Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

driver100

Mr_Shiftright said:

driver100 said:

Andre Detroit is supposed to be a good thing?

Snake Well it's not Cleveland

Or Buffalo!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ah Buffalo---the Stalingrad of the northeast.

We go to Buffalo a few times a year...it is about 90 minutes away. I always say to myself, If you are an American, and you can live anywhere in this great country that you would want to live in Buffalo?

I will say, they do have a lot of spirit, and many people want to live near their relatives (not all of us though), but still.....why Buffalo.

For those who don't know, Fort Erie on the Canadian side of the border could have absolutely no snow, and Buffalo could have 2 feet of snow.....just 10 miles away. Lake affect from the wind heading south, picking up moisture from the lake, and dumping it the city that invented the chicken wing as a delicacy, also known for it's bowling alleys. Have a cousin who found his future wife at a bowling alley in Buffalo....don't ask how that went

HOW THE CHICKEN WING WAS INVENTED

fintail

In defense of the nannies, people were never being taught proper driving skills to begin with, which is why nannies were created. Just as high school doesn't truly prepare people for the real world, the driver's ed there doesn't teach anything beyond the very basics. No doubt lives have been saved because of this. Perhaps if we had better training, nannies wouldn't be seen as needed. Driving isn't seen as serious business.

Not to mention dumb legislation. Little more in my mind says "Murica" more than that you need an endorsement for a twist 'n go Vespa 150, but no special credentials needed for a Veyron, 800hp homicidal Mustang, 42' motorhome, 10' lifted overcompensator truck, etc.

sda said:

All the automatic nannies such as ABS and traction control dumbs down the need to learn proper driving skills and to proactively adjust to weather conditions. They also allow oblivious drivers to drive too fast..and next they've without knowing why, spun out and are in the weeds or worse.

fintail

No ABS on a 2009 car? Is it disconnected, or did these not have it? I can find ABS on a 1981 MB.

Speaking of all of the nannies and gadgets reminds me of my dad. For a time, he hated all of it, seeing it as something more to break (he was older and liked old cars). For some time he liked to have an old car in the household, for him to drive. A favorite was an almost zero-option 68 Fairlane that he commuted in for awhile in the mid 90s. A 60 Ford wagon was also in the fleet, but it needed more tinkering - the Fairlane was very reliable. However, he eventually changed - in 1998 he impulse-bought an expensive Town and Country, and quickly became a fan of the toys.

oldfarmer50 said:

To keep this car related we were driving the PT with no ABS, no traction/stability control, no AWD and regular all season tires. No problem.

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

jmonroe said:

driver100 said:

Just came back from dinner at Son #1's place. I'm shaking my head so mush it is starting to hurt. I can't believe what he wants to do. He has waaaaaaay too much time on his hands. Don't ask, you won't believe it and I'm serious about that.

jmonroe

Alright, your killing me here. I gotta know what Son #1 is up to. You finally get a really interesting story and you shorten it to nothing :@

Isn't that the way you like it?

I can't tell because it is borderline illegal. Something like like scantily attired massage therapists.

jmonroe

You are right....maybe we shouldn't know.

Scantily attired and illegal? He darn well BETTER tell us...and post pictures!

Mr_Shiftright

The biggest joke is infotainment. First they put all these distractions in the car, and then they sell you gadgets to defeat your distractions. On top of that, the distractions, while attempting to kill you, are also selling you things. Brilliant, if diabolical.

I'm not a total Luddite about all this however. I would probably buy blind spot monitoring and back-up camera. But I want nothing that does the actual driving for me.

oldfarmer50

jmonroe said:

driver100 said:

jmonroe said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Another stom of the century has hit!

It's started snowing again and the forecast is for 6-10". Of course all the usual suspects flooded the supermarket this morning (our normal shopping time) for a mad frenzy. You would think we lived in Alaska and would be snowed in for weeks. Noticed many men shopping today. Wives must have played on hubby's ego to get him to battle with nature. They looked like lost lambs wandering about the store.

To keep this car related we were driving the PT with no ABS, no traction/stability control, no AWD and regular all season tires. No problem.

Finally, a REAL man posting in here.

jmonroe

Nah, now if he told us he had completely bald tires I would be impressed!

@oldfarmer50 is a real man not a STUPID man as best as I can tell, BUT...

jmonroe

Thanks for the compliment but I've been known to be stupid in both my opinions and my driving on occasion. But when I want to drive stupid I leave my wife home.

Speaking of which, I had fun the other day spinning around the snowy parking lot at work in the RWD car.

oldfarmer50

fintail said:

No ABS on a 2009 car? Is it disconnected, or did these not have it? I can find ABS on a 1981 MB.

Speaking of all of the nannies and gadgets reminds me of my dad. For a time, he hated all of it, seeing it as something more to break (he was older and liked old cars). For some time he liked to have an old car in the household, for him to drive. A favorite was an almost zero-option 68 Fairlane that he commuted in for awhile in the mid 90s. A 60 Ford wagon was also in the fleet, but it needed more tinkering - the Fairlane was very reliable. However, he eventually changed - in 1998 he impulse-bought an expensive Town and Country, and quickly became a fan of the toys.

oldfarmer50 said:

To keep this car related we were driving the PT with no ABS, no traction/stability control, no AWD and regular all season tires. No problem.

It was offered as an option that year but since my wife doesn't drive in the winter we didn't think we needed it.

Remember, the PT was based on a 1990s designed Neon platform. But it was "cute" so wifey got it.

ab348

oldfarmer50 said:

Another stom of the century has hit!

It's started snowing again and the forecast is for 6-10". Of course all the usual suspects flooded the supermarket this morning (our normal shopping time) for a mad frenzy. You would think we lived in Alaska and would be snowed in for weeks. Noticed many men shopping today. Wives must have played on hubby's ego to get him to battle with nature. They looked like lost lambs wandering about the store.

Same foolishness happening here. You'd think those people who still have all the stuff they bought on Wednesday before last week's Storm of the Century which happens every week here according to our local TV weather presenters. The hype just makes me crazy.

driver100

I remember having ABS in my 92 Cavalier, it was the first year it was standard equipment. It kind of scared me the first time it actually came on, but, I think it really did work the way it should.

Fintail: No ABS on a 2009 car? Is it disconnected, or did these not have it? I can find ABS on a 1981 MB.

Mercedes introduced ABS for mass production in 1979, but Ford and Chrysler had systems the did the same in the early 70s. The technology was around for awhile...it was getting the cost down to an acceptable level that was the hard part.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

jmonroe said:

driver100 said:

jmonroe said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Another stom of the century has hit!

It's started snowing again and the forecast is for 6-10". Of course all the usual suspects flooded the supermarket this morning (our normal shopping time) for a mad frenzy. You would think we lived in Alaska and would be snowed in for weeks. Noticed many men shopping today. Wives must have played on hubby's ego to get him to battle with nature. They looked like lost lambs wandering about the store.

To keep this car related we were driving the PT with no ABS, no traction/stability control, no AWD and regular all season tires. No problem.

Finally, a REAL man posting in here.

jmonroe

Nah, now if he told us he had completely bald tires I would be impressed!

@oldfarmer50 is a real man not a STUPID man as best as I can tell, BUT...

jmonroe

Thanks for the compliment but I've been known to be stupid in both my opinions and my driving on occasion. But when I want to drive stupid I leave my wife home.

Speaking of which, I had fun the other day spinning around the snowy parking lot at work in the RWD car.

A good way to stay young I always say.....act immature

sda

IIRC my '92 Ford Ranger Super Cab had Anti-lock brakes on the rear. I guess that was a plus as trucks tended to lock the rear wheels easily, however, once the front wheels locked steering became iffy at best. Ford should have had anti-lock on all 4 wheels. Thankfully I think I had to brake hard only once during the year I had the truck.

jmonroe

driver100 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

driver100 said:

Andre Detroit is supposed to be a good thing?

Snake Well it's not Cleveland

Or Buffalo!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ah Buffalo---the Stalingrad of the northeast.

We go to Buffalo a few times a year...it is about 90 minutes away. I always say to myself, If you are an American, and you can live anywhere in this great country that you would want to live in Buffalo?

I will say, they do have a lot of spirit, and many people want to live near their relatives (not all of us though), but still.....why Buffalo.

For those who don't know, Fort Erie on the Canadian side of the border could have absolutely no snow, and Buffalo could have 2 feet of snow.....just 10 miles away. Lake affect from the wind heading south, picking up moisture from the lake, and dumping it the city that invented the chicken wing as a delicacy, also known for it's bowling alleys. Have a cousin who found his future wife at a bowling alley in Buffalo....don't ask how that went

HOW THE CHICKEN WING WAS INVENTED

Massage parlor?

jmonroe

suydam

I have friends in Buffalo. Not my thing but they love it. People who love there tend to like cold and outdoors sports like kayaking. There's a lot of scenic nature nearby.

sda

Everyone I've met from Buffalo are people I want to know.

abacomike

driver100 said:

I remember having ABS in my 92 Cavalier, it was the first year it was standard equipment. It kind of scared me the first time it actually came on, but, I think it really did work the way it should.

Fintail: No ABS on a 2009 car? Is it disconnected, or did these not have it? I can find ABS on a 1981 MB.

Mercedes introduced ABS for mass production in 1979, but Ford and Chrysler had systems the did the same in the early 70s. The technology was around for awhile...it was getting the cost down to an acceptable level that was the hard part.

The first ABS I had as standard equipment was on my 1987 Mercedes 300D and 300SDL.  My wife ended up saving herself from plowing off her side of the road head on into the opposite lane into another car.  There was about 2 inches of snow on the roads and I had taught her the week before how the ABS brakes would react on slippery roads.  She told me the 300D brake pedal shuddered and brought the car to a quick stop while steering away from the oncoming traffic.

Thank goodness for ABS brakes!  

suydam

ABS wasn't mandatory I think until ESC was, in 2011 maybe?
My '04 Vibe didn't have it. But I think my '92 Previa did. I know my '01 Maxima had both ABS and ESC.

explorerx4

My soon to be married daughter send me real estate listings for the Cleveland area hoping for some future grandparent support, I'm sure.
Latest listing is for a maintenance free condo.
They look nice, but I'm not sure I'm ready to give up the reason to go outside.
I don't think I want to move anywhere it's warm all the time.
The snow and the cold don't bother me that much as long as there is some sun.
I'm fine with cold and sunny.
My truck has heated and cooled seats. I use the heaters for a few minutes pretty often, but I've tried the cooling and don't really like it.
I do like turning on the cooled seat on an unsuspecting passenger though.

suydam

Cold and sunny -- in Ohio, it is to laugh! We're not Colorado! Many gray days . . .

driver100

Massage parlor?

jmonroe

Maybe he will give you a part time job....it will kind of be like waxing cars.

The kid has a good idea there, put his Dad's skills to some useful money making purpose

explorerx4

@suydam,
Those 2 things are not connected. Cleveland and 'cold and sunny'.

driver100

explorerx4
My soon to be married daughter send me real estate listings for the Cleveland area hoping for some future

What did you do to your daughter to deserve that....finding you a place in Cleveland?

sda Indian Land,
Everyone I've met from Buffalo are people I want to know

.

I agree. Often crappy towns make for really nice people. People have to be tough and have a good sense of humor if they grow up in crumby towns. I come from a steel making city in Canada called a lunch bucket town......but the people are real and genuine....look how I turned out!

cdnpinhead

driver100 said:

A good way to stay young I always say.....act immature

Some make a cottage industry of it.

Others don't.

cdnpinhead

Regarding why would people live in many of the places in the country that others consider unacceptable, my guess is that it has to do with where you (and all the rest of your family) were born. Go figure.

Back when I drove my truck, I couldn't figure out why anyone would live in Iowa. Hot, humid, stinky and subject to serious thunderstorms in the summer, followed by absolutely horrific winter weather. Since then I've had occasion to spend lots of time in southwest Iowa and have come to really like the place. It's all about the people, and I don't even have any relatives there.

Most of the places that are considered miserable by "normal" people are populated by people who have lived there for (many) generations. That said, younger people are leaving such places and overcrowding others, but the old folks like me remain.

California isn't one of them. Middle-class people are still leaving in considerable numbers. The people coming to California aren't from Buffalo, or any other Midwestern location. It's all relative.

fintail

That makes me wonder about the last car in the US/Canada with no ABS. Seems crazy to me that something like that existed in 2009, but as you say, the PT was an oldie by then. I remember the insane hype when the PT debuted, with dealers charging and getting thousands over sticker for them.

oldfarmer50 said:

It was offered as an option that year but since my wife doesn't drive in the winter we didn't think we needed it.

Remember, the PT was based on a 1990s designed Neon platform. But it was "cute" so wifey got it.

driver100

About a minute long.

What do you think of it?

https://youtu.be/9DC4FJbdAds?t=24

explorerx4

My daughter lives right outside Cleveland.
10 minutes from the airport, 20 minutes from downtown Cleveland.
Nice walkable neighborhood with lots of restaurants/bars/coffee houses.
Bought a 4 bedroom house with gas heat/central air and an oversize 2 car garage for $225k.
It's not the same place it was in the 70's.

venture

driver100 said:

About a minute long.

What do you think of it?

https://youtu.be/9DC4FJbdAds?t=24

My eyes thought it looked pretty cool, but my brain kept saying, "Why?"

venture

explorerx4 said:

My soon to be married daughter send me real estate listings for the Cleveland area hoping for some future grandparent support, I'm sure.
Latest listing is for a maintenance free condo.
They look nice, but I'm not sure I'm ready to give up the reason to go outside.
I don't think I want to move anywhere it's warm all the time.
The snow and the cold don't bother me that much as long as there is some sun.
I'm fine with cold and sunny.
My truck has heated and cooled seats. I use the heaters for a few minutes pretty often, but I've tried the cooling and don't really like it.
I do like turning on the cooled seat on an unsuspecting passenger though.

Same here. Don't like the seat coolers at all.

Michaell

venture said:

driver100 said:

About a minute long.

What do you think of it?

https://youtu.be/9DC4FJbdAds?t=24

My eyes thought it looked pretty cool, but my brain kept saying, "Why?"

Huh. I saw a 1st generation A8 a week or two ago with the exact same paint treatment. Gaudy.

graphicguy

Someone is going to take a serious bath on that chromed Bentley. That paint/wrap job just knocked 20% off the value!

stickguy

I think I turned on the seat coolers on my car once, just to try them. seemed pointless, and somewhat annoying, so never bothered with them again.

also haven't tried voice commands in probably 2 years!

abacomike

venture said:

My soon to be married daughter send me real estate listings for the Cleveland area hoping for some future grandparent support, I'm sure. Latest listing is for a maintenance free condo. They look nice, but I'm not sure I'm ready to give up the reason to go outside. I don't think I want to move anywhere it's warm all the time. The snow and the cold don't bother me that much as long as there is some sun. I'm fine with cold and sunny. My truck has heated and cooled seats. I use the heaters for a few minutes pretty often, but I've tried the cooling and don't really like it. I do like turning on the cooled seat on an unsuspecting passenger though.

Same here. Don't like the seat coolers at all.

Use both at the same time - which is what I do.  The air-cooled seats are merely 3-speed fans.  If you turn on the heated seats at the same time, you get warm air blown on your tush and back.  My owner's manual states that using both the air cooled seat fans and the heated seats better distributes heated air to your body.  Try it!  It works beautifully.  

28firefighter

My wife is originally from the Cleveland suburbs and her parents and extended family still live there (eastern Suburbs). 

We could have an estate for what we paid here in Seattle.

I actually like Cleveland a lot. I've thought about moving us back there at some point, but my wife's siblings all live here now, so she isn't so inclined to move home. 

suydam

I like Cleveland too. Really nice city. Just don't like their winters.

uplanderguy

oldfarmer, how many miles on your PT? We were in Columbus visiting our daughter yesterday and I drove it to put gas in it for her. She has 109.5K miles. It does make some funny noises, but her enormous apartment complex has huge double speed-bumps about every five freakin' feet it seems.

She hates the car (image-wise, and wants to unload it if it needs a battery, air in a tire, or bulb burns out, LOL), but it has new tires, new front brakes, and I had a timing belt put on it, and also a free brake booster, put on it all in the past twelve months. I am compelled to eke it out this year, LOL.

sda

uplanderguy said:

oldfarmer, how many miles on your PT? We were in Columbus visiting our daughter yesterday and I drove it to put gas in it for her. She has 109.5K miles. It does make some funny noises, but her enormous apartment complex has huge double speed-bumps about every five freakin' feet it seems.

She hates the car (image-wise, and wants to unload it if it needs a battery, air in a tire, or bulb burns out, LOL), but it has new tires, new front brakes, and I had a timing belt put on it, and also a free brake booster, put on it all in the past twelve months. I am compelled to eke it out this year, LOL.

It sounds like you may be shopping for another Cruze, hatchback this time?

driver100

suydam said:

I like Cleveland too. Really nice city. Just don't like their winters.

And, they have the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame!

uplanderguy

No hatchback for me--built in Mexico.

I'm old-fashioned that way.

The PT was built in Mexico, too, but I bought it used. I figured, the damage was already done, LOL.

uplanderguy

I live in a town sort-of between Cleveland and Akron, Kent (yes, that Kent, as in 'Kent State').

It's 28K people, but it's a bit misleading, as you go a couple miles down the road and you're in another town/city.

Homes are reasonable, here. My niece has a tiny Cape Cod in NJ which cost what our six-year-old Colonial two-story with 2,100 sq. ft, full basement, Geothermal heat on .62 acre lot cost us here.

Funny thing, I grew up about an hour-and-a-half east of here in a small town (never hit 10K, although a bit misleading, as the rural areas in five or seven miles in each direction consider themselves part of the town). I really miss the 'know everybody' feeling. I don't have that here after living here for 25 years.

First thing when I moved here, was I thought it was strange how you'd just roll out of one suburb into another....no miles of 'nothing' in-between, like where I grew up. I'd always think, "What gives this town pride in being different....from the town three miles down the road?".

I'd move back to my little hometown, but my wife says I'm going by myself if I do that, LOL.

driver100

uplanderguy said:

oldfarmer, how many miles on your PT? We were in Columbus visiting our daughter yesterday and I drove it to put gas in it for her. She has 109.5K miles. It does make some funny noises, but her enormous apartment complex has huge double speed-bumps about every five freakin' feet it seems.

She hates the car (image-wise, and wants to unload it if it needs a battery, air in a tire, or bulb burns out, LOL), but it has new tires, new front brakes, and I had a timing belt put on it, and also a free brake booster, put on it all in the past twelve months. I am compelled to eke it out this year, LOL.

Talking about speed bumps....as I said the board at our Florida place put them in at the first stop sign. It is like driving over a curb every time you go over it...really annoying. I think we have enough people to vote it out at the next monthly meeting...we need over 50% or 40 votes.

My question is, are these bumps hard on the car at all? The old suspension system sure seems to get a work out.
There is a bit of a gap in the middle and at one end so you can avoid the bump on one side of the car, and go over it with 2 wheels, but a few people say that is even harder on your car.....any opinions about that?

abacomike

driver100 said:

oldfarmer, how many miles on your PT? We were in Columbus visiting our daughter yesterday and I drove it to put gas in it for her. She has 109.5K miles. It does make some funny noises, but her enormous apartment complex has huge double speed-bumps about every five freakin' feet it seems. She hates the car (image-wise, and wants to unload it if it needs a battery, air in a tire, or bulb burns out, LOL), but it has new tires, new front brakes, and I had a timing belt put on it, and also a free brake booster, put on it all in the past twelve months. I am compelled to eke it out this year, LOL.

Talking about speed bumps....as I said the board at our Florida place put them in at the first stop sign. It is like driving over a curb every time you go over it...really annoying. I think we have enough people to vote it out at the next monthly meeting...we need over 50% or 40 votes. My question is, are these bumps hard on the car at all? The old suspension system sure seems to get a work out. There is a bit of a gap in the middle and at one end so you can avoid the bump on one side of the car, and go over it with 2 wheels, but a few people say that is even harder on your car.....any opinions about that?

Speed bumps are all very different - height, width, length.  We have them in my condo community at the guard gates and they have dozens at the Boca Town Center Mall.  I just go over them very, very slowly, way less than 5 mph.  

As for going over over the bumps with just one side of the car, I would recommend not doing that.  Even though you have an independent 4-wheel suspension, it is possible (not probable) that you could negatively affect your alignment.  Not sure about bushings or tie rods, but I was told to go over bumps very slowly and with all 4 wheels.  

PF_Flyer

Most of the speed bumps I see are in parking lots, so it's pretty easy to avoid bottoming out the suspension by going over them too fast. There are a couple on some side streets around here that if you don't know they are there, you can really get surprised. Worst ones I've ever run across were around the Villanova campus. Some of them almost felt like you were trying to run over a square curb. I'm sure they could dent a wheel, or worse, at any kind of speed

sda

I was pleasantly surprised when I picked up a rental while our Pilot is being repaired. A fully loaded Chrysler 300C, vented seats, rear window shade, panoramic sunroof, etc. It is the 3.6 V6, which is powerful in its own right. Wonder what the HEMI would be like. Overall I am impressed by the build quality and how it rides/drives. It has close to 30k, has typical rental battle scars, needs a good cleaning but seems to be rattle free.

qbrozen

I miss the days when the C denoted the v8. Made it easier.

Michaell

@sda - is that black or dark blue?

sda

Michaell said:

@sda - is that black or dark blue?

Its black with an ivory/black interior. It even fits in the garage. uh oh

Mr_Shiftright

graphicguy said:

Someone is going to take a serious bath on that chromed Bentley. That paint/wrap job just knocked 20% off the value!

Along with a depreciation curve that mimics the arc of a kamikaze pilot's last 30 seconds.

28firefighter

The 300C is one of my favorite rental cars - they are common in the National Executive aisle. My personal favorite is the remote start because the last few times I've rented, it has been in the dead of winter on the east coast.

oldfarmer50

uplanderguy said:

oldfarmer, how many miles on your PT? We were in Columbus visiting our daughter yesterday and I drove it to put gas in it for her. She has 109.5K miles. It does make some funny noises, but her enormous apartment complex has huge double speed-bumps about every five freakin' feet it seems.

She hates the car (image-wise, and wants to unload it if it needs a battery, air in a tire, or bulb burns out, LOL), but it has new tires, new front brakes, and I had a timing belt put on it, and also a free brake booster, put on it all in the past twelve months. I am compelled to eke it out this year, LOL.

Wife's car only has 35k as she doesn't drive much. I'm with your daughter, I'd like to unload it next time a bulb burns out.

You say she had a timing belt change? (Reccommended at 105k) how expensive was it? I had a mechanic tell me they have to pull the engine out to do it.

driver100

Mike and PF Flyer, appreciate your comments on speed bumps. I'll just go over them slowly and in the middle until we get them ripped out. I don't mind the little rise in the road kind that you slow down for, but these kind that are an actual bump don't only seem hard on the car...but they are hard on me. Besides, it makes our community seem like an industrial area rather than our home.