Car talk -- convertibles

[flyersfan31]

Ditto on the diesel observation, Henning. Makes no sense at all that we cannot buy diesel cars. It's one thing to consider why the American manufacturers haven't got 'em here (not excusing them, but at least modestly understandable, but the Euro nameplates which all have well-engineered and proven diesel drivetrains and simply don't offer them here.... why?

Greens in America are very concerned about particulates. They can't get past the diesel particulate emissions, whereas the Euorgreenies aren't as concerned about particulates as they are NOx and SO2. Direct-injection diesel engines are great, in my book. Throw a turbo on it and you wouldn't know you were driving a diesel.

VW - never again. Don't do it. Audi, maybe. How about my '88 911 Cabriolet. That has 4 seats (cough, cough).

 

[gismo]

The diesel Chevette would burn rubber off the line, scratch second gear, and if you punished that poor little Saginaw tranny, you could get a chirp from third...

Yea, well if it came with the same skinny low buck bias ply tires as the gas version (good for about .3g), that could simply be due to a heavier flywheel.

 

[Henning]

Yea, well if it came with the same skinny low buck bias ply tires as the gas version (good for about .3g), that could simply be due to a heavier flywheel.

Probably But it would turn quaters in the 18s, so for a Chevette, that was pretty respectable especially when it would get 55+mpg...

 

[gibbons]

How about my '88 911 Cabriolet. That has 4 seats (cough, cough).

Good call!

 

[SCCutler]

Probably But it would turn quaters in the 18s, so for a Chevette, that was pretty respectable especially when it would get 55+mpg...

18-sec 1/4 in a diesel Chevette?

In those dark times, that was speed!

 

[Henning]

18-sec 1/4 in a diesel Chevette?

In those dark times, that was speed!

You Bet!!! It was my sleeper, that car won me more money than my Camaro, I could talk people into outrageous handicaps.

 

[SCCutler]

My "sleeper" was a '69 Caprice 4-door hardtop, gold with brown vinyl top It looked like an old-lady car, but had the high-compression 350 with 300 HP (could burn nothing but good-branded premium, back when brand mattered).

As much as anything else, it startled people by being faster than anyone ever expected. To this date, it was the smoothest-running engine in any car I have ever experienced; at idle, it was near silent. It would easily go a lot faster than ever should have been done on bias-ply tires, and flouncy suspension.

 

[flyersfan31]

I remember watching Motorvision review the 3sp automatic Chevette. Can't remember if it was diesel or gas, but I do remember the 0-60 time: 30 seconds.

One of the most godawful cars ever manufactured in America (and there have been many - Ford Fairmount, anyone??)

 

[Henning]

I remember watching Motorvision review the 3sp automatic Chevette. Can't remember if it was diesel or gas, but I do remember the 0-60 time: 30 seconds.

One of the most godawful cars ever manufactured in America (and there have been many - Ford Fairmount, anyone??)

Oooo...that was another trade in sleeper, a 2dr Fairmont with a turbo charged 2.3 and a 4 speed. When I was done with it, it ran and had those ugly hubcaps and peeling silver paint....

 

[gkainz]

my sleeper ... '66 Ambassador DPL - 270hp 327ci 4bbl Holley

 

[Pilawt]

Our sleeper ... 1966 Dodge Polara, 440, 2-bbl, power brakes, no power steering ... ex-Calif. Highway Patrol cruiser

 

[bbchien]

I remember watching Motorvision review the 3sp automatic Chevette. Can't remember if it was diesel or gas, but I do remember the 0-60 time: 30 seconds.

One of the most godawful cars ever manufactured in America (and there have been many - Ford Fairmount, anyone??)

No, the title is held by the Chevrolet Vega.

 

[RMCN172RG]

No, the title is held by the Chevrolet Vega.

One winter, it was cold out, I blew the head gasket on mine, while it was being repaired I blew the head gasket on my dad's that he let me use. Oh those wonderful aluminum blocks.

My sleeper was a 64 LeSabre with high the compression 350. It also needed the .30 to .40 cent per gallon premium.

 

[Henning]

No, the title is held by the Chevrolet Vega.

No Way!!!! The Vega was an awesome car for its time! All you had to do was sleeve the block (that was an idea that was before it's time/metalurgy, but hey... that's how R&D works). We used to get them dime a dozen, put a couple hundred bucks in the engine with sleeves and a cam (Isky had a great cam for it) and take .040 off the deck and .060 off the head and it would out run the 240Zs and V6 Capris. Then in 75 & 76 they had the Cosworth Vega with the DOHC 4 valve head and Bosch EFI. I did one of those up with nearly 400hp. Then of course...V8 Vega That's all you could do was grin ear to ear with them Throttles on the right, stand'r up on the wheelie bars through 3 gears. I'd love to have another 71 Vega GT....

 

[Bill]

My Dad had a '73 Mercedes Benz 280SE 4.5, that had a bunch whole bunch of AMG goodies added by the previous owner. It had rumble and idle and a howl at rpms that one never expected of an old benz. I totally torched many an early 80's Camaro/Trans Am with that car. Quite peppy.

 

[Pilawt]

No, the title is held by the Chevrolet Vega.

Mine (a '72) went all the way to 35,000 before the head gasket blew. Otherwise, though, I found it a fun car to drive around town, with reasonably good zip even with the 2-speed PowerGlide.

 

[Ken Ibold]

VW - never again. Don't do it. Audi, maybe. How about my '88 911 Cabriolet. That has 4 seats (cough, cough).

I had an 87 Carrera and Cathy had a 90 BMW convertible ... and we were moving. Naturally, the Porsche was useful in this endeavor. Put in a box, drive to the new house. Take out the box. Go back to the old house. Repeat ad nauseum.

 

[bbchien]

Mine (a '72) went all the way to 35,000 before the head gasket blew. Otherwise, though, I found it a fun car to drive around town, with reasonably good zip even with the 2-speed PowerGlide.

35,000? You did relatively well!

 

[Ghery]

Mine (a '72) went all the way to 35,000 before the head gasket blew. Otherwise, though, I found it a fun car to drive around town, with reasonably good zip even with the 2-speed PowerGlide.

Moderately worse than my 1974 Subaru. It would blow head gaskets every 50,000 miles. And the sleeved cylinders sat on crush washer in the bottom of the block that had to be replaced whenever the heads were pulled. Full engine tear down to replace the gaskets. Yuck. I hear that by 1976 they figured out how to build it so the gaskets wouldn't blow so fast.

 

[Ghery]

No Way!!!! The Vega was an awesome car for its time! All you had to do was sleeve the block (that was an idea that was before it's time/metalurgy, but hey... that's how R&D works). We used to get them dime a dozen, put a couple hundred bucks in the engine with sleeves and a cam (Isky had a great cam for it) and take .040 off the deck and .060 off the head and it would out run the 240Zs and V6 Capris. Then in 75 & 76 they had the Cosworth Vega with the DOHC 4 valve head and Bosch EFI. I did one of those up with nearly 400hp. Then of course...V8 Vega That's all you could do was grin ear to ear with them Throttles on the right, stand'r up on the wheelie bars through 3 gears. I'd love to have another 71 Vega GT....

The son of a friend back then had a Vega with a 327 V-8 stuffed under the hood. All I can say is that I'm glad I wasn't buying his tires for him.

 

[SCCutler]

I had a Vega, and it was a great car, very reliable and economical. It was not, however, able to withstand my driving it 100 miles in an overheated condition, and I burned a valve.

Of course, I bought it with an engine with a hole in the side where the #3 connecting rod came through... and then I put in an engine out of a Monza (same car, different bodywork). It served me well for quite a while.

 

[KennyFlys]

I had a Vega, and it was a great car, very reliable and economical. It was not, however, able to withstand my driving it 100 miles in an overheated condition, and I burned a valve.

Of course, I bought it with an engine with a hole in the side where the #3 connecting rod came through... and then I put in an engine out of a Monza (same car, different bodywork). It served me well for quite a while.

My first car was a Monza. A beautiful, light green 1979 hatchback for only $6,400... new! I got it during leave after boot camp. I totaled it just two weeks out of the Navy, four years later. That rascal had great mileage but man, could it drive. That little four-banger gave me over 130MPH on more than a few occasions between Jax and Daytona, on dry roads.

It was totaled after losing control on a wet road from only 50MPH. I was young and dumb.

 

[gkainz]

I had an 87 Carrera and Cathy had a 90 BMW convertible ... and we were moving. Naturally, the Porsche was useful in this endeavor. Put in a box, drive to the new house. Take out the box. Go back to the old house. Repeat ad nauseum.

Would that classify your Porche as a ...


wait for it ....



a .....



boxer?




groan ...

 

[Ken Ibold]

Would that classify your Porche as a ...


wait for it ....



a .....



boxer?




groan ...

must ... find ... baseball bat ....

This was in 91, so I guess I had the prototype boxster!

 

[flyingcheesehead]

The price of diesel is artificially inflated, and that is a recent thing. The economics, even with the slightly higher than regular unleaded (less than premium most places, about same as mid grade) still weigh in favor of the Diesel.

Huh? Diesel has been higher than premium for a while now, and generally is 30-50 cents higher than 87-octane gasoline. (I'd say the above has been true for at least several months, after the latest flip-flop.)

Where I'm sitting right now in Pasco, WA I can see a sign advertising unleaded for $3.069 and Diesel for $3.559 cash or $3.619 credit. Ouch.

 

[SCCutler]

Huh? Diesel has been higher than premium for a while now, and generally is 30-50 cents higher than 87-octane gasoline. (I'd say the above has been true for at least several months, after the latest flip-flop.)

Where I'm sitting right now in Pasco, WA I can see a sign advertising unleaded for $3.069 and Diesel for $3.559 cash or $3.619 credit. Ouch.

Kent, I'm still with Henning on this, especially if you are in a mandatory ethanol-contamination zone. The amount of benefit you'll get, per dollar, is usually going to be better for diesel, even with the higher per-gallon prices.

 

[poadeleted20]

After 80-some thousand miles over eight years, I still love my Sebring Convertible. Guess you can't please everyone, but the car it replaced was an '87 Dodge Lancer ES, which I retired after 13 years and 143,000 miles. My wife's Dodge Dakota is still running strong with 90K miles of horse trailer towing. Can't say I see much reason to eliminate Chrysler out of hand, but that gets kinda personal, I guess. As they say in the ads, YMMV.

 

[Henning]

Huh? Diesel has been higher than premium for a while now, and generally is 30-50 cents higher than 87-octane gasoline. (I'd say the above has been true for at least several months, after the latest flip-flop.)

Where I'm sitting right now in Pasco, WA I can see a sign advertising unleaded for $3.069 and Diesel for $3.559 cash or $3.619 credit. Ouch.

Hess station at the end of my street 3.08 reg 3.18 mid 3.28 prem 3.21 diesel, and it's been this way for about 7 years. Before the Bush administration, depending on what state you were in, it would be similar to considerably cheaper than gas. They charge the premium for diesel, because they can, because the diesel users need it. when the fuel prices went up in the mid/late 90s, truckers threatened to strike, and fuel prices weren't as high as they are now. O/Os were parking their rigs because they couldn't afford to drive them, hell, I was making more money per mile with a 3/4 ton Dodge Cummins doing drive away than the 80,000 gross guys were making with nowhere near the expenses, and from the ads I see on the back of the trucks and in the truckstop rags, rates aren't much different now. Then the prices dropped, and the "Fuel Surcharge" system began to pass the higher costs on to the consumer. This time around I haven't heard a word from the truckers about the price of fuel, so since I haven't been involved in the industry in quite a few years, I'm assuming that the fuel surcharge system is back in effect and that's coupled with the "We're at War, it would be unpatriotic..." thing. Long and short of it, there is no reason that diesel should be more expensive than gas.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

Kent, I'm still with Henning on this, especially if you are in a mandatory ethanol-contamination zone. The amount of benefit you'll get, per dollar, is usually going to be better for diesel, even with the higher per-gallon prices.

Not disputing that... Just that I haven't seen #2 diesel priced less than premium gasoline in months.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

Hess station at the end of my street 3.08 reg 3.18 mid 3.28 prem 3.21 diesel, and it's been this way for about 7 years.

Damn, who woulda bought gas there 7 years ago?

Now wait a minute... You were in the same place for 7 years?

Before the Bush administration, depending on what state you were in, it would be similar to considerably cheaper than gas.

And well into the Bush administration. The first I saw diesel prices significantly higher than gasoline was in July of 2004. The flip-flop happened just soon enough to keep me from buying my own truck.

They charge the premium for diesel, because they can, because the diesel users need it.

Yeah.

I was making more money per mile with a 3/4 ton Dodge Cummins doing drive away than the 80,000 gross guys were making with nowhere near the expenses, and from the ads I see on the back of the trucks and in the truckstop rags, rates aren't much different now.

I'd believe it. I'm also seeing a lot more drive-away and other small-rig stuff, from 3-car "parking lots" to hay on goosenecks, all behind dualie pickups.

The problem is that there's WAY too much competition in the trucking industry, so rates keep getting lowered. The big companies do some atrocious things to their drivers to keep expenses down - Swift will haul your freight for $1.10/mile using a driver from a central american country who makes jack and can't read a map or ask for directions so he'll be a week late - and everyone else has to try and compete. Reliability is certainly a big selling point these days - I get loads quite often that say right on the bills: "HOT - DO NOT USE SCHNEIDER, SWIFT, OR JB HUNT." I've also seen Roehl, DeBoer, Werner, etc. listed. Some of my company's best freight comes from an industrial fan company and that stuff has to be RIGHT on time or it messes up an entire construction project (which means some VERY unhappy customers if you're late!)

These days, pulling a dry box won't make you much money unless you specialize in something. Last company I worked for specialized in beer and had special bulkheads in all of their trailers. Current company does a lot of paper - Not really too specialized, but it does mean that we have newer trailers (read: no leaks) to ensure the product gets to the destination intact.

Then the prices dropped, and the "Fuel Surcharge" system began to pass the higher costs on to the consumer. This time around I haven't heard a word from the truckers about the price of fuel, so since I haven't been involved in the industry in quite a few years, I'm assuming that the fuel surcharge system is back in effect

Yup. Next time you're on the highway, look at the back of some trailers - It used to be that companies looking for O/O's would say things like "Owner/Operators: Earn $1.00/mile here!" and now they say "Owner/Operators: 100% fuel surcharge paid!"

Long and short of it, there is no reason that diesel should be more expensive than gas.

Bingo.

 

[Ghery]

After 80-some thousand miles over eight years, I still love my Sebring Convertible. Guess you can't please everyone, but the car it replaced was an '87 Dodge Lancer ES, which I retired after 13 years and 143,000 miles. My wife's Dodge Dakota is still running strong with 90K miles of horse trailer towing. Can't say I see much reason to eliminate Chrysler out of hand, but that gets kinda personal, I guess. As they say in the ads, YMMV.

We've rented Sebring Convertibles in Hawaii a few times. You could give my wife one and she'd be quite happy. However, when it snows she's not about to give up her Jeep Commander.

 

[Ghery]

Where I'm sitting right now in Pasco, WA I can see a sign advertising unleaded for $3.069 and Diesel for $3.559 cash or $3.619 credit. Ouch.

Just buzzed through there Friday night because Snoqualmie Pass was closed. 8 hours from Olympia to Pullman, instead of the 5 1/2 it took to get home over the pass yesterday. Welcome to our corner of the country.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

Just buzzed through there Friday night because Snoqualmie Pass was closed. 8 hours from Olympia to Pullman, instead of the 5 1/2 it took to get home over the pass yesterday. Welcome to our corner of the country.

Yeah, I heard they've been closing Snoqualmie off and on for a couple of weeks due to avalanche concerns... I hardly go through there anyway, usually when I'm in WA I'm going to Vancouver so I go down 395 to I-84. No passes in sight.

I pick up in Dayton, WA in the morning and head to Blue Earth, MN - That'll give me a chance to experience US 12 from here to Missoula, MT. Should be interesting. I got to do a big chunk of US 12 on the way out here due to weather, too - Central MN all the way to Miles City, MT. A nice change of pace...

 

[Anthony]

My sleeper, my Mom's 1962 Plymouth Valiant. You know the one with the push button trani. Produced during the push button society craze but it worked great! Mopar had all the cool Q ships. Satellite, Polara, Valiant/Duster, Dart, Swinger..... Need I say more?

 

[Henning]

Now wait a minute... You were in the same place for 7 years? .

Actually, kinda., I keep ending up back within a block and a half of where I'm living right now, been that way for the last 12 years. I may have extended periods away, but when it comes down to it, I end up back here.

BTW, It used to be that the expediter trucks were the best deal in the industry, still that way?

 

[Ghery]

Yeah, I heard they've been closing Snoqualmie off and on for a couple of weeks due to avalanche concerns... I hardly go through there anyway, usually when I'm in WA I'm going to Vancouver so I go down 395 to I-84. No passes in sight.

I pick up in Dayton, WA in the morning and head to Blue Earth, MN - That'll give me a chance to experience US 12 from here to Missoula, MT. Should be interesting. I got to do a big chunk of US 12 on the way out here due to weather, too - Central MN all the way to Miles City, MT. A nice change of pace...

Dayton? What are you hauling out of there? Green Giant veggies?

 

[flyingcheesehead]

I pick up in Dayton, WA in the morning and head to Blue Earth, MN - That'll give me a chance to experience US 12 from here to Missoula, MT. Should be interesting. I got to do a big chunk of US 12 on the way out here due to weather, too - Central MN all the way to Miles City, MT. A nice change of pace...

Well, so much for US 12. Good thing I decided to check road conditions: "US 12 from Bald Mountain to The Montana State Line: CLOSED due to multiple avalanches." So, I ended up heading up 95 to Coeur d'Alene instead. Oh well.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

BTW, It used to be that the expediter trucks were the best deal in the industry, still that way?

Well... I dunno. I suppose if you have less than a truckload, it probably is - The LTL carriers are such a rip-off that we'll occasionally use a whole truck for just a couple of pallets. Makes you wonder if the expediters are as expensive as we are...

 

[flyingcheesehead]

Dayton? What are you hauling out of there? Green Giant veggies?

Actually... I picked up a load of "Pea Seed" at Seneca Foods. Pea seed = peas covered in pesticide.

 

[Henning]

Well... I dunno. I suppose if you have less than a truckload, it probably is - The LTL carriers are such a rip-off that we'll occasionally use a whole truck for just a couple of pallets. Makes you wonder if the expediters are as expensive as we are...

Well, at that time, O/Os of 80,000lb semis were getting $.86 a mile while Roberts and Panther were paying FL70 w/ sleeper and IIRC 23' boxes $1.20, and they got twice the fuel economy (this was pre fuel surcharges).