Robert Hall

There was another dead Merc the carport...a '91 300CE.   I drove them both quite a bit when I lived in AZ...my sister's money pits.    She sold them both in Jan 2017 before we moved to Ohio. 

17 minutes ago, oldshurst442 said:

 

I loved the pic NOT because of your cute doggy, RIP.

 

 

 

PS: Love the doggy pic too though... 

Raine is alive and well, 10 years old now.  The '84 500SEL had 220k miles, was dead due to various old car problems...leaking fuel lines, brake lines, etc..  one of the paperweights in the driveway in AZ... 

A fun random photo from 8 years ago that popped up in my FB feed today--from my back driveway in Phoenix....Raine had hopped up on the dead Merc to look over the fence...

19 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

Again, I need to slot in one into its proper month.  I couldn't resist this one.

It looked like an old Ford Falcon in fantastic condition, but its badging says it's a Futura.  I think it's sort of a LaCrosse/Allure thing.  It would be interesting to know who its owner is and if that person is a character.

Futura was the 'fancy' trim level on the Falcon.  Just like Sprint was the 'sporty' trim level. 

I don't think I've ever replaced a wheel bearing...my old Jeep probably needed them as it got older..it was making various noises from the rear wheels and a rear axle whine when I retired it at 170K and 16 1/2 years back in '17.    

Listening to the Wheel Bearings podcast this morning, one of the hosts was talking about a current Subaru and described the 'boxer' engine layout using the an analogy of the piston motions being like a boxer throwing punches.  

Hmm....I'd always thought the use of 'boxer' to describe a flat/horizontally opposed engine was a reference to it being shaped like a rectangular box.    The human boxer motion analogy makes sense, though.

Went to the post office and saw this C8 in a gorgeous red.  Reminded me of the old Hot Wheels Spectraflame colors. 

34 minutes ago, oldshurst442 said:

 

Reminds of a popular line from school...'party at Rob's!!'

14 minutes ago, David said:

Yes, a Whole House Generator would be worth it. My sister where she lives they have power outages during the fall and winter, was the best thing they could have done as this last November we had a really bad storm that took power out for 3 days. So I am thinking about it for my house when I remodel here in the near future.

Also thinking about a walk-in tub w/ whirlpool jets in one of the bathrooms, a hot tub for the backyard, and maybe an above ground pool eventually...I really miss having a pool and a hot tub.  I'd rather invest in upgrades to my house than an EV that would only irritate me..

14 minutes ago, David said:

I actually can see a very valid use case for you Robert to have an EV over ICE unless you go with a specific Hybrid truck I am thinking of, but since you like SUVs like me, I could easily see you in an SUV EV max battery pack so that you have an excellent back up battery if the power is lost due to a winter storm at your new house.

If memory serves me correct, it looked like it had gas or Propane stove and furnace so you can cook and then an EV would be the backup for power use.

I do realize that a Propane or Natural gas generator would also make sense and then stay with an ICE.

Thoughts?

I am thinking of getting a whole house generator.  The new house has an electric stove top (which is great), 2 gas furnaces and 2 air conditioners.    And a fireplace. 

Since EV technology is changing so fast, I would only consider a lease.  But an EV makes no sense for me since I don’t have a commute.  My driving patterns are so variable…depending on what I do on weekends, some weeks I drive 5 miles, some 50 miles, some 500 miles…

42 minutes ago, David said:

@oldshurst442 @Robert Hall I do like the LYRIQ physical buttons for the HVAC system. They are toggle up and down for heat or cool and then just press to make a change. Then you have the touch screen or rotary dial.

I sat in the Lyriq at the auto show in Feb.  Really like the interior and exterior design...

56 minutes ago, oldshurst442 said:

 

Ill say one thing though.  Montreal weather is finnicky.  It is NOT stable.  Not only from month to month and day to day, bnut sometimes hour by hour.   Setting and changing the HVAC control system, ESPECIALLY in the Fall and Spring seasons, is a CONSTANT thing we do daily.   

 

Not unlike Cleveland...even with automatic climate control, I find myself tweaking it often...I do like the intuitive up/down arrows for temp and rotary dial for fan speeds.. FCA did a good job on the '14-22 WK2 GC HVAC and radio controls, IMO...most of these are duplicated in the touch screen and there is stuff only in the touch screen pages like the seat and steering wheel heaters, which vents to blow out of, etc.   But the basic functionality is all there w/ buttons.

I like a mix of real buttons and touch screens.   I don't think I could live w/ a touch screen only interior w/o smashing the screen out of rage/frustration eventually..  😡

I kinda like the Chevy one w/ the red and the one below it...the rest seem to be ugly gray plastic...

The Hummer went crazy with rectangles... looks like an homage to the F-bodies, Fiero and other 80s designs.

I figure if I'm worrying about how much it would cost to repair, then I'd be keeping it too long...  I don't intend to keep anything 'modern' (i.e. my '14 Jeep or anything newer) after it's out of warranty or so old that it needs a repair to cabin tech... 

I do think FCA in the mid 10s had a good mix of touch screen controls, physical controls, and redundant controls.  I like having the audio controls on the back of the steering wheel (just like my '00 GC did) and as physical center stack controls and on the touch screen...and the HVAC as a mix of buttons and on-screen.   

My home is mixed Apple (moi) and Google/Samsung (my sister).  She loves Android Auto in her new Equinox...works very well from what I've seen.  

In my Jeep, I mostly listen to Sirius XM channels for New Wave, Classic Rock, Alternative, or podcasts streamed from Overcast on my iPhone or music from Amazon music... once in a while I'll pop in a CD (CD player is in the center armrest, awkward to use).  I've tried playing music from a USB flash drive, but the interface on the Jeep's touch screen is so slow when reading from a USB drive...haven't used AM or FM in years...

6 minutes ago, trinacriabob said:

@Robert Hall This thread has taken on a life of its own.

Yes to Denver RTD.  It's a vast area and it covers a lot of it.  The coolest thing about it is the "Pythagorean theorem" hypotenuse effect of having a line right down to the Tech Center from the airport so you don't have to go downtown, and then down south.

 

When I lived and worked in the DTC in the 00s, I used to get on at the Bellview station and go to out to County Line to meet friends that lived out there, or to University area and downtown..very convenient.  They were planning the airport line then...  

Always been a fan of light rail, used it often when I lived in Denver..they have a pretty extensive service around the metro area that keeps growing.   Alas, Phoenix and Cleveland's light rail is more limited and never been useful for me. 

9 minutes ago, David said:

I understand, I no matter what am like you that I learn and know my surroundings and it is amazing how many people cannot tell you which way is north, south, east or west. Basic knowledge is lacking in many people. Yet with that said, I always log into my google maps for one important feature, the notification of speed traps and basic freeway traffic updates to find faster routes to where I am going as you can learn all the streets and back roads, but with today's cameras everywhere at least here in Washington state, I am able to save massive time by finding alternative routes that are faster and even then I usually know side roads to cut through to make those options faster.

I do seem to have a pretty good sense of direction.   But having vehicles the last 25 years or so w/ a simple 'N', 'S', etc indicator on the dash does help, independent of the nav system.   I love maps, having grown up w/ Rand McNally maps and Thomas street guides.   I usually  pull up a place on my computer on Google Maps before I travel there the first time and study the various routes...I rely on my phone and Google Maps navigation in the car  when I go to a place the first time, after that, I usually can find my way pretty well w/o nav or a map. 

6 hours ago, David said:

That could give little kids a nightmare or extreme joy.

This is an interesting read and explains allot of why the auto industry is going away from Apple Carplay and Android Auto. Will be interesting to see how this works out for them.

Colin Barnden on LinkedIn: #carplay #android #auto #infotainment #smartphone #processor #snapdragon… | 64 comments

What are all your thoughts on this?

@Drew Dowdell @surreal1272 @Robert Hall @oldshurst442 @trinacriabob @smk4565 

Not a good move, IMO.    Apple Car Play is a 'gotta have' feature for my next vehicle    

It's funny how that illustration shows all the different colors for the Model Y, anytime I see one of  them on the road it's always white w/ black wheels..so bland and fecal. 

21 hours ago, David said:

Back to RAM REV,

@Drew Dowdell While the press release did not show the FRUNK, the video shows it opens and closes showing some sort of door on the back wall. 

The interior pictures also do not show  anything clearly nor do they show the truck with the midgate down.

QUESTION: Is RAM going to deliver on the FRUNK Door so you can have long items from the bed to the Frunk down the center? Have you heard anything on this?

Also, was there any size give for what looks like a weird little screen in front of the front passenger seat?

Interesting...a passenger side screen like how Jeep does on some models, but not really well integrated...looks like an afterthought...

It's going to be an adventure.  Glad I didn't have to do a contingent sale.  I can take my time moving and do some improvements to my current house before I put it up for sale...it should go for $275k or so (over $100k more than I paid for it 6 years ago).  

1 hour ago, David said:

Wonder if the car and furnishing were available to buy? That would have been a great car to get.

Yeah, I wonder...it may have been the couple's adult children selling the property..it was another one that has the square footage listed wrong--basement might be 250 sq ft, house was only a little over 2000 sq ft (not the 3600 listed), beautiful wooded lot..

Linked below:

https://www.trulia.com/p/oh/chesterland/13063-woodcrest-ln-chesterland-oh-44026--2045350499

This house below we liked a lot, I put an offer on it about 3 weeks ago, but they took another offer they already had:

https://www.trulia.com/p/oh/chesterland/8635-carmichael-dr-chesterland-oh-44026--2045352075

I loved all the garage space, pole barn and pond with this one below, but the house was smaller than represented and needed a LOT of work...  (I've noticed a lot of sloppy listings where they have the basement listed as the same square footage as the upper floors (inaccurately).   And it was a split level, not any bigger than my current split...

https://www.trulia.com/p/oh/streetsboro/1913-frost-rd-streetsboro-oh-44241--2046037349