Drew Dowdell

20 hours ago, ccap41 said:

Welllll that's a bummer.. I really don't need it to do a whole lot but just run smoothly and not take forever to do some simple things. As I've said, I only use the internet and Office Suite. I don't know how it got so slow and crappy. I've only ever used it for the things listed and I promise there's never been an adult site (or anything else that may seem obviously sketchy like trying to stream free sporting events or tv/movies) visited from it either. That's why I thought just wiping it clean and starting fresh would be fine, but I guess it's just too old. I've considered things like Chromebooks but I do like having a 10-key for numbers things...I am an accountant after all. 

For your purposes, this would be more than enough.  BUT it won't play most games because it's an ARM processor instead of an x86.  That said, for all of your regular "office" type work, it will be snappier than anything else at this price point. And it has the 10-key.

Don't get me wrong, it's a cheap laptop, but it will be a great performing cheap laptop.

https://www.costco.com/p/-/lenovo-ideapad-slim-3x-153-touchscreen-copilot-pc-laptop-qualcomm-snapdragon-x-wuxga-1920x1200-windows-11-home-16gb-ram-1tb-ssd/4000379412?langId=-1

10 hours ago, ccap41 said:

Oh geeze. That's too old. It's a 4th Gen Intel and 7th Gen is the bare minimum. Bumping that up to 16 gb of ram might perk it up a bit, (1 or 2 of these  https://amzn.to/3WSsFdn) but it would be a temporary fix.  I don't think I could get 11 running on that.  Linux Mint instead of Windows might be tolerable on it, but it would only be for web browsing and document editing, nothing more. Sadly, the best way forward is to wipe it and retire it. 

My 7th Gen that I hacked to get Win11 working on just barely runs it. 

5 minutes ago, G. David Felt said:

I can honestly say that as a big guy, getting into Toyota Prius is hard as well as out as they sit so damn low. The Honda Civics are easier for me to get into and out of compared to the Prius on the road today. This will be interesting to see what the interior space is for this new prelude once it hits the lots.

Lol you're not fitting in a Prelude. 

It's been an interesting week when leaving one of my clients. I'm only there two days a week and there was a vintage Chevy pacing me outbound each day. These shots are about a mile apart.  The Caprice was in exceptionally good shape with either the original owner or daughter of the original owner at the helm. 

7 minutes ago, A Horse With No Name said:

I may need to check one out 

If you're looking for a comfortable fuel miser, the civic is the top of the list. It has the smooth low-end torque feel of the old V8s. It rides more like a luxury sedan than an economy one. Nicer leather and some faux suede and they could have called it an Acura. 

On 10/28/2025 at 12:34 PM, ccap41 said:

I do really need a new laptop (or somebody to clear it and start fresh), but I don't use it enough to justify anything close to this price. 

If you're a light user and want a windows machine, look at the new ARM processor laptops. They're less expensive but have impressive performance for the price and some of the longest battery life you'll find on a windows machine.  The downside is that if you have an older printer or scanner, therer might not be compatible drivers for it, so check first.  We're kinda in the early 2nd gen of these processors, but Microsoft has committed to supporting them and even Microsoft's own laptops are using them. 

On 10/28/2025 at 1:36 PM, surreal1272 said:

😂😂😂

 

Not with the way Microsoft updates security hardware requirements with every new OS. There are so many systems less than 10 years old today that can't run Windows 11 for those very reasons. That is a trend that is not likely to improve in the next 10 years, especially with Intel running on Trump bucks these days. 

 

Fro the record, my wife's $1100 (at the time of purchase) HP touchscreen laptop was less than five years old when 11 came old and it lacking the newer security chipset killed that update. You can, in now way, assume ten years of use just because of that price and relatively mid-range CPU/GPU specs. The storage is average these days (capacity wise), and only the 32GB RAM extends its overall use. 16GB RAM is bare minimum these days. 

There are ways around that security limitation.  I have an Obama era laptop that I got working on 11 and it runs fine. 

On 10/29/2025 at 9:32 AM, ccap41 said:

Thank you for all of this and I'll have to do some digging when I get home tonight to said laptop. 

All I really know is it's a Microsoft OS and probably about 6-8 years old at this point. Believe it or not, I used to actually kind of pay attention to computers and the specifications that mattered. I used to game some.. 

If you can get the make and model number of the laptop we might be able to give you some advice.

That said, there's ways to clean it up without doing a fresh install.

3 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

While I now like the sleek design of the Prius, I wonder if the Honda Civic is easier to get in and out of.

I didn't notice that much of a difference, but I'm fairly limber.  The difference for me is in the substantially superior interior and better power delivery.  Aside from the extra surge of torque and minimal gasoline spend, you don't really know you're driving a hybrid in the Civic

Much easier - Switch to Firefox or Opera or brave

I miss sedans and big coupes.  Sure, there are some left, but what's left isn't great.  

As much as we all nitpicked about some of the sedan offerings in the final years, most of them were pretty darn good even if they weren't what this crew thought of as "perfect".  The Continental, Fusion platform and all, was still a very very nice car to wheel around.  The Avalon and Maxima were built to eat up highway, the Crown is just kinda meh.

The Buick Lacrosse Avenier was better than most Cadillacs from 10 years prior. 
 

Fusion and MKZ hybrids were comfy and efficient.  Mazda 6 was a sexy sport sedan.

Where are all the Eldorados? Where are the Rivieras? Why are my only two options the 4-series and CLE?

The Honda Civic hybrid is a substantially better hybrid than the Pruis.

4 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

He left behind 12 non-running cars and trucks also.  I think I've discussed my 2022 adventure here in past threads..his death left quite a mess for my sister and I to deal with.  He was a difficult person. 

I had my eye on that 7-series also, but I was going to be in enough trouble buying the 2-wheel BMW as it was.  As I recall, the 7-series did leave the property under its own power. 

3 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

My late older brother was a motorcyclist, had several in the 70s and several accidents with a couple hospital stays then.  He didn't ride for 20+ years until around 2000 he got back into it, had 8 non-running motorcycles (a 60s Honda, Suzukis, Kawasakis, and BMWs) when he died in 2022 

And one of them stayed in the extended family...

3 minutes ago, A Horse With No Name said:

none were saved but apparently the 4-8-2 Mountain locomotives they utilized right before this were just killer passenger locomotives also, albiet not as fast and not streamlined. 

Do you mean the PRR M1?  They were absolute beasts. Not purdy, but all muscle. Even when diesels were coming online, the heaviest trains were still given to the M1.

One M1b has been saved and is in storage, though it will never run again. 

The tender from another M1 has been saved and will be the tender for the new PRR T-1 5550 that is being constructed by the T-1 Trust

14 minutes ago, G. David Felt said:

@Drew Dowdell Thank you for all you do and for letting a bit of RAGE happen as sadly, you nailed it that politics is intertwined with the auto industry due to various view points.

@ccap41 @A Horse With No Name @surreal1272 @Robert Hall @trinacriabob @oldshurst442

I think we all would agree that life has been changed by those of the 1% focusing on themselves rather than society. Yes, we have had a fair share of political posting and rage, yet we all do still love auto's in one way or another.

In this regards, we all have our favorite auto area and due to inflation costs as well as the 1% pushing prices on old iron up to levels that I would say we all here cannot afford, we have to look at other ways to enjoy life. Yet, the passion for self transportation is still there be it biking, walking or driving and I hope that we can still find that passion to have interesting conversations on the auto industry.

Right now, my own job has been extremely busy so that I have not had much time to write for this site, but I do hope to increase in the coming months as things wind down before I get crazy with tradeshow season in January.

Expect to see some stories based on the release of new auto's from the LA autoshow.

I am excited for some of the releases and that even includes the new Kia Telluride that is expected to be Hybrid and look very much like an EV9.

 

The Telluride details will be out on 11/10. I have them already, but they're embargoed.

1 hour ago, A Horse With No Name said:

Interesting take on the technology of high speed steam locomotives, and their limitations. 

 

I've never heard that about the S1 and I know a lot about the S1.  The S1 had problems, but flex and vibration weren't really it.  The problem was really how long the wheelbase was and that on less than perfect track, a drive wheel could lift off the rail ever so slightly and cause wheel slip.  I've often wondered if the design of this engine and the PRR T-1 had included gearing between the 2nd and 3rd drive axles to make both engines operate as one, would the problem have been resolved.

What is impressive about the Mallard and the entire A4 class is that they are roughly 2/3s the size of the big American streamline steam.  Though never officially recorded, both the T-1 and S-1 are said to have beaten the Mallard's record on regular runs, not just a special event. But it really shouldn't be a surprise since their boilers and boiler pressure capacity are so much higher than the A4.   Get a T-1 out on the straight track between Cleveland and Chicago and it could do 130 - 140 the whole way, leaving the 126 mph Mallard way behind. 

This beauty, which still runs, was engineered for a top speed of 140, but only ever maxed out at 100. It's got tiny "legs" though with short drive wheels and it's claim to fame was that it could maintain 100 mph with a heavy train over the mountains. This was the pinnacle of steam technology. 

1 minute ago, A Horse With No Name said:

Hence my transition into hiking and biking. I would love to be an enthusiast, but overall, so many things headed in the wrong direction for me. 

It's painful to be an auto enthusiast these days. All of the fighting over stupid political shit is such a turn off.  Like what you like and don't yuk other people's yums.

10 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

You're not wrong, at all. 

So stop it.

Unfortunately, it's no longer possible to disconnect politics from automotive. There once was a time when the U.S. government just set safety and efficiency standards and let the rest of automotive go about its day.   Now we have an activist government that is breaking apart decades or even century old auto manufacturing supply chains to try and score political points without any contingency plans in place.  It has forced our closest trading partners into an "enemy of my enemy is my friend" stance and pushed them to make deals with China instead of us.  It has undone progress the prior administration made in bringing manufacturing back to the US via EV regulations, entirely counter to the current admin's stated goals.   It's all just so stupid and unnecessary, but there's no way to avoid it anymore. 

I too long for the days when we could just complain about CAFE standard or the weight gained from improving crash scores.

On 10/13/2025 at 3:54 PM, G. David Felt said:

That reminds me of the 80's and 90's GM V8 motors, sucky for HP but Low end torque to move the autos along smoothly.

And by '94 they had the LT-1 which made the 4,500 lb Fleetwood an 8.5 second car, and the Roadmaster 4,250 lb sedan an 8 second car.

That sounds pokey by today's standards, but this was 30+ years ago and an 8.5 second Fleetwood is still way faster than most people need to be driving.

6 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

Had a manager back then w/ a '98 or '99 Passat wagon w/ AWD and V6...was a nice car. 

The 2.8 liter V6. Very complex 30 valve engines. Not the most powerful at a modest 190 hp, but buuuutter smooth and surprising low end torque.

5 minutes ago, G. David Felt said:

When were these produced? Till now I was not aware that they had an 8 cylinder station wagon.

2001 - 2004

11 hours ago, ccap41 said:

I saw this the other night and I never knew it was a thing until then. I even had to google it to make sure it wasn’t some kid throwing a W8 badge on it. Well, they’re real and they can even be had with a 6spd manual transmission. 

Extreeeeeemly rare. There was a guy near me that had one in black.  Wild machines.

8 hours ago, smk4565 said:

The problem with the Bolt's look is it a 2027 model that looks like a 2020 model.  I know they didn't want to spend a lot of money on it to keep cost down but I feel like they could have tweaked the styling a little more to make it look new.

I think its an appropriate update to keep with the times. I don't think they'll keep it in production long. Maybe 3 years and then a new platform. Being the cheapest non-Nissan EV, having pretty fast charging, and available super cruise makes it a compelling entry.