It really is good to find nice friendly people. This guy was very good natured and just a decent guy. There is a young local fellow who recently started working at the transfer station who seems like a very nice man and he was all excited because he had ordered a 24 WRX and said that he had just gotten word that it was being shipped out.
When I first turned into the entrance to the transfer station there was a car parked at the entrance not running so I drove around it and looked over as I drove by and sure enough there was a guy just sitting there talking on his phone not caring that he was blocking the entrance that is the kind of thing that we have all gotten used to unfortunately.

 

It is a downside to living in rural areas. There isn't a whole lot of opportunity to encounter them in a non-accosting manner.

 

Rob, did he mention what kind of hair conditioner?
Levi

 

I actually asked him and he said he has used different ones all with good results. I’m going to stick to my bi-annual polish/waxing but have to admit this guys car was spotless.

 

^^^Interesting! Maybe I'll try it on my Wrangler.
Levi

 

Camera Drone Vs Max Verstappen

 

Sorry if this is a duplicate post....I thought I had posted, but...
A friend of mine has a 2019 HRV. Steering was weird, seemed to get stuck...Brought the car into a dealer. She has 43K on this car. They told her she needed tie rod ends, a steering box, an axle (or parts of one?) . That's pretty low mileage to need all of this, don't you think?

She took it to our trusted mechanic. The tie rod ends were so bad they suggested she not drive it, and they got the replacement parts to repair it the next day. At first glace they didn't think she needed the steering box, but she does. They saw no issue with axles. She bought the vehicle used with 20K on it. Had a warranty that expired six months ago (of course). Honda dealership was making no effort to help out with this repair, which is darn costly and should not be needed on a car with such low mileage. Our mechanic told her they had never seen anything like it.

Apparently, there have been some issues with steering racks on some later model civics, and a class action is brewing. I suggested she hang on to her receipts. At the very least, perhaps an email to American Honda about the repairs that were needed. Honda IS supposed to be one of the most reliable cars out there, right?

Sticky Steering

 

Yes, Honda used to be reliable. I'm not happy with the reliabilty anymore, after putting $1,361 into my 2017 Pilot with 65,000 miles on it. It was an oil leak due to the adapter between the oil pump and the oil filter. I did have other fluids changed while it was in there but I've never had one of my twelve Hondas/Acuras have an oil leak before. That's not a Honda problem, I thought.

Related to that problem, I drove a used 2023 Toyota RAV4 Prime, last week to see if I wanted to get on the wait list for a 2024. It's a PHEV aka a plug in hybrid electric vehicle You don't have to plug it in, ever, but if you do it can run about 40 miles on electric alone so it can get some great mileage. Consumer Reports loved it in the recent issue. That's a whole other post. I've also lost my faith in Consumer Reports's opinions over the years.

I was highly underwhelmed. A 2024 RAV4 Prime lists for about $50,000 if you get one with some extra features but not the top of the line. I expected a nice car that was fast.

It didn't feel any faster than my Pilot. The interior was glaringly cheap compared to my Pilot. Everything was plastic. Even the seats were fake leather. When I opened up the back to possibly see how my ElliptiGO fit, it was plastic and had no carpeting or softness. For $50,000 I expected it to look more like the interior of my Pilot. I didn't even try to put my ElliptiGO inside. It made me really appreciate the Pilot including what comes standard, even if it's heavy. I figured if I have to put in $1,000 to keep it good, I'm still way better off that buying a new Toyota for $50,000 and downgrading my daily driver. The MPG was the only good thing compared to my 2017 Pilot. I didn't even take any photos of the RAV4.

 

Seems like Toyota/Lexus is the last bastion of engineering and construction that is driven as much by reliability as by overall performance.

 

^That's what I thought but they save the good stuff for the Lexus line and it's very pricey. I think you get more for your money with Hondas. When I told the kind salesman that I was not impressed with the RAV4 Prime he seemed to understand and told me explicitly to look at the Lexus models to get a better interior.