Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

driver100

graphicguy said:

Driver....that train set up is absolutely amazing. I have hobbies (golf, cars, reading, tech, etc), but nothing as entailed as putting together something of that magnitude.

GG, I am not a train enthusiast, or a model train enthusiast, but, I would love to see that miniature Railroad. Another wish on a bucket list is to drive through downtown and a country road in a Cobra with the top down.

jmonroe

driver100 said:

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

explorerx4 said:

Back from Germany.
The main reason was to spread my mother's ashes on the Baltic sea.
It's pretty common over there, so it was very professional and respectful.
We stayed in the Hamburg area. The city has 2500 bridges.
Sticking to the vehicle topic, my all black F150 would be a rock star over there.
Got to drive on the autobahn, biggest adjustment was keeping my eyes on the rear view mirror to get out of the way of the fast movers.
Overall, it was a life changing trip. I'm not kidding about that, still trying to absorb it all.

Have you ever seen the worlds largest miniature train----in Hamburg. I'm not even into model trains, but this would be amazing to see!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACkmg3Y64_s

I know this one guy (actually a friend of a friend of mine) had a business and 5 or 6 years ago liquidated it and all he had left was this big empty building. When I last saw him 5 years or so ago he had started building a model railroad inside this empty 50-60K square foot building. At that time it was only a few hundred square feet of model railroad and he said he wanted to fill up the building. I need to see where he is at, if he even is trying to do it.

There are several of these huge model railways around...one will soon be completed near Toronto. I believe the one in Hamburg is still the largest and the largest draw. People who see it say it is spectacular.

That is ONE nice train setup. There is a nice one at the Science Center in the Burgh but it doesn't come close to that one. I'm not one for sightseeing but if I ever go to Hamburg I'll have to see that thing. Absolutely amazing.

Thanks for the post.

jmonroe

bwia

suydam said:

tjc78 said:

@suydam

How do you like your Encore? My mom's Venza is due back at year end and she said she likes the look of them and wants something smaller. My stepbrother has one,but he could barely tell you what he drives so even though he says he likes it I'd like other opinions.

We love our Encore. But you gotta like small, which we do. It's got great maneuverability and we find it very comfortable too. We like the seat height particularly and also it's a very quiet vehicle, unlike most small vehicles. Decent MPG too.

tjc, I wrote this some time ago and everything I said then is true today.

We have the 2014 saddle-leather trim level with all the goodies except for the 6-speaker Bose stereo--in hindsight a big mistake. Since my wife is the primary driver of the Encore I merely tag along for the compliant and quiet ride.

The vehicle is spacious enough for 4 adults but certainly not five; and I agree with everything that @suydam said. The GPS and infotainment system is very intuitive, at least for me, since I also own a Buick LaCrosse. However, the GPS address entry is cumbersome. We do not use that feature, instead we rely on voice command or Onstar. The voice recognition is great, very infrequently do we have to repeat instructions. Nonetheless, the high resolution 3-D map is first rate. Kudos to Intellilink.

One major and two minor complaints. My wife believes that the liftgate should have an automatic open/close feature. When it is raining it is very inconvenient to manually open the lift gate. Although the Encore looks and feels upscale it lacks push-button start and directional grid lines in the back-up camera. Not a deal breaker but it would have been a nice touch. (grid lines has since been added to the backup camera)

PF_Flyer

Took a little time off and was at the PGA last week. During a weather delay, I visited the Mercedes tent to kill some time. They had a couple of cars with that matte finish on them. I kinda liked it. Talking to the rep, he says there's really no middle ground on it. Love it or hate it. This pic doesn't quite get it across, but I thought it might be interesting to see how our group here splits on the finish



Oh yea, they also had a three hole mini golf course in the tent. $5 to play, and if you made three hole-in-ones, you'd win a C300. Someone managed to do it while we were there and the place exploded!

roadburner

jmonroe said:

driver100 said:

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

explorerx4 said:

Back from Germany.
The main reason was to spread my mother's ashes on the Baltic sea.
It's pretty common over there, so it was very professional and respectful.
We stayed in the Hamburg area. The city has 2500 bridges.
Sticking to the vehicle topic, my all black F150 would be a rock star over there.
Got to drive on the autobahn, biggest adjustment was keeping my eyes on the rear view mirror to get out of the way of the fast movers.
Overall, it was a life changing trip. I'm not kidding about that, still trying to absorb it all.

Have you ever seen the worlds largest miniature train----in Hamburg. I'm not even into model trains, but this would be amazing to see!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACkmg3Y64_s

I know this one guy (actually a friend of a friend of mine) had a business and 5 or 6 years ago liquidated it and all he had left was this big empty building. When I last saw him 5 years or so ago he had started building a model railroad inside this empty 50-60K square foot building. At that time it was only a few hundred square feet of model railroad and he said he wanted to fill up the building. I need to see where he is at, if he even is trying to do it.

There are several of these huge model railways around...one will soon be completed near Toronto. I believe the one in Hamburg is still the largest and the largest draw. People who see it say it is spectacular.

That is ONE nice train setup. There is a nice one at the Science Center in the Burgh but it doesn't come close to that one. I'm not one for sightseeing but if I ever go to Hamburg I'll have to see that thing. Absolutely amazing.

Thanks for the post.

jmonroe

My dad built a small(4'X8') layout when I was a kid; fun, but nothing real elaborate. I still pick up a model train magazine from time to time and I'm always surprised by the hobbyists who build huge intricate layouts in their basement or similar. I'd like to build a 4X8 N scale layout and a nice 1.32 scale slot car layout some day. The closest I've come is a small diorama I built for a BMW Car Club model contest:

driver100

PF_Flyer said:

Took a little time off and was at the PGA last week. During a weather delay, I visited the Mercedes tent to kill some time. They had a couple of cars with that matte finish on them. I kinda liked it. Talking to the rep, he says there's really no middle ground on it. Love it or hate it. This pic doesn't quite get it across, but I thought it might be interesting to see how our group here splits on the finish



Oh yea, they also had a three hole mini golf course in the tent. $5 to play, and if you made three hole-in-ones, you'd win a C300. Someone managed to do it while we were there and the place exploded!

I love that matt finish...with so many cars all the same colors...usually white, black and silver, it is nice to see something different. When I was at the dealer for my new tire I saw a few cars in black matt which was a nice change....but, I really like the gray/silver matt finish.

jmonroe

PF_Flyer said:

Took a little time off and was at the PGA last week. During a weather delay, I visited the Mercedes tent to kill some time. They had a couple of cars with that matte finish on them. I kinda liked it. Talking to the rep, he says there's really no middle ground on it. Love it or hate it. This pic doesn't quite get it across, but I thought it might be interesting to see how our group here splits on the finish



Oh yea, they also had a three hole mini golf course in the tent. $5 to play, and if you made three hole-in-ones, you'd win a C300. Someone managed to do it while we were there and the place exploded!

Not too long ago I posted about the BMW M6 How's That Made TV show that showed a matt finish on the M6. While it is a matt finish, it almost has to be a smooth to the touch surface. If not how would you put on a protective coat of wax which I assume would have to be a special matt finish wax for matt finished paint?

If you don't have to wax that kind of a car, I'm out. Kinda takes all the fun out of owning a nice car.

jmonroe

ab348

I don't like the matte finish paints on cars. Looks too much like a primer. I know that rat rods and the like do it but they are a different thing from a brand new car. [geezer mode] To me matte finishes are in the same category as black wheels, de-badging, blacked-out bright trim and plasti-dip on everything. Good way to devalue an expensive car. [/geezer mode]

tjc78

@bwia

I knew you had a Lacrosse (we so miss ours) but didn't realize an Encore. When it get's closer, I'll bring her up to my Buick dealer have her test out one. I think she will really like it.

She pays $300 on her Venza (which stickered around $30K). If she likes the Encore, I'll see how the leases work out but I'm thinking a fully loaded model should lease at or under $300 with just taxes and first month up front.

oldfarmer50

PF_Flyer said:

Took a little time off and was at the PGA last week. During a weather delay, I visited the Mercedes tent to kill some time. They had a couple of cars with that matte finish on them. I kinda liked it. Talking to the rep, he says there's really no middle ground on it. Love it or hate it. This pic doesn't quite get it across, but I thought it might be interesting to see how our group here splits on the finish



Oh yea, they also had a three hole mini golf course in the tent. $5 to play, and if you made three hole-in-ones, you'd win a C300. Someone managed to do it while we were there and the place exploded!

Hard to tell from the photo but in general I detest matte finishes. Especially in black. Car always looks unfinished. Having said that I wouldn't refuse one if I won it. I'm picky, not crazy

PF_Flyer

I'd say that more people liked it in the silver matte than the white. (Wife was in that group) They didn't have one in matte black on display. I agree that that would look like those cars you see that look like they were sprayed with high heat grill paint. Just not a good look.

qbrozen

I like matte on a beater/cheap/ratrod car. I don't get it on an expensive car, though.

There is someone running around my area with a flat black Caddy CTS. The immediate reaction in my mind, true or false, is that the car is likely messed with in other unpleasant ways such as oversized wheels, boomin nonfactory stereo, overly stiff suspension, etc. In other words: ghetto'fied.

jmonroe

qbrozen said:

I like matte on a beater/cheap/ratrod car. I don't get it on an expensive car, though.

There is someone running around my area with a flat black Caddy CTS. The immediate reaction in my mind, true or false, is that the car is likely messed with in other unpleasant ways such as oversized wheels, boomin nonfactory stereo, overly stiff suspension, etc. In other words: ghetto'fied.

Hmmm, is that last sentence PC?

In any case, I'd say you painted (no pun intended) a picture that we can understand.

jmonroe

roadburner

BMW calls their matte finish paints "Frozen." It requires much more careful treatment than a conventional base coat/clear coat finish. I've seen a few cars that actually looked pretty nice in Frozen paint- but not nice enough that I'd want to deal with the care regimen.

js06gv

roadburner said:

murphydog said:

Now that I have been looking and convertibles I have seen these M235's and wow I like everything about them...except the price, holy cow! A few grand more and I get a Vette, and 10 - 15K cheaper is a V8 Mustang or Camaro.

Perhaps a 1 year old low mile CPO version could be in my future?

I have to say that I've driven the Camaro and Mustang, and I think that the GT and GT350 are legitimate competitors to the M235i. I'm less impressed by the Camaro; good to drive but the ergonomics and visibility are not to my liking. The C7 is an outstanding car but to me it feels a bit cramped inside. As far as the CPO option, I really think that's the way to go. My 2014 2er has79k miles nd 4 years of warranty left and I paid considerably less than what a new SS or GT would cost with an equivalent level of options.
Still, of the cars mentioned, there are no bad choices- you just need to choose the one that suits YOU the best.

@roadburner, was 79K miles a typo? I didn't think your car had anywhere near that when you bought it.

Michaell

js06gv said:

roadburner said:

murphydog said:

Now that I have been looking and convertibles I have seen these M235's and wow I like everything about them...except the price, holy cow! A few grand more and I get a Vette, and 10 - 15K cheaper is a V8 Mustang or Camaro.

Perhaps a 1 year old low mile CPO version could be in my future?

I have to say that I've driven the Camaro and Mustang, and I think that the GT and GT350 are legitimate competitors to the M235i. I'm less impressed by the Camaro; good to drive but the ergonomics and visibility are not to my liking. The C7 is an outstanding car but to me it feels a bit cramped inside. As far as the CPO option, I really think that's the way to go. My 2014 2er has79k miles nd 4 years of warranty left and I paid considerably less than what a new SS or GT would cost with an equivalent level of options.
Still, of the cars mentioned, there are no bad choices- you just need to choose the one that suits YOU the best.

@roadburner, was 79K miles a typo? I didn't think your car had anywhere near that when you bought it.

has79k miles and 4 years of warranty left

I think the last word clarifies things ... his car had 21K when he bought it.

stickguy

I saw a dark gray matte c300 coupe in the showroom. Did not like it at all.

roadburner

Michaell said:

js06gv said:

roadburner said:

murphydog said:

Now that I have been looking and convertibles I have seen these M235's and wow I like everything about them...except the price, holy cow! A few grand more and I get a Vette, and 10 - 15K cheaper is a V8 Mustang or Camaro.

Perhaps a 1 year old low mile CPO version could be in my future?

I have to say that I've driven the Camaro and Mustang, and I think that the GT and GT350 are legitimate competitors to the M235i. I'm less impressed by the Camaro; good to drive but the ergonomics and visibility are not to my liking. The C7 is an outstanding car but to me it feels a bit cramped inside. As far as the CPO option, I really think that's the way to go. My 2014 2er has79k miles nd 4 years of warranty left and I paid considerably less than what a new SS or GT would cost with an equivalent level of options.
Still, of the cars mentioned, there are no bad choices- you just need to choose the one that suits YOU the best.

@roadburner, was 79K miles a typo? I didn't think your car had anywhere near that when you bought it.

has79k miles and 4 years of warranty left

I think the last word clarifies things ... his car had 21K when he bought it.

Exactly, although it has 21k on it now- it had a tick over 15k on it when I picked it up at the end of January.

bwia

I believe Justin Bieber had a customized Foose inspired matte finish on his CTS. The car looked like a Bat mobile. To some it may have looked cool but for me, it was a big turnoff.

qbrozen

jmonroe said:

Hmmm, is that last sentence PC?

I would change it, but I can't think of an alternative descriptor.

driver100

I changed my mind when I saw this one;


I have seen silver matte that looked OK:


I am changing my mind now...I like regular shiny paint more. Besides, when matte goes out of style people will think your car had Bondo work done to it.

suydam

"One major and two minor complaints. My wife believes that the liftgate should have an automatic open/close feature. When it is raining it is very inconvenient to manually open the lift gate. Although the Encore looks and feels upscale it lacks push-button start and directional grid lines in the back-up camera. Not a deal breaker but it would have been a nice touch. (grid lines has since been added to the backup camera)"

Totally agree. Power liftgate and push button start would really be helpful. They did add the camera grid lines in 2015. Rear cross traffic alert is wonderful!

graphicguy

With you Driver. I've seen the matte paint on an ATS-V, and on a Benz. Didn't like either of them. I saw a Lexus with matte paint and thought it looked like primer. Just not flattering at at all.

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

I like matte on a beater/cheap/ratrod car. I don't get it on an expensive car, though.

There is someone running around my area with a flat black Caddy CTS. The immediate reaction in my mind, true or false, is that the car is likely messed with in other unpleasant ways such as oversized wheels, boomin nonfactory stereo, overly stiff suspension, etc. In other words: ghetto'fied.

I've seen a similar G-37 in matte black several times on my way to work. Makes me cringe. Horrible.

stickguy

hey Old Farmer, got a question for you. Can you recommend a good but reasonable detail/dent guy in your area? My son's car got "kissed" in a parking lot (no note of course) and needs some TLC. Looks like a couple small dents, scratches, and paint transfer. Hard to tell how bad until the paint gets cleaned off. He doesn't want to start mucking about in fear of making it worse.

goal is to avoid getting charged through the nose when he turns it back in next winter. Likely needs a good detail/paintless dent guy, but does not look like a major job.

andres3

explorerx4 said:

Back from Germany.
The main reason was to spread my mother's ashes on the Baltic sea.
It's pretty common over there, so it was very professional and respectful.
We stayed in the Hamburg area. The city has 2500 bridges.
Sticking to the vehicle topic, my all black F150 would be a rock star over there.
Got to drive on the autobahn, biggest adjustment was keeping my eyes on the rear view mirror to get out of the way of the fast movers.
Overall, it was a life changing trip. I'm not kidding about that, still trying to absorb it all.

Thanks for attempting to drive correctly by moving right to let faster traffic pass on the left. Perhaps those lessons learned can be translated and taught here in the US as well, although maybe you are a "fast" driver here and don't get passed much?

andres3

stickguy said:

hey Old Farmer, got a question for you. Can you recommend a good but reasonable detail/dent guy in your area? My son's car got "kissed" in a parking lot (no note of course) and needs some TLC. Looks like a couple small dents, scratches, and paint transfer. Hard to tell how bad until the paint gets cleaned off. He doesn't want to start mucking about in fear of making it worse.

goal is to avoid getting charged through the nose when he turns it back in next winter. Likely needs a good detail/paintless dent guy, but does not look like a major job.

I think for the "privacy" isn't important crowd, there's no better place to advocate for cameras everywhere than in parking lots. I would just love to nail the next hit and run driver in a parking lot. We should also change the penalty for hit & run accidents to a minimum of 10 years in prison; on the first strike; no need for 3 strikes.

Nobody is hit and running me if I can help it; so they better disable my car or do it while I'm not in the car if they want to get away with it. Hard to outrun me in the TTS.

cdnpinhead

Back in about '75 when I was driving my 240Z all over western Canada to the tune of 45K/yr, I thought that a flat black finish would have been excellent. When I discussed it with a body shop or two, they convinced me that primer (which was all that was available that was flat) wasn't meant to be left uncovered, I gave up on the idea. So, 40 years later, and here we are.

I drove a lot at night then, up and down the Fraser River canyon (this was before the Coquihalla) & on across the Yellowhead or the Trans Canada with industrial grade driving lights -- good times. Think U2 or XR71 color schemes.

explorerx4

Some car observations from my trip to Germany.
The first vehicle I noticed, parked next to my uncles Volvo V70, was a crew cab VW pickup truck(Amorak).
Didn't see very many Japanese cars(surprising), actually saw many more Hyundai's.
Many of the high end German cars are debadged.
Lots of French cars, also surprising.
11 Mustangs, 4 were the current model.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

hey Old Farmer, got a question for you. Can you recommend a good but reasonable detail/dent guy in your area? My son's car got "kissed" in a parking lot (no note of course) and needs some TLC. Looks like a couple small dents, scratches, and paint transfer. Hard to tell how bad until the paint gets cleaned off. He doesn't want to start mucking about in fear of making it worse.

goal is to avoid getting charged through the nose when he turns it back in next winter. Likely needs a good detail/paintless dent guy, but does not look like a major job.

I've never used the paintless dent guys so I suggest googling for someone local. If the damage needs a real body shop my go-to-guy is Mendoza's Auto Body on Mohawk St. In Cohoes. He does both slap dash cheap repairs and high quality work depending on your budget. I like him because most shops won't do inexpensive "just enough" work for people on a budget. 518-233-9217

stickguy

thanks. My BIL works at an investment place in Colonie with a bunch of guys with nice cars, so he is going to ask for recommendations.

jmonroe

stickguy said:

hey Old Farmer, got a question for you. Can you recommend a good but reasonable detail/dent guy in your area? My son's car got "kissed" in a parking lot (no note of course) and needs some TLC. Looks like a couple small dents, scratches, and paint transfer. Hard to tell how bad until the paint gets cleaned off. He doesn't want to start mucking about in fear of making it worse.

goal is to avoid getting charged through the nose when he turns it back in next winter. Likely needs a good detail/paintless dent guy, but does not look like a major job.

Your son should try polishing compound on a small spot to see if that will remove the transferred paint. You'd be surprised how easy it is to remove transferred paint like that and unless you use rubbing compound and a rotary buffer, damaging the clear coat is not likely. Now, as you know, that won't help remove dents but at least he will have a better look at what has to be done.

Clear coats are not nearly as fragile as most people think they are.

No charge for this tip.

jmonroe

stickguy

I would probably do that, but am leery of him going at it. doesn't have any tools, and no experience outside of basic wax. but certainly won't hurt to go to the store and find something designed for it. and I know he doesn't have a buffer!

snakeweasel

driver100 said:

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

explorerx4 said:

Back from Germany.
The main reason was to spread my mother's ashes on the Baltic sea.
It's pretty common over there, so it was very professional and respectful.
We stayed in the Hamburg area. The city has 2500 bridges.
Sticking to the vehicle topic, my all black F150 would be a rock star over there.
Got to drive on the autobahn, biggest adjustment was keeping my eyes on the rear view mirror to get out of the way of the fast movers.
Overall, it was a life changing trip. I'm not kidding about that, still trying to absorb it all.

Have you ever seen the worlds largest miniature train----in Hamburg. I'm not even into model trains, but this would be amazing to see!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACkmg3Y64_s

I know this one guy (actually a friend of a friend of mine) had a business and 5 or 6 years ago liquidated it and all he had left was this big empty building. When I last saw him 5 years or so ago he had started building a model railroad inside this empty 50-60K square foot building. At that time it was only a few hundred square feet of model railroad and he said he wanted to fill up the building. I need to see where he is at, if he even is trying to do it.

There are several of these huge model railways around...one will soon be completed near Toronto. I believe the one in Hamburg is still the largest and the largest draw. People who see it say it is spectacular.

I would be willing to bet that if this guy is following through with his plan it will never be opened to the public, as long as he is alive at least.

snakeweasel

driver100 said:

snakeweasel said:

Update on the car, there is just under $1,400 in repair costs on the car and the body shop states it will take about 5 days to complete. Looks like I will be taking it in a week from Monday.

Do you get a loaner car during the 5 days? $1400 isn't too bad considering.......but, then again, it looks like it would take about 30 minutes to fix it up. And why 5 days, I know paint usually takes overnight to dry. Are they waiting for parts?

Yes I would get a loaner car for that time period and they stated that it would likely take less time.

snakeweasel

Interesting thing happened on the way home today. In heavy traffic on a road with two lanes in each direction with the same group of cars for about a mile. waiting a few cars back from a stop light a police car pulls up next to me and yells at me to get my attention. He tells me that he needs to get in front me so I stay back when traffic starts to go forward and he gets behind the car that was in front of me. As soon as he does he lights up and pulls the car over, not sure why as there was nothing he did that the rest of us didn't do. He did the same speed as everyone else and never changed lanes or turned.

My guess is the officer ran the plates and found something, otherwise the car fit a description of a car that was involved in something.

cdnpinhead

explorerx4 said:

Got to drive on the autobahn, biggest adjustment was keeping my eyes on the rear view mirror to get out of the way of the fast movers. Overall, it was a life changing trip. I'm not kidding about that, still trying to absorb it all.

A journey like that can truly be a major event, and I'm glad you enjoyed it. I had a similar awakening in 2001. The lane discipline and other high-class driving capabilities that I saw demonstrated every day on the Autobahn (and later on British motorways) left me in awe that the people in this country can even survive, driving as they do.

The good news is that the worst of them don't. The bad news is that they take innocents with them.

In any event, driving among people who know how to is a good thing, a really, really good thing.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

hey Old Farmer, got a question for you. Can you recommend a good but reasonable detail/dent guy in your area? My son's car got "kissed" in a parking lot (no note of course) and needs some TLC. Looks like a couple small dents, scratches, and paint transfer. Hard to tell how bad until the paint gets cleaned off. He doesn't want to start mucking about in fear of making it worse.

goal is to avoid getting charged through the nose when he turns it back in next winter. Likely needs a good detail/paintless dent guy, but does not look like a major job.

I've never used the paintless dent guys so I suggest googling for someone local. If the damage needs a real body shop my go-to-guy is Mendoza's Auto Body on Mohawk St. In Cohoes.

And tell him oldfarmer sent him!

driver100

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

explorerx4 said:

Back from Germany.
The main reason was to spread my mother's ashes on the Baltic sea.
It's pretty common over there, so it was very professional and respectful.
We stayed in the Hamburg area. The city has 2500 bridges.
Sticking to the vehicle topic, my all black F150 would be a rock star over there.
Got to drive on the autobahn, biggest adjustment was keeping my eyes on the rear view mirror to get out of the way of the fast movers.
Overall, it was a life changing trip. I'm not kidding about that, still trying to absorb it all.

Have you ever seen the worlds largest miniature train----in Hamburg. I'm not even into model trains, but this would be amazing to see!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACkmg3Y64_s

I know this one guy (actually a friend of a friend of mine) had a business and 5 or 6 years ago liquidated it and all he had left was this big empty building. When I last saw him 5 years or so ago he had started building a model railroad inside this empty 50-60K square foot building. At that time it was only a few hundred square feet of model railroad and he said he wanted to fill up the building. I need to see where he is at, if he even is trying to do it.

There are several of these huge model railways around...one will soon be completed near Toronto. I believe the one in Hamburg is still the largest and the largest draw. People who see it say it is spectacular.

I would be willing to bet that if this guy is following through with his plan it will never be opened to the public, as long as he is alive at least.

It is supposed to open in 2017. He has invested over $2million in it. To be fair it is really a miniature city of Toronto and includes railways. You are right in the sense when I was looking this up, a lot of railroad clubs are closing down....some because the land they are on has become too valuable, and maybe kids just aren't as enthralled with trains.
MINIATURE TORONTO

driver100

cdnpinhead said:

explorerx4 said:

Got to drive on the autobahn, biggest adjustment was keeping my eyes on the rear view mirror to get out of the way of the fast movers. Overall, it was a life changing trip. I'm not kidding about that, still trying to absorb it all.

A journey like that can truly be a major event, and I'm glad you enjoyed it. I had a similar awakening in 2001. The lane discipline and other high-class driving capabilities that I saw demonstrated every day on the Autobahn (and later on British motorways) left me in awe that the people in this country can even survive, driving as they do.

The good news is that the worst of them don't. The bad news is that they take innocents with them.

In any event, driving among people who know how to is a good thing, a really, really good thing.

I would agree. People in Europe have a lot more skill than most drivers in North America. They can drive cars and buses in heavy traffic and narrow lanes. I love watching the traffic in a city like London.

snakeweasel

driver100 said:

cdnpinhead said:

explorerx4 said:

Got to drive on the autobahn, biggest adjustment was keeping my eyes on the rear view mirror to get out of the way of the fast movers. Overall, it was a life changing trip. I'm not kidding about that, still trying to absorb it all.

A journey like that can truly be a major event, and I'm glad you enjoyed it. I had a similar awakening in 2001. The lane discipline and other high-class driving capabilities that I saw demonstrated every day on the Autobahn (and later on British motorways) left me in awe that the people in this country can even survive, driving as they do.

The good news is that the worst of them don't. The bad news is that they take innocents with them.

In any event, driving among people who know how to is a good thing, a really, really good thing.

I would agree. People in Europe have a lot more skill than most drivers in North America. They can drive cars and buses in heavy traffic and narrow lanes. I love watching the traffic in a city like London.

To be fair you have to be better at driving in heavy traffic and narrow lanes in Europe. Europe is far more densely populated than North America (Western Europe has nearly 100 million more people than the U.S. on about 1/4th the land) with much older towns and cities that always had more narrow roads. North America tends to be more open and spacious with wider roads less population density and straighter roads.

iluvmysephia1

Oh, I don't oppose the PlastiDip so much, especially on a rig like a Nissan cube. Heck, I liked this one guy's total mustard yellow Plasti-Dip job on a cube. He added black Plasti-Dipped racing stripes and I was asking him to trade with me my '08 Lancer GTS automatic CVT! But, to agree with someone's comment earlier, the cube is a cheap car and the matte finish can work on them. For some of us, of course.

graphicguy

Have driven in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Mexico City, London, Paris and Rome. Not sure I'd do any of it again. Huge cities with huge traffic problems. Might be my typical American impatience, or my lack of nerve, but driving in those places had me constantly on edge, and probably more prone to having an accident given my slow, indecisive driving in those geographic areas. Something you'd get used to, I suppose

nelsonf

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

cdnpinhead said:

explorerx4 said:

Got to drive on the autobahn, biggest adjustment was keeping my eyes on the rear view mirror to get out of the way of the fast movers. Overall, it was a life changing trip. I'm not kidding about that, still trying to absorb it all.

A journey like that can truly be a major event, and I'm glad you enjoyed it. I had a similar awakening in 2001. The lane discipline and other high-class driving capabilities that I saw demonstrated every day on the Autobahn (and later on British motorways) left me in awe that the people in this country can even survive, driving as they do.

The good news is that the worst of them don't. The bad news is that they take innocents with them.

In any event, driving among people who know how to is a good thing, a really, really good thing.

I would agree. People in Europe have a lot more skill than most drivers in North America. They can drive cars and buses in heavy traffic and narrow lanes. I love watching the traffic in a city like London.

To be fair you have to be better at driving in heavy traffic and narrow lanes in Europe. Europe is far more densely populated than North America (Western Europe has nearly 100 million more people than the U.S. on about 1/4th the land) with much older towns and cities that always had more narrow roads. North America tends to be more open and spacious with wider roads less population density and straighter roads.

Getting a license in Europe is more expensive and requires a lot more driver education than here. I think that's a big factor too.

Michaell

graphicguy said:

Have driven in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Mexico City, London, Paris and Rome. Not sure I'd do any of it again. Huge cities with huge traffic problems. Might be my typical American impatience, or my lack of nerve, but driving in those places had me constantly on edge, and probably more prone to having an accident given my slow, indecisive driving in those geographic areas. Something you'd get used to, I suppose

I remember how nervous I was to drive in Boston the first time I went on business. Growing up in SoCal, it was suburbs and freeways for the most part.

Have driven in Manhattan a couple times, as well.

Not sure how I would fare in Europe.

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

hey Old Farmer, got a question for you. Can you recommend a good but reasonable detail/dent guy in your area? My son's car got "kissed" in a parking lot (no note of course) and needs some TLC. Looks like a couple small dents, scratches, and paint transfer. Hard to tell how bad until the paint gets cleaned off. He doesn't want to start mucking about in fear of making it worse.

goal is to avoid getting charged through the nose when he turns it back in next winter. Likely needs a good detail/paintless dent guy, but does not look like a major job.

I've never used the paintless dent guys so I suggest googling for someone local. If the damage needs a real body shop my go-to-guy is Mendoza's Auto Body on Mohawk St. In Cohoes.

And tell him oldfarmer sent him!

I've sent a few people to him and they were satisfied but I doubt he would remember my name. You might want to grab a screen shot of me next to the Hellcat and show him that. Maybe he would remember me since I am a good foot taller than him.

Better yet tell him the guy whose kids keep wrecking his cars sent you. He'll remember all the business I gave him.

ab348

Michaell said:

I remember how nervous I was to drive in Boston the first time I went on business. Growing up in SoCal, it was suburbs and freeways for the most part.

Ha! I remember my first solo trip to Boston around '84 or so. I was somewhere near Fenway and realized I had to make a left turn on a street with railway tracks separating the two travel lanes. I was waiting for traffic to clear to complete my turn while sitting in the middle of the median when I hear a train whistle. Looked to my right to see a MBTA electric train bearing down on me. I hustled out of there! Scared me half to death, you don't get things like that happening in Nova Scotia very often.

Michaell

ab348 said:

Michaell said:

I remember how nervous I was to drive in Boston the first time I went on business. Growing up in SoCal, it was suburbs and freeways for the most part.

Ha! I remember my first solo trip to Boston around '84 or so. I was somewhere near Fenway and realized I had to make a left turn on a street with railway tracks separating the two travel lanes. I was waiting for traffic to clear to complete my turn while sitting in the middle of the median when I hear a train whistle. Looked to my right to see a MBTA electric train bearing down on me. I hustled out of there! Scared me half to death, you don't get things like that happening in Nova Scotia very often.

I learned that lane discipline in Boston is more advisory than mandatory.

verdugo

graphicguy said:

Have driven in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Mexico City, London, Paris and Rome. Not sure I'd do any of it again. Huge cities with huge traffic problems. Might be my typical American impatience, or my lack of nerve, but driving in those places had me constantly on edge, and probably more prone to having an accident given my slow, indecisive driving in those geographic areas. Something you'd get used to, I suppose

I grew up driving in Mexico City. What a crazy place. It's gotten a lot worse since. There's too much traffic now.

driver100

graphicguy said:

Have driven in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Mexico City, London, Paris and Rome. Not sure I'd do any of it again. Huge cities with huge traffic problems. Might be my typical American impatience, or my lack of nerve, but driving in those places had me constantly on edge, and probably more prone to having an accident given my slow, indecisive driving in those geographic areas. Something you'd get used to, I suppose

I have been in cabs in London, Paris, Beijing, Shanghai, and a few other crazy places....many are just weird, like China they have stoplights but they aren't mandatory, in fact few people obey them. Traffic can go both ways on either side of the road, and cars are mixed in with bikes and motorcycles. An intersection can be very entertaining to watch.

https://youtu.be/P3iXh9EqLh4

Of the more westernized countries, Rome seemed to be the hardest to navigate. Our limo driver goes at full speed and slips from one lane into another, and I am sure it is just the air stream between cars that keeps us apart.