The Car Discussion Thread

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tlombard
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Re: The Car Discussion Thread

Post by tlombard »

I hadn't thought about Car Talk on NPR in decades until I just read an article on Jalopnik about the slow demise of the show. My grandparents listened to a lot of NPR and I always loved it when I would be staying with them for a month every summer and Car Talk would come on. Those guys were great.

In reading the article just now, I love this quote from Ray about his time at MIT studying engineering, "I would say about 10 percent of the people actually belonged there. They had the academic credentials, the acumen to be there. [Tom and I] were in the bottom part of the other 90 percent. We were there to keep those guys company. Otherwise they would feel lonely. You’re going to have an equations class with three people in it? No."

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IMADreamer
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Re: The Car Discussion Thread

Post by IMADreamer »

tlombard wrote:I hadn't thought about Car Talk on NPR in decades until I just read an article on Jalopnik about the slow demise of the show. My grandparents listened to a lot of NPR and I always loved it when I would be staying with them for a month every summer and Car Talk would come on. Those guys were great.

In reading the article just now, I love this quote from Ray about his time at MIT studying engineering, "I would say about 10 percent of the people actually belonged there. They had the academic credentials, the acumen to be there. [Tom and I] were in the bottom part of the other 90 percent. We were there to keep those guys company. Otherwise they would feel lonely. You’re going to have an equations class with three people in it? No."

Car talk was a great show. They were real characters. I believe most of their catalog is available on podcast now.

cardsfantx
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Re: The Car Discussion Thread

Post by cardsfantx »

[expletive] cars

My wife was going to move my truck early this morning and said it won’t start...took a look and battery was completely dead. Jumped it with her car and took it to the auto store and swapped the battery.

While I’m there, she calls and tells be the tire pressure gauge warning light is on in her car...so I get home and see a nail in her tire. It’s in there good/pretty well sealed so hardly any air leaked out, but I topped it off and went to the tire store to get it fixed.

Get home and am getting out of her car when I hear loud air leaking and look down, and she’s got ANOTHER nail in yet ANOTHER tire...top it off and head to the tire shop again and am still here.

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redbirdjazzz
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Re: The Car Discussion Thread

Post by redbirdjazzz »

cardsfantx wrote:[expletive] cars

My wife was going to move my truck early this morning and said it won’t start...took a look and battery was completely dead. Jumped it with her car and took it to the auto store and swapped the battery.

While I’m there, she calls and tells be the tire pressure gauge warning light is on in her car...so I get home and see a nail in her tire. It’s in there good/pretty well sealed so hardly any air leaked out, but I topped it off and went to the tire store to get it fixed.

Get home and am getting out of her car when I hear loud air leaking and look down, and she’s got ANOTHER nail in yet ANOTHER tire...top it off and head to the tire shop again and am still here.
You’ve gotta stop driving through the fastener section of the hardware store.

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haltz
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Re: The Car Discussion Thread

Post by haltz »

We had a car stolen a few weeks ago. It was recovered after being wrecked and used in an armed robbery. Bullet holes in the c-pillar for good measure. Someone accidentally left a fob in the cupholder and it's been a massive pain in the ass even though insurance is covering everything.

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Jocephus
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Re: The Car Discussion Thread

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damn

Michael
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Re: The Car Discussion Thread

Post by Michael »

haltz wrote:We had a car stolen a few weeks ago. It was recovered after being wrecked and used in an armed robbery. Bullet holes in the c-pillar for good measure. Someone accidentally left a fob in the cupholder and it's been a massive pain in the ass even though insurance is covering everything.
I'd try and get it fixed, but keep the bullet holes. I'd drive it everywhere and scare everybody.

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IMADreamer
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Re: The Car Discussion Thread

Post by IMADreamer »

Michael wrote:
haltz wrote:We had a car stolen a few weeks ago. It was recovered after being wrecked and used in an armed robbery. Bullet holes in the c-pillar for good measure. Someone accidentally left a fob in the cupholder and it's been a massive pain in the ass even though insurance is covering everything.
I'd try and get it fixed, but keep the bullet holes. I'd drive it everywhere and scare everybody.

This for sure.

tlombard
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Re: The Car Discussion Thread

Post by tlombard »

A friend at work had her brand new (had it maybe two months) car shot up a few years ago when that pizza delivery was shot by the nut job who then tossed homemade explosives at police as they chased him around Missouri and Illinois. The guy who shot the driver lived across the street from her and one of his errant shots got her car. Thankfully it was the car and not through a window of her place. Her daughter was scared to stay with her for a few weeks after that.

tlombard
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Re: The Car Discussion Thread

Post by tlombard »

I've been thinking about picking up another car since I got rid of the Rodeo awhile ago. It needed exhaust, tires and just general wear and tear items but I rarely drove it anywhere so I just didn't feel it was worth putting that money into a 25 year old vehicle that gets terrible gas mileage. It also had a bit of character, meaning dents and dings from people running into it while parked. It is appropriate that the thing was black because it might as well have been a black hole. People just couldn't avoid backing into it.

Anyway, I ran across a beautiful 2006 Audi A4 Quattro 3.2. The average value for the car is about $3500 from a dealer. They are asking $4000 but I'm sure I can drive away in it for $3500 easily. I am moving some investments around so I'll have the cash on hand to buy it with plenty of safety net after registering it and all of that stuff. The car has 147k miles but so does everything that is 13 years old. And it is a six speed manual with leather, front and rear seat heaters, dual climate control and all of that stuff. The car looks immaculate. The six speed is what really does it for me.

Am I crazy for considering a 13 year old Audi? I know they are generally more expensive to repair but my dad is a mechanic and doesn't charge me labor so I have that going for me. I can also do the standard stuff on my own like brakes, oil changes and other things that don't require a lift or special tools thanks to years of hanging around my dad's shop when he owned it and helping him out so I'm not really worried about the standard maintenance being expensive. I'm just worried about the big issues that might come up.

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