Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

The model is a Rectrans Discoverer. https://barnfinds.com/1970s-rectrans-discoverer-25-motorhome-trio/

neil's prayers have been answered!

meets the people/bike lugger AND the money pit requirements

The triple threat

Speaking of money pits...

has anyone had a c5 estate? the one with the hydractive suspension?

It's also probably worth noting that the warranty repair process is extremely streamlined with Tesla to the point that you can submit all warranty claims, right through to booking an appointment and a loan car, through the app. Try doing that with any other manufacturer.

That low barrier for claims probably means more claims are submitted and processed than any other manufacturer too.

This might be the case but doesn't make me feel any better about buying a car that has door handles that come off, doors that come loose on their hinges etc etc

Bubbling arches - any tips to prevent them when they’re a known issue? Got one tiny spot coming through, anything I can do to nip it in the bud?

What % of claims are that serious and how does that compare to other manufacturers?

Toyota are globally renowned for their manufacturing process and build quality.

Toyota recall timeline for 2007-2011:

1. Sep 26, 2007 – US: 55,000 Toyota Camry and ES 350 cars in"all-weather" floor mat recall.
   
2. Nov 02, 2009 – US: 3.8 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles again recalled due to floor mat problem, this time for all driver's side mats.
   
3. Nov 26, 2009 – US: floor mat recall amended to include brake override and increased to 4.2 million vehicles.
   
4. Jan 21, 2010 – US: 2.3 million Toyota vehicles recalled due to faulty accelerator pedals (of those, 2.1 million already involved in floor mat recall).
   
5. Jan 27, 2010 – US: 1.1 million Toyotas added to amended floor mat recall.
   
6. Jan 29, 2010 – Europe, China: 1.8 million Toyotas added to faulty accelerator pedal recall.
   
7. Feb 08, 2010 – Worldwide: 436,000 hybrid vehicles in brake recall following 200 reports of Prius brake glitches.
   
8. Feb 08, 2010 – US: 7,300 model year 2010 Camry vehicles recalled over potential brake tube problems.
   
9. Feb 12, 2010 – US: 8,000 MY 2010 4WD Tacoma pick-up trucks recalled over concerns about possible defective front drive shafts.
   
10. Apr 16, 2010 – US: 600,000 MY 1998–2010 Toyota Sienna for possible corrosion of spare tire carrier cable.
    
11. Apr 19, 2010 – World: 21,000 MY 2010 Toyota Land Cruiser Prado and 13,000 Lexus GX 460 SUV's recalled to reprogram the stability control system.
    
12. Apr 28, 2010 – US: 50,000 MY 2003 Toyota Sequoia recalled to reprogram the stability control system.
    
13. May 21, 2010 – Japan: 4,509, US: 7,000 MY 2010 LS for steering system software update
    
14. July 5, 2010 – World: 270,000 Crown and Lexus models for valve springs with potential production issue.
    
15. July 29, 2010 – US: 412,000 Avalons and LX 470s for replacement of steering column components.
    
16. August 28, 2010 – US & Canada: approximately 1.13 million Toyota Corolla and Toyota Matrix vehicles produced between 2005 and 2008 for Engine Control Modules (ECM) that may have been improperly manufactured.
    
17. February 8, 2011 – US: NASA and NHTSA inquiry reveals that there were no electronic faults in Toyota cars that would have caused acceleration issues. However, accelerator pedal entrapments remains a problem.
    
18. February 22, 2011 – US: Toyota recalls an additional 2.17 million vehicles for accelerator pedals that become trapped on floor hardware.
    
    

That's a total of 18.37 million recalled vehicles with a minimum of 37 deaths attributed and over 400 injuries...

I'll take my chances.

Fair enough mate. Was just talking about build quality and reliability of Tesla, not their (or Toyota's) safety record.

The bubble will be tiny compared to the rust underneath, typically- the area needs to be ground back, treated with rust converter and painted, or (if too far gone) the rot will need to be cut out and new metal let in. Then paint.

Aye, figured as much. If there's no bubbling on the others, and I get this one sorted - could I get stuff done to keep the ok ones good for longer?

Are those plastic protectors good for anything (other than making the arches look shit)? I guess I'd have to clean the arches up and silicone them on as they'd just be trapping moisture in otherwise. I have no clue tho.

When people buy luxury products like new cars they don't do it based on information like this, they do it based on what they "really want" which tends to boil down to advertising, brand identity, self image etc.

Occasionally they say something like "I loved (the object or brand) as a child" which honestly just means they were exposed to advertising and branding as a youth and want to feel young again.

There's no point trying to look deeper than this.

I guess its the same as Range Rover and Land Rover who are the only manufacturer with a worse quality record than Tesla...people still want to own them.

I understand the desire to own something you really want despite it not being suitable/practical. We've probably all been there on bikes and wheelsets, right?

Its quality compromises I don't get.

I'm a watch collector. I wouldn't blow tens of thousands of pounds on a watch that is known to have quality issues. If a maker made one lemon model, I'd want to wait until the new model had been out in the wild for a while before trusting them again. The same applies for a car. I think Tesla are awesome...but I wouldn't want to spend tens of thousands on something that has a record for bits breaking off it.

Are those plastic protectors good for anything (other than making the arches look shit)?

They're good for trapping water and encouraging your wheel arches to rust...

Are safety recalls not directly related to build quality?

What about @Dammit super spendy Mercedes which appears to be disintegrating?

Personally I'm not bothered by panel gap differences enough to ever report them. If something falls off the car then I'm sure I'll get it fixed just like any other manufacturer, but I'll do it with a car with significantly cheaper running, service and environmental costs than equivalent ICE cars.

Also, I don't think the watch argument holds water. Grand Seiko are high quality and low cost, IWC are low quality in comparison and often more expensive. I've had RR, BMW etc in the past and their interior quality isn't in a different class to that of the Model 3, yet they often cost a lot more and claim superior quality. General cabin materials are on par and technology is obviously way ahead in the Tesla. Not sure if you've sat in an Aston Martin from the mid 2010s but their indicator stalks are from the Ford Focus...

You have missed off my removable tow bar that won’t come off and the 55ltr fuel tank that only takes 46ltr on my RAV4.5

To suggest that, ignores the past few pages of dialogue on electric cars...

The Tesla Model 3 LR is the only car on the market (that I can afford) that manages the range I need and has the charging infrastructure to support the journeys I regularly require.

If the Hyundai Kona or the Kia eNiro had the charging infrastructure (and a 5kwh larger battery) I would be buying one of those. I'd prefer the flexibility of the SUV (ish) format. If the Polestar 2 had the charge infrastructure, I'd also place that ahead of the Tesla because of the more practical boot space.

But, to quote the guy off the TV; if my Grandma had wheels, she would have been a bike.

Ha. Sounds like quality issues to me.

Found my car had a flat the other day. Have a look around for a spare, but only had one of those kit things. That did the job for long enough to get a fix so all good there. Anyway - discovered there are three extra storage areas that I never knew about. One with the kit in, one empty and one with a towbar in. 6 years and never knew it had a tow bar. What a div.

6 years and never knew it had a tow bar. What a div.

You probably paid extra for it too...

Was used and pretty sure it wasn't mentioned as the one we px-ed it had one and I've been thinking of getting one for ages. Happy that I can tow again. Might buy a trailer now.

Check the tow limit but good news! Always handy to have a tow hook.

Got a fancy electronic one on the current car. Haven't used it once in a year.

It’s disintegration is very gentile.

Are safety recalls not directly related to build quality?

What about @Dammit super spendy Mercedes which appears to be disintegrating?

Well yes, but on that front Tesla don't exatly cover themselves in glory. Didn't Tesla have to recall 50% of all cars they ever made at one point? Not sure how Tesla compare to Toyota though. One company makes 300k cars per year and the other 10m. I can't find any figures to calculate a recall rate to compare like for like.

My point about watches was that I wouldn't be rushing to buy a new Grand Seiko if the previous model had a reputation for the hands falling off. I understand the appeal of a Tesla..the tecnology, the wow factor...just not people being willing to turn a blind eye to basic defects on an expensive vehicle.

Always handy to have a tow hook.

I use mine as a budget parking sensor!