Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

stever

And you can get extra stuff with that tank of gas. Some free water, dirt, maybe a splash of diesel.

The propane tank exchange model has worked well. I don't use 'em because I painted my tank to match my house, but the idea is sound. The swap just needs to be made automated, and some fork lift bays are pretty much that way nowadays.

Mr_Shiftright

henryn said:

I beg to differ.

By the mid 17th century, a basic stagecoach infrastructure had been put in place.[6] The first stagecoach route started in 1610 and ran from Edinburgh to Leith. This was followed by a steady proliferation of other routes around the country.

…

The development of railways in the 1830s spelt the end for the stagecoaches and mail coaches.

…

United States

Beginning in the 18th century crude wagons began to be used to carry passengers between cities and towns, first within New England in 1744, then between New York and Philadelphia in 1756.

What, 250 years approximately? Automobiles have a long way to go to match that record.


I was thinking specifically of those transfer stations, like how Mark Twain traveled in "Roughing It". A great and hilarious book if you ever get the chance.

Anyway, in order to deliver people and mail at a much faster rate, the state coach companies would have fresh horses stationed every X miles, so that the driver could push the team as hard as possible between stops.

Hence the analogy to battery-swapping in EVs.

My point is that, IMO, this is very "old thinking".

stever

Induction or wireless charging as you drive down the street could work - it is kind of dumb to have to stop and refuel weekly. The first implementation would more likely be "manhole covers" that you'd park on top of at the strip mall or parking garage.

houdini1

If the world had listened to Nikola Tesla back in 1900 we could have had virtually free broadcast electricity back as early as 1920. That would solve the electric car issue. Maybe our current (pardon the pun) Tesla has dug up all that old research and is getting ready to electrify the world.

ab348

driver100 said:

Personally speaking, when I am at Tim Horton's/Dunkin' Donuts I always ask for a paper cup, just in case their dishwasher isn't working that well. But milk, beer, or anything else that comes in recycleable containers doesn't bother me....maybe I am naive but I think they must sterilize those.

I used to work in the booze business and so I got to visit many large commercial breweries. One locally had a beer bottle washer/cleaner that they bought from the old Molson brewery in Montreal, if memory serves. This thing was literally the size of a large 2-storey house. The very best of 1950s technology. They loaded it with various cleaners and caustic chemicals and ran the bottles through a series of hot water/steam cycles before they came out clean. What impressed me were the guys with shovels cleaning out the bottom of the thing where all the stuff that came out of the bottles (plus the remnants of the old labels) ended up. Ugh.

Needless to say nowadays when I buy commercial beer I only buy cans, or craft beer that uses all new bottles.

oldfarmer50

houdini1 said:

If the world had listened to Nikola Tesla back in 1900 we could have had virtually free broadcast electricity back as early as 1920. That would solve the electric car issue. Maybe our current (pardon the pun) Tesla has dug up all that old research and is getting ready to electrify the world.

But didn't Tesla also say he got his ideas from space aliens? That old genius/madness thing.

driver100

ab348 said:

driver100 said:

Personally speaking, when I am at Tim Horton's/Dunkin' Donuts I always ask for a paper cup, just in case their dishwasher isn't working that well. But milk, beer, or anything else that comes in recycleable containers doesn't bother me....maybe I am naive but I think they must sterilize those.

I used to work in the booze business and so I got to visit many large commercial breweries. One locally had a beer bottle washer/cleaner that they bought from the old Molson brewery in Montreal, if memory serves. This thing was literally the size of a large 2-storey house. The very best of 1950s technology. They loaded it with various cleaners and caustic chemicals and ran the bottles through a series of hot water/steam cycles before they came out clean. What impressed me were the guys with shovels cleaning out the bottom of the thing where all the stuff that came out of the bottles (plus the remnants of the old labels) ended up. Ugh.

Needless to say nowadays when I buy commercial beer I only buy cans, or craft beer that uses all new bottles.

The new bottles are made from sand and who knows what was going on in that sand. And cans are all made from recyclable materials or it is dug out of the ground

But, I prefer cans to bottles for those products because there is always some moron who stores gasoline or bleach in old bottles.

[Deleted User]

Mr_Shiftright said:

Removable battery backs remind me of stagecoach technology in the 1870s in the Old West, where you had to switch teams of horses in order to get anywhere.

That didn't last long, either.



I was thinking specifically of those transfer stations, like how Mark Twain traveled in "Roughing It". A great and hilarious book if you ever get the chance.

Anyway, in order to deliver people and mail at a much faster rate, the state coach companies would have fresh horses stationed every X miles, so that the driver could push the team as hard as possible between stops.

Hence the analogy to battery-swapping in EVs.

My point is that, IMO, this is very "old thinking".

So, you're arguing that long-range stage coaches disappeared because the horse team swap system didn't work?

Personally, I'd alternatively agree with the historians who have argued that long-range stage coaches went away because of tracks being constructed across the nation and allowing for efficient, safer, cheaper, and faster transit of both people and goods at the time via trains. I don't think the horse swap system had anything to do with it. It came down to the core technology no longer being relevant.

I equate swapping a battery to refilling a liquid fuel tank, only faster and I don't have to breathe the fumes.

driver100

Good point ty. The horse team swap worked well at the time, but no match for travel by train. Lots of things can be refilled these days, like printer cartridges....it is a good efficient way to get products to the consumer. Nothing wrong with a battery swap, but I think they will develop fast chargers soon too....where there is a buck to be made, someone will invent it.

houdini1

oldfarmer50 said:

houdini1 said:

If the world had listened to Nikola Tesla back in 1900 we could have had virtually free broadcast electricity back as early as 1920. That would solve the electric car issue. Maybe our current (pardon the pun) Tesla has dug up all that old research and is getting ready to electrify the world.

But didn't Tesla also say he got his ideas from space aliens? That old genius/madness thing.

Hey, nobody's perfect !

explorerx4

Wife and I are going to look at a couple of Mustangs tomorrow.
Both are Guard color with manual trans.
One is a V6 and the other is a GT, so about 10k difference in MSRP.

driver100

explorerx4 said:

Wife and I are going to look at a couple of Mustangs tomorrow.
Both are Guard color with manual trans.
One is a V6 and the other is a GT, so about 10k difference in MSRP.

Good luck! Should be interesting to see which one you go for. Let us know your impressions.

oldfarmer50

explorerx4 said:

Wife and I are going to look at a couple of Mustangs tomorrow.
Both are Guard color with manual trans.
One is a V6 and the other is a GT, so about 10k difference in MSRP.

If you can afford it go for the GT.

roadburner

explorerx4 said:

Wife and I are going to look at a couple of Mustangs tomorrow.
Both are Guard color with manual trans.
One is a V6 and the other is a GT, so about 10k difference in MSRP.

The GT that I let get away was Guard- it was beautiful.

Also remember: I have NEVER, EVER heard a Mustang V8 owner say: "You know, I really wish I had bought a V6."

Just sayin'...

oldfarmer50

roadburner said:

explorerx4 said:

Wife and I are going to look at a couple of Mustangs tomorrow.
Both are Guard color with manual trans.
One is a V6 and the other is a GT, so about 10k difference in MSRP.

The GT that I let get away was Guard- it was beautiful.

Also remember: I have NEVER, EVER heard a Mustang V8 owner say: "You know, I really wish I had bought a V6."

Just sayin'...

It all depends on what his wife wants. He needs to stand next to the GT, give it loving looks and sigh. If he plays his cards right she'll give the ok.

bwia

Hello Everyone -- I am back after a two week break and it appears it will take me a long while to catch up. But this being a holiday weekend in Boston (Patriot's Day and Boston Marathon) I have a little extra time to read.

By the way, RUG is up to $2.10 gallon and PUG at $2.49. Perhaps it's time to start looking at an Avalon hybrid or even a pure EV.

houdini1

oldfarmer50 said:

roadburner said:

explorerx4 said:

Wife and I are going to look at a couple of Mustangs tomorrow.
Both are Guard color with manual trans.
One is a V6 and the other is a GT, so about 10k difference in MSRP.

The GT that I let get away was Guard- it was beautiful.

Also remember: I have NEVER, EVER heard a Mustang V8 owner say: "You know, I really wish I had bought a V6."

Just sayin'...

It all depends on what his wife wants. He needs to stand next to the GT, give it loving looks and sigh. If he plays his cards right she'll give the ok.

Just make sure the GT is in a color his wife likes and the V6 is not.

PF_Flyer

explorerx4 said:

Wife and I are going to look at a couple of Mustangs tomorrow.
Both are Guard color with manual trans.
One is a V6 and the other is a GT, so about 10k difference in MSRP.

Following the "horse team swap" discussion, I read your post and thought you were looking at a couple of horses... I thought I got plenty of rest last night

oldfarmer50

houdini1 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

roadburner said:

explorerx4 said:

Wife and I are going to look at a couple of Mustangs tomorrow.
Both are Guard color with manual trans.
One is a V6 and the other is a GT, so about 10k difference in MSRP.

The GT that I let get away was Guard- it was beautiful.

Also remember: I have NEVER, EVER heard a Mustang V8 owner say: "You know, I really wish I had bought a V6."

Just sayin'...

It all depends on what his wife wants. He needs to stand next to the GT, give it loving looks and sigh. If he plays his cards right she'll give the ok.

Just make sure the GT is in a color his wife likes and the V6 is not.

Too bad they are both the same color.

ab348

Posted this originally in the wrong forum, reposting here:

Interesting story in the news locally about a woman whose 2013 E-class Benz sustained $14,000 of damage in a crash while it was being serviced at the dealer:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/dealership-accident-insurance-1.3536094

While I am a bit suspicious of the "poor me" attitude being expressed by the owner of the Benz, I am also somewhat dubious of the dealer's actions. I think the diminished value claim is true to an extent, though I don't know how you would ever get an insurance company to pay for that. I figure this sort of accident while in a dealer's care must happen from time to time. How are they usually handled, I wonder?

carnaught

Hey, has it not been a couple of days since we've heard from Mike? I'm wondering if I should be concerned.

28firefighter

You're right, we haven't since Friday I think...

Does anyone have a way to reach him offline?

driver100

ab348 said:

Posted this originally in the wrong forum, reposting here:

Interesting story in the news locally about a woman whose 2013 E-class Benz sustained $14,000 of damage in a crash while it was being serviced at the dealer:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/dealership-accident-insurance-1.3536094

While I am a bit suspicious of the "poor me" attitude being expressed by the owner of the Benz, I am also somewhat dubious of the dealer's actions. I think the diminished value claim is true to an extent, though I don't know how you would ever get an insurance company to pay for that. I figure this sort of accident while in a dealer's care must happen from time to time. How are they usually handled, I wonder?

I think she should go to small claims court to get something...ask for $5000 for diminished value.

But, no easy answer, our 2001 C Class was hit pretty hard in the rear end. $4000 repair, we got a loaner car, ours was repaired, but we had to report it was in an accident when we traded it in, No compensation - it is ridiculous!

driver100

carnaught said:

Hey, has it not been a couple of days since we've heard from Mike? I'm wondering if I should be concerned.

I was just thinking the same thing....great minds think alike and all that...........

Mike, if you are out there check in with us.

roadburner

Something even worse: BMW dealer tech crashes M5 on joyride.

tjc78

Wow, if it was my car is just hope they total it and give me fair price.  Really what recall does he have?  The car needs to get fixed and then if he really feels the need he can pay a lawyer and take them to court for diminished value which would probably be less than the lawyer fee.  

The bigger question is what the heck was the tech thinking???

ab348

roadburner said:

Something even worse: BMW dealer tech crashes M5 on joyride.

I guess the well-known joke about BMW drivers and porcupines also applies to BMW dealers.

ab348

28firefighter said:

You're right, we haven't since Friday I think...?

Last post was I believe on Thursday. Good call, something is up I suspect.

carnaught

ab348 said:

28firefighter said:

You're right, we haven't since Friday I think...?

Last post was I believe on Thursday. Good call, something is up I suspect.

Re: Mike, not like him not to check in. I'm officially worried.....

fezo

Hey, gang.

That worries me about Mike.

Been up to my eyeballs with various things - actually mostly good. Was up at doctor visit - more transplant follow up. Will need to wait a few more days to get test results but 4 years down the road holding steady.

After replacing the brakes on the Miata with drilled discs and ceramic pads noted that the tires were dry rotting so replace to Toyos with Michelin Premiers. Marked difference! Holy smokes. Would have gotten Pilots but Michelin doesn't make them in that size anymore.

suydam

What do you think the depreciation would be on the Scion since the brand is folding into Toyota?

explorerx4

We only got to look at one of the Mustangs today, the V6. Wife didn't cross it off the list because she walked back to take a second look after we looked at some other cars.

stickguy

scion probably won't matter since the toyota dealer is still there, and that is where the car came from. I assume most people just think of it as a Toyota model anyway. Probably more do that, than know that it is really a Mazda with a nose job.

stickguy

Explorer, what else did you look at besides the Mustang? My wife even likes the way those looks, and is cool having it on the list for next year when we go shopping. We even took a couple of used (V6) convertibles out for a spin before I bought my last car. Old Gal getting frisky!

oldfarmer50

explorerx4 said:

We only got to look at one of the Mustangs today, the V6. Wife didn't cross it off the list because she walked back to take a second look after we looked at some other cars.

Which one do YOU want?

If it's a matter of convincing your wife the tact I took was to mutter something about this being the "last car" I would probably ever buy new. She heard the same sad tale on the last car but gave me the green light for the GT any way.

Very smart woman my wife.

bwia

Today I came across a factoid which was news to me.

Did you know that Seigfried Marcus, an Austrian, was the first to use a gasoline powered  internal combustion engine in an automobile, some 15 years before Carl Benz? He never patented his contraption and as they say, the rest is history.

explorerx4

@stickguy,
We looked at a Mustang GT, 43K+, so that's off the list. Also, a Focus ST and they had a couple dozen 2015 Mustang convertible 'program cars'. For me, color makes a big difference with the Mustang, and I prefer something subdued.

oldfarmer50

$43k? Wow. That must have every option available. Mine listed for about $35k and after discounts plus extra for my trade netted out around $31k.

[Deleted User]

Oh, crud. I'm catching up on posts and just ran across Mike's about the liver mass. I'm really worried, especially after not hearing anything for a couple of days. I've sent over a message to his cell.

Mike, I'm so sorry to hear that and hope beyond hope it's just a scare.

driver100

bwia said:

Today I came across a factoid which was news to me.

Did you know that Seigfried Marcus, an Austrian, was the first to use a gasoline powered  internal combustion engine in an automobile, some 15 years before Carl Benz? He never patented his contraption and as they say, the rest is history.

I didn't know that but after seeing the Mercedes museum I do find it interesting.

Marcus was the holder of 131 patents in 16 countries. He never applied for a patent for the motorcar and, of course, he never held one. He never claimed to have invented the motorcar. Nevertheless, he was the first to use gasoline to propel a vehicle, in the simple handcart of 1870 (First Marcus Car).

driver100

tyguy said:

Oh, crud. I'm catching up on posts and just ran across Mike's about the liver mass. I'm really worried, especially after not hearing anything for a couple of days. I've sent over a message to his cell.

Mike, I'm so sorry to hear that and hope beyond hope it's just a scare.

I am quite concerned...I emailed an hour ago and haven't heard back. Not sure what can be done.

Michaell

driver100 said:

tyguy said:

Oh, crud. I'm catching up on posts and just ran across Mike's about the liver mass. I'm really worried, especially after not hearing anything for a couple of days. I've sent over a message to his cell.

Mike, I'm so sorry to hear that and hope beyond hope it's just a scare.

I am quite concerned...I emailed an hour ago and haven't heard back. Not sure what can be done.

Any way we might be able to track down his son?

[Deleted User]

I don't know his son's contact info, but we do know his condo complex name and location. I don't want to intrude on his personal life, but given the multiple scary medical situations, we could call the complex and check in with the management there. Maybe we should do that tomorrow if we don't hear anything.

verdugo

Who was it that saw Mike recently in FL? Surely he has Mike's number.

Hope he's ok.

bwia

driver100 said:

Oh, crud. I'm catching up on posts and just ran across Mike's about the liver mass. I'm really worried, especially after not hearing anything for a couple of days. I've sent over a message to his cell. Mike, I'm so sorry to hear that and hope beyond hope it's just a scare.

I am quite concerned...I emailed an hour ago and haven't heard back. Not sure what can be done.

Same here -- well wishes to you Mike 

bwia

driver100 said:

Today I came across a factoid which was news to me.

Did you know that Seigfried Marcus, an Austrian, was the first to use a gasoline powered  internal combustion engine in an automobile, some 15 years before Carl Benz? He never patented his contraption and as they say, the rest is history.

I didn't know that but after seeing the Mercedes museum I do find it interesting. Marcus was the holder of 131 patents in 16 countries. He never applied for a patent for the motorcar and, of course, he never held one. He never claimed to have invented the motorcar. Nevertheless, he was the first to use gasoline to propel a vehicle, in the simple handcart of 1870 (First Marcus 

Who was this Marcus guy. Was he as ecentric as Nicola Tesla? 131 patents, that's not too shabby.

[Deleted User]

verdugo said:

Who was it that saw Mike recently in FL? Surely he has Mike's number.

Hope he's ok.

That was me and I've sent a message to his cell phone. Hoping for the best.

driver100

tyguy said:

verdugo said:

Who was it that saw Mike recently in FL? Surely he has Mike's number.

Hope he's ok.

That was me and I've sent a message to his cell phone. Hoping for the best.

I don't want to intrude either. He may just want to rest up. We just have to hope for the best. The best bet is a reply to the cell phone message.

[Deleted User]

Okay, lightning the mood a little while we worry about our friend...I just finished a little kitchen project while the wifey was away. Here's a shot of the new back splash I just installed using a combo of colored glass, travertine, and marble. My wife approves, so I'm feelin' good :-)

[Deleted User]

Here's a little closer shot: