Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations

abacomike · September 2015

cdnpinhead said:

I only have 6780 miles on my current car.
How does that compare to your last few vehicles? Seems to me you've held on to this one longer, but I could be mistaken.

The CLS 550 (2014) I had for 12 months and it had 9880 miles on it when they took it in trade. This E 400 will turn 1 year old on December 12th and will have less mileage on it. I expect that it will be another year before I consider trading again, if at all. I like my current vehicle and it isn't always wise to buy a new model with new engines and new technology in the first few months after it is introduced.

Maybe I am just getting wiser in my old age? NAH!!!

Michaell · September 2015

qbrozen said:
Wait... what topic was this before? haha. I really don't pay much attention. Just click the bolded link in my faves.

Is this where I talk about our ongoing move? My garage is NOT getting any better. What a nightmare! And only 10 days till closing! YIKES!

We picked the movers and put down a deposit. $4k and we pack ourselves. That hurts. He was taken aback by the garage and shed. Said they need 6 guys over 2 days to make 2 trips. Day 1 for the stuff in the house into two 26-foot trucks, then Day 2 for the garage, patio, shed stuff. Again, 2 full trucks with 6 guys.

Wow - moving charges are like property taxes in NJ - outrageous.

For my move, I've hired a company. They are sending 4 guys and 1 truck. I'm paying $193/hr for them, but that includes time to/from their yard. I still figure 6-7 hours total, plus tip.

Then again, we're only in 1600sf, plus a garage. Hoping to get some stuff over there this weekend after the tiling and carpets are done.

driver100 · September 2015

henryn said:

ab348 said:

imidazol97 said:

I'm still stuck on being surprised that a recent Fusion does not have struts but instead uses a rod to hold the hood up. My 08 Cobalt , 03 leSabre, and '14 Malibu all have struts.

Ford has gotten away with that for decades now. I remember the first time I saw a hood prop rod it was on some little Euro import in the 1960s and I thought it was laughable. Then Ford came out with the Maverick and it had one. Soon most of Ford's smaller vehicles all had them. It just seems really cheap and penny-pinching on a $40,000 vehicle. Makes me wonder what other corners they cut.
I might be wrong (often am), but I think this had as much to do with weight savings as it did with cost savings. Either way, I have never cared for it.

I think it is a weight saving thing too. The strut on the Passat is pretty good, nice and neat, easy to use. I don't think it would go over too well on a Mercedes though.

For most cars, it does make sense if they are trying to save weight...it weighs next to nothing.

driver100 · September 2015

abacomike said:

cdnpinhead said:

abacomike said:
I only have 6780 miles on my current car.
How does that compare to your last few vehicles? Seems to me you've held on to this one longer, but I could be mistaken.

The CLS 550 (2014) I had for 12 months and it had 9880 miles on it when they took it in trade. This E 400 will turn 1 year old on December 12th and will have less mileage on it. I expect that it will be another year before I consider trading again, if at all. I like my current vehicle and it isn't always wise to buy a new model with new engines and new technology in the first few months after it is introduced.

Maybe I am just getting wiser in my old age? NAH!!!

Mike, I had the 12k mile service done a few weeks ago, it took about an hour, and about 20 minutes for them to find time to wash it, though they did an inside outside wash.

If the 2016 looks like an S Class I don't think I would be interested, unless it was spectacularly better in many ways. I like the last version of the C Class more than the current one.

I don't even think about other cars, I don't think there is a car that can match the E400 for comfort, handling, power, safety, vision, ease of controls, beauty or anything else. I doubt if there is a car at any price that I would enjoy more. The baby Bentley would be nice, but I don't like anything that showy, and getting service would be a problem.

abacomike · September 2015

@driver100:

I think you mean the 2017 E Class due out in April/May of 2016.

explorerx4 · September 2015

I like the new forum title.
Regarding hood struts vs prop rod, how many people actually go under the hood of their car anymore?

[Deleted User] · September 2015

explorerx4 said:
I like the new forum title.
Regarding hood struts vs prop rod, how many people actually go under the hood of their car anymore?

Good point. I'm one of those rare folks that self-services my vehicles, and really, I don't care whether the hood uses struts or a prop rod, just as long as the hood doesn't come crashing down on me. The nice thing about a rod is that it'll never wear out versus a strut that can lose compression, but either technology is fine by me.

abacomike · September 2015

explorerx4 said:

I like the new forum title. Regarding hood struts vs prop rod, how many people actually go under the hood of their car anymore?

What's a "hood"? Is there something important under the "hood" that we should be aware of?

verdugo · September 2015

driver100 said:
Glad it wasn't your eye GG.....at first that's where I thought this was going.
.

My first reaction was "I hope it's not GG's eye." My seconde reaction was "what the heck kind of weird bugs do they have in Ohio?"

qbrozen · September 2015

tyguy said:

Wow, that's an impressive garage! Do you have a working garage for metal or wood working? We have a three-car garage, but it's filled with two cars and two waverunners on a trailer, so moving ithe contents isn't a big deal. I do have tools, but not nearly enough to be call my garage a "shop."

Believe it or not, I usually have 2 cars in there. I've used every inch of wall space, though. 5-foot high compressor, 6-foot high toolbox, tire machine, shelves and cabinets jam-packed, gas heater, window AC unit, then a loft with about a dozen tires and some other odds and ends. Our shed is something like 24x7? All the yard tools plus like 4-5 sets of patio furniture. Also my all-stainless Jenn-Air grill that's something like 6-foot wide (because they apparently no longer make it in all-stainless, so I'm never letting it go!). I'd imagine maybe they are also figuring the home gym in the basement goes on the 2nd day. Treadmill, eliptical, one of those weight things, and a couple of heavy bags. I really feel like the 2nd day could be 1 truck, but we'll see.

imidazol97 · September 2015

explorerx4 said:
I like the new forum title.
Regarding hood struts vs prop rod, how many people actually go under the hood of their car anymore?

Some of us do. I was away from the office all afternoon putting new half-shafts on my leSabre. Yes, I mean I was putting them on, not taking the car to a garage. I did have a helper who knows what he's doing. So some of us do open the hood. But your point is not lost.

andres3 · September 2015

snakeweasel said:

andres3 said:

I don't think so. As you pointed out, other studies have found the curve to be valid even with more modern recent samples being taken. No one has disproved the curve to date for roads that do not have turns (such as Interstate Highways). Just because Solomon didn't use Freeways for their data doesn't mean the curve still doesn't apply. Show me where a freeway study was done that disproves the curve. Turns doesn't hold any water; and even taking slowing/turning vehicles into account; it only reduced accidents by about 40%; hardly 100%.
No one has disproven the curve to date for roads that don't have turns? I just cited one that does and all you did was ridicule it. You simply refuse to acknowledge anything that doesn't support your need to speed.

There have been multiple studies that show no correlation between difference between going slower than average speed and rate of accidents.

You misunderstand. There are studies that contradict Solomon's curve when they take away accidents they deem to have been caused by turns, but that does nothing to contradict the curve when you don't have "turns" as a scapegoat. They need to release a new study showing the curve for roads that have no turns; right now Solomon rules until otherwise shown to be false.

andres3 · September 2015

snakeweasel said:

Mr_Shiftright said:
If you are going 125 mph in a vehicle and you hit so much as a fist-sized rock in the road, you are in deep doo-doo.

I wouldn't say "speed kills" but I would say "speed has a better chance of killing you".
And that's what I have been saying all along, thank you.

Of course, in the scenario above, worst-case-scenario the fist size rock is in the middle of one of your tire's path, so at most, you need to adjust about 5" to the left or right to dodge the rock (given even huge 10" wide tires), as I'd imagine even a low slung sports car could clear a fist-sized rock. This actually happened to me in my A3 with coil-overs (lowered), though it was more of a large Cantaloupe size rock. It exploded underneath my car; thank goodness whatever it hit dead center was harder than the rock and the asphalt paving.

andres3 · September 2015

graphicguy said:

abacomike said:

graphicguy said:

They haven't offered me anything. They only asked if a new car swap might be interesting. Now, being the skeptic that I am, my guess is they would want something out of pocket from me. Unacceptable. Further, I'm guessing they would NOT offer a 2016, but probably one of the many 2014 leftovers that still seem to be hanging around on the lots, or maybe a dealer loaner vehicle.

Still, I can say I would never be happy with any of the local dealers given my terrible experiences with them.

GG, you have to do what you think is right. You are the one they have to satisfy, not us! We all have our own perspectives, but we did not physically or emotionally go through what you've been through!

Whatever your decision, it is the right one for you - we are just here to try to offer suggestions - that's all.

Mike...you're right. I'm obviously quite put off by Cadillac. They've treated me like I was stupid. They've done everything in their power to minimize, deny, rebuff, dismiss me and the issues with the CTS.

I've always felt the true worth of any company, is the way they treat their customers when their products or services don't deliver and are riddled with problems. Frankly, I've never been treated worse, by any company, with regards to any product, as I have been treated by Cadillac and their dealers.

At first blush, I'd be willing to say maybe a single Cadillac employee, a single Cadillac dealer service person, perhaps is bad at what they do. That's not the case here. This is endemic to Cadillac. They must train their people to act this way (deny, minimize, delay, circumvent, etc). It's happened with more than more than one dealer, and with more than one Cadillac, over a long period of time. They have absolutely no concept of customer service, nor do they care how bad they look when putting out a faulty product.

I've given them chance, after chance, after chance, after chance to make things right. They choose not to.

I should have known better. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. I mentioned that I would not give Cadillac yet another chance to disappoint me.

I'm with you on this one GG. I would not want Chrysler to call me up and offer a new leftover '95 Neon with 20 miles on the odometer that got lost somewhere in the factory, nor would I want a new '16 Dodge Dart as condolences for previous offenses. Just give me my money back, even if it is in 1994 dollars instead of 2015 dollars.

abacomike · September 2015

I am not easily confused by the contents of posts, however I do get horribly confused after reading your posts, andres3! Between Dodge Darts and Neons and rocks the size of cantelopes, I am at a total loss!

Perhaps someone other than andres3 can decipher those posts for me. Thanks in advance for clearing up my frustration!

thebean · September 2015

@stever - I believe you used to live in the UP. If I am correct, do you know of any good places to eat in Marquette? Nothing fancy - just good food. We are on our way there tomorrow. Anything you can think of would be appreciated. Thanks.

andres3 · September 2015

abacomike said:
I am not easily confused by the contents of posts, however I do get horribly confused after reading your posts, andres3! Between Dodge Darts and Neons and rocks the size of cantelopes, I am at a total loss!

Perhaps someone other than andres3 can decipher those posts for me. Thanks in advance for clearing up my frustration!

Chrysler/Dodge lost my business forever with the sale of a '95 Neon Sport that comically broke down every 3 or 4 months after the 3 year warranty was up. It was always a $200.00 + repair item. The way the different dealerships acted did nothing to help the situation. The way Chrysler never sent a letter for any of the trouble-prone parts also did nothing to help the situation. The few that remain on the road are rare indeed, but they usually have mismatched bumpers and other ailments. Bad head gaskets, bad auto transmission, bad Air Conditioning, you name it, if it was expensive, it didn't last.

I once drove over a rock that my Audi A3 was unable to clear. I felt a huge bump in the middle front end of my car, as the rock went under the front bumper and made contact under the engine bay and exploded. The car was fine, the rock was blown to smithereens.

stever · September 2015

thebean said:
@stever - I believe you used to live in the UP. If I am correct, do you know of any good places to eat in Marquette? Nothing fancy - just good food. Anything you can think of would be appreciated. Thanks.

There's an all you can eat Chinese place we liked, kind of on a hill on the way to the hospital. Wasn't fancy but we liked the owner a lot. Food was okay. Honestly, about the best that we remember is Red Lobster.

The owner of the really good Thai place went back to Bangkok a couple of years ago. The Cajun place was okay.

Urban Spoon or whatever they call it now is probably a more reliable guide.

explorerx4 · September 2015

@imidazol97, Did you need to open the hood to change the half shafts?

thebean · September 2015

stever said:
There's an all you can eat Chinese place we liked, kind of on a hill on the way to the hospital. Wasn't fancy but we liked the owner a lot. Food was okay. Honestly, about the best that we remember is Red Lobster. The owner of the really good Thai place went back to Bangkok a couple of years ago. The Cajun place was okay. Urban Spoon or whatever they call it now is probably a more reliable guide.

Thank you, sir. I appreciate it.

imidazol97 · September 2015

explorerx4 said:
@imidazol97, Did you need to open the hood to change the half shafts?

I wondered if someone would catch that. Answer is no. But I did open the hood to
look at the oil from the failed seal on the CV joint that was slinging a little oily grease
onto the end of the engine and the firewall. The open hood allowed some light from the
top onto the work area in spots.

Darn GM cars: the inner joint only lasted
203,000 miles. Can't they make anything right anymore? Laughing.

The joint actually had been rough for the last year and gradually
has gotten worse after turns during that time.

Conclusion: if I had to make a living as a mechanic, I'd starve to death
or lose some weight on the way. Too slow. I hate grease under my fingernails.

ab348 · September 2015

andres3 said:

I once drove over a rock that my Audi A3 was unable to clear. I felt a huge bump in the middle front end of my car, as the rock went under the front bumper and made contact under the engine bay and exploded. The car was fine, the rock was blown to smithereens.

You were luckier than Edmunds was:

http://www.edmunds.com/audi/a3/2015/long-term-road-test/2015-audi-a3-road-trip-hits-an-abrupt-end-in-boise.html

venture · September 2015

imidazol97 said:

isellhondas said:
And for as little time as a person spends under the hood, why you would find this a worthy improvement?
I'm still stuck on being surprised that a recent Fusion does not have struts but instead uses a rod to hold the hood up. My 08 Cobalt , 03 leSabre, and '14 Malibu all have struts.

I can understand Henryn wanting to put struts on if they're available aftermarket, but sounds like it's a lot of trouble at the dealer.

Yeah. If I knew they were going to be that difficult for the mechanics to get a grip on I would have never bothered.

I'll probably just remove them and use the prop. Simplify.

imidazol97 · September 2015

kyfdx said:

driver100 said:

Fuel Coffee?????? What do they put in that stuff....ethanol?
And, what's with the flames coming out of that coffee cup?
Looks like an ad for a Taco Bell burrito.
I do like that little BMW parked outside.
That is the owner's BMW 2002.

It's called Fuel, because that used to be a gas station, before it was a coffee shop.

Last time I was there, a Lambo Aventador showed up ($400K+). You can see just about anything there, but it's not a big cruise-in for muscle cars. The interesting stuff is mostly old imports, but plenty of new Porsches, etc... and the Subie guys are always there.

Go to this photographer's facebook page and leaf down through his collections of 30-50 pictures from various Saturday mornings at what he calls "Cars and coffee." Look at the classic cars that show up at that Saturday morning get together. Amazing.

At the top of the photographer's facebook list is a cruise in in Wyoming (a nice suburb of northern Cincinnati).
Leaf through the pictures of those cars. Special.
Here's one from Wyoming Exotic Cars and Wine pictures--40 of them.
Photo Property of Kai Verspeek: facebook.com/kai verspeek

[Deleted User] · September 2015

imidazol97 said:

Conclusion: if I had to make a living as a mechanic, I'd starve to death
or lose some weight on the way. Too slow. I hate grease under my fingernails.

Totally agree on the grease, and thick gear oil is even worse in smell. These days I wear disposable gloves that keep me pretty clean. Now that the Dodge minivan is gone I rarely get a chance to work on anything other than simple maintenance. I

driver100 · September 2015

abacomike said:
@driver100:

I think you mean the 2017 E Class due out in April/May of 2016.

Yes.

I was surprised when I went in for my 12k service and I saw 2016 E's in the showroom, they looked exactly like a 2015 just as you said.

graphicguy · September 2015

imidazol97 said:

kyfdx said:

driver100 said:

Fuel Coffee?????? What do they put in that stuff....ethanol?
And, what's with the flames coming out of that coffee cup?
Looks like an ad for a Taco Bell burrito.
I do like that little BMW parked outside.
That is the owner's BMW 2002.

It's called Fuel, because that used to be a gas station, before it was a coffee shop.

Last time I was there, a Lambo Aventador showed up ($400K+). You can see just about anything there, but it's not a big cruise-in for muscle cars. The interesting stuff is mostly old imports, but plenty of new Porsches, etc... and the Subie guys are always there.
Go to this photographer's facebook page and leaf down through his collections of 30-50 pictures from various Saturday mornings at what he calls "Cars and coffee." Look at the classic cars that show up at that Saturday morning get together. Amazing.

At the top of the photographer's facebook list is a cruise in in Wyoming (a nice suburb of northern Cincinnati).
Leaf through the pictures of those cars. Special.
Here's one from Wyoming Exotic Cars and Wine pictures--40 of them.
Photo Property of Kai Verspeek: facebook.com/kai verspeek

Imid...I owned a house for about 5 years in Wyoming. Missed the wine festival this year, but still have quite a few friends who live there. Great Cincinnati neighborhood!

berri · September 2015

Mike, you need to put a few more miles on that car. Low mileage can improve trade in, but too low mileage makes some buyers suspect it's a lemon or something. So once your back is better, road trip time

roadburner · September 2015

imidazol97 said:

driver100 said:
How about "Sir Fezo's Roadside Café" or just to be a bit different make it "Cafeteria".
I don't think putting an individual's name on a topic would be good. The name
should invite people in and indicate what someone will find who ventures into the
discussion.

My vote would have to go to Cars and Conversation. It's better than
the Cars and Coffee: "coffee" might offend tea drinkers. LOL

I've just been fascinated by the Fuel Coffee shop along the
river in Cincy that attracts lots of high performance cars and some
high class classics on Saturday mornings. https://www.facebook.com/FuelCoffeeCincy/photos/a.435867718371.233745.56829973371/10152332438543372/?type=1&theater

My 1975 Atlantik Blau '02 is rumored to have made C&C there a couple of times...

abacomike · September 2015

Been thundering, lightning and pouring all night and all morning. We are under a flash flood warning - surface streets here flood quickly because we have terrible drainage and storm sewers don't exist in many places due to high water tables. Supposed to continue through tonight. There is a tropical disturbance moving across the entire peninsula. I guess we won't be in a severe drought area after this storm.

ab348 · September 2015

I always thought Florida drained almost too well because it is mostly on sand. What do I know...

abacomike · September 2015

ab348 said:

I always thought Florida drained almost too well because it is mostly on sand. What do I know...

If you dig down a few feet, you hit water here on the coastal areas. The interstates and turnpike are well drained, but the surface streets flood quickly, usually an hour after heavy rains, it dries up quickly because of the sandy composite of the soil. But during heavy rains like we have been getting, the water cannot be absorbed quickly. But yes we do drain but slowly.

robr2 · September 2015

Last month I noted that my natural gas bill was ridiculously low - only 5 therms compared to the previous year of 18 therms. I also noted that the gas company called to change the meter as they wear out after a few years. I thought of the serendipity.

Well the gas bill just came and it was 13 therms this month. My son is off at school so fewer showers, less stove time, and less dryer time so 13 seems about right. And I can see why they decided to change the meter. Still, it's less than $20. Now in February when it's 200+ therms, I'll be complaining.

bwia · September 2015

Either you have super efficient appliances or you eat out a lot. I received my gas bill yesterday and it was $41.36. Therms used this period was 33 therms compared to 34 therms for the same period last year. Perhaps the five year old 50-gallon hot water heater and the two year old LG dryer are the gas guzzlers or perhaps it is my wife's frequent baking.

Either way, for empty nesters, we are paying too much. Our lowest usage for the last 12 months has been 28 therms in July. And the by the way, the gas meter was replaced last year.

robr2 · September 2015

We don't eat out much but we do grill a lot in the summer - and in the winter as well.

I have a a 5 year old Kenmore dryer that completes its cycle in about 30 minutes and 7 year old 40 gallon water heater set at 120. My 15 YO daughter empties that nightly. We are considering going tankless on the next water heater.

driver100 · September 2015

abacomike said:
Been thundering, lightning and pouring all night and all morning. We are under a flash flood warning - surface streets here flood quickly because we have terrible drainage and storm sewers don't exist in many places due to high water tables. Supposed to continue through tonight. There is a tropical disturbance moving across the entire peninsula. I guess we won't be in a severe drought area after this storm.

Yeh but, how is the Tampa Bay area doing?

abacomike · September 2015

driver100 said:

Been thundering, lightning and pouring all night and all morning. We are under a flash flood warning - surface streets here flood quickly because we have terrible drainage and storm sewers don't exist in many places due to high water tables. Supposed to continue through tonight. There is a tropical disturbance moving across the entire peninsula. I guess we won't be in a severe drought area after this storm.
Yeh but, how is the Tampa Bay area doing?

Tampa/St. Pete are having light rain and showers. We've had over 4" of rain since last night. Been raining all day here with no let up. Southern part of the peninsula got the worst of it.

imidazol97 · September 2015

abacomike said:

Tampa/St. Pete are having light rain and showers. We've had over 4" of rain since last night. Been raining all day here with no let up. Southern part of the peninsula got the worst of it.

Be glad it's not snow. That would be 52 inches of snow in the cold north.

driver100 · September 2015

abacomike said:

driver100 said:

abacomike said:
Been thundering, lightning and pouring all night and all morning. We are under a flash flood warning - surface streets here flood quickly because we have terrible drainage and storm sewers don't exist in many places due to high water tables. Supposed to continue through tonight. There is a tropical disturbance moving across the entire peninsula. I guess we won't be in a severe drought area after this storm.
Yeh but, how is the Tampa Bay area doing?

Tampa/St. Pete are having light rain and showers. We've had over 4" of rain since last night. Been raining all day here with no let up. Southern part of the peninsula got the worst of it.

Thanks Mike. That is one concern about good old Florida...rain and hurricanes.

If you ever move Mike, consider going more inland, if you choose carefully you won't need extra flood insurance, and prices can be 50 to 60% lower. We swim in the pool at the complex which is kept at 86F. If we want to swim in the ocean we can be there in about 40 minutes.....but, basically, not worth the hassle and the water isn't that warm...and who knows what is in it? I'm not a big fan of Jelly Fish or stepping on poisonous fish, so the pool is fine if we want to swim.

Being on a canal is nice if it is important to one, and it is nice to see the Christmas Boat Parade. Or, do what we do, just get invited to a party at someone's house that is on a canal.

Hope that rain stops soon.

thebean · September 2015

Found my long lost cousin today.

abacomike · September 2015

@driver100:

Driver, one does not need flood insurance if you live on the second floor of a 4-story building! If the water ever got 15 feet high, I would gather the animals two-by-two and slowly float away. I live 8 miles west of the beach so I usually do not worry about 15 foot total waves.

fezo · September 2015

Well, not that I've been in all that much but will likely be out for three days. Son of one of my best friends is getting married Saturday. He's from New Jersey. She's from Alabama. So naturally they're getting married in Maine. Nice road trip.

abacomike · September 2015

Well, I downloaded IOS 9.0 for my iPhone 6. It took about 45 minutes to download but it was successful. One of the better aspects of the new IOS 9.0 is the new keyboard. The letters are a bit farther apart which makes keyboarding/typing faster with fewer typos.

I did not notice any major changes with the exception that there is a search feature in front of the app lists. It will take some getting used to, but this happens several times a year.

snakeweasel · September 2015

andres3 said:

1) 95 MPH isn't near the traction limit in a straight line. There's a theory about the Circle of available friction/traction with each of the 4 tires. If the front tires aren't being asked to accelerate or turn, then very little traction is actually being used. It is when you have to accelerate or brake hard that you are using your traction, and therefore the amount of force to make a turn is reduced while taking those actions.

Actually there is a significant amount of traction when the front tires are not being asked to accelerate or turn, maybe not as much as in other conditions but it is significant. First of all their has to be enough traction to keep the car going, remember there has to be enough traction to overcome the effects of drag and friction that will slow down a car. Not to mention that they have to keep the car in a straight line against such forces as cross winds.

andres3 said:
2) Absolutely correct about the "speed kills" crowd designing studies to support their preconceived assumptions. In particular, when the data doesn't support their theories, they resort to tricky word play such as "INCREASED ACCIDENT FREQUENCY" which conveniently can lead one to the conclusion higher speed limits led to more accident "frequency." Why the word "frequency?" Well, it is because when you take into account additional traffic volume (vehicle miles traveled is the best equalizer), it isn't surprising that you had more accidents per hour, never mind if the accident "RATES" went down.

Really? I could very well say the same thing about those in your camp. You have preconceived notions and you grab onto any study that supports them while ignoring any theory that disproves their beliefs. How many times have you stated that nothing has disproven the Solomon curve after I have given a few studies that do not support it? And as for word play what about those who talk about how traffic deaths went down after Congress removed the national speed limit? What they don't tell you is that is that is for all roads but the speed limit went up on less than 1% of the nations roads carrying less than 10% of the nations traffic. Studies have shown that the accident rate went up on the interstate highways where the speed limit was increased even when taking into account any change in miles driven.

andres3 said:
4) Heard a story of a Toyota Tacoma passing a TTRS and GT3 at 125+ MPH (they said he must of been "local" and knew the road well). Which leads me to another point, if you know the road well, I think that allows you to focus on other things more, such as potential unusual hazards that might not always be present. How much safer does that make the Local at XXX MPH vs. a first-time traveler on that same road at 65 MPH?

Well it may be true that there car be a road where a local who knew the road well and was going 125 MPH was being safer than a first time traveler doing 65 MPH. But I will say this; I have driven on every type of road in every environment in this land. I have driven on interstate highways, four lane blacktops, two lane paved roads and dirt roads. Through mountains, across the plains, long straight aways and twisty winding roads. I have driven the highest road and the lowest road in this country, I have driven narrow dirt roads hugging the side of a mountain in Hawaii and I have driven ruts in the ground across the Alaskan tundra. And I will say this: I cannot think of one road where an adequately competent driver in a adequately maintained car driving 65 MPH his first time down a road is being less safe than a local driving that same road at 125 MPH regardless of how well that local knows the road and how competent a driver he is.

In order for the local driving at 125 MPH to be even remotely safe the curves would have to be gentle enough for him to stay in his lane and have sight lines that would allow him to stop safely and reasonably. Not to mention a lack of cross traffic and traffic turning on and off the road, and enough cleared area to the sides to see such things as wild animals coming. Not to mention other things such as lack of pedestrians, cyclists and development. All these things would make it very safe for a first time traveler going 65 MPH down that same road,

snakeweasel · September 2015

stever said:

Sounds like manuals are toast. Greatest anti-theft device you can buy in the US today.

Nope, manuals are not toast but they will be a smaller segment of cars on the road. Soon you will see manuals only in performance (or perceived performance) cars that appeal to the younger crowd.

Interestingly enough while few cars are manuals most motorcycles are.

snakeweasel · September 2015

abacomike said:

By the way, driver, I have a huge Master Bedroom suite which I unused and you are invited to spend a few days with here as my guest. We could kill 2 birds with with one stone that way.

Think it over,

Opening up a B&B for us members?

abacomike · September 2015

snakeweasel said:

By the way, driver, I have a huge Master Bedroom suite which I unused and you are invited to spend a few days with here as my guest. We could kill 2 birds with with one stone that way.

Think it over,

Opening up a B&B for us members?

Why not? Love to have company visiting.

snakeweasel · September 2015

oldfarmer50 said:

abacomike said:

oldfarmer50 said:

stever said:
It's coming up on two months for my sister-in-law and it sounds like she got over the hump after the scar tissue rolling about ten days ago. When the knee hurts she goes and walks it off.

Sounds like manuals are toast. Greatest anti-theft device you can buy in the US today.
Wow, only 10% of 911s have manual? 99% of the Mustangs I looked at had stick. I think I have the only auto.

When you think of it, since it's only old farts who can afford a 911 these days, that figure does make sense.

In my condo community, there are quite a few guys (all right, old men) who drive Corvettes, Porsches, BMW's, etc. One of the guys in the building next to mine lost his wife 6 weeks ago. He was driving a Camry prior to his wife's death and last week I saw him driving passed me in a new Porsche. He stopped and opened his window. He asked what I thought of his new car - I responded that the bright silver color suited him and his new toupee. He said, "...yep, I bought it a week after my wife's death. I always looked forward to driving a Porsche because my wife never would have let me get one."

I guess that if one waits long enough for something, some of your hopes and dreams will come true!

I can see a 20 something honey in the passengers seat of that car real soon. No fool like an old fool.

Or he could be very smart.

snakeweasel · September 2015

abacomike said:
Well, I am finally home. Just bed rest now and muscle relaxants. I couldn't wait for the pain to subside enough so I could be discharged.

That's great, hoping for a speedy recovery.

snakeweasel · September 2015

Karen_CM said:
Hello Gentlemen! Hope all are doing well and have had a wonderful summer. And abacomike, hope you're healing after your fall!

The reason I'm dropping in is to let you know we are considering renaming this topic as its current title is a bit of a misnomer for the usual discussions here. It is confusing for new folks that may drop in to read others car buying experiences or post their own. So need a vote of what title you would prefer.

Edmunds Member Hangout
Edmunds Car Klatch

If you have other suggestions, please post!

Well too late for me but I think we should name the forum "Bob".

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