Re: 147 & other Alfa owners
 

I swore I wasn't going to add to the fire... but...

Mike Hunter wrote:

> One can not defy the laws of physics. In nine out of
> ten collisions the larger the vehicle the less likely proper belted
> passengers will be injured or killed, period.

I agree on the not being able to defy the laws of physics.

However... so you're postulating a "mine is bigger than yours" strategy?
What if you neighbor now gets a Hummer? Will you get a yet bigger vehicle?
Then he gets an 18-wheeler? Then what?

This is an escalation that does not make sense. As others have pointed out,
all that large vehicles do is endanger the smaller ones. As hard as it may
seem, one has to think not only egoistically (because that will get all of
us killed), but also consider what's around you.

I just shudder everytime I see one of those ridiculously *huge* SUVs, with
one *tiny* person sitting in it, mostly on the cell phone (not paying
attention to the traffic, thereby greatly increasing the risk of accidents).
How dumb is that? It's not about the few hundred dollars a year of gas you
save, it's about the insanity of just blowing away a finite resource that
your children, and your grandchildren, and their kids will want to use, just
to "make you feel safe" (Jim Beam has already touched on the "feel safe" vs.
"be safe" points)

> From what I know I will never ride in a small
> FWD car just to save a few hundred dollar a year on fuel.

But you *would* run over those wimpy folks in their Civics, wouldn't you?
The main thing is you survive?

Re: 147 & other Alfa owners
 

In article <pan.2005.09.21.04.55.50.183106@ae86.gts>, Trueno@ae86.gts
says...
> LOL. I thought Chryslr was getting a leg up from M-B!
>
Oh they are.

Chryslers have come on in leaps and bounds, so much that Chrysler/Dodge
and probably soon Plymouth brands will be seen on UK streets as normal.
The Neon and PT cruiser are badged Chrysler here, but the 300 Sedan is a
Dodge.

It is just that Mercedes got the rough end of the stick. Chrysler
improves, mercedes gets weakened.
--
Carl Robson
Car PC Build starts again. http://smallr.com/rz
Homepage: http://www.bouncing-czechs.com

Re: 147 & other Alfa owners
 

In article <pan.2005.09.21.12.43.03.766047@2am.cn>, Trigun@2am.cn
says...
> Hmmmm....my boss had a Lightening and I asked for a 'ride', he said "Key's
> in it" didn't have to tell ME twice.
>
> I thought it was a pretty damn good truck for a '68 Corvette!
> The fact that it handled that well and that fast amazed me.
>
Mayu handle well in the US for a US vehicle, but, UK roads are narrower
and we have corners and twisty roads. It doesn't quite have the
precission needed for a vehicle that is so big compared to the road it
needs to be driven on over here.
--
Carl Robson
Car PC Build starts again. http://smallr.com/rz
Homepage: http://www.bouncing-czechs.com

Re: 147 & other Alfa owners
 

In article <pan.2005.09.21.02.52.10.574276@ae86.gts>, Trueno@ae86.gts
says...
> Why sell the Celica? Run it into the ground if you can.
>
Fuel costs. Makes the difference.
The difference between £35 a week in the Celica, and £28 in the Saab.
Also, the celica is losing/burning oil. Not enough to kill it, but
enough for it to need almost weekly/200 mile topups.
The Saab was totally rebuilt and is completley oil tight on full
synthetic.

Actually considering selling both now (or advertising both), drive the
one that doesn't sell, keep advertising that one, and when it goes get
something, silly, small, old, cheap, diesel, and run it on vegetable oil
mix or bio diesel.
--
Carl Robson
Car PC Build starts again. http://smallr.com/rz
Homepage: http://www.bouncing-czechs.com

Re: 147 & other Alfa owners
 

In article <pan.2005.09.21.02.52.10.574276@ae86.gts>, Trueno@ae86.gts
says...
> All it takes is bending the wrong way ONCE! Then it's an
> on-again-off-again thing for therest of your life.
>
I think mine was from changing shocks on a car (crawling on the floor),
and driving it with motorsport bucket seats in.

Got better after I got my first Saab. Has slowly crept back since owning
the Celica and having the suspension put right. the more I improved the
handling, the worse my back got.

Guess I need a Bentley or something else with air suspension "honestly
dear, for health reasons" ;)
--
Carl Robson
Car PC Build starts again. http://smallr.com/rz
Homepage: http://www.bouncing-czechs.com

Re: 147 & other Alfa owners
 

In article <pan.2005.09.21.12.39.58.620302@2am.cn>, Trigun@2am.cn
says...
> The 7.3 is a fairly decent engine. International built.
>
Don't they build Combines?
--
Carl Robson
Car PC Build starts again. http://smallr.com/rz
Homepage: http://www.bouncing-czechs.com

Re: 147 & other Alfa owners
 

On Thu, 22 Sep 2005 10:23:12 +0100, NeedforSwede2 wrote:

> In article <pan.2005.09.21.12.39.58.620302@2am.cn>, Trigun@2am.cn
> says...
>> The 7.3 is a fairly decent engine. International built.
>>
> Don't they build Combines?

Ya, dot too....

Re: 147 & other Alfa owners
 

On Thu, 22 Sep 2005 10:22:09 +0100, NeedforSwede2 wrote:

> In article <pan.2005.09.21.02.52.10.574276@ae86.gts>, Trueno@ae86.gts
> says...
>> All it takes is bending the wrong way ONCE! Then it's an
>> on-again-off-again thing for therest of your life.
>>
> I think mine was from changing shocks on a car (crawling on the floor),
> and driving it with motorsport bucket seats in.
>
> Got better after I got my first Saab. Has slowly crept back since owning
> the Celica and having the suspension put right. the more I improved the
> handling, the worse my back got.

One thing about Euro (esp Swedish) cars is that they ARE comfortable!

>
> Guess I need a Bentley or something else with air suspension "honestly
> dear, for health reasons" ;)

Right. "Honey, I need to unass $275,000US for a Bentley cause of my bad
back..."

Re: 147 & other Alfa owners
 

On Thu, 22 Sep 2005 10:13:34 +0100, NeedforSwede2 wrote:

> In article <pan.2005.09.21.12.43.03.766047@2am.cn>, Trigun@2am.cn
> says...
>> Hmmmm....my boss had a Lightening and I asked for a 'ride', he said "Key's
>> in it" didn't have to tell ME twice.
>>
>> I thought it was a pretty damn good truck for a '68 Corvette!
>> The fact that it handled that well and that fast amazed me.
>>
> Mayu handle well in the US for a US vehicle, but, UK roads are narrower
> and we have corners and twisty roads. It doesn't quite have the
> precission needed for a vehicle that is so big compared to the road it
> needs to be driven on over here.

Drove it on an old US (two lane...they were just marking the Brand New
pavement (uh, that's NOT a sidewalk for those of you from Yirrup...)
and then on the Interstate. Pretty good to me.

Uh, he had made some 'mods', like exhaust and chipping the thing. Est. 425
HP...

Re: 147 & other Alfa owners
 

Vash the Stampede <Trigun@2am.cn> wrote:

> On Thu, 22 Sep 2005 10:13:34 +0100, NeedforSwede2 wrote:
>
> > In article <pan.2005.09.21.12.43.03.766047@2am.cn>, Trigun@2am.cn
> > says...
> >> Hmmmm....my boss had a Lightening and I asked for a 'ride', he said "Key's
> >> in it" didn't have to tell ME twice.
> >>
> >> I thought it was a pretty damn good truck for a '68 Corvette!
> >> The fact that it handled that well and that fast amazed me.
> >>
> > Mayu handle well in the US for a US vehicle, but, UK roads are narrower
> > and we have corners and twisty roads. It doesn't quite have the
> > precission needed for a vehicle that is so big compared to the road it
> > needs to be driven on over here.
>
> Drove it on an old US (two lane...they were just marking the Brand New
> pavement (uh, that's NOT a sidewalk for those of you from Yirrup...)
> and then on the Interstate. Pretty good to me.
>
> Uh, he had made some 'mods', like exhaust and chipping the thing. Est. 425
> HP...

Please explain how you 'chip' a '68 Corvette.
--
Steve H 'You're not a real petrolhead unless you've owned an Alfa Romeo'
http://www.italiancar.co.uk - Honda VFR800 - MZ ETZ300 - Alfa 75 TSpark
Alfa 156 2.0 TSpark Lusso - Passat 1.8 Turbo SE - COSOC KOTL
BoTAFOT #87 - BoTAFOF #18 - MRO # - UKRMSBC #7 - Apostle #2 - YTC #

Re: 147 & other Alfa owners
 

On Thu, 22 Sep 2005 00:40:29 GMT, Vash the Stampede <Trigun@2am.cn>
wrote:

>On Wed, 21 Sep 2005 16:35:30 -0400, flobert wrote:
>
>> On Wed, 21 Sep 2005 11:45:12 -0400, "Bob Palmer"
>> <jenbobkatelyn@adelphia.net> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>
>>>I am from Pennsylvania, over here in the states, and I was wondering how
>>>everyone in Europe gets along without driving a pickup. I never see any
>>>pickups on the road over there whenever I watch "The Amazing Race" or news
>>>stories involving Europe. Are we Americans addicted to pickups for no
>>>reason? I know most American families survived without them during the '50s
>>>and most of the '60s. I love small economical vehicles. I am amazed at the
>>>different makes and models available to Europeans and not to the US market.
>>>A majority of the vehicles over here that are on the road are gas guzzling
>>>bricks on wheels.
>>>
>> BBC's top gear did a review of an F150 in the UK a few months back.
>> Actually it was the F150 lightning, but still. Anyway
>>
>> Pro - 2/3 seats, qualified for commercial vehicle rates, large load
>> area, car-like driving position
>> cons - huge reletively unpowerfull engine, handles like , load
>> area open.
>
>Hmmmm....my boss had a Lightening and I asked for a 'ride', he said "Key's
>in it" didn't have to tell ME twice.
>
>I thought it was a pretty damn good truck for a '68 Corvette!
>The fact that it handled that well and that fast amazed me.

I have to say, you've obviously never had much experiance with
high-end vehicles then. Turning is sloppy and vaugue, suspension is
floaty and nausia inducing, unless its in a sports car where they've
decided that shock absorbers are a weighty extravigence. Build quality
is usually poor, and engines are usually detuned to give more torque
low-down for the ubixuitus slush-boxes to work best.

in 99, i used to drive a 98 TVR cerbera for a daily driver, the speed8
with the 4.5 I think.I had to make a trip to LA. I was staying with a
friend, and he let me use his car when i needed to (a brand new, 2000
corvette) First time i drove it, I thought it was in limp mode. I took
the cars owner out in it later that day, and said 'can't you feel it?'
"Feels fine to me". A small fibreglass car with that big of an engine
should not perform that badly. It was on a par with a delorian, and
that should say something.

>
>>
>> There are *some* pickups, but they're not common, mainly rangers and
>> hi-lux (a downloadable clip on bbc.co.uk/topgear/ does show them
>> trying to destroy a hi-lux pickup - a must watch)
>
>I've actually seen that on US telly and on the web.

yeah, i gave you the weblink, wasn't sure though if it'd been on the
discovery channel yet.

>
> but the drop-side
>> transit is far more popular. Its not hard to see why either. The load
>> capacity is greater, the engine more efficient, and, you can drop the
>> sides, makes it more of a flat-bed with fencing. For everyday work,
>> you've got a range of vans, of variosu sizes, from car-based ones
>> capable of taking a full pallet with a car front-end, to long
>> wheelbase hi-cube vans with a 3.5ton GMVW. Did i mention that these
>> are enclosed, so hearer to steal from, and also more efficient, since
>> you've not got the bed's door acting like a 'chute. They're not even
>> that slow - a standard road legal Diesel transit can manage the
>> nurenburg ring in just over 10 minutes.
>>
>>
>> In short, pickups are too over-engined for family use (engines detuned
>> for those damned slush-boxes) fuel inefficient, don't drive very
>> nicely (poor handling and turning circles) and leave anything carried
>> easily stealable.

Re: 147 & other Alfa owners
 

On Thu, 22 Sep 2005 15:04:38 +0100, SteveH wrote:

> Vash the Stampede <Trigun@2am.cn> wrote:
>
>> On Thu, 22 Sep 2005 10:13:34 +0100, NeedforSwede2 wrote:
>>
>> > In article <pan.2005.09.21.12.43.03.766047@2am.cn>, Trigun@2am.cn
>> > says...
>> >> Hmmmm....my boss had a Lightening and I asked for a 'ride', he said "Key's
>> >> in it" didn't have to tell ME twice.
>> >>
>> >> I thought it was a pretty damn good truck for a '68 Corvette!
>> >> The fact that it handled that well and that fast amazed me.
>> >>
>> > Mayu handle well in the US for a US vehicle, but, UK roads are narrower
>> > and we have corners and twisty roads. It doesn't quite have the
>> > precission needed for a vehicle that is so big compared to the road it
>> > needs to be driven on over here.
>>
>> Drove it on an old US (two lane...they were just marking the Brand New
>> pavement (uh, that's NOT a sidewalk for those of you from Yirrup...)
>> and then on the Interstate. Pretty good to me.
>>
>> Uh, he had made some 'mods', like exhaust and chipping the thing. Est. 425
>> HP...
>
> Please explain how you 'chip' a '68 Corvette.

No, no, no! Please DO try to keep up!

I said the performance of the LIGHTENING was the same as a '68 Vette.

He Chipped the Lightening to 425HP

Sheesh!!! ;)

(the trick here was; look at my first sentance. Then in the second one I
said the truck was pretty good for a '68 Vette...because that's what it
felt like I was driving...sorry for the confusion!)

Re: 147 & other Alfa owners
 

On Thu, 22 Sep 2005 14:00:20 GMT, Vash the Stampede <Trigun@2am.cn>
wrote:

>On Thu, 22 Sep 2005 10:22:09 +0100, NeedforSwede2 wrote:
>
>> In article <pan.2005.09.21.02.52.10.574276@ae86.gts>, Trueno@ae86.gts
>> says...
>>> All it takes is bending the wrong way ONCE! Then it's an
>>> on-again-off-again thing for therest of your life.
>>>
>> I think mine was from changing shocks on a car (crawling on the floor),
>> and driving it with motorsport bucket seats in.
>>
>> Got better after I got my first Saab. Has slowly crept back since owning
>> the Celica and having the suspension put right. the more I improved the
>> handling, the worse my back got.
>
>One thing about Euro (esp Swedish) cars is that they ARE comfortable!

Damned right. The seats in my 340 i can take for 9+ hours easily.
Never managed more than 3 in anything else without back pain, unless
i've 'modified' the seatback to match the volvo's, with a towel or
similar.

>
>>
>> Guess I need a Bentley or something else with air suspension "honestly
>> dear, for health reasons" ;)
>
>Right. "Honey, I need to unass $275,000US for a Bentley cause of my bad
>back..."

its possible to redo suspensions to totally different systems. Not
sure on the air-ride, but I did modify some citroen stuff for my MG
metroTT, to give it the power hydraulic suspension of their old Bx
series, with the activ system they fit in their xantia's (meant I
could alter the ride height, and it had an active anti-roll system,
giving 1deg of body-roll max.) Was a very comfortable and smooth ride.

Wasn't easy, not entirely trouble free, or low-maintaince either, but
works VERY well. I'd suggest you looked into it trueno, but i assume
you're in NA where citroen parts are hard to find.

Re: 147 & other Alfa owners
 

On Wed, 21 Sep 2005 01:23:37 +0100, steve@italiancar.co.uk (SteveH)
wrote:

>Hachiroku <Trueno@ae86.gts> wrote:
>
>> Unless you're really strapped for cash, though, I would stay away from ANY
>> Diesel! I don't think there is a company out there that has their sh!t
>> together on Diesles!
>
>You've obviously never driven a Fiat/Alfa JTD or a VAG TDI, then.

nor has he driven a jag, peugeot, citroen, european ford, or indeed
any car with a MODERN deisel engine in them (as opposed to a NEW
engine, which is a recently made old design)

Re: 147 & other Alfa owners
 

On Thu, 22 Sep 2005 11:09:06 -0400, flobert wrote:

> On Thu, 22 Sep 2005 14:00:20 GMT, Vash the Stampede <Trigun@2am.cn>
> wrote:
>
>>On Thu, 22 Sep 2005 10:22:09 +0100, NeedforSwede2 wrote:
>>
>>> In article <pan.2005.09.21.02.52.10.574276@ae86.gts>, Trueno@ae86.gts
>>> says...
>>>> All it takes is bending the wrong way ONCE! Then it's an
>>>> on-again-off-again thing for therest of your life.
>>>>
>>> I think mine was from changing shocks on a car (crawling on the floor),
>>> and driving it with motorsport bucket seats in.
>>>
>>> Got better after I got my first Saab. Has slowly crept back since owning
>>> the Celica and having the suspension put right. the more I improved the
>>> handling, the worse my back got.
>>
>>One thing about Euro (esp Swedish) cars is that they ARE comfortable!
>
> Damned right. The seats in my 340 i can take for 9+ hours easily.
> Never managed more than 3 in anything else without back pain, unless
> i've 'modified' the seatback to match the volvo's, with a towel or
> similar.
>
>>
>>>
>>> Guess I need a Bentley or something else with air suspension "honestly
>>> dear, for health reasons" ;)
>>
>>Right. "Honey, I need to unass $275,000US for a Bentley cause of my bad
>>back..."
>
> its possible to redo suspensions to totally different systems. Not
> sure on the air-ride, but I did modify some citroen stuff for my MG
> metroTT, to give it the power hydraulic suspension of their old Bx
> series, with the activ system they fit in their xantia's (meant I
> could alter the ride height, and it had an active anti-roll system,
> giving 1deg of body-roll max.) Was a very comfortable and smooth ride.
>
> Wasn't easy, not entirely trouble free, or low-maintaince either, but
> works VERY well. I'd suggest you looked into it trueno, but i assume
> you're in NA where citroen parts are hard to find.


I was working in an auot parts store 2-3 years ago and a guy came in
looking for a brake light swtitch for a Citroen XM.

Right...

He pulled the old one out on the spot and we matched it with a Ford switch.

Said there were HUNDREDS of <<'s at UMass. Went there and was overwhelmed!

There was a group of Traction Avants that had gone around the world! They
started in Paris; some went from Paris to the West Coast (California) and
some went the whole route, island hopping in the Pacific, to Australia and
then to San Francisco to cross the US. The next stop was NYC for some,
others were going to Montreal first.

Simply amazing cars, oldest was a '38. Some were rough, others were
stunningly beautiful. The friendliest Parisienne there told me all about
his, it had been restored to original using as many authentic materials as
he could find, it was truly a stunning ride.

Along with that was every model of 2CV you could think of, along with some
other << 'oddities'. There weren't as many 'Goddesses' (DS) as I would
have thought, but there were a few.

There was also a representation from Citroen where they had some of their
new models, a Rallye car (whoa!) and one of the oldest 2CVs in existance
(number 3, I think!)

Man, I was in Hog Heaven! I have always thought the TA was one of the
nicest cars ever built, and here I was surrounded by them!

Never actually saw inside one before, though. Very simple machine; guys
were literally fixing them with bailing wire!

When I was a kid in somewhat-rural Massachusetts there was a guy that
owned a gas station in a very small town that had a passle of them, and
did repairs to them, too. Probably the only (somewhat) << repair in
Western Mass! Had a pile of DSs, even a station ("Estate") wagon. I can
still see it in my mind's eye, 30 years later rusting behind a barn. What
a waste...