Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

stever

abacomike said:

I think my speedometer is incorrect - seemed like 62 mph to me. I will take the CLS into Mercedes to have it fixed!

huh, you didn't mean to type "I will take the CLS into Mercedes to have it replaced?"

Friend of mine from here back in the mid-70s got tagged at an Alabama speed trap and went right to the county judge. Said judge said he could either pay the fine right then or, if he didn't have the money, the bus to the pea farm left in the morning. My friend found the money.

Back in the day, some Georgia counties were so bad that the infamous governor Lester Maddox put up billboards on the highway warning tourists of the traps.

abacomike

stever said:

I think my speedometer is incorrect - seemed like 62 mph to me. I will take the CLS into Mercedes to have it fixed!

huh, you didn't mean to type "I will take the CLS into Mercedes to have it replaced?" Friend of mine from here back in the mid-70s got tagged at an Alabama speed trap and went right to the county judge. Said judge said he could either pay the fine right then or, if he didn't have the money, the bus to the pea farm left in the morning. My friend found the money. Back in the day, some Georgia counties were so bad that the infamous governor Lester Maddox put up billboards on the highway warning tourists of the traps.

North Carolina back in the 50's was awful. We drove Rte. 301 through NC.  There were no interstates at the time.  In the small towns between Fayetteville and Lumberton, along Rte. 301, we would see lines of rotating red lights on top of police cars with the cars their speed traps snared as the speeders were ticketed.  They were usually taken right to the judge to pay their fines.

Not a very nice welcome from the small towns of NC.

oldfarmer50

Driver100 what are you up to?

https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/5411286101.html

oldfarmer50

graphicguy said:

oldfarmer50 said:

abacomike said:

I finally put the CLS 400 through its paces this afternoon.  I entered the Florida Turnpike and pushed the pedal to the floor.  I brought the rpm's to red line and I looked at the speedo.  I was at 92 mph in about 6 seconds (I floored it at 30 mph) and I was in 5th gear (I have 7).  It reacted as if a V8 was under the hood.  The turbos kicked in with no noticeable delay.  It was breathtaking!

I figured I was well enough to handle the excitement and the car had 956 miles on it which was close enough to 1000 for the break-in period.  A truly amazing vehicle with that twin turbo V6. 

I guess that means you're feeling better. Carefully planned craziness can be quite fun.

Personally, I'm good with unplanned craziness, too.

Insurance-never could understand that while death tolls have plummeted on our roads over the last 25 years, why insurance rates weren't affected given the companies are paying out less.

When self driving cars begin to become more prevalent, I wonder how municipalities and insurance companies are going to justify keeping fines and premiums at a high level. With those cars, you can't run a red light, or roll a stop sign. You can't cross a yellow line illegally. Heck, I can see the local Otis leaving a long shift at the local tavern getting into his car and state "take me home", and the car responds safely and securely. How are those legal fees, fines, and insurance premiums going to be justified by all involved parties?

Speaking of insurance, I was driving to the local FedEx office early this a.m. to send a package. Around here, we got an inch or two of snow....nothing drastic. It was just enough to let stupid people practice their craft.

Anyway, couple of cars ahead of me, I see brake lights, and then I see those same brake lights start spinning. It was a 350 or 370Z doing a 360. Car ended up in a grassy median. Long and short of it, myself and a couple of other drivers pulled off to make sure the driver was OK. He was. Albeit a little shaken up. Young guy, early 20s on the way to work.

He said he was driving slow and all of a sudden he lost control. He had summer rubber on the Z and couldn't quite comprehend how that might not work in the snow. Anyway, aside from a busted chin spoiler, and probably some lower body bondo work and paint that will need to be done, I think both driver and car will be fine.

Of course, not sure what kind of damage is underneath (which could be major, given the body was almost touching the ground since the tires were buried).

I think if I was drunk would be the only time I would let a car drive me.

From my research on summer tires I have read how they are bad in cold weather due to the "glass factor" which makes them drive like you're on ice and which also makes them useless in snow. Combine that with a light weight high power of a Z and he's lucky he made it out of the driveway.

Is that the unplanned craziness you mentioned?

abacomike

oldfarmer50 said:

Driver100 what are you up to? https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/5411286101.html

After reading the guy's post, and then critiquing his sentence syntax and verb/noun agreement, I wouldn't buy a "Snickers" candy bar from him.  A bit too "shady" for me.  Besides, he wants to sell Canadian cars to Americans.  Interesting, isn't it? 

driver100

imidazol97 said:

driver100 said:

PF_Flyer said:

HBO is running the 7+ hour Godfather Epic right now. It's the first two movies edited together to tell the story in chronological order with some additional scenes that weren't in the originals. I think this is my favorite car from the movies, although the one that the ambulance passes on the causeway when Vito is coming home from the hospital is pretty cool too

don't think anyone would get a red and black one..

I remember them from the "good old days." That red and black with the "odd" side molding
is even one of the advertised Fords that year.

It is! I remember those years well. I knew every make because they all looked different, and every year we would go to the car dealers and see the new models...we got a new Ford or Mercury at least every 2 years....guess my Dad was addicted to new cars. I remember turquois green and red being big colors, but I don't recall red and black......maybe not in Canada.

oldfarmer50

imidazol97 said:

driver100 said:

PF_Flyer said:

HBO is running the 7+ hour Godfather Epic right now. It's the first two movies edited together to tell the story in chronological order with some additional scenes that weren't in the originals. I think this is my favorite car from the movies, although the one that the ambulance passes on the causeway when Vito is coming home from the hospital is pretty cool too

don't think anyone would get a red and black one..

I remember them from the "good old days." That red and black with the "odd" side molding
is even one of the advertised Fords that year.

Like odd colors? Here's a few:

driver100

imidazol97 said:

The 58 Ford's style was an answer to a question that was never asked, relative to the 1957's grace. It was driven mostly by the change to quad headlights.

Interesting photo....I preferred the 57 Ford to the 57 Chev too...but the Chevy became the real Classic Car of the period. The only years Ford outsold Chev was 57 and 59. The Ford was ultra modern in 57, being really low to the ground....the ads showed a businessman leaning out the window and picking up his attache case.

oldfarmer50

ab348 said:

(Cross-posted here from CCBA)

Interesting - a local GM dealer (not the one I bought my ATS from, though interestingly the sales guy I used now works at this place) has a new 2015 ATS advertised at $22,900. Original MSRP is $39,900 (all these are Cdn pricing in C$). Base model, 2.5 RWD, zero options I can see. But still, $17K off MSRP for a 2015 seems incredible. An acquaintance was moderately interested, reached out, and got a video email response from my former sales guy that he forwarded to me. The reply from the sales guy said yes, it is a real price, and he had the car in the video to prove it exists and did a brief walkaround. I have never heard of a 43+% discount on a new car. There must be a back story. Would love to know what it is.

It probably belonged to GG.

ab348

abacomike said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Driver100 what are you up to?

https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/5411286101.html

After reading the guy's post, and then critiquing his sentence syntax and verb/noun agreement, I wouldn't buy a "Snickers" candy bar from him.  A bit too "shady" for me.  Besides, he wants to sell Canadian cars to Americans.  Interesting, isn't it? 


It could well be legit. There is an opportunity for arbitrage right now, as the Cdn dollar has plummeted in value vs. the US dollar. Car prices have not yet been adjusted. So, for example, the $22.9K ATS I mentioned can be yours for under $16K US$. Screaming deal.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

Driver100 what are you up to?

https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/5411286101.html

Interesting! Since cars were costing about 20% more in Canada I don't see how it can be a great bargain, EXCEPT our dollar has sunk along with the price of oil and though it got to be close to equal with US dollar, it is now worth about 65 cents after exchange....OUCH!

So, this guy may have a good idea there, sell cars and collect US dollars, then convert into Canadian. Cars will be like NY State though, few will survive rust after about 15 years.

Oldfarmer....there has to be a better way.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

graphicguy said:

oldfarmer50 said:

abacomike said:

I finally put the CLS 400 through its paces this afternoon.  I entered the Florida Turnpike and pushed the pedal to the floor.  I brought the rpm's to red line and I looked at the speedo.  I was at 92 mph in about 6 seconds (I floored it at 30 mph) and I was in 5th gear (I have 7).  It reacted as if a V8 was under the hood.  The turbos kicked in with no noticeable delay.  It was breathtaking!

I figured I was well enough to handle the excitement and the car had 956 miles on it which was close enough to 1000 for the break-in period.  A truly amazing vehicle with that twin turbo V6. 

I guess that means you're feeling better. Carefully planned craziness can be quite fun.

Personally, I'm good with unplanned craziness, too.

Insurance-never could understand that while death tolls have plummeted on our roads over the last 25 years, why insurance rates weren't affected given the companies are paying out less.

When self driving cars begin to become more prevalent, I wonder how municipalities and insurance companies are going to justify keeping fines and premiums at a high level. With those cars, you can't run a red light, or roll a stop sign. You can't cross a yellow line illegally. Heck, I can see the local Otis leaving a long shift at the local tavern getting into his car and state "take me home", and the car responds safely and securely. How are those legal fees, fines, and insurance premiums going to be justified by all involved parties?

Speaking of insurance, I was driving to the local FedEx office early this a.m. to send a package. Around here, we got an inch or two of snow....nothing drastic. It was just enough to let stupid people practice their craft.

Anyway, couple of cars ahead of me, I see brake lights, and then I see those same brake lights start spinning. It was a 350 or 370Z doing a 360. Car ended up in a grassy median. Long and short of it, myself and a couple of other drivers pulled off to make sure the driver was OK. He was. Albeit a little shaken up. Young guy, early 20s on the way to work.

He said he was driving slow and all of a sudden he lost control. He had summer rubber on the Z and couldn't quite comprehend how that might not work in the snow. Anyway, aside from a busted chin spoiler, and probably some lower body bondo work and paint that will need to be done, I think both driver and car will be fine.

Of course, not sure what kind of damage is underneath (which could be major, given the body was almost touching the ground since the tires were buried).

I think if I was drunk would be the only time I would let a car drive me.

From my research on summer tires I have read how they are bad in cold weather due to the "glass factor" which makes them drive like you're on ice and which also makes them useless in snow. Combine that with a light weight high power of a Z and he's lucky he made it out of the driveway.

Is that the unplanned craziness you mentioned?

Exactly, my 2008 bmw 328 was absolutely useless in snow until I got 4 snow tires on it. What makes people think they can drive in snow in a car like that....must be super ego!

I taught driving to high school students and the guys that scare me are the one's who think they have the skills to drive in any conditions.....well if they knew what they were doing they would know the limits of their car - and drive accordingly.

abacomike

ab348 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Driver100 what are you up to? https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/5411286101.html

After reading the guy's post, and then critiquing his sentence syntax and verb/noun agreement, I wouldn't buy a "Snickers" candy bar from him.  A bit too "shady" for me.  Besides, he wants to sell Canadian cars to Americans.  Interesting, isn't it? 

It could well be legit. There is an opportunity for arbitrage right now, as the Cdn dollar has plummeted in value vs. the US dollar. Car prices have not yet been adjusted. So, for example, the $22.9K ATS I mentioned can be yours for under $16K US$. Screaming deal.

But do Canadian cars meet all EPA requirements?  (i.e. emissions, fuel economy, safety features, etc.).  What about getting a Canadian car registered in the US?  What about titling the car?  Are there any duties that have to be paid?  Lots of questions.

isellhondas

I need some help!

My computer is about to die and I may lose my Edmunds password that I no longer have. It autofills so I don't need to enter it. Could a moderator maybe email me with it?

[Email removed]

Thanks!

Craig

If anyone has any suggestions on what to buy as a replacement I would love to hear from you!

Craig

abacomike

isellhondas said:

I need some help! My computer is about to die and I may lose my Edmunds password that I no longer have. It autofills so I don't need to enter it. Could a moderator maybe email me with it? [Email removed] Thanks! Craig If anyone has any suggestions on what to buy as a replacement I would love to hear from you! Craig

I've always had HP desktops.  Never had one die on me.  The one I have now is 6 years old and has the first generation Intel I-7 processor, 12 gigs of RAM, and a 1.5 tg hard dive.  HP still makes the best PC IMHO.

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Driver100 what are you up to?

https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/5411286101.html

Interesting! Since cars were costing about 20% more in Canada I don't see how it can be a great bargain, EXCEPT our dollar has sunk along with the price of oil and though it got to be close to equal with US dollar, it is now worth about 65 cents after exchange....OUCH!

So, this guy may have a good idea there, sell cars and collect US dollars, then convert into Canadian. Cars will be like NY State though, few will survive rust after about 15 years.

Oldfarmer....there has to be a better way.

I have to wonder what hoops you would have to jump through to buy a car in Canada and then register it in the US?

Yeah, and then there's the rust.

abacomike

@oldfarmer50:

You left the "t" off the front of "rust", OF.  I would worry more about the rust with the "t" in front than without the "t"! 

stever

isellhondas said:

My computer is about to die and I may lose my Edmunds password that I no longer have.

You can use this link to reset your password.

If for some reason that doesn't work for you, shoot me (or another mod) an email.

I think Lenovo is the sweet spot for Windows PCs these days. Dell has really gone south. Not a big fan of HP either any more.

imidazol97

isellhondas said:

I need some help!If anyone has any suggestions on what to buy as a replacement I would love to hear from you!

I still like HP desktops. Pricing varies online. But Staples and Office Depot have pricing on models in the store that are good. They are where I'd go if I wanted a computer now.

Check the sale ads from both stores online if you are able to do that on a computer.

Or I'd order the almost best of the line in terms of processor online from HP direct.

imidazol97

abacomike said:

You'll have to try the Power Side which is a kale/broccoli salad. I may have suggested that before, but I like it.

Imid, you certainly did recommend that new salad - but I also responded to your initial post about the newly added salad. I believe I mentioned something like, "...I don't go to Chick-Fil-A to eat grass and leaves - I go there to eat "chicken"!" But since you had the "nerve" to recommend the salad yet another time, I am going to try the salad Friday. Your powers of persuasion are uncanny!

I recall that now. I wasn't trying to persuade, just trying to suggest. Kale went on sale Monday for first time replacing cole slaw. I had samples they passed out at lunch a week or so before at the store we frequent. I'm till a fan of chicken strips and the fruit cup medium or now the small Power Side Kale. Chicken tortilla soup is great but it's like the White Castle hamburgers in that it stays with me long after I eat the soup in several ways. But I love the soup with the spice they have in it.

abacomike

imidazol97 said:

I need some help!If anyone has any suggestions on what to buy as a replacement I would love to hear from you!

I still like HP desktops. Pricing varies online. But Staples and Office Depot have pricing on models in the store that are good. They are where I'd go if I wanted a computer now. Check the sale ads from both stores online if you are able to do that on a computer. Or I'd order the almost best of the line in terms of processor online from HP direct.

Costco has some great deals as well.  I bought a laser printer from HP last year.  I got a great price online from HP and they carry the toner cartridges for 10 years.

abacomike

@imidazol97:

All right, you sold me, but I do love the 4-piece chicken strip meals - I love those fries and their Chick-Fil-A sauce.  I'm getting hungry just thinking about it!

driver100

"abacomike"?


But do Canadian cars meet all EPA requirements?  (i.e. emissions, fuel economy, safety features, etc.).  What about getting a Canadian car registered in the US?  What about titling the car?  Are there any duties that have to be paid?  Lots of questions.

Canadian cars would probably match or exceed EPA requirements....except possibly in California. There are brokers who will have any modifications made and who will do the paperwork. Probably more difficult if shipping the other way, from US to Canada.

It may take some paperwork and red tape but should be doable. If the car is under warranty it may not be valid. Mercedes makes you sign a waver that you will not export the car....oldfarmer, don't buy a Mercedes.

stever

Brother has 'em beat on printers too, and I lived on the same street with two HP printer engineers as neighbors back in Boise, where HP used to design them.

My brother has an HP inkjet and it took four attempts and some finagling to get it to print my boarding passes a couple of hours ago.

The fact that I had to dump some HP at a loss back in '99 when they split off Agilent has no influence on how lousy a company I think they've turned in to.

driver100

I have always had good use from my HP PCs and printers.

This one, my cheap $300 laptop was giving me some trouble and it was very frustrating. Copy and paste, deleting, clicking on boxes in gmail and other places didn't work.

My IT expert mentioned he could look at the mouse program via Teamplayer on Thursday. That gave me an idea to check the mouse. I tried different ports, no change. Then I tried the mouse from my old netbook and it works great....better than ever. I have ordered a new cordless mouse.

I keep telling my wife I am a genius!

Michaell

We've got an Epson all-in-one wireless printer that works not only with our Windows PCs but also all of our Apple products (iPhone, iPad and MacBook). Really have had no problems in the 2 years we've owned it.

I like that it has 6 different ink cartridges to give us good color saturation when necessary.

driver100

stever said:

.

My brother has an HP inkjet and it took four attempts and some finagling to get it to print my boarding passes a couple of hours ago.

Maybe you are on the NO FLY list

Mr_Shiftright

I am so done with HP. They are attractively priced and stylish enough but I have found they cannot take the "industrial use" I give them. My last HP laptop. 2 years old, has no more lettering on most of the keyboard, and the hard drive howls like a supercharger. Ok, ok, I didn't change the oil.

abacomike

Inkjet printers can be messy.  I don't need color printing which is why I went with a laser printer.  I need quality black and white prints.

suydam

MacBook.

Mr_Shiftright

MacPricey. $1299 and up.

explorerx4

We got a wireless HP 3 in 2 for xmas from the kids. It works really well.

ab348

I had a couple of Toshiba laptops from the late '90s through 2010 or so. Then I bought an Asus - big mistake. Very poorly built, shoddy design. I now use it as a desktop with external monitor and keyboard, and it works OK in that role. But it just wasn't built for mobility. I replaced it with a Dell in 2013 and that's what I'm using now. Works fine, happy with it.

stever

driver100 said:

Maybe you are on the NO FLY list

Not any more - got stuck at JFK a while back for 2 hours trying to get back in the country. What a pita.

The MacBook isn't a bad idea, and I keep hearing good stuff about the equally pricey latest edition Microsoft Surface devices.

I'm way too cheap to buy an inkjet - a toner cartridge will last me a few years.

snakeweasel

driver100 said:

snakeweasel said:

graphicguy said:

Q....I kind of always went in to any of the Star Wars movies with a healthy dose of "suspension of disbelief" attitude.

Q....I kind of always went in to any of the Star Wars movies with a healthy dose of "suspension of disbelief" attitude.

You have to do that with almost every movie.

Yeh, if that wasn't the case we would be watching movies about people with everyday lives like ours...not much point in doing that.

No, that's not true. You can have some very entertaining and enjoyable where you don't have to suspend disbelief. The reason you have to suspend disbelief is that movies tend to depict things that either don't or cannot happen in real life. Do you think that a Trans Am could have survived the stuff it did in Smokey and the Bandit?

snakeweasel

nyccarguy said:

nelsonf said:

I wish Washington state would require proof of insurance at registration time. While it's true that some people may scam the system by getting insurance, registering their car, then canceling, you would hope at least some of them would keep it once they had it.

The other thing that bugs me, is having to pay for "uninsured motorist" insurance, when it's the law to have insurance.
You're doing the right thing by having insurance, yet paying more for the privilege.

It is funny that you mention that. I have noticed a lot of Washington state license plates around here in New York lately. Mostly driven by minorities who are the the first ones to say they cannot afford the insurance here in New York.

If you cannot afford the insurance that means either one of two things. Either you're such a lousy driver that you should just give up, or you have very little money and you shouldn't be spending it on a car.

snakeweasel

houdini1 said:

stever said:

Autonomous cars will, ahem, fix that issue.

If we ever get a good percentage of autonomous cars, a good selling feature would be if the manufacturer took on all the liability so the buyer would not have to buy insurance...or maybe just comprehensive.

A question for everyone, since we started talking insurance have you been getting insurance ads mixed in amonst the posts? I have.

snakeweasel

andres3 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

Yeah but that's when they go belly-up on you--unless of course you had the power to put them in the slammer if they didn't pay up. But I guess that's "debtor's prison" and isn't legal?

I think if they made the penalty for driving without insurance AND causing an accident 3 strikes and 25 to life mandatory sentence, it would cut down on both the uninsured and the "accident-eager-prone" driver's out there.

I would think that would violate the cruel and unusual clause in COTUS.

snakeweasel

andres3 said:

houdini1 said:

stever said:

Autonomous cars will, ahem, fix that issue.

If we ever get a good percentage of autonomous cars, a good selling feature would be if the manufacturer took on all the liability so the buyer would not have to buy insurance...or maybe just comprehensive.

Yes, no insurance. Not even Comprehensive because if it gets stolen it should be able to find its way back home automatically Now that would be a good "recall" feature on the Key FOB.

Also, what would the automatic payout be if it gets you or someone you love killed? It would have to be very high guaranteed settlement amount.

Hey, autonomous cars should be able to drive to the nearest police station with the thief securely locked in the car.

snakeweasel

Mr_Shiftright said:

If jail time were a deterrent we'd have empty jails--but in fact business is boomin'.

I prefer the confiscation laws--you have an accident while uninsured, you lose the car, at least until you make things right all around. Or the car can be auctioned off and put into a compensation fund perhaps.

Likelihood of getting caught is a bigger deterrent.

snakeweasel

abacomike said:

andres3 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

A bit draconian to say the least. All that will do is what it does in Mexico. When there's an accident, the uninsured unregistered driver just runs away, and you have a wrecked car and an empty bag.

That wouldn't fly in the US, if an owner can be mailed a red light camera ticket, someone can be blamed. And you might at least own 2 wrecked cars, some value there.

Red light camera tickets have been stopped here in Broward County by a district court judge. I think a lawsuit was filed indicating that you have the right to "question" or "rebut" the "accuser". In this case, you cannot cross examine a picture taken by a camera at a specific intersection. So, until something is done to correct the "law" or to have the legislature pass a bill that permits cameras to "charge" an individual with a traffic violation, all the investment dollars in leasing or buying cameras at certain intersections is now a wasted taxpayer expense.

Should be interesting to find out what the higher court(s) rule and/or what the legislature does.

the problem with that argument is that the camera is not accusing you, the city is. You cannot cross examine the picture simply because the picture is not a witness but evidence. You do have the right to examine and refute the evidence though.

It's like this, if you break into my house and my security system records you doing that and I call the police it's not the security system making the accusation, it's me. The video is just evidence I use to make a determination.

If you cannot use red light cameras because you cannot confront it as your accuser then you have to let a lot of people out of prison because there are many who are there based simply on evidence.

snakeweasel

driver100 said:

"tjc78
Yes, I'm sure the Florida State police has nothing better to do than read Edmunds and look for stories of speeding......
@abacomike, I think your safe.

At least Mike didn't post a Youtube Video which they are using as proof to convict people these days.

There is a difference between what Mike did and posting those videos on Youtube. Mike could always recant it saying he was boasting to other car enthusiasts and he was either exaggerating or making it up. You can't do that with a video of the actual action.

snakeweasel

Death tolls may have plummeted but how fast have accidents plummeted? In the exact same accident you are far more likely to survive and be less injured in a 2015 car than a 1980 car, but to do that sometimes the car sacrifices itself. That and the fact that cars are far more complex with far more features these days that in the exact same accident a 1980 car would require less funds to repair than a 2016 car. So you cannot really make this call on death tolls going down.

driver100

snakeweasel said:

abacomike said:

andres3 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

A bit draconian to say the least. All that will do is what it does in Mexico. When there's an accident, the uninsured unregistered driver just runs away, and you have a wrecked car and an empty bag.

That wouldn't fly in the US, if an owner can be mailed a red light camera ticket, someone can be blamed. And you might at least own 2 wrecked cars, some value there.

Red light camera tickets have been stopped here in Broward County by a district court judge. I think a lawsuit was filed indicating that you have the right to "question" or "rebut" the "accuser". In this case, you cannot cross examine a picture taken by a camera at a specific intersection. So, until something is done to correct the "law" or to have the legislature pass a bill that permits cameras to "charge" an individual with a traffic violation, all the investment dollars in leasing or buying cameras at certain intersections is now a wasted taxpayer expense.

Should be interesting to find out what the higher court(s) rule and/or what the legislature does.

the problem with that argument is that the camera is not accusing you, the city is. You cannot cross examine the picture simply because the picture is not a witness but evidence. You do have the right to examine and refute the evidence though.

It's like this, if you break into my house and my security system records you doing that and I call the police it's not the security system making the accusation, it's me. The video is just evidence I use to make a determination.

If you cannot use red light cameras because you cannot confront it as your accuser then you have to let a lot of people out of prison because there are many who are there based simply on evidence.

I think the big problem is the camera can catch a picture of a car going through a red light....the problem is, how can you prove who was driving the car. Back home, the fine is given to the owner of the car...not sure if that is really the best example of safeguarding our right to fair justice.

snakeweasel

driver100 said:

I keep telling my wife I am a genius!

Does she break out laughing when you say that?

snakeweasel

Mr_Shiftright said:

I am so done with HP. They are attractively priced and stylish enough but I have found they cannot take the "industrial use" I give them. My last HP laptop. 2 years old, has no more lettering on most of the keyboard, and the hard drive howls like a supercharger. Ok, ok, I didn't change the oil.

My HP laptop is about 5 years old and is still going strong. The only issue is that I need a new battery, but that is to be expected at this stage.

abacomike

snakeweasel said:

I keep telling my wife I am a genius!

Does she break out laughing when you say that?

Snake - driver has told his wife so many times and for so many, many years that he is a genius, she is beginning to believe him! 

It's called brain-washing!  

abacomike

Snake, if the reports of the results of the lawsuits regarding red light cameras are related to witness cross examination, and the courts have stopped municipalities and counties from issuing tickets, what is missing here?

snakeweasel

driver100 said:

snakeweasel said:

abacomike said:

andres3 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

A bit draconian to say the least. All that will do is what it does in Mexico. When there's an accident, the uninsured unregistered driver just runs away, and you have a wrecked car and an empty bag.

That wouldn't fly in the US, if an owner can be mailed a red light camera ticket, someone can be blamed. And you might at least own 2 wrecked cars, some value there.

Red light camera tickets have been stopped here in Broward County by a district court judge. I think a lawsuit was filed indicating that you have the right to "question" or "rebut" the "accuser". In this case, you cannot cross examine a picture taken by a camera at a specific intersection. So, until something is done to correct the "law" or to have the legislature pass a bill that permits cameras to "charge" an individual with a traffic violation, all the investment dollars in leasing or buying cameras at certain intersections is now a wasted taxpayer expense.

Should be interesting to find out what the higher court(s) rule and/or what the legislature does.

the problem with that argument is that the camera is not accusing you, the city is. You cannot cross examine the picture simply because the picture is not a witness but evidence. You do have the right to examine and refute the evidence though.

It's like this, if you break into my house and my security system records you doing that and I call the police it's not the security system making the accusation, it's me. The video is just evidence I use to make a determination.

If you cannot use red light cameras because you cannot confront it as your accuser then you have to let a lot of people out of prison because there are many who are there based simply on evidence.

I think the big problem is the camera can catch a picture of a car going through a red light....the problem is, how can you prove who was driving the car. Back home, the fine is given to the owner of the car...not sure if that is really the best example of safeguarding our right to fair justice.

Well it is your car and you are ultimately responsible for it's use. If it was you then just pay the ticket, if it was someone you let the car to then go after them for the funds.

It does remind me when Volvo was about to release one of their new cars (C30 IIRC) I got the opportunity to drive one before they hit the dealerships at some event near my home. As we approached a light that was turning red the representative warned me about a red light camera at the intersection. Well in my wise a@@ style I responded "What do I care, this car isn't registered to me", then I blew through the light. Just kidding I stopped nice and smoothly and safely.

imidazol97

My oldest HP laptop is 11years old. Going strong but runs XP. Can't up grade to 10. 1New battery. Replaced hard drive when son unplugged it to move it to do school work and I Had t the battery out.

Didn't hp sell printer division to another company?