[ThorSanchez]

Yes they do. They haven't switched over yet. I believe 2021 will be the change.
https://www.ford.ca/cars/fusion/

Okay, so for a moment they do. They've clearly signaled that they're about SUVs and trucks and cars are for someone else, someone who can get by with lower profit margins and not being a little dead inside.

[Canada_Rockies]

I'm with you on the overuse of technology. I don't think you will see modern cars age like your 'Z'. Electronics is a weak point from two aspects; being outdated and not replaceable, and the fact that electronics is by nature fragile. Add in the fake vents, fake exhausts, fake engine noise, touch screen that force you to take your eyes off the road to change the temperature and automation one finds oneself having to constantly override. Then there is the plastic. My Audi A4 quattro has a plastic water pump, and it doesn't have a simple dipstick but instead a temperamental digital display.

All those transistors are fragile, and I agree with you. (BTW I am a DBA by trade, so I am rather familiar with computers).
I have no intention of ever changing out my 2002 Toyota Tundra for the new one: a bigger pickup truck with larger, thirstier engine and display in the dash.

To change the fan speed, I reach to the console and turn a knob. To change the temperature, I reach to the console and turn the next knob. To change the outlet selection, I turn the next knob to the right. A/C is a button in the same area.

I do not have automatic 4 wheel drive. I push a button. I don't want automatic 4 wheel drive, and there are videos on the web as to what happens in mud when it kicks in by itself. I have 4WD when I want it and it won't come on when I don't.

I regret that I have an automatic transmission, but it was not available with the V8 (4.7 L) and I tow a 5th wheel trailer. I can lock out overdrive and select the maximum of the other three gears by hand.

My radio, CD etc are controlled by push buttons on the "radio".

Of course, I am dyslexically 8 years old and actually learned off roading on '50s era vehicles with levers to control the transmission and such.

[Kobie]

Okay, so for a moment they do. They've clearly signaled that they're about SUVs and trucks and cars are for someone else, someone who can get by with lower profit margins and not being a little dead inside.

I work in the industry and actually supply parts to FoMoCo (Ford Motor Company). Until we're reduced to just supplying service parts, new cars will still be in production. I haven't seen anything Ford car related in the pipeline for 2021 though. From what I know, at the end of the natural life cycle of each car (when they would normally do a model refresh or complete re-design) is when production for those models will cease. Except for the 'Stang. There will also be no more Lincoln cars, they will also be focusing on their supposed partnership with Tesla rival Rivian. GM is heading in a different direction with Cadillac as well. Cadillac will become their flagship EV/Hybrid showcase to also battle Tesla. Everything is changing, and changing FAST! Now if they could just find a way to charge the battery cells as quickly as it is to put gas in the tank, THAT would change everything!

---------- Post added 09-17-20 at 04:55 PM ----------

I'm with you on the overuse of technology. I don't think you will see modern cars age like your 'Z'. Electronics is a weak point from two aspects; being outdated and not replaceable, and the fact that electronics is by nature fragile. Add in the fake vents, fake exhausts, fake engine noise, touch screen that force you to take your eyes off the road to change the temperature and automation one finds oneself having to constantly override. Then there is the plastic. My Audi A4 quattro has a plastic water pump, and it doesn't have a simple dipstick but instead a temperamental digital display.
My (bought new) Saab 900 is a welcome step back into a world in our control.
[/url][/IMG]

Beautiful 900! I would LOVE to get my hands on a White SPG with Airflow Package and Red box. That's one of my dream cars.
I've had 2 SAAB's and used to work at a Saturn SAAB Isuzu Dealer back in the day. My '04 9-3 ss and '05 9-5 Aero were the 2 greatest cars I've owned. Which really upsets me since the 9-5 is having this (so far) contradictory/untraceable electronics issue. The body is good, engine, suspension, transmission, steering rack, timing chains, interior are all solid.

[arnold]

I work in the industry and actually supply parts to FoMoCo (Ford Motor Company). Until we're reduced to just supplying service parts, new cars will still be in production. I haven't seen anything Ford car related in the pipeline for 2021 though. From what I know, at the end of the natural life cycle of each car (when they would normally do a model refresh or complete re-design) is when production for those models will cease. Except for the 'Stang. There will also be no more Lincoln cars, they will also be focusing on their supposed partnership with Tesla rival Rivian. GM is heading in a different direction with Cadillac as well. Cadillac will become their flagship EV/Hybrid showcase to also battle Tesla. Everything is changing, and changing FAST! Now if they could just find a way to charge the battery cells as quickly as it is to put gas in the tank, THAT would change everything!

---------- Post added 09-17-20 at 04:55 PM ----------


Beautiful 900! I would LOVE to get my hands on a White SPG with Airflow Package and Red box. That's one of my dream cars.
I've had 2 SAAB's and used to work at a Saturn SAAB Isuzu Dealer back in the day. My '04 9-3 ss and '05 9-5 Aero were the 2 greatest cars I've owned. Which really upsets me since the 9-5 is having this (so far) contradictory/untraceable electronics issue. The body is good, engine, suspension, transmission, steering rack, timing chains, interior are all solid.

The SPG, rather rare and in demand. This was mine in Canada, but had to sell it when moving to RHD Australia. That was when I got the 900i; too much luxury tax on the expensive SPG.
[IMG][/IMG]

[Ratmagiclady]

Hey, everyone! Glad to see the car gang active. I've been feeling pretty terrible lately but hopefully on the mend. I agree on the overuse of tech, (Though my early Z had the fuel injection on the L28. First FI car I ever had, actually, never delved into it cause it was trouble free and at least adequate so far. (I did look at the SUs and manifold in the Victoria British catalog though. )

Anyway, I haven't felt so good but seem to be slowly on the mend.

Also we'll be trying to maybe find something for an elderly lady to mostly not-drive. "But I want a *new* car, I always had a *new* car." "Well, we'll see, the new ones are mostly like that Iphone you hate." "Well, I don't want that, and I want a key in the door, not a whatever you call that thing." "I feel that too, but I dunno if we'll find that brand new." "But that's what I wawnt." "I know. "

[Canada_Rockies]

Hey, everyone! Glad to see the car gang active. I've been feeling pretty terrible lately but hopefully on the mend. I agree on the overuse of tech, (Though my early Z had the fuel injection on the L28. First FI car I ever had, actually, never delved into it cause it was trouble free and at least adequate so far. (I did look at the SUs and manifold in the Victoria British catalog though. )

Anyway, I haven't felt so good but seem to be slowly on the mend.

Also we'll be trying to maybe find something for an elderly lady to mostly not-drive. "But I want a *new* car, I always had a *new* car." "Well, we'll see, the new ones are mostly like that Iphone you hate." "Well, I don't want that, and I want a key in the door, not a whatever you call that thing." "I feel that too, but I dunno if we'll find that brand new." "But that's what I wawnt." "I know. "

NEW is not necessarily the best option. I despise most of the new cars. I am just 8 years old (and dyslexic) and firmly believe that screens in the dash to change the HVAC controls is distracted driving. I'm driving a 2002 Tundra with electronic ignition and injection and transmission controls. The ignition and injection control have never given me a problem, but I don't like my transmission doing its thing rather than mine. I have 328,000 Km (a little over 200,000 miles) on it and it has old age problems just like me, but I'm keeping it until I have to look up through the lawn to see it.

Check Consumer Reports for reliability statistics and buy a used one you like from a new car dealer. New car dealers keep the best trade ins so people think the dealer is reliable. The used car dealers get the others.

Albert the opinionated old fart.

[lesmore49]

Electronics, I don't like them in general, although I do know that they can make driving more pleasant, but and this is a bug but...some of them make driving more unpleasant and IMO are not good to have.

I'm talking about the 'nanny' electronics. Say when you're driving down a street and lo and behold in front of you is a big snowdrift. Wasn't an issue at one time, you would accelerate through it and drive on your merry way. Nowadays the traction control automatically sets to no traction at all...as maybe one powered wheel spun a few rpm too much and the electronic traction control senses...the car is going to spin out of control and also the sky will be falling and a sensor shuts the engine power to 'limp' ...the car loses momentum and there you are stuck in the middle of the road, needing a tow.

I say the sensor and electronic control shut down standards are set by the factory for the lowest common denominator and as a result, the rest of us with some driving experience and a modicum of control ...suffer for it.

[ivanvernon]

My car is a 12-year-old grey Toyota Corolla with sunroof, electrical windows, and A/C. It has 189,700 miles on it, but no repairs yet except the usual stuff such as windshield wipers, shock absorbers, and spark plugs. I recently fixed it up with new sparkplugs, sparkplug wires, muffler, and shock absorbers to give it that new car handling feel. It does not look perfect because of a few bumps, though no rust, and lots of sealing gunk to stop a leak around the front windshield. This is a great little car. It gets about 32 mpg and has plenty of space in back seat and trunk. I don't buy cars very often, usually not until the old one wears out. I have all of the Pentax medium format cameras and lenses, and they all fit nicely in this car. I am80 years old, so this car may just be able to carry me all the way on out.

[Canada_Rockies]

Electronics, I don't like them in general, although I do know that they can make driving more pleasant, but and this is a bug but...some of them make driving more unpleasant and IMO are not good to have.

I'm talking about the 'nanny' electronics. Say when you're driving down a street and lo and behold in front of you is a big snowdrift. Wasn't an issue at one time, you would accelerate through it and drive on your merry way. Nowadays the traction control automatically sets to no traction at all...as maybe one powered wheel spun a few rpm too much and the electronic traction control senses...the car is going to spin out of control and also the sky will be falling and a sensor shuts the engine power to 'limp' ...the car loses momentum and there you are stuck in the middle of the road, needing a tow.

I say the sensor and electronic control shut down standards are set by the factory for the lowest common denominator and as a result, the rest of us with some driving experience and a modicum of control ...suffer for it.

My son has a Ford (6 yr old) and had that problem with the electronics. A tire sensor indicated low pressure and he couldn't drive the car 100 ft (30 m) to a garage. The whole car shut down.

---------- Post added 2020-09-18 at 15:39 ----------

My car is a 12-year-old grey Toyota Corolla with sunroof, electrical windows, and A/C. It has 189,700 miles on it, but no repairs yet except the usual stuff such as windshield wipers, shock absorbers, and spark plugs. I recently fixed it up with new sparkplugs, sparkplug wires, muffler, and shock absorbers to give it that new car handling feel. It does not look perfect because of a few bumps, though no rust, and lots of sealing gunk to stop a leak around the front windshield. This is a great little car. It gets about 32 mpg and has plenty of space in back seat and trunk. I don't buy cars very often, usually not until the old one wears out. I have all of the Pentax medium format cameras and lenses, and they all fit nicely in this car. I am80 years old, so this car may just be able to carry me all the way on out.

My 18 year old Tundra is going to cost me some money this month to replace the Park Brake assembly. It seems that the 2002 Tundra rear brakes are adjusted when you use the park brake. If absolutely every part has to be replaced, it will cost about Cdn $1,100 including 3 hours labour. That's about one month's payments on a new pickup with the same capabilities. I think I'll keep my 2002.

[lesmore49]

My son has a Ford (6 yr old) and had that problem with the electronics. A tire sensor indicated low pressure and he couldn't drive the car 100 ft (30 m) to a garage. The whole car shut down.[COLOR="Silver"]

---------- Post added 2020-09-18 at 15:39 ----------

.

We had a 2007 Toyota Matrix. The speedometer stopped working (electronic) and I couldn't get an appointment with the garage for a couple of days. I kept on driving it just a bit for two days and then the car wouldn't proceed, but extremely slowly in drive and reverse gear. I believe it did that because a sensor determined that the car 'wasn't safe' to drive with a non working speedometer...that was the only thing I could figure out.

I had to get the CAA tow truck to come and pick it up to take it to the garage to be fixed and by that time, the Matrix would barely move in reverse, in order for me to back it out of our home garage, in order for the tow truck to hook up. Everything seemed to go in Limp mode.

Part cost $ 495 CAD and then labour on top of that, and had to come in from Japan.

Again...'nanny' electronics and all cars seem to have them nowadays.

[mkgd1]

An unusual forward control Jeep.
Not mine, so maybe I posted this in the wrong thread.

[jeallen01]

..

Well it isn't new. Only just out of warrantee. It's a stupid Dutch rule that says that all seatbelts have to be in perfect shape. Mine got rejected because of some lint the size of a rice grain. ...

Got an "advisory" for something like that a few years ago when I took a car for its "MoT" test (annual UK "roadworthiness" test for vehicles over 3yrs old) - nowadays, if I think I might get another, I give the belt a "quick shave" with a razor or similar sharp blade

[lesmore49]

An unusual forward control Jeep.
Not mine, so maybe I posted this in the wrong thread.

I like those old FC Jeeps. Don't see them much anymore, but they were useful vehicles. I remember one in the '60's and '70's at a downtown garage. It had a small wrecker winch in the bed, a big flat push bumper in the front, 4WD. In the winter it had a detachable snow plow that was used to clean the service lot of snow. This Jeep FC was like a multi purpose tool...did everything.

[Just1MoreDave]

I don't like my Nissan Frontier at the moment because it has two flat tires. I ran over something, no idea what. I made it back home but the tires were flat the next morning. I have a full sized spare but not two. I am pretty sure that even one flat 265/70-15 fits in the trunk of either of our other cars.

I thought I had this solved. The tires are pretty old so I looked at Tirerack.com for replacements. And in my area, they will ship the tires to a mobile installer, who will swap them in my driveway. I could just relax instead of jacking up the truck, pulling off one tire, taking it to the tire place in the Miata, putting it back on, changing another tire for the spare... Awesome, take my money. Sadly the mobile installer van broke down and they pushed back my appointment a week.

[microlight]

My youngest son has just bought a low mileage 2007 special edition Mazda MX-5 Z-sport in beautiful condition. It looks great on the driveway next to my 2017 Mercedes SL AMG.