by Gabrielle DeSantis

“Living well is the best revenge” is the saying that inspired Billy Joel, one of the music world’s most famous celebrities, to name one of his yachts Vendetta. Joel has been living well, made clear by his top-of-the-line yacht. He can use his yacht to travel to his own sold-out New York shows. 

Joel’s yacht is a blast from the past

Vendetta is a particular type of yacht known as a commuter yacht. These luxurious yachts first gained popularity in the 1920s, when rich Long Islanders began to use them for their daily commutes to Manhattan. Joel helped design Vendetta and modeled the boat on these Great Gatsby-type predecessors. 

Robb Report says of 1920s commuter yachts, “The idea was simple: Create a sleek-looking craft with the same levels of fit and finish as the golden yachts of the era, provide enough seats for a small dinner party, and make sure it is fast enough to beat any train to lower Manhattan.”

Speed is a key characteristic of commuter yachts. Their point isn’t just to take a leisurely journey around the sea. It’s to get someone where they need to go as quickly and luxuriously as possible. 

Doug Yurn, who designed Joel’s ride, has also produced other well-known commuter yachts. Robb Report calls his 63-foot Lynx Commuter “one of his finest designs, a broad-shouldered, straight-edged Downeast-ish yacht with a large cockpit and center walkway, connected to a generous area forward beneath the hardtop.”

Another fave of Robb Report is the Van Dam Geronimo, which boasts a rounded cockpit, forward love seat for two, and modern mahogany construction.

Joel’s yacht was his concert transportation

Joel has really taken his ownership to a whole different level. According to Boat International, he owned as many as five different yachts at one time. He owned the 95-foot Audacious, which housed some of his motorcycles along with the Vendetta.

Vendetta was Joel’s best-known, thanks to its role in shuttling him to Manhattan. Northrop and Johnson explain that Joel assisted designer Zurn in coming up with the stylistic concept for the 57-ft Vendetta.

Vendetta was built in 2005 and, according to Zurn Yachts, cost $2.5 million. It featured ample cockpit space along with a luxurious interior. The yacht could reach speeds up to 50 knots thanks to twin 1,300 hp MAN diesel engines. It also featured an advanced composite hull made of hybrid Kevlar. 

Club Yacht explains that although Vendetta was designed to simulate the classic commuter yacht of 100 years ago, it still boasted many modern bells and whistles. These included a custom Raymarine electronics package, air-conditioning, comfortable seating, and a state-of-the-art propulsion system.

All this impressive technology had a particular purpose: to ferry Joel from his home in Long Island to his concerts in New York City. Why worry about getting stuck in traffic and being late for your own show when you can simply cruise into the harbor?

Joel surely got a great deal of use out of his yacht. Back in 2014, he began a residency at Madison Square Garden, committing to monthly shows for as long as tickets were selling. As of March 2020, he was still going strong, reaching his 120th all-time show at the venue before the pandemic. 

What happened to ‘Vendetta’?

Robb Report says that in 2016, two California businessmen who wished to remain anonymous, purchased Vendetta from Joel. The boat underwent a two-year refit under their ownership at the direction of designer Zurn. The refit was intended to increase the yacht’s ability to navigate the waters of the West Coast comfortably as an ocean cruiser.

As one of the owners told Robb Report, “We wanted the refit to be seamless, but to transform Vendetta from a quality, utilitarian, four-person fast boat to a 12-guest luxury entertainment yacht.” 

Vendetta was listed for sale with Fraser Yachts at a price of just under $2.1 million following the refit.  As the yacht continues to improve the lives of its owners, we’ll have to wait and see where it next emerges in the news. 

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The post Billy Joel’s Ride From Long Island to New York City Was a $1 Million Yacht appeared first on MotorBiscuit.

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Honda has an almost unblemished record of reliability. However, Consumer Reports shows three of its vehicles that prospective buyers perhaps shouldn’t consider as reliable investments. Consumer Reports put the Accord, Civic and Pilot under the microscope as three of Honda’s cars with poor predicted reliability. Consumer Reports averages all of the car’s reliability scores from 2011 to the present day, therefore a 2021 model year car’s predicted reliability is impacted by past faults. 

2021 Honda Accord: Damaged Reputation

Consumer Reports gave the Honda Accord a predicted reliability rating of 3-out-of-5. It cited past issues having to do with major engine problems, the drive system, and body integrity as the Accord’s potential trouble spots. According to Consumer Reports, major engine problems include a rebuilt, or problems with the turbocharger, cylinder head, and timing chain. The body integrity metric looks at noises, leaks, and loose or cracked seals. 

Despite its predicted reliability, the Accord still earns an 84-out-of-100 overall rating. It completed the road test in spades, its CVT transmission being a strong point in its performance. The Accord’s 192 hp 1.5-liter turbocharged engine provides ample acceleration without sacrificing fuel efficiency. It’s a well-rounded car, without few faults.

The Accord received stellar marks for safety. It scored 5-out-of-5 stars in every safety test from both the IIHS and NHTSA. This is one Honda that doesn’t deserve its predicted reliability.

2021 Honda Civic: Still Reliable

The Civic earned the same predicted reliability as the Accord, but for different reasons. Its climate system, body hardware, power equipment, and paint/trim categories were to blame. The climate system metric refers to anything having to do with the air conditioning system or the heater system.

Body hardware includes locks, latches, and hinges. Power equipment concerns power windows, windshield wiper motors, cruise control, keyless entry, etc. The Civic also has a reputation for malfunctioning in-car electronics, which include the sound system and cameras. Despite these issues, the Civic is still recommended by Consumer Reports thanks to its sporty drivability and low price tag. Its predicted reliability doesn’t reflect the improvements Honda made in recent years. The Civic’s base engine is a 2.0-liter inline-four that produces 174 hp, which is enough to move the car quickly.

Like the Accord, the Civic also received top scores in its safety tests from the IIHS and NHTSA, following its safety performance from the previous model year.

Honda Pilot: Predicted Reliability Looks Bleak

While the Civic and Accord improved dramatically since 2011, the Pilot has poor reliability ratings peppered throughout its tenure, with the 2015 model year being the exception. 2021 model year’s predicted reliability rests on problems with the paint/trim, body integrity, power equipment, and in-car electronics. It also scores low on the owner satisfaction scale, with owners claiming the car isn’t worth the price. Its brakes are also a weakness, along with slow steering and overwhelming body roll. The Pilot may be one of Honda’s most unreliable cars.

Despite all this, Consumer Reports still recommends the Pilot. Comfortable seating, lots of cargo space, and a quiet ride earn the Pilot the seal of approval from Consumer Reports. The Pilot comes equipped with a 3.5-liter V6 that produces 280 horsepower. It accelerates quickly without much trouble, especially when fitted with its all-wheel drive configuration.

The Pilot did not mimic the Accord and Civic when it came to safety tests. It scored 5-out-of-five stars in most tests, but with the NHTSA’s frontal-crash and both rollover tests, it received 4-out-of-5 stars.

With the exception of the Pilot, Honda cars generally retain their reputation for being reliable. The Accord contends with body integrity, though this current model year bests the previous year according to Consumer Reports. The Civic has a similar story, though it still has several electrical problems to work out. Like any auto manufacturer, Honda has its hiccups but overall it doesn’t make unreliable cars.

The post The Least Reliable 2021 Honda Models Still Recommended by Consumer Reports appeared first on MotorBiscuit.