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So what are you saying - if someone in NC wins the lottery after having bought the ticket in Virginia, they could get arrested for being in possession of the ticket??
Sorry for the OT post, but curiosity has overcome me. Here I am ~30 minutes from the NC-VA border and I know very well how many folks come up here to buy lottery tickets. If it is illegal for them to be in one's possession, why do they do it?? The "possession" thing is overlooked if they win? STO law indeed.
I seem to remember some dispute between a group of NC residents who had gone in on some tickets together, one of the tickets won, but the designated purchaser held out saying he played that particular ticket separately from the group buy. Heh, if they'd have thrown him in jail for "possession of illegal lottery tickets" that would have been the end of that issue!!
Frank: One MAJOR problem with the Protege is the desire it instills in its owner/driver to go out for a drive under the silliest pretexts, and to take the long route, and drive freeway ramps at higher than the posted recommended speeds. But I agree with ZoomZoom - go out, drive it in all situations - you sacrifice a TINY bit of quietness and comfort, for the rock-solid stability in the (newer, like 2002) ES and its incredible handling prowess (compared to cars in its class - NOT the Audi A4, right maltb, fxashun?)
Cindy/fxashun: Sign me up for the turbo kit! Wait a minute - I only have a (automatic!) 95 DX. How about a nice new Mazdaspeed Protege instead? Wouldn't (noticeably) stretch your fist annuity either ;-)
At the NYIAS, they had a NASCAR Ford Taurus, and I went up and chatted to the (Ford rep) person sitting by it. At the end of it I got him to admit that the only things 'Taurus' about it, were its Ford badge, Taurus badge, trunk lid (I doubt he's serious), and perhaps the fact that it was first designed in April, LOL.
Hate it when people say "Ford Taurus" won so-and-so Nascar race. Ugh!
Can anyone tell that I just took the time out to catch the (repeat) F-1 Imola qualifying on Speed Channel, and my ears are still ringing at 13K rpm? :-)
On a sadder note, today I changed my plugs (man 30k came quick) and noticed that there is a small tear in the plug wire where it folds over. The bummer is - no auto part store around me carries these damn things. And I am afraid to go to the dealer, I don't even want to know what they are charging for them. If worse comes to worse I order them from corksports.
The former governor wrote a letter to the current governer telling him to have the STO law thrown out, "It's outdated."
For $300 million most people could handle a year in jail and a fine. And the real way to screw NC is to pay the state taxes in Virginia, they are lower.
fowler3
I moved to NC from VA because I always wanted to live somewhere else just for the change. I don't like driving in mountain country and NC's highways are flat and straight. It's a beautiful state with lots of interesting places within easy driving. But it doesn't take long to realize that not everything here is desireable - in particular -- law enforcement. I think they recruit from the Hell's Angels, from the looks of some of them.
fxashun, I'm surprised the state police here aren't wearing Dale Ernheart baseball caps with their uniforms. Haha!
fowler3
This afternoon is the 2002 Automobile Cruise-in with over 200 cars of all makes and models. I'll take pictures. Might see an antique Mazda.
fowler3
Dinu
I have Protege, 97, LX. My automatic transmission is shifting (I believe, between 2 and 3 gears) with some sort of unexpected delay. The engine holds some extra revs before the gear shifts to the next step, with some jerky feel. Did someone else have this problem as well?
If "yes", how bad that can be?
Thank you, all.
Dinabor
Was it u Fowler?
How good is it on the Pro's clear coat finish?
Does it leave any white residue in the cracks between door handles and rubber strips?
any gotchas with the NuFinish product?
Appreciate ur feedback on it.
Paul: You did that? I didn't know your PRO was the "STO" trim. I though that was standard just on "black" cars.
STO Civic: Saw a silver 1999-2000 Civic with 2 rubber anti door dings reflectors on each door + an extra set of amber front signals mounted below the bumper + glued-on red reflectors where Paul's Jetta has the extra set of European-style blinkers. Funny enough, the windows were 100% DARK tinted. I guess others have to see you as you blindly approach them to get out of the way.
Dinu
It's official. My old Pro now has a new owner. She sold in only 3 days. The buyer traded in a 96 Protege that was in pretty decent shape for 108,000 miles so hopefully she will be well taken care of.
It seems to have protected fairly well this winter.
The only thing with nu-finish is that they recommend re-applying it in a week for maximum protection.
Hope that helped.
Its ride is stiffer. Price to pay for the good handling AND greater roll resistance (the Focus handles as well -or better, according to some- but leans a lot in turns -too tippy for my taste-). However, it handles very well, has good pep below 75mph (w/o having to get near the redline, if you're not into that), great steering response, is fairly economical and has very good modulation in both the accelerator and brake pedals. Inside, I think it's one of the best-designed cabins, seating-wise and control and visiblity-wise. I don't fit comfortably in the Sentra, Corolla, Impreza, Cavalier, Focus (seats), for instance. All cars supposedly in the same class, but they all feel much smaller to me.
I also suffer from the need-to-drive the long, twisty way on little real justification malady.
Since it sounds like you use the car as a daily comuter as do I, you're making a fine choice. The Pro is very nimble for an econo car, the tires (dunlops) are grippy even in the wet, you've got 4 whl discs with ABS and those factory 16" rims look good too.
Other pluses I've noticed is that the seats are supportive (although they could use larger side bolsters to add real world holding to the better than average handling, all the switches are thoughtfully laid out and the sunroof with its built in pop-up wind deflector is by far the best factory unit I've experienced. This is the first one that I did not have to go out and buy a wind deflector for (that includes 2 Hondas and one Subaru. Gas mileage eeks up after a short break-in. I'm averaging right about 32mpg, mostly highway, but some stop and go.
The engine has good low-end torque. The shifter is a bit notchy, but this may need some wearing in as well. Mine only has just over 3,000 on it. I'm changing over to a full synthetic for the tranny case shortly.
Overall, a commuter car that is noticeably more sporting than the others in its class. Makes driving to work or around town on errands a step above the hum-drum. You'll notice and be happy with the difference between it and your outgoing Sentra.
Ron B.
I went to an autocross (I think this is what it is called, driving through pylons on a marked course) on the weekend and it was really exciting. There was one Mazda GLC that looked like it was set up for racing (stripped, roll bar, only a driver's seat, you get the idea) that was at the event and lots of other cars from a Suzuki Swift 1.6 to a brand new Corvette with a race motor (read tonnes of hp and torque). I didn't enter my P5 but really wanted to see how I would do. There is another event in two weeks that is for practicing before the races start for the summer. Someone was nice enough to take me around for a race lap in their Z28 and it was a very quick sub 50 seconds. I've always thought that race car drivers are in great shape but this give me a new level of respect for them as what I had the chance of doing is nothing even close to what its like in a F1 car. Has anyone ever done this with their P5 or any other car? What do you think about this? For those in my area (London Ontario, Canada) these events are held at the Delaware Speedway race track in Delaware just outside London. Their website is "www.wosca.com" if you want more info.
haven't seen a P5 doing it, but that should be really cool!
good luck with your autox, and remember, autocross is 90% driver, 10% car :-)
to whet your appetite for autox, here are some pics from the previous 2 autox event I've participated in already :-)
http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4291955941
http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4291955929
hot damn PF you sure are quick with the keyboard!
If it wasn't for the Mini Coopers that the event sponsor (Mini of Sterling) were running and categorized as a HS (that car should be categorized much higher than HS, it's an awesome handler), he would've easily won the class that day.
does the product harm the clear coat in any way?
Is there any better product out there which is just as easy to use?
what does everyone use?
;-p
Now, if only there were a way to edit that post and change my post to read VW of germany ... ;-)
Oops - too far to go (I live in Colorado). Oh well.
DSM: That's too funny.
PF: I am actually bringing a friend with me. I met the MAPP crowd before, they are pretty dosile once Larry starts passing out the sangria.
FINALLY...got the alloys and Dunlops back on and its once again the sweet lookin' Pro I got back in June. Its 73 degrees,I had the roof open for the first time in a hundred years and all is well with the world! ) ) )
Michael: If you guys organize a Western Canada Protege Picnic, I would show up. Maybe not in my car, but I would be there. I've heard your part of the continent is really beautiful. And we all know that when it comes to Proteges and chatting about them, Dale is something of a...ahem..cough, cough...well, you know...
--Dale
Well, I know one woman that used to work with me has a P5 (copy cat...she got black after seeing mine!), my cousin has a Yellow P5, and Duh_ster has his '01 ES. That's ALL the people that I know that have Pros. Now I know there's more owners in Calgary...but none seem to have any interest in getting together for a Pro meet.
--Dale
YES
I use Klasse-All-In-One, available at....
http://www.properautocare.com/index.html
Read about it at.........
http://www.properautocare.com/klasconkit.html
The ease of use, protection, shine and depth of shine are top box.
-Larry
Dinu
How are your Mike?
Thanx again Tim!
Dinu
You don't have to come through NC, you can go up through Tennessee to Interstate-81 and that way.
protege-Fan: You have cattle in Canada? Gee, I thought all you got from them was ice cream direct from the..uhmmm...spicket.
Yes, I'm looking for some kind of wax to use on my Pro's Sand Mica. Hope you guys have some good suggestions. Wonder if the plastic wheel covers have clearcoat on them? They do have metallic paint. Waxing couldn't hurt I suppose.
fowler3