The cars and bikes thread!

[chuckmiller]

That Lexus was a V8, the Ram truck is typically a V8, the Dodge diesel isn't a V8 but has over 400ft/lbs of torque at low RPM. Will that Nissan V6 get the job done for you? I don't know what your boat and trailer package weighs.

[litlmn]

Congrats as well. looks pretty beastly.

[litlmn]

the car market is just insane.

Very much so. Lots of people building cars at the Audi dealership that need 6-8 months. And most sales are taking place off of pieces of paper with what is due to come in.....eventually.

[geoffbot]

Badass looking truck Michael! Way cooler than a normal off roader thing.

That Lexus was a V8, the Ram truck is typically a V8, the Dodge diesel isn't a V8 but has over 400ft/lbs of torque at low RPM. Will that Nissan V6 get the job done for you? I don't know what your boat and trailer package weighs.

It tows 6720lbs which is more than his boat. It is weird as the lexus has 329ftbl torque and the Nissan has 281, and the lexus only tows 6500.

[Samanator]

That Lexus was a V8, the Ram truck is typically a V8, the Dodge diesel isn't a V8 but has over 400ft/lbs of torque at low RPM. Will that Nissan V6 get the job done for you? I don't know what your boat and trailer package weighs.

My brother has last years model which they put in the new engine and Trans. It towed his 4200 pound trailer which is similar and weight of mine with no issues. The Nissan has 20 pounds more towing capacity than the Lexus does. Now the ram with the diesel engine has about 11,000 to 12,000 pounds towing capacity. Kind of overkill.


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[Samanator]

Badass looking truck Michael! Way cooler than a normal off roader thing.



It tows 6720lbs which is more than his boat. It is weird as the lexus has 329ftbl torque and the Nissan has 281, and the lexus only tows 6500.

It’s not really engine capacity, but the strength of the frame on the vehicle and braking capacity. A Jeep Wrangler 392 has the same hemi that comes in the Ram pick up truck yet only has a 3500 pound towing capacity because the frame isn’t strong enough. They built an extra strong frame for the 392 Wrangler (verses the standard Wrangler), but as I said it still is limited for towing capacity to 3500 pounds and the strength was mostly for twisting action from the engine and suspension location to fit the Hemi V8 verses the 4 or 6 cylinder.

You can tow a 4000lbs trailer with a 150 bhp four cylinder to about 70mph so there is plenty of engine. Brakes are kind of hard to make bigger from the OEM so these need to come in sufficient size to take the extra weight. Also with the newer transmissions (this is a nine speed) they can make up a lot with the trans gearing, shift points, and rear gears. It's good to have 4x4 for boat towing given wet boat ramps or muddy launch areas. Also we went to a Rotary even a few weeks ago and the rutted grass parking area and muddy road nearly buried Lisa's Lexus and some roads around here turn to dirt. This had influence on what vehicles I choose. I like off-roading and kind of missed my Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon. It was not an option given the towing capacity. Considered the Gladiator pickup also until nearly every publication said it is the scariest modern vehicle to tow anything with. Plus many repot the roofs leaking.


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[chuckmiller]

...and braking capacity. .

Does your boat trailer have surge brakes or electric brakes? I had a 2016 Tacoma (3.5L V6) and the most I ever pulled was a Uhaul enclosed trailer stuffed with furniture.

[Raza]

I know I had said in the Christmas presents thread that I had reserved a 2022 Lexus GX460 Luxury, and I had every intention of getting this, but something was bothering me. I don't drive much these days, and everything is so close that a gas tank lasted well over a month at the new house. Spending that amount of money was hard to justify, but given our watch obsession, we seem to justify many things that don't make sense. Vehicles that can pull my boat and have a better than average long-term reliability are not a very large list. Several of the midsize trucks are out, all of the full size 1/2 ton pickups are in, and a small hand full of the larger SUV also works. I chose the Lexus GX since it is on the smaller side of things, yet while waiting, I was quite smitten by the Ram 1500 Limited but wanted the Deisel engine and the Limited Longhorn trim level. The Ram is very well developed compared to the similar offerings from Ford (Kings Ranch), Toyota (1794), and the GM twins, which don't offer anything at this level. All of these are coming in over $70K. From the Midsize trucks, only the new for 22 Nissan Frontier fit my needs, but the dealers had not gotten any higher trim levels on those when I was there.


After I sold my Lexus LC Coupe when I placed the Bronco order, I was disappointed when I finally saw one in the metal. It was OK, but not $65K OK, so I canceled the order. This had me back in the Infiniti QX30 AWD that was far too small for me and our needs. If you want a good reason for not buying anything bigger than a microwave oven, own one of these. It is hard to find anything that actually fits in this car. Buy something like a shovel or rake, and it will need to be driven home with the hatch up. Forget about a 2x4 or a 55" TV. The only high point for this vehicle is the seats. You can drive over 8 hours in them, and they are still great. This was my wife's car, but she could not stand it any longer after two years. I took it over as a gap vehicle while I looked for something new. Those kept not working out, and then after we moved, the scope of what we needed to be changed quite a bit.


Monday evening, a marketing flyer in the mail from Nissan stated that the local dealer was offering $2K-$3K over book value on trades. The Frontier and a few others qualified for 0% interest financing. I checked the dealer inventory for the three closest Nissan dealers, and it turns out the one here in Sebring had just gotten in a Pro 4X (Highest trim level) in the pearl gray metallic that I like. I talked with my wife at breakfast, and we planned to go up and drive it if it was not spoken for later that morning. I called the sales guy I had talked to and made an appointment. This turned out to be a good move since three groups were waiting to take it out when we got back from the test drive (kind of the car market these days). When we worked the numbers, they honored the $3K over blue book trade value, and amazingly before the $3K, the offers were $10K above the trade value I quoted back in January when I was looking at cars then. While I could pay cash, it seemed better to use their money for three years for the remaining balance at 0% interest. Amazingly this was the exact color and trim I wanted, had every available package at this level and nearly ever additional option I could want. The dealer included the factory running boards, rear bumper step, and floor liners to complete the list of options. Those arrive next week. The sound system is by Fender, and there is a 10" main screen that has forward, side, and top 360 views when running trails (or parking). There is really no option that is missing tech and safety-wise versus the much more expensive vehicles. The off-road 4x suspension uses Bilstein heavy-duty off-road shocks. It has all the towing electronics built-in and a 2700 lbs safety margin for towing the boat. It does not have the Lexus Dynamic suspension, Ram's air suspension, or Deisel engine, but it will be more efficient and use much lower cost regular fuel. It's also much cheaper on insurance. Most importantly, my wife likes it and the Lexus (the Ram intimidated her). It rides very well, handles good, is very quiet (they did a lot of Lexus things to these like coated class and more insolation), and the turn radius is very tight even versus a car. Here is my Bolder Gray Pearl Nissan Frontier Pro 4X 4x4. I think I'm good now for at least 10 years.

That’s quite the pivot from a GX460. Congrats! Hopefully this suits all your needs.

[Samanator]

That’s quite the pivot from a GX460. Congrats! Hopefully this suits all your needs.

Thanks. It looks like it might even be a bit more useful than the GX. GX is more roomy inside but doesn’t have a bed. From my point of view it’s just a different option from the same group.


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[happyscrappyheropup]

You left out the most critical option detail—can it make a decent cup of coffee?

Looks like you really lucked out, the car market is just insane. I’m really glad our cars are only a couple of years old, the mere thought of having to look in the current market gives me the willies.


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I'm always looking but now is definitely the time to sell but not buy. I have considered selling a couple of ours before we move but the hassle of selling while packing, prepping, and shopping for a house seems like a lot to do.