It's been a BudChev-less summer. Remember that whole story with the wife bringing home a brand new Mustang? I'm still dealing with the fallout on that. I don't know if I really want to get into it, but here's my attempt at a short story:

In the spring my wife traded our very nice family car for pennies towards a new Mustang GT for herself. I hate it. I tried. Bottom line - I hate it. The car is more or less useless and a financial burden on the family. I was forced to use a 2004 Yukon Denali as a daily driver and the family car all summer and the old truck did me solid. Never broke down when I needed it, but the transmission is malfunctioning now and I don't want to put money into it when I really need something more reliable and efficient.

Introducing...

I call him "Mudhorn"! My new ride is a 2022 Tucson Luxury Hybrid. Take a moment to let that digest....




Here it is parked in front of the Yukon it's replacing. And waaaay back there, there is still the BudChev, under its cover. I had to have a big fight to keep her from turning it into her winter-beater. But that's another story....

The Tucson purchase was my counter-attack. She swore she'd never buy Hyundai and and that her Mustang purchase was somehow part of war-to-save-combustion-engines that she was waging. I knew right then the next car would be electric. I blindsided her with the purchase, like she did the Mustang, but it wasn't really the ******** move like she pulled. I still have to pay for everything.

The Tucson has an impossible story in how it came to be mine too, but this story is getting hard to follow. It's pretty hard to get a Tucson Hybrid right now. People were placing orders in June that won't be filled until January. I called an out-of-town dealer at just the right time, completed the purchase entirely over the phone and had them drive it 100km to deliver it 2 me on Wednesday.

I could probably post more about this, but it'll have to be another time. I think it's a really cool ride, but what do you guys think? Don't be shy about hurting my feeling if you hate Korean cars. I genuinely want to know how my old Chevy forum home feels about this...

 

Looks cool to me! I just bought myself a dumb little chevy spark which is a Korean car, so I can't hate on that part haha.

I'm just not an SUV person, I'm a car guy. Getting harder and harder to be one! Hopefully it serves you well and gives you a ton of trouble-free miles!

 

I didn't realize the Spark was Korean. I was pretty sure it wasn't made in America!

Funny that you mention the car vs. SUV thing. over on the Hyundai Forum, I'm discussing how this thing is a car, not a truck. I guess an SUV is different. But I referred to the Yukon as a truck - as in "I'm going to take the truck and get gas". This vehicle, I think, is a car - as in "The car doesn't need gas". I can't see myself casually calling it a truck. And SUV never rolls off the tongue casually. I have been calling it my new "car"

It drives car-like. It has body roll in the corners like an SUV, but the AWD sticks it like an Eclipse I remember driving back in the day. This hybrid is different. It gets good mileage, but the hybrid motor is about the extra performance kick it gives. Honestly - I hate to say it - but I think this thing is faster than the BudChev. I might have to remedy that, because my next little fantasy is about building my Monte Carlo to crush the Mustang...

 

Don't ask questions you don't want answers to. It's fugly, looks no different than the car in your neighbor's driveway in the background, and has no individualistic style or personality. Were I to witness a crime committed with that car in broad daylight standing three-feet away from it, I wouldn't be able to identify it from any other crossover looking thing that's out there.

However, I cannot deny that modern cars are — for the most part — better engineered, better built, more durable, and more reliable than their ancestors. Many of today's cars come with bumper-to-bumper 10-year/100,000mi warranties, some with routine maintenance included. Back in the day — 1974 in my case —, the best you could hope for was a limited 3-year warranty.

So, to each his own. Taste is subjective. As long as your needs are met, that's all that really matters. Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.

 

Unfortunately I'm in that boat with no good reason. My parents were in the generation with the mindset that American cars are best and Japanese cars should be avoided at all costs. Doesnt matter how much logic you present, they have refused for life to own a Japanese car due to their perception of the initial offerings in the US.

I'm a generation (or two, depends how they're breaking them up this week) past that where I think Japanese cars are fine (or maybe even a step above fine due to Fast and the Furious culture, lol) but Korean cars are the ones that should be avoided at all costs. I remember the initial US offerings being extremely bland/boring and unreliable. But as with my parents I've got no sound logic for that feeling today besides it just being an ingrained gut feeling from long ago. It's still a strong enough gut feeling that has kept me from even stepping foot in a dealer to even look.


I am with Chibi though, I can't seem get excited about SUVs at all. Maybe a decently modded TBSS would catch my attention a bit, but most just feel like soulless appliances to me. We have a mid size SUV mainly out of necessity for cargo room for house projects (wife's DD) but if you try to have any fun at all, it quickly reminds you that's not at all what its made for.

I know I beat it to death in your last thread about the Mustang, but going out for a revenge buy on a $30k+ car seems crazy to me. I dunno how you guys do it - spending such huge amounts of money without the other knowing. Just seems like regardless who is paying, it has a major impact on both of you in the end. Its that much less money in retirement or delays retirement that much longer.

I know exactly what you mean, I'd be the same way - especially the side profile. Id have to catch a look at a badge to have any hope of an educated guess.

There's certainly getting to be a lot of commonality in design as the market space gets more and more crowded.

 

Juniorcar, congrats on your purchase. I'm happy for you that you had the means to, and actually could find a new vehicle to buy! I'm not one for foreign cars OR suv's, but you don't need my approval to be happy with it. I agree with many comments, like the one about not being able to identify it at a crime scene. I've seen many and thought 'Is that a Trax or an Equinox?' and see it is a Subaru as it passes. As for the Spark being Korean - it is assembled in Korea, not a Korean car. The way GM has gone over the past couple decades, first with out Montes being built in Oshawa, and the Trax and Spark being built in Korea, is part of their 'global' platform. They are becoming more 'universal' in their design, as different countries have different specs that vehicles must meet. Wiring harnesses are universal to snap in the appropriate pigtail for the specific model for a certain region. This also makes all other brands look similar. . . . . like the nascar template. They are selling more and more cars in China, and it cheaper to make them in Korea and ship them from there than to ship them from the US.
As for me, I bought my first non-Chevy since 1978 a couple months ago, a 2005 Buick Lacrosse sedan. I needed something to drive daily while I got the Monte fixed, which should be done this month - before inspection runs out. When I get it done this time, it will never see snow and salt again, that's what the Buick is for. It will live the life of luxury my other Chevys do! 26 months and change until I retire, and I won't need to go anywhere in the winter anyway.
I also asked pretty much the same thing on a Corvette forum way back when - what is your daily driver? Surprisingly they were not all Chevy people! Everybody has different opinions and tastes, or it would get pretty boring. Again, congrats on your new ride!

 

...how is it not a Korean car? It started off as a Daewoo Matiz, and GM purchased Daewoo and rebranded it GM Korea and continue to make the Spark.

 

My apologies, you do own a Korean death trap.

 

Nice SUV, I was telling my wife the other day that the SUV is an old fashioned Station wagon that has been modernized. But she doesn't agree with that. LOL

 

I always liked wagons. My car before the Monte was a '92 Roadmaster Woody Wagon. These SUV's are Station wagons with ground clearance.



I don't see how this vehicle, whatever you call it, look like everything else. Or anything else. There is not a single body panel that isn't distinctive enough that I couldn't identify the vehicle - much like fenders on a Monte. It's got wilder stylized fenders than the Monte - that's for sure! It looks no more like other SUV's than all sedans look alike or a Porsche look like a Corvette IMO

But I can see I ain't sellin' you guys on it