Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

katwalk said:
It is so bad consumer reports doesn't like it anymore? :blink: That is pretty fail.
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I'm pretty sure it's decent, much like a Caliber is decent, but not good enough to compete against the latest compacts. This very much feels like one of those "big refreshes" that usually Ford does nowadays. Only issue is that this isn't much of an improvement unlike the Fords and actually a downgrade.
 
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Labcoatguy said:
Because you're saying it, it's excusable. As someone who's driven one, holy shit it isn't.
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Decent in the "it has four wheels and can get you from place to place" sense. :p
 
Yeah, except they don't. Friend got one as a rental last year and it committed suicide in the lot, the replacement Caliber wouldn't start, they finally gave him a Hyundai Sonata instead.

Also, bit warm outside today. While riding I recorded an air temp of about 140 at shin level on the bike, on the 'cool' side (left side has the radiator fan exhaust.) Lot of heat radiating off the street; I saw 113F (45C) ambient in places today. Edit: Just checked - I did about 100 miles out in that today. :p
 
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rickhamilton620 said:
Decent in the "it has four wheels and can get you from place to place" sense. :p
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I've driven a lot of them and no they're not even good at this task. The worst one I had to deal with was a car with a throttle control failure. You could push it faster than this car was capable of driving and said car had only 3000 kms on the odo. They were pretty much like any fairly recent Chrysler product, problem prone particularly the electrics, not nice to drive and consume more fuel than its competitors. These cars certainly kept the Chrysler service department very busy, there seemed to be a problem with the stupid cars every week.
 
So, earlier last month - in a search to find the best car to take an Epic American Road Trip in - I asked the readers of Road&Track magazine what they'd recommend. It was basically a WWPD? (What Would Peter Drive?) question. (For those of you who don't know, Peter Egan is probably the best automotive writer alive today; and is pretty much the only reason I buy R&T. He has gone on more road trips than I have ever dreamed of - including driving down Highway 61 in a BMW Isetta, crossing the country in a 1930 Ford Model A, and driving from Seattle to Madison Wisconsin in a Citro?n 2CV van.)

Well, Peter himself answered this question in his "Side Glances" column in the September 2011 R&T.

And the answer is........

A Cadillac DTS.

Bugger.
 
phoenixsac said:
So, earlier last month - in a search to find the best car to take an Epic American Road Trip in - I asked the readers of Road&Track magazine what they'd recommend. It was basically a WWPD? (What Would Peter Drive?) question. (For those of you who don't know, Peter Egan is probably the best automotive writer alive today; and is pretty much the only reason I buy R&T. He has gone on more road trips than I have ever dreamed of - including driving down Highway 61 in a BMW Isetta, crossing the country in a 1930 Ford Model A, and driving from Seattle to Madison Wisconsin in a Citro?n 2CV van.)

Well, Peter himself answered this question in his "Side Glances" column in the September 2011 R&T.

And the answer is........

A Cadillac DTS.

Bugger.
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Is he the one who did that piece about his deceased friend's Lotus Elan or some other small British sports car? That was a good article.

I would choose a 65' Lincoln Continental convertible for my American road trip.

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I'd love to be able to choose that but if I were driving multiple thousands of miles it's gotta be an A8L. especially if I can doze off while someone else takes a shift.
 
laxmax613 said:
It's not even that well appointed.
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I know - but his rationale was that it has a great ride, has a lot of room for two couples, gets surprisingly good gas mileage on the highway (27mpg is not uncommon), and has very comfortable seats that don't wear you out.

I think I'd rather get the Buick LaCrosse Super that I saw at the Las Vegas Carmax for $19K. It has most everything that Peter mentioned (Except it's a bit smaller not quite as roomy for 4 but still not cramped.), and it's a lighter car powered by a 303hp 5.3 litre V8 for a better power-to-weight ratio and therefore acceleration.

And Hans, yes, that was him.

And I'm not sure I would choose a '65 Lincoln Continental convertible as a car to drive cross-country in - despite the fact that I love them. Remember last page where Spectre was talking about the miles of vacuum lines in some Mercedes models? Well, the Lincoln has even more. And driving a complicated 50 year old convertible long distances invites all sorts of problems. What if it starts raining and you find that you can't put the top up? You have to be prepared for things like that to go wrong.
 
Heathrow said:
EU driving licence question.

If you have a full driving licence in an EU country, you then move to another EU country say for work, your current licence is good for the first year.

What happens after a year, can you just apply for another full driving licence in the new country or do you then have to take a driving test?

:)
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Well, technically a French license (for instance) is a European license, meaning it should be recognized all over Europe for as long as you are there.
 
I checked out stanceworks yesterday. And while they work really hard on those old Beemers, they just don't know when to stop lowering!
Man, those cars just look ridiculous! Especially the VW cars sitting around in front of the garage. They look like they must be shopped. No way, the front tires can tilt to the side without killing the front fender. And what's the point of lowering anyways? I mean, yes a little bit lower look more sporty and the center of gravity is lower, too. But the ride must be so horrible!

Anyways, I just wanted to tell you that I get a new car next saturday!

My father bought himself a new VW Touran and so his 2001 Audi A4 2.5 tdi Avant becomes homeless. I'll provide it's new shelter for the next months ;-)

That's quite a huge step forward from my rusty 1989 BMW e30.. The Audi has even ABS and airbags ;-) and a nice Bose soundsystem and wood interior..
I'm so happy right now. Can't wait for the weekend. Hopefully I can take some pictures and contribute to the Post your car thread.
 
Heathrow said:
EU driving licence question.

If you have a full driving licence in an EU country, you then move to another EU country say for work, your current licence is good for the first year.

What happens after a year, can you just apply for another full driving licence in the new country or do you then have to take a driving test?

:)
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As far as I know, you can drive with your EU license for as long as it is valid. There are no restrictions and the different licenses are accepted by the fellow member countries of the EU.
 
Yep. Only thing you need to remember is the validity period of your license. After which, if you now live in a different EU-country, you'll be issued a new license from that country.

The EU on driving licenses.
 
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I might be buying a Cosworth BOB engine.. :p
 
There is a local guy with a CRX that I see at a lot of car shows/meets. It says "daily driven." It's a Honda CRX, it was meant to be daily driven. I hate dumb stickers.
 
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