Amphicar BUYER
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Posts posted by Amphicar BUYER
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My bike is louder than my Cadillac to be sure, however the manner in which I drive my bike determines the volume level as it does with my Caddy. I keep my bike in higher gear thru residential areas and it's no louder than any other car except the diesels who are louder at idle than my bike at 20mph in 3rd let alone going down the highway. In my 30+ years of riding, My loud pipes have saved my life and more than once and to say otherwise would be lie. I blip my throttle instead of the horn as It gets your attention immediately where horns are largely ignored. If you are aware of me, I am less likely to be killed by you.
I know motorcycles are dangerous, but I also know cars, planes, the insane, beer, sharp objects, toasters in the shower and almost everything around you is dangerous. I choose to take my chances doing what I love. You don't have to choose the same things as me nor approve my choices. Looking at some of the comments, I can clearly see who is a rider and who is not. I have ridden in groups of 10,000+++ bikes and that is a sight to behold (unless you don't like motorcycles). There are good riders and there are bad. For the most part I go with more good than bad. Just like people in general, mostly good.
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Stating 7+ year old statistics is like test driving a 2007 car but buying a 2014. It does not translate, not to say they still may show similar results. I stated "MOTORCYCLES" not just registered road bikes. There are many many miles traveled by unregistered motorcycles and scooters thru back country and off road paths. They are far more dangerous by nature and certainly are passenger miles traveled. In Europe I'd bet the figures are significantly different that the ones you had available to you.
I am not against helmets, I am against helmet laws. Helmets block your view and it always mutes your hearing making it difficult to not only hear whats around you but more importantly to discern where the sound is coming from. Anyone who rides and wears a lid knows this. Just as seat belts are not always a good idea and certainly are not required in all vehicles, helmets are undoubtedly a good choice in most cases, but not in all.
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In New Zealand, our health system is paid for by the tax payer, as it is in UK. Health insurance is held by only a small proportion of the population. Thus we all pay for people who are too blase to keep themselves safe. US health insurance premiums are also affected by such people being injured...
This is NOT how it is in the US, I can't speak about NZ or the UK. However to single out only motorcycle riders is ignorant. The text in BOLD from your post is only partially correct as you omitted the all important fact that the these rates in the USA are NOT based on only motorcycle riders, they are based on all forms of transport. We (motorcycle riders) do not complain that we pay higher rates due to the other drivers choices. This is a common misconception from the people (non-riders mostly) who choose to filter the facts and strategically omit many of the facts to make it appear as they want. Most motorcycle accidents are caused by inattentive drivers, the vast majority of those are illegal left turns in front of the biker. Again, passenger mile per mile, motorcycles are still safer than cars.
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One more request, 1966 and 1958 Cadillac stuff or 1964 and 1970 Olds. Nothing specific in mind until I see it then I'll know. ;-)
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I've had this discussion with too many people who still believe they can use tires that look new but have many years on them. I'm sad it took your friend and maybe, just maybe his death will save the lives of others. Small consolation but huge in terms of someone else's possible fate with tires they may have on a car at this very moment.
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My dad taught himself woodgraining, it was a long process to get it right. It takes patience, artistic eye and finesse. It's getting to be a lost art with so many modern methods like hydro-printing and wraps. Give it a go, be patient and have actual wood samples to look at so you can see the variances of ea species.
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I don't buy into the comments that say you pay for a helmetless motorcycle rider's injuries. You do not! Do you think that if you are in a car wreck and get a head or any type of injury that you should not pay for that too as they are not wearing a helmet or have a roll cage in your car? Maybe all cars should require roll cages and drivers to wear helmets? Maybe we should make convertibles illegal too? Why don't busses have seatbelts? This is nonsense and more misinformation. I choose to wear a lid and sometimes I choose not to. If I get in a wreck on my bike is has the same effect on you that when you crash your car has on me. Mile per mile motorcycles still have fewer injuries than automobiles. Your insurance does not pay for my injuries. My insurance does not pay for yours either.
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This technology has been around since early 1900s. Maybe with modern tools it can be perfected.
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Long shot but I'm gonna ask. Looking for anything Amphicar.
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Again, here in the USA they CAN NOT force you to retrofit anything that was not required at the time of manufacture. If your car did not require an outside mirror when now, they can not ticket you for it now.
I once had a Sheriff try to ticket me for not wearing my seatbelt in my Amphicar (never had them) while in the water. We had a heated conversation about how my car never had them and in the water I should NOT be wearing them anyway. In the end he succumbed to common sense. You should NEVER be belted into a boat. Even the racers do not have belts for obvious reasons. They have parachutes to save them. Not very useful in an Amphicar. (shrug)
I did not intend to start a conversation of seatbelt VS helmet. I don't see this being deleted, it's a good conversation and no one appears to be offended. I was only illustrating the hypocrisy of the uneducated comments about motorcycles. Especially in the 1st responders field whom I have the utmost respect for. They see numerous car wrecks and the resulting carnage every day yet still drive a car. They see an occasional motorcycle wreck and deem them all as death traps. This does not pass the BS or common sense test. I have well over 100,000 miles on bikes all over the US and to date, in spite of stupid, inattentive and poor drivers best efforts, I am still here, insurance paid in full and $400 helmet in use. My exhaust is loud and that has saved me from those very people many times. The horn has the same effect as the finger, little if any. My loud pipes gets attention immediately. When I leave my home I go into a higher gear keeping the noise at a minimum. NOBODY has ever complained in 18 years here.
There are dumb laws out there all over. Most of the time I'd like to believe they are there for a good reason, but many just are head scratchers. Lately I have been seeing very expensive, intricate, convoluted and senseless intersections being built. One here in Loveland on a 4 lane VERY busy hiway, CO (see pic) is beyond a WTF. Turn lanes that cross ea other, thru lane that go thru turn lanes and super long lights. If you end up in the wrong lane it become like going thru Chicago to get to L.A. from Santa Fe. They said there are fewer wrecks, that may be but I think like myself most avoid it and less traffic is why less wrecks. I'm sure the powers that be have a rationale for it, but I don't speak "idiot" so it's lost on me.
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I have been in EMS for over 30 years. The law is about as stupid as it gets in Pa. regarding motorcycles...which I refer to as "donorcycles"
People get hurt and die in car/bicycle/truck/airplane wrecks every minute of every day and yet they keep driving their vehicles but never complaining about how dangerous they really are. To single out motorcycles as only being dangerous is an ignorant comment most often spoken by non-riders. The stats certainly don't support this myopic comment.
Chain laws here is Colo are to protect the idiots who think a 4wd will never slide off the road only to find out they do. This costs emergency services to go rescue them and keep traffic flowing for the rest of us.
They CAN NOT enforce a law that was enacted after your car was built. They can't make you add seatbelts, 3rd brake lights etc. to a car that did not require them when new.
You are also foolish to install tubeless tires on a tube type wheel. Yes they may hold air, but the difference is in the bead. The bead for a tubeless wheel is designed to lock the tire onto the rim. If you install a tubeless tire on a tube type rim you take a chance on rolling the tire off the rim in a turn. DANGEROUS and foolish. I don't want to hear the idiotic comments "nothing has happed so far so it must be safe" Because it hasn't happen to you yet does NOT preclude it from happening.
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sad to say we are seeing, as the years go by, a general loss of what my generation called "civility". These days, I am not sure, when my collector era car is in a public area, which is the greater danger, thieves, or just people who do not have the same standards of good manners that my generation has (or had ! ).
My recommendation is to recognize the above - which simply means we have to be more vigilant. And, remember, folks, no matter how much YOU value your car, it is only property, and you dare not think of violence to protect it.
I appreciate the sentiment about forgiving but until you have been violated by a thief, you can not understand. I have had things stolen and a couple cars that mean the world to me taken. There is no way I could or would stand idly by and shrug it off. That is what enables a thief to continue. this is one of those things that work on paper, but in real life, not so much.
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If you can't deal with the problems and personality of a 50+ year old machine, maybe you should rethink where your passion and skills lie. If your frustrated, it won't be fun. It should be fun no matter if it's crossword puzzles, knitting, collecting stamps or old cars. Find something you will love 90% of the time and you will be happier.
I for one love it. Just this week I pulled a 1966 Cadillac ragtop out of a 25 year long slumber. I have enjoyed bringing her back to life, fixing ea. misbehaving piece at a time. We drove it about 150 miles today, pieces of the convertible top flapping and some flying off in the wind! A "ragtop" in the literal sense but the smiles and looks of WTF make it a blast! Went to a show where there was another 66 convert there with a new leaky top and we were still dry in a HEAVY downpour (3"+ in 20 mins). These things make my girlfriend and I smile and not frustrated. It's not for everyone, but it is for me.
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My experience, thankfully, was more humorous than anything else. I was shopping and parked my 1989 Caprice Classic in the lot away from everyone elses vehicle.... We both had a good laugh.
When I was in High school, I had a '64 Olds Jetstar 88 ragtop, but a friend of mine (whom I adored) had a '64 Starfire hardtop. Just as a joke I put my key into her lock and it worked. From then on I would switch parking spaces with her or just move it over a couple spaces. I had good fun with Sue over that.
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I looked at them. The controller box looks like a Heathkit box put together by a 12 yr old. For that kind of money I would expect a more professional box other than a toggle switch (prone to breaking).
I'll pass as my arm is also wireless and it works every time in every vehicle and it has an option that these don't.... a middle finger for those other occasions.
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I had a 1964 Olds Jetstar 88 convertible (triple blue) for about 25 years. I sold it 18 years ago and have spent much of that time looking for it. I didn't find my car but I just found another. Looking forward to it's arrival soon... :cool:
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I caught a guy sitting on my Harley going VROOM VROOOM while twisting my throttle and jumping up and down. I came up behind him, grabbed his collar, yanked backwards and showed him the ground. I feel certain he got the point.
I had a father open the door to my Amphicar and let his kid jump in. First thing the kid did was grab my turn signal switch and snap it off. All this before I could get near him. He grabbed the kid and walked away like nothing happened. I confronted him and he said "it's not a big deal, it's just an old car anyway." I followed him to his car and while he was busy on the phone sitting on the hood of his car, I took out the pliers I had in my pocket and ripped out a valve stem. I looked at him and said "It's not a big deal, it's only air." I came back later and took 2 more for good measure. Amazing how loud that is!
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When I was the President/treasurer and webmaster for the Amphicar club, I did an entire page dedicated to vanity pl8tes on Amphicars that is still to be found there (www.Amphicar.com). I didn't want mine to be like all the rest so I decided to go with the most asked question I get A WHAT?. I have had this plate since 1999.
A friend has NASHCAR on his 52 Nash. My 1969 Bonneville was RU4692 (read RU4 69 2?) My 2nd 66 Cadillac ragtop said HAD1B4. My Harley is HD GIMP. After 18 years on my bike somebody complained and the state pulled it. Now I'm fighting to get it back. Countless people saw it in all those years and a dozen magazines, one idiot complains and I have to give it up?
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If you are so worried about lawsuits, maybe you should reconsider a bubble to live in to protect you from the SMALL chance of a moron attack (they are out there, but we can't let the morons win!). I refuse to let paranoia ruin my fun and love for smiles. I have let so many people drive my Amphicar and countless others ride or sit in it. I would hate to think that all those memories would never exist if I had allowed paranoia to make me a prisoner. Share your love!
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OK, here are you probably never saw, Berlin Police actually used Amphicars as police cars and there were well equipped Amphicars used in rescue operations. I have the original papers for the ordering of the these rescue cars....
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I saw an alleged Mercedes wagon under a large station wagon shaped mound of fresh snow this winter. Why would you take a photo of the car buried under 10" of snow? I see many cars with trash piled up on the floor or the occasional full ash tray shown in an ad that states "never smoked in"
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He wouldn't even talk about offers and got a little mad at the effort. The for sale sign was so faded you couldn't hardly read it. Thar she sits....
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This '57 Merc has been for sale forever (several years) for $30k. Interior looks above average, mechanical condition is unknown (allegedly ran several years ago). What would you think it's actually worth based on this little bit of info. It's sitting in a high mountain town I go thru regularly here in Colorado. I think it's way over-priced, what do you think?
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That is not a million dollar car. Still stinks.
Yes, it was according to the report. One of these (351 made) sold for $1.15M. Not my cup of tea, always sad if it's yours.
Brewster Automobile
in General Discussion
Posted
Still the most beautiful grille ever. IMNSHO