Hybrid cars- anyone have one?

[Vidar]

Yes, formalia and papers count for very little until there is a control or even worse an accident. And then they are front and center. So that sounds like a sane decision to avoid. It is weird that they wont just state a towing capacity though.

One design feature on many EVs that I just couldn't get my head around was the user interface with a single big screen for most things. I get that it is less expensive to manufacture, and that it is more flexible for later change or personal adjustments - but I don't want to look sideways to some screen for any regular driving controls. I'm old school that way I guess - I like handles, buttons and switches in all the right places.

I've seen a few Mustangs around here but I haven't driven one.

[Farmer X]

How do you pick what will be collectible sometime in the future?

It's impossible to say for sure. About all I can do is react and try to get my next rig before lightly optioned long-bed trucks start bringing silly money.

[Vidar]

My collectible for later sale record has so far been rather dismal so likely to be the same for cars I fear. I got one of the first series of Intel Pentiums back in 92 (?). Those were the ones that would do certain calculations wrong. Intel had this send in for working replacement thing going on, but as a good collector I didn't do that.. I'm still waiting for this to finance all my beach houses in Malibu. Right now it's more like a small DIY dog house... 

My other big collectible plan was this game we played at University - Magic the Gatherings - and its collectible cards. Years later I sold most of the valueable cards for about USD 4000 which was actually a good multiple. Did the mistake though of checking what they were worth last year. (Never do that). Definately sold way too early. 

Back to cars I wish that would actually make an inverse hybrid - that is an electric car with a big battery and then little petrol engine for the long hauls. The engine can actually be small as it only has to manage the average power drain at an ideal rpm. The battery will even out all acceleration and so forth. 10-20 horsepower might actually be enough if my whimsical head calculations are somewhat correct.

[Farmer X]

I've had much the same luck...I sold many things way too early and/or took a huge loss on them.

Sometimes I think a GMT 800 might be the way to go. But the GMT 400 (in my opinion, anyway) was a much better truck. I wouldn't own a GM truck made after 2007...and that's only because I believe the GMT 800 was produced early in that model year or concurrent with its replacement. The newest F-Series I'd buy would be a 2004, and the newest Dodge I'd buy would be a 2001. I'm still on the fence about the first-generation Toyota Tundra.

[Vidar]

I like new shiny things if they make sense. 

I have noticed though that many utility cars have drifted somewhat away from the utility part over the years, and now have a finish and interior you'd rather not messy up with pesky work stuff. But your reasons for not wanting newer might be different?

Big pickups aren't really a thing here. I guess one of the reasons being that the car tax is weight dependent, and the other being that most infrastructure and parkings lots are made for normal sized cars.
 

[Farmer X]

Your reasons for not wanting newer might be different?

They are, and they're also myriad. Much of it has to do with the increasing complexity and difficulty in working on them. I also don't like the idea of an enormous touch screen slapped onto the dashboard. The near extinction of the manual transmission doesn't help, either.

[Vidar]

They are, and they're also myriad. Much of it has to do with the increasing complexity and difficulty in working on them. I also don't like the idea of an enormous touch screen slapped onto the dashboard. The near extinction of the manual transmission doesn't help, either.

Yes, new models are harder to work on. I think of it like either go new enough that it stays reliable for some years without needing much work, or old and easier to work on but also more likely to need work. And as I think there are many additional reasons to prefer newer I've gone in that direction. (I can't say I miss changing wiper motors, wheel bearings, oxygen sensors, insanely constructed light bulb changes, some motor air intake valve, and using a hammer at the exact right spot to loosen a stuck valve - to mention some of the stuff I don't miss..).

I totally agree on the enormous touch screen - it was actually hard finding an EV without. These days at least some Europeans brands seems to be bringing back manual controls based on customer feedback and discussed upcoming EU regulations.

At least EVs should be perfect transmission wise then - it is always in the right gear..   

[nate j]

I also don't like the idea of an enormous touch screen slapped onto the dashboard.

You’re right to be skeptical of those.  I have had the touch screens go bad in two different vehicles (from two different manufacturers) that were less than five years old.

Meanwhile, there are 20-year-old vehicles being driven around that have all the knobs and buttons still working fine.

One I managed to get replaced under warranty, so it works again, at least for now.

The other, the dealer wanted $1000 to replace.  I told them I would pay it, if they would warranty it for the rest of time I own the vehicle.  They declined.

I am glad that the touchscreens in my vehicles are pretty much just infotainment plus backup cameras.  Some newer vehicles have important functions like heat and A/C controlled through the touchscreen.