Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

Caps lock is the CRUISE CONTROL FOR COOL and resale value.
 
Hbriz said:
I'm very tempted by the GTI myself. I think I could just about afford that right now... :think:
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Do it.

Although I'm not sure if "lady owner" is supposed to be a plus or a minus. :p
 
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so, random thoughts:
my car was broken into yesterday. ridiculously easy to open (convertible top, i could probably open the thing in less than 10sec -.-)...
interesting thing: they only stole my bonnet (which is the floor of the boot, i drive a smart you see...). ONLY that... nothing else. nothing got touched, nothing got damaged. they just opened the thing up, took the sheet of metal covering the engine and left it standing open. when i came back to the car i found it with a handwritten note from the police that they'd found my car open but couldn't see anything wrong. only by checking rather closely i found the damn thing to be missing...

how stupid is that? i mean... you can't possibly damage that part without killing the whole car and you can't really lose it either! why steal it?
plus: whoever did it, knew or probably owned a smart convertible so they knew exactly how to open it...
narf... well, at least nothing damaged and nothing really expensive taken. file the incident with police and have insurance get me a new bonnet... annoying :mad:
 
eizbaer said:
so, random thoughts:
my car was broken into yesterday. ridiculously easy to open (convertible top, i could probably open the thing in less than 10sec -.-)...
interesting thing: they only stole my bonnet (which is the floor of the boot, i drive a smart you see...). ONLY that... nothing else. nothing got touched, nothing got damaged. they just opened the thing up, took the sheet of metal covering the engine and left it standing open. when i came back to the car i found it with a handwritten note from the police that they'd found my car open but couldn't see anything wrong. only by checking rather closely i found the damn thing to be missing...

how stupid is that? i mean... you can't possibly damage that part without killing the whole car and you can't really lose it either! why steal it?
plus: whoever did it, knew or probably owned a smart convertible so they knew exactly how to open it...
narf... well, at least nothing damaged and nothing really expensive taken. file the incident with police and have insurance get me a new bonnet... annoying :mad:
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Maybee someone wanted it for something else?
lets see.....smart engine cover :think: ................shoeboxlid? :p

seriously though that sucks.....alot of paperwork and running about for some dweebs vandalisme.
 
bone said:
it has only 124 000km, you won't find many with less that that!
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except that our Mk2 GTIs were poo (they had a 90bhp engine in them)
 
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I need help, something is definitely wrong with me. I find myself wanting one of those big new Japanese minivans. I saw one the other day, not sure what make it was, probably the Toyota, maybe the Honda. But anyway, it was solid black and zipping through this parking lot, which was full of potholes, dips, and degrading asphalt. I was impressed how smooth it was driving and absorbing all the bumps. And it just looked sinister in black, like a little mobile command station or something. Normally when I think of a big vehicle like that, I would think of a big American SUV, like a Suburban or an Expedition. But those are big trucks with lots of ground clearance, this thing was low to the ground and cornered pretty flat.

So yeah, something is wrong with me. :p
 
TomCat said:
I need help, something is definitely wrong with me. I find myself wanting one of those big new Japanese minivans. I saw one the other day, not sure what make it was, probably the Toyota, maybe the Honda. But anyway, it was solid black and zipping through this parking lot, which was full of potholes, dips, and degrading asphalt. I was impressed how smooth it was driving and absorbing all the bumps. And it just looked sinister in black, like a little mobile command station or something. Normally when I think of a big vehicle like that, I would think of a big American SUV, like a Suburban or an Expedition. But those are big trucks with lots of ground clearance, this thing was low to the ground and cornered pretty flat.

So yeah, something is wrong with me. :p
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Nothin' wrong with some irrational minivan love. Hell, it would be the most impractical vehicle choice for me ever (single, 21, etc.) yet I still think that they are pretty sweet.

I'm trying to think of what model you spotted. It's hard to tell because all 3 of the top import minivans (Odyssey, Sienna and Sedona) handle surprisingly well. I'd wager you probably saw a Sienna SE, as those definitely look and drive sporty.
 
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If your going to get a van, get a full sized American van.


Even Honda thinks they are cool.
 
rickhamilton620 said:
Nothin' wrong with some irrational minivan love. Hell, it would be the most impractical vehicle choice for me ever (single, 21, etc.) yet I still think that they are pretty sweet.

I'm trying to think of what model you spotted. It's hard to tell because all 3 of the top import minivans (Odyssey, Sienna and Sedona) handle surprisingly well. I'd wager you probably saw a Sienna SE, as those definitely look and drive sporty.
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I'm pretty sure it was the new Sienna too.

GRtak said:
If your going to get a van, get a full sized American van.

Even Honda thinks they are cool.
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Full size panel van with "Free Candy" painted on the side? :p

I've seen some bitching vans before. I recall seeing one with a supercharged V8 that protruded into the cabin between the front seats. It was sick. But those vans are a bit more heavy duty. Solid rear axle, V8's, etc. They're more like work vans. These new minivans seem a lot more technologically sophisticated. Quiet and smooth. Unassuming. Like you could prowl around in the dead of night or something with it and escape detection.

And yes, I live in movie fantasy world where everything is a conspiracy. :p
 
Thomas93 said:
Why is insurance so expensive? There should really be a cheaper alternative?

Looking a a 93 Rangey Vouge for ?1k, ?4k to insure.
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Age, postcode, gender, no cross-subsidising and safe profits for insurance companies.

The purchase price has nothing to do with third party insurance, it is the possible financial damage a given driver, in a given vehicle, in a given region is likely to inflict on the insurance company
.
(The good news is that if you are over 25 and have three years plus, without accidents, fully comprehensive won?t be at that much higher cost. :lol:)
 
I'm kinda offended by the fact that Honda dares compare their mommy-schlepping Odyssey with the beauty and elegance of the 1983 GMC G15 Vandura.

Anyway Tom, you should definitely get a Corvair Greenbrier, the most manly vehicle ever created. They even called it a SportsWagon, to protect your future dignity:

corvair_greenbrier.jpg
 
BlaRo said:
I'm kinda offended by the fact that Honda dares compare their mommy-schlepping Odyssey with the beauty and elegance of the 1983 GMC G15 Vandura.
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Having grown up in and later driven an '88 G25 Vandura, I agree. There's just something about sitting NEXT TO the engine - using it as a damned drinks tray and map holder - that is just absolutely missing from modern vans. Hell, mine had cupholders on top of the engine sized for coffee mugs. Not the ever-popular spill-proof travel mug that's made to fit into regular cupholders - coffee mugs like you use at home, and as pen holders at the office. Steering where even the slightest movement of the wheel would adjust where you were headed, but I never encountered an obstacle - even curbs - that would feed back through. It just went where you told it to - and ran right the fuck over everything in the way. Speedometer went to 85. It would bury it and do 100+ - the loudest, noisiest 100+ in the fucking world, cleaving through the air like a goddamned thunderclap outside with only the most minimal attention paid to aerodynamics, and with a positively SCREAMING small block V8 cutting into your legroom and making its presence known.

It's PERFECT for hauling around kids - between the high-backed seats and the noise of sharing the cabin with a V8, you'll have trouble hearing the fuckers. Plus, if you get a 7-seat configured one, you can keep them spaced out so far from each other that they can't cause problems either. Taking friends places in that thing kind of sucked - the group would fill the back first and leave shotgun until last, because holding conversations in the front row is fucking impossible, so my poor driver-ass would be more or less alone the whole way.

In the event that I spawn, I'll be tracking one of those down again.
 
Magnet said:
except that our Mk2 GTIs were poo (they had a 90bhp engine in them)
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then you only had the 8v one with 90 hp, the "proper" Mk 2 GTIs over here had 110 hp
I owned a lowly 8v one, and yes, it lacked a bit it top end power but it more than made up for that in handling and character

I also found out that despite being 13 years old and having 100k kms on the clock, it still managed 200 kph, because it was so light (under a tonne)

On a completely unrelated note, and since we're sort of confessing we like cars we shouldn't, I must say I have a huge soft spot for a Dacia Duster ATM.

dacia-duster-02.jpg


it's the perfect budget 4x4, has just enough comfort and luxury for my tastes, and you can get it with nice things like a proper 4X4 diff, a 110 hp diesel engine and MP3 connectivity. Even after speccing it up to my taste, it still only costs 18k?, which is basically Golf money on a car that can do so much more

how is Renault making money on these? And how come they aren't selling billions of the things? Badge snobbery?
 
For those who know Calfornia well, would it be worth my while to take the longer route along the coast (101 instead of the quicker I5)?

It's about 80km and ~2-3 hours more than the fast route according to Google. I imagine it's a nicer drive, but is it nice enough to be worthwhile given I will probably driving straight through?
 
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