Curse

lord_shar · Apr 17, 2006, 07:09 PM // 19:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old Dood

Sweet Ride there Lord Shar...

Nice shade of blue too. Your Cell phone did you proud. I was looking at that Brand. It is more for the younger crowd. They also do not deal on the sticker very much. however, they have some nice features...like a Line In jack for your iPod,Radios, etc. Allot of guys put Turbo Kits on those...

My cell phone is an imate-JAM PDA-phone w/ a 1MP camera... may soon be retired.

I only started looking at Scions 3 only days before buying that car. They have a no-haggle policy like Saturn, but the tC was a lot of car for the money. I would have preferred a 4-door, but the panoramic sun roof, 17" factory rims, and HUGE interior sold me. Not to mention... it really looks nice

Old Dood · Apr 23, 2006, 02:13 AM // 02:13

Well I took my trusty Buick Park Avenue into the local Auto shop that I use. (http://www.dennysautodiagnosis.com/) I was getting a few things done for an estimate of $322.00.

What I like about my Boys at Denny's is that I can go back and talk with the Techs while they are working on my cars. After looking at some more things I thought needed changing out/fixing I was up to $900.00.

Money well spent though. This car is a 2000 and only has 77K on it. It should last easily til 300K miles.

I ended up getting:
Oil change/Lube/filter (Duh! no brainer there)
Tranny Flush (Thorough one and filter)
Motor Vac (Cleans out all the injectors/carbon build up and fuel system)
New Plugs and Fuel Filter (Iridium Spark Plugs...new and best tech)
Rear Struts (They were leaking and they are NOT cheap)
Topped off ALL fluids.

The Tech did an over all check on the car while I was there. This is important to me. I love being there to learn and ask questions.
For example I wanted to replace the front struts as well.
My Tech (Joey) told me it was not time and to save the money. He did little touches like when replacing the plug he puts a dab of Electro-grease on each plug wire cap.
This will keep the rubber soft and also keep it from breaking and getting that Blue Arc of electricity when the wire wears out and then causes a miss-fire. (Wow, long sentence)

Now I am getting a few more MPG out of this wonderful riding Buick....and allot more power out of the 3.8L 6 cylinder engine.
The rear is a little higher from the new struts and it rides smoother too.

Allot of you might think having a Buick Park Avenue is a stuffy Old Man's car....trust me it is one of the best vehicles I have ever owned.
It will take you down the road in total comfort.
I love my new Camry...it is tight, quiet, peppy, handles real sporty like...but even brand new it can't compare to my older 2000 Buick in over all ride.

Oh...and driving a Buick Park Avenue...I cannot stress enough at how invisable it is to Police for speeding.
How many times have you seen one on the side of the freeway with a Cop's cherry going?
I have gotten away with blowing by a Cop at 80-85Mph many times.

Unlucky Slayer · Apr 23, 2006, 02:43 AM // 02:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old Dood

Oh...and driving a Buick Park Avenue...I cannot stress enough at how invisable it is to Police for speeding.
How many times have you seen one on the side of the freeway with a Cop's cherry going?
I have gotten away with blowing by a Cop at 80-85Mph many times.

Nice. My truck tops out at 85...

I havent even been pulled over yet with it... I guess they are just suprised that the thing still runs and just let me go.

I pwnd U · Apr 23, 2006, 03:48 PM // 15:48

At 85? Wow you must have like an old Chevy or Ford thats my guess an 1979. My car speedometer tops out at 110. The car itself can go up too 130 or so. Trust me ive taken it that fast, its a nice ride but like all cars going fast its touchy. I wouldnt advise going over 100 if you arent used to controling a touchy car. one wrong move and your car is going to be in the ditch upside down.

Unlucky Slayer · Apr 23, 2006, 04:25 PM // 16:25

1988 C1500 Silverado Package. It gets me from A to B thats all that matters to me.

Old Dood · Apr 25, 2006, 11:28 AM // 11:28

Well I got 32.3 MPG yesterday going to and from work. (140miles) I did this in my revamped Park Avenue with a 3.8L 6 cylinder. I "milked" it of course...didn't go over 75mph. I got home then realized I left my Climate control on....damn it...I wonder what I would have gotten if I had that off.

I pwnd U · Apr 25, 2006, 12:10 PM // 12:10

My Tennis Coach has a Toyota Prymus. One of those new hybrids. Its an ugly looking car but he gets 51 mpg! Its more expensive then Doods Corrolla but hes saving a ton of money on gas. The tank in his is only 10 gallons but he gets 500 miles out of it! I might get myself a Hybrid if hes getting 500 miles per gas tank. Says it only cost around $20 to fill up. That would just save a crap load on money. My car cost around $30 to fill up and i only get about 250-300 miles per tank on mine. He also said you get $4,000.00 taken off your taxes, so tahts $4,000.00 money back right there. Amazing...

Raptox · Apr 25, 2006, 01:26 PM // 13:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old Dood

Well I got 32.3 MPG yesterday going to and from work. (140miles) I did this in my revamped Park Avenue with a 3.8L 6 cylinder. I "milked" it of course...didn't go over 75mph. I got home then realized I left my Climate control on....damn it...I wonder what I would have gotten if I had that off.

Depends. There's a breakpoint at speeds of about 50MPH where using air conditioning becomes more fuel efficient than having your windows open. Drag and whatnot. Obviously, doing neither would be best for fuel economy, but I don't know what the weather was up by you.

Still, a Park Ave getting 32.3 MPG is mighty impressive. The new spark plugs almost certainly gave you a significant boost.

(This post courtesy of Mythbusters, of course.)

Quote:

Originally Posted by I pwnd U

My Tennis Coach has a Toyota Prymus. One of those new hybrids. Its an ugly looking car but he gets 51 mpg! Its more expensive then Doods Corrolla but hes saving a ton of money on gas. The tank in his is only 10 gallons but he gets 500 miles out of it! I might get myself a Hybrid if hes getting 500 miles per gas tank. Says it only cost around $20 to fill up. That would just save a crap load on money. My car cost around $30 to fill up and i only get about 250-300 miles per tank on mine. He also said you get $4,000.00 taken off your taxes, so tahts $4,000.00 money back right there. Amazing...

There are interesting caveats with hybrids. I'm not going to claim the "you have to replace the rechargeable batteries" problem any more because I've recently seen studies that show proper maintenance allows the batteries to last the life of the car. However, you have to change your driving style somewhat in order to get the best efficiency. You must come to full and complete stops so that the induction coils in the brakes can recharge the batteries to their potential. You lose a lot of the benefits once you're traveling over 70 MPH, I've also read. Yes, there is a tax credit in some states, but it is a one shot deal and I don't know if it's $4k everywhere, nor do I know if there's other criteria you have to meet in order to qualify for it. In some states you may also use the HOV lanes with only you in the car if you own a hybrid and get a "clean pass" (or equivalent) for it.

By the way, at current gas prices that 10 gallon tank costs an average of $30 to fill up. Source. You're going to be saving money if you don't have to replace the batteries, but there's a snag. I really want to see this technology improve, and the only way that's gonna happen is if people keep buying the cars. The snag is that the cars still cost, on average, 3-5k more than their non-hybrid counterparts. Take the Prius: a car of that size and quality should cost between 15 and 17k. It starts at 22k. Now look at the Honda Civic. Non-hybrid starts at 15k, hybrid at 22k. Ouch. Are you going to make up 7k over the life of the car?

If your concern is nothing more than to use less gasoline and feel good about it, then knock yourself out. I'll support you all the way. Just be careful to not generate dangerous levels of smug.

Old Dood · Apr 26, 2006, 10:17 AM // 10:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by I pwnd U

My Tennis Coach has a Toyota Prymus. One of those new hybrids. Its an ugly looking car but he gets 51 mpg! Its more expensive then Doods Corrolla but hes saving a ton of money on gas. The tank in his is only 10 gallons but he gets 500 miles out of it! I might get myself a Hybrid if hes getting 500 miles per gas tank. Says it only cost around $20 to fill up. That would just save a crap load on money. My car cost around $30 to fill up and i only get about 250-300 miles per tank on mine. He also said you get $4,000.00 taken off your taxes, so tahts $4,000.00 money back right there. Amazing...

Hybrids are only good with gas mileage if you are city driving. (low speeds and stop in go) Then the batteries will run the car. Highway driving the gas engine will drive the car.

Also PWND! I bought a Camry...not a Corolla...hehe I ordered a Corolla LE and they were taking to long to build it....I am glad I got the Camry instead tho...much nicer ride.

As for the tax credit...you have to use it in the first quarter of the year to get the most out of it. So to buy a Hybrid now you would lose half your tax credit for this year.

I pwnd U · Apr 26, 2006, 01:52 PM // 13:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raptox

There are interesting caveats with hybrids. I'm not going to claim the "you have to replace the rechargeable batteries" problem any more because I've recently seen studies that show proper maintenance allows the batteries to last the life of the car. However, you have to change your driving style somewhat in order to get the best efficiency. You must come to full and complete stops so that the induction coils in the brakes can recharge the batteries to their potential. You lose a lot of the benefits once you're traveling over 70 MPH, I've also read. Yes, there is a tax credit in some states, but it is a one shot deal and I don't know if it's $4k everywhere, nor do I know if there's other criteria you have to meet in order to qualify for it. In some states you may also use the HOV lanes with only you in the car if you own a hybrid and get a "clean pass" (or equivalent) for it.

By the way, at current gas prices that 10 gallon tank costs an average of $30 to fill up. Source. You're going to be saving money if you don't have to replace the batteries, but there's a snag. I really want to see this technology improve, and the only way that's gonna happen is if people keep buying the cars. The snag is that the cars still cost, on average, 3-5k more than their non-hybrid counterparts. Take the Prius: a car of that size and quality should cost between 15 and 17k. It starts at 22k. Now look at the Honda Civic. Non-hybrid starts at 15k, hybrid at 22k. Ouch. Are you going to make up 7k over the life of the car?

If your concern is nothing more than to use less gasoline and feel good about it, then knock yourself out. I'll support you all the way. Just be careful to not generate dangerous levels of smug.

I know all that stuff, i knew they were more expensive and everything, but they should save you money in the long run. Instead of having to pay $40 for gas and only getting 250 mpg you can pay $30 and get 500+mpg. Not a bad trade off. Also sorry about the price saying $20. When i spoke to my coach about it gas prices here were at like $2.20.

Dood, sorry i think i knew you ended up getting a camry instead. Guess my ADD just set in. lol Been getting that alot lately due to me being tired.

Unlucky Slayer · Apr 26, 2006, 01:57 PM // 13:57

The gas milage on my pickup is somewhere around 15 I think... I doubt even that high.

I pwnd U · Apr 26, 2006, 02:01 PM // 14:01

You might want to get a new car the way gas prices are going up. I think that is stupid. Gas should not be $3 a gallon. Thats highway robbery. If everyone wasnt so intent on making money we could have gas back down around or under $2. But no, this world is run by greed. Greedy people think only of themselves and how much money they can make. If gas companies would just realize that "Wow these gas prices suck, i am paying way to much for gas" then maybe we wouldnt be paying $3 a gallon.

Unlucky Slayer · Apr 26, 2006, 02:27 PM // 14:27

You think the big guys that run that company actually pay for their gas? I dont want to get into political debate so I'll just shut up about my thoughts on that...

I would get a new car if I had the money... Hopefully I can get enough money by the end of the summer to get me -something- better than the beast that is my truck.

I pwnd U · Apr 26, 2006, 02:33 PM // 14:33

No i know they dont thats what i was saying. If they had to pay for their gas they would realize that holy crap we are stupid. But they dont, idoits.

Get a car, they almost always have better gas milage then a truck. You can find one that will probably get you 25 mpg for fairly cheap if you look around.

Unlucky Slayer · Apr 26, 2006, 02:36 PM // 14:36

Yeah. If I have to I may just fix up the 4-banger thats sitting in my driveway. I'm not very used to the stick, but I can relearn it rather quickly so I can have something to drive, plus it'd prolly be cheaper than looking for a working used car... Only thing really wrong with the car is the tranny. The reverse is a giant pain to get into and 5th is even harder to get into... Also the spedo isnt hooked up yet.