There is still more than 2 weeks ahead, and with the new patch dropping soon, I might extend a bit.
So I heard you liked rally trucks?
Or did you want a work truck instead?
Or perhaps a rolling billboard?
Work and play don’t have to be mutually exclusive! For one donor car, you can have a hyper-fun racetruck, a professional-grade advertisement, a medium-duty work truck, and even a daily driver; and you don’t even need your whole budget!
-Generic Tuning Company With A Very Long Name That Isn’t Just Long Because I Can’t Be Bothered To Make Up A Proper One Because Of Course Not Silly That Would Be Weird No This Is A Perfectly Reasonable And Professional Name For A Company To Have I Think It’s Basque Or Something But Don’t Quote Me On That Because I’m Not A Professional Linguist.
PS
Given the imminent update coming, I’m gonna hold off on submitting the truck properly until the weekend before the deadline. Here’s hoping I don’t forget about it when the time comes! again
6 Likes
2020 Pureworks Custom Econoline Surfomod
So, you are a surfer but also a mechanic who is a classic car enthusiast… and you don’t want to have separate vehicles to carry your things around… Well do I have the right thing for ya’! We, Pureworks Custom, proudly present our newly restomodded (or should we say Surfomodded?) Ford Econoline Pickup Truck! For only 37,800$, you can have this V8-Powered truck with completely reworked suspension system and a modern, comfy interior.
Specs
Engine: 5.0L Pushrod Full Aluminium V8 - 350HP, 496Nm
Running Gear: MacPherson Front - Semi Trailing Arm Rear (Hydropneumatic)
Gearbox: 7-Speed Manual
It even comes with a towing hook incase you need that jet-ski or ATV fun!
8 Likes
A bit more than 60 hours left before the deadline
IMPORTANT
The update still have not dropped. If it drops between now and the deadline, I will extend for another week and allow resubmissions. If it drops between the deadline and the time I get every cars’ stats and criteria in my sheet, I will allow resub ONLY from those that submitted before the deadline - so be sure to submit before the deadline
2 Likes
If this happens, an easier solution might be to just not download the update until judging has completed.
Yeah, but I never found a good way to disable autoupdate for a game in Steam. I could set myself in offline mode maybe at the deadline. I’ll investigate something.
I think the best way to set the game to only update on launch. Then, during the period where it needs to stay as is, make sure to only launch Steam in offline mode when you wanna play it.
It used to be a lot easier to avoid updates in 4.1, as you could just go straight into the game’s files and launch the .exe directly without Steam ever even opening. For some reason, though, that won’t work on my end in the Alpha version; I really hope that functionality comes back once 4.2 goes stable.
Avion Commission series is back!
Presenting you with a stylish, but highly functional daily/workhorse. Powered by a flat six with a healthy power curve, it is ready to cruise, pull and make you smile.
It is an eye catching way of getting life done. The tweaks are not light, but do not shy away from the heritage either! Possibly staying in Estonia, this vehicle should proufly bear this color scheme.
However, step inside and you would not be blamed for forgetting the outside world.
Call us soon! We are itching to make this ride a reality!
Kind regards,
Alen Alenko, ceo of Avion Motors
9 Likes
24 hours warning
You still have time to complete your entry.
Right now I have received ads and cars from:
@Frostquake
@HelloHi
@alen.alic1983
I received only an ad from:
@Edsel
5 Likes
Mons Customs
introducing
Ford Econoline Pickup Deluxe
Dear Mr. Jakobson,
Please accept this letter as our formal offer to restomod your Ford Econoline Pickup Deluxe. We understand that are in need for a functional work truck for your new business. We have pursued a sensible approach, making this restomod economical for the short and long term by keeping the purchase price down as well as keeping an eye on long-term reliability and upkeep costs. The final result is easy on the eyes that you can drive with pride to show off and advertise your new business.
The outside of the truck remains quintessential classic Econoline; there is no mistaking what truck this is. However, it received many upgrades and changes, both aesthetic and functional. Lighting is swapped for modern LED bulbs front and rear, albeit in classic housings. For maximum safety and visibility, we add auxiliary yellow lights on the roof, befitting a true work truck. The car sports your company’s red-black colour scheme. The bed of the truck has been rebuilt for functionality: it features a slidable tool drawer in the lower compartment and two removable billboard racks on top so you can securely haul your products wherever your clients are. And we mean wherever: the truck is just as home on paved roads as on dirt.
The premium interior is comfortable and functional, and has lovely green accented leather seats.
Mr. Jakobson, I hope you find our proposal intriguing, and we at Mons Customs look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Mons Customs
6 Likes
LONESTAR LABS FORD PARTAY VAN
What you give:
-
Ford Econoline: 1st Gen, condition irrelevant
-
$51,900
What you get:
-
300 hp 4.7-liter SBF V8.
-
5-speed wide-ratio manual 'box.
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Bespoke 5-passenger rear section with red leather, full climate control.
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Super-high-strength alloy coffee table.
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50-inch plasma widescreen TV. With Netflix. No 3D, though, because it’s a stupid gimmick and everyone knows it. Not vampire-proof.
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Front passenger infotainment. Also with Netflix.
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Hydropneumatic suspension system with built-in, switch-controlled ‘party tricks’ and tuning designed to eliminate possibility of rollover. You will sooner do a 360 on your Z-axis than on your X-axis.
Lonestar Labs, Fort Worth’s tiredest and home of the least interior-happy sons of bitches in the state of Texas. Guaranteed!
7 Likes
Competition closed, entries received from:
@Frostquake
@HelloHi
@alen.alic1983
@Edsel
@cake_ape
@Texaslav
Bins, if any, should come soon.
4 Likes
Round 0 - BINS
Here are the bins...
Made you look! Everyone is moving on.
Analysis is underway, writing will start tonight - hopefully first results out in a day or two.
7 Likes
Preface
Dimitri is opening Martin’s mailbox on his computer. Unfortunately, Martin is busy for the whole weekend due to the auction for his dad’s assets he won’t use. Dimitri knows what they are looking for and he has Martin on speed dial anyway.
6 proposals! That is unexpected, he was not sure if anyone would be interested to restore this old relic. Dimitri does not really find the pickup itself good looking, unlike Martin, but hey, Martin loves old quirky cars like the BMW Isetta, so this is right up his alley.
“I guess I’ll have to learn to love this bastard’s face… unless someone came up with a complete facelift. Let’s see what we’ve got.”
He perused all 6 of them and was quite surprised - some very strong proposals. After a few beers, it was time to answer them. He started with those less interesting entries he knew would not interest Martin…
1963 Ford Econoline Rallymod
To whom it may concern at Generic Tuning Company With A Very Long Name That Isn’t Just Long Because I Can’t Be Bothered To Make Up A Proper One Because Of Course Not Silly That Would Be Weird No This Is A Perfectly Reasonable And Professional Name For A Company To Have I Think It’s Basque Or Something But Don’t Quote Me On That Because I’m Not A Professional Linguist,
My name is Dimitri and I am speaking on behalf of my partner Martin Jackobson.
We have ackowledged receipt of your proposal for our Econoline Pickup restomodding.
First and foremost, we love the fact that you sent us proposal for our branding and that it is integral part of your design. The design however feels a bit lackluster but authentic, I guess. Some colour rendering seems weird but no biggie. The fact you also send us rendering of different configuration is a big plus.
However, I must say we were disapointed by the lack of an interior, but not such a big deal. We imagine however that a sporty interior might not make it the ideal daily driver. The rally look itself is exciting, but the overall white look feels a bit bland. It would at least serve as a nice advertisement on the track, but might not be as practical as others.
In terms of the restoration, a lot of high tech gadgets seems enticing, like active suspension, electric LSD and ESC, more advanced than many of the other proposal we received. Also that fact that the original engine has been retained and tuned up seems a big plus, although it feel middling in terms of overall performance.
Having said that, it was a very interesting proposal. However, it was unfortunately our least favorite proposal aestheticaly and not very unique. Performance and comfort we also below average. Overall, not a very prestigious entry.
Considering the above, we unfortunately have decided to pass this opportunity and move on to other proposal. We are blessed to have received such an interesting vision from your team and wish you good luck in future endeavours.
Best Regards,
Dimitri Mikhalev
Status: Rejected
(A good proposal. The lack of interior did not help, but that was only a minor item. The design was not inspired, although very utilitarian. The low performance and comfort, and bottom of the pack prestige drove them to reject the proposal. The rallymod approach was a good one, but it just was not enough to get ahead of the pack.)Pureworks Econoline Surfomod
To whom it may concern at Purework Custom,
Dudes, are you sure you sent us the right restomod? I’ve known Martin Jackobson for years and I’ve never seem his surf or even enjoy the beach much.
In any case, I am going through the proposal on his behalf and I will assume this is not a blunder.
One thing you got spot on is you made it green! He loves green, probably his favorite colour. I know this will at least interest him.
So beside the surf rack and such, the design is good. We like the bedside lines, the big sunroof, the side exhausts and the low stance, but the lack of proper side mirrors is a bit baffling.
Another interesting area is the cab re-engineering to fit new suspensions and a big 350hp V8! While it has unfortunately no offroading ability to do some truck rally, it does seems to be performance driven (and top 3 of all received proposals) - however, we find non-rally track racing a bit boring here.
The other major areas we found your proposal a bit lacking is the low reliability, the low comfort, drivability and average sportiness. The kicker is the 17 l/100km economy, which takes the majority of the running costs pie here - clearly not a daily driver.
We think this is a pure prestigious tarmac track-day beast - unfortunately it is a bit outside of our expectations and needs. It seems to miss the mark.
Considering the above, we unfortunately have decided to pass this opportunity and move on to other proposal. We hope someone else did not mistakenly receive a rallymod pickup proposal instead of us.
Best Regards,
Dimitri Mikhalev
Status: Rejected
(The proposal itself was not what Martin was expecting and did not fit the brief fully. Many stats were low and middling as pointed out above, plus the abysmal economy and reliability.)Interlude
Dimitri is out of beer - well, Martin’s fridge is out of beer would be more accurate. Looking around, he found a small wine cellar in his rec room. Tons of football posters and jerseys but the big ticket item seems to be a Ragnar Klavan posted, autographed. Dimitri remember the day Martin messaged him - he was in the UK and was able to go to a Liverpool match. He seemed so excited.
Now, time to take a bottle out, adequate payment for his time he thought, and get on with the last 4 letters. Let’s be quick about it and tell them we’ll follow up soon after he can sit down with Martin and let him decide which he likes best.
Lonestar Lab Ford Partay Van
To whom it may concern at Lonestar Labs,
PAR-TAY! Ah-hem.
First let me introduce myself, I am Dimitri, Martin’s partner.
We are very intrigued with your proposal. A passenger van conversion is a very interesting choice. While we do not specifically need a party bus, with a few minor changes it can make the perfect meeting mobile. We could do live presentations and mockups with our clients on location!
So overall the design is very clear, and it would make it a very unique car. With a 300hp V8 swap, we’ll be in good hands to get to and from meetings!
I know colours are not Martin’s favorite, and I believe a good opportunity to make the trim into estonian colours or such was missed, we liked the interior setup - super practical but maybe cargo could be an issue with large sign deliveries. No advertising of the brand is also a bit of a letdown but nothing unfixable.
All in all, we’re very excited to further discuss your proposal, but I first need to sit down with Martin. We’ll let you know about our conclusions soon.
In the meantime, congrats for this great proposal and talk to you soon.
Best Regards,
Dimitri Mikhalev
Status: Moving to next round...
Sunset Garage Phoenix
Yo Shane,
We’ve received your proposal. I know you had a few back and forth with Martin on the econoline but he asked me to respond to the initial proposal as his partner.
I must say we love the proposal. While the exterior looks is very conservative and very stock, it just seems so polished and smooth as silk. I know Martin loves green shades and the two-tone is very well made. Simplicity at its finest.
There are however tons of small details and we quite liked the interior - very luxurious. And those wood trims are a great addition.
We’re not quite sure about a turbo 4.3L flat-6, but the 466hp it generates is very seducing. We know this is a true sleeper and a beast. Looks like it can handle itself a bit on the dirt as well. We’ll have to look at that in more details.
Let me sit with Martin and we’ll discuss further.
Talk to you later, glad we got a glimpse of this gem.
Best Regards,
Dimitri Mikhalev
Status: Moving to next round...
Ford Econoline Pickup Deluxe by Mons Customs
To whom it may concern at Mons Customs,
We acknowledge receipt of your proposal for Martin’s Econoline Pickup Deluxe.
I am his partner, Dimitri, and I was tasked with sorting through the multiple proposal we received.
First and foremost, this is a strong proposal for our brand. It seems like a great advertising platform, utilitary truck and, oh boy, can it handle the dirt!!
This is a true rally sleeper despite using the original engine (nicely tuned) - we did not see another proposal even coming close to it.
Looks is very clean, rugged and professional. The interior is carefully crafted as well, and we do not find a lot of details to nag about. In fact, a lot of small details all around we included - nice touch.
Overall, it stays very authentic. Beside swaping the gearbox to automatic (oh, by the way, you 3D modeller might have goofed by including a stick shift in there), not a ton of high tech items in there. Would the be an issue compared to fully decked out and modernized proposal we also received? We’ll see.
Also while we appreciate the 21k Martin could keep in his pocket for the company, we really expected to use up all our budget and write it off for the business.
We will keep you posted soon on the next step. For now, know that we greatly appreciated the time you took to build this proposal.
Best Regards,
Dimitri Mikhalev
Status: Moving to next round...
Estonoline Avion Commission
Greetings M. Alenko,
We greatly appreciate that you were interested to comission this restomod. It is a great honor to receive such a strong proposal.
I sent Martin a few shots of your modeling, but we were stunned by the design.
Incredible attention to details. The luminescent led interior and how it disappears when turned off (and giving out a more old school vibe) is impressive. So many little details all around.
I know Martin told me he was exctatic with the colour scheme - he loves the greenish tint and the estonian theme. The covered bed is a nice touch, and you can even sleep in the back of the cab. Places to store two spares and supplies is a great addition.
We did not really have time yet to look at the specs in details, but we were surprised with the boxer 6 cylinder engine choice, very high tech with VVL. The different wheel diameters and width might not be ideal, but we recognize the effort to make this another sleeper - altough it does stand out from the crowd!
While we would have liked to advertise our name and such on it, we might rebrand around it instead - I think the look itself is the best branding possible.
Let’s talk soon, we’ll let you know when we’ve made a decision.
Best Regards,
Dimitri Mikhalev
Status: Moving to next round...
Epilogue
Dimitri is now spent. He was happy to get all those nice proposals for Martin’s car. Hard to say no to some after so much effort were put into them, but in the end 4 entries were interesting enough to forward to Martin.
The wine bottle is empty now, his glass as well. Sun is slowly rising over the horizon. Time to hit the hay, but too late to drive back home. He’ll stay on Martin’s couch. Hopefully he won’t be back too early …
Results: We have 4 entries moving to the next round.
@Texaslav
@HelloHi
@cake_ape
@alen.alic1983
9 Likes
Honestly, I was tinkering with making a theme for a new name for the company and implementing the design, but alas I got a new job lately.
Anyway, the name for the company was supposed to be:
BoxLite
-boxy signs
-light fir signage
-neat trick for inclusion of boxer engine.
etc…
But hey, it is what it is 
Preface
It is late (or early) when Martin comes home. Dimitri did a good job, Martin thought. He’s asleep on the couch. He did compile a lot of info, answered everyone already and reject two entries. So that leaves 4 of them. Dimitri did organize and save everything neatly. That is why he makes such a good partner - Martin is the messy one.
It would be wise to get a bit of shuteye, as Martin is exhausted, but he cannot sleep without at least looking at it. He’s really curious about performance now and how powerful his father’s econoline could get… just a peek he promised himself.
Performance, Handling & Comfort
Martin now has all the stats, figures and simulations from all four restomodding firm neatly organized (thanks Dimitri!).
Let’s start with the Sunset Garage Phoenix and its… 466 hp (!!!), the highest of all entries. A boxer 6 was swapped in to achieve this figure. Compared to the 305 hp of the Estonoline and 303 hp of the Partay Van, it is a big, big margin. Where is the Mons Customs submission in all of this? Martin was stunned when he looked at the number… a paltry 165 hp. This is terribly disapointing for him. Ok, ok, let’s keep an open mind here.
How about having them run around a simulated lap. How would all the performance components come together? Well, the Sunset Garage econoline is clearly the fastest of the bunch, beating the Estonoline by 4 seconds! Both are generating 1.09g on the skipad, have top speed in the 240-250 km/h range, but the 3.9s to 100 km/h of the Phoenix edges out the 4.4s of the Avion entry. HP matters here.
Then the 2 other cars are vying for the… slowlest lap time. The Mons takes the cake here, coming in 27 seconds behind the Phoenix. What were they thinking is the only thing Martin can think about. “Not everything is about power” says his rational self. “Muhahahah, do not listen to reason, moar horsepower!!!” says his inner child.
The Lonestar Lab submission does better and is only 17 seconds behind and is not doing much better on the skidpad than the Mons, both at 0.93g. The big ass van is pretty slow and not agile despite the horsepower rating - “big surprise here” thought Martin.
That is not all however, Martin thinks he need to consider how it handles and if it actually is sporty or sluggish. But the most important part is - how does it perform on the dirt track!?
Martin sighs. The Mons is probably as unsporty as it can be. Like, miles behind the other 3 entries. Even the Partay Van looks like a Ferrari compared to it. Oh, but wait - it does handle like butter and can probably run through deep snow without issues, especially with its ride height. Now we are talking. The Phoenix has much lower clearance and more tuned for the asphalt but can handle a bit of dirt and drifting. It does handle pretty well, pretty similar to the Avion, and both are the sportiest of the bunch. Those two are pretty close… except that the Estonoline could barely drive on light snow without crashing, at least it has geared LSD like the Phoenix.
Oh, wait. Looks like the Mons is more a rock crawler than a drifter, sporting a manual locker. Less exciting by the minute. The Partay Van on the other hand has respectable score in all categories, being a jack-of-all-trade, master of none… but a mediocre one.
So to sumarize, Martin has in front of him a pure track car, a speedster that can handle a bit of dirt, a slow all rounder, and a very slow but highly drivable Jeep.
Martin was ready to move on but remembered to check one important thing - how comfortable do they look? Despite behaving like a pure performance car, the Phoenix clearly (and surprisingly) looks like the most comfortable entry with its luxurious interior and amenities. You also always feel more comfortable with wood trims around the cabin. They did not go cheap there.
The Mons Customs and Lonestar Lab are neck to neck here (Martin sees a pattern here…) with pretty posh premium interiors and amenities, although the Partay Van has a more modern HUD console and extra gears in the back, including a big LCD TV. Not bad at all. As for the Avion Commission, it is not bad, but not as comfortable as the others.
Martin’s Ranking:
- Sunset Garage - clearly a monster and a comfortable one even
- Avion Commission - track beast… but it prefers a pair of slicks
- Mons Customs - slow… but can handle more technical rally sections
- Lonestar Lab - well, it is a big cumbersome van, what can you do?
Epilogue
Martin is excited but also nods off every 5 minutes, he needs a few hours of sleep. The rest will have to wait tomorrow. He still have a lot to look at.
As he gets comfortably under the blankets, he’s already dreaming about drifting around the country rally tracks with his brand new restored econoline…
(to be continued…)
Next categories: FLASHING, PAYING and DREAMING.
4 Likes
Preface
The day is well underway. The sun is starting his descent, glitering across the empty wine glasses and beer bottles. Martin thankfully doesn’t have a cat or it would be jumping chasing after the glints of light as Dimitri pushed them to make place for the next beverage of the day: a “morning” tea.
“First order of business”, said Martin, “is to thank you for handling it last night. Cheers!”
“Yeah, sure”, mumble Dimitri, clearly having a harsh wakeup.
“Now let’s look at those beauties and how they stand up visually”, let out an excited Martin. “I do not want to look like an old bloke driving around and giving candies…”
Style, Authenticity, Uniqueness & Prestige
The first renders they pulled out are of the Lonestar lab.
“I have mixed feelings about it”, said Martin. “On one hand, it is certainly unique compared to the other submissions we got… but then the pickup was really the rarest version of the econoline - the passenger van was pretty popular. It looks great, do not get me wrong.”
“Yeah, but still unique in the top 4. It is well design, albeit a bit bland, but do you think they missed an opportunity on the colour scheme? I mean, they coloured the trim with a German flag… they might be confused about where and what Estonia is?”, replied Dimitri.
“Maybe the Texan education is to be blamed here? Probably not their fault. They do plan to redo the whole cab bay and put in a big V8, otherwise everything will remain very Authentic for the passenger van. That is good news”, uttered Martin, impressed.
“I think it is a chevy colour thing tho, not sure. Weird on a Ford. That big V8 rumbling and the quality of the design makes it pretty prestigious, although in that category the Phoenix takes the lead comfortably. The guys at Sunset did a pretty good job in the authenticity department as well, they plan to do the same changes, but stop short of putting a big V8. A Boxer-6 is an odd choice a less authentic however.”, pondered Dimitri.
“Yeah, but that turbo beast is king!”, exclaimed Martin. “How about the look. Sure, that would not be a “work truck” most likely, but it does look… so smooth. The pastel green is very pleasing and one of my favorite shades of green. It is nothing special on the uniqueness level, it is very minimalistic, but looks great. It is a sleeper for sure, I’d use that to cruise around town and flash a little bit, but then…”
“You hesitate because of the Estonoline?”, asked Dimitri as he took a sip of tea.
“Yeah, this is next level. Not my favorite “bird shit” green colour…”, Martin sighed, “but the scheme grew on me the more I looked at it. It works. And they did not miss the opportunity to showcase our flag!! I would be so proud to ride around this. The interior is also based.”
“However this is the least authentic design for sure.” a disapointed Dimitri let out, “So much will be changed, even the panels are swapped. In the end it did not help in the performance department compared to the Sunset offering. It is unique for sure, and very modern.”
“The other major issue is, there is not a lot of prestigious choices made it, all high quality, but beside the awesome dash and interior, and the styling itself, it misses a je-ne-sais-quoi. Hell, the Mons Customs is just as prestigious!!”, Martin could barely let out this praise of the Mons, stunned.
“When we talk about authenticity, this takes the cake. I do not like the look as much as the other, well, it is just not as exciting but decidedly well made. Lots of attention to details. It is not bad. The only change made is a swap to an automatic, which is weird. It clearly gimped performance”, a puzzled Dimitri pondered.
“Yeah, weird choice, might have been more rally-worthy with an original manual. It is also not as unique as the others. Looks like a truck, quacks like a truck”, joked Martin.
They put all the renders nicely in a row (quack!) and swapped them around until they agreed on the order.
Martin & Dimitri’s Ranking:
- Avion Comission - the lack of prestige and authenticity hampers it a bit, but what a looker
- Sunset Garage - simplicity can win the day. Sometimes. It did not here, it just missed a dash of uniqueness
- Mons Customs - very close actually but the lack of prestige did not help here.
- Lonestar Lab - another last place, it is average but unique compared to some of the above. Just not enough. Should be renamed “The Middling Van”
Epilogue
Martin took an empty sip. He was so concentrated that he did not realized his cup was empty. Another decision made, he might get a nice restomod afterall. Still, more to consider here tho, so he must not fall in love just yet.
After a bit of shop talk, they shook hands as Dimitri left for the day (or what remains of it).
Martin was now alone with his thoughts. He still needs to do some financial analysis here. He’s gonna need to do a spreadsheet. He hates spreadsheet. Maybe Dimitri can collate things for him later tonight?
He’ll call him later. For now, he has a tons of chores to do.
(to be continued…)
Next categories: PAYING and DREAMING.
5 Likes
Preface
Martin received the excel sheet Dimitri prepared the next day. All full of figures and calculations. Boring but necessary. He does not have unlimited budget and he cannot choose a money pit.
He has a couple of local beers on hand, a couch, a laptop and a movie ready if it gets too boring.
Let’s go…
Costs, Safety & Reliability
Well, quickly scanning the sheet, one thing stands out: all costs about the same to acquire.
Oh wait, no. The Mons Customs is cheap. Dirt cheap at around 35k compared to the others near the max price. He did not consider a firm could propose a cheaper project than anticipated, but then again it explains why that proposal is not super exciting.
He’ll keep that in mind tho. The real important things is TCO, total cost of ownership. Take yearly service costs. The Sunset proposal is a rocket… but also costs twice as much to maintain than the Estonoline - quite a feat for the later. The luxury interior, launch control, electric variable steering, active comfort suspension - it is state of the art, but that comes at a price, especially with that engine. The Lonestar Lab does pretty well here, but Martin hopes they can do some IT support for the videoconf and rear entertainment unit at that price. He laughs, of course not.
He skips overs the Mons but comes back to double check - yep, a bit cheaper than the Estonoline even, of course.
Then you need to factor in the fuel.
“Let’s say we plan to do mumbles kilometers per year, maybe, but then you add track time, weekend getaways, then carry the 4…”
Wow, the Mons offering again takes the lead here with it’s pretty great economy - far from being an hybrid car, it does well considering being an old car and compared to the competition. The original engine, tuned this way, is achieving great respect. Props to them. The Partay Van and Phoenix are both fuel guzzler. Here the Estonoline surprises once again - it barely goes thru fuel faster than the Mons - a true feat considering it packs quite a punch. The pretty standard equipment, nothing too fancy except the eyes candies all around. Hopefull all that nice hidden led dashboard is reliable and won’t break, right? Right?
Well, it is not the worse. In fact, the Mons, Lonestar and Avion are all in the same ballpark. Martin did not have to guess where the Sunset Garage proposal would fall… that is right, well below the others.
It appears to not be the sanest choice afterall. And safety now, that’s gotta count for something. He does not want to die in an accident while doing a delivery. Here the Estonoline does the worse, but not by much. The Phoenix and Mons are neck to neck, but the big winner is the big van - all that steel is safe, and I guess they strapped everything inside properly.
That changes thing overall maybe. Martin’s head is spinning - too many cells, he’ll have nightmares where numbers attack him on the freeway.
Let’s round this up and come back to it later then…
Martin Ranking:
- Mons Customs - well, it is nothing specatular but if he only decided by looking at a spreadsheet, it is the sanest and best choice here. His inner child knows that is not how it works tho…
- Avion Comission - impressive scores considering what it already brings to the table.
- Lonestar Lab - very close, but the fuel economy did not help it edge out the Avion.
- Sunset Garage - disapointing showing, but hey, clearly a car you’d only take out on the weekend for cruising and bringing to the track.
Epilogue
The headache does not relent and the pills does nothing. Next time, let Dimitri do this boring stuff. Still, it clearly is a race between some sane choices or some exciting choices.
He still has no idea what he’ll do. Martin will call Dimitri tomorrow and they can bounce the results around. How useful are they going to be for their needs… his needs? It is his car afterall. They could also buy a truck and put it on the company…
As he left the couch, he realized the headache might also be related to the amount of empty bottles on the floor.
burp
(to be continued…)
Next categories: DREAMING.
5 Likes
Preface
Martin and Dimitri are sitting in the car. A uninteresting one. A rental Martin has been using for now.
“I really need a car”, says Martin.
Dimitri nods are he takes a sips of his tea in his reusable cup.
“So let’s figure this out, it’s not rocket science!”
Martin does not seems so sure.
The Brief
All the cars seems to be bringing something to the table. Some are more exciting than others.
“Any of them is a pass for sure?”, asks Dimitri.
“If you are thinking about the Partay Van, do be too hasty.”, replied Martin. “Overall, it is not the worst, while it does not lead in much, is a solid overall choice. However, we might ask so changes to make it less party-oriented and more business oriented maybe?”
“Yeah, but its strong points are not that important in the grand scheme of things. Would you really use it as a daily driver? As a rally truck? As a work truck to carry deliveries?” Dimitri stares at Martin, trying to force him to make a choice.
Martin admits defeat. “You know you are right.” He pauses. “Then the Phoenix. I love this car. It is my color, it has performance, it is exciting, I can do rally with it, cruise around town and do deliveries - we can put a couple of decals or non-intrusive advertising on it.”
“Sure”, acquiesces Dimitri, “but remember its lackluster aspects. You wanted something unique that stands out. This is a great sleeper tho, I agree, but it lacks some visual pizzaz no?”
“I am not sure”, ponders Martin. He takes a long pause. “I really like it. I can’t explain it.”
“Ok, then on to the next one. The Mons Customs. Too bland?”, asks Dimitri, sure of himself.
“Well… it does look good, would be a nice workhorse, can handle deliveries in the countryside without good roads, can do some rally if I do not expect to win anything, and it is really not that bad beside performance, it is a very usable and sensible truck with low costs.”
“So that would be the sensible choice I guess… now the Estonoline - looks fancy, feels exciting, but is that really what you need or even want?”
“Tricky… it does look good, the best of them all, although not my favorite shade of green. It is certainly unique. But not rally with it, and I was not really looking for a track car… It would feel too fancy to put it to work as well. I could flash and cruise around tho”, exclaimed Martin.
He sighs… decidedly not easy.
They both go back and forth on the way to Dimitri’s house where Martin drops him off. After a handshake, he’s back alone with his thoughts. He looks around him. He needs a new car soon, he needs to decide…
Epilogue
Martin smiles as he gets home. He jumps on his computer and replies to the company he selected as fast as he could… He made up his mind.
Martin's Final Ranking:
- Mons Customs - @cake_ape
- Avion Comission - @alen.alic1983
- Sunset Garage - @HelloHi
- Lonestar Lab - @Texaslav
Congrats! Martin will now own an original Mons Customs! It scored high in nearly all categories when you considered the “bundled” categories, it also fit the brief the best and was the most versatile, but Martin would have liked a few more performance points, maybe he can ask for a bit more with the remaining cash?
Avion score strong in categories that mattered, but overall had some strong achilles heels. Strong showing tho.
The Sunset garage was my favorite of the gang, simple, but yea, the reliability, costs and uniqueness sunked it unfortunately.
As for the Lonestar Lab, it was a wildcard, it could have worked, but the competition was too much for it. Having it a bit more personalized for Martin would have made it rank higher for sure. It was strong overall.
Thanks everyone, this was a super hard to select and I was as befundled as Martin was. Hope you enjoyed it, congrats to the winner!
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Thanks @karhgath for another fantastic round and a really fun write-up!
With LHC going to be in full swing soon, I won’t have the time to do ARM18 justice, so I will pass this on to @alen.alic1983.
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