Hands-free highway driving means the car can drive itself on the highway, so you don't have to keep your hands on the wheel all the time. It's designed to make driving easier and less tiring.
The Ford F-150 is a big truck that people use for work and play. It's popular because it's tough and can carry a lot of stuff, making it a favorite for many drivers.
The Z26 street warrior brake upgrade kit is a set of parts that help your car stop better and faster. It’s made for people who like to drive their cars hard.
The BMW M3 Competition is a super sporty version of the M3 that is really fast and fun to drive. It has special features that make it better than the regular M3.
The Toyota 4Runner is a tough SUV that can handle rough roads and adventures. It's a great option if you like going off the beaten path and need a reliable vehicle.
The GMC Sierra Denali is a fancy truck that has lots of nice features and can do heavy work. It's perfect for people who want a strong truck that also feels luxurious.
The Ford SVT Lightning is a fast version of a regular truck that can go really quickly. It's made for people who want a truck that can also feel like a sports car.
Powder coating is a way to paint metal parts by using a special powder that sticks to the surface and is then heated to make it hard. It's a popular choice for changing the color of car rims.
Car
Toyota TRD Pro
The Toyota TRD Pro is a special version of Toyota's trucks that is made for off-roading. It has better parts to help it drive on rough trails.
Car
Mercedes GLA AMG 45
The Mercedes GLA AMG 45 is a small luxury SUV that is fast and fun to drive. It has a fancy brand and looks stylish.
The Mercedes-Benz GLA AMG is a small, fancy SUV that drives really well and looks sporty. It's perfect for people who want a luxury vehicle that’s also fun to drive.
The GR Corolla is a fun and sporty car from Toyota that can be great for college students. It has a manual option, which makes it more engaging to drive.
Griot's Garage makes products to help keep cars looking great. They sell things like wax and polish that car lovers use to clean and shine their vehicles.
Car
Datsun 780
The Datsun 780 is a type of car that was made by the Datsun brand. It was popular for being a good, reliable car that many people liked to drive.
The Hyundai Genesis is a fancy car that feels really nice inside and has lots of cool features. It's a good choice if you want a luxury car without spending too much money.
The Volkswagen Alltrack is a type of car that can handle rough roads and has all-wheel drive. It's good for people who want to drive in the city but also go on adventures.
The Jeep Wrangler is a tough car that's great for driving on rough trails and in the outdoors. It's popular with people who love adventure and exploring.
The Hyundai Veloster N is a fun, sporty car that's great for driving fast. It's designed for people who enjoy a thrilling ride and want something unique.
The Ram TRX is a super-fast truck that can go anywhere, even off-road. It's made for people who want a powerful vehicle that can handle tough conditions.
The Land Rover Defender is a tough car made for off-roading and adventures. It's built to handle rough environments and is popular with outdoor lovers.
The Ford Edge is a comfortable SUV that has plenty of room for people and their stuff. It's a good choice for families who want a nice ride.
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.
I'm going to write my lifted Porsche Cayenne against a brand new Lexus GX-550. The price difference is significant. The trail is the same. We drove down to Moad, we went down Fins and Things, and we get a little nuts. Of course, Paul and I are not off-roaders first, so that's part of the fun. We took some of the harder routes than you're supposed to take in some cases, and that got a little tippy. Let's just put it that way, tippy, as the one we're going to go with. But we hope you'll watch that. We hope you'll enjoy it and pass it on to somebody else, especially if they're an off-roader or considering either of those cars. We're glad to have
more cool pieces coming up soon, and that leads us to the biggest stuff of the year, which is Circuit of the Americas in the middle of the year, May 31st, June 1st. We are having a huge HD two-day track day event, but we are road tripping and filming all the way there, and road tripping and filming from there, past hail of the dragon in the week to follow. So we've got two weeks where the filming coming away with a bunch of road trip films we're very excited about. We'd love to have you involved in any part, any of that you'd like to be involved in. There's going to be cars and coffee, food trucks, all kinds
of stuff going on with the track day, plus we'd love for you to get on track. Be there for the 1000th podcast. I know we keep beating it to death because it is our biggest event of the year for both of the brands that we shepherd. We are kind of amazed that it's happening. It's going to be huge. It's a big milestone for us, and we keep talking about the road trip before and after, and many of you keep asking. We are still working on the overall plan because we've got a lot of great response from you, and we're still figuring out cars. What cars will be in films, what cars will be driving. So there's a lot of logistics shuffling right now.
But rest assured, we will be coming out with that, and also go to hookdowndriving.com to find a track day near you. We've got such a great calendar, and the year is just getting started. We've had the Pacific Northwest season opener, and that was just kind of the pre run, the pre event. And it was still great. It was really a good day. Just before everything really gets underway. So there's a lot of regions. There's great coaching to be had, and a lot of fun on very iconic tracks, hookdowndriving.com. And speaking of tracking, we have
seen Eddie Jordan has passed. And very sorry to see that. Eddie was a team owner in F1. He was actually a driver, and first brought Michael Schumacher to the Benetson team, I believe, in 1991, and gave Michael his shot at F1. We went on to become one of the best drivers ever. All time. True. And then Eddie went on to be one of the many, many hosts after the original three that we all think about for Top Gear left, and they came in with seven hosts, which was crazy, and didn't work very well. But Eddie was one of them. And he was always
funny. He was a character, and he died of cancer, which is really just tragic. So we were sad to hear that. For sure. Yeah. May his memory live on. I know he will always be referenced. We never got a chance to meet him, but the people knew him were always, I think, very fond of him. And yeah, quite an influence. One of those F1 characters, for sure. Yeah. Exactly. It seems like everybody in F1 is a character. Yeah, he had his own particular brand. There's drivers. He was before driver survived. So he was his own character, for sure. Even at a podcast with David Coltard, I believe. And so many things he was involved in so many areas, but I
what I love is his energy all the way to the very end. Yes, for sure. Continuing to be an investor in various companies and always always kind of up in the mix of things, which is really cool to see. So our IP Eddie, and thanks for being a character and entertaining us all. Ford, Blue Cruise, hands free highway driving takes the work out of being behind the wheel, allowing you to relax and reconnect, while also staying in control.
Enjoy the drive in blue cruise enabled vehicles, like the F-150, explore and Mustang Mach-E. Available feature on equipped vehicles, terms applied, does not replace safe driving. See Ford dot com slash blue cruise for more details.
We're not a build show, but one of the upgrades we definitely recommend is your brakes. An upgraded braking system can transform a vehicle's performance and give you better peace of mind in every situation behind the wheel.
Tracking, rock crawling or even your morning commute, every vehicle deserves performance breaks at an affordable price. No matter your vehicle and driving style, power stop has complete break upgrade kits for you.
The show's C8 Corvette is wearing the Z26 street warrior break upgrade kit with drilled and slotted rotors and Z26 carbon fiber ceramic pads. This is the right solution for the C8's Z51 package.
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Grayson's writing in from Virginia and he's kind of subtitle here is the influence of movies and then I don't feel like we come back. I don't feel like we really land that plane because what I read here.
Is a lot of Toyota love. Oh yes, for sure is quite a bit going on here. Grayson's been listening to the podcast for about the last six years Grayson. Thank you so much for writing. He's in Richmond, Virginia and had to sell his land cruiser last August and has been driving his parents car since then, but needs to find a car before starting college.
He's been a car enthusiast his whole life thanks to the movie cars and Grayson your comment there kind of made me think of a future topic Tuesday that time I think you and I could investigate about what car movies in our lives.
Purchase waited and grew that car love in our life, yeah, I definitely there's so many good car movies and just there's all the ones we talked before we should definitely visit that be fun.
The cars that Grayson's had include an 08 Toyota Land Cruiser in Pacific Blue metallic had 189,000 miles before the frame restaurant. Wow, okay. So what I'm reading here is they didn't last forever. It didn't. I mean that that you've heard that there's well 300,000 miles. This one went 189,000 of the frame rusted out, but it's okay. That's all right. Yeah, they're very good. They're good. He also had a 2015 BMW 228 I m sport six six-speed manual and estero blue. It was so fun to drive. He learned stick on that car. Love it.
And he says the cars in his family that he gets to drive include a 2018 M3 competition man to transmission 2023 Toyota 4 runner the anniversary edition there.
2018 Toyota Land Cruiser and 2013 Toyota Highlander. So he's Toyota heavy. Well, here's the thing is experience. Talk about family influence. I grew up in a GM family. We only drove GM cars.
Here we are with Grayson who has only driven either a BMW or Toyota, which is also the only things his parents drive.
Yeah, so okay. We got some real influence going on here. Like it Grayson's next car needs to be reliable to get him through the mountains to college and preferably mid to large body on frame SUV.
Okay, non-body on frame SUVs are okay as long as they are not small SUVs. And the budget is $36,000 full stop gas mileage doesn't matter. And he's coming from an old land cruiser. You got about 10 MPG. So anything will be better than that.
I love does it matter only because he's like I'm used to 10. So at that point, it's all on the table. Love it. He's got a lot of cars that he's considering including outliers that I think you're trying to talk yourself into but you give reasons why they don't work. I like that you thought of them for sure. Yeah.
And most of them well, half of them are not body on frame SUVs. Yes, and the cars at least half of them are Toyota products.
It's true. I understand you're going to need it for not having to worry about it. You want an appliance that you love to drive something that is great way to put it like it.
Completely reliable. And you still love driving it. Sometimes those two are in direct conflict. Grayson with each other. But we're going to work on finding you something good. The cars he's considering, of course, include a Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro in cavalry blue. I like how you know exactly which one you want.
The two cars he's known were both blue. There's a blue thing going on here anyway. Yeah, a voodoo blue 2019 for runner 2013 to 2015 land cruiser. So about a decade, just over a decade old for the F250s Sierra Denali GMC's Toyota to come a TRD pro in blue.
Okay. All right. Got it. And then an LX 570 also Toyota product 2013 to 2015. It's pretty much the land cruiser in the Lexus suit. Yeah, exactly.
These outliers that I mentioned include the Lexus GSF. He says it's too expensive. The ISF. It's too old. Any worries if he could get it to and from school in the snow.
Ford SVT Raptor Gen 1 Raptor. He says gas mileage is actually horrible. That actually I think you're underselling it. The first gen Raptor has had the V8. And if you drive it like intended, it probably gets worse gas mileage than what you've been used to at 10 with the land.
True. Yeah. And then to Porsche vehicles, he suggests a cayenne GTS or turbo. Oh, okay. 958. And dot one and dot two generations. So the earlier generations on those. And the 2017 and newer Macon GTS. I like how you're shooting for the good trim levels. It can't just be. I did notice an S or a base. It has to be GTS or turbo. But it's difficult to say I don't want a small SUV and then include the 2017 and newer Macon.
That is a small SUV. So I, okay. Anyway, moving on. The Toyota vehicles, the land cruisers, the fur runners. Those are the front runners because he doesn't like the image of the Lexus. Okay. Although Grayson, the Lexus has become sort of the cool kids car to have because everyone figured out, oh, it's a land cruiser. They were initially cheaper. The prices have gone up since then. But everybody kind of directed themselves to the Lexus and it's become kind of a defective off-roader. The GX, especially.
I thought about this because again, he talks about image again when he gets back to I would love a cayenne, but the image is too much for me. Grayson's realizing this. I'm reading in luxury. Grayson's realizing he's about to be in college.
He's a freshman in college, giving off an image by the car he drives. He's going to give off that image to roommates. He's going to get off that image to teachers. He's going to get off that image to dates. That's true. So that's true. If he drives a Lexus, it's a different field than he drives a land cruiser.
And in fact, here's the thing. I would love to talk you into a cayenne, but I think it's wrong for you Grayson because the used first gen cayenne is way under your budget would be reliable. And I think you would enjoy it.
But people seeing freshman in college gets out of used cayenne. They have a different field. Here's the thing. If you bought a used land cruiser for twice as much money as that used cayenne.
Use land cruiser. That guy's approach bull. He's a bit of an off-roader. He's rugged used cayenne. He's spoiled. You know that's what it's going to say. That's true. So Grayson's worried about that.
So I think that's the reason that the Lexus falls with the cayenne because it gives the wrong impression, even though deals are out there on those cars.
You mentioned you almost bought a for runner in the blue. You keep mentioning. But it had blue rims. You can get other rims. You get those powder coated. You can very cheaply get them powder coated and change the rim color. I would not let it's Grayson. It's like buying a watch and letting the strap influence your decision.
I would look at you with a watch reference. Don't buy the watch for the strap. That can get changed whether it's a metal bracelet or any kind of strap. That's not why you bought the watch. Even though it supplements it. It looks good on it. Or maybe it doesn't. But if you want that, you just know you can change. Same thing with wheels, tires. Those are the first things to go for sure.
And he says the lack of blue TRD pro four runners is getting annoying. I didn't realize there was a person just searching out. That's what we're doing. Just searching out. The blue TRD pro four runners. And there weren't enough blue ones made for his liking. I like it. Good. Actually, what that means is the people that actually bought them that way are keeping them. That's what that means. You sell the white and the black ones. But the blue ones you hang on to apparently. He would really like the car to be blue. I noticed this. Yeah. For the land cruiser because they don't offer it in the date range.
The model range that he wants. Research has gone into Toyota trucks here. I'm just saying. Yeah. Wow. Grayson, I want to encourage you again. Because you're buying used, it might take you while.
But if you find one that is really great and is going to meet all your expectations except for the color. I'd say put that last on your list because you're buying used.
When you buy used, color is important, but it's not the only thing. And especially, I don't know how long you're going to have this.
I feel like with the Toyota love and the reliability that you're requesting, you might be looking at this as a very long-term vehicle.
Not only are you going to have it through college, but it'll last through first job, all the firsts from here on out.
Is the right, the exact right vehicle. So important to you that it's preventing you from finding and accepting some of these others that would be great for the next two, three, four years of college.
Perfection is the enemy of good. I see where you're going. Yeah. I'm wondering if that's happening here because the only time that you can get exactly is when you walk into a dealership and you order one.
True. That's why people do that. And that's completely valid. But there's a cost to that. And there's also the waiting period.
I feel like you kind of need something fairly soon. But you might be bypassing some things because it's not exactly the right spec.
Well, when we're all buying used cars, there has to be a give and take. I mean, there just does. It's hard to find the one in the exact spec.
You're going to pay for it.
Here's my question for you, Grayson. Go to something else. Yeah, here's my question for you, Grayson. I'm assuming you're using Autotempis.com slash every day for these searches. But I'm wondering if you are looking nationwide or not.
That's a great point to go to college. You know what? Buy this car across the country and make getting at home part of the adventure.
That's a great book nation wide. You will open up so many more options for yourself and you know what Autotempis you can actually search by color.
So you can actually just root out all the ones that aren't blue. And I guarantee you most of the posts on Autotempis are not going to know if it's voodoo blue or whatever other.
They're just going to say blue. It's a blue one. Okay. So if you search under blue, you can find a lot of them nationwide. I bet. And then make an adventure for getting that car.
The struggle here, man, is you are such a Toyota guy. You are so deep into Toyota paint names that I think the chances of us talking you out of one of these Toyota trucks that is up at the top of the list, the four runner from 2018 or the TRD pro in voodoo blue from 2019.
The chances of talking about of those I think are slim. And I am going to say to you look, we do this a lot of times on the podcast where people write in and they're just looking for validation.
You want body on frame. You want reliable. You have Toyota love. You know the colors that you want. I am going to be the first to the two of us because we're both going to say it. If you want that car, go get it.
Okay. I'm going to give you options. But I'm aware of the fact that I am I am pushing the boulder uphill. Okay. Trying to get you to get into anything other than those fair fair.
I do like first in clients for you. I understand it's probably the wrong impression. I have three others.
Two, I don't think you're going to take seriously, but you should. And one, I think is the genuine alt to the Toyota you're looking at.
The first two are a Mercedes GLA AMG 45 decent gas mileage, even though it's not what you're going for. Yes, it's a small SUV, but you said you were considering macons.
This yes, it's a Mercedes badge, which gives an impression as a young college kids, I get it, but it's essentially a Mercedes hot hatch.
It's that is a car that I as a guy in my 50s get out of people go, that's a little bit of a weird car for you, but college me gets out of it.
It's like, that's a cool car. It's a college kid car. Okay. I mean, I would still drive it because I'm weird, but that it's been winged. It's crazy.
Okay. Fantastic seats. The thing you've never actually clarified Grayson. I'm just curious about it is, why do you need something so big?
It's not, I have this weird hobby that does stuff. It's not, I have to haul 14 dogs. It's not me and my friends are always going to go, there's none of that.
There's just, I want big body on frame and I'm sitting here going, for what exactly? So I'm just pushing on you a little bit, what about a crazy hot hatch in the GLA AMG 45?
Or while we're talking crazy hot hatches, you know what you can get for about $36,000 new, the base GR Corolla.
Come on, that's going to deal with any snowy thing you have. You're a college guy, drop the back seats, throw all your stuff in the back.
Manual transmission, just enjoy the GR Corolla. You can now get in an auto, but come on $36,000, the base Cor GR Corolla would be a fantastically fun college car.
And you like Toyota product. I think that car comes in blue too, but maybe never trims. But my point is, GR Corolla, I would love for you to have a hot little hot hatch from Toyota
instead of the big lumbering land cruiser or four runner. I would like that for you, but I think you're just going to buy something big and body on frame.
So if you are, I have to give you the alt, you're not going to take seriously, but you should. And you're not going to take it seriously because you're a Toyota truck fan.
And I'm telling you right now, the only thing I would buy used alongside a similar Toyota used truck and feel every bit is confident and suspect that in some cases, it might get better gas mileage, have better ride and have more space is the GM Tahoe or Yukon.
Really, yes, those are big, but he wants the eights. Those big V8s actually have cylinder shut off. They get surprisingly good gas mileage. They have in most cases, better rides, better transmissions and better interior space and amenities than the Toyota's you're looking at.
And I know many people, I'm painting with a broad brushier Grayson. I know many people who because they have Toyota love would never consider a Chevy.
Chevy's are terrible, but I'll tell you something. I've said on camera GM does two cars incredibly well. The Corvettes and the suburban Tahoe's those are the cars they do at a level above everything else.
And I was in actually I was in a snowstorm in Colorado in an old used Yukon recently and it was perfect and it's somebody's daily hundreds of thousands of miles they just run.
So get a big known V8 not all of them have great reliability, but get the V8s that are known to be good consumer reports can help you there. You need to look at a Tahoe and Yukon. Your family is probably right now screaming at the podcast because they only believe in Toyota's and I'm telling you branch out.
It's good advice Grayson. I do also feel like you're you're just going to buy the four runner. I also feel like you're going after a rugged look without knowing your off-roading or off highway adventures, maybe it includes camping, but aren't you going to be busy?
Hopefully not that busy. It is college. Yeah, maybe so. My college was unbelievably busy and yours yours was different. I had no time to do anything else.
So I said or owned you. Yeah, I didn't explore anything. I just was always working weekends nights. I never did anything else. So I guess I have that expectation, but if you do have time and you're kind of an off-roader, I do understand.
You want the rugged look, especially if you're going to be taking your friends. Sure. Yeah.
Places and if you've got the big car Grayson's driving always Grayson's driving. We're going with you. You're probably right. Yeah.
Also makes you the designated driver everywhere you go Grayson, but that's okay. So rugged look. Why are jeeps not on the table? Is it because of reliability? I mean the entire Jeep community would argue you down a rabbit hole. They would.
Or say what you need to do is buy this part to make it do blank. If only you bought X from company Y that would work forever and tear the earth apart.
Yeah, I mean, if you're really kind of going for that rugged thing, you've got to look at jeeps. And I do think you should avoid the Lexus from a perception problem, the Lexus and cayenne. Yeah, I can see it.
I think that's the issue there. I think it's just college freshman gets out of Lexus or cayenne. I think that's a problem.
Yeah, you will be discounted for some reason because you drive a cayenne. Well, you can't possibly know this because you have a Lexus or a cayenne or a...
You know, it'll be used against you, which I always hate because that's the antithesis of the show. It is. It is.
We always love saying, well, I got that brand and I got that car. Yeah, for sure.
Let me tell you the story. I got it for way less than you could ever think in there so much cheaper. I got this one for X dollars and it has that perception, but that's not what I paid.
And that's the beauty of what we do. I agree with that. I agree with that. But perception still very much is an issue here, so I do understand.
And my last suggestion for you is a Bronco. Can you go find the Tudor? I love the Tudor. It's the best version of the full size Bronco. I really love it.
Yeah, you could fit people in some gear. I mean, are you going to have it packed every weekend? Are you going? I love that.
I'd love that all day long. I mean, I admit, Grayson, I have not searched prices yet right now, but for $36,000, can we find you the Tudor because I feel like many people thought, oh, that's all I need and they wanted the Fordor.
They wanted more space and you can find those. Maybe a little bit more reasonably, maybe not fully loaded, but the Tudor Bronco has a cool, that also sends a certain message.
Yeah, I agree. You're not uppity, you know, still doing the rugged camping thing. It's a kind of a special truck to me too, so I wonder if you could go pursue the Tudor Broncos and see how those work out. But otherwise, really appreciate it. Grayson, happy hunting on your forerunner, your blue forerunner.
Search. Good job trying to find a blue forerunner. I mean, the problem is that the Bronco may be out of price, but man, they're tempting. There's Bronco sports all day long, but that's not what we're talking about.
A grand of the only way he'd like a Bronco is the one I saw in town last week, Tudor, light blue Bronco. And I was like, that really is the play. That's the cool one. That would be very cool.
Unless you want a bumper budget, but you know, you're paying for school, so I do get it.
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Interesting we should end the last debate talking about Broncos and Jeeps, because we're moving on to Brian, whose title is I don't trust Jeeps.
I kind of try to tie everything in here. I know you do. Two sides of the coin. I enjoy the connected tissue very much, but I like that we've ended up with I don't trust Jeeps. That's very good.
Brian writes to us he's been listening to the podcast for almost a year. Really appreciate it, Brian.
He would like our thoughts on this scenario he paints. He's in his mid-50s, and he's had mostly wagons like the dots in 780 back in the day.
2010 Toyota Matrix, until it became a sun's car and a lot of trucks.
Or Toyota Trucks, two-wheel drive and 1985 four-wheel drive Toyota's, then oh a year, 2000 Frontier and a 2005 Yukon XL.
I feel like Brian also likes the rugged SUV body frame kind of thing.
All the stuff that we talked about in the last car debate has come back here again.
Except Brian bought a 2013 Genesis coupe two years ago.
Love it.
And transmission 2.0 R spec. He still enjoys it and looks forward to wherever he needs to go.
But he needs a vehicle that can do camping and biking adventures and has space for his standard poodle.
It was becoming a service dog. And his wife and son is coming back after college.
So then he bought an 0-2 pre-runner to coma. But he doesn't need two cars.
He doesn't want to keep paying insurance and taxes on both.
So at this point he wants something fun and practical that he can haul bikes or kayaks on occasion.
As space for three adults and a full-size dog.
And ideally a manual transmission.
So we're trying to merge two cars to one, two very different cars to one.
The Genesis coupe from 2013 and the 2002 Toyota Tacoma are trying to merge and do all of the above.
Okay. If Brian sells the Tacoma and the coupe, the Genesis, he might be able to get 12 grand.
He could add to it a little bit to get him up to maybe 20.
So I think 20 is what we're working with.
And he intends to buy used reliability also matters.
He's been looking at minis and foresters and an all-track Volkswagen.
That is a left turn.
Those three are not very similar.
And although he's always wanted a Jeep, he doesn't trust them.
Why is that?
Is it because of every car has problems?
He apparently has Jeep trauma that he hasn't shared with us.
Except for the many other options that he's seen make him happy.
It doesn't need to be big. It doesn't need to be fast.
But he'd like good dynamics and reasonable reliability at least for five years.
The Genesis was his mid-life crisis car.
Okay.
So having something showy or sexy isn't crucial,
that we wouldn't turn it away either.
What are our ideas for Brian?
Well, an all-track Volkswagen.
If that would do it for you, those are pretty expensive.
But then you're talking about trucks.
I just kept thinking trucks.
And you said camping, biking, or sorry, kayaks, biking and kayaks.
And space for three adults in a full-size dog.
In the all-track, I feel like that would get old real quick.
Well, but the all-track is that rare thing that is a wagon with a manual.
That's really the thing that puts a small wagon.
It is. It is.
It's a, you know, it feels like everybody would be like,
okay, and where are we there yet?
But it's GTI.
So, you know, there's, I can see the concept.
Because I went to something older.
I'm really, I'm trying to solve this.
Okay.
Bikes, kayaks, a bit rugged, outdoorsy manual.
That's Jeep to a T.
That's all the Jeeps.
Yes.
So what if you went back?
I had a buddy in high school who had,
I think it was an 88 land cruiser.
And every time I got in, he, it was just so cool.
I just, I have to admit, I just liked it.
And in first gear, it was like the granny gear, the rock crawling gear.
We take off from a light and we're like, are we moving?
Engine screaming.
The fan is going crazy, you know, trying to cool the thing off.
I just always thought it was really cool.
So I wondered if you went back to something older.
Reliability does come into play.
I understand.
But only you, Brian can hold up a newer Jeep Wrangler,
two door or four door.
And if it's reliability, you got to hold that up against,
like an old land cruiser, something like that and say,
which would I rather?
And you're holding them up and probably about the same price
because 15, 20 grand can probably get you something decent at either.
I would suspect I haven't gone that old with land cruisers.
But if you get something automatic, of course,
your options open dramatically.
You could get something midsize in there.
You could get, you know, all the moss of the Toyota's,
there's plenty of four runners in there.
Lots of four runners that would do exactly.
I could totally see you getting a four runner.
Four runners for everyone.
You and Grayson could fight over the four runners in blue.
Mine, mine exactly.
Outbid each other something for the blue four runner from 2019.
I have a few for you here, Brian.
I really like the mini idea.
Because the thing that makes this hard,
when you start to really think this through,
is your desire to have another manual.
The only things you've had that were automatic
were things that don't come in manual,
which is very interesting.
So you'd rather have the manual transmission.
That takes so many things off the table.
It's the reason that the Volkswagen's on there at all, I think.
It's because they're hard to find.
But you can get the all track in manual.
In the mini world, I see, what about a clubman?
Small, now four doors.
The recent ones are four doors.
Fun to use.
Usable, fun to drive.
I really think the mini clubman is a good one.
I think if you're going to look at the all track Volkswagen,
why not just look at the GTI.
It always has decent backseat space.
Obviously not much hatch room.
But you can get three people and a dog in a GTI.
And it's going to be more fun than the all track.
So I think that's really something you should look at.
I think what is the blend of everything you're looking for.
And then I have a wild card too, just for fun.
The blend of everything you're looking for.
Look, it's Genesis Coop.
But you want more utility.
So you want usable back seats.
A lifted Genesis Coop?
No, but I like it.
So you want usable back seats.
You want to be able to put a roof rack on it.
You want manual transmission.
You don't have to worry about it too much.
But you want that fun.
If you can get it, manual, I landed here.
What about a Veloster N?
Back seats big enough for a dog and a human.
They're available all day long at your budget.
Manual transmission.
Veloster N might get this done.
It almost feels like the blending of utility and the Genesis Coop.
I think that works.
But my wild card will probably surprise no one after I say it.
But my wild card is sitting here thinking about 20 grand.
You want truck utility.
But you want fun to drive.
You want manual transmission.
Where does all that blend?
Well, all that blended very briefly
in the late first gen Porsche Cayans.
There's not very many out there,
which you could get them in manual.
Those are hard to find.
You can get the base V6 I think
and I know you can get the GTS in manual.
I actually think if I'm not mistaken,
the beginning of the second gen,
the 2011-2012,
they also made in manual and then they stopped completely.
But the Porsche Cayans really is available as a manual transmission SUV.
And as I've shown,
they aren't worth much if you get the first gen's.
They're high mileage.
And the maintenance is scary,
price-wise, but not scary, reliability-wise.
So I know I've talked them to death.
But I did think it does actually do everything you're talking about.
And what you're talking about is hard to find.
So Veloster N with a roof rack,
or a cayenne with a manual.
What do you think, Brian?
Nissan Pathfinder,
the latest generation of the Pathfinder.
I keep thinking three adults and a full-size dog,
with a kayak on the roof
and all your junk in the back,
and maybe some bikes.
Sure, we'll just put a headset.
Tough sell for a sports car for me.
It's a tough sell for a manual too, yeah.
What about X1 or X3 BMWs?
What about those?
What about an X5 diesel from like 2012?
Those are cool, unique.
Yeah, manual.
But, you know, that, yeah,
I'm thinking about the BMWs in that size.
I mean, I'm scrolling past many jeeps.
We're just bringing you around to Jeep.
Coming back around.
We're going to bring you around to Jeep, Brian.
Okay, what about Mazda CX5?
Still fun to drive.
Is that enough fun?
But is it enough fun for what we're talking about here?
It's just a sea of sadness.
It'll be more fun, I don't know, maybe.
Reese's peanut butter cups.
They go perfectly with music.
Podcasts.
And welcome back to the show.
Even nature sounds.
Oh, and the thing where someone crinkles tissue
and whispers at you.
Hello.
Look, I'm not here to judge what you listen to.
I'm here to judge you for not eating Reese's
while you listen to it.
Reese's.
Actually, go back to the nature sounds.
Nice.
That's really nice.
Lots of great questions.
Thank you guys.
As always, Matthew Dirks is asking about
any updates on Tail of the Dragon for this summer.
Though we don't know the cars in the film we will be doing,
I will let you know that we're going to probably be there.
I believe it's Thursday the 5th.
It's the first Thursday in June
when we're scheduled to be at Tail of the Dragon.
Because the whole point is to be there on a Thursday
when there's not a thousand people in the road.
But, you know, we would love to see if you're in that area
if that's what you're looking for information-wise as far as
our actual schedule for the day.
That is still TBD as we lock in cars
and we figure out the filming schedule.
But we're hoping to be there on that Thursday
to get away from the weekend.
We've heard that there's already car clubs coming that weekend.
We want to be done before that.
That's the intention.
We'll see.
On Instagram, Jorge asks,
do you have any ideas about the road trip that we did?
You know, we knew we were going through a particular state
or park or area.
And so we had added all these ideas around.
I will say no, I'm always open for whatever we have in the future.
It's just I think we haven't had any major road trips
that we did and we knew we were going through a particular state
or park or area.
And so we had added all these ideas around.
I will say no, I'm always open for whatever we have in the future.
It's just I think we haven't had any major road trips to really pull out the ideas.
If you think about it, when we did those,
what Jorge is referring to is you watch our cars of the past series.
It was the four point series.
We went from Park City on our old cars,
the 928 and the 300 ZX.
We went each direction of the compass.
We made a big road trip film.
I'm very proud of those.
They turned out really well.
But the gag that we started doing in those was we would find roadside attractions
and we would connect it up to a movie.
And that was just the running gag for that series.
And while that worked,
I feel like and please give us comments
to the contrary or in support.
I feel like since then we found our stride better
because when we did our South Dakota trip
and then when we did our Sierra trip,
we pivoted differently.
Our roadside stops were more history based.
And I think you and I are better in that scenario
than we are in a costume gag.
It's my opinion.
I think we did the,
let me host you at this historical place
better than we did the costume thing.
So that's kind of lean into it.
It's not because we don't like the costume department.
I thought it was hysterical to have a big,
big foot costume in my trunk.
I thought that was a riot actually.
But yeah, we've kind of leaned into the history side.
Which is, I think you're right.
I think there is some fun still in the awkwardness
of admitting what,
what the heck am I doing?
Yes for sure.
You was Buffalo Bill with your bus stash falling off.
Was it all type great? That was really very good.
I admit quite a bit of awkwardness trying
to do a character while not in character
and trying to talk about cars.
And yeah, I thought it was entertaining.
So I'm up for more.
On Facebook,
Jared Myers asks if either of us have owned
a rebuilt title vehicle.
And so how was the experience?
Jared is wondering if you were to purchase a rebuilt title vehicle.
What types of damage should he stay away from?
And what types would be considered okay
to not worry about?
Of course, it all depends on the history and what's available.
Sometimes everything is disclosed.
But most of the time you can count on it
not being disclosed.
And you will always make some fun discovery
much later on after you've bought it.
Now, Andre piles on here.
And Andre says,
investigate insurance implications wherever you are.
Where Andre is the only handful of insurance companies
will touch rebuilt title cars.
Even if they've been safely on the road for a long time.
And will make you jump through all kinds of hoops to ensure the car.
Because they have made rebuilt title cars
more hassle than they're worth lately.
So insurance is the main thing to consider here.
I was raised about insurance.
I was thinking about you cannot get alone for a rebuilt title car.
So you're going to have to pay cash.
You're going to lose more money on it when you sell it.
Think about that.
Because whatever you bought it for,
you will lose money again.
You'll get a deal because it's a rebuilt title.
But then you will lose money again against all the other ones that are out there for sale that aren't rebuilt title.
When you do sell it,
insurance will really depend on the place.
And then how do you pass inspection?
How hard is your state to pass inspection?
It might raise red flags there too.
I mean, doesn't mean don't do it.
Because the Lotus Elise was notorious for this.
You cracked the front clamshell and the insurance person was just like,
we're writing it off.
And there were a lot of them where they just rebuilt the clam.
Took six months to get it.
And they got a new front end of the car.
And they put them back on the road.
And that was the only thing wrong with the car.
Were those ever repaired or did they have to be replaced?
I mean, you could repair them depending.
But it's a fiberglass front end.
And when it gets cracked, it's pretty much done.
So what happened generally is,
I'm talking about when they were new.
And people took them in for an insurance adjuster.
And they were like, well, we have to replace half the car.
It wasn't like, I'll put a new bumper on them.
I'm going to put a new nose on the car.
And a lot of those cars drove fine.
But that's an exception, not the rule.
An urgent question from Aaron G who has a dream opportunity
to get a steal of a deal on a 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP.
Aaron knows the buyer.
Semi-directly.
He's a close friend of some boat drag racers he does photography for.
This person has other incredible vehicles.
Cloted TRX RAM, 71-restormon Firebird.
The title is clean.
Okay, step one, title is clean.
Maintenance is car facts documented.
And one of the board members of this boat drag race club
that he knows has volunteered to check it out for Aaron since he's 700 miles away.
Okay.
He'll be get it up on a lift and comb through everything
sending good detailed pictures.
So what is Aaron forgetting?
Obviously, the childhood dream car has him daydreaming.
But what else should he keep his eye on for the purchase process?
He mentions small things like needing tires or getting fluids checked.
For big stuff, what do we suggest?
He's a toddler and a candy store, he says.
So what should he be on the lookout for for buying remotely like this?
But also buying something that he thinks is in great shape
but is still being cautious enough.
I think you're looking at it the right way
and I'm excited for you to possibly get this thing.
It doesn't like it's taken care of.
Well, that's all great.
Here's my question.
What you've essentially told us is
I have a buddy who's going to check the car for me.
Does buddy know what he's doing?
Because if it were me,
unless I knew and I've known these people,
unless I knew that the buddy had a background as a mechanic.
I don't care how much you're my buddy,
I'm sending it to a mechanic.
I would send it to an actual mechanic
for a real pre-purchase inspection by a mechanic
and not just counting on your buddy.
If they can put it up on a lift, take photos great
but get a real pre-purchase inspection
unless this person happens to also be a mechanic.
Don't have a friend of a friend go,
yeah, the car's cool.
That concerns me a bit.
So a real pre-purchase inspection.
Then I would just assume,
figure out the mileage.
Whatever was within 10,000 miles of the mileage you're buying
it for, 10,000 miles away from that
in either direction that's supposed to be done
on the maintenance schedule,
assume that hasn't been done.
Look it up.
Just assume whatever's within 10,000 miles away
from where you are right now hasn't been done
yet and fully expected to do new tires.
That doesn't mean this might not be a great deal
but if you come in with that headspace
you'll kind of know, all right,
I'm just inventing a number.
This is going to cost me $2,500 after I get it.
I mean whatever your number is,
you just know I'm going to get it for this amount
and I'm going to put this much into it in year one
and then it's going to be great.
You should also ask your friend,
I think this friend that you know
how long they had the car.
I think that's a key indicator,
hopefully long enough for them to have driven it,
used it, maintained it.
It's a part of their life,
not just, I got this cool thing
and I'm flipping it for a friend
or you just had it for a few months
and you did some burnouts with it
and you know that kind of thing.
I think that's always an indicator about
how long that person has had it
and of course mileage is always something to look at
and just kind of average it out.
What is that mileage that's on the car
on the tires, think about getting fluids checked,
those are the big ones
and then definitely on forums
or wherever you can find information
about that particular model is
what are the major things that people have had go wrong
and ask,
has that gone wrong?
Excellent, yeah.
Daniel has an odd question for me,
he says he's trying to change the color of the gauges on his car.
He'd like to make him purple
but nobody has that kit.
So what he's been advised to do
is to get gels like the film industry uses
and put those behind the gauge
so that the lights coming through a purple gel
and creating a purple feel.
I see that.
What he's asking me is
where the heck does he get decent gels?
He's looking on Amazon and they all seem really cheap.
I'm going to give you a company called FilmTools.com.
They're located in Burbank.
In LA they are one of the premier places
to buy anything
for a Hollywood film production.
There's others but I know film tools
they've been around forever.
There's some kind of garage-sized space
and now they are warehouses
in the valley.
It's amazing.
So they have tons of stuff.
Whatever gels they're selling
are real stuff.
So go in there and look
but also keep in mind that
I'm going geeky here.
The purple that you get
is going to mix with the natural color of the gauge
and might come off a little differently than you expect.
But you could definitely get some gels that way.
His question is, where's the line
for tuning out of class?
Does it move according to the car?
He has a 2016 GLI which he acknowledges
is not our favorite Volkswagen.
But he loves it. It's great for his needs
and he says it is every day drivered.
But okay,
he's done pads,
rotors, tires,
and coilovers.
And he's saying, have I tuned out of class?
Am I about to where's the line?
Garage made him.
The amount of money you've spent,
let me put it to you this way,
would be hard for you to have bought a different car.
But what I'm concerned about is
what are you chasing?
If you're happy with your car
and what it does and you're just trying to make it handle
a little better, I think you've done fine.
If you have this current car
and you're trying to make it
handle like a rear wheel drive sports car.
Stop.
The big thing about tuning out of class
that we see all the time is somebody trying to take a vehicle
and do something that was never intended to do.
All right?
I'm going to make a lotus, a drag car.
Missed the point.
I'm going to make my pickup handle well.
What are you doing?
So depending upon where you're going with this GLI
is my question for what's next.
I feel like what you've done is made it
a better driving car,
but you haven't gone nuts yet.
It's just, I can see it on the horizon.
Groanlin is asking about off-roading,
which is not really what we do,
but watch our recent piece on the everyday driver channel.
He says his four-year-old is obsessed
with off-roading.
All they want to do is watch Matt's off-road
on YouTube all day, which is crazy,
because he does, which is cool.
Some of the nuttiest rescues from people
screwing up in Moab you have ever seen.
I mean, I want to watch from afar
about the mayhem.
Don't want to be any part of that.
And then click stop.
And we're leaving.
We're going to drive off-roader
that won't be uncomfortable to drive 50 miles
of highway to work and back
or 50 miles to the nearest off-road park
because he's in the Dallas area.
So he said, look, we're not driving around
Denver or Utah for off-road,
but a little bit of off-road.
He would prefer stick shift.
He's thinking about a used X-Tera for 10 grand
or what about a 2021 Bronco or defender?
Does 2021 defender come in stick shift?
I don't think so. The Bronco does.
The Bronco is actually a pretty cool seven speed.
Yes.
60 or the LX-570, which of course
aren't manual.
He says the Tacoma ride is awful.
It is bad for what you're talking about.
Four runners off-road trim may be rough as well.
Rented a Wrangler and thought it was way too tough
a ride.
Didn't like the noise, etc.
I have to go there again.
Old cayenne.
50 miles and an old cayenne is fine.
You might even be able to find a manual one.
But 50 miles and an old cayenne.
Do you get to the dirt roads outside Dallas?
Yeah. All day long.
And then the nice roads back?
I think that's enough off-roader.
I'll be honest.
It doesn't look the part.
It doesn't look like the big beefy off-roader
that your son has gotten excited about.
That's where you need the Bronco.
But you could spend your 10 to 20 instead of 35 for a Bronco.
10 to 20 and get a really nice cayenne and be done.
I like your cayenne suggestion.
I'm just leaning towards the Bronco.
Because all the others you listed,
Exterra Defender 4Runners,
GX460 or LX570,
they're SUVs first.
And most people just use them as that.
They can do what you want them to do.
The light off-roading trail running that you're wanting.
They can do it.
It's just that thing that looks the part.
Just wheels and tires on a Bronco.
Go bigger.
33s.
35s.
It just looks that cool part.
It looks right.
If you're willing to spend 35,
we've found some two-door Broncos.
I guess this is the recommend two-door Broncos podcast.
Who knew?
Because I am all about those.
And it's going to be close to a Jeep.
You didn't like the Jeep ride.
But it's better in the highway than the Jeep.
That's the place where it really does shine.
That would be cool. Plus manual.
Yeah.
I appreciate the Bruce B who writes it on Instagram.
He's just giving a public service announcement.
He said he has a crazy car thing to do this weekend.
And he needs a pickup for three days.
He said, how did I solve this?
I rented one.
It's just a public service announcement.
You just don't need to buy a pickup for those three days a year.
They are rentable.
I'm just saying.
And so is Bruce.
Guys, thank you for all your questions.
We really appreciate it.
Right to a 70-driver TV at gmail.com for all your topic Tuesdays.
Those cool car conclusions.
We've been getting a lot of those lately.
Chewing through car debates and seeing what you guys are buying.
And doing our best to help you guys.
Think differently.
Think blue far runners are cool.
We always try to.
If that's what you want, we will push you over the edge.
Other SUVs also come in blue.
I would like to remind you, if you haven't rated a review of this podcast,
we would love for you to do so.
Wherever it is you get this podcast.
We would love a rating and review that keeps it up in the top 10.
So many people have found this podcast because they just searched car podcasts.
And ours comes up as one of the top ones with great reviews.
And that is all due to you guys.
We greatly appreciate getting those reviews.
They are very important.
Thank you for those. And just thank you for listening.
Agreed. Really appreciate your interaction.
Looking forward to next time.
Cheers everyone.
About this episode
A lively discussion unfolds around the love for Toyota trucks and the challenges of Jeep ownership. The hosts share their off-roading experiences with a lifted Porsche Cayenne and a Lexus GX-550, while also planning a major track day event. Listener Grayson seeks advice on buying a reliable SUV for college, favoring Toyota models, but grappling with color preferences. The episode also touches on the implications of purchasing rebuilt title vehicles and the importance of thorough inspections when buying used cars. The hosts provide insights and recommendations for various listener queries, blending humor and automotive passion throughout.
In their opening segment, the guys pay tribute to Eddie Jordan. They debate rugged off-roaders for Grayson F. in VA, who wants something reliable and spacious for college. Then, Brian S. Is deciding what vehicle combines his outdoor lifestyle with fun driving? Social media questions ask if the guys will bring back the costume dept. in their road trip films, have they ever bought a car with a rebuilt title, and what should you look out for if it’s a “screaming deal?”
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!
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