Random Thoughts Thread

[A Horse With No Name]

Just now, Robert Hall said:

I remember seeing that Uranus Fudge Factory on Rt 44 in MO when I was driving from Phoenix to Cleveland in June '17.  Got a chuckle out of the sign..

I am actually thinking of making a simialr drive to Zion nation al park in Utah. 

[Robert Hall]

1 minute ago, A Horse With No Name said:

I am actually thinking of making a simialr drive to Zion nation al park in Utah. 

I want to do more cross country trips eventually, but not in plague times.  I would do one again but at a leisurely pace, staying in hotels along the way or in an RV.   No more straight-through drives.

[A Horse With No Name]

2 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

I want to do more cross country trips eventually, but not in plague times.  I would do one again but at a leisurely pace, staying in hotels along the way or in an RV.   No more straight-through drives.

If you ever want someone to go with...

[A Horse With No Name]

[trinacriabob]

1 hour ago, A Horse With No Name said:

I am a sucker for these animal stories and videos, though more so when they are about dogs.  I like this one, too, about a goofy dog hopping onto a bus in Finland:

https://www.thedodo.com/close-to-home/dog-rides-bus-alone

He didn't sit down.  He stood on the seats.  At least he didn't have a boom box with him.

[David]

29 minutes ago, trinacriabob said:

I am a sucker for these animal stories and videos, though more so when they are about dogs.  I like this one, too, about a goofy dog hopping onto a bus in Finland:

https://www.thedodo.com/close-to-home/dog-rides-bus-alone

He didn't sit down.  He stood on the seats.  At least he didn't have a boom box with him.

Am a dog lover, my sister is checking out the type of dog she wants to get. Spent the weekend with this labradoodle. 

[A Horse With No Name]

https://pawilds.com/asset/trails-jakes-rocks/

 

[balthazar]

[A Horse With No Name]

1 minute ago, balthazar said:

I love this. 

[A Horse With No Name]

This is cool. 

 

[David]

I so could get into having this to play Mario Cart at home.

 

[trinacriabob]

October 26 seemed like a familiar date.  Then the light bulb went on.

It's Hillary's birthday.  Happy birthday, Hillary.

Some people just keep on hitting the wall harder and harder.

For others, they're not getting older, they're getting better.

[trinacriabob]

Man.  I didn't say I liked her or didn't like her.  I just was capitalizing on posting that vintage photo that has made me laugh for years and years.  And I had to get a "down vote" for doing so.  Too funny.

[balthazar]

YOU didn’t get a ‘downvote’; hillary did.

[Robert Hall]

Re: dog pics..

Recent pics of Henry, Beardsley's bum, Raine, and Ginny...

Edited October 26, 2020 by Robert Hall

[ocnblu]

 

[trinacriabob]

2 hours ago, Robert Hall said:

Re: dog pics

They look like they could inadvertently snap at someone ... as in "Surprise!"

[balthazar]

Liking the Bronco a bit less the more I see of it. Not sure why Ford gave it such a FWD-esque, protruding snout, but it's huge.

[trinacriabob]

I didn't get much buy-in to the sun dried tomato salad dressing I once posted and raved about.  I know tomatoes can be acidic.

How about this variety? 

Incredible.

 

[daves87rs]

11 hours ago, A Horse With No Name said:

This is cool. 

 

Nice!

[ocnblu]

7 hours ago, balthazar said:

Liking the Bronco a bit less the more I see of it. Not sure why Ford gave it such a FWD-esque, protruding snout, but it's huge.

You know that's the little bro, FWD/AWD Escape-based Bronco Sport in the vid, right?

[A Horse With No Name]

2 hours ago, ocnblu said:

You know that's the little bro, FWD/AWD Escape-based Bronco Sport in the vid, right?

Little bro is still cool, but comes with a 3 popper unelss you get the upgraded model. I can't wrap my head around a 3 popper in an SUV. 

I would consider an Escape SEL AWD because I could get the 2.0 Ecoboost and 3500 pounds of towing capacity. that...and the escape is curreently 6th in small SUV sales rankings, so Ford often has a lot of Money on the hood to move metal. 

8 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

I didn't get much buy-in to the sun dried tomato salad dressing I once posted and raved about.  I know tomatoes can be acidic.

How about this variety? 

Incredible.

 

I prefer plain vinegar and oil on Salads. I find any kind of Ranch too heavy, and it masks the taste of the vegetables too much. 

10 hours ago, balthazar said:

Liking the Bronco a bit less the more I see of it. Not sure why Ford gave it such a FWD-esque, protruding snout, but it's huge.

Actually I am liking the actual Bronco more. Biggest thing for me is I don't like having two vehicles too much alike. I had a 71 chevelle adn 55 Chevy at the same time. Also that MINI Cooper S when I owned the Miata. Don't want to trade the Ranger, love it. 

Might be better off with something completely different as a second car. 

But the Aveo is paid for, and will probably outlast me. 

This was at the Corvette Museeum when I was there. Neat display. 

 

This is my current subject of Automotive lust, and it comes with a front locker. 

Don't know if I have posted the video before or not, but it is pure automotive lust. 

[A Horse With No Name]

https://www.amazon.com/Jupiters-Travels-Years-Around-Triumph/dp/0965478521

 

Book I am currently reading. 

I want to take this train ride, as well as ride the Canadian. 

 

 

[A Horse With No Name]

Vintage GM action in this car chase, would give eye teeth for the step side. 

 

[balthazar]

3 hours ago, ocnblu said:

You know that's the little bro, FWD/AWD Escape-based Bronco Sport in the vid, right?

Ugh- no. Why did Ford do it this way...

[A Horse With No Name]

23 minutes ago, balthazar said:

Ugh- no. Why did Ford do it this way...

Because they want to make both Mustang and Bronco into sub brands. Diluting brand equity worked so well for GM in terms of the Cutlass and Grand Prix, and Ford wants to follow suit. 4 Door electric Mustang for the win!

Not a political post but...kind of. Biden is running on "I am not the incumbent" rather than his own ideas IMHO. This worked out so well for president McGovern in 72, President Mondale in 84, President Dole in 96, President Kerry in 2004, President Romeny in 2012. 

Humans learn very little from their mistakes. 

Hell, even world war one, probably the most painful thing our species has endured, had to be repeated about twenty years later just for kicks. 

Again, humans learn very little from their mistakes.  Even the brightest of them. 

 

23 minutes ago, balthazar said:

Ugh- no. Why did Ford do it this way...

Suprised they are not building a MINI Bronco based on the ECOsport. 

Bronco Sport Badlands....not nearly as bad as I make it out to be...but I still want the full size Bronco. 

 

 

That being said, I will take this all day long over a RAV 4. 

Edited October 27, 2020 by A Horse With No Name

[daves87rs]

58 minutes ago, A Horse With No Name said:

Because they want to make both Mustang and Bronco into sub brands. Diluting brand equity worked so well for GM in terms of the Cutlass and Grand Prix, and Ford wants to follow suit. 4 Door electric Mustang for the win!

Not a political post but...kind of. Biden is running on "I am not the incumbent" rather than his own ideas IMHO. This worked out so well for president McGovern in 72, President Mondale in 84, President Dole in 96, President Kerry in 2004, President Romeny in 2012. 

Humans learn very little from their mistakes. 

Hell, even world war one, probably the most painful thing our species has endured, had to be repeated about twenty years later just for kicks. 

Again, humans learn very little from their mistakes.  Even the brightest of them. 

 

Suprised they are not building a MINI Bronco based on the ECOsport. 

Bronco Sport Badlands....not nearly as bad as I make it out to be...but I still want the full size Bronco. 

 

 

That being said, I will take this all day long over a RAV 4. 

I just saw that one driving around here....you’ll be noticed for sure in one! I am considering the Sport myself, as I doubt I will be able to swing the full size one. I have a few Ford friends who got to take one up north to Michigan’s UP to test one out for camping. They love this thing..... 🙂 

[Robert Hall]

I'm really looking forward to seeing the Broncos, Sport and 'large'.  I don't think I'd trade my Jeep on one, but they look fun.

[David]

11 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

I didn't get much buy-in to the sun dried tomato salad dressing I once posted and raved about.  I know tomatoes can be acidic.

How about this variety? 

Incredible.

 

Love ranch for covering the taste of veggies, but I just do not get the Guacamole. The taste and texture of that fruit is just blah to me. Glad you love it, we all gotta love our dressings some how.

2 hours ago, A Horse With No Name said:

I prefer plain vinegar and oil on Salads. I find any kind of Ranch too heavy, and it masks the taste of the vegetables too much. 

My mom loves that too, says it lets the veggies speak for themselves. I will stick with covering them up with regular Ranch.  

[A Horse With No Name]

4 hours ago, Robert Hall said:

I'm really looking forward to seeing the Broncos, Sport and 'large'.  I don't think I'd trade my Jeep on one, but they look fun.

See....that is my conundrum. I almost like the idea of a grand Cherokee if you are going to go a olot of different places, as it will draw much less attention. Of the unwanted sort. 

4 hours ago, daves87rs said:

I just saw that one driving around here....you’ll be noticed for sure in one! I am considering the Sport myself, as I doubt I will be able to swing the full size one. I have a few Ford friends who got to take one up north to Michigan’s UP to test one out for camping. They love this thing..... 🙂 

It is a sweet ride, despite lacking the Balthazar seal of approval. 

[A Horse With No Name]

This GM truck led and died a violent life...

 

Full of armor plating and the like. The Ohio Highway patrol has crushed a lot of vehicles that have been built with hidden compartments for drug smuggling. 

[Robert Hall]

16 minutes ago, A Horse With No Name said:

See....that is my conundrum. I almost like the idea of a grand Cherokee if you are going to go a olot of different places, as it will draw much less attention. Of the unwanted sort. 

It is a sweet ride, despite lacking the Balthazar seal of approval. 

I really don't do off-roading, other than the occasional gravel road, so I don't need all the rock-crawly capability of a Wrangler or Bronco... I suspect w/ the big tires and removable roof the Bronco will be loud on-highway, like the Wrangler...would be a fun weekend toy.  The GC is quieter, more of a daily driver all-weather luxo-cruiser which suits my taste.  

[David]

34 minutes ago, A Horse With No Name said:

This GM truck led and died a violent life...

 

Full of armor plating and the like. The Ohio Highway patrol has crushed a lot of vehicles that have been built with hidden compartments for drug smuggling. 

Crazy the weight of all that steel. Course MPG is not what they are worried about. Interesting home job of iron plating, looks to be 1/2 inch thick. Crazy. Thanks for posting.

[David]

Seems European regulators have blessed the PSA / FCA merger.  Completion of the merger for Stellantis is Q1 of 2021. They will then immediately enact the 40% cost cutting needed by both companies to survive. Especially after a hard money loosing year due to the Pandemic. They say another 40% saving will come through merging of operations and a estimated 20% reduction in costs of marketing / sales costs due to this merger also. More details of the jobs reduction, plant changes, etc. will happen in 2021 once the deal is done. 

Stellantis will be the worlds 4th largest auto company once this merger is done.

https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2020/10/european-regulators-finally-approve-psa-fca-becoming-stellantis/

An interesting side read is why PSA wanted FCA. Jeep Pure and Simple. One of the most world wide known off road name plates and Jeep is exploding in growth in China with their PHEV and Japan with their Renegade 4xe pure EV. Markets are exploding in wanting jeeps while it also is the 6th most popular name plate in the US.

https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2020/10/jeep-easing-electrification-into-japanese-market-world-to-follow/

[David]

KIA is getting a relaunch in 2021 with new auto's and a new sleek look according to this story.

According to the CEO of KIA, the Telluride, K5, Seltos and restyled Sorento is the start of the Plan S with the full plan being rolled out early 2021 globally. The CEO says KIA will become a more Dynamic, Stylish and inventive auto maker unlike the current blah auto lines everyone has out currently. Backed by a $25 billion dollar investment, Kia will roll out 11 EVs to go along with the current ICE lineup by 2025.

KIA's EV lineup will be built on their Global Module E-GMP platform. Globally Kia expects 20% of sales to be from EVs in 2025.

Imagine by KIA

 

https://www.motor1.com/news/450918/kia-relaunching-brand-new-logo/

Seems November 6th is here early as the Ford Eco Sport Active relaunch with new skin is here thanks to who ever made a mistake of posting the images online.

Have to say I am not impressed with the look of this auto.

https://www.motor1.com/news/450998/2021-ford-ecosport-active/

 

[David]

Seems Motor Trend is suggesting that the thread bare dodge line up to use their words should take the Fiat Tipo Cross and rebadge it as a Dodge to fight the Subaru CrossTrek.

https://www.motortrend.com/news/fiat-tipo-cross-first-look-review/

[daves87rs]

2 hours ago, A Horse With No Name said:

This GM truck led and died a violent life...

 

Full of armor plating and the like. The Ohio Highway patrol has crushed a lot of vehicles that have been built with hidden compartments for drug smuggling. 

I know we had some of those here....but they either are reused by whatever agency that got it, or shredded quickly. We had a crown Vic that was step up just like that.....

[Robert Hall]

1 hour ago, David said:

Seems Motor Trend is suggesting that the thread bare dodge line up to use their words should take the Fiat Tipo Cross and rebadge it as a Dodge to fight the Subaru CrossTrek.

https://www.motortrend.com/news/fiat-tipo-cross-first-look-review/

Probably too small to fit a Hellcat V8, though.

[daves87rs]

1 hour ago, David said:

Seems Motor Trend is suggesting that the thread bare dodge line up to use their words should take the Fiat Tipo Cross and rebadge it as a Dodge to fight the Subaru CrossTrek.

https://www.motortrend.com/news/fiat-tipo-cross-first-look-review/

I’m thinking while it sounds like a good idea, I’m willing to bet that it does not. They are not in a hurry to add anything to the Dodge lineup for now. We have, on the other hand, had a few hybrid Chargers floating around here.....

[ocnblu]

Why is it so hard to comprehend Ford covering all the bases with the Bronco family, with the smaller Bronco Sport and regular Bronco?  It's not without precedent, I mean, look at this cool little buckaroo:

 

[David]

17 minutes ago, ocnblu said:

Why is it so hard to comprehend Ford covering all the bases with the Bronco family, with the smaller Bronco Sport and regular Bronco?  It's not without precedent, I mean, look at this cool little buckaroo:

 

True Brick on Wheels. Take an old Hummer H3 over this.  

[Robert Hall]

28 minutes ago, ocnblu said:

Why is it so hard to comprehend Ford covering all the bases with the Bronco family, with the smaller Bronco Sport and regular Bronco?  It's not without precedent, I mean, look at this cool little buckaroo:

 

I liked my Bronco II.  Served me well the 6 years I had it.  

[A Horse With No Name]

3 hours ago, David said:

Seems Motor Trend is suggesting that the thread bare dodge line up to use their words should take the Fiat Tipo Cross and rebadge it as a Dodge to fight the Subaru CrossTrek.

https://www.motortrend.com/news/fiat-tipo-cross-first-look-review/

Crosstrek is hot this is not.

1 hour ago, Robert Hall said:

I liked my Bronco II.  Served me well the 6 years I had it.  

They were great little vehicles.

2 hours ago, Robert Hall said:

Probably too small to fit a Hellcat V8, though.

Cut 4 cylinders off...just like GM cut two off to make the 4300 V6.

3 hours ago, David said:

KIA is getting a relaunch in 2021 with new auto's and a new sleek look according to this story.

According to the CEO of KIA, the Telluride, K5, Seltos and restyled Sorento is the start of the Plan S with the full plan being rolled out early 2021 globally. The CEO says KIA will become a more Dynamic, Stylish and inventive auto maker unlike the current blah auto lines everyone has out currently. Backed by a $25 billion dollar investment, Kia will roll out 11 EVs to go along with the current ICE lineup by 2025.

KIA's EV lineup will be built on their Global Module E-GMP platform. Globally Kia expects 20% of sales to be from EVs in 2025.

Imagine by KIA

 

https://www.motor1.com/news/450918/kia-relaunching-brand-new-logo/

Seems November 6th is here early as the Ford Eco Sport Active relaunch with new skin is here thanks to who ever made a mistake of posting the images online.

Have to say I am not impressed with the look of this auto.

https://www.motor1.com/news/450998/2021-ford-ecosport-active/

 

And this is what will kill Tesla. The big boys have far more to invest than Tesla...and they know how to build actual cars.

[ocnblu]

That blue heart was only for the Ecosport Active portion of your post, Statue.  Very sly putting two diametrically opposed topics in one post, forcing a viewer to agonize over which reaction to click on!

[trinacriabob]

14 hours ago, A Horse With No Name said:

Cut 4 cylinders off...just like GM cut two off to make the 4300 V6.

Even though it won't be happening, I could use something like an old school GM 4.3 V6 with TBI under the hood of my next car.  

[David]

Consumer reports has tested in depth and stated that Tesla AutoPilot is a DISTANT second place to GM's Super Cruise. Even European testing has put Tesla in 6th place out of 10 systems that were tested.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-autos-selfdriving-safety/tesla-autopilot-a-distant-second-to-gms-super-cruise-in-hands-free-test-consumer-reports-idUSKBN27D1B7

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/10/28/gms-super-cruise-tops-teslas-autopilot-in-consumer-reports-testing.html

https://www.autonews.com/regulation-safety/gms-super-cruise-rated-ahead-tesla-autopilot-consumer-reports

 

[balthazar]

[USA-1]

3 hours ago, David said:

Consumer reports has tested in depth and stated that Tesla AutoPilot is a DISTANT second place to GM's Super Cruise. Even European testing has put Tesla in 6th place out of 10 systems that were tested.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-autos-selfdriving-safety/tesla-autopilot-a-distant-second-to-gms-super-cruise-in-hands-free-test-consumer-reports-idUSKBN27D1B7

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/10/28/gms-super-cruise-tops-teslas-autopilot-in-consumer-reports-testing.html

https://www.autonews.com/regulation-safety/gms-super-cruise-rated-ahead-tesla-autopilot-consumer-reports

 

And GM's Ultra Cruise coming soon is going to be even better than Super Cruise and I've driven a few Cadillac's with Super Cruise, it's pretty sweet.

https://gmauthority.com/blog/gm/general-motors-technology/general-motors-autonomous-technology/gm-ultra-cruise/

[Drew Dowdell]

On 9/23/2020 at 1:05 PM, David said:

WOW, Dunkin Donuts to Close 800 locations, 8% of their stores and push to a contactless store experience much like the Amazon Fresh stores on top of other changes. Pandemic is really going to change the interaction of how we shop, interact with others, etc.

https://www.eatthis.com/dunkin-major-changes/

https://www.eatthis.com/dunkin-closing-locations-for-good/?utm_source=msn&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=msn-feed

I haven't used cash since probably March. 99% of the payments I make are contactless now.  Most stuff goes on my Fidelity card so I get 2% cash back.... I pay with my apple watch or through the vendor's app (Starbucks / Dunkin / BK). My Lowe's card can be shown as a barcode in the App.  Same with Target card. 

I just bought a 15.7 cu/ft chest freezer that will be delivered on 11/18 and we're going to start stocking up again. We're also going to look into signing up for grocery delivery soon to avoid the stores. Got our flu shots on Sunday and I want to get a pneumonia shot since I've had pneumonia twice before. 

Hunkering down for a long isolated winter. 

[balthazar]

I know I read the GM lowered the price on the 3.0L TD to around $1500 (effective immediately) ... but build n price guides are currently showing it circa $2300. Was it a short-time special and I didn't catch that? Seen it from Chevy & GMC< and from numerous dealers' window stickers online.