Reader's Rides & Photos

slorenzen · November 2014

stickguy said:
2015 Hyundai Sonata limited with the 2.4i engine and tech package. So top line trim, with a lot of extra goodies (Pano roof, heated and cooled seats, navigation, and other stuff I haven't figured out.)

yes, we let it stay. Wife has become quite attached to it already.

Think she'll let you keep it, or will you suddenly find yourself driving an RDX?

stickguy · November 2014

I honestly think that she will be more than happy to let me take the RDX any time I want it.

tried out the heated steering wheel today. Actually works.

xwesx · November 2014

Wow....! Hyundai has heated steering wheels?! I have longed for that feature every since the first heated seats. Anyone with at least half a brain knows that it's the hands that go cold first!

roadburner · November 2014

Even the Dart has an optional heated wheel. It was a big deal to us when we got the CPO 1997 528i in 2000 and it had one...

stever · November 2014

New project - an old loom that needs a lot of TLC. Keep talking about downsizing to a hatch, but that would really kill picking up stuff like this. Hm, that could be a good thing....

stickguy · November 2014

what the heck are you going to be doing with that thing? I let my wife get away with a lot, but if she tried to bring something like that home someone would be leaving.

Get your hatch and an old pick up for a dump runner/junk picker upper.

stever · November 2014

lol, in theory I should be able to clean it up and put it back together and start making some rag rugs. I had one similar to this in Boise that I never could get square so I dumped it on someone else. This one was a "barn" find and I'll be the third "unassembled" owner.Similar to this one, it dates back to the late 1920's so who knows who else may have used it. This will be our 5th loom since '99, not counting my wife's tapestry loom and some small handheld jobs. If I can't get it working, I have someone else already lined up to pawn it off on.

If I do get it working, maybe I'll try to restore a Miata next.

stickguy · November 2014

I guess it is cheaper and easier than carting around a disassembled old car that you store in cardboard boxes.

xwesx · November 2014

stickguy said:
if she tried to bring something like that home someone would be weaving.

Hah! There, fixed that for ya.

stever · November 2014

Who knows, maybe the parts will wind up next to your Pinto one of these days.

xwesx · November 2014

Hey, that's a good storage unit! 30x100 quonset. Take that, ya dinky garages! Oh, wait. That was a different conversation.

Mr_Shiftright · November 2014

Or you could fix it up, get yourself some bags of steel wool, and weave yourself a new roof for your van after you're finished demolishing it by carrying stuff like that.

Owning an old pickup is obligatory for NM residents---didn't they tell you?

stever said:
lol, in theory I should be able to clean it up and put it back together and start making some rag rugs. I had one similar to this in Boise that I never could get square so I dumped it on someone else. This one was a "barn" find and I'll be the third "unassembled" owner.Similar to this one, it dates back to the late 1920's so who knows who else may have used it. This will be our 5th loom since '99, not counting my wife's tapestry loom and some small handheld jobs. If I can't get it working, I have someone else already lined up to pawn it off on.

If I do get it working, maybe I'll try to restore a Miata next.

slorenzen · November 2014

"Owning an old pickup is obligatory for NM residents---didn't they tell you?"

Not just New Mexico.

I bought my 1st pick-up in the 80's(a little Nissan), and after a week, I commented to my wife that I don't know how I managed without a truck.

Now, where I live, a truck is pretty much a necessity. I overload this this on a regular basis!

stever · November 2014

Okay, so I'll restore a Ranchero next. :-)

stever · July 2015

Remember this discussion? We're thinking of trying to take this idea and make it more of an individual blog so anyone who wants can set up their own "long term test" and make the occasional post about their car(s). Photos, bugs, maintenance, great features, the whole enchilada, modeled after our long term tests. And since it'll be your own thread, the rest of us will be able comment about your ride as you update your blog with new posts.

We want to use the long term test model because we already have a widget for that and hopefully it'll be easy to modify for forum users.

Comments encouraged.

stickguy · July 2015

before the latest software change, didn't you used to basically have this (a personal space?). I never used it, but seem to remember others did. And were grumpy when it got lost.

Michaell · July 2015

stickguy said:
before the latest software change, didn't you used to basically have this (a personal space?). I never used it, but seem to remember others did. And were grumpy when it got lost.

Yeah, it was called "CarSpace", modeled after "Myspace" - more of a social network than anything else. I like the idea of having regular folks post about the cars they have. Encourage similar topics to the long term tests done by the editorial team - "do the golf clubs fit?", etc.

Be a great way to drive traffic to the site via Google - how many times do we see in the forums "what's it like to own/drive car XXX?" Hopefully enough folks will participate that many makes and models would be covered.

xwesx · July 2015

stickguy said:
before the latest software change, didn't you used to basically have this (a personal space?). I never used it, but seem to remember others did. And were grumpy when it got lost.

Yeah, it does remind me of this (without the need to be able to actually build out a blog page).

I think the idea is solid. While many folks (myself included) will probably make the effort to initiate a "long-term test," it will likely be underused in the long run because folks will fail to update it on a periodic basis. Do you hold your editors' feet to the fire with regard to periodic updates? How do you extent that same "courtesy" to forum rats?

Michaell · July 2015

xwesx said:

stickguy said:
before the latest software change, didn't you used to basically have this (a personal space?). I never used it, but seem to remember others did. And were grumpy when it got lost.
Yeah, it does remind me of this (without the need to be able to actually build out a blog page).

I think the idea is solid. While many folks (myself included) will probably make the effort to initiate a "long-term test," it will likely be underused in the long run because folks will fail to update it on a periodic basis. Do you hold your editors' feet to the fire with regard to periodic updates? How do you extent that same "courtesy" to forum rats?

If you read through the long term tests, I would think the average is once (maybe twice) a week for each car in the fleet. I'm sure we could provide a list of topics to cover - gas mileage (how to calculate and report), luggage capacity, long distance driving stories, around town errands, gripes and surprises, new tech (I could write a pretty decent post about the adaptive cruise in our new Outback after our 1700 mile trip to Sedona and back).

Though I don't see folks driving 300 miles for coffee just to write a post about it. Some of the posts are driving for driving's sake, which is fine when someone else is paying for gas.

stickguy · July 2015

I almost never read any of the artilces/posts/comments outside of these forums. Maybe I should get out more?

stever · July 2015

How about 300 miles for pizza?

@stickguy, the idea would be have them live "on the site" but like the editorial articles and road tests, they're be available on the forums too.

stever · July 2015

Looks like we're starting to get geared up:

How to Start Your Own Long-Term Blog

xwesx · July 2015

Interesting. I can see how this might suck away at one's life....

Michaell · July 2015

stever said:

Looks like we're starting to get geared up: How to Start Your Own Long-Term Blog

Is it one blog per car? As the fleet manager, I am responsible for three vehicles in my house…

stever · July 2015

Hey, it's all click bait - one blog per car with bihourly updates should work nicely.

xwesx · July 2015

stever said:
Hey, it's all click bait

Gee; thanks for trivializing our contribution!

stever · July 2015

Hm, how about lots of posts about restoring a garage queen 1,000+ miles away? I'd tune in for your blog on getting that Pinto running all day long.

Seriously, it's amazing how much great content does wind up on the forums here. Lots of knowledgeable people haunting the discussions.

xwesx · July 2015

I can see it now.....

Start: "This is my pinto in Oregon."
Next Year: "It is still sitting there."
Next Year: "It is still sitting there."
Next Year: "I now hold the official world record for dust accumulation on a Pinto wagon."
Next Year: "Pressure in the tires down to 15 PSI."

Fascinating stuff, for sure!

stever · July 2015

And we're live on the "main" site. Who wants to be first?

stever · July 2015

Here's the link again on how to get started.

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