Uncle Milty wrote:IFTTT?

are you aware of any IFTTT/Alexa integrations?

Grotewold wrote:dumb question time: is the "oil life indicator" in your car based on the actual oil amount or just the time since you last changed the oil? It's been three months but my old Civic is saying 60%.

It's usually based on time, and if you think about it, that makes sense--you should change your oil every 5 months or so, if you're one of those people who does those kind of things.

Uncle Milty wrote:

Bucky wrote:

Uncle Milty wrote:IFTTT?

are you aware of any IFTTT/Alexa integrations?

I found what I needed to accomplish in the app for my smart switches so I didn't mess with IFTTT. Here's what I noticed which is why I mentioned it: https://ifttt.com/amazon_alexa

And yet, it still can't integrate tune in radio with an alarm clock. To be fair, I haven't checked on this in a few months. But if I say "play tune in radio WFMU at 7:00 am, why can't alexa figure that out? Clock radios have been around for at least as long as I've been alive, but not on Alexa. In general, I find both Alexa and Prime video to have pretty crummy AI. (Netflix is much better at getting me the streams I want. Alexa particularly seems to require very precise instructions to do anything right. For example, on Saturday, I asked Alexa what time the playoff games were on. That took a few tries. The, it game me the times, but when I asked whether that was EST or CST, it said it didn't know.

TenuredVulture wrote:

Grotewold wrote:dumb question time: is the "oil life indicator" in your car based on the actual oil amount or just the time since you last changed the oil? It's been three months but my old Civic is saying 60%.

It's usually based on time, and if you think about it, that makes sense--you should change your oil every 5 months or so, if you're one of those people who does those kind of things.

I've always had it changed religiously at 3K or 6K, depending on conventional or synthetic.

I've been had.

Just paid off my POS smart car this month, so I started thinking about buying a new car. My wife astutely pointed out that 1) I would be getting some version of a car close to the Yaris we also have and 2) I always get the new shiny thing and she's had her eye on something a little more capable of getting her to work in the snow. Most likely thing now is she gets herself a Subaru or some such and then I take her car.

subaru crosstrek

azrider wrote:subaru crosstrek

I really wanted to like the Crosstrek but it just feels too underpowered. I guess that would be less noticeable coming from a Yaris, though.

mickbayne wrote:

azrider wrote:subaru crosstrek

I really wanted to like the Crosstrek but it just feels too underpowered. I guess that would be less noticeable coming from a Yaris, though.

yeah, that's a common theme across the entire subaru line except for the wrx. boxer engine is bulletproof though. and with awd, 8.7 inches of ground clearance, and eyesight technology at a very nice price point compared to vehicles with similar features. it may sound and feel a little rough when you need to hit the gas, but they'll get you through nearly anything though.

Snow is not an issue for me, but I wonder if you get a car that's "good in the snow" so you can get to work on the 4 or 5 days you need such a vehicle is really a smart idea. Instead, get something that's totally ridiculous in the snow and then, when it snows, you call in and say something like "no way can I make it in today with my Miata" or some such. Day off!

i live in civilization so i still have to hope for public transit to stop running

azrider wrote:

mickbayne wrote:

azrider wrote:subaru crosstrek

I really wanted to like the Crosstrek but it just feels too underpowered. I guess that would be less noticeable coming from a Yaris, though.

yeah, that's a common theme across the entire subaru line except for the wrx. boxer engine is bulletproof though. and with awd, 8.7 inches of ground clearance, and eyesight technology at a very nice price point compared to vehicles with similar features. it may sound and feel a little rough when you need to hit the gas, but they'll get you through nearly anything though.

Hah yeah I have a WRX now, so going from that to a Crosstrek would be quite the difference. Agree with the features/price point being attractive, though.

mickbayne wrote:

azrider wrote:

mickbayne wrote:

azrider wrote:subaru crosstrek

I really wanted to like the Crosstrek but it just feels too underpowered. I guess that would be less noticeable coming from a Yaris, though.

yeah, that's a common theme across the entire subaru line except for the wrx. boxer engine is bulletproof though. and with awd, 8.7 inches of ground clearance, and eyesight technology at a very nice price point compared to vehicles with similar features. it may sound and feel a little rough when you need to hit the gas, but they'll get you through nearly anything though.

Hah yeah I have a WRX now, so going from that to a Crosstrek would be quite the difference. Agree with the features/price point being attractive, though.

i'm not the driving enthusiast as i was 10-20 years ago, but i had a friend who let me drive his 2012 and it was a fun car! if it came in hatch/wagon/fastback form, i would probably buy one. manual or cvt?

as much as anything else it's about her getting the shiny new thing instead of me just constantly doing whatever the fuck I want and spending money on myself.

Uncle Milty wrote:

TenuredVulture wrote:Snow is not an issue for me, but I wonder if you get a car that's "good in the snow" so you can get to work on the 4 or 5 days you need such a vehicle is really a smart idea. Instead, get something that's totally ridiculous in the snow and then, when it snows, you call in and say something like "no way can I make it in today with my Miata" or some such. Day off!

+1

granted you can't say enough about tires and with most vehicles having traction control, AWD is awesome, even in the rain. you rarely feel more than a split second of hydroplaning. it doesn't rain much here, but when it does, it brings all the oil on the road up above the surface. i had a jeep patriot that in FWD mode was still a 90/10 split and that was amazing too. only in the heaviest snow would i ever need 4wd. that vehicle was better than my landcruiser in snow and on par with the subaru. i grew up knowing how to drive a mustang gt in the snow, granted very light snow with performance tires on it, and i know i can deal with some shitty conditions, but i don't think i could ever move back to philly and not have an AWD vehicle. and it's not because i like to go out and snowboard or go off the beaten path hiking or sometimes camping.

all the subaru's i've driven in the past 5 years have been terrible(two outbacks, a crosstrek and two different impreza hatchbacks). The actual control of the car is awful and the acceleration is useless. they're functional and surprisingly get decent gas mileage for an AWD vehicle.

jamiethekiller wrote:all the subaru's i've driven in the past 5 years have been terrible(two outbacks, a crosstrek and two different impreza hatchbacks). The actual control of the car is awful and the acceleration is useless. they're functional and surprisingly get decent gas mileage for an AWD vehicle.

other than wrx, that's not their strong point. it's point a to point b, safely with good gas mileage. they're not meant for fun.

not even a fun thing. they've literally all handled like pure shit. the steering wheel lacks control of the car. the blind spots are enormous. the hoods are gigantic. rather drive my old 2008 dodge charger instead.

azrider wrote:

mickbayne wrote:

azrider wrote:

mickbayne wrote:

azrider wrote:subaru crosstrek

I really wanted to like the Crosstrek but it just feels too underpowered. I guess that would be less noticeable coming from a Yaris, though.

yeah, that's a common theme across the entire subaru line except for the wrx. boxer engine is bulletproof though. and with awd, 8.7 inches of ground clearance, and eyesight technology at a very nice price point compared to vehicles with similar features. it may sound and feel a little rough when you need to hit the gas, but they'll get you through nearly anything though.

Hah yeah I have a WRX now, so going from that to a Crosstrek would be quite the difference. Agree with the features/price point being attractive, though.

i'm not the driving enthusiast as i was 10-20 years ago, but i had a friend who let me drive his 2012 and it was a fun car! if it came in hatch/wagon/fastback form, i would probably buy one. manual or cvt?

Mine's a 2006 manual (cvt wasn't around yet...they did have an auto option for the limited trim but fuck that). I'm right around 108k miles. Definitely showing it's age, and being parked on the street in south philly means lots of dents and scratches, but I'll probably keep it til it dies.

My ex had a forester. Both huge pieces of shit.

momadance wrote:My ex had a forester. Both huge pieces of shit.