Australian Family Cars: We have gone so far backwards since 2016...

[smoo]

Originally Posted by Sprintey

What's the issue with the Hyundai engines?

https://www.hyundaiengineclassaction.com.au/

[fordomatic]

Went in mates new Ranger today, I need new kidneys. We drove over lots of rough gravel roads and rough bitumen and the ride is still terrible. It is much better than the old one, but it's still horribly clunky and horrible to ride in. No way I would pay 70k for one, what a joke.

Getting back into my 10k SYII Territory was night and day with ride quality.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by fordomatic

Went in mates new Ranger today, I need new kidneys. We drove over lots of rough gravel roads and rough bitumen and the ride is still terrible. It is much better than the old one, but it's still horribly clunky and horrible to ride in. No way I would pay 70k for one, what a joke.

Getting back into my 10k SYII Territory was night and day with ride quality.

Also how slow they are for your $70K too

Like if you don't need a ute you're better off with an SUV compared to a Thailand Special.

I don't like SUVs but I'll concede that as a family car its a better option than the mighty Thailand Special, any day of the week.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by Jastel

Re Whynots post - Point 3 Fuel IS the main expense for Taxis...but not the only one.

These days you would have to get a Toyota Camry Hybrid for a Taxi...if you can wait long enough for the dealer to get one. Wait times are improving and there is some coming through from Police and Fleets now via Pickles/Manheim but at near new prices.

The reason you are seeing the weird Taxis like Ravs and T Cross is less waiting time for vehicles, but I havent seen any BYD's or ultra cheap hybrids yet...but someone will do it, at least until the first accident.

Modern cars get more complicated, and harder to fix for the backyarder like me, parts are scarce, cost a bomb and take ages to get here...ALL bad for Taxis.

Fully electric cars like Teslas are NOT suitable for Taxis, as apart from being stupidly expensive, you would need 2 of them, one for Day shift, then another to use at night while the day car recharges...assuming you use normal outlets, you also need a shed to park it in while its charging.

I have enough parts to assemble another Falcon in my shed so that is why I have persisted so long.

My 2014 Falcon cost me about $5000 as a repairable write off, after fixing up and taxifying say $8000, a new Camry cost $40000 so I have $32000 of savings already.
Thats a fair bit petrol...or even more LPG.

If I stay in the business I have to go Camry Hybrid but I wont be selling my personal Falcons either.

Agreed. Cabs need to be simply and made for their intended purpose, not an adaption.
At least Ford and Holden had proper taxi packs back then, why couldn't we build cars to spec like that now.
The London cab or Checkers cabs for instance even Tuk Tuk's in Asia to some extent.
Your business model if using EV's sounds like the half payload EV truck posted in the truck thread, you need 2 of them the cover the same load needed as one ICE vehicle.
Just doesn't make any sense business wise.

[anobserver]

Originally Posted by Sprintey

I remember in the decade leading up to closure, there were so many loud voices saying Australian cars were bogan, they were off the global pace, they were dinosaurs. As an immigrant (you grew here, I flew here) coming from a land of 2L milkboxes - this was Nirvana for what you got for the price! I'll never understand this cultural cringe where Australians put themselves down, so much of what's here is best in world. Or was.

There was the cultural cringe factor too.

Decades ago, achieving ownership of a fairlane or statesman indicated status. But this prestige was lost with the increasing availability and affordability of bmw/mercs (and later audi), as well as upmarket, blinged out suvs with acres of chrome.

The spread of novated leasing broadened individual user choice. Fleet buyers moved into suvs as well.

The middle class aspirationals started abandoning fords and holdens in every segment. Remember we used to make smaller cars here, but the profit just wasnt in it, or so we were told. More likely the manufacturers well knew buyers perceived imported cars as better reflecting their values...

After all, if the house earns more than you do each year, whats another ten or twenty grand equity redraw for all that extra brag value, and a shiny euro badge?

With the loss of fleet sales, inflexible corporate owners refusing product change, and global manufacturing overcapacity (in cheaper, second world countries), govts of both stripes folded. The button plan ended up being too successful.

The post employment stats for ex car industry workers are troubling, but hey, who gives a fig.

[kypez]

Originally Posted by Jastel

Fully electric cars like Teslas are NOT suitable for Taxis, as apart from being stupidly expensive, you would need 2 of them, one for Day shift, then another to use at night while the day car recharges...assuming you use normal outlets, you also need a shed to park it in while its charging.
.

What?! They take about 40 minutes to an hour to fully charge up at a Rapid Charger. Why would a person running a taxi use a standard GPO?

And there are plenty of EV taxis out there now. Even HC's running 24/7.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by kypez

What?! They take about 40 minutes to an hour to fully charge up at a Rapid Charger. Why would a person running a taxi use a standard GPO?

And there are plenty of EV taxis out there now. Even HC's running 24/7.

My take on what that means is there's a lot more infrastructure needed as a small business owner to convert over to E and most would rather keep running their business than start getting involved with extra govco interference to do it.

[anobserver]

Originally Posted by kypez

What?! They take about 40 minutes to an hour to fully charge up at a Rapid Charger. Why would a person running a taxi use a standard GPO?.

Regular rapid charging shortens battery life. Replacement batteries are so expensive the car is esentially a throwaway.

[kypez]

Originally Posted by anobserver

Regular rapid charging shortens battery life. Replacement batteries are so expensive the car is esentially a throwaway.

Sigh. Not true. Go check out the Alternative Power thread on EVs.

[Sprintey]

Originally Posted by fordomatic

Went in mates new Ranger today, I need new kidneys. We drove over lots of rough gravel roads and rough bitumen and the ride is still terrible. It is much better than the old one, but it's still horribly clunky and horrible to ride in. No way I would pay 70k for one, what a joke.

Getting back into my 10k SYII Territory was night and day with ride quality.

Made the mistake of drawing the back seat of a triton when I did some conservation animal trapping once, over similar rocky/gravel tracks. What a horror ordeal that was.

And yep the SY is light years ahead despite being nearly 17 years old.

Edit: but isn't the Ranger class-leading in that regard?

[kypez]

Originally Posted by Sprintey

Edit: but isn't the Ranger class-leading in that regard?

In the world of the blind, the one eyed man is king

[Sprintey]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

Agreed. Cabs need to be simply and made for their intended purpose, not an adaption.
At least Ford and Holden had proper taxi packs back then, why couldn't we build cars to spec like that now.
The London cab or Checkers cabs for instance even Tuk Tuk's in Asia to some extent.
Your business model if using EV's sounds like the half payload EV truck posted in the truck thread, you need 2 of them the cover the same load needed as one ICE vehicle.
Just doesn't make any sense business wise.

I think the AU was the last dedicated Falcon taxi pack, vinyl seats, imagine if you specced with the column shift bench seat setup

Maybe put that business case in with my hypothetical coupe utility/panelvan and spring the taxi off the van with extra doors/rear seats. Raised roof will help with cargo & also backpackers.

[Sprintey]

Originally Posted by kypez

In the world of the blind, the one eyed man is king

very good!

'man with d*** on head cannot see for nuts'

[PooDog]

Originally Posted by Sprintey

very good!

'man with d*** on head cannot see for nuts'

Reminds me of the woman with chin nuts

[Sprintey]

The wisdom of Confucius is probably a better thread for the Bar...

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by Fordman1

Nope, the “Falcon thing” is all about “Rose coloured glasses”, these new Rangers etc are good vehicles.

E8 had some quality issues but a good Barra engine

Nostalgia...heroin for old people.

[kypez]

Originally Posted by Fordman1

Nope, the “Falcon thing” is all about “Rose coloured glasses”, these new Rangers etc are good vehicles.



E8 had some quality issues but a good Barra engine

I'd buy one in a heartbeat now. I'd love an F6 manual ute. Sadly, I can't buy one new anymore.

[ToryMikey]

Originally Posted by kypez

I'd buy one in a heartbeat now. I'd love an F6 manual ute. Sadly, I can't buy one new anymore.

I feel you. Local manufacturing shut when I was 22, too early in my life to afford a new car. The XR6T manual ute I wanted to drive off the lot wasn’t still being made by the time I could afford a new car. Now what ute can you buy for the same price, a Ranger XL 4x4? Feel the excitement!

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by kypez

I'd buy one in a heartbeat now. I'd love an F6 manual ute. Sadly, I can't buy one new anymore.

There's nothing stopping Ford Australia from designing something similar, surely they could do a single cab Ranger with the Raptor setup minus the hectic suspension setup with a manual box. A 'street' version of the Raptor would nicely round off the Ranger offering - parts bin special.

Kind of like the Gen 1 SVT F150 Lightning or 454SS C/K 1500 (Silverado) of the 1990s.

[ToryMikey]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

There's nothing stopping Ford Australia from designing something similar, surely they could do a single cab Ranger with the Raptor setup minus the hectic suspension setup with a manual box. A 'street' version of the Raptor would nicely round off the Ranger offering.

Kind of like the Gen 1 SVT F150 Lightning or 454SS C/K 1500 (Silverado) of the 1990s.

You’re right, not that it would be the same as a Falcon, but it would have car enthusiast appeal at least. Note I say *car* enthusiast, not off roading enthusiast.

The peepee extension ride height puts me off the things, and it’s ridiculous that you can only buy the current Ranger with peepee extension ride height. Even Toyota offers a reasonable ride height with the Hoylux base model.

[kypez]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

There's nothing stopping Ford Australia from designing something similar, surely they could do a single cab Ranger with the Raptor setup minus the hectic suspension setup with a manual box. A 'street' version of the Raptor would nicely round off the Ranger offering.



Kind of like the Gen 1 SVT F150 Lightning or 454SS C/K 1500 (Silverado) of the 1990s.

Sadly, the Raptor is the closest thing now but at a huge price premium over a F6! And I don't understand what people like in the engine note of the Raptor... I hate it. But again, the only option. The F6 sounded, to my ears, much nicer.

A manual Raptor would be awesome in the world we live in now

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by ToryMikey

You’re right, not that it would be the same as a Falcon, but it would have car enthusiast appeal at least. Note I say *car* enthusiast, not off roading enthusiast.

The peepee extension ride height puts me off the things, and it’s ridiculous that you can only buy the current Ranger with peepee extension ride height. Even Toyota offers a reasonable ride height with the Hoylux base model.

Hi-rider is a pain in the *** to use as a work ute, I'm not overly tall at 180cm but it makes getting things onto the tray manually a bit awkward on those hi-rider bull**** setups.

Franco's Widowmaker - single cab, normal ride height, maybe a bit lower, nice 17-20" wheels, tray or tub optional, leaf spring rear rather than Raptor fancy setup, either 2.3L Ecoboost hybrid or 3L V6TT, rear discs, Raptor front seats and hi-spec entertainment system, manual or 10sp auto option.

Originally Posted by kypez

Sadly, the Raptor is the closest thing now but at a huge price premium over a F6! And I don't understand what people like in the engine note of the Raptor... I hate it. But again, the only option. The F6 sounded, to my ears, much nicer.

A manual Raptor would be awesome in the world we live in now

Same here the Raptor engine note is the new 3.8L Ecotec.

NEVER LATE IN a 3.8!

[prktkljokr]

Originally Posted by smoo

Is this Cadogan?
The guy who publicly admits to buying a Triton while slagging off better vehicles in the segment on the weekly.
I note he hasn’t touched on Hyundais engine failures, 5 year old cars with excess paint peel or impending class action but regularly tells watchers to steer clear of Ford, Toyota and anything Euro for lesser issues like recalls or individual accounts of poor after sales support.
Money talks.

image

Its like anything automotive related, look after it and it looks after you, get your cheap $100 service and you will eventually pay in the end, wonder how many of these failed Hyundai's were regularly serviced with recommended oils and filters?, I wonder how many were even looked after at all, even the car in the pic above has the rear wiper rubber hanging off, I would say it was not serviced regularly or properly just from this, as most reputable service centres would upsell this.

Its funny how many people will not take responsibility for their own failures, they will blame everything and everyone else before realising that they are the one to blame, I came across it many times when selling auto parts to the general public, and see it every day in the panel industry.

The flaking paint on the other hand is pretty rough and Hyundai and KIA need to step up and compensate or sort the problem, it pretty much only affected the white and pearl white Hyundai's and Kia's, but I have seen some metallic blue ones as well, this is a manufacturing fault and should be covered by the manufacturer under the Australian consumer law.

[smoo]

Originally Posted by prktkljokr

Its like anything automotive related, look after it and it looks after you, get your cheap $100 service and you will eventually pay in the end, wonder how many of these failed Hyundai's were regularly serviced with recommended oils and filters?, I wonder how many were even looked after at all, even the car in the pic above has the rear wiper rubber hanging off, I would say it was not serviced regularly or properly just from this, as most reputable service centres would upsell this.

Its funny how many people will not take responsibility for their own failures, they will blame everything and everyone else before realising that they are the one to blame, I came across it many times when selling auto parts to the general public, and see it every day in the panel industry.

The flaking paint on the other hand is pretty rough and Hyundai and KIA need to step up and compensate or sort the problem, it pretty much only affected the white and pearl white Hyundai's and Kia's, but I have seen some metallic blue ones as well, this is a manufacturing fault and should be covered by the manufacturer under the Australian consumer law.

If you read the link it appears this goes beyond neglectful owners.
The same thing has happened in the US.

https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-...on-settlement/

But more the point. We have another bent journo who confesses himself as impartial and honest but his bias is so obvious he hasn’t even touched on an issue that potentially affects a huge amount of new car buyers.

[smoo]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

Hi-rider is a pain in the *** to use as a work ute, I'm not overly tall at 180cm but it makes getting things onto the tray manually a bit awkward on those hi-rider bull**** setups.

Franco's Widowmaker - single cab, normal ride height, maybe a bit lower, nice 17-20" wheels, tray or tub optional, leaf spring rear rather than Raptor fancy setup, either 2.3L Ecoboost hybrid or 3L V6TT, rear discs, Raptor front seats and hi-spec entertainment system, manual or 10sp auto option.



Same here the Raptor engine note is the new 3.8L Ecotec.

NEVER LATE IN a 3.8!

What about the Coyote instead of the 3.5…
V6s should be kept where they belong. In minivans and soul less fwd sedans. With the exception of Alfa Romeo.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by smoo

What about the Coyote instead of the 3.5…
V6s should be kept where they belong. In minivans and soul less fwd sedans. With the exception of Alfa Romeo.

Parts bin special - even though we're the Ranger car company we can't get budget out of Ford head office to put 8 cylinders in our best selling product.

I'm making Franco's Widowmaker with what we've already got

Throw some money at me and we're doing 7.3L Godzilla, Coyote going to sit this one out don't want no high revving beast in our blue collar workin' man's supercar.

Something you can beat on day in day out, that takes 91 or E10 and can still blow the rear wheels off.

[ToryMikey]

Originally Posted by smoo

If you read the link it appears this goes beyond neglectful owners.
The same thing has happened in the US.

https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-...on-settlement/

But more the point. We have another bent journo who confesses himself as impartial and honest but his bias is so obvious he hasn’t even touched on an issue that potentially affects a huge amount of new car buyers.

Exactly. 2023 Hyundais and Kias are failing even with meticulous maintenance - just look at the Australian and US Hyundai engine failure Facebook groups for evidence. Replacement engines fail at 20k mileage or less too…same flawed design after all. They *all* use oil, and I’ve got multiple Falcons from last century that don’t use a drop.

It just goes to show how shonky that individual is. He loves to parade himself as “impartial” while being completely bought and paid for.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by ToryMikey

Exactly. 2023 Hyundais and Kias are failing even with meticulous maintenance - just look at the Australian and US Hyundai engine failure Facebook groups for evidence. Replacement engines fail at 20k mileage or less too…same flawed design after all. They *all* use oil, and I’ve got multiple Falcons from last century that don’t use a drop.

It just goes to show how shonky that individual is. He loves to parade himself as “impartial” while being completely bought and paid for.

Wasn't aware of this issue, we got a white I30N bought earlier this year, will have to keep an eye on this.

[ToryMikey]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

Wasn't aware of this issue, we got a white I30N bought earlier this year, will have to keep an eye on this.

The N and diesels are less prone, it’s the standard GDI engines that are most prone. 2.4 is the worst. Keep an eye on it, and always remember the warranty is worthless.

[lra]

After reading these comments about current utes, it seems that a double cab ute with a lower ride height, V8, 6 speed manual or auto, disc brakes all round, a payload of about 700kg, room for a standard pallet in the tray, and possibly 3 passengers squeezed into the rear seat would be welcome.
Do I have a deal for yoouuu ! !

A Holden Crewman ! Ooops, forgot, they are nearly 20 years old.