Fat people? Less gas!

[Blinky the Shark]

Greg Goss wrote:
> Tom Sherman <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>Peter Boulding wrote:
>>> On Thu, 08 Nov 2007 21:44:23 -0600, Tom Sherman
>>> <[email protected]> wrote in
>>> <[email protected]>:
>>>
>>>> I keep my favorite bicycle in my bedroom
>>>
>>> This *still* isn't the sex-with-bicycle thread.
>>>
>>The women are jealous of my bicycle being cute:
>><http://www.flickr.com/photos/19704682@N08/1939602865/>.
>
> Who was it on our side who keeps posting "cute" pictures of cyclists?

Les, I think, and those occurred to me, too...

--
Blinky
Killing all posts from Google Groups
The Usenet Improvement Project - http://improve-usenet.org

 

[Blinky the Shark]

Greg Goss wrote:
> Tom Sherman <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>Peter Boulding wrote:
>>> On Thu, 08 Nov 2007 21:44:23 -0600, Tom Sherman
>>> <[email protected]> wrote in
>>> <[email protected]>:
>>>
>>>> I keep my favorite bicycle in my bedroom
>>>
>>> This *still* isn't the sex-with-bicycle thread.
>>>
>>The women are jealous of my bicycle being cute:
>><http://www.flickr.com/photos/19704682@N08/1939602865/>.
>
> Who was it on our side who keeps posting "cute" pictures of cyclists?

Les, I think, and those occurred to me, too...

--
Blinky
Killing all posts from Google Groups
The Usenet Improvement Project - http://improve-usenet.org

 

[Greg Goss]

[email protected] wrote:

>Most auto mechanics figure repairs based on 'book time', i.e: if the
>book says that a certain job should take 4 hours, and shop time is
>$60/hr, they charge $240 for labor. You'd need an Alldata subscription
>to tell what the 'easiest' model of car is, but if you're estimating
>repairs on an older car, that's how you'd find the relevant number to
>make a comparison with.

When my mother moved in 1992, downsizing her house, she used the
change to buy a car. Her dealer had a bunch of essentially identical
cars under both the "Tempo" and "Topaz" labels. I suggested that she
ask her insurance agent. The Ford had MUCH lower insurance rates per
year than the Mercury did.
--
Tomorrow is today already.
Greg Goss, 1989-01-27

 

[Greg Goss]

[email protected] wrote:

>Most auto mechanics figure repairs based on 'book time', i.e: if the
>book says that a certain job should take 4 hours, and shop time is
>$60/hr, they charge $240 for labor. You'd need an Alldata subscription
>to tell what the 'easiest' model of car is, but if you're estimating
>repairs on an older car, that's how you'd find the relevant number to
>make a comparison with.

When my mother moved in 1992, downsizing her house, she used the
change to buy a car. Her dealer had a bunch of essentially identical
cars under both the "Tempo" and "Topaz" labels. I suggested that she
ask her insurance agent. The Ford had MUCH lower insurance rates per
year than the Mercury did.
--
Tomorrow is today already.
Greg Goss, 1989-01-27

 

[Greg Goss]

[email protected] wrote:

>Most auto mechanics figure repairs based on 'book time', i.e: if the
>book says that a certain job should take 4 hours, and shop time is
>$60/hr, they charge $240 for labor. You'd need an Alldata subscription
>to tell what the 'easiest' model of car is, but if you're estimating
>repairs on an older car, that's how you'd find the relevant number to
>make a comparison with.

When my mother moved in 1992, downsizing her house, she used the
change to buy a car. Her dealer had a bunch of essentially identical
cars under both the "Tempo" and "Topaz" labels. I suggested that she
ask her insurance agent. The Ford had MUCH lower insurance rates per
year than the Mercury did.
--
Tomorrow is today already.
Greg Goss, 1989-01-27

 

[Greg Goss]

Tom Sherman <[email protected]> wrote:

>[email protected] aka Huey Callison wrote:

>>
>> I drive an eight-year-old truck with 150,000 miles on it. It has failed
>> to start one time - fuel pump went bad. $300 part and a couple hours of
>> swearing later, and I'm still waiting for that next thing to go wrong.
>> It's been six months. Other than that: two sets of tires, a brake job, a
>> couple wiper blades, a light bulb or two, and regular oil changes - and
>> those are all things you'd also have to do to a new car. So - explain to
>> me how a new car helps me any more than what I have now?
>>
>Every used vehicle I have owned has required frequent and expensive
>repairs. I refuse to gamble by going down that road again.
>
>I don't have time to screw around waiting for tow trucks, renting cars
>while mine is fixed, waiting by the side of the road in West Grain
>Elevator Iowa, taking calls from people wanting to know why the hell I
>did not show up on time, etc.

In 2000 I paid $3300 for a seven-year old car. In 2001 I paid $33,000
for a new SUV. Other than the repairs required from dragging the
Metro down the highway, the SUV cost us more in repairs than the Metro
did. Much more.
--
Tomorrow is today already.
Greg Goss, 1989-01-27

 

[Greg Goss]

Tom Sherman <[email protected]> wrote:

>[email protected] aka Huey Callison wrote:

>>
>> I drive an eight-year-old truck with 150,000 miles on it. It has failed
>> to start one time - fuel pump went bad. $300 part and a couple hours of
>> swearing later, and I'm still waiting for that next thing to go wrong.
>> It's been six months. Other than that: two sets of tires, a brake job, a
>> couple wiper blades, a light bulb or two, and regular oil changes - and
>> those are all things you'd also have to do to a new car. So - explain to
>> me how a new car helps me any more than what I have now?
>>
>Every used vehicle I have owned has required frequent and expensive
>repairs. I refuse to gamble by going down that road again.
>
>I don't have time to screw around waiting for tow trucks, renting cars
>while mine is fixed, waiting by the side of the road in West Grain
>Elevator Iowa, taking calls from people wanting to know why the hell I
>did not show up on time, etc.

In 2000 I paid $3300 for a seven-year old car. In 2001 I paid $33,000
for a new SUV. Other than the repairs required from dragging the
Metro down the highway, the SUV cost us more in repairs than the Metro
did. Much more.
--
Tomorrow is today already.
Greg Goss, 1989-01-27

 

[Greg Goss]

Tom Sherman <[email protected]> wrote:

>[email protected] aka Huey Callison wrote:

>>
>> I drive an eight-year-old truck with 150,000 miles on it. It has failed
>> to start one time - fuel pump went bad. $300 part and a couple hours of
>> swearing later, and I'm still waiting for that next thing to go wrong.
>> It's been six months. Other than that: two sets of tires, a brake job, a
>> couple wiper blades, a light bulb or two, and regular oil changes - and
>> those are all things you'd also have to do to a new car. So - explain to
>> me how a new car helps me any more than what I have now?
>>
>Every used vehicle I have owned has required frequent and expensive
>repairs. I refuse to gamble by going down that road again.
>
>I don't have time to screw around waiting for tow trucks, renting cars
>while mine is fixed, waiting by the side of the road in West Grain
>Elevator Iowa, taking calls from people wanting to know why the hell I
>did not show up on time, etc.

In 2000 I paid $3300 for a seven-year old car. In 2001 I paid $33,000
for a new SUV. Other than the repairs required from dragging the
Metro down the highway, the SUV cost us more in repairs than the Metro
did. Much more.
--
Tomorrow is today already.
Greg Goss, 1989-01-27

 

[Tom Sherman]

Greg Goss wrote:
> Tom Sherman <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> [email protected] aka Huey Callison wrote:
>
>>> I drive an eight-year-old truck with 150,000 miles on it. It has failed
>>> to start one time - fuel pump went bad. $300 part and a couple hours of
>>> swearing later, and I'm still waiting for that next thing to go wrong.
>>> It's been six months. Other than that: two sets of tires, a brake job, a
>>> couple wiper blades, a light bulb or two, and regular oil changes - and
>>> those are all things you'd also have to do to a new car. So - explain to
>>> me how a new car helps me any more than what I have now?
>>>
>> Every used vehicle I have owned has required frequent and expensive
>> repairs. I refuse to gamble by going down that road again.
>>
>> I don't have time to screw around waiting for tow trucks, renting cars
>> while mine is fixed, waiting by the side of the road in West Grain
>> Elevator Iowa, taking calls from people wanting to know why the hell I
>> did not show up on time, etc.
>
> In 2000 I paid $3300 for a seven-year old car. In 2001 I paid $33,000
> for a new SUV. Other than the repairs required from dragging the
> Metro down the highway, the SUV cost us more in repairs than the Metro
> did. Much more.

Lesson - do not buy from manufacturers that make unreliable vehicles?

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
Tradition is the worst rational for action.

 

[Tom Sherman]

Greg Goss wrote:
> Tom Sherman <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> [email protected] aka Huey Callison wrote:
>
>>> I drive an eight-year-old truck with 150,000 miles on it. It has failed
>>> to start one time - fuel pump went bad. $300 part and a couple hours of
>>> swearing later, and I'm still waiting for that next thing to go wrong.
>>> It's been six months. Other than that: two sets of tires, a brake job, a
>>> couple wiper blades, a light bulb or two, and regular oil changes - and
>>> those are all things you'd also have to do to a new car. So - explain to
>>> me how a new car helps me any more than what I have now?
>>>
>> Every used vehicle I have owned has required frequent and expensive
>> repairs. I refuse to gamble by going down that road again.
>>
>> I don't have time to screw around waiting for tow trucks, renting cars
>> while mine is fixed, waiting by the side of the road in West Grain
>> Elevator Iowa, taking calls from people wanting to know why the hell I
>> did not show up on time, etc.
>
> In 2000 I paid $3300 for a seven-year old car. In 2001 I paid $33,000
> for a new SUV. Other than the repairs required from dragging the
> Metro down the highway, the SUV cost us more in repairs than the Metro
> did. Much more.

Lesson - do not buy from manufacturers that make unreliable vehicles?

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
Tradition is the worst rational for action.

 

[Tom Sherman]

Greg Goss wrote:
> Tom Sherman <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> [email protected] aka Huey Callison wrote:
>
>>> I drive an eight-year-old truck with 150,000 miles on it. It has failed
>>> to start one time - fuel pump went bad. $300 part and a couple hours of
>>> swearing later, and I'm still waiting for that next thing to go wrong.
>>> It's been six months. Other than that: two sets of tires, a brake job, a
>>> couple wiper blades, a light bulb or two, and regular oil changes - and
>>> those are all things you'd also have to do to a new car. So - explain to
>>> me how a new car helps me any more than what I have now?
>>>
>> Every used vehicle I have owned has required frequent and expensive
>> repairs. I refuse to gamble by going down that road again.
>>
>> I don't have time to screw around waiting for tow trucks, renting cars
>> while mine is fixed, waiting by the side of the road in West Grain
>> Elevator Iowa, taking calls from people wanting to know why the hell I
>> did not show up on time, etc.
>
> In 2000 I paid $3300 for a seven-year old car. In 2001 I paid $33,000
> for a new SUV. Other than the repairs required from dragging the
> Metro down the highway, the SUV cost us more in repairs than the Metro
> did. Much more.

Lesson - do not buy from manufacturers that make unreliable vehicles?

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
Tradition is the worst rational for action.

 

[bill van]

In article <[email protected]>,
Greg Goss <[email protected]> wrote:

> bill van <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >In article <[email protected]>,
> > Blinky the Shark <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> >> Dover Beach wrote:
> >>
> >> > One of my neighbors has a Smart. My husband and I stared at it for a
> >> > little while when we were out walking the dog. It looks like it would
> >> > get blown off the road the first time a semi goes by.
> >
> >> Doesn't sound very smart to me.
> >
> >Sure, but if a semi going by actually blew Smart cars off the road, we'd
> >have heard by now. Dover saying they *look* like that doesn't make it so.
> >
> >I've seen some of them parked in very nifty and tiny spots.
> >
> >Fair to say, though, that they're designed more for urban commutes than
> >open highway travel.
>
> On my last drive from Vancouver to Calgary, I saw two of them out on
> the open highway. Both were in oncoming traffic, so I couldn't
> compare their speed to my own, but there didn't seem to be any backlog
> piled up behind them.
>
> One of those was coming down the Coq. That means he was able to get
> to the top.

Commendable. And presumably they didn't get blown off the road at Lac
des Arc coming up to Banff, where the Trans-Canada curves around this
huge boulder that always has fierce winds around it.

--
bill
remove my country for e-mail

 

[bill van]

In article <[email protected]>,
Greg Goss <[email protected]> wrote:

> bill van <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >In article <[email protected]>,
> > Blinky the Shark <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> >> Dover Beach wrote:
> >>
> >> > One of my neighbors has a Smart. My husband and I stared at it for a
> >> > little while when we were out walking the dog. It looks like it would
> >> > get blown off the road the first time a semi goes by.
> >
> >> Doesn't sound very smart to me.
> >
> >Sure, but if a semi going by actually blew Smart cars off the road, we'd
> >have heard by now. Dover saying they *look* like that doesn't make it so.
> >
> >I've seen some of them parked in very nifty and tiny spots.
> >
> >Fair to say, though, that they're designed more for urban commutes than
> >open highway travel.
>
> On my last drive from Vancouver to Calgary, I saw two of them out on
> the open highway. Both were in oncoming traffic, so I couldn't
> compare their speed to my own, but there didn't seem to be any backlog
> piled up behind them.
>
> One of those was coming down the Coq. That means he was able to get
> to the top.

Commendable. And presumably they didn't get blown off the road at Lac
des Arc coming up to Banff, where the Trans-Canada curves around this
huge boulder that always has fierce winds around it.

--
bill
remove my country for e-mail

 

[bill van]

In article <[email protected]>,
Greg Goss <[email protected]> wrote:

> bill van <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >In article <[email protected]>,
> > Blinky the Shark <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> >> Dover Beach wrote:
> >>
> >> > One of my neighbors has a Smart. My husband and I stared at it for a
> >> > little while when we were out walking the dog. It looks like it would
> >> > get blown off the road the first time a semi goes by.
> >
> >> Doesn't sound very smart to me.
> >
> >Sure, but if a semi going by actually blew Smart cars off the road, we'd
> >have heard by now. Dover saying they *look* like that doesn't make it so.
> >
> >I've seen some of them parked in very nifty and tiny spots.
> >
> >Fair to say, though, that they're designed more for urban commutes than
> >open highway travel.
>
> On my last drive from Vancouver to Calgary, I saw two of them out on
> the open highway. Both were in oncoming traffic, so I couldn't
> compare their speed to my own, but there didn't seem to be any backlog
> piled up behind them.
>
> One of those was coming down the Coq. That means he was able to get
> to the top.

Commendable. And presumably they didn't get blown off the road at Lac
des Arc coming up to Banff, where the Trans-Canada curves around this
huge boulder that always has fierce winds around it.

--
bill
remove my country for e-mail

 

[Blinky the Shark]

Greg Goss wrote:
> Tom Sherman <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>[email protected] aka Huey Callison wrote:
>
>>>
>>> I drive an eight-year-old truck with 150,000 miles on it. It has
>>> failed to start one time - fuel pump went bad. $300 part and a
>>> couple hours of swearing later, and I'm still waiting for that next
>>> thing to go wrong. It's been six months. Other than that: two sets
>>> of tires, a brake job, a couple wiper blades, a light bulb or two,
>>> and regular oil changes - and those are all things you'd also have
>>> to do to a new car. So - explain to me how a new car helps me any
>>> more than what I have now?
>>>
>>Every used vehicle I have owned has required frequent and expensive
>>repairs. I refuse to gamble by going down that road again.
>>
>>I don't have time to screw around waiting for tow trucks, renting cars
>>while mine is fixed, waiting by the side of the road in West Grain
>>Elevator Iowa, taking calls from people wanting to know why the hell I
>>did not show up on time, etc.
>
> In 2000 I paid $3300 for a seven-year old car. In 2001 I paid $33,000

That ($3300 (US)) is just about what I paid for the seven-year-old
Triumph (with 37k miles on it) that was my daily driver from 1983
through 2005. I eventually put a rebuilt engine in it, but everything
else was pretty much just normal maintenance (an exception being a pair
of axle shafts). I think I only needed a tow twice in those 22 years.


--
Blinky
Killing all posts from Google Groups
The Usenet Improvement Project - http://improve-usenet.org

 

[Sano]

- Greg Goss <[email protected]> - wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> Sano <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>- Greg Goss <[email protected]> - wrote
>>> There is more to wind susceptibility than just weight. My
>>> wife's SUV was vastly more affected by crosswinds than my metro
>>> was at the time. The Metro isn't that different than the smart
>>> (perhaps a bit lower) but never felt winds at all. The SUV
>>> would fee3 cross winds. My current car is heavier, lower, and I
>>> think longer than the Metro, but feels crosswinds more. I'm not
>>> sure why.
>>
>>Did the Metro have a straight rear axle? If so, that would
>>probably make it less sensitive.
>
> I don't think any econobox cars have had a rear axle since the
> Civic (or whoever) introduced struts in the middle seventies.
> http://www.internetautoguide.com/car-specifications/09-int/1996/geo
> /metro/index.html This web page describes a car three years newer
> than mine. I think that there was a change in sheet metal, but it
> was essentially the same car.
>
> "strut rear suspension with stabilizer bar independent with
> hydraulic springs"

(heh heh) I think Peugeot was the last to offer hyd springs. Geez,
finding the right Puu-got spelling was fun, it still doesn't look
right.


> http://tinyurl.com/2pmplq discusses a rebuild / merge of several
> totalled Metros (or equivalent). January 20 shows a couple of
> pics of the bottom rear. No axle. I don't think I've ever owned
> a non-pickup with a straight axle.

Nice return on a fair bit of work. Yeah... the rear is independent but
no struts.

 

[Boron Elgar]

On Sun, 11 Nov 2007 02:23:43 -0600, Tom Sherman
<[email protected]> wrote:


>Lesson - do not buy from manufacturers that make unreliable vehicles?


Lesson - you can get a good car or lemon from any manufacturer and in
any model line.

The most unreliable cars ever owned in this household are a Toyota
Camry, followed by a Honda Accord.

Most reliable have been a Mercury Grand Marquis, two Ford Expeditions,
A Chevy Silverado and a Nissan Murano.

Gee, go figure.

 

[Tom Sherman]

Sano wrote:
> ...
> (heh heh) I think Peugeot was the last to offer hyd springs. Geez,
> finding the right Puu-got spelling was fun, it still doesn't look
> right....

It does to those of us who owned Peugeot bicycles. The PX-10 from the
1970s is still found to be desirable as a regular use bicycle by some.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
Tradition is the worst rational for action.

 

[Greg Goss]

Tom Sherman <[email protected]> wrote:

>Greg Goss wrote:
>> Tom Sherman <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>> [email protected] aka Huey Callison wrote:
>>
>>>> I drive an eight-year-old truck with 150,000 miles on it. It has failed
>>>> to start one time - fuel pump went bad. $300 part and a couple hours of
>>>> swearing later, and I'm still waiting for that next thing to go wrong.
>>>> It's been six months. Other than that: two sets of tires, a brake job, a
>>>> couple wiper blades, a light bulb or two, and regular oil changes - and
>>>> those are all things you'd also have to do to a new car. So - explain to
>>>> me how a new car helps me any more than what I have now?
>>>>
>>> Every used vehicle I have owned has required frequent and expensive
>>> repairs. I refuse to gamble by going down that road again.
>>>
>>> I don't have time to screw around waiting for tow trucks, renting cars
>>> while mine is fixed, waiting by the side of the road in West Grain
>>> Elevator Iowa, taking calls from people wanting to know why the hell I
>>> did not show up on time, etc.
>>
>> In 2000 I paid $3300 for a seven-year old car. In 2001 I paid $33,000
>> for a new SUV. Other than the repairs required from dragging the
>> Metro down the highway, the SUV cost us more in repairs than the Metro
>> did. Much more.
>
>Lesson - do not buy from manufacturers that make unreliable vehicles?

The Metro has the initials "GM" and a Chev logo buried in the Geo
planet logo. Wouldn't that advice chase me away from a GM?
--
Tomorrow is today already.
Greg Goss, 1989-01-27

 

[Sano]

- Tom Sherman <[email protected]> - wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> Sano wrote:
>> ...
>> (heh heh) I think Peugeot was the last to offer hyd springs.
>> Geez, finding the right Puu-got spelling was fun, it still
>> doesn't look right....
>
> It does to those of us who owned Peugeot bicycles. The PX-10 from
> the 1970s is still found to be desirable as a regular use bicycle
> by some.

Well, excuuse me. I've ridden in a 4 on the tree model automobile.

Bikewise, I've seen some older Peugeots bringing some very dear prices.

I need to fix a cable and maybe a shifter on a Giant chrome-moly
mountain bike, that I'm not riding anymore.