Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

berri

No, he's just hogging two parking spaces. He doesn't want to get parking lot dings

On no - he picked up BMW disease in the hospital Seriously, I've always liked those tri-coat like whites, as well as light interiors. Plus, that will pay off in Florida summers.

nyccarguy

This AM's commute was far from fun:

Mr_Shiftright

I'll put 5 bucks on the truck to win that one.

nyccarguy

Ha! There was also F350 vs Guard Rail.

Mr_Shiftright

Well that's a bit more even money. A skillful F350 driver can take out an impressive length of guard rail.

explorerx4

Looks like one of my neighbors is getting ready to mow one last time this year.

oldfarmer50

explorerx4 said:

@oldfarmer,
Mine has a 3.08 gear, but eh 5.0 makes a lot more low end torque which gets you moving.
Higher horsepower shows up later on., say at the end of the a quarter mile.
@roadburner,
You are talking about holding the revs @2k with your right foot and sidestepping your left foot off the brake?

Nah, just punching it with no prep. My 4.6L has 280/280 so your 5.0's 300ft lbs and lighter weight should be quicker off the line. Don't get me wrong, Mark VIII can light the tires from a stop but it really shines on the expressway ramp.

oldfarmer50

nyccarguy said:

Ha! There was also F350 vs Guard Rail.

I'm sure most of the spin outs were from over confident AWD owners who thought that 4 wheels couldn't skid as well as two. Having grown up driving RWD and still owning two you learn to drive within your limits. People around here seem to think that 4 wheel drive exempts them from the laws of physics. Every time it snows the first vehicles you see in a ditch on the roof are AWD SUVs.

nyccarguy

Mr_Shiftright said:

Well that's a bit more even money. A skillful F350 driver can take out an impressive length of guard rail.

You are correct. The F350 did take out the guard rail with it's back end, but then had to be pulled out by a tow truck. Is that a push?

Mr_Shiftright

AWD provides better acceleration in slippery conditions---that's about it---braking, steering has little, if any, advantage over FWD or RWD equipped with dedicated snow tires. It's all about "go", not stop.

roadburner

Yes.

roadburner

Mr_Shiftright said:

AWD provides better acceleration in slippery conditions---that's about it---braking, steering has little, if any, advantage over FWD or RWD equipped with dedicated snow tires. It's all about "go", not stop.

Back in the '90s I was driving my wife's 318ti(equipped with four Michelin winter tires) in a light rain. The temperature quickly dropped below 32F but I didn't realize how slick things were until a Cherokee(XJ) flew past me and then spun into the median. The ti was dead stable,

Mr_Shiftright

Ask any tow truck driver who works ski areas about all the AWD cars and trucks they pull out of ditches.

graphicguy

oldfarmer50 said:

roadburner said:

fintail said:

Yep, 740 was an angular boxy highline Volvo starting from 1984 until around 1991-92. BMW also has some history with the 740 moniker, going back to the later E32 7er around 1992.

My wife had a 1991 740 Turbo- it was almost fast for it's time. I shut down more than one automatic Fox Body 5.0 GT with it.

The 1991 mustang GT had 225 hp. Not hard to beat.


Back in the mid-90s, my boss at the time had a 740 Turbo. As you say, quick for its time. But, I remember the spool up time was pretty bad. One second (or two, or three) you're moving at a snaills pace, then all of a sudden you're pushed back in your seat.

graphicguy

Mike...nice car! I like it (but then, I do like me some white paint on cars these days. Paint has become much better in recent years.

abacomike

graphicguy said:

Mike...nice car! I like it (but then, I do like me some white paint on cars these days. Paint has become much better in recent years.

GG, I have to agree with you. I never considered white as an exterior color for a car I was interested in. It was always gray or silver or beige that I chose. But when a manufacturer can produce a car in a bright white with an interesting interior that contrasts the colors, white is quite appropriate.

White is the most common paint color on cars down here in South Florida. From discussions with people who would never buy a car in any color other than white, they would tell me that a white car is easier for other drivers to see at night and white reflects the heat from the sun the best of any other exterior color. Well, this is he second car in a row that I purchased in white - but I don't drive at night unless I have company here like my brother or my son or relatives and we go out at night for dinner - so my rationale for buying white has nothing to do with better visibility for other drivers. But the interior of the car is not a hot as cars I have owned that were gray, black or red. Also, the white nowadays is not as flat looking as it appeared years ago.

carnaught

Agree with the other posters here that interior colors other than black are the way to go. If the interiors are off-white, light beige or light gold, black carpeting or carpeted mats at least, are absolutely ncessary, Non-black interiors are richer, with more depth and warmth (I don't mean temperature) to them. We especially like the medium brown leather seats in the A4 we have in our family.

ab348

Finally got Discovery Velocity added to my cable package. Like most channels the majority of the programs do not interest me but I have to say I really love Wheeler Dealers. The best part is that I have about 6 or 7 seasons worth of those shows available on demand and am burning through some of them now. Watched the Renault Alpine, BMW M5 and Porsche 914 eps last night. Now I want a 914!

jmonroe

Mr_Shiftright said:

I'll put 5 bucks on the truck to win that one.

I'll double that !

jmonroe

verdugo

Been away for a few weeks. Just wanted to say how glad I am to see Mike back.

Merry Christmas everybody! Drive safely and stay warm.

jmonroe

explorerx4 said:

Looks like one of my neighbors is getting ready to mow one last time this year.

I have 5 inches on my deck table from all the snow we got so far but the roads don't have any.

Last night we got a freezing rain. The trucks came around and laid down some salt so my street is fine but it would have been nice if they threw some salt on my steps from the porch to the road. I just went out to get the mail (Mrs. j is a scaredy cat when she sees snow and ice) and I did one of my better moves to keep from falling. Mrs. j was watching and when I got back to the house she said, "what kind of a dance step was that" ? I told her, "the one you'd learn if you went out to get the mail". :@ Her snide comment was, "I don't have to learn that. That's why I have you".

Just call me Rodney Dangerfield.

jmonroe

jmonroe

Mr_Shiftright said:

Ask any tow truck driver who works ski areas about all the AWD cars and trucks they pull out of ditches.

The guy that ran into DIL #2 the other day with his large 4 WD pickup thought like that too.

When the police were writing their report my DIL heard him say, "I thought I could make it down that hill without a problem because it has 4 WD". WRONG.

jmonroe

jmonroe

abacomike said:

graphicguy said:

Mike...nice car! I like it (but then, I do like me some white paint on cars these days. Paint has become much better in recent years.

GG, I have to agree with you. I never considered white as an exterior color for a car I was interested in. It was always gray or silver or beige that I chose. But when a manufacturer can produce a car in a bright white with an interesting interior that contrasts the colors, white is quite appropriate.

White is the most common paint color on cars down here in South Florida. From discussions with people who would never buy a car in any color other than white, they would tell me that a white car is easier for other drivers to see at night and white reflects the heat from the sun the best of any other exterior color. Well, this is he second car in a row that I purchased in white - but I don't drive at night unless I have company here like my brother or my son or relatives and we go out at night for dinner - so my rationale for buying white has nothing to do with better visibility for other drivers. But the interior of the car is not a hot as cars I have owned that were gray, black or red. Also, the white nowadays is not as flat looking as it appeared years ago.

Mike, I just realized I did not compliment you on your car. Your car looks very nice in White and you are right, the White pearls on cars today make most of them look very nice. Almost as nice as the old mans charcoal gray on my '15 Genny.

jmonroe

imidazol97

Dr. Henry Heimlich died at age 96. The Heimlich maneuver that is taught and has saved many lives was named after him. The Heimlich was taught in our boy scout troop. Months/year later while eating at a restaurant one of the older boys was choking due to a piece of meat stuck in his windpipe. Another older scout used the maneuver and popped the item several feet across the restaurant.

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2016/12/17/cincy-native-dr-henry-heimlich-dies-96/95556716/

fintail

I suspect NY drivers are better and faster in the snow than Seattle drivers are in dry fair weather. Below freezing here, but dry - the snow is dodging us this year. And when it snows here - armageddon. Good time for a tow truck operator to pay off his mortgage, an endless line of ditched CUVs/SUVs and some pickups.

driver100

jmonroe said:

abacomike said:

graphicguy said:

Mike...nice car! I like it (but then, I do like me some white paint on cars these days. Paint has become much better in recent years.

GG, I have to agree with you. I never considered white as an exterior color for a car I was interested in. It was always gray or silver or beige that I chose. But when a manufacturer can produce a car in a bright white with an interesting interior that contrasts the colors, white is quite appropriate.

White is the most common paint color on cars down here in South Florida. From discussions with people who would never buy a car in any color other than white, they would tell me that a white car is easier for other drivers to see at night and white reflects the heat from the sun the best of any other exterior color. Well, this is he second car in a row that I purchased in white - but I don't drive at night unless I have company here like my brother or my son or relatives and we go out at night for dinner - so my rationale for buying white has nothing to do with better visibility for other drivers. But the interior of the car is not a hot as cars I have owned that were gray, black or red. Also, the white nowadays is not as flat looking as it appeared years ago.

Mike, I just realized I did not compliment you on your car. Your car looks very nice in White and you are right, the White pearls on cars today make most of them look very nice. Almost as nice as the old mans charcoal gray on my '15 Genny.

jmonroe

Mike, don't let JMonroe near your car. He'll want to go over and start waxing it...he has a wax fetish.

I would have liked to see that little 2 step....got any video?

driver100

imidazol97 said:

Dr. Henry Heimlich died at age 96. The Heimlich maneuver that is taught and has saved many lives was named after him. The Heimlich was taught in our boy scout troop. Months/year later while eating at a restaurant one of the older boys was choking due to a piece of meat stuck in his windpipe. Another older scout used the maneuver and popped the item several feet across the restaurant.

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2016/12/17/cincy-native-dr-henry-heimlich-dies-96/95556716/

That is sad, I owe my life to Dr Heimlich. One day I was at a restaurant with a friend and a piece of steak got caught in my windpipe. It is a scary feeling...you can't breathe and you can't move it. I was motioning to my friend who didn't know what was going on, a young lady came over and gave me the old hemlich and dislodged the steak. She said she had just learned how to do it a few weeks before and was happy to help. I offered to buy her and her boyfriend dinner but she declined. Thank you DR H and may you RIP.

abacomike

"Mike, I just realized I did not compliment you on your car. Your car looks very nice in White and you are right, the White pearls on cars today make most of them look very nice. Almost as nice as the old mans charcoal gray on my '15 Genny. "

 Thanks, JM.

houdini1

abacomike said:

graphicguy said:

Mike...nice car! I like it (but then, I do like me some white paint on cars these days. Paint has become much better in recent years.

GG, I have to agree with you. I never considered white as an exterior color for a car I was interested in. It was always gray or silver or beige that I chose. But when a manufacturer can produce a car in a bright white with an interesting interior that contrasts the colors, white is quite appropriate.

White is the most common paint color on cars down here in South Florida. From discussions with people who would never buy a car in any color other than white, they would tell me that a white car is easier for other drivers to see at night and white reflects the heat from the sun the best of any other exterior color. Well, this is he second car in a row that I purchased in white - but I don't drive at night unless I have company here like my brother or my son or relatives and we go out at night for dinner - so my rationale for buying white has nothing to do with better visibility for other drivers. But the interior of the car is not a hot as cars I have owned that were gray, black or red. Also, the white nowadays is not as flat looking as it appeared years ago.

Wow, that is a beauty Mike. Love the bright white, and they got the saddle interior just the right shade.

graphicguy

imidazol97 said:

Dr. Henry Heimlich died at age 96. The Heimlich maneuver that is taught and has saved many lives was named after him. The Heimlich was taught in our boy scout troop. Months/year later while eating at a restaurant one of the older boys was choking due to a piece of meat stuck in his windpipe. Another older scout used the maneuver and popped the item several feet across the restaurant.

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2016/12/17/cincy-native-dr-henry-heimlich-dies-96/95556716/

Sad, but he certainly lived a long, and heroic life considering how his research has saved so many lives. I have personally used his maneuver twice on people who were choking.

Met him once, briefly at a charity event. He was quite gracious and even more humble. Just a wonderful person.

As you can imagine, he was a legend in and around the area where I live.

jmonroe

driver100 said:

jmonroe said:

abacomike said:

graphicguy said:

Mike...nice car! I like it (but then, I do like me some white paint on cars these days. Paint has become much better in recent years.

GG, I have to agree with you. I never considered white as an exterior color for a car I was interested in. It was always gray or silver or beige that I chose. But when a manufacturer can produce a car in a bright white with an interesting interior that contrasts the colors, white is quite appropriate.

White is the most common paint color on cars down here in South Florida. From discussions with people who would never buy a car in any color other than white, they would tell me that a white car is easier for other drivers to see at night and white reflects the heat from the sun the best of any other exterior color. Well, this is he second car in a row that I purchased in white - but I don't drive at night unless I have company here like my brother or my son or relatives and we go out at night for dinner - so my rationale for buying white has nothing to do with better visibility for other drivers. But the interior of the car is not a hot as cars I have owned that were gray, black or red. Also, the white nowadays is not as flat looking as it appeared years ago.

Mike, I just realized I did not compliment you on your car. Your car looks very nice in White and you are right, the White pearls on cars today make most of them look very nice. Almost as nice as the old mans charcoal gray on my '15 Genny.

jmonroe

Mike, don't let JMonroe near your car. He'll want to go over and start waxing it...he has a wax fetish.

I would have liked to see that little 2 step....got any video?

Mike couldn't afford me now after buying his new BMW. With his old MB, maybe.

No videos of my 2 step but you get the idea. In fact, it may have been a 3 step, I wasn't counting just concentrating on the ground coming up FAST.

jmonroe

abacomike

@houdini1

Wow, that is a beauty Mike. Love the bright white, and they got the saddle interior just the right shade.

Thanks - glad you like it

murphydog

Seattle talk -

My commute works out only because I am in a vanpool. From Seattle to Redmond - no I don't work at Microsoft.

Anyway it is 13 miles from parking lot to my garage. Using the vanpool the drive home is ~ 35 minutes, sometimes 45 on a bad day. My record drive home not in the vanpool was 2 hours and 5 minutes. Needless to say I do everything possible to vanpool

Seattle and snow - always a disaster, I remember watching King5 interview a guy putting chains on his Honda, one chain on a front wheel, one chain on the rear because he did not know if his car was FWD or RWD....I wish somebody would have taken his license on the spot...

oldfarmer50

fintail said:

I suspect NY drivers are better and faster in the snow than Seattle drivers are in dry fair weather. Below freezing here, but dry - the snow is dodging us this year. And when it snows here - armageddon. Good time for a tow truck operator to pay off his mortgage, an endless line of ditched CUVs/SUVs and some pickups.

Ha ha where did you ever get that idea?

snakeweasel

driver100 said:

A quick question for the mechanically minded. Our condo board felt people weren't stopping at the first stop sign when you enter our community. They went and put a speed bump right where the stop sign is. It is a huge bump, feels like it is going to tear the suspension apart. Most residence hate the new speed bump. My experience is I used to stop because I really like to stop for stop signs, now I find it hard to stop because you need momentum to get over the bump.

The question is, when the "get rid of the speed bump committee" makes our presentation are there things the speed bump does that has a negative impact on our cars? That would make our case stronger.

There is one board member who thinks he is a genius for getting the new speed bump put in, he doesn't want to give it up.

Reminds of of a story I heard from a friend I used to have that worked with a township highway department in an unincorporated area of Cook County Illinois. There was this rather large apartment complex that was built there in the 60's that was turned into condos in the 80's. Well the condo association decided that they needed to slow down traffic going through the complex so they put in speed bumps. The only problem was that the roads were public roads so the following Saturday they offered the highway maintence people double time to remove the speed bumps and charged the condo association the the full costs of fixing the road.

abacomike

@jmonroe said:

"Mike couldn't afford me now after buying his new BMW. With his old MB, maybe."

You don't know how truly "right" you are, JM! This was not a reasonably priced purchase like what I am used to, believe me!

abacomike

@driver100 said:

"Mike, don't let JMonroe near your car. He'll want to go over and start waxing it...he has a wax fetish.


It's not JM I'm worried about - but you, on the other hand!!!

snakeweasel

driver100 said:

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

roadburner said:

sda said:

AND I used the remotes to try to reset the picture controls on various ones to improve the image.

That's the thing, you don't know how the TV is set up at the store and can vary greatly between sets. It is good to fiddle with the audio/video controls to better compare the sets.

The store picture mode is usually referred to as "Torch Mode" because the brightness and color saturation are ramped upin order to make the set stand out. .

When I called VIZIO 4 times and was on the phone an hour each time, entering codes, plugging and unplugging things, writing in passcodes, test and retest etc......I saw the message come up about 200 times.......
IS THIS TV FOR 1 PERSONAL USE or 2 STORE USE?
So that explains it, use store use and get a brilliant picture and burn out the guts in about a week! :@

Well to be fair stores are usually far more brightly lit than homes are which would tend to wash out pictures. This would necessitate a brighter picture and changes in settings to compensate.

You haven't seen our place since my wife put in these Home Depot LCD lights....I need to put my sunglasses on when I come inside now.

My wife is just the opposite, if she can see a shadow she yells about all the lights being on.

abacomike

I just found out that my son has not yet received the Christmas Card and check I sent out to him over 2 weeks ago. I mailed out my grandsons' Christmas Cards with gifts enclosed the same time I mailed out my son's. Can't figure it out. Any suggestions? Should I stop payment on the check or should I wait a bit longer? Maybe if I drove out to California in the new car to deliver the card and gift, I could have been sure about his getting it. (How's that for tying this post into cars and conversations?)

snakeweasel

abacomike said:

snakeweasel said:

abacomike said:

iluvmysephia1 said:

Welcome back, abacomike! Nice to see you're back and chattin' cars with us again. Is it 60 degrees in Florida?

Nope - 80+ degrees down here!

Let me join in the ranks of those welcoming you back.

BTW remind me approximately where in FL are you. I am flying down to Orlando next week to Christmas and New Years with the grand kids (OK also with the daughter and son in law if I have to). We also are going to take a few days and look at homes for our retirement (if that ever comes).

I am in North Broward Country, about 3 miles south of Boca Raton and the Palm Beach County Line. About 200 miles south of Orlando, if that helps any.

And thanks for the warm welcome back.

200 miles south, that helps, I was going to take you out for lunch but 200 miles is to far for that for the time I will be there. Now if it were 199 miles I could make that but not 200 miles. \

Again welcome back and listen to your body and take it easy when it tells you to you can't go wrong that way.

isellhondas4

abacomike said:

So I was making an offer to the General Sales Manager of $82,500 on this 2017 BMW 740i (white exterior with cognac interior) which MSRP'd for $92,000 with the M Package when he coughed, choked, and then threw me out of the dealership. Some days, it just doesn't pay to get out of bed to buy a new car!

I'm glad to hear you're back. I'm the same old isellhondas but I can no longer check in under that username so I pretty much stay away. I miss all of you! Now, STAY HEALTHY Mike!

isellhondas4

houdini1 said:

berri said:

Well aba-cadabra , Mike is back. Bet after all that crap he's fired up and ready to roll!

Yes, kudos to the Edmunds staff for finally getting all those red flag issues squared away for Mike. I was the reigning champ with something like 20 total flags for spam/speaking unkindly to others, etc. and like Mike, never knew what I did wrong. Anyway all my flags disappeared too, though they never really bothered me.

Carnaught is back too, and he had that same problem. Having those two back is a nice Christmas present for the rest of us! (festivus)

Now maybe they can get isellhondas problem fixed and get him back too !

I would just love that!

abacomike

isellhondas4 said:

So I was making an offer to the General Sales Manager of $82,500 on this 2017 BMW 740i (white exterior with cognac interior) which MSRP'd for $92,000 with the M Package when he coughed, choked, and then threw me out of the dealership. Some days, it just doesn't pay to get out of bed to buy a new car!

I'm glad to hear you're back. I'm the same old isellhondas but I can no longer check in under that username so I pretty much stay away. I miss all of you! Now, STAY HEALTHY Mike!

Thanks, isell, but I'll be honest with you - if I had to sign in as "abacomike23455", I would sign in anyway.  I happen to like the number 4 - it becomes you, isell!  I enjoy your posts - don't leave me in a lurch - hang around! 

snakeweasel

roadburner said:

fintail said:

Definitely Also, pollution-causing and aggression-causing, as people will speed up and try to make up for lost time when they are able to exit the "calmed" traffic area. But we shouldn't question our smug well-compensated SJW central planning authority who always knows what is in our best interest (and seldom practices what they preach).

andres3 said:

I think "Traffic Calming" is code word for "Congestion Causing."

Then there is "Vision Zero," which ostensibly claims to be a traffic safety initiative; it's true purpose is to make driving an automobile so frustrating and inconvenient that people will seek out other forms of transportation.

Sometimes they are installed to discourage people from driving in the area. I know of one road that has a dozen speed bumps in a one mile stretch. There is no secret that that was done to discourage the use of the road. This road where all the speed bumps are is a residential area, going south from there it is industrial areas and going north is a commercial area. It is also a great route to bypass congestion on the interstates especially since the congestion they are avoiding is a bottleneck getting from one interstate to another. Before they put up those speed bumps you had people flying down that residential road trying to make good time.

abacomike

@snakeweasel:

Tell you what, snake - I'll meet you halfway so long as you're picking up the check for lunch! 

snakeweasel

andres3 said:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/12/16/were-really-bad-at-judging-risk-to-kids-were-really-good-at-judging-parents/?utm_term=.e3bf82bad576

Super interesting article in that I find it probably explains why some of you incorrectly associate speeding with risk. You find it morally objectionable to you personally that people speed, and therefore you exaggerate the risk of the action in order to justify your moral outrage.

Finally beginning to understand the psychosis that perpetuates the "Speed Kills" myth.

I want to go on record that I don't incorrectly associate speeding with risk. I correctly associate increased speeds with risk (there is a difference) simply because I understand physics.

snakeweasel

andres3 said:

graphicguy said:

So, not many of us can rent a really nice car from the rental car companies unless you dig deep into your pocket, for the first time I was able to rent something that I can never recall renting.

First, I am in Detroit actually doing some work for GM in, of all places, their Cadillac advanced technology building.

Not a whole lot of choices from Enterprise other than U.S. Branded iron. It was either a Chrysler 200 or a Chrysler minivan. I chose the 200.

Now, from everything I've read, these cars are supposed to be absolutely dreadful. Not true. The one I rented had 8,000 miles (approx) and I'm sure was their standard model.

Not bad on the inside. Ergonomics were excellent. Problem, lots of hard plastic. Weird shifter (knob) that took me a bit to get used to. UConnect (small screen version) operated well with my iPhone.

Steering was light but relatively accurate. As always, there was a fair amount of understeer. Felt good and there was never a surprise where I could point it, and it responded correctly.

Not a sports car suspension, but surprisingly good given the price point. It handled the nasty Detroit roads well. It never became flustered, but could have handled body roll a bit better relatively easily with a cheap brace.

Seats weren't good, but not bad, either. Brakes were a little grabby at first, but were fine once the car would warm up.

Stereo was pretty darned good playing my iPhone tunes. Plenty of low end, better than expected clarity, with low distortion at some fairly high volumes.

The 4 cyl motor vibrated just a bit at idle but was smooth accelerating. You won't want to try any Cafe racing with it, but it's perfectly acceptable as a Mommy motor or for someone who views cars as appliances.

The big bugaboo was the transmission (I think it's the 9-speed everyone is having troubles with). It either slams into gear, or feels like it's slipping. Isn't this a ZF unit? For a company who prides itself in making really good transmissions, they should be ashamed of themselves.

I'm sure these are being discounted pretty steeply given their life span is just about over and the model is now in Hospice.

Given all that, it's not going to compete with a Camry, Malibu, Fusion or an Accord. But, for the money, I'd take it with an extended warranty over an Altima and put a fair amount of money back in my pocket as a result.

Ever owned a Chyrsler out of warranty?

How much would an extended warranty cost on one; I'd imagine a lot of dough if they are ever going to honor the claims.

I own a Chrysler out of warranty. With 115K miles on it now and only about $200 spent on non routine maintence I would say it has been real good. Two cars ago was another Chrysler that went well over 100K miles with just oil changes, brake jobs and new tires. I know others with Chryslers that have little issues with them.

snakeweasel

stever said:

Tourists vs real people on the cable cars?

rats, you beat me to it.

fintail

Come to Seattle on a rainy day, if you dare

Seriously, it's bad here. Probably less skill than NYC, and a lot more timid. The timidity really makes things worse - ineptitude with slowness.

oldfarmer50 said:

Ha ha where did you ever get that idea?

fintail

A co-worker of mine vanpools from Federal Way to Bellevue. He can usually make it in an hour or less in the van, but driving alone would require a calendar.

I think licenses are easier to get now more than ever, with privatized testing. Drive around Bellevue for a day, it never ceases to amaze me.

murphydog said:

Seattle talk -

My commute works out only because I am in a vanpool. From Seattle to Redmond - no I don't work at Microsoft.

Anyway it is 13 miles from parking lot to my garage. Using the vanpool the drive home is ~ 35 minutes, sometimes 45 on a bad day. My record drive home not in the vanpool was 2 hours and 5 minutes. Needless to say I do everything possible to vanpool

Seattle and snow - always a disaster, I remember watching King5 interview a guy putting chains on his Honda, one chain on a front wheel, one chain on the rear because he did not know if his car was FWD or RWD....I wish somebody would have taken his license on the spot...