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Detroit, 4:09 PM
Wed Nov 25
26 posts in the last 24 hours
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08/02/09
Window crnks can be luxury itself; machined billet items. They aren't hard to use either. Frankly, this is a lot like the argument that repeating rifles are better than bolt action. I personally like simple stuff, so I usually hunt with a modified Enfield .303 British bolt action. I can't see myself needing the automation of an AR-15. But hey, everybody has their thing, you know...
08/02/09
As a kid and a young driver, I was always disappointed by my dad's cheapo purchases, but I appreciate them a lot more in retrospect. The simplicity and durability of those cars was like nothing I've encountered since. And I'd much rather have a midsize econocar than a loaded compact.
08/02/09
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Starters and windshield wipers (which I consider to be far more important) also used to be hand-cranked, but you don't hear anybody complaining about those using electric motors today.
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08/01/09
...and automatic transmissions should be illegal. They make people dumber, and worse drivers.
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08/01/09
Once you get to drive it though, you'll probably dig it save one thing - the tranny. It's bizarre and hateful - a manual gear box, with a clutch and everything, buy they neglected to put a pedal and a shift lever in the cabin. Instead, a computer shifts the thing like a spastic 6 year old on meth.
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08/01/09
But the '80 Accord my wife was driving when we started dating--I had the Chevette at the time--demonstrated the difference between cheap and economical.
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08/02/09
EDIT: In all fairness, I must admit that it was rusted to hell when I got it, and swiss-cheesed by the time I was done with it.
08/02/09
@Mike the Dog: Rusty or not...it still is a sweet ride. It has been a pattern in my car-life that if I have a soft spot for a particular brand or design of vehicle, I can't help but love them no matter what shape they are in.
That being said...I should introduce you to the newest love of my car-life: (see picture above.)
Dammit. I am not used to this new format yet. I was expecting the picture to show up underneath the writing. But I am sure you get my point. True automotive beauty has many facets which sometimes include rust and dents (and maybe even the occasional lack of a front bumper). So as rusty as that old Belvedere may have been, I'm sure that it was still an awesome car.
08/01/09
08/01/09
Can't beat it, but I miss my 1978 Ford Fiesta. THAT had absolutely no frills.
08/01/09
The Ford was the lowest-of-the-low. Rubber floors, no radio, no power nothing, three-on-the-tree, nothing upholstered but the seat, and that was remarkably durable vinyl. Still, for what I needed, a work truck, it was okay.
Wait, it did have a passenger side outside mirror, OEM, but I think it was an oversight.
I longed for A/C, put in a floor shift to replace the crap steering column linkage, oh, and a manual sliding rear window for better airflow in the heat of Texas summer. It was so beat up, though, if making it into a parking space between a post and a wall required stopping, backing up, and taking a second shot, I skipped it and just hit whatever I hit which wasn't another vehicle.
There was literally not an undamaged body panel on it. For six months, the driver's window did exist because it fell off the track and shattered. I just carried a towel on the passenger's floor side, in case it rained while it wasn't moving. Vent windows kept rain out while moving.
Traffic was a drag.
The Nissan had A/C, but that was it for options. I eventually carpeted it, swapped the bench for 1984 leather Corvette seats, and did some work with tunes. Tinted the windows, too. I effectively lived out of it, as much as I drove it, so I was determined to be at least somewhat comfy.
Then I lowered it and put KYB's in all-around. So much for the comfort thing...
08/01/09
My current car has remote locking, power windows, sunroof, and a bunch of other niceties. Truth is, I miss a lot about that old focus (even though the new car is just a newer, better optioned zx3). The biggest thing I miss id unlocking the passenger door for my wife and having her unlock my door for me while I walked back over to my door.
We've lost so many intangibles because of these luxuries.
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He goes over to the next town, a guy greets him right away, and he points to an STS and says, "I want one of those in pearl white." He paid for it with a cheque.
The week he took delivery, he drove over to the other dealership, walked in and asked to speak to the sales manager. He asked the man to look outside at the shiny new Cadillac. The manager said it was a nice car, and my grandfather told him, "it could have been a sale here, but nobody bothered to talk to me when I came." and he left.
08/02/09
08/02/09
They both walked away from it, and now he's a bona fide Volvo man.
08/02/09
08/01/09
Let's see, SuzanneD writes for Ride Lust, and there are others I can't remember now...
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08/02/09
The Octavia's based on the Golf/Jetta platform, but is differently styled.
They're built in Central/Eastern Europe (as Skoda was a Czech company) and seem to be just as well-built (some say better) than equivalent VWs. A true success story for the non-badge-conscious.
08/02/09
08/01/09
It wasn't about your lifestyle. It was a car.
That car had as options the obligatory-for-the-day vinyl roof and an AM radio. One dashtop speaker. Plug where the cigarette lighter should have been. And they didn't provide any accessory wiring to it either. Oh, it also had a band of tinting at the top of the windshield.
No carpet, just full rubber floor mats. Woven nylon upholstery on the bench seats, because it was cheaper than vinyl. Six cylinder. Three on the tree, with a clutch that took two years for the dealer to properly sort out.
It was transportation. It could carry six people in moderate comfort. It's trunk could hold some stuff. It could keep up with traffic on the highway. We once got 28 mpg out of a tank of gas. The fan liked to chew on radiators just a bit. When it broke, you could figure out what went wrong, and then go and fix it. It never drove quite right over 65 after my sister bent the frame, but we kept driving it. She called it Malcolm.
Somedays I miss that car.