Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

ab348

I imagine that would get pretty old before too long.

Michaell

@driver100 said:
Maybe you could get a job driving them off the boat - that would be cool!

My hometown in CA has a large port used by many automakers. At the time, Jaguar and Mazda were the big tenants. Now, MINI uses them (Port of Hueneme - why-knee-me)

A friend of my dad's did that job for a while - I don't remember too much about the particulars or whether he liked it or not.

mako1a

Here's one you don't see much anymore. 1978 Ford Mustang V8 - $4,000
http://charlotte.ebayclassifieds.com/classic-cars/mocksville/1978-ford-mustang-v8/?ad=30780548&msg=OUT_OF_AREA A lot of people didn't like the small body style, but I liked it. And this one comes with a V-8 A/T

robr2

@oldfarmer50 said:
For you Tesla fans:

There was a story on Tesla's new NV factory on CNBC and they mention that the factory is located in an industrial park owned by the same guy who owns the Mustang Ranch brothel.

The head of Tesla said NV's quick permitting process was a major factor because they needed the factory to be ready on time.

Makes you wonder why they didn't just throw in with Mitsubishi. They have a plant in Normal, Indiana with a capacity of 250k cars that is about 2/3 unused.

Remember that the new Tesla plant isn't to build cars, it is to build batteries. My understanding is that Tesla had a number of criteria for the location:

• strong transportation links to Fremont, CA, where their assembly is located.
• proper environment for the installation of alternative energy sources as Tesla wants their giga-plant to be self sufficient and not bound to fossil fuel sources of energy
• a business environment friendly to their sales model
• a government open to tax credits and job creation.

Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas were all considered. Illinois couldn't meet the first two criteria.

driver100

@ab348 said:
I imagine that would get pretty old before too long.

But, you will get it out of your system and won't want to buy one.

driver100

@mako1a said:Here's one you don't see much anymore. 1978 Ford Mustang V8 - $4,000

Always on the Top 10 list of worst cars built. I am ashamed to admit my wife had a new one, a 4 cylinder. Lets face it, it was a Pinto with lipstick.

Kind of cute, but really like driving a bathtub, you sit really low and kind of peer out of the window like a telescope. Not as much fun as it sounds, but the V8 would help.

houdini1

@driver100 said:

Speaking of sitting low in a car and not being able to see out reminds me of an early '70,s Ford Gran Torino that I had as a company car. You literally sat on the floor in that thing. I am 6-1 and I had to look thru the steering wheel. My boss, at the time, was an older gentleman about 5-2 and he could hardly see out the side windows. The padding in the front seat was about an inch thick if that, and if you hit a bump your butt would hit the floor. If the gas gauge got anywhere near empty you were out of gas. Period. It was also a sickly green color...but I drove that thing about 75,000 miles over 2 years and it never missed a beat, plus I was 30 years old, had an expense acct., a company car, and life was pretty good !!

snakeweasel

@abacomike said:
I know driver likes it as do other posters here. Any other thoughts?

I just received a letter offering me 2 free months of Sirius so I activated it yesterday. So far I really have no opinion on it but looking at the list of stations there are only a hand full that I would hold any interest in. I mean really who needs an all Pearl Jam all the time station?

abacomike

@driver100 said:
Let me know if you see an E400 in white with light gray interior and a black roof.

Driver, I thought you ordered Diamond Silver Metallic, not white, for your E400? I guess you must have changed your mind.

snakeweasel

@roadburner said:
Exactly- you can't face your accuser. Which is why I would never find someone guilty without a warm body testifying that he/she witnessed the alleged violation. While some compare it to collecting circumstantial forensic evidence, the cameras actually shift the burden of proof to the defendant.

Again the accuser is the city/county/state which is represented by their attorneys. The pictures or video have to be reviewed by someone using specific metrics and they can be called into court.

Now I have to ask, if you were on a jury in a murder case and the evidence against the defendant was that his fingerprints and DNA were all over the crime scene, the victims blood was all over his clothes and there was a very clear video from a security camera showing the defendant killing the victim you wouldn't convict because no "warm body" testified to the act?

driver100

@houdini1 said:Speaking of sitting low in a car and not being able to see out reminds me of an early '70,s Ford Gran Torino that I had as a company car. You literally sat on the floor in that thing.

I taught High School Driving classes in one of those 70s Torinos. The rear window sloped a lot too, so there was a lot of hidden spots. I felt I was driving in a pit too. I preferred teaching in the Plymouth Valiant, very squared off with big windows. The perfect car for Driver Ed:

BTW....I know all about expense accounts. After 16 years with the same company, and a company car, and I got canned from that job, it was very hard to start paying for my own gas, car insurance, and car. I had to grow up quickly and get used to the real world.

driver100

@abacomike said:
Driver, I thought you ordered Diamond Silver Metallic, not white, for your E400? I guess you must have changed your mind.

Remember, I saw a white one coming at me and I liked the white better than Diamond Silver (just by a little bit). I went back to the dealer and they changed it for me, the last day before the color would have been locked in.

snakeweasel

@bwia said:
Wow! Ask and ye shall receive. I wish I had done that with my last purchase. The price I paid was higher than the published price in the newspaper. The difference was about $600 but that is about a year's worth of gasoline.

$600 for a years worth of gas? Either you have a car that gets super high MPG or you don't drive very much or you're living in the 60's. At todays prices around here and doing my normal driving I would go about 3,700 miles or roughly 3.5 months on $600.

abacomike

@driver100 said:

"I went back to the dealer and they changed it for me, the last day before the color would have been locked in."

All your cars are white! I guess you buy cars in any color so long as it is white!

houdini1

@abacomike said:
driver100 said:

"I went back to the dealer and they changed it for me, the last day before the color would have been locked in."

All your cars are white! I guess you buy cars in any color so long as it is white!

I also tend to like white colors for autos, especially metallic white. Plain white, not so much. It also depends on the particular car. Some look great in white, some look like delivery vehicles.

driver100

@abacomike said:All your cars are white! I guess you buy cars in any color so long as it is white!

It seems that way. My current car is white, but actually the car before that was James Bond Blue, the 2004 X3 before that white. My wife has had white for 2 cars in a row and the Passat is white.

I don't get as tired of white as quickly as I do other colors. I also like black but my wife said if I got black I would have to wash it every day. Thus white!

roadburner

@snakeweasel said:
Now I have to ask, if you were on a jury in a murder case and the evidence against the defendant was that his fingerprints and DNA were all over the crime scene, the victims blood was all over his clothes and there was a very clear video from a security camera showing the defendant killing the victim you wouldn't convict because no "warm body" testified to the act?

That is a flawed analogy; in the murder scenario there are multiple items as well as differing types of evidence. Would you convict someone of a crime solely on the basis of one fingerprint or photo? And would it trouble you to know that the individuals collecting the evidence worked on commission based on how much evidence was collected?

abacomike

@roadburner said:

"That is a flawed analogy; in the murder scenario there are multiple items as well as differing types of evidence. Would you convict someone of a crime solely on the basis of one fingerprint or photo?"

We were discussing a traffic citation (not a felony or criminal act) which was issued as a result of a digital image taken by a digital camera at an intersection. When we talk about a murder, we are talking about a felony which is punishable by 15 years to life in prison or the death penalty.

Thus, the question at hand is simple - under the rules of evidence in a non-criminal action, is a digital image of part of a car and an image of the license plate entering an intersection where the traffic light is red sufficient to find a motorist guilty of a traffic violation or not?

If radar evidence can be admitted in traffic court as proof that a motorist was exceeding the speed limit, then I would assume a digital image of a car entering an intersection that is controlled by a traffic signal, which happens to be red, is sufficient evidence that a motorist disregarded a red light and is in violation of a traffic law.

The two infractions of law (murder vs. traffic violation) are not comparable in terms of what or how much evidence is necessary for a conviction in a court of law. In one case a jury of your peers determines guilt or innocence of a crime whereby in the case of a traffic violation, a judge determines guilt or innocence.

It's like comparing apples to watermelons or baby back ribs!!!

Mr_Shiftright

But cameras can be fooled. For one thing, if someone is making a right turn while you are "running" the red light, the camera might pick them up, but only show you.

Also calibration isn't precise. I tripped one of these cameras (I clearly saw the flash) but I was definitely already in the intersection when the light turned red--the camera was slow by at least 10 feet. Needless to say, I never got a citation for that one, but had i received one, I would have fought it.

oldfarmer50

@mako1a said:
Here's one you don't see much anymore. 1978 Ford Mustang V8 - $4,000
http://charlotte.ebayclassifieds.com/classic-cars/mocksville/1978-ford-mustang-v8/?ad=30780548&msg=OUT_OF_AREA A lot of people didn't like the small body style, but I liked it. And this one comes with a V-8 A/T

Wasn't that the first year of the much maligned Fox body?

That style isn't my cup of tea but it's not ugly either. That era had some pretty bad styling as car makers spent all their money trying to build lighter, gas sipping vehicles. I remember when they came out with the miniature Dodge Charger in the 80s I thought my car buying days were over.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2037/1538984607_807c4e9f16.jpg

mako1a

Wasn't that the first year of the much maligned Fox body?

No, 78 was the last year of the Mustang II (74-78). Fox body was 79 thru 93.

isellhondas

@oldfarmer50 said:
https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2037/1538984607_807c4e9f16.jpg

Well, I've heard those Mustang II's are growing a bit in popularity but to a lot of "us" they are still looked upon as Glorified Pintos.

I forget, were those V-8's 302's? I know they didn't have a lot of horsepower as was the case for a lot of cars in those dark days.

Hey, I always say, buy what you like!

verdugo

@driver100 said:
But, you will get it out of your system and won't want to buy one.

Must be strong and stick to my New Year's resolution. Deep breaths.

roadburner

@abacomike said:
roadburner said:

The two infractions of law (murder vs. traffic violation) are not comparable in terms of what or how much evidence is necessary for a conviction in a court of law. In one case a jury of your peers determines guilt or innocence of a crime whereby in the case of a traffic violation, a judge determines guilt or innocence.

It's like comparing apples to watermelons or baby back ribs!!!

It depends on the jurisdiction; in states/municipalities where traffic citations are codified as "administrative offenses" constitutional safeguards do not apply. The IIHS, speed/red light camera businesses, etc., love those jurisdictions as it's much easier to keep the money flowing to the various "interested parties". And since the camera companies get compensated by the number of citations issued, it's much easier to scam the public in these jurisdictions by shortening yellow lights , etc,

In states like Kentucky, any moving violation is a criminal offense and ALL of the constitutional rights must be granted to the accused- proof beyond a reasonable doubt, a trial by jury, the right to confront your accuser, the right subpoena witnesses/produce evidence, etc. The photo taxation companies have lobbied the KY Legislature to make it possible for them to set up their money machines in the Bluegrass State, but they have had no success- thankfully.

js06gv

@houdini1 said:

My first car in 1986 was a '74 Gran Torino 4-door in a lime yellow-green color with a dark green vinyl interior. I just got a laugh out of your description of the seat and driving position as it was spot on. I remember being able to feel the seat springs on every bump too. And standard seating adjustments were pitiful back in those days too. Just back and forth with no recline or anything else. A tank of a first car, with less than 10 mpg out of the 351 Cleveland engine (that was good for, what, a whopping 140 hp back in the day?). Fortunately, gas in Houston in the late '80s was still well under a buck a gallon.

driver100

@js06gv said: seat springs on every bump too. And standard seating adjustments were pitiful back in those days too. Just back and forth with no recline or anything else. A tank of a first car, with less than 10 mpg out of the 351

Not one of Ford's "better ideas".

driver100

@verdugo said:Must be strong and stick to my New Year's resolution. Deep breaths.

Your doing good verd....just keep checking in twice a month and you will avoid problems.

abacomike

@driver100 said:

"Your doing good verd....just keep checking in twice a month and you will avoid problems."

Driver - am I missing something here or are you deliberate in your comments? Sometimes, antagonizing a situation can be destructive - or am I off base?

nelsonf

Long time lurker here too…

I had XM for a few years and dropped it after the last rate hike.

I use Pandora through my phone now. The advantages are once you "build" your stations, they are the same whether you're listening through your phone in your car, your computer at work, or your TV at home.

With Sirius/XM it is a separate subscription for every receiver you want to use.

I pay the 6 bucks a month to not have ads, but you can go the free route if you don't mind an ad once in a while. It's a bit of a pain to have to open the app every time you get in your car, as opposed to having XM just start playing on its own, but it's a minor inconvenience to me.

My company gives me a cell phone with a generous data plan, so I'm not sure how much data is used for streaming music for those who have to pay for it.

Nice to say hi to everyone, Cheers!

abacomike

@nelsonf‌ said:

"Nice to say hi to everyone, Cheers!"

Welcome aboard nelsonf - glad you decided to come out of you lurking shell and contribute.

Good points for not renewing satellite radio. Pandora and IHeart radio are excellent choices for an alternative.

stickguy

the Mustang II had a very watered down 302 V8 available.

nelsonf

Thanks for the welcome. I will try to chime in more often.

Nelson

abacomike

@nelsonf‌ said:

"Thanks for the welcome. I will try to chime in more often."

That's great! Always good to have a lurker "expose" himself! LOL

suydam

If you tell the Sirius folks you're going to cancel they give you the rate you had. It's frustrating to play these games, but I like all the sports coverage and several music stations. I like my own iPod music too but enjoy hearing something different as well.

abacomike

@suydam‌ said:

"If you tell the Sirius folks you're going to cancel they give you the rate you had. It's frustrating to play these games, but I like all the sports coverage and several music stations. I like my own iPod music too but enjoy hearing something different as well."

Yes, I think all of us at one time or another have received offers from Sirius/XM that are outstanding. I have an iPhone with over 200 song titles in it that I use as an iPod in the car. But you are correct about wanting to listen to some different music.

On satellite radio you have lots of choices to choose from. I just don't miss the Sirius channels - if I did, I would subscribe.

driver100

@abacomike said:

Driver - am I missing something here or are you deliberate in your comments? Sometimes, antagonizing a situation can be destructive - or am I off base?

No Mike, you are right on...Verdugo and I have a love, mmmmm, not so much love relationship. No problem, we both have learned how to handle it.....we're having fun! He loves reading my posts but doesn't like to comment on them.

driver100

@suydam said:If you tell the Sirius folks you're going to cancel they give you the rate you had.

Kind of like that Ford dealer who takes advantage of you unless you notice and complain.

Just part of the game.....nice to hear from you suydam, join in anytime.

driver100

@nelsonf said:I use Pandora through my phone now. The advantages are once you "build" your stations, they are the same whether you're listening through your phone in your car, your computer at work, or your TV at home.

I resally wonder if there is a future for XM as we know it. I find I have about 5 or 6 channels I basically listen to, but I only hear two or three songs in a row I actually like. So, I am constantly changing channels. I would like a system where I can choose my music more, I think that will be the next step...building a list like Pandora which is more rewarding to listen to.

Thanks for joining in nelsonf...the more the merrier.

imidazol97

The XM trial in my new car continues. The only stations I listen to are the Bridge, Fox News, and Fox Business. The others all last about 2 songs and I switch.

verdugo

@abacomike said:
driver100 said:

"Your doing good verd....just keep checking in twice a month and you will avoid problems."

Driver - am I missing something here or are you deliberate in your comments? Sometimes, antagonizing a situation can be destructive - or am I off base?

You're not off base. Just driver being driver.

And I'm trying to read the forum more regularly.

verdugo

@driver100 said:
I find I have about 5 or 6 channels I basically listen to, but I only hear two or three songs in a row I actually like. So, I am constantly changing channels.

One thing I like about sat radio in the Jeep is that you can store 50 favorite songs and 50 favorite artists. When one of them comes up in any channel, it alerts me. I don't have to change stations because my favorite songs keep coming up on their own.

If it didn't have that feature, it'd get annoying having to manually change stations.

stickguy

it doesn't really bother me to change stations. Either because a song I don't like comes on, or I just feel like changing the mood. Just flick the thumb on the button, and scroll through. Generally of the 6 XM1 presets is working for me, or I can get radical and punch up XM2.

abacomike

@driver100 said:
@verdugo‌:

"No Mike, you are right on...Verdugo and I have a love, mmmmm, not so much love relationship. No problem, we both have learned how to handle it.....we're having fun! He loves reading my posts but doesn't like to comment on them."

Hmmmmm! A bunch of old farts like us can easily find comments made by others go against our grain. Over the past 4-5 years I've been posting here on Edmunds I've over-reacted to comments made by others many times and always realize too late that I was the one at fault. So we clip each other's feathers every so often, but never hold grudges.

Bury the hatchet already. If this goes back to New Year's Resolutions, it's time to smoke the peace pipe - NO?

oldfarmer50

Don't they already have this? I think they call it a taxi.

http://online.wsj.com/articles/gm-expects-to-offer-hands-free-driving-by-2016-1410124540

driver100

@abacomike said:Bury the hatchet already. If this goes back to New Year's Resolutions, it's time to smoke the peace pipe - NO?

It actually goes back to a year and a half ago New Years Resolutions. I am sure Verdugo is a good guy, but, some people just don't get along. I would rather try to be a little bit entertaining if possible, and that has a double edge sword...if you miss you could say something that upsets someone. Kind of a Joan Rivers affect, some people like it, some don't. I have friends and if we can insult each other in a clever funny way we all get a laugh out of it...but, someone else may take offense.

One thing I do know, as I get older I get more crochety. I don't like my neighbor and haven't talked to him for 2 years since he cut down 6, 30 foot Spruce trees so he could build a pool. He has 2 Blazers and a Corvette he takes out on Sundays. He's around 50, no kids and I think he must be a single kid who inherited his money and he is like a spoiled brat that gets what he wants...but, no one on the street talks to him. Then there's my SIL, who thinks the more he cheats people the more successful he will be. He also doesn't like to pay for things he buys. Strangely, a person could live off the money he spends to use ATMs, late charges to suppliers, and NSF checks. He had about 10 NSF checks in a row at $45 a pop.....and one of those checks was for $18!

In another 5 years I probably won't be talking to anyone, I'll be real crochety by then.

driver100

@oldfarmer50 said:
Don't they already have this? I think they call it a taxi.

http://online.wsj.com/articles/gm-expects-to-offer-hands-free-driving-by-2016-1410124540

I call it..................."my wife".

snakeweasel

> @roadburner said:
> That is a flawed analogy

No it's not, the argument was made that conviction would not be made without a live eyewitness. That would fit in any case. The rules of evidence doesn't change because one is a murder case and the other is a traffic offense.

roadburner

@snakeweasel said:
. The rules of evidence doesn't change because one is a murder case and the other is a traffic offense.

And neither does the burden of proof; in the photo radar case you want to convict on the basis of one item of evidence- in the murder case there are multiple different items of evidence- all of which corroborate each other.

Again, would you convict someone of murder based on one fingerprint? At least you could cross examine the person who collected the evidence, as well as the person who analyzed it.
In a traffic photo case you'd have one guy who basically testifies, "I downloaded the picture and the camera says the defendant is guilty- and oh yeah, the camera also told me it was working fine."

Fortunately, it's a moot point where I live, as well as in any state where the people have the good sense to keep constitutional protections in place for any criminal infraction. And I feel sorry for the residents of states where the bureaucrats who run their traffic offense money collection scheme believe that the book 1984 had a happy ending...

isellhondas

@imidazol97 said:
The XM trial in my new car continues. The only stations I listen to are the Bridge, Fox News, and Fox Business. The others all last about 2 songs and I switch.

If you get called for Jury Duty, just tell them you listen to Fox News and you'll get dismissed!

Worked for me!

snakeweasel

> @roadburner said:
>And neither does the burden of proof; in in the photo radar case you want to convict on the basis of one item of evidence-.

Correct the burden of proof doesn't change. However one piece of evidence, like a picture or video of you running a red light, can meet that burden.

Also the constitutional argument is simply a red herring as it is constitutional.