Ask Bark Brief: Crazy For Considering A Great Car?

Ryan writes:

Hey Bark,

I’m in the final year of my lease on a 2014 Cadillac ATS 2.0T and the itch to start shopping for my next car has kicked in. Ownership has not been perfect. CUE annoys me on a regular basis, the 2.0T noticeably shakes the car at idle when the engine is cold, it’s been recalled four times for its sunroof, and its automatic transmission is way too eager to up shift. While my wife loves how quiet and smooth the car is, I am a bit ambivalent. The handling is great, but the car itself lacks character when you cane it.

I’ve owned an E46 BMW M3, both eighth and ninth generations of the Honda Civic Si, and a Toyota MR2 targa top in the past. Recently, I put a refundable deposit on a 2017 Subaru BRZ with a manual transmission in hopes of getting back into something that’s a bit more raw, but it seems Canadian customers are not receiving some ’17 updates and my wife hates being a passenger in it.

I was eyeing the new Chevrolet Camaro SS, BMW M2 and used Porsche Caymans when, on a whim, I test drove a 2015 Lexus RC F.

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Ask Bark: Which Car Will Make The Best Nostalgia Machine?

Greg writes:

Hi Bark,

I’m a 32-year-old red-blooded male, life-long car enthusiast and hopeful to be raising a few future enthusiasts in the foreseeable future. I can smell which way the wind is blowing and know that the car market is going to look very different in the future. I’m excited about electric cars, but also want a “timepiece” that’s tasteful, fun, and a bit irrational to cherish for the indefinite future.

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  • Bkojote Tesla's in a death spiral right now. The closest analog would be Motorola circa 2007.The formula is the exact same. -Vocal CEO who came in and took credit for the foundation their predecessor while cutting said efforts behind successful projects.-A heavy reliance on price/margin cuts and heavy subsidies to keep existing stock moving. The RAZR became a $99 phone after starting out as a $399 phone, the same way a Model 3 is now a $25k car.-Increasing focus on BS projects over shipping something working and functional to distract shareholders from the failures of current products. Replace "iTunes Phone" (remember that?) with "Cybertruck" and when that's a dud focus on "Java-Linux" the same way they're now focusing "Robotaxis".-Increasingly cut away investment in quality-of-ownership things. Like Motorola, Tesla's cut cut cut away their development, engineering, and support teams. If you ever had the misfortune of using a Motorola Q you're familiar with just how miserable Tesla Autopilot is these days.-Ship less and less completed products as a preview of something new. Time and time again at CES/Trade Shows Motorola was showing half-working 'concept' devices. The Cybertruck was announced 5 years ago yet functionally is missing most of its features- and the ones it has don't work. And I mean basic stuff- the AWD logic is embarrassingly primitive. A lot of Tesla hyperbole focuses on either he's a 4D-chess playing genius visionary or all of Tesla's being propped up by gov't mandates. But the reality is this company hasn't delivered any meaningful product evolution in the better half of this past decade.
  • Pig_Iron Stellantis is looking for excuses to close plants. Shawn Fain just gave them one. 🐹
  • SCE to AUX Unresolved safety issues are a good reason to strike.
  • Eliyahu Tesla is working as well as a full self-driving company can be expected to.
  • JMII No.