So... what car do you guys drive when not flying?

equus said:
The difference is that you don't lose (unless you have leaks) petrol or diesel by storing it or transporting it.
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But you lose a helluva lot of energy in drilling it refining it, transporting it and burning it.

My Tesla Model 3 will only lose about 2-3% of battery if parked for a week at an airport in sleep and some of that is to keep charge in the good old 12V battery.
(Will be quite a bit more if the 4 camera sentry mode is left running, or cabin overheat in summer).

Indeed even if recharged by a diesel generator, an electric car will consume less diesel/km than an equivalent diesel car - as a diesel generator running at constant speed is far more efficient than the engine in the car.

TiredOldFlyer said:
I think it will be some time before electric cars will be practical, particularly in Australia.
The quoted range is established on a flat road with no headwind at 90 kph.
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For 90% of the population we are there now.

The main advantage is most people have a power source in their garage.. so you can wake up every morning with 200-400km of range (model dependent). The average Aussie car does under 50km a day.

Even on say a 500km round-trip you probably only need to top-up once for 10-15min.

Part of the range issue is because Australia uses a totally out of date NEDC (commonly referred to as Not Even Damm Close) test for both petrol and electric vehicles (it's actually based on a range of speeds and stopping if you look it up)
The current European WLTP and US EPA ratings are much more accurate.

Drive a petrol car at 115 into a headwind and there is no way you'll meet the fuel consumption sticker either. And tank size/ divided by that number is your theoretical range. The only difference is that an extra 100km of battery range costs a but more than a larger fuel tank.
 
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Quickstatus said:
One of the very last. Should be locked up and preserved in a garage and revived 20 yrs later. Will be worth a motza
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It's going to get the kid glove treatment and he aims to keep it for a long time.

He has a business out bush from KGI, hence buying from the local dealer, but he swings back to PER as home so the new vehicle will be garaged and used in the city and for holidays/runs to Margaret River mates etc. He has a 100 series for getting from KGI to camp and a heap of 70 series utes for work in the bush.

That's why he picked it up at the end of the swing. He usually flies between PER and KGI, so it won't get big distance usage or be on rough Goldfields dirt.

He tossed up about whether to get it, but decided to bite the bullet when it became apparent the demand was huge, the supply vanishing, the demise of the V8 was likely, and the KGI dealer fortuitously having one white one with black interior coming when he dropped in one day last year and that he could snare on a small deposit while he thought more about it.

I have a mate in PER who couldn't get a new one here for love or money but managed last year to snare a one in Queensland for delivery about now.
 
JohnM said:
It's going to get the kid glove treatment and he aims to keep it for a long time.

He has a business out bush from KGI, hence buying from the local dealer, but he swings back to PER as home so the new vehicle will be garaged and used in the city and for holidays/runs to Margaret River mates etc. He has a 100 series for getting from KGI to camp and a heap of 70 series utes for work in the bush.

That's why he picked it up at the end of the swing. He usually flies between PER and KGI, so it won't get big distance usage or be on rough Goldfields dirt.

He tossed up about whether to get it, but decided to bite the bullet when it became apparent the demand was huge, the supply vanishing, the demise of the V8 was likely, and the KGI dealer fortuitously having one white one with black interior coming when he dropped in one day last year and that he could snare on a small deposit while he thought more about it.

I have a mate in PER who couldn't get a new one here for love or money but managed last year to snare a one in Queensland for delivery about now.
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I think we're all still trying to get over the fact there was no photo of the guns. They're always in the photos! ;)
 
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Less than 70 new Jaguars available in the whole country. I guess I wonā€™t be getting an F-type any time soon. Prices are through the roof too.
 
Well, it's exactly a year since I took delivery of my Everest.

Just shy of 40K clicks on the clock.

I'm pleased with it. It's met all the needs that I outlined back in April last year (post #2081: So... what car do you guys drive when not flying?)

Long-run fuel consumption is mid-8s L/100km (ADR: 7.0 L/100km). I'm particularly impressed with this, especially the way it sips on long country runs, mostly poking along at a generous interpretation of 110kph. A topped-up tank gives me >1000 km range, which is pretty tidy for popping around WA.

I remain impressed with the 2.0L bi-turbo donk/10-speed auto combination. The motor is quiet and the whole drivetrain makes for a very drivable, good cruising vehicle for long runs on sealed roads and on dirt - a key spec on my list. I had a loaner Ranger with the 3.2L/6-speed at one service. The 3.2 is a very much coarser engine.

It's also a light-steering nimble vehicle around town.

I don't have any need for serious or sustained heavy-duty 4-wheel driving. I haven't done any rock-crawling but it handles bumpy tracks and corrugations with aplomb and it performs very well in sand. That meets my needs for good off-road capability for the odd occasion I need or want to go that way.

I thought this recent comparison (of a Sport with the 20-inch wheels; mine is the Trend with 18-inch wheels; otherwise identical) with a Prado was a very good summation of my experience: Toyota Prado GXL versus Ford Everest Sport 2.0L

I'd buy another one.
 
JohnM said:
2.0L bi-turbo donk/10-speed auto combination.
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That combination came out for the current Ranger some time ago and despite initial reservations generally by people who tend to drive these cars that small engines and beefy utes donā€™t mix, the reviews have been very positive.

The 10speed means the engine has a greater chance of staying at the top of the torque curve and finding a gear where the torque converter locks up

Itā€™s interesting you say the 3.2L is a coarser engine. Maybe the gearbox is partially responsible

Could you please elaborate on the characteristics of the 10speed. Also which gears have a lock up torque converter
 
Quickstatus said:
That combination came out for the current Ranger some time ago and despite initial reservations generally by people who tend to drive these cars that small engines and beefy utes donā€™t mix, the reviews have been very positive.

The 10speed means the engine has a greater chance of staying at the top of the torque curve and finding a gear where the torque converter locks up

Itā€™s interesting you say the 3.2L is a coarser engine. Maybe the gearbox is partially responsible

Could you please elaborate on the characteristics of the 10speed. Also which gears have a lock up torque converter
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Getting a bit technical for me there, mate.

'Coarser' may not have been the best word. It was more about the quite obviously rattlier noise compared with the 2.0L. It probably engendered a feeling of coarseness that I would not have liked in the Everest, which is quite refined in 2.0L guise.

I have read comments that the 10-speed can lose its place at times. I guess I've noticed that occasionally but not to the point of distraction or impeding driveability.

I have previously mentioned that one thing I particularly like is the rolling acceleration. It gets past trucks very swiftly; in fact I'm often surprised to look down at the speedo as I sail past a semi's cab to see I'm sailing towards 140kph, because it just doesn't feel like it.

As for which gears have a lock-up torque converter, I think you'll need to consult Dr Google.
 
Muppet501st said:
First time ive seen this thread :)
I have a few old cars, that my son and i enjoy
Original unrestored 1954 FJ Holden,
Nearly original 1959 FC Holden
Original unrestored 1974 LH Torana
1978 MGB
1976 Mazda rx5
1980 Ford courier ute
1971 Mercury Cougar xr7, 429 Cobra Jet
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Thanks to Covid, the $ usually spent on overseas travel has gone into finishing the Cougar.
And as of Monday, its now fully registered again. Was last registered in NSW in 1992/93.
Still a few little things to tweak, including the much needed AC for here in Qld.
And by luck, i was contacted by the original importer of the car, back in 1985/86 into Victoria. They had imported the car from Hong Kong. The car was built for the head of Ford Asia !, pretty cool story.
The bottom picture is of the car when imported in 1985/86, and now 183337271_468838751087238_6390694523597064722_n.jpg177674385_126955166093856_7429383291665675584_n.jpg179898309_3921932297893097_6858912947087898236_n.jpg175918077_462357808323728_5072343441172656971_n.jpg
 

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