Big Blue Huddle

Can you tell I'm bored this Sunday evening...babbling about everything

Anyway, splurged and bought a new car...2024 KIA Seltos SX...every option under the sun including the turbo engine and a non-CVT 8 speed transmission...and it comes with a 20-year, 200,000 mile warranty (only get that at KIA East Syracuse) which kind of blows me away. Anyway, this is my first experience with a "smart car" at this level. The first issue I had was driving in Syracuse traffic on 690. I couldn't believe how easy it steered, but how hard it was to change lanes. It took me awhile to figure out that the car was basically driving itself. I got curious and on my way home on route 81, I let go of the wheel to see how far it would go and how well it handled turns. It drove perfectly for about 5 miles before warning me to put my hands on the wheel...so I touched the steering wheel and it drove itself for another 5 miles before warning me again. I got thinking, "if I had a heart attack and my lifeless hand was resting on the steering wheel, I'd either end up in the Thousand Islands or in Knoxville or until the car ran out of gas, and my family would wonder why I went there and died". Sorta like Payne Stewart

Then there's the cruise control that has different modes - one that adjusts your speed exactly the same as the car in front of you...that was different. But just like with the driver assist that keeps you in-line on the highway, as soon as you hit your turn signal, the "driver-assist" as well as the speed of the car in front of me is turned off

That was just the beginning. The entire dash is one long monitor. I can have digital or analogue gauges and can control everything with buttons below the screen, or buttons on the steering wheel, or touch screen, or I can hit a button on the steering wheel that allows me to tell the damn car what I want and what station on the radio I want. It's like driving a computer

When I got home, I got a message on my phone so I checked it out. It was my car calling me to tell me that my door was unlocked and asked me if I wanted to lock "press 1"...dang. I can push a button while I'm in the grocery store so that when I come out with grocery bags and come within 6 feet of the car, the rear gate opens for me. Last night on my way from my Saturday Night watering hole in Binghamton, I was going to dim my lights for an oncoming car, but the computer beat me to it...WTF

I've read that "in general", men are better drivers than most women because they both approach a vehicle differently. For men, they feel as if the machine is part of them - intertwined as one; hence, usually only have one hand on the wheel and do things like down shift to save brakes, etc. Whereas, most women tend to think they are piloting a machine that they don't entirely trust - both hands on wheel 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock. Don't know if that's true or not, but driving tractor since I was five, and being a biker, I understand how one feels like a machine is part of me. Well, all that is taken away from me with the "smart car". I'm still up in the air how I feel about it. I hate cell phones and only use them to call, take calls, or message...and take pictures or use the flashlight...oh, and I also have one app that I use and that's Shazaam that if I push the app, it will tell me the name and artist of a song being played somewhere. Actually comes in handy. But generally speaking, I hate smart phones...and now I can do anything from my phone from starting the car, adjusting the heat or air conditioning, fiddling with the radio, etc., all from the comfort of my couch and could be ten miles away from my car. The one good thing is if the car was stolen I can track it and even shut it off...friggin weird if you ask me. I guess I'm just getting old, although I like my smart tv

Anyone else like or dislike the "smart cars"??

Anyhoo - here's what I bought

Did you lease or buy it? Cost?

Quote from: Ed Vette on December 03, 2023, 08:24:45 PMDid you lease or buy it? Cost?

I bought it - around 32.5k - taxes and fees pushed to a little over 35 (the base model without all the extras is around 27k). I would've gone with a base model, but I really wanted the turbo and non-CVT tranny...and that only comes with the top of the line model with all the extras

One of the things I took into consideration that car prices are expected to rise next year...especially American cars since the strike. All the other car companies will follow suit. And I needed a car since my old one is seen it's best years

Nice looking car, Ric.

I'm a fan of technology. One of my favorite features on my Grand Cherokee is the Adaptive Cruise Control. Similar to what you described in yours, the Jeep has a radar sensor in the front grille and adjusts the speed based on the vehicle in front of me. It's great for highway driving.

I also love the Android Auto feature. I can specify what apps from my phone I want to have mirrored on my Android Auto display. My favorite traveling/driving app is Waze. The crowd-sourced cop feature is the absolute best. I know you have an aversion to cell phones but if you do a lot of highway driving, Waze is a must-have.

Quote from: T200 on December 04, 2023, 09:39:51 AMNice looking car, Ric.

I'm a fan of technology. One of my favorite features on my Grand Cherokee is the Adaptive Cruise Control. Similar to what you described in yours, the Jeep has a radar sensor in the front grille and adjusts the speed based on the vehicle in front of me. It's great for highway driving.

I also love the Android Auto feature. I can specify what apps from my phone I want to have mirrored on my Android Auto display. My favorite traveling/driving app is Waze. The crowd-sourced cop feature is the absolute best. I know you have an aversion to cell phones but if you do a lot of highway driving, Waze is a must-have.

I'm old school. Still trying to figure out how to use the radio like a normal (old) human. I'm the kind of guy that feels as if a machine is part of me...sort of like great musicians who don't "play" their instrument, but it's part of them. This car makes me feel more like a passenger than part of me. It's tough to get used to, but I know I have to come to grips with it

As an engineer who started my career as a programmer, the only "constant" in my life was "continual change". After using FORTRAN and PASCAL, I went to machine programming. I've gone from using IBM punch cards and wrapping the stack in a rubber band to take to the compiler, to Mylar ribbon on a teletype, to the original DOS (green alphanumerics on black screen), to adding an 8087 chip to my 8086 CPU to increase my computer's math capability, to every subsequent version of DOS, then every subsequent version of Windows...dittos with EXCEL, Lotus 1-2-3 (mandatory during college - no longer used by anyone), DBaseII and III, etc. And of course, the company I worked for changed the overall management software all the time as well...when I left 20 years ago, they were converting to ProE and SAP. Every time I mastered a version...the next version came out, and I had to learn all the new idiosyncrasies. Every new version was supposed to make it "easier" for the user. Even C++ was introduced to make my knowledge basically useless in today's world. Now, kids start out with JavaScript, Python, HTML, etc. To make a long story short (I know...it's too late), at some point in my life, I got tired of having to relearn everything I mastered in the 70's, 80's, and 90's. Before I retired, I forced myself to learn the next level of every software program as it was necessary for my job. However, I developed a mental block to wanting to relearn something for the thousandth time...if that makes sense. So I've put up a wall between my brain and the latest and greatest software development. Like a stubborn old mule 

When it comes to cars, I prefer standard transmissions with stick shift, a good heater and air conditioner, a good radio, and that's pretty much it...although I do like power steering and disc brakes

I checked out WAZE and it looks perfect for what I would use it for, so I checked to see if it can be added to my screen in the car and it can. Apparently, WAZE is also owned by Google Maps. I will turn the car over to one of my grandchildren and let them add it for me

I have been involved in IT since I before I joined the Air Force in 1989. I specifically asked for a job working with computers. My recruiter put me in for Open General (cop, cook, computers, admin clerk were all possibilities). God put me where he wanted me and I started working on Sperry/Unisys mainframes right after tech school. We also had the stacks of punch cards 8.5 inch floppy disks, mag tapes, and disk platters! No programming for me, though. But I can certainly relate to all of the changing technologies and subsequent certifications. I eventually got away from mainframes, as did most companies, and got into networking, which eventually became my favorite aspect of IT. The many certifications became overwhelming and I just settled down for the couple that were absolutely necessary for me to keep my job!

I would love to have a manual shift car to drive on occasion but not as a daily driver.

Yes, Google bought Waze a number of years ago. I'm firmly entrenched in the Google environment but prefer Waze over Google Maps. How they manage the traffic in real time is beyond me but I know firsthand and can confirm that it definitely works.

Quote from: T200 on December 04, 2023, 11:38:26 AMI have been involved in IT since I before I joined the Air Force in 1989. I specifically asked for a job working with computers. My recruiter put me in for Open General (cop, cook, computers, admin clerk were all possibilities). God put me where he wanted me and I started working on Sperry/Unisys mainframes right after tech school. We also had the stacks of punch cards 8.5 inch floppy disks, mag tapes, and disk platters! No programming for me, though. But I can certainly relate to all of the changing technologies and subsequent certifications. I eventually got away from mainframes, as did most companies, and got into networking, which eventually became my favorite aspect of IT. The many certifications became overwhelming and I just settled down for the couple that were absolutely necessary for me to keep my job!

I would love to have a manual shift car to drive on occasion but not as a daily driver.

Yes, Google bought Waze a number of years ago. I'm firmly entrenched in the Google environment but prefer Waze over Google Maps. How they manage the traffic in real time is beyond me but I know firsthand and can confirm that it definitely works.

I readily admit that manual shift in city traffic is a bitch and not fun...especially if you have a heavy hi-performance clutch. I live in the country where that is never a problem unless I go to downtown Syracuse or Ithaca (nightmare even with automatic transmission). As a biker, that is no problem at all though

You sound like someone I'd love to hang out with over a beer. I think we have a lot in common

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on December 04, 2023, 11:52:52 AMI readily admit that manual shift in city traffic is a bitch and not fun...especially if you have a heavy hi-performance clutch. I live in the country where that is never a problem unless I go to downtown Syracuse or Ithaca (nightmare even with automatic transmission). As a biker, that is no problem at all though

You sound like someone I'd love to hang out with over a beer. I think we have a lot in common

Most definitely! But... I owe @Bob In PA a visit first 

Congrats, Jolly. That's a beauty, good luck with it.
I'm still trying to figure out all the bells and whistles on my 2020 Subaru Forester and there are not anywhere near as many as you've got!
I appreciate all the "Safety" technology, but some things I find are just toys and gizmos no one really "Needs".
Anyway, have fun with it and safe travels.

We've got the wife's Toyota hybrid that I call the "nanny car" because whatever you're doing, the car isn't happy. "Beep beep, it's cold out." That's an actual warning. I do appreciate the blind spot monitoring.

I have a manual 2000 911 I love like my third child. Finicky car, but when its right it's really right. I haven't hit its adhesion limit yet and I don't expect to. It's not a whole lot of fun driving it to the Giants games and back though.

Nice wheels Ric, for an 'older' man.          

I'm with you though. I also drive a Forrester, a bit olden than Lou's, but when I drive, I love to drive, not let the car drive me.
I am old-fashioned and I would never be able to sit in a car and have it drive me or drive by itself.