Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

andres3

oldfarmer50 said:

jmonroe said:

explorerx4 said:

Mowing the lawn this afternoon when some movement catches my eye.
Two 4+ foot scared bear cubs climbing a tree about 40 feet away. Then I saw Mama and I ran in the house closing the garage door behind me!

What are you afraid of. You got away safely without much of a sweat.

I had a skunk under Son #1's bed when he was about 3 years old. Got it out without it doing it's spray thing. Can't say I wasn't sweating that out.

jmonroe

At least you had the sense to run. Some folks today have no fear of wild animals.

I blame Disney.

Watching the movie "The Revenant" will cure at least 25 Disney movies and re-instill that fear.

verdugo

driver100 said:

Guys, Mike appreciated your well wishes. Here is an update, he said was OK for me to pass on;

It is liver cancer
Will have surgery, scheduled for 7 to 10 days from now
6 or 7 hour operation
5 to 7 days in ICU in hospital, then a week in rehab
No driving for 2 months
Hopefully, they can remove all cancer, and won't reach lymph nodes

I know we all will be wishing and praying for the best possible results.

Best wishes for a full and speedy recovery. Hope to see him back in the forums in no time at all.

Thank you for the update driver.

verdugo

oldfarmer50 said:

I have no flags at all. Maybe I'm not trying hard enough to tick people off. I have a LOL that some hurtful person gave me recently (hopefully by mistake). The thought that someone is 'Laughing out Loud' at me is hurtful.

They're not laughing AT you. We're laughing WITH you.

andres3

qbrozen said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

Anybody here ever own an 4th generation Camaro (1992-2002). They sure are cheap right now. Geez, an LS1 with 325 HP, stick V8 & T-Tops for $5000 bucks. Not bad looking. All I need is duct tape and a handgun I guess.

I sat in one back in 2005 and it was already a falling apart POS.

what generation was there for the late eighties and early 90's? What I remember in the 90's on Camaros is that they handled like a tank and would end up in a wall when taking a turn at speed.

Mr_Shiftright

That was 3rd generation in the very early 90s. (1982--1992).

I think you could make a 4th gen Camaro handle OK, but the interior wear was, like the Corvette, measured in dog years.

roadburner

My 2004 X3 was built at Magna Steyr in Graz Austria and needed no unscheduled repairs save an SRS occupancy sensor-a recall-prior to 120k. The only time my 1995 3er set a fault was when the alleged "technicians" at the Tire Kingdom in Hilton Head removed the oil filler cap and left it off- when all they were supposed to do was R&R a front tire.

Mr_Shiftright

Some models even up to the early 2000s were scoring 75 and 80 repair trips per 100 cars. You were lucky.

driver100

Mr_Shiftright said:

That was 3rd generation in the very early 90s. (1982--1992).

I think you could make a 4th gen Camaro handle OK, but the interior wear was, like the Corvette, measured in dog years.

I had an 84 Camaro if that helps. I couldn't wait to get rid of it....very uncomfortable, rough ride, not very sophisticated, boring interior (all black and plain). I traded it for an 86 Celebrity, which was actually much better in all of the above mentioned negatives. Then the company got us 86 Cierras, and they were much better than the Celebrity in every way, smoother ride, better handling, more comfortable, nicer interior etc.


One question about Mini's though? Isn't there something inside you Mr S that says, "The More Metal Around Me the Better Off I Feel"?

Mr_Shiftright

Nah. I mean--what are the safest cars in the world? Race cars----light as a feather and yet a person can survive a 150 mph crash no problem (usually). Auto racing has gone from a death wish to a pretty safe sport.

MINIs are solid, I will say that for them. It's not a Nissan Versa.

It's just not screwed together right.

stickguy

Darn. I like that one. Stick shift and no T tops, and I can make the rest of it work!

ab348

I remember in 1982 I had only been working for a couple of years, was still living with Dad at home, and so despite not making big money was salting away quite a bit of it each payday. A car salesman friend of his worked at a Chevy dealer and said to him that he had a demo Z28 that I might like, the new model. He let me have it for a day and talk about underwhelmed. It was not appreciably faster than my '77 LeMans, was harder to see out of, had not much space, rode like a buckboard, and failed to thrill me in any way. Not a great thing for a car that should have had overwhelming appeal to a young guy. Maybe the metallic gold paint and tan interior had something to do with my impressions, but I couldn't wait to give it back.

jmonroe

andres3 said:

jmonroe said:

andres3 said:

jmonroe said:

andres3 said:

graphicguy said:

RB....an old boss had one of those Capris....bought new. It was a lemon from the day he drove it from the dealer to our office. One of the pieces for the convertible top broke, and he couldn't get the top back up. Compunding the problem, he put the top down driving from the dealer to the office. Once at the office, a quick, but torential downpour happened, making the new Capri interior a fish bowl.

He kept it a couple of years but finally bit the bullet and traded it in, losing a ton of money because he could never rid it of electronic gremlins or that wet, musty smell.

I learned that the S4's moon roof when tilted back isn't waterproof in an Arizona downpour; luckily it still stops 97% of the water, but 3% can be more than I expected in just a few minutes of downpour.

Where did you get a rainwater percent meter?

I have several meters in the garage...volt, amp, ohm, power factor, etc. but no rainwater percentage jobs.

jmonroe

It's the same meter cops use to estimate your travel speed when they issue a speeding ticket without either pacing you or using the radar. It's called the best guesstimate BS meter.

I challenge any LEO out there to estimate my speed accurately and consistently at 1,000 to 2,000 feet away without having land markers.

You sure did twist my question around. Twisted it so bad I had to go back and read what I first wrote. Since you seem to get your share of speeding tickets, I wonder if you have used that twisting technique if/when you try to defend yourself in traffic court or when the LEO is writing you up at the curb. I can see through your twisting and I'm sure judges (we even have a retired one here) and LEO's have heard it so many times they can tell you some twists that you have never thought of yourself and even they won't work.

You're free to answer my original question about where you got your "rain percent meter". But do me a favor, NO TWISTS THIS TIME, PLEASE.

jmonroe

The problem with Traffic Court is you'll often be railroaded into a guilty verdict. Some judges are definitely better than others. When you get one that is more interested in paying for mahogany lined courtrooms than fairness or justice, your motions will be wrongfully denied, the judge will take on the role of prosecutor, and seasoned traffic cops are expert experienced eye witnesses that are used to being cross examined by lawyers much better than your typical "do it yourself-er Defendant pro se" that has read a Nolo Press book or two.

When you ask cross examination questions designed to illicit yes or no answers, you often don't get a Yes or NO answer from the LEO. You get an elaborate speech designed to thwart your defense attempts. You'll probably get some perjury; the LEO thinking the ends justify the means.

So I'm adopting the cops' cross-examination answering technique here.

My only ticket in 2016 is a recent red-light fiasco where I met a "short" yellow (could be I didn't see exactly when it turned yellow, or it could be a conspiracy revenue targeted extra short yellow; yet to be verified).

So out of all the red-light tickets in my lifetime; this is the only one that was even remotely probably deserved and legit and true. I missed that yellow; probably by close to a full second. Did missing the yellow by a second cause any danger to anyone? Absolutely not, zero hazard created, but I was a second late.

He said when reaching my window "Yellow means slow down, not punch it." I should have retorted "If I had really punched it, you'd of never seen me again Why can't I think on my feet when I'm pulled over? I just admitted the yellow changed faster than I had anticipated.

The Audi TTS did get me out of having to show proof of insurance or registration since it is so new; he did see the sticker on the windshield, but he didn't get close enough to read anything on it.

If it was a camera I'd have gotten off free since I've been too busy to mount those license plates just yet.

But darn it if there wasn't a motorcycle Sheriff just waiting to my left at that 4-way intersection. I saw him as I went by and knew I was in for a delay.

Lesson learned is slam on the brakes if there's a chance you'll miss the yellow; don't take chances. RED light tickets are just too darn expensive.

I was so "caught red-handed" running that red light that I even forgot to demand the County Seat for when I fight this ticket just for the hell of it. I put myself at a tremendous disadvantage not moving this from his local North County (City of Vista) courthouse into the much further away San Diego one. The chances of him showing up are MUCH lower in San Diego; in Vista; heck, it's 50/50 I think.

It seems you have real problems with courts and cops due to your heavy footed driving.

If I were you I'd slow down and watch the traffic conditions a bit more. But, then you aren't me. You're free to mash the pedal all you want, but I for one, am tired of hearing about slow moving left lane dwellers and what should be defined as "slow moving traffic". All of us have to deal with them but most of us aren't ranting about them or trying to change the laws to get rid of them.

No need to respond to this post because I've adopted the position of not trying to have a meaningful discussion with someone who has acquired the understanding of a fence post.

jmonroe

stickguy

Going out on a limb, but I bet you did not grow up in Brooklyn or on Long Island.

cdnpinhead

It only takes a few hours in Germany to see how it's supposed to work. That said, here we are. Oh boy.

js06gv

Mr_Shiftright said:

Anybody here ever own an 4th generation Camaro (1992-2002). They sure are cheap right now. Geez, an LS1 with 325 HP, stick V8 & T-Tops for $5000 bucks. Not bad looking. All I need is duct tape and a handgun I guess.

I've still got mine. It truly is a car from another time (both good and bad) that you realize the minute you get in it after being in something more modern. So many of them are ragged out beyond the turning point of making them decent drivers again. I've got 44K on mine and bought it in Nov. 2000 at 8 months and 6K miles. Still puts a grin on my face every time I'm behind the wheel, which is really what I bought it for in the first place. At the time, GM was talking about killing it and the Camaro entirely, which it did 2 years later. And then of course Pontiac as a brand was done by 2009, so I have been hoping for some collector value at some point but if it ever happens I've relegated myself to it being a long time from now. The car isn't going anywhere anyway.

Fun fact - a lot of my friends give me a hard time for owning this beast. My sarcastic response to them over the years was that it would pay for my daughter's college education. Well, she's officially a college freshman as of today (her first class was actually this morning) and I've still got the car.......maybe it's more like my GRANDdaughter's college education......

andres3

jmonroe said:

andres3 said:

jmonroe said:

andres3 said:

jmonroe said:

andres3 said:

It seems you have real problems with courts and cops due to your heavy footed driving.

If I were you I'd slow down and watch the traffic conditions a bit more. But, then you aren't me. You're free to mash the pedal all you want, but I for one, am tired of hearing about slow moving left lane dwellers and what should be defined as "slow moving traffic". All of us have to deal with them but most of us aren't ranting about them or trying to change the laws to get rid of them.

No need to respond to this post because I've adopted the position of not trying to have a meaningful discussion with someone who has acquired the understanding of a fence post.

jmonroe

What's funny is I don't get all that many speeding tickets. I get harassed for other reasons. I don't think my problem is heavy footed driving, but corrupted revenue hungry courts and cops with bad judgment having crossed my path. They were warned that arbitrary, unjust, and unequal enforcement of the laws would create nothing but contempt for those laws they mean to enforce, and for those that enforce them. It's the language in the motion to compel discovery right from the Nolo Press book.

And now we have riots every time someone gets shot over a traffic stop. Has anyone besides me connected the dots yet? That kind of resentment doesn't collect, build, and rise from just one incident. It starts at the bottom and works its way to the top. I think it has more to do with incompetence, policing for profit, and bad apples in the force than racism.

Mr_Shiftright

What did they give you a hard time about? The car's "image" or something? Or that it was just a Chevy?

oldfarmer50

What would be your concerns on a car that sat for over a year before being returned to the road? Assume it runs fine now. Unknown what was done with the old gas in the tank.

My main concern would be clogged injectors as the varnish in the tank is washed loose.

Any thoughts?

coldinohio

graphicguy said:

Anybody have experience with Dr Color Chip?

I have 3-4 paint chip and small 1/4" scratch to repair on the Cobra.

really good color match for my audi; deep pits take several reapplications
the dealer did not notice my touch up when I had another bigger job done

driver100

jmonroe said:

andres3 said:

jmonroe said:

andres3 said:

jmonroe said:

andres3 said:

graphicguy said:

RB....an old boss had one of those Capris....bought new. It was a lemon from the day he drove it from the dealer to our office. One of the pieces for the convertible top broke, and he couldn't get the top back up. Compunding the problem, he put the top down driving from the dealer to the office. Once at the office, a quick, but torential downpour happened, making the new Capri interior a fish bowl.

He kept it a couple of years but finally bit the bullet and traded it in, losing a ton of money because he could never rid it of electronic gremlins or that wet, musty smell.

I learned that the S4's moon roof when tilted back isn't waterproof in an Arizona downpour; luckily it still stops 97% of the water, but 3% can be more than I expected in just a few minutes of downpour.

Where did you get a rainwater percent meter?

I have several meters in the garage...volt, amp, ohm, power factor, etc. but no rainwater percentage jobs.

jmonroe

It's the same meter cops use to estimate your travel speed when they issue a speeding ticket without either pacing you or using the radar. It's called the best guesstimate BS meter.

I challenge any LEO out there to estimate my speed accurately and consistently at 1,000 to 2,000 feet away without having land markers.

You sure did twist my question around. Twisted it so bad I had to go back and read what I first wrote. Since you seem to get your share of speeding tickets, I wonder if you have used that twisting technique if/when you try to defend yourself in traffic court or when the LEO is writing you up at the curb. I can see through your twisting and I'm sure judges (we even have a retired one here) and LEO's have heard it so many times they can tell you some twists that you have never thought of yourself and even they won't work.

You're free to answer my original question about where you got your "rain percent meter". But do me a favor, NO TWISTS THIS TIME, PLEASE.

jmonroe

The problem with Traffic Court is you'll often be railroaded into a guilty verdict. Some judges are definitely better than others. When you get one that is more interested in paying for mahogany lined courtrooms than fairness or justice, your motions will be wrongfully denied, the judge will take on the role of prosecutor, and seasoned traffic cops are expert experienced eye witnesses that are used to being cross examined by lawyers much better than your typical "do it yourself-er Defendant pro se" that has read a Nolo Press book or two.

When you ask cross examination questions designed to illicit yes or no answers, you often don't get a Yes or NO answer from the LEO. You get an elaborate speech designed to thwart your defense attempts. You'll probably get some perjury; the LEO thinking the ends justify the means.

So I'm adopting the cops' cross-examination answering technique here.

My only ticket in 2016 is a recent red-light fiasco where I met a "short" yellow (could be I didn't see exactly when it turned yellow, or it could be a conspiracy revenue targeted extra short yellow; yet to be verified).

So out of all the red-light tickets in my lifetime; this is the only one that was even remotely probably deserved and legit and true. I missed that yellow; probably by close to a full second. Did missing the yellow by a second cause any danger to anyone? Absolutely not, zero hazard created, but I was a second late.

He said when reaching my window "Yellow means slow down, not punch it." I should have retorted "If I had really punched it, you'd of never seen me again Why can't I think on my feet when I'm pulled over? I just admitted the yellow changed faster than I had anticipated.

The Audi TTS did get me out of having to show proof of insurance or registration since it is so new; he did see the sticker on the windshield, but he didn't get close enough to read anything on it.

If it was a camera I'd have gotten off free since I've been too busy to mount those license plates just yet.

But darn it if there wasn't a motorcycle Sheriff just waiting to my left at that 4-way intersection. I saw him as I went by and knew I was in for a delay.

Lesson learned is slam on the brakes if there's a chance you'll miss the yellow; don't take chances. RED light tickets are just too darn expensive.

I was so "caught red-handed" running that red light that I even forgot to demand the County Seat for when I fight this ticket just for the hell of it. I put myself at a tremendous disadvantage not moving this from his local North County (City of Vista) courthouse into the much further away San Diego one. The chances of him showing up are MUCH lower in San Diego; in Vista; heck, it's 50/50 I think.

It seems you have real problems with courts and cops due to your heavy footed driving.

If I were you I'd slow down and watch the traffic conditions a bit more. But, then you aren't me. You're free to mash the pedal all you want, but I for one, am tired of hearing about slow moving left lane dwellers and what should be defined as "slow moving traffic". All of us have to deal with them but most of us aren't ranting about them or trying to change the laws to get rid of them.

No need to respond to this post because I've adopted the position of not trying to have a meaningful discussion with someone who has acquired the understanding of a fence post.

jmonroe

Good point jmonroe, but, I somehow think you just wasted 50 seconds of your life!

driver100

coldinohio said:

graphicguy said:

Anybody have experience with Dr Color Chip?

I have 3-4 paint chip and small 1/4" scratch to repair on the Cobra.

really good color match for my audi; deep pits take several reapplications
the dealer did not notice my touch up when I had another bigger job done

Good to know...I'll keep Dr Color Chip in mind. THX

andres3

driver100 said:

jmonroe said:

andres3 said:

jmonroe said:

andres3 said:

jmonroe said:

andres3 said:

graphicguy said:

RB....an old boss had one of those Capris....bought new. It was a lemon from the day he drove it from the dealer to our office. One of the pieces for the convertible top broke, and he couldn't get the top back up. Compunding the problem, he put the top down driving from the dealer to the office. Once at the office, a quick, but torential downpour happened, making the new Capri interior a fish bowl.

He kept it a couple of years but finally bit the bullet and traded it in, losing a ton of money because he could never rid it of electronic gremlins or that wet, musty smell.

I learned that the S4's moon roof when tilted back isn't waterproof in an Arizona downpour; luckily it still stops 97% of the water, but 3% can be more than I expected in just a few minutes of downpour.

Where did you get a rainwater percent meter?

I have several meters in the garage...volt, amp, ohm, power factor, etc. but no rainwater percentage jobs.

jmonroe

It's the same meter cops use to estimate your travel speed when they issue a speeding ticket without either pacing you or using the radar. It's called the best guesstimate BS meter.

I challenge any LEO out there to estimate my speed accurately and consistently at 1,000 to 2,000 feet away without having land markers.

You sure did twist my question around. Twisted it so bad I had to go back and read what I first wrote. Since you seem to get your share of speeding tickets, I wonder if you have used that twisting technique if/when you try to defend yourself in traffic court or when the LEO is writing you up at the curb. I can see through your twisting and I'm sure judges (we even have a retired one here) and LEO's have heard it so many times they can tell you some twists that you have never thought of yourself and even they won't work.

You're free to answer my original question about where you got your "rain percent meter". But do me a favor, NO TWISTS THIS TIME, PLEASE.

jmonroe

The problem with Traffic Court is you'll often be railroaded into a guilty verdict. Some judges are definitely better than others. When you get one that is more interested in paying for mahogany lined courtrooms than fairness or justice, your motions will be wrongfully denied, the judge will take on the role of prosecutor, and seasoned traffic cops are expert experienced eye witnesses that are used to being cross examined by lawyers much better than your typical "do it yourself-er Defendant pro se" that has read a Nolo Press book or two.

When you ask cross examination questions designed to illicit yes or no answers, you often don't get a Yes or NO answer from the LEO. You get an elaborate speech designed to thwart your defense attempts. You'll probably get some perjury; the LEO thinking the ends justify the means.

So I'm adopting the cops' cross-examination answering technique here.

My only ticket in 2016 is a recent red-light fiasco where I met a "short" yellow (could be I didn't see exactly when it turned yellow, or it could be a conspiracy revenue targeted extra short yellow; yet to be verified).

So out of all the red-light tickets in my lifetime; this is the only one that was even remotely probably deserved and legit and true. I missed that yellow; probably by close to a full second. Did missing the yellow by a second cause any danger to anyone? Absolutely not, zero hazard created, but I was a second late.

He said when reaching my window "Yellow means slow down, not punch it." I should have retorted "If I had really punched it, you'd of never seen me again Why can't I think on my feet when I'm pulled over? I just admitted the yellow changed faster than I had anticipated.

The Audi TTS did get me out of having to show proof of insurance or registration since it is so new; he did see the sticker on the windshield, but he didn't get close enough to read anything on it.

If it was a camera I'd have gotten off free since I've been too busy to mount those license plates just yet.

But darn it if there wasn't a motorcycle Sheriff just waiting to my left at that 4-way intersection. I saw him as I went by and knew I was in for a delay.

Lesson learned is slam on the brakes if there's a chance you'll miss the yellow; don't take chances. RED light tickets are just too darn expensive.

I was so "caught red-handed" running that red light that I even forgot to demand the County Seat for when I fight this ticket just for the hell of it. I put myself at a tremendous disadvantage not moving this from his local North County (City of Vista) courthouse into the much further away San Diego one. The chances of him showing up are MUCH lower in San Diego; in Vista; heck, it's 50/50 I think.

It seems you have real problems with courts and cops due to your heavy footed driving.

If I were you I'd slow down and watch the traffic conditions a bit more. But, then you aren't me. You're free to mash the pedal all you want, but I for one, am tired of hearing about slow moving left lane dwellers and what should be defined as "slow moving traffic". All of us have to deal with them but most of us aren't ranting about them or trying to change the laws to get rid of them.

No need to respond to this post because I've adopted the position of not trying to have a meaningful discussion with someone who has acquired the understanding of a fence post.

jmonroe

Good point jmonroe, but, I somehow think you just wasted 50 seconds of your life!

Fence posts are underrated!

ab348

Mr_Shiftright said:

What did they give you a hard time about? The car's "image" or something? Or that it was just a Chevy?

Only @js06gv can answer that, but I'd take a guess that it has something to do with the "mullet mafia" image those tend to have.

It reminds me a bit of something from 20 years ago, not long after I got my Cutlass. I was driving in my neighborhood and saw one of my coworkers struggling to walk home with a bunch of heavy grocery bags. She was a lovely young lady with whom I had gone out socializing after work in a group on a number of occasions and we got along well. I pulled over and asked if she needed a lift. She didn't even look and kept walking. "Wendy, it's me!" I yelled. She looked over, surprised, and laughed as she got in. "Sorry, I didn't know you had a car like this. All I saw was the car and I thought it was just some greaser!" she said.

js06gv

Mr_Shiftright said:

What did they give you a hard time about? The car's "image" or something? Or that it was just a Chevy?

Let's see....that the car (and by extension, me) is a throwback to the 70s, they are all driven by cheesy losers with mullets, or guidos. I'm an Italian originally from Brooklyn, so the last one might fit if I still lived there. Back in the 70s though, you'd see a typical guido driving a Monte Carlo or Grand Prix before an F-Body.

Re your Chevy comment, they know to really get to me is to call my a Trans Am a Camaro. My response is always that the Trans Am is much "classier."

driver100

Mr_Shiftright said:

Nah. I mean--what are the safest cars in the world? Race cars----light as a feather and yet a person can survive a 150 mph crash no problem (usually). Auto racing has gone from a death wish to a pretty safe sport.

MINIs are solid, I will say that for them. It's not a Nissan Versa.

It's just not screwed together right.

But they are crashing into posts or other light weight racing cars. If I am in a collision with a Ford F250 or an SUV, I want some metal around me. And, it has been shown, when cars collide, the larger heavier car's occupants come out of it in better shape.

driver100

jmonroe

js06gv said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

What did they give you a hard time about? The car's "image" or something? Or that it was just a Chevy?

Let's see....that the car (and by extension, me) is a throwback to the 70s, they are all driven by cheesy losers with mullets, or guidos. I'm an Italian originally from Brooklyn, so the last one might fit if I still lived there. Back in the 70s though, you'd see a typical guido driving a Monte Carlo or Grand Prix before an F-Body.

Re your Chevy comment, they know to really get to me is to call my a Trans Am a Camaro. My response is always that the Trans Am is much "classier."

Son #1 bought a '95 Trans Am in May of 2009 with around 66K miles on it to use as his dedicated tracking car. He gave that up about 3 years ago because unless he put some serious money into the suspension, his times were not going to get any better. That's when he felt that putting the money towards his three sons education (now 14, 12 and 10) would be a better use of his discretionary spending account. He sold it and got all of what he put into it plus a couple hundred bucks so he felt it was a good experience.

I remember helping him do his first upgrade. He installed the Corvette C5 brake package (calipers, pads and rotors. 11 inch rotors vs. the stock 9 inch jobs IIRC) which in itself was not a cheap upgrade. But he knew he would be able to get into the turns like he wanted, so the cost was not a real consideration. Then came the big racing rims and tires. There were a couple other things he did but I can't remember those because I wasn't asked for my help so, I'm guessing they must have been fairly simple upgrades. He sure went through a lot of tires though.

He bought this car from a young guy in WV who had just bought a new '09 special edition Corvette of some type. When my son saw that Vette his mouth watered and I remember him saying to the guy, "if you take as good care of that Vette as you did the Trans Am and if you keep it about as long, I could be interested in it. So give me a call when you want to get rid of it". Sounded good at the time but those education dollars won't be over, even then.

He sure did like that Vette though.

jmonroe

jmonroe

driver100 said:

I agree and that's why I have "50's on 5" as one of my XM presets.

jmonroe

roadburner

roadburner

All joking aside, I would have bought that 2015 CPO 1LE I drove if it hadn't been so big and hard to see out of. It was a great driving car.

graphicguy

Thanks all for the Dr Color Chip opinions. Thinking I might give it a try. It could be my OCD kicking in, but one of the paint chips (about the size of a pin head) is right on the spoiler, and I see it every time I look in the rearview. The scratch looks like a stone hit the hood, front and center. Probably 1/10" and noticeable only because I know it's there. Both are "bugging" me.

The paint is in great shape....hardly any swirls (just enough for me to want to do a light polish which would correct 99% of them). So, that makes the scratch and chip that much more noticeable to me. Then again, it's an 18 year old car, and the practical side of me says leave it as is, flaws and all.

Old Farmer....if it was me who insulted you with an LOL, my apologies. It was not my intent. I love your posts.

Carmaros.....any of the previous gen would be desireable to me. As RB stated, how can you go wrong with an LS1. I do remember them riding like a brick. But, lots of fun per dollar. I assume they're easy to fix, and parts are plentiful.

ab348

roadburner said:

All joking aside, I would have bought that 2015 CPO 1LE I drove if it hadn't been so big and hard to see out of. It was a great driving car.

Now you can buy the new one. Looks identical, just a smidge smaller and even more hard to see out of.

imidazol97

oldfarmer50 said:

I have no flags at all. Maybe I'm not trying hard enough to tick people off. I have a LOL that some hurtful person gave me recently (hopefully by mistake). The thought that someone is 'Laughing out Loud' at me is hurtful.

I thought the LOL tags meant someone thought what you posted was funny and they are
laughing in appreciation of what you said.

stever

Then there are the "Grandpa died, lol" posts.

(oh, the confusion with lots of love....).

If I buffed the creosote bush scratches off the sides of my minivan, I'd be down to the bare paint.

qbrozen

Well, I'm still a landlord. Could not sell our old house in time, so I accepted a new tenant instead. I was really hoping to sell it off to relieve some stress and free up my car buying habit. Oh well.

Mr_Shiftright

oldfarmer50 said:

What would be your concerns on a car that sat for over a year before being returned to the road? Assume it runs fine now. Unknown what was done with the old gas in the tank.

My main concern would be clogged injectors as the varnish in the tank is washed loose.

Any thoughts?

Gas is dead after one year, unless stabilizer was added. I personally wouldn't attempt to start the car without draining out the old fuel.

murphydog

Ghia update -

So my Italian inquiry did not pan out - not that I expected it would...

I just dropped the price to $14,500. Hopefully I get some interest. Here is the ad again if any of you are thinking you want a classic convertible VW Ghia!

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1918143

explorerx4

All this talk of Camaro's and Firebirds bring this to mind.
Might not be suitable for youngsters to hear.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASoqnSa1uRE

houdini1

imidazol97 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

I have no flags at all. Maybe I'm not trying hard enough to tick people off. I have a LOL that some hurtful person gave me recently (hopefully by mistake). The thought that someone is 'Laughing out Loud' at me is hurtful.

I thought the LOL tags meant someone thought what you posted was funny and they are
laughing in appreciation of what you said.

I believe you are correct imid, Oldfarmer was just pulling our collective legs.

verdugo

driver100 said:

jmonroe said:

No need to respond to this post because I've adopted the position of not trying to have a meaningful discussion with someone who has acquired the understanding of a fence post.

jmonroe

Good point jmonroe, but, I somehow think you just wasted 50 seconds of your life!

Just do what I do and scroll right past the posts by individuals who have "acquired the understanding of a fence post."

Better yet, Edmunds could join the 1990s and implement an ignore feature. I'm going to stop paying my gues until it's implemented.

oldfarmer50

GG said
Old Farmer....if it was me who insulted you with an LOL, my apologies. It was not my intent. I love your posts.

Oh my gosh no. That comment about LOLs was a tongue-in-cheek response to driver100 who apologized for accidentally giving me a LOL. In truth I don't care what button is pressed, even flags. Everyone is allowed their opinion and I welcome it. My sarcasm doesn't easily translate to print and if I occasionally offend someone I'm the one who apologizes.

Maybe the hosts can come up with a wise guy emotorcon for me.

oldfarmer50

explorerx4 said:

All this talk of Camaro's and Firebirds bring this to mind.
Might not be suitable for youngsters to hear.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASoqnSa1uRE

That's hilarious but you ruined one of my favorite Gordon Lightfoot songs.

snakeweasel

driver100 said:

snakeweasel said:

graphicguy said:

snakeweasel said:

graphicguy said:

Was in Chicago for a few days working.

And you didn't look me up.

Snake....Usually my schedule is packed pretty tight and last minute. Next time I'll give you some notice and perhaps we can get together.

Just kidding you a bit there, but it would be nice to meet people here in person.

Do you have an extra room? If we come to see the Frank Lloyd Wright homes in Chicago, we will give you a heads up

What time is breakfast?

Anytime you want, McDonalds serves breakfast all day long.

driver100

Tonight we were on our way to meet friends for dinner. We were almost there and we came to an intersection, and the light changed to amber. I had a fair bit of time and easily stopped, but a large waste type truck plowed into the back of us. It sent us flying across the road and up onto the sidewalk on the opposite side of the road. Thankfully, we seem to be OK physically, but we are shaken up and very tired. We have dealt with police and the towing company, filed reports, and I was on hold with the the insurance company claim department for about 30 minutes while being told "I am a priority". how long do you wait when you aren't a priority?

One thought that struck me, is how fragile life can be. One minute you are on your way out for a nice evening, and within seconds your world is turned upside down.

Another thought is try to buy the safest car you can afford. I think the car absorbed a lot of the impact, and it could have been much worse.

The tow truck driver/body shop owner said he thinks the car will be a write off, and warned me the insurance company will try to give me a low price.

Another strange thing is the cop feels the truck driver is at fault. But, wouldn't charge him because I saw him tailgating me at one point, so should have gone through the amber light. I had lots of time to stop, and the truck driver should have driven more carefully if he has such a large vehicle. I know he felt bad, and I think the cop didn't want him to lose his job, but, I don't know how someone driving a truck like that could plow into a car stopping for an amber light.



Any ideas how you can get fair value for your car.....tow truck driver said don't trust the insurance company.

nyccarguy

Wow @driver100! Glad you and your wife are ok. Don't worry about the car. You are due for another CCBA punch anyway!

28firefighter

@driver100 first, glad you are okay - you're absolutely right about both how fragile life can be and stacking the deck in your favor by driving the safest car you can afford. 

Second, with regards to insurance. Here in the US you can use resources like KBB and NADA along with vehicle sales listings to make sure that you're given true value to buy a like car. Generally insurance will make an offer first and then you can use those resources to challenge it. 

Do your research and be prepared to make your case. 

Once again, glad you're okay. 

stickguy

that certainly sucks. and looks like a write off for sure, with the structural issues.

I would say research the heck out of values (talk to dealer) same as if you were looking to trade in or buy the same car, so have a solid # based on facts. and if they lowball you, escalate, file challenges in writing, and basically make it your mission in life to harass the insurance company. and of course the old standby, threaten to get a lawyer and sue.

ab348

@driver100, I'm glad you and Mrs. driver are OK first of all.

As for the value, it should be easy. Your dealer can tell you with some accuracy what a 2015 E Class with your equipment and mileage would retail for. If it is written off, then they owe you a replacement equal to what you have. But now you have an excuse to look at your options!

js06gv

driver100 said:

Tonight we were on our way to meet friends for dinner. We were almost there and we came to an intersection, and the light changed to amber. I had a fair bit of time and easily stopped, but a large waste type truck plowed into the back of us. It sent us flying across the road and up onto the sidewalk on the opposite side of the road. Thankfully, we seem to be OK physically, but we are shaken up and very tired. We have dealt with police and the towing company, filed reports, and I was on hold with the the insurance company claim department for about 30 minutes while being told "I am a priority". how long do you wait when you aren't a priority?

One thought that struck me, is how fragile life can be. One minute you are on your way out for a nice evening, and within seconds your world is turned upside down.

Another thought is try to buy the safest car you can afford. I think the car absorbed a lot of the impact, and it could have been much worse.

The tow truck driver/body shop owner said he thinks the car will be a write off, and warned me the insurance company will try to give me a low price.

Another strange thing is the cop feels the truck driver is at fault. But, wouldn't charge him because I saw him tailgating me at one point, so should have gone through the amber light. I had lots of time to stop, and the truck driver should have driven more carefully if he has such a large vehicle. I know he felt bad, and I think the cop didn't want him to lose his job, but, I don't know how someone driving a truck like that could plow into a car stopping for an amber light.



Any ideas how you can get fair value for your car.....tow truck driver said don't trust the insurance company.

Glad you are OK. That was a substantial hit.

My advice - at this point don't get worked up over what some tow truck driver, who is a stranger to you, says. Turn it in to his insurance company, and also yours in case there are any liability or coverage issues with his company that would delay the process. As a last resort, you could use your coverage and then your company will subrogate against his. Whichever company handles this, give them an opportunity to evaluate your vehicle and make an offer. You can go in armed for a fight and then end up being pleasantly surprised at the outcome. I've been in auto insurance claims, including management, for over 22 years and all with the same company. Not every insurance company is evil.

stever

Yikes!

I dunno, a check up may be a good idea.