Drew Dowdell

I‘m leaving the pics in the article unfixed for now. The company that makes this software is using this post to diagnose the underlying problem that caused this to happen. I have an open ticket with them.

We lost a bunch of posts due to a database crash this afternoon. Sorry... I'm trying to keep this site together at the moment.

Gettin muddy but still time for a beauty shot!

The reason they were zippy with 90 horsepower was that they were made of paper they were so light. Get in an accident, and they wouldn't bother extracting you. They'd just send the whole wreck to the junkyard and have you turned into a cube of steel and bury you that way. Say what you will about the Encore and the Sonic on which it was based, they are incredibly safe vehicles. The whole platform was one of the safest GM ever built. But that's why the Encore, shorter than any of the cars you listed, clocks in at 3,358 lbs .. probably 1,300 lbs more than most of those cars.

It's a much deeper philosophical debate, but I side with @oldshurst442 on this one. People are too caught up in the rat race of just trying to keep their heads above water financially in this economy (everything since 1980, not just the last few years).

There's nothing fun about driving most of the time anymore.... that's probably why. What's the point of some high-powered coupe when you're just going to be stuck behind some semi-truck or a dolt in a Corolla in the left lane with their blinker on? I have gotten pretty aggressive of late of high-beaming people who park in the left lane at slow speeds. The driving skills have really dropped, especially since covid started.

Largely why we upgraded from the Encore to the 300C. We needed the space for hauling his elderly parents around and the Encore couldn't cut it in that department. I am glad we went back to a sedan. Ironically, we didn't take any hit in fuel economy. We got 17ish/30ish in the Encore and we get 17ish/30ish in the 300C. Still, the size of the Encore was a nice convenience for zipping around the city.

It's about picking the right tool for the job. When one is driving Pittsburgh -> Philly -> NY -> Connecticut -> Rhode Island -> Maryland -> Charlotte -> Pittsburgh in the matter of a week and a half like I was regularly doing, an "exciting" vehicle gets tedious to deal with. That kind of mileage, through that kind of traffic, on that kind of schedule, it's all about comfort and economy. Sure, I was getting mileage reimbursements, but that meant I wanted to keep my MPGs high, and I'd make a profit off of it. Rolling that same route in an Avalanche I'd lose money. At the time we bought it, I was making those long-distance trips often. Albert had a 60-mile r/t commute. We wanted quiet comfort. Same reason we have the 300C now. I buy things with 2 wheels for the thrills.

Buick's quiet tuning is a real and noticeable thing. The Encore and Encore GX have active noise cancelation that really works. Buick was the first in their respective classes to offer it and Toyota and Chevy don't. It makes the OG Encore a calm place to be.

I kinda like it. I see it as the natural evolution of the original Encore that I and Albert both liked. Our only issue with the Encore was the size and the power. There are times, while I'm wheeling an Avalanche through suburbia, that I really miss the Encore. For a one or two-person travel car, it was fantastically comfortable for what it was. For someone who had to do a lot of driving travel by himself, the Encore was a great solution. I haven't driven the current-gen Encore GX, but I suspect if they kept the weight in check, the increase in horsepower plus the 9-speed auto probably makes this tolerable. Not fast, just tolerable. That said, I bought my Encore as a 2013 in 2012, and it was as top-shelf loaded as you could get without getting chrome wheels... and 11 years later, the Avenir model is slightly less money MSRP. (Mine was $34,9 for a Premium AWD) So they definitely kept prices in check.

They already have a 280hp/258lb-ft version of this engine in the Arteon. They're just fiddling with the peak numbers from that for the Atlas; giving it more torque at a lower RPM is good for a heavy vehicle like this, but moving the peak torque down the curve cuts off the max horsepower number.

I've done an Edge 2.0T v an Explorer 2.3T... so pretty close. And yes, there was a difference. I felt like I was spinning the hell out of the 2.0T to keep up with Texas traffic. The 2.0T is a lot smoother though, so Ford could get away with it.

Highlander also has a hybrid version for more power, and the Highlander Turbo 4 has almost half a liter on the VW. It may not sound like a lot, but there is a significant power delivery difference between a 2.0T and a 2.4T, even if max output is similar. The problem for the Atlas is that drivers will constantly be in the boost to keep this thing moving. This is a refresh of the model on the existing platform, and the current Atlas is a heavy crossover. It will likely post an EPA increase over the V6, but I'm betting real-world fuel economy will be poor, just like the Kia SUVs with the 4-cylinder turbo and the older Acura RDX.

Yesterday was the first nice day we've had in a loooong while with sunny weather and 70 degrees, and the cars were out for it. I was on the motorcycle, so I couldn't snap pics. I spotted: Early 70s Delta Eighty-Eight Convertible Mid-80s Buick Grand National 90-91 Seville STS in red and gorgeous condition, lookin like this but the brighter red they offered: Subaru SVX Early 80s Ninety-Eight Old Beetle convertible original Toyota MR2

That was the point

The individual brands are still calling the shots on Advertising, is seems.

It was an intel, but it’s optical 10g port

@David - Network cards on Dell servers

I need to go through and complete a bunch of deferred maintenance. Oil and brake fluid changes. Adjust the valve clearances (a BMW boxer sensitive area). The headlight assembly needs to be replaced. The right turn signal doesn't work. Plus a bunch of cosmetic stuff. I also need to synchronize the throttle bodies. I put it on the sync measurement tool back in the late summer so I already know it is way off, but I didn't adjust it back then. It struggles with idling until it is pretty well warmed up and getting those in sync will fix that. As weather allows, it will probably be: Valve clearance adjustment Alternator belt change Throttle body sync General debris cleanup Oil change, brake fluid change Headlight assembly and turn signals (switch to LED where possible) I still will need to acquire a new front faring and possibly a windscreen. There is some fogginess in the windscreen that looks bad and I can't seem to get it clean. From there, I'll ride and reassess. Yesterday I found that the bike has the same accessory plug as my Scrambler, so I am able to have them share the battery tender easily. I ride as cold as 50 degrees if I have thermals on with my Scrambler. I'll have more wind protection with this, so I might be able to go lower. Done so far: New tires mounted cylinder sync test (failed) Brake pad and rotors checked for spec (passed, but not surprising because the lone receipt I have for maintenance is for new pads in 2018) Tank drained Battery replaced Positive battery cable terminal replaced Air filter replaced (had been mouse munched)

Since it's been so cold I haven't done much work on it. But last month I took the wheels off and dropped them off to have new tires fitted. Put the wheels back on today and repaired a positive battery cable that I had broken in the fall. Today it moved under it's own power for the first time in probably years. I took it for a very short spin up the block and back.

Name: 1999 BMW R1100RS Category: Vehicles Date Added: 2023-02-06 Submitter: Drew Dowdell 1999 BMW R1100RS

I was wondering how Toyota was going to make a business case for the Crown with just one expensive sedan, but it looks now like they are making it sub-brand with several models, so that makes more sense. I attended a press presentation for the Crown via Zoom back in December and it was interesting. The powertrain is very compelling, but I'm not yet sold on the looks. I'm also not sold on that being a "first class cabin". It's nice and all, but I look to Genesis for first class cabins... even high end Kia Telluride and Hyundai Palisade for what a first-class cabin should look like. This is a Hyundai Sonata Limited.

You need a car just to get from the far garage to the house!

The main issue with Harley back in the day was oil leaks, but they've got that problem solved for a bunch of years now. I personally don't like the noise and vibration that comes from the traditional Harley engine. Most of the Harley look-alike V-twins (including Indian, Honda, and Yamaha) attempt to replicate that to appeal to Harley buyers, and it has turned me off from those bikes by those manufacturers as well. The Revolution Max from Harley is the only V-Twin I've encountered that I not just liked but really liked.