Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

I have to say the picture of the Astra surprised me. I was expecting it to look like a corolla or something. That isn't a bad looking car at all. Actually, it looks like something I'd be interested in. We have such a crap selection of 5 door hatches here!

Dear GM,
If you bring that here, and don't badge it as a damn Buick, I will buy it!
 
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I have absolutely no interest in 5 door hatches, but I seriously considered a Mazda3. It looks excellent (as does most of the Mazda range right now, come to think of it).
 
It took me six months and ~13 500 km to notice that I have a low washer fluid light. I thought the low fuel warning light was a bit bright, but this thing is the size of a quarter and bright as hell. It's also very annoying when driving in the dark, especially when coupled with the low fuel warning light next to it. I'm topping both up soon.
 
The washer fluid light in my old Sebring came on one day and stayed on for the next two years. Probably is still on. Luckily it was unobtrusive.
 
Well I just have to say all of you called it. 17 year old in a LS1 camaro = ticket. Yea last Friday I pulled up to a red light with 2 girls and a friend in the car, when a little Subaru with a huge spoiler came up next to me revving his engine like mad. I at first successfully ignored him but one of the girls in my car asked if his car was faster than mine cause it looked like it. That, of course, then got my ego involved and I stopped thinking rationaly. I then revd my engine a little and then brought my rpm to about 2100 rpm.

I lunched pretty good but I didnt full throttle it because I had a little sense in me and when I got about 5 over the speed limit I slowed down because I realized how dumb I was being. Unfortently, all of a suddon I hear sirens and I look in my side view mirror to see a cop. I pull over and he gets on his intercom telling me to put my hands on my head, then to take the keys out of the ignition and throw them out the window. I did. He then ripped me out of the car, threw me against it, and handcuffed me. He then told a back up officer that I was tryin to race. Anyways a lot of stuff happened. He searched my car for drugs and threatened to throw my friends and I in jail because he said we seemed like we were on drugs. He then talked with his back up for about 10 minutes and then asked me what happened. I said I wasn't on drugs and didn't want to race the guy next to me but I did give it some gas of the line to show off. He said ok gave me a giant ticket, 57 in a 35, which is bull because I made a point of letting off at about 40.

So now I'm waiting for my ticket in the mail and I can't drive my car for atleast 2 months and I have to pay for the ticket, which I think is fair. I have to say I have learned my lesson and I can see now why my dad, who had a 69 chevelle with a 395, didn't want me to have this car. Please don't flame me too bad, but I thought I would share my experience to further prove why, generally speaking, kids shouldn't have high powered cars.

EDIT: I should note that not all kids shouldn't have high powered cars, but the problem is the car is either too pwerful or fast for a kid to control it, or if a kid driver, has a lapse in judgement, which almost every single kid does eventually, the car is powerful enough to break the law faster than they realize it, which is what happened in my case.
 
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^well the good thing is you learned your lesson, however if all went like you said the cop was clearly overreacting and wasn't too thinking rational (boldly claiming someone is on drugs)
I know how tempting it can be for a young driver to get on the gas :rolleyes:
 
In all honesty, fight the ticket if you are sure you weren't doing that speed. Kudos for being honest about it and learning your lesson.
 
You should try and fight the ticket. Surely unless he has photographic evidence of your car doing 57 in a 35, then he can bugger off? The unfounded drug accusation can go jump as well.
 
Fight the ticket. Worst case you lose the trial and have to pay for it. I would suggest sitting in during some traffic courts before hand to see what works and what doesn't.

Dress well when you finally face the judge.
 
Yea I'm debating whether I'm just going to take traffic school, which will for sure get it off my driving record, but it will be very expensive, or if I'm going to fight it in court, which can make the ticket go away, but the thing is it's my word vs his. I mean he didn't get me with a radar gun, but he followed me and sped up with me. So the judge will either belive 2 officers who have been working on the force for a while or some kid in a red camaro who had other teenagers in the car, illegaly (California law says for the first year of driving, you can't drive anyone under 21).
 
I feel your pain. But I somehow doubt you were only doing 40. I know how fast the LS1 accelerates...you don't realize how fast you've reached a certain speed. Are you sure you were only doing 40? Even my pig-slow Volvo gets to 40 pretty quickly.

I'm just saying - you may have misjudged your speed.

I hope it doesn't raise your insurance too much.
 
Get a lawyer and ask about your options. You need an expert who's dealt with this stuff before, and in the long run paying for a lawyer up front will cost less than the raised insurance etc for a failed ticket fight.
 
If you have the traffic school option take it. The result is guaranteed.
 
Yea I could of misjudged my speed that is very possible. I also know how fast my car accelerates because for the last month now, I've been going to this strip of road that's deserted and working on my 0 to 60 launches. I've even set up cones in this parking lot at night to make a little autox track so I can try to learn my car.

WI'm not saying that I'm an expert driver. I also realize the fact of how unexperienced I am, but I have been learning my cars ability in a safe enviroment so I kind of know my cars and my abilities. No it's not as safe as a real autox course but my parents don't want me going to them. If I was indeed going faster than I realized it would have been because I under estimated my cars ability with 3 other people in the car, which is a very real possibility because the bottom line is I'm still an unexperienced driver.

Also if I don't get this ticket removed, my insurance will go up to about 4000 dollars a year. If that happens I will be forced to come up with all the money because my parents told me 1 ticket and they will stop helping with insurance. This will mean I will probably have to sell my car. Also my aunt is a former lawyer and she's asking her lawyer friends to see if there are any good traffic court lawyers, but I will only need to go that route if I can't take traffic school. I will most likely go to traffic school and pay the bail so that it will for sure get off my driving record. Then I will work off what I owe my aunt because she will pay for all that up front.
 
Good luck then. I hope it works for you.

If you do go to court, remember to act innocent. Be apologetic, admit that you were going 40mph, and that you shouldn't have. Admit your lack of experience.
But also say that you were not doing 57 in a zone with heavy traffic, and especially with other people in your car. You would never endanger the lives of others, and that's why it is not possible for you to be going as fast as the officers claim.
(Yes, it is a logical fallacy, but if you say it in the right tone, it might just work. Rhetoric is a powerful tool.)
 
I have to say the picture of the Astra surprised me. I was expecting it to look like a corolla or something. That isn't a bad looking car at all. Actually, it looks like something I'd be interested in. We have such a crap selection of 5 door hatches here!

Dear GM,
If you bring that here, and don't badge it as a damn Buick, I will buy it!

Well, they're releasing it in China as the Buick Excelle, and I have no doubts that they will also put it on the US market.

http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2009/11/new-buick-excelle-for-china-rebadged.html
 
Yea I'm debating whether I'm just going to take traffic school, which will for sure get it off my driving record, but it will be very expensive, or if I'm going to fight it in court, which can make the ticket go away, but the thing is it's my word vs his. I mean he didn't get me with a radar gun, but he followed me and sped up with me. So the judge will either belive 2 officers who have been working on the force for a while or some kid in a red camaro who had other teenagers in the car, illegaly (California law says for the first year of driving, you can't drive anyone under 21).

If you had another illegal offense you somehow weren't ticketed for, I'd say get your butt to traffic school and be glad there wasn't one more thing added on there.

Well, they're releasing it in China as the Buick Excelle, and I have no doubts that they will also put it on the US market.

http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2009/11/new-buick-excelle-for-china-rebadged.html

Ahhhhhhh! I may be a badge snob, but I don't think I can drive a Buick. My Granddaddy drove Buicks. He just loved them. His last one was purple. I'm sure they'll ruin it before it makes it here anyway, and I won't feel bad. I am not old enough to drive a Buick. I am not old enough to drive a Buick. I am not old enough to drive a Buick. :p
 
That's a step up. The last Buick Excelle was a rebadged Daewoo Lacetti/Suzuki Forenza. That's right, the most recent Reasonably Priced Car is a Buick in China.
 
Yea I'm debating whether I'm just going to take traffic school, which will for sure get it off my driving record, but it will be very expensive, or if I'm going to fight it in court, which can make the ticket go away, but the thing is it's my word vs his. I mean he didn't get me with a radar gun, but he followed me and sped up with me. So the judge will either belive 2 officers who have been working on the force for a while or some kid in a red camaro who had other teenagers in the car, illegaly (California law says for the first year of driving, you can't drive anyone under 21).

You apparently need a refresher course, so you should take traffic school. All the more since you've made yourself memorable to the cop, so chances are good that he'd show up in court and you'd lose.
 
You apparently need a refresher course, so you should take traffic school. All the more since you've made yourself memorable to the cop, so chances are good that he'd show up in court and you'd lose.

Aren't cops required to show up in court in CA regardless of whether they have been called as a witness or not?
 
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