Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

tjc78

Wrong wheels for a type-S as well. 

ab348

abacomike said:

Going nuts without TV or internet.  How did people manage without these things.  Come to think of it, when I was a kid, we had a TV that had a 8 or 9 inch screen and 2 or 3 channels.  Hardly ever watched TV because there wasn't anything on that interested me.  I usually played with my Lionel trains - laying out track and building a town or I read a book or comics.  I was a member of several clubs which also kept me busy.

But it was all that homework that took up most of my evenings.  But I've become so dependent on HDTV that sitting at home alone here gets pretty depressing.  Wish I had a good book to read.  

Geez, Mike, you should sign up with these guys...

driver100

I hope he made it through the night without his cable

qbrozen

oldfarmer50 said:

I was always partial to the looks of the older Acura TL-S type. Seems like a pretty good car for it's day too. I know some of you have owned TLs. What's your impression of this one?

https://tampa.craigslist.org/hdo/ctd/6082363384.html

Didn't those have transmission problems?

sda

qbrozen said:

oldfarmer50 said:

I was always partial to the looks of the older Acura TL-S type. Seems like a pretty good car for it's day too. I know some of you have owned TLs. What's your impression of this one?



https://tampa.craigslist.org/hdo/ctd/6082363384.html

Didn't those have transmission problems?

The early 5 speed automatics which included 2002 were especially fragile and expensive to repair. Acura and Honda extended the warranties on those but that has expired long ago. Though low miles I would confirm the timing belt has been replaced. That is a relatively expensive service.

driver100

oldfarmer50 Posts: 9,165
April 16
I was always partial to the looks of the older Acura TL-S type. Seems like a pretty good car for it's day too. I know some of you have owned TLs. What's your impression of this one?

You guys are amazing....you have just saved oldfarmer from buying a $4400 lemon rip off car, probably being sold from some poor guy trying to make a buck in Russia.

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 Posts: 9,165
April 16
I was always partial to the looks of the older Acura TL-S type. Seems like a pretty good car for it's day too. I know some of you have owned TLs. What's your impression of this one?

You guys are amazing....you have just saved oldfarmer from buying a $4400 lemon rip off car, probably being sold from some poor guy trying to make a buck in Russia.

Actually they saved you a trip back down to Tampa to buy it for me.

But yeah, it's nice to have such a perceptive bunch to analyze things.

imidazol97

A little history from those rerun channels on the cable TV that Mr. Mike is not getting these days...

At the first car show of the season in this immediate area, I spotted Officer Fife's mobile command unit.



In this picture you see the "real" Officer Fife with his back to the camera. When I snapped the shutter, he was facing the camera, but there is a delay. He's a good physical replica of Knott's boney facial features but is about 14 inches taller than the original.

graphicguy

oldfarmer50 said:

A

ab348 said:

@dino001 , sorry to hear about your father. Hope your mom pulls out of it soon.

Going through a similar thing closer to home. My B-I-L passed away last week after a battle with cancer. I gather it wasn't pretty at the end. I was speaking to my sister (his wife) today and am worried for her. They were very devoted to each other, a remarkable relationship, and she is alone for the first time in 50 years. She is having a very hard time, understandably so. Fortunately she has a large circle of friends so she doesn't need to rely solely on family for moral support. It has been a down week.

This has been a tough few weeks for this group. Sorry for your loss as well.

+1

fintail

Neat. I like how they used a 4 door post that could have been a police car, and not a HT or 2 door fastback or something else silly that movie producers might do today.

imidazol97 said:

A little history from those rerun channels on the cable TV that Mr. Mike is not getting these days...

At the first car show of the season in this immediate area, I spotted Officer Fife's mobile command unit.

fintail

I am still "pending" for Nexus, 2 months after application. Yay! Maybe a Russian mafia henchman has the same name as me or something

28firefighter said:

Wife and I took Sam up to Blaine today for his Global Entry interview. It was about 110 miles north of where we live, about 1 hr 45 each way with no traffic. 

Whole thing took about 36 seconds once we were there. 

Some metrics for the drive in the X1
220 miles round trip
Average 36 mpg
Average Speed 77 mph

Was a phenomenal drive in the X1 - our first longer drive with it. No complaints from the peanut gallery as both my wife and Sam slept both ways.

fintail

Sounds awesome, I hope it cheers her up.

In Switzerland, car-related, the transport museum in Luzern isn't bad, not too expensive for the area, and some surprising vehicles there. For scenic fun, the cogwheel railway at Pilatus (near Luzern) is a fun half day trip. Most places in Switzerland will have scenery, and any city will be a marvel at how clean and expensive everything is. Most cities have a photogenic "old town" area. Just driving around can be relaxing, and you paid for the road toll vignette, might as well use it.

dino001 said:

So it looks like my Euro Deliver plans are getting more precise. Starting in Munich, middle of June, I'll probably go to Vienna, then swing through Alps of Austria, Switzerland and France, ending in Paris, flying back early July. 2 weeks available, so plenty available to see. Any ideas for places, especially what are best sites in Switzerland?

driver100

28firefighter said:
Wife and I took Sam up to Blaine today for his Global Entry interview. It was about 110 miles north of where we live, about 1 hr 45 each way with no traffic.

Whole thing took about 36 seconds once we were there.

Some metrics for the drive in the X1
220 miles round trip
Average 36 mpg
Average Speed 77 mph

Was a phenomenal drive in the X1 - our first longer drive with it.

Enjoy the X1 ff. That was one of the rentals I had after the accident, and I really enjoyed driving it after the malfunctioning Fusion and Chryco 300. It is nimble with great steering and firm ride.

For anyone who doesn't understand the concept of "feel of the road", drive a 300, and then an X1, those are two extremes. There may be even better examples...my SILs approx 2004 Suburban had a tiny thin steering wheel and absolutely no feel of the road. Real loosey goosey steering on that dinosaur.

driver100

imidazol97 said:

A little history from those rerun channels on the cable TV that Mr. Mike is not getting these days...

At the first car show of the season in this immediate area, I spotted Officer Fife's mobile command unit.



In this picture you see the "real" Officer Fife with his back to the camera. When I snapped the shutter, he was facing the camera, but there is a delay. He's a good physical replica of Knott's boney facial features but is about 14 inches taller than the original.

Check out the length from the rear wheel to the back bumper....talk about overhang!

imidazol97

fintail said:

Neat. I like how they used a 4 door post that could have been a police car, and not a HT or 2 door fastback or something else silly that movie producers might do today.

imidazol97 said:

A little history from those rerun channels on the cable TV that Mr. Mike is not getting these days...

At the first car show of the season in this immediate area, I spotted Officer Fife's mobile command unit.

About 15 or more years ago there was an annual get together of fans, rabid fans, about 10 miles north of here out in the country. A fan had a wooden outbuilding that looked like Gomer's Garage. He had a Ford about like this one that he parked by the gas pump next to the garage.

I know several of the stars from the show came one year, incuding Don Knotts for the day to rub elbows with their avid fans. The display at the car show included a signed card by Don Knotts so I suspect this is the same fellow or someone who took over the Ford police car...

The country fan club annual meet didn't occur after that big one about 15 years ago.

If I see him at another show, I'll ask more about the history.

PS. The car has North Carolina plates consisten with Mayberry's location...

oldfarmer50

Here's the latest dream from oldfarmer's florida fantasy collection. Low milage gives me a tingle up my leg.

https://tampa.craigslist.org/pnl/ctd/6076447377.html

ab348

Looks very good! Hope the "Copper" tires don't make it ride too rough. Copper is a soft metal but rubber is a lot softer. Or maybe it is an ex-police detective car?

oldfarmer50

fintail said:

Neat. I like how they used a 4 door post that could have been a police car, and not a HT or 2 door fastback or something else silly that movie producers might do today.

you mean like this:

qbrozen

oldfarmer50 said:

you mean like this:

Not sure about that one. Aside from the graphics, certainly looks like a cop car to me.

graphicguy

oldfarmer50 said:

Here's the latest dream from oldfarmer's florida fantasy collection. Low milage gives me a tingle up my leg.

https://tampa.craigslist.org/pnl/ctd/6076447377.html

Hard to go wrong with that. Probably last another 15 years. I say "tingle" away!!!!!!

abacomike

Cable and internet keep intermittently connecting and then faltering. Comcast, from what I understand, had outages all over the country yesterday and again today. Wonder if there was hacking involved. From what I have been able to research, it was their fault - they were updating all their lines for X-1 (their new service) and the whole grid went down. I've been without cable and internet steadily for almost 24 hours. This is getting very old and aggravating.

abacomike

Brought my car into my BMW dealership this morning and they gave me a brand new X5 loaded to drive. Unfortunately, I didn't realize until too late that they gave it to me with less than 1/8 of a tank of gas. So I got halfway home and the X5 ran out of gas. I called the dealership, and no one answered in the service or loaner department. I called BMW assist and they said it would take over an hour to get to me.

I was fuming - first cable and internet and now no gas. I was lucky that one of the State Farm Rangers saw me pulled over with me standing outside the vehicle in the heat and traffic and put 2 gallons of gas into the tank for me. He didn't charge me anything. I then drove to the nearest service plaza and put some premium gas in the tank - $3.69 a gallon. I hope I never need gas on the Turnpike again. I sure hasn't been a great day.

As for the X5, not a bad vehicle, to be sure. Easy to get in and out of. But it is a bouncy ride compared the 7 series.

ab348

Sorry to hear that Mike. Reminds me of back in 2010 when my Buick was back and forth to the inept dealer and they gave me loaners from the back row of their used lot. Got a Pontiac G6 that had almost no gas either. That went along with the front tire that was worn down to the cord.

roadburner

This is tempting; two days left on a BaT auction and it's only at $16k- a 1966 A-Code GT with the four speed manual. AACA National 1st Prize winner too. If I could bag it for $20k I probably would.

nyccarguy

These dealers are in between a rock and a hard place with gas in the loaner cars. Now I ALWAYS put more gas in a car than I had when I got it. With a loaner car, it is a small price to pay. They are providing me with a free loaner car, so I am going to spend the $15 - $20 or so to return it with more gas than it had when I picked it up.

If the dealers spend money out of their "pocket" to fill up every car that comes back in with 1/4 tank or less, that gets expensive. If they fill up the tank on the customer's credit card when the customer gives the car back with little or no gas, then that customer gets mad & gives the service department a bad survey.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

Here's the latest dream from oldfarmer's florida fantasy collection. Low milage gives me a tingle up my leg.

https://tampa.craigslist.org/pnl/ctd/6076447377.html

OK Boys....let's rip it apart for oldfarmer!
Small lie but he says 50000 miles and it is almost at 51000, an honest person would say under 52000 miles-I would.
It is on a lot with a lot of other questionable cars around.
It looks too perfect, I am not sure if those are the right wheel discs.
Probably a flood car.

driver100

abacomike said:

Cable and internet keep intermittently connecting and then faltering. Comcast, from what I understand, had outages all over the country yesterday and again today. Wonder if there was hacking involved. From what I have been able to research, it was their fault - they were updating all their lines for X-1 (their new service) and the whole grid went down. I've been without cable and internet steadily for almost 24 hours. This is getting very old and aggravating.

Comcast and Charter took over all the cable companies in our area in Florida. They try whatever they can to extract more money from you and service is pathetic. The smaller private companies really tried to please, these companies try to squeeze whatever they can from the customer. Get a good DVD or book to keep just in case.....

Mr_Shiftright

Could be worth it. Market says around $17-20K, but I'd add a bit for 4-speed.

That award is Class 34a, so just 65-66 Mustangs in a local event. The owner certainly seems to have taken the time to get details right, however.

Unfortunate color IMHO. That was one year only, and was probably not popular. Seems a shame to repaint it though.

Given the junk I see in old car at that price point, I'd say it would be well bought at $20K but not much more.

fintail

I am sure you have seen The Andy Griffith IMCDB page - lots of interesting cars appeared on that show.

Those Ford police cars also remind me of this memorable scene:



This one being a Galaxie, but does not appear to be a HT (I think). I suspect many police cars might have been Fairlanes too.

imidazol97 said:

About 15 or more years ago there was an annual get together of fans, rabid fans, about 10 miles north of here out in the country. A fan had a wooden outbuilding that looked like Gomer's Garage. He had a Ford about like this one that he parked by the gas pump next to the garage.

PS. The car has North Carolina plates consistent with Mayberry's location...

qbrozen

I like the orange. I wouldn't want the redline tires to go with it, though.

oldfarmer50

V

abacomike said:

Brought my car into my BMW dealership this morning and they gave me a brand new X5 loaded to drive. Unfortunately, I didn't realize until too late that they gave it to me with less than 1/8 of a tank of gas. So I got halfway home and the X5 ran out of gas. I called the dealership, and no one answered in the service or loaner department. I called BMW assist and they said it would take over an hour to get to me.

I was fuming - first cable and internet and now no gas. I was lucky that one of the State Farm Rangers saw me pulled over with me standing outside the vehicle in the heat and traffic and put 2 gallons of gas into the tank for me. He didn't charge me anything. I then drove to the nearest service plaza and put some premium gas in the tank - $3.69 a gallon. I hope I never need gas on the Turnpike again. I sure hasn't been a great day.

As for the X5, not a bad vehicle, to be sure. Easy to get in and out of. But it is a bouncy ride compared the 7 series.

I swear Mike, some witch put a curse on you for sure. Can't you burn some chicken bones or something and get the hex off?

oldfarmer50

roadburner said:

This is tempting; two days left on a BaT auction and it's only at $16k- a 1966 A-Code GT with the four speed manual. AACA National 1st Prize winner too. If I could bag it for $20k I probably would.

Excuse my ignorance but what's a BaT auction?

That is a sweet car though. Are you looking at it as a collector item because as a handling machine you might be disappointed.

Michaell

BaT - Bring a Trailer.

www.bringatrailer.com

imidazol97

oldfarmer50 said:

I swear Mike, some witch put a curse on you for sure. Can't you burn some chicken bones or something and get the hex off?

With Mike's luck, if he tries burning chicken bones he'll end up with his clothes and condo on fire.

jmonroe

@dino001,

My condolences about the passing of your father.

Good to hear that you will be with your mom pretty soon. It sounds like you're the right person for the job maybe even perfect.

Nice start of the story about the upcoming EP but you owe us a LOT more than that. More than 150 words worth, that's for sure.

Don't worry about @driver100, we know how to take care of him. :@

jmonroe

jmonroe

fezo said:

Best thing you can hear from the ophthalmologist as e's putting the new lens in, "Perfect." And so it was. Had a clear patch over the eye the first day. The next day I'm ok'd to drive and just wear the patch when asleep so I don't do something to the eye while sleeping. That was maybe two days.

There seems to be a question of whether or not to do the eye with only the peripheral vision. At first he thought yes, then he was kind of what's the point because the peripheral is mostly to detect motion. I can tell you I don't notice it. On the other hand that one would be free because it doesn't need the toric lens. Basically if he says eventually have to be done I'll say do it - but make sure I can swim by July. Otherwise wait until September.

I a;ready see better than I did with the glasses and it improves every day. Maybe I can end up with x-ray vision.

Glad to hear everything went well will the cataract surgery. You were in good hands with this crew putting in a word for you.

About that "free" eyeball, go for it. If you don't like it just give it back but don't expect a refund.

jmonroe

jmonroe

ab348 said:

@dino001 , sorry to hear about your father. Hope your mom pulls out of it soon.

Going through a similar thing closer to home. My B-I-L passed away last week after a battle with cancer. I gather it wasn't pretty at the end. I was speaking to my sister (his wife) today and am worried for her. They were very devoted to each other, a remarkable relationship, and she is alone for the first time in 50 years. She is having a very hard time, understandably so. Fortunately she has a large circle of friends so she doesn't need to rely solely on family for moral support. It has been a down week.

Somehow I missed this post. Then I saw the guys mentioning it.

Sorry for the late condolences.

50 years, seems like a long time but we'll be doing that in July. For me it's been a LOT of laps around the dining room table...hope I can make it till July.

jmonroe

laurasdada

XF is going back to dealer Thursday, nothing major. Since all the earlier warranty work was done, the stop/start function isn't stop/starting. Some hate it, find it obtrusive. I don't, and want to have everything addressed before the warranty expires!

roadburner

Mr_Shiftright said:

Could be worth it. Market says around $17-20K, but I'd add a bit for 4-speed.

That award is Class 34a, so just 65-66 Mustangs in a local event. The owner certainly seems to have taken the time to get details right, however.

Unfortunate color IMHO. That was one year only, and was probably not popular. Seems a shame to repaint it though.

Given the junk I see in old car at that price point, I'd say it would be well bought at $20K but not much more.

Thanks; I even looked at the Vintage Air website and found out that you can get an incredibly sophisticated A/C retrofit kit for less than $1400- and the install looks relatively simple. Oh man, I may have to bid on it...

nyccarguy

laurasdada said:

XF is going back to dealer Thursday, nothing major. Since all the earlier warranty work was done, the stop/start function isn't stop/starting. Some hate it, find it obtrusive. I don't, and want to have everything addressed before the warranty expires!

You better start (no pun intended) looking. NOW!

dino001

abacomike said:

Brought my car into my BMW dealership this morning and they gave me a brand new X5 loaded to drive. Unfortunately, I didn't realize until too late that they gave it to me with less than 1/8 of a tank of gas. So I got halfway home and the X5 ran out of gas. I called the dealership, and no one answered in the service or loaner department. I called BMW assist and they said it would take over an hour to get to me.

I was fuming - first cable and internet and now no gas. I was lucky that one of the State Farm Rangers saw me pulled over with me standing outside the vehicle in the heat and traffic and put 2 gallons of gas into the tank for me. He didn't charge me anything. I then drove to the nearest service plaza and put some premium gas in the tank - $3.69 a gallon. I hope I never need gas on the Turnpike again. I sure hasn't been a great day.

As for the X5, not a bad vehicle, to be sure. Easy to get in and out of. But it is a bouncy ride compared the 7 series.

You drove this with a little orange light on, big low gas warning sign on the screen for how many miles and didn't notice? This thing goes crazy when reaches low fuel, gives you warnings again and again. C'mon, Mike, you can do better than that

oldfarmer50

Michaell said:

BaT - Bring a Trailer.

www.bringatrailer.com

Thanks, I've heard of that but didn't make the connection.

If you have to bring a trailer does that mean it doesn't run?

abacomike

dino001 said:

Brought my car into my BMW dealership this morning and they gave me a brand new X5 loaded to drive. Unfortunately, I didn't realize until too late that they gave it to me with less than 1/8 of a tank of gas. So I got halfway home and the X5 ran out of gas. I called the dealership, and no one answered in the service or loaner department. I called BMW assist and they said it would take over an hour to get to me.

I was fuming - first cable and internet and now no gas. I was lucky that one of the State Farm Rangers saw me pulled over with me standing outside the vehicle in the heat and traffic and put 2 gallons of gas into the tank for me. He didn't charge me anything. I then drove to the nearest service plaza and put some premium gas in the tank - $3.69 a gallon. I hope I never need gas on the Turnpike again. I sure hasn't been a great day.

As for the X5, not a bad vehicle, to be sure. Easy to get in and out of. But it is a bouncy ride compared the 7 series.

You drove this with a little orange light on, big low gas warning sign on the screen for how many miles and didn't notice? This thing goes crazy when reaches low fuel, gives you warnings again and again. C'mon, Mike, you can do better than that

Not one warning and no lights - I swear!!!

oldfarmer50

laurasdada said:

XF is going back to dealer Thursday, nothing major. Since all the earlier warranty work was done, the stop/start function isn't stop/starting. Some hate it, find it obtrusive. I don't, and want to have everything addressed before the warranty expires!

I don't blame you but I'd hate that function unless there was a display on the dash that said "you have save $xxxxx by putting up with this nonsense today".

Speaking of warranty. I had the Ford into the indie shop for oil and tire rotation today and asked him to check the AC. Seemed to be less cool than last year.

It measured 40 degrees so I guess it won't be going back to the dealer any time soon.

suydam

abacomike said:

dino001 said:

abacomike said:

Brought my car into my BMW dealership this morning and they gave me a brand new X5 loaded to drive. Unfortunately, I didn't realize until too late that they gave it to me with less than 1/8 of a tank of gas. So I got halfway home and the X5 ran out of gas. I called the dealership, and no one answered in the service or loaner department. I called BMW assist and they said it would take over an hour to get to me.



I was fuming - first cable and internet and now no gas. I was lucky that one of the State Farm Rangers saw me pulled over with me standing outside the vehicle in the heat and traffic and put 2 gallons of gas into the tank for me. He didn't charge me anything. I then drove to the nearest service plaza and put some premium gas in the tank - $3.69 a gallon. I hope I never need gas on the Turnpike again. I sure hasn't been a great day.



As for the X5, not a bad vehicle, to be sure. Easy to get in and out of. But it is a bouncy ride compared the 7 series.

You drove this with a little orange light on, big low gas warning sign on the screen for how many miles and didn't notice? This thing goes crazy when reaches low fuel, gives you warnings again and again. C'mon, Mike, you can do better than that

Not one warning and no lights - I swear!!!

Really? My Encore dings and sends a message across the dash if you're even a little bit low on fuel. It will keep doing that at intervals until you give in and put gas in it. This expensive BMW just lets you run out without warning?

Mr_Shiftright

oldfarmer50 said:

Michaell said:

BaT - Bring a Trailer.

www.bringatrailer.com

Thanks, I've heard of that but didn't make the connection.

If you have to bring a trailer does that mean it doesn't run?

No, it means something like "bid on it and come pick it up".

BAT has a rather unique approach to car auctions in that the bidders and the seller talk to each other during the auction, through an online forum (like we do). This not only gives the bidders more confidence in the seller, it quickly exposes any scam artists or BS artists, because the bidders often know more about the car than the seller does. There's a flat fee of I think $250, and you can reserve the car if you wish. They seem to get pretty strong prices on BAT, and I think part of that is due to the vetting process that takes place "in real time".

graphicguy

roadburner said:

This is tempting; two days left on a BaT auction and it's only at $16k- a 1966 A-Code GT with the four speed manual. AACA National 1st Prize winner too. If I could bag it for $20k I probably would.

oooooo....aaaahhhhh!

I'd be tempted to jump on it at $20K, too if you have a change of heart RB. Again, not real fond of the color, but it's correct and looks to be straight. Bothers me a bit that it's a WI car. Wonder how much rust reconstruction it had to go through?

But, resto looks good.

graphicguy

OF...I wouldn't be afraid of the Merc GM at all. That looks in good shape, too. I'd maybe kick out an offer of $4,500 cash to see if they'd bite.

graphicguy

So, getting close to the end on the Cadillac CTS saga. Just got an email from the GM RVDC (not sure what that means). I'm to set up an appointment with the dealer I bought it, and have an inspection done. If the inspection goes well (no significant incidents since the BBB inspection). they'll have a check for me for the amount we agreed to (after all's said and done with taxes, fees extra monies of me traveling to BBB and dealership, etc) it comes out to just shy of $53,500.

I see a light at the end of the tunnel....and, it's not a train.

oldfarmer50

Mr_Shiftright said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Michaell said:

BaT - Bring a Trailer.

www.bringatrailer.com

Thanks, I've heard of that but didn't make the connection.

If you have to bring a trailer does that mean it doesn't run?

No, it means something like "bid on it and come pick it up".

BAT has a rather unique approach to car auctions in that the bidders and the seller talk to each other during the auction, through an online forum (like we do). This not only gives the bidders more confidence in the seller, it quickly exposes any scam artists or BS artists, because the bidders often know more about the car than the seller does. There's a flat fee of I think $250, and you can reserve the car if you wish. They seem to get pretty strong prices on BAT, and I think part of that is due to the vetting process that takes place "in real time".

Gee, maybe I could sell the Lincoln on there.