https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xDJnvE_yOU&t=640s

Hello, everyone. I want to share with you our new Discord server, featuring the Vogadu bot. We are using AI to summarise car reviews and highlight key features, potential issues, and what people like about various car models. Everyone is welcome to join the server here: https://discord.gg/x8zXqvNz8g

https://youtu.be/L3HqLC9niVE?si=ZN9H4dInalILnnbD

What do yall think??

Episode 5: The Subaru Baja

Ah, the 2000s. Filled with portable CD players, the Nintendo Wii(both of which were integral entertainment in my childhood), and a whole bunch of stupid kids' toys(Moonshoes come to mind). But, most importantly, weird cars. With that context, I have a question: If you were Subaru and were still establishing your presence in the American car market, what would you do? Naturally, you would chop off the back end of an Outback and turn it into a pickup truck, right? No? Well, that's exactly what they did. They then named it the Subaru Baja. And what's a weird truck without a weird sporty version? Because yes, they offered the same 2.5L Flat-4 as in the Outback, making about 165-175 horsepower. however, they also offered a turbocharged version which churned out 210-230 horsepower, depending on the year. It had a 3-foot, yes, 3-foot bed. It even was offered with a manual transmission. And one question that comes to mind is: "Since it's based on a wagon platform, does it even count as a pickup truck?" I'll let you guys decide which side of that fence you fall on.

https://preview.redd.it/21pc43ebo3hc1.jpg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d7223b481d604b2725089ef8502e5ef755cc0b46

https://preview.redd.it/tnd95gebo3hc1.jpg?width=298&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=af27915856ef2b4f9248a179e2cd2c83b8bc4c42

https://preview.redd.it/kqckv6ebo3hc1.jpg?width=275&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=336a49ef7d0e21037b0ed0b2ce3c1b8b318ab545

Episode 4: The Chevrolet HHR

Okay, we're doing another one because I forgot to do one last week. Here we go.

Put yourself in the shoes of Chevrolet in the 2000s. They are seeing what was the initial success of the PT Cruiser (the convertible version of which will be written on eventually). What did they do? They waited 5 years after the debut of the PT to launch a competitor. I bring you the Chevrolet HHR. Complete with options such as a Turbo SS model (which had a weirdly large chin bumper), a Panel Van variant with remote-opening doors, and a remote start system. Wow, what a car. HHR stands for Heritage High Roof and was meant to draw nostalgia from the Suburban Wagons of the old days. Amongst the retro boom of the 2000s with cars like the 2002 Thunderbird and Chevrolet SSR, a weird truck, sports car thing, the HHR did not do well at all. Especially the Panel Van models. Not only that, but this was in the early days of Chevrolet's Eco-Tec series of engines. They were sluggish and underpowered, and reliability was dodgy at best. The best you would get out of Eco-Tec was the turbocharged version making 260 horsepower, but even that had its issues, especially with rod bearings and timing chains. Chevrolet tried to make this vehicle work, but it was overshadowed by the immense success and subsequent faceplant that was the PT Cruiser. And yet... I want one. Even better if I could get my hands on a Turbo SS model.

This HHR panel key fob shoes the buttons that opened the rear doors.

The interior was very bland

The lase model was...something

The panel van had 2 seats, compartments on the floor, and no outer door handles on the rear doors. However, they did have interior door handles.

This is the SS with the aforementioned weird big chin thing.

Episode 1: The Fisker Karma.

Today's car is the Fisker Karma. A car I love to death. It was the brainchild of one Henrik Fisker, a former car designer for Ford, Aston Martin, and BMW. In 2012 the Fisker Karma was released as a Series Hybrid Luxury Sport Sedan. Under the hood was a General Motors 2.0L Turbocharged 4-cylinder and at the rear wheels were 2 electric motors totaling a system output of 403 horsepower and 959 lb-ft of torque. The sedan was about as long as a Toyota Avalon, but its lack of interior space classified it as a subcompact car. It weighed a hefty 5300 lbs. Even though it was a hefty chunk of metal, it pulled 0-60 in about 6 seconds. The Karma was built to be a competitor to Tesla, but battery supply issues plagued the company and the vehicle was much less practical than the Model S having cramped back seats and only 8 ft^3 of cargo space in the trunk. Eventually, Fisker Automotive went bankrupt but resurfaced a few years ago to introduce the Fisker Ocean, a vehicle that will likely also be featured in this little series of mine. The Karma remains one of my favorite cars and I think they are gorgeous. However, I will let you decide.

https://www.google.com/search?q=fisker+karma&sca_esv=213bf1ba865ab4e8&rlz=1CAPPDO_enUS1091&tbm=isch&sxsrf=ACQVn0_t4QFv4xTYO275dDwn-eptluoV8g:1706597517745&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiwhseWw4SEAxVhliYFHaVmBysQ_AUoAXoECAIQAw#imgrc=cabBxGu7LMj2EM

Okay, so over the past few weeks, I(20m) Have been writing on Facebook about weird cars that I like, but my fiance(24m) suggested I post them here. It was about 2 mins ago that a name for this little segment came to mind. Car Corner: The wonderfully weird. I'll be posting my last few facebook posts on the subject soon.

Tired of replacing parts on a Jeep so I’m buying a truck.

Looking at getting one that is between 2017 and 2021 in the 28-35k range. Coming across lots of titans f150s, Colorados, and ram 1500s. My main concern right now is reliability for a while. Is there one that I should totally avoid or one that I should look more at? Any advice would be awesome.