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Well, I hear the 'gators snoring out back ...
which means it's time for me to hit the sack.
which means it's time for me to hit the sack.
See you later
About 18 months ago, my wife and I got each a speeding ticket at the same point but on different days. The point was a short tunnel in the middle of a straight parkway used for commuting. The regional traffic authority had decided, suddenly and without notice to the public, to plant there an almost-hidden new speed-limit signal altogether with a hidden new radar. More than 60,000 drivers were caught in the trap in short time. That was nation-wide news on TV and journals. Some drivers got caught more than a dozen times before the news on the tunnel trap broke up.
The penalty for each of our tickets was € 325 and a three-month suspension of our driving license. That hurted = :mad::mad: + ((:sick::sick::sick:)•2). We were legally adviced to pay, wait for the suspensions and, only facing these, appeal. The suspensions have not arrived to date.
The apparent reason is, the traffic law is the same across the nation; however, the monetary sanctions are to be paid to local or regional authorities, whereas the suspensions are executed by the national. The scandal caused by the trap was big enough as to prompt the national authority to allow us the offenders to continue offending, but not so big as to refrain the regional authority to get some nice extra-money, which has never gone back to our pockets. The moral is, the closer, the better.
Take care!
Jose
People in NY told me don't pay (about $150) because I was visiting Florida as a NY resident, but I did send them a check. However, this episode never appeared as part of my driving license record, indicating to me I probably didn't have to pay it. I got bluffed well on that one!
I have not driven near Orlando, Florida since then and hopefully, never will.
They can get their tourist dollars from someone else!
They are there strictly to fleece the public and to raise revenue. Studies have shown that in places where they have them, the "yellow" light lasts about a nano second then turns red so even if you were in the intersection before the yellow, the pic shows you clearly running a red light.
We are becoming a nation of sheep to take all the crap that we do. Remember the Boston Tea Party? :mad:
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
Parts of I-81 and I-83 here in Pennsylvania are like that. There's been a few times on my way back from Harrisburg where I've hit the 100mph mark. Usually left lane traffic is going at least 85.
It's better to be safe and send the check. It might not have affected your NY license record, but you can bet the state of Florida would know you skipped out on a ticket if they ever pulled you over again. Unfortunately, it seems out-of-state tickets may not be as harmless as they used to be. My sister lives in California, and she told me she got a ticket while on vacation in Nevada, and wouldn't you know it, a few weeks later, she got a letter from the California DOT telling her not to get any more points this year.
Totally shameful the way we are preyed upon by troopers like we are committing some kind of crime by driving 90 mph on an interstate.
Down here, thankfully, the troopers have decided to look the other way, allowing us to do 80-85 on average. From what I have observed, accidents have been rare.
About time speed limits are removed from the interstates.
If it works well in Europe, it can work well here too.
Let the cops chase the criminals.
You are right! Especially since I am now a Florida resident, not paying that ticket may have eventually caught up to me.
Many years ago, the policy for the east coast of Florida way there were no ticket if you were going South, but brother watch out when you were going North....I was young and got four of them going home...They cost ten dollars apiece and never got sent to the other state....Ten dollars was alot back then ---particularly going home....Today I still drive a little slower when heading North....Tony
Those cops must work for the airlines!
You have that right, Tony! That's the way I look at it too!
My wife tells me I should get a non-luxury vehicle because I take a long time in a parking lot to find a space where I most likely will not get dinged or worse.
Life is short. I will continue to get upscale brands like BMW and park far away and walk a few extra yards to restaurants. For me it's worth it ... and no ... valet parkers do not get to touch my vehicles.
My heart leaps into my throat at least once a week as a cop decides to enter the roadway immediately after I pass through. Luckily I have not received any tickets, but I am always afraid that the officer is coming to ticket me for going a measly 2-3 miles over the speed limit of 40 MPH.
Practically every day I see someone in a high-end sports coupe (Porsche, M3, Corvette, etc.) driving as though they are behind the wheel of a '78 Buick. My first thought is usually, "Why did he pay XX amount of dollars for that car to drive it like that," only to realize that it is far too risky to drive that vehicle in Dallas in the way that it was intended to be driven my the manufacturer.
Since we have a serious problem with road rage in the Dallas area, aggressive maneuvers can attract attention from the police. I used to drive my previous car far more aggressively than my current vehicle and one day I ferociously darted into the roadway, only to have a previously unseen cop follow me closely for a few more intersections. Ever since then, I have mostly been driving as though I am on my way to the local bingo tournament.
I cut loose every now and then, but only if I am completely certain that no cops are around.
I am really glad that some of you live in areas that allow you to test the limits of your vehicles. Have fun! :shades:
Mr. H of The Flowery
Jose
Wow, it's amazing how we car crazy folks are alike (LOL).
Last time there, I could have been sitting a table away from Tagman at the Four Seasons as we were both busily tap tap tapping on our laptops to beat the Edmunds posting deadline over some fresh kona.
That's the end of that. My wife would say it was the 20 bucks a day but she would be wrong ... no valet drives the 545i!
I don't usually have computer connection issues, but for a few days now, when I go to load the forum page, the first attempt fails with a "failure to load, operation aborted" type of message.
I often sign in and out from more than one location, and each computer has done the same thing, so I know it's not a specific computer with the issue.
When I try again, the second attempt to connect works just fine, so it's not a major issue, but the first attempt failure is quite often. I was wondering if anyone else has reported or experienced this?
TagMan
Do you use the direct button on edmunds.com, or do you go by way of Inside Line? I always use the forums button on inside line, just a habit from when the main page button didn't work for awhile. I haven't had any issues.
We did return the car yesterday and had no dings, and no trouble...As I stated it was Hoyundi(sp) and a nice sized one which I found very reminisent of the Lexus ls I use to have.....Tony
Insurance companies would rather insulate themselves from having to pay out, preferring $500 or, even better, $1000 deductibles.
I will continue to pay the few bucks for the supplementary rental insurance.
You might check to see if any of your credit cards have any perks like that. They do that to get you to use them, of course, but in a case like this it's worth it.
TagMan
:shades:
Think about a hotel for a minute anyway. If you go with the Valet your car is unloaded at the door and kept away from the masses. If you park in the lot, no matter how far away you really want Mr and Mrs soccer unloading any where near your car? Little kid hauling out all kinds of stuff?
If life is really so short, why limit yourself based on a car?
That's ding city right there!
Can the XJ handle snow equally as well as my LS 430? Both are rear wheel drive with traction control and stability control and all season tires. I never had an issue with the LS.
Are the front seats comfortable for long distance cruising?
I found the lexus seats a bit flat and not as good as the Germans in this area.
Is reliability still very strong? In the most recent JD Powers ratings it seemed that they slipped a bit.
It's one of the rare cars out today that is truly "special" in my book so I'm going to give it a long look. But I need to live with it daily and want to be happy once the honeymoon is over.
Thank you for any and all input/ownership experience on the updated body style for the XJ.
I think with relatively light levels of snowfall you'll probably be OK. Snow tires are available for the Jag's 255/40-19 size, so you could go that route if you find the A/S tires to be insufficient.
The seats in the XJ are pretty good, if not up there with the best of the best. I would recommend a long test drive to see how it feels to you. My '07 XK8 has yet to have any problems.
Are you sure you want to buy new? The first two years of depreciation on the XJ are absolutely brutal, and CPO covered '05 XJRs or even Super V8s are very affordable.
Now for the usual query: Brother, can you spare a dime? Or 600,000 dimes...? :surprise:
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
"So, Doc, you say I'm suffering from dingaphobia?"
What you need is a used Accord with a few scratches and rock chips on it. Once the finish is no longer "perfect", you won't worry about it.
Jose
Back in NYC they have these buttons pedestrians push to change the light from red to green so they can cross busy streets. They are actually "idiot buttons" since whether you press them or not, the light will only change from red to green when programmed by traffic control. The button has no effect.
I guess the company that manufacturers these ineffective button systems makes those "idiot" brake pedals too!
I must admit, I suffer from "dingaphobia" as well. There's no doubt about it. I shudder at the thought of coming back to my parked car and finding a ding. I do everything I can to park in spots that eliminate or minimize the possibility of a ding... end spots are good... curbside is great... spots that are out in the back 40... but, I don't take up two parking spaces. I draw the line there, and I hate guys that do that.
Usually when I return to my car, if I'm parked next to another car, I actually check the side of the car, just to make sure the guy next to me didn't ding me. If I were to ever catch a guy dinging me... well... let's put it this way... I'd could only hope my wife would consider putting up the bail money to get me out.
Edit: The only ding I ever got on my previous Boxster was actually from my wife, who parked her SUV too close and nailed the Porsche. I still remember it. Amazing what love will do... I never said a word to her when she showed me... although the look on my face was probably enough! :sick:
TagMan
When I came back, this huge Hummer was parked next to me leaving me maybe 6 inches to open my door and climb inside. Amazingly, no scratches or dings. Just an idiot with no regard for other people. Lucky I didn't need a chiropractor! Still don't know how I got inside. :surprise:
PS: Whenever I come back to the car when it's in a lot, I always do a 360 degree check. But let's face it, if a guy dings you, he will park somewhere else.
If my wife is with me, I let her do the shopping and I wait in the car. The best ding preventive measure. Plus, I don't have to hear her complain that the BMW wood can't be real wood! Nothing like 110 degree sun and heat to relax me when on Florida ding patrol!
LOL. It's not just ding patrol at work here... Let's be honest... it's a guy's normal aversion to shopping. Most of us guys would rather do almost anything else than shop with the wife... it's usually torture! And, the amazing thing is that they can't for the life of them understand why we hate it!
TagMan
Lee, in Wellesley, MA...
They've been advertising big discounts (from $8 to $16k off MSRP) on one in stock convertible all summer. But now...
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
This shopping in "slo mo" seems to be a national epidemic.
Years ago, my wife attempted to back out of the garage, but she forgot to open the garage door. I couldn't believe my eyes when I returned home from work. The garage door was bulging out and all twisted up. And... until the garage door was repaired, the car was stuck inside! I was very cool about it.
On a different occassion, she left the rear hatch open on an SUV and then backed out of the garage, nearly tearing the hatch right off the vehicle and causing some considerable damage to the upper garage structure. Again, I kept my cool.
Yet, another time, she closed the garage door on top of her vehicle, as she somehow didn't pull it in all the way. Nothing for me to say... the issue spoke for itself. :confuse:
There are actually more stories... but I think you get the picture...
I sometimes jokingly call her "Lucy".
And, to think that she can get irritated over little things, like if I should forget to take out the trash or something... Oh well, there's nothing fair in marriage, yet somehow I'm still willingly (and calmly, for the most part) in the game!
TagMan
However, If I move an obscure little candy dish a fraction of an inch when she is not home, she will not only know about it, but question me about it like moving it has caused major structural damage to the house.
I guess that is why the lord created good gin.