Drew Dowdell

Watch it. Who are you to determine what is needed or not? Again, I’ve learned a lot about reliability requirements since working for the government. Having things not work during emergencies is a no go and I have to plan for it.

The overall shape of a vehicle has little to do with the drag coefficient. A 1998 Lexus LS or MB E-Class is 0.27. A 1998 Miata is 0.38, 97 Celica GTS is 0.37. Both the Miata and Celica have higher drag coefficients than a 2011 Sienna at 0.309 One of the worst is the G-Class at 0.53 and is only beaten for last place by a Wrangler soft top with the top off at 0.58

Unfortunately I don’t tan much. I just turn salmon color.

Doesn’t matter. The suburbans that trail the one with the dignitaries are usually filled with their support staff or additional protection.

But their reliability is more critical

That's the wheel that comes only on the Caliente trim. I have e-bay searches out for one in my color.

It may not be real wood, but I'm partial to this for obvious reasons. It's got good style and a comfortable layout. Cars today all try to have that fighter cockpit layout that I think is completely unnecessary and space consuming for anything not named Supra, Camaro, or Mustang. Hip room in modern car is measured in inches.... hip room in my Toronado can be measured in feet.

Eh, I think if you narrow it down to like 1987ish through 2002ish with allowances for some exceptions that might be true. That was certainly the malaise era for car interiors. But even as bad as most of the 80's powertrains were, the interiors of the mid-lux and up at least had some style even if they weren't made from top end materials.

Photo uploads are fixed No, the Bolt in both forms is still not an Impala/Fusion/Taurus replacement.

This is fixed

vacation photos of me… also to test that photo uploads are working again.

Her commute is that long? she may say she wants a mustang, but in my observation of women of a particular generation… they say that but end up in a small to mid-size crossover anyway for practicality reasons.

What's the opinion on the Mustang Mach E then?

Could a Rivian R1S perhaps be a useful conveyance for Mrs. Balth (price aside).

I like it for a sedan, but I will likely end up with a Rivian eventually instead

Yes. The use profiles of government security vehicles is substantially different. My Avalanche sat in warehouse the first 7 years of its life only accumulating 12,000 miles in that time. Secret Service vehicles get used and abused.. My Avalanche is still under 28k miles and already had its first set of front brakes because of a stuck caliper from under use. If it weren't for the time limit, my Avalanche would still be under mileage bumper to bumper warranty from GM. But again, what is a minor inconvenience to you and I could be a huge deal to the Secret Service. The standards of reliability are so much different for government than for civilian duty. I have to replace the generator in the building I work and because we have a 911 call center, the specs make it expensive. But as I learned after multiple generator/battery failures this summer, if we're in a situation where we need a generator, we're probably also in a situation where we're getting lots of 911 calls. It's been a major learning experience for me on just how different the reliability requirements are just for local government work. I'd imagine it is equal or higher for the Feds. They're probably already tearing down and rebuilding Suburbans now just to keep them on the road with their requirements.

I am absolutely baffled. I have no idea what changed, but everything is working find now. We're back to our original configuration.

As @David pointed out, the last time GM built these vehicles was 2017... so yeah, they are reaching the end of their service lives. And also, read between the lines.... this is basically a contract for Secret Service support vehicles. They have a duty profile unlike most any other in the world. The existing vehicles last entered service 5+ years ago. You're correct that they won't get passed down to other departments but they're also such a tiny percentage of the overall federal fleet that they're less than a rounding error. Also, the current administration did not put a timeline on when the fleet conversion would be completed and they were likely informed by GM and Ford (the likely only two bidders on the contract) that there would not be a BEV platform that meets the requirements of the Secret Service (and similar) in time for when the 2017 units need to be retired. Along with these, the government is going to have to replace the aging Fusions and Impalas as they reach the end of their service lives. Bureaucrats driving these cars are going to switch to.... what? What is on the market as a BEV that will: 1. Be a like for like replacement for a Fusion or Impala 2. Be cost effective 3. Be built in the US with US parts As for the need, the standards of reliability are so much higher for the Secret Service that it is more economical to replace the entire vehicle than to do tear down and rebuilds at 50k miles (just a guess on the service interval). You can't have a Suburban breaking down over a bad lifter actuator while the Pope or Queen Elizabeth is visiting. Things that are inconveniences to you and I are international incidents to any administration. We have 50% more police cars than officers on duty at any given time for exactly this reason.

Depending on their purpose, the vehicles they are replacing will filter to other agencies. The Suburbans referenced are likely only for the highest level security detail and the units they are replacing are reaching the end of their lives for front line use... but they'll get passed down to other agencies/departments. When Obama came to office he started the program to replace the government fleet with more efficient vehicles. This was partially to help the domestic auto makers during the financial crisis, but replacing general purpose V8 Crown Vics with 4-cylinder Focus, Fusions, and G6es matched up with the desire for a more fuel efficient fleet. And when you think about it... why do some Dept. of Transportation worker need a 22mpg Crown Vic when at 32 mpg Fusion will do? At the Municipality where I work we repurpose old police vehicles to other departments when possible. We have our own TV station/New Station and the TV Station Director just got a decommissioned Police Explorer with all of the armor removed. When the public works director gets a new truck, her old one goes to one of the lawn crews. A lot of those cars started to age out of the system at the beginning of the prior administration and started to get replaced. That batch will begin to age out by the end of the current administration. The current admin has also not put a timeline on BEV conversion which gives them a lot of wiggle room. But by declaring their intention now, they can encourage manufacturers to get production ramped up to replace those vehicles when the time comes. It won't be the entire fleet all at once like during the financial crisis.

Server is a little shaky at the moment and I can't find the cause. I am literally on the sand at the beach right now, please be patient.

2000 Oldsmobile Profile concept with a light bar on front.

Yeah, as long as it has a quick detach mount id be fine with that. I’m going to need tires in the spring and I don’t mind making a bit more scrambler looking

I know, I know, but the risks are much lower. It also wasn’t really feasible with what we were doing. I need to find a bag solution that works with a second rider. My current bag that I use for commuting leaves no place for him to put his right leg.

Why even bother with this as a concept? It looks like a cartoon clown car. Virtually none of it is buildable. I don’t even care about it’s propulsion since it wouldn’t be legal as a vehicle in any 1st world country. people get paid to come up with this crap?

The dealership has no say. When I bought out the Encore I just arranged my financing through the credit Union and they sent the buyout to Ally bank. Dealership was never involved in the process at all.