Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

ab348

I am watching the DVD of Mannix season 3 this week! I still get DVDs because I find Netlix has about 98% of stuff that I don't like, so this way I get only what I want. I tend to break them out this time of year when baseball season is over and there are times certain evenings when there is nothing I want to watch. Mannix is a pretty good series and I enjoy shows from that era. The theme music is quite good. Lalo Schifrin also did the theme and other music for the 1968 Bullitt movie which is excellent.

abacomike

benjaminh said:

Anyone else around here watch old TV shows sometimes? I watch a mix of old and new shows, and a few years ago I got into watching Mannix, which is a private detective show set in LA that ran from 1967 to 1975. There are many things that are fun about the show even beyond the stories, including the period cars, the architecture and interiors of the era, as well as the manners and morals of another time (both for good and bad). As I was getting into the show I suggested to my son, who was then about 18, that I wished I could somehow learn a little about video editing. My son tends to be more can-do than I am, and said, more or less, "Sure Dad. I'm sure you can do it if I help you." And the little project he helped me with was a 2-minute trailer that I made for an episode of Mannix first broadcast in 1968, featuring the great theme music by Lalo Schifrin. And so, for your possible amusement, here's that 2-minute trailer I made about 3 years ago... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcVyf75htto

I watch “Frasier” on COZY TV every night from 8:00 - 10:00 PM.

driver100

abacomike said:

tyguy said:

abacomike said:

I get excited every morning when I am about to leave home and get behind the wheel of the Mercedes Benz flagship sedan with everything in it but a kitchen sink, a toilet, and the means by which I could cook my own meals. Everything else I need is right there at my fingertips and my right foot. Also remember that at my age, getting excited about anything is very difficult!

Feel free to fly down here and I'll demonstrate everything it has. I love this car! And no more cars for at least 2 more years - I promise!

Nice. I'm glad you found something that makes you happy and excited to drive. What's your favorite thing that makes it unique?

The 6 variations of massage for the driver’s and passenger’s seats.  Exhilarating!


Do you sit in the passenger seat sometimes to get a massage? 10 minutes in the drivers seat, then 10 in the passenger seat so they get worn equally?

abacomike

driver100 said:

tyguy said:

I get excited every morning when I am about to leave home and get behind the wheel of the Mercedes Benz flagship sedan with everything in it but a kitchen sink, a toilet, and the means by which I could cook my own meals. Everything else I need is right there at my fingertips and my right foot. Also remember that at my age, getting excited about anything is very difficult! Feel free to fly down here and I'll demonstrate everything it has. I love this car! And no more cars for at least 2 more years - I promise!

Nice. I'm glad you found something that makes you happy and excited to drive. What's your favorite thing that makes it unique?

The 6 variations of massage for the driver’s and passenger’s seats.  Exhilarating!

Do you sit in the passenger seat sometimes to get a massage? 10 minutes in the drivers seat, then 10 in the passenger seat so they get worn equally?

Driver, are you out of your mind?  When I have my kids here or grandkids or just a friend on an evening dinner date, they often ask if I could turn on the massage function.

Your post is somewhat “nonsensical”!

driver100

Benjaminh...nicely edited bit from Mannix. Brought back memories....there is something comfortable about the old shows. I was reading where ratings for Hallmark Channel are rising as people want to get away from the real world and go back to a time when things were less anxiety producing. Good basic stories without extraneous vicious murders or violence.

Crime shows need a crime...like a murder, but not excessive violence with needless killing. Just one good killing.

driver100

Ab, sorry to hear about your TV escapade. How aggravating....you would think the guy would triple check to make sure he was going to the right door when it is a TV set. In Florida they deliver on Saturday and they deliver until about 8 p.m. every day. Amazon Prime has their own delivery trucks.

driver100

abacomike said:

driver100 said:

abacomike said:

tyguy said:

abacomike said:

I get excited every morning when I am about to leave home and get behind the wheel of the Mercedes Benz flagship sedan with everything in it but a kitchen sink, a toilet, and the means by which I could cook my own meals. Everything else I need is right there at my fingertips and my right foot. Also remember that at my age, getting excited about anything is very difficult!

Feel free to fly down here and I'll demonstrate everything it has. I love this car! And no more cars for at least 2 more years - I promise!

Nice. I'm glad you found something that makes you happy and excited to drive. What's your favorite thing that makes it unique?

The 6 variations of massage for the driver’s and passenger’s seats.  Exhilarating!

Do you sit in the passenger seat sometimes to get a massage? 10 minutes in the drivers seat, then 10 in the passenger seat so they get worn equally?

Driver, are you out of your mind?  When I have my kids here or grandkids or just a friend on an evening dinner date, they often ask if I could turn on the massage function.

Your post is somewhat “nonsensical”!

Mike, you're the one who said:
The 6 variations of massage for the driver’s and passenger’s seats. Exhilarating!
Sounds like you were the one getting the massage, unless you find it exhilarating watching others get a massage

stickguy

a couple of years ago we were at my parents house and my sister decided their TV was hopeless. So she went online and ordered them a new one. I think it was christmas eve, or the day before. The darned thing showed up the next day. I think on Christmas. It was freaky.

oldfarmer50

ab348 said:

I am watching the DVD of Mannix season 3 this week! I still get DVDs because I find Netlix has about 98% of stuff that I don't like, so this way I get only what I want. I tend to break them out this time of year when baseball season is over and there are times certain evenings when there is nothing I want to watch. Mannix is a pretty good series and I enjoy shows from that era. The theme music is quite good. Lalo Schifrin also did the theme and other music for the 1968 Bullitt movie which is excellent.

When I was a kid I used to record all the theme songs from my favorite shows on a big reel to reel tape recorder. Yes, the music was better back then.

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

Ab, sorry to hear about your TV escapade. How aggravating....you would think the guy would triple check to make sure he was going to the right door when it is a TV set. In Florida they deliver on Saturday and they deliver until about 8 p.m. every day. Amazon Prime has their own delivery trucks.

Sometimes the delivery people rely on the GPS system and don’t look at the name on the mailbox. I don’t know how many deliveries went to my neighbor 1/4 mile down the road even though my name and number are on my mailbox in big 6 inch letters.

I finally found out that when you search my address on google maps it showed my neighbor’s house.

roadburner

Fed Ex is the absolute worst in my experience. We have an address that is not on anyone's GPS. UPS never has an issue, but every time there's a new Fed Ex driver we get an "Unable to Deliver " notice which means I have to call them and give them directions for the umpteenth time- and of course it delays delivery by a day or more.
It's just infuriating.

abacomike

driver100 said:

driver100 said:

tyguy said:

I get excited every morning when I am about to leave home and get behind the wheel of the Mercedes Benz flagship sedan with everything in it but a kitchen sink, a toilet, and the means by which I could cook my own meals. Everything else I need is right there at my fingertips and my right foot. Also remember that at my age, getting excited about anything is very difficult! Feel free to fly down here and I'll demonstrate everything it has. I love this car! And no more cars for at least 2 more years - I promise!

Nice. I'm glad you found something that makes you happy and excited to drive. What's your favorite thing that makes it unique?

The 6 variations of massage for the driver’s and passenger’s seats.  Exhilarating!

Do you sit in the passenger seat sometimes to get a massage? 10 minutes in the drivers seat, then 10 in the passenger seat so they get worn equally?

Driver, are you out of your mind?  When I have my kids here or grandkids or just a friend on an evening dinner date, they often ask if I could turn on the massage function.

Your post is somewhat “nonsensical”!

Mike, you're the one who said: The 6 variations of massage for the driver’s and passenger’s seats. Exhilarating! Sounds like you were the one getting the massage, unless you find it exhilarating watching others get a massage

Do you think I am some kind of pervert?  That’s what you are insinuating!  Driver, do me a favor - cut the comedy out and leave me alone!

Drivingfool

I got an iSerta memory foam floor model for us in March and love it!! Helps me sleep most nights with my bad spinal issues. Just love it!! A little pricey but being a floor model, they gave me a really great price with some added goodies. My kid got a Casper knock off and she's super happy and I'll get to use her old queen when I go visit and she had an excellent one only a few years old.
Just turned 64 and my s s should start next month I think. Being a civil service retiree already getting a decent government pension, will only get a small fraction, peanuts if you will, so raking it now. Still waiting to hear how much my pension will go up as it's based on a cola, much like s s. Usually get a notice mid December about the new monthly stipend. But can't complain since most folks don't get pensions no more so am lucky. Was told on day 1, "you'll never get rich, but you'll make a good living" definitely rang true so after 31 years of service, I took the money and ran. Long story really and the class action lawsuit is still in the court process but have gotten a lawyer this time as 2/3rds of something is better than 0% of nothing!!!

The Sandman/Driving Fool

roadburner

Well I had a fun week; 4.5 days of new prosecutor orientation. The prosecuting isn't going to be the issue- it's the administrative issues- time sheets, budget projections, compliance with bureaucratic regulations, etc.
The sessions on prosecuting were very helpful and reinforced my belief that the changes I'm going to implement are necessary.
One interesting discussion concerned whether you should go to the scene of high-profile crimes; on the one hand, going to the scene will give you an advantage if the case goes to trial, as you will have actually been there. Conversely, some prosecutors said that it wasn't worth the hassle and can conceivably cause you to be labeled a witness- in which case you would have to disqualify yourself from prosecuting.

Drivingfool

Got it at Mattress Firm also, they have a store two doors down from work. Stopped in today and found out they are not closing all their stores and are in some kind of chapter 11 reorganization, whatever that means. Good because my guy threw in an extended warranty on our new mattress that would be worth [non-permissible content removed] if they had closed down all their stores!!

sda

I remember watching Mannix when it was on prime time. Seems like yesterday. I enjoyed your clip and it’s neat your son was glad to help.

28firefighter

I watch Emergency! all the time. Big surprise, right?

Michaell

28firefighter said:

I watch Emergency! all the time. Big surprise, right?

My dad and I watched Emergency - since he was a firefighter, he was able to comment on the accuracy of the shows.

At the time, he worked for the city fire department. The station he worked at, however, was shared with a county engine company - #51, as it turns out. I believe it was the first city/county shared facility in the country.

bwia

What's Killing America's White Men? BBC News.

I didn't know we have such a problem but according to this BBC video
"Every year, nearly 45,000 people in America kill themselves. That is more than twice the number that die in homicides, and the numbers are increasing. There is one group in particular causing this spike - white, middle aged men. India Rakusen goes to Montana, where suicide rates are double the national average, to find out what drives so many of these men to despair and taking their own lives."

benjaminh

28firefighter said:

I watch Emergency! all the time. Big surprise, right?

Have you tried Chicago Fire? Good show imho.

abacomike

bwia said:

What's Killing America's White Men? BBC News. I didn't know we have such a problem but according to this BBC video "Every year, nearly 45,000 people in America kill themselves. That is more than twice the number that die in homicides, and the numbers are increasing. There is one group in particular causing this spike - white, middle aged men. India Rakusen goes to Montana, where suicide rates are double the national average, to find out what drives so many of these men to despair and taking their own lives."

A significant percentage of these suicides are 20 somethings and 30 somethings veterans which is even more alarming.  What these men and women are exposed to - especially in Afghanistan - must be soul wrenching - on edge for fear of a Taliban attack or roadside bomb.  Then they come home and have such difficulty adapting to normal family life and difficulties finding and holding onto gainful employment.  PTSD is the culprit in many instances.

What are we doing to our most precious gifts for the future of America - our young sons and daughters? 

driver100

abacomike said:

driver100 said:

abacomike said:

driver100 said:

abacomike said:

tyguy said:

abacomike said:

I get excited every morning when I am about to leave home and get behind the wheel of the Mercedes Benz flagship sedan with everything in it but a kitchen sink, a toilet, and the means by which I could cook my own meals. Everything else I need is right there at my fingertips and my right foot. Also remember that at my age, getting excited about anything is very difficult!

Feel free to fly down here and I'll demonstrate everything it has. I love this car! And no more cars for at least 2 more years - I promise!

Nice. I'm glad you found something that makes you happy and excited to drive. What's your favorite thing that makes it unique?

The 6 variations of massage for the driver’s and passenger’s seats.  Exhilarating!

Do you sit in the passenger seat sometimes to get a massage? 10 minutes in the drivers seat, then 10 in the passenger seat so they get worn equally?

Driver, are you out of your mind?  When I have my kids here or grandkids or just a friend on an evening dinner date, they often ask if I could turn on the massage function.

Your post is somewhat “nonsensical”!

Mike, you're the one who said:
The 6 variations of massage for the driver’s and passenger’s seats. Exhilarating!

Do you think I am some kind of pervert?  That’s what you are insinuating!  Driver, do me a favor - cut the comedy out and leave me alone!

Sorry Mike, didn't mean to upset you.......I was just having fun with what you said. I know what you meant, but, it was a funny way (in my warped sense of humor mind) to write it. And I will leave it at that.....

oldfarmer50

bwia said:

What's Killing America's White Men? BBC News.

I didn't know we have such a problem but according to this BBC video
"Every year, nearly 45,000 people in America kill themselves. That is more than twice the number that die in homicides, and the numbers are increasing. There is one group in particular causing this spike - white, middle aged men. India Rakusen goes to Montana, where suicide rates are double the national average, to find out what drives so many of these men to despair and taking their own lives."

Their wives probably won’t let them get the mid life crisis car they want.

That sounds like more narrative driven spin passing as news.

28firefighter

I stopped watching Chicago Fire. It started out pretty good, but the drama just ran too far afield for me. 

Ive been watching Station 19 on abc, not because it’s accurate but because it’s supposed to take place in Seattle. 

snakeweasel

tyguy said:

We visited the Cherry Creek mall location to check out the Model 3 before the purchase. Tough mall for traffic getting in and out, but they were the closest to us. We'll pick up the new car at the Littleton location next week.

Mike, I let the family know your regards and they send theirs along, too.

Regarding electric vs ICE, we're still very early in the development of electric vehicles and people buying them now are the guinea pigs (me included). Some buy electric for the environmental cause, others buy Tesla because of the performance capabilities, and some are more interested in not purchasing gas or being dependent on foreign oil. For me, the Tesla represents all those things. A bonus is the latest safety test results the Model 3.

While I appreciate good cornering and swift acceleration, I'm not totally attached to super performance, so we didn't opt for the 3.3-second 0-60 dual motor performance model. We went for the standard 5-second long range version and will be plenty happy with that. Owners have been reporting even faster acceleration, and living in Colorado at 5,000 feet, the benefits of lower air density combined with no ill effect on ICE power loss, will make this car much quicker than my Audi. But I really won't push it like that. No tracking, no illegal stuff on public roads.

That reminds me of a trip to NYC a couple of weeks ago. I was waiting for an Uber near Times Square and traffic was terrible, like 15 minutes to go 1 block terrible. There was a Hellcat idling away and the driver just kept revving up the engine and then peeling out his tires with the front brakes locked. I guess in NYC if you can't move fast, you make up other ways to take advantage of that big motor.

The cool thing is that our home solar has been producing more than we'd hoped, and our energy consumption is less than anticipated. Over the last 4 years production has been about 185% of consumption, and if my math is right (or "maths" if you're in England), we'll have just enough capacity to cover the house and daily driving with the Tesla.

OK I have to admit that I am jealous, we went to the Oak Brook mall just west of Chicago and while my wife was shopping at a store I wasn't particularly interested in I stopped at the Tealsa place a few doors down. I have been there before but several years ago so I have not seen the Model 3. I sat it in, played around with it a little and I was impressed, really nice car. Loved the seats. Enjoy yours.

snakeweasel

Yesterday I was driving along a almost empty stretch of road two lanes in each direction, the only other car was a dark colored Challenger. I was going slightly over the speed limit (maybe 4 or 5 over) when I passed the Challenger. As soon as I passed the Challenger the driver merged into my lane and paced me for a few hundred feet before dropping back to his original speed. My guess he was an unmarked police car and I wasn't going fast enough to warrant being pulled over.

Mr_Shiftright

bwia said:

What's Killing America's White Men? BBC News.

I didn't know we have such a problem but according to this BBC video
"Every year, nearly . 45,000 people in America kill themselves. That is more than twice the number that die in homicides, and the numbers are increasing. There is one group in particular causing this spike - white, middle aged men. India Rakusen goes to Montana, where suicide rates are double the national average, to find out what drives so many of these men to despair and taking their own lives."

The world suicide rate is going down but America's is going up. It generally relates to "quality of life".

Also, older men generally use the most lethal means when attempting a suicide. We talk a lot about this in my EMR class.

explorerx4

Wife and I did a quick thousand piece puzzle over the last week or so.

bwia

Here is the BBC 23-minute video on the middle age white men suicide crisis in the US. The impact on those with young children is particularly heartbreaking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdBRBmXlkrg

[Deleted User]

snakeweasel said:

OK I have to admit that I am jealous, we went to the Oak Brook mall just west of Chicago and while my wife was shopping at a store I wasn't particularly interested in I stopped at the Tealsa place a few doors down. I have been there before but several years ago so I have not seen the Model 3. I sat it in, played around with it a little and I was impressed, really nice car. Loved the seats. Enjoy yours.

Thanks Snake!  I appreciate the well wishes.  I traveled to California recently and Model 3s are staring to become pretty ubiquitous there.  There are now 5 Teslas at my work and I see different ones in our Colorado town once or twice a day.  I appreciate what Tesla is trying to accomplish so I really hope they make it long term.

[Deleted User]

Roughly a third of my field engineering team is veteran and PTSD is very real.  We provide counseling services and the team is supportive of each other.  As a leader it’s heartening to see team members rally around each other and make a real difference in the quality of life of other people.  Community, friends, and family are so, so important to aid in the transition from combat to civilian life.  Those heroes deserve our very best efforts.

graphicguy

roadburner said:

Well I had a fun week; 4.5 days of new prosecutor orientation. The prosecuting isn't going to be the issue- it's the administrative issues- time sheets, budget projections, compliance with bureaucratic regulations, etc.
The sessions on prosecuting were very helpful and reinforced my belief that the changes I'm going to implement are necessary.
One interesting discussion concerned whether you should go to the scene of high-profile crimes; on the one hand, going to the scene will give you an advantage if the case goes to trial, as you will have actually been there. Conversely, some prosecutors said that it wasn't worth the hassle and can conceivably cause you to be labeled a witness- in which case you would have to disqualify yourself from prosecuting.

RB....that actually sounds really exciting. I bet you’re chomping at the bit to get started.

graphicguy

While more acquaintances than friends, my “Inner Circle” of people I hang out with know of two people who attempted suicide. Thankfully, they were found in enough time and are getting the help they need.

Generally speaking, these people were feeling general malaise and hopelessness the last couple of years. Not sure why, as they were both relatively successful and had families that loved them (I think).

I just think in this country there’s been a general feeling of hopelessness and malaise recently. Is that a contributor to the suicide rate? I’m sure it is. To what extent? Don’t know!

oldfarmer50

snakeweasel said:

Yesterday I was driving along a almost empty stretch of road two lanes in each direction, the only other car was a dark colored Challenger. I was going slightly over the speed limit (maybe 4 or 5 over) when I passed the Challenger. As soon as I passed the Challenger the driver merged into my lane and paced me for a few hundred feet before dropping back to his original speed. My guess he was an unmarked police car and I wasn't going fast enough to warrant being pulled over.

Which car were you driving? Maybe he was envious of your cool ride?

oldfarmer50

explorerx4 said:

Wife and I did a quick thousand piece puzzle over the last week or so.

Sweet. A labor of love.

oldfarmer50

graphicguy said:

While more of acquaintances than a friends, my “Inner Circle” of people I hang out with know of two people who attempted suicide. Thankfully, they were found in enough time and are getting the help they need.

Generally speaking, these people were feeling general malaise and hopelessness the last couple of years. Not sure why, as they were both relatively successful and had families that loved them (I think).

I just think in this country there’s been a general feeling of hopelessness and malaise recently. Is that a contributor to the suicide rate? I’m sure it is. To what extent? Don’t know!

As I mentioned before, two of my previous school bus driver acquaintances committed suicide. One was middle age but the other was 31. Keeping within my sphere of experience, two other bus drivers lost children to opioid overdose. 80,000 mostly younger people died last year to drug overdose, a much higher figure, but no one ties in that behavior to feelings of malaise or hopelessness.

graphicguy

oldfarmer50 said:

graphicguy said:

While more of acquaintances than a friends, my “Inner Circle” of people I hang out with know of two people who attempted suicide. Thankfully, they were found in enough time and are getting the help they need.

Generally speaking, these people were feeling general malaise and hopelessness the last couple of years. Not sure why, as they were both relatively successful and had families that loved them (I think).

I just think in this country there’s been a general feeling of hopelessness and malaise recently. Is that a contributor to the suicide rate? I’m sure it is. To what extent? Don’t know!

As I mentioned before, two of my previous school bus driver acquaintances committed suicide. One was middle age but the other was 31. Keeping within my sphere of experience, two other bus drivers lost children to opioid overdose. 80,000 mostly younger people died last year to drug overdose, a much higher figure, but no one ties in that behavior to feelings of malaise or hopelessness.

Really good point OF. Can’t see another reason for someone to give their lives over to opioids.....absence of hope?

snakeweasel

oldfarmer50 said:

Yesterday I was driving along a almost empty stretch of road two lanes in each direction, the only other car was a dark colored Challenger. I was going slightly over the speed limit (maybe 4 or 5 over) when I passed the Challenger. As soon as I passed the Challenger the driver merged into my lane and paced me for a few hundred feet before dropping back to his original speed. My guess he was an unmarked police car and I wasn't going fast enough to warrant being pulled over.

Which car were you driving? Maybe he was envious of your cool ride?

It was in the ragtop so I don't think he was. 

oldfarmer50

Question on incentives.

While looking at incentives on Mustangs I found two separate cash offers. One for $2000 and another for $500. Can I assume that these are combinable for a total of $2500 or are they mutually exclusive? Help me understand this.

GT Coupe

(5.0L V8 6-speed Manual)

$ OfferAvailable

Customer $ $ Offer
Requirements and Restrictions:
Customer Cash is available towards retail purchases. May not be combined with Special APR Financing through Ford Motor Credit Company.
Customer $ Offer Start End
$2,000 Customer Cash 10/02/2018 01/02/2019

Bonus $ Offer
Requirements and Restrictions:
Bonus Cash is available towards retail purchases. May not be combined with leases.
Bonus $ Offer Type Start End
$500 Bonus Cash 10/02/2018 01/02/2019

henryn

graphicguy said:

oldfarmer50 said:

graphicguy said:

While more of acquaintances than a friends, my “Inner Circle” of people I hang out with know of two people who attempted suicide. Thankfully, they were found in enough time and are getting the help they need.

Generally speaking, these people were feeling general malaise and hopelessness the last couple of years. Not sure why, as they were both relatively successful and had families that loved them (I think).

I just think in this country there’s been a general feeling of hopelessness and malaise recently. Is that a contributor to the suicide rate? I’m sure it is. To what extent? Don’t know!

As I mentioned before, two of my previous school bus driver acquaintances committed suicide. One was middle age but the other was 31. Keeping within my sphere of experience, two other bus drivers lost children to opioid overdose. 80,000 mostly younger people died last year to drug overdose, a much higher figure, but no one ties in that behavior to feelings of malaise or hopelessness.

Really good point OF. Can’t see another reason for someone to give their lives over to opioids.....absence of hope?

I think most people start opioids due to a prescription for pain relief. And they discover that they can feel good, have no worries, no cares, just by taking a pill. You don't have to get up and go to work every day, get along with your boss, put up with rude people. All those things that you have to do every day in order to make a living, take care of yourself and others, just in order to feel good about yourself, that you are a productive member of society.

Just take a pill. No worries.

driver100

Nice puzzle Explorer.
If Ford only makes money on their F-150s I wonder why they will keep making Mustangs? They are a legend, and they are the fastest selling car in that class, but, do they need it to uphold their reputation.

driver100

snakeweasel said:

oldfarmer50 said:

snakeweasel said:

Yesterday I was driving along a almost empty stretch of road two lanes in each direction, the only other car was a dark colored Challenger. I was going slightly over the speed limit (maybe 4 or 5 over) when I passed the Challenger. As soon as I passed the Challenger the driver merged into my lane and paced me for a few hundred feet before dropping back to his original speed. My guess he was an unmarked police car and I wasn't going fast enough to warrant being pulled over.

Which car were you driving? Maybe he was envious of your cool ride?

It was in the ragtop so I don't think he was. 

Probably an unmarked police car. You can usually tell, they usually have black wheels and no wheel disc, a spotlight, and often an aerial on the roof.
When they look like this - they are easy to spot:

fintail

Some of it no doubt can likely be attributed to the threadbare mental health system and equally threadbare safety net as the US becomes more of a Randian fantasy. I think for many, hopelessness is easy to come by. Some of it can also likely be linked to the "economic anxiety" term that has become popular (and also linked to that safety net).

graphicguy said:

While more of acquaintances than a friends, my “Inner Circle” of people I hang out with know of two people who attempted suicide. Thankfully, they were found in enough time and are getting the help they need.

Generally speaking, these people were feeling general malaise and hopelessness the last couple of years. Not sure why, as they were both relatively successful and had families that loved them (I think).

I just think in this country there’s been a general feeling of hopelessness and malaise recently. Is that a contributor to the suicide rate? I’m sure it is. To what extent? Don’t know!

explorerx4

@driver100,
What makes you think they only make money on F-150's? They do make the bulk of it on them.

xwesx

bwia said:

Here is the BBC 23-minute video on the middle age white men suicide crisis in the US. The impact on those with young children is particularly heartbreaking.

Life goes by quickly, and it is difficult to accomplish all those goals one sets out for themselves when they're young. At middle age, it seems like your best year s are behind you, many don't have anything truly meaningful (such as true friends/family/hobbies/passions that are what add the spark of joy to life), and everything starts to feel rather pointless.

As our society continues to crumble, I expect that drug abuse (including alcohol), suicide, and mass homicide will continue to climb. They are all symptoms.

driver100

explorerx4 said:

@driver100,
What makes you think they only make money on F-150's? They do make the bulk of it on them.

Explorer, I read it. I guess no one knows exactly but according to these guys;

Here in the U.S., Ford has really been a truck company. And according to the best estimates, Ford makes over 90 percent of its profits on its F-Series trucks. That's mostly the F-150

Might be how you read it, since Mustang sales are strong in it's category and worldwide, they might like to keep it going.
ARTICLE Ford to Stop Making Most of their Car lines

A big problem for Ford is they would have to spend big bucks to update the car models that they currently sell, and the competition in that market is fierce.

xwesx

driver100 said:

A big problem for Ford is they would have to spend big bucks to update the car models that they currently sell, and the competition in that market is fierce.

Right. They're just viewing it as a loss leader no matter how they slice it. Since the spread of utility vehicles crosses the entire lineup now, and many buyers' first vehicles are such UVs, what's really the point of continuing to lose money on offering compacts/sedans? All I can say is that they better put those freed dollars to good use making some incredible UVs!

driver100

driver100 said:

snakeweasel said:

oldfarmer50 said:

snakeweasel said:

Yesterday I was driving along a almost empty stretch of road two lanes in each direction, the only other car was a dark colored Challenger. I was going slightly over the speed limit (maybe 4 or 5 over) when I passed the Challenger. As soon as I passed the Challenger the driver merged into my lane and paced me for a few hundred feet before dropping back to his original speed. My guess he was an unmarked police car and I wasn't going fast enough to warrant being pulled over.

Which car were you driving? Maybe he was envious of your cool ride?

It was in the ragtop so I don't think he was. 

Probably an unmarked police car. You can usually tell, they usually have black wheels and no wheel disc, a spotlight, and often an aerial on the roof.
When they look like this - they are easy to spot:



I am answering myself now...that might be a bad sign.
Another giveaway is when there are red lights flashing in the window or front grill, or back shelf.

snakeweasel

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Yesterday I was driving along a almost empty stretch of road two lanes in each direction, the only other car was a dark colored Challenger. I was going slightly over the speed limit (maybe 4 or 5 over) when I passed the Challenger. As soon as I passed the Challenger the driver merged into my lane and paced me for a few hundred feet before dropping back to his original speed. My guess he was an unmarked police car and I wasn't going fast enough to warrant being pulled over.

Which car were you driving? Maybe he was envious of your cool ride?

It was in the ragtop so I don't think he was. 

Probably an unmarked police car. You can usually tell, they usually have black wheels and no wheel disc, a spotlight, and often an aerial on the roof. When they look like this - they are easy to spot:

Around here there is very little showing on an unmarked police car to identify it. Antennas are hidden many don't have the spotlight and the Mars lights are hard to see inside the car.

imidazol97

Are there online forums like autotrader that are good places to advertise a speciality performance car where the buyer is more likely to be someone willing to pay more for a performance car. A friend is thinking he's going to end up selling the kid's 98 Mustang with Cobra motor that was a replacement and has been rebuilt recently. Lots of specialty suspension modifications in the Thousands of dollars..

It's had a new motor, a new transmission (manual) and other things done to it in the last few years. I believe it's in the 80-90K miles range. They had it up for sale by a performance car shop where they had bought it, but the guy claimed the only interest was at a low price.