Hey all! Just wanted to say thank you because I've been lurking before I posted and you all seem so helpful.
Here's our situation, we have sold our house and are wanting to buy an SUV that can tow our 2,500 pound A-frame and get us around the states safely and make it for the whole trip (about a year)
Our budget for the car is 27,000. So far we looked at and considers 2017-2020 Nissan pathfinders and 2017-2019 Ford Explorer. I have slight concerns about both but that's really any car in this situation.
I am hoping to hear from somebody with experience with the cars and also see if y'all had recommendations for cars that could make the haul.

Hello everybody, and welcome to the 2023 edition of the Mindcrack Time Capsule, the tenth annual version of this long-lived tradition!
As a quick description, this is an annual post where we gather up all the information on the current state of Mindcrack, seal it up, and then open it back up one year later to look back on all the changes that might’ve happened over the course of a year, and to preserve info before it gets lost to time. There’s a lot of info collected here, and so this post also serves as the best source of info on the current state of the group with information not written down anywhere else; whether you’ve been away years or actively follow the group there’s likely info here that you won’t know and it’s a good way to get caught up on the important parts of Mindcrack.
With the intro out of the way, let’s get to the actual time capsule! The current state of it follows:
—
Today is the 5th of June, 2023.

General Information

A current concise definition of Mindcrack is "A group of friends and content creators founded in 2010 who come together for gaming content and regular charity events, primarily based on Twitch."
Mindcrack currently has 24 official members with 18 active as content creators, and around 19 Friends/VIPs active in the group, though there is no official list on who all is considered a Friend. Mindcrackers and Friends are essentially the same and differ only in name.
The latest member to join officially was OMGChad on the 31st of October, 2014, and the latest member to leave was BTC (BlameTheController) on the 12th of November, 2015, however these stats are somewhat misleading. For the last 12.5 years there has been a steady stream of new friends that each gradually became part of the group as well as some that parted ways, for the first 5 years these had specific dates tied to when they officially joined and left, but since then the newcomers have gradually become active within the group in the same way without being tied to any single date for various reasons. Thus, the latest person to become a part of the group is difficult to pinpoint.

Charity

There have been ten full Mindcrack Marathons to date and a multitude of other charity efforts, both from individuals and the full group. In total Mindcrack has raised over $2,088,731.75 for others through their group fundraising streams since 2013, of which $1,955,259.30 has been for the charity Extra Life (totals missing $0-5K). The latest full marathon was on November 14-20 and ran for 88 hours, raising $128,386.51 for Extra Life.
A complete list of all totals raised during Mindcrack group fundraising streams can be found here, the source message is pinned in the Mindcrack Discord and regularly updated.
The most recent charity event was held two months ago for Extra Life and was Mindcrack's first time running Extra Life United, the annual gathering in Orlando where Extra Life gamers come together to connect with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and participate in a variety of tournaments. For ELU 2023 Mindcrack hosted the entire event, running the gaming tournaments, stage entertainment, and the official stream which was essentially a spring Mindcrack Marathon. ELU 2023 also featured the return of the Minecraft Building Competition, and Pakratt led team Mindcrack to another 1st place finish against 5 other teams despite an ill-timed computer failure, earning $10,000 for the team’s hospitals.
The Mindcrack Patreon has now been supporting Mindcrack's charity efforts for over 3 years, allowing the marathon to grow in size and production quality. Currently the Patreon has 267 Patrons pledging $2,370 per month, with 59 Patrons on the $25 tier, 1 on the $500 tier, and the rest split between $5 and $10.
Kurt's Far Lands or Bust journey has continued on as always, with Season 10 currently coming to a close after a 54 day FLoB-a-Thon filled with adventures and over 1.5 million blocks traveled in just over a year. He is currently at 7,396,358 blocks traveled towards the Far Lands as of May 15th, 2023, sitting at 58.9% of the way there. The latest numbered episode was #847 on May 30th, 2023. The series has raised $472,939.92 for 7 different charities since 2011, however Season 10 did not end up supporting a charity.
MCGamer and the Zeldathon Team have raised $3,203,023 for 12 different charities during their 34 charity events. The latest Zeldathon was Zeldathon Daybreak which raised $125,800.00 for Direct Relief from August 2nd-8th, 2022, and they also held Side Quest: Dampe’s Twilight Tour! for Halloween from October 28th-31st which raised $12,600 for Gamers Outreach, their first time supporting the charity. The next Zeldathon will be Zeldathon Echoes, scheduled to start on July 6th raising money for charity: water.
There's also a multitude of individual charity efforts in Mindcrack; several people in the group hold streams supporting their individual Extra Life campaigns, and there's frequently one-off streams for various charities, such as Taffy’s recent subathon for St. Jude and Extra Life’s Dungeons & Dragons stream last month which Aurey joined. A complete list wouldn't be feasible to collect, but their efforts are greatly appreciated. In total everyone in the group has raised over $6 million for charity over the years.

Regular Series

The Mindcrack Podcast is hosted by Sevadus and Guude releasing two episodes every week, consisting of a public episode every Monday and a Patron-exclusive episode every Thursday. Additionally, Patrons at the $25 tier can watch the recordings live with live chat. The latest public episode was S2E135 which released today on June 5, 2023, and the latest premium episode was episode 134 released on May 25, 2023.
Cone, Kurt, and Zeekay host the podcast Ran When Parked which normally releases new episodes every other week, the latest episode was episode 94, however there hasn’t been a new episode in 2 months.
As of tonight Coestar's StreamADay is sitting at Day 3,471, and Phedran's daily streaming streak is on Day 2,072. Coe still holds the second longest daily streaming streak on Twitch as he approaches the ten year mark.
In the last year Subathons have really picked up, with Arkas, DumbDog, Guude, Justin, Kurt, McLaffyTaffy, Millbee, and OMGchad each having at least one, as well as many one or two day marathon streams from others, and they have resulted in many collabs within the group. Another recent fad is IRL streaming, with several in the group getting dedicated mobile streaming setups to go out in the world and stream, and Guude has almost entirely replaced his gaming content with IRL streams recently.
A large number of limited collabs appeared in the last year which aren’t currently running, most notably Mario Kart Mondays returned as a one-off appearance, the Bike Dads returned for a short period starting in the very same week, and DumbDog brought back The Checkpoint League for S2 which included Chiblee, Jaaski, and Justin. TFC Tuesday is also currently on hiatus. There are also a variety of collabs which frequently make appearances without a set schedule, including games such as Mahjong Soul and Mario Party.
The following is a list of the more stable weekly collab series within Mindcrack currently:

• Armo, Breon, Coestar, Kingster, and occasionally Ryuski play PUBG for Sunday Gunday every week, and PUBG also makes frequent appearances throughout the week with other squad combinations.
• Breon, Mhykol, and Ryuski are joined by Fortain and Omnirach every Tuesday playing games together, currently playing Space Engineers after previously playing Minecraft: Legends.
• Monday Group Games have just recently returned on Tuesdays, with several Friends and Staff playing Among Us with the Mindcrack community.
• Coestar and Guude's Two Bananas for Sale continues as always after recently hitting their 5 year anniversary, playing games together or with Patrons every Friday night. Their joint Patreon currently raises $584 per month thanks to 34 Patrons.
• Arkas, Guude, Nebris, and Pakratt continue to play Divine Journey 2 every other Saturday and just passed their 8-year anniversary playing together, however their sessions have been inconsistent since the start of the series.
• Pause and Beef have once again joined with Etho for a new Team Canada series recently, playing the Minecraft CTM map Starblight Desert.
• Guude and JSano, known as Guano, still regularly upload GeoGuessr videos on YouTube.

Servers

Season 9 of the Minecraft vanilla server is currently ongoing, but Season 10 is expected to start in the very near future after the release of 1.20, and the final server tours are already taking place. The current season started on December 11th, 2021, and the server is running on 1.19.4 with some extra plug-ins to allow $25 tier Patrons on the server. This season has had approximately 789.5 hours streamed by Mindcrack so far; the latest stream was by Soccer on January 15th. Mhykol hosts a server map at https://mindcrackmap.com using BlueMap.
The most recent full modded server was Crackpack Season 4, Mindcrack's 7th modded season which was active from November 2019 until January 2020.
Dadcraft’s most recent server was Minecraft Vault Hunters; Chiblee, DumbDog, Jaaski, and Justin joined others on the server earlier this year.
Adlington, Arkas, Cone, Dire, Doc, Kurt, Phedran, and VintageBeef all have fan servers for Twitch subs and/or Patrons, but some might not be active at the moment.

Ultra Hardcore (UHC)

There have been 33+32 (Thirty-one donation UHCs and S4b) seasons of Mindcrack UHC.
Breon, Coestar, ConeDodger, and Kingster are the winners of the latest UHC season, Season 33, which was streamed on the 26th of February, 2022.
Amethyst, BigGiantCircles, and HonneyPlay are the winners of the latest donation UHC, the 31st of its kind, which was streamed on the 20th of November.
PauseUnpause is the most deadly player in regular UHCs with 36 kills, and Arkas and Coestar are tied for the most deadly player in donation UHCs with 38 kills each. Nebris and VintageBeef are tied for the most wins in regular UHCs with 9, and Kurt has the most wins in charity UHCs with 7. (Latest UHC stats by Guardax)
Seasons can be categorized as follows: 24 teams of four, 15 teams of two, 14 teams of three, 8 free-for-all, 2 PvE, 1 teams of five, 1 teams of ten.
This was the first year since 2015 without a spring charity UHC, as running Extra Life United took precedence.

Individual Members

The table below contains current subscription, follower, and member data for the Mindcrackers' various social media accounts. Each number is hyperlinked to include an image of that member's account as it appears on this day for easy comparison of account contents, videos, and Discord channels:

Mindcracker	Twitch	YouTube	Twitter	Patreon	Discord Size	Discord Messages**
Adlingtont	3,048	34,700	5,998	9 ($55)	42	30,090
AnderZEL	284,676	524,000*	68,569		Twitch sub to join	?
Arkas	39,117	84,900/381	24,169		441	53,430
Aureylian	146,868	261,000*	157,293
AvidyaZen	21,460	301	356		106	22,730
Coestar	62,293	108,000/1,510	28,950	21 ($69)	1,607	2,089,410
Docm77	130,700*	1,010,000	249,640	118($946)	Patron only	?
Guude	46,294	362,000/178*	89,790		Twitch sub only	892,210
JSano19	5,020	48,100	13,134	0	Patron only	?(no Patrons)
Kurt	53,468	410,000	54,606	167	Patron or Twitch sub only	186,160
MCGamer	86,885	97,900	35,313
Mhykol	15,637	52,300/10*	23,855		138	17,710
Millbee	55,546	113,000	43,072		556	813,250
Nebris	20,638	132,000
OMGchad	53,412	117,000*/1,490,000	31,096		1,955	37,110
Pakratt	102,151	49,600	19,624		544	372,720
PauseUnpause	150,560	553,000*			902	141,410
Pyropuncher	29,503	351,000*	46,246
SethBling	244,378	2,000,000	360,297		305	37,440
Sevadus	410,340	44,800*	52,997		1,732	58,700
Vechs	9,647	169,000	47,499	83($666)	1,214	173,200
VintageBeef	28,807*	1,560,000/17,200/18,600*	194,795	131	Patron only	?
W92Baj	9,427*	112,000	40,808	5	Patron only	?
Zisteau	56,398	339,000/1,540	68,059	82	1,358	420,200
Mindcrack Network	69,179	150,000	46,948	267($2,370)	2,637	327,390

* indicates pages that haven't been used in the last year ** Discord messages are all messages sent in default channels since server creation.
The following table is the same info for Friends that are content creators who have been active within Mindcrack in the last couple years, though this isn't an official list so it may have extras and not be complete. McLaffyTaffy and Paint have been added to this list since the previous year.

Friend	Twitch	YouTube	Twitter	Patreon	Discord size	Discord messages**
Amethyst	700		828
Breon	2,584	293	1,679		163	51,410
Chiblee	29,994	6,110/1,920	34,833/5,998		3,257	689,490
ConeDodger	5,766	9,780/730	1,344	144	Patron or Twitch sub to join/use	1,583,970
Dahl	451*	21,200/21*	805	0	Patron to join	52,630
Darkosto	77,941	3,680	5,893	28($169)	8,299	474,250
DireDwarf	18,336	4,650*	2,969	6($38)	360	183,770
Drooo	363	10*	436		56	28,450
HCJustin	69,961	13,500/296(new)	19,311	22($119)	Twitch sub to join	1,275,930
HonneyPlay	11,623	3,070*	1,205	8	544(shared w/ Pak)	372,720
Jaaski	11,003	455/7(new*)	2,551		619	273,350
Kingster	514	4*	28		33(new)	860
McLaffyTaffy	31,410	14,500	6,862		989	161,680
Mookake	691	2,330*	234
Paintbrushpuke	539		227
Phedran	9,686	8,740	4,710	54($403)	476	110,070
Ryuski	1,357	194	429		75	28,000
Sapphyrei	18,362	189*/127,000	11,611
Soccer	510	135*	271		Twitch sub to join	440*

There are currently about 28 people part of Mindcrack that stream on Twitch regularly(past 3 months), and about 7 that upload YouTube videos with non-streamed content.
In the last year there were approximately 32,950 hours streamed on Twitch by about 41 Members and Friends, with 2,880 combined hours streamed during last month. During that year there were 875 unique categories streamed and 3,589,000 hours watched on Twitch which is equal to 410 years.
The most streamed games in order were Minecraft, PUBG, Words on Stream, PlateUp!, and Noita. Minecraft had the most streamers with 32, most hours streamed with 4,994, and second most hours watched with 427,540; the category Just Chatting was also among the most streamed and had the most hours watched with 561,200, and Travel & Outdoors and Special Events were also among the top.
Here's a chart showing monthly hours streamed by Mindcrack members from August 2015 to May 2023; here's a similar chart with Friends added starting May 2020.
According to the Mindcrack website, the total YouTube subscribers across all official Mindcrackers is 9,042,471, the total number of videos is 71,787, and the total views is 2,418,417,594. The website hasn't been updated in years and these numbers have not changed since the last time capsule, so they are at least one year out of date.
The total member count across public Discord servers in Mindcrack is 27,789 which includes significant overlap(13,537 for just Mindcrack Members). In total there's been approximately 10,587,460 messages sent across all 36 servers including from bots, but I don't have numbers from every server. Cone’s Discord has overtaken Coe’s as by far the most active server, with over 340,000 messages in the last year alone.
SethBling is the most subscribed on YouTube with 2 million subscribers as well as the most followed on Twitter with 360,297 followers. Sevadus has the most Twitch followers with 410,340 followers. Darkosto has the largest Discord server with 8,299 members, and among the Mindcrack Members OMGchad has the largest with 1,955 members.

Subreddit

mindcrack has approximately 45,000 subscribers. Discord servers and Twitch chats are the primary places the active Mindcrack community's interactions are based, so the subreddit sees minimal activity.
The Moderator Team of mindcrack consists of 10 humans and 2 bots: GuudeBoulderfist, pakratt0013, stinusmeret, Zisteau, pajam, Lost-Chord, Compieuter, ArmoAram, stevetheclimber, emilythecool, MindcrackTwitchBot, and CrackBot / AutoModerator.
This is the subreddit today using old Reddit (Picture Version), and this is the same page using the redesign (Picture Version).
Here’s the current flair selection which has not been updated recently, and here are the subreddit’s traffic stats which are normally only viewable by mods.

Miscellaneous

Docm77 and VintageBeef are also members of HermitCraft, and Arkas, Chiblee, Coestar, Jaaski, Justin, and Pause are all members of Dadcraft. After making a game on the HermitCraft server, Beef recently released a physical trading card game available for purchase.
SethBling currently holds 2nd place for the Super Mario World 0 Exit speedrun with a time of 41.350 seconds. He also holds records for several speedrun categories he created. In December Chiblee got the world record for time to first WooHoo in The Sims 4 without expansions with a time of 24.410 seconds; this has since been pushed back to 2nd place.
In the lives of the Mindcrackers and Friends there’s been many changes over the last year; Sevadus and Trent’s wedding will be later this month with other Mindcrackers attending, others in the group have started dating, there’s been many new pets across Mindcrack, and there’s been lots of travel and a bit of moving, including Pakratt and Honney who are currently in the middle of moving. Because of changes in the economy, some people in the group have gotten new jobs and slowed down their content.
Throughout the year many people in the group have met up in a variety of places which has seemingly become more prominent thanks to an increase in IRL streaming. Some of these were just meeting as friends such as Mhykol driving to Breon’s place or Soccer and Shelbs visiting Arkas, while others were for Mindcrack events such as ELU where many of them stayed extra days and streamed local activities together.
There have been no public updates in the last year on Mindcrack's progress towards becoming a non-profit that's publicly been in the works for years. This long transition period is seemingly one of the main reasons that new Mindcrackers haven’t been added recently, as the definition of membership was always anticipated to be changing soon and in essence already changed years ago.

Community Contributions

u/Omegatron9 has kept his spreadsheet and graphs on YouTube subscribers up to date.
The events of Mindcrack's first 10 years are covered in my History of Mindcrack written in 2020.
Some spreadsheets I have with stats:

• Mindcrack monthly hours streamed - August 2015 to May 2023 copy
• Mindcrack Stream stats - June 4, 2022 to June 3, 2023, has extensive numbers for every category streamed by everyone in Mindcrack in the last year
• Quarterly content produced by Mindcrack Members, 2010 Q4 to 2020 Q2, useful for seeing Twitch overtake YT for Mindcrack content
• Arkas’, Guude’s, Nebris’, and Pakratt’s Divine Journey 2 stats, updated live during every streamed episode

Thanks to Guardax and memnarch for providing Discord numbers.
—
Thanks for reading through the tenth time capsule!
There’s still time to add more though, if there’s any info that you want to add you can add it! Whether it’s extra info on the group, predictions about the future, comments on the members, or anything else, feel free to leave it in a comment and I’ll add it to the time capsule.
There’s a lot that goes on across the full Mindcrack group and I’ve barely been able to watch any streams this year, so if you see anything I've missed, put down incorrectly, or forgotten, be sure to let me know and I'll fix it!

I was sitting at my desk at my real estate office eating lunch, I had a showing later in the afternoon, so I took this time to look over the newest listings. I heard a large commotion coming from the front office and I got up and walked out to find 20 FBI agents’ guns in hand, yelling at me to get on the floor, I immediately complied with their orders. They jumped onto my back and acted like I was resisting but I was just so confused about what was going on. They didn’t even let me walk, they all grabbed me and carried me to an awaiting van, no windows and steel reinforced cage on the inside. I sat in the van as they trashed my office and questioned all the staff. They put my car on a tow truck and took it to the state crime lab.
The van finally started to move and about 20 minutes later the back doors were opened, I was taken out into an underground garage then I was manhandled into the FBI Huston building. I was taken to an interrogation room where I was handcuffed to this medal table with a bar sitting in the middle. I couldn’t even have scratched my nose the way they had me handcuffed to the table. I sat there in what seemed like hours, but may have only been an hour or so. Then these two agents walked in, she was all in black and had a blazer on, her hair was up in a bun, If it wasn’t for the way I was being treated, I may have even asked her out for a date she was that good looking. The other man was also dressed in black and was just scary looking, they sat down in front of me and started making accusations, not even asking me any questions, just making things up as they spoke. I knew they didn’t have anything on me, so I sat there as they continued to talk but after 20 minutes, they had yet to ask any questions, just made claims that I was a bank robber, they already had all the evidence to convict me of 25 years to life. I had a smile on my face the entire time and that really irked them to no end. They said they were searching my home as we were speaking, I finally said something and said Well if you break it you bought it.
They both just stared at me and said I was a smartass; they were going to make sure my life would be a living hell when I got to prison. They finally told me I had been involved in at least 5 bank robberies and a suspect in another 6, I laughed and said I didn’t have anything to do with it, have fun trying to prove something that wasn’t true. They then tried asking questions and I said LAWYER, they got so pissed but by law they couldn’t ask any more questions without my attorney present. I called the only attorney I knew, he was a real estate attorney, but he called a friend, a criminal attorney, and he agreed to come and be my lawyer. It took him 2 hours to arrive, we spent the next hour talking about what they said, but I said they really told me nothing yet, he asked me was I involved in any way shape or form, I said I have no idea what the hell they’re talking about.
The agents were allowed back into the room and their demeanor had changed a lot when my attorney was present, they were cordial and on the verge of being considered polite. Not as before getting into my face and yelling false statements at me. They asked me if I own a 2020 Ford Explorer, I replied I did up to about 2 months ago when I sold it. Their faces changed again and asked what I meant; I said I sold it to a private buyer 2 months ago. They said do I have proof that the car had been sold, I replied I had a bill of sale in my home safe, along with the money because I was waiting for the new models to come out to buy one. They asked if they could check the safe as they had people searching my home right now, my attorney asked me if that was acceptable, due to my personal property was in that safe. I told them as long as it was filmed as they opened the safe while I was watching via phone or monitor to verify that’s all that was removed from my safe, they agreed, an after some logistic issues were put into place, they set up a camera, then I gave them the combination. True to their word they only removed the bill of sale and the cash. They then closed my safe door and I requested for them after this was over for them to pay for my combination to be changed, they agreed. The name of the buyer was of course false, and they ran the serial numbers on the cash, and it was from a bank robbery 5 months ago, It was one they thought I may have been part of. Then they started asking for a description of the buyer, but I really didn’t pay attention to him but his money, but I recall he was about 6 foot, brown hair, and he had a tattoo on his left bicep of a heart with a knife through it, and another on the right forearm of a sword of some type. They looked into the mirror, they said could I remember anything else.
I had a thought pop into my head, I asked is there a reward for the capture of this guy, they look at me and said yes, it’s a 50 thousand dollar reward for the apprehension and conviction of this robbery suspect, and the banks were offering a 10 percent reward on all monies recovered. I said I think I could find this guy right now, they looked at me and said how, I looked at my attorney and asked if they were obligated to stand by what they said about the reward, he said it was all on tape and I was covered. I said I needed access to a phone and the phone number to Lojack. They said why, I said the entire time I had the car I was paying for Lojack, I had just canceled the contract with them 2 weeks ago, I was informed by them I could renew it in the next 6 months without penalty. I never told the suspect about the car having Lojack, he didn’t seem to be that kind of person. There was a knock on the door and an agent walked in with the phone and the number. The phone was placed on speaker, I had them restart my account and I gave them all my pertinent information. As soon as the account was reopened, the agent asked the Lojack agent on the phone to immediately find the car’s location.
There was a lot of movement out in the hallway, I was told I could leave if I wanted to, or wait to see what happens next. When they got the cars location, a team of FBI agents ran out the door, the 2 agents remained with me and my attorney as they were receiving live feed from their agents on location, sure enough they located the car along with 3 men and two additional cars, those additional cars had been spotted at some of the questionable robberies. All the men were arrested, 375 thousand dollars was recovered from the scene. I was thanked and asked if I needed a ride home, but my attorney said he would drive me back to my office. All said and done, not bad because I made a lot of money that day, they even offered me the car back after the trial, I said no just keep it, I have enough money for the new model when they come out. I always put Lojack on all my cars, I would suggest everyone I know does also.

The 1-year mark of the beginning of my problems with my first new Malibu boat has recently passed to no resolution of my problems. Therefore, I figured it's time to share my experience with anyone who may be considering a Malibu/Axis product.
In April 2022, I purchased a new Axis t250 off the showroom floor at Lake Norman Marina and it was great for the first few weeks, but on Memorial Day weekend of 2022 after a rider had fallen, the boat would no longer start. After about a week of the boat being at the dealership, they decided it wasn't just the starter and for some reason the transmission needed to be changed. About 2 weeks later I got the boat back, went out 3 times, and the transmission actually blew. They changed it again, and on my 3rd time out again the transmission blew. They changed it yet again and on my first day out the engine temp was skyrocketing and fluid spilling out, turned out a hose had not been secured properly and was spilling into the engine bay, but on the 4th time out, the transmission blew once again.
At this point, the entire month of June had passed, I had multiple issues with their maintenance practices and communication and had not received any offer of compensation for tows, no paperwork for warrant work performed, no contact from Malibu, or even an apology from the dealership. The boat had under 40hrs on it, and I had spent probably 15hrs on the water waiting for tows and being towed in. But the dealership and malibu decided to change the entire engine. 3 weeks in and I decide to call Malibu's engine department and ask how long, an engine change takes. (As an aircraft mechanic myself, changing giant turbine engines on Airbus fleets can be done in under 32 hours). The engine tech informed me it was a 5hr job and they also did not know why my transmission was changed in the first place since I had never received a transmission overheat message. However, I received my boat back about a week later and hoped that was the end, I could finally use my boat. About a week in, some wires to the screen came loose and I lost all my gauges on the opposite end of my home lake and at this point I was fed up. I told the dealership to take the boat back and I never wanted to see it again. I had been paying for a boat for 3 months and only had access to it for under 1 month.
This is when Malibu finally decided to get involved and Robert C. contacted me and admitted that the boat was a lemon. I informed him how I was displeased with the company, product, and the dealership and had never received a single piece of warranty paperwork, not even for the engine so that I could have the serial numbers switched on my insurance. He sounded surprised but ultimately didn't do anything regarding that issue but did offer to build me a new 2023 model year boat to replace my lemon if I just road that one out for the season because "Malibu wanted to earn my trust back as a customer". I expressed my concerns with product quality, the fact I'd be paying for a boat I hate for months, and new loan rates but after Robert adamantly assured me over 10 times that I would 100% be able to keep my same loan, and that my new boat would be put through a more in depth inspection process he called their "dock inspection" I decided to take the deal because pursuing the Magnussen Moss Warranty Act in court could have just yielded the same end result after much more time. Also, for 2 months straight I continued to ask Lake Norman Marina for warranty work paperwork in order to document my experience and the only thing I ever received was a screenshot of the hours of manpower assigned to my boat on one day.
In October of 2022 I submitted my new build and was told the new one would be completed in early spring/March. However, just after Christmas I received a call from the dealership that my boat was ready, and I need to submit for a new loan. I raised hell, right after Christmas when my credit cards were near capacity, 3 months early on completion, after a ton of reassurances that there was no way I would need a new loan at these higher rates, and after I have continued to make payments on the existing crap boat, I was told to get a new loan. I reached out to Robert because he was so adamant about the fact I would not have to, and he proceeded to make a bunch of excuses for the dealership and say it's out of his hands. Where I then responded, why would you make promises you can't keep, about something you have no control over? This was the most important stipulation of the deal to me. That is when I first realized Malibu cannot be trusted. They ran my credit and as I expected my 4.5% interest would now be 9-10%, but luckily, I contacted my loan officer and detailed the entire situation to him. There was no way I was going to pay more money for a boat from a company that had shitted me. I told him, you either keep this loan and continue to make the money off of me you already are, or I am getting a boat from another company with another bank, and you make none. He agreed with my position and after a couple days managed to convince his higher ups to do a collateral swap on my current loan. No thanks to the dealership or Malibu.
Here we are in 2023, new year, new me, new boat, lets fucking see. I take delivery of my new 2023 Axis t235, and she looks beautiful. I take her right to the shop to get some tint thrown on. That evening I take the boat to the marina and hop in to see if they put any fuel in. 88% full, ok well they did the 10hr break in so that could be why. The next morning, I have it fueled up by the marina, still 88%. Some, "dock inspection" and more so how did the dealership not notice this during the break in period? But whatever I am ready to surf and will wait until my first service to have it addressed. Granted, I surf 3-4 times a week and fill it before every outing for weight. Then I recieved notice of the recall on the steering cable block and called my dealer but they had not recieved any tooling to complete it yet. But he told me it wasnt like the boat was gonna blow up, just dont go full power and I should be fine, at most I'd need a tow and I was used to that after the previous year. The boats running great, all sorts of squeaks and dry pump noises I had mentioned on the previous boat to the dealer, and told were normal, didn't exist on this one. Amazing. But one saturday after a rider had fell, and 2 jet skis were coming straight at im I start tapping my horn and it gets stuck wide open. We shut the boat off and on several times but as soon as the battery is set to on the horn sounds, so we decided to get under the dash, mid-lake, and disconnect the button. While this is happening I just so happen to get an e-mail from axis to submit a review on my boat and experience. Which I answered honestly; boat runs good, salesman good, not too impressed with company, dealership bad. Within minutes Logan K. sales manager, and son of the dealership owner e-mails me, 6pm on a Saturday, and says, "I cannot believe you bashed us yet again. Actually, I can." and proceeds to tell me they will no longer work on my boat, also that he has CC'd his entire service department to let them know. I respond telling him how all I did was answer the questions honestly based on my experience, and that him unprofessionally e-mailing me with a refusal to work my boat because of that, with the several existing issues is not in line with Malibu's statement of wanting to earn my trust back. He stands by his statement and says that they will not work the boat, and that I need to reach out to one of 2 other dealers farther away to have them correct the problems. The following Wednesday I go to surf and my marina manager tells me Lake Norman Marina was here earlier that day and had pulled my boat out to do some recall. I immediately e-mail Logan, informing him that I would like to know where we stand because if Lake Norman Marina is no longer working my boat, then they should not be touching my property, and regardless I should be informed before they have it pulled out for any work. He claims it was an oversight and will not apologize for the mechanic, even though ya' know, he CC'd his entire service department. From where I am standing, I have no idea if this tech came out to sabotage my boat or God knows what. Now since that initial interaction that previous Saturday, I called Malibu and left voicemails on 3 different phone numbers Mon-Fri of the next week. 15 voicemails and not a single response. So, the next week I go to my local Supra dealership, who is amazing by the way, shout out to Southtown Watersports!
The guys at SW are familiar with my story because every time I have come for boards, jackets, or lead bags etc. I have given them the latest and greatest in my ridiculous experience. They told me dealers have a direct line to the manufacturer and I should go ahead and reach out to the next closest dealer, give them my story and see what happens. Thats what I decided to do, Captain's Choice is 2 hours from me and when I spoke with them, they were just mind blown by my experience. Told me in 20 years he hadn't heard a story like mine. But they were very helpful and said they were going to look up parts and work on my boat and get them ordered so I could get it all fixed without wasting time. Big upgrade there. about an hour later I get an e-mail from Mr. Logan again. "Malibu sent us the parts to fix your horn but I told Robert you said we were not allowed on your property so let me know how you would like to proceed." This ding-dong sends me this, twisting my words, in the same e-mail chain where he is the one refusing to service my boat and I stated that if you are going to refuse service then you shouldn't be on my property. I replied telling him that I had reached out to the other dealer as he forced me to but that I would rather them come fix it, than have to trailer my boat 2 hours each way for something small. The following morning, he replies that he thinks I should just move forward with the other marina, and he would send them the parts. What? After 10 or so days he emailed me about fixing it with absolutely no intention to fix the boat? fuck off. I sent him a strongly worded response signed, "Sincerely, Eat Shit." and forwarded the interaction to Robert, detailing that in the same chain Logan proves he is a liar and twisted my words. I didn't expect a response at this point, but 3 min later Robert finally replied asking to speak on the phone later that day. When I talked to Robert, he once again made a bunch of excuses defending the dealerships behavior while stating he was not taking sides...makes sense. Told me they could do what they wanted and that me trailering by boat 2 hours each way to Captains Choice was a reasonable thing, knowing that the previous boat literally broke every week for 2 months. He informed me that ignoring my 15 voicemails was his call, in order to not escalate the situation, REALLY makes sense. Also, states that he told the mechanic to access my boat for the recall, which is not what ol' ding-dong had said. All trust in the company and especially Robert is lost at this point, so the conversation is useless.
About 2 weeks later I finally have the appointment to get the issues at my boat fixed 2 hours away. A spot in the flooring had bubbled at this point so it was that the horn, the fuel gauge, and possibly the recall. I leave at 530am with my boat to make sure I am at Captains Choice by 8am. Everyone was great there and were just as mind blown as myself that traveling that far for maintenance was considered reasonable by Robert and Malibu as far as "earning my trust as a customer." I was there for about 4 hours, napping in my truck when they took me back to my boat and said they stuck a needle in the bubble and smoothed it flat as directed by malibu, but it could bubble again, and they would then replace the piece. They reconnected the horn and it worked but in case it got stuck again they would send me a new horn unit to my house, seeing as ol ding-dong logan never sent them the parts. I have yet to receive the parts. They said the recall had been completed but was never put into the system which is no suprise seeing as Lake Norman Marina obviously does not believe in paperwork. Then theres the fuel gauge, he showed me that the float will not reach 100% ever, that it was poor design and nothing they could do. I mean, if thats the case I figure the rep for Malibu, Robert should have heard this complaint by every person who purchased a t235 at this point and not sent me 2 hours away for nothing. Anyways, they buttoned her up, and I headed home. Captain's Choice was great and a much better experience than I had previously had at the other dealership but, in total, I spent 9 hours that day and a full tank in my truck to return home with a boat in pretty much the same condition I left with. A needle poke to the floor and recconnected horn that both may fault again, a paperwork update of work performed by someone else, and being told that my 2nd brand new $140,000 boat in a year does not work right straight from the factory.
When I returned home I e-mailed Robert and told him that Malibu can either take this boat back, I keep my experience to myself, and we part ways. Or I will sell it on my own and relay my experience. As expected, no reply, so here we are. During this time I have also made small comments to other Malibu owners posts and been contacted by multiple people sharing their stories with me about the companies poor treatment of customers, and as one 20yr Malibu owner told me, it seems to only have gotten really bad since about 2020. I know some people have had wonderful experiences but this is the honest recollection of my 1yr experience with this company and I think its best for anyone looking to purchase a new boat to know what they may be getting themselves into with this company.
Also, if any other t235 owners read this let me know if your fuel gauge only reads 88% full.

i want to get into hot shotting. and this just doesn't seem to make sense is GCWR enforced heavily? as a 2005 F350 CCB 4x4 dually has 13,000 LB GVWR. its GCWR is 23,000 LB's but its towing capacity gooseneck/5th wheel is 17,000 LB's this makes no sense. and its conflicting information. by all logic and means from stickers in the door jam, manuals and official figures from Ford. a 2005 F350 dually can only tow 10K rated gooseneck. or bumper pull because it'll be overweight.

The Release Notes for 2023 Season 3 have been posted on the iRacing Forums!
Find them posted here:
https://forums.iracing.com/discussion/42721/2023-season-3-release-notes-pre-release-version#latest
​
Or read them below!
========================================================================

2023 Season 3 Release Notes [Pre-Release Version]

This is the iRacing 2023 Season 3 Release! This release contains both content and upgrades for 2023 Season 3, which officially starts on June 12th! This season update includes three new cars: Cadillac V-Series.R GTP, Ligier JS P320, and Porsche 911 GT3 R (992). iRacing also expands its track offerings to include MotorLand Aragón (7 configs) and Willow Springs International Raceway, as well as a new 2023 Cup config for Chicago Street Course.
Our Dirt Taskforce has completed their work on the Dirt Refresh Project shared with the community back in February, and we are excited for you to experience the fruits of their labors. The Spotter System has received a Race Control-focused set of updates and new calls that will liven up your racing and keep you better informed about what is happening on the track and in the race. New challengers approach - you will now have the ability to add AI Opponent Rosters to your Hosted Sessions that utilize the Heat Racing format! We are excited to announce we have been investing time into saving you time, loading time to be precise, and this Season Release includes a first phase of loading optimizations that should get you into the driver’s seat just a little bit faster. Willow Springs International Raceway is proud to pioneer a new 3D Foliage System that automatically populates the environment with grasses, shrubs, and other creations of Mother Nature. USB Audio Hot Swapping is now fully enabled and supported by iRacing for all of your headset and speaker needs. A new Graphics Option has also been added which controls the display of all cockpit obstructions instead of this parameter being car setup specific.
The New Damage Model has been put into practice on eleven additional cars. And last but not least our AI Drivers have mastered eight new cars and twenty-four new track configurations. Welcome to iRacing 2023 Season 3!
Season highlights include:

• Cadillac V-Series.R GTP
• Ligier JS P320
• Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)
• MotorLand Aragón (7 configs)
• Willow Springs International Raceway
• New Track Configuration: Chicago Street Course - 2023 Cup
• Dirt Racing Refresh Project
• New Spotter Calls and Updates for Race Control
• Hosted Session AI Heat Racing
• Phase 1 of Loading Time Improvements
• 3D Foliage System
• USB Audio Device Hot Swapping
• Cockpit Obstruction Removal Graphics Option
• New Damage Model for 11 Vehicles (Cadillac V-Series.R GTP, Dirt Late Model (ALL), Ligier JS P320, NASCAR Truck Series Trucks, Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992), Porsche 911 GT3 R (992), and Renault Clio R.S. V)
• AI Racing for 8 Cars (Aston Martin DBR9 GT1, Cadillac CTS-V Racecar, Cadillac V-Series.R GTP, Chevrolet Corvette C6.R GT1, Ford GT GT2, Ligier JS P320, Porsche 911 GT3 R (992), and Radical SR10)
• AI Racing at 24 Track Configurations (Autodromo Nazionale Monza - GP without first chicane, Junior, and GP without chicanes, Chicago Street Course - 2023 Cup and Prototype, Circuit of the Americas - East and West, Irwindale Speedway - ALL FIVE Configs, MotorLand Aragón - ALL SEVEN Configs, Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway - Mini, New Smyrna Speedway, Twin Ring Motegi - East and Oval, and Willow Springs International Raceway)
• Hundreds of new and optimized official iRacing vehicle setups

Visit our 2023 Season 3 features page here: https://www.iracing.com/seasons/2023-s3/
Full 2023 Season 3 Release details are below.
​

iRACING UI:

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Hosted Racing

• The Create Starting Grid functionality and button are now disabled whenever both Heat Racing and AI Opponent Roster are selected for an Event.

AI Racing

• AI Drivers have completed an extensive training course for participating in the Heat Racing format!
• - - Heat Racing is now available for Hosted Sessions using AI Rosters!
• - - This is a brand new feature implementation for both AI Racing and the Heat Racing format.
• - - - - It is important to note that this feature is only available for Hosted Racing events at this time. AI Drivers still need the support of real humans in their Sessions or artificial chaos would surely ensue.

Tracks

• All Track location information has been standardized and updated. All Track locations are now identified by: City, State/Province, Country.

Leagues

• Fixed an issue where the names of AI Drivers who won League Series Sessions were forgotten when viewing the League Season Schedule.

Paint Shop

• A new sponsor, Maconi Setup Shop, has been added to the Paint Shop!
• Fixed an issue with a missing font for the Stock Car Pro Series Class Cars.

​

SIMULATION:

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Windows Support

• With the release of iRacing 2023 Season 3, the Windows 8.1 operating system is no longer able to successfully launch the iRacing application.
• - - Microsoft officially dropped support for Windows 8.1 on January 14th, 2023. As a result of this, it is no longer compatible with our software, and it will fail to launch.
• - - If you need help installing or running iRacing on Windows 10 or 11, please contact Customer Support here: https://support.iracing.com. Customer Support cannot get iRacing to work on Windows 8.1.

Race Servers

• Race Server capacity has been expanded to allow for nine different car models to be present within a Session.
• A user’s average lap time will no longer exclude laps that had been labeled as “invalid”.
• Fixed an issue where some Open Practice Race Servers were closing early due to inactivity.
• Fixed an issue where track temperatures were changing wildly if the Session was restarted (via AI Racing controls for example).

Loading

• Some adjustments have been made to how video memory resources are loaded.
• Some car loading algorithms have been optimized.

Dynamic Track

• The manner in which the dynamic track algorithm was calculated on surfaces has been improved, particularly along outside track edges.
• Fixed an issue where the visual display of some dynamic track data including dirt, marbles, and rubber was not functioning correctly on some track segments.

Race Control

• The algorithm for generating race splits based on car classes has been improved slightly.
• Short Parade Laps are now available for use at the following additional track configurations:
• - - Barber Motorsports Park - Full Course
• - - Brands Hatch Circuit - Indy
• - - Canadian Tire Motorsports Park
• - - Charlotte Motor Speedway - Roval, Roval - 2018, & Roval Long
• - - Circuit Park Zandvoort - Grand Prix
• - - Circuit Zolder - Grand Prix, & Alternate
• - - Daytona International Speedway - Oval - 2008, Road Course - 2008, & Moto - 2008
• - - Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg - PEC - Outer
• - - Indianapolis Motor Speedway - Oval - 2009, Open Wheel Oval - 2009, Road Course - 2009, & Bike
• - - Long Beach Street Circuit
• - - Mount Panorama Circuit
• - - Phillip Island Circuit
• - - Talladega Superspeedway

Qualifying Scrutiny

• The Qualifying Scrutiny system has been adjusted to better handle cases where cars needed time to get up to speed after leaving their starting location.

Dirt Racing

• A variety of updates as a result of the Dirt Refresh Project have been enabled!
• - - This project enlisted a focus group of developers, vehicle dynamicists, and testers who did a deep dig through everything that makes our Dirt Racing tick, and they’ve emerged with some sweeping improvements and updates.
• - - Dirt track parameters as a whole have been updated, including:
• - - - - Racing dirt properties at all levels of wear and wetness
• - - - - Dirt height variance, depth, and hardpan behavior
• - - - - Track wear parameters
• - - - - Tire rubber accumulation
• - - - - Dirt displacement from tires
• - - - - The formation of track roughness and perturbation
• - - - - The progression of dynamic track data has been updated for all dirt tracks
• - - All Dirt Racing tires have been updated with some of the following improvements:
• - - - - New wear rates based on the hardness and wetness of the dirt racing surface
• - - - - Dirt displacement parameters
• - - - - The manner in which tires calculate their contact on undulating dirt surfaces has been improved.

AI Racing

• AI Drivers have completed an extensive training course for participating in the Heat Racing format!
• - - Heat Racing is now available for Hosted Sessions using AI Rosters!
• - - This is a brand new feature implementation for both AI Racing and the Heat Racing format.
• - - - - It is important to note that this feature is only available for Hosted Racing events at this time. AI Drivers still need the support of real humans in their Sessions or artificial chaos would surely ensue.
• AI Drivers are now fully trained and capable drivers for the following new vehicles:
• - - Aston Martin DBR9 GT1
• - - Cadillac CTS-V Racecar
• - - Cadillac V-Series.R GTP
• - - Chevrolet Corvette C6.R GT1
• - - Ford GT GT2
• - - Ligier JS P320
• - - Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)
• - - Radical SR10
• AI Drivers have memorized and are ready to race for the gold at the following new tracks and configurations:
• - - Autodromo Nazionale Monza - GP without first chicane, Junior, and GP without chicanes
• - - Chicago Street Course - 2023 Cup and Prototype
• - - Circuit of the Americas - East and West
• - - Irwindale Speedway - ALL 5 Configurations
• - - MotorLand Aragón - ALL 7 Configurations
• - - Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway - Mini
• - - New Smyrna Speedway
• - - Twin Ring Motegi - East and Oval
• - - Willow Springs International Raceway
• AI Drivers have graduated from yet another season of advanced education classes. Training for 2023 Season 3 included the following programs:
• - - Kinesthetics for Preventing Pace Lap Panic
• - - [PHY-220] Drafting Speed Predictions
• - - White-Knuckle Door-to-Door Racing: A Retrospective
• - - Fast Cars Beware: Slow Cars
• - - Slow Cars Beware: Fast Cars
• - - AI Program Upgrade IV: Reaction Timing (Class: Pistol Shrimp)
• - - Danny S.’s Pre-School Seminar: Left-Hand Makes the “L”!
• - - The Technical Know-How Overlaps for GTP & Rocket Ship Piloting
• - - SuperTravel SuperProgram 2023: SuperSpeedways
• - - Lessons from Slot Car Racing on Racing Lines
• - - Tire Compound Connoisseur Magazine (Spring ‘23 Issue)
• - - Brake Pad Dissection - a Science Lab Qualified Course
• AI Drivers have improved their driving skills with the following vehicles:
• - - NASCAR Cup Series Next Gen Cars
• - - NASCAR Trucks
• - - BMW M Hybrid V8
• - - Dallara P217
• AI Drivers have improved their driving skills at the following track configs:
• - - Atlanta Motor Speedway - Oval
• - - Bristol Motor Speedway - Dual Pit Roads & Single Pit Road
• - - Canadian Tire Motorsports Park
• - - Daytona International Speedway - Oval
• - - Detroit Grand Prix at Belle Isle
• - - iRacing Superspeedway
• - - Talladega Superspeedway
• AI Drivers and their cars are now immediately removed from the world at the end of a Session. For safety.
• Fixed a handful of AI System issues including:
• - - Fixed an issue where custom Paint Schemes were not appearing on AI Drivers in Replays.
• - - Fixed an issue where AI Drivers could lag up to several seconds after the green before hitting the gas for standing starts in Hosted Sessions.
• - - Fixed an issue where AI Drivers could incur gain-time penalties while they were being towed back to their pit box. We don’t know what they were doing to Race Control staff to earn them, but it should be fixed now.
• - - Fixed an issue where multiple “Pitting In” notifications could be received.
• - - Fixed an issue with the display of AI Driver names on the Entries tab for Replays.
• - - Fixed an issue where AI Drivers appeared to be using the incorrect dive plane for the Dallara P217.

New Damage Model

• The New Damage Model is now active on the following additional vehicles:
• - - Cadillac V-Series.R GTP
• - - Dirt Late Model (ALL)
• - - Ligier JS P320
• - - NASCAR Truck Chevrolet Silverado
• - - NASCAR Truck Ford F150
• - - NASCAR Truck Toyota Tundra TRD Pro
• - - Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992)
• - - Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)
• - - Renault Clio R.S. V
• Some New Damage Model system code has been reorganized to make future development easier.

Auto Fuel

• Spotters and Team Members may now control their driver's Auto Fuel state.

Spotter

• The iRacing Spotter System has received some updates to help make it more accurate and dynamic. It is now better able to read Race Control events as they occur on the track, and a variety of new Spotter Calls have been added:
• - - Car in Front/Behind is Pitting
• - - Faster Car Approaching
• - - Gaining/Losing the car in front
• - - Leader Change
• - - Leader Lap Time
• - - Leader is Lapping You
• - - Session New Fastest Lap
• - - Your Personal Best Lap Time
• - - Time Remaining in Session 20/10/5 Minutes
• - - Settings for these new messages have been added to the “[SPCC]” section of the “app.ini” file.
• - - - - These messages will only play if “Chattiness” is set to MEDIUM or HIGH, and they are turned on in the “app.ini” file, which they are by default.
• A new “Silence” function has been added for the Spotter.
• - - In the Sound Options Menu, users can bind a key press that will interrupt and stop any current spotter message and temporarily disable future messages for a short duration. The duration of the hush may be adjusted via the “hushDuration” variable in the “app.ini” file, found in the “[SPCC]” section.
• “Leader Car” calls now returns the leader car in the same class as the player car. This means all spotter messages pertaining to the leader will now reference the leader in the same class as the player, instead of the outright leader.
• - - Messages include:
• - - - - Leader is pitting now
• - - - - Leader is at Start/Finish
• - - - - You're catching the leader
• - - - - One lap to win (if you are the leader car)
• Both Italian spotter packs have been updated and improved!
• - - Many thanks to Renzo A. Olivieri and Marco Arcidiacono!
• The Race Laps remaining spotter message logic has been updated.
• Fixed an issue with the fuel spotter calls when the pit entry location was dramatically different from the Start/Finish line location.

Graphics

• A new Graphics Option has been added: Hide Cockpit Obstructions.
• - - This option hides several visually obstructive elements from the world, including: Halo, A-Pillar, and Rock Screen.
• Vehicles that utilize the New Damage model have had their car model format adjusted to reduce video memory demands.
• Improved the accuracy of steering angles for viewing your opponents’ cars’ wheels.
• Adjust brake light exposure on some cars to try to prevent them from turning white when viewed from a distance.
• Updated the system which processes the hiding and displaying of halos for Replays.
• GGX blended dirt texture shaders have been improved.
• SpeedTree lighting has been updated.
• The graphics Option for SpeedTree self-shadowing has been removed.
• - - The visual benefits were minimal and the processing needs were demanding.
• Tooltips have been added for SSAO parameters.
• A new SDK for SpeedTree has been integrated.
• Fixed an issue where the reverse and unseen sides of some SpeedTree faces were being rendered, wasting processing time.
• Fixed an issue where distortion particles were not rendering properly unless they were inside the car.
• Fixed an issue where motion blur would trigger whenever the garage was visited.
• Fixed an issue where motion blur was appearing at different amounts on different parts of the same car.

3D Foliage System

• A new environmental graphics feature option has been added to the graphics options menu: Foliage!
• - - The new Foliage system procedurally generates 3D foliage of an appropriate biome type at specified tracks. Foliage may include grasses, shrubs, boulders, cacti, flowers, and other small environmental assets. 3D foliage has no impact on driving or physics, but should decorate the world much more realistically.
• - - In the Graphics Options menu, there are several levels of detail that may be selected for use by the 3D Foliage System which can customize your visual experience and your rendering performance. You may also select to disable the system entirely.
• - - With this release, only Willow Springs International Raceway has been seeded by the new 3D Foliage system so far, but Mother Nature always finds a way to spread!

Visual Effects

• Lighting for particle effects has been improved.
• The PopcornFX SDK has been updated to the latest version.

Audio

• Audio Hot Swap support has been added to iRacing!
• - - Forgot to plug in your headset before the race starts? iRacing now detects your device when it's plugged in, even during a race. If you've selected "System Default" from the sound options, audio automatically moves to the new device when the default changes. If you have selected a specific audio endpoint, it activates once it's available.
• - - Runtime audio device switching is now supported. When the default device is selected, a new default device can be chosen in Windows, and the Simulator will use the new device. If a specific device is selected, it will be used in the Simulator when it is activated in Windows.
• - - - - disableWindowsCoreAudio=0 When enabled (1), this option disables any Windows Core Audio integration (native windows audio).
• - - - - disableAudioDeviceChangedEvents=0 When enabled (1), this option disables dynamic audio device changing.
• - - Please note: Audio Hot Swapping is enabled by default.
• A new Audio Options setting has been added which allows you to assign a System Communication Default Device.
• A new audio option, “ambientMusicDisabled”, has been added to the “app.ini” file.
• - - 0 is the default value. Setting this parameter to 1 will disable all environment music that is normally played over the PA system while in the Simulation.
• Dynamic brake sounds have been rebalanced.
• Audio for load transmission on a variety of cars has been improved.
• The engine audio for all Pace Cars has been adjusted and optimized.

Environment

• New color and texture variations have been added for a variety of parked vehicles found around the tracks.

Interface

• Enhanced the right-click pop-up menus on the Session/Replay screen, and the Driving screen, to provide the option for private messaging (PM-ing) an individual user, the current driver of a car, or a car's entire Team (which includes a driver's spotters/crew in non-team sessions).
• - - Existing Admin/Race Control operations applied to a car that would have PM-ed someone on the team have been updated to message the whole team, instead of just one team member.
• - - Manually PM-ing a car number using "/#N", with N being the displayed car number, including leading zeros if shown, will now PM the whole team.
• - - To PM just the team member that's currently driving the car, use "/#N@" (add the @ symbol immediately after the car number). If the team's car is in its pit stall but the driver has gotten out of the car, that user is still PM-ed. If the team's car is not even in the world, no PM is sent when attempting to message its current driver, and you will be informed of this.
• - - - - To prevent receiving duplicate messages, if you would receive a chat message you sent because the target includes you (you're on the target team, you're the target team's driver, or you're talking to yourself!), you only receive the message due to being associated with the target of the message. That is, the message is not separately echoed directly back to you.
• - - You can continue to manually PM an individual using the existing mechanism of specifying their name after the "/".
• Text chat responses to Race Control Admin commands now identify the targeted entry with the team name and car number, instead of the name of the driver. In non-driver-swap events, the “team name” is the driver's name.
• An option for the units selection has been updated to “English (USA)” for clarity.

Camera

• A new highest option level, “Ultra”, has been added for Motion Blur.
• Fixed an issue with Driver View Pitch/Roll chassis effects so that when the view is locked to the horizon the car can now roll farther without the camera following the position of the car. This should help reduce motion sickness in VR if you use this feature.
• Fixed an issue for whenever a car’s center-of-mass left the camera frame, all motion blur on the car was lost.
• Fixed an issue where the focus of the camera was getting unwanted motion blur for cockpit cameras.
• Fixed an issue with motion blur on cars when using multiple displays.

Controls

• The automatic parking brake that holds a car still when you come to a stop will now fully apply itself anytime the car comes to a stop, rather than waiting for the user to hold the brake pedal down once stopped. This should help prevent cars from accidentally rolling away when you come to a quick stop but fail to fully engage the brake pedal.
• The Reset Button now prevents users from putting you into the car if your steering wheel needs assignment. Doing this now will take you to the Controls Wizard and allow you to assign and calibrate your driving controls.
• The test for XInput devices has been simplified.
• Fixed an issue that could cause some joysticks to fail to calibrate properly if the previous calibration was similar enough to the new calibration.
• Fixed an issue in the Options screen where the inputs (shifter, wheel, etc) would not respond if a button was held down on a wheel.

Force Feedback

• When calibrating a wheel, iRacing now checks that your selected maximum wheel angle and Force Feedback status match what we expect based on your detected hardware. A notification will appear if these do not match.
• - - This is an effort to detect common errors with certain wheels, either that do not have the correct drivers installed or that have a maximum wheel angle set to a very low value by default. If you receive this notification, or need help setting up your racing wheel, please reach out to Customer Support.
• iRacing will now try to automatically detect your racing wheel’s maximum force, and adjust the wheel force slider accordingly. This is used to help us safely and automatically calculate the force levels to send to your wheel. We can't always know how your wheel is set up, so this may be an overestimate of your maximum force level. This is the safer guess, but in some instances it may limit how strong of a force you can request from the simulation. In those cases you can turn off the “auto-mode” and manually set your wheel’s peak value, if known.
• Improved the force auto tune button so that it takes the wheels maximum force into account. This will lighten up the auto tune as the wheel force increases.
• - - There is a new scaling parameter in the “app.ini” file, “autoForceFactor”. This value defaults to 0.5, and allows you to adjust the aggressiveness of the reduction. Setting “[Force Feedback] autoForceFactor=1” will remove all reduction, giving you a 1:1 force output. Setting it to 0 will effectively always give you 6 Nm of peak force at the wheel. Any value in between will blend between these two extremes. The default value of 0.5 should be a good value for most users.
• A mappable button (Ctrl-A) has been added to apply the Auto Force adjustment found in the F9 Black Box.
• For the Auto Force Feedback peak force detection, data collected when the car is out of control will now be suppressed. Also, data collection will be paused for several seconds immediately after an incident. The goal is to make this system more stable and consistent, even if you wreck.
• For Force Feedback, a safety check has been added to detect if the wheel jumped in position (ie: we lost/gained communication with the wheel). If a communication interruption is detected, Force Feedback will be suppressed momentarily for safety.
• A new slew rate limiter filter that is controlled via the smoothing slider is now available in the Force Feedback options tab.
• - - This filter limits the rate of change of the force feedback signal so your wheel can't accelerate beyond a fixed value. In essence it smooths out the large jolts while leaving the rest of the signal alone. A value of 25% will have almost no impact on your regular driving, while softenting out curb or wall impacts, and a value of 75% will smooth out most rumble strips and make curb hits almost invisible. If you find that you have to turn down the FFB forces below the level you would like because the jolts from curbs or accidents are too large, then try turning this filter up instead. Try a value of 50% to start, and turn it down to 25% if you feel it is too much.
• - - - - You can go back to the old boxcar filter via the “[Force Feedback] smoothingFilterType=1” entry in the “app.ini” file.

Replays

• Chat messages and incident point accruement are now saved and viewable with Replays.
• Fixed an issue where custom Paint Schemes were not appearing on AI Drivers in Replays.

Telemetry

• Live brake line pressure (LFbrakeLinePress) has now been zeroed out and will no longer show a value.
• - - Disk based brake line pressure is still available (LFbrakeLinePress), and now has any ripple from the abs modulation included in its value.
• - - A new BrakeABSCutPct value has been added to the disk based telemetry that shows the percent of brake force reduction being applied by the ABS system.
• Driver suit, body, face, and helmet type ids have been added to the session string.

Official iRacing Sporting Code

• A variety of updates have been made to the Official iRacing Sporting Code, including:
• - - A new section 6.8.3. has been added which describes the correct behavior for Starting from Pits.
• - - Restructured the paragraphs describing Rolling Starts for improved clarity for both Oval and Road racing.
• - - Better explained how multiclass cars grid, and defined what starts a multiclass race.
• - - License Class images have been updated.
• - - Identified that Joker Laps may not be used for time-based competitions at Rallycross Tracks.
• - - A reminder has been added that it is unacceptable for suspended or restricted Members to use alternate accounts.
• - - Identified that nefarious tactics may also not be used during Races, and removed a poor example of nefarious behavior.
• Review the latest version of the Official iRacing Sporting Code here:
• - - https://www.iracing.com/iracing-official-sporting-code/

We have a 2020 Ram 1500 with short bed, tow package and 3.92 gear. Towing capacity shows 11,900. Looking at a 2021 Rockwood Ultra Lite 2883WS 5th wheel showing 9500 dry. Our current camper is bumper pull and 6000 lb empty. Advice, thoughts, etc?

The latest version of Toyota Tacoma is a completely redesigned one. Its quirky and brawny aura is retained only that its dimensions are expanded to accommodate bigger loading capacity. At first glance, it can be ascertained that the Tacoma these days are bigger and also said to be better than its predecessors.
Toyota Tacoma come in two choices - the 2WD and 4WD. The two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive models are available in all body styles. Both are sophisticated and powerful. However, between the two, Tacoma's 4x4 is getting more sales than the former. Toyota revealed that 40 percent of Tahoma's sold are 4x4 trucks. The latter feature a two-speed transfer case, optional locking rear differential and a heavy duty chassis. Toyota Tacoma is said to challenge the trucks made by GM, Ford and DCX.
Toyota Tacoma is ruggedly designed to give comfort and remarkable performance while conquering the road. Its double-wishbone type suspension and air shocks provide a smooth ride like that of passenger cars.
On the road, Tahoma can deliver a first rate all-round drive ability. It is also manufactured with powerful Toyota Tacoma performance parts to complement its sturdy built. The rear step bumper, front tow hook, and its 6-foot cargo bed are also made lighter. They are made from durable composite materials to support its purpose and goal as a real truck. V6 Tacoma can tow up to 5,000 pounds. Alternatively, its four-cylinder models can tow up to 3,500 pounds.
Tacoma has 2 standard airbags, ABS and brake assist and anchor points for child restraint seats. The four-cylinder Tacoma engine produces 164 horsepower and features 16 valves, DOHC, and variable valve timing with intelligence.
In essence,2024 tacoma accounts for nearly 10 percent of US Toyota sales. Moreover, the driving factor of Tacoma is the celebrated Toyota build quality and reliability. History reiterates that with Toyota you will lose a lot less bucks

Heyooo, I picked up my brand new 2022 SE Hybrid in September (drove off the lot with 4 miles [1.6km]), and I've done a decent bit to/for it since. This sub has been a huge resource for me regarding research/info, and I figured I'd make this post to hopefully do the same for someone else. This is going to be a relatively long post, so bear with me lol. I'll list everything in chronological order and try to provide as much context/info!

Horn Kit // Pic

I wanted something with a little more oomph. Quick 20-30 minute plug-and-play install. Kind of a pain getting the plastic cover out of the way under the hood, and not much room to work with when loosening/tightening the bolts that hold it in place.

Window Visors // Pics

Got them for winter car camping so I can crack the windows while it's raining/snowing, but chrome delete is a plus too. Another quick 15-30 minute install. Haven't noticed any issues other than the usual scratches.

Sequential Blackout Turn Signal Lights // Pics/Vid

Got these purely for the looks/chrome delete. Wish the light was a little brighter, but I guess it's what I should expect from the blackout version. Quick 10-15 minute install.

Windshield Sunshade

Wanted something thick and reversible. Just went with this one cause seemed pretty good, and it's worked as well as thick sunshades do I guess, lol. Fits great, and no complaints. Use the black side for low-profile winter car camping and the silver side for summer. Fits under the passenger seat when not in use.

Snow Chains

Got these just in case since I planned to do a lot of winter driving this year. Left the all-season tires that it came with (forgot brand/name), and only ever had traction issues a couple of times in my ~30 days of snowboarding this season, so never even used them. Stored them with the spare wheel, along with some flares.

Custom Sleep Platform

I made a post for this about 7 months ago, and everything is explained there.

Spare Tire Cover Support // Pics

As a part of my custom sleep platform project, I also found that two wooden 2x3 pieces support the trunk floor perfectly if you lay them across the spare tire (see pics). Have slept in the back using my platform a dozen times or so, and have had it loaded up with quite a lot of stuff, and no problems so far. Some might advise against putting unnecessary weight on the spare wheel like that, but meh, until I have an issue I'm gonna keep doing it lol.

Custom Reflectix Window Inserts // Pics

I'm an absolute perfectionist, so I don't even know how long these took. These were a huge pain in the ass to make, but I'm super happy with how they came out. I made these for winter car camping (summer too) to have max privacy, stealth, and extra warmth. I pretty much just followed the tutorial in the video I linked and got all of the suggested materials. I only added black canvas to one side. Figured I'd have more versatility that way. One other tweak I made was that I left a gap in the front window inserts so I could still have some airflow for when I crack the windows. I know it defeats some of the purpose of them, but my winter gear is plenty warm for down to the high teens (probably lower tbh). The small windows between the rear and the hatch use velcro to stay in place. There is a piece attached to the inside of the window with 3M tape, and another connected to the insert using hot glue. Was about $150 for everything I needed to make them.

Roof Cross Bars // Pics

Went with aftermarket cause fuck the price of OEM. These are super solid and I have no complaints/problems. Easy to take off when don't need them. Haven't used them too much, but nice to have for when I want to throw a roof box, awning, or mount up there.

Snowboard Rack // Pics

Got these for a trip I had coming up at the time, so it worked out, but I really wanted a cargo box. Went with this since it's way cheaper than one. Can hold 4 wide boards no problem. Super nice for car camping too since I don't have to keep the board(s) inside with me and don't have to risk leaving it under the car either.

License Plate Frames // Pics

The dealer-provided frames are so ugly, so for a while, I was rocking no frames, but ended up getting one for the front and one for the rear off Etsy. I was going to get the same frame for both the front and rear but ended up going with a silly rear one to hopefully get a chuckle out of someone from time to time.

LED Hatch Lights // Pics

Probably one of my favorite mods. These lights make such a huge difference, and anyone else who has them will tell you they're fuckin dope. Not a very hard install, but feeding the cable through the rubber grommet at the top center of the hatch was a bit of a pain. YouTube got ya covered though if you DIY.

OEM Hitch & Wiring Harness // Pics

Went OEM because I want to keep as much clearance as possible. Installed it myself and it took me about 8 hours to do the hitch and wiring harness. Took a bunch of breaks, had dinner, and was constantly scrubbing through youtube videos to figure out what the hell I was doing. Cutting the bumper was pretty easy actually. I used an electric jigsaw and cleaned everything up with a file. I didn't install the rubber trim piece cause I planned to do it after putting the bumper back on, but there is literally no chance with how stiff the trim piece is and how little room there is to work with, and I was not about to take my bumper off again. Still looks great regardless. Will update the Imgur link with a picture of how I routed the wiring harness tomorrow/later. I didn't take pictures during the process but will do my best to show. Got it mainly for smaller stuff (bike rack, cargo rack, etc). Hybrid doesn't have a high tow capacity anyway.

Dash Speakers // Pic

Just chose these because they were recommended everywhere I looked. Took like 10 minutes and obviously a big difference in quality. Saw some stuff about bass blockers, but I think my issue is more with needing an amp if anything.

Front Door Speakers // Pic

Was going to get the same speakers to match the dash, but went with some other Kicker ones that were recommended. Once I get more into car audio stuff in the future, I may switch things around some more. I do plan to get an amp and rear speakers in the future, but alas, I'm broke. Was pretty easy and simple to install, but drilling out the rivets was a pain since they were uncooperative. Crutchfield came with everything I needed (mounting bracket, wiring harness, and directions).

Sound Deadening // Pics

Since I had the doors off to replace the speakers, I figured I should add some sound deadening. Could've added more, but it was such a tedious process that I just called it at what I had. Took me about 5 hours to do the sound deadening and speakers, but took some breaks. Overall, came out pretty good, and I'll likely go back in to add some more. The front doors are noticeably heavier, they shut with a little more authority, and knocking on the door sounds drastically less hollow. Have yet to drive highway/freeway speed yet, but will have the chance tomorrow. Plan to do the spare wheel area with the material I have left since it's easy to get to and apply. Only used about half of what I bought (18sq ft). I also bought a roller cause no way in hell I was just going to use my hands to press it all down.

Hood Struts

At the time of posting, I'm still waiting for these to arrive. Estimated another few weeks at least, but will update this post after I install them. I don't mind the prop rod, but I wanted something for the sake of convenience, and I hope these will work well enough. I didn't really look into them at all, so if they're shit, oh well.

Interior Organization // Pics

Just some small stuff here and there to make some of the space more usable/organized. Was also considering getting the little organizer thing that sits on the dash behind the screen.

• Glovebox
• Armrest
• Center Console

I think that pretty much covers everything. There's still a lot I want to do/get, but in due time. As I said, I hope this post helps inspire some creativity and interest regarding mods for your own vehicle(s)! I'm sure there's some stuff I left out, so feel free to ask me about anything or give your thoughts/input. I'm also more than happy to talk about the lifestyle I have that I use my RAV4 for if you have some similar interests (snowboarding, biking, camping, etc). This sub and youtube have been such a big part of my new passion for throwing money at my car, and I'm going to keep doing it since I plan on keeping it for a really long time haha.

​
Developed by Hangar 13, DICE, Ripple Effect Studios, EA Gothenburg, and Criterion Games and published by EA.
Additionally former EA Black Box and Ghost Games employees who would help access game assets and code from previous NFS titles to streamline the development)
Cartel (or alternatively as “Cartel: Palm City” or "Cartel: Miami" ) would be an open world title based on the Mafia Games, the GTA games and the Saints Row games, with elements of Battlefield: Hardline thrown in with an array of weapons and vehicles based on their real life counterparts.
Gameplay wise the driving would be like Need for Speed titles, and on foot and shooting mechanics like BF: Hardline and Saints Row. Plus you can customize your cars and weapons to the same extent in BF: 2042 and some cars would allow for mounted weapons,on foot you can execute people with your equipped weapon like in The Godfather games. On foot would be an FPS view (you can change to a third person view as well) same with having an FPS view in your car.
There would an single player experience point system (like in BF Hardline single player) you gain XP from killing gangsters, and cops blowing up or capturing enemy vehicles and completing main missions, side missions and activities also there will be 15 levels to achieve with each level up unlocking new weapons, vehicles and customization for your weapons and vehicles. As well as a New Game Plus (NG+) where everything you unlocked is carried over and you can also play on the higher difficulties through NG+.
Also there would be five wanted levels for police and five vendetta levels for the gangs should you reach level five gang vendetta you start a Gang War there are three ways to stop a Gang War either bribe the feds, blow up a gang stronghold, or hide out in a safe house. Police wanted levels one and two local units would come after the player, at police wanted level two or three the state police would come after the player. At wanted level four and five the feds would come after the player. The military will only come after the player if they trespass in Fort Rockport or the Palmount Naval Shipyard
The Storyline
In Cartel: Palm City; in a different universe and timeline where there's a total prohibition of all narcotics in the United States in 2010; tells the story of Jack Rourke (the player character) a hardworking rideshare driver at day and a street racer at night who's scraping by in Palm City circa 2019. One fateful night, Jack Rourke has an inadvertent brush with the Blackwell Syndicate (mainly Carl Stoddard and that showcases a life of reward too big to ignore. As he joins the Blackwell Syndicate who are fighting for control of Palm City against five other criminal groups and take the city for the Blackwell Syndicate including recovering evidence that could not only convict the Blackwell Syndicate, as well as a network of crime lords in many countries, (including the other gang’s backers) including the Blackwell Syndicate's backers the Mob and it would also directly implicate the CIA in Palm City’s drug trade with Jack Rourke earning the nickname “El Sicario” for his efforts in driving the other gangs out of Palm City. When he learns how much the drugs were hurting the people of Palm City and all over the country as well as learning that the Blackwell Syndicate had gotten into the drug trade themselves, he contacts FBI agent Chase Linh who relays the story to her and offers the evidence and his testimony in exchange for full immunity for him and his associates, and the evidence on the computer was enough to convict everyone form all the five gangs, but also their crime lord backers from at least half a dozen countries, as well implicating the CIA in this as well as lobbying efforts to keep all narcotics prohibited, leading to a new administration repealing the Narcotics Prohibition law and legalizing low level cannabis. However six months later after the repeal of the Narcotics Prohibition Jack Rourke would be gunned down by Russian Mafia hitmen, Dimitri "Dima '' Mayakovsky and Henry "Black" Blackburn.
The Cast

• Sean Faris - Jack Rourke
• Erik Armando Alvarez - Marcus Blackwell
• Kieth David - Julian “Julius” Little
• Philip Anthony-Rodriguez - Nick Mendoza
• Kelly Hu - Khai Minh Dao
• Travis Willingham - Carl Stoddard
• Eugene Byrd - Marcus “Boomer” Boone
• Adam J. Harrington - Tyson Latchford
• Jack Derges - Tyler "Ty" Morgan
• David Ajala - Sean "Mac" McAlister
• Jessica Madsen - Jessica "Jess" Miller
• Ramon Tikaram - Ravindra "Rav" Chaudhry
• Brooke Burke - Rachel Teller
• Josie Maran - Mia Townsend
• Jonny Cruz - Lucas Rivera
• Ana Marte - Ana Rivera
• Maggie Q - FBI Agent Chase Linh
• Bentino Martinez - CIA Agent Julian Dawes
• Coolie Ranx - Benny King
• Jason Michael Zumwalt - Roman Barkov
• Michael Andrew Hollick - Niko Barkov
• Fred Tatasciore - Tony Alpert
• Josh Coxx - Frank Mercer
• Shontae Saldana - Eva Torres
• Josh Collins - Danny Shaw
• Moti Margolin - Dimitri Glebov
• Jack Yang - Chan Wu
• Graham Shiels - Leo Ray
• Mark Rolston - Neil Roark
• Dean McKenzie - Jonathan Cross
• David Rees Snell - Gregory "GMAC" MacDonald
• Heather Fox - Rose Largo
• Joshua Alba - Zack Maio
• Kurt Caceres - Hector Maio
• Lawrence B. Adisa - Brad Rogers
• Dominique Tipper - Lina Navarro
• David Palffy - Caleb Reece
• David Menkin - Hector "Ming" Domingo
• Bruce Johnson - Wes "Webster" Allen
• William Roberts - Joe "JV" Vega
• Jun-Yamazaki - Toru "Bull" Sato
• Derek Hamilton - Clarence "Razor" Callahan
• Chuck Norris - Chief Norris
• Paul Pape - Jack Keller
• Christina Hendricks - Sam Harper

List of activities

• Story Mission: Missions that advance the plot
• Side Mission: Missions that do not advance the plot but earns extra experience/money
• Street Race: Just like it is in Need for Speed, finish first.
• Combat Race: Just like Street Race, but weapon use is allowed.
• Mayhem: Cause as much destruction as possible and get the highest Cost to State score.
• Car Snatch: Steal a car from the cops or one of the four gangs and bring it to a chop shop and also unlock the car you stole for free.
• Drug/CigaWeapon Trafficking: Deliver drugs/military-grade weapons/Cuban cigars to dealers and avoid the cops and rival gangs.
• Car Delivery: Deliver a load of high-end cars to car dealers.
• Assassination: Find and kill a named character, bonus if you fulfill a special condition

Vehicles
Civilian

• Acura NSX '17, Acura RSX-S '04,
• Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio '16,
• Aston Martin DB5 '64, Aston Martin DB11 '17, Aston Martin DB11 Volante '19, Aston Martin Vulcan '16,
• Audi R8 V10 Performance '19, Audi S5 Sportback '17,
• BMW i8 Coupé '18, BMW i8 Coupé K.S. '18, BMW i8 Roadster '18, BMW M2 Competition '19, BMW M3 '06, BMW M3 '10, BMW M3 Evolution II '88, BMW M3 GTR L.E. '06, BMW M4 '18, BMW M4 Convertible '17, BMW M4 GTS '16, BMW M5 '18, BMW X6 M '16, BMW Z4 M40i '19,
• Buick Grand National '87, Buick Cascada '16
• Chevrolet Bel Air '55, Chevrolet C10 Sidestep Pickup '65, Chevrolet Camaro SS '67, Chevrolet Camaro Z28 '14, Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 '17, Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport '17, Chevrolet Corvette Z06 '13, Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 '19, Chevrolet Corvette Stingray (2020), Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible (2020), Chevrolet Corvette ZO6 (Cross’ ZO6)
• Dodge Challenger SRT8 '14, Dodge Charger '69, Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat ‘18
• Ferrari 458 Italia '09, Ferrari 458 Spider '11, Ferrari 488 GTB '15, Ferrari 488 Pista '19, Ferrari F40 '87, Ferrari FXX-K Evo '18, Ferrari LaFerrari '13, Ferrari Testarossa Coupé '84,
• Ford F-150 Raptor '17, Ford F-150 SVT Raptor L.E. '17, Ford Focus RS '16, Ford GT '17, Ford Mustang '65, Ford Mustang BOSS 302 '69, Ford Mustang Foxbody '90, Ford Mustang GT '15, Ford Crown Victoria ‘08
• Honda Civic Type-R '00, Honda Civic Type-R '15, Honda NSX Type-R '92, Honda S2000 '09,
• Infiniti Q60 S '17,
• Jaguar F-Type R Convertible '19, Jaguar F-Type R Coupé '16,
• Koenigsegg Regera '16 (Roman’s Regera)
• Lamborghini Aventador S '18, Lamborghini Aventador S Roadster '17, Lamborghini Aventador SVJ Coupe '19, Lamborghini Aventador SVJ Roadster '19, Lamborghini Countach '89, Lamborghini Diablo SV '95, Lamborghini Huracán '18, Lamborghini Huracán Performante '18, Lamborghini Huracán Performante Spyder '18, Lamborghini Huracán Spyder '18, Lamborghini Murciélago SV '10, Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4 '08
• Land Rover Defender 110 '15, Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR '15,
• Lotus Exige S '06,
• Mazda MX-5 '15, Mazda MX-5 '96, Mazda RX-7 Spirit R '02,
• McLaren 570S '15, McLaren 570S Spider '18, McLaren 600LT '18, McLaren F1 '93, McLaren P1 '14, McLaren P1 GTR '15
• Mercedes-AMG A 45 '16, Mercedes-AMG C 63 Coupé '18, Unlocked at REP LVL 18, Mercedes-AMG C 63 Coupé K.S. '18, Mercedes-AMG G 63 '17, Mercedes-AMG GT '15, Mercedes-AMG GT R '17, Mercedes-AMG GT S Roadster '19
• Mercury Cougar '67
• Mini JCW Countryman '17
• Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX '07, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X '08, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X K.S. '08
• Nissan 180SX Type X '96, Nissan 240SX '98, Nissan 350Z ‘03, Nissan 370Z ‘09, Nissan GT-R ‘07, Nissan Fairlady 240ZG '71, Nissan GT-R '17, Nissan Silvia Spec-R Aero '02, Nissan Skyline 2000 GT-R '71, Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec '93, Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec '99, Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec '02,
• Opel Astra '09
• Pagani Huayra BC '17
• Plymouth Barracuda '70
• Polestar 1 '20
• Pontiac Firebird '77, Pontiac Firebird '99, Pontiac GTO '05, Pontiac G8 '08
• Porsche 718 Cayman GTS '18, Porsche 911 Carrera GTS '18, Porsche 911 Carrera GTS Cabriolet '18, Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 2.8 '73, Porsche 911 Carrera S '97, Porsche 911 GT2 RS '18, Porsche 911 GT3 RS '19, Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS '18, Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet Ex '18, Porsche 911 Turbo S Exclusive '18, Porsche 918 Spyder '15, Porsche Cayman GT4 '15, Porsche Panamera Turbo '17, Porsche 911 Carrera S (991) '12
• SRT Viper GTS '14
• Subaru BRZ Premium '14, Subaru Impreza WRX STI '06, Subaru Impreza WRX STI '10,
• Volkswagen Beetle '63, Volkswagen Golf GTI '76, Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport '16,
• Volvo 242 DL '75, Volvo Amazon P130 '70

Military

• Light Vehicles: M1161 ITV, VDV Buggy, LYT2021, MRAP, SPM-3, ZFB-05, Quad Bike, Dirt Bike. Desert Patrol Vehicle. Skid Loader
• Infantry Fighting Vehicles: LAV-25, BTR-90, ZBD-09, AAV-7A1. AMTRAC
• Main Battle Tanks: M1 Abrams, T-90A, Type 99 MBT, HT-95 Levkov
• Anti-Aircraft Vehicles: LAV-AD, 9K22 Tunguska-M, Type 95 AA
• Mobile Artillery: HIMARS
• Helicopters: AH-1Z Viper, Mi-28 Havoc, Z-10W, AH-6 Little Bird, Z-11W, KA-60 Kasatka, UH-1Y Venom, Z-9 Haitun
• Naval Craft: DV-15 Interceptor, RCB-90, RHIB Boat, PWC, ACV
• Emplacements: .50 Cal, M220 TOW Launcher, 9M133 Kornet Launcher, HJ-8 Launcher, Centurion C-RAM, Pantsir-S1, LD-2000 AA, Schipunov 42. Launch Pod

Weapon attachments

• Optics (Pistols): Iron Sights, Improved Iron Sights, Ghost Ring, Mini (RDS), Deltapoint (RDS), Comp M4S (1X) Magnum Scope (2x)
• Optics (Rifles): Short Range; Barska Reflex (RDS), Kobra (RDS), Coyote (RDS), EOTech Sight (1x), PKA-S (1x), HD-33 (1x), F2000 (1.6x) (F2000 only). Medium Range; M145 (3.4x), PK-A (3.4x), PRISMA (3.4x), Mark 4 HAMR (3.5x) ACOG (4x), PSO-1 (4x), JGM-4 (4x). Long Range: CL6x (6x), PKS-07 (7x), Rifle Scope (8x), Hunter (20x), Ballistic (40x), IRNV (1x), FLIR (2x)
• Accessories: Canted Iron Sights, Magnifier (2x), Variable Zoom (2x-14x), Flash Light, Tactical Light, Laser Sight, Tri Beam Laser, Green Laser Sight, LaseLight Combo, Range Finder, Target Detector, Stabilizer.
• Barrel: Standard Barrel, Heavy Barrel, Light Barrel
• Muzzle (ARs/Carbines, DMRs, LMGs, PDWs, and Sidearms): Muzzle Brake, Compensator, Suppressor, Flash Hider, Flash Enhancer.
• Muzzle (shotgun): Duckbill, Full Choke, Modified Choke
• Underbarrel: Underslung Rail (M320, GP-30, M26 MASS), Bipod, Ergo Grip, Angled Grip, Stubby Grip, Vertical Grip, Folding Grip, Potato Grip
• Auxiliary: Straight Pull Bolt, Bipod
• Ammunition: Shotshells, 12 Gauge Buckshot, 12 Gauge Dart, 12 Gauge Frag, 12 Gauge Slug

40mm Grenades, 40mm HE, 40mm Incendiary, 40mm CS, 40mm Dart, 40mm Flashbang, 40mm LVG, 40mm Smoke, 40mm 3GL.

• 25mm Grenades - 25mm Airburst, 25mm Dart, 25mm Smoke.
• Arrows - Broadhead Arrow, Bullet Point Arrow, Explosive Tipped Arrow (Tek Arrows), Poison Arrow

Weapon list
Key: Base weapon (special variant)

• Melee Weapons: Blunt Weapons, Knives, Collapsible Baton, Machete (L.S 16 Machete), Breaching Hammer, Sledge Hammer, Axe, Inquisition Sword, Shovel, Bayonet, ACB-90, Shank, Machete, Bowie, Carbon Fiber, Scout, Survival, Trench, Boot, SEAL, Dive, Tactical, BJ-2, Precision, Baseball Bat, 2x4, Lead Pipe
• Light Pistols; P226, M9, QSZ-92, MP443, G17 (Street Racer Special), FN57. Machine Pistols; CZ-75. G18, TEC-9, MAC-10, MP9, 93R.
• Heavy Pistols: M1911, Compact 45, SW40, DEagle .38, DEagle .357, DEagle .44, DEagle .50, DEagle .501, DEagle .700, 45T (Mercer’s 45T), .40
• Revolvers; Unica 6 .38, Unica 6 .357, Unica 6 .44, Unica 6 .50, Unica 6 .501, Unica 6 .700, .38 Snub, .38 Special, .357 RS, MP412 REX, .44 Magnum (.44 Magnum Force), .501 Magnum Enforcer, .700 Magnum
• Short Rifles/Shotguns; Mare's Leg, Lupara, Shorty 12G (Modern Lupara)
• Personal Defense Weapons/SMGs: MP5, MX4, PP-2000, UMP-45, CBJ-MS, PDW-R, CZ-3A1, JS2, P90, UMP-9, MP7 (Combine MP7) , AS VAL, SR-2, MPX, Groza-4, K10 (Dillinger II), M1A1, M1928 (Dillinger), MP5SD
• Shotguns: QBS-09, 870 MCS, M1014, Hawk 12G, Saiga 12K, SPAS-12, UTS-15, DBV-12, DAO-12, USAS-12, AA-12, 870P Magnum, 37 Stakeout (Cross’ 37 Stakeout), Double-Barrel Shotgun, KSG12, M26 MASS
• Carbines: AK5C, ACW-R, SG553, AKU-12, A-91, ACE 52 CQB, G36C, M4, ACE 21 CQB, Type-95B-1, MTAR-21, Phantom, Groza-1, RO933, AKS-74U, CAR-556, ACWR.
• Assault Rifles: AK-12 (Shovak AK-12), SCAR-L, SCAR-H, M416, SAR-21, AEK-971 (Russian Dillinger), FAMAS, AUG A3, CZ-805, QBZ-95-1, ACE 23, L85A2, F2000 (SC-20K), ARX-160, Bulldog, AN-94, M16A3, M16A4, AKM, L85A2, ARM, MDC, SAR-21, AUG A3, HCAR, SA-58 OSW, HK51, FN FAL, SG510.
• Light Machine Guns: U-100 MK5 (Modern Dillinger), Type 88 LMG, LSAT, PKP Pecheneg, QBB-95-1, M240B, MG4, M249, M60-E4 (M60-ULT), AWS, L86A2, RPK, RPK-74, RPK-12,
• Designated Marksman Rifles: RFB, Mk11 Mod 0, SKS, SVD-12, QBU-88, M39 EMR, ACE 53 SV, SCAR-H SV, M39 EMR
• Sniper Rifles: R700PPS, TRG-42P, CS-LR4, M40A5, Scout Elite, SV-98, JNG-90, 338-Recon, M98B, SRR-61, FY-JS, Dragunov SVD, L115, GOL Magnum, SR338, CS5, .300 Knockout, M200 Intervention, M82A3 .416, M82A3 .50, M82A3 .501, M82A3 .700, M82A3 .900, M82A3 20mm Vulcan, AMR-2 .416, AMR-2 .50, AMR-2 .501, AMR-2 .700, AMR-2 .900 AMR-2 20mm Vulcan, HVM-II, M136 CS, Vidhwansak, Rorsch Mk-1, Rorsch Mk-4, 20mm Vulcan Grenares: M67 Frag, V40 Mini, RGO Impact, M34 Incendiary, M18 Smoke, M84 Flashbang, Hand Flare, CS Gas Grenade, Molotov, AA Mine, AT Mine, SLAM, C4 Explosive, M18 Claymore
• Launchers: M32 MGL, M203, M320, GP-30, M26 MASS, RPG,MBT LAW, FIM-92 Stinger, RPG-7V2, SA-18 Igla, Mk153 SMAW, FGM-148 Javelin, FGM-172 SRAW, XM-25
• Gadgets: Defibrillator, First Aid Pack, Medic Bag, Repair Tool, Ammo Box, Ammo Pack, M224 Mortar, MP-APS, XM25, UCAV, Ballistic Shield, MAV, Motion Sensor, PLD, Radio Beacon, SOFLAM, T-UGS, SUAV, RAWR M240B, RAWR M203, XD-1 Accipiter

Other: Nail Gun
Mission Structure
Prolog (2019)

1. The Birth of Art - After winning a big race, Jack Rourke collects the winnings at the Palm City Historical Museum
2. An Offer you Can't Refuse - Jack Rourke must evade Volk sicarios with Tyson Lachford and Carl Stoddard members of the Blackwell Syndicate
3. Race Day - After the events of the last mission, Jack Rourke partakes in a race day event and wins three events with his Porsche 911 Carrera S (991) '12
4. Running Man - Volk sicarios Niko and Dimitri crashes the race day and Jack must get to the Blackwell Garage

Chapter 1 (2019-2021)

1. M34 Party - Jack Rourke joins the Blackwell Syndicate and gets acquainted with everyone before going with Tyson in a Pontiac GTO '05 to burn the Volk's cars with M34 Incendiary Grenades as well as stealing GMAC's Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4
2. Standard Routine - Jack Rourke rolls with Tyson, Stoddard and Jonathan Cross to collect protection money but things go south when they collect from a hotel out of town and Jack Rourke chases after the hotel owner in Cross' car.
3. Fair Play - Jack Rourke is tasked with stealing Ryan Cooper's Nissan 240SX and sabotaging it on the eve of the biggest Speedhunter race of the year, the SpeedHunter Championship Finals and in a last minute swap Jack Rourke has to race in place of Tyler Morgan
4. Mia Townsend - Jack Rourke is tasked with taking Mia Townsend out for a night at the city... until a gang of Wraith street racers led by Caleb Reece hassles her and Jack Rourke takes them on in a fight
5. Get Used To It - After the events of the previous mission Jack Rourke and Tyson Latchford are sent to teach the Wraiths a lesson But Caleb Reece makes it serious and Caleb Reece is wound up being killed by Tyson after a chase around the city alongside Danny Shaw.
6. The Saint and The Sinner - It's revealed thtat Caleb Reece was Chief Norris' best friend, and Danny Shaw survives the crash however Stoddard would handle Shaw as Jack Rourke is tasked with infiltrating the Elmore Plaza Hotel and has to kill the manager, Nikki Morris and bomb the hotel before escaping to a funeral and confronts, Danny Shaw and Frank Mercer who are also in attendance. Jack Rourke kills Shaw and nearly kills Frank as well. But Frank tasers Rourke and escapes. It would be revealed that some of the Volk sicarios recognized Sotddard and had to deal with them, then the two escaped in a hearse.

Chapter 2 (2021)

1. A Trip to the Countryside - In order to get a large supply of cannabis from Mexico, Jack Rourke takes a team to retrieve the Mexican from Mexican smugglers only to be ambushed by Los Zetas L.S 16 and Volk sicarios, then it's revealed that Roman had paid off the FBI to go after Rourke and his teammates then they came off with the cannabis killing their pursuers in the process.
2. Code of Silence - The evidence that Tyson and Stoddard had ripped from the Volk had fallen in the hands of Hector Maio who cut a deal with the FBI, total immunity for the evidence and Jack Rouke is tasked with killing him and retrieving the evidence
3. Visiting Rich People - Jack Rourke is tasked with sabotaging a federal proscutor's case against The Mob, the Blackwell Syndicate's backers as well as killing the federal prosecutor in charge of the case.
4. Visiting Powerful People - Jack Rourke is tasked with meeting and protecting a powerful member of Palm City's elite, the owner of Prefered Outcomes Julian Daws... though he more than meets the eyes of Jack Rourke
5. Agent Dawes - Julian Daws is revealed to be a CIA agent who is tasked with keeping the flow of drugs to Jack's surprise and that he is backing the Blackwell Syndicate through Prefered Outcomes.
6. The Drug Trade - Julian Daws walks Jack Rourke through Palm City's drug trade and how the illicit street racing scene is used as a cover to smuggle drugs.
7. Great Deal - Tyson Lachford scores a major deal with a drug farm in Georgia who promises to supply them with large amounts of drugs in exchange for access to databases concerning highway patrol routes; however when the deal goes down at a parking garage, the Volk and L.S 16 ambush them.
8. Bon Appetit - Jack Rourke drives Eva Torrez, Marcus Blackwell and Julian Daws to the rebuilt Elmore Plaza Hotel for brunch only for Niko and Dimirti with a Volk hit squad to blast the entire lobby with gunfire and C4 explosives, Jack Rourke vaults over with Eva Torrez, Marcus Blackwell and Julian Daws, there Jack Rourke and Eva Torrez rush out through the side entrance and confronts the hit squad with Jack Rourke killing both Niko and Dimirti. However Blackwell wants Jack to confront Jonathan Cross at a doughnut store and reveals that the Volk threatened to turn him over to IAD and is chased throughout the city with Marcus Blackwell putting Cross on permanent retirement by killing him with a Lupara.

Chapter 3 (Finishing the other gangs and downfall of Jack Rourke) (late 2021)

1. Happy Anniversary - Jack Rourke is tasked with completing a contract hit against Frank Mercer at the fifth anniversary of the formation of the High-Speed Task Force by firing a sniper rifle stashed in a bathroom
2. You Lucky Bastard - After a failed attempt to kill Razor; Roman's personal driver and #2 of the Volk, Jack Rourke is given the contract to kill Razor, first by car bomb but ends up killing Deputy Chief Jack Keller. instead of Razor. Jack Rourke, Tyson and Stoddard would later find Razer at a Burger King. In this Rourke can choose to kill or spare Razor. Rourke would spare him after he tells him that the CIA is deeper in Palm City's drug trade than Jack Rourke is led to believe
3. Creme de la Creme - Marcus Blackwell plans to kill Roman, Niko, Demintri and Chan Wu in front of the city's Creme de la Creme, the mayor, the police chief, the FBI director and even the city's richest elite. However things go south and Jack Rourke chases Roman and Niko at the airport where they get to a private jet but is shot down and crash lands on the Cross Mermeroral Bridge Chan Wu is still alive and Jack Rourke executes him and leaves before the cops show up.
4. Plugging the Chief - After the events of Creme de la Creme; Chief Norris places to take on the Blackwell Syndicate and to dismantle them, and a contract hit is placed on him where Jack Rourke accepts the contract and kills Chief Norris.
5. Election Campaign - The State Governor had launched his reelection bid with the promise get tough on the cartels that had plagued Palm City and like Chief Norris has a contract hit out on him which Jack Rourke is tasked with taking, using a sniper rifle
6. Just for Relaxation - Marcus Blackwell tells Jack Rourke about a shipment of Cuban cigars as well as a hidden shipment of diamonds (hot ice) straight from Africa however and Jack Rourke takes a crew to retrieve the shipment from federal customs however it's revealed that instead of diamonds it's Cold Shot... the same drug being pushed by the other gangs.
7. The Truth - Jack Rourke and Kahi Minh Dao eavesdrop on Marcus Blackwell and Julain Daws and they learn the truth.
8. Moonlighting - Jack Rourke after knowing about the truth takes Tyson to rob the Palm CIty First National in order to retire from the sicario lifestyle and gets into a massive shootout with the PCPD Heat-style.
9. The Death of Art - After the heist of Palm City First National Jack Rourke finds Tyson dead and meets Stoddard at the museum only to find out that Stoddard knew about the heist, and used his share of the drug money and clout at Prefered Outcomes to buy out The7 as his personal hit squad, however Jack Rourke manages to kill every member of The7 but spares Stoddard (the player can also kill him but canonically Jack Rourke spares him)

Epilogue (2022)
After the trial and the repeal of the Jack Rurke is placed in the Witness Protection Program in Lakeshore City but six months later after the repeal of the Narcotics Prohibition Jack Rourke would be gunned down by members of the West Side Club, Dimitri "Dima" Mayakovsky and Henry "Black" Blackburn.
The Gangs of Palm City
L.S 16 (Los Salmos 16) - Also known as The Salmos. Backed by the most powerful Mexican drug lords and the most powerful arms traffickers in the world, L.S 16 once ruled all of Palm City In fear until The House stepped in. They’re also the strongest gang in the game with access to military grade weapons and vehicles and each gang kill from them awards 500-1,500 XP depending on the enemy type. They are led by Neil Roark.
The House - The House is a gambling gang with strong ties and backed by the Sicilian Mafia; they run the street scene and the casinos in Palm City. They’re pretty strong but weaker than L.S 16, and they have access to military grade weapons and vehicles each gang kills from them awards 250-800 XP depending on the enemy type. Headed by Lina Navarro.
The Volk - The Volk is a Chinese-Russian gang led by Roman Barkov with Niko Barkov as their enforcer backed by the Triads (Chan Wu), the Russian Mob (Dimitri Glebov), and GMAC's crew (Gregory "GMAC" MacDonald, Rose Largo) for cars who control the weapon smuggling and arms dealing in Palm City. With this backing and access to military grade weapons. They are a mid tier gang and each gang kill from them awards 200-600 XP depending on the enemy type. They are also the ones who go after the Blackwell Syndicate the most.
Palm Kings - The Palm Kings (PKs) is a Black gang made up of Black nationalists who controls Palm Harbor’s rackets and extorts store owners. Led by Benny King, they’re equipped with police-grade weaponry and has strong ties with the PCPD despite this, they are the second weakest gang in the game and each gang kill from them awards 150-500 XP depending if it's a regular to elite
Dixie Paladins - The Dixie Paladins are a white supremacy gang and a militarized version of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) who controls the Gold Coast Mountains in the mountainous regions of Palm City. they’re the weakest gang in the game and each gang kill from them awards 100-250 XP from regular to elite members. They are led by Tony Alpert
Blackwell Syndicate - The Blackwell Syndicate is a underground criminal organization based in Palm City and is led by Marcus Blackwell with Julian “Julius” Little as underboss, Hector Maio before "Code of Silence" and Zack Maio after "Code of Silence". Nick Mendoza. Khai Minh Dao and Carl Stoddard are caporegimes and Tyson Latchford, Tyler "Ty" Morgan, Sean "Mac" McAlister, Jessica "Jess" Miller as soldiers. Other members include Ravindra "Rav" Chaudhry as the gang's car expert Rachel Teller as the gang's customization expert, Marcus “Boomer” Boone as the gang's weapon experts. The Blackwell Syndicate would be the gang that the player would join. In Act 1, they're an outside and fast tracked to soldier, but in Act 2 the player would be a capo until the end of the game. They are secretly backed by both The Mob and the CIA through Agent Dawes. Jonathan Cross and Mia Townsend are also on the gang's payroll until "Bon Appetit" where Marcus Blackwell executes him with a 870P Magnum to the head. Also Mia would also go with Jack Rourke as well
The police/military force
PCPD - the police force of Palm City/Miami if the player does hostile acts (killing civilians, firing unsuppressed weapons in public, etc) will attract police attention and each kill from them awards 50 XP for regular members and 100 XP for armored members, However the player can bribe the PCPD to look the other way or will even help the player fight the other gangs but would be the target of higher level police forces. (Sort of like it was in The Godfather game) The player can also buy favors from them as well. Also they’ll deploy stronger units at higher heat level alongside the FBI. The cars PCPD drives are the Ford Crown Victoria, Dodge Challenger, Pontiac GTO, and the Chevy Grand Sport
Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) - The state police force and Only appears in wanted levels 3 and above, Each kill from them awards 75 XP for regular state troopers and 150 XP for tactical state troopers. Regular state troopers drives Ford Mustang GTs tactical state troopers drives Nissan GT-R
FBI - Only appears in wanted level 5 the FBI will be called in if the player continues to retaliate against the PCPD. Each kill from them awards 125 XP for regular agents, 250 XP for FBI SWAT and 375 XP for FBI HRT, Like the PCPD the player can bribe the FBI to look the other way, or even help the player fight gangs, or the PCPD but at the second highest price. The FBI also has the second widest array of favors the player can buy. regular agents drives the Nissan 350Z or Porsche 911 GT3 RS, FBI SWAT drives the - Lamborghini Aventador SVJ Roadster or Ford F-150 SVT Raptor L.E. and FBI HRT drives the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X or Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR
Military - Only goes after the player if they trespass in Fort Rockport or the Palmount Naval Shipyard. Each kill from them awards 200 XP for regs, 400 XP for experienced troops and 600 XP for elite troops. Like the PCPD, State Police and the FBI, the player can bribe the military to look the other way, or even help the player fight gangs, the PCPD, State Police or even the FBI but at the highest price and The military also has the widest array of favors the player can buy in large part due to Agent Dawes’ connections in Washington.
Multiplayer portion of the game would take place during the five cartels war where the Blackwell Syndicate, The Volk, Palm Kings, Dixie Paldines, Los Salmos 16, and The House (basically where Jack Rourke glosses over saying "It was non-stop chaos for weeks")
Also there would be a free ride mode where the player can explore the city at their leisure or pick a fight with either other cartels or the cops.

I'm ready to upgrade from my 2013 Ford Focus and am looking for a vehicle that I can drive to work every day through a city, go on long distance trips, and tow a trailer carrying about one ton of mulch or soil. I'm looking to keep the budget below $40k, but am considering a relatively decked out Subaru Outback (Onyx edition XT or Limited XT) for ~$42k.
From my research the 2023 Jeep Cherokee, Subaru Forester (Wilderness), Kia Sportage, Chevy Blazer, Toyota RAV4, and Volvo XC40 (Or maybe it was the C40) are the only options in my budget range (based of of MSRP, not even sure what the out the door price is) and towing capacity need.
I am looking for a slight bit of luxury (non-cloth seats, butt warmer, rear camera) since I intend to own this car until the wheels fall off. Reliability is top priority though as my current car is notoriously problematic. This will be my first time buying a car on my own and I'm not really knowledgeable about cars, so all help is greatly appreciated.

am a college student, using the United States Soldier G.I Bill for college after my separation.
I bought a Ford 2017 from this Dealership around 2019-2020 from a dealership, certified pre-owned.
Last year, from summer to winter, I have replaced spark plugs 3 times. I thought this was odd; I purchased the car with around 50 thousand miles, and it currently has around 78. Not bad for around 3 years of ownership, and never missing service dates for inspections or oil changes. Of course it was a retail before hand, and that is why it had around 25k miles a year or so....but I have treated the car VERY well.
Turns out the car had some serious engine problems that where slow ticking time bombs, culminating into a final event of my engine failing completely 1 month ago. I owe 14, the cost is 11 to repair. According to the Ford Certified Mechanic, this engine problem has been slowing building for quite some time, meaning that it was never caught by Hyundai when they did their "certified inspections".
I am a combat veteran going to school on the Gi Bill, and now I am not only without a reliable means of transportation, but I still owe a substantial amount on this vehicle.
Of course, engine is out of warranty.
I am studying abroad, and I return in two weeks. My father is having the vehicle towed for me to a second mechanic (family friend who has worked on vehicles for 10 years), for a second opinion. I doubt the answer will come back favorable for me, as the vehicle was taken to Ford and diagnosed by Ford with a $200 test.
The total cost of the engine repair is 11, out the door. I owe 14,300. I could pay for this cash as I have money saved up, but I would rather not do this. The loan is through Navy Federal, and my insurance is through Progressive.
I am here for advice, please.

I am a college student, using the United States Soldier G.I Bill for college after my separation.
I bought a Ford 2017 from this Dealership around 2019-2020 from a dealership, certified pre-owned.
Last year, from summer to winter, I have replaced spark plugs 3 times. I thought this was odd; I purchased the car with around 50 thousand miles, and it currently has around 78. Not bad for around 3 years of ownership, and never missing service dates for inspections or oil changes. Of course it was a retail before hand, and that is why it had around 25k miles a year or so....but I have treated the car VERY well.
Turns out the car had some serious engine problems that where slow ticking time bombs, culminating into a final event of my engine failing completely 1 month ago. I owe 14, the cost is 11 to repair. According to the Ford Certified Mechanic, this engine problem has been slowing building for quite some time, meaning that it was never caught by Hyundai when they did their "certified inspections".
I am a combat veteran going to school on the Gi Bill, and now I am not only without a reliable means of transportation, but I still owe a substantial amount on this vehicle.
Of course, engine is out of warranty.
I am studying abroad, and I return in two weeks. My father is having the vehicle towed for me to a second mechanic (family friend who has worked on vehicles for 10 years), for a second opinion. I doubt the answer will come back favorable for me, as the vehicle was taken to Ford and diagnosed by Ford with a $200 test.
The total cost of the engine repair is 11, out the door. I owe 14,300. I could pay for this cash as I have money saved up, but I would rather not do this. The loan is through Navy Federal, and my insurance is through Progressive.
​
I am here for advice, please.

My brother is considering replacing a 16 F150 with the 5.0 with a 23 F-250 ( tows a camper) with the 7.3 and 10 speed automatic ( I think its the 10R80). What are your thoughts on this combination for reliability? Is this transmission problematic? Has Ford resolved trans. problems? It would be a new build date as he would be ordering so maybe it would even be a 24. Thanks in advance for your feedback, its always very helpful.

I have a 2018 Nissan Versa sedan. My brake lights were working fine. I got pulled over by a Louisiana State Trooper yesterday and he told me, "You've got zero brake lights." Luckily, I didn't get a ticket or in an accident!
I checked all of the fuses in the power center (fuse box) in the side of the driver's side dashboard and under the hood in the engine compartment. I use the ATM-LP Low Profile Mini Fuses. They have the little pin hole on both sides, where I put my pointy multimeter leads in to check for continuity. All fuses are good!
I had to pull out my whole taillight fixture, and then remove 4 screws to get to the bulbs to check them - which seemed like a pain in the butt. The third brake light seemed so much easier to check just inside and up-under the back dash. Just a quick little twist and I was able to tell that the bulb is still good. I thought maybe it might be something like old Christmas tree lights - if one goes out, none of them work... So I had to do the pain in the butt taillight removal. The driver's side brake light bulb is good also.
That must mean that the brake light switch is bad. Am I right? What else could it be??? I want to test the switch, but it seems to be more of a pain in the butt to get to than the side brake light bulbs. I'm sure I can test it in the trunk...
Here's why, and maybe how I can test it...
Although it's not advised to tow with a versa, I do have a five-speed manual transmission... I found a forum with people who have verses with manual transmissions that said they have no problem towing small loads. It all started with just a little cargo carrier for my pressure washer - where I didn't need blinkers and brake lights. I upgraded to a small utility trailer where I needed brake lights and blinkers. I tied in to my tail lights with the four wire flat harness for the trailer. Please don't go thinking that I shorted something out or anything like that!!! LOL I tied in the four wire flat back in 2020 and my brakes have been working for the past 3 years. My brakes just went out recently. Being that I have tapped wires in the trunk, I have access to the different wires. Please help me with the testing...
The 2018 Nissan versa has a negative circuit system, am I right? All electronics have power going to them all the time, and all switches switched the ground wire, is that right? When I open my car door, the little jam switch connects to ground wires to make the light come on, am I right?
Can I put my multimeter on the continuity setting, and put one of the leads to the chassis, and then put the other lead to one of the wires in my tail light (the wire for the break light). If I do this, I should not have continuity. And when I press the brake pedal down, I should all of a sudden hear the beep for continuity, am I right?
Or is it backwards? Is there continuity between the chassis and the brake light wire without the brake pedal being pressed, and then when I press the brake pedal does it lose continuity?
I'm an electrician by trade - a high voltage electrician. I have no idea about this low voltage DC situation here... I'm lying! I'm a little familiar with it - but not much! If I can check my brake pedal brake light switch, with my multimeter on a continuity setting, in the trunk with the exposed wires connected to my trailer's 4-flat harness... Which wire is for the brake lights? I believe the blue wire is for the tail lights. So it would either be green, yellow or red (or is there another one in there that I'm not aware of? LOL). For some reason, I'm thinking the brake light is the yellow wire...
I see two twisted wires coming out of the brake pedal brake light switch up under the dashboard at the top of the brake pedal... The two twisted wires are like an aqua and green... I really can't get to them and don't know where they go to to test them for voltage. Please don't make me crawl up under the dashboard and try to fight that brake pedal, in that very small area!!! There's got to be a way to check the brake pedal brake lights switch in the trunk by the tail light where my taps are made - either with the DC voltage setting, or with the continuity setting on my multimeter.
A Nissan tech should know which color wire goes through the brake lights, am I right? Is it the yellow one? Or could it be the green one? Red? Lol Do all manufacturers of automobiles, such as Ford, Dodge, Chevy, Toyota, etc etc etc use the same color wires for tail lights, flashes / blinkers, brakes, etc etc etc? Or is it different from manufacturer to manufacturer? Are all brake light wires yellow? Are they all green? Or do they all differ depending on the manufacturer?
In summary, I need to know how to test the brake pedal brake light switch in the trunk at the taps with either DC voltage or continuity and which color wire should I use when I test? Thanks a million in advance!!!

# This file contains common pin mappings for the Two Trees Sapphire # Plus printer from 2020 (revision 2 with dual Z axis). # To use this config, the firmware should be compiled for the STM32F103. # When running "make menuconfig" you have to: # - enable "extra low-level configuration setup", # - select the 28KiB bootloader, # - select serial (on USART3 PB11/PB10) communication # - set "GPIO pins to set at micro-controller startup" to "!PC6,!PD13" # Note that the "make flash" command does not work with the Sapphire # Pro. After running "make", run the following command: # ./scripts/update_mks_robin.py out/klipper.bin out/Robin_nano35.bin # Copy the file out/Robin_nano35.bin to an SD card and then restart the # printer with that SD card. # See docs/Config_Reference.md for a description of parameters. [include timelapse.cfg] [stepper_x] step_pin: PE3 dir_pin: !PE2 enable_pin: !PE4 microsteps: 128 rotation_distance: 40 endstop_pin: !PA15 position_endstop: -2 position_min: -2 position_max: 300 homing_speed: 50 [tmc2209 stepper_x] uart_pin: PC8 #microsteps: 32 #interpolate: True run_current: 0.9 hold_current: 0.5 #stealthchop_threshold: 999 [stepper_y] step_pin: PE0 dir_pin: !PB9 enable_pin: !PE1 microsteps: 128 rotation_distance: 40 endstop_pin: !PA12 position_endstop: 300 position_max: 300 homing_speed: 50 [tmc2209 stepper_y] uart_pin: PC9 #microsteps: 32 #interpolate: True run_current: 0.9 hold_current: 0.5 #stealthchop_threshold: 999 [stepper_z] step_pin: PB5 dir_pin: !PB4 enable_pin: !PB8 microsteps: 64 rotation_distance: 8 #endstop_pin: !PC4 #position_endstop: 0 endstop_pin: probe:z_virtual_endstop position_max: 340 position_min: -3 [tmc2209 stepper_z] uart_pin: PC12 #microsteps: 32 #interpolate: True run_current: 0.8 hold_current: 0.5 #stealthchop_threshold: 999 [stepper_z1] step_pin: PA6 dir_pin: !PA1 enable_pin: !PA3 microsteps: 64 rotation_distance: 8 #endstop_pin: !PC4 endstop_pin: probe:z_virtual_endstop [tmc2209 stepper_z1] uart_pin: PC10 #microsteps: 32 #interpolate: True run_current: 0.8 hold_current: 0.5 #stealthchop_threshold: 999 [extruder] step_pin: PD6 dir_pin: !PD3 enable_pin: !PB3 microsteps: 16 gear_ratio: 50:10 rotation_distance: 20.65 #23.52 nozzle_diameter: 0.400 filament_diameter: 1.750 heater_pin: PB0 sensor_type: EPCOS 100K B57560G104F # Stock sensor_pin: PC1 min_temp: 0 max_temp: 260 control: pid pid_Kp: 19.753 pid_Ki: 1.045 pid_Kd: 93.331 #pid_Kp: 17.48 #pid_Ki: 1.32 #pid_Kd: 57.81 pressure_advance: 0.055 [tmc2209 extruder] uart_pin: PC11 #microsteps: 32 #interpolate: True run_current: 0.95 hold_current: 0.5 stealthchop_threshold: 0 [heater_bed] heater_pin: PA0 sensor_type: EPCOS 100K B57560G104F # Stock sensor_pin: PC0 min_temp: 0 max_temp: 130 control: pid pid_Kp: 325.10 pid_Ki: 63.35 pid_Kd: 417.10 [fan] pin: PB1 [mcu] serial: /dev/serial/by-id/usb-1a86_USB_Serial-if00-port0 restart_method: command [printer] kinematics: corexy max_velocity: 250 max_accel: 8900 max_z_velocity: 25 max_z_accel: 100 [static_digital_output reset_display] pins: !PC6, !PD13 [bltouch] sensor_pin: ^PA11 control_pin: PA8 x_offset: 0 y_offset: -42 z_offset: 2.575 stow_on_each_sample: False #samples: 3 [screws_tilt_adjust] horizontal_move_z: 5 screw1: 35,300 screw1_name: back left screw2: 265,300 screw2_name: back right screw3: 265,77 screw3_name: front right screw4: 35,77 screw4_name: front left screw_thread: CW-M4 [safe_z_home] home_xy_position: 150,192 # Change coordinates to the center of your print bed speed: 50 z_hop: 10 # Move up 10mm z_hop_speed: 5 [bed_mesh] speed: 50 horizontal_move_z: 5 mesh_min: 10,10 mesh_max: 290, 258 probe_count: 5,5 [gcode_macro G29] gcode: G28 # G28 X # G90 # G0 X15 # G28 Y # G28 Z BED_MESH_CALIBRATE [virtual_sdcard] path: ~/gcode_files [display_status] [pause_resume] [filament_switch_sensor filament_sensor] pause_on_runout: FALSE runout_gcode: F_CONSUMED event_delay: 3.0 switch_pin: PA4 [gcode_macro F_CONSUMED] variable_filament_consumed: 0 variable_filament_lenght: 500 # length between the sensor and extruder gcode: # save current filament consumption SET_GCODE_VARIABLE MACRO=F_CONSUMED VARIABLE=filament_consumed VALUE={printer.print_stats.filament_used} # start checking filament consumption UPDATE_DELAYED_GCODE ID=DELAY_M600 DURATION=1 [delayed_gcode DELAY_M600] gcode: # use set for easier reading {% set consumed=printer["gcode_macro F_CONSUMED"].filament_consumed %} {% set length=printer["gcode_macro F_CONSUMED"].filament_lenght %} # check if predetermine length is reached {% if printer.print_stats.filament_usedfloat <= (consumedfloat + lengthfloat) %} # start looping this script every second UPDATE_DELAYED_GCODE ID=DELAY_M600 DURATION=1 {% else %} M600 REPEAT_M300 {% endif %} [gcode_macro M600] gcode: PAUSE G91 G1 E-5 F500 G1 E15 G1 E-15 G92 E0 [output_pin BEEPER_Pin] pin: PC5 pwm: True value: 0 shutdown_value: 0 cycle_time: 0.001 scale: 1 [gcode_macro REPEAT_M300] gcode: {% set count = params.REPEATdefault(10)int %} {% for c in range(count) %} M300 G4 P3000 {% endfor %} [gcode_macro M300] gcode: {% set tones = [1000, 1500, 2000, 2500, 3000, 2500, 2000, 1500, 1000] %} ; S sets the tone frequency {% for count in tones %} {% set cytime = 1 / count %} SET_PIN PIN=BEEPER_Pin VALUE={0.5} CYCLE_TIME={cytime} ;Play tone G4 P50 ;tone duration SET_PIN PIN=BEEPER_Pin VALUE=0 {% endfor %} [gcode_macro PAUSE] rename_existing: BASE_PAUSE gcode: {% set X = 5 %} #edit to your park position {% set Y = 5 %} #edit to your park position {% set Z = 10 %} #edit to your park position {% set E = 5 %} #edit to your retract length SAVE_GCODE_STATE NAME=PAUSE_state BASE_PAUSE G91 G1 E-{E} F2100 G1 Z{Z} G90 G1 X{X} Y{Y} F6000 [gcode_macro RESUME] rename_existing: BASE_RESUME gcode: {% set E = 5 %} #edit to your retract length G91 G1 E{E} F2100 G90 RESTORE_GCODE_STATE NAME=PAUSE_state MOVE=1 BASE_RESUME [gcode_macro CANCEL_PRINT] rename_existing: BASE_CANCEL_PRINT gcode: TURN_OFF_HEATERS CLEAR_PAUSE SDCARD_RESET_FILE BASE_CANCEL_PRINT [mcu rpi] serial: /tmp/klipper_host_mcu [adxl345] cs_pin: rpi:None [resonance_tester] accel_chip: adxl345 probe_points: 150,150,20 [input_shaper] shaper_freq_x: 73.4 #69 shaper_type_x: mzv shaper_freq_y: 52.8 #54.2 shaper_type_y: mzv 

Ah, Eurovision season. The time of hype, music, unity – and a shit ton of drama. This year’s winner is maybe one of the most controversial we’ve ever had, and that’s saying something considering we've had broadcasters straight up end a broadcast because they didn't like the winner (don't ask).
But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s start from the basics:

What is Eurovision?

Eurovision (or ESC) is an annual song contest originating from Europe, organized by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). It’s been held without fail since 1951 aside from 2020, when it was cancelled for truly mysterious reasons. (COVID, guys, it was COVID). Originally incorporating only European countries, the contest has grown in its scope since its early days, nowadays having almost 40 countries participating (including some decisively non-European countries like Israel and Australia) and reaching a viewership of 150+ million, making it measure up to live events the likes of Super Bowl.
The concept of the competition is simple: each country sends one original song to compete. Aside from the biggest sponsors of the contest (UK, Spain, Italy, Germany and France) and the winner of the previous year (Ukraine in ESC 2023) each entry participates in a semi-final, from which 20 countries are selected to advance to the final via voting. The winner of the competition is the act that gets the most votes in the final, who then gets the right to host next year’s contest and enjoy the tourism money. This year, UK took over the hosting duties from Ukraine for reasons (the war, guys, it was the war).
The voting system is important to understand for context: each country gives two sets of points, both equal in value and weight. Points are given to the top 10 entries, 10th getting 1 point, 9th two points and so on. Third place gets 8 points, second place gets 10 points and first place gets 12 points to make the top two positions more valuable. The two sets of votes come from professional juries and the televote. Countries can’t vote for their own entry, naturally.
Juries are 4-5 member teams consisting of music professionals (artists, producers, managers, vocal coaches, music reporters, radio DJs, choreographers etc.) who appraise each entry based on the following criteria:

• Composition and originality of the song
• Performance on stage
• Vocal capacity of artist(s)
• Overall impression of the act

Televotes are collected by having viewers vote via the official Eurovision app, or by calling/texting. A person/device can give a maximum of 20 votes and each vote costs money, the amount depending on each individual country, but it usually hovers somewhere around 1€/vote. Yes, I blew 20€ on the grand final. Yes, I blew another 20€ on the semifinal I was allowed to vote in (there are two semifinals and you can only vote in the semi your country’s in).
This year's Grand Final was held on May 13, but things start happening way before that. Each Eurovision season typically starts with countries selecting their representatives. Some use internal selection (as in, broadcasters decide who goes all by themselves) but most host national finals, competitions where the winner is granted the golden ticket to Eurovision. These national finals are keenly followed by eurofans (passionate fans of Eurovision).

Ready Player One: UMK 2023 and the Launch of the Dark Horse

In January 2023, UMK, the Finnish national final for Eurovision, started revealing its finalists. Seven finalists were announced, and their songs were released one by one on a once-a-day schedule. Finland’s journey in Eurovision has historically been poor, having only managed to secure one win (granted, there are many who have never won) and often finishing on the back end of the results.
Since 2020, however, UMK went under new management and did what was pretty much a 180: in a few years, it became one of the highest quality national finals around, and because of that, many eyes were on Finland when UMK started. The overall quality of songs in 2023 was very good, but one emerged as a clear frontrunner.
Käärijä, a Finnish rapper who was virtually unknown even in his home country, entered the competition, as the kids say, guns ablaze and mad as hell. His song Cha Cha Cha, a rap/metal/techno fusion song that does a complete tonal and genre shift halfway through, immediately became the fan favourite to win. When the time came, Käärijä absolutely landslided the national final, getting more points than the three runners up put together.
Hopeful buzz started amongst the eurofans; would this finally be Finland’s time after seventeen years (Finland’s last and only win was in 2006)? Finland is by means not the most beloved country in Eurovision, but many see it as an underdog that’s finally catching up to speed. Many wanted it to do well. Some were cautiously optimistic.
That was, until Sweden entered the competition, as the kids say, guns ablaze and mad as hell.

Ready Player Two: Melodifestivalen 2023 and the Awakening of the Sleeping Giant

Sweden, by all possible metrics, is one of, if not THE most successful country in Eurovision history. Before 2023, they’ve raked in a massive six wins (second only to Ireland who has seven), two of which during the last 11 years alone and the last one as recently as 2015. Additionally, on years they don’t win, they place in the top 10 almost without fail. They have only failed to qualify from the semifinals once, and it was largely seen as a national disgrace.
Sweden takes Eurovision VERY seriously, and it shows in their results. Melodifestivalen, Sweden’s national selection, started gathering curious eyes even before it started, because rumours were murmuring of someone very remarkable returning on stage. These rumours turned out to be true.
It’s hard to overstate how iconic Loreen is to the Eurovision community. She won the competition back in 2012, with a song that’s widely regarded as the best winning song of all time. She’s beloved and for a good reason. Known as a passionate, skilful vocalist and a world-class performer, the moment her participation was confirmed, many considered Melodifestivalen 2023 a done deal.
It must be mentioned that Loreen did attempt to return to Eurovision once between her win in 2012 and entry in 2023, but failed to win Melodifestivalen. However, this year’s entry was not here to play. She entered with Tattoo, a pop epic crafted by some of the best songwriters Sweden has to offer, with a staging so impeccable it could pass for a music video.
Critics and audience alike were raving. She was back, more powerful than ever. Expectedly, she won Melodifestivalen and earned her place in the line-up of 2023. In the community, the buzz was immediate, but not all of it was positive.

Sweden and Eurovision: A Turbulent Relationship

I think it’s fair to say that Sweden is, for the lack of a better term, suffering from success. Lately, there has been a somewhat anti-Sweden mentality brewing in the community, stemming from a few key criticisms Sweden regularly gets

• Genre loyalty: Swedish entries generally all fall under the umbrella of “radio friendly pop”. They’re well composed, well produced but seemingly leave the fandom cold. “Generic”, “soulless” and “safe” are terms often thrown at Swedish entries
• Jury bias: For a while now, Sweden has done better with juries than the televote, the difference once notoriously being as massive as 220 points, or 2nd place (jury) vs 22nd (out of a possible 26) (by the public). That being said, it’s disingenuous to say the televote hates Sweden as they regularly rank in the top 10, but it’s hard to deny that their point tally routinely consists of more jury than televote points
• Same songwriters: Melodifestivalen has been quite frequently criticized for having a large chunk of its songs written by the same core group of ten-ish people. In Sweden’s defence, a country of 10 million does not have that many active songwriters, but it’s hard to deny it’s a striking detail. For instance, in this year’s final, Melodifestivalen didn’t have a single entry that didn’t have at least two of these songwriters credited

This has led to things souring between Sweden and eurofans. To sum it up concisely: many eurofans feel like Sweden never takes risks, sends ungenuine lab-crafted jury baits and is always rewarded for it no matter what the viewers do because the juries always have Sweden's back. There's a lot of intricacies that go into this and there's nuance to this criticism, but for the sake of keeping things concise, I won't go into them now, all you need to know is that this is something that's going on.

“I love Loreen, but…”

Because of this sentiment, while Loreen undoubtedly had her fans, a sizeable section of the fandom started being critical of her. People started negging. Her song was called generic and soulless, the fact it was written by a huge group of the “regulars” in Melodifestivalen was brought up. People said it was too similar to her 2012 winning song, a 2.0 or carbon copy if you will. Some people also thought that because she already won, coming back was unfair since she already has a degree of Eurovision fame that could affect the results.
As soon as Loreen was announced as the Swedish representative, the competition took on a narrative of its own. It was widely seen as a race between Finland and Sweden. While Loreen definitely had her fans, the overall mentality was leaning more towards Käärijä. He was seen as the underdog from the country that has a winning chance once every 20 years, if that, going up against the Eurovision powerhouse Sweden who wins so often the fandom is getting tired of it.
That’s not to say no other entries were ever in the talks: Spain’s artsy fusion flamenco song was seen as a potential jury darling. France’s sassy chanson was seen as a potential sleeper hit. Norway’s TikTok viral Viking techno banger was seen as a potential televote magnet. Ukraine was still a big unknown given that the previous year, they had received the largest televote tally in the history of the competition and many thought sympathy votes would keep pouring in this year as well. And then there’s whatever the fuck Croatia was doing (okay, they never had a chance of winning, I just wanted any excuse to subjugate people to this chaos).
But the overall sentiment was heavily leaning towards this being a neighbour war between Finland and Sweden. As the press and pre-parties (fan arranged concerts where artists are invited to perform to get their first interactions with the fandom) started, eyes were undeniably on Loreen and Käärijä.
During his Eurovision journey, Käärijä became somewhat of a crowd darling and went moderately viral on TikTok. A little guy with a bowl cut and a thick accent who had quickly gotten the reputation of being both funny and extremely friendly, coming to the competition with an out of the box and blatantly flamboyant genre fusion banger, walking around in a green bolero with no shirt. It's hard not to feel endeared. (Not that Loreen was unfriendly or anything, she’s perfectly nice by all accounts, but her off-stage personality wasn’t as much of a focal point as it was for Käärijä who became so beloved he was locked in as an icon even before the competition began).
Finns, they, well… Rallied behind Käärijä like crazy. Their government officials sent tweets wishing him good luck. The state owned railway company dressed its statues as Käärijä. The Helsinki tram got a Käärijä makeover. Cha Cha Cha topped the Finnish charts for ages (and still does AFAIK). The Finnish press was going gaga, broadcasting how only Loreen stood in the way of Käärijä’s victory.

“Just Ignore Everyone”: The Main Event That Undeniably Shaved a Few Years Off Of Graham Norton’s Life Span

The main event came about at the Liverpool Arena. As expected, both Sweden and Finland qualified for the final (later revealed to have come second and first, respectively). As the grand final came about, what was supposed to be a fun event (ironically carrying the slogan “United by Music”) turned into a rather tense occasion. Sweden performed 9th whereas Finland performed 13th. Both of their performances went largely well.
During Finland’s performance, the crowd went so crazy some commentators even said the whole building was shaking. People shouted Cha Cha Cha at the top of their lungs. The audience was on his side. Not that Loreen’s performance was poorly received either, she clearly had a lot of friends at the arena, but Finland got the audience by the balls.
After all of the 26 acts were done performing, the time for vote announcements came. The structure of vote announcements goes as follows: first, each country gives their jury points one by one, their spokesperson saying out loud the country that got 12 points, the highest one possible. After that, the total televote points given by all countries are given to each act one by one starting from the country currently at the last position.
Very soon, it became obvious that the juries had taken an immense liking to Tattoo.
Loreen got 12 points after 12 points, and the atmosphere at the arena shifted. The audience got more and more agitated with each 12 points Sweden received, and cheered very loudly whenever Käärijä (who was expected to do significantly worse with the juries thanks to non-mainstream genre and his lesser singing abilities due to being a rapper first and foremost) got any points. It got to a point where they responded to Sweden getting 12 points by chanting Cha Cha Cha.
The hosts (Graham Norton and Hannah Waddingham) were getting visibly uncomfortable and had to calm the crowd more than once. Hannah Waddingham eventually gave the exasperated yet iconic one-liner “just ignore everyone” when the chanting wouldn’t calm down. In the end, Sweden was comfortably in 1st place, having raked in a massive and historic 340 points, almost double that of the runner up Israel (who got 177 jury points). Finland ranked 4th with the juries with a total tally of 150, nearly 200 points behind Loreen.
Once the time for televotes came, everyone’s eyes were on Finland. Käärijä was expected to do well, but no one could quite gauge how well he’d do. Turns out, very well. He raked in a massive 376 televote points, getting the full marks from 18/37 countries and not placing lower than 5th with any country. To put it in perspective, this is the 2nd highest televote score ever (by percentage of available points), the highest being Ukraine from the year prior, and the circumstances were quite unprecedented.
By then, it was obvious the two-horse race had become true. Loreen would need 189 points (roughly the 3th-4th place in televotes) to secure her win, a tally that wasn’t a walk in the park, but was very doable with her popularity.
The following sequence is still very bizarre to me. Loreen’s points were announced. She got 243 points, making her the televote runner up. Which in turn meant Käärijä had lost to her by about 50 points despite outdoing her televote score by 133 points. As the winner was announced, Käärijä buried his head in his hands, clearly devastated. Loreen was immediately guided back on stage for her winner’s reprisal.
Footage from backstage shows many contestants beelining for Käärijä to comfort him. They’re seen hugging him, chanting Cha Cha Cha like he’s the actual winner and trying to cheer him up. All the while, Käärijä himself was obviously heartbroken. The crowd wasn’t happy, to a point where when Loreen accepted the trophy, she asked if anyone even wants her to perform again.
While Loreen’s fans were ecstatic to see her win and perform again, a portion of the audience reportedly walked out, disappointed. That was the end of the main competition. Sweden had won its 7th Eurovision trophy, catching up to Ireland for most wins ever. Loreen had become the second person (and first woman) in history to win twice.
The fandom, while disappointed, quickly got over themselves and accepted the outcome- yeah no one’s buying this lmfao. The dust was up in the air and wouldn’t settle for a good while.

Let the Shit Slinging Begin: Conspiracy Theories, Petitions and the Media Fight

The outcome received immediate backlash. Loreen’s winning performance and grand final performance were mass downvoted on YouTube. Loreen’s victory post on Eurovision currently has 0 upvotes and over 6500 comments. Social media posts by Eurovision about Loreen were spammed by people proclaiming Käärijä was the real winner. Some contestants (namely Slovenia, Estonia and Serbia) outright said Käärijä was their winner. Finland’s grand final performance views also surpassed that of Sweden’s.
There was a lot of shit slinging. Conspiracies started rearing their heads. Some were convinced Sweden had rigged the jury in order to host Eurovision on the 50th anniversary of ABBA’s victory (yes, ABBA is Swedish, yes, they won Eurovision with Waterloo, no there’s no proof of this conspiracy). A petition was started to remove the juries and it reached 60 000 signatures in two days. Loreen was accused of plagiarizing at least two different songs (not that I personally think the accusations have any merit, the melody line is just incredibly common). The Norwegian delegation outright said the juries should be overhauled (Norway got screwed over massively by the juries, being placed 17th, only to be pulled to the 5th overall position by the televote).
When detailed televote results came out, it turned out Sweden had not placed 1st in a single country. It also had less 2nd places than Finland, and its average position was 5th (which coincidentally was the lowest score Käärijä got in any country). People were pissed. Some proclaimed spending money on voting is a waste of time if the 2nd highest televote score in history isn’t enough to win because a group of 200 or so people said so.
People started going through the jury credentials, soon discovering that they were overwhelmingly pop professionals (55% to be exact) while rock pros were nowhere to be seen (they made up 3.8% of the jury to be exact). To be fair, people weren’t only pissed for Finland, they were pissed for other entries that seemingly ticked all the boxes for the juries just to get a minimal result because Sweden vacuumed all the points like it was time for spring cleaning. (I feel like I must mention that a lot of televote magnet entries also flopped hard because Finland suckled up most of the televote points leaving the rest to fight for scraps.)
With the televote results also came a peculiar detail that kicked the drama between Sweden and Finland to a whole new sphere. Turns out, every country gave Sweden televote points, except one. Yep, you guessed it. Finland blanked Sweden, while Sweden’s televote gave Finland the full 12 points. (Finnish and Swedish juries gave each other 12 points.)
This was seen as unsportsmanlike and the Swedish media latched onto it. Think pieces started coming out. One infamous Swedish Eurovision podcast episode hosted by a Swedish newspaper consisted mostly of ranting about how Finland is a "country of idiots", how it's impossible Finns could genuinely have thought 10 other songs were better than Tattoo and how it was a testament to their lack of taste that they voted for Germany and not Sweden (Germany came in last, Finland was one of the only countries to give them points. Germany sent a metal entry so I’m not sure why this was a surprise, Finns LOVE metal).
Swedish newspapers also widely reported that the Finnish Eurovision commentator had told Finns not to vote for Sweden, furthermore adding fuel to the fire. This seems to mostly be lost in translation/a cultural miscommunication, the commentator in question read a joke out loud from the stream chat that essentially said “you’re allowed to vote tactically but not for your own country”, joking about the general elections held in Finland just months prior, where a lot of people voted tactically for the largest left-wing party to prevent the largest right-wing party from taking over. It didn’t work but "vote tactically" became a nation wide meme. Said commentator also simultaneously came under fire by Finns for stanning Loreen too much during his commentary. Man just can't win lmao
One Swedish newspaper article evoked strong backlash in Finland by referring to Finland as “östra rikshalvan” (“Eastern part of the Kingdom”, roughly translated) which was the term used for Finland when it still belonged to Sweden. Many Finns saw it as colonialist and like Sweden was implying they were entitled to their former vassal using their money to give them points. However, it’s difficult to deny this lack of points likely was tactical from Finland, given how they’ve given Sweden points every other year except this one. The Finnish media also did broadcast heavily that Loreen's win depends on the amount of televotes she gets compared to Käärijä, so it's not far-fetched at all that Finns were aware of it and voted for something else.
Finnish press wasn’t silent either. A widely publicized clip from a gossip radio show hosted by the teen targeted state-owned radio station Yle X3M heavily criticized Loreen’s entry, calling it “shit” and making a tasteless joke implying Loreen was on drugs the whole night thanks to her somewhat ethereal demeanour. One of the hosts also seemed convinced the results were rigged. Newspapers also eagerly reported about the plagiarism allegations against Tattoo, even if they never went as far as suggesting there’s any merit to them.
Perhaps the saddest part of this is the contestants themselves. Loreen and Käärijä both have consistently praised each other. They reportedly get along great and there are numerous clips of them hugging, laughing and joking around. Despite taking the loss heavily, Käärijä congratulated Loreen and emphasized he loves her and wishes her all the best from the very first interview he gave after his loss. (He did however say he feels like the jury system might need a reform.) Likewise, Loreen said in an interview that she wasn’t bothered by the crowd chanting Cha Cha Cha because she thinks Käärijä is awesome and authentic.
They’re still in contact and are planning to meet up for coffee when Loreen’s next in Helsinki. The abuse Loreen herself received reached downright disgusting proportions, crossing from general trashing to misogynistic and even racist territory (because of her Moroccan heritage). It got to a point where Käärijä had to address it on Finnish morning TV, emphasizing that the results are not her fault and that he feels horrible for her when people insult her because he knows her and knows she’s a lovely person. By all accounts, there’s no bad blood between them (or any contestants for that matter, this year was remarkably cordial).
So, where are we now? People have mostly calmed down (mostly) and accepted the results. Many still push for a jury reform, demanding larger juries with more diversity and knowledge of non-mainstream genres, a shift to a 60/40 voting split in favour of the televote, and many other things too numerous to list here. EBU has not addressed the controversy in any shape or form (and they likely won't), and we’ll likely have to wait until next year to find out if the jury system will be overhauled. Loreen and Käärijä fans are still bickering amongst each other but the general public seems to have moved on. Loreen is currently enjoying very good streaming numbers and chart placements across the world, and a record number of Eurovision entries are charting. Käärijä isn't doing half-bad either, being greeted by an airport full of supportive Finns upon his return and having skyrocketed to undeniable legendary status in the Finnish music scene.
Here’s to hoping Käärijä’s invited to perform at Eurovision 2024 as an interval act and regardless of jury reform (or lack thereof) people can bury this hatchet and Nordic unity can blossom once again. (Nordics get along great... Until one loses a competition to another, then it means war.)