Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

suydam · September 2017

iluvmysephia1 said:

2017 Chevy Sonic LS in Kinetic Blue

Apparently this car is a much better car than I thought it was, as far as owner comments on Kelley Blue Book.com. I have read only 4 of them, but owners like it's quiet, smooth ride and more power than the other subcompacts. It fits in between the Spark and Cruze. It has a 1.8L I-4 cyl engine with 138hp. I like how they've fixed the front end of the car.

The Encore and Trax are based on the Sonic. It's a nice little engine.

fintail · September 2017

Now there you go, IMO quite a bit more car for not much more money.

My sister has had her Sonic for 5 years now, virtually no issues, and she is pleased with it (but now that she is remarried, my niece is growing, and they have a gigantic dog, she wants something bigger). For all of the thoughts of anti-GM bias, if she told me she wanted an Equinox or similar, I wouldn't steer her away from it.

iluvmysephia1 said:

Apparently this car is a much better car than I thought it was, as far as owner comments on Kelley Blue Book.com. I have read only 4 of them, but owners like it's quiet, smooth ride and more power than the other subcompacts. It fits in between the Spark and Cruze. It has a 1.8L I-4 cyl engine with 138hp. I like how they've fixed the front end of the car.

fintail · September 2017

European hearses can be just as fascinating as US ones. So many ordinary cars converted to a hearse, and some odd things, too.

I have seen many images of fintail-based hearses:

Or if you wanna go out with imposing style, why not a MB 600:

driver100 said:

But the odds are good you'll ride in a Cadillac by GM as your last brand of carriage. LOL

Nah I prefer one of these....I like large windows;

fintail · September 2017

Look at the bright side, less political babble for a few days! If I can go a week without hearing about Twitter, Russians, or Pyongyang, I am happy.

And if the hypesters blow it, that means less people will be adversely impacted. Good luck today, Floridians, I hope it isn't as bad as hyped.

imidazol97 said:

My wife is watching the TV look-at-me star types pretending to stand out in the full force winds to show how they are just like ordinary people on the alphabet networks. They don't make clear they're standing in an area blocked from the direct winds by part of the building where the camera is.

The media has over hyped this in advance so much. Getting people to relocate is one thing, but the advance hype to get people to buy, buy, buy is another.

imidazol97 · September 2017

The hype was mentioned by someone on the forums. I parallel how the hype here with a snowstorm starts. The media folks seem giddy to have something to report. In this area, we joke that if they report it when the shelves are cleared at Kroger, we won't get much if any. If won't appear or will go north or south. On the other hand,, if they are definite that Cincinnati area gets ice followed by large snow with wind, we will get much more than the 1-2 inches they forcast for us north of there by 50 miles.

Best of all are the forecasts for ice, sleet, freezing rain. So often these are minor events if they materialize at all. Businesses who don't sell supplies like food, milk, bread, complain that the people stay home and don't go out to eat at restaurants or go to entertainment like movies. The people hunker down.

As for Irma, I was hoping the steering winds would take it eastward and miss or graze coast of FL. Instead, the media there hyped the east coast hit, which led many people to go places near the west coast, which is now the target area for the core winds to affect them. That the steering winds were weak at high level was mentioned in some report.

Friday morning a Cincinnati talk show had a weather person from east coast FL (Palm Beach?) on. She was practically screaming as she talked and was using bombastic words. My wife said she was on Dancing with the Stars last season. But I couldn't listen to that for a week or 10 days as the hurricane moved across the ocean and finally hit somewhere.

berri · September 2017

I see a lot of Suburbans' or similar as hearses these days.

driver100 · September 2017

Last night we were ready for bed at about 10 and the news announcer, who has been on for about 48 hours straight, said after these commercials we will come back with the information everyone wants to know....just where Irma's track will be.

This was really important to us as the last we saw Tampa was going to be a direct hit. We wait for 3 or 4 minutes of commercials, and then they came back with a 10 minute story on how this pregnant lady who lived on the West coast went to the natal clinic at a Miami hospital, and how others were doing the same and how smart she was. After that piece of useless garbage filler, they said they would do the tracking right after more commercials...by then, they had lost what little credibility they had ever had.

driver100 · September 2017

berri said:
I see a lot of Suburbans' or similar as hearses these days.

Any Ford F-250s?

berri · September 2017

Nah, all seem to be GM. But maybe in Texas, I think that is Ford country.

driver100 · September 2017

fintail said:
European hearses can be just as fascinating as US ones. So many ordinary cars converted to a hearse, and some odd things, too.

I have seen many images of fintail-based hearses:

driver100 said:

But the odds are good you'll ride in a Cadillac by GM as your last brand of carriage. LOL

Nah I prefer one of these....I like large windows;

I think they had to lop off the fins to make it work.....sacrilege!

venture · September 2017

abacomike said:

venture said:

I mentioned in CCBA that I test drove a really nice TLX today (sticker about 41K). Shared it with my daughter, and she really liked it. Then she shared that in the financial planning class she is taking, one recent topic was cars, and the teacher said that you really only need a Camry. At least he shot higher than a spark!
Some people always think the less you pay the better off they will be. They can save the difference....for something they may really need, some day. There is a science to spending wisely, but also enjoying or benefiting from the things money can buy.

My wife was executor for friends who died recently. Had an estate worth almost $3million....had old wallpaper on their walls....probably 70 years old, no air conditioner, cathode TV, no dishwasher, burned cardboard and old newspapers in their fireplace, ate KFC and fast food, had an ancient Hitachi washer dryer thing that doesn't work, drove an old base model Uplander,....you get the idea. Left their money to their only relatives, a nephew and niece in England who never visited but sure went after every penny they could get or try to get.

There is a real lesson to be learned from these nice people. I am sure they loved saving every penny they could, but, wouldn't it have been nice if they got to spend some of the money they earned.

You only need a Camry.....sometimes it is nice just to buy what you really want, and not be totally practical all the time.

Or..who was it said.."Life is too short to drive boring cars."

No two people have exactly the same tastes in cars (exterior/interior/options/safety/speed) which is why there are a multitude of car manufacturers and hundreds of makes, models and equipment options available for purchase. But it is our responsibility as car enthusiasts to respect the motivations of others in determining what car they desire and then purchase.

We may not agree with another's decisions or rationale in the cars they admire or purchase, but we should respect the individual's right to express himself through the car(s) he drives.

Absolutely. Well said.

driver100 · September 2017

fintail said:
Now there you go, IMO quite a bit more car for not much more money.

My sister has had her Sonic for 5 years now, virtually no issues, and she is pleased with it (but now that she is remarried, my niece is growing, and they have a gigantic dog, she wants something bigger). For all of the thoughts of anti-GM bias, if she told me she wanted an Equinox or similar, I wouldn't steer her away from it.

iluvmysephia1 said:

Apparently this car is a much better car than I thought it was, as far as owner comments on Kelley Blue Book.com. I have read only 4 of them, but owners like it's quiet, smooth ride and more power than the other subcompacts. It fits in between the Spark and Cruze. It has a 1.8L I-4 cyl engine with 138hp. I like how they've fixed the front end of the car.

That is something I always believed, if you are spending even $12000 for a car, you can get a lot more car for say $1000 more which will average out to about $200 a year more. Many costs are fixed, labor, cost of a plant, design work, paint etc., so if you add $1000 more to get say a Sonic vs a Spark, you will get a lot more car for the money......that $1000 will go a long way to adding a lot more content. Not to mention, the car will probably be worth more at trade in time, and be nicer to own.

Another reason why "cheapest" isn't necessarily always the best buy, or even the most economical.

stickguy · September 2017

slippery slope driver. Particularly when leasing. Becomes "well, for $25 more I can get XXX". after a few rounds of that, your $250 lease is now $400+!

isellhondas · September 2017

graphicguy said:

oldfarmer50 said:

ab348 said:

driver100 said:

From my observation, I see people who are in upper management who have good incomes, then there are the service/retail jobs at the bottom of the scale. Not as many of those mid income jobs like blue collar management, good factory jobs, sales jobs, etc. The mid-range jobs are disappearing....and I have heard personal stories and read about it. Instead of a good factory job with a high hourly rate, benefits and a pension people are becoming Uber drivers.
It all depends on what skill set one has. The other day I was struck by something I really hadn't noticed before. I was on the used lot of the local Porsche/Jag/Land Rover dealer on Sunday and there a lot of people doing what I was doing, i.e. browsing while they were closed. They were all much younger than me, appearing to be no older than early 30s and in some cases even younger. The cars they drove there in were things like an Audi S5, a M-B AMG, and a Cayenne. Either they were living on daddy's money or (more likely I suspect) worked in the tech sector here, where if you are near the top you can rake in big bucks for a period of time before you either go bust or make even bigger money when you get bought up. I remember seeing the same thing around here just prior to the tech bubble bursting in 2000 or so. Kids just a few years out of university were made instant millionaires by running little tech outfits for 2-3 years that got bought up by the big guys. It is a very different world out there.

BTW, two of the vehicles drawing a lot of attention were these:

http://www.steeleauto.com/used/porsche/2017-porsche-911-carrera-4-23474

http://www.steeleauto.com/used/porsche/2017-porsche-911-carrera-2-27914

The red one was really eye-catching. I liked it better than the Grabber Blue one.

I often wonder how 1 yo exotic cars end up at dealerships. Are they traded for a new toy by guys like Mike or are they repoed from someone with a 300 credit score? Must be tough to feed champagne tastes on a beer budget.

My beer budget drew me to this:

https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/d/acura-tl-2002-very-clean-and/6271565866.html
I love...LOVE that generation of TL, and I'm already an Acura fan. That one looks in great shape, if the background on it is relatively clean. If it were me, and the CARFAX checks out, I would overnight 30 Benjamins to the owner and tell him I'll arrange shipping.

I like that car, a lot. Driven a few of them (before I ever bought an Acura, which didn't happen until 2005) of that generation. Always thought they were a great blend of luxury and sport.

Plus, probably have another 100K+ miles left with no major repairs on the horizon. And, it will never leave you stranded, or be sitting in a dealership garage for months at a time.

The one weak link is the transmission. For some reason V-6 Honda products had a problem on a lot of their cars. It wasn't really fixed until around 2004.

oldfarmer50 · September 2017

Someone mentioned their puzzlement of the weather reports putting some dope out in the wind to tell you there is a hurricane. Just watching the Weather Channel currently and they have someone standing in 100mph wind. You can't even hear what he's saying. I'm waiting for a tree branch to go through his head. What's the point? Is this like when people go to car races hoping for a crash?

Oh, good news...Irma is now down to a cat 2.

stickguy · September 2017

the Honda V6 tranny still had some issues in 2005, maybe a bit later, until they moved the Odyssey to IIRC the Pilot version of it.

driver100 · September 2017

stickguy said:
slippery slope driver. Particularly when leasing. Becomes "well, for $25 more I can get XXX". after a few rounds of that, your $250 lease is now $400+!

You can get a lot more car especially on a lease for an extra $25 a month. You do have to exercise constraint though too....and not go overboard. I have seen leases where something like a Camry might be $35 (less than the cost of two Starbucks lattes a week probably.....or 3 beers) more than a Corolla with slightly more down.......well the Camry will probably be a more comfortable car, and it will probably hold up better.....might even cost less in the long run.

There is a maximum amount though where you reach the pinnacle of the deal.

isellhondas · September 2017

stickguy said:
my 2000 MY version of that car was at 175K when I sold it, with the original trans still going strong. Probably helps to not abuse it, and change the fluid on a regular basis. Or I was just lucky. But at 75K, if the fluid looked and smelled clean, and it showed no signs of bad shifting, I would have no problem with it at that price.

it even has the same tape deck adapter wire hanging out that I used to run the XM Roadie!

A lot of people had no transmission problems but the ones that failed were WAY more than average for a Honda. More common on Odysseys that were probably abused more than any other Honda! People would load them down with kids and heavy items and pull heavy boats etc. I agree with you. If the fluid looks good and it shifts as it should it's probably good for quite awhile. The big trouble is that if it does fail, it'll total the car.

isellhondas · September 2017

oldfarmer50 said:

snakeweasel said:
I have a new occupant in my garage as of today.

Nobody crazier than a crazy old man. To paraphrase A Christmas Story: "you'll knock your eye out kid."

Don't pull any wheelies on the freeway!

isellhondas · September 2017

snakeweasel said:

oldfarmer50 said:

My thoughts exactly. I was surprised a few years ago to find out you could get them with auto transmissions but that still didn't overcome my fears of falling off.

Other than a Can Am, which I am not sure what it's "automated" transmission is, bikes have either manuals (Just like shifting a car but upside down and backwards), CVT's (mostly scooters but a couple of motorcycles) and DCT's.

Mine happens to have the Dual Clutch and I really like it. The shift is so seamless you can't even feel it, the only way you know it shifted is a barely noticeable click and the gear indicator on the instrument panel changing.

Honda made motorcycles in the 80's that had fully automatic transmissions. They made them in 400 or 750cc models. You could leave them in drive and simply twist the grip to move out of for quicker acceleration you could start out in low, wind them out a bit and shift into drive. I bought a 400cc one at a garage sale that was just like new with something like 800 miles on it. I registered it, insured it but I never got my endorsement. After getting scared on it a couple of times I realized that it would be a matter of time. I sold it for a profit as I recall. I don't know why they quit making these. Probably not enough demand.

isellhondas · September 2017

berri said:
Looks like Tampa is now in the line of fire

That airport sits rather low and not that far from the bay. Stadium in nearby too IIRC. Could be ugly.

I've been to Tampa and even played golf (?) at Innisbrook. There were alligators in all of the water traps and even sunning themselves on the putting greens. Can anyone imagine where all of those alligators in Florida are going to end up?

sb55 · September 2017

stickguy said:
I will be really pissed if I die with a crappy car in the garage but a lot of money in the bank.

So true.
My wife says "what about leaving our money to the kids". Um, that's not my goal in life. I didn't inherit much when my mother died. My father is still living and I know that (wicked) stepmom will not us leave anything.
I won't spend it all, but I'm not scrimping on life just for my grown kids.

abacomike · September 2017

isellhondas said:

Looks like Tampa is now in the line of fire That airport sits rather low and not that far from the bay. Stadium in nearby too IIRC. Could be ugly.
I've been to Tampa and even played golf (?) at Innisbrook. There were alligators in all of the water traps and even sunning themselves on the putting greens. Can anyone imagine where all of those alligators in Florida are going to end up?

I hope as thousands of shoes, luggage, Gucci Handbags, etc. I have no use for them or those Pythons multiplying in the Everglades.

Michaell · September 2017

suydam said:

iluvmysephia1 said:

2017 Chevy Sonic LS in Kinetic Blue

Apparently this car is a much better car than I thought it was, as far as owner comments on Kelley Blue Book.com. I have read only 4 of them, but owners like it's quiet, smooth ride and more power than the other subcompacts. It fits in between the Spark and Cruze. It has a 1.8L I-4 cyl engine with 138hp. I like how they've fixed the front end of the car.
The Encore and Trax are based on the Sonic. It's a nice little engine.

The Encore and Trax have a smaller turbo engine, not the 1.8L from this Sonic. Same HP, however.

abacomike · September 2017

As an update on Irma from the Ponte Vedra area in Nocatee, we've lost WiFi, mobile phone service and power 6-7 times already, but they always come back on or reboot thus far. My brother has satellite TV service (Direct TV) so that is on and off fairly frequently. At least he has NFL Sunday Ticket, so we catch parts of the Sunday games when the dish is working.

My brother warned me that he expects to lose power when Irma gets closer because we are in a fairly rural area, but at least I've been comfortable and with family and friends. My kids have been texting me to check on me. My daughter wanted to know when we were going to move further inland. I responded that we were 5 miles inland from the ocean and that we had no intention of moving closer to Irma!

imidazol97 · September 2017

abacomike said:
At least he has NFL Sunday Ticket, so we catch parts of the Sunday games when the dish is working.

Hope you didn't waste any time watching the Bengals lose to the Ravens, 0 & 20. Shows what building a grand stadium at taxpayer expense for a private business team in Cincinnati when they threatened to leave town without a new stadium gets the public for that money..

imidazol97 · September 2017

As to the media folks trying to out do each other standing in the weather, there must be a box on the performance evaluation form about out doing the other networks guys in wind, rain, and apparent danger.

abacomike · September 2017

imidazol97 said:

As to the media folks trying to out do each other standing in the weather, there must be a box on the performance evaluation form about out doing the other networks guys in wind, rain, and apparent danger.

It is pathetic regarding the overwhelming amounts of live reporting prior to, during, even in the eye of Irma! I wonder if anything else is happening in the world or did the Earth just stop rotating until Irma dissipated?

houdini1 · September 2017

abacomike said:
As an update on Irma from the Ponte Vedra area in Nocatee, we've lost WiFi, mobile phone service and power 6-7 times already, but they always come back on or reboot thus far. My brother has satellite TV service (Direct TV) so that is on and off fairly frequently. At least he has NFL Sunday Ticket, so we catch parts of the Sunday games when the dish is working.

My brother warned me that he expects to lose power when Irma gets closer because we are in a fairly rural area, but at least I've been comfortable and with family and friends. My kids have been texting me to check on me. My daughter wanted to know when we were going to move further inland. I responded that we were 5 miles inland from the ocean and that we had no intention of moving closer to Irma!

Reminds me of the old trick question, "How far can you walk into the woods?" Halfway, then you are walking out of the woods.

imidazol97 · September 2017

I realize this is very serious for many people in FL and GA. But the media actually ruins it with the over-the-top enthusiasm. It is nice to see them reporting about something real. I suspect they're disappointed that the intensity at the core will drop now that it's a 2 and then later will be a 1.

But it reminds me of a local tornado that was visible on traffic cameras and went over the Air Force base then reappeared on a traffic camera on I70 we it actually touched down doing damage in a business strip that was closed.

The weather guy doing the reporting was ecstatic that they were able to watch the tornado clearly touching down by the ODOT camera. I was concerned about the people in homes in the path and their lives changing.

imidazol97 · September 2017

Michaell said:

suydam said:

iluvmysephia1 said:

2017 Chevy Sonic LS in Kinetic Blue

Apparently this car is a much better car than I thought it was, as far as owner comments on Kelley Blue Book.com. I have read only 4 of them, but owners like it's quiet, smooth ride and more power than the other subcompacts. It fits in between the Spark and Cruze. It has a 1.8L I-4 cyl engine with 138hp. I like how they've fixed the front end of the car.
The Encore and Trax are based on the Sonic. It's a nice little engine.
The Encore and Trax have a smaller turbo engine, not the 1.8L from this Sonic. Same HP, however.

I wonder if that's the same 1.8 L NA engine from the Cruze LS models before the generation change in 2016.

The LT models had the 1.6 L. Turbo. Sometime people didn't realize there were two different engines when folks were comparing experiences with rentals.

driver100 · September 2017

sb55 said:

stickguy said:
I will be really pissed if I die with a crappy car in the garage but a lot of money in the bank.
So true.
My wife says "what about leaving our money to the kids". Um, that's not my goal in life. I didn't inherit much when my mother died. My father is still living and I know that (wicked) stepmom will not us leave anything.
I won't spend it all, but I'm not scrimping on life just for my grown kids.

I am going to spend every last dime, and I am going to leave my SIL with a few unpaid bills! :@

cdnpinhead · September 2017

abacomike said:
It is pathetic regarding the overwhelming amounts of live reporting prior to, during, even in the eye of Irma! I wonder if anything else is happening in the world or did the Earth just stop rotating until Irma dissipated?

It's called eyeballs and/or clicks. The relevance of any given event is, well, irrelevant.

See: Russia screwed up the election and Trump was behind it all, among many others. The airliner that ended up somewhere in the Indian Ocean comes to mind.

driver100 · September 2017

Oldfarmer. I stand corrected. Elevation of our place in Florida is between 3 and 49 feet, but, I tend to think it is in the middle of that range as a large area touches Tampa Bay and so is very low at that point.

When we bought in 2012 we thought about buying closer to the water....but, that would have cost 2 to 3X more. We decided our priority for being in Florida in the winter was......mainly, not the beach, not the water, not the views, BUT, to get out of the COLD. So, we bought a one story unit....they are in quads - 2 face forward, 2 back, a garage between units. Vaulted ceilings, 2 bdrm, 2 bthrm, lots of Palm Trees last time I looked, clubhouse with pool etc for less than I could buy a garage for back home! See, I do have a practical side for some things!

fintail · September 2017

My mom did that with Camry vs Corolla. About 8 years ago, her prior car (Corolla bought without telling me) got hit, and she was shopping for a replacement. This time, I was with her. Of course, she wanted to look at other Corollas. We test drove one, an "S" with all of the cladding and interior bric a brac. Then, at my urging, we drove a Camry. They seemed like day and night in terms of refinement and solidity, yet the price difference was only a few grand, IIRC. The Corolla really felt like a tin can to me. I encouraged her to get the Camry, which she did. She still has the car, and she is completely happy.

driver100 said:

That is something I always believed, if you are spending even $12000 for a car, you can get a lot more car for say $1000 more which will average out to about $200 a year more. Many costs are fixed, labor, cost of a plant, design work, paint etc., so if you add $1000 more to get say a Sonic vs a Spark, you will get a lot more car for the money......that $1000 will go a long way to adding a lot more content. Not to mention, the car will probably be worth more at trade in time, and be nicer to own.

Another reason why "cheapest" isn't necessarily always the best buy, or even the most economical.

fintail · September 2017

Do you really want to hear more political garbage? That seems to be the only other news in the world right now. This is a break, hopefully one which will end up with fewer casualties than the hyped predictions. It's been a few days since I have heard about tweets and nepotists, not all bad.

If anything, this shows that storm prediction is an inexact science.

abacomike said:

It is pathetic regarding the overwhelming amounts of live reporting prior to, during, even in the eye of Irma! I wonder if anything else is happening in the world or did the Earth just stop rotating until Irma dissipated?

snakeweasel · September 2017

imidazol97 said:

I don't know what brand the motorcycles are that the idiots who try to escort the processions and think they are policemen ride. I think of Evil Knievel every time I watch them at work. We run into processions on the way to a ChickFilA and they go by the ChickFilA while we're eating. Those escorts have a unique personality quirk.

If you are talking about the Patriot Guard first of all I wouldn't call them idiots, they do serve a purpose. Secondly they ride their own personal bikes.

abacomike · September 2017

driver100 said:

Oldfarmer. I stand corrected. Elevation of our place in Florida is between 3 and 49 feet, but, I tend to think it is in the middle of that range as a large area touches Tampa Bay and so is very low at that point. When we bought in 2012 we thought about buying closer to the water....but, that would have cost 2 to 3X more. We decided our priority for being in Florida in the winter was......mainly, not the beach, not the water, not the views, BUT, to get out of the COLD. So, we bought a one story unit....they are in quads - 2 face forward, 2 back, a garage between units. Vaulted ceilings, 2 bdrm, 2 bthrm, lots of Palm Trees last time I looked, clubhouse with pool etc for less than I could buy a garage for back home! See, I do have a practical side for some things!

Are you sure about the 49 foot elevation upper extreme? Most places in Florida south of I-10 are between 3 and 15 foot above sea level (prior to Irma, that is). The State is flat as a pancake. Only 3+ story buildings are above the usual land elevations.

P.S. The exception would garbage dumps and landfills.

snakeweasel · September 2017

Mr_Shiftright said:

I would like a 4-speed hearse that, you know, can really handle.....

When I was in high school one kid in my class drove an old hearse and I do believe it was a manual.

Michaell · September 2017

imidazol97 said:

Michaell said:

suydam said:

iluvmysephia1 said:

2017 Chevy Sonic LS in Kinetic Blue

Apparently this car is a much better car than I thought it was, as far as owner comments on Kelley Blue Book.com. I have read only 4 of them, but owners like it's quiet, smooth ride and more power than the other subcompacts. It fits in between the Spark and Cruze. It has a 1.8L I-4 cyl engine with 138hp. I like how they've fixed the front end of the car.
The Encore and Trax are based on the Sonic. It's a nice little engine.
The Encore and Trax have a smaller turbo engine, not the 1.8L from this Sonic. Same HP, however.
I wonder if that's the same 1.8 L NA engine from the Cruze LS models before the generation change in 2016.

The LT models had the 1.6 L. Turbo. Sometime people didn't realize there were two different engines when folks were comparing experiences with rentals.

Yes, same engine as the Cruze LS

snakeweasel · September 2017

isellhondas said:9

oldfarmer50 said:

My thoughts exactly. I was surprised a few years ago to find out you could get them with auto transmissions but that still didn't overcome my fears of falling off.

Other than a Can Am, which I am not sure what it's "automated" transmission is, bikes have either manuals (Just like shifting a car but upside down and backwards), CVT's (mostly scooters but a couple of motorcycles) and DCT's.

Mine happens to have the Dual Clutch and I really like it. The shift is so seamless you can't even feel it, the only way you know it shifted is a barely noticeable click and the gear indicator on the instrument panel changing.
Honda made motorcycles in the 80's that had fully automatic transmissions. They made them in 400 or 750cc models. You could leave them in drive and simply twist the grip to move out of for quicker acceleration you could start out in low, wind them out a bit and shift into drive. I bought a 400cc one at a garage sale that was just like new with something like 800 miles on it. I registered it, insured it but I never got my endorsement. After getting scared on it a couple of times I realized that it would be a matter of time. I sold it for a profit as I recall. I don't know why they quit making these. Probably not enough demand.

IIRC there wasn't enough demand for them. Times do change and while up to 2016 Honda made the CTX700 in both Manual and a DCT, in 2017 it was only DCT's. Not sure what 2018 will bring.

snakeweasel · September 2017

isellhondas said:

Looks like Tampa is now in the line of fire That airport sits rather low and not that far from the bay. Stadium in nearby too IIRC. Could be ugly.
I've been to Tampa and even played golf (?) at Innisbrook. There were alligators in all of the water traps and even sunning themselves on the putting greens. Can anyone imagine where all of those alligators in Florida are going to end up?

I would guess a SYFY original movie like Sharknado called "Gatorcane".

oldfarmer50 · September 2017

abacomike said:

driver100 said:

Oldfarmer. I stand corrected. Elevation of our place in Florida is between 3 and 49 feet, but, I tend to think it is in the middle of that range as a large area touches Tampa Bay and so is very low at that point.

When we bought in 2012 we thought about buying closer to the water....but, that would have cost 2 to 3X more. We decided our priority for being in Florida in the winter was......mainly, not the beach, not the water, not the views, BUT, to get out of the COLD. So, we bought a one story unit....they are in quads - 2 face forward, 2 back, a garage between units. Vaulted ceilings, 2 bdrm, 2 bthrm, lots of Palm Trees last time I looked, clubhouse with pool etc for less than I could buy a garage for back home! See, I do have a practical side for some things!

Are you sure about the 49 foot elevation upper extreme? Most places in Florida south of I-10 are between 3 and 15 foot above sea level (prior to Irma, that is). The State is flat as a pancake. Only 3+ story buildings are above the usual land elevations.

P.S. The exception would garbage dumps and landfills.

I think Seminole Heights (or is it called Seminole Hills) on the St. Petersburg peninsula is about 100 feet. There's a big water tower on top of it. Pretty big hill for that area. About a mile away my BIL's condo is at about 10'.

Say did you see the pictures of Tampa Bay without water? Some sort of reverse storm surge. Some people were out running around on the dry sand like idiots.

abacomike · September 2017

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

Oldfarmer. I stand corrected. Elevation of our place in Florida is between 3 and 49 feet, but, I tend to think it is in the middle of that range as a large area touches Tampa Bay and so is very low at that point. When we bought in 2012 we thought about buying closer to the water....but, that would have cost 2 to 3X more. We decided our priority for being in Florida in the winter was......mainly, not the beach, not the water, not the views, BUT, to get out of the COLD. So, we bought a one story unit....they are in quads - 2 face forward, 2 back, a garage between units. Vaulted ceilings, 2 bdrm, 2 bthrm, lots of Palm Trees last time I looked, clubhouse with pool etc for less than I could buy a garage for back home! See, I do have a practical side for some things!

Are you sure about the 49 foot elevation upper extreme? Most places in Florida south of I-10 are between 3 and 15 foot above sea level (prior to Irma, that is). The State is flat as a pancake. Only 3+ story buildings are above the usual land elevations.

P.S. The exception would garbage dumps and landfills.
I think Seminole Heights on the St. Petersburg peninsula is about 100 feet. There's a big water tower on top of it. Pretty big hill for that area. About a mile away my BIL's condo is at about 10'. Say did you see the pictures of Tampa Bay without water? Some sort of reverse storm surge. Some people were out running around on the dry sand like idiots.

Yes, the water in Tampa Bay was blown out to the Gulf of Mexico. Weird looking pictures.

Got a call from my neighbors at home - power is on and so is cable TV.

ab348 · September 2017

sb55 said:

My wife says "what about leaving our money to the kids". Um, that's not my goal in life. I didn't inherit much when my mother died. My father is still living and I know that (wicked) stepmom will not us leave anything.
I won't spend it all, but I'm not scrimping on life just for my grown kids.

That sounds much like my case. I didn't get a dime when my dad passed away because of the ~~gold digger~~ woman he had gotten involved with the last few years of his life. Of course the only "kids" I have to leave anything to after I go are my cats...

stickguy · September 2017

Good news Mike. Hopefully you get back soon.

stickguy · September 2017

snakeweasel said:

isellhondas said:9

snakeweasel said:

oldfarmer50 said:

My thoughts exactly. I was surprised a few years ago to find out you could get them with auto transmissions but that still didn't overcome my fears of falling off.

Other than a Can Am, which I am not sure what it's "automated" transmission is, bikes have either manuals (Just like shifting a car but upside down and backwards), CVT's (mostly scooters but a couple of motorcycles) and DCT's.

Mine happens to have the Dual Clutch and I really like it. The shift is so seamless you can't even feel it, the only way you know it shifted is a barely noticeable click and the gear indicator on the instrument panel changing.
Honda made motorcycles in the 80's that had fully automatic transmissions. They made them in 400 or 750cc models. You could leave them in drive and simply twist the grip to move out of for quicker acceleration you could start out in low, wind them out a bit and shift into drive. I bought a 400cc one at a garage sale that was just like new with something like 800 miles on it. I registered it, insured it but I never got my endorsement. After getting scared on it a couple of times I realized that it would be a matter of time. I sold it for a profit as I recall. I don't know why they quit making these. Probably not enough demand.

IIRC there wasn't enough demand for them. Times do change and while up to 2016 Honda made the CTX700 in both Manual and a DCT, in 2017 it was only DCT's. Not sure what 2018 will bring.

does the DCT tranny have a normal clutch/shift lever, or is it actually automatic? Or just no clutch lever but still with shifter?

Mr_Shiftright · September 2017

imidazol97 said:
I realize this is very serious for many people in FL and GA. But the media actually ruins it with the over-the-top enthusiasm. It is nice to see them reporting about something real. I suspect they're disappointed that the intensity at the core will drop now that it's a 2 and then later will be a 1.

But it reminds me of a local tornado that was visible on traffic cameras and went over the Air Force base then reappeared on a traffic camera on I70 we it actually touched down doing damage in a business strip that was closed.

The weather guy doing the reporting was ecstatic that they were able to watch the tornado clearly touching down by the ODOT camera. I was concerned about the people in homes in the path and their lives changing.

It was a real enough category 5 or those poor folks in the Caribbean. Those islands got smashed to bits.

ab348 · September 2017

imidazol97 said:
The hype was mentioned by someone on the forums. I parallel how the hype here with a snowstorm starts. The media folks seem giddy to have something to report.

It's the #weatherasentertainment factor at play. I equate it to a gory movie or scary TV show, which some people seem to really love. There is an audience for other people's misery. I call these kind of reports "media merchants of misery".

We have crossed a line separating useful news reporting that acted as a public service to the current state of over-hyped hot garbage reporting. All in the name of audience numbers.

Mr_Shiftright · September 2017

fintail said:
Do you really want to hear more political garbage? That seems to be the only other news in the world right now. This is a break, hopefully one which will end up with fewer casualties than the hyped predictions. It's been a few days since I have heard about tweets and nepotists, not all bad.

If anything, this shows that storm prediction is an inexact science.

abacomike said:

It is pathetic regarding the overwhelming amounts of live reporting prior to, during, even in the eye of Irma! I wonder if anything else is happening in the world or did the Earth just stop rotating until Irma dissipated?

It is very inexact. Nature does what she wants. Still, it was (is) a storm that made history.

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