Aston Martin Created an $80,000 Racing Simulator

by Gabrielle DeSantis

British luxury sports car manufacturer Aston Martin is known for creating classy vehicles. Aston Martins are usually exclusive to the wealthy and secret agents like James Bond. Current models range from prices of $139,000 to over $300,000. Luckily for consumers who never planned on purchasing an Aston Martin, the company created a racing simulator. The only issue is the simulator costs more than most real cars.

The brand that changed hands

Despite its external appearance as a brand representing opulence and prosperity, Aston Martin has experienced some challenging times financially. The company was bought and sold between individuals several times after its founding in 1913. It was purchased by Ford several decades later. In 1987 American automobile manufacturer Ford purchased a 75% stake in the company. Later, Ford purchased the remaining shares of the company to prevent it from going bankrupt in 1981.

Ford was able to breathe new life into the brand. After almost two decades of ownership Ford sold the brand. Sadly, this wasn’t the end of Aston Martin’s financial hardship. Luckily, the company partnered with a powerful ally in 2013.

Aston Martin and Daimler AG

The Aston Martin AMR21 Mercedes | Joe Portlock – Formula 1 via Getty Images

In 2013 a partnership was struck between the British luxury automaker and Daimler AG. As a result, Daimler provided Mercedes-AMG electrical systems and engines to the automaker. This led to the creation of amazing vehicles like the 2016 Aston Martin DB 11. Next came the spectacular 2018 Aston Martin Vantage V8.

Things haven’t always been easy for the British luxury vehicle manufacturer. There’s one thing the company has accomplished consistently. Thanks to its acquisition by Ford, partnership with Daimler AG, and its constant change in ownership, the company has always returned to the market with a certain wow factor.

Forever fast

Performance has been a huge part of the company’s foundational makeup regardless of who owned it at the time. Many of its biggest investors and shareholders have been racing enthusiasts, and performance is an integral part of the brand’s existence.

The Aston Martin Racing team has been active since 2004. Now the racing team has competed across the globe and has the accolades to prove their merit. They won the 2019-20 GT FIA World Endurance Drivers’ Championship, solidifying their place as a skilled racing team. Now, consumers will have the chance to feel like a part of the elite racing team thanks to the company’s new simulator.

Aston Martin’s racing simulator

The AMR-C01 Aston Martin racing simulator.
The AMR-C01 | Aston Martin

The racing simulator is everything you would expect from the company. It’s also the closest most consumers will get to owning a vehicle of the automaker’s magnitude. It is called the AMR-C01, and according to Car and Driver, it’ll cost $80,000.

The AMR-C01 uses the seat of an Aston Martin Valkryie. It has a 49-inch curved display screen and is about as immersive as simulators get. The AMR-C01 screen is comparable to an IMAX movie screen.

The simulator can run any Windows-based racing game. The company has always been passionate about racing. Now it can share its passion by providing a unique driving experience for 150 consumers.

The AMR-C01 is just as exclusive as the real deal and almost as pricey. If you do wind up purchasing one, chances are you’ll log more hours in the simulator than you would actually driving. The Aston Martin of your dreams may just fit in your living room or basement.

RELATED: The Aston Martin V8 Cygnet Isn’t What It Appears, It’s Better

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Avoid Scams When You’re Buying a Camper Van on Craigslist

by Gabrielle DeSantis

There are several reasons that buying a camper van on Craigslist makes sense. Finding a custom product with lots of aftermarket additions from a passionate and knowledgeable owner is every Craigslist camper van buyer’s dream. But not everyone on Craigslist is on the up and up, so we have some tips to avoid scams when you’re buying a camper van on Craigslist.

A converted Sprinter campervan | Josh Brasted/Getty Images

How to Avoid Craigslist scams if you’re shopping for a camper online

There is no surefire way to always know what you are getting, whether shopping on Craigslist or at a dealership. However, there are some tips that we can give you in order to avoid online scams. The internet is a constant and dynamic entity in most of our lives at this point. 

Unfortunately, some people choose to use platforms like Craigslist to post fake ads or potentially take thousands of hard-earned dollars in scam ads. In fact, Van Sage also gives us some intel on Craigslist scams and refers to Craigslist’s own document on various ways we can protect ourselves from potential scams and traps while shopping for a camper van or trailer RV to pull with your SUV or pickup truck. 

Are there good camper vans for sale on Craigslist?

a motorhome camper parked near a stunning mountain view
Camper van | Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images

Yes, there are definitely good camper vans on Craigslist. For some, buying a camper van on Craigslist might be their very first purchase from the platform. However, there are many of us who have bought and sold goods on Craigslist for quite a while now.

It’s a great place to go for buyers that want to find a deal, search for used/secondhand products, and unique listings. As far as camper van or RV buying goes, Craigslist ads for these vehicles are increasingly popular due to the fluctuations in demand for RVs. 

Most Craigslists sellers and buyers have exchanged money for stuff countless times without so much as a hiccup. Overall, users report that buying items listed on Craigslist is a good experience. The platform remains a leading place for buyers and sellers to go for a variety of goods and services. 

Even a little bit of awareness and caution can present financial disaster due to a shady scam. Common sense as well as experience are both available tools that should be used when anyone approaches a buying or selling situation on the Craigslist platform. 

Putting an ad on Craigslist

There are some pretty common maneuvers that shady sellers may use to get the highest dollar amount out of a sale. One thing to remember is that the vast majority of Craigslist ads are created by people that aren’t ad or marketing professionals. Pictures aren’t generally professional grade. 

For someone perusing Craigslist ads for a good camper, a carefully-considered list of questions and concerns can be addressed in the process of finding the right camper van on Craigslist. 

There’s a wide range of Craigslist personalities. Some ads will take us on a pristine and detailed tour. Other sellers are more wary, keeping photos and information a secret, revealing details only to serious shoppers willing to make a phone call or send an email. 

“Whether you’re shopping for an eighteen thousand dollar Sprinter van or a seventeen hundred dollar Sienna, it’s important to know how to read ads on the site.” 

Van Sage

Important red flags to to watch out for when buying a camper van on Craigslist

a motorhome at sunset
A camper van motorhome | Patrick Pleul/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Each ad on Craigslist is different. Virtually every seller has their own strategy for posting ads. That said, there are some things to watch out for. If you are thinking about buying a van using the Craigslist platform, there are some red flags that can potentially warn prospective buyers away from scams and shady deals. 

First off, the old adage “if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is” exists for a reason. If a deal seems way too good, that’s a red flag. Craigslist camper van shoppers may come across great deals.

Amazing finds are certainly there for potential buyers to stumble upon. However, things like odometer fraud remain an issue. If a $50,000 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van is priced at $10,000 there’s likely something wrong with it. 

Inviting a professional mechanic to check things out can help weed out such problems. Also, never underestimate the power of checking the VIN and asking for paperwork that shows maintenance and repair history. 

Camper van scams

It’s important to ask questions via phone or email. In addition, a tes drive is never asking too much. If a buyer seems like they aren’t forthcoming with answers to your questions or requests for a test drive, that’s not a good sign. There are good campers on Craigslist, but it pays to use caution. 

One of the most important tips to avoid scams when you’re buying a camper van on Craigslist is not to wire money before you have a tangible product on the receiving end. There shouldn’t be any reason why a seller can’t meet you for an exchange. If a Craigslist seller won’t meet up and seems even remotely pushy about having you wire money then it’s likely a scam. 

In general, buying a trailer, RV, or camper van on Craigslist can prove itself a rewarding endeavor. However, review each ad for red flags and get thorough information before making any final decisions. It’s possible to avoid scams if you know what to look out for.

RELATED: The Most Common Massey Ferguson Tractor Problems

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California Dealer Hoarded Dodge Demons, Wants Double Their Value

by Gabrielle DeSantis

The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon was a very coveted car with an extremely limited run. Because of this, Dodge dealers had to meet a variety of qualifications to be able to sell them. Dodge worked hard to make sure that their independent dealers weren’t selling the cars for way more than they were worth, either. Yet somehow, a California dealer has 16 Dodge Demons for sale now – and he wants double what they were worth.

2018 Dodge Challenger Demon | Dodge

What is the Dodge Demon all about?

The 2018 Dodge Demon is a Challenger that was built to be used at the race track. It’s capable of 808 horsepower with regular fuel, and an astonishing 840 horsepower with race fuel. As you might imagine, handing out (or selling for tens of thousands of dollars) a car capable of that much horsepower didn’t come without concerns by Dodge. That’s why they made any dealer who sold a Dodge Challenger Demon, and any person who bought one, sign something saying they knew what they were doing and they would be safe with their car.

Dodge only made a total of 3,300 Demons. 3,000 were sold in the U.S., and another 300 in Canada. They cost $84,995, and had options that were $1 each. Some of these included packages to make the Demon race-ready. This commitment to offering quality for a low price demonstrates Dodge’s feeling on the Demon. It also clues us in to how they wanted to see the Demon sold.

What restrictions did Dodge put on dealers?

Dodge didn’t want dealers taking advantage of the fact there were only 3,300 Dodge Challenger Demons available, and hiking up the price on them. To prevent that from happening, they prioritized dealers who would sell the Demons at or below MSRP.

In order to be able to sell a 2018 Dodge Challenger Demon, a Dodge dealer had to have sold a Charger or Challenger Hellcat within the last year. That document that the dealer and Demon buyer had to sign acknowledging the safety risks of what amounts to a street-legal race car included the price that the dealer and buyer had agreed upon. This allowed Dodge to keep track of what dealers were selling the Dodge Demons for.

Who’s this dealer with 16 brand new Dodge Challenger Demons?

A writer for Jalopnik, Lawrence Hodge, said that when he has some downtime, he likes to cruise the internet for weird car stuff. He added that while he usually doesn’t share most things he finds, he couldn’t resist sharing this story. 

Hodge found a Dodge dealer in Huntington Beach with 16 zero-mile 2018 Dodge Challenger Demons for sale. This is incredible, since some dealers didn’t get any, and most only got one. The typical dealer who can get their hands on a Demon now can only get them with miles on the odometer – there’s even one with just twelve miles. So this dealer getting 16 cars all with zero miles on them is quite a feat. 

The sales manager at the Huntington Beach Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram dealership said that the Demons were priced at $200,000 each – more than double the $85,000 MSRP they were listed at when they were new. That same sales manager also told Hodge that the dealer was letting them go because of the national car shortage. How altruistic of them.

So a California dealer has 16 Dodge Demons for sale, so what? Perhaps though, $200,000 is not an insane price for a car that three years ago cost just 42% of today’s price. The going rate for the Challenger Demon regularly hits six figures. Some people are even selling them for half a million dollars. I suppose if you really, really want a 2018 Dodge Challenger Demon, your options are as limited as their initial run. 

RELATED: Ultra Rare Ferrari J50 Is One of Ten – And It Could Be Yours

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Why a NYC Electric Taxi Service May Need to Buy 50 Gas Powered Cars

by Gabrielle DeSantis

A NYC electric taxi service is in an interesting predicament. In order to operate, the company, called Revel, may need to purchase 50 gas powered cars. Why would an electric vehicle service need to buy gas powered cars? That’s a great question.

A parking lot of Revel Teslas | Revel

What is Revel?

Revel is an electric vehicle company that previously was known for its scooters. It faced scrutiny and had to halt its services after two of its scooter riders died in accidents.

What Revel wants to do in NYC is put 50 Tesla Model Y taxis on the streets. This would be great for the environment, especially considering how often NYC taxi cabs sit in congested traffic. It would also be a novelty, which could create a demand for electric cars. 

Why might Revel need to buy 50 gas powered cars?

A blue Tesla Model Y with "revel" printed on the side.
Revel Tesla Model Y | Revel

There’s an agency in New York City called the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC), and they’re in charge of issuing licenses for taxi and livery companies. Previously, the TLC had decided to put a permanent freeze on new for-hire licenses, because the city was being overrun with new Uber and Lyft cars. There was an exemption for electric vehicles and wheelchair accessible vehicles, and this is what Revel was hoping to take advantage of.

Then the TLC contemplated eliminating the electric vehicle exemption. They felt there were too many for-hire vehicles on the roads, whether they are electric or not. This is despite the fact that there are 15,000 fewer for-hire vehicles in NYC than there were in 2018. Revel put in an application for licenses for its new fleet before the exemption was voted on, but their application was never looked at. 

There was supposed to be a meeting on Tuesday, June 22, 2021 to vote on the exemption, but the committee took matters into their own hands the day before. On Monday, June 21, the TLC posted a notice saying they had already voted to eliminate the EV exemption. Perhaps the strangest part? In the notice they posted, they wrote that it was decided in a June 22nd meeting – even though June 22nd hadn’t happened yet (maybe they operate on a different space-time continuum).

Okay, but how does buying 50 gas powered cars help a NYC electric taxi service?

A Revel driver stands outside a blue Tesla Model Y Revel taxi.
A Revel driver standing outside a Revel Tesla taxi | Revel

The TLC isn’t issuing any new licenses, except for those exemptions. Without those exemptions, there’s virtually no way for Revel to get a license for their cars; unless they purchase licenses from other for-hire cars. So basically Revel would need to purchase 50 taxi licenses from current holders of these licenses, and they’d need to have gas powered cars to do so. Then they could swap the licenses for electric vehicle licenses.

Unsurprisingly, Revel’s CEO is not thrilled with this idea. According to Electrek, the CEO of the NYC electric taxi service Frank Reig said, “We’re offering exactly what this commission has been asking for for years: fair treatment and stable pay for drivers — who are all W-2 employees with benefits — and a plan to drive EV adoption in the city. The Commissioners sat through almost three hours of testimony on all sides yet asked zero questions and spent zero time deliberating before making a policy decision with profound consequences.” 

If Revel does find a way to get their electric taxis on the roads, hopefully it will lead to less carbon emissions from for-hire vehicles. That can only benefit everyone.

RELATED: Tesla Police Car Ready for the Road

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