Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

andres3

jmonroe said:

oldfarmer50 said:

jmonroe said:

roadburner said:

Tonight my son and I were coming home from a showing of Spider-Man: Homecoming when a guy in a modded diesel Silverado tried to take my 2er away from a light; I figured he was going to try that so I was already in Sport mode. I let him gain half a car on me before I nailed the throttle and it was all over.
To quote Harry Callahan, "A good man always knows his limitations..."

I've noticed that too with trucks. Just because they put another pipe on it they think they really have something.

About a year ago, while driving my Genny in broad daylight one afternoon, as I was coming to a light, a noise making pickup (I think it was a Toyota but don't hold me to that because I didn't study it) is going well beyond the 35 MPH speed limit not too far from a Lowes. I can, however, see 4 pipes on it and it is a V8. I'm thinking to myself, I hope he gets the light just so it will slow him down. Because there is no traffic ahead of him past the light, in either lane, I then think he'll blow through the light. I give him credit, he didn't run the light and he stopped in the left lane. I come up to the light and stop in the right lane about 2 or 3 seconds after he got there. All of a sudden I hear a horn and the passenger in the truck has his arm out the window and is motioning, down the wide open road in both lanes, that he wants to run me. I gave him a wave off because I didn't want to bother. Evidently my wave off was interpreted as a YES.

When the light turned, the guy floors it and burns some tire. Even though he is a good 2 truck lengths ahead of me, I figured alright let's do this. In almost no time I'm way past him so he backed off and so did I. Now I'm coming to another light but this time I'm in the left lane because I want to make a left turn about 30 yards down the road into a strip of shops. Although I can make it through the light, I slow was way down to make sure I get the red light. The truck is now in the right lane and this time the driver puts down his window and wants me to put down mine. I put down the passenger window and lean over to see him because his truck is a little jacked up, but not ridiculously. He says, "hey man, what you got in that thing"? Not wanting to have a discussion with this dope I said, "more than you have in that thing". As my passenger window is going up I can hear him yelling, "c'mon man I'm serious, I'm serious". So was I. I didn't want to talk about it.

The light turns green and this time he killed me off the line. Pretty easy to do when the other guy doesn't want to play anymore but I'm sure he felt better.

All I can say is, I'm glad Mrs. j wasn't with me like the time she was when I was driving her Subie 6 cyl. that taught a lesson to some kid with a 4 cyl. something that he thought was bad. I still hear about that episode every now and then when I come to a light.

I'm willing to admit that I need to grow up and I don't need her reminders but she still thinks I do. :@

jmonroe

Not at all. All that being grown up means is that you are prudent enough to do that sort of thing only when it's safe and there are no cops around.

I my defense, the only reason I gave it a try was because the road was totally clear in both lanes for as far as I could see. I have seen this road like this before but very rarely in all the years I have lived in these parts. So that is why I did it because no one would be in danger. However, the first thing I thought about when I got out of the car was, if the cops were behind me that excuse would not fly.

Kinda reminded me what we all heard as kids growing up, when we were caught doing something we knew was wrong. I can hear it all now..."you should have thought about that BEFORE you did that".

I thought I was above that stuff but I guess I'm not.

jmonroe

You wanted to show your Genesis was no slow poke, and I imagine some people see the car as potential cannon fodder. Get an Audi TTS; no one ever messes with me. I think the fact that Audi is producing world-class sports cars has gotten out into public knowledge; at least in Southern CA.

Just one time on a back country canyon road a crazy Focus ST driver showed me he wasn't afraid of using the oncoming traffic lane to pass a line of cars where visibility limitations made it a dangerous maneuver. Their was an FRS driver, but it was raining and I didn't give him a chance as I zoomed off the line with quattro.

abacomike

driver100 said:

enewspaper.sun-sentinel.com 

The above will take you to the newspaper and then swipe to the left until you reach page 6.  The ad is in the top left corner of the page.

39 to 70? I guess I'm profiling, but he's maybe of Russian descent? Thinking he's trying to find a way to stay in this country.

For a while I was getting spam emails from Olga or some other Russian sounding name suggesting we meet for some "fun". Other than annoying my wife poor Olga never got any traction.

I suspect she is now selling late model cars for cheap on Craigslist.

If nothing else, Olga knows hot to get in touch with you.

jmonroe

I wonder if that is the same Olga who wants to meet me!

No, driver - I spoke with her and she is not interested in older men! 

andres3

stickguy said:

Craig told a story a few times about his days selling Hondas. One where some lot guy screwed up, and put the wrong sales tag in an Accord, pricing it many $1,000s too low (something like the tag for a stipped LX into an EXL). And no one noticed. So, a buyer shows up, sees a crazy low price, and drives the car. Craig realizes then what happened, admits they screwed up, but says they will honor the price if they do the deal. Well, the idiot buyer still can't make themselves take the deal of the century, and walks to "think about it"

of course, they go shop, and realize how great a deal that car was, so come back later and want it. Only to find that as soon as they walked away, car got retagged. And no way were they getting that price again. Some people, just can't help screwing themselves over.

To be fair, in the days before smartphones, I'd of given zero credibility to that mistagged sales scheme. The only way would have been for the buyer to have memorized prices prior to coming in.

driver100

imidazol97 said:

said:

... don't care for the angry-looking frowning face of the Malibu.

I don't see the anger or frown. The fog lights have led running lights angling down above them.

Frowning angy eyes (headlights) and single hairy eye brow over the eyes (top tier grill)
Center grill points down with two frown marks or dimples in the corner

Just joking...just doing a Rorschach Test!

tbirdmarco

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NzIRHWyd8no

suydam

I don't see it myself.

ab348

suydam said:

I don't see it myself.

I think for me it's the squinty-looking headlights and those downward-sloping LED lights combined with the shape of the top of the lower grille. Whenever I see one on the road now I always notice that.

andres3

abacomike said:

>Another pet pet peeve of mine is those drivers who make "right turns on red" without coming to a complete stop. Thousands of accidents occur each year because this traffic regulation is ignored by drivers.

I am am sure Florida isn't the only State that experiences drivers who bend or break traffic laws and/or regulations with abandon.  Driving is becoming more hazardous every year.  If my car's camera(s) can pick up the speed limit shown on road signs on every road or highway and then "post" it in my heads-up display and my instrument cluster, why can't it pick up red lights and prevent right turns on red unless the car comes to a complete stop?  Another nanny feature is not the best way to solve these dilemmas, but it might save lives.

______

Got any statistics or backup to your statement "Thousands of accidents occur each year because people don't come to a complete stop on a right turn on a red light?"

I have to say that's horse hockey! I doubt you could use your whole hand counting those accidents caused by that violation, even if you counted for a whole year.

If someone causes an accident making a right turn on red, it is because they failed to yield the right of way 99.9% of the time; not because they didn't come to a complete stop. People should yield the right of way, but just like a yield sign, one need not come to a complete stop to do so.

abacomike

andres3 said:

>Another pet pet peeve of mine is those drivers who make "right turns on red" without coming to a complete stop. Thousands of accidents occur each year because this traffic regulation is ignored by drivers.

I am am sure Florida isn't the only State that experiences drivers who bend or break traffic laws and/or regulations with abandon.  Driving is becoming more hazardous every year.  If my car's camera(s) can pick up the speed limit shown on road signs on every road or highway and then "post" it in my heads-up display and my instrument cluster, why can't it pick up red lights and prevent right turns on red unless the car comes to a complete stop?  Another nanny feature is not the best way to solve these dilemmas, but it might save lives.

______

Got any statistics or backup to your statement "Thousands of accidents occur each year because people don't come to a complete stop on a right turn on a red light?"

I have to say that's horse hockey! I doubt you could use your whole hand counting those accidents caused by that violation, even if you counted for a whole year.

If someone causes an accident making a right turn on red, it is because they failed to yield the right of way 99.9% of the time; not because they didn't come to a complete stop. People should yield the right of way, but just like a yield sign, one need not come to a complete stop to do so.

I do, Andes, but I'm sure not going to share them with you.

andres3

abacomike said:

andres3 said:

abacomike said:

>Another pet pet peeve of mine is those drivers who make "right turns on red" without coming to a complete stop. Thousands of accidents occur each year because this traffic regulation is ignored by drivers.

I am am sure Florida isn't the only State that experiences drivers who bend or break traffic laws and/or regulations with abandon.  Driving is becoming more hazardous every year.  If my car's camera(s) can pick up the speed limit shown on road signs on every road or highway and then "post" it in my heads-up display and my instrument cluster, why can't it pick up red lights and prevent right turns on red unless the car comes to a complete stop?  Another nanny feature is not the best way to solve these dilemmas, but it might save lives.

______



Got any statistics or backup to your statement "Thousands of accidents occur each year because people don't come to a complete stop on a right turn on a red light?"



I have to say that's horse hockey! I doubt you could use your whole hand counting those accidents caused by that violation, even if you counted for a whole year.



If someone causes an accident making a right turn on red, it is because they failed to yield the right of way 99.9% of the time; not because they didn't come to a complete stop. People should yield the right of way, but just like a yield sign, one need not come to a complete stop to do so.

I do, Andes, but I'm sure not going to share them with you.

LOL; must come from the brochures handed out at the "REDFLEX" red-light camera manufacturer board meetings you go to.

imidazol97

ab348 said:

suydam said:

I don't see it myself.

I think for me it's the squinty-looking headlights and those downward-sloping LED lights combined with the shape of the top of the lower grille. Whenever I see one on the road now I always notice that.

I see what you're describing. I went out and looked at my 14's front and it does not have the negative outside slopes like the LEDs. My son's Cruze does.

Once I've seen a negative in certain grills, it's always there the next time I see that car.
I think the Hyundai Sonata and friends had the nicest grills. The Sonata is changing for 18 and going toyota on us.

imidazol97

Driving on the interstate I saw a 4-engine propeller plane taking off. It didn't look like the few prop planes that carry cargo from some small shops at the airport. I thought it looked more like a WWII bomber because of the straight wings.

It was a B17. I saw a newscast showing that it's visiting the local international airport for fundraising. Free to look. $450 to take a ride. Hmmmm. Madras Maiden is her name. She was based here at Wright Field for testing of various items during the war.

cdnpinhead

"Sentimental Journey" lives at Falcon Field in Mesa, AZ, and it's nice to hear her fly over from time to time. Nothing else sounds like four real live radial engines putting out 4800 hp (well, they're not fully loaded, but you get the idea).

oldfarmer50

imidazol97 said:

Driving on the interstate I saw a 4-engine propeller plane taking off. It didn't look like the few prop planes that carry cargo from some small shops at the airport. I thought it looked more like a WWII bomber because of the straight wings.

It was a B17. I saw a newscast showing that it's visiting the local international airport for fundraising. Free to look. $450 to take a ride. Hmmmm. Madras Maiden is her name. She was based here at Wright Field for testing of various items during the war.

I'd love to take a ride in one of those but not $450 worth. Can't blame them, it must cost a fortune to keep a 70 year old plane airworthy.

fintail

Speaking of Malibus, I always thought the ~2010 model was a nice looking car, clean design that aged well.

ab348

fintail said:

Speaking of Malibus, I always thought the ~2010 model was a nice looking car, clean design that aged well.

Yeah, I liked that car and almost bought one, dark blue metallic, gray leather, V-6. The only things that I didn't like were the odd-looking and somewhat cheap taillights and the lack o a rear seat center armrest. I thought the dual-cove dash on those was a really nice design.

abacomike

oldfarmer50 said:

Driving on the interstate I saw a 4-engine propeller plane taking off. It didn't look like the few prop planes that carry cargo from some small shops at the airport. I thought it looked more like a WWII bomber because of the straight wings.

It was a B17. I saw a newscast showing that it's visiting the local international airport for fundraising. Free to look. $450 to take a ride. Hmmmm. Madras Maiden is her name. She was based here at Wright Field for testing of various items during the war.

I'd love to take a ride in one of those but not $450 worth. Can't blame them, it must cost a fortune to keep a 70 year old plane airworthy.

When I lived in the Palm Springs area of CA, I took a ride in a B17 during the air show at PSP airport. They have an airplane museum on the east side of the airport.  Also flew in a B29 the following year.  That B29 is a monster of an aircraft.

My most enjoyable flight was in a Sikorsky helicopter.  You are flying at a very low speed and really "feel" and "sense" flight.  Also spent several hours in a hot air balloon.  They have a hot air balloon club out there in the desert.  

jmonroe

oldfarmer50 said:

imidazol97 said:

Driving on the interstate I saw a 4-engine propeller plane taking off. It didn't look like the few prop planes that carry cargo from some small shops at the airport. I thought it looked more like a WWII bomber because of the straight wings.

It was a B17. I saw a newscast showing that it's visiting the local international airport for fundraising. Free to look. $450 to take a ride. Hmmmm. Madras Maiden is her name. She was based here at Wright Field for testing of various items during the war.

I'd love to take a ride in one of those but not $450 worth. Can't blame them, it must cost a fortune to keep a 70 year old plane airworthy.

Well, if they threw in a dozen touch-and go's to remind me of my old Navy days as a flight crew member, I'd be interested but I'd try to grind them down to $400 even.

jmonroe

abacomike

That Aaron Judge of the Yankees is unbelievable.  I'm watching the Homerun Derby from Miami and he just kills that ball.  Hit one out in left center - 513 feet.  He's a truly amazing hitter with unbelievable strength.

driver100

abacomike said:

driver100 said:

jmonroe said:

oldfarmer50 said:

graphicguy said:

abacomike said:

enewspaper.sun-sentinel.com 

The above will take you to the newspaper and then swipe to the left until you reach page 6.  The ad is in the top left corner of the page.

39 to 70? I guess I'm profiling, but he's maybe of Russian descent? Thinking he's trying to find a way to stay in this country.

For a while I was getting spam emails from Olga or some other Russian sounding name suggesting we meet for some "fun". Other than annoying my wife poor Olga never got any traction.



I suspect she is now selling late model cars for cheap on Craigslist.

If nothing else, Olga knows hot to get in touch with you.



jmonroe

I wonder if that is the same Olga who wants to meet me!

No, driver - I spoke with her and she is not interested in older men! 

lol....Tell her I act very immature!

driver100

This one doesn't look too happy either;

suydam

fintail said:

Speaking of Malibus, I always thought the ~2010 model was a nice looking car, clean design that aged well.

The interior on the newer ones is much nicer.

pensfan83

How funny...my rental car this trip is an Impala. It's a pretty smooth highway cruiser, comfortable...I can see the appeal. It will come in handy when I take my three employees to dinner tomorrow night.

@abacomike I was watching some of HR Derby myself in the hotel bar and thought the same thing. Unbelievable power...he just mashes the ball.

roadburner

abacomike said:

When I lived in the Palm Springs area of CA, I took a ride in a B17 during the air show at PSP airport. They have an airplane museum on the east side of the airport.  Also flew in a B29 the following year.  That B29 is a monster of an aircraft.

My most enjoyable flight was in a Sikorsky helicopter.  You are flying at a very low speed and really "feel" and "sense" flight.  Also spent several hours in a hot air balloon.  They have a hot air balloon club out there in the desert.  

My dad bought me a ride in a Ford Tri-Motor back in 1969- it cost a whole $5! As for helicopters, I've also ridden in several Bell 47s(think: M.A.S.H.), a UH-1B, and an Aerospatiale AS350 Astar . The Astar ride was a riot; I was flying out to the site of a Bell Jet Ranger crash that occurred in the Appalachian mountains(the firm I was clerking for was defending the corporation that owned the helicopter). The pilot was a Vietnam vet who flew us in Nap-of-the-earth(NOE). and he also loved pulling negative Gs. I was young and too dumb to be scared. Not so for the other passengers...

Mr_Shiftright

ab348 said:

imidazol97 said:

said:

... don't care for the angry-looking frowning face of the Malibu.

I don't see the anger or frown. The fog lights have led running lights angling down above them.

Not a happy face:



The loaner I had also had a dismal all-black interior. A bit of contrast-toned material would have been nice.

That bridge needs a giant octopus.

driver100

driver100 said:

This one doesn't look too happy either;


Pictures weren't working last night...I will try 'The Angry Grill Again"


If you do a search for angriest, maddest, ugliest etc grill.....one make always comes up;


As they say, any publicity is better than no publicity.

imidazol97

My B17 picture isn't working this morning;; I'll try again.

driver100

Yeh, the pictures I posted this morning were there when I did them, now they are gone again!

nyccarguy

abacomike said:

That Aaron Judge of the Yankees is unbelievable.  I'm watching the Homerun Derby from Miami and he just kills that ball.  Hit one out in left center - 513 feet.  He's a truly amazing hitter with unbelievable strength.

I'm glad he's on my team! I saw him hit a 450' plus HR in a game a few weeks back. The ball jumps off his bat. He's not a 1 trick pony either. He's a triple crown contender.

oldfarmer50

imidazol97 said:

My B17 picture isn't working this morning;; I'll try again.

Good I thought it was just me.

At least you don't get THIS when you hit the 'quote' button:

https://www.edmunds.com/ford/focus/2016/

andres3

suydam said:

Some interesting stats on age and accidents. There's a reason insurance rates are so high for teenagers.

https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/810853

http://www.iihs.org/iihs/topics/t/general-statistics/fatalityfacts/gender

Odd charts. Everyone I've seen before has another uphill spike at around age 70 as people lose their skills.

andres3

isellhondas said:

qbrozen said:

driver100 said:

Lifetime warranty???????????

Yup! Don't know if they still offer it, but it was an option in June 2014 when we bought the new T&C. Cost me $2400, IIRC, which I think is a pretty damned good deal. I don't see how it would not pay for itself as long as we KEEP the vehicle. I don't remember if it is a $50 or $100 deductible. Anyway, it covers EVERYTHING on the vehicle, which is the only reason I got it. Blu-ray players? Power doors? Power seats? Stereo? Yup, all covered.

The "end date," if you will, is when the repair will exceed the FMV of the vehicle in good working order, in which case Chrysler can opt to pay us the value of the vehicle rather than fix it.

Ah, so THAT's it!

So when the engine fails on your 12 year old 150,000 mile Chrysler and the book value after the deductions for
high miles, body damage etc is 1000.00 they give you a grand? Now it makes sense!

Aren't there some Chrysler's worth about a grand at 65,000 miles?

imidazol97

andres3 said:

Everyone I've seen before has another uphill spike at around age 70 as people lose their skills.

Who loses what skills? :@ :@ :@ :@ LOL
Bad generalization to make about folks of a certain age. Driving acuity is variable just as it is with the teens and early 20 folks.

What is needed for the statistic to be really useful (figures never lie but liars always figure) is a chart of accidents per miles driven by age category along with a chart of FATAL accidents per miles driven.

Does someone have those from a valid source on the internet? I looked the other day when this topic first came up and couldn't find anything other than some tables. My years of turning data into graphs are over.

andres3

venture said:

fintail said:

FL is crazyland for drivers, but at least they move along. If you want to see inept and slow, come to the Seattle area. Isell will attest to this. Lot of drivers who are new both to driving and the western world, combined with distracted passive-aggressive locals. Nobody has ever visited Seattle and enjoyed the high caliber of the local motorist.

Winners this morning: Old guy in an early 00s Regal backing out of a divided turn only lane, and a woman in a rented Altima varying her speed by ~20 mph and making a last second 3 lane exit - on a suburban arterial. From what I can tell, little enforcement outside of revenue-based speed stuff, too.

imidazol97 said:

abacomike said:

fewer than 50% of drivers down here in Southeast Florida use their directional signals to indicate they are turning or changing lanes on a highway or interstate.

I'm surprised it's that high. I'd guess about 30% here. Worst ones are the distaff drivers who have a cell phone up to their ear and can't be bothered to use turn signals because they might miss something on the phone. Some even have a cigarette in another hand. Some of them even have a "Baby on Board" sign in their car window while their own driving is putting their little one at risk. Hmmmm.

Speaking of new to the western world - My son lives near Baltimore. He said he was next to such a person, they were drifting over into his lane, and he had nowhere to go. He said he gently sounded his horn and the guy panicked and ran up over the curb.

Sounds FAR superior to the alternative of being side-swiped.

andres3

fintail said:

I can believe it. The things I see here make my head spin, and I have been here for ages. Diversity is great and fun and makes for interesting friends and food - but seems to create a bit of chaos on the road.

I have a good story about someone who works in my office, a 20-something who I think is an intern, relatively new both to here and to driving, who recently went on a test drive. For now, I will just say that when the drive was over, the car wasn't driveable. She told the story without real shame, so I don't think it is bad to share, but I will wait for later

Honking here is seen as some kind of secret social faux pas, and is uncommon compared to virtually everywhere else. I do notice it seems to be a more frequent act, and I am helping it along

venture said:

Speaking of new to the western world - My son lives near Baltimore. He said he was next to such a person, they were drifting over into his lane, and he had nowhere to go. He said he gently sounded his horn and the guy panicked and ran up over the curb.

I try to remember to honk at any hazardous violation & dangerous maneuver executed on the roadways. This includes failure to use a blinker. Funny that no one I've ever honked at has been ticketed by law enforcement. They deserve a ticket, but my honking will have to suffice as punishment to them.

I think if everyone honked at every dangerous driving behavior on the roadway people might actually start to get it, and it's hard to talk on the cell phone with honking in your ear.

andres3

imidazol97 said:

andres3 said:

Everyone I've seen before has another uphill spike at around age 70 as people lose their skills.

Who loses what skills? :@ :@ :@ :@ LOL
Bad generalization to make about folks of a certain age. Driving acuity is variable just as it is with the teens and early 20 folks.

What is needed for the statistic to be really useful (figures never lie but liars always figure) is a chart of accidents per miles driven by age category along with a chart of FATAL accidents per miles driven.

Does someone have those from a valid source on the internet? I looked the other day when this topic first came up and couldn't find anything other than some tables. My years of turning data into graphs are over.

Per mile driven is the ultimate truth and balance when it comes to driving crash and fatality statistics; I'll agree 100% with that.

I don't mean to pick on "70" as an age specifically. However, in general, reflexes do seem to slow down, and reaction times can be longer. Certainly, there are some people at 70 that might beat me in a race up a mountain (1.5 miles, 1,000 foot climb), while others at that age couldn't reach the top if you gave them all day.

I do think the stories in the media about someone driving through a crowd of people or into a building from a parking spot are almost always either a senior citizen or a terrorist lately.

suydam

imidazol97 said:

andres3 said:

Everyone I've seen before has another uphill spike at around age 70 as people lose their skills.

Who loses what skills? :@ :@ :@ :@ LOL
Bad generalization to make about folks of a certain age. Driving acuity is variable just as it is with the teens and early 20 folks.

What is needed for the statistic to be really useful (figures never lie but liars always figure) is a chart of accidents per miles driven by age category along with a chart of FATAL accidents per miles driven.

Does someone have those from a valid source on the internet? I looked the other day when this topic first came up and couldn't find anything other than some tables. My years of turning data into graphs are over.

Well, that chart is one used by insurance companies to determine rates.

andres3

fintail said:

The young woman in my story went to UW, so not a direct import - I don't think my employer does that (although I find ire in EB5 much more than H1B), but maybe not much different in terms of driving. She has a DL, but as you know, testing has been privatized, and I have strong suspicion licenses are effectively for sale now.

Long story short - she test drove a small SUV at a domestic dealer to the north of here. They had her sign a slip that said she had a license and insurance, but didn't verify it (more on that soon). Test drive started OK, but sometime during the drive she had a panic situation, left the roadway, hit a tree. Not at high speed, no airbag deployment, but it pushed the bumper cover into the tire, flattening it. Cops came, gave her tickets for leaving the roadway, and for not having insurance. Yes, the dealership let her drive a car without actually looking at an insurance card. She's hired a lawyer about the tickets (these kids seem to have endless money from their mysteriously monied parents), but knows she'll be paying for the damages.

I suspect you had similar situations, but I bet your insurance rules weren't as lax.

isellhondas said:

Microsoft, Amazon and the other tech companies up here love to import employees from other parts of the world that simply do not know how to drive! If they came in with an International Driver's License it was terrifying. we used to wonder how, exactly were they able to pass their Washington's License test but somehow, they did!

It got so bad most of us kept them on surface streets. Seriously some test drives were downright frightening!

Regarding ticketing someone that just got into an accident:

On the one-hand, you absolutely should probably ticket a violation that caused a wreck. There is nothing worse then causing a crash (other than maybe a crash involving a fatality), and for creating congestion with your accident (which should also carry environmental fines for excess gas wastage and pollution emissions). Seems like a tough ticket to fight when you caused an accident! Even for lawyers!

On the other hand, someone just wrecked a car (usually their own), and do you really need to pile-on? Perhaps a wrecked car not covered by insurance is punishment enough.... Now if they wrecked someone else's car, by all means drop the hammer of justice.

thebean

andres3 said:

fintail said:

I can believe it. The things I see here make my head spin, and I have been here for ages. Diversity is great and fun and makes for interesting friends and food - but seems to create a bit of chaos on the road.

I have a good story about someone who works in my office, a 20-something who I think is an intern, relatively new both to here and to driving, who recently went on a test drive. For now, I will just say that when the drive was over, the car wasn't driveable. She told the story without real shame, so I don't think it is bad to share, but I will wait for later

Honking here is seen as some kind of secret social faux pas, and is uncommon compared to virtually everywhere else. I do notice it seems to be a more frequent act, and I am helping it along

venture said:

Speaking of new to the western world - My son lives near Baltimore. He said he was next to such a person, they were drifting over into his lane, and he had nowhere to go. He said he gently sounded his horn and the guy panicked and ran up over the curb.

I try to remember to honk at any hazardous violation & dangerous maneuver executed on the roadways. This includes failure to use a blinker. Funny that no one I've ever honked at has been ticketed by law enforcement. They deserve a ticket, but my honking will have to suffice as punishment to them.

I think if everyone honked at every dangerous driving behavior on the roadway people might actually start to get it, and it's hard to talk on the cell phone with honking in your ear.

If you ever come to the Dallas area, you might want to curb that honking instinct. Lately, there have been several cases of shootings of people in road rage incidents. Lots of folks here are packing heat and you don't want to hack them off with your honking.

andres3

suydam said:

imidazol97 said:

andres3 said:

Everyone I've seen before has another uphill spike at around age 70 as people lose their skills.

Who loses what skills? :@ :@ :@ :@ LOL
Bad generalization to make about folks of a certain age. Driving acuity is variable just as it is with the teens and early 20 folks.

What is needed for the statistic to be really useful (figures never lie but liars always figure) is a chart of accidents per miles driven by age category along with a chart of FATAL accidents per miles driven.

Does someone have those from a valid source on the internet? I looked the other day when this topic first came up and couldn't find anything other than some tables. My years of turning data into graphs are over.

Well, that chart is one used by insurance companies to determine rates.

Insurance companies are funny.

I just renewed my insurance for 6 months with Geico; about $830.

Liberty Mutual quoted $3,000 for a year. Yes, $3,000, not $2,000. I triple-checked my entries for errors, couldn't find any on my end. Therefore, either Geico is going to go broke, or Liberty Mutual is committing attempted robbery.

qbrozen

andres3 said:

Aren't there some Chrysler's worth about a grand at 65,000 miles?

Under the right circumstances, any car can be worth that little at that point.

oldfarmer50

andres3 said:

fintail said:

I can believe it. The things I see here make my head spin, and I have been here for ages. Diversity is great and fun and makes for interesting friends and food - but seems to create a bit of chaos on the road.

I have a good story about someone who works in my office, a 20-something who I think is an intern, relatively new both to here and to driving, who recently went on a test drive. For now, I will just say that when the drive was over, the car wasn't driveable. She told the story without real shame, so I don't think it is bad to share, but I will wait for later

Honking here is seen as some kind of secret social faux pas, and is uncommon compared to virtually everywhere else. I do notice it seems to be a more frequent act, and I am helping it along

venture said:

Speaking of new to the western world - My son lives near Baltimore. He said he was next to such a person, they were drifting over into his lane, and he had nowhere to go. He said he gently sounded his horn and the guy panicked and ran up over the curb.

I try to remember to honk at any hazardous violation & dangerous maneuver executed on the roadways. This includes failure to use a blinker. Funny that no one I've ever honked at has been ticketed by law enforcement. They deserve a ticket, but my honking will have to suffice as punishment to them.

I think if everyone honked at every dangerous driving behavior on the roadway people might actually start to get it, and it's hard to talk on the cell phone with honking in your ear.

And you wonder why there's all those road rage shootings in Cali.

Mr_Shiftright

At least in California we shoot you for a reason.

oldfarmer50

andres3 said:

fintail said:

The young woman in my story went to UW, so not a direct import - I don't think my employer does that (although I find ire in EB5 much more than H1B), but maybe not much different in terms of driving. She has a DL, but as you know, testing has been privatized, and I have strong suspicion licenses are effectively for sale now.

Long story short - she test drove a small SUV at a domestic dealer to the north of here. They had her sign a slip that said she had a license and insurance, but didn't verify it (more on that soon). Test drive started OK, but sometime during the drive she had a panic situation, left the roadway, hit a tree. Not at high speed, no airbag deployment, but it pushed the bumper cover into the tire, flattening it. Cops came, gave her tickets for leaving the roadway, and for not having insurance. Yes, the dealership let her drive a car without actually looking at an insurance card. She's hired a lawyer about the tickets (these kids seem to have endless money from their mysteriously monied parents), but knows she'll be paying for the damages.

I suspect you had similar situations, but I bet your insurance rules weren't as lax.

isellhondas said:

Microsoft, Amazon and the other tech companies up here love to import employees from other parts of the world that simply do not know how to drive! If they came in with an International Driver's License it was terrifying. we used to wonder how, exactly were they able to pass their Washington's License test but somehow, they did!

It got so bad most of us kept them on surface streets. Seriously some test drives were downright frightening!

Regarding ticketing someone that just got into an accident:

On the one-hand, you absolutely should probably ticket a violation that caused a wreck. There is nothing worse then causing a crash (other than maybe a crash involving a fatality), and for creating congestion with your accident (which should also carry environmental fines for excess gas wastage and pollution emissions). Seems like a tough ticket to fight when you caused an accident! Even for lawyers!

On the other hand, someone just wrecked a car (usually their own), and do you really need to pile-on? Perhaps a wrecked car not covered by insurance is punishment enough.... Now if they wrecked someone else's car, by all means drop the hammer of justice.

My school always insisted on a ticket for anyone in a collision with a bus unless it was clear cut fault on our part. This had more to do with liability and lawsuits than piling on.

For a one car accident that seems like overkill especially when the only witness is the car owner.

jmonroe

thebean said:

andres3 said:

fintail said:

I can believe it. The things I see here make my head spin, and I have been here for ages. Diversity is great and fun and makes for interesting friends and food - but seems to create a bit of chaos on the road.

I have a good story about someone who works in my office, a 20-something who I think is an intern, relatively new both to here and to driving, who recently went on a test drive. For now, I will just say that when the drive was over, the car wasn't driveable. She told the story without real shame, so I don't think it is bad to share, but I will wait for later

Honking here is seen as some kind of secret social faux pas, and is uncommon compared to virtually everywhere else. I do notice it seems to be a more frequent act, and I am helping it along

venture said:

Speaking of new to the western world - My son lives near Baltimore. He said he was next to such a person, they were drifting over into his lane, and he had nowhere to go. He said he gently sounded his horn and the guy panicked and ran up over the curb.

I try to remember to honk at any hazardous violation & dangerous maneuver executed on the roadways. This includes failure to use a blinker. Funny that no one I've ever honked at has been ticketed by law enforcement. They deserve a ticket, but my honking will have to suffice as punishment to them.

I think if everyone honked at every dangerous driving behavior on the roadway people might actually start to get it, and it's hard to talk on the cell phone with honking in your ear.

If you ever come to the Dallas area, you might want to curb that honking instinct. Lately, there have been several cases of shootings of people in road rage incidents. Lots of folks here are packing heat and you don't want to hack them off with your honking.

Hey @thebean, what's with all the changing of your icon thingy? It's gotten to the point I don't recognize you anymore.

As for the road rage thing, I agree completely. Like I said before, I rarely use my horn since I have almost never found it to be useful and I don't have enough time to teach all the bad drivers on the road like @andres3 likes to do and is now encouraging others to do.

So, if I didn't do it before, now with all the road rage going on in most places, it doesn't look like a healthy sport to start learning.

jmonroe

andres3

abacomike said:

oldfarmer50 said:

ab348 said:

My neighbor across the street came over today wondering if I had a battery charger, because his new-to-him Subaru Outback wouldn't turn over. Looking at it upon arrival last month I thought it was new but it's actually a 2011. He said the battery showed 7 volts. I suggested that sounded like bad cells but offered my charger. He said that if it didn't work quick he would have to bicycle down to the nearby parts store with it and have it tested. I was heading that way anyway so offered to drive him and it there, which he was happy to accept.

They tested it and thought it was shot, so he bought a new battery and I took him home after I ran my errand. I was otherwise occupied for a while but emerged to see him instructing his wife trying to start it after he installed the new cell, with no luck. Still not even turning over. Poor devil might be looking at having it towed come Monday.

Maybe he put the battery in backwards.

ab348 said:

driver100 said:

It looks like the 2018 Lexus LS will be radically different. The front grill looks a little over the top, but, it will probably look nicer when you see it from the angle you actually view it at...not a picture that is taken too close too the ground making the grill look larger and taller than it is.

You didn't include a picture from that angle.




I dunno. I always felt that LS buyers were fairly conservative, and aside from the grille this car not only has all the swoopy design cues that are on many mass-market Japanese designs these days, but also appears lower and much sportier. Wonder if they will alienate their customer base, especially without a V-8?

Forgive me but that is hidious!

Instead of reducing the impact of Lexus grilles over the past year or so, they have gone way over the top on the LS for 2018. Audi has been doing similar things with their grillework as well - large and overbearing on some of their cars. There is no doubt that the larger and wider the grillework is on a car, better engine ventilation results. But there is a point at which it diminishes the styling and smooth lines designers try to incorporate into their automobiles. When you have a grille like that, your eyes are drawn to the front of the car and they rest of the styling becomes camouflaged as a result.

But, as we always say, for every car there is a buyer. I hope that driver enjoys his grille.

I think the difference is Audi's grille is stylish and well-designed. They look good, especially in person. In-person is when the Lexus front ends offend me the most. However, the driver doesn't have to look at the grille while driving. It's the Audi driver that'll suffer as they see all Lexi grille in the rear-view mirror.

andres3

oldfarmer50 said:

andres3 said:

fintail said:

I can believe it. The things I see here make my head spin, and I have been here for ages. Diversity is great and fun and makes for interesting friends and food - but seems to create a bit of chaos on the road.

I have a good story about someone who works in my office, a 20-something who I think is an intern, relatively new both to here and to driving, who recently went on a test drive. For now, I will just say that when the drive was over, the car wasn't driveable. She told the story without real shame, so I don't think it is bad to share, but I will wait for later

Honking here is seen as some kind of secret social faux pas, and is uncommon compared to virtually everywhere else. I do notice it seems to be a more frequent act, and I am helping it along

venture said:

Speaking of new to the western world - My son lives near Baltimore. He said he was next to such a person, they were drifting over into his lane, and he had nowhere to go. He said he gently sounded his horn and the guy panicked and ran up over the curb.

I try to remember to honk at any hazardous violation & dangerous maneuver executed on the roadways. This includes failure to use a blinker. Funny that no one I've ever honked at has been ticketed by law enforcement. They deserve a ticket, but my honking will have to suffice as punishment to them.

I think if everyone honked at every dangerous driving behavior on the roadway people might actually start to get it, and it's hard to talk on the cell phone with honking in your ear.

And you wonder why there's all those road rage shootings in Cali.

I don't think many people ever rage at one simple short honk Even the easily offended probably don't get too upset unless it is a loud and long lasting honk at them.

Those road rage incidents you hear about are always a 2-way street of continued and varied escalation. It might start with a honk, but it usually has about 4 or 5 (maybe more) illegal maneuvers in the middle, before a gun is pulled out. There is plenty of time to ignore the road rager to deescalate the situation, or capture them on camera like @fintail

andres3

oldfarmer50 said:

andres3 said:

fintail said:

The young woman in my story went to UW, so not a direct import - I don't think my employer does that (although I find ire in EB5 much more than H1B), but maybe not much different in terms of driving. She has a DL, but as you know, testing has been privatized, and I have strong suspicion licenses are effectively for sale now.

Long story short - she test drove a small SUV at a domestic dealer to the north of here. They had her sign a slip that said she had a license and insurance, but didn't verify it (more on that soon). Test drive started OK, but sometime during the drive she had a panic situation, left the roadway, hit a tree. Not at high speed, no airbag deployment, but it pushed the bumper cover into the tire, flattening it. Cops came, gave her tickets for leaving the roadway, and for not having insurance. Yes, the dealership let her drive a car without actually looking at an insurance card. She's hired a lawyer about the tickets (these kids seem to have endless money from their mysteriously monied parents), but knows she'll be paying for the damages.

I suspect you had similar situations, but I bet your insurance rules weren't as lax.

isellhondas said:

Microsoft, Amazon and the other tech companies up here love to import employees from other parts of the world that simply do not know how to drive! If they came in with an International Driver's License it was terrifying. we used to wonder how, exactly were they able to pass their Washington's License test but somehow, they did!

It got so bad most of us kept them on surface streets. Seriously some test drives were downright frightening!

Regarding ticketing someone that just got into an accident:

On the one-hand, you absolutely should probably ticket a violation that caused a wreck. There is nothing worse then causing a crash (other than maybe a crash involving a fatality), and for creating congestion with your accident (which should also carry environmental fines for excess gas wastage and pollution emissions). Seems like a tough ticket to fight when you caused an accident! Even for lawyers!

On the other hand, someone just wrecked a car (usually their own), and do you really need to pile-on? Perhaps a wrecked car not covered by insurance is punishment enough.... Now if they wrecked someone else's car, by all means drop the hammer of justice.

My school always insisted on a ticket for anyone in a collision with a bus unless it was clear cut fault on our part. This had more to do with liability and lawsuits than piling on.

For a one car accident that seems like overkill especially when the only witness is the car owner.

What about a one car accident captured on Youtube (or someone's dash cam)? You need to search "Mustang Fails"

jmonroe

andres3 said:

abacomike said:

oldfarmer50 said:

ab348 said:

My neighbor across the street came over today wondering if I had a battery charger, because his new-to-him Subaru Outback wouldn't turn over. Looking at it upon arrival last month I thought it was new but it's actually a 2011. He said the battery showed 7 volts. I suggested that sounded like bad cells but offered my charger. He said that if it didn't work quick he would have to bicycle down to the nearby parts store with it and have it tested. I was heading that way anyway so offered to drive him and it there, which he was happy to accept.

They tested it and thought it was shot, so he bought a new battery and I took him home after I ran my errand. I was otherwise occupied for a while but emerged to see him instructing his wife trying to start it after he installed the new cell, with no luck. Still not even turning over. Poor devil might be looking at having it towed come Monday.

Maybe he put the battery in backwards.

ab348 said:

driver100 said:

It looks like the 2018 Lexus LS will be radically different. The front grill looks a little over the top, but, it will probably look nicer when you see it from the angle you actually view it at...not a picture that is taken too close too the ground making the grill look larger and taller than it is.

You didn't include a picture from that angle.




I dunno. I always felt that LS buyers were fairly conservative, and aside from the grille this car not only has all the swoopy design cues that are on many mass-market Japanese designs these days, but also appears lower and much sportier. Wonder if they will alienate their customer base, especially without a V-8?

Forgive me but that is hidious!

Instead of reducing the impact of Lexus grilles over the past year or so, they have gone way over the top on the LS for 2018. Audi has been doing similar things with their grillework as well - large and overbearing on some of their cars. There is no doubt that the larger and wider the grillework is on a car, better engine ventilation results. But there is a point at which it diminishes the styling and smooth lines designers try to incorporate into their automobiles. When you have a grille like that, your eyes are drawn to the front of the car and they rest of the styling becomes camouflaged as a result.

But, as we always say, for every car there is a buyer. I hope that driver enjoys his grille.

I think the difference is Audi's grille is stylish and well-designed. They look good, especially in person. In-person is when the Lexus front ends offend me the most. However, the driver doesn't have to look at the grille while driving. It's the Audi driver that'll suffer as they see all Lexi grille in the rear-view mirror.

Speaking of Lexus, has anyone heard from @houdini1 about the '16 LS is was going to look at?

Maybe he packed a lunch and is still at the Audi dealership.

jmonroe

andres3

driver100 said:

roadburner said:

jmonroe said:

Sure would like to get in on the ground floor of a car that offered an Instantaneous HP Meter.

jmonroe

Very old news; my 2014 2er has it- and the F30 3er before that...

Thanks RB and Mike I had no idea there was a gauge that shows horsepower being used. That is information I would actually like to see. With all the electronics and digital stuff they can do these days, there should be a nice way to display that. Then again, maybe there is a reason they don't want to do that!.

More importantly, would the gauges still read accurate after a tune adding 50 HP? Would the limits of the gauge go up?

They do seem to prefer green leaf gauges and green pictures of a foot being light on an accelerator pedal don't they?