A Horse With No Name

18 hours ago, David said:

Yes, sight changes suck as at 56 years of age, my near sightedness has strangely gotten better and my farsightedness that was never a problem is now worse, and I have my first pair of progressive bifocals.

Old age is setting in on me also, Turned 58 last week. 

8 hours ago, oldshurst442 said:

Whatever happens.  Ill be ready.  Ill just turn to the past.

 

 

 

 

 

Your posts are always cool. 

13 hours ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Ah, the parking by braille method!

It partners nicely, like a fine wine with the driving by braille method. 

See rolling junkyards of Ohio for 500, Alex. 

Although I almost prefer this car with its vintage Patina. 

Full size Chevy built for autocross and handling. 

If you look at the Mustang at the 4:26 mark, that car gave its life, but damn sure protected its driver. 

74 GTO goes seriously airborne at the 2:50 mark...lots of GM carnage here. Including split window corvette and a 3rd gen Camaro. Now you see why I am so interested in safety technology. 

Electric cars will revolutionize racing. Here is a new Electric world record holder. 

2 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

They're integrated into the tires these days if the sidewalls of most cars is any indication.

With the rolling junkyards of rural Ohio that is sort of like "does the carpet match the drapes" for the automotive world. The scuffed and destroyed sidewalls match the sideswiped and rusted body panels. 

See, we folks from Ohio have fashion sense, just the wrong kind. 

On 9/15/2023 at 12:27 PM, ccap41 said:

I REALLY wish the F150 hybrid was a plug-in hybrid. It would be really nice if it could get just like 15-20 miles on electricity alone. That's literally the only downside I see in the F150 hybrid, because that's high on my list right now, as well. 

For a guy who hated Ford 4 years ago, I have come a long way. 

1 hour ago, trinacriabob said:

Random thought:

Things you don't see anymore ... curb feelers.

Bling on cars in general. 

For educational and not political purposes, but cool. 

19 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

It made it!  I did it!

Never did I think this vehicle, delivered to me new some 15.75 years ago in a suburb of Portland, OR, would move out of the PacNw, or even California.  Well, it did.  On trips out of town, I usually rent a car, whether from a neighborhood location or from whatever airport I use.

I wanted the car to "see" (LOL) the Atlantic Seaboard, and here it is, at Virginia Beach VA, doing just that (see photo - at Rudee Inlet, with Oceanfront district to the left and Croatan Beach to the right). The plan was to continue up along the coast and take it for the quick tour of NYC where it would quickly circle its 5 boroughs:  I-278 across Staten Island, the Verrazano Bridge, aorund Brooklyn and Queens on the Belt Parkway (stop at beach at Far Rockaway near JFK airport), up through Queens on the Van Wyck Expwy or parallel route, the Whitestone or Throg's Neck Bridge into the Bronx, I-95 across the Bronx (stop in little Italy) and the skinny part of Manhattan (stop at the Cloisters for a view over the Hudson and the GW Bridge), and then, finally, cross the GW Bridge before heading into New Jersey.  That circle tour is no more than 25 to 30 miles ... and 5 boroughs ... such a deal.  Sadly, I did not continue north to NYC for some unforeseen developments.  (The car has been running like a champ.)

Oh well, as a consolation, never did I think I'd drive the car to Toronto 3x, including a visit to and photos of it at the GM plant in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, where it came off the line.

Doing goofy and quirky things can make life interesting.

You are a huge inspiration for my own road trips. 

19 hours ago, David said:

Interesting as the German Environmentalist take action against Tesla, Porsche, etc. for hurting the planet and ignoring the problems in the world.

10 Tesla Model Y EVs Burn In Frankfurt, Anonymous Letter Claims Responsibility (insideevs.com)

Very cool Tech, have a Level 2 Bidirectional charger in your home so your Kia EV9 SUV can power your house for up to 4 days if you lose power.

2024 Kia EV9 bidirectional charging: Here’s how it will work (greencarreports.com)

I have thought of an F150 hybrid for that very reason when I pay off the Ranger. 

19 hours ago, David said:

Interesting read and I agree with much of the comments that Tesla will never reach 10 million let alone 20 million yearly auto sales with Musk as the CEO.

Report: Tesla Next-Gen EVs To Initially Be Produced In Texas Instead Of Mexico (insideevs.com)

Mexico GF is on hold indefinitely as Tesla has admitted they will have to have Engineers on site 24/7 to make sure the Robotaxi and 25K EV if it really happens will get built right and as of right now, Tesla Engineers have said NO to relocating to Mexico. 

Seems when a cheaper EV and taxis from Tesla happen, production at Austin is where it will be and scalling up at China and Germany where Tesla is laying off people due to low sales of their autos.

Tesla will be outclassed and outgunned as EV's continue to take over.  And Musk is a world class idiot by any measure. 

Very cool and not often seen vintage GM car

Now to do TC Bob's road trips in this would be Epic!

One of the most beautiful Steam locomotives ever.  If only I had time, space and a budget for a nice HO scale model railroad. 

1 hour ago, David said:

Happy Birthday @A Horse With No Name 

Thanks!

8 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

Happy Birthday @A Horse With No Name

Thanks!

3 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

Join me in wishing @A Horse With No Name, our long-time member and friend who knows how to mix up insightful observations and zany humor, a happy birthday!  Enjoy your special day ... and cheers.

Thank you!

14 hours ago, oldshurst442 said:

Me too actually.  On both accounts.  I prefer the Trans Am over the Camaro but in 2023, they are on equal footing.  Same for the Mustang. I didnt like that '80s Mustang at all.  But I loooong for one today.  There are a few around in my neighborhood and I grin every single time I see one.  I would sooooo own one right now and drive the heck out of it.  Proudly I might add. 

Same with the Japanese sports cars of that era.  Most of those I liked, maybe in a more hush hush manner. But today, I have a deep, as you said, fondness for them. 

I may indeed eventually own another vintage car. 

Educational...

I love watching 2nd and 3rd gen Camaros do the quarter mile thing...

Lastly...

This car is about perfect however...

2 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

Malibu is in it's last year, Fusion is gone...it's crazy, but Ford only has one car left--the Mustang.  

I guess being in tech I have a warped view of things..my total compensation has almost doubled in the last 3 years and my old house almost doubled in value over 6 years.. inflation partially I'm sure.   I can afford a new $60-75k car, but it's hard to justify considering I work out of my house and have no commute.  

I have largely given up on cars altogether. I have owned vintage cars and love them, but now a woodworking shop fills my garage.  Enjoying using my Ranger to get to places to hike/explore.  If something happens to Ranger, want to get something similar to replace it. But the inexpensive midsize truck is going the way of the Dodo bird and the sedan. Ford is now building only crew cab models and 99 percent of them are loaded if you are not a fleet buyer. 

Paid 27K for my Ranger, a new Ranger on a lot is usually about 47K.  Not sure it is worth the extra 20K to me. 

After all this negativity, something positive. Young woman playing piano...

On 9/8/2023 at 7:18 PM, oldshurst442 said:

 

Point being:  We Canadians and Americans have become spoiled brats.  We whine and whine and cry and stomp our feet especially when we cant have nice things anymore without making ANY compromises.  Its like we are OWED something... 

Yet...as we know...NOBODY owes us NOTHIN'!!!    But we do NOTHIN' to change our ways.  We CONTINUE to buy on credit...yada yada yada...

Like I said...in other parts of the world...THEY MAKE DO with what they got.    

 

Quoted for truth. Apparently Canadians get something right once in awhile.  Does not mean that I hate the 

Any less. 

Good riddance to all 3 of these $h! boxes, and good Monday morning to you all!

On 9/8/2023 at 8:30 PM, riviera74 said:

Are we spoiled in the USA and Canada? yes.

When will I see a midsize car at about $25K, anytime soon?  never, apparently.

Will we ever dump the two-box SUV/crossover for sedans again?  hard to tell.  right now, I doubt it. 😦

One reason I am seldom here and no longer care about new cars frankly. Of the interesting passenger cars....Mustang,,,,Copy of a 1964 idea....Camaro...copy of a 1966 idea and cancelled.....Challenger, copy of a 1970 idea...Miata....update of a car introduced in 1989....GTI....update of a car introduced in 1975....Cadillac and Audi...sleek sedans but ultimately not that interesting....um....seems we ran out of ideas 45 or 50 years ago. 

Not that creative ideas didn't happen with 70's 80's, 90's other cars. 

But the automakers have jack $h! for creative ideas. 

Exotics largely look like cartoons drawn with a dull crayon by a drug induced stripper in a jail cell after a bad human trafficking session.  

BMW products largely look like the cheap pizza that stripper flushed down the toilet in her jail cell after her arrest for OMVI.

Large SUV's are cool, but again, need new ideas. 

As the book of Proverbs says.... "and the day of death than the day of one's birth."

On 9/9/2023 at 8:36 PM, Robert Hall said:

As far as midsize family sedans, I do like the Malibu and Fusion quite a bit.  Drive many as rentals over the years.  I could live with a loaded one as a daily if I had a commute.  
 

It seems short sighted that GM and Ford have given up on mainstream sedans, as others have done also.  Basically given the market to Toyota, Honda and Hyundai and Kia.  But I don’t see the obsession with CUVs going away…

Malibu and Fusion...are they even sold much/at all any more?

23 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

Good morning

Her bare ass resembles a lot of Nissan products. 

On 9/9/2023 at 8:02 AM, Robert Hall said:

Yeah, I can't imagine there are many consumers today in the US or CA that would actually WANT a car without all the mod cons.    A stripped down basic vehicle w/ a despair gray interior says one of two things about it's owner--that's it's all they can afford, or they are a cheapskate.  Not a good image and not what people aspire to.   

In today's market, $25k is a decent used car, not much of anything decent under $30k for new and your average midsize CUV is $40k and up... 

This is something to consider, most folks are in a worse financial situation than they were 4, n6, 8 years ago. We need to move away from cars as a primary form of transportation.  Long term we don't have the petroleum reserves, the space, or the ability to deal with the environmental harm of the car as a daily driver for most folks. 

On 9/6/2023 at 11:48 AM, David said:

Very interesting story and some interesting name plates on the top 20 list like the S class car and the Miata.

Domestic Vehicles Among The Slowest-Selling In America, Whether They’re New Or Used | Carscoops

When I bought my ranger I considered getting a Miata. Back 3 years ago, Mazda told me there was 1 car available in the Columbus market in the next three months, and I would take whatever color or options they sent. How times change! I think the era of sporty compacts is passed forever actually. 

Another thing that has passed...big land yachts. I still love them though. Crappy video, amazing cars. 

More

Moar...

Amazing...

Still on a drag racing binge...

18 hours ago, David said:

Very interesting, SK On a battery supplier to Ford and VW for EVs had shown off two types of potential Solid-State batteries in March 2023. They just released this month the following Press Release.

SK On develops new solid electrolyte with top-level lithium-ion conductivity – SK Innovation Newsroom (skinnonews.com)

Seems the Chinese hope to have prototype batteries in 2026 with mass production of Solid-State batteries in 2028 for all their commercial accounts.

The prototype battery assembly plant is currently under construction in China.

So what does this get us you ask:

• 70% improvement in Lithium-ion conductivity for improved stability
• Battery Capacity increase of 25%
  • Current liquid Lithium-ion cells have a maximum of 4.3V
  • Solid-State cells have a maximum of 5.5V currently

End result is battery packs that are far more stable in all temperatures, 25% reduction in size with same kW or in current battery pack size, a 25% increase in power for longer range.

It is like about 1912 or 1914 all over again, but this time with electric cars. We have a hundred years of stupid crazy progress ahead of us, and none of us will sadly live to see what wonderful things are coming in terms of EV's. 

10 hours ago, riviera74 said:

Still a BOF car.  A unibody car would have collapsed under all that weight.

I thought the crap stain down the passenger side was quite "interesting"

Still racing, original 1968 Factory Hemi Cuda special limited production race car.  Good driver interview. 

A real load of bull

Hemi...

Major F body collection...

Sweet Camaro leaving the line. 

Especially well built drag car I think. Not everyone's cup of tea, but definitely mine. 

More drag, lots of vintage action

This is what I love about racing, five hundredths of a second separated them. Have run autocross myself that's close like that. 

Really wish I had drag raced. Kind of a life regret. 

This Camaro, raced by Taylor Chomiski just does it for me in the race car department.