Glass-top electric stoves.
Too damn funny.
Glass-top electric stoves.
Having owned one Ford myself, and having friends and family who have owned Ford cars, I was a General Motors man for nearly three decades. Long story short, their disappointing handling in 2007 of a serious problem with our 2000 Buick LeSabre caused me to lose faith, so I've been a Honda guy for the last decade.
That scenario was much the same here. I bought three new British Leyland cars throughout the seventies. They were appallingly bad, I later learned that the reputation built up by William Lyons with his Jaguar Car Company, had been brought down so low by B/L that Americans who loved the marque would joke that you needed to buy two Jaguars because one would always be off the road.The '70s American cars my dad bought - a '70 Ford Granada (I think that's the name, might be off on the year a bit), '72 Buick LeSabre and '78 LeSabre - ended his "buy American" default setting as all three stunk, with the first and last being truly horrible cars. The '78 was so bad, that the factory rep (called out by the dealer after my father, without raising his voice, convinced the dealer that they needed to do something) settled with my father and took the car back for a price my dad was okay with. That was it for American cars for him - especially GM.
That scenario was much the same here. I bought three new British Leyland cars throughout the seventies. They were appallingly bad, I later learned that the reputation built up by William Lyons with his Jaguar Car Company, had been brought down so low by B/L that Americans who loved the marque would joke that you needed to buy two Jaguars because one would always be off the road.
Greta cat is much the same, except she insists on being shut in the bedroom with me (she'll wake me up when she needs out for the bathroom...). Often though she'll chase me to bed. Typical tabby, creature of routine..Putting Roxy to Bed
As everyone else retires early the chore of putting the dog in the laundry room where she sleeps has devolved on me. Sometimes all I have to say is "time for bed" and she'll go to the laundry room on her own. Other times she'll get a stubborn streak and will go off in the corner behind the armchair where I sit and won't come out -- that is when she isn't running around the living room determined not to be caught! When she's in the corner, that's when I have to pull out the chair to get to her. A real pain in the a*se.
I've owned more cars than I trust myself to recall, many of which had me as their penultimate owner, because when I was done with 'em they went to Joe the Scrap Man.
Near the top of the list was a Datsun 510 wagon. Great car. Handled real nice, plenty of poop for the long uphills, easy to park.
The '70s American cars my dad bought - a '70 Ford Granada (I think that's the name, might be off on the year a bit), '72 Buick LeSabre and '78 LeSabre - ended his "buy American" default setting as all three stunk, with the first and last being truly horrible cars. The '78 was so bad, that the factory rep (called out by the dealer after my father, without raising his voice, convinced the dealer that they needed to do something) settled with my father and took the car back for a price my dad was okay with. That was it for American cars for him - especially GM.
I've been the last stop for every car I've ever owned, and the one that served me best and longest was a 1997 Toyota Corolla. I bought it with 82,000 miles on it when it was seven years old, and I got eleven years of good solid Maine winter use out of it before the calcium carbide destroyed the rear end. If it hadn't been for that, I'd still be driving it, and when I win the powerball one of the first things I'll do is track down and buy another one exactly like it.
As it happens, the '99 Subaru that now serves as my winter car is nearing the end of its life, and I find myself in a quandry because it's getting to be very difficult to find manual transmission cars on the used market, and I have had very bad experiences with automatic transmission cars in the snow. Give me a clutch or give me death.
My wife's car, a 1998 VW Golf, is a six speed, manual, clutch pedal car that she has owned and driven for almost twenty years. And my MG is one of those double-de-clutch affairs, anyone know what that means? Can anyone else do it?Any guesses as to the percentage of drivers these days who have never driven a car with a "standard" (standard no more) manual transmission?
As it happens, the '99 Subaru that now serves as my winter car is nearing the end of its life, and I find myself in a quandry because it's getting to be very difficult to find manual transmission cars on the used market, and I have had very bad experiences with automatic transmission cars in the snow. Give me a clutch or give me death.
You might also like to look at BMW, they don't hold their value, but you can capitalise on that because you keep your car until it dies. My wife did much the same with her BMW 525 before we bought the Golf.BMW offers 14 different models with an optional manual transmission. Its subsidiary MINI builds stick shift versions of every car it sells in the U.S
Any guesses as to the percentage of drivers these days who have never driven a car with a "standard" (standard no more) manual transmission?
.., And my MG is one of those double-de-clutch affairs, anyone know what that means? Can anyone else do it? ...
Many years ago, when we were young and not so well off, our car had a problem with the synchromesh selector in the gearbox. At the time I just couldn't afford to get it fixed, so I used the double declutch method and it worked fine. My wife was fascinated by this so I showed her how it was done. She commented how the car slowed much more smoothly when doubling down, unlike the forward movement that braking alone causes. A good few years later and she has joined the ambulance service. Back then the crews were taught double declutching for the same reason that my wife had previously commented on, it gives the patient a smoother ride.Double-clutching and understanding the infield fly rule are near the top of the list of matters that people make much more difficult than they really are. If a person can count to three, he's capable of understanding the infield fly rule. And if that person is minimally coordinated and can grasp the concept of matching speeds, and why that's a good idea, he can drive a car with a crash-box tranny without grinding gears.
I've never driven in snow, but I have driven on slurry-coated roads on which any standing water or rain water made loss-of-traction the rule rather than the exception; like trying to drive on an ice rink. I absolutely agree with you--automatic transmissions are almost completely useless under such circumstances....As it happens, the '99 Subaru that now serves as my winter car is nearing the end of its life, and I find myself in a quandry because it's getting to be very difficult to find manual transmission cars on the used market, and I have had very bad experiences with automatic transmission cars in the snow. Give me a clutch or give me death.
I'm going to go with "possibly". When driving all three of the 60s-era VW Beetles I've owned I had to double clutch every time I downshifted into second gear. It takes a little practice and a light touch on the gearshift lever, but it's not too difficult once you get the hang of it. I do think having to double clutch every time you shift gears would get tiresome though.My wife's car, a 1998 VW Golf, is a six speed, manual, clutch pedal car that she has owned and driven for almost twenty years. And my MG is one of those double-de-clutch affairs, anyone know what that means? Can anyone else do it?
My Dad was a Ford (actually Meteor) guy but I became a Chevy guy for some strange reason. Loyal until 1988 when I reached my limit after being nickeled and dimed to death with my 1988 Olds 88. Very good car, engine and tranny top notch but the rest was crap with electric windows, cruise, and most other electrical items started to die and at $300 to $400 a pop was driving me into the poorhouse. Switched to Japanese and have not crossed back. My last two vehicles, Honda and now Hyundai have been stellar vehicles, best I have ever driven for reliability and cost per mile.
I'd guess the overwhelming majority of people who learned to drive since 1980 haven't -- and unfortunately a manual transmission has gotten this aura of being "too hard" to learn. Which is the bunk. When I collapsed at work last year with appendicitis and had to go to the hospital a couple of The Kids -- who had never driven a car with a clutch before -- were able to teach themselves the rudiments just from having seen me do it, and were able to safely drive my car home with no damage to themselves or the car.
So I have to think it's less a matter of not knowing how as it is a matter of simply never having had it presented to them as an option.