Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

graphicguy

andres3 said:

imidazol97 said:

andres3 said:

Unless a customer considered emissions in the purchase of their vehicle, I don't see the customer being cheated.

Sounds like they will have to adjust the software to get the CO2 levels down to where they alleged they
were in the earlier certification documents. That affects customers.

"A change in the CO2 emissions of the vehicles would also affect their fuel economy, VW admitted. "It was established that the CO2 levels and thus the fuel consumption figures for some models were set too low during the CO2 certification process," the company said.

"The company said it would “endeavour to clarify the further course of action as quickly as possible and ensure the correct CO2 classification for the vehicles affected” with the responsible authorities."

So the solution is don't alter the vehicles, and just pay the fine.

Something tells me it's not going to be quite that easy. Aside from the $billions in fines that will be levied, there will be compensation owed to the owners for misrepresentation (and yes, people do look at pollutants when deciding their car purchases) and their inconvenience...as well as the losses in value come trade or sale time.

I am finally starting to believe that this may indeed impact VW's viability, at least as they currently exist, given they've admitted that the problem affects practically their entire suite of brands.

suydam

I feel your pain. Been lucky with my Honda so far though.

oldfarmer50

js06gv said:

Unsolicited rant re OE tires - they stink! I'm convinced that vehicle manufacturers just get the rejects from the tire manufacturers for their new vehicles. They don't come with their own mileage warranty, even when replacement tires of the exact same brand and specs do. Those replacements will usually go about double the mileage too. Guess I'm just burned up that I had to put a replacement set on my daughter's Optima yesterday at 21K, and that I had to spend $ on a leased car that will go back in 15K miles. The particular brand that came on this car (Nexen) probably didn't help. Had never heard of it before; appears to be a cheap Korean brand.

That was true way back when. I remember in the 60s hearing that tires which came with new car were only good for 10k miles. I got 40k plus out of the Goodyears on my Eclipse. Barely 30k from the OEs on my PT Cruiser.

isellhondas

abacomike said:

carnaught said:

Mike, although I do not disagree with you, your remarks to Andres have a bit of a "sharp" tone to them.

Hmmm, yes I think you are correct.  My comments do have a bit of a sharp tone to them.

Mike, just ignore him as others do.

explorerx4

@oldfarmer50,
here is a link to one type of example.
http://kfor.com/2014/07/03/rural-fire-depts-getting-burned-by-dod-epa/
Most others involve older vehicles imported for sale here.

henryn

js06gv said:

Unsolicited rant re OE tires - they stink! I'm convinced that vehicle manufacturers just get the rejects from the tire manufacturers for their new vehicles. They don't come with their own mileage warranty, even when replacement tires of the exact same brand and specs do. Those replacements will usually go about double the mileage too. Guess I'm just burned up that I had to put a replacement set on my daughter's Optima yesterday at 21K, and that I had to spend $ on a leased car that will go back in 15K miles. The particular brand that came on this car (Nexen) probably didn't help. Had never heard of it before; appears to be a cheap Korean brand.

I don't know if there is any truth to this. I do know that printer manufacturers (HP, Brother, etc) include a very small toner cartridge. Does maybe 1,000 pages, and then they sell you a new "full size" toner for more than you paid for the printer in the first place. The way around this is to make sure there are aftermarket suppliers for the toner BEFORE you invest in the printer.

dino001

graphicguy said:

andres3 said:

imidazol97 said:

andres3 said:

Unless a customer considered emissions in the purchase of their vehicle, I don't see the customer being cheated.

Sounds like they will have to adjust the software to get the CO2 levels down to where they alleged they
were in the earlier certification documents. That affects customers.

"A change in the CO2 emissions of the vehicles would also affect their fuel economy, VW admitted. "It was established that the CO2 levels and thus the fuel consumption figures for some models were set too low during the CO2 certification process," the company said.

"The company said it would “endeavour to clarify the further course of action as quickly as possible and ensure the correct CO2 classification for the vehicles affected” with the responsible authorities."

So the solution is don't alter the vehicles, and just pay the fine.

Something tells me it's not going to be quite that easy. Aside from the $billions in fines that will be levied, there will be compensation owed to the owners for misrepresentation (and yes, people do look at pollutants when deciding their car purchases) and their inconvenience...as well as the losses in value come trade or sale time.

I am finally starting to believe that this may indeed impact VW's viability, at least as they currently exist, given they've admitted that the problem affects practically their entire suite of brands.

The only stroke of luck is the small number of units affected in the US, unless of course it spills over to the gas engines (first news just trickled in, so far just in Europe). Europe doesn't have litigeous culture, so the damage there is mostly in fines and since VW is partially owned by the government, it will help them in dealings. If push comes to shove, they may simply nationalize them, as they have a track record of doing just that.

imidazol97

since VW is partially owned by the government,

Partly owned by the government? Then the people should be calling for them to be disbanded and put out of business. I recall people saying that about GM with the ignition switch problems because they had received a government loan. In VW's case, Other companies can take over and replace VW using their suppliers, usw.

stever

henryn said:

I do know that printer manufacturers (HP, Brother, etc) include a very small toner cartridge.

It may have changed but the starter packs in Brother printers could be extended to normal life with a couple of different reset tricks. I used some tape over the toner sensors on mine. It finally ran out last month and the toner cartridge was replaced by one from Meritline for $20.

OEM tires do seem to have gotten better. Sometimes I'll see posts where people seek out the same tire that came on their car because they liked them a lot. I notice those because you'd never see that a decade ago.

dino001

imidazol97 said:

dino001 said:

since VW is partially owned by the government,

Partly owned by the government? Then the people should be calling for them to be disbanded and put out of business. I recall people saying that about GM with the ignition switch problems because they had received a government loan. Other companies can take over and replace VW using their suppliers, usw.

It's Germany, not America. Many things are owned, wholly, or partially, by the governments in Europe. Nationalization is a common policy toward failing industries. Most of the time, it results in billions of taxpayer subsidies dished out for many years in efforts to appease militant unions. Once in a while it results in a successful reprivatization, most of the time only after writing off gazillions in bad debt, usually paid by the taxpayers. I prefer American system (up to 2009, that is) - you suck, you die.

imidazol97

stever said:

OEM tires do seem to have gotten better. Sometimes I'll see posts where people seek out the same tire that came on their car because they liked them a lot. I notice those because you'd never see that a decade ago.

It seems to me that the original equipment tires may be spec'ed as far as the tread rubber for mileage and quiet even though they appear to be the same tire as the aftermarket tires. I recall having replaced Firestones that came on my Buick with the same Firestones. Awful--replaced by dealer with Michelins that I should have bought to begin with. Weren't round. Couldn't be balanced to run round. I read notes after that to the effect that the OEM tires were pulled from the line and were the highest quality, in this case round, and the rest, the culls, were sent to the aftermarket buyers.

More recently my 03 came with Michelin Symmetry tires. But there were three different replacement Symmetry tires on Michelin's website. I believe Ford used them on a Town Car as well and that may have been one of the variations of Symmetry.

My Malibu came with Goodyear Eagle LS2 tires. So far, so good. But that's only 5000 miles. Can't find a reasonable Michelin in that size so far. I'm hoping Michelin adds that size to the Defender line. Otherwise I have to go to a premium tire with medium mileage ratings.

stever

I've heard the "out of round" theory but it seems like a lot of work to cull tires like that. I've also heard the theory about the same tires being made with the same molds for the aftermarket but using better compounds. Dunno. Maybe @capriracer will spot this thread, but he may be reluctant to weigh in since he's in the biz. Michelins haven't been my first choice for a while but the set on the minivan are doing good.

berri

I think Toyota is one of the worst when it comes to lousy OEM tires, even on expensive models.

dino001

My OEM tire experience is mixed. Subaru had some awful Bridgestones, I'm even convinced they were different than the same model sold in retail. BMW had quite good UHP summer Continentals - they lasted a bit less than I hoped, but that's the way they are.

explorerx4

Ford used to spec some low mileage tires, but 2009 my wife bought and Escape and they lasted 68k miles.

js06gv

dino001 said:

My OEM tire experience is mixed. Subaru had some awful Bridgestones, I'm even convinced they were different than the same model sold in retail. BMW had quite good UHP summer Continentals - they lasted a bit less than I hoped, but that's the way they are.

The Bridgestones that came on my Santa Fe were equally lousy, about 22-23K out of the first set. My F-150 with 32K on the OE Bridgestones seems to be the anomaly, at least for me. They still have a fair amount of tread left.

dino001

js06gv said:

dino001 said:

My OEM tire experience is mixed. Subaru had some awful Bridgestones, I'm even convinced they were different than the same model sold in retail. BMW had quite good UHP summer Continentals - they lasted a bit less than I hoped, but that's the way they are.

The Bridgestones that came on my Santa Fe were equally lousy, about 22-23K out of the first set. My F-150 with 32K on the OE Bridgestones seems to be the anomaly, at least for me. They still have a fair amount of tread left.

It's not even that those B's didn't last so long, they weren't so great even as new, just OK on dry, pretty lousy in on wet. Those OEM Co's on BMW were UHP, so they lasted about the same, 25k, but they were really sharp until worn. I have Bridgestones now on my BMW, obviously different model than the Subaru, all-season HP, they are quiet, nice, slightly less sharp than Co's, but the tradeoff is good, I just hope they'll last last a bit longer.

oldfarmer50

explorerx4 said:

@oldfarmer50,
here is a link to one type of example.
http://kfor.com/2014/07/03/rural-fire-depts-getting-burned-by-dod-epa/
Most others involve older vehicles imported for sale here.

I see. I had the image of government agents swooping into your driveway and stealing your car. That fire department story is still rotten. The DOD can run non-complying vehicles but not fire departments?

berri

Well, Bridgestone is buying pep Boys, right?

dino001

oldfarmer50 said:

explorerx4 said:

@oldfarmer50,
here is a link to one type of example.
http://kfor.com/2014/07/03/rural-fire-depts-getting-burned-by-dod-epa/
Most others involve older vehicles imported for sale here.

I see. I had the image of government agents swooping into your driveway and stealing your car. That fire department story is still rotten. The DOD can run non-complying vehicles but not fire departments?

Not for long, seems like carbon emissions are becoming slowly a higher priority than battlefield preparedness. You can drop a bomb, or fire a rocket, as long as the transport truck hits the CO2 compliance. I'm sure the enemy is equally concerned about the climate change.

iluvmysephia1

I think Toyota is one of the worst when it comes to lousy OEM tires, even on expensive models.

This may or may not include Scion motorcars, I spose.

sda

I've had good service out of Good Year and Michelins as standard equipment, less so with Bridgestone. The Bridgestones on our 09 Civic wore evenly yet didn't make it to 29k. The Michelin Primacys which replaced the Bridgestones looked almost new at 30k when I traded it for the Accord. The Accord has the GY Assurance Fuel Max as standard fare. They have 50K on them and still have 5-6/32 tread, are quiet and smooth. They tend to be rated mid pack in surveys, no complaints from me. The Michelin LTXs on the Pilot now have 30k on them, and have 6-7/32 left.

abacomike

The OE tires that came on my 2015 E400 were Continental All-season performance tires. My brother's car is identical to mine (just different wheels and tires) and he has about the same mileage on them as I have on mine, but he has 3 times the tread depth that mine have.

If and when I ever get another new car, I am definitely not going to order the optional 19" wheels and high performance summer tires. As much as I prefer high performance summer tires for improved handling and cornering, they wear out three times faster than regular all-season performance tires. 18" wheels and tires will suit me fine considering how little I drive lately.

Speaking of new cars, I still have my appointment for December 1st for m first ever Service A on a car in many, many years. It's going to happen, believe me. And most of you posters didn't believe me when I said I am not buying a new car this year.

I expect the ordering details for the 2017 E Class Mercedes should be available to dealers in about 6-10 weeks. They are going to be offering three different engines, per my research - a 3.0 L V6 twin turbo (358 hp), a 3.0 L Inline 6 twin turbo (310 hp) and a 4 cylinder twin turbo (240 hp). I think I am going to opt for the new inline 6 if it's available here in the U.S. They are expected to arrive at dealers by the end of April or the beginning of May. So dealers have to order their cars about 3 months before they arrive at showrooms for the new model. That's why I will order a "spec" car. I really would like to try a white car this time but with red leather seats and maple wood interior. Will all depend on what the car looks like. But I will not be ordering optional wheels and tires this time. If I really want to keep the wheels on my car, I can have them transferred from the 2015 to the 2017 and just put new rubber on the wheels.

sda

abacomike said:

The OE tires that came on my 2015 E400 were Continental All-season performance tires. My brother's car is identical to mine (just different wheels and tires) and he has about the same mileage on them as I have on mine, but he has 3 times the tread depth that mine have.

If and when I ever get another new car, I am definitely not going to order the optional 19" wheels and high performance summer tires. As much as I prefer high performance summer tires for improved handling and cornering, they wear out three times faster than regular all-season performance tires. 18" wheels and tires will suit me fine considering how little I drive lately.

Speaking of new cars, I still have my appointment for December 1st for m first ever Service A on a car in many, many years. It's going to happen, believe me. And most of you posters didn't believe me when I said I am not buying a new car this year.

I expect the ordering details for the 2017 E Class Mercedes should be available to dealers in about 6-10 weeks. They are going to be offering three different engines, per my research - a 3.0 L V6 twin turbo (358 hp), a 3.0 L Inline 6 twin turbo (310 hp) and a 4 cylinder twin turbo (240 hp). I think I am going to opt for the new inline 6 if it's available here in the U.S. They are expected to arrive at dealers by the end of April or the beginning of May. So dealers have to order their cars about 3 months before they arrive at showrooms for the new model. That's why I will order a "spec" car. I really would like to try a white car this time but with red leather seats and maple wood interior. Will all depend on what the car looks like. But I will not be ordering optional wheels and tires this time. If I really want to keep the wheels on my car, I can have them transferred from the 2015 to the 2017 and just put new rubber on the wheels.

Mike,
I was going to say are you sure you won't be tempted to buy new rather than have to go thru having to have your car serviced?? I know that you prefer to special order your cars. I look forward to learning what you do order. Hope you are feeling better and the side effects from your new procedure are minimal.

abacomike

@sda:

The A Service usually costs about $379.00 but when I bought my car, they included the first A Service (probably because they didn't think I'd ever use it).  So I will not be investing any money into the car.  Just turned 8200 miles in 11 months since I bought it.

I Googled "2017 Mercedes E Class Sedan" and several sites have some great pictures of it.  Looks like a small S Class Sedan or a big C Class Sedan.  The dash is totally different but they kept the GPS Screen in the upper center dash but it is recessed which means no iPad look to it.

There was some discrepancy as to expected release date - but it will be at the Detroit Auto Show in January.  They claim it might not be introduced until mid 2016.  I am in now hurry - very happy with my current vehicle.

The side effects of these new drugs are horrendous to deal with.  Insomnia (even with prescribed heavy-duty sleeping pills), achiness, tired, weak, joint/bone pain, dizziness at times, to name a few.  And I have to take these pills for 24 weeks.

On 11/16, I go in for my first blood test - it will reveal if my viral load decreases or becomes zero again, my hemoglobin and red/white blood cell count, platelets, liver functions, etc.  the regimen I am on now has some possibly serious side effects to my system as well.

Thanks for the good wishes sda.  

stickguy

I have have mixed luck with OEMs. My odyssey had Michelins, and they were shot by 30K (zippo traction at that point). replacement Yokohamas had 45K almost when I sold it, still plenty of tread.

our RDX has Michelins too, and at 32K, tons of tread left. might pull 50K on those.

we had a 1995 Voyager with IIRC Michelins too, that were like new at 40K when we dumped it.

only 8K on the Hankooks on the Sonata, but i have not noticed any appreciable wear yet. Getting the 1 year service in 2 weeks, so should get a measurement then. really have no interest in putting new sneakers on a lease car!

imidazol97

stickguy said:

only 8K on the Hankooks on the Sonata, but i have not noticed any appreciable wear yet. Getting the 1 year service in 2 weeks, so should get a measurement then. really have no interest in putting new sneakers on a lease car!

The original Hankooks on my 2008 Cobalt wore really well. Round. And rolled round. Never had to have them rebalanced. But after 5 years, they were noisy due to hardening of the rubber. Michelins do that too, but not so early. Hankook dealer didn't want anything to do with the dry rot warranty--weren't none. Replaced with Michelins. Rubber aging may have been exacerbated because I didn't drive it much while my son was a freshman and sophomore; some say the tires need to be flexed to keep additives moving and active to prevent the tires from drying.

driver100

andres3 said:

driver100 said:

abacomike said:

According to Fox News Channel:

VW announced that it found an "internal problem" affecting 800,000 additional vehicles for excess carbon dioxide emissions but did not indicate which vehicles were affected.  I would think these vehicles are gasoline powered since it is CO2 emissions that are involved.

Further, VW stated it would cost 2 billion dollars to correct the problem.  I am starting to wonder what the next surprise announcement is going to involve.  Not good for VW - it keeps getting worse!  

This is hitting closer to home, so I checked and the Passat has a 2.5 litre engine. The 1.4 l is in very small models;

Tuesday’s findings over carbon dioxide emissions, and petrol-fuelled cars, are understood to involve smaller 1.4-litre engines, mostly in the VW Polo and Golf, as well some Seat and Skoda cars, and the Audi A1 and A3.

A change in the CO2 emissions of the vehicles would also affect their fuel economy, VW admitted. "It was established that the CO2 levels and thus the fuel consumption figures for some models were set too low during the CO2 certification process," the company said.

The company said it would “endeavour to clarify the further course of action as quickly as possible and ensure the correct CO2 classification for the vehicles affected” with the responsible authorities.

And, of course, the usuall blah blah blah,

“The board of management of Volkswagen deeply regrets this situation and wishes to underscore its determination to systematically continue along the present path of clarification and transparency,” it added.

Why don't they just say we got caught cheating our customers!

Unless a customer considered emissions in the purchase of their vehicle, I don't see the customer being cheated.

What would you say the customer was.....sc----d?

driver100

carnaught said:

Mike, although I do not disagree with you, your remarks to Andres have a bit of a "sharp" tone to them.

You are new here carnaught, you don't know andre like we do. Mikes reply was right on.

I have traveled about 1000 miles over the last 2 days, by car, so I just gave andre a quick reply....I couldn't believe what he said.....if VW didn't cheat people I am not sure what you would call it, a white lie, a tiny falsehood, maybe slightly exaggerated claims?
Mike wasn't harsh at all, considering...........

driver100

dino001 said:

andres3 said:

Unless a customer considered emissions in the purchase of their vehicle, I don't see the customer being cheated.

I have to disagree. Anytime, any false statement is deliberately advanced as a part of a contract by one party, it is a deceiptful breach, regardless of original motives of the ocher party. A label stating so-and-so on a product is such, period.

If somebody sells me bologna as ham, pricing it as ham, they cheated, regardless whether I may actually like that bologna even more than ham. I was buying and paying for ham.

dino001 said:

andres3 said:

Unless a customer considered emissions in the purchase of their vehicle, I don't see the customer being cheated.

I have to disagree. Anytime, any false statement is deliberately advanced as a part of a contract by one party, it is a deceiptful breach, regardless of original motives of the ocher party. A label stating so-and-so on a product is such, period.

If somebody sells me bologna as ham, pricing it as ham, they cheated, regardless whether I may actually like that bologna even more than ham. I was buying and paying for ham.

Exactly....right on dino!

fordfool

A couple of thoughts on original equipment tires and mileage. Tires designed for comfort, i.e. to sell cars, tend to be softer with more flex. Performance tires are softer and wear much faster than tires designed specifically for high mileage. And as the front end wears (alignment, ball joints, steering arms, tie rods, shocks, etc.), the tires will wear more quickly as well.
I try to keep on top of suspension / steering issues and replace OE tires with high mileage tires, so tend to get greater mileage from the replacements.

driver100

js06gv said:

Unsolicited rant re OE tires - they stink! I'm convinced that vehicle manufacturers just get the rejects from the tire manufacturers for their new vehicles. They don't come with their own mileage warranty, even when replacement tires of the exact same brand and specs do. Those replacements will usually go about double the mileage too. Guess I'm just burned up that I had to put a replacement set on my daughter's Optima yesterday at 21K, and that I had to spend $ on a leased car that will go back in 15K miles. The particular brand that came on this car (Nexen) probably didn't help. Had never heard of it before; appears to be a cheap Korean brand.

I went to a seminar for Goodyear once...they were fishing for employees. Thank goodness I wasn't accepted.

They told us the best grade tires go on new cars so people will buy them again for replacements.
2nd grade goes to retailers but not their own stores, have to keep the big tire guys happy,
3rd grade goes to their own stores, they can't refuse them.

Don't know if that helps.

driver100

henryn said:

js06gv said:

Unsolicited rant re OE tires - they stink! I'm convinced that vehicle manufacturers just get the rejects from the tire manufacturers for their new vehicles. They don't come with their own mileage warranty, even when replacement tires of the exact same brand and specs do. Those replacements will usually go about double the mileage too. Guess I'm just burned up that I had to put a replacement set on my daughter's Optima yesterday at 21K, and that I had to spend $ on a leased car that will go back in 15K miles. The particular brand that came on this car (Nexen) probably didn't help. Had never heard of it before; appears to be a cheap Korean brand.

I don't know if there is any truth to this. I do know that printer manufacturers (HP, Brother, etc) include a very small toner cartridge. Does maybe 1,000 pages, and then they sell you a new "full size" toner for more than you paid for the printer in the first place. The way around this is to make sure there are aftermarket suppliers for the toner BEFORE you invest in the printer.

It's been shown that though aftermarket printer refills are cheaper they don't do as many pages.....really not any cheaper.
We bought aftermarket cartridges for our business until one exploded and it took our IT guy a day to clean up the printer.
The aftermarket dealer gave us a refund on the portion of the cartridge we hadn't used yet, nothing for the time to clean our printer. I told him to take his cartridge and never come around again.

driver100

Quick comments on trip to Florida.

Friday got to Lexington KY, about 550 miles.
Saturday got to Valdosta GA, about 550 miles.
Should be in Tampa tomorrow afternoon, about 500 miles

Traffic near Dayton was good....heavy, but speed limit is 70 and fast lane is going 80.
Lots of old broken up tires just off the road, wouldn't want to have to pull over fast. This was in Ohio, Michigan is a lot worse.....roads look much better once we hit Kentucky.

Also a few dead deer there too, I counted 8 with a few in Georgia.

Gas is between $1.99 and $2.15 for reg. Back home it is about $4+

The E400 drives like a dream. I told my wife it almost drives itself, I just guide it.
Gets 30.6 mpg on the highway cruising at 75. Love the handling, solidness, controls, comfort, power.

Fastest cars last year were Chevy Cruz....like to pass fast and zig zag into traffic. - This year it was Kia Souls, they don't look fast but their drivers drive them fast.

Hardest thing was taking the cut off from I-75 to the road leading to the bridge in Connecticut. By the time the GPS lady said to get in the right lane the right lane was completely packed. Had to slow down and wedge my way in front of a poor truck driver.

Best deal....2 senior coffees at McDonalds for $1.26. Best Motels, Drury Inns.

abacomike

@driver100:

I had the same assessment of my E400 on my 600 mile round trip to Ponte Vedra last month.  In my case, I turned on Distronic Plus and the car even steers itself straight in the middle of the lane.

I averaged 31.7 mpg round trip at 75 mph. That was the first road trip I've taken in this car and I sure wasn't disappointed.

Take your time driver and arrive safely!

houdini1

driver100 said:

Quick comments on trip to Florida.

Friday got to Lexington KY, about 850 miles.
Saturday got to Valdosta GA, about 850 miles.
Should be in Tampa tomorrow afternoon, about 500 miles

Traffic near Dayton was good....heavy, but speed limit is 70 and fast lane is going 80.
Lots of old broken up tires just off the road, wouldn't want to have to pull over fast. This was in Ohio, Michigan is a lot worse.....roads look much better once we hit Kentucky.

Also a few dead deer there too, I counted 8 with a few in Georgia.

Gas is between $1.99 and $2.15 for reg. Back home it is about $4+

The E400 drives like a dream. I told my wife it almost drives itself, I just guide it.
Gets 30.6 mpg on the highway cruising at 75. Love the handling, solidness, controls, comfort, power.

Fastest cars last year were Chevy Cruz....like to pass fast and zig zag into traffic. - This year it was Kia Souls, they don't look fast but their drivers drive them fast.

Hardest thing was taking the cut off from I-75 to the road leading to the bridge in Connecticut. By the time the GPS lady said to get in the right lane the right lane was completely packed. Had to slow down and wedge my way in front of a poor truck driver.

Best deal....2 senior coffees at McDonalds for $1.26. Best Motels, Drury Inns.

Sounds like a very pleasant trip. Be careful and enjoy that wonderful Mercedes.

stickguy

Driver, if you were taking a bridge to Connecticut, I think you were slightly off course!

abacomike

stickguy said:

Driver, if you were taking a bridge to Connecticut, I think you were slightly off course!

He took the "scenic route"!  He zig-zagged his way to Florida this year because he was in a convoy of Canadians trying to avoid U-Boats.  

houdini1

Lucky that I had not just taken a big swig of soda or I would have spewed my keyboard !!

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

Driver, if you were taking a bridge to Connecticut, I think you were slightly off course!

Give the poor guy a break. I'm not sure I could name all the Canadian Provinces correctly and he has to remember 57 states.

abacomike

oldfarmer50 said:

Driver, if you were taking a bridge to Connecticut, I think you were slightly off course!

Give the poor guy a break. I'm not sure I could name all the Canadian Provinces correctly and he has to remember 57 states.

57 states of what?  Matter?  Energy?  Certainly not the 57 States of the United States!  Now if you include territories, we could add Guam, St. Thomas, Puerto Rico, The Marshall Islands, etc.  but we're still short a few.  Although I heard Texas could be subdivided into 5 states instead of one.  

stickguy

he has it easy. Only 10 provinces.

stever

Don't forget the three territories - I honeymooned in one of them.

driver100

Yeh, decided to zig zag across your great country. That was pretty funny. How did I get Conneecticut out of Cincinatti? I guess because I have been up since 5 a.m. and drove until 5 p.m. and I am totally exhausted.

Actually, I think my brain has to turn into Jello to be behind the wheel for 10 hours. The first hour seems pretty long, but, then you become like a robot and the hours kind of go by.

Well, I am going to sleep now....set the alarm for 6:30, sleep in tomorrow. Did I read there were 57 states?

oldfarmer50

abacomike said:

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

Driver, if you were taking a bridge to Connecticut, I think you were slightly off course!

Give the poor guy a break. I'm not sure I could name all the Canadian Provinces correctly and he has to remember 57 states.

57 states of what?  Matter?  Energy?  Certainly not the 57 States of the United States!  Now if you include territories, we could add Guam, St. Thomas, Puerto Rico, The Marshall Islands, etc.  but we're still short a few.  Although I heard Texas could be subdivided into 5 states instead of one.  


I always thought we only had 50 states but someone smarter once said he visited 57 and I always trust without question what powerful people tell me. Don't you?

stickguy

Only if I read it on the internet.

iluvmysephia1

Fastest cars last year were Chevy Cruz....like to pass fast and zig zag into traffic. - This year it was Kia Souls, they don't look fast but their drivers drive them fast.


Love this, driver100, as I am one of those Kia Soul drivers. I do like the car's agility and ability to pick holes to go through on the road. The car is one that gives you the "feel" you're speeding when you're not. Fun car ta drive!

Are you anywhere near one of my rock band favorites The Tragically Hip, driver100? I believe they hail from Kingston, Ontario. An hour or so east of Toronto. I never tire of listening to those guys and their live shows are sweet. Haven't seen them live since August of 2002 at Seattle's Pier 62/63. The guy selling beer on the pier was from Chicago and so is Mrs.iluvmysephia1, so, free draft brews during the whole show. Great show!!

oldfarmer50

Watching a road test of the new model Chevy Volt and am shocked to see how much it looks like a Prius. Probably would never buy one but I thought the old style was much nicer looking. Why would they try to copy the Toyota?

suydam

A hugely successful vehicle? But I don't think it does.

driver100

iluvmysephia1 said:

Fastest cars last year were Chevy Cruz....like to pass fast and zig zag into traffic. - This year it was Kia Souls, they don't look fast but their drivers drive them fast.


Love this, driver100, as I am one of those Kia Soul drivers. I do like the car's agility and ability to pick holes to go through on the road. The car is one that gives you the "feel" you're speeding when you're not. Fun car ta drive!

Are you anywhere near one of my rock band favorites The Tragically Hip, driver100? I believe they hail from Kingston, Ontario. An hour or so east of Toronto. I never tire of listening to those guys and their live shows are sweet. Haven't seen them live since August of 2002 at Seattle's Pier 62/63. The guy selling beer on the pier was from Chicago and so is Mrs.iluvmysephia1, so, free draft brews during the whole show. Great show!!

Iluvmyselphia, I didn't notice Souls too much before but there were quite a few on the highway. At one point I was in a long line of cars in the left lane, and this Soul was behind me. I normally go in the lane to the right if I can, but have learned if I do that I block myself in, so I just kept up with the others. The Soul zigged 2 lanes over, got around a few cars and zigged back in about 6 cars ahead of me.

I learned, it is better on a long run to just keep distance and let the others play their games. I don't think I arrive that much later, and my blood pressure stays more normal

Tragically Hip, you have good taste. Great band, they live about 2 1/2 hours East of Toronto (referred to as T.O. these days, and I am about 1 hour West of T.O.)