.
So the grand Turismo is not my favorite body style.
I can't defend it because it is just not a good-looking BMW.
It is the Honda cross-tour of BMW's lineup.
I mean, it doesn't have bevertif.
It doesn't.
But here's my counterpoint to that car.
Still in the BMW's lineup.
Is the four series Grand Coupe?
Because it is a hatch.
It's a hidden hatch.
But at least styling-wise, that works.
You got bevertif with the 440i though, right?
Because it's the coupe.
Bevertif.
Depending upon which one you get.
But you can get the four series Grand Coupe.
We drove that one against the Kia Stinger in order to come out.
And that was pre-Bevertif.
So they're out there in used form.
So now we're talking about something that actually has decent-looking styling.
The grand Turismo, I understand it's reason for existing kind of.
But it is.
It's a Honda cross-tour.
That's for a very specific buyer.
If you're wanting a hatch, get the Grand Coupe because it just looks better.
It looks more like a sports car but you still get the hatch out of it.
I think that's the far better choice for similar money.
Although what are those going for?
Because the one we drove was like 70.
It had manual seats because the COVID supply chain problem.
Well, but the one I'm thinking of the Kia Stinger was even older than that.
You can get them for his budget.
I'm not worried about that.
I like that better.
300 horsepower?
Yeah.
Got the fun.
Got the all-wheel drive.
Yeah.
Cool BMW.
But it's the styling that I just don't love.
So it's a hard pill to swallow.
Only you can answer that styling question.
True, true.
But again, you're sharing it.
Don, I've got other choices.
They include a Stinger.
Can't ignore the Stinger.
Excellent.
Yeah.
It's super cool.
It's what we put that original Grand Coupe with was the Stinger.
It's excellent.
It just looks so good.
Oh, yeah.
Now I know what the one you're talking about.
That is a really good one.
Those would be about the same price.
Absolutely.
Yeah.
They both have dropped quite a bit.
Okay.
Don, our Stinger versus that Grand Coupe, that was at least five years now.
Yeah.
That was pre-COVID.
That was pre-COVID.
That was pre-COVID.
That was pre-COVID.
That was pre-COVID.
That was pre-COVID.
But I'm talking about the one prior.
They could totally get it.
Yeah.
That's right.
That's a good one.
So that's up there.
The Stinger G70, that older 2017, I think it was, 2017, 2018 Grand Coupe.
But then cars that are okay sitting on the lot include Mazdas.
You could look for Kayans, which brings me to my choice for you,
which is the Accurate Integra.
Brand new.
Go get yourself a brand new one.
Okay.
Hatch.
Cool.
Yeah.
It's one of the better CVTs.
The one you want is the Type S.
And that's essentially double your budget.
Of all the CVTs, you're the prettiest.
I like you the best.
Mm-hmm.
But it's still a CVT.
And again, only you can answer that with some drive homework that you assign yourself.
Or, Don, you could go get yourself on an old Lexus L.S.
And have your own personal high mileage challenge.
Not bad.
I like this.
That's your car.
Well, that's not good for Kayan cars.
It's not bad for Kayan cars.
Integra is what I want for you.
Okay.
Don, I like these choices.
Again, the Grand Coupe is the BMW choice.
I really think that's the one to go with.
I've got a couple of oddball choices for you to look into.
And then I've got the car.
I think you almost walked your way, too.
And just felt a little bit short.
I want to find it for you.
First off, go look at used Mini Clubmans.
That's good.
Four doors.
It's good.
Hatch.
You can get them in manual.
That would be a fun car on those back roads.
You would enjoy that car.
Dog fitable.
Yeah.
I mean, dog fitable.
Totally good.
Totally good.
I mean, look, how you're talking about your dog being in the car is for a few minutes.
Absolutely.
Yes.
Of course.
Used Mercedes GLA AMG 45.
That's our suite.
You would love that car.
That is a little German hot hatch.
We did that years ago against actually the macon of all things.
Those are out there.
They haven't held on to their value very well.
It is not a manual.
It is a seven-speed dual clutch.
Okay?
So it is a different field.
But that is a hot, little hot hatch.
And if your concern is, is the Volkswagen fun enough?
The GLA answers, yes, I am.
I'm going to go look at what those cost right now.
I love that.
My favorite for you, Don, because you almost got there.
Is you said, how much you prefer the Elantra N to the GR Corolla?
But oops, it doesn't have a hatch.
It does if you get the Veloster N.
The Veloster N.
Yeah.
Manual transmission.
Yes.
Or dual clutch.
Oh, that's good.
So the dual clutch works because you actually need to get the auto.
I understand where you're going.
But so dual clutch, so your wife can drive it.
It's not going to be a problem.
Has all of the snorty goodness and fun to drive realities of the Elantra N.
It has usable back seats, only one door back there.
But that's fine.
The boys can get in from that side.
Has a small hatch.
You can put the dog in.
I think that is the hatchback you can actually get.
Now, what you're wanting is the I-30 in, which is essentially the hatchback version of
the Elantra.
We don't get that here.
The Veloster N's as close as we got.
I might even say Kona N.
Because that could be fun too if you need more hatch space.
Are those manuals?
No.
But those are DCT, right?
He's wanting auto anyway because of his wife.
In that regard, you could get away with it.
The Kona N is a possibility.
I'm putting it on the side as a maybe, but I think Veloster N is the more fun choice, and
it would actually work for your needs.
Hey, everyone.
Good news.
AMG-GLA-45s are, while they're not stupid cheap, but they're cheap, they've come down.
Here's a 2021 for 28 grand.
38,000 miles.
Come on now.
It keeps scrolling.
Here's a 2016 for 27 grand, 62,000 miles, and so the right about the 25, $30,000 range,
you were spot on with this.
Where he thinks it's going to be, he thinks that will be acceptable.
Go see if it's acceptable.
I think you want, well, the older interface was 2015 and 16, I believe.
It changed with 2017.
Somewhere in there.
But the 2015's.
Here's one with just under 50,000 miles.
2015 for 229.
Come on now.
That is a lot of cars for the money.
Little ride.
Oh, here we go.
2015, 62,000 miles, 20 grand.
Bob's your uncle.
Or, you know, Don's your Mercedes owner.
One of the two.
Or Don's your AMG guy.
Don.
Ooh, you got choices.
Pages.
Look at these things.
I'm telling you.
They are overlooked and they're sitting there.
Here's one for 13.3.
Don't get that one.
106,000 miles in Tucson.
Don't buy the cheapest one of the country.
That only makes good content for you.
That's good to say.
Maybe we should consider that for.
Maybe, maybe that acts now.
You got me intrigued for different reasons.
Yeah.
All right.
How bad could it be?
We could find out.
How bad could it be?
How much can we suffer?
Okay.
Don, thank you for writing.
Really appreciate it.
This episode is brought to you by Buffalo Trace Distillery.
Powerful, yet smooth.
Contained but never tame.
Probably going their own way, but never going alone.
This is the spirit inside Buffalo Trace bourbon.
Made at Buffalo Trace Distillery.
The world's most award-winning Distillery.
Buffalo Trace is always perfectly untamed.
Distilled aged and bottled by Buffalo Trace Distillery.
Franklin County, Kentucky.
Ninety proof, 45% alcohol by volume.
Learn more at BuffaloTracedistillery.com.
Please drink responsibly.
Lots of great questions as always, guys.
Thank you guys for...
There's lots of big paragraph questions today,
which I really like.
Also, we posted pictures of the Taos.
The Refresh Taos, which we have spoken of many times
because, and I have to say this again,
when we got the last generation Volkswagen Taos,
a rare thing happened.
And that is Paul really had a personal struggle
because he had that kind of moment
where we were all taught as kids.
If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.
And he was like, I don't know that I can get in a car
and talk to a camera and have anything decent to say about this.
I mean, there was just vitriol.
And then we shared on the podcast a lot.
So we didn't even do a test drive.
The new ones here were going to do a test drive
in hopes that it has gotten better.
I can't believe I'm going to say it this way.
In hopes that it has gotten to test drive quality.
That's I guess what I'm going to say now.
You've moved up a notch.
We don't.
You're up to notch one.
We have plenty of things we've liked
and plenty of things we don't like in many, many cars.
But we don't want to get in something
and only say bad things.
So that was literally the decision
that was made with the last Taos.
I hate to say it, but it's true.
So here's...
Keefab alone is made out of despair.
I know.
I know.
It's self.
The fob does not...
Even the new one.
The fob does not present a good case.
But we're going to hope for the best.
So that's out there.
That test drive will be coming.
We've got a lot of cars coming actually
for the test drive channel.
I want to let you know in case you are a person
that follows test drive or wonders
where the Wednesday drops of those audio have been.
We haven't had press cars for test drive in two months.
We just haven't been delivered any.
So we haven't done test drives for two months.
So that circuit is coming back around now.
We're actually going to have two at a time for a while.
So we've got a lot of shooting to do.
A lot of test drives to release.
Also next week we have a really cool piece
that we shot last year.
We've been waiting on a little bit.
That is the Lotus Amira.
My Lotus Amira actually.
Versus the NSX.
Versus the Ferrari 360 with a manual.
And the concept is which would you rather?
Because price-wise, they're pretty similar.
So that's coming next week.
We're excited about that piece.
Lots of other good stuff coming as well.
But let's get into questions.
I'm going to start with Christopher's question on Facebook.
Because it's a tire question.
Like he says, if the rubber compound is what makes it stick
to the road and the tires,
treads are mostly for water dispersal.
Why does a tire slide more when the treads are low?
He said, don't they use slick tires for racing?
He's had his tires for two and a half years.
It seems like the back is sliding on a lot more now.
What is going on?
Christopher, I'm going to relate this directly to F1.
Not because I have any F1 driving experience at all.
The reason is because when you hear those guys
at the top of racing talk about tires.
They put a new set of tires on.
We could all argue these are potentially the best tires in the world
for the application.
They have no tread unless it's raining.
But so they're fully slick.
Their entire purpose in life is just to grip and be rundown.
All right?
The first lap or so, those tires aren't ready yet.
They're kind of getting them up to speed.
All right?
They're kind of wearing off whatever film was on them.
Your tires you bought for your car have that too.
The first 100 miles or so,
we've found a lot of times when we drive cars.
If we're 100 miles or so when we get brand new
reddish-dines and a brand new whoever in,
we're like, I haven't decided yet.
Then 102 miles or so, we're like,
okay, all right, I get a feel for these tires now.
Those guys, enough, want to get in a lap or two.
And then they have what I would describe as like
the usable middle of the tires.
Where you don't hear them talk about tires for a while.
They're just gun and laps.
And the tires wearing, of course it is,
but they're just due in laps.
And then you have what I would describe as like the last
30% of that tires life.
We're depending upon the driver, the car,
the setup, the circuit,
depends on how much they're complaining.
Now, if you zoomed out,
you got like 30% of the tire life left.
What's the problem?
But then back of the tires,
where the car starts to drive differently.
You're experiencing that, Chris, for you're discussing that.
You have two and a half year old tires
they've got some tread worn down and they're operating differently.
You're on the back end of those tires life.
And so they're acting differently.
I don't know what kind of heat soak or extreme temperatures
they've encountered.
All of that can change the life of a tire.
But it's not the tread that's causing change.
It's the fact that the tire is getting older and having wear.
And you can see it right there in F1 in 20 laps.
You can watch the life of a tire happen.
You're on the back 30%.
The Bruce B on Instagram says,
pretend it's opposite day.
Imagine a world where Paul has a minister of finance,
maybe even a kid or two.
And Todd doesn't.
All right.
Would our garage be different?
Yes.
If so, how?
I can tell you, I wouldn't have had a second 928 in my life.
That would have never happened.
You were very right.
You were very right.
Think about this, Bruce.
When I got that 928,
it was all nostalgia for me.
It was 13.5, I think.
And I just paid cash because I just wanted it again.
It was a dumb decision.
I just wanted it.
I don't know why, but it just spoke to me again.
I just had to have it again.
I didn't know that I'd go through a rebuild.
I didn't know that I'd throw even more money into it and all that stuff.
But that means that four points road trip series would have never happened.
It's a good point.
It's a very good point.
It's also not like I had to convince you to go get a 300ZX.
I hope it was clear that Todd,
I never made it.
You've got to go get a 300ZX.
No, you didn't buy a 928.
No, you didn't buy a 928 with that perspective.
What if you got one?
I mean, I guess there was not a sense of obligation,
but sort of like,
you know what?
If you did get one,
it could be great for road trips and revisiting what the Genesis of the show was.
We could instantly see the through line.
And it turned out,
and the experiences that we've had because of that.
But that would have wiped out two years of content, Bruce,
because I wouldn't have had that car,
which means Todd would have never gotten another 300Z.
Now, if I had two kids,
depending on what my wife would want,
you know, I'm guessing she probably won an SUV.
I'd steer her away from a minivan personally.
I'd steer into one of the many SUVs,
and many of them that we've driven would be fine for kid duty.
You know that.
And I'm guessing I would probably be,
I probably wouldn't have the GTS either.
Maybe.
But I'd probably have something fun.
I mean, maybe a GR86.
Maybe that would be more the long term kind of thing.
I could see it.
Maybe just a KMS, not just.
But you know, one of the,
maybe not full GTS.
Maybe something like that.
But I'd have it in a long term.
This is the car.
Budgets would be more restrained.
And maybe we'd have one giant SUV for road trips.
And it's interesting.
But the 928 would not exist.
Therefore, the memories, the films,
and it affects you.
Yeah, for sure.
The record sure affects our content.
This is interesting.
I wonder where I would have gone.
I wouldn't be surprised if I would have still figured out
how to wind up in a Lotus Elise.
That's a car I've wanted for a long, long time.
My wife's been very tolerant.
And she actually really loves that car.
So does my son.
That is a car that requires sacrifice.
But we've made those sacrifices.
I think I probably would have still bought one of those
along the line.
What I'm wondering is,
let's say I'm still living here.
I think what I would have is the next car.
The other car would be some sort of all-wheel drive hatch.
Hmm.
Maybe having kept the Subaru because it was so weird.
Yeah.
Maybe a GR Corolla.
The problem with the GR Corolla is the center exhaust pipe.
So it's harder to haul stuff because you can't get a hitch.
This is how far my brain has gone.
But I could see me having a little all-wheel drive,
manual transmission hatchback like the Corolla
or something like that.
That would be my bad weather car.
And then have the Elise.
I think that would be the two.
And then the question would be,
this is the real question.
Would I have re-bought that 300 ZX?
I think I might have.
You think so?
I think I would just have that as the every now and then car.
Crazy question.
Crazy to think about the sliding doors concept.
I guess for sure.
For sure.
Like when a Paltrow movie from...
Well, but the end of the time.
The concept is just forever.
I mean, you get to those monostones in your life
and you go back and go,
what if this had happened instead of that?
What's the progression?
And it's you never know.
I mean, what I always found so funny,
you know, coming out of high school.
And I think about this with my son now,
because he's a freshman.
Coming out of high school into college,
like those senior year of high school
into senior year of college years,
you know what you're going to do.
You know what your life's going to look like.
My life's going to look like...
Here, I could give you my list.
I would love to know the percentage of people
that even hit 25% of that list.
Okay?
And I'll give you a flip side.
If you hit all that list,
I kind of wonder if you shouldn't have been more...
taken more risks.
And if your list satisfying,
if your list shouldn't have been crazier,
you know, if you hit everything on your list,
should you have aimed differently?
Should you have been...
I should have been an astronaut.
I mean, what's the crazy part?
But I feel like that was the experience for me
as I had my list.
I could tell you,
coming out of college,
I could tell you what my life looked like.
And so little of that.
And I feel very blessed
had a life that I do completely.
But so little of what I intended
that I thought would make me content,
happy fulfilled,
is the way that my life unfolded.
And so it's always fascinating to stop and look back
and go, what if?
I think it's the Jeff Bezos model.
Early in his career,
I'm gonna sell books later in life.
I'm an astronaut.
What?
Well, I will never forget.
Tell me, whiteboard that out for me.
But I will never forget.
This is the billionaire problem.
I'm sorry.
And I'm not necessarily pointing it down.
It's Richard Branson.
It's the billionaire problem.
Here's the funny thing.
I remember he said in the interview,
Jeff Bezos said in the interview,
that when you have the kind of money
he has,
what do you do with it
as I'd go to space?
And I was like,
did you really just say that to straight face?
All the things you could do with billions of dollars
you don't know how to spend
and your conclusion is,
I'll build a rocket.
I could go to space.
What on earth?
Everybody's concluding,
I guess,
colonize other planets.
Billions could have done all kinds of things of that money.
But I guess,
I guess I have to go to space now.
Si.
On Instagram, Nick Lancy says,
let's say you've got it upcoming left hand turn
on a residential road,
how far before you're upcoming left hand turn,
do you merge into the left lane?
One mile?
Half a mile?
Is there a right answer?
I think the right answer is,
depending if there's traffic,
you know, up your trumpets,
trying to get by you
because I've got something similar where I live.
And I try to get over as soon as possible.
The lane is available,
but usually people are coming pretty fast
and they're wanting to keep momentum
and so I try to get over as soon as possible,
get that signal on,
give them time to react
because even though your signal is on,
it takes another few seconds,
five to ten seconds
for it to actually register
with the car behind you, Nick,
that they actually seem to,
oh, you're turning
because then they're crowding you,
then you're slowing,
then, oh, right,
your signal.
It takes a while for these steps to happen.
So I say as early as you possibly can
to start indicating
that you're getting out of their way.
I'm wondering,
and I'm reading in here,
I'm wondering if Nick is asking
a different version of this question
and has left out a key piece.
The key piece being traffic is stopped.
I think you're asking that question.
You know how you sit,
you're going to turn left
at the light up there
and you're sitting in stop and go traffic,
and it's a quarter mile of stopped traffic,
but you're going to turn left.
Can you cut into the middle lane
right there and go all the way down to the right?
Oh, that's a good question.
Yes, you can.
Just watch it from people making a last-minute
of course.
Of course.
Yes, of course.
But I don't feel like, you know,
there's any reason to sit in that line of cars
if you can get out of the flow
to where there's availability.
I feel like that's beneficial to not only you,
but the person behind you who is creeping forward.
So there's that.
But then it also brings me to my other rant,
and that is,
whatever happened to the zipper merge,
we're all going to merge to one lane,
to the right lane.
We're going to merge to the right lane in two miles.
It lives where VHS tapes do.
And I guess,
and you get one of two kinds of people.
You get the, I,
as soon as I saw the sign,
I've decided everyone needs to be
in the right lane immediately.
No, you don't.
What you're supposed to do is go up
until the lane actually starts closing
and you go every other,
every other, every other zipper merge.
We've all seen this person
that once they pull into the right lane,
they can't believe anybody's still traveling
in the left lane,
and so they'll now pull into the middle.
And I'm sitting here going,
I'm not trying to insult you.
I'm also not trying to steal your spot in line,
but there's two lanes here merging to one,
and when you get to the merge,
every other, every other.
I don't understand how the every other concept
got lost in culture.
We see it in the ski line.
Yes.
Unless there is a person
that works the ski area,
standing there,
making people go every other,
every other.
People just get oblivious like,
I had no idea there was anybody else
on the universe.
It's my turn now.
It's always my turn.
It's always my turn.
And anyways,
zipper merge folks.
People accelerating in the right lane,
all the way up to where the broken lines end
and you're supposed to start merging.
And they're,
you're still too abreast.
Like come on,
like the setup was way behind you.
Like what are you doing here?
But just the fact that there's two lanes of traffic
and now it's one,
it's just,
let's take turns.
What happened to taking turns?
It's kindergarten folks.
Let's just take turns.
Why would we learn it early,
but we forget it.
And then we forget it.
Yeah.
By the way,
since we posted the new
house on social media,
Tyler Meyer can understand why they
sent us the new one.
He doesn't think anyone talks
about the house as much as we do.
And any publicity is good publicity, right?
You're right, Tyler.
I think Volkswagen might have just
sent it because,
well, those idiots are going to talk about it.
So,
especially Paul,
we're going to,
like, really get him.
So here's the new
house.
Go ahead and do what you're going to do.
Something's going to happen.
We'll see what happens.
I, here's the thing.
I don't know how much
Volkswagen's paying attention
because if I were Volkswagen,
I'd be like,
do we send them the house?
Do we really?
Anyway, we'll see.
Like to put it in a circus cannon
in, anyway.
Separate thing.
Our friend,
Ockim from Germany is writing in
and he's asking me a question.
He says,
Todd,
I know you've regretted
every aftermarket exhaust
you've ever had.
But,
he wants me to hear him out.
With Volkswagen ceasing
the VR6 engine at Worldwide,
wouldn't it be cool
to put a crazy exhaust
on the Rubikayan
just to make it go full-wookie?
Maybe a snorkel intake
while I'm at it.
Ockim,
this is where
the reality of my life
and the reality of content
have a crash course here.
Because I would do this
for a video.
I would do it just to have it
in a video
where the thing
has big,
crazy, loud,
wookie noises
that I never want to drive
after the video.
And a snorkel.
And I would want to retrofit it
right back to where it is
as soon as the video was over
because that's the only way
I'd tolerate it.
I am of the category
where I have never
been in a car
and been like,
this really needs to be
lots louder.
And I've had this discussion
with Lotus Amira owners
because there are three catalytic
converters in Lotus Amira.
There were three on the Evora.
I'm down in the weeds now,
but there were three on the Evora as well.
Lots of Evora owners
took the third cat-off
because it made the exhaust
a lot more loud.
I have a loud car
in my lease.
I've traveled the country
in it.
I wear noise-canceling headphones
because it's loud in there
and I have the stock exhaust on.
One of the things
I'm excited about
with the Amira is
it's not as loud anymore.
And I don't think
anybody's driven the Amira
and been like,
I can't hear the engine at all.
And also this thing is slow.
It's screaming behind you.
Yeah, there's a lot of
supercharger noise,
but it's screaming behind you.
But the number of people
I have run into
that are other Amira owners
or have heard about the Amira
and their first questions,
you're going to move a third cat
and I'm like,
why would I do that?
It's fine.
I can hear it just fine.
But apparently,
loud exhausts and me
don't mix
and many people want them loud.
I get it.
It's just not me.
We are not done talking
about weddings.
Danny Hahn on Instagram
says, what would be
our drive-off
into the sunset
just married car?
Something you and your
significant other jump-in
and drive-off
in the end of a movie.
Speaking of that,
Danny, I will share
a dream that I had
when we had the Maserati
and the Faten.
Oh, no, okay.
I wanted you and I
to make Michael Bay
style commercial films,
like two, three minutes
featuring you
and your wife, Kate,
in the Faten.
And me
and my significant other,
whoever she would be,
I don't know.
Yeah.
But trying to think
that when I imagined for you,
it was like high-speed
desert running in the Faten
and there was a sunset involved.
Something was going to blow up.
Something was going to be fine.
Yeah.
But then for the Maserati,
it was going to be at
the Port Co-Share
for a really amazing
Las Vegas casino hotel.
Sure, yeah.
Like, underneath there,
and, you know,
all these amazing cars
and all the celebrities
out there, like,
all the top celebrities.
Yeah.
And I pull up in the Maserati
and the camera angles
are designed to show
all the flaws of the car.
What is that?
That doesn't belong here.
For sure.
It's salt falling off the back.
Exactly.
I think it does,
but it doesn't really.
And I go into the hotel
because I've got to retrieve my girl.
And I've got to go get her.
She's somewhere in the hotel.
Sure.
So I go retrieve her
and I'm walking through the hotel.
All the celebrities are looking at me
like, what is that guy doing here?
Mm-hmm.
And I find her
and we walk out to the car
and I put her in the car
and then you see,
like, the rust holes
on the Maserati
and, you know,
it goes to the badge that's fated
and, you know,
not great condition.
And then wait for the start-up.
And it's that nasty start-up noise.
But all that was the worst.
The scary.
Yeah.
Not all the heads turn.
The music stops.
All the heads turn.
And I'm looking around nervously.
It's the injured record scratch.
I love it.
That's great.
Yeah.
Started up.
Finally it fires.
My bride to be.
My gal is looking at me like,
please get me out of here.
Yeah.
But it's all shot with the Michael Bay
like squibs and sunset
and explosions
and the dramatic camera angles
that camera moving at high speed
for no apparent reason.
Yeah.
There is a,
there is a NASA briefing
in Armageddon,
where I swear you could get sick.
They're care.
It's a briefing.
Billy Bob Thornton
standing at the end of a briefing table.
Why is, why did somebody drop,
there was a shot literally that drops
from the fluorescent light,
past the fluorescent light,
all the way down
to past the top of the table?
Yes.
It's not like slow.
If you didn't slow,
that's one thing.
It's like the entire camera move
takes about a second and a half.
It's like, what are we doing?
It's like, what are we doing?
He's having a conversation.
Somebody fired the man to tripod.
Anyway, side though.
Yeah.
So finally the Maserati fires.
Okay.
And I excuse me pardon me.
Excuse me pardon me.
I finally, the crowd's part.
All the celebrities there
looking at me like,
what on earth?
This is a spectacle.
And finally I get out of there
and I'm able to slowly
tauter off into the sunset.
I figured you were going to say
you got the opportunity
to really wind out on Vegas Boulevard
and actually redeem yourself
because it did sound good going by.
Well, true.
Maybe that happens.
But then there's like a connecting rod
goes through the side of the block at the end.
Down the block like,
what happened to him?
I don't know.
There you go.
I love it.
More or derives?
Sure.
And scene ends.
It goes to black.
You know with pulling out back
from Las Vegas.
Oh, yeah.
All the lights.
And you just hear this.
Way out of the distance.
It's good.
That's good.
That's good.
There it is.
Well, you have it.
Die where it started,
which was Vegas for us.
Yes.
It dies near the airport.
I love it.
Daniel.
You rolled it right.
It just dies.
It rolls on no power right back to where we bought it.
That'd be perfect.
And then you see me in energy.
Perfect.
Perfect.
Can we?
Love it.
Yes.
Okay.
Daniel's writing it on Facebook.
That's amazing.
And he says,
what car currently in production do we think
would most benefit from pop-up headlights?
If you could choose one, what would it be?
And I, somebody else said this,
but I agree with it.
I think the answer is C8 Corvette.
That would be awesome.
Because the Corvette has a huge history of pop-up lights too.
Yes.
Massive history of pop-up lights.
C8 Corvette.
The front of that is so busy.
Wouldn't it be cool to take the lights off
and have them be pop-ups?
I think that car wins in that regard.
He asks,
is there a scenario or a car
which we think would benefit from a short-throw shifter?
Any car you got in and thought,
well, that's farther than I expected.
And it's going to be personal preference.
But I feel like a lot of manual transmission cars
in the 90s were great.
And if the shifter throws were less,
they would have been even better.
So kind of general car,
the love it cars in the 90s.
His last one is,
if you're PPFing a car and boy, have we?
This is a paid protection film.
You're going to do that to a car.
How much money should you really spend?
Is what he's asking here without asking.
Right.
Do you do the full car?
Do you do the front end only?
Do you do front and sides?
What do you do?
Now, on the Amira,
I did the whole car.
It was expensive,
but it was like,
have you seen this?
Have you seen the price tag?
We must protect it.
And it's already paid for itself.
So that's been good stuff.
So that's,
how much do you want to protect the car?
But I'll give you the best example.
The GR86 that we bought for the show.
We got the Toyota-provided
paint protection film on the nose,
which was a waste of money,
because how much they put on there was a joke.
And it was way too expensive.
Yes, they were charging.
Then we actually,
knowing it was going to be driven
all winter and year-round
in all kinds of situations.
We did the entire nose.
So from the front bumper
all the way to the A pillars.
And we did the high wear area,
which is the
just in front of the rear wheel.
That little triangle in front of the rear wheel.
And a couple of places on the back bumper.
And we were done.
And that was expensive,
but it wasn't whole car
and it felt worth it
for the kind of where it was going to get.
So that's my place.
Maybe for the Faten Film.
You guys are booking across the salt flats.
Uh-huh.
And it's sunset.
Are we picking you guys up?
Are you trying to get across from me?
Maybe we need a ride.
I've called you.
Could you come to Vegas
and pick us up
because the Maserati blew up.
The only time in history
that the Volkswagen Faten
is the reliable car to scenario.
I love this.
It's great.
And you have to get there
because, you know, it's getting dark.
I don't know, man.
We're out there near the Vegas airport
in the weeds.
And we've got a...
The Maserati rolled off
into the ditch.
Now you've got the end of the movie
heat, which is much scarier.
Let me take your point.
Yeah, there you go.
I thought that was LAX, though.
Wasn't that LAX?
Oh, it was.
But I'm just saying,
you're at the save concept.
Yeah.
The Maserati's like burning
in the background.
And we're walking away from it.
It lights the way
for the landing airplanes.
And you are on your way.
Right.
And we all get in the Faten
and the suspension collapses.
Well, it's something.
Of course it was.
Like at that point.
You can't put four people
in that car at once.
The suspension is doubted,
doubted.
And then, you know, like,
Michael Bay's squibs.
And, you know,
I've always said that I think
Michael Bay leaves his house
through a bunch of just gasoline
cannons.
Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom,
all the way down the drive.
Could it be a chopper?
A Huey comes in?
There has to be.
Somebody dangling,
like, I don't know.
Something.
The chopper comes in
in such a way that it blows
the smoke up in those
really cool curls
that happen and they're all
backlit by spotlights
from who knows where.
It's the middle of the desert.
Why are there spotlights out there?
We had no idea where there's spotlights.
But it happened anyway.
This is how production
like that works.
I had my last question,
which is Danny Boyzvert says
he's driven the MX-5 Miata
and the G-86 both new.
He loved them both.
He'd rather have the
convertible,
but he wants to vote
with his money.
His question is,
could he put money
down on the G-86?
Just continue to encourage
Toyota to keep making that car
because he knows the MX-5
will get another generation.
I really appreciate
where your head's at on this, Danny,
but you've said
you would rather have the MX-5
because it's a convertible.
You're voting with your money
there, too.
Even though the MX-5
is probably going to go on either way,
get the MX-5
because it's the one you want more,
because it is the one
that comes in convertible.
I totally back your play there.
I think the G-86
has surprised Toyota.
I think when it first came out,
we're successful.
No, no, no.
I think when it first came out,
they had low expectations
for it in the FRS
and the original 86
and it did okay, not great.
And I think the second generation
has exceeded expectations
based on what we know.
So even though they
don't have expectations
for it to be really expensive,
I think there is a future
for that car.
But what needs to happen
is consistent buyers
through this generation
of 86,
which is far beyond just you, Danny,
like consistent buyers.
If the last year of this 86,
like they sell three,
they're probably not coming
with another one.
But it's been really nicely
consistent.
And if that continues,
there'll be another one coming.
Guys, thank you
for all your questions.
Write to us every day.
Drive your TV at gmail.com.
Topic Tuesday's car
conclusions, car debates.
We love hearing from you.
We're looking forward to your questions
and looking forward to next time.
As always, cheers, everyone.
Thank you.
About this episode
A lively discussion kicks off with Todd and Paul reflecting on automotive partnerships, particularly the breakup between Honda and Nissan. They delve into the impressive performance of the new Corvette ZR1, which has shattered production car lap records at various tracks. The episode features engaging car debates, including a listener's dilemma between practicality and fun in choosing a new car, with suggestions like the GR86 and Golf R. The hosts also explore the significance of pop-up headlights and the merits of aftermarket modifications, all while maintaining a humorous and relatable tone.
all wheel drive
ceramic, rinseless wash
CVT
front wheel drive
Griot's Garage
lap records
Magnaride
markup
Nürburgring
pricing
BMW 2 Series
BMW 3 Series
BMW 4 Series
BMW Z4
Chevrolet Corvette
Dodge Viper
Ferrari 360
Genesis G70
GMC Yukon
Honda Civic
Honda Crosstour
Hyundai Elantra
Hyundai i30
Hyundai Kona
Hyundai Veloster
Kia Sorento
Kia Stinger
Lexus LS
Lotus Elise
Lotus Emira
Lotus Evora
Mazda MX-5 / Miata
Mercedes-Benz GLA AMG
Mini Clubman
Nissan 300 ZX
Nissan Frontier
Porsche 911
Porsche 928
Porsche Cayman
Ram 1500
Scion FR-S
Subaru BRZ
Toyota Corolla
Toyota GR 86
Toyota GR Corolla
Toyota Supra
Volkswagen Golf
Volvo S60
Original notes
Merger discussions and lap records in the kingdom of cars! The guys debate practicality vs. fun for Drew in MI, who is tired of his truck. They also discuss choices for Don in TN, who wonders if VWs are fun enough? Social media questions ask why your tires slide more when the treads are low, how far before a left turn do you merge left, and what is the best ‘just married’ car?
Please rate + review us on iTunes, and subscribe to our two YouTube channels. Write us with your Car Debates, Car Conclusions, and Topic Tuesdays at [email protected] or everydaydriver.com. Don’t forget to share the podcast with your car enthusiast friends!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Everyday Driver Car Debate
Everyday Driver
0:00
61:52