Cars and Stuff Redux!

[jjackson02]

wooh~\ l,ets all raise a drink to the new years!


forghot to log in teh first time!!


peacfe mates!

Another discriminating Specialized rider!

Ah...... Vancouver!!! Great city.

Last time I was there I was crossing the street, minding my own business and as I went to step up onto the curb one of your local trolls must have yanked it out from under my foot. Some deeply rooted memory from my past kicked in, I wound up doing a s..l..o..w motion shoulder roll and found myself lying on the ground wondering how I had arrived there.

I looked up to see the deeply concerned face of my son peering down at me and solicitously asking if I were OK. When I assured him I was fine, he fell over in gales of laughter and joined me on the ground.

As I've listened to him regale all and sundry over the intervening years with the tale of my "Vancouver Adventure" I've come to realize that he really IS my son and takes after me in every way!

I've created a monster.

Regards,

James

haha

yeap vancouver is a great city to live.

[DavidNZ]

wooh~\ l,ets all raise a drink to the new years!


forghot to log in teh first time!!


peacfe mates!

OK, who took the key to the liquor cabinet?

[thePCxp]

Here is the link to see my future car:
http://automobiles.honda.com/
and click on the "Accord Hybrid Sedan" link.

[daeojkim]

Here is the link to see my future car:
http://automobiles.honda.com/
and click on the "Accord Hybrid Sedan" link.

Hybrid cars are definitely the way to go for now until some other technology that can mass produce more efficient vehicles. But I think peple still somewhat shy away from these vehicles, due to higher price and the fact that there are not so many mechanics who are trained to fix these types of vehicles. So if something goes wrong and you are out of warranty you would still have to go to a dealer and pay higher premium to get it repaired.

Nevertheless, hybrid cars have come a long way. Looking at the Honda accord hybrid its performance is par with the gasoline version. Pretty tempting...

I think one thing that could persuade more buyers to purchase hybrid vehicles is to allow hybrid vehicles to use HOV lanes during peak hours regardless of passenger numbers. I am sure regular commuters would love to save gas and have the advantage of using HOV lanes during rush hours. Save gas and time...

[a31pguy]

Black 2001 BMW M3 Cabrio 350hp. Dinan mod software.



and Bike

2000 Ducati 996 FIM chip and Forza exhaust.



But I'm hoping to one day have this:

[elmalloc]

-ELmO

[a31pguy]

Nice 330ci - must be new - it has the LED tail lights. NAV system?

Got to love an open top car! I tell my son that if he's a good boy that when he gets older he'll get daddy's car - that is if they still use gas by then and it doesn't cost $30 a gallon. Of course - by then it may have all the appeal of a ford pinto or an AMC gremlin!

Feeding my M3 is something like $2.77 a gallon right now!
Hate to say it - but I'm really thinking hybrid SUV. The ferrari may have to wait.

[elmalloc]

Thanks, yes it is new. I need tips to keep it clean. I've had it for about 6-7 weeks now and I haven't washed it, I just use a duster on it everyday. I can tell it's not looking as clean as it did the first day I got it though.

I've heard about zaino and klasse. I have the microfiber towels and the sheep skin mitts, any recommendations on some special typ eof "car soap" that I shoudl use when washing? Any techniques, like washing side to side across the car? No idea, my previous car is a 1994 honda civic..I've been washing the rims often since the brake dust is crazy.

Yes it has navigation whose downside is it can't play mp3s (argh). As cool as the car looks I am always surprised by how well it drives...I'm sure it's a lot cooler in an M3, but the dealer said I shouldn't jump to a high powered RWD car from an old civic and to give myself something to look forward to (??) - only a couple K more woudl have been an M3, argh, I am happy with mine though.

ELmO

[a31pguy]

I used the BMW car soap - because I was afraid, like you are to ruin the mirror like finish. But now I have it detailed. But it ain't cheap - but a car with a finish like yours should be kept clean and away from tree sap. Get a thick coat of wax on it immediately - i will prevent surface build up and on later cleanings it will help protect the clear coat. Mother's is a good quality wax.

Also the headlights will build up grime - you may want to use a light machine buffer on those - to keep the plastic clean - you can buy plastic polish. The other thing is you might want to consider the clear coat nose protector BMW offers - it will help prevent chips in the nose paint.

No armor all! Condition the leather seats!

Two things you will find of issue owning a nice BMW - park way the hell away from the front of the parking lot (since the doors ding easy and it costs a small fortune to repair) and watch those curbs since the low profile stock tires are often just enough to cover the rims. I bought oversized Michelin Pilot Sports to help - but nothing really does except careful driving. Get the BMW car cover too - it's worth it in saving on frequent detailing and washing and breathes well when wet.

I found that the m3forums and z3forums have some great advice (I used to have an M-roadster).

Like any really nice car - it's a lot of work to maintain but worth it.

PS - the new Bimmers have the ipod plug-in for the radios - but not on the NAV versions. Clarion and Pioneer have a really nice after market setup with options for MP3, CD, DVD, and GPS. I think there is a fourm on yahoo called BMWNAV which talks about some upgrades - like a onboard video camera for reverse and NAV-TV for watching TV on the NAV console.

[emorphien]

reliable cars!

[wuy30]

Black 2001 BMW M3 Cabrio 350hp. Dinan mod software.



and Bike

2000 Ducati 996 FIM chip and Forza exhaust.



But I'm hoping to one day have this:

my god.. you have the exact same car as my buddy (except different color) and the same bike as he does, yellow 996
[censored] you rich ppl.... by the way.. the M3 is nice, but that bike is [censored] sick.....

[greg0815]

Nice cars, especially the BMWs But there's one thing that's hard to understand: why should I pay for a 340 hp car in a country with speeding limits of 65 - 75 mph everywhere? On the other hand even in Germany the BMWs (as well as Mercedes and Audi) are throttled at 250 kph - but fortunately it isn't very expensive to go around this limitation.

[elmalloc]

Very good point Greg. Well, people do speed often. Most often you will see people regularly going 80 mph, and on 80/90 east around 90 mph.

Still not too fast, in Michigan people go 110 mph on some interstates - it's still fun to hav ea lot of HP, maybe if you go on the track..(??)

[JHEM]

Nice cars, especially the BMWs But there's one thing that's hard to understand: why should I pay for a 340 hp car in a country with speeding limits of 65 - 75 mph everywhere? On the other hand even in Germany the BMWs (as well as Mercedes and Audi) are throttled at 250 kph - but fortunately it isn't very expensive to go around this limitation.

But there's what, about 100 miles of unlimited speed Autobahn remaining?

I was so depressed recently to find that my old favorite route from Nurnberg to Munchen was speed restricted for almost the entire trip. I used to be able to make that run in a little over an hour in my Lotus. Used to run to Lubeck in less than 4 hours to get the overnight ferry to Copenhagen.

WRT USA speed limits, in most areas you can run well over the posted limit if you're intelligent about it and don't carve your way through traffic. You can almost always find a group running at your preferred speed and insinuate yourself into the group. In numbers there is relative safety.

Regards,

James

[Kenn]

WRT USA speed limits, in most areas you can run well over the posted limit if you're intelligent about it and don't carve your way through traffic. You can almost always find a group running at your preferred speed and insinuate yourself into the group. In numbers there is relative safety.

Regards,

James

The horror! Advocating conspiracy to break the law! Where's senator McCarthy when you need him?

[JHEM]

The horror! Advocating conspiracy to break the law! Where's senator McCarthy when you need him?

Hopefully, six feet under with a stake through what served him as a heart!

But lately I fear he's being channeled by Bill Frist.

Regards,

James

[a31pguy]

my god.. you have the exact same car as my buddy (except different color) and the same bike as he does, yellow 996
[censored] you rich ppl.... by the way.. the M3 is nice, but that bike is [censored] sick.....

Thanks! I changed it a bit from the picture - it now has a lot of carbon fiber on it now and a solo seat so it looks like a 996 SPS model (it's originally a 996 Biposto) Handles like a dream!