I'd look at the Elantra if I wanted something smaller than the Sonata. I think it was redesigned in 2007. The current Sonatas seem to be plagued with a noisy suspension, which bothers some people and not others.
'09 Pontiac Vibe 2.4 Auto; 13K miles; $14,999 Not too sure, never even sat in one but makes me think that the thick C pillars and tuny looking rear window create huge blind spots. :confuse:
'08 Dodge Nitro SXT 3.7 Auto; 22K; $14,994 Cool looking suv, but not great for driving. High centre of gravity, higher than average driveline noise, narrow cabin. Different than anything out there, but not for everyone.
'06 Jeep Commander 3.7; 21K; $14,993 Great value for the money. I'd seriously consider it. Most mechanicals are same as a Grand Cherokee's. A bit big though if you don't need all that space.
'08 Suzuki XL7 Premium 3.6 Auto; 24K; $14,981 I was never a big fan of these, and I haven't driven one either.
'06 Mazda Tribute x 3.0 Auto; 20K; $14,885 Same as an Escape. Decent SUVs, although not as refined as Japanese only models like CRV or RAV4.
'07 Subaru Impreza Wagon Auto; 17K; $14,412 Would be my number one choice. Good size, good resale, good all around car.
'05 Dodge Magnum SXT 3.5 Auto; 47K; $12,788 Very likeable wagon, tons of space inside, ok visibility, I love the driving driving position (you sit low in it and windows aseem high). Make sure it's an AWD. If not, most if not all have Traction and Stability control. Many electrical components and switchgear are from Mercedes, so make sure it's well inspected and that everything works. Would be my number 2 choice if it had AWD.
'07 Subaru Impreza Wagon Auto; 17K; $14,412 Would be my number one choice. Good size, good resale, good all around car.
You probably won't go wrong with a Subie, with decent miles, & price. Seems like a natural in CO, is it, are they popular there? An out of warranty dodge or jeep, if you're lusting after one, that's one thing, but I don't think they'd be as reliable as a Subaru.....
When I think "city car", my brain goes to "Mini" (I'm biased). Of course, you'd have to get an old one to buy a Mini for $10K, so probably a dumb idea......even so, I can't help thinking that a Mini in the Bay Area would be almost perfect......
Here's a pic of the $750 truck. Now that I can see it on the resolution of a computer vs a phone, I can see the front bumper is a little warped, and the grille looks faded - I should see if it could be resprayed with some kind of paint. But, that paint scheme is a real blast from the past
A set of tires for my E55 will run over a grand, easy.
I think I'm going on hang on to the Mazdaspeed for a while longer. It's nice not to have any monthly loan payments, and the Mazdaspeed Cold Air Intake I recently fitted has added @25 horsepower. It's going to take me a while to get tired of that... I also love that the car is a true sleeper. Just last week I had a guy in a pristine 1969 SS396 Chevelle assume that I would be easy pickings. His mistake :P :P
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
I talked to my mother yesterday - the truck seller lives across the street from her, and the truck was in her driveway for a day before my brother picked it up.
She claims it has no significant body damage, and the only real rust is in the bed - just surface stuff though, no holes. When I visit there in a couple weeks I am going to encourage my brother to sand it and primer it or put some POR-15 on it before putting anything on top. Also, I think I will have him polish and wax it - red paint oxidizes very quickly in this climate, and that seems to bring on rust faster.
She said it was missing an interior door panel, but otherwise is intact and solid. She said it didn't leave a spot on her driveway - and the seller let it idle there for about 10 mins when dropping off the keys and paperwork, and it was purring like a kitten, no smoke or bad noises. He can probably keep the thing for several years, and get 100% of his money back when it is time to sell.
If it's still running in a few years, he can probably sell it to the right person for more than he paid. The Toyota Hilux/pickup has a cult following. Not sure whether the current crop of Toyota trucks will have that "indestructible" reputation.
I hear what you are saying, but a Mini with an automatic? I have 2 friends with a Cooper S: 1 with a stick and 1 with the auto. Its like there are 2 completely different cars...
I went to see the Impreza on Saturday .. it had been sold the week before. Nice that neither the cars.com website nor the dealer's website had been updated to reflect that fact. :mad:
I had a guy in a Mazdaspeed whoop my [non-permissible content removed] once when I had my Mercedes C240. Up a steep hill no less. I should have expected it though as the Mazdaspeed had about 100 extra horses than the C240 and was probably a bit lighter.
Sometimes it takes a while for vehicles to be purged out of the system.
If something is sold say on a Saturday, it won't be updated in the inventory until Monday or so, and by the time it syncs with any online advertisers it could take another one to two days. If it's updated manually, then it will get purged when the inventory clerk or internet manager takes it off.
Sometimes cars will get rolled, but not show sold in the system until financing and everything is finalized so that can delay the online update too.
That's why it's always good to call ahead to check availability of specific vehicles.
Like the guy I had arguing with me that there was an extra 2,500 dollars in rebates on the S60 because it said so on the internet. No, those incentives are on the S80 not the S60 sorry pal.
My mother said she doesn't want him taking it on any long trips, as she thinks it is tinny. Funny thing to say, as he is like 27 years old...the baby.
I'm starting to have an odd sort of role reversal with my elders. In the past, they'd always worry about me driving around in these old cars that were sometimes older than me. But now, my Mom and stepdad do most of their driving in a 1999 Altima with about 300,000 miles. And while my grandmother doesn't drive anymore, her cousin drives her around in an '89 Coupe Deville that only has around 90-100,000 miles on it, but is still 20 years old, and hasn't exactly been babied.
When I was younger, I took the fintail on many road trips without much of a thought aside from checking the fluids and tires. She didn't really give me a word of concern then....but I guess a MB that's 20 years older than that Toyota is probably 20 times safer in a crash.
My grandma is into her 80s and still drives, a 5 year old Taurus...she doesn't venture too far from her house, so I don't worry. My 60-something mother in a Camry is pretty safe too.
Yeah, it isn't safer than a modern car - for the simple lack of airbags (unless I have a passenger )...but if that Toyota is anything like my dad's old Datsun 610...I think the fintail is made from metal left over from the final run of schwere Panzer in 1945...while the Datsun was made from recycled PBR cans :shades:
So, andre, you have your eyes on that 89 DeVille when she stops driving? Lemko would be proud.
Nah, I've driven it a few times, and don't really care for it. For one thing, the handling is just too vague, the ride too bouncy, and the car feels like it's bigger than it really is. It makes me wonder why they even bothered with downsizing if they're going to make them feel just like their predecessors.
Plus, it has the aluminum 4.5 V-8. I think they were pretty good engines by that time, much better than the original 4.1's, but my grandmother's cousin tends to slack off on maintenance. I remember one time driving it, the transmission felt a it reluctant to shift. I asked her when was the last time she had the transmission serviced, and she was like "oh, it needs that?"
She's had some weird things go wrong with that car, too. A few years ago, on a hot summer day, the rear window just exploded, sitting in her driveway! And more recently, the electric cooling fan got a short in it and stayed running even when you turned the car off.
If it was a RWD Caddy, I might be tempted to make her an offer on it.
but I guess a MB that's 20 years older than that Toyota is probably 20 times safer in a crash
My MB knowledge doesn't go back that far, but I'm sure you're right. As long as I've been aware of cars, MB's were always built like tanks.
My e24 M6 was built like a (gorgeous) German tank. I eventually started to get weirded out because of no side airbags, but that was mainly because it was so low to the ground. When giant SUV's were careening towards me, I thought that as massive as my doors were, an SUV crashing thru the side window w/no side airbag might not work out so well.
My '98 2 ton+ range rover, with no side airbags; I don't think many range rovers come out 2nd best in a collision, airbags or not......
My '98 2 ton+ range rover, with no side airbags; I don't think many range rovers come out 2nd best in a collision, airbags or not......
You know I thought 98 range rovers had side impact air bags but I just checked and they didn't get them till 1999.
I haven't seen the video but one of our techs did of a 1997-1999 Range Rover in a police chase.
About halfway through the cops manage to blow out the passenger side rear tire and eventually the rim gets ripped off when he hits a curb or something.
The Range Rover keeps driving for a good while on three wheels with the back passenger side disc just occasionally scrapping the ground.
Looks like the adjustable air suspension compensated for the loss of the tire at least for a little while.
The fintail was the first production car with crumple zones...a 26 year old Toyota truck is a crumple zone...I'd wager in an average 35mph crash, the occupants of the older beast will be better off.
My C43 had side airbags, but in the door, not curtains. I guess those kind aren't the best. The E55 has curtains and door bags, so there it should be OK.
From what I know, those older RRs have overengineered frames/structures, so I am sure they can crash pretty well.
My '64 RR Silver Cloud III has a passenger air bag when there's a passenger
It doesn't even have seat belts. I drove it on the Freeway in southern California a few years ago to 'blow-it-out'. I was going 100 mph and it was floating like a cloud! I found my hands sweating because I realized that I really had no protection (no air bags, no seat belts, no anti-lock brakes, loose steering (not rack&pinion).
I was amazed at how smooth it drove for such an old car. I keep it completely maintained.... but it now needs a power steering gear box rebuild (leaks). The est. was $5,100 so decided to wait until it leaks a little more. I've only put 5,000 miles on it in 11 years (from 85,000 to 90,000 miles).
So, mostly I drive it rather slow in town and to my car club meetings.
Mark156
2010 Land Rover LR4, 2013 Honda CR-V, 2009 Bentley GTC, 1990 MB 500SL, 2001 MB S500, 2007 Lincoln TC, 1964 RR Silver Cloud III, 1995 MB E320 Cab., 2015 Prevost Liberty Coach
I always felt like, in my RR, it would take an impact by a Mack truck to take it out. Much of the time I had it I was taking it to the dealer for repairs, but at least I didn't worry about safety while driving there (!?).
There's a great documentary from a few years ago, on PBS I think, about the history of auto safety engineering. They feature volvos, starting the in the '50's or '60's, & MB's (I hope bmws were in it too, but I don't remember). There's an amazing video in it of a 2000's MB convert (a CLK, maybe?), flipping out on the Autobahn at way over 100 mph. The roll bar went up, & the car rolled over many times. The people walked away.....
Speaking of doors and safe, anyone recall the 90s GM cars that had seatbelts coming out of the doors. And i'm not talking about the automatic ones, just the normal type. I never thought that was safe, as a door was more likely to buckle and deform than a seatbelt mounting point inside the cabin.
I think that rollover clip is on Youtube, IIRC it was an SL with the automatic rollbar MB put into production around 1990.
I like the old school crash tests where they propel a fintail via a water rocket into a bus, or roll it off a ramp. There's one clip where a dummy car interior, on kind of a sled, is bumped into a wall - not with a crash test dummy, but an actual person.
Was the car a US import or grey market? I think 1964 was the first year for mandatory front seatbelts. My fintail has them in the front, but not in the back.
I've had it up to 100 once - it takes a bit of road to get up to that speed, and it isn't quiet - kind of buzzes like a prop plane at cruising speed. That was also the same day a transmission cooling line broke and stranded me about 50 miles from home (at night in February, of course), so I don't know if I will be so daring again in that car :shades:
That's funny. When I had my 01 C240, at one point my tires needed changing cause one of the inner tire belts broke giving me vibrations.
When speeding up on the highway, the car's whining engine noise, the subtle vibration and shakes, and some rattling interior plastics (due to the shaking) felt like I was taking off in a jetliner. :lemon:
The Rolls is not a grey market car. Its left-hand drive and no seat belts. It was shipped new to a customer in California in 1964.
It has a 6.25 litter V-8 so its heavy but moves along quite adequately. What's odd is that the transmission doesn't have PARK. The selector is on the column and starts in Neutral, then Drive, 3, 2 and Reverse on the bottom. That is why I'm afraid for a valet to drive it because of the 'no-park' issue. There is a BIG yellow light on the dash to let you know the emergency brake is pulled. When the car is parked, putting the selector in Reverse acts as Park (will not roll), but you cannot start the car in Reverse, you have to move it to Neutral.
The power brakes work off the servo on the transmission so if you are parking in a tight spot (like parallel parking) and the servo doesn't make a full revolution, you don't have power brakes. For instance, if I press on the brakes, let off, then press again in less than 4 ft, then there are no power brakes, just regular. The car is very heavy so it's hard to stop without power assisted brakes!
It does not have power door locks which is irritating with a four door car! Other features: Power steering Power brakes Power windows (work without the ignition on) Automatic Transmission Split front bench seat with reclining feature (all manual) Leather seating Wood dash with leather on the top Front vanity mirrors on sunvisors (not lighted) Rear wood tray tables Rear side lighted vanity mirrors built into the C-pillar Map light Trunk light Radio w/power antenna Trip odometer Remote locking gas door Clock Engine Oil level gauge (works off the gas gauge when the engine is not running) Factory air conditioning Full wheel covers
And last but not least The Flying Lady Hood Ornament!
Mark
2010 Land Rover LR4, 2013 Honda CR-V, 2009 Bentley GTC, 1990 MB 500SL, 2001 MB S500, 2007 Lincoln TC, 1964 RR Silver Cloud III, 1995 MB E320 Cab., 2015 Prevost Liberty Coach
What's odd is that the transmission doesn't have PARK. The selector is on the column and starts in Neutral, then Drive, 3, 2 and Reverse on the bottom. That is why I'm afraid for a valet to drive it because of the 'no-park' issue.
What kind of transmission was Rolls using by that time? That sorta sounds like the old GM hydramatic, which had four forward gears, but you couldn't actually select from all four...kinda like how modern cars usually won't let you pick all the gears. The old hydramatic had reverse at the bottom, but by 1964 I'm sure they had a "park". Maybe the older hydramatics didn't, though? After all, that transmission originally came out in 1939! I don't think Chrysler got "park" until 1960, and even then, it was a lever you moved on the dash. Prior to that, you just pulled the hand brake and it clamped down on the driveshaft.
Andre, my understanding is that it's a GM transmission. I had the rear window motors replaced and they were GM.
Funny thing about the windows (I hope that I can explain this correctly).... They are on one circuit whereas the most power goes to the driver's window then the front passenger, then the right rear passenger then lastly to the drivers side rear. Meaning that the driver's is the fastest operating window and gets slower as you go to each window.
Mark
2010 Land Rover LR4, 2013 Honda CR-V, 2009 Bentley GTC, 1990 MB 500SL, 2001 MB S500, 2007 Lincoln TC, 1964 RR Silver Cloud III, 1995 MB E320 Cab., 2015 Prevost Liberty Coach
Maybe Rolls was exempt due to low volumes? Or maybe the production date is before a cut-off point? Or maybe I am wrong about 1964 and seatbelts...
My old car's transmission is weird, too. It has "P and looks pretty normal from there, but it is a non-OD 4 speed with no low selection. When you accelerate from a stop, you pull away in second, unless you manually kick it down by flooring it and depressing a button under the gas pedal. It upshifts quickly, enough to sap performance, and is in 4th by 30mph or so. Luckily, it is happy to be shifted manually.
Well, almost. I did learn when the shift linkage broke a couple months back that the car can be turned off while in gear, and it will start up and run from where it stopped, in second gear. It will instantly start creeping along at one or two mph, so you have to be careful. Are most old automatics able to be started when in gear?
--(Steve asked) Hey Mark, do the rear windows go down all the way, or do they get stuck halfway? (I've heard that some Rolls' have that issue, which makes it hard to share the Grey Poupon).---
The rear windows go almost all the way down, maybe stick up about an inch. Funny, we actually keep a small jar of Grey Poupon in the glove box incase anyone asks!
Mark
2010 Land Rover LR4, 2013 Honda CR-V, 2009 Bentley GTC, 1990 MB 500SL, 2001 MB S500, 2007 Lincoln TC, 1964 RR Silver Cloud III, 1995 MB E320 Cab., 2015 Prevost Liberty Coach
Comments
'09 Pontiac Vibe 2.4 Auto; 13K miles; $14,999
Not too sure, never even sat in one but makes me think that the thick C pillars and tuny looking rear window create huge blind spots. :confuse:
'08 Dodge Nitro SXT 3.7 Auto; 22K; $14,994
Cool looking suv, but not great for driving. High centre of gravity, higher than average driveline noise, narrow cabin. Different than anything out there, but not for everyone.
'06 Jeep Commander 3.7; 21K; $14,993
Great value for the money. I'd seriously consider it. Most mechanicals are same as a Grand Cherokee's. A bit big though if you don't need all that space.
'08 Suzuki XL7 Premium 3.6 Auto; 24K; $14,981
I was never a big fan of these, and I haven't driven one either.
'06 Mazda Tribute x 3.0 Auto; 20K; $14,885
Same as an Escape. Decent SUVs, although not as refined as Japanese only models like CRV or RAV4.
'07 Subaru Impreza Wagon Auto; 17K; $14,412
Would be my number one choice. Good size, good resale, good all around car.
'05 Dodge Magnum SXT 3.5 Auto; 47K; $12,788
Very likeable wagon, tons of space inside, ok visibility, I love the driving driving position (you sit low in it and windows aseem high). Make sure it's an AWD. If not, most if not all have Traction and Stability control. Many electrical components and switchgear are from Mercedes, so make sure it's well inspected and that everything works. Would be my number 2 choice if it had AWD.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
Would be my number one choice. Good size, good resale, good all around car.
You probably won't go wrong with a Subie, with decent miles, & price. Seems like a natural in CO, is it, are they popular there? An out of warranty dodge or jeep, if you're lusting after one, that's one thing, but I don't think they'd be as reliable as a Subaru.....
A set of tires for my E55 will run over a grand, easy.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
She claims it has no significant body damage, and the only real rust is in the bed - just surface stuff though, no holes. When I visit there in a couple weeks I am going to encourage my brother to sand it and primer it or put some POR-15 on it before putting anything on top. Also, I think I will have him polish and wax it - red paint oxidizes very quickly in this climate, and that seems to bring on rust faster.
She said it was missing an interior door panel, but otherwise is intact and solid. She said it didn't leave a spot on her driveway - and the seller let it idle there for about 10 mins when dropping off the keys and paperwork, and it was purring like a kitten, no smoke or bad noises. He can probably keep the thing for several years, and get 100% of his money back when it is time to sell.
And you can't go wrong with red and black-white-grey 80s stripes.
I hear what you are saying, but a Mini with an automatic? I have 2 friends with a Cooper S: 1 with a stick and 1 with the auto. Its like there are 2 completely different cars...
25 NX 450h+ / 24 Sienna Plat AWD / 23 Civic Type-R / 21 Boxster GTS 4.0
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
If something is sold say on a Saturday, it won't be updated in the inventory until Monday or so, and by the time it syncs with any online advertisers it could take another one to two days. If it's updated manually, then it will get purged when the inventory clerk or internet manager takes it off.
Sometimes cars will get rolled, but not show sold in the system until financing and everything is finalized so that can delay the online update too.
That's why it's always good to call ahead to check availability of specific vehicles.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
how can you say that? It was on the Internet. it MUST be true.
Like the guy I had arguing with me that there was an extra 2,500 dollars in rebates on the S60 because it said so on the internet. No, those incentives are on the S80 not the S60 sorry pal.
My mother said she doesn't want him taking it on any long trips, as she thinks it is tinny. Funny thing to say, as he is like 27 years old...the baby.
No worries .. I was sort of in the area and had a little bit of time to kill so I stopped by.
I'm starting to have an odd sort of role reversal with my elders. In the past, they'd always worry about me driving around in these old cars that were sometimes older than me. But now, my Mom and stepdad do most of their driving in a 1999 Altima with about 300,000 miles. And while my grandmother doesn't drive anymore, her cousin drives her around in an '89 Coupe Deville that only has around 90-100,000 miles on it, but is still 20 years old, and hasn't exactly been babied.
My grandma is into her 80s and still drives, a 5 year old Taurus...she doesn't venture too far from her house, so I don't worry. My 60-something mother in a Camry is pretty safe too.
Safer, yes, but not necessarily 20 times safer. Also by today's standards even a 10 year old MB is not 'safe'.
Compared to a brand new car, no, but Fintail was comparing his car to the little 80's Toyota pickup his brother just bought.
Nah, I've driven it a few times, and don't really care for it. For one thing, the handling is just too vague, the ride too bouncy, and the car feels like it's bigger than it really is. It makes me wonder why they even bothered with downsizing if they're going to make them feel just like their predecessors.
Plus, it has the aluminum 4.5 V-8. I think they were pretty good engines by that time, much better than the original 4.1's, but my grandmother's cousin tends to slack off on maintenance. I remember one time driving it, the transmission felt a it reluctant to shift. I asked her when was the last time she had the transmission serviced, and she was like "oh, it needs that?"
She's had some weird things go wrong with that car, too. A few years ago, on a hot summer day, the rear window just exploded, sitting in her driveway! And more recently, the electric cooling fan got a short in it and stayed running even when you turned the car off.
If it was a RWD Caddy, I might be tempted to make her an offer on it.
My MB knowledge doesn't go back that far, but I'm sure you're right. As long as I've been aware of cars, MB's were always built like tanks.
My e24 M6 was built like a (gorgeous) German tank. I eventually started to get weirded out because of no side airbags, but that was mainly because it was so low to the ground. When giant SUV's were careening towards me, I thought that as massive as my doors were, an SUV crashing thru the side window w/no side airbag might not work out so well.
My '98 2 ton+ range rover, with no side airbags; I don't think many range rovers come out 2nd best in a collision, airbags or not......
You know I thought 98 range rovers had side impact air bags but I just checked and they didn't get them till 1999.
I haven't seen the video but one of our techs did of a 1997-1999 Range Rover in a police chase.
About halfway through the cops manage to blow out the passenger side rear tire and eventually the rim gets ripped off when he hits a curb or something.
The Range Rover keeps driving for a good while on three wheels with the back passenger side disc just occasionally scrapping the ground.
Looks like the adjustable air suspension compensated for the loss of the tire at least for a little while.
My C43 had side airbags, but in the door, not curtains. I guess those kind aren't the best. The E55 has curtains and door bags, so there it should be OK.
From what I know, those older RRs have overengineered frames/structures, so I am sure they can crash pretty well.
It doesn't even have seat belts. I drove it on the Freeway in southern California a few years ago to 'blow-it-out'. I was going 100 mph and it was floating like a cloud! I found my hands sweating because I realized that I really had no protection (no air bags, no seat belts, no anti-lock brakes, loose steering (not rack&pinion).
I was amazed at how smooth it drove for such an old car. I keep it completely maintained.... but it now needs a power steering gear box rebuild (leaks). The est. was $5,100 so decided to wait until it leaks a little more. I've only put 5,000 miles on it in 11 years (from 85,000 to 90,000 miles).
So, mostly I drive it rather slow in town and to my car club meetings.
Mark156
I always felt like, in my RR, it would take an impact by a Mack truck to take it out. Much of the time I had it I was taking it to the dealer for repairs, but at least I didn't worry about safety while driving there (!?).
There's a great documentary from a few years ago, on PBS I think, about the history of auto safety engineering. They feature volvos, starting the in the '50's or '60's, & MB's (I hope bmws were in it too, but I don't remember). There's an amazing video in it of a 2000's MB convert (a CLK, maybe?), flipping out on the Autobahn at way over 100 mph. The roll bar went up, & the car rolled over many times. The people walked away.....
The side curtain air bags still drop from the roof and pillars but most newer cars with side airbags have them built into the seat upholstery.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
They would have been great in a crash.
I like the old school crash tests where they propel a fintail via a water rocket into a bus, or roll it off a ramp. There's one clip where a dummy car interior, on kind of a sled, is bumped into a wall - not with a crash test dummy, but an actual person.
I've had it up to 100 once - it takes a bit of road to get up to that speed, and it isn't quiet - kind of buzzes like a prop plane at cruising speed. That was also the same day a transmission cooling line broke and stranded me about 50 miles from home (at night in February, of course), so I don't know if I will be so daring again in that car :shades:
When speeding up on the highway, the car's whining engine noise, the subtle vibration and shakes, and some rattling interior plastics (due to the shaking) felt like I was taking off in a jetliner. :lemon:
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
It has a 6.25 litter V-8 so its heavy but moves along quite adequately. What's odd is that the transmission doesn't have PARK. The selector is on the column and starts in Neutral, then Drive, 3, 2 and Reverse on the bottom. That is why I'm afraid for a valet to drive it because of the 'no-park' issue. There is a BIG yellow light on the dash to let you know the emergency brake is pulled. When the car is parked, putting the selector in Reverse acts as Park (will not roll), but you cannot start the car in Reverse, you have to move it to Neutral.
The power brakes work off the servo on the transmission so if you are parking in a tight spot (like parallel parking) and the servo doesn't make a full revolution, you don't have power brakes. For instance, if I press on the brakes, let off, then press again in less than 4 ft, then there are no power brakes, just regular. The car is very heavy so it's hard to stop without power assisted brakes!
It does not have power door locks which is irritating with a four door car!
Other features:
Power steering
Power brakes
Power windows (work without the ignition on)
Automatic Transmission
Split front bench seat with reclining feature (all manual)
Leather seating
Wood dash with leather on the top
Front vanity mirrors on sunvisors (not lighted)
Rear wood tray tables
Rear side lighted vanity mirrors built into the C-pillar
Map light
Trunk light
Radio w/power antenna
Trip odometer
Remote locking gas door
Clock
Engine Oil level gauge (works off the gas gauge when the engine is not running)
Factory air conditioning
Full wheel covers
And last but not least
The Flying Lady Hood Ornament!
Mark
What kind of transmission was Rolls using by that time? That sorta sounds like the old GM hydramatic, which had four forward gears, but you couldn't actually select from all four...kinda like how modern cars usually won't let you pick all the gears. The old hydramatic had reverse at the bottom, but by 1964 I'm sure they had a "park". Maybe the older hydramatics didn't, though? After all, that transmission originally came out in 1939! I don't think Chrysler got "park" until 1960, and even then, it was a lever you moved on the dash. Prior to that, you just pulled the hand brake and it clamped down on the driveshaft.
Funny thing about the windows (I hope that I can explain this correctly).... They are on one circuit whereas the most power goes to the driver's window then the front passenger, then the right rear passenger then lastly to the drivers side rear. Meaning that the driver's is the fastest operating window and gets slower as you go to each window.
Mark
(I've heard that some Rolls' have that issue, which makes it hard to share the Grey Poupon).
My E55 at 100mph feels like a normal car at 50mph :shades:
My old car's transmission is weird, too. It has "P and looks pretty normal from there, but it is a non-OD 4 speed with no low selection. When you accelerate from a stop, you pull away in second, unless you manually kick it down by flooring it and depressing a button under the gas pedal. It upshifts quickly, enough to sap performance, and is in 4th by 30mph or so. Luckily, it is happy to be shifted manually.
Well, almost. I did learn when the shift linkage broke a couple months back that the car can be turned off while in gear, and it will start up and run from where it stopped, in second gear. It will instantly start creeping along at one or two mph, so you have to be careful. Are most old automatics able to be started when in gear?
The power windows in most older cars I have driven built in the 90s and older will slow down when you try to roll down more then one window at a time.
(I've heard that some Rolls' have that issue, which makes it hard to share the Grey Poupon).---
The rear windows go almost all the way down, maybe stick up about an inch. Funny, we actually keep a small jar of Grey Poupon in the glove box incase anyone asks!
Mark
I didn't think any car could start in gear. The Rolls will not start in gear.
Mark
Well, that's a deal killer. Guess I'll keep shopping other makes. :P