by Gabrielle DeSantis

Give it up for the Chevrolet Silverado 1500. It just claimed a significant victory as the best used truck you can buy in 2021. The used Chevy Silverado may feel like an underdog, but it beat rivals such as the Ford F-150 and Ram 1500 fair and square. 

The used Chevy Silverado 1500 is the best option 

A majority of automakers are facing delays due to the global semiconductor chip shortage. However, the used pickup truck market is in full swing. The Chevy Silverado 1500 just claimed a major victory as Autotrader’s number one used option too. 

Autotrader created a list of the best used cars based on value and popularity while factoring in brands with good certified pre-owned (CPO) programs. As new cars get more expensive, used trucks provide current tech and safety features without breaking the bank. 

Other excellent used vehicle options that made the list include the 2015 – 2020 Jeep Wrangler, 2020 Kia Telluride, 2018 – 2020 Nissan Leaf, 2016 – 2020 Toyota highlander, and the 2016 – 2020 Ford F-150. 

How many miles will a Silverado 1500 last? 

The Chevy Silverado 1500 ranks well as the best used truck for being a staple of American highways and worksites. It has a vital capability, it’s dependable, and it’s rugged. When equipped with the crew cab, it serves as a great family option. The Silverado 1500 isn’t difficult to find in the used market. 

With regular maintenance, a good model year of the used Chevrolet Silverado 1500 can easily last between 200,000 to 300,000 miles. That should provide 10 to 20 years of reliable service as long as you take proper care of your truck. 

The Silverado is a popular used truck option because it’s durable and can handle abuse. An iSeeCars study used data from millions of used car sales to determine that the Silverado can last over 200,000 miles. 

However, real-life owners report that their Silverados are lasting much longer with up to 300,000 miles of service. High mileage is achieved with the Silverado without the need for extensive repairs that are sometimes needed to keep older trucks on the road. 

Which used Silverado models are the best? 

According to Autotrader, 2016 – 2020 Chevy Silverado 1500 options serve as the best used models to keep an eye out for. In 2016, the Silverado 1500 gained a new front-end style, a remote locking tailgate, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto, and forward-collision warning. 

The 2017 Silverado 1500 has multiple trim levels and the Enhanced Driver Alert Package. It includes forward-collision warning, lane departure warning, and a Safety Alert seat that buzzes the bottom of the driver seat as an additional warning form. 

With the 2018 Chevy Silverado, you get a more advanced infotainment system. The 6.2-liter V8 provides 420 hp and a maxim towing capacity of 12,500 lbs. Not much changed in 2019, but the frame gained aluminum metal to be lighter. 

The 2020 Silverado 1500 gained the 3.0-liter turbodiesel engine, adaptive cruise control, and an advanced trailering system with up to 15 camera views. Plus, the cabin is incredibly spacious, and the touchscreen display is attractive and easy to use. 

No matter which used Chevy Silverado model you choose, you can trust it to be a dependable, hard-working option. Models from 2016 – 2020 include modern tech, tons of muscle, and updated safety features to enjoy.

RELATED: The 2022 Chevy Silverado Already Got Delayed

The post The Chevy Silverado 1500 Dominates as the Best Used Truck appeared first on MotorBiscuit.

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Flying cars have long been a source of science fiction inspiration. The Jetsons were perhaps the most famous TV family to commute via car-plane (plane-car?), but that doesn’t mean they were the only ones thinking about it. Cars that act like airplanes are closer than ever to becoming a reality. Multiple companies are designing them, and the AirCar just completed its 142nd test run. 

Is there really a flying car?

There really is a flying car, complete with wings and wheels. (Not those teeny tiny wheels that 90,000 pound planes somehow land on, but regular car-sized wheels.) It’s called an AirCar, which is pretty self-explanatory, and also doesn’t explain anything. How does does it work?

The AirCar is made by Klein Vision. It has a BMW engine that’s capable of 160 horsepower, like a typical car. However, the engine also has a fixed propeller and a ballistic parachute, which a typical car most certainly does not come with (but should, because that’s pretty cool). It runs on regular car gas. 

The AirCar goes from car to flying car with the push of a button. Once pressed, the tail of the AirCar extends, and the wings rise like a majestic eagle, then settle into their flying position. After landing, the AirCar turns back into a regular car (well, a regular car with a tail) in two minutes and fifteen seconds, which is less time than it takes me to find my keys every morning. 

The AirCar just completed its 142nd test flight

The AirCar safely landed after its 35-minute flight from an airport in Nitra, Slovakia to Bratislava, Slovakia on June 28, 2021. After landing, Professor Stefan Klein drove it into town (after transforming it back into a car, of course). He said, “This flight starts a new era of dual transportation vehicles. It opens a new category of transportation and returns the freedom originally attributed to cars back to the individual.”

Altogether, the AirCar has completed 40 hours of flights at 8,200 feet, testing its ability to do things like turn and maneuver around…clouds, probably, or birds. During these tests the AirCar’s top speed was 190 km/h, or roughly 118 mph for us Americans with our backwards measuring system. 

The AirCar can carry two people up to 440 pounds, but it can’t take off and land vertically like a helicopter, so you’d need to have a runway. 

But that’s not all! The AirCar has a second prototype in pre-production. This has a 300 horsepower engine and should be able to cruise at 300 km/h (or about 186 mph).

Are flying cars the future?

Morgan Stanley thinks so. They believe that flying cars could be worth $1.5 trillion dollars in the next twenty years. There is also hope that it will relieve the strain on transportation. 

Klein Vision says it’s taken a little over $2.3 million to develop the prototype for the AirCar. Anton Zajac, a Klein Vision investor, thinks that the company could be very successful and profitable. He said, “There are about 40,000 orders of aircraft in the United States alone,” he said.

Although people are intrigued, not everyone is ready to hop in an Aircar. Dr. Stephen Wright, a senior research fellow in avionics and aircraft at the University of the West of England, said, “I have to admit that this looks really cool – but I’ve got a hundred questions about certification…I can’t wait to see the piece of paper that says this is safe to fly and safe to sell.”

Would you get in an AirCar? People may be reluctant to hop in one now, when there are only a handful developed, and none flying around regularly yet. Maybe as time goes by, they’ll become standard transportation, and we can all live our Jetsons dreams.

RELATED: The Surprising Way Tesla Vision Works

The post AirCar Has “Turned Science Fiction Into a Reality” appeared first on MotorBiscuit.