#243, RVs, car-sharing, Rivian, expensive cars

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Co-host Bruce Aldrich and I get caught up on the automotive industry on this week’s episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Bruce and his wife Alene took another trip in their new RV towed by their new pickup truck. I had my first experience renting a car for a day in the peer-to-peer, car-share industry.

We also discuss the continuing troubles of Rivian, the upstart electric vehicle manufacturer, and we visit the list of the world’s top 50 most expensive cars.

For their longest excursion and sixth trip in their fifth-wheel RV, a 29-foot Keystone Cougar towed by their 2022 Ford F-250 pickup truck, Bruce and Alene traveled from Sacramento along the North coast of California and into Bandon, Oregon.

As Bruce explained, he’s far more skilled driving the RV — from maneuvering on winding roads to using the fifth wheel hitch. But he continues to learn.

During nearly 20 years of reviewing cars, I’ve rarely had a rental car. Last week was an exception. I needed a rental vehicle for one day and I decided to try the personal car share business. I rented a 2015 Volkswagen Passat and drove it slightly less than 200 miles.

We discuss my experiment, with some personal perspective on the pros and cons of car sharing compared to driving a vehicle from a traditional car rental business.

Rivian makes beautiful pickup trucks and it also had an RV on display a few years ago when the new EV manufacturer debuted its concept vehicles at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The pickup truck is on the market, but not the SUV.

Now comes word Rivian has recalled 13,000 trucks because of a possible loose fastener that could cause the driver to lose steering control. Rivian has delivered only 13,198 vehicles in about a year since the truck’s public delivery began.

Lastly, Bruce and I talk about top 50 most expensive cars ever made. What’s the most expensive? You’ll have to list to the podcast.

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