Welcome to a new iteration of the Cool Wall Challenge! Formally “Used Car Shopping,” this was a challenge series launched last December, designed to have a broader scope and lower barrier-to-entry than usual. With its very broad ruleset, there’s practically no restrictions to what style or type of car you can submit; just a series of preferences to aim for, and a point-based scoring system to judge them.
Previous Cool Wall challenges
Cool Wall 1 (Used Car Shopping)
Cool Wall 2 (Yet Another Cool Wall Challenge)
Cool Wall 3
It’s early 2020, and the setting is Weston, Massachusetts. Our client is 16 & 1/2 year old Isabel, whose just got her license, and intends to use all the money she’s saved up from her job as a mechanic to buy a new car. Her goal: to buy the most expensive-looking thing possible.
More detailed background about the client
In Waltham, a suburb of Boston, Isabel lives with her 2 parents and older brother. She works a part time job at her dad’s auto repair & used dealership, where she’s been training at some level for almost 4 years now (her dad felt it important she get some work experience in addition to her education). Her life, overall, is quite pleasant, and free of drama and hardship; so her teenage mind, as they tend to do, has created some of its own.
You see, her house may be in the town of Waltham, but it also falls within the borders of the Weston Public School District; Weston being not just an adjacent township, but also the richest neighborhood in the state. Here, where the average price of a home is well over a million, most of her friends at school live with enough money to make even Isabel’s somewhat affluent family seem impoverished. Here, she feels like an odd one out, and has always had a prevailing fear that, if any of her friends ever found out she was less rich than them, she’d get rejected by everyone.
So for most of her middle and high school life, she’s been keeping up a sort of ruse, going to great efforts to make them think she also lives in one of Weston’s mansions, and also enjoys all the luxury and privledge that comes with having rich parents. She casually makes up stories about frequent limo rides, and birthday parties in helicopters, and having a large tv in her room and whatnot; borrowing and remixing bits and pieces of what she’s heard from all her other rich friends. Her charade has gone on for a long time now, and has worked quite well, since her life at school and her life at home never really mixed.
But now, this ruse is faced with a new challenge; as the year turns to 2020, everyone in her friend group is turning 16 & 1/2, the youngest possible age to get an independent license in Massachusetts. Because cars are so important for even basic transport in Weston, everyone got their license the moment they were legally able, and because everyone is so rich, everyone got given a car by their parents the instant they got said license. And with everyone starting to have free transportation, everyone can start to hang out together more often since no one needs a ride to get anywhere.
Plus, I should clarify: when I say “free car,” I’m talking in the vein of Audis, Teslas, Lexuses and Acuras. One close friend of hers, Caleb, got his mom’s 2018 Cadillac CTS, so she could make way for a new CT5. Her other friend Rafa told his dads he liked the new Chevy Trax, but got given a Buick Encore instead for the extra safety features. She even once saw Kay’s parents be (sarcastically) called “cheap” because their parents “only” got them a new Honda Accord.
As for Isabel? Well, at her request her parents did help her work through the permit and to her license as soon as she legally could. But not being very extravagant spenders, they don’t think she really needs a car of her own, especially when they already have “2 good cars” in the garage (that is, mom’s 2014 Odyssey, which her friends already know belongs to mom, and dad’s 1996 Dodge Dakota, which she doesn’t want to be seen within a mile of god please no). She’s already told her friends, however, that she’s gonna be given a car by her wealthy parents… so what now?
Not to worry, she has a plan! Remember, she’s been training/working light hours at her dad’s auto repair shop for years, and her dad’s been paying her pretty much this whole time. So she went and tallied how much she has currently, subtracted a bit to account for insurance, and gas, and probably some registration fees, and a bit extra just in case, and found herself left with… $2000. Not a lot admittedly, when trying to blend in with the Weston kids, but she has to buy something at this point; she’s already in too deep to back down!
Hard Rules:
- Trim year: between 1995 and 2020 (inclusive).
- Quality sliders: No higher than +3
- Engine stress on any component: No greater than 45%
- 91 or 95 RON only
- No cross-Ply tires.
- No front drums
- No carbon fiber on anything.
- ET limit for car trim: 150
Final cost after depreciation must not exceed $2000
How do we find depreciation? With version 2 of my Not-Necessarily-Realistic-But-Super-Convenient Depreciation Chart:
Edsel’s Second Not-Necessarily-Realistic-But-Super-Convenient Depreciation Chart
| Model Year | Remaining Value After Depreciation | Max Cost in Automation |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 20.00% | $10000 |
| 2019 | 15.38% | $13000 |
| 2018 | 14.18% | $14100 |
| 2017 | 13.07% | $15300 |
| 2016 | 12.05% | $16500 |
| 2015 | 11.11% | $18000 |
| 2014 | 10.67% | $18700 |
| 2013 | 10.25% | $19500 |
| 2012 | 9.85% | $20300 |
| 2011 | 9.46% | $21100 |
| 2010 | 9.09% | $22000 |
| 2009 | 8.86% | $22500 |
| 2008 | 8.64% | $23100 |
| 2007 | 8.42% | $23700 |
| 2006 | 8.21% | $24300 |
| 2005 | 8.00% | $25000 |
| 2004 | 7.82% | $25500 |
| 2003 | 7.65% | $26100 |
| 2002 | 7.47% | $26700 |
| 2001 | 7.31% | $27300 |
| 2000 | 7.14% | $28000 |
| 1999 | 7.04% | $28400 |
| 1998 | 6.95% | $28700 |
| 1997 | 6.85% | $29100 |
| 1996 | 6.76% | $29500 |
| 1995 | 6.67% | $29900 |
Look for your car’s model year on the left, and you’ll find that year’s max cost on the right. If you want to know how much your car specifically is worth after depreciation, multiply it’s approximate cost by the percent value/100 for your car’s year (e.g. “0.0667” for 1995).
If you have any problems viewing the chart, please don’t hesitate to let me know.
Note that there are several engineering choices which are implicitly or explicitly allowed above, but which will incur a penalty below
Also to clarify, interiors are not required, nor will they be considered for any scoring area or penalty.
Penalties:
Isabel would prefer to have a car close to stock quality on principle, but is willing to put up with one that’s modded or worn if it ultimately does the job better. Plus, a bit of wear and unrealism is probably necessary to fit the kind of car she needs and wants into her budget
Even though these penalties are associated with the rules, I encourage you to think of them as less of a punishment and more of a gamble; do you think the points you lose from the penalty are worth what you will gain by incurring it?
Unrealistic/uncharacteristic engineering: -1-5pts
In a more serious CSR-like challenge, unrealistic choices can get you binned or taken out very early. But this is a cheap-used-car competition, where evidence of previous modifications and/or years of wear & decay can be expected, so our realism rule remains pretty lenient. This penalty covers both unrealistic engineering and visual design, though with a strong emphasis on the former.
Grading scale:
-1 point: One major element of engineering is off, or multiple minor engineering decisions seem questionable/contradictory. Visual design shows signs of modification or damage, or elements of it don’t match with the car’s engineering or time period. (The visual aspect of the penalty does not apply to visual signs of wear and age, such as dirt, mud, missing hubcaps, minor dents, fogged headlights, or highly superficial mods such as bumper stickers, car antlers, and the like.)
-2-3 points: Multiple mechanical traits about the car appear to be off, or the car has a combination of mechanical and visual issues. Visual unrealisms likely wouldn’t reach a 3 point penalty on their own, but if it did the car’s look would have to appear absurdly modded, anachronistic, or otherwise completely divorced from engineering.
-4-5 points: A multitude of engineering unrealisms make this thing look unlike anything that would’ve been sold stock in the US. Visual unrealisms also may have contributed to the penalty getting this high.
I reserve the right to bin any car which is too unrealistic, though I don’t think I can imagine an entry getting that egregiously bad.
To see how I’ve graded realism in the past iteration of this challenge, click here. (though keep in mind, the unrealism penalty in that challenge worked slightly differently)
One last important thing: the unrealism penalty will not overlap with any other penalty. If an engineering choice is already being punished elsewhere, it won’t factor into here. For example, an entry wouldn’t be punished for not having a muffler (which could be considered very unrealistic), because the lack of muffler is already its own penalty. Or if an engine-swap penalty is already being incurred, the car would not also be penalized for unrealisms in the engine.
Engine Stress: 1-5pts
Engine stress of 0.1-14.9%: -1 point.
Engine stress of 15-29.9%: -3 points.
Engine stress of 30-44.9%: -5 points.
Engine Swap: -3pts
If the engine variant year doesn’t not match the car’s trim year, that is an automatic engine-swap penalty.
If the engine ET is 150 or greater, that is also an automatic engine-swap penalty.
Otherwise, the engine swap penalty effectively functions as a variant of the unrealism penalty; if there is enough “unrealisticness” in the engine alone to warrant at least a 3-point unrealism penalty, you get this penalty instead.
Engine loudness too high: -1-2pts
Engine loudness of 45-54.9: -1pt
Engine loudness of 55 or more: -2pts
No entertainment: -2pts
Safety < 30: -2pts
No muffler: -2pts
No catalytic converter: -2pts
95 RON fuel: -1pts
Quality below -3: -1pt
There is no lower limit to how low quality can go. One quality penalty can cover up to 3 separate areas; if more than 3 areas have below -3 quality, additional quality penalties will be added as needed.
Car does not have "Massachusetts" or "California" front & rear license plates: -1pt
Massachusetts plates will be allowed from any source, but the only place I know to get them is via the Steam Workshop mod “Plate Pack 2 - USA East Coast” by mat1476. I don’t want to require specific mods for participation, however, so I will also allow the use of the similar-looking California plates. Any car without front & rear plates, or with plates from other than these 2 states, will incur the penalty.
Scoring system explanation
A car’s “coolness” will be ranked on a scale of -20 to +20, with 20 being the coolest possible, and -20 being as uncool as possible. What qualifies as cool is explained in the “coolness” section.
All other categories are worth either 0-10 or 0-5 points. For each category, the best car will be assigned the highest value, the worst car gets the lowest value, and every other car’s value being assigned in relation (rounded to the nearest tenth). Here’s an example with real-life cars (repurposed from my last round):
The Transsport has the best practicality, so it gets a score of 10 in that segment. The Seville has the worst practicality, so it gets a score of 0. And the Astra? Its practicality is 1/3rd the difference between the best and worst cars, so it gets a score of 3.7.
Now let’s add a 4th competitor:
Since the Eclipse now has the worst practicality, it gets a score of 0. And since the bar is now been set lower, the Seville gets a score of 4.4 (2/5 the difference), and the Astra a score of 6.6 (3/5 the difference). The Transsport, still the best, still gets a score of 10.
Scoring areas
Coolness: ±20pts
Coolness is a measure of how valuable Isabel thinks the car is; or rather, how cool and valuable she thinks her friends will think it is. To help you predict what that means, I now present the feature that gives this challenge it’s namesake: The Cool Wall!
Image not loading? Try the all-new Text-Format Cool Wall!
Text-Format Cool Wall
| Far Left | Mid Left | Center Left | Center Right | Mid Right | Far Right |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 Fiat Multipla | 1999 Toyota MR2 | 2010 Honda Fit | 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 8 | 2011 Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet | 2019 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon |
| 1995 Opel Tigra A | 1998 Nissan Primera Wagon Aero Sports | 2015 Toyota Etios | 2014 Ford Fiesta ST | 2005 PT Cruiser GT Convertible | 2005 Mercedes SL |
| 1996 Nissan 100NX | 2004 Opel Astra Coupe | 2000 BMW Z3 Convertible | 2003 Audi A3 Sportback | 2006 BMW 5-Series | 2011 BMW 1M |
| 1995 Lotus Elan S2 | 1996 Jaguar XJ12 | 2000 BMW Z3 Coupe | 2008 Fiat 500 Abarth | 2006 Mercedes E-Class | 2011 Chrysler 200 Convertible |
| 1969 Chrysler 300 | 2001 Mitsubishi Pajero Pinin | 2000 Land Rover Range Rover Autobiography | 2002 BMW X6 | 2008 Acura TL Type S | 2018 Mazda6 |
| 1968 Ford Mustang 302 Fastback | 2004 Opel Signum | 2001 Cadillac Catera Sport | 2002 Lexus ES300 | 2006 Pontiac G8 EXP | 2010 Mercedes C-Class |
| 1998 Mitsubishi Eclipse | 1995 Lexus LS400 | 2004 Mercedes A-Class Turbo | 2002 Subaru Impreza WRX | 2010 Mercedes CLC-Class | 2008 Mercedes ML-Class |
| 1995 Chevrolet Impala SS | 1995 BMW M3 | 2004 Holden Monaro VZ | 2006 Pontiac Solstice | 2018 Suzuki Jimny | 2013 Volvo XC90 |
| 1995 Alfa Romeo 164 QV | 2006 Suzuki SX4 | 2003 Dodge Neon SRT-4 | 2006 Holden Caprice | 2005 Ssangyong Chairman | |
| 1999 Fiat Punto 1.2 16v | 2009 Volkswagen Beetle | 2010 Ford Mustang GT Convertible | 2009 Alfa Romeo 159 | 2006 Lincoln Mark LT | |
| 1998 Smart ForTwo | 2005 BMW 118d Hatchback | 2007 Jeep Commander | 2010 Mini Cooper S Convertible | ||
| 1970 Volkswagen Beetle | 1999 Nissan Skyline GTR V-Spec | 2008 BMW 118i Convertible | 2012 Audi TTS | ||
| 1994 Lancia Thema | 2005 Jeep Liberty | 2006 BMW 320i | 2019 Tesla Model 3 | ||
| 2001 Ferarri 360 Modena | |||||
| 2007 Maserati GranTurismo | |||||
| 2007 Porsche 911 GT3 RS | |||||
| 2018 Porsche Panamera Turbo S e-Hybrid Sport Turismo | |||||
| 2019 Jeep Gladiator Sport |
This metric of glamour is divided into 6 columns. The middle line represents a score of 0, and the far left & right represent -20 and +20; the further right a car sits, the better a score it gets. Vertical placement means nothing.
Ah, but The Cool Wall is not just a passive document; Part of the game is that you have to figure out what’s “cool” and what’s not by adding cars to the wall! Each contestant can request to have up to 5 real-life cars of their choice publicly added to the cool wall. Any production car is allowed, though I recommend you stick to cars sold in the US, and within the years 1995-2020. You can request an addition either through this forum, or if you want the request to be anonymous, through a DM. Make sure to specify in text the make, model, year (or year range/generation), and if you feel it matters, the trim; don’t leave it to me to guess, because I may guess wrong.
Each contestant can also ask up to 3 private questions about a given car’s cool-wall placement (such as “why is this car placed where it is?” or “Why are these 2 similar-looking cars rated so differently?”). Questions should be asked through DM’s; if you ask on the forums, I’ll assume you’re just asking other contestants or wondering aloud unless otherwise explicitly specified.
So as not to leave you completely in the dark when choosing your first additions, here’s a few notes on what she’s looking for:
The qualities that influence her verdict
- The most important thing, by far, is that it has to look VALUABLE; or at least, “not cheap.” She hangs out with the richest kids in the state, and is pretending to be one of them; she cannot afford to be seen in anything “budget” or “entry-level”
- A car’s prestige, including the stat, is going to have an impact on how well a car does. But remember, the appearance of prestige and value is more important than the actual value.
- Almost as important as value is that the car be as new as possible, as age is a huge determinant in how valuable a car appears; she’s going to be critical of anything 10 or more years old, and anything more than 20 years old will struggle to even get a positive score.
- Sports cars and performance cars are generally more valuable than their mundane equivalents. But she’s not necessarily looking for a sports car, and speed & value aren’t intrinsically linked; a cheap, old sports car is still a cheap, old car.
- Size is good. The bigger a car is, the more valuable and important it looks, all else considered.
- Having trained as a mechanic for years, she has a very thorough understanding of cars from a mechanical perspective. She is not going to be tricked easily by fake performance or luxury accents and badges. She does know, however, that her friends don’t understand cars nearly as well as she does, and that they will be easily tricked.
- Sometimes in real life, a car’s image is impacted by elements beyond just the car itself; its brand’s history, its nation of origin, and its appearance in popular media can all impact how the public sees a car. But those factors mean nothing on this wall, since they can’t be simulated in Automation.
There’s also certain types of cars that I call “novelties;” cars that, for reasons completely beyond her needs and wants, Isabel just likes. She’s drawn towards them enough to at least partially override her fear and worries, moving it to a better score than the qualities above would otherwise suggest. I have a pre-defined list of what they are, but I won’t be telling you; we’ll just have to see if someone stumbles across one. :)
Her perception of specific body styles
The body style itself can also have an influence on how she perceives a car; said influences are described below:
Sedan
Sedans are, to her, the most basic kind of car. They’re effectively a “blank canvas” of coolness; a cheap sedan looks cheap, a luxurious sedan seems luxurious, and a sporty sedan is sporty. Sedans have no intrinsic influence on her preference.
Coupe
Now what kind of coupe are we talking? If it’s the sport version of a sedan, that’s pretty good. If it’s the budget version of a sedan, that’s very bad. A good sports car or luxury coupe can do well, but If there’s nothing about the coupe to suggest its value, it’s just going to seem like a smaller, cheaper sedan, and that is not good.
Hatchback
Hatchbacks are generally cheap cars, and they have a reputation for it. Sure, hatchbacks can be cute and likeable, and the idea of performance or even luxury hatchbacks isn’t unheard of. But she isn’t expecting this body style to work out, unless she can find a really nice, exceptional example.
Wagon
Turns out, “rich people” like those of Weston are about the only remaining demographic in the US that even can by wagons, so she’s pretty used to and open to this body style. On the good end, a wagon can look larger and (thanks to their rarity) more exclusive than the equivalent sedan; on the bad end, when they aren’t designed well, wagons look like a sad melting stick of butter. But in general, they’ll have about the same prestige as the equivalent sedan
SUV
SUVs are good. Thanks to the ongoing SUV craze, they hold more value and prestige than an equivalent car, and the fact that they’re comparatively larger also helps. But thanks to how common they are, they’ve developed the same “blank canvas” trait of the sedan; just as an expensive SUV seems very expensive, a cheap SUV can still seem very cheap.
Cargo Van
Commercial vehicles generally aren’t very valuable, and they don’t offer much for the rich buyer. She can’t imagine why she would want a stock commercial vehicle.
Utility
This is the USA. Pickup trucks are a cultural icon, being hugely popular amongst all classes of society. Sure, trucks are often commercial vehicles, and a commercial or cheap truck scores poorly in her book. But this is a country where trucks can be luxury cars too, and Weston’s streets see quite a few of these. The good kind of big, luxurious truck will suit Isabel’s criteria quite well.
MPV
As good a car as these are, and they are common around Weston, minivans just generally aren’t expensive vehicles. There are certainly exceptions to this rule, and Isabel could see a new-enough van working for her, but it’ll be hard to find the right kind of van in her price range.
Convertible
Convertibles are great. You usually only find them in more expensive cars, and they’re culturally associated with wealth and prestige. A drop-top probably won’t save a rotten egg, especially if the roof itself is cheap quality, but it can certainly help a car’s image a lot.
Practicality: 10pts
This is, after all, her daily driver. Now, she doesn’t expect to be driving others around very much, and she doesn’t really go grocery shopping or anything very often- but still, the sensible part of her realizes the importance of having some convenient space.
Drivability: 10pts
Isabel has only just gotten her license. And though she is a responsible driver, she is still a novice that could use all the help she could get.
Comfort: 10pts
With how important cars are in a place like Weston, she’ll be spending a lot of time in hers, so comfort is something she’s pretty conscious of; plus, comfort impacts how valuable the car feels, which would be important in the rare and unlikely event she gives one of her friends a ride.
Fuel Economy: 10pts
Given that she barely has enough money to buy the car in the first place, she obviously needs it to be as cheap as possible to run.
Service Costs: 10pts
Same as above. She doesn’t wanna buy the car, only to have it bricked shortly later because it needs a part she can’t afford.
Environmental Resistance: 5pts
Here in the Boston suburbs, Weston and Waltham get their fair share of rain and snow; and working as a mechanic, she’s seen what that can do to a poorly treated chassis.
Base Cost: 5pts
She want’s the car to seem valuable, but doesn’t care if it really is. If a chance to spend less for more presents itself, she’ll take it.
Reliability: 5pts
Y’know, one of the great advantages of having worked on cars for years is that, if something goes wrong, she can actually fix it herself, rather than pay someone to do it. That does not mean, however, that she wishes to be doing this thrice a week. Also, if the problem is serious enough to need a new part, that will start to eat into her money; though the service costs category already covers that somewhat.
Safety: 5pts
Isabel recognizes that safety is important, but being a teenager, she’s not super concerned with safety. And besides, speed limits in the suburbs are low.
Naming Scheme:
Car model & Engine Family: CW4 – [YourForumUserename]
Car Trim: Name of car
Rules deliberation will continue until July 9 at 14:00 UTC, at which point submissions will open. The tentative date for car submissions’ closure will be July 25, 23:59 UTC. Cool wall submissions are currently being accepted, but won’t be added until after deliberation ends (to give you time to change your mind in case rules change).
Submit your car through the forum’s direct-messages. I will allow infinite resubmissions, as long as they are sent through the same DM thread as the original; the most recently submitted entry will be considered in the contest. I will alert you once if I receive an illegal build.
Feedback welcome and encouraged during rules deliberation; please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions! :D
