I'll fire this one back up again :)
Awhile back on the old auto's site I posted about a young couple I know that bought a loaded up Dodge Hornet. They paid close to $60k iirc, it was some outrageous amount. Been close to two years at least. Anyway, the Hornet actually treated them ok, they has a few niggles but nothing major and they really enjoyed it. About a month ago it got written off in a accident. Thank goodness they went all out on the dealership add on's in this case as one was gap insurance.
So with this amazing gift you'd think the next purchase would be a bit wiser? Nah, lets buy something even dumber! They bought a new Nissan Rouge Platinum. Yeah, the one with the self destructing 3 cyl variable compression turbo and the equally impressive CVT transmission. Since I've known them so long (yet they never ask for vehicle advice until after the ink dries) the husband revealed it was just under $50,000 before taxes. The wife loves it, he said its an absolute dog compared to the Hornet. Her vehicle anyway so happy wife....
The other vehicles they considered and drove were the Toyota Rav4 (said it felt cheap) the Ford Escape (too buzzy) and a Kia Sportage (salesman was a creepy dude that reeked of cigarettes) and a GMC terrain (felt too big). Never tried a Mazda CX5, or any Honda/Acura products because both those dealerships were really busy and no salesperson were available, imagine that. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out over the next 72 months, they live a ways out of town and her commute is quite far. The miles will add up quickly.
As the saying goes, you can't fix stupid.
I was playing around on Nissan's build and price today and discovered that a Rouge is actually more expensive than a Murano in some trims, and very close in others. I'd definitely take the Murano over the Rouge, but see WAY more Rouges on the roads. Strange.
I test drove a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, which is based on the Rogue.
And I quite liked it!
Would be a nice replacement for my Prime (if it was similarly reliable)
Quote from: RRocket on Sep 27, 2025, 10:40 PMI test drove a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, which is based on the Rogue.
And I quite liked it!
Would be a nice replacement for my Prime (if it was similarly reliable)
I really like the styling of the Outlanders in and out. I believe they have a n/a 2.5 which should be considerably more reliable than the VC 3 pot. I see high mileage Outlander PHEV's quite often on the market so they must be decent.
Oh man, this is great. So happy this thread is back.
Quote from: Revelations on Sep 27, 2025, 05:21 PMI was playing around on Nissan's build and price today and discovered that a Rouge is actually more expensive than a Murano in some trims, and very close in others. I'd definitely take the Murano over the Rouge, but see WAY more Rouges on the roads. Strange.
The Rogue starts at $13k less than the Murano so I wouldn't consider that to be strange. Even a Rogue Platinum with no options is cheaper than the cheapest Murano.
Late November I have the Rogue Rock Creek booked. While the CVT has improved and the turbo 3 is actually fun enough to drive, its longevity is already challenged. Weird bet they placed there, as their 2.0 and 2.5 four-bangers have had a good rep.
The Nissan 2.5 atmo is gone for the Outlander for 2026, replaced by the in-house Eclipse Cross' 1.5 turbo four.
We have one Hornet in stock at my Stellantis store - it's been sitting there since October of 2023, has no miles on it, it's a fully loaded R/T PHEV (~$60K) and we can't give it away for $40K. Oldest piece of inventory save for a 2-year old Grand Wagoneer...
Quote from: TheHire on Nov 02, 2025, 05:18 PMWe have one Hornet in stock at my Stellantis store - it's been sitting there since October of 2023, has no miles on it, it's a fully loaded R/T PHEV (~$60K) and we can't give it away for $40K. Oldest piece of inventory save for a 2-year old Grand Wagoneer...
Not a bad deal at $40k... I mostly liked this undercover Alfa when I drove it, but this is the type of vehicle where an extended warranty is a mandatory option.
Sad that a new design compact crossover would be celebrating its second birthday on a lot. Its the hottest new vehicle segment by far. If they still sold the pos Dodge Journey they would probably still be selling in decent numbers due to the bargain basement price. Nothing wrong with the Hornet a naturally aspirated 4, steel wheels, no big screens or fancy options, and a $29,995 Canada Value Package wouldn't fix.
Wifes niece and her fiance bought a Chevy Blazer last year. Because they both have an issue with credit card spending, are both in uni, and live the party lifestyle, I think their combined credit score rounds up to 500. $65k, 8 year loan, ~19% interest so a little over $100k for this POS. The funniest part was the different parents reaction, her parents, my brother and sister in law, were fawning over how its a cute little car and its good they won't have to worry about fixing it. His parents, wanted to drown them both in a shallow puddle for being such idiots. I agree with the latter....
OOOF, how do you spend $65K on a Chevy Blazer, never mind $100K. That's wild.
Oh, its easy, you tick every option box, even the $4k for black rims because they are "sexy. I couldn't believe that they spent more money on that thing than what the GX cost us.
Quote from: Fobroader on Mar 27, 2026, 01:58 PMOh, its easy, you tick every option box, even the $4k for black rims because they are "sexy. I couldn't believe that they spent more money on that thing than what the GX cost us.
These are the same idiots who will cry that they can't afford to buy a house and it's soooooo unfair!
Quote from: RRocket on Mar 27, 2026, 03:11 PMQuote from: Fobroader on Mar 27, 2026, 01:58 PMOh, its easy, you tick every option box, even the $4k for black rims because they are "sexy. I couldn't believe that they spent more money on that thing than what the GX cost us.
These are the same idiots who will cry that they can't afford to buy a house and it's soooooo unfair!
Thats the funny part, they are having a $50-60K wedding this month and are in fact whining about how expensive the housing market in Regina is ::) ::)
Quote from: Fobroader on Mar 27, 2026, 03:22 PMQuote from: RRocket on Mar 27, 2026, 03:11 PMQuote from: Fobroader on Mar 27, 2026, 01:58 PMOh, its easy, you tick every option box, even the $4k for black rims because they are "sexy. I couldn't believe that they spent more money on that thing than what the GX cost us.
These are the same idiots who will cry that they can't afford to buy a house and it's soooooo unfair!
Thats the funny part, they are having a $50-60K wedding this month and are in fact whining about how expensive the housing market in Regina is ::) ::)
Please, just call me The Oracle.
LOL, those black rims cost them more than my DD for the last 10 years ;D
Quote from: Firm on Mar 27, 2026, 03:56 PMLOL, those black rims cost them more than my DD for the last 10 years ;D
Yeah, no shit. I paid a fraction of that for the first 4-5 cars I owned. Hell, I bought black TRD rims and KO2s for the Tundra for $1500 less. These must be very spectacular....
Just for clarity, they bought a Blazer or a Trailblazer? Quite a big difference between the two. One I can understand how you get to $65k but the other doesn't make sense as you could buy two Trailblazers for that price. Reason I ask is the comment from their folks about how cute it was, and makes me think it's the smaller trailblazer.
No, its definitely the Blazer. They wanted a "bigger vehicle" in case they get a dog ::) ::)
Also, it does not make sense that a rental fleet, 4 banger, domestic cuv is $65k. That should be real car money.
So it wasn't a Blazer EV at least? :o Imagine paying $1,000+ a month and having to buy gas on top of that.
Also reading back on Revelation's posts, I had no idea they stuck a 3 banger into the Rogue. Yeesh.
Quote from: dkazzed on Apr 01, 2026, 03:46 PMSo it wasn't a Blazer EV at least? :o Imagine paying $1,000+ a month and having to buy gas on top of that.
Also reading back on Revelation's posts, I had no idea they stuck a 3 banger into the Rogue. Yeesh.
It's so much worse than that. It's a turbo 3-cylinder with variable compression. Yikes!
Quote from: GreatBigAbyss on Apr 01, 2026, 04:41 PMQuote from: dkazzed on Apr 01, 2026, 03:46 PMSo it wasn't a Blazer EV at least? :o Imagine paying $1,000+ a month and having to buy gas on top of that.
Also reading back on Revelation's posts, I had no idea they stuck a 3 banger into the Rogue. Yeesh.
It's so much worse than that. It's a turbo 3-cylinder with variable compression. Yikes!
It looks like this:
(https://images-stag.jazelc.com/uploads/theautopian-m2en/nissan-vc-turbo-bottom-end.jpg)
(https://images-stag.jazelc.com/uploads/theautopian-m2en/nissan-vc-turbo-actuation.jpg)
If I'm counting right, you go from having two bearing surfaces in the conventional engine (wrist pin, and crankshaft), to now having 6 or 7 bearings, if you count the actuator motor as a bearing surface, or not.
Oil pump must be working triple duty!
Oh, and the most common cause of failure in these motors, as evidenced by recalls? Bearing failures.
Quote from: GreatBigAbyss on Apr 01, 2026, 11:00 PMIf I'm counting right, you go from having two bearing surfaces in the conventional engine (wrist pin, and crankshaft), to now having 6 or 7 bearings, if you count the actuator motor as a bearing surface, or not.
Oil pump must be working triple duty!
Oh, and the most common cause of failure in these motors, as evidenced by recalls? Bearing failures.
What could possibly go wrong, right? How about the extra failure modes you've just added! LOL 😆
They didn't seem to learn with the Sentra. Mind you, the CVT fiasco is almost 20 years old.
My 05 Altima was a 5spd manual with the VQ 3.5 V6, that was a fun car, had decent power for a crappy sedan run around and it sounded pretty good with the stillen mufflers I had on it. The build quality when it was 6 years old at 100k kms though, wow, it felt like it had 400k kms and was driven on rural Afghanistan roads. I haven't trusted Nissan for awhile, I don't know whey they would have thought that adding more complexity to the powertrain, which is not their strong suit, would be a good idea. That sounds like something that Porsche would have on one of their race cars, not some sad sack CUV.