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Comments
Interesting that 1958 was the year. That salary may have been an aberration caused by the big flu epidemic of '57/58. I was 6 at the time but I remember overhearing my folks talking about the money coming in (Dad was a pharmacist).
I remember 29.9 gas back in my youth in the late 50's too. You should have finagled the system and gotten discharged in Texas and avoided those high California prices. :shades:
$4.99 gas may be here sooner than later!
The only thing inconsiderate I can think of back then was tagging along, going to open the drugstore on Sunday afternoons. The store had a sloped parking lot and on more than one occasion, Dad's '53 Buick slipped out of gear and rolled across the state highway into the pasture across the way, often with my father chasing after it.
It is "Super" sharing that tidbit about his chasing his "Special" car, or is it due to it's being attached to the highway as to why it was called a "Roadmaster"?
First was a guy at the end of an entrance ramp of the tollway slowly backing up. I guess he didn't want to be on the tollway. One real problem was that there was a toll booth on that ramp and to back up completly ment he had to back through the toll booth.
Next guy was racing through traffic with the Sunday paper (still in its plastic wrapper) sitting on the trunk. I was tempted to follow him to see how long it would stay there.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
I looked in the phone's directory and called "home". The owner gave me a nice thank-you card when she came to pick up the phone.
james
Sold my 97 Maxima SE last Sept. In over 10 years of ownership I had found a use for the stupid wing mounted on trunk. Every Thursday morning, I would load black garbage bags in trunk and put green recycling container on trunk to take down to end of long driveway for garbage pickup. That wing was perfect for holding the container. I also used it on second trips down driveway to tote an empty cardboard box or 2 from time-to-time. Perhaps this memo will help others wondering how they can possibly use the wing to advantage.
Sometimes I was inadvertantly "inconsiderate" with the car. It was white and looked like an unmarked police car. It had a thicker cell phone type antenna mounted high on rear window next to roof and am/fm radio antenna was on rear fender and was on angle. These were very visible in rear-view mirrors by drivers in cars I was following. In addition, I usually wear dark solid color shirts and sit tall in the seat.
I had to be careful when driving on 2-lane rural roads (55 limit) in creeping up on a car going 55-60. More times than not, as soon as I got close (not tailgating though), the driver usually slowed down to 50-55, which would then slow me down. I had to stay a good distance behind so as not to upset the driver to slow down.
I was driving along a "rugged" two-lane local highway (55mph limit). There was a small SUV of some sort ahead of me - about an 1/8th of a mile. Behind, there was a Jeep Wrangler around 6-7 seconds back. We were all driving between 55 and 60.
Suddenly, from a side road on the right, I see an early '90s Ford pickup come out into the road *right in front* of the SUV ahead. From my perspective a ways back, it looked like that SUV was going to T-bone the Ford for sure. Just as quickly, the brake lights of the SUV illuminated and it quickly swerved into the oncoming lane of traffic and around the Ford (which had stopped with its front bumper even with the yellow divider line in the middle of the road). "Whoa!," I yelled. I immediately started slowing down, figuring the Ford had just missed the stop; it was a fairly steep hill coming to the main road and, with temperatures around 25, the snowpack on the side roads was somewhat slippery.
I expected the truck to move one way or the other, so I kept slowing, waiting for it to do something. I finally came upon it and drove around in the oncoming lane. As I went around, I could see the lights dimming, meaning the driver was trying to start the engine. Obviously in a perilous situation, I pulled off the road just beyond the truck and turned on my hazards. About this time, the driver of the Jeep behind me also came around the truck and continued on his way. I hopped out, went around to the driver, and asked if he could use assistance.
He was still somewhat shocked at the situation, and recounted that his house was only several hundred yards up the road. He said the truck stalled coming down the hill and he had "no brakes or steering." I could certainly understand his surprise. Power brakes and steering are the devil to use without the power! He was also frustrated that it would not start, and stated it "has been running great lately." On a hunch, I suggested he try starting it one more time before I towed him off the road. I thought maybe it had flooded when it stalled.
To my surprise, he did not know how to clear a flood and sounded skeptical when I told him to press the accelerator to the floor and hold it there. He did it though, and the truck started within 5 seconds. We shot the bull for a moment or two (can you tell this is a busy road?! :P ) and then headed on our ways, another close call averted.
That one sure got my heart racing, though. I hope the SUV had a dark interior! :surprise:
I commend you for your assistance and your ability to assist someone who did not know how to get to his/her home. You may have saved a life.
When I was a CHP officer, I always wished there was some kind of award I could have given a motorist that stopped and assisted another. Hopefully today there are situations where citizens can be recognized in situations like what you encountered where people might receive recognition for their good work.
Although I have seen our Gov on t.v. giving out an award for helping citizens.
I thought I would say something like above because rarely do I see praise indeed contra, critical posts of people helping people. Good job.
jensad
seems to work out here. Everybody in the crowd is a shade tree mechanic.
Isn't it funny that many driver have no basic knowledge of cars any more? I supose that modern cars are so complex that people just automatically call for assistance rather than try for a fix themselves.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
That certainly used to be the case around here, but not so much anymore. I stopped a couple times thinking the person just broke down to find out they were there for an hour and nobody had yet stopped to help.
Sometimes there is not much to be done other than giving the person a ride and/or calling a tow truck, especially if the person is well stuck in the snow on a busy highway (too dangerous to pull the person out with a strap due to traffic). But, you never know the situation or how badly the person needs help, so I feel it is best to find out. At worst, the person tells you they are fine and send you on your way.
I know I appreciate assistance when it is my turn on the shoulder.
I must say that I am surprised by the responses; I expected the focus to be on the close call (and good evasive action of the SUV's driver) rather than the ultimate resolution. I guess I just expect someone to help - no big deal there.
I know that is the case, but I suppose I was surprised in this case due to the man's age and appearance. He looked to be in his 50's and, perhaps, somewhat of a recreational adventurer. It was a silly assumption on my part. We all learn something new now and again. Someone told me once how to clear a flooded engine. Thankfully, I was not sitting perpendicular across a highway at the time. I bet he will remember if it happens again, plus he may very well pass on his knowledge to someone else.
During the 30's I asked my father how he knew what to do to fix his '34 Willys.
"Well son, when you're poor, you do it yourself and learn how in the process."
At my age, I remember that and attempt to have some knowledge of cars, but ever since the engines need OBD II's for diagnostic purposes, fuel injection, electric ignitions & so on, I've religated myself to oil changes, some brake work, and minor tune ups. The one car I understand more than the other two is our 66 Mustang.
When people can afford to hire a tech for $105 an hour, they don't fix it themselves.
But to make you happy I have a inconsiderate driver story for you.
Ok one of the routes I can take to work takes me down a road that ends at a "T" intersection with a light. The vast majority of the traffic on this road turns left and is evident by the fact that the right lane is always nearly empty and the left lane has a long line of cars making the left turn. At this intersection I turn right.
Well the other day driving down this road I get behind some idiot that decides he is in the wrong lane and comes to a complete stop with his left turn signal on waiting to get into the left lane. So as he sits there blocking the right lane me and others are sitting there waiting for this idiot to move so we can continue on our journey. :sick:
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
We live in an area that caters a ton to retired folks who specialize in the one that goes "pull out into a lane of 55mph traffic leaving someone to slam the brakes just so they don't hit you and then proceed at 15 mph. Bonus points if they can't see your head from the outside."
Another one that seems to be increasing is folks that ignore the "if no traffic" part of a right turn on red and will just pull right in front of you while you're going straight with the green.
I get those all the time, seems like I have to hake a sudden lane change at least once a week because I wouldn't be able to avoid hitting them if I slammed on my brakes. I keep saying to myself "One of these days I am just going to ram into them".
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Is that inconsiderate or what?
Well... not much he can do after the fact, but sit there and wait to be let in. Unless, he takes the right and can easily turn around without getting lost or significantly delayed.
I've seen many people run as far down as they can in the right hand lane, then try to cut in front of somebody who has sat and waited their turn in the left land. :mad:
Yep taking the right and finding some not to stupid way to turn around would be the way to go, not inconvinence many people because they failed to plan ahead.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
This kind of thing always happens to me (my car is at far right) when I parked, I was out in the middle of nowhere, as people around here are ignorant slobs and I don't like door dings - I will walk 30 extra seconds for some peace of mind. I come out to my car 20 minutes later, and it has attracted a small crowd....no cars for a dozen spaces to the left.
Perhaps they wanted to park next to a nice car thinking that THEY wouldn't get a ding. I've done that before.
I did that next to a brand new BMW (or maybe it was a Mercedes) one time about 20 years ago. They had straddled the dividing line in one of the closest parking spots on the ground floor level of a parking garage.
I was in my '82 Tercel and slid right in. :shades:
I was considerate and didn't park on the driver's side though. I was skinnier back then too, lol.
When I was in high school I worked at a kwikie mart type place with a friend of mine. We met there one time in seperate cars and there was some idiot parked that way in front of the store. I parked correctly right in back of it while my buddy parked correctly right in front of it locking him in.
We just got out of our cars and hung out in front of the store and watched when the guy came out.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
What happened when he came out? We're hanging for the result?
I used to park my beater car into those tight spaces where people tried to take two spaces carelessly or intentionally to save theirs. A 1961 Chev that was 18 years old with that ridge at the top of the door would leave a nasty ding if it hit another car while I was trying to get out.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Only because if we're getting groceries or out inspecting & the pagers go off, there's often three or four guys getting 'dressed' outside the truck, and we need room!
We usually park way out in the parking lot boonies, though, for that same reason.
Cheers!
Paul
And about opening doors...in the garage of my apartment building, I get to park by some nut who drives a very dirty 90s Jag. He doesn't know how to park - some days he does fine, others he's right on the line. I've had to complain about him a few times, and then he'll shape up...for a day. It's funny how my door just "slips" out of my hand when I open it if he is too close. This happens when people park too close to me when I am in the fintail too. Clumsy me!
I always make it a point to park as precisely as reasonably possible. If only the dumbed down masses could at least make a good faith effort.
Well he just stood there with a dumbfounded look on his face and asked us if we knew who owned the cars. We lied and said no. He just looked around to see if he could see if anyone else was around and after about a minute or two he went back inside to the pay phone, we just got in our cars a left then.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Some people think they will be careful but accidents do happen. And if there are kids present, all bets are off on how they will open the door.
With all the crazy people out there, taking up two spaces in a close parking spot is dangerous. IMHO, it still seems odd that anyone would want to ding the car though.
Leaving a profanity-laced note would be better.
I'll pass up a spot like that and park further away. I've gotten two nice size dings in my Buick Regal due to people being careless in parking/backing out. Did they leave a note? No. Did they try to contact me? No. That's the same thing as stealing in my book.
Me too, but that's not always an option (think parking garages).
Plus, my van is pushing ten pretty hard and it's not like it doesn't have a few dings already.
And, if the spaces are really tight, I can always escape through the sliding doors. :shades:
Was in store for awhile and when came out to Suburban, wife noticed large ding in passenger door. The pickup was gone. Concluded that driver of pickup probably the guilty party. Upon analysis at scene we observed that it was an extremely high wind day and I parked Suburban with front-end down wind as did the pickup driver. The driver of pickup probably was careless in holding his/her door and wind grabbed it and whacked it into our passenger door.
Our lesson - On windy days, park facing into the wind and also try and park with front end of vehicle at some boundary of lot with concrete barriers or grass area or similar. Most folks will pull into a spot like that rather than backing in and thus when opening their doors the wind will tend to force them closed rather than into our vehicle.
As I pulled out to pass him on the left he sped up keeping pace with me so that it was impossible to pull back into the center lane in front of him. Then as another vehicle tried to pass him on the right he stood up on the driver's seat and stuck his head through the sunroof and started shaking his fist at the passing car. At that point I stepped on it and left him to his strange game.
Now I wonder, was he on some noble crusade to save gas by slowing down the entire highway or was he just nuts? :confuse:
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
I think that is about the point where someone should call 911 to report a road-rage and/or drunk driver. Let him explain his aberrant behavior to an officer. :shades:
james
sure enough, the prius driver yanks the wheel to the right passes the other car and yanks the wheel to the left then proceeds to tailgate the next car in line.
that thing was wobbling like a weeble. i was surprised how much body motion there was.
kind of ironic, and i am not trying to make a political statment, but the car that got passed was an oldsmobile alero with an american flag sticker on the back bumper.
i'm sure if the prius driver was driving the oldsmobile, their driving style wouldn't change.
(Note: The Zoomer was not a Mazda)
Here in IL that would get the trucker a nice big fine.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
10 miles with lanes clogged by some egoistic irresponsible truck drivers? I doubt the speed racers were the only ones held back.
I took a trip down I5 last week...for awhile I was tailgated by a crazy looking older man in a 90s Lincoln coupe as I was going 75 in a 60...he had that death grip on the steering wheel as his hands were at 11 and 1. As he got too close I would gently let off the gas and lose a couple mph - he'd back off, then get right back on my bumper. Then I passed a LLC on the right, and he got stuck as his vehicle didn't have the guts to make a similar pass.. I didn't have him on my butt after this.