But they aren't like our full size pickups are they? I thought they were more like a modern day Chevy El Camino or a mid size pickup like a Toyota.
Peter
Peter
Mercedes to add heated seatbelts as a safety feature—it kind of makes sense.
- Thread starter Packard
- Start date
luvmytoolz
Member
From what I understand the modern type El Camino's are like our older Holden utes, the ones that dominate the market here are the larger single/dual cab ones. It's a much smaller market here obviously but these are the top selling model figures for the last 6 months:
Top Selling Utes in Australia (2025/2026 Data)
- Ford Ranger: 56,555 units
- Toyota HiLux: 51,297 units
- Isuzu D-Max: 26,839 units
- Mitsubishi Triton: 18,900 units
smorgasbord
Member
Con Edison offers EV owners Time Of Use rates at like $0.16/kWh.
Do the math at your price per gallon & mpg & oil changes, etc.
Biggest problem with EVs is that the tech is evolving rapidly and so depreciation is high.
Michael Kellough
Member
Approaching a full year of use and will just barely break 3000 miles. Cost of fuel is less than $700. Cost of insurance is nearly one dollar per mile. Makes me dizzy thinking about how ridiculous this is.
Mini Me
Member
Ford Australia built the first coupe/utility in the 1930's after a farmer's wife wrote to Ford and asked if they could build a vehicle that could carry stuff like hay and animals but be comfortable for longer trips and going somewhere while dressed to visit.
https://outbacktravelaustralia.com.au/buyers-guide-buying-advice/the-true-history-of-the-ute/
luvmytoolz
Member
Great link! That red Model 40-A is superb!
Cheese
Member
So, 23 cents per mile for fuel and $1 per mile for insurance...what's wrong with that picture?
If it's really cold, I do on my coat in reverse and don't close the zipper. Then I can always take it off, even without taking the seat belt off. I bought my car used. It doesn't have heated seats and I wouldn't have chosen that option either when I had the chance. I would have liked the heated steering wheel though since I often have cold hands, especially when I haven't slept well.
At my work we got a coat from our employer. My coworkers wear it as a "summer coat". I wear it when it's freezing.
When walking to the next building (huge terrain, multiple buildings) you have to go outside for 40 meters. Some will walk 100 meters inside the building to retrieve their coat first, lol. You can cross that 40 meters without ever breathing in any outside air...
For me it's the zip code... I blame the foreign students. Pretty much every other zipcode 20% lower insurance rate.
I first checked the date of your post and was surprised it wasn't april 1st
Yes for the electric car riders where the heat isn't 'free'. Other than that... why wear heavy winter clothes in the car at all?
So they are really cycling distances. Although that is a bit dependent on the route I guess. My previous tank of gas was done at an average of over 80 km/h.
Humans can withstand cold just fine. Only when you never try to withstand anything, you will fail with everything.
At my work we got a coat from our employer. My coworkers wear it as a "summer coat". I wear it when it's freezing.
When walking to the next building (huge terrain, multiple buildings) you have to go outside for 40 meters. Some will walk 100 meters inside the building to retrieve their coat first, lol. You can cross that 40 meters without ever breathing in any outside air...
3000 miles / year? I do that on my bicycle. Why is the insurance that high? Expensive? Heavy? Vulnerable to theft? Bad zip code?
For me it's the zip code... I blame the foreign students. Pretty much every other zipcode 20% lower insurance rate.
Michael Kellough
Member
Some states allow the price of car insurance to be related to usage, but not N.Y. Pretty much flat rate here unless you really drive a lot, then it cost even more.
Cheese
Member
Thank God I'm just a visitor and not a resident.
semenza
Member
NY State does allow insurance to reflect usage level. But probably not New York City.
Seth
demographic
Member
- Joined
- May 9, 2015
- Messages
- 848
Sticking $700 on the price of a car for heated seatbelts but not having them as an option just looks like price gouging to me but I wouldn't have a Merc given as I believe they went downhill from about the 90s.
To me nowadays they seem to charge a huge amount for tech that will be on next years Kia.
To me nowadays they seem to charge a huge amount for tech that will be on next years Kia.
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2015
- Messages
- 5,718
For me, there are three levels of milage. Under 5,000/year, under 12,000, and all above that.
I'm not totally sure how they know, if you were to go over?
If you get service at a dealer or oil change at one of the big chain places, they record it. If you do that yourself?
luvmytoolz
Member
The insurer I have our cars with has a mileage discount, we are supposed to call up at the start of each policy renewal and give the odometer reading. If you have an accident and haven't given the reading, they charge an extra $1k excess.
Michael Kellough
Member
Annual safety inspections record the mileage.
leakyroof
Member
- Joined
- Mar 23, 2011
- Messages
- 2,609
Don't forget many Insurance Companies are now having Drivers pop a Dongle/Device into the Car's diagnostic port, which records data, in order for the insurance policy to in in effect for the Customer.
Packard
Member
Another Mercedes bit: Every new S-Class has the mechanicals for 4-wheel steering, but you only get to use is if you pay a subscription.
That means every buyer pays for the mechanicals whether they intend to use it or not.
That means every buyer pays for the mechanicals whether they intend to use it or not.
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- Oct 16, 2015
- Messages
- 5,718
We don't have that here. Unless it was checked in to a shop that records the vin and mileage during service, it would never happen, until it was sold or a claim was filed.
Of course, they "sell that concept" as giving people a discount. It might work for some, but I would bet that a few people got an increase. As far as I know, it's voluntary. It has been going on for years and hasn't progressed, so there must be a reason for that?
That has been going on, to a lesser degree for decades, minus the subscription part. Car/trucks are wired for everything, whether it has those options or not.
Yes... then when merging on the highway... if you floor the throttle to equalize speed before merging... your premiums go up. But if you move in front of faster moving traffic causing the car behind you to violently brake... his premiums go up.
Or someone doesn't yield and you hit the brakes hard to prevent a crash > your premiums go up. Don't break as hard > get in crash > other car's premiums go up.
Retarded incentives both ways.
Wasn't there a huge scandal once where car manufacturers sold data to insurance companies? With some guy that was welcomed by his cat on the drive way that his car would register as a "near collision with small object" and hence his premiums going up..
I've been with the same insurance company for 47 years less 3 months. I have been "offered" the opportunity to reduce my insurance costs if I have the dongles. No way am I going to have another form of big brother following me around. I don't drive many miles spread over two vehicles with one vehicle getting less than 1000 miles a year and the newest getting less than 2500. I don't have a reason for them to increase my insurance due to my driving and have such an old policy that it can't be cancelled except for non-payment, or an accident involving dui or reckless driving. Make those things mandatory and I'll move on.
