Supposedly the other two Merican makers are going to go aluminum too...For fool ecconomy. once that happens I can see a business in aftermarket steel bed liners, and or classic trucks experiencing a bump in value.

Well, that'd be about right... In the old days, the beds rusted out in a couple years, then they started painting/treating them w/stuff that bought you another couple of years. Now, they're going to aluminumnumnumnumnum, which you can poke a whole thru w/no trouble at all.... My Dad got his pickup bed coated w/this stuff that was rubbery, you couldn't damage it hardly at all, it would outlast the vehicle, made it quieter, & was difficult to cut even w/a sharp knife. The 2nd year they had it out, you could get it in any color you wanter-it was nominally black. As expensive as vehicles are now, looks like this stuff could at least be offered as an option...

Actually I was referring to 4X4s of any vintage, but yeah, those aluminum boxes are just a bad idea. Government mandates have already wiped out cars, soon enough pickup trucks will be gone. Perhaps they should just force all automakers to go with Flintstone power and be done with it.
Spray-on bed liner, I've seen the stuff on the Canadian Tire site. I think it's also offered as a brush-on application.

Yeah, Jon, back then-20 yrs back, it must have been offered only as professionally installed. Seems like, they took my dad's truck, cleaned the hell outta the bed, let it sit a day or 2 to dry good, sprayed it w/that stuff, & we got it a day or 2 later. It kinda looked like a "Spackled" ceiling finish., & it would "Give" a little when you walked on it, but it WASN'T slick when wet. Kinda expensive-IIRC, it set Henry, my dad, back about $400., which was likely you didn't see many pickemups w/them. They'd rather buy el-cheapo bedliners which always cracked, broke, or rusted the beds out quicker than if you just left the beds bare. At least, that's what happened down here, the bedliners would sweat, & stay wet, & often NASTY underneath.

Here in the states Ford vs Chevy is mostly a generic pickup truck debate... with Dodge being the little guy the others can agree to laugh off.... I guess canajins are more concerned with 4WD... understandable.

When I bought my 2000 Dodge Dakota new, I opted for the spray-on bed liner. The 1991 Dakota I bought used had a plastic liner common at the time.
When the truck was empty, I bounced in the bed, even though it was bolted down in a few locations. I had ribs running the long way, where items would slide around when braking or accelerating.

Yeah...You saw a lot of "Weekend Warrior" types who had those cheap 'n' Shoddy plastic bedliners in their pickem ups. We were FARMERS, weUSED up trucks to HAUL stuff in, Henry never had less than a 3/4 to truck, he had a 5th wheel gizmo mounted in the bed, so he could pull a farm wagon, or a horse trailer. He was a BIG believer-as am I-thatif you thought a 1/2 ton would work, you prolly oughta get the Big Dawg, 'cause you'd likely end up wishing you would have not long after you got it. I had a K20 diesel Suburban, & the Mighty Valdez, a Y2K model, is built on Fords' "Super Duty" platform. Its about half 3/4 ton, & about half full-ton. Did I really need that much overkill ? Yep. I NEVER have felt as I've been "Overloaded" in it, & lotsa times, I've had all 8-9 seats full, & 3-4 more in the gooleyhole behind the 3rd seat. Yeah, its tremongous, but to me, that's part of its considerable charm. If I can't load it up in the Mighty Valdez, I doubt if I REALLY need it in the 1st place... If I ever ran up on a roundie "Aircraft Carrier" style console, it would be No Problemo hauling it in the Valdez. If I take the 3rd seat out, fold up the 2nd row, there's like 10 feet from the tailgate to the back of the Captain's chairs in the front. As far as weight was concerned, it wouldn't even know there was anything much in it...

For sure, I'd look for the same things in a pickup or van. I never know what I may run across that I would want to stuff into one. This brings to mind a show in which one character has a rather oddly-optioned Ford F100; not very useful I thought. If I ever say "eight is enough", I would likely be referring to wheel lugs.
Not unless you consider busted up pavement as a reason for needing 4 wheel drive; that's how it is in the place I'm itching to get out of anyway. You're buying into a common yankee stereotype which is especially untrue of where I am.

Pinterest memes are my only source of information on the 4X4 debate; I doubt the bulk of contributors are Canadian.

I went w/4WD because down here in Hooterville, they DON'T know what to do when this cold, white stuff falls from the sky. We typically get one or snows a winter, plus several more dustings. But what happens is it'll snow, melt a bit, & then the bottom drops out of the temperature, & everything turns into ice. Fun, fun, fun ! I got caught out in a pretty decent-for US-snow-4-6"& got passed by a Corvette going 60-65 or so. I was creeping along at MAYBE 25-30, it wasn't glare Ice yet, but it was still slicker than snot on a doorknob. I finally got home, put the Valdez up, shut the door, & didn't get out again for a couple days. Let Ronnie Redneck & Co. spin right round like a record, baby, I'll just stay home & laugh at his ass when he makes the 11 PM news...

On most trucks 6 lug are half ton and 8 lug are three quarter or bigger...

Sounds like the climate in this armpit of a province. I got a "I <3 snow" button for my coat mostly to keep the winter whiners at bay. They are a VERY vocal majority; it's as if they're trying to push their preference on those who disagree. Consider our building maintenance guy; I don't know what the hell his problem is, he brings up his hatred of snow/love of heat almost every time mom and I see him even though we've told him our opinion. I doubt he does it to irritate us as I borrow tools from him regularly, so he's a major ignoramus at the very least.

As for Ronnie Redneck, chances are he would end up in some of those crash compilation videos as well. I don't know of any other car that would shatter on impact. It's more fun to see them turned into twisted metal provided the occupants come out okay. I get a kick out of watching tempered glass windows explode as well.
My point exactly.

Rotsa Ruck getting ANY tyre offa now a days since they virtually "Solder" them on w the air wrenches...

The factory alloy rims on my burban seem to be self tightening.... even when I put em on just barely tight enough in a few months they need the 6 foot of pipe breaker bar to come loose...

No, same shift pattern = 1'st top left, 2'nd bottom left, 3'rd top middle, 4 bottom middle, 5'th top right, reverse bottom right. Most are 5 speed though some are 6..

My late Father-in-law had a weird Citroen C4 diesel six speed auto = you'd be on the on ramp of the M1 motorway so you'd floor it to get up to 70 MPH to match the speed of the other cars & the gearbox would drop down a few gears taking a second or 2 before power came back on, scared me stupid when it did that..

Wayne next door just today has got a new company supplied Lexus auto, I had a drive & very nice it is. BTW mines a Hyundai i10 auto, I'm not jealous, no I'm not, honest I'm not. OK then I am..

I thought the shift pattern would be the same. I'm guessing that some others have R 1 3 5 along the top as well. Modern Mustangs may even have one that reads R SPIN GRASS N/A; it depends on the owner's driving style.

Thanks for answering my inquiry. My 2006 Jeep Wrangler with the six speed manual gearbox. The shift pattern is almost the same but the reverse is extreme middle and down. That's the best I can explain it. :scratch2:

There should be an eleventh commandment, "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbors car." :D Your neighbor must really have an impressive position to rate a car of that caliber. It's my choice to own four vehicles instead of one super-expensive car.

The so-called Green New Deal literally would do all of the above.

Yeah, I figured there's no good reason to covet a car that screams "showboat". I wouldn't even want to be around those who have cars like that.

Some of those fail compilation videos show a Lamborghini whose driver's excessive revving starts a fire. The next thing you know the thing has nearly been burned to the ground; I found it quite amusing.
I hadn't heard of that so I checked it out real quick. Those pushing for that don't exactly have a firm grip on reality, or their senses for that matter. Seems they're admiring china for its high-speed rail network; yeah, china, great example being set there. Most people there are either unable or unwilling to think for themselves.

I'm aware that I didn't use an uppercase "c" for that place; in my opinion they're not deserving of one.

There is plenty of EXCELLENT cars to be had inexpensively...Especially if one keeps a careful watch of the used market.

For what a new Suburban costs I could get several used Escalades that would collectively outlast and outclass it...I could also get ~5 nice classic cars that fit my tastes for that money.

The only reason to spend the max money possible on a nice car is to show off wealth (or to obtain rarity). I rather have fun trying to get the most satisfaction/value for my money.

Does the neighbor's employer actually own the car or just lease it? It's a very common practice in the US. Those cars are rather expensive even here!
BTW, what is VAT?

:sigh: VAT = "Value Added Tax" , it's a tax European folks have to pay for having "Luxury" items instead of cheaper base models . I only know of this because I have European relatives that I've spent time visiting .

Yes it is leased, he has a better car every year, a few year ago they gave him a clapped out van but he's a bossman now... I used to lease cars when I was a driving instructor, however I paid cash for my i10 2 years ago just before the higher car tax kicked in...

Yes it's value added tax as init4fun says, it's 20% on just about everything except most food, but sweets & takeaways are VAT'd. New cars have car purchase tax based on CO2 emissions plus VAT. Petrol (gas) has a tax on it, then they put VAT on the whole lot including the tax, so they actually tax a tax. You also pay a road fund tax every month, 6 months or year, mines just over 12 pounds a month taken straight out of the bank. You used to have a tax disc to put in your windscreen with expiry date on it but they scraped that a few years ago, they know if you have not paid by a number plate (tag) data base the cops have access to, they also have roadside camera's all over the place to keep an eye on you, big brother is watching...

GEEZ, it sounds like every driver over there is under almost as much scrutiny, not to mention taxes, as big rig truck (lorry) drivers are in North America. No wonder they don't like cops.

It seems that in a few years, he's going to get a Rolls-Royce. :D
I hope he has a garage to park it in.
Most US leasing concerns, the minimum lease time is two years. :scratch2:

He doesn't have a garage, he has room for one though. I now have a garage, it's got that much junk in it we can hardly get the car in...

When I leased cars they were for 2 years with option to buy after then, but I never did. When my retina detached I had to stop driving instructing & broke my lease penalty free, I sent them a doctors note & that was it = no more money to pay...

He's going to Australia for a month in may to visit the in-laws & we're cat sitting for them, offered to car sit but he just smirked, lol...

I guess the garage issue is universal!
It's a going joke in the country that people have $5,000 worth of possessions in the garage, while a $50,000 car sits outside. :D

VAT killed a very thriving industry-the luxury car industry in France. VAT wasn't entirely responsible, but B4 the war, they had a luxury car industry that was second to none in the world. Delages, Delahayes, Bugattis-The REAL ones, not today's over-wrought Volkswagens, Panhard & Levassors, & several others were the pride of La Belle France. They re-vamped their income tax system after the war, & it assumed that if you owned a car that cost a lot of Francs-you were taxed accordingly. That is at least partly wht today, you have NO French equivalents of Rolls-Royce, Mercedes, BMW, or Porsche/Audi. You just KNOW, what with all the bother Ze French have had w/those dirty Boeschts in the last century, the fact there are no luxury cars regarded as "World Class" sporting the Tricolor MUST cheese a few of 'em off greatly...

Damn shame. Kind of like Cord and Deusenburg disappearing here during the depression/war. There's Peugeot/Citroen's modern DS line, I guess those are supposed to be luxury. :scratch2:

The French did have great potential for luxury, their cars handle and ride very well, even my old neglected Pug 505.

Now if I could just get my hands on a big Citroen.........

Another thing that is rather PAINFULLY evident is that the French NEVER understood the American market. The "Goddess" Citroens were fantastic cars, in many ways they have never been equaled, let alone surpassed, & the French never fielded a car that could have given our friends from Wolfsburg something to think about. Have LONG admired the Deaux Cheveau, but I dunno if I'd really wanna try to LIVE w/one in this country. They're just TOO crude & unrefined, & we won't even talk about their hopeless lack of power & amenities. I had a great aunt who had a late Sixties Poo-Joe, & it was maybe the LEAST unconventional Frenchy car then, But I always thought it was STILL plenty weird. The Renault Dauphins I remember from the Sixties may have been France's answer to the Beetle, but they didn't have the Beetle's legendary reliability, or charm. I THINK another thing that killed Renault over here was their lack of adequate parts.

The Prius is reliable, many go to 300K with little or nothing other than basic maintenance. And it doesn't need Premium fuel either. My 1997 Volvo 960 Sedan got the same MPG as a Smart Car and with a straight 6 engine. My present Ford Taurus SE Wagon with a 3 liter, Duratec 24V engine is better on fuel economy. Both are safer.

The Prius is really a rather interesting design! Everything seems to work as it should.
The first issue with the batteries was at 200K miles. When the check engine indicator came on, when I ran the scanner, showed a bad cell in the one of the cell packs. There is 28 cell packs in the main battery module.
I found used replacement cell packs on the E-place. Replacing it is very labor intensive as there is a lot of disassembly in the rear of the car. Interesting, to be sure. :scratch2:

Wayne from next door has put petrol (gasoline) in his new Lexus instead of diesel, of course it has now conked out & he's not a happy chappy... I have never wanted a diesel as I just know I'd forget & put petrol in it by mistake, I'm a bit daft like that...

If one were to put Diesel into a gasoline engine's tank , no big deal , the less volatile fuel simply won't burn and the engine quits . Clean out the fuel system , refill with gasoline , and the car will run again (I know this for fact since the Mrs. did just that)

BUT !

Put gasoline into a Diesel engine's tank and the usual end result is the engine gets damaged by the more volatile fuel , I wouldn't be surprised if the next you hear from your neighbor is how the new Lexus now needs a new engine :eek:

I'm surprised to hear that his employer purchased and issued a diesel car for him. I had understood that diesel vehicles had some kind of a tax or other issue, that made them a little less desirable in GRT Britain.
It looks like the repairs are on his dime. :sigh:

There are still quite a lot of new diesels being sold over here, especially for those who travel long distances like Wayne does as he travels all over the country... Cops are always putting gasoline in their diesel cars & vans, it's a big joke in the media as there are always cop cars & vans off the road awaiting repairs after wrong fuel fill ups..

Bright Boy here had a 1976 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Brougham, w/a 350 V-8. It was the most popular car in America 1975-77, they must have sold 3 gazillion of 'em. Anyhow, 1975-79 were my College years, I live in Tennessee, but went to school in Richmond, Virginia, roughly 400 miles away. Was tootlin' back to school after Spring Break, '77, needed some gas & a "Hit the Head" break, so I pulled off I-81 in Roanoke, Virginia, stuck the nozzle in the tank,went & did my business, came back to pay the gas station guy, he sez, you owe me $15... I sez, No, I used that Cheap Gas... He sez, "Well, son, you just put 7 gallons of #2 Diesel in yer car. Gulp. Now, there are times when even the meanest baddest dude alive wants his Mama, & THIS was one of them times for Moi. Will it hurt my car ? I squeaked .. Well, Shit-Fer-Brains, it won't hurt it, but it'll beat & bang, smoke, run rough, but it shouldn't hurt it...Well, here I go, on to Richmond. I went 70, prayed there weren't any cops-Virginia took "55 MPH" VERY Seriously, 'specially for out of state "Furriners"...I had the A/C on "Deep Freeze" had the radio as loud as I could stand, ANYTHING to run that Weasel juice outta my car. And yeah, it beat, banged, run rough, smoked like a freight train, the whole 9 yards. I'd stop every 25 miles or so & would top off w/"High Test' gas, as we had disconnected all the fed BS anti-pollution junk, I could run any gas I wanted. I finally got back to school, I shut 'er off, it just set there, kept running, & shook like a Baptist preacher at a Tent Revival. Well, I guess you'll eventually quit, I said to myself. Richmond was a small school, they claimed 5K students, but that was with all the law school, grad students, etc. At the part I was in there were about 1500 guys-Richmond College- and 1000gals-Westhampton College. Most good gossip took a day or so to make the rounds, I think my ordeal took about 15 minutes. People I didn't even know were coming up to me, pointing & laughing-YOU'RE the Arsewhole who put Diesel in his Gas car, aren't you ?!? What an Eediot ! Ahahahahaha...!! I paid dearly. And my dear, loving, trustworthy Fraternity brothers-Shit, they rode me worse of all... Long term, both me & my Oldsmobubble survived. You CAN put diesel in a gas car, & it WILL run, but I really CAN'T recommend doing it. Going the OTHER way around-Gas in a diesel-I don't think THAT would work at all.

I have been telling that story for nigh on for 50 years-Gulp- now, & have gotten LOTS of laughs & grins over the years... So, even if I might have suffered a bit from it, the enjoyment it has brought others-And ME- has been way more than worth what ever trouble I suffered...

It depends on how much diesel vs. gas is in the tank. Mostly gas on an older diesel (like my 91 Benz)? No big deal... the car would just stop running. But if it was closer to 50/50 the engine might still run... and you'd likely burn through the prechambers or pistons. If you had just a little gas it wouldn't hurt anything - in fact in the 70s MB suggested mixing some gas into the fuel tank to help prevent fuel gelling at very cold temps. The inline fuel pump is lubricated with engine oil and is rather robust.

https://imgur.com/gallery/1THlMRp

On a newer diesel, like our prior '12 Passat TDI, the fuel is what lubricates the 28,000 PSI high pressure pump. Adding a little gas destroys the lubricity of the fuel, and the pump will self destruct and fill the whole fuel system with metal shavings :eek:

-J