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

[tgh]

It seems almost every mfr. is fighting to win the ugly duckling crown , seeking to differentiate EV from ICE .
The more I enquire the stronger my intention to remain firmly in the ICE camp...

 

[Happy Dude]

It seems almost every mfr. is fighting to win the ugly duckling crown , seeking to differentiate EV from ICE .

Yes I am thinking the same.

EVs: "Anything you can do, I can do better uglier"

Mercedes EQ: "No you can't"

 

[markis10]

A reel of a car theft popped into my Facebook feed this morning, seems the RAV4 keyless entry model can be stolen in three minutes by accessing the wiring of a front light. In this case it was at 3AM somewhere in South Aussie. Because Toyota use unencrypted CANbus, there is a device readily available that can be attached that fools the canbus into believing there is an authorised FOB in the car allowing access to all functions including starting the engine!

CAN Invader Attack -- Unstoppable New RAV4 Car Theft Method

Another poster's recent thread got me doing international research. There is a NEW car theft method which was just "invented" this summer in Japan and its use has exploded in the UK. It is widely used to steal 5th generation RAV4s and late model Lexus throughout England and Japan in the last few...

www.rav4world.com

 

[Quickstatus]

And IMHO… so, so ugly.

Don't worry, a lot of ICE cars are batugly.

I can remember the Hyundai Tiburon back in the day. And who can forget Ford Taurus from the 90s, Fiat multipla , Nissan Juke, Ssangyong Stavia and the PT cruiser. But the current number one aesthetically uninspiring car manufacturer is Toyota who also owns the other uninspiring brand Lexus

 

[DejaBrew]

Nissan Juke

But the current number one aesthetically uninspiring car manufacturer is Toyota who also owns the other uninspiring brand Lexus

Toyota certainly have their fair share of fridges on wheels, but I must admit that they're starting to get some of their mojo back. Personally, I think the GR Supra, GR Yaris and GR Corolla all look decent (note: never imagined I'd ever say that about a Corolla!!) and Lexus are expected to release the LFR in the next year or so (the spiritual successor to the Lexus LFA, one of the best supercars ever made). That being said, Toyota and Lexus have plenty of models I would consider uninspiring.

 

[Cossie]

Now this is a Yaris! Not my photos, Toyota web site.




Also this....https://toyotagazooracing.com/wrc/release/2025/0708_01/

 

[tgh]

SWMBO now has another Volvo but the point of my post is about the Chinese flood.
There is a new Zeekr 7x in the dealership, no compliance so can't be driven.
Every time we have been there the car attracts humans like bees to a honey pot.
Whirlpool thread says they have over 1000 orders across au in a few weeks, our dealership salesman said over 100 in the same time.
They have probably sold one volvo (ours) in the same time frame…
There is a message in this and it ain't pretty….

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Mustang Mach-E - was actually the first one delivered in Australia - had it on order from March 21 and received it Dec 23 - I have owned and driven every vehicle known to man from Kenworth prime movers to Mercedes Coaches to every large / medium SUV to luxury Sedans to every farm oriented utes - never enjoyed driving any vehicle anywhere near as much as the Mach-E




Oh and o have done a whole 13,841km in 20mths

 

[tgh]

Suggest you edit the last pic…it is not a nice world….

 

[Quickstatus]

I have owned and driven every vehicle known to man

What about a Datsun 120Y?

 

[Cruiser Elite]

What about a Datsun 120Y?

Yep my China Plate at Monash in 1975 Rodd Ludeman from Bendigo had one - it would get you from A to B but not one to add to the collection

 

[Quickstatus]

not one to add to the collection

The one I owned for several years was brought into AU as a kit and assembled. Even had disc brakes. The gearbox was . I only had 1st and 3rd gear and reverse

 

[moa999]

SWMBO now has another Volvo but the point of my post is about the Chinese flood.

And a lot more Chinese brands to come.
We don't yet have Nio or its other brand Onvo, anything from GAC, or the electronics giant Xiaomi.

That said you probably don't want to look to far into the political views of the Chinese car makers CEOs.

And we still need to see a lot more investment in EV chargers on the highways. Tesla Superchargers are great, the remainder is a mish mash.

 

[mini2]

Politics aside, their ADAS offering still needs a bit of work:

China’s massive ADAS test: 36 cars, 15 hazard scenarios, 216 crashes

Finally a proper ADAS comparison.

carnewschina.com

 

[Cossie]

Not mine, at Hervey Bay car show, very rare Ford, just to think that back in the early seventies there were people that thought there wasn't any future for these types of vehicles..........

 

[Mwenenzi]

Not mine, at Hervey Bay car show, very rare Ford, just to think that back in the early seventies there were people that thought there wasn't any future for these types of vehicles..........

Have always read these were utes. Not wagons, Suspect a private conversion.

Check registration status | Transport and motoring | Queensland Government

www.service.transport.qld.gov.au

XY Falcon 4×4 Ute – XR6 & XR8 Club of Queensland

xrclub.com

By this stage of the 4×4 ute’s development in mid-1971, the XY Falcon range (launched in October 1970) was approaching the end of its production run, with the all-new XA model due for release in March 1972.

Ford set aside a batch of 432 XY Falcon ute bodies (the reason for this unusual build number is not known) that were earmarked for the 4×4 production run in the second half of 1971.

According to Ford workers, those XY ute shells actually remained stockpiled in the backyard of the Brisbane plant for almost a year, as ordering and delivery of the new Dana front axles from the US caused crippling delays.

Ford Falcon XY 4WD - today's oddball tempter

Ford Falcon XY 4WD - today's oddball tempter; See our muscle car and classic car reviews and buyer guides, plus hundreds of cars for sale.

www.tradeuniquecars.com.au

This XY Falcon 4WD is from 1972 and is one of just 432 are said to have been made.
It runs the company’s very effective 250-cube straight six, matched to a dual-range three-speed manual transmission.
All up it weighed a little over 1600kg and had a top speed around 140km/h.

 

[Quickstatus]

We used to have those windscreen stone guards
also those body panels were solid unlike body panels of today

 

[ausfox]

Weren't they Jeep underpinnings?

 

[Dalescott]

I drive a Mazda 6 Luxury Sports, No VCT Transmission and it has paddle shift when I go on the Great Ocean Road. Easily the best car I have ever owned, I have looked at selling it. But nothing can compare with it.
Give me a road car any day, not an SUV.

 

[Cossie]

Weren't they Jeep underpinnings?

Yes, I believe so, or some parts there of.