Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

Michaell

rayainsw said:

I have subscribed to R&T since the mid-1960s.
And I have Yearbook issues back to the early 1960s.
I also have a copy of the very first issue I remember seeing on a news stand...
[ March 1965 - picture of a bright red 'Ghia-bodied Fiat 2300' ]

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/rayainsw/media/0 misc/CoverMarch1965RoadandTrackmagazine20100217120038_00001_zps1e91b5f7.jpg.html?filters[user]=1000266&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=0

- Ray
Hoarder...

My mom got me my first subscription to C&D in 1976 (I was 12). I remember the first issue that came in the mail had the "Pig of Bronze" Jeep on the cover with DED, Jr and other staff members.

There is no way I could have saved every issue.

stever

I have a 1982 PC Magazine. It's a hoot to look at the ads for 6 meg hard drives that sold for $1,500.

In lots of ways, cars don't seem to have advanced as much in 30 years nor have the prices dropped like PCs. The fun stuff that was available on the luxury cars has trickled down to the subcompacts at least.

ab348

I used to subscribe to C&D and R&T but gave it up years ago. I got very tired of the constant covers with Porsche/Ferrari every other month and the pattern of loving every new car at introduction and then trashing it a year later.

I did save them through the '80s/mid 90s. When I was moving, I wanted them gone but thought maybe there was someone who might want them, so I posted a message on one of the old rec.cars Usenet newsgroups. I got a response from someone in Colorado who worked for Edmunds who wanted them. I shipped a whole bunch out there. I think shipping cost twice what I got for the magazines.

graphicguy

Michaell said:

rayainsw said:

I have subscribed to R&T since the mid-1960s.
And I have Yearbook issues back to the early 1960s.
I also have a copy of the very first issue I remember seeing on a news stand...
[ March 1965 - picture of a bright red 'Ghia-bodied Fiat 2300' ]

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/rayainsw/media/0 misc/CoverMarch1965RoadandTrackmagazine20100217120038_00001_zps1e91b5f7.jpg.html?filters[user]=1000266&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=0

- Ray
Hoarder...

My mom got me my first subscription to C&D in 1976 (I was 12). I remember the first issue that came in the mail had the "Pig of Bronze" Jeep on the cover with DED, Jr and other staff members.

There is no way I could have saved every issue.

These days, the internet gives me most of what I am looking for. I know for reviews, Edmunds, Cars.com, Jalopnik, Autobytel, Left Lane News....all cover pretty much everything.

I do get the Car and Driver digital edition subscription on my iPad, as I like to read it while traveling, usually on planes. But, it's a shell of its irreverent former self. Jean Lindamood Brock Yates, Csaba Csedre (sp?), PJ O'Roarke, Davis (who I was never really a fan of since his writing sort of reflected an ugly pomposity) all wrote collumns which I enjoyed. Plus, they aligined with my automotive political beliefs that more policing for "I can't drive worth a darn, and don't care who I endanger" mini van drivers, and less for worthless speed traps. They were also against needless safety equipment being forced on car buyers as well as letting the market take care of itself regarding oil prices vs letting big oil do it.

The only thing I disagreed with them on was raising the gas tax. Still disagree to this day for reasons I've stated ad nauseum here.

Some went to Automobile Mag, which I'll glance at from time-to-time while browsing in airport magazine and sundry stores while killing time. Motortrend I haven't looked at in awhile, actually since all the rumors swirled that their COTY winners was more about COTY winners buying more ad space than other more worthy cars who didn't buy ad space.

Road and Track I haven't read since I really don't do anything on the track anymore.

Big difference between those mags in the digital age vs the print age.

thebean

stever said:

..,In lots of ways, cars don't seem to have advanced as much in 30 years nor have the prices dropped like PCs...

That's because Moore's law doesn't apply to cars (showing off my 35 years experience in semiconductor industry) 

Kirstie_H

If you are a CEO and love your car, Chief Executive Magazine wants to hear from you. Please email PR@edmunds.com to connect.

venture

stever said:

I have a 1982 PC Magazine. It's a hoot to look at the ads for 6 meg hard drives that sold for $1,500.

In lots of ways, cars don't seem to have advanced as much in 30 years nor have the prices dropped like PCs. The fun stuff that was available on the luxury cars has trickled down to the subcompacts at least.

I remember when I bought my first PC for home. I optioned for the BIG 80 mb hard drive and (I think) 8 mb of RAM.

fintail

GBU, that's it. I think for an early Korean or Malaysian car, they simply said "you'd have to be an idiot to buy one". I also remember the Volvo DL "antique cars for antique dealers" (related to the then-current TV show "Lovejoy", where he had a Volvo). Hilarious stuff.

Regarding computers, I remember upgrading my old Windows 3.1 machine to 8MB of RAM (from 4), seemed like a Ferrari. I think it had a 100 or 120MB HD. Also paying like $150 for a 33.6 modem.

roadburner said:

CAR magazines review section was called GBU(Good, Bad, and Ugly). They pulled no punches. With each car review they would list other cars to "Also consider." I remember one scathing short review of a Daewoo or similar piece of garbage. It ended with "Also consider: Walking."

ab348

fintail said:

Regarding computers, I remember upgrading my old Windows 3.1 machine to 8MB of RAM (from 4), seemed like a Ferrari. I think it had a 100 or 120MB HD. Also paying like $150 for a 33.6 modem.

Oh, I can top that.

Back in 1981 I was at my first job and was essentially the systems manager. We had just bought an IBM System/34 minicomputer. 128K memory, 64MB hard drive, line printer, serial printer, 5 terminals. It cost something well over $100K.

It was slow when more than a couple of the terminals were in use, so IBM suggested we max out the memory by adding another 128K. The cost: around $50K. That's right. It was on backorder for months too, and I remember the day when IBM called and said it had finally arrived and they wanted to come over to install it. When the guy arrived, he handed me this box a little bigger than a pack of cigarettes. I opened it and saw the memory card - a bunch of brown squares. It looked like a chocolate bar. $50,000 worth.

rayainsw

From 1978 to 1981, my PC was a CDC 6000.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CDC_6600
I was a computer operator...
Working largely from terminals as a systems analyst
all day at work for years after that, I was reluctant to buy a
'home PC'...
- Ray
First 'home PC' was a Mac...

corvette

Speaking of tech improvements, I've been playing with the preview of Windows 10. It looks nice. There is less and less difference between it and Mac OS, and I say that as a Mac user of 10 years. 

graphicguy

rayainsw said:

From 1978 to 1981, my PC was a CDC 6000.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CDC_6600
I was a computer operator...
Working largely from terminals as a systems analyst
all day at work for years after that, I was reluctant to buy a
'home PC'...
- Ray
First 'home PC' was a Mac...

My first computer (which I used in college labs) was a DEC PDP 11/70 with tape drives. Moved on to Unix based workstations after that (mostly Sun and Silicon Graphics). Didn't get a home PC because I didn't want to see any terminal at home since I spent 8+ hours/day at work with their big brothers. For a couple of years, Sinclair/Timex had a totally programmable little 64K machine, which got so cheap (like under $100) I bought one. It had a cassette drive for programming (same ones used to record music and voice). Messed with it for about a year doing little apps (rudimentary 3 column spread sheets, little word processing app, basic "light up a diode" funtions.

Found a used Radio Schack TRS 80 which replaced the Timex. Had it for 4-5 years and used it for word processing and spreadsheets.....household budget duties, letter writing (did wonders for my communication given my penmanship is/was atrocious, some funky gaming apps that I found in musty boxes at computer swap meets.

The first real, commecial computer I bought, brand new, was a color MAC. Have had a foot in Microsoft and Apple OS simultaneiously ever since.

stever

corvette said:

Speaking of tech improvements, I've been playing with the preview of Windows 10. It looks nice. There is less and less difference between it and Mac OS, and I say that as a Mac user of 10 years. 

Gee, I didn't mean to start a whole "old home week" thread. Funny, I signed up for Win 10 a while back but didn't get around to grabbing it until yesterday. Now you can just install it like a regular update after downloading a little file. Much easier than burning an ISO. It should be up and running on my old laptop now.

Much prefer Moore's Law to Ford's Law.

ab348

I avoided Windows 8 when I saw it early on and in fact bought the Dell laptop I'm typing this on in 2013 as one of the last OEM Win7 machines I could find just for that reason. I hope 10 is not at all like 8.

fintail

I was 4 in 1981, so I have an excuse for not remembering . Although my parents had a top loader VCR from roughly that year that cost an immense amount of money when new. Of course, it also lasted about 15 years, through constant abuse from kids - new stuff won't do that.

I too have resisted Win8, and am nursing along a 5+ year old laptop until 10 launches.

Regarding car tech, compare a new Focus to say, the 1985 Tempo my family had, and it's a different world in driveability or durability.

ab348

I started working in 1980 - first work day after New Year's in fact. I started at the grand sum of $10,500 annually, raised to $12,500 after 6 months. I was living at home still so my expenses were virtually nil - clothes, gas for the car I was allowed to use, the occasional lunch out. So despite the paltry salary I was banking a lot of it. After a few months I decided to buy myself something I always wanted, and purchased a Sony Betamax SL-5800. It cost $1500. Mine didn't last 15 years, but it did go about 12 or 13. When it died, it wasn't practical to get another Beta machine, so I ended up tossing a bunch of early '80s TV I had on tapes. Wish I had kept them and had them transferred.

henryn

ab348 said:

I avoided Windows 8 when I saw it early on and in fact bought the Dell laptop I'm typing this on in 2013 as one of the last OEM Win7 machines I could find just for that reason. I hope 10 is not at all like 8.

You don't have to avoid Windows 8 if you don't like the interface (very few people like it).

Pay $5 for "Start8" from Stardock software. There are several free programs that do the same thing, but Start8 does it better, and $5 is neglible. You can have Windows 8 or 8.1 or 10 and still have the Windows 7 interface. Best of both worlds.

jayrider

ab348 said:

I avoided Windows 8 when I saw it early on and in fact bought the Dell laptop I'm typing this on in 2013 as one of the last OEM Win7 machines I could find just for that reason. I hope 10 is not at all like 8.

I did the same thing -- have a nice HP with 7. My old Dell was 8 years old and very "congested."

stever

Win 8 works fine and I haven't missed the start thingy yet. Seems to run better on older hardware than Vista or 7 too.

No punches? - it's almost the end of the month.

imidazol97

graphicguy said:

Found a used Radio Schack TRS 80 which replaced the Timex. Had it for 4-5 years and used it for word processing and spreadsheets.....household budget duties, letter writing (did wonders for my communication given my penmanship is/was atrocious, some funky gaming apps that I found in musty boxes at computer swap meets.

Was that a Model III? With hard drive? Or still using a cassette recorder?

stickguy

from what I have seen of 8, I want no part of it. My laptop is 7, and that is fine. Work is on 7 too. But my dad needed a new computer (basically to get to email and solitaire, with a little bit of internet stuff) in December, and 8 was the only option. He hates it, and has a lot of trouble finding the basic stuff he needs. And when I go to help him, I have trouble fighting through the crap to get what we want.

stickguy

Steve, didn't we have a few at the beginning of the month? Or where they all in December?

rayainsw

My 'punch' was this month.
- Ray
2015 Charger R/T [ yep, it has a hemi ]

imidazol97

stickguy said:

from what I have seen of 8, I want no part of it. My laptop is 7, and that is fine. Work is on 7 too. But my dad needed a new computer (basically to get to email and solitaire, with a little bit of internet stuff) in December, and 8 was the only option. He hates it, and has a lot of trouble finding the basic stuff he needs. And when I go to help him, I have trouble fighting through the crap to get what we want.

Might check into loading Win 7 Pro on it and starting over. I watch a local/national computer chain and their housebrand computers. Used to have XP licenses as well as the Vista/then 7 licenses and either system could be used on the computer. Now they offer 8.1 and 7 Pro as their dual licensing. Says to me that whole lotta people prefer the Win 7. BTW, I'm writing this on an XP pro laptop.

Some local shops put together computers with whatever system you want.
http://www.microcenter.com/product/441592/B333_Desktop_Computer

stever

Windows 7 came out 5 years ago. Going back to it when getting a new computer would be like swapping cars and getting a 2009 Dodge.

Oh wait, that's what I did back in May....

breld

I'm more from the Commodore 64 era for my first computer. I remember a friend of mine would come over and we would spend hours copying games he had onto floppy drives.

Just a few weeks ago I upgraded my 6 year old MacBook Pro to a new MacBook Pro Retina. I like it...a lot.

abacomike

My first home computer was an Apple IIe with a dot matrix printer.  Then, when I became a school principal, I learned to use an IBM reel printer with floppy disks to run my bus route assignments.  I also started typing my own memos to central office administration rather than have my executive secretary take my dictation, type a rough draft, submit it to me for editing and corrections, have her re-type the memo, re-edit it, etc.  much easier to type my own memos and letters on the word processing program.  Less aggravation, to be sure.

breld

I don't think I shared this, but last weekend, my wife and I went and test drove some Mini Coopers. Definitely fun, but as expected, the room just isn't quite enough for my needs - even the 4 door hardtop.

But today, I spent some time at the Mazda dealer. Based on the location of the dealership and the kind salesperson, I had some great test drives, combining city driving, highway, and some mountain driving.

So, got a good feel for the Mazda3 S Grand Touring, manual trannie, and came away very impressed. It's a little short on hp from the Civic Si, but has a bit more torque. So acceleration overall is a tick slower than the Civic, but the Mazda is more....mature. The Civic Si, by design, has that loud revving sound on acceleration - the Mazda sounds very calm and refined. The interior is very classy and not as trendy as the Honda. Overall, the Mazda3 simply felt more composed and was "easy" to drive and have fun with. Clutch and shifting felt very natural, with nice short shifts, but not as "clicky" as the Honda.

Of course, the other choice I'm considering is the WRX - and naturally, that's not a real good comparison. But, at the end of the day, I am indeed considering the two, and it really comes down to leaning toward performance or comfort. And right now, I'm thinking for the daily driving I'd want the car for, the Mazda may be more enjoyable. Still fun to drive, but much more forgiving for the long stretches of highway. The comfort and noise level for the Mazda was really impressive for this class of car.

So, sedan or hatch? Or....

I also took out a Mazda6 Touring with the manual trannie. Not necessarily wanting to add another choice to the mix, I was hoping the Mazda3 would be a clear winner with the smaller, sportier feel. But, like it or not, that Mazda6 also really impressed. As expected, it was a bit smoother and comfortable than the 3, and naturally offers more room in the driver's seat and rear legroom. Still the same great shifting feel. And from the seat of the pants, it didn't seem any slower than the 3. It offers the same EPA rating as the 3 and would probably cost less. The main negative is the 3 offers the manual on the GT trim, but the 6 only offers it on the Touring trim - so you give up a few of the upgrades to go with the 6 - real leather seats, sunroof, heads-up.

Anyway - lots to think about. But very impressed with these Mazdas.

graphicguy

imidazol97 said:

graphicguy said:

Found a used Radio Schack TRS 80 which replaced the Timex. Had it for 4-5 years and used it for word processing and spreadsheets.....household budget duties, letter writing (did wonders for my communication given my penmanship is/was atrocious, some funky gaming apps that I found in musty boxes at computer swap meets.

Was that a Model III? With hard drive? Or still using a cassette recorder?

Hard Drive model....I was in tall cotton.

graphicguy

graphicguy said:

imidazol97 said:

graphicguy said:

Found a used Radio Schack TRS 80 which replaced the Timex. Had it for 4-5 years and used it for word processing and spreadsheets.....household budget duties, letter writing (did wonders for my communication given my penmanship is/was atrocious, some funky gaming apps that I found in musty boxes at computer swap meets.

Was that a Model III? With hard drive? Or still using a cassette recorder?

Hard Drive model....I was in tall cotton.

Current personal gear....MacBook Air, iPad Mini Retina, iPhone 6 64GB, iPod Classic 80GB storing every piece of music I've ever owned, Apple TV so I can play my Mac Air, iPad, iPhone, in my media room, AirPort Extreme wifi router with 2TBs of storage tying it all together.

sda

Hey ab348,

A comprehensive article about the 68-72 Cutass in the April issue of Collectible Automobile. Front cover is a red 68 Cutlass S post coupe. What a nice looking car. Also has a picture of the 72 Cutlass Supreme 4 dr hardtop, only 14000 made. Mom had one in Nordic blue, black vinyl top, medium blue brocade like upholstery, her favorite car ever.

ab348 said:

I used to subscribe to C&D and R&T but gave it up years ago. I got very tired of the constant covers with Porsche/Ferrari every other month and the pattern of loving every new car at introduction and then trashing it a year later.

I did save them through the '80s/mid 90s. When I was moving, I wanted them gone but thought maybe there was someone who might want them, so I posted a message on one of the old rec.cars Usenet newsgroups. I got a response from someone in Colorado who worked for Edmunds who wanted them. I shipped a whole bunch out there. I think shipping cost twice what I got for the magazines.

fintail

I think our VCR must have cost an easy grand new. It was a "Sylvania" brand, and had a remote - wired of course, detachable. Metal case. At least it was VHS. Built like a brick outhouse, I suppose my family got our money's worth.

Those old wages seem like a pittance, but I know back then you could buy houses here for 50-70K that are worth 10-15x now. Entry wages haven't fared so well.

Regarding computers, the COMAND system in my car probably has 10x the power of an old PC. That's one thing that has progressed, the in-car tech. The nav in my 2002 model was like a quaint relic compared to a new car.

ab348 said:

I started working in 1980 - first work day after New Year's in fact. I started at the grand sum of $10,500 annually, raised to $12,500 after 6 months. I was living at home still so my expenses were virtually nil - clothes, gas for the car I was allowed to use, the occasional lunch out. So despite the paltry salary I was banking a lot of it. After a few months I decided to buy myself something I always wanted, and purchased a Sony Betamax SL-5800. It cost $1500. Mine didn't last 15 years, but it did go about 12 or 13. When it died, it wasn't practical to get another Beta machine, so I ended up tossing a bunch of early '80s TV I had on tapes. Wish I had kept them and had them transferred.

stickguy

Fin, I am monitoring the inventory at the local guy who had the couple of MBs I posted links to. One thing he does a nice job of is pics. Always has one of the NAV screen (when the car has ones). Some of the old ones (like a 2004 Lexus ES) are so quaint. Practically looks like an etch a sketch compared to a new one like in my Sonata.

stickguy

@breld, be careful with the touring. Remember what happened the last time you settled on a "plain" model without the goodies (Passat). Didn't end well!

That, and somehow you are morphing well away from the sports/toy idea. Might as well just keep the BMW unless you just have to have a stick.

ab348

sda said:

Hey ab348,

A comprehensive article about the 68-72 Cutass in the April issue of Collectible Automobile. Front cover is a red 68 Cutlass S post coupe. What a nice looking car. Also has a picture of the 72 Cutlass Supreme 4 dr hardtop, only 14000 made. Mom had one in Nordic blue, black vinyl top, medium blue brocade like upholstery, her favorite car ever

Awesome! I shall check the newsstand tomorrow. My '68 is red also, but a Holiday coupe, not a post coupe.

roadburner

Michaell said:

rayainsw said:

I have subscribed to R&T since the mid-1960s.
And I have Yearbook issues back to the early 1960s.
I also have a copy of the very first issue I remember seeing on a news stand...
[ March 1965 - picture of a bright red 'Ghia-bodied Fiat 2300' ]

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/rayainsw/media/0 misc/CoverMarch1965RoadandTrackmagazine20100217120038_00001_zps1e91b5f7.jpg.html?filters[user]=1000266&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=0

- Ray
Hoarder...

My mom got me my first subscription to C&D in 1976 (I was 12). I remember the first issue that came in the mail had the "Pig of Bronze" Jeep on the cover with DED, Jr and other staff members.

There is no way I could have saved every issue.

DED Jr. spoke at the 1994 BMW Oktoberfest and was kind enough to sign my original April 1968 issue of C/D- which contained his classic article "Turn Your Hymnals to 2002."

stickguy

this one had me going for a while. nice colors, low miles, looked clean. sport package! stickshift! Well, in the listing it said manual. But alas, the pictures rat it out as an automatic.

still, not a bad looking car, and only 59K on it. Curious to see what the price ends up being.

http://www.royaleasing.com/detail-2002-bmw-3_series-325i-used-13182962.html

roadburner

breld said:

I don't think I shared this, but last weekend, my wife and I went and test drove some Mini Coopers. Definitely fun, but as expected, the room just isn't quite enough for my needs - even the 4 door hardtop.

But today, I spent some time at the Mazda dealer. Based on the location of the dealership and the kind salesperson, I had some great test drives, combining city driving, highway, and some mountain driving.

So, got a good feel for the Mazda3 S Grand Touring, manual trannie, and came away very impressed. It's a little short on hp from the Civic Si, but has a bit more torque. So acceleration overall is a tick slower than the Civic, but the Mazda is more....mature. The Civic Si, by design, has that loud revving sound on acceleration - the Mazda sounds very calm and refined. The interior is very classy and not as trendy as the Honda. Overall, the Mazda3 simply felt more composed and was "easy" to drive and have fun with. Clutch and shifting felt very natural, with nice short shifts, but not as "clicky" as the Honda.

Of course, the other choice I'm considering is the WRX - and naturally, that's not a real good comparison. But, at the end of the day, I am indeed considering the two, and it really comes down to leaning toward performance or comfort. And right now, I'm thinking for the daily driving I'd want the car for, the Mazda may be more enjoyable. Still fun to drive, but much more forgiving for the long stretches of highway. The comfort and noise level for the Mazda was really impressive for this class of car.

So, sedan or hatch? Or....

I also took out a Mazda6 Touring with the manual trannie. Not necessarily wanting to add another choice to the mix, I was hoping the Mazda3 would be a clear winner with the smaller, sportier feel. But, like it or not, that Mazda6 also really impressed. As expected, it was a bit smoother and comfortable than the 3, and naturally offers more room in the driver's seat and rear legroom. Still the same great shifting feel. And from the seat of the pants, it didn't seem any slower than the 3. It offers the same EPA rating as the 3 and would probably cost less. The main negative is the 3 offers the manual on the GT trim, but the 6 only offers it on the Touring trim - so you give up a few of the upgrades to go with the 6 - real leather seats, sunroof, heads-up.

Anyway - lots to think about. But very impressed with these Mazdas.

I probably won't have the patience to wait, but the rumor is that a new Mazdaspeed 3 will debut in about 18 months- most likely with AWD and 300 hp.

breld

stickguy said:

@breld, be careful with the touring. Remember what happened the last time you settled on a "plain" model without the goodies (Passat). Didn't end well!

That, and somehow you are morphing well away from the sports/toy idea. Might as well just keep the BMW unless you just have to have a stick.

Appreciate the advice stick - good point. Though the touring, as you know, is pretty well equipped.

And as to your last statement, yes, these test drives have me really missing rowing my own gears. So a stick shift is definitely the goal now. But these mazdas offer that in a practical package too. So may be a good option - fortunately I will likely wait for the 2016 refresh of the mazda6. So that should give me time to really give it some thought.

nyccarguy

@breld

I know that it has its shortcomings on the track (brakes), but given the high elevation you drive in I'd love to hear your thoughts about a Focus ST.

Edit:

They already ave some decent incentives:

$500 "switch cash"

$1,250 Lease Cash

Cheap "short term" financing 0% for up to 48 months. I know you like to pay up front, but its free money;).

breld

roadburner said:

breld said:

I don't think I shared this, but last weekend, my wife and I went and test drove some Mini Coopers. Definitely fun, but as expected, the room just isn't quite enough for my needs - even the 4 door hardtop.

But today, I spent some time at the Mazda dealer. Based on the location of the dealership and the kind salesperson, I had some great test drives, combining city driving, highway, and some mountain driving.

So, got a good feel for the Mazda3 S Grand Touring, manual trannie, and came away very impressed. It's a little short on hp from the Civic Si, but has a bit more torque. So acceleration overall is a tick slower than the Civic, but the Mazda is more....mature. The Civic Si, by design, has that loud revving sound on acceleration - the Mazda sounds very calm and refined. The interior is very classy and not as trendy as the Honda. Overall, the Mazda3 simply felt more composed and was "easy" to drive and have fun with. Clutch and shifting felt very natural, with nice short shifts, but not as "clicky" as the Honda.

Of course, the other choice I'm considering is the WRX - and naturally, that's not a real good comparison. But, at the end of the day, I am indeed considering the two, and it really comes down to leaning toward performance or comfort. And right now, I'm thinking for the daily driving I'd want the car for, the Mazda may be more enjoyable. Still fun to drive, but much more forgiving for the long stretches of highway. The comfort and noise level for the Mazda was really impressive for this class of car.

So, sedan or hatch? Or....

I also took out a Mazda6 Touring with the manual trannie. Not necessarily wanting to add another choice to the mix, I was hoping the Mazda3 would be a clear winner with the smaller, sportier feel. But, like it or not, that Mazda6 also really impressed. As expected, it was a bit smoother and comfortable than the 3, and naturally offers more room in the driver's seat and rear legroom. Still the same great shifting feel. And from the seat of the pants, it didn't seem any slower than the 3. It offers the same EPA rating as the 3 and would probably cost less. The main negative is the 3 offers the manual on the GT trim, but the 6 only offers it on the Touring trim - so you give up a few of the upgrades to go with the 6 - real leather seats, sunroof, heads-up.

Anyway - lots to think about. But very impressed with these Mazdas.

I probably won't have the patience to wait, but the rumor is that a new Mazdaspeed 3 will debut in about 18 months- most likely with AWD and 300 hp.

AWD? That'd be something. At 18 months away, that'd be about right for a change if I bought something soon.

carnaught

I'm glad Mazda finally phased out those evil "Chucky" faced grills.

houdini1

ab348 said:

fintail said:

Regarding computers, I remember upgrading my old Windows 3.1 machine to 8MB of RAM (from 4), seemed like a Ferrari. I think it had a 100 or 120MB HD. Also paying like $150 for a 33.6 modem.

Oh, I can top that.

Back in 1981 I was at my first job and was essentially the systems manager. We had just bought an IBM System/34 minicomputer. 128K memory, 64MB hard drive, line printer, serial printer, 5 terminals. It cost something well over $100K.

It was slow when more than a couple of the terminals were in use, so IBM suggested we max out the memory by adding another 128K. The cost: around $50K. That's right. It was on backorder for months too, and I remember the day when IBM called and said it had finally arrived and they wanted to come over to install it. When the guy arrived, he handed me this box a little bigger than a pack of cigarettes. I opened it and saw the memory card - a bunch of brown squares. It looked like a chocolate bar. $50,000 worth.

Here is my computer story, going back to 1979.

As sales manager, it was my job to prepare a budget each year. It was a tough task with pencil and paper. The first year we were computerized, I was astounded and amazed that I could change one estimate (guess) and it would filter through all the computations and change all the outcomes. It was like magic. We had one dumb terminal and all the actual computing, printing, etc. took place in one glass enclosed, temp. controlled room where everything was housed. This computer room was about 20' by 20' and was filled with equipment. One employee stayed in this room to oversee everything. You had to be on very good terms with her to coax her into printing your stuff on these huge green sheets of paper. The whole process made me feel very important as no one else was allowed to touch that dumb terminal that I used, which also had its own little room. Everyone thought I was a genius !

stever

Ok car buyers, if you used a smartphone for most of your recent car shopping/leasing experience and are willing to talk with a reporter about it, please email PR@edmunds.com no later than 10AM Eastern on January 30, 2015. Please include your daytime contact info and a few words about your experience.

ab348

Yeah, we had a computer room too, about the same size though not enclosed in glass. It had a water-cooled AC unit to keep things tolerable as the gear put out a lot of heat. IIRC the system unit ran on 220V. The peripherals used twin-axial cable which was very thick, like two coax cables encased in one insulator. It got noisy in there too when the line printer was running at 300 lines per minute.

slorenzen

All this old technology talk reminds me what I endured as a roving PBX tech in the mid-80's.

Had a thermal paper terminal with audio coupler....300 baud...

The horror....the horror...

henryn

slorenzen said:

All this old technology talk reminds me what I endured as a roving PBX tech in the mid-80's.

Had a thermal paper terminal with audio coupler....300 baud...

The horror....the horror...

something-or-other Silent 700? Made by TI (Texas Instruments) ?

Kirstie_H

and another one... as if you keep your cars that long!
A reporter seeks to interview the owner of a car from model year 2001-2004 that has problems not yet subject to a recall. Please email PR@edmunds.com to tell your story.

xwesx

stever said:

Ok car buyers, if you used a smartphone for most of your recent car shopping/leasing experience and are willing to talk with a reporter about it, please email PR@edmunds.com no later than 10AM Eastern on January 30, 2015. Please include your daytime contact info and a few words about your experience.

You better believe it! I don't do ANYTHING without my smartphone!

Oh...... wait......

xwesx

Kirstie_H said:

and another one... as if you keep your cars that long!
A reporter seeks to interview the owner of a car from model year 2001-2004 that has problems not yet subject to a recall. Please email PR@edmunds.com to tell your story.

That's quite the narrow band! Any upcoming stories in the 40+ or 5- range? LOL