Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

omarman

RE: comparing cars by fuel economy only

Here's an old newspaper graphic to help consumers cross shopping for the best and worst 1982 cars rated by the EPA for gas mileage only.

ab348

None of the cars in the list of "The Best" are any that I would want to drive. Just makes the point that deciding on a vehicle based on that factor is not a great idea.

tjc78

A 5 speed manual diesel Chevette.... yeah I’ll buy a bus pass.

driver100

ab348 said:

None of the cars in the list of "The Best" are any that I would want to drive. Just makes the point that deciding on a vehicle based on that factor is not a great idea.

I think I would rather have poorer mileage but a decent car!

stickguy

based on that list, you weren't getting a decent car to go along with the poorer mileage!

graphicguy

driver100 said:

graphicguy said:

tjc78 said:

@graphicguy
Looks great! I would get a standard mount cartridge for that TT. No reason to be constrained to P-type with that head shell.

BTW.....was I dreaming or was there a fleeting @Kirstie_H sighting in here?

I noticed Kirstie_H post too.....K come out and tell us what is happening in your life!
.....and GG, how are the eyes doing?

Eye? Thanks for asking. No vision in it....can just see light and dark. I can live with that. It’s the way it affects my other eye as my brain tries to process one eye with just light/dark capability and the other one which can see “relatively” well. There’s some talk with my eye surgeon, who says there’s been damage (due to all the surgeries) to the cornea, and that a cornea transplant could possibly increase my sight quite a bit. But, recuperating put me in a “dark place” mentally from all the retina surgeries.

Whining for a moment, for about 6 weeks, I had to stay face down for all but 90 minutes of my waking hours, and had to sleep (if you want to call it that) face down, too. Regardless of the gyrations one goes to in order to keep a semblance of normalcy (like sticking an iPad down in front of my face and commiserating with my Edmunds friends via voice recognition while posting) it messed with my general mental outlook. I’m OK now, but I was not a fun person to be around during the weeks up to Thanksgiving and right after.

So, not sure I want to go down that road again for something as likely more complex as a cornea transplant.

What I’d rather do, is just get an eye patch to close off the “vision” of the affected eye and just use one eye. I can get some pretty cool eye patches and make up all sorts of adventurous stories (none true) about how and why I need an eye patch.

In all frankness, there’s always good that comes out of bad. I’ve learned to be so thankful for those who’ve reached out to me, like you folks, and wished me well. Those small gestures and encouragements pulled me through some painful and challenging days. My son, my sisters and my GF were instrumental in helping me get through, too.

I retired at the exact right time due to the physical limitations I went through. Really enjoyed my little transport business, so I miss that, even though I only did it for a few months. The GF is generally my chauffeur when it’s dark out, and my limited peripheral vision gets even more limited. She says she doesn’t mind. We’ll see how long that lasts.

All-in-all, I’m good!

oldfarmer50

omarman said:

RE: comparing cars by fuel economy only

Here's an old newspaper graphic to help consumers cross shopping for the best and worst 1982 cars rated by the EPA for gas mileage only.

I doubt buyers of the cars on the worst list would care a bit about gas milage. I remember making inquires about the VW diesel during the late 70s oil crisis. The salesman was so rude we never went back. Good thing too as I understand those early VW diesels were problematic.

stickguy

it was a 1970's VW. Went with the territory.

qbrozen

Never heard of an Isuzu i-mark

28firefighter

oldfarmer50 said:

Good thing too as I understand those current VW diesels are still problematic.

Fixed it for you.

stickguy

qbrozen said:

Never heard of an Isuzu i-mark

You are lucky. They were not great. I believe that is the model that in 1976 became the Opel by Isuzu.

kyfdx

qbrozen said:

Never heard of an Isuzu i-mark

I think mostly Buick dealers sold Isuzus.

stickguy

I think Isuzu was stand alone. Buick also sold Opels.

kyfdx

stickguy said:

I think Isuzu was stand alone. Buick also sold Opels.

Some Opels were made by Isuzu. GM had a 1/3 stake in Isuzu in the '70s.

But, you are right.. by '82, they had their own dealerships. I still remember most of them being connected to the local Buick dealer.

kyfdx

In '94, we leased an Acura Vigor, and the dealership was a combination Acura/Isuzu store.

Michaell

The first wife and I had two Isuzus - she bought a P'up while we were still dating, then we picked up a Trooper a few years later when we were expecting our son.

Both were procured from a standalone Isuzu dealer.

roadburner

The German Opels Buick sold were nice cars overall, but the currency exchange rates inflated their prices so Buick tried an end run- selling “Opels by Isuzu.” It didn’t fool anybody.
Getting back to factories, I’ve toured the BMW Manufacturing plant in Greer several times; I’d buy something built there but the one I want is a bit too rich for my blood.

ab348

kyfdx said:

In '94, we leased an Acura Vigor, and the dealership was a combination Acura/Isuzu store.

The best thing Isuzu did in the North American market were the Joe Isuzu tv ads.

https://youtu.be/wtX5m09YjQ4

sda

I've visited the BMW plant in Greer several times as well. Very impressive. Would love to pick up a new BMW there. The exit off I-85 where the plant is located is also the exit we use to visit my in-laws who live in Simpsonville.

abacomike

graphicguy said:

driver100 said:

graphicguy said:

tjc78 said:

@graphicguy
Looks great! I would get a standard mount cartridge for that TT. No reason to be constrained to P-type with that head shell.

BTW.....was I dreaming or was there a fleeting @Kirstie_H sighting in here?

I noticed Kirstie_H post too.....K come out and tell us what is happening in your life!
.....and GG, how are the eyes doing?

Eye? Thanks for asking. No vision in it....can just see light and dark. I can live with that. It’s the way it affects my other eye as my brain tries to process one eye with just light/dark capability and the other one which can see “relatively” well. There’s some talk with my eye surgeon, who says there’s been damage (due to all the surgeries) to the cornea, and that a cornea transplant could possibly increase my sight quite a bit. But, recuperating put me in a “dark place” mentally from all the retina surgeries.

Whining for a moment, for about 6 weeks, I had to stay face down for all but 90 minutes of my waking hours, and had to sleep (if you want to call it that) face down, too. Regardless of the gyrations one goes to in order to keep a semblance of normalcy (like sticking an iPad down in front of my face and commiserating with my Edmunds friends via voice recognition while posting) it messed with my general mental outlook. I’m OK now, but I was not a fun person to be around during the weeks up to Thanksgiving and right after.

So, not sure I want to go down that road again for something as likely more complex as a cornea transplant.

What I’d rather do, is just get an eye patch to close off the “vision” of the affected eye and just use one eye. I can get some pretty cool eye patches and make up all sorts of adventurous stories (none true) about how and why I need an eye patch.

In all frankness, there’s always good that comes out of bad. I’ve learned to be so thankful for those who’ve reached out to me, like you folks, and wished me well. Those small gestures and encouragements pulled me through some painful and challenging days. My son, my sisters and my GF were instrumental in helping me get through, too.

I retired at the exact right time due to the physical limitations I went through. Really enjoyed my little transport business, so I miss that, even though I only did it for a few months. The GF is generally my chauffeur when it’s dark out, and my limited peripheral vision gets even more limited. She says she doesn’t mind. We’ll see how long that lasts.

All-in-all, I’m good!

I went through the same thing with my Dad who suffered 8 years with macular degeneration in both eyes. I know what he went through and what you must be going through. You are a brave man and my heart goes out to you.🤓

oldfarmer50

28firefighter said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Good thing too as I understand those current VW diesels are still problematic.

Fixed it for you.

Haha! Love it.

nyccarguy

abacomike said:

graphicguy said:

driver100 said:

graphicguy said:

tjc78 said:

@graphicguy
Looks great! I would get a standard mount cartridge for that TT. No reason to be constrained to P-type with that head shell.

BTW.....was I dreaming or was there a fleeting @Kirstie_H sighting in here?

I noticed Kirstie_H post too.....K come out and tell us what is happening in your life!
.....and GG, how are the eyes doing?

Eye? Thanks for asking. No vision in it....can just see light and dark. I can live with that. It’s the way it affects my other eye as my brain tries to process one eye with just light/dark capability and the other one which can see “relatively” well. There’s some talk with my eye surgeon, who says there’s been damage (due to all the surgeries) to the cornea, and that a cornea transplant could possibly increase my sight quite a bit. But, recuperating put me in a “dark place” mentally from all the retina surgeries.

Whining for a moment, for about 6 weeks, I had to stay face down for all but 90 minutes of my waking hours, and had to sleep (if you want to call it that) face down, too. Regardless of the gyrations one goes to in order to keep a semblance of normalcy (like sticking an iPad down in front of my face and commiserating with my Edmunds friends via voice recognition while posting) it messed with my general mental outlook. I’m OK now, but I was not a fun person to be around during the weeks up to Thanksgiving and right after.

So, not sure I want to go down that road again for something as likely more complex as a cornea transplant.

What I’d rather do, is just get an eye patch to close off the “vision” of the affected eye and just use one eye. I can get some pretty cool eye patches and make up all sorts of adventurous stories (none true) about how and why I need an eye patch.

In all frankness, there’s always good that comes out of bad. I’ve learned to be so thankful for those who’ve reached out to me, like you folks, and wished me well. Those small gestures and encouragements pulled me through some painful and challenging days. My son, my sisters and my GF were instrumental in helping me get through, too.

I retired at the exact right time due to the physical limitations I went through. Really enjoyed my little transport business, so I miss that, even though I only did it for a few months. The GF is generally my chauffeur when it’s dark out, and my limited peripheral vision gets even more limited. She says she doesn’t mind. We’ll see how long that lasts.

All-in-all, I’m good!

I went through the same thing with my Dad who suffered 8 years with macular degeneration in both eyes. I know what he went through and what you must be going through. You are a brave man and my heart goes out to you.🤓

Well said Mike! We are all pulling for you @graphicguy

ronsteve

nyccarguy said:

roadburner said:

Horsepower is often utilized to compensate for a lot of driving ineptitude- I see it on the road as well as on the track.

I remember watching racing a long time ago. Every time a 911 would come screaming into a corner, I’d watch a Viper cut right in front of him. The 911 would have to downshift and get the engine boiling again while the Viper just mashed the gas and let it’s torque do all the work.

Horsepower sells cars. Torque wins races.

fintail

IIRC the i-Mark was Opel-based and also related to the Chevette , take that for what you will. There are still a few around Seattle.

On that list I'll take a Corniche or Camargue, I guess. 1982, the golden age of the automobile.

ronsteve

Michaell said:

28firefighter said:

They threw the game and they could have won. I’m utterly dumbfounded.

Eagles have the #6 pick in the draft; wonder if that factored into the decision making, at all.

They would have dropped to #9 if they had won. Will be interesting to see who goes 6-7-8-9 on Draft Day.

driver100

graphicguy said:

driver100 said:

graphicguy said:

tjc78 said:

@graphicguy
Looks great! I would get a standard mount cartridge for that TT. No reason to be constrained to P-type with that head shell.

BTW.....was I dreaming or was there a fleeting @Kirstie_H sighting in here?

I noticed Kirstie_H post too.....K come out and tell us what is happening in your life!
.....and GG, how are the eyes doing?

I retired at the exact right time due to the physical limitations I went through. Really enjoyed my little transport business, so I miss that, even though I only did it for a few months. The GF is generally my chauffeur when it’s dark out, and my limited peripheral vision gets even more limited. She says she doesn’t mind. We’ll see how long that lasts.

All-in-all, I’m good!

Thanks for the update GG. Some people complain about their disability, others move on and make the best of the situation......life is a lot more pleasant for the latter. You have been through a tremendous amount - like lying face down most of the day and an eye patch may be the best solution for now....but that cornea transplant may be worthwhile down the road. They are coming up with new breakthroughs all the time.......do your research on a regular basis.
People who can remain positive against those kind of problems are an inspiration to others.

dino001

ab348 said:

None of the cars in the list of "The Best" are any that I would want to drive. Just makes the point that deciding on a vehicle based on that factor is not a great idea.

Even Civic?

BTW, it's hard to believe that in 1982 high end Rolls Royce and Maseratti automatic transmissions with only 3 gears. I guess "overdrive" forth gear was introduced later. I remember driving a car with 3-speed auto a few times in late 90s, these were low end rental econoboxes, Corolla, Neon and Geo Metro. Pretty dreadful experience, always felt like the gear was either too high, or too low. It was well known phenomenon that low end econoboxes were completely miserable with automatics. Perhaps it wasn't so bad with engines having decent torque, like those RR's and Maserattis even if at cost of the mileage.

explorerx4

I believe trans in that era Roller was a 3 speed GM Hydramatic.

Michaell

ronsteve said:

Michaell said:

28firefighter said:

They threw the game and they could have won. I’m utterly dumbfounded.

Eagles have the #6 pick in the draft; wonder if that factored into the decision making, at all.

They would have dropped to #9 if they had won. Will be interesting to see who goes 6-7-8-9 on Draft Day.

I'm sure there will be about 250,000 mock drafts between now and draft day. 1 and 2 are easy - Lawrence to the Jags and Fields to the Jets. Bengals should pick up the OT from Oregon. After that, it's a crap shoot.

And, the Broncos shook things up yesterday by announcing that Elway is giving up his GM duties and will hire a GM to partner with Fangio and be in charge of personnel issues.

I guess, after 10 years, Elway finally realized that he doesn't have the experience to build a roster - his only true success was to get Manning to come to Denver for a few years and pick up a second Super Bowl ring.

fintail

Yep, they used TH400 variants for a long time, I think. Rolls-Royce was as high end as one could get then, but not necessarily high tech. Steering wheels on period models look like something from the 30s.

Thinking of that, MB had a 4 speed auto in the 60s, regressed to a 3 speed in the 70s (I suspect as the 4 speed was for lower torque applications, and wasn't well suited to the new V8 cars), and then back to 4 speed for the 80s, with 5 speed in the early 90s.

explorerx4 said:

I believe trans in that era Roller was a 3 speed GM Hydramatic.

jmonroe1

stickguy said:

Farmer, no clue about the issue they had, but obviously the dealer was familiar with it. Live and learn. Not a huge deal, though he might have gotten it up there in time Saturday to get it taken care of, instead of waiting until Monday morning and having to skip out on 1/2 of his first day back after being off for the holidays.

thankfully there was not issue up there. They replaced it, under warranty, and had him on his way in an hour or so. He said that he stopped and started a few times doing stuff and no issues. Oddly, I had the same problem with my TLX early in it's life (cell went bad in the battery early on) and had to do the same jump in the garage, drive straight to the dealer routine.

and of course, he wandered the lot and sent me pictures of stuff he liked (just a G70 in a different color since the GV70 is not out yet). Hey, his lease is up the end of December this year, need to be out looking!

There is something fishy about this. Of course, anytime I hear something from a Service Advisor my “fishy antenna” goes up. I’ve heard too many “shoot from the hip” stories from SA, I just naturally question everything they say. If this “sparking” thingy is so prevalent, a recall would be in order because of safety concerns.

Both my ‘09 and ‘15 Gennies had/have remote jump terminals under the hood and I’ve probably jump started at least 10 cars combined with those cars and have NEVER had sparks like you’ve described. Of course I know how to jump start a car. Started way back when I learned how to drive. It ain’t rocket surgery but you do have to follow a few rules. Rule No. 1 is to have quality jumper cables made from #6 AWG copper wires at least with very good grip clamps on the ends. You can’t buy these quality cables for $8.95, more like $40 at least at today’s prices.

jmonroe

stickguy

J, I just report the news, I don't make it! I also assume that the AAA guy had the right jump box and knows how to hook it up (though I suppose there could be an issue with how the clamps work with those faux terminals vs. being on the real battery). Can't see why the SA would say that they always jump directly off the battery if there was not a reason to do so, since it's easier to get to the underhood terminals (though I guess you have to unearth the battery anyway if it is dead for some reason).

at this point, hopefully never has to worry about it again!

jmonroe1

stickguy said:

J, I just report the news, I don't make it! I also assume that the AAA guy had the right jump box and knows how to hook it up (though I suppose there could be an issue with how the clamps work with those faux terminals vs. being on the real battery). Can't see why the SA would say that they always jump directly off the battery if there was not a reason to do so, since it's easier to get to the underhood terminals (though I guess you have to unearth the battery anyway if it is dead for some reason).

at this point, hopefully never has to worry about it again!

I know you’re only reporting what you’re told. But I refuse to buy that tale. I can’t imagine that a dealer would routinely go through all that work to unearth the trunk mounted battery. That alone tells me there would be a recall if you have to go directly to the trunk mounted battery to jump start a car. Like I said, I haven’t had problems jump starting cars with either of my Gennies.

jmonroe

driver100

jmonroe1 said:

stickguy said:

J, I just report the news, I don't make it! I also assume that the AAA guy had the right jump box and knows how to hook it up (though I suppose there could be an issue with how the clamps work with those faux terminals vs. being on the real battery). Can't see why the SA would say that they always jump directly off the battery if there was not a reason to do so, since it's easier to get to the underhood terminals (though I guess you have to unearth the battery anyway if it is dead for some reason).

at this point, hopefully never has to worry about it again!

Like I said, I haven’t had problems jump starting cars with either of my Gennies.
jmonroe

Hoping those won't be "Famous Last Words".

driver100

I like the looks of the 2021 Ford Bronco;

oldfarmer50

jmonroe1 said:

stickguy said:

J, I just report the news, I don't make it! I also assume that the AAA guy had the right jump box and knows how to hook it up (though I suppose there could be an issue with how the clamps work with those faux terminals vs. being on the real battery). Can't see why the SA would say that they always jump directly off the battery if there was not a reason to do so, since it's easier to get to the underhood terminals (though I guess you have to unearth the battery anyway if it is dead for some reason).

at this point, hopefully never has to worry about it again!

I know you’re only reporting what you’re told. But I refuse to buy that tale. I can’t imagine that a dealer would routinely go through all that work to unearth the trunk mounted battery. That alone tells me there would be a recall if you have to go directly to the trunk mounted battery to jump start a car. Like I said, I haven’t had problems jump starting cars with either of my Gennies.

jmonroe

Then again you have to consider that the AAA guy goofed up and reversed the connections. I did that once and got some sparks so...........

driver100

I like it in White or Cactus Gray as shown here....with these wheels;

stickguy

whatever the reason, what they told him to do worked, so count it as a win.

tjc78

During my Genesis electrical troubles.... every time the tech attempted a jump it was directly on the battery in the trunk.

Didn’t matter since that wasn’t the issue, but there must be some merit to the SA comments.

Having said that.. over the summer I jumped a friend’s Explorer from the Underwood points on my Enclave with no issues. The battery in that was under one of the seats.

stickguy

whatever works. and putting the battery under a seat, is nuts.

roadburner

jmonroe1 said:

stickguy said:

J, I just report the news, I don't make it! I also assume that the AAA guy had the right jump box and knows how to hook it up (though I suppose there could be an issue with how the clamps work with those faux terminals vs. being on the real battery). Can't see why the SA would say that they always jump directly off the battery if there was not a reason to do so, since it's easier to get to the underhood terminals (though I guess you have to unearth the battery anyway if it is dead for some reason).

at this point, hopefully never has to worry about it again!

I know you’re only reporting what you’re told. But I refuse to buy that tale. I can’t imagine that a dealer would routinely go through all that work to unearth the trunk mounted battery. That alone tells me there would be a recall if you have to go directly to the trunk mounted battery to jump start a car. Like I said, I haven’t had problems jump starting cars with either of my Gennies.

jmonroe

All of my BMWs except the Club Sport have trunk mounted batteries and remote terminals under the hood; I’ve never had an issue either.

roadburner

sda said:

I've visited the BMW plant in Greer several times as well. Very impressive. Would love to pick up a new BMW there. The exit off I-85 where the plant is located is also the exit we use to visit my in-laws who live in Simpsonville.

You can arrange a Performance Center Delivery even if the car isn’t built at Greer. A PCD is a lot of fun.

qbrozen

stickguy said:

whatever works. and putting the battery under a seat, is nuts.

Under the front passenger seat in the ML63. What I find really absurd is that it is a power seat with no manual override. Now figure out what to do if seat is all the way back when battery dies?

There is a post under the hood, but I can say with confidence that it is not directly connected to the battery.

tjc78

That is pretty stupid.

venture

qbrozen said:

stickguy said:

whatever works. and putting the battery under a seat, is nuts.

Under the front passenger seat in the ML63. What I find really absurd is that it is a power seat with no manual override. Now figure out what to do if seat is all the way back when battery dies?

There is a post under the hood, but I can say with confidence that it is not directly connected to the battery.

I saw an ad for a generator the other day that said it had electric start.

qbrozen

venture said:

qbrozen said:

stickguy said:

whatever works. and putting the battery under a seat, is nuts.

Under the front passenger seat in the ML63. What I find really absurd is that it is a power seat with no manual override. Now figure out what to do if seat is all the way back when battery dies?

There is a post under the hood, but I can say with confidence that it is not directly connected to the battery.

I saw an ad for a generator the other day that said it had electric start.

Ha. Well, mine has that. It has a car battery. It runs a check cycle once a week to make sure the battery is charged, etc.

snakeweasel

ab348 said:

None of the cars in the list of "The Best" are any that I would want to drive. Just makes the point that deciding on a vehicle based on that factor is not a great idea.

Buying a car based on any one factor is a bad idea. That being said all factors do have some degree of influence on the car buying decision and the amount of influence each factor has is individual specific.

stickguy

I think there are some cars that have electric openers (trunk or doors?) where if the battery dies, you can't get in to actually get at the battery.

snakeweasel

tjc78 said:

A 5 speed manual diesel Chevette.... yeah I’ll buy a bus pass.

I knew someone who had a manual Chevett, but I don't think it was diesel, He seemed to like it and it seemed to be OK in the environment that be drove it in. However I would never drive a manual in any urban environment.

snakeweasel

graphicguy said:

What I’d rather do, is just get an eye patch to close off the “vision” of the affected eye and just use one eye. I can get some pretty cool eye patches and make up all sorts of adventurous stories (none true) about how and why I need an eye patch.

All you have to say is "why bother telling you, you'll never believe it". You make it sound real interesting and you didn't lie.