Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

iluvmysephia1

Well put, berri. I'm printing your post out as a social commentary on what's wrong with America's government, if you don't mind. Just re-upped the ink in my Canon inkjet printer for $40.

roadburner

imidazol97 said:

snakeweasel said:

But voters are voting for ho gives the bigger handout so we are doomed.

Back in the 1990s an economist said that the voting power had switched or would be switching soon from those who make money to those who take money from the government's various sources that the workers and capitalists had paid in. Does anyone remember who that was?

We are doomed because the incumbents in DC have their own interests at heart and not those of the people of the US. Wall Street big money still runs the country.

Once someone is elected to Congress they usually(with rare exceptions) become "Washingtonians" rather than Republicans or Democrats. I think that explains the popularity of Sanders and Trump- they are perceived as outsiders who promise to shake things up.

roadburner

Calling @oldfarmer50 : 1969 Lincoln Continental Mark III.

Looks to be a sweet car.

stever

We are just about to get autonomous cars - be nice to make the congressional people work at their local, in-state office. We're well beyond the stage of that new tech so it'd be easy for them to log into Facetime or do a Hangout for committee work and voting. Meanwhile the locals get first dibs at lobbying.

oldfarmer50

roadburner said:

Calling @oldfarmer50 : 1969 Lincoln Continental Mark III.

Looks to be a sweet car.

Oh yeah, I would like that car. Loved the Mark III since I first saw the French Connection.

A 1970 Mark that looked exactly like that down to the vinyl roof sold at a recent Mecam auction for $11,000. A bargain.

Can you imagine the gas milage with a 3 speed auto and a 460 V8?

If I owned it the first thing I would do is get wider white walls.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

roadburner said:

Calling @oldfarmer50 : 1969 Lincoln Continental Mark III.

Looks to be a sweet car.

Oh yeah, I would like that car. Loved the Mark III since I first saw the French Connection.
A 1970 Mark that looked exactly like that down to the vinyl roof sold at a recent Mecam auction for $11,000. A bargain.
Can you imagine the gas milage with a 3 speed auto and a 460 V8?
If I owned it the first thing I would do is get wider white walls.

Looks great, I'd love to have a big boat like that, especially if I could have a big garage and about 50 cars like Jay Leno.

The beautiful description certainly adds a lot of value to the car:

the Mark III carries some familiar styling elements, though perhaps none so recognizable as the faux, Mark II style spare tire hump. From certain angles. the vinyl top visually lowers the roofline, making what is a very large car look slightly less so.

Sounds better than the car features a phony spare tire and all the vinyl top needs is a complementary set of white walls to set this baby off!

driver100

Where did everyone go.....oh yeh, Super Bowl.

Average ticket was selling for about $5000, and higher priced tickets sold for about $25000 - the cost of a decent car!

( one person from nearby Palo Alto bought four tickets to the game for $24,168 each, according to ticket reseller StubHub. Another person from Phoenix paid even more per ticket, buying two at a price of $27,983.) U.S.A. Today

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

Where did everyone go.....oh yeh, Super Bowl.

Average ticket was selling for about $5000, and higher priced tickets sold for about $25000 - the cost of a decent car!

( one person from nearby Palo Alto bought four tickets to the game for $24,168 each, according to ticket reseller StubHub. Another person from Phoenix paid even more per ticket, buying two at a price of $27,983.) U.S.A. Today

Not everyone.

That Mark III got me thinking about the Mark V that Count Customs pimped out. Only a Lincoln or Caddy could stand this treatment.

dino001

PUG broke 2 bucks! 1.999 today. Now it can only go up.

[Deleted User]

Go Broncos!

abacomike

tyguy said:

Go Broncos!

X two!

stickguy

I don't think autonomous cars are coming soon, and really just in small doses for specialized use. largely because it takes a long time to radically change the national fleet, and few people will want to buy one (or be able to afford it).

I can't imagine using it around here for normal use. So vast majority of the time it will be in "manual" mode anyway.

just consider the already available tech (lane watch, auto brake) to be close enough, and say it is here!

Michaell

tyguy said:

Go Broncos!

+1

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

Where did everyone go.....oh yeh, Super Bowl.

Average ticket was selling for about $5000, and higher priced tickets sold for about $25000 - the cost of a decent car!

( one person from nearby Palo Alto bought four tickets to the game for $24,168 each, according to ticket reseller StubHub. Another person from Phoenix paid even more per ticket, buying two at a price of $27,983.) U.S.A. Today

Not everyone.

That Mark III got me thinking about the Mark V that Count Customs pimped out. Only a Lincoln or Caddy could stand this treatment.

Those Lincolns would look much better if they left them alone!

snakeweasel

stickguy said:

I don't think autonomous cars are coming soon, and really just in small doses for specialized use. largely because it takes a long time to radically change the national fleet, and few people will want to buy one (or be able to afford it).

I can't imagine using it around here for normal use. So vast majority of the time it will be in "manual" mode anyway.

just consider the already available tech (lane watch, auto brake) to be close enough, and say it is here!

I would guess that autonomous cars in any serious numbers will take 10 years and maybe 30 years to be widespread.

[Deleted User]

Broncos defense does it again. Superb performance. Congrats Denver.

stever

Been afraid to look - didn't want to jinx them. Thanks for the update @tyguy. Now the onus is back on Eli to break the tie.

Michaell

I suspect Peyton will retire. 

abacomike

tyguy said:

Broncos defense does it again. Superb performance. Congrats Denver.

Defensive games like this Super Bowl may not be as exciting at first glance as an offensive and/or high scoring game, however as an after-thought, one learns to appreciate what goes into creating a truly marvelous defensive team like Denver.

The Panthers' defense was almost as effective as Denver's - just look at the absence of any sustained offense by either team.  It was the defense that delivered most, if not all, of the scoring.

Congrats to my team, the Denver Broncos!

berri

Funny how many teams pay more $ to the offense, but stats seem to bear out that the defense ultimately rules. We've been talking about out of whack economics recently in this forum

stickguy

Eli isn't winning another SB for many years to come, unless he goes to another team.

At least this game put a dent in the "you need a superstar QB to win a SB" argument.

verdugo

Michaell said:

I suspect Peyton will retire. 

I like Manning, a lot, but he needs to retire. He doesn't have enough left in the tank. I'm happy he won so that he can go out a winner.

bwia

We are under another storm warning again. All schools in the Boston are closed.

On a related note, last Friday's snow storm left heartbreak in my town of Canton, MA, when a six year old girl died when a snow laden branch fell and crushed her to death. Not very far away, a neighbor received the same fate when a tree branch fell on him. What a tragedy. Condolences to the families and may the departed souls of their love ones rest in eternal peace.

driver100

New concept, cars without rear view side mirrors:


You would have a full view of the rear and it may appear where the current mirror is, or someplace else.




Cuts down wind noise and would add a few % points gas mileage.

Not legal for awhile because cars must have rear view mirrors at this time.

driver100

I guess VW didn't advertise in this years SB!

It might have been good;;;;;;;;;we are working hard to clean up our act

stever

stickguy said:

Eli isn't winning another SB for many years to come, unless he goes to another team.

He still has one more Super Bowl MPV than Peyton.

snakeweasel

abacomike said:

tyguy said:

Broncos defense does it again. Superb performance. Congrats Denver.

Defensive games like this Super Bowl may not be as exciting at first glance as an offensive and/or high scoring game, however as an after-thought, one learns to appreciate what goes into creating a truly marvelous defensive team like Denver.

The Panthers' defense was almost as effective as Denver's - just look at the absence of any sustained offense by either team.  It was the defense that delivered most, if not all, of the scoring.

Congrats to my team, the Denver Broncos!

well it's Monday morning and reading these messages I just found out who won. that's a record for me, usually takes me a few days to find out who won. The next question is who lost?

snakeweasel

driver100 said:

New concept, cars without rear view side mirrors:


You would have a full view of the rear and it may appear where the current mirror is, or someplace else.




Cuts down wind noise and would add a few % points gas mileage.

Not legal for awhile because cars must have rear view mirrors at this time.

I just wonder if it would give me same same field of view that all the mirrors do. Plus I doubt that the side mirrors add so much drag that eliminating them would noticeably increase gas mileage.

stickguy

Peyton still wins. He has more money!

stever

Cooper's the winner - he gets to manage every dollar in the family, and he'll be able to get out of bed without IVs and using a trapeze when he's 60.

ab348

I am guessing Mr. and Mrs. Archie Manning used the "name your kid like a dog" school of selecting monikers for their children back when they were born.

Was hoping for Carolina because I really dislike the other team and especially the Mannings being a Patriots fan, but that Broncos team was too much. Disappointed in Cam's performance with the press after the game - he still has a lot of maturing to do. One of the things that impresses me as I get older is how Deion Sanders, who used to be a real publicity hound and quite obnoxious in his playing days, now is a voice of reason when he speaks on NFL Network about how some of the younger guys act. He seems to want to mentor them about how to behave like a pro. Good for him.

houdini1

That sure is an ugly looking dash on that mirrorless BMW.

Cars are getting so many costly gadgets, it reminds me of our bygone space race. The U.S. spent millions developing a ball point pen that would write in zero gravity, whereas the Russians just used a pencil. Pencil works for me, as do mirrors.

stickguy

Ab, good call on the names. My dog in the little green box? That's Cooper!

roadburner

houdini1 said:

That sure is an ugly looking dash on that mirrorless BMW.

Cars are getting so many costly gadgets, it reminds me of our bygone space race. The U.S. spent millions developing a ball point pen that would write in zero gravity, whereas the Russians just used a pencil. Pencil works for me, as do mirrors.

At least BMW is getting back to the driver-focused cockpit that they abandoned during the Bangle era. The instrument binnacle in the 235i is obviously a close relation to the one in the 318ti. I'm not opposed to technology, but I am opposed to change for the sake of change. I was not a fan of the first couple of iterations of the iDrive interface but it is now a useful tool that can make accessing certain vehicle functions easier. It even gives me an actual rotary tuning knob- something BMWs have been lacking for decades.

oldfarmer50

Is it true that the Panther's quarterback was crying on TV over the loss? Where has the testosterone gone?

stickguy

Yup. Of course they zoomed in on him.

Mr_Shiftright

All he had to do was reach into his pocket for a $1000 bill to wipe away the tears....

bwia

If he thinks the loss was bad just wait until he gets his State of California income tax bill on his $51,000 second place Superbowl earnings. I understand the California "jock tax" will set him back $137,000 on his Superbowl and regular season earnings in the Golden State. Yikes!

Mr_Shiftright

He probably loses more than that in his sofa when he sits down.

berri

I think Cam Newton reflects his relative youth. He really could have shown a bit of grace at the podium. But hopefully looking back, this will up his maturity and make him an even better QB. The greats like Rogers, Manning, even soon Russell Wilson I think, generally show some class.

snakeweasel

houdini1 said:

That sure is an ugly looking dash on that mirrorless BMW.

Cars are getting so many costly gadgets, it reminds me of our bygone space race. The U.S. spent millions developing a ball point pen that would write in zero gravity, whereas the Russians just used a pencil. Pencil works for me, as do mirrors.

Actually it was a private company that developed the space pen and sold it to NASA as well as the general public. The Russians also used that same space pen, you cannot use pencils in space. When you use a pencil little pieces of graphite break off and in space they float around until they eventually get into the delicate electronics and foul everything up.

driver100

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

New concept, cars without rear view side mirrors:


You would have a full view of the rear and it may appear where the current mirror is, or someplace else.




Cuts down wind noise and would add a few % points gas mileage.

Not legal for awhile because cars must have rear view mirrors at this time.

I just wonder if it would give me same same field of view that all the mirrors do. Plus I doubt that the side mirrors add so much drag that eliminating them would noticeably increase gas mileage.

Supposed to be better field of vision...no blindspot. They think one will show the left side, one the right, and one in the middle could make it a full sweep. Some experts are afraid it will make people lazier drivers....and there is concern blindspot change lane mirrors are enabling people to change lanes relying too much on technology...not enough real looking back.

They calculate that mirrors do have a pretty high wind drag, these small cameras could save 2 or 3% per gallon of gas....every bit helps.

driver100

Took the car into Safelite to have stone chip #2 fixed. I love that company! I phoned first but the recording says if you do it online they will take off $20. Before they picked up I made my appointment online.

I got there 15 minutes early and they started right away. He said it won't be hidden as well as the first but should be good. He warned me that since this was a 2nd one the windshild could crack and I would have to replace it....small chance but, he has to warn me.

I agreed, did it in 20 minutes. Cleaned the window and vacuumed the front floor. It is almost impossible to find. Cost $80 plus material and tax = $94. I know it is strong and it is well done. I told him if I get a 3rd one I may get a new windshield then because of the strength. He said that sounds like the way to do it, and filling it for now was good because I could get another one as soon as I drive away.

National guraranty, fast efficient ultra polite service. Couldn't have gone better. He asked me to do him a favor, if they send a survey give him a good rating. I said I sure would 10 out of 10 couldn't be better!

ab348

An online friend in NYC posted this picture of a car she admired parked outside her building today. I must confess this is a new thing for me: "Parking Armor". Any idea what the story is on this? Do you leave it on all the time or only install it when the car is parked? Probably makes sense in a place like Manhattan.

There's always something new under the sun...

stever

snakeweasel said:

I would guess that autonomous cars in any serious numbers will take 10 years and maybe 30 years to be widespread.

"The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) has released its report to the United States Congress assessing the status of dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) for connected vehicle technologies. The findings are that they are ready for deployment."

USDOT reports to US Congress on DSRC for connected vehicles (Gizmag)

Seems like that would fit right in with the autonomous car sensors. Some say 2020 is the magic year, but that's only 4 years away and likely too ambitious. Hopefully ten will be doable.

houdini1

snakeweasel said:

houdini1 said:

That sure is an ugly looking dash on that mirrorless BMW.

Cars are getting so many costly gadgets, it reminds me of our bygone space race. The U.S. spent millions developing a ball point pen that would write in zero gravity, whereas the Russians just used a pencil. Pencil works for me, as do mirrors.

Actually it was a private company that developed the space pen and sold it to NASA as well as the general public. The Russians also used that same space pen, you cannot use pencils in space. When you use a pencil little pieces of graphite break off and in space they float around until they eventually get into the delicate electronics and foul everything up.

Both Russia and the U.S. used pencils and special grease pencils in space up until the late 60's when they adopted the space pen. Primarily because it left a more permanent record. Despite the fear of graphite dust and broken pencil points fouling electronics, there is no record that this ever caused an accident.

graphicguy

AB...never heard of "parking Armor". Looks like it hooks into your trunk. I can't see it protecting much more than maybe some paint chips. Somebody does a wee bit more than a tap, and you've got bumper damage that the little piece of plastic isn't going to help.

snakeweasel

driver100 said:

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

New concept, cars without rear view side mirrors:


You would have a full view of the rear and it may appear where the current mirror is, or someplace else.




Cuts down wind noise and would add a few % points gas mileage.

Not legal for awhile because cars must have rear view mirrors at this time.

I just wonder if it would give me same same field of view that all the mirrors do. Plus I doubt that the side mirrors add so much drag that eliminating them would noticeably increase gas mileage.

Supposed to be better field of vision...no blindspot. They think one will show the left side, one the right, and one in the middle could make it a full sweep. Some experts are afraid it will make people lazier drivers....and there is concern blindspot change lane mirrors are enabling people to change lanes relying too much on technology...not enough real looking back.

They calculate that mirrors do have a pretty high wind drag, these small cameras could save 2 or 3% per gallon of gas....every bit helps.

Well properly positioned you should have no blind spot with mirrors.

Just a quick research I found that side mirrors increase drag by about 4% +/-, so people really won't see a noticeable increase in MPG.

snakeweasel

stever said:

snakeweasel said:

I would guess that autonomous cars in any serious numbers will take 10 years and maybe 30 years to be widespread.

"The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) has released its report to the United States Congress assessing the status of dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) for connected vehicle technologies. The findings are that they are ready for deployment."

USDOT reports to US Congress on DSRC for connected vehicles (Gizmag)

Seems like that would fit right in with the autonomous car sensors. Some say 2020 is the magic year, but that's only 4 years away and likely too ambitious. Hopefully ten will be doable.

My thinking that it's going to take ten years to get all the bugs out and start getting the prices down so that it starts to appeal to more moderate incomes. Then it's going to take time for people to accept them and then to slowly replace the existing fleet as it slowly ages.

roadburner

snakeweasel said:

Well properly positioned you should have no blind spot with mirrors.

Just a quick research I found that side mirrors increase drag by about 4% +/-, so people really won't see a noticeable increase in MPG.

Exactly; virtually no one knows how to adjust their mirrors. We teach it at Street Survival and hope that the knowledge spreads.