Guest BruceW Posted March 8, 2002 Share Posted March 8, 2002 Chuck,<P>Don't worry.. I wasn't not taking it near as serious or personal as you may think. I never do.<P>The only rotary I have driven was the early (1979-80) Mazda RX-7 at the VW-Mazda dealership that I worked at after school when I was 17. I thought they were a blast.<BR>Is there any other current production cars besides the Mazda that uses a rotary? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 8, 2002 Share Posted March 8, 2002 No, Mazda even dropped the RX7 series for a couple of years. There is a three rotor made in Japan that is supposed to make 400HP and weigh 175pds. If it wasn't for the nasty fuel economy of the rotary I guess the Mfg's would resurrect the engine. My bridge ported 12A rotary would get about 2 MPG on the track, the 4 stroke boys would laugh because I needed a half tank of fuel to do a 20 lap race. Made for a fast car at the last lap though, right when you needed it. Combustion chamber surface area is what makes them so poor, supposedly using propane instead of liquid gasoline really helps as it will burn right into the crevice volumes and won't drop out of suspension. The big problem is propane burns hotter, the last thing a rotary needs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 8, 2002 Share Posted March 8, 2002 Mazda is bringing the Wankel back in the RX-8, a 2+2 coupe with small rear doors like the Saturn coupe. The current craze of introducing "cross-over vehicles" is really van and truck based tall wagons. The disadvantage of such vehicles to me is the handling is still van/truck bad. The Chrysler Pacifica was originally to be based on the LH and would have been a larger wagon, but is now based on the minivan chassis.<P>In my opinion, the utility of an SUV/other truck is primarily as a tow vehicle. I've taken 5 people, a canoe, and camping gear for 2 weeks in a Taurus. Also 3 people on a camping trip in a Jaguar XJS, but I'll admit that's a little flaky. I don't see the need for all the bulk to carry 5 people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 8, 2002 Share Posted March 8, 2002 If I can add my 3 1/2 cents worth regarding driver and passenger comfort I have found nothing to equal the smoothness, silence,handling and sheer ease and comfort of a post'77 Rolls Silver Shadow 2, Maintenace? that's another issue complicated only by the sophisticated? hydraulic system and much of the bad rap that follows these cars results strictly from ignorance and improper maintenance of said system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 8, 2002 Share Posted March 8, 2002 LI I hope you have a SUV to go with that Rolls Royce. The only thing that would bug the ankle biters in this thread more than an SUV owner is a RR owner. Or for a pure poke the environmentalists in the eye, how about a motor coach with a wood burning fireplace? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 8, 2002 Share Posted March 8, 2002 Actually it leaks so much oil that squirrels crossing the road drown in it, and nothing I like better than to drive down a treelined path and watch the birds fall out of the trees because of my exhaust fumes,at least my wife can keep track of me by the smoke trail and I sure keep the mechanics busy every time I drive just a mile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 8, 2002 Share Posted March 8, 2002 Now remember,suv's are considered trucks by the DMV thus the emissions standards are much more lenient and therefore more environmentally harmful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 9, 2002 Share Posted March 9, 2002 don't blame the DMV for the truck subsidy - light trucks are not held to the same standards as cars, even if used the same ways, because of political lobbying. Light truck sales are very profitable for the OEM.<P>Each can have his own opinion of whether this is appropriate or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave@Moon Posted March 9, 2002 Share Posted March 9, 2002 As long as we're going on about drivers that bug us. I have a new one. These are rare. Their habitat consists exclusively of long interstate stretches. Once they reach an urban area, they seem to seemlessly blend into traffic and dissappear.<P>You can almost always identify them though. They're the ones driving a brand new, but rough looking "You're-A-Peon" car. Frequently these are of German origin.<P>These drivers are the variety that believe that they purchased a special entitlement to drive at extreme autobaun speeds for their $75,000. You can immediately identify them by their habit of using "flash-to-pass" HID lights at the drop of a hat, usually to assert their frustration that the person in front of them is only doing 72 mph in a 55 mph zone.<P>One will encounter the occasional English variety of this type of driver, however he/she will rarely be driving a car that costs more than a BMW 8-Series. Jaguar would be the marque of choice for these specimens.<P>However, one should not forget that these drivers generally cut their teeth driving turbocharged Swedish cars. One <I>never</I> trains with the A-grade equipment! <P>There may be the occasional sighting of one of these drivers in a "Yeah, but it's only my company car" Taurus or other rental-friendly marque. These are usually only poseurs. I do not give them equal countenance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 9, 2002 Share Posted March 9, 2002 At least when I'm tooling down the boulevard in one of my brass babes and I notice some hoople tailing me and honking in a thoroughly obnoxious manner, generally in an suv or some such outrageously arrogant chariot I will cut to the center of the road and frustrate any attempts to pass me,one of life's more rewarding pleasures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 9, 2002 Share Posted March 9, 2002 Sorry if my anti-SUV rant came across a little too harshly.<P>I meant only the big huge things like the expedition, escalade, yukon, etc. Personally, I've never been accosted by a Blazer, Ranger, Jimmy, or the like. The more truck-like pre-SUVs I can deal with.<P>Another thing that annoys me:<BR>PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE<BR>I can realise the companies are trying to make some cash, but designing products to fail? That's not right. This may not be true, but from what I've seen, all those Japanese 10yr/100k-mile warrantees are actually more like death certificates.<P> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 9, 2002 Share Posted March 9, 2002 Boy Housewife- You're a piece of work.<BR>Where do the blacks and the Jews fit into your superior world? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave@Moon Posted March 9, 2002 Share Posted March 9, 2002 Somewhere above name callers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave@Moon Posted March 9, 2002 Share Posted March 9, 2002 One thing I left off of my rant against "You're-A-Peon" drivers: Nothing offends them more than an antique license plate in front of them in traffic.<P>L.I. How long do you want live? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted March 9, 2002 Share Posted March 9, 2002 Just got back from my first SUV drive, in a Jeep Cherokee. Three hours round trip to Kennedy Airport. Nice ride, 75MPH most of the time, plenty of room for a six footer. Wouldn't mind having one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest De Soto Frank Posted March 9, 2002 Share Posted March 9, 2002 LI:<P>You have regular plates on your "Brass Babes"? I don't know if we could do that in PA. Acetylene headlights, 2-wheel brakes & all? Seat belts?<P>Wow.<P>My regular mechanic gives me grief every year when I bring my '41 De Soto in for inspection: "When are you going to put a historic tag on this thing?!"<BR>(Actually, for the amount I drive it these days, the historic tag limitations probably wouldn't be an issue.)<P>My only qualm about defending my "right of road" with my antiques is the thought in the back of my head: "where am I going to get the parts to fix this jalopy if this bozo actually hits me?".(OK, maybe I'm just chicken!)<P>Wasn't so much of an issue when I had my slightly abused 19 year-old (1977) Cadillac Sedan de Barge; I'd challenge anyone to take away my "right of way" then.<BR> <P>Ah well, we're all suppposed to "play nice", right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 9, 2002 Share Posted March 9, 2002 Yeah, I see your point but here's how I look at it, sure, they will wear out faster than a modern car, but I can do everything myself with the exception of some machine work and there are plenty of machine shops around, I keep them well maintained regularly and in good adjustment which cuts down on wear, I thoroughly enjoy driving them not on a daily basis but frequently enough in good weather and bad. Also perhaps because the older guys who influenced me were first-generation collector-drivers who thought nothing of hopping in and driving 300 miles in a day, they didn't "restore"cars, they "fixed them up" which simply meant putting it in good mechanical shape with a decent interior and a nice coat of paint. I hop both sides of the fence and can appreciate a good 100 point car as much as anyone but to these old guys the real test was not how much the resto cost but how much have you driven the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Smeraldo Posted March 10, 2002 Share Posted March 10, 2002 My daily driver is a 1989 Merc Colony Park wagon. It averages 20mpg. One day I was at Home Depot sliding 4x8 sheets of sheetrock into the cargo area when I noticed a guy with a Chevy carryall (thats what we used to call those truckwagons) tieing similar 4x8s on the roof. I was puzzled but I thought maybe he had to take his seats out while mine folded down. Also to put another thing into perspective my wife's 2001 grand Marquis averages 23mpg and we have gotten as much as 26mpg on a trip. Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketraider Posted March 10, 2002 Share Posted March 10, 2002 Had my first experience with a "You're-a-Peon" driver this afternoon returning from swap meet in Raleigh NC. I-40 westbound, we're in the 1976 Ninety Eight (with antique tags!) tooling along with traffic in the center lane, about 75 in a 65 zone, when here it comes- BMW 740iL with lights flashing, passed us on the right and left us like we're sitting still...<P>I was glad to get back to the hinterlands, away from all that civilisation. Wouldn't live there for it, fighting that I-40 traffic every day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 10, 2002 Share Posted March 10, 2002 But my cars don't have antique plates,just reg'lar pass.car tags, so there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 11, 2002 Share Posted March 11, 2002 Been out of town for the past 10 days so I am a bit late getting into this thread.<P>Anyway, last year I bought a Yukon XL with the 8.1 L engine [about 500 CI]. 13 MPG highway and 10 MPG highway pulling a loaded trailer.<P>I frequently pull a 4250# trailer containing a 4400# car as much as 2000 miles one way to a tour. Now what would you anti SUV characters have me use for a tow vehicle, a Ford escort. When you need power and comfort for thousands of miles of trailer hauling it is either this or a one ton truck, and nobody can tell me that the truck has the comfort or interior room of a Yukon XL.<P>Another thing most people overlook is the safety factor of a LONG wheelbase tow vehicle. So please get off your soap boxes and cut a little slack for those of us who need and sensibly use a big, heavy, powerful SUV. Which by the way, I NEVER drive in the city, even the cities in sparcely populated Wyoming.<P>hvs<P>PS: This Yukon replaced a 7 year old 2500 series Suburban with a 454 CI engine [about 8-9 MPG hauling a trailer.] That vehicle had 125,000 miles on it of which about 110,000 was logged pulling a loaded trailer.<BR>When you average about 15-20,000 miles annually pulling a loaded car trailer, you gain some level of understanding about trailering and what makes it safe, comfortable and pleasant.<P>There IS a place on the road for these vehicles, like em or not.<p>[ 03-10-2002: Message edited by: hvs ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave@Moon Posted March 11, 2002 Share Posted March 11, 2002 Howard,<P>There's a place on the road for Kenworth's, too. Nobody argues against using the right tool for the right job. <P>But those if us who live where 15 to 20K miles/yr. is much more often translated into trips to the KK and the mall (or a comfortably short commute of 45 min./day) ssee <I>way</I> too many people using your tool for their penis envy. <P>Statistically less than 8% os all SUV's are <I>ever</I> driven off road. It'd be interesting to see what percentage of their use is accomplished while towing as well. My experience would indicate that you are a member of an <I>extreme</I> minority.<P>My rant against BMW drivers (et al.) doesn't mean they're no good either. I'd take a BMW over any car on the road right now myself. <P>These little ventings are against bad driver types. I had a minivan driver force a '66 Skylark convertible (that I was caravanning with) off the road on I-70 three years ago. My Dad drove the same vehicle, down to the color combination. He's an excellent driver.<P>I'm sure you are, too. <p>[ 03-11-2002: Message edited by: Dave@Moon ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hal Davis (MODEL A HAL) Posted March 11, 2002 Share Posted March 11, 2002 My daily driver is a '99 F-150. It gets about 20 mpg. I don't care what anyone thinks about its fuel economy or its emissions. I don't haul something every day, but I can haul something any time I want. The fact is, this is still America and I can drive what I want. Others can drive what they want. You don't like it, LEAVE!<P>Now, my beef is with the way folks drive. I agree with whoever it was above that said that it's drivers in all kinds of cars that drive bad, just the SUV gets remembered. I spent about 3 hours on I-95 yesterday doing approximately 8 miles over the posted speed limit. This is the speed I normally drive. My theory is that this is about as fast as I can drive and not have to slam on brakes every time I see a cop. So, at 78 mph, the safe driving distance between me and the guy in front is 7.8 car lengths, right? Just try it. I promise you that 5 cars will easily fit between you. There were 100's of motorcylces coming back from Daytona. I couldn't believe how close people would follow them or how close they would change lanes in front of them. <P>It's not just on the interstates either. I guess I just don't like being crowded. I can't stand anyone tailgating me and I can't stand people changing lanes in front of me when I already am not driving a safe distance from the guy in front. Where does he think I'm gonna go when the guy in front of him slams on brakes for that dog, deer, child, or other @$$#%!& that cuts him off? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 11, 2002 Share Posted March 11, 2002 Dave ~ You are quite correct of course, but having been out of town and off of the forum for 10 days I needed to jump back in, and since nobody had anything good to say about SUVs I thought I should stir the pot.<P>However, I do believe that minivans and their drivers are a greater menace on the roads than LARGE SUVs. With SUVs it's the yuppies in the smaller SUVs that seem to be the problem, and yes, they never go off road or engage the 4 wheel drive. <P>You can't compare Kenworths and SUVs because the big rigs are a fact of commerce and not being driven because the Jonses next door have one. And Janie and her mom certinly cannot be seen in a lesser vehicle than Mary and her mom. <P> hvs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 11, 2002 Share Posted March 11, 2002 Bingo Howard, I've got nothing against someone using a vehicle for what it was intended to do, not as a fashion accessory to make grocery runs in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 11, 2002 Share Posted March 11, 2002 LI ~ Out here, even grocery runs sometimes require a 4x4. Conditions on snow packed parking lots are sometimes equal to eastern off road conditions <P>What is really fun to watch is the southward sloping parking lot at WalMart when it is covered with ice, the wind is 45 MPH out of the north, and the cars all blow down the slope and stack up tightly side by side at the bottom. They must be removed one at a time starting with the northernmost vehicle.<P>Things are a bit different out here. ~ hvs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave@Moon Posted March 12, 2002 Share Posted March 12, 2002 With all due respect, Howard, you cannot accurately assess the average SUV driver. You are an SUV driver yourself. As such, you count to other SUV drivers, good or bad.<P>If you re-read the rants above the problem with SUV drivers is that those of us with Saturns, Hyundais and TR3's are often too small on their radar screen to matter. Nobody nonchalantly cuts off a Yukon, no matter what their driving. But there have been <B>many</B> times when I was getting a very close look at the belt moulding of a passing SUV who's driver didn't know or care if I was anywhere nearby. When I'm driving my Ranger I find this happens <I>a lot</I> less.<P>I'd be willing to bet that every one of these oblivious clowns think they're "safer" driving like this in one of these battleships. (In an urban environment, these things are <I>nothing</I> but battleships!) The amusing part is that if half of them took the time to add up what this thing <I>really</I> costs to use as a daily driver, you can bet that that half would be off the road in a week! <P>But then what would Exxon and the Bin Laden family do to entertain themselves? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted March 12, 2002 Share Posted March 12, 2002 Can't help but wonder what the selfanointed thinks of daily workers driving pickups and vans. You are more than welcome to drive your TR3 into the drivers side of my E-350, if I can wack the drivers side of the TR3 when your through, guess who will be safer? Got seatbelts in that thing? You'll need them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 12, 2002 Share Posted March 12, 2002 Dave ~ In this case you are incorrect about my lack of ability to assess SUV drivers because I drive an SUV myself. I also own and drive a '97 Cadillac Seville, which you will notice if you ever drive one, is about as low to the ground as you can get. You can nearly look up at the underside of the runningboards on a large SUV. However, I do not feel the need to it make it a habit of snuggling up to SUVs or semis. Since I know I am low and they are high, I make it my responsibility to stay out of their way. That doesn't take too much effort on my part.<P>I feel that everyone has the right to drive whatever legal vehicle they want to drive if they can afford to buy it, fuel it and maintain it. I also realize there are those out there who feel it is their God given right and duty to tell the rest of us what to do, how to do it and to make laws forcing us to do their bidding. <P>Well, I've paid my dues and I have as much right to my completely legal way of life as you do gooders have to yours.<P>And by the way, my everyday driver is a GMC Sonoma 4x4 P/U. That makes me half way politically correct. Its little. ~ hvs<p>[ 03-11-2002: Message edited by: hvs ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave@Moon Posted March 12, 2002 Share Posted March 12, 2002 1937,<P>--Thanks for making Chuck's, L.I.'s, Skyking's, Laserbeams', and my point for us.<P>Howard,<P>Once again, you and I are talking about differences that are more a matter of perspective than substance. In WY or suburban MD staying clear of large vehicles is not only common sense, but practical. <P>In an urban setting, such as the scores of four lane roads in Pittsburgh with dense rush hour traffic backed up at every intersection, staying clear of one SUV means running into the one on the other side. In many cities a four lane road can mean less than 40' total width and 12" curbs at the edge, ususally with traffic doing 45 mph when it does move. <P>Nobody's telling anybody what to drive. We're only commenting on some poor driving habits that appear to be endemic to certain vehicle types. If it seems to rub a little to close to sensitive areas for some people, so be it.<P>And if it makes somebody stop and think longer about the implications of their vehicular choices for assorted activities, all the better. <P>Sometimes telling the other guy to buzz off is giving him exactly what he wants! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted March 12, 2002 Share Posted March 12, 2002 I wonder if there is any correlation between car type owners and the dogs they own? I have two Labs, and have no problem meeting larger dogs owned by straingers. The ankle bitters that never shut up I avoid at all costs. The driver with a lapdog sitting the drivers lap looking out the drivers side window, should be legal target practice.<P>[ 03-12-2002: Message edited by: 1937hd45 ]<p>[ 03-12-2002: Message edited by: 1937hd45 ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest De Soto Frank Posted March 13, 2002 Share Posted March 13, 2002 So,<P>I'm wondering how the average Bantam owner felt in the '30's...<P>I really get a bit of a kick out of the "waify soccer-moms" in their Lincoln Navigators who, ten years ago, wouldn't have driven "their father's Oldsmobile", because "it's too big..." ! <P>One thing's pretty clear to me: it doesn't matter what make and size of the "projectile": bad drivers are a menace!<BR>Tailgaters, speeders, "mergers with-out yeilds", etc.<BR>The "flash & pass" Niebelungen-types are irritating too- I secretly wish that the semi that they're passing "on the right" suddenly decides to "move over".<P>Yes, this is America, where we have the "right" and the "freedom" to pretty much do as we please; yet, I sometimes feel that responsibilty and common-sense have become archaic concepts, and that "privileges" such as driver's licenses have become construed as "inalienable rights".<P>Sadly, it's usually the nice quiet guy in the '33 Plymouth who gets the short end of the stick when it comes to traffic incidents rather than the knucklehead barreling down the Interstate at 110.<P>I guess we'll always have plenty of "nominees" for the Darwin Society Awards! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave@Moon Posted March 13, 2002 Share Posted March 13, 2002 Amen, Frank! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hal Davis (MODEL A HAL) Posted March 13, 2002 Share Posted March 13, 2002 This morning there was a late teens to early twenties age female following me in a small japanese import while on my way to work. This girl was either driving with her knee or just depending on the quality of her last front end alignment, because she was fixing her hair with both hands. This lasted for at least a quarter mile. When I turned off, she was still at it. I hope she and everyone else around her, got where they were going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 13, 2002 Share Posted March 13, 2002 The young female driver may well the greatest menace on the roads today. This is borne out by insurance company statistics and records from medical trauma centers. They are now considered to be as bad risks as teenage boys. ~ hvs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted March 18, 2002 Share Posted March 18, 2002 You SUV haters will love this, we saw a stretched Ford Excursion with tandem rear wheels in Manhattan yesterday. It had to be 40 feet long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave@Moon Posted March 18, 2002 Share Posted March 18, 2002 Yeah, I know. I saw it from here, too. <P>And when you think how comparably less expensive and more rewarding a simple penis implant would be. Shameful! <P>Actually those are fairly common. I saw my first about 3 months after the Excursion was released. They're almost always white, but I've seen 1 or 2 in black as well. Makes you wonder why airport limo Travelalls and Marathons were never chic. <P>Oh yeah, unchecked hedonism and self-involvement was supposed to <I>die</I> in the late '60's. I forgot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 18, 2002 Share Posted March 18, 2002 Model A Hal, don't get me started on teen girl drivers. As an avid motorcycle driver in the summer my motto is either drive behind them or stop completely to let them have some room. I have on at least 4 occasions been almost killed by a car full of teen girls. The teen boys are usually driving like a bat out of hell to catch up to the teen girls so they don't stay in sight for long and seem to crash by themselves. When the girls are alone it doesn't seem so bad, but group them-watch out.<P>On one occasion on my motorcycle I had one young lady try to occupy the same curb lane position I was in and I was boxed in front and rear because of morning traffic. I honked the horn repeatedly and was yelling at the top of my lungs trying to get her attention and was rapidly running out of road to move over into when I realized that I had half a tire width before I was going to hit the curb. I booted the passenger door as hard as I could when she finally looked at me and stomped the gas and took off, must have dirtied her drawers thinking she hit me. Scary to think she would just take off like that though.<P>As a motorcycle rider you get to see the worst habits of all types of drivers, I learned early on to drive as though I was invisible and to make eye contact with drivers at intersections before venturing forth. This attitude has saved my hide more than once. I never used to be a believer in the "loud pipes save lives" motto but I have to admit a loud bike gets peoples attention and they show some respect and don't tailgate.<P>One of the jokes around here is that the worst drivers are the old men wearing hats, without the hat they seem normal but put a hat on their head and all discretion goes out the window. It seems that the hat restricts head movement. I was wondering if this a multinational phenomena or typically only Canadian. Seems that beret wearers are not as bad as the fedora types? The backwards baseball type is mainly a danger to himself. What's everyones take on that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave@Moon Posted March 18, 2002 Share Posted March 18, 2002 Chuck, the old man in the hat is universal, as is the elderly woman of lower stature than the steering wheel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 18, 2002 Share Posted March 18, 2002 I have found that assuming every driver on the highway is an idiot is a valued form of defensive driving and self preservation. ~ hvs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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