Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

abacomike

stickguy said:

Oops. got my old guys from Florida mixed up!

Hey, stick, watch who you are calling "old"!  Driver is sensitive about his age!

imidazol97

driver100 said:

Started out at 7:a.m. and GPS said we would reach Marietta GA at 3 p.m. With 2 stops figured add an hour so should be here by 4. Really heavy traffic from Tampa to almost to Dade City, then extremely heavy rain for about an hour and a half around Macon. Then slow moving traffic from about 50 miles outside Atlanta. Ever try to get from the HOV lane to the right lane which is 6 lanes over in bumper to bumper traffic? Blind spot warning sure came in handy. Reached Marietta just North of Atlanta at 6 p.m. Next stop Findley OH.

I saw news reports of heavy rain and a tornado around Macon. Glad you made it through. Accidents are my big worry because they can really back up traffic or close a road completely.

Have a good, safe drive tomorrow. There were lots of travelers stopping at a local ChickFilA today at noon and most were heading north to Ohio and Michigan based on license plates. You won't be alone heading north tomorrow either.

imidazol97

abacomike said:

Hey, stick, watch who you are calling "old"!  Driver is sensitive about his age!

Is that what the "100" means? I'm "97."

oldfarmer50

abacomike said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

Speaking about not getting anyone's attention. I was speaking to a couple who bought a Toyota, and they went back to the dealer to buy another one. The greeter said all the salespeople were in a meeting.

So, they walked over to the Suburu dealer for something to do, and liked the Suburu.....and have bought 5 of them since. Just shows, how easy it is to lose not only one sale but 5 sales!

In't there some old adage that says a customer is an interruption of your business they ARE your business?

Never heard it quite that way, oldfarmer.  I think it goes "...a customer is not an interruption of your business, they are your business!"   

Yes that is the way it goes but the system was glitching and wouldn't let me correct it.

On the other hand THIS is really neat.



http://powernationtv.com/post/callaway-sc740-autonomous-cars-are-ok-hellcat-on-ice-shelby-gt-h-now-rentals-and-costco-auto-program

abacomike

Another car I like that would be very uncomfortable for me.  Love POWER and love the muffler sound of power - but I have to be able to feel comfortable.

abacomike

I was watching BBC America last night and saw a promo announcement that TOP GEAR was returning with new episodes starting in May.

Anyone know what the scoop is on the returning show?  I know Jeremy was kicked off the show.  Is he back on this new set of shows or will there be a replacement for Jeremy and/or the others?  Looking forward to a response from you guys who might know the specifics.

berri

Indirectly related - what happened to Jay Leno's show? I thought he was coming back with more episodes?

abacomike

berri said:

Indirectly related - what happened to Jay Leno's show? I thought he was coming back with more episodes?

I saw 6-7 episodes of Jay Leno's Garage.  I enjoyed the show - would love to see that show continue.

snakeweasel

oldfarmer50 said:

snakeweasel said:

Well after work today I made a quick stop at a Motorcycle dealership to check out what they had. This place mostly sells Vespas but does carry Guzzi but must not want to sell many of them. If their aim was to make me feel invisible then they were successful. Two guys on the floor sitting at their desks doing nothing and neither acknowledged me when I walked in. Mulled around the bikes and even sat on one without so much as either person on the floor looking at me.

All I can say is that I am glad that their sales are so brisk that they can ignore potential buyers.

Nah, they just recognized a stroke when they saw one.

Well for me it's not a question of if but one of when and which one.

abacomike

snakeweasel said:

Well after work today I made a quick stop at a Motorcycle dealership to check out what they had. This place mostly sells Vespas but does carry Guzzi but must not want to sell many of them. If their aim was to make me feel invisible then they were successful. Two guys on the floor sitting at their desks doing nothing and neither acknowledged me when I walked in. Mulled around the bikes and even sat on one without so much as either person on the floor looking at me. All I can say is that I am glad that their sales are so brisk that they can ignore potential buyers.

Nah, they just recognized a stroke when they saw one.

Well for me it's not a question of if but one of when and which one.

Thanks for confusing me, snake!

snakeweasel

abacomike said:

snakeweasel said:

oldfarmer50 said:

snakeweasel said:

Well after work today I made a quick stop at a Motorcycle dealership to check out what they had. This place mostly sells Vespas but does carry Guzzi but must not want to sell many of them. If their aim was to make me feel invisible then they were successful. Two guys on the floor sitting at their desks doing nothing and neither acknowledged me when I walked in. Mulled around the bikes and even sat on one without so much as either person on the floor looking at me.

All I can say is that I am glad that their sales are so brisk that they can ignore potential buyers.

Nah, they just recognized a stroke when they saw one.

Well for me it's not a question of if but one of when and which one.

Thanks for confusing me, snake!

You're welcome, it's easy to do.

I will be buying but not sure when. I would like to do it this spring or early summer but the wife want's to get her car paid off first (which would be late fall). And while I know what type of bike I want but I have only eliminated one brand (that being BMW simply because I don't like their style).

oldfarmer50

abacomike said:

I was watching BBC America last night and saw a promo announcement that TOP GEAR was returning with new episodes starting in May.

Anyone know what the scoop is on the returning show?  I know Jeremy was kicked off the show.  Is he back on this new set of shows or will there be a replacement for Jeremy and/or the others?  Looking forward to a response from you guys who might know the specifics.

Don't know about the BBC version but the American Top Gear is supposed to be bringing new shows this fall.

I loved Jay Leno's Garage. Hope they make more even though I have to wait until CNBC shows the old repeats (basic cable)

roadburner

snakeweasel said:

Well after work today I made a quick stop at a Motorcycle dealership to check out what they had. This place mostly sells Vespas but does carry Guzzi but must not want to sell many of them. If their aim was to make me feel invisible then they were successful. Two guys on the floor sitting at their desks doing nothing and neither acknowledged me when I walked in. Mulled around the bikes and even sat on one without so much as either person on the floor looking at me.

All I can say is that I am glad that their sales are so brisk that they can ignore potential buyers.

BTDT when I visited the Triumph dealer in Lexington, KY 11 years ago. Here is what I wrote at the time:

A couple of weeks ago I was in Lexington for a conference. On the way back home I decided to stop by Transport see if they had any interesting used bikes. I was driving a BMW 645Ci convertible from BMW NA's press fleet because I was writing a Roundel article about the car. The big sled had an MSRP of $84700. I parked it right in front of the shop. You want to guess how many people asked if they could help me?

Zero.

If they wouldn't give the time of day to a guy driving a very expensive car, I shudder to think how they'd treat me if I had showed up in my muddy six year old Wrangler.

Morons.

roadburner

abacomike said:

I was watching BBC America last night and saw a promo announcement that TOP GEAR was returning with new episodes starting in May.

Anyone know what the scoop is on the returning show?  I know Jeremy was kicked off the show.  Is he back on this new set of shows or will there be a replacement for Jeremy and/or the others?  Looking forward to a response from you guys who might know the specifics.

Jeremy, Richard, and James will be starring in a new Amazon car-centric show. The new TG? I'm not holding out much hope; the majority of the new cast apparently LIKE cars, but I don't think that they know much about them.

Mr_Shiftright

You can watch old Leno episodes on YouTube.

abacomike

@roadburner:

Thanks, RR.  The key to the success of "Top Gear" has to do with the knowledge and driving skills of the presenters as well as the humor and satire - carefully blended into a fast-moving and entertaining show.  The editors and the writers did a great job!

stever

Edmunds lost Carlos Lago a couple of weeks ago and one rumor I heard was that he was heading to Top Gear.

But you know how rumors go....

ab348

berri said:

Indirectly related - what happened to Jay Leno's show? I thought he was coming back with more episodes?

Second season starts on CNBC June 15th.

graphicguy

I know one of the cast mates from the old show. FRIENDS, is supposed to have some sort of place in the new Top Gear. I think the female from one of the other U.K.'s car shows (can't remember the show's name) is moving over to Top Gear, also.

But, like RB, I don't hold out much hope. The BBC really was put between a rock and a hard space. You can't have your TV personalities go around punching staff, and keep employing them. Personally, I think Clarkson wanted out anyway. He was constantly complaining about the BBC, and from what I've read, became insufferable long before the "punch" happened.

All that said, I'm betting it turns out to be a bonanza for Amazon, signing all 3 from the Top Gear show. They'll have a lot more freedom than the BBC allowed them.

I didn't put a deposit down on a Tesla, BTW. However, I did just invest in this...
http://flux.bike/en/

iluvmysephia1

99.9% sugar! If I'm going to bring my blood sugar up over 400 (coma levels) I'd rather have milk chocolate with almonds or peanuts.

Then I can die with a smile on my face!

abacomike - man, you've got a way with words. Nice writing talent! And yes, Necco's rock!

Jeremy Clarkson was a crabby British car nut. Too many ciggy-poos per day, perhaps.

snakeweasel

graphicguy said:

I didn't put a deposit down on a Tesla, BTW. However, I did just invest in this...
http://flux.bike/en/

A cheater, looks pretty decent for an electric bicycle. Seems like a good range but I would wait until I could see that in the real world. I did get a chuckle from "It's you, only faster". Any conditioned biker on a flat with a road bike can out perform a stock commercial e-bike.

stever

Using it to get up my hill would be appealing. But the rest of the time you are pushing a 50 pound bike around.

ab348

Some of the statements on their website really get to the heart of the antipathy many people have with cyclists today and the reckless way some of them ride:

• Slice through the urban jungle in record time
  
• Rule the road
  
• Get wild on or off the asphalt
  
• Speeds through the city faster than a rocket full of monkeys
  
• You are Genghis Khan of the sidewalk
  
• Power up and hit that curb full speed, backflip over traffic on your way to work
  

If a car manufacturer did that sort of phraseology I think the tree huggers would be all over them. Is this the kind of stuff that appeals to cyclists?

abacomike

I just got back from a little food shopping after I had my car washed.  Interesting occurrence while at the dealership for a car wash!

I sat in their new waiting room and was having a nice conversation with a guy who had his "matte" pearl white CLS63 (AMG version of my car) in service for a re- alignment.  I looked at my watch and noticed I had been there for 1-1/2 hours - way too long for just a car wash.  So I went to the Service Manager to ask where my car was.  He asked if I owned a 2016 CLS400 in White Diamond Metallic.  I said yes, that's my car.  He said the man who was washing my car noticed that the water was not beading on the hood or trunk area so he told the car wash department to put a coat of Magguires Wax on the car.

Now that was above and beyond expectations.  I walked back and tipped the guy $10.00 and thanked him.  It sure made a difference when they brought the car up.  It had a great shiny luster to it.  I now know it will definitely rain like it always does when my car is nice and clean. 

Mr_Shiftright

graphicguy said:

I know one of the cast mates from the old show. FRIENDS, is supposed to have some sort of place in the new Top Gear. I think the female from one of the other U.K.'s car shows (can't remember the show's name) is moving over to Top Gear, also.

But, like RB, I don't hold out much hope. The BBC really was put between a rock and a hard space. You can't have your TV personalities go around punching staff, and keep employing them. Personally, I think Clarkson wanted out anyway. He was constantly complaining about the BBC, and from what I've read, became insufferable long before the "punch" happened.

All that said, I'm betting it turns out to be a bonanza for Amazon, signing all 3 from the Top Gear show. They'll have a lot more freedom than the BBC allowed them.

I didn't put a deposit down on a Tesla, BTW. However, I did just invest in this...
http://flux.bike/en/

I was an early adopter for electric bikes--I had one built by ZAP (the notorious ZAP). Looks like this Flux has solved most of the problems of the earlier attempts. Mine was too heavy, too short a range. Looks like you got a great deal there!

stever

Substitute car drivers for bike riders @ab348 and rinse and repeat.

Mr_Shiftright

Technology does not make a person a knucklehead. They were that way before they bought the device.

snakeweasel

ab348 said:

Some of the statements on their website really get to the heart of the antipathy many people have with cyclists today and the reckless way some of them ride:

• Slice through the urban jungle in record time
  
• Rule the road
  
• Get wild on or off the asphalt
  
• Speeds through the city faster than a rocket full of monkeys
  
• You are Genghis Khan of the sidewalk
  
• Power up and hit that curb full speed, backflip over traffic on your way to work
  

If a car manufacturer did that sort of phraseology I think the tree huggers would be all over them. Is this the kind of stuff that appeals to cyclists?

Unfortunately yes, it appeals to a lot of cyclists.

stever

Oh wait, are we talking bicyclists or motorcyclists? Friend of mine used to do the curb thing on freeway onramps; didn't backflip but did get a nice slingshot effect hitting the side of the curb (remember the Wall of Death?). He survived, wound up marrying a surgeon and becoming the prototypical family man.

28firefighter

I have a RadPower Bikes (Seattle based startup) RadRover electric bike. 750W motor and a 25 mile range in electric mode only (no pedaling) - a real hoot to ride around on. 

Mr_Shiftright

My only real complaint about my electric bike, aside from the range, was that I wasn't getting enough exercise while the battery was working, and way too much exercise trying to pedal that lump when it wasn't.

berri

ab348 - thanks for the Leno update

stever

Hm, my BIL in Seattle could use one of those @28firefighter .

graphicguy

Mr_Shiftright said:

graphicguy said:

I know one of the cast mates from the old show. FRIENDS, is supposed to have some sort of place in the new Top Gear. I think the female from one of the other U.K.'s car shows (can't remember the show's name) is moving over to Top Gear, also.

But, like RB, I don't hold out much hope. The BBC really was put between a rock and a hard space. You can't have your TV personalities go around punching staff, and keep employing them. Personally, I think Clarkson wanted out anyway. He was constantly complaining about the BBC, and from what I've read, became insufferable long before the "punch" happened.

All that said, I'm betting it turns out to be a bonanza for Amazon, signing all 3 from the Top Gear show. They'll have a lot more freedom than the BBC allowed them.

I didn't put a deposit down on a Tesla, BTW. However, I did just invest in this...
http://flux.bike/en/

I was an early adopter for electric bikes--I had one built by ZAP (the notorious ZAP). Looks like this Flux has solved most of the problems of the earlier attempts. Mine was too heavy, too short a range. Looks like you got a great deal there!

Thanks....I was hoping someone with experience would chime in. Is ZAP still around? I looked at those some time ago.

I've had mixed experiences funding some of those "INDIEGOGO" companies. Flux looks like they're overfunded, though. And, they already have some of their eBikes on the road.

Supposed to get it this month. Supposedly 46 miles of electric only range at around 25 MPH. Hoping for double that if I only use the battery for pedaling assist. Like most larger municipalities, Cincinnati has some great parks and riding trails. Plus, using the bike to go to those light grocery runs (milk, bread) makes more sense than firing up the car.

Snake...I used to be an avid biker. Broke a knee and foot in a ski accident some years ago. That fact along with having a few more years on this body, have ruled out any long distance or speed riding.

An eBike allows me to get back in the saddle again, though (pun intended).

Mr_Shiftright

I think an eBike makes sense for dense urban environments. Yeah, ZAP is still around, struggling in its Mickey Mouse way. I'm surprised stockholders haven't burned the place down yet.

The ZAP bike worked well but not in wet weather, as it used a friction roller on the rear tire to power the bike. The battery was basically a HD motorcycle battery, so maybe 5 miles on power is all you were going to get. But it was great for pumping up hills I have to say.

25 mph is flying on a bicycle--you'd want to be careful going that fast on a city street--lest you get "doored" by a car, or hit a pothole. No fun going over the handlebars onto the "belt sander of life".

snakeweasel

graphicguy said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

graphicguy said:

I know one of the cast mates from the old show. FRIENDS, is supposed to have some sort of place in the new Top Gear. I think the female from one of the other U.K.'s car shows (can't remember the show's name) is moving over to Top Gear, also.

But, like RB, I don't hold out much hope. The BBC really was put between a rock and a hard space. You can't have your TV personalities go around punching staff, and keep employing them. Personally, I think Clarkson wanted out anyway. He was constantly complaining about the BBC, and from what I've read, became insufferable long before the "punch" happened.

All that said, I'm betting it turns out to be a bonanza for Amazon, signing all 3 from the Top Gear show. They'll have a lot more freedom than the BBC allowed them.

I didn't put a deposit down on a Tesla, BTW. However, I did just invest in this...
http://flux.bike/en/

I was an early adopter for electric bikes--I had one built by ZAP (the notorious ZAP). Looks like this Flux has solved most of the problems of the earlier attempts. Mine was too heavy, too short a range. Looks like you got a great deal there!

Thanks....I was hoping someone with experience would chime in. Is ZAP still around? I looked at those some time ago.

I've had mixed experiences funding some of those "INDIEGOGO" companies. Flux looks like they're overfunded, though. And, they already have some of their eBikes on the road.

Supposed to get it this month. Supposedly 46 miles of electric only range at around 25 MPH. Hoping for double that if I only use the battery for pedaling assist. Like most larger municipalities, Cincinnati has some great parks and riding trails. Plus, using the bike to go to those light grocery runs (milk, bread) makes more sense than firing up the car.

Snake...I used to be an avid biker. Broke a knee and foot in a ski accident some years ago. That fact along with having a few more years on this body, have ruled out any long distance or speed riding.

An eBike allows me to get back in the saddle again, though (pun intended).

Hey whatever gets you on the road again, e-bikes are pretty good and do have a place out there. I have been looking into one for commuting but I cannot justify the price for just that.

Also e-bikes are usually limited to 20 MPH or less, any faster and the fall into the "motor driven cycle" category and they would need to be registered, licensed and insured.

Hope you have fun with it and let us know how it goes.

snakeweasel

Mr_Shiftright said:

I think an eBike makes sense for dense urban environments. Yeah, ZAP is still around, struggling in its Mickey Mouse way. I'm surprised stockholders haven't burned the place down yet.

The ZAP bike worked well but not in wet weather, as it used a friction roller on the rear tire to power the bike. The battery was basically a HD motorcycle battery, so maybe 5 miles on power is all you were going to get. But it was great for pumping up hills I have to say.

25 mph is flying on a bicycle--you'd want to be careful going that fast on a city street--lest you get "doored" by a car, or hit a pothole. No fun going over the handlebars onto the "belt sander of life".

The fastest I've been was just over 40 MPH sprinting downhill. Yep it's pretty fast. But e-bikes are limited to 20 MPH for legal reasons but I have seen home made e-bikes that go up past 60 MPH.

In the biking community getting "doored" by a car is called a "door prize".

Mr_Shiftright

60 mph on a bicycle? DEATH WISH. I have friends, or friends of friends, who have taken flyers on bikes at high speed, and believe me, what happens is not pretty. I ride my bike quite a bit and 25 mph is plenty fast downhill for me. Yeah, I did hit 44 mph once and it *was* fun, I gotta admit. But it was a nice smooth road with plenty of forward vision.

The BEST part of the electric bike was if you could disguise that it was electric and then you get a chance to blow by a pack of "dressed for success" bikers who are chugging uphill, while you zoom by in your farmer coveralls. Priceless!

28firefighter

FWIW, I bought my RadRover for $1099 through the crowdfunding campaign. It retails for $1499. 

oldfarmer50

Mr_Shiftright said:

60 mph on a bicycle? DEATH WISH. I have friends, or friends of friends, who have taken flyers on bikes at high speed, and believe me, what happens is not pretty. I ride my bike quite a bit and 25 mph is plenty fast downhill for me. Yeah, I did hit 44 mph once and it *was* fun, I gotta admit. But it was a nice smooth road with plenty of forward vision.

The BEST part of the electric bike was if you could disguise that it was electric and then you get a chance to blow by a pack of "dressed for success" bikers who are chugging uphill, while you zoom by in your farmer coveralls. Priceless!

As kids we would love to ride our non electrical down a huge hill into downtown. Pretty steep and a few miles straight. We'd tear down in traffic and then take our hands off the handlebars. Crazy but exhilerating. Drivers must have been more caring of stupid kids back then because we never got splattered. No speedos but I bet we were doing 40 easy.

And speaking of dangerous activities I think it would be extremely dangerous to do business with this guy:

https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/5520513996.html

I must admit I've never seen a truck with duel auxiliary visors.

stickguy

seems legit farmer. got for it! J/K of course.

abacomike

I used to ride my bike in my Queens, NY, neighborhood.  On average, my bike would be either stolen out of my building's basement tenant security room or literally "bike-jacked" while I was riding it twice each year.  I lived in a tough neighborhood, needless to say.

The first Spiderman Movie with Toby Maguire was partially filmed right on the street where I used to live,  When Peter Parker tries to catch his school bus by running after it, that was 42nd Street just off Queens Blvd.  my building was at the end of that street.  When I looked out of one of my bedroom windows when I was a kid, I could see the Empite State Building.

Those were tough years - growing up as a kid.  My brother and I were often beaten  up by the gangs in the area.  

stickguy

I remember one bike excursion when I was a kid (we used to ride all over) where someone had a speedo on their bike. so of course, we decided to see how high it would go. There was a long steep downhill stretch (though also narrow and bumpy!) So we all pedal like hell in top gear.

we got up to some rediculous speed. 50? something vastly unsafe on beat up 10 speeds with old tires. If anyone had hit a pothole and flipped the bars they would have been roadkill (no helmets in those days of course).

one of the many things we did that if kids did today, the parents would go to jail. and why it is a wonder how we survived into adulthood!

suydam

My oldest son thought it was hilarious to teach his younger brother to ride a bike with handbrakes on a steep hill. With a road at the bottom. And a fence crossing the meadow on the other side.

driver100

Some nice cars for oldfarmer. This one is just $199,000.



Thay have others for less though:

RK MOTORS

driver100

abacomike said:

driver100 said:

Necco wafers worked too.

Haven't seen or thought of those for decades. Used to be one of my favorites when I was a kid.

Are those things still around? They taste like colored chalk!

How do you know what chalk tastes like, driver?  May be you were one of those "Teacher's pets" and you were the blackboard monitor - is that how you got hooked on chalk? 

Don't forget, I once taught school, Grade 3, 4, and 6, and that was in the days when we used chalk and real black blackboards. When I was a kid we would smash the brushes together to clean them so I probably breathed in enough chalk dust to know exactly how it tastes.

driver100

abacomike

I sat in their new waiting room and was having a nice conversation with a guy who had his "matte" pearl white CLS63 (AMG version of my car) in service for a re- alignment

Thank goodness they were going to wax your car for you. I thought you were going to tell us the guy you were talking to decided to drop his pants in the waiting room.

stickguy

some interesting stuff there driver. I'm sure most of the prices are ambitious. not a lot of concurs stuff I don't think (more mods than OEM).

but oddly, this is my favorite (just not at 70K):

driver100

How about the new $35000 tesla 3?


That reminds me of an observation I made about most Prius owners, while driving for 20 hours the last 2 days,

There are mostly 2 types of Prius drivers (I don't know fezo personally so I don't know about him).

The first type loves nature and they drive very slow and carefully....probably if they didn't have to drive they wouldn't. They probably shouldn't be driving because they are very timid. The one in particular I am thinking of was ahead of me in heavy traffic and she would let everyone in front of her....it was a miracle we got through.

The second type is extremely aggressive and drives very fast and has a tendency to zip in and out of traffic. The one I saw today drove fairly fast but would not get out of the left lane. I think these people feel holier than thou because they are better than everyone else since they drive an environmentally friendly car.

Don't take me seriously....just a thought that went through my head today.

stickguy

that tesla is sharp looking. Just needs smaller wheels. And an engine. Has to have an engine.