Random Thoughts Thread

[David]

2 hours ago, balthazar said:

Pontiac sports car proposal ~

That is sexy as hell!

[A Horse With No Name]

17 hours ago, ccap41 said:

I will not donate my money to a startup auto company.. It's one of the most difficult markets to crack into. 

Your buddies ad Ford sold almost a million F series last year IIRC. They have led for 42 years in terms of Truck sales. They ahve 115 years of exp-erience actually building vehicles and not just puttinjg up CGI images and hosting dinner parties in Detroit.

You can bet your bottom effing dollar they are not going to just give up on that kind of high margin product and just let startups take over the market.

Actually building electric vehicles is a complicated process. If I am going to hire a surgeon I want an actual Doctor. If I am going to buy a truck...I am going to buy from people who know what they are doing...

Not to say I don't wish the new guys well because I do...

9 hours ago, dfelt said:

That is sexy as hell!

I hear they make an electric conversion for that....

I so want to have something cold to drink with this dude...

[A Horse With No Name]

[ykX]

19 minutes ago, A Horse With No Name said:

I love the real Rally color and looks, not slammed down, it is just unnatural for STi

Edited January 11, 2019 by ykX

[ccap41]

32 minutes ago, A Horse With No Name said:

Your buddies ad Ford sold almost a million F series last year IIRC. They have led for 42 years in terms of Truck sales. They ahve 115 years of exp-erience actually building vehicles and not just puttinjg up CGI images and hosting dinner parties in Detroit.

You can bet your bottom effing dollar they are not going to just give up on that kind of high margin product and just let startups take over the market.

Actually building electric vehicles is a complicated process. If I am going to hire a surgeon I want an actual Doctor. If I am going to buy a truck...I am going to buy from people who know what they are doing...

Not to say I don't wish the new guys well because I do...

I hear they make an electric conversion for that....

I completely agree. With GM and their Bolt technology and Ford saying a year or so ago they're working on hybridizing the F150.. I have a feeling both of those auto monsters know when and how to roll out their electrified versions. Not to say they are always correct but there's more data available now than ever to not screw that kind of thing up. 

[A Horse With No Name]

8 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

I completely agree. With GM and their Bolt technology and Ford saying a year or so ago they're working on hybridizing the F150.. I have a feeling both of those auto monsters know when and how to roll out their electrified versions. Not to say they are always correct but there's more data available now than ever to not screw that kind of thing up. 

You can bet a bunch of engineers in Detroit are doing lots of advance work on exactly that...Hybrid and Electric F150's. Chinese market for vehicles, the rise of Tesla, the rise of independent competition...they might be asleep on some issues but they are wide awake on this one.

[ccap41]

They've both proven to be ballsy enough already(turbo 4cyl & turbo 6cyl in TRUCKS). They aren't going to let some startup take this away from them

[A Horse With No Name]

...and Kudos to both Ford and Gm for dropping the Cruze and Focus....neither one of them owe me a $19,000 car they are going to barely make a margin on.

2 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

They've both proven to be ballsy enough already(turbo 4cyl & turbo 6cyl in TRUCKS). They aren't going to let some startup take this away from them

Can you imagine what will happen when they build say a Bronco Hybrid that is actually good looking and worth owning? 30 MPG plus on the highly, extra low end torque, green cred...and extra profit margin. Plus existing dealer network and market equity. And loyal customer base.

It will be like the police market for Ford....love them or hate them.  Charger and everyone else wants a piece of the police market...but at the end of the day....all I see are a bunch of FORD SUV's and Interceptors doing police duty.  You won't think they are competitive and then everyone else will wonder why they are owning the segment of the market they want to own.

It is appropriate that David Pearson was a Mercury/Ford driver back in the day....he would be back of the pack or mid pack until the end of the race, and then he would be there in contention and often winning. He is #2 behind petty for all time NASCAR wins.

[A Horse With No Name]

What I would like Ford to have brought over here...

Monbeo/Fusion wagon....

Make it the same gorgeous Maroon as this Audi...

[A Horse With No Name]

Sad Death of a Pontiac G8 in Dayton....dad was dumb for doing this with kids in car...

https://triblive.com/usworld/world/14489361-74/police-ohio-man-doing-doughnuts-crashes-new-car

[A Horse With No Name]

Love the Grey.

[A Horse With No Name]

I love this pic...it so sums up the fun in an old school American muscle car...

And a Cold one for Olds Hurst...living in a cold city...

[ccap41]

This is one of the foreign Fords that would have been cool to have had here. ST wagon.

[A Horse With No Name]

1 minute ago, ccap41 said:

This is one of the foreign Fords that would have been cool to have had here. ST wagon.

God that is just so lustworthy....

[A Horse With No Name]

 

Different kind of a unique Ford wagon

[David]

3 hours ago, A Horse With No Name said:

Your buddies ad Ford sold almost a million F series last year IIRC. They have led for 42 years in terms of Truck sales. They ahve 115 years of exp-erience actually building vehicles and not just puttinjg up CGI images and hosting dinner parties in Detroit.

You can bet your bottom effing dollar they are not going to just give up on that kind of high margin product and just let startups take over the market.

Actually building electric vehicles is a complicated process. If I am going to hire a surgeon I want an actual Doctor. If I am going to buy a truck...I am going to buy from people who know what they are doing...

Not to say I don't wish the new guys well because I do...

I hear they make an electric conversion for that....

I so want to have something cold to drink with this dude...

Let me help you my friend with a superior looking pickup to that ugly Chevrolet one!

2 hours ago, ccap41 said:

I completely agree. With GM and their Bolt technology and Ford saying a year or so ago they're working on hybridizing the F150.. I have a feeling both of those auto monsters know when and how to roll out their electrified versions. Not to say they are always correct but there's more data available now than ever to not screw that kind of thing up. 

An Electric GMC or Cadillac full size truck is what would keep me buying from GM!

[David]

2 hours ago, A Horse With No Name said:

Sad Death of a Pontiac G8 in Dayton....dad was dumb for doing this with kids in car...

https://triblive.com/usworld/world/14489361-74/police-ohio-man-doing-doughnuts-crashes-new-car

😢 For the Pontiac, 😡 for the Idiot Father and 🤗 for the kids having to deal with the trauma of their idiot father.

[trinacriabob]

4 hours ago, A Horse With No Name said:

Sad Death of a Pontiac G8 in Dayton....dad was dumb for doing this with kids in car...

https://triblive.com/usworld/world/14489361-74/police-ohio-man-doing-doughnuts-crashes-new-car

Not just treated and released, but hospitalized.  He really tore up the front of that Pontiac G8.  Even if health comes first and he was an idiot, Pontiac G8s in great condition and with low(er) miles aren't exactly easy to come by.

[A Horse With No Name]

Just now, trinacriabob said:

Not just treated and released, but hospitalized.  He really tore up the front of that Pontiac G8.  Even if health comes first and he was an idiot, Pontiac G8s in great condition and with low(er) miles aren't exactly easy to come by.

Common sense sadly goes away when people get behind the wheel of a powerful car. 

I know a gentleman from a local car club who outran the police in a wild chase with his 8 year old son, and a woman who rolled a convertible with her kids in car seats in the back...no one injured that seriously...but...dammit man...if your going to drive that way do it on a track without kids in the car. 

I really like the idea of ambulance waiting and corner workers wearing white when I get crazy with a car. Just sayin...

And don't drive things hard you can't afford to write off. Clapped out 4th Gen Z28 could have been had for a few grand, track fees for a track day with fuel couple hundred at most...

Far cheaper for this gentleman than insurance costs, hospital costs, being out a car, and the like. He is lucky if he is not charged with criminal neglect of Children by some social worker. 

[trinacriabob]

18 hours ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Depends on the age of the car for how long the data is stored. It's mostly error codes, engine statistics, that sort of thing.  I have a reader that I can hook up to my phone via bluetooth and it will let me see all of that stuff. 

Thanks.

What I'm wondering is if any engine codes that have been erased can be detected by their reader.  I was looking at a great article or site and it was a lexicon of check engine codes, with each of them also ranked as serious (red), mid-range (amber), and minor (green).  This one is a minor, intermittent, and seasonal one that has visited me in the past. 

I was impressed when, for something more involved than an oil change, one GM dealer was able to pull up my car's entire service history and had it on their clipboard along with the work order.  I wonder if that's from the reader or something that the OnStar system transmits to them.

I've rarely thrown engine codes in my last 3 GM cars.  I know that the one that gave me any tangible drivability issues was in my last car and it was the knock sensor.

For a lot of GM cars, and especially in engines they use for quite a while, it seems like they have their electronic engine control systems dialed.

Edited January 11, 2019 by trinacriabob

[A Horse With No Name]

Nice paint work, not exactly my thing...but I like regular cab trucks. 

[A Horse With No Name]

[Robert Hall]

On 12/11/2018 at 7:13 PM, ocnblu said:

Well then, you are guaranteed to have a yuge supplement.  Those photo estimates are a giant waste of time.  Our shop at least doubles every.single.one.  The insurance company loves them... because they save so much money if the person doesn't actually fix the car.

One day shy of a month and the Trax is back home.  Estimate was $3150, total came to $4500.   USAA paid for it all, incl. refunding the deductible since the other driver was at fault. 

[Drew Dowdell]

The Cadillac's tire needs some air.

[A Horse With No Name]

 

[Robert Hall]

54 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

The Cadillac's tire needs some air.

Funny about that.  She drove it this morning, seemed fine.  Got home, a few hours later when we went out to get the Trax noticed it was flat.  Called AAA, they put on the donut spare--it was flat also.  Not sure what happened w/ the tire, didn't see any nails, etc.   Drove it down to the independent shop she uses to have it checked out (they put the tires on new back in September), going to get the shocks, struts, etc replaced, and a few other anomalies checked out (airbag light is on, it's really loud at idle, etc). 

Edited January 11, 2019 by Robert Hall

[balthazar]

[ocnblu]

8 hours ago, ccap41 said:

This is one of the foreign Fords that would have been cool to have had here. ST wagon.

$1600 for a bare headlight assembly from Ford (no bulbs, no dust caps).  Just priced one today for a Focus ST we have in the shop.  Insurance company wrote the estimate for a base Focus, and aftermarket at that...

[Drew Dowdell]

14 minutes ago, ocnblu said:

$1600 for a bare headlight assembly from Ford (no bulbs, no dust caps).  Just priced one today for a Focus ST we have in the shop.  Insurance company wrote the estimate for a base Focus, and aftermarket at that...

I've always wondered what the fancy ones with the LED light piping cost.

That price is highway robbery.  I got new headlight clusters for the Honda for less than $100 each off eBay and they fit and worked perfectly.

[ocnblu]

Why does the new Explorer front end remind me of this?  FORD FAMILY

[balthazar]

[balthazar]

[ocnblu]

"MADE IN AMERICA BY AMERICANS".  Has a nice ring to it.  I love it.  🇺🇸

[ocnblu]

My great grandfather, grandfather and me with my great grandfather's Ford.

[balthazar]

^ Awesome. I never got to meet any of my great grandparents, tho both of my sons knew 3 of theirs. My father's father passed in 2016, 6 weeks shy of turning 101.
- - - - -

[oldshurst442]

5 hours ago, ocnblu said:

My great grandfather, grandfather and me with my great grandfather's Ford.

You are lucky!

I never got to meet my grandparents on my dad's side. They past away before he even got married.

I met my granddad on my mom's side twice, but he past away in Greece when I was 7 years old. I got to see him when I was 4 years old and 6 years old. I do remeber him at 4 years old and I remember him vivdly at 6.

My kids, my dad died before my son was born, he was in his mom's belly. My daughter was 1 year old.

Their other granddad died before my wife and I met.

My mom past away almost 3 years ago. My daughter remembers her well. But not my son.

The other grandma is doing well!!!

Forget about great grandparents on both sides!!!

That is remarkable Blu!!! I like that!!!

 

 

[A Horse With No Name]

Fantastic on the pic and old Fords both.

[balthazar]

oh HELL yes ~

[ocnblu]

Chevy Trailblazer... FWD/AWD transverse CUV to slot between Trax and Equinox... let the crying begin... I feel like bawling my eyeballs out...

[Robert Hall]

1 hour ago, ocnblu said:

Chevy Trailblazer... FWD/AWD transverse CUV to slot between Trax and Equinox... let the crying begin... I feel like bawling my eyeballs out...

It wouldn't surprise me if they add another appliance in there.   Just like they will probably add a Cadillac XT7 on the Traverse/Enclave wheelbase above the new XT6. 

Is that the FNR Carryall concept for China?   Looks like it..

https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1119939_chevy-previews-future-suv-styling-with-fnr-carryall-concept

Edited January 13, 2019 by Robert Hall

[ocnblu]

GM at its cynical worst.  Mocking loyalty will not earn you a future.

[Drew Dowdell]

On 1/12/2019 at 10:49 AM, balthazar said:

^ Awesome. I never got to meet any of my great grandparents, tho both of my sons knew 3 of theirs. My father's father passed in 2016, 6 weeks shy of turning 101.
- - - - -

I knew 3 of my great grandparents.

2 hours ago, ocnblu said:

GM at its cynical worst.  Mocking loyalty will not earn you a future.

And remember, they renewed the Envoy name. Taking bets on it being a GMC XT6?

[A Horse With No Name]

2 hours ago, ocnblu said:

Chevy Trailblazer... FWD/AWD transverse CUV to slot between Trax and Equinox... let the crying begin... I feel like bawling my eyeballs out...

The Hyundai of domestics...without the extended warranty.

2 hours ago, ocnblu said:

GM at its cynical worst.  Mocking loyalty will not earn you a future.

At least not with us here. Your Jeep looks better all of the time.

[trinacriabob]

On 1/11/2019 at 2:16 PM, A Horse With No Name said:

 

I'm laughing at and loving these two specific cars.

As for the Chevy, the license plate tells me it's a 1980 or 1981.  That was the time that CA transitioned from a 6 digit license plate to a 7 digit license plate.  This car must have been stripped down.  I wouldn't be surprised if it had a 6 cylinder in it.  It would have been a V6 more so than a L6 by 1980.

As for the Cadillac, I can't tell the year, but I'm guessing early '80s.  Anyone for a picnic on the trunk lid of this car?  How about on the hood?  I can't read the badging, but this could have run with a crappy V8-6-4, a Cadillac 4100 V8, or the "credit option" Buick produced 4.1 (252 c.i.) V6. 

We will never see anything like this again.  Might as well enjoy the eye candy and the laughs while we can.

Edited January 13, 2019 by trinacriabob

[Robert Hall]

1 minute ago, trinacriabob said:

I'm laughing at and loving these cars.

As for the Chevy, the license plate tells me it's a 1980 or 1981.  That was the time that CA transitioned from a 6 digit license plate to a 7 digit license plate.  This car must have been stripped down.  I wouldn't be surprised if it had a 6 cylinder in it.  It would have been a V6 more so than a L6 by 1980.

As for the Cadillac, I can't tell the year, but I'm guessing early '80s.  Anyone for a picnic on the trunk lid of this car?  How about on the hood?  I can't read the badging, but this could have run with a crappy V8-6-4, a Cadillac 4100 V8, or the "credit option" Buick produced 4.1 (252 c.i.) V6. 

We will never see anything like this again.  Might as well enjoy the eye candy and the laughs while we can.

1980 Impala, looks like.  The '81-85 had a different grille.  The Cadillac could be anywhere from '80-84 for a CdV..

[ocnblu]

1 hour ago, Drew Dowdell said:

And remember, they renewed the Envoy name. Taking bets on it being a GMC XT6?

I am thinking a new GMC Envoy will be the Trax/Encore sibling that we've seen in spy shots.  Acadia is their midsize 3-row XT6-size place holder.

Edited January 13, 2019 by ocnblu

[trinacriabob]

This morning, I got some groceries.

I found a pineapple for 99 cents.  I forgot how to cut these open correctly.  I will have to look at YouTube.

Then, there's another more upmarket grocery chain that had fresh loaves of Italian bread, bakery style, for 99 cents.  I got one of those, too.  I always say I'm going to eat the bread slowly over the week.  I don't.  Their Italian loaf is good.  But their French baguette (sometimes 99 cents) is great!

[ocnblu]

3 hours ago, Robert Hall said:

Is that the FNR Carryall concept for China?

Nah you can see the fenders have the same swoosh as the Cruze, and a different grille with high mounted headlights from the FNR Carryall, which is just a stretched Blazer with dinky third row/cargo space hogger.

Edited January 13, 2019 by ocnblu

[Drew Dowdell]

3 minutes ago, ocnblu said:

I am thinking a new GMC Envoy will be the Trax/Encore sibling that we've seen in spy shots.  Acadia is their midsize 3-row XT6-size place holder.

There's also the Granite. I could see them doing an all 3-row Envoy that is just 5 inches longer than the Acadia.

[ocnblu]

1 minute ago, Drew Dowdell said:

There's also the Granite. I could see them doing an all 3-row Envoy that is just 5 inches longer than the Acadia.

Acadia XL?