Curse

I pwnd U · Feb 12, 2006, 10:38 PM // 22:38

Wow that doesnt sound good at all. Thanks Epic, thats defiently information i need to know before i tell her what kind of car i think she should buy...

TheEPIC · Feb 12, 2006, 10:43 PM // 22:43

Other thing is that they seem cheaply put together. What I mean is that the interior in my Youth Pastor's KIA van fell apart really easily. Knobs and such started coming off. The sliding door in the back sometimes won't open from the inside. Alot of just wierd stuff that is indicative of shoddy construction.

Old Dood · Feb 12, 2006, 10:47 PM // 22:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by I pwnd U

Omg the Grand Am has problems out the wazoo. Apparently its in the shop as often as my car!

People say that the brakes go out and they have oil and fuel problems! Read the reviews!
http://www.carreview.com/cat/automob...x.aspx#reviews

Wow...I have seen those reviews too. Funny thing is that Grand Ams use to be build in the city where I live...Lansing. Workers in Lansing as gereraly thought of as good responsible workers. So you wonder was it neglect on the workers or bad design?

I use to own a Skylark (1994). Same class as the Grand Am...I think the same chassis(I think Skylarks always looked better tho..). I use to have to change the rotars every spring. Because of the hot and cold wet from the winter months "warped" them. They were cheap though...$25/rotar. I ran that car untill 207K miles. It was still "running" good. The tranny was slipping in Overdrive(Automatic). I sold it to one of the mechanics where I get my cars fixed. He stills has it and it is at 250K miles now. The tranny still slips...he just adds the anti-slip stuff to it.

I will always think of Kia's as "Killed in Action" now.

I compared those to the Corolla online and the Kia did not impress me at all.

EDIT: It annoys me to see American cars after all these years still have issues with the little things. This is where the Japanese have excelled. They learned to build a good "cheap" car. GM,Ford, and Chrysler seemed to build little compacts as an after thought. I will say that there are some great American cars. Buicks are some of the best engineered cars out there. Better then Cadillacs in my view. Cadillacs get all the new tech first....then by the time this new tech is worked down to the Buick line it is refined.
Ford's new Five Hundred is a real nice car. (I am not a Ford Dood either) My Brother in Law bought the Limited version....sweet car...rides like a dream. That is the American advantage...the bigger cars. They have that certain ride to them that people from other countries just don't seem to get. This is why they flame us for our cars. Nothing in my view beats a big car ride...nothing. Growing up with big cars most of my life is something I will cherrish.

EDIT TWO: When we were test drving the other day we were driving on the freeway to get to the Volvo dearlship. I was going 82 Mph in my Park Avenue...I didn't have my radar in this car(it was in my Lesabre which I drive to work). I blew right by a Sheriff at 82 mph. I said to Mrs Dood "I hope my cloaking device is operational...." Seems it was...he didn't pull out after me

I pwnd U · Feb 13, 2006, 02:22 AM // 02:22

wow 82 mph right past the cop... how much does it run you to get that cloaking device?

I usually spot the cop and slow down to the speed limit, but even still i wont go more then 5 MPH over the speed limit. Havent got a ticket and dont plan on getting one. My insurance is already high enough since im a guy and under 21... i have no tickets, no crashes, i get a good student discount... and still i triple or double my sisters insurance. she has a wreck (totaled an explorer we used to own, drove it down a ravine

) and she has a speeding ticket (going 55 in a 35

). i think its dumb that guys insurance is so much higher. o i just remembered the car shes on is my oldsmobile, i am on a MINIVAN. yet still mine is so much higher then hers... guys get so jipped...

TheEPIC · Feb 13, 2006, 03:07 AM // 03:07

Well, if it makes you feel any better, girls' insurance rates are rising since insurance companies have realized that teen girls are jsut as bad of drivers as teen guys, if not worse.

I pwnd U · Feb 13, 2006, 03:14 AM // 03:14

Nope that doesnt make me feel any better, in fact it makes me feel worse. Now parents have to pay twice as much for girls as they used to. Atleast you knew with a girl your insurance would be lower then with a guy driver. It would of been better if they would of just dropped guy insurance rates instead of raising girls, but then again i guess our government is really all about money.

Ultimate Warrior · Feb 13, 2006, 05:21 AM // 05:21

money is everything for government

Raptox · Feb 13, 2006, 08:43 PM // 20:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheEPIC

Do not buy a KIA! I have only ever heard and seen bad things from KIA's and their owners.

I think the cars are named KIA for "Killed In Action" because thats what those cars are. I've heard of a plethora of problems ranging from electrical problems to trannies from KIA owners. Seriously, do not buy a KIA.

Don't even get me started about the 98 Sportage I used to drive. They were half as big as the new Sportage line you might see out there. This one used to unlock all the doors when I made a left turn. Awesome, huh?

TheEPIC · Feb 14, 2006, 07:37 AM // 07:37

Well, I experienced one of the shortcomings of my small Civic, weight. While making a left turn tonight, I hit something (I don't know what, but the guy driving behind me heard the pop and saw something shoot out from under my car) which caused me to lose control of my car in the turn. In my futile attempt to regain control of my car (including jamming the breaks and pulling the wheel back into the turn) I ended up running into the curb at a rain gutter thingie, which then launched my car back across traffic.

Luckily no one hit me in all of this. Unluckily, the front end suspension looks shot. After prying the fender off of my wheel my dad drove the thing home (not more than a couple miles away), but the car looks like it has massive suspension issues.

The worst part about all of thisis that my mom is like super pissed off. She refuses to believe what I told her happened, thinking I was "screwing around with my friends." Of course she won't say it infront of me, but I overheard her just now. She won't even talk to me right now.

This is so ridiculous too, because I had hit something on the road (in an area where there has been a ton of road work recently) It shot my light weight car off into that stupid rain gutter, and its either going to cost me a buttload to pay for, or my insurance will go through the roof.

I'm so pissed off that my mom won't believe me, and that on top of that I'm totally SOL when it comes to what this is going to cost. The crash gets to go down as totally my fault, when I had no control over what happened since I could not see whatever I hit (oh, and me and the guy who saw the debris went back to the intersection to find it, and whatever it was shot off into the darkness so I have no proof other than one witness and myself).

So all at once, I'm feeling the mixture of anger (over the car being wrecked by something left behind by construction), shockedness (over everything being out of my control), and extreme sadness (over my mom's inability to believe me).

Now I have to find a way to get to school and work everyday. What a fine way to end my first day back at school.

Old Dood · Feb 14, 2006, 11:14 AM // 11:14

Epic...I understand what you are going through from a Parent's view. We as Parents look at the bottom line....money! Not only the insurance but the repairs and upkeep. Not to forget the absolute FEAR of losing you because of an accident. That fear will never go away.

My son had three accidents while he was in High School with "his" car.(There is a story about that damn car too...) None were his fault...but they happened anyways and I ended up paying for them. The last accident...totalled the car. He wonders why when he comes home from college when I am reluctant to let him drive my car. If I don't have my car...then I can't go to work and make money. My advice is let your Mom cool down some...she is probably more frustrated with the situation then angry with you. Right now you are a great target for her frustrations. Also look at yourself over the last few years and see IF you gave your Parents any cause not to believe you. It might be little stuff...but we have long memories. It was just yesterday when your Parents changed your poopy diapers. It is hard to see our kids as Adults...They were little cute guys/gals not all that long ago.

TheEPIC · Feb 14, 2006, 09:11 PM // 21:11

Well, the good news about my car is that my insurance company, based on the info, is going to call this unavoidable no fault. Thus, I won't be getting any points on my record, and my insurance rates are not going to skyrocket. I will end up paying a couple hundred more every 6 months, and I owe my parents $500 for the insurance deductable.

When they did the estimate on the damage done to my car it was set at around $4000, which seems like it won't be enough to total my car. So, as it stands, I am going to be out an automobile until around the end of next week from what I've heard.

It seems like things are coming together better than I thought and I may not be too much in the hole.

Old Dood · Feb 14, 2006, 10:13 PM // 22:13

I would still get ahold of the City Engineer(Or the City council person in your area) and get info on the road repairs and pass that on to your insurance company. Who knows...maybe the city will cough up the deductable. Won't know until you try at least...

It irritates me when the City or the Railroad damages our vehicles on their neglect.

Hyper Pwnare · Feb 14, 2006, 10:15 PM // 22:15

dang i wish i had a car lol <(_I WANT A CAR_()) <- crayon

Old Dood · Feb 14, 2006, 10:18 PM // 22:18

It is not all that it is cracked up to be....

Ask Epic....

TheEPIC · Feb 15, 2006, 12:03 AM // 00:03

Well, I can say one thing for sure. I'm going to miss having my own car for three weeks. Apparently, the way I hit the curb was enough to do about $4000 in damage, and maybe more if they find something else after taking it apart. Luckily, though, my car has not and apparently will not be totalled.

From what I've heard, the things that will be replaced are: the passenger side quarter panel, passenger side door, two rims and tires, the front bumper, and various parts of the front end suspension as well as a minor part on the suspension for the rear passenger side tire.

The part about this that I'm willing to see is what it will do to my cars drive. Before it had a tendency to pull to the right when left unattended. I'm wondering if all of the suspension work is going to alleviate that or only make it worse.

Whatever, I guess I get to find out in three weeks. Hopefully time will fly by between work and school.

Fungus Amongus · Feb 15, 2006, 12:29 AM // 00:29

Come on down to Miami and you'll be happy of all your traffic woes wherever you might be.

Here in Miami/Ft. Lauderdale the signs are in English, however, the written exam can be taken in English, French, Spanish, Creole, Portuguese.... And if you're over 60 years old you can continually renew your license with only an eye exam every 6-8 years or so.

I had a 79 year old woman in a Cadillac turn left in front of me in an intersection because she didn't see me coming. I can personally confirm that 45 mph on a motorcycle into the side of a Cadillac SUCKS. (And it hurts really bad, too)

Not to mention the people driving exhibit habits from their home countries of U.S of A, Colombia, Brazil, Spain, Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic, the Bahamas, Germany, El Salvador, Mexico, Panama, Ecuador, the list goes on. It's really freakin' scary at times.

I pwnd U · Feb 15, 2006, 02:23 AM // 02:23

Ok great story about totaling a car.

We used to own a 1998 Ford Explorer. It was a great car ran nice and everything, didnt have any problems with it. So one day my sister was going to get my younger sister from gymnastics. She didnt make it that far needless to say.

Ok so i live off an extremely curvy road, its pretty much curves galore. She had been driving for a year and a half and had that road down pat. Well i live in the middle of no where so there are places on the road that have ravines right next to them. Not a place you would want to drive your car. Anyways my sister swerved to miss hitting a dog (a dog!! not a person) and ends up going down a ravine. Ok this what ticks me off she did NOT even attempt to break. There were no tire marks indicating an abrupt stop. My first reaction when something jumps out in front of me is BRAKE not swerve off the road. Ok so thats besides the point. Anyways she was able to call for help and she wasnt seriously injured or anything. So the fire department came to help her get out. This is the damage to the car when they arrived: lost a sideview mirror and some major dents. This is the damage when they left: lost sideview mirror, major dents, cracked windshield, and a broken door frame. They decided to use the jaws of life even though they werent needed. The front door was next to a tree so they couldnt get that open to easily but the passenger side was free as was the door behind the driver side door. She said her back hurt but she could still move. Also the seats fold down so they could of slide her out the back. But NOOOO instead they use the jaws of life and competely rip apart the driver side door and door frame. Well congratulations to them they have officailly TOTALED the car. They caused enough damage to the car to have the insurance company say it was totaled. It wasnt totaled when they got there but when they left it was. I have nothing agianst fire fighters getting people out with the jaws of life when NEEDED!! but when it isnt needed its stupid and things like that happen... So thats my story.

Old Dood · Feb 15, 2006, 11:53 AM // 11:53

In all fairness to the EMT/Firefighter guys. When someone says there back hurts and even though they say they can move the rescue guys will not take any chances. They want to get the victim from point A to B with little movement as possible.

OR...

They wanted to play with their brand new toy...

But I doubt that...

I pwnd U · Feb 15, 2006, 01:30 PM // 13:30

I am going to go with answer B, they wanted to play with their brand new toy! I understand that they wanted to get her out with little movement but when they open the passneger side door get in and put a blanket over here I am pretty sure they could of got her out then. Or just folded the seats back and slide her out the back. But i guess taht new toy was just to much fun for them to leave it intact!

TheEPIC · Feb 16, 2006, 06:10 AM // 06:10

I feel so awkward without my car now. Having to bum rides off of people is hardly my style.