Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations

fintail · June 2020

Both!

I once drove from Jacksonville to Atlanta on backroads, no interstates. I think it ended up at 6 or 7 hours. I didn't get out of the car, and made sure I was "empty" when I left. When I got there, it was a relief to get out of the car

driver100 said:

For a fuel tank or a bladder?

fintail · June 2020

Move up here to the developed world. Mask usage is pretty consistent in my neighborhood anyway. I'll see younger people or an occasional codgerly looking middle aged person at the store without one, but otherwise, everyone has one. Even my sometimes batty conspiracy theorist uncle wears one when he goes to the store. I do like the whine from the no-mask set, with their obscene lack of self-awareness. They are also the ones to screech "private property" at the drop of a hat, well, on my property, I can demand you wear a mask, or you can GTHO and never come back, and I'll trespass you if you don't abide. Nothing political about it.

I look at a mask as like using headlights before it is dark as night out - it isn't so I can see, it's to help others see me.

dino001 said:
I didn’t make it political, those who refuse to recognize the data did. There can be honest disagreements on the lockdown vs. economy, but how do you get from there to wearing or not wearing mask as a political statement, only really in America.

fintail · June 2020

I just said that to bait the "law and order" types

In my experience, illegality of speed is determined by the amount of lawyering one or one's daddy can afford.

qbrozen said:

Wrong vs illegal is always an interesting concept. Probably why they started the whole measuring of crimes language (misdemeanor, etc). Probably should have labeled them “$,” “$$,” “$$$,” and so on. The more $, the “more wrong.”

carnaught · June 2020

I agree with @abacomike. No need to mention conservative or liberal to make a point in a discussion - only serves an agenda IMHO.

roadburner · June 2020

I have a friend who ran in the last Cannonball conducted by the late Brock Yates. We talked about the latest attempts and he thinks they aren't as much fun as an event with multiple teams competing at the same time. I recommend Brock's book on the wonderfully anti-authoritarian event:

roadburner · June 2020

Speaking of Mr. Yates, he- along with David E. Davis Jr., and Satch Carlson-probably did more to shape my automotive tastes and writing style than anyone else.

driver100 · June 2020

I am all for wearing a mask....I just don't get when some dude is driving in his car all by himself....and is wearing a mask. What is that doing?

28firefighter · June 2020

driver100 said:
I am all for wearing a mask....I just don't get when some dude is driving in his car all by himself....and is wearing a mask. What is that doing?

No clue.

stickguy · June 2020

I always hope they just don't bother to take it on and off, because definitely not needed!

Michaell · June 2020

roadburner said:
I have a friend who ran in the last Cannonball conducted by the late Brock Yates. We talked about the latest attempts and he thinks they aren't as much fun as an event with multiple teams competing at the same time. I recommend Brock's book on the wonderfully anti-authoritarian event:

That book - along with many other automotive tomes - is on the bookshelf in my basement.

fintail · June 2020

Does the book have Daisy Duke in a color changing Countach?

For people driving with masks,I suspect it's just people who don't want to take it on and off at multiple stops, or they're afraid they'll forget it.

snakeweasel · June 2020

stickguy said:
do people question why they need to wear shoes or a shirt in public places? Basic sanitation and health. That's all masks are about, until they seem to have been politicized.

you are correct though, a lot of "you can't tell me to do things", unless of course, it is what you believe in and think should be able to tell other people to do.

They tell you to wear a shirt and shoes, they say nothing about pants.

snakeweasel · June 2020

fintail said:
Both!

I once drove from Jacksonville to Atlanta on backroads, no interstates. I think it ended up at 6 or 7 hours. I didn't get out of the car, and made sure I was "empty" when I left. When I got there, it was a relief to get out of the car

driver100 said:

For a fuel tank or a bladder?

I once did Nashville to Chicago all backroads, IIRC it took me about 10 hours. If it's less than 200 miles or so I prefer to stay off the interstate unless there is a time restraint or I'm going trough a congested area, it's just such a better drive.

snakeweasel · June 2020

fintail said:
Does the book have Daisy Duke in a color changing Countach?

For people driving with masks,I suspect it's just people who don't want to take it on and off at multiple stops, or they're afraid they'll forget it.

I dont wear a mask when I am driving and never will. They have a tendency to fog up my glasses sometimes when I exhale and while it's a minor inconvenience when I am walking around a store I think it's dangerous when I driving two tons of steel down a busy street.

stickguy · June 2020

I take it off as soon as I am outside. Have the same fogging issue. Though one day (when I went to the eye doctor) I did try putting a tissue under it on the bridge of my nose, and it really did take care of the fogging issue. Just more of a hassle to use every time. Though I have seen masks advertised as having extra pieces built in to take care of that problem.

ab348 · June 2020

My record drive in one day was from Hartford CT to Halifax NS, which is about 750 miles, that I did back in 1992 in my '90 GTI. It wasn't my original intent to do so but about halfway there I felt fresh and decided to just keep going. I got home late at night, probably around midnight, but by the last few hours had the "I'm on a mission" mindset.

tjc78 · June 2020

fintail said:
Does the book have Daisy Duke in a color changing Countach?

For people driving with masks,I suspect it's just people who don't want to take it on and off at multiple stops, or they're afraid they'll forget it.

That reminds me ... saw a mint looking General Lee the other night.

tjc78 · June 2020

Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads!!

snakeweasel · June 2020

What tjc78 said goes for me too.

driver100 · June 2020

What tjc and snake said goes for me too.

stickguy · June 2020

wow. that's a lot of people seeing General Lee's on the same day!

snakeweasel · June 2020

stickguy said:
wow. that's a lot of people seeing General Lee's on the same day!

But which General Lee? Charles, Henry or Robert?

jmonroe1 · June 2020

benjaminh said:
I think you can see why this is one of my favorite roads in Louisville to drive on....

Next time try staying on the road if you like it so much.

jmonroe

driver100 · June 2020

Saw one of these today....made me feel like getting a wagon like this;

I see why fintail likes wagons, they come out looking extra special.

driver100 · June 2020

jmonroe1 said:

benjaminh said:
I think you can see why this is one of my favorite roads in Louisville to drive on....

Next time try staying on the road if you like it so much.

jmonroe

See what I mean.....this cousin is hilarious!

fintail · June 2020

Ah, forbidden fruit. But hey,the US market gets all of the derpy CUVs, so I guess it balances out. Ugh.

Canada also gets the E53 wagon not seen in freedomland, the one with the cool I6. Because of course.

driver100 said:
Saw one of these today....made me feel like getting a wagon like this;

28firefighter · June 2020

A C43 estate. Truly forbidden fruit.

explorerx4 · June 2020

A while back, the Venture's Run, Don't Walk was posted.
Here is a performance of 'Wipeout' in 1966 in Japan.
Drummer kills it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bKG0p6Tv9Q

driver100 · June 2020

fintail said:
Ah, forbidden fruit. But hey,the US market gets all of the derpy CUVs, so I guess it balances out. Ugh.

Canada also gets the E53 wagon not seen in freedomland, the one with the cool I6. Because of course.

driver100 said:
Saw one of these today....made me feel like getting a wagon like this;

I haven't counted or compared, but, my MB salesman said, MB has more different models in Canada than in the U.S., with 10% of the population....go figure!

driver100 · June 2020

explorerx4 said:
A while back, the Venture's Run, Don't Walk was posted.
Here is a performance of 'Wipeout' in 1966 in Japan.
Drummer kills it.

He sure does....enjoyed that. Is it just me or is music is even better....when you see it performed for some reason.

tommister2 · June 2020

stickguy said:
yup. It is really common courtesy. Sadly it seems that is too much for some people to do.

I don’t think you meant it this way, but that is a pretty horrible thing to say. Some people should not or can not wear masks. Maybe some aren’t as enlightened as the mask wearing people? Why are we talking about masks here anyway?

explorerx4 · June 2020

I guess some people haven't heard of Covid 19. Kind of stunning.

ab348 · June 2020

driver100 said:

He sure does....enjoyed that. Is it just me or is music is even better....when you see it performed for some reason.

This live performance of Linus and Lucy (a tune I love) is simply sublime (give it a minute to get rolling).

https://youtu.be/OODA_K5hxyc

fintail · June 2020

I still don't get the significant differences in offerings between two quite similar markets. The only things I know of that Canada has lacked are some specific trim or options, while Canada gets entire models not seen south of the border.

driver100 said:

I haven't counted or compared, but, my MB salesman said, MB has more different models in Canada than in the U.S., with 10% of the population....go figure!

stickguy · June 2020

I always heard that Canada skewed more toward smaller, cheaper cars. For personal $ reasons I assume, not some national philosophy! Maybe they tend to be more European focused, and they just like wagons?

cdnpinhead · June 2020

Since Canada doesn't have to satisfy CARB or the US DOT regulations that require every variation of every car to go through a very expensive qualification process, it's possible to have many more models available at nominal additional cost to the manufacturer.

dino001 · June 2020

Canadian prices are much higher than US, so when you’re paying this much, you can expect to get better choice. US market is all about streamlining costs to bring prices down with a potential reward of huge volume, even in upmarket. Moreover, US customer wants a car here and now, no waiting, not even a week or two, certainly not couple of months. Not sure if Canadian customer is the same. European customer almost never buys a vehicle from a lot, especially premium brand.

qbrozen · June 2020

ab348 said:

driver100 said:

He sure does....enjoyed that. Is it just me or is music is even better....when you see it performed for some reason.
This live performance of Linus and Lucy (a tune I love) is simply sublime (give it a minute to get rolling).

https://youtu.be/OODA_K5hxyc

awesome. thank you.

fintail · June 2020

There's definitely a segment in Canada who likes cheap cars - I call it the Quebec cheapskate. In a climate that literally destroys a car, there's no point buying something nice for year round use, so buy the cheapest thing possible and run it into the ground or ditch it before it dissolves, when you pay little you lose little. A MB wagon wouldn't count for that though. For MBs, the entire option structure is like the UK, I've never seen a real answer on why the C wagon wasn't sold stateside, other than maybe a fear it would cannibalize the GLC and maybe GLA.

I was under the impression that virtually all new car sales in Canada, at least models that are also offered in the US, comply with DOT etc regulations, which is why it is a breeze to import a car across the border. As far as I know, Canada spec MBs have the same (often antiquated) lighting as US cars, along with emissions.

Also given the exchange rate, spec for spec, the price delta between MBs anyway sold in Canada vs the US is minor, depending on the day, they might even be marginally cheaper in loonieland. One thing I have noticed is Canadian market premium brand leases are usually not as subsidized as in the US.

jipster · June 2020

benjaminh said:
I think you can see why this is one of my favorite roads in Louisville to drive on....

Nice.What road is that? May give it a try.

benjaminh · June 2020

It's the road running through this string of "emerald necklace" parks seen in this map. The name of the road is Beckley Creek Parkway. Start at Floyd's Fork park entrance from Shelbyville. The Louisville Loop bike and walking path that goes through this string of parks is also very nice. I ride on it often. My guess is that this part of the Louisville Loop bike and walking path is about 30 miles long.

benjaminh · June 2020

Broad Run Parkway, which goes through that big park, is also very nice....

jipster · June 2020

Thanks. I'll put the name in my Android Auto .

On that second photo, lower right hand corner.....named after that time Jmonroe was being chased by his Mrs. with a frying pan? LOL

stickguy · June 2020

That first road is cool. Even comes with a circle to test lateral Gs.

oldfarmer50 · June 2020

dino001 said:
Canadian prices are much higher than US, so when you’re paying this much, you can expect to get better choice. US market is all about streamlining costs to bring prices down with a potential reward of huge volume, even in upmarket. Moreover, US customer wants a car here and now, no waiting, not even a week or two, certainly not couple of months. Not sure if Canadian customer is the same. European customer almost never buys a vehicle from a lot, especially premium brand.

I don’t think it’s necessarily the case of American impatience but rather the dealer system that forces you into taking something off the lot or pay a higher price. They’ll do a dealer trade of course at a higher price but from my experience they’d rather give you their first born child than custom order.

oldfarmer50 · June 2020

fintail said:
There's definitely a segment in Canada who likes cheap cars - I call it the Quebec cheapskate. In a climate that literally destroys a car, there's no point buying something nice for year round use, so buy the cheapest thing possible and run it into the ground or ditch it before it dissolves, when you pay little you lose little. A MB wagon wouldn't count for that though. For MBs, the entire option structure is like the UK, I've never seen a real answer on why the C wagon wasn't sold stateside, other than maybe a fear it would cannibalize the GLC and maybe GLA.

I was under the impression that virtually all new car sales in Canada, at least models that are also offered in the US, comply with DOT etc regulations, which is why it is a breeze to import a car across the border. As far as I know, Canada spec MBs have the same (often antiquated) lighting as US cars, along with emissions.

Also given the exchange rate, spec for spec, the price delta between MBs anyway sold in Canada vs the US is minor, depending on the day, they might even be marginally cheaper in loonieland. One thing I have noticed is Canadian market premium brand leases are usually not as subsidized as in the US.

In the rust belt that’s not being a cheapskate, that’s being financially prudent. What kind of spendthrift throws away $70k only to see it turn to a pile of rust in a few years? The alternative is to have a good car for summer and a beater for salt season. That can get pricey too unless you’re an expert hooptie hunter like me.

Say, there’s another job for GG. When he takes those cars down south for his clients he can shop the local Craigslist circuit for rust free cars, bring them back north and sell them to desperate MB owners.

driver100 · June 2020

About Canadian MB models in Canada, all your points are probably true to some degree. Just from off the top of my head my guess would be;
*As stated, cheaper cars sell better in Canada, so MB offers A and B models...they are very European and look like mini buses, would never sell in the U.S.
*Gas is 2 or 3X as expensive, so there is a market for wagons. Similar to Europe, get the same interior space with less weight...less gas.
*Large amount of land.....with very different economies, weather, cultures etc. In the big cities you can sell expensive models, in the poorer areas the more economical areas. Also vast land to drive across, mileage is a factor.
*Although there are more different models, the cars available within that model could be limited, for example fewer colors offered, more packages offered with not as much choice of individual options.
* Not as much options with pricing....dealers know if they maintain prices they will all benefit. No screaming deals like Mike gets.....lucky to get 3% discount. That makes it more worthwhile to try and cover as many bases as possible.
* Cars cost 15 or 20% more in Canada, but dollar is only worth 75 cents U.S.D. But some costs are less as they are in Canadian dollars...shipping, salaries etc., so don't get the full brunt of the low dollar.
* We are strongly influenced by the U.S. in taste, but, still maintain a European influence too.

ab348 · June 2020

Fin's post below captures a lot of the situation but I would add this - traditionally (going back even past the 1950s) the standard of living in Canada was a bit lower than the US and incomes were less, so naturally cheap cars did better. It is really only in the last decade or two that we see any significant number of extremely wealthy individuals outside of Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, hence the recent growth in sales of super-premium cars. But for your average working man back in the space age, for a given job he made less than his American counterpart. When taxes here went up with universal health care and other govt social programs, that removed even more disposable income from his wallet.

I'm unsure how much different Canadian safety and emissions standards are from those in the US these days. In the malaise era most of the domestics sold here were identical to the US counterpart, even with GM catalytic converters introduced in 1975 though I don't think they were a requirement here yet (I could be wrong though). I do remember seeing Fords in the mid-'70s on dealer lots here wearing stickers saying "Not For Sale in the USA" though I don't know exactly why that was. These would have predated metric speedometers, etc., and so I assumed it was due to emissions tuning.

I have no insight as to why M-B offers models here that aren't sold in the USA. The market here is so much smaller it would usually make sense for the reverse to be true. We see that sometimes in terms of paint and interior colors here, with choices offered in the USA that we cannot get here. Kia and VW come to mind as makes that offered different choices in those areas to US buyers, but limited Canadians to only black interiors or a reduced number of paint colors. On the flip side, we tend to favor smaller cars and are not allergic to hatchbacks, so sometimes we get oddball models offered here - right now an example is the Kia Forte5 hatch, which can't be had in the US. It makes an intriguing choice in that it is available in a hotted-up version, though I have yet to see one.

https://www.kia.ca/vehicles/forte5/modelrange

fintail said:
There's definitely a segment in Canada who likes cheap cars - I call it the Quebec cheapskate. In a climate that literally destroys a car, there's no point buying something nice for year round use, so buy the cheapest thing possible and run it into the ground or ditch it before it dissolves, when you pay little you lose little. A MB wagon wouldn't count for that though. For MBs, the entire option structure is like the UK, I've never seen a real answer on why the C wagon wasn't sold stateside, other than maybe a fear it would cannibalize the GLC and maybe GLA.

I was under the impression that virtually all new car sales in Canada, at least models that are also offered in the US, comply with DOT etc regulations, which is why it is a breeze to import a car across the border. As far as I know, Canada spec MBs have the same (often antiquated) lighting as US cars, along with emissions.

Also given the exchange rate, spec for spec, the price delta between MBs anyway sold in Canada vs the US is minor, depending on the day, they might even be marginally cheaper in loonieland. One thing I have noticed is Canadian market premium brand leases are usually not as subsidized as in the US.

oldfarmer50 · June 2020

jipster said:
Thanks. I'll put the name in my Android Auto .

On that second photo, lower right hand corner.....named after that time Jmonroe was being chased by his Mrs. with a frying pan? LOL

Check the roads in the first photo. So THAT’s where Shelbyville is located.

kyfdx · June 2020

oldfarmer50 said:

jipster said:
Thanks. I'll put the name in my Android Auto .

On that second photo, lower right hand corner.....named after that time Jmonroe was being chased by his Mrs. with a frying pan? LOL
Check the roads in the first photo. So THAT’s where Shelbyville is located.

No, aren't the Simpsons in Illinois?

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