Destructive YouTuber Fails to Kill the Most Reliable Truck Ever

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Toyota is known for its reliability. More than Toyota overall, the Toyota Hilux has long been seen as the most reliable truck of all time. YouTuber WhistlinDiesel has been foolishly hard at work ripping off Top Gear and trying to kill this rad Hilux. So far, the legendary unkillable Toyota Hilux has remained this internet person. 

Toyota Hilux | WhistlinDiesel Via Youtube

The Toyota Hilux is still the GOAT

The WhistlinDiesle channel is known for thrashing vehicles. His millions of subscribers have come to expect full-blown carnage from the YouTuber. That carnage has continued with the automotive onslaught of a tear-jerking attempt to kill a beautiful imported diesel Toyota Hilux. Even if you are familiar with the YouTube guy’s wastefulness, this one hurts to watch. 

According to The Drive, the YouTube person announced his purchase of a beautiful imported Hilux and quickly made his intentions known that he wanted to try and destroy it – for some reason.

Is the Toyota Hilux the most reliable pickup truck ever? 

RELATED: Dad’s $3.4M Pagani Huayra Got Obliterated by His 17-Year-Old YouTuber Son

The Toyota hilux has been heralded as one of the most reliable and more specifically indestructible trucks ever built for a long time. Of course, after Top Gear did their legendary episode where Richard Hammond tries to kill a Hilux, the little Japanese pickup was fully exposed as the GOAT. 

Since then, people have copied their antics over and over again. That is all good and well until people destroy perfectly good and desirable cars for internet lemmings. The pointless destruction of this very cool truck starts with the YouTuber deciding to slam the doors as hard as he can 1,000 times. As if it proves something, the YouTube person slammed the door a handful of times, and the door handle broke. 

How do you break the most reliable truck?

Toyota Hilux import with a bed full of cinderblocks
Toyota Hilux | WhistlinDiesel Via Youtube

The next in a long series of pointless tests is slamming the tailgate down an absurd amount of time. He then hits the trails with the Hilux. This would have been the first bit of useful information, but that is not what WhistlinDiesel is all about. 

He charges the trails so hard and fast that it looks more like a cartoon than a real 4×4 video. The little Hilux is bouncing around like a toy truck. After thrashing it on the trails, he took it straight to the hardware store, where he loads it down with an abusive 2,500 lbs of cinder blocks. 

He slammed gears to get the Toyota Hilux to pop wheelies, took it off-road, and even smashed the rear suspension with the forklift. The “tests” get increasingly absurd and destructive. He then decided to take the most reliable pickup truck of all time off-road with the 2,500-lb load of cinder blocks. 

The results are another goofy series of off-road clips of the truck slamming and bouncing around as the back half shudders under the weight. However, the truck makes it out. The torture continues on and on in a similar fashion. Although the Toyota Hilux is maimed, he fails to kill the tough little Toyota in this video. 

…But Top Gear did it

This video is a bit more outrageous than when Top Gear did it. For one thing, this video is unnecessary as it’s just repeated content that already exists. It’s just a rip of the original. Secondly, when Hammond tried to kill his Hilux, they didn’t use such a well-optioned and nice condition truck. The Top Gear Hilux was already a beater. This one here is a really nice truck that should be used. Attempting to destroy this truck is nothing more than wasteful and silly. 

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Are Pontoon Boats Safe In the Ocean?

by Gabrielle DeSantis

The weather is warming up, and some people are turning to boats as a way to cool off, spend time with family, and relax in the sun. However, there is a wide range of boats on the market, and not all of them perform well in the ocean. If you’re considering setting sail in a pontoon boat, here’s everything you need to know before leaving shore.

Can you sail a pontoon boat in the ocean?

If you would like to sail a pontoon boat in the ocean, it is possible to do so. Although they are designed more for freshwater areas, such as inland lakes, sturdier pontoon boats can handle ocean waters with certain caveats. According to Manitou, whether a pontoon boat will work well in the ocean depends on three major factors: the boat’s construction, size, and performance.

Pontoon designs are improving every year, meaning that more recent models will typically be able to handle short forays into the ocean. However, even the sturdiest pontoon is not designed to go further than a few miles away from shore.

It is vital for the captain to be aware of the weather, and to know how quickly they will be able to return to shore should a storm suddenly occur. Manitou recommends choosing a pontoon with a minimum of 150 hp if you are planning to sail in the ocean, as this ensures that you will be able to return to shore quickly enough in case of inclement weather.

Additionally, it is important to opt for a pontoon with larger and thicker tubes. This type of construction provides greater stability, which is incredibly important when sailing on the ocean where larger waves may occur.

Pros and cons of pontoon boats

A pontoon boat | Jeff Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

RELATED: Buying a Pontoon Boat Might Not Be the Best Idea

Pontoon boats have the benefit of being versatile, as you can sail them on lakes, rivers, and ocean waters. They are also available in many modern designs, making it easy to find a model that suits your specific needs.

However, although it is possible to sail pontoon boats in the ocean, they may not be the best choice for someone who is planning to exclusively sail in the sea rather than on lakes or rivers.

This is because while sturdier pontoons can handle the ocean, they will not hold up well against rough weather. As such, their use is limited to areas closer to shore, preventing you from safely sailing further out to sea.

Another downside of pontoon boats is that they are often built using aluminum, which will corrode when exposed to saltwater. It is, therefore, necessary to take extra protective measures before and after taking the boat into the ocean.

Manitou suggests using an anti-fouling bottom paint to coat the tubes prior to setting sail, and rinsing the hull with fresh water once you’re finished sailing.

What are the best boats for ocean sailing?

If you’re specifically looking for a boat designed for ocean sailing, you may want to opt for something other than a pontoon. According to Discover Boating, the specific best choice for you will depend highly on your goals — for example, people planning to go saltwater fishing would be wise to choose a walkaround, a sportfishing yacht, or a center console. 

For more general use, you have a wide variety of options. These include cabin cruisers, sailboats, trawlers, and catamarans.

Discover Boating points out the most important thing is not which type of boat you choose, but rather what attributes it has. Boats that will sail in the ocean must be strong enough to handle the local water and weather conditions. They must also be equipped with navigational gear and appropriate safety equipment, such as a VHF radio.

Ultimately, it is possible to sail pontoon boats safely in the ocean. If you’re planning to do a significant amount of ocean sailing, however, you may be better off opting for a different type of vessel.

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Rusty Wallace’s Daytona 500 Miller Lite Race Car Was For Sale

by Gabrielle DeSantis

It is not often that actual race cars come up for sale. Most are kept by the teams, serve as parts cars for new builds, or are donated to museums for a fat write-off. Somehow, this Rusty Wallace NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car that he raced at the 2005 Daytona 500 just sold on Bringatrailer. 

Rusty Wallace placed 10th in the Daytona 500 in 2005 with this car

Rusty Wallace 2005 Daytona 500 Charger | BAT

This isn’t some cast off-Wallace placed 10th in the Daytona 500 in 2005 with this car. And it is totally intact. It was never used as a display model. So everything that it had on race day it has now. 

Besides the 2005 Daytona 500, Wallace drove this in 2009 at the Goodwood Revival in the UK. That was the year that Goodwood celebrated NASCAR’s 50th anniversary. The Charger sports # 2 Miller Lite and Daytona 500 graphics.

Wallace’s quick-release Schroeder steering wheel, molded bucket seat, and padded roll cage are present

Rusty Wallace 2005 Daytona 500 Charger interior
Rusty Wallace 2005 Daytona 500 Charger | BAT

RELATED: The Illegal Origins of NASCAR

The adjustable rear spoiler, black Aero 15-inch wheels, and Goodyear slicks are all part of the car. AP Racing four-wheel disc brakes and Wallace spec’d dampers are part of the rolling stock. Wallace’s window net, quick-release Schroeder steering wheel, molded bucket seat, and padded roll cage are also present in the gray-painted office.

Also present are the MSD ignition boxes on top of the dash, and Safecraft fire-suppression system routed into the back of the car.  Autometer gauges, tach, and battery shutoff switch and toggle controls round out the spartan dash. 

Power is from a 358ci V8 built by Penske Racing and installed in 2009. It is hooked to a four-speed manual transmission. The last time it was fired up was for Goodwood in 2009. So it will need some sorting before you can fire it up.

The Charger looks like it was cosmetically cleaned up for Goodwood

Rusty Wallace 2005 Daytona 500 Charger rear 3/4 view
Rusty Wallace 2005 Daytona 500 Charger | BAT

Of course, being a bonafide race car it is not street legal, should you be thinking that might be part of the new owner’s plans. As a conversation piece or attraction for a display or event, it would be quite a hit. While we’re sure it has its flaws it looks like it was cosmetically cleaned up for Goodwood. 

So while it is missing some of the cues from the 2005 Daytona 500 it wouldn’t take much to put it back to that configuration should the new owner wanted to. A fluid service had been performed right before it went up for sale in Georgia. 

So what did it bring on BringaTrailer? A cool $70,500. For a shiny blue doorstop that’s a lot, but to be honest we suspect that the value will rise as time goes on. It has a racing history driven by one of the most famous recent drivers and was campaigned by Penske Motorsports. It ticks off all of the boxes.

Rusty Wallace 2005 Daytona 500 Charger engine
Rusty Wallace 2005 Daytona 500 Charger | BAT

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‘Otherworldly’ Tesla Model 3 Electrifies Consumer Reports in Top 10 of 2021

by Gabrielle DeSantis

The EV market may not be crowded just yet, but it’s definitely headed that way. Say what you want, but Tesla continues to be the ruler of the EVs. While there are plenty of rivals vying for the throne, the American automaker continues to prove its worth. Consumer Reports has just given Tesla another major win by naming the Tesla Model 3 as the best electric car. 

How does Consumer Reports choose its winners

As nice as it would be to just drive past a car lot, and decide which vehicles are the best, it takes a lot of work to determine which vehicles are superior to others. It requires lots of time behind the wheel, discussing it with others who drive the same vehicle and then tallying up the results. Consumer Reports manages to do all this and comes out with a list of the top 10 best vehicles once a year.

According to Consumer Reports, “These 10 models have earned their way onto our list through outstanding performance in more than 50 tests at CR’s Auto Test Center, as well as having solid marks for reliability and owner satisfaction in our member surveys. All have also scored well in dynamic safety tests, such as our challenging accident avoidance maneuver, and, if tested, earned passing grades in crash assessments conducted by the federal government and the insurance industry.”

Why is the Tesla Model 3 the best of the best?

RELATED: Why Is the Tesla Model 3 So Popular?

One of the top factors that helps the Tesla Model 3 stand out from the competition is its speed. Some might assume that EVs aren’t as fast as gasoline-powered vehicles, but that’s a bit inaccurate. The fact is, some EVs can go faster than their fuel-driven brethren, and the Model 3 proves it.

It only takes 5.3 seconds for the Model 3 to reach 60 mph. That’s not as fast as some vehicles like the Tesla Model X, but it can definitely haul it when it needs to.

Consumer Reports was also fascinated by the Model 3’s “sharp handling and precise steering.” The 15-inch touchscreen was praised but was also criticized for being a bit of a distraction.

Will you love a Tesla Model 3?

RELATED: Tesla Model 3 Owners Are the Happiest Car Owners, According to Consumer Reports

One of the worst parts about buying a new vehicle is that the second you drive it off the lot, it’s already losing value. That, and the fact that the tech is most likely already out of date. The next year’s model will come out with something truly spectacular if there is a remodel that you missed out on. 

That’s not the case with the Tesla Model 3. All Teslas have over-the-air updates, meaning your vehicle will never truly be out of date. 

The Tesla Model 3 comes with an electric range of 264-353 miles, depending on which version you get.

The inside is a little spartan compared to other vehicles, so if you’re looking for tons of buttons, lots of storage, and every empty space being filled with something, the Tesla Model 3 might not be for you. Many find the lack of stuff to be refreshing, however, and enjoy the clean feel the Model 3 comes with.

The few major downsides that Consumer Reports had revolved around the rear seating. If you’re unlucky enough to sit in the back, it’s not going to be a fun ride for you, as the seats are rather stiff. With that being said, however, the Model 3 is an extremely impressive vehicle that is sure to please.

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