Good call, assuming you can still find one that hasn't self-destructed yet. I've enjoyed following discussions involving Northstar fanatics over the years:
"Yeah, early Northstars were junk, but all the problems were fixed in 1995 and now they're bulletproof!"
"Yeah, early Northstars were junk, but all the problems were fixed in 2000 and now they're bulletproof!"
"Yeah, early Northstars were junk, but all the problems were fixed in 2003 and now they're bulletproof!"
I also recall bizarre theories about how it's *supposed* to burn a quart of oil every 1000 miles because it's designed like a race car engine or something.
I would have thought so too, but a friend of mine is a mechanic at a Ford dealer. He has seen many cars with the pads completely gone, and the backing plates have chewed through the rotor surface *into the vents*. The owners usually claim that the brakes work perfectly and accuse him of trying to con them into needless repairs. Never underestimate how stupid people can be.
I think the CR-V, RAV4, Santa Fe, Equinox, and million other interchangeable smallish-cars-with-SUVish-bodies deserve a mention.
When I lived in DC, people always asked how I could stand driving a manual in Beltway traffic. I loved it because it gave me something to do. Sure beats just sitting there staring at an endless sea of Toyotas and BMW 3-series.
EPA estimates were insanely optimistic back then. Even the most obnoxious hypermilers would never follow the highway driving cycle. They've revised it a few times since by knocking x% off their results, and a few years ago they updated the tests to reflect more realistic driving conditions.
That said, small cars were much lighter back then and people didn't expect them to do 0-60 in under 8 seconds. I bet it could still get at least 40 mpg in real life.
That said, small cars were much lighter back then and people didn't expect them to do 0-60 in under 8 seconds. I bet it could still get at least 40 mpg in real life.
I read an article a while back comparing a police vs regular Crown Vic. The police version's trivial performance upgrades are more than cancelled out by the weight and aerodynamic drag of the extra equipment. It's actually slightly *slower* than the civilian model. Your post demonstrated exactly why the police Crown Vic is on this list.
CR-V, RAV4, any Buick. And if it has a yellow ribbon and/or Jesus fish, you're extra fucked.
If I see one of those up ahead and my lane is going to end, I go out of my way to pass them so I don't get stuck going 15 below the goddamn speed limit. By now I estimate that's saved me about 2 years of driving time in total.
If I see one of those up ahead and my lane is going to end, I go out of my way to pass them so I don't get stuck going 15 below the goddamn speed limit. By now I estimate that's saved me about 2 years of driving time in total.
I had an iMac with a Magic Mouse at work. In OSX, it was fantastic (aside from its appetite for batteries). But when I booted into Windows, oddly enough it behaved exactly like the MS mouse is being described. Scrolling was a mess, and right-clicking was a total crapshoot. I assumed Apple just didn't want to bother making it work well in Windows, but you'd think Microsoft would.
People look at me like I'm insane when I talk about how well Contours/Mystiques handle and how BMW-like the steering feel is, except of course for those who have actually driven one.
The V6 5-speed SE/SVT is just fantastic, but even the auto 4-banger is fun once you (eventually) get up to speed. Those cars taught me that FWD doesn't necessarily have to suck.
The V6 5-speed SE/SVT is just fantastic, but even the auto 4-banger is fun once you (eventually) get up to speed. Those cars taught me that FWD doesn't necessarily have to suck.
My favorite car nickname is for the VW Cabrio(let): "Bitch Basket"
You'd think God could, you know, prevent it from getting blown over and almost knocked off the bridge in the first place.
It really pisses me off when those idiots talk about plane crashes: "A few hundred people endured several minutes of unimaginable terror before crashing into the ocean, but some of them managed to survive with nothing more than severe physical and mental trauma. That can only mean God intervened and saved them! It's a miracle!!!"
It really pisses me off when those idiots talk about plane crashes: "A few hundred people endured several minutes of unimaginable terror before crashing into the ocean, but some of them managed to survive with nothing more than severe physical and mental trauma. That can only mean God intervened and saved them! It's a miracle!!!"
I don't care where it came from. I just want to know how a logo that looks like a stylized plus sign came to be known as a bow tie!
I like Ford's way of getting around the 85 mph speedometer law.
Actually the 4.3 Vortec is based on the 350.
The 3.8 is based on the 215 aluminum V8. Early versions were so closely related that they even used the V8 distributor cap, and just left the 2 extra terminals disconnected. Idle quality was a major issue for some reason.
The 3.8 is based on the 215 aluminum V8. Early versions were so closely related that they even used the V8 distributor cap, and just left the 2 extra terminals disconnected. Idle quality was a major issue for some reason.
They would be cool, except they remind me of the gauges in a Mitsibishi Galant I rented once. I don't like being reminded of that car.
This doesn't surprise me at all. I wiped out a database at work today because I was too groggy to notice the difference between 'SELECT' and 'DELETE'. Not 5 minutes later, a coworker deleted 6000 files when he meant to get rid of one. I bet backup services are a lot busier during time changes!
My '93 Cougar had the same transmission. When I had the head gaskets replaced (the 3.8 V6 is another Achilles heel), the kickdown cable grommet on the throttle body went missing and the cable fell out. I knew something was wrong because the transmission felt suspiciously smooth. Thankfully I caught it within a couple miles and reattached it with a zip tie.
The cable went away when that tranny became electronically controlled, but earlier models had a problem with the gear lever position sensor. It would become waterlogged and make the transmission randomly drop into neutral and do other bizarre things. It usually doesn't do any damage and is an easy fix ($30 and 20 minutes), but I bet a lot of people have needlessly paid for rebuilds because of that one crappy part.
The cable went away when that tranny became electronically controlled, but earlier models had a problem with the gear lever position sensor. It would become waterlogged and make the transmission randomly drop into neutral and do other bizarre things. It usually doesn't do any damage and is an easy fix ($30 and 20 minutes), but I bet a lot of people have needlessly paid for rebuilds because of that one crappy part.
1993 Lincoln Mark VIII - 285 lb-ft
1995 Lincoln Mark VIII - 285 lb-ft
570 total. For some reason the 1993s are slightly faster than later years (I can definitely tell a difference between my two), so they're probably a little under-rated.
1995 Lincoln Mark VIII - 285 lb-ft
570 total. For some reason the 1993s are slightly faster than later years (I can definitely tell a difference between my two), so they're probably a little under-rated.
@PipeSmokingVolvoDriver: I love how it's almost impossible to find an intersection in Pittsburgh where you're actually allowed to turn right on red. And when the light finally turns green, after you've sat there for 2 minutes for no reason, you almost get rammed by some fuckwad making a left from the opposing lane because they think they have the right of way.
@HammerheadFistpunch: Not only that, but I don't understand how VW (or any other company that still offers rear drums) saves money by designing, testing, certifying, manufacturing, etc., two different brake setups for one car. And why are drums cheaper considering they use at least as much raw material, have more parts, and are a lot more difficult to assemble? You'd think they would have disappeared around the time bias-ply tires did.
