--------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1U00001 Date: 01/23/98 From: DON DELLMANN Time: 01:23am \/To: ALAN MORRISON (Read 0 times) Subj: Active Handling While tripping merrily through the mail, Alan Morrison was overheard MG> Do you happen to know the Opel GT? Baby Corvette, sold in the early MG> 70ies. Friend of mine says they have been sold in US too, but I don't MG> believe him... AM> Yes, they were sold here and had the Coke bottle shape of the '68 to AM> '82 Corvette. People soon learned that was all they had in common with AM> them as they were small cars with tiny engines, much like the Kadett. AM> Kadett's sold poorly here, compared to the GT, since they had a rather AM> ugly shape and a somewhat cheap reputation. A friend of mine had one, ca. 1970. Opels were sold in the US by Buick dealers, and in the mid 70's a number of the Opels sold in the US were actually built in Japan rather than Germany. Don ... The trouble with apathy these days is nobody cares. --- * Origin: *YOPS ]I[* 3.1 GIG * RA/FD/FE RADist * Milwaukee, WI (1:154/750) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1U00002 Date: 01/23/98 From: ROY J. TELLASON Time: 11:23pm \/To: ALAN MORRISON (Read 0 times) Subj: buying imports Alan Morrison wrote in a message to Roy J. Tellason: RJT> CRANK UP THE _ENOLA GAY_ AM> You forgot the smiley, Roy. ;^) RJT> By L. Neil Smith RJT> this puts me in an awkward position. Everything I own that uses RJT> electricity is Japanese. So is my car, an '84 Subaru wagon. AM> Look on the stickers for country of manufacture. Very little AM> of my electric stuff is Japanese; in fact, I can't find one. AM> Of course some have Japanese components. Computers typically AM> have Japanese monitors (or Taiwan/Korea with Japanese picture AM> tubes), and several chips. You raise a very good point here. Stuff comes from all over the place, though it's amazing me lately how much of it is coming from China... AM> I have some American or European favorite names that I prefer, AM> like Zenith, Magnavox/Philips, Hewlett/Packard, etc. Oops... AM> not having a laser printer, I'm stuck with an Epson (assembled AM> in China). Like you, I don't like much stuff from Japan as it AM> has become overpriced; learned not to bow to the Sony gods when AM> Beta died in VCR circles. I've still got one of those machines someplace. RJT> My longing for a new Toyota Land Cruiser is a palpable presence in RJT> our home, like Harvey the Rabbit. AM> He could get an old, pre-84 one with the Chevy Six! RJT> Why shouldn't we carpet-nuke their crappy little islands from one end RJT> to the other this time and obliterate a culture -- I refuse to say RJT> "civilization" -- as worthy of such treatment as the Aztecs were? AM> Now, now; not nice. How 'bout just dumping the imports into a AM> harbor and call it exportation without reciprocation. A tea party? :-) RJT> Well for one thing, because we're the good-guys. We just don't do RJT> that kind of thing. AM> This guy's a real dreamer isn't he? I've read a fair amount of his writing, and while you can say a lot of things about it, you can't usually call it boring... RJT> automobiles. On one hand, we love the damned things, they're pretty, RJT> they _work_, and even with the most punitive tariffs our own corrupt RJT> and evil leaders can levy against them, they're still a bargain. AM> A matter of opinion. They quit dumping to gain market share, AM> for the most part, and few are what I'd call bargains. The AM> trucks used to beat the automotive import tariffs, but now they AM> seem to be priced higher than the much more work oriented Ford, AM> Chevy, and Dodge pickups. As a matter of fact, some of the AM> trucks are just rebadged Chevys (Isuzu) and Fords (Mazda). It really is getting hard to tell these days. RJT> Now what do you suppose a year or two of depressed auto sales -- if we RJT> inavoidably linked it to Japan's asinine gun polices -- might have? RJT> I'm (reluctantly) willing to postpone purchase of my Land Cruiser, to RJT> consider buying a Suburban like G. Gordon Liddy and my mother, AM> The $42,000 Land Cruiser is no bargain compared to the AM> real-deal $36,000 Land Rover Discovery. The British built LR AM> Discovery even gets better mileage! What really surprises me AM> is SO DOES THE $26,000 SUBURBAN! Wow. RJT> =================================== RJT> Novelist and political essayist L. Neil Smith is the only Libertarian RJT> ever to be called a "thug" within the pages of the _LP News_. He's RJT> also been characterized by a disgruntled reader as having written the RJT> "single most repugnant ... piece of tripe ... ever seen in an American RJT> newspaper." AM> Gee, I wonder why? 8-/ Let me know if you want any more of his stuff and I'll list some files to you, either here or in netmail... email: roy.j.tellason%tanstaaf@frackit.com --- * Origin: TANSTAAFL BBS 717-432-0764 (1:270/615) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1U00003 Date: 01/23/98 From: KENNY HENDERSON Time: 10:02pm \/To: ALAN MORRISON (Read 0 times) Subj: 1999 Cars AM>You mentioned about the resale of a Honda being good... According to AM>at least two New Car Buyers Guides its resale is less than a Saturn. AM>Right now Saturns have the highest resale in their class. Better than AM>Honda, Nissan, Toyota, Ford, VW, etc. Thats surpising, but good to hear! AM>She, like many, get it in their head that a Honda is a great car and then AM>pay the price by not investigating further. Not that their is anything AM>wrong with the one she got... she just paid too much. Personally I would AM>much rather have the newer V6 Camaro, especially a 3800, but even the 2 AM>year newer Saturn would be a much better deal. Agreed. BTW, all the newer V6 Camaros are 3.8 V6s. (96+) and some late model '95s. --- * OLX 2.1 TD * They think we're dead and they're having a party? --Ro. --- WILDMAIL!/WC v4.12 * Origin: Fresh Start BBS * Edison NJ * (732) 248-1678 * (1:107/310.0) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1U00004 Date: 01/23/98 From: KENNY HENDERSON Time: 10:01pm \/To: MARC GERGES (Read 0 times) Subj: Forced Induction MG> MG>> 112 feet to meters, I got a value a car length better than the MG> MG>> Porsche 911 Turbo. But 112 feet seems fine. MG> AM> 112 feet is 34.1376 meters. Some may stop shorter than Some of the MG> AM> 911's which also ranged to 120 feet (36.576 meters). When cars get MG> AM> exported the specs may change. Does this match your numbers for MG> AM> Porsche 911's? MG>The best 911's are around 36 meters here. And to be honest, I don't elieve MG>an F-Body to do it in 34. Not from 100 km/h. MG>Not that I don't accept anything being better than a Porsche (I don't like MG>those Porsches at all), but when it comes to breaking, they are terribly MG>good. '95 Edmunds Car Buying Guide 60-0 MPH braking distances Camaro Z28 112' Pontiac Firebird Formula 115' Pontiac Trans AM 116' Porsche 911 Carerra 1 117' --- * OLX 2.1 TD * They still believe. Data Then they are fools. --Worf. --- WILDMAIL!/WC v4.12 * Origin: Fresh Start BBS * Edison NJ * (732) 248-1678 * (1:107/310.0) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1U00005 Date: 01/24/98 From: CHRIS ZYCHSKI Time: 01:31am \/To: BOB GRIFFITH (Read 0 times) Subj: Vehicle Confiscation BG>Having been involved in 2 seperate accidents with non-insured vehicles BG>I can attest to the fact that the police should do all they can to pull he BG>people off the road. In fact the police did a super job in both cases I as BG>involved in. BG>On a sad note however the insurance co. ripped me off in trying to get out BG>paying for the damage to my 1969 Mustang. I only wanted the car returned o BG>it's original condition before the accident but they screwed me out of the BG>repair bill and left me without a vehicle for 9 months. In Michigan, auto insurance is "no fault" and we, the insured, are required to carry "uninsured motorist" protection - state law. Is this the case in your state? If so, you should have contacted your State Attorny's office. Under MI law, failure of any insurance Co. to "pay off" is subject to state charges and penalties. _____________________________O /____________________________ O \ BG>I understand he got a six-figure settlement for his trouble. BG>All I got was a new insurance co. My agent wanted to know why BG>I would change companies, can you imagine the nerve of the guy. I just can't imagine... -cc * SLMR 2.1a * Misfortune shows those who are not friends. - Aristotle --- Renegade v5-11 Exp * Origin: The Bearsville BBS * Warren, MI * (810) 582-9429 (1:120/650) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1U00006 Date: 01/24/98 From: CHRIS ZYCHSKI Time: 01:31am \/To: TOM WALKER (Read 0 times) Subj: Vehicle Confiscation TW>-> TW> Law was Violated! What is the BIG DEAL here? TW>-> TW>-> Waitasec, so now you're saying that the guy should be penalized TW>-> because his lightbulb burned out? So i'm supposed to be checking TW>-> my bulbs to make sure they'll last through to wherever i'm going? TW>-> Or maybe the guy was breaking the law because he was too poor TW>-> to own two automobiles? Or maybe because he didn't have spare TW>-> bulbs just laying around his house? The law is not the LAW. TW>-> Anyone with common sence should respect the intent, not the letter. TW> That is Exactly what I am Saying. Driving is a Privilege Not a TW>RIGHT. And as part of retaining that Privilege YOU the Driver are TW>Responsible fro the Condition of the Vehicle you are Driving .And for TW>Keeping it is FULL compliance of the LAW at ALL times during it's TW>operation. But as an Aside the Ticket given called a Mechanical Cite TW>is NOT a Penalty but a Courtesy Warning!!! Courtesy, shmourtesy! Common sense should reign. My cousin is in procurment and logistics for the Macomb County Sheriff Department. According to him any citation written, even when settled/paid ex- peditiously, carries a "handling" cost of 700-800 TAX DOLLARS! -cc * SLMR 2.1a * Nature does nothing uselessly. - Aristotle --- Renegade v5-11 Exp * Origin: The Bearsville BBS * Warren, MI * (810) 582-9429 (1:120/650) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1U00007 Date: 01/24/98 From: CHRIS ZYCHSKI Time: 03:57am \/To: ROY WITT (Read 0 times) Subj: ENGINE DISPLACEMENTS RW>On, 21 Jan 98 at 05:02, RW>Chris Zychski was overheard shouting over the engine noise, saying omethin RW>to Roy Witt about "ENGINE DISPLACEMENTS",: RW> RW>> 1951 Ford I6 OHV ???cid Lt Blue 2dr Tudor Coupe RW> CZ> RW> RW>> You can bet that the Ford I6 will be close to Chevy's 216... RW> RW>> BTW, was it a long deck tudor or a short deck tudor? RW> CZ> RW> CZ> Long Deck. As I recall the long-deck 2dr was simply called RW> CZ> a "Tudor". The term "Tudor Coupe", I believe, was just some RW> CZ> superflous attempt at "flash" or "class" in the name. RW>Obviously the difference was in the back seat and trunks.. Uhhh... Lemme reword that. Mine was the long-deck "Tudor Coupe". The SHORT-deck was called (I believe) simply the "Tudor". I was pointing out that _I_ considered "Tudor Coupe" to be superflous, if not redundant. You ever see a "Coupe" with more than 2 doors? I haven't. Unless you count a hatchback as a "door". Har! -cc * SLMR 2.1a * Never dare to judge until you've heard all. - Euripides --- Renegade v5-11 Exp * Origin: The Bearsville BBS * Warren, MI * (810) 582-9429 (1:120/650) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1U00008 Date: 01/24/98 From: CHRIS ZYCHSKI Time: 03:57am \/To: ROY WITT (Read 0 times) Subj: Transmission Repair RW>On, 21 Jan 98 at 05:02, RW>Chris Zychski was overheard shouting over the engine noise, saying RW>something to Roy Witt about "Transmission Repair",: RW> RW>> Nope. The S10 didn't have a trans-axle. It was rear wheel drive... RW> CZ> Many thanks. That clears the water. BTW, we had the clutch RW> CZ> replaced (it needed it) at a _reputable_ shop for $305. RW>That's a good price. My mechanic friend, Max, said that the tranny RW>rebuild was also a reasonable price if the clutch replacement was RW>included.. The $780 rebuild included clutch. Our complaint centered around the fact that the transmission did not require rebuilding. Make sense now? Thanks for the input, though. -cc * SLMR 2.1a * Never judge a book by its movie. --- Renegade v5-11 Exp * Origin: The Bearsville BBS * Warren, MI * (810) 582-9429 (1:120/650) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1U00009 Date: 01/24/98 From: TOM WALKER Time: 07:54am \/To: MARC GERGES (Read 0 times) Subj: Active Handling -> Mmmmh... I thought such a car with a 1.1- or a 1.9-litre-engine must -> been considered as a joke on 4 wheels in the US... :) It only came with the 1.9 here in the US. But remember we "Americans" LOVED the FIAT 850 and cars like that! :-) :-) It was unique and had that "Macho" Look. --- GEcho 1.20/Pro * Origin: Jim's East County BBS! El Cajon, CA. (619) 561-8424 (1:202/100) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1U00010 Date: 01/24/98 From: TOM WALKER Time: 08:09am \/To: ALAN MORRISON (Read 0 times) Subj: Cool Copcars -> Also, CHP uses aircraft extensively in each patrol area. Fixed wing -> and helicopters clock motorists using timing methods, with round up -> units waiting up to ten miles down the road. Since you can't out run the Helicopter or Fixed wing plane there is little need for the Pursuit type of car much. NOW all they have to do is Get the Money to operate them. Right now they are running on an Emergency Allocation and only use them for Special Temporary "GET your Attention" enforcement drives. -> CHP is investigating use of in-car MDTs (mobile display terminals) to -> relay information between the field and mobile units. When a car is -> now pulled over, the plate is typed into the MDT. The new Cal Drivers -> License has a magnetic strip, allowing the officer to scan it in the -> MDT and get more expedient results. This will reduce radio traffic -> substantially, and give us scanner listeners a lot more dead time. With the San Diego Sheriffs going the same way PLUS going to start using Digital Transmissions fro ALL critical dispatches, The New 800 MHZ trunking system is Dual Mode(Analog/Digital), things could get very quite hare. Except for of course Fire and Public Works. They are going to the Trunking system but will be Analog tansmissions Only. In fact they are testing the system using the Heartland Fire Department. The cars with MDT's are being issued but the terminal is only being used as an On Board Lap Top right now. It has Full computer capability(Pentium but don't know the CPU speed) and is loaded with all the Software that was in the old Issued Lap Tops. -> The CHP also have some BIG Blazers used in the Grapevine area for -> enforcement, as well as some pickup trucks (black with white doors -> and a white camper shell) which are used for enforcement in the -> Carson area. The San Diego Sheriffs is also buying 4WD pickups with Shell for some of the "East County" Deputies to replace their Broncos. I have also seen some new GMC 4wd's also. They are also going to upgrade to the FORD Explorer in place of the Bronco for some uses. --- GEcho 1.20/Pro * Origin: Jim's East County BBS! El Cajon, CA. (619) 561-8424 (1:202/100)