You might feel comfortable with the engine in my 2002 Chrysler minivan, a 3.8L V-6. Pushrods and stamped-steel shaft-mounted rocker arms which look just like the ones in my 1965 Chrysler 383. Roller lifters, which people spend $$$ to upgrade in a classic V-8. The MPFI hasn't given any issues other than when the injector harness had degraded wires where some factory fool ran it against the exhaust cross-over pipe (common problem). The injectors were still fine and balanced when recently tested at 285K miles. Did have to change the camshaft sensor, but flagged by a code. Me-thinks a carburetor would have given more issues. They even used those engines in the Jeeps. But the later OHC V-6 were more problematic, perhaps thanks to M-B input.
The biggest drawbacks to me with new cars is the body styling and materials. Reviewers glow about the higher quality plastic in pricey cars. The headlamps are plastic, requiring replacing or polishing every 6 years in sunny California. Manufacturers are currently confused whether to stay with the boxy "cross-over" bodies (i.e. minivan w/o sliding door) or return to round bodies. Past time for that 20 year cycle of round-square-round change to shame people into buying a new car. After bothering eyes with funky colors ~2015 (Swamp Green, Cow-poo brown), they decided everybody wants a grey car. Lexus boxed themselves in a corner with their notable giant black grills, so now try to continue that in battery cars. Indeed, everyone but Tesla is afraid to drop the front grill look so design fakey grills. On the flipside, some new gas car designs try to hide the rear exhaust to appear like a fad battery-car.
Re start-stop systems, perhaps you haven't sat at a 5 min stoplight at a mega-intersection in a major city suburb (ex Windy Hill at Hwy 41 outside Atlanta). I think all those engines have a giant starter-generator, aka "mild hybrid", so little worry with starter motor wear. Starting a cold engine causes wear, but little wear from restarting a warm engine. You can disable the start-stop via button, but why not use a feature you paid for?
I agree with 67Dart273 that hybrids make the most sense. The base Prius gets 58 mpg highway. A plug-in hybrid lets you drive ~30 miles on only electricity, which is good if you have cheap night rates (not San Diego). Battery-car owners claim no range-anxiety, yet Tesla owners often post their bright idea to add an onboard generator, which would make it a ***. Don't buy a battery-car (or plug-in) unless you have home charging, which isn't for most renters. Tesla Supercharging costs make fueling cost 50% more than a 40 mpg gas car most places in U.S. (up to 65 c/kWh at SoCal SC's). Some say they will recharge from home solar panels, then I ask where their Tesla will be parked when the sun is shining. They then jump to "home battery pack". That will cost 33 c/kWh to extract the "free" stored solar energy ($1000/kWh capacity installed, with 3000 cycle life). I'm actually better for the planet when I drive my 1985 M-B 300D since I fill-up with renewable diesel (only in CA) for almost no net-CO2 emissions. Engine runs smoother (higher cetane), no exhaust smell, and currently cheaper than regular gas.
Re Climate Change, I did some research and on sites like UN publications (not crazy ranters). Temperature increase has been mostly in the Arctic (4x global average) and N. Europe. The equator and Southern Hemisphere have had almost no rise and Antarctica actually cooled. Greenhouse gases (CO2, methane) would cause warming everywhere. The initial climate models were off by 4x in predicting warming, and didn't explain the North-South difference. So, they added stuff like "Polar Vortex" and "El Nino, La Nina" effects until the models fit past data, then crow "models work". They continue doing so, especially via continual ENSO changes. Still doesn't work since the last 3 years levelled off in average annual global temperature (Al Gore must be mad). I don't know why CA even cares since almost no increase, and when they factor in the long and cold last Winter, CA average may even drop. Glaciers are supposedly melting, like when the Iceman was exposed on a ridge between Italy and Austria. But the ice must have been that low when he fell with arrows-in-back 5000 years ago. More likely explained by precipitation changes than temperatures. Recall the Ozone Hole which outlawed Freon? The UN was crowing "fixed it" in 2019, but the last 3 years have been the largest hole ever. It only occurs in the Antarctic Winter, so who cares about increased uV on those dark day. The UN explains it by rolling into Climate Change via this Polar Vortex (cooler Stratospheric to form more ice crystals). Climate Change now explains both droughts and floods in CA, plus forest fires. Next they will blame earthquakes and even the sun rising and setting on it. We need smarter news reporters, who can read and process information, not just parrot CA Gov. Gabbing Nuisance.
Regarding climate change, most statistics have been compared to 1940's or 1950's data. Global warming has been an ongoing progression since the end of the iceage about 10,000 to 12,000 years ago. The Grand Canyon took millions of years to erode? The sedimentary layers were deposited over 100's of million years? How does sedementary materials change color in obvious strata over these millions of years.You might feel comfortable with the engine in my 2002 Chrysler minivan, a 3.8L V-6. Pushrods and stamped-steel shaft-mounted rocker arms which look just like the ones in my 1965 Chrysler 383. Roller lifters, which people spend $$$ to upgrade in a classic V-8. The MPFI hasn't given any issues other than when the injector harness had degraded wires where some factory fool ran it against the exhaust cross-over pipe (common problem). The injectors were still fine and balanced when recently tested at 285K miles. Did have to change the camshaft sensor, but flagged by a code. Me-thinks a carburetor would have given more issues. They even used those engines in the Jeeps. But the later OHC V-6 were more problematic, perhaps thanks to M-B input.
The biggest drawbacks to me with new cars is the body styling and materials. Reviewers glow about the higher quality plastic in pricey cars. The headlamps are plastic, requiring replacing or polishing every 6 years in sunny California. Manufacturers are currently confused whether to stay with the boxy "cross-over" bodies (i.e. minivan w/o sliding door) or return to round bodies. Past time for that 20 year cycle of round-square-round change to shame people into buying a new car. After bothering eyes with funky colors ~2015 (Swamp Green, Cow-poo brown), they decided everybody wants a grey car. Lexus boxed themselves in a corner with their notable giant black grills, so now try to continue that in battery cars. Indeed, everyone but Tesla is afraid to drop the front grill look so design fakey grills. On the flipside, some new gas car designs try to hide the rear exhaust to appear like a fad battery-car.
Re start-stop systems, perhaps you haven't sat at a 5 min stoplight at a mega-intersection in a major city suburb (ex Windy Hill at Hwy 41 outside Atlanta). I think all those engines have a giant starter-generator, aka "mild hybrid", so little worry with starter motor wear. Starting a cold engine causes wear, but little wear from restarting a warm engine. You can disable the start-stop via button, but why not use a feature you paid for?
I agree with 67Dart273 that hybrids make the most sense. The base Prius gets 58 mpg highway. A plug-in hybrid lets you drive ~30 miles on only electricity, which is good if you have cheap night rates (not San Diego). Battery-car owners claim no range-anxiety, yet Tesla owners often post their bright idea to add an onboard generator, which would make it a ***. Don't buy a battery-car (or plug-in) unless you have home charging, which isn't for most renters. Tesla Supercharging costs make fueling cost 50% more than a 40 mpg gas car most places in U.S. (up to 65 c/kWh at SoCal SC's). Some say they will recharge from home solar panels, then I ask where their Tesla will be parked when the sun is shining. They then jump to "home battery pack". That will cost 33 c/kWh to extract the "free" stored solar energy ($1000/kWh capacity installed, with 3000 cycle life). I'm actually better for the planet when I drive my 1985 M-B 300D since I fill-up with renewable diesel (only in CA) for almost no net-CO2 emissions. Engine runs smoother (higher cetane), no exhaust smell, and currently cheaper than regular gas.
Re Climate Change, I did some research and on sites like UN publications (not crazy ranters). Temperature increase has been mostly in the Arctic (4x global average) and N. Europe. The equator and Southern Hemisphere have had almost no rise and Antarctica actually cooled. Greenhouse gases (CO2, methane) would cause warming everywhere. The initial climate models were off by 4x in predicting warming, and didn't explain the North-South difference. So, they added stuff like "Polar Vortex" and "El Nino, La Nina" effects until the models fit past data, then crow "models work". They continue doing so, especially via continual ENSO changes. Still doesn't work since the last 3 years levelled off in average annual global temperature (Al Gore must be mad). I don't know why CA even cares since almost no increase, and when they factor in the long and cold last Winter, CA average may even drop. Glaciers are supposedly melting, like when the Iceman was exposed on a ridge between Italy and Austria. But the ice must have been that low when he fell with arrows-in-back 5000 years ago. More likely explained by precipitation changes than temperatures. Recall the Ozone Hole which outlawed Freon? The UN was crowing "fixed it" in 2019, but the last 3 years have been the largest hole ever. It only occurs in the Antarctic Winter, so who cares about increased uV on those dark day. The UN explains it by rolling into Climate Change via this Polar Vortex (cooler Stratospheric to form more ice crystals). Climate Change now explains both droughts and floods in CA, plus forest fires. Next they will blame earthquakes and even the sun rising and setting on it. We need smarter news reporters, who can read and process information, not just parrot CA Gov. Gabbing Nuisance.
