[andi*pandi]

Your SSN? Damn straight you don't have to give that out. I double dare you to wear your rattiest clothes to the appointment.

[reader50]

For a really exciting appointment, take a banged-up attaché case. Have a few colored wires visible coming out the seam, then duck tape the case shut. Not too neatly. Leave it visible on the back seat of the Gallardo.

They'll be very cooperative with the test drive. No pressure to cut it short. However, you'll have many questions to answer for the nice officers when you get back, and they may detonate your car to be on the safe side. But they will put you up for the night at no extra charge.

[imitchellg5]

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

I'm really digging the new 991 revision of the 911 Turbo. The body lines are much improved, more fluid and muscular looking. One of the dealers near me has a black on black Turbo S in stock, I'm thinking I need to go for a test drive.
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That's the 997 Turbo, the 991 Turbo is not even announced yet.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Well that's impossible, he's already booked a test drive at the dealer...

[Shaddim]

No, I assumed because it was a 2012 that it was a 991, like the Carrera models, but it wasn't. Oh well, it was me having a brain fart.

I did go, I wore jeans and a t-shirt and Kim went with me. Despite the tension on the phone before, the people there were all very friendly. They didn't bug me for anything and the sales guy showed us the car, that's when I found out it was a 997. We took it out, and it was nice, it's properly fast, but the Gallardo is a more balanced and better handling car (and more powerful with the SC). Also, they wouldn't back off the $10k premium they want over MSRP, which with all the options on it pushes it to $188k. I'm not griping, someone will pay it, but it won't be me. I did look at it's little brother, an actual 991 Carrera S, and I preferred it. No turbo lag (it's obvious on the Turbo S), no weird high RPM torque issues, and being a proper RWD 911 it was more fun to drive. 400bhp is good for such a relatively light car, it felt great, very chuckable. I didn't care for the one there, it lacked options I want and had a few I didn't, so I ordered one. I could tell the salesman wasn't as thrilled to do that, but hey, at least he made a sale. Here's their rendering of it, black on black exterior with red leather, 7-spd manual, aero kit, performance package (boosting it to 430bhp), and all the alphabet soup stuff (PDCC, PASM, etc.). No ceramic brakes, I can't stand them.

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So, I wait. 12 weeks... you'd think with their state of the art facilities it wouldn't take that long to put a car together. Oh well, I'm looking forward to it.

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

Your SSN? Damn straight you don't have to give that out. I double dare you to wear your rattiest clothes to the appointment.

Naw, but I did wear some distressed Levi's, an old Superman T, and my ratty Cubs cap. Didn't seem to matter, the whole time they treated us like visiting royalty. Though, more customers were looking at our car than the cars that were already on their lot. There was a cool older gentleman there with his wife, looked like they were in their 80s. He asked some questions about the Gallardo and asked if he could sit in it, then he revved the engine a little while his wife took pictures. He was smiling from ear-to-ear and had a great time.

[Face Ache]

I dislike black cars. As I noted before, I approach intersections kinda quickly, and looking for shadows is a PITA.

Gimme a bright red/green/yellow/orange car any day. My car is BRIGHT RED and no-one's gonna say they didn't see me coming.



On a related note: as a kid in Australia in the 70's, people rarely owned black cars, because a heat sucking car in Australia is stupid. Now we live in a save-the-planet world and everyone is driving around in "fuel efficient" BLACK cars, windows wound up, with the air-conditioning on. Crazy.

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by Face Ache 

I dislike black cars. As I noted before, I approach intersections kinda quickly, and looking for shadows is a PITA.
Gimme a bright red/green/yellow/orange car any day. My car is BRIGHT RED and no-one's gonna say they didn't see me coming.
On a related note: as a kid in Australia in the 70's, people rarely owned black cars, because a heat sucking car in Australia is stupid. Now we live in a save-the-planet world and everyone is driving around in "fuel efficient" BLACK cars, windows wound up, with the air-conditioning on. Crazy.

I agree. The only car I own that's black is the `52 Jaguar, and it's about to be repainted BRG. Because, well, it's an older Jaguar and all of those should be BRG. For the 911 it just seems to fit, though.

If I'm not mistaken, it actually is more fuel efficient to run the AC than it is to drive with your windows down.

[Spheric Harlot]

Depends on your speed and the vintage of your air conditioning.

In stop-and-go traffic, windows are fine. IIRC, the drag and AC even out around 50 kph.

Of course, in stop and go traffic, you should probably be on a bus or other public transport (such as it exists where you live).

[mattyb]

Sunday mornings I get the TV because the car shows are on. This weekend's test in the first show : first car to 300km/hr (186 mph) They had a GT-R, a Porche 911 Turbo S, a Ferrari 458 Spider, an Audi R8 V10, and a Corvette ZR-1.

The Corvette got to 300 first (several runs, swapped drivers as well) but it was behind the 911 due to the quicker acceleration of the Porche at the beginning of the run. Interesting test. The R8 was piss poor.

Second car show had the Le Mans Classic. Excellent seeing the older cars some with steering wheels like a bicycle wheel.

Then they showed the 24 Lemons, which is done in the US. Wonder if Mr. Cash approves.

Then the test that I had been waiting for : Cheverolet Cruze Station wagon against Ford Focus Station wagon. Mr. Average me.

[imitchellg5]

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

No, I assumed because it was a 2012 that it was a 991, like the Carrera models, but it wasn't. Oh well, it was me having a brain fart.
I did go, I wore jeans and a t-shirt and Kim went with me. Despite the tension on the phone before, the people there were all very friendly. They didn't bug me for anything and the sales guy showed us the car, that's when I found out it was a 997. We took it out, and it was nice, it's properly fast, but the Gallardo is a more balanced and better handling car (and more powerful with the SC). Also, they wouldn't back off the $10k premium they want over MSRP, which with all the options on it pushes it to $188k. I'm not griping, someone will pay it, but it won't be me. I did look at it's little brother, an actual 991 Carrera S, and I preferred it. No turbo lag (it's obvious on the Turbo S), no weird high RPM torque issues, and being a proper RWD 911 it was more fun to drive. 400bhp is good for such a relatively light car, it felt great, very chuckable. I didn't care for the one there, it lacked options I want and had a few I didn't, so I ordered one. I could tell the salesman wasn't as thrilled to do that, but hey, at least he made a sale. Here's their rendering of it, black on black exterior with red leather, 7-spd manual, aero kit, performance package (boosting it to 430bhp), and all the alphabet soup stuff (PDCC, PASM, etc.). No ceramic brakes, I can't stand them.
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So, I wait. 12 weeks... you'd think with their state of the art facilities it wouldn't take that long to put a car together. Oh well, I'm looking forward to it.

I've never liked any of the 911 Turbos I've driven, the base Carrera and Carrera S have always been the best to drive in my opinion. Congrats on the new purchase (though not a fan of that aero kit).

I'm in the market for a new car these days, my 1999 Accord having just hit 240k miles. But my budget is probably less than the tax was on that 911, ha ha.

[Shaddim]

We have a few of those too, I like watching SpeedTV on Sundays before church, My Classic Car is great. In fact, everything on there from 10am-12pm is golden.

[angelmb]

Are White Cars Really Popular Because of Apple? Prior to Apple, white was associated with things like refrigerators or the tiles in your bathroom. Apple made white valuable.

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by imitchellg5 

I've never liked any of the 911 Turbos I've driven, the base Carrera and Carrera S have always been the best to drive in my opinion. Congrats on the new purchase (though not a fan of that aero kit).
I'm in the market for a new car these days, my 1999 Accord having just hit 240k miles. But my budget is probably less than the tax was on that 911, ha ha.

It looks better in person, and it helps with the tail-happiness by adding much-needed downforce. It's almost 290bhp /ton, so that helps a little.

I didn't realize that it and the GT-R are well matched, comparable in bhp/ton, economy, and price. While the Carrera S is NA, comfortable, attractive, and more fun to drive. I think for the econo-supercar market, Porsche is telling Nissan that they've been served.

[ajprice]

Originally Posted by reader50 

Leave it visible on the back seat of the Gallardo.

[subego]

Originally Posted by Uncle Skeleton 

How does this thread not have pics in it yet?

Hey... I found a picture of my Jeep!

[imitchellg5]

Sigh. Hit a deer on the way home from work tonight, now I need a new headlamps and my front fender from the headlamp to the door is all caved in :-/

[Shaddim]

****, that sucks. They dart out so fast they can take you by surprise. I've nailed Bambi in the Bronco, actually it was a 4-pointer, but in that thing it was almost like hitting a small dog. We threw the carcass in the back and I hosed the truck off when we got home. I always have to be careful around here, we have a Whitetail explosion due to lack of hunting. If you only see one, there are 3-5 more that you're missing.

[Shaddim]

Was going to post this earlier but I forgot. We bought a yellow 2010 Italia 458 this week. It was a "must sell" kind of deal, so I got it for a good price.

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Here's a chunk of my journal entry about it, it's pretty long. Basically the seller was an ass and tough to work with.


So, it was raining dogs and cats Sunday and Monday and I wasn't able to do much in the way of driving, so I fiddled, serviced, and spent way too much time at the hot rod/exotic car shop down from the house. Technically they were closed, but the owner is a friend, and he was doing paperwork, so he didn't mind me nosing around and shopping while he was there. They do all my service too, their main import guru is certified for practically everything. He's from Belgium, difficult to understand, and looks like a cross between Sid Vicious and Jesse James, but if it has 4 wheels he can fix it. They're the ones who did the engine upgrades and SC install in my Gallardo and I've been very happy with it.

Anyhow, I'm nosing around looking at wheels and chrome bits, and the owner comes out and asks, "Dude, you still looking for a 458? I found a yellow 2010 for sale". Fact is, I didn't tell him that I was actually looking for one, I'd mentioned that if he ran across one for a great price I might be interested. I've bought too many cars lately, my wife joked that I'm trying to fill up the new garage before the end of the year. I'm not. Swear to God. There have just been a lot of great opportunities on cars that have been on my "list" for ages. The only high-priced cars I'd even consider are a pristine Hemi `cuda and a 458 coupe, but only at a great price. I tell him that I'd only be interested if it's well below retail. He says the seller is in bad financial shape is looking to sell in the >$200k ballpark. I think for a second and decide I'm willing to entertain that, so I ask him to get in touch with them. He finds their number and calls them up, but since it's raining like hell we setup to meet at the shop Wednesday at 10am.

My wife and I get there a few minutes early, they aren't there. No big deal, there are some neat cars outside, so we hang out and look at them and talk with the owners, you know, do the "car guy thing". 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes go by, no seller. I talk with the shop owner and he tries to reach them, no answer. At this point I'm irritated over wasting our time, so we get ready to leave, then they finally show up. She's tall and bony with big fake boobs, he's shorter, fat, and bald, and neither apologize for being late. After introductions he cranks it up and I start looking at the car, not making critical comments really, just pointing out a few areas; a paint ship here, a scratch there, hairline scratches all over the finish, balding rear tires, etc.. I pop the engine cover, grimy. I'm disgusted, a car like this should be taken car of. I'm not talking about being like Cameron's dad in Ferris, they're cars and they should be enjoyed and driven, but this condition is inexcusable. If you're going to own exotics you'd better be prepared to put in some cash for upkeep, it's as simple as that.

However, as I'm quietly going over it, she gets extremely defensive. Telling me how none of those things matter, the car is beautiful and rare. I tell her that the car is attractive, but there are small issues (one being that it was rather dirty, it looked as if they had quickly ran it through a $2 car wash and hastily tried to vacuum it out with a Dirt Devil). As for being rare, I pointed out that there's a red 2011 at an import dealership up the road (it's true, they've been trying to sell it @$270k for 6 months). I ask about the service records, she tells me that the car was fixed under recall once, which is good, but other than that it "only had 6500 miles on it so it hasn't needed service yet". I shake my head and look at the Belgian mechanic, Gerard, who had wandered out while we were talking, and he does a full-on facepalm and mumbles something in German that wasn't flattering. She looks around at all of us, bewildered, and I tell her, "Ferrari recommends service on these every year, even if it hasn't been driven very much". She snaps back, "No one ever told me that!"

I'm used to stressful negotiations, none of this type of thing really bothers me, and my wife looked amused. The female seller, OTOH, started getting cross and thought we were trying to cheat her. Her husband just stood there, red-faced and sweating. At that point I asked about price, I figured it was best to find out what they wanted before wasting any more of our time. She then blurted out "$240,000". I raised my eyebrows and looked at the shop owner, and he shakes his head, "That's not what I was told on the phone". "I looked it up online and that's what they're selling for", she huffed. I shook my head, "Ma'am, that's retail value, for a car that's in mint condition, with a perfect service record, sitting in a showroom". I add, "If you want that, I recommend you fix it, have it serviced, properly detailed, post it up for sale online, and wait a few months for an offer. Or, you can take it to a dealer, they do all those things, and they sell it under consignment. Then, after however long it takes to sell, they get $240k, take 20% off the top, and also charge you for the repairs and prep".

Then, she gets pissed off, apparently she had heard all of that before, and starts ranting and raving. Apparently she's used to screaming and getting her way, so I just let her have at it. I don't try to calm her down, or really say anything, doing that just weakens my position. The shop owner walks away, he has business to conduct, but Gerard hangs out looking over the car, seemingly oblivious to everything else. Normally, I'd consider this a waste of time and say to hell with it, but despite her being a pain in the ass, I think the car has potential and it's the color we want. I saw my wife's eyes light up when they arrived, and that means a lot to me. Also, the woman's husband at this point looks really embarrassed, and I kinda feel sorry for him. He has to live with this shit. Then, mid-tantrum, her phone rings. What does she do? Without saying anything she answers it and just walks away, leaving hubby standing there. He glances at me, the car, his wife walking away, he's pitiful. I look at my wife and ask, "Well?" She nods that she's interested. So I motion for the guy to come over and stand with me, and he does. I ask, "You need to sell it?" He nods. "She doesn't want to, does she?" He shakes his head, "Not really". "Is your name on the title and do you have it with you?" He nods. "How much are you thinking?" he asks. It's by far the most I've heard out of him. "150." He winces. "How much are you needing?" "As much as we can get, I told the guy on the phone about 200." I ask Gerard, "What do you think?" He scratches an armpit. "She needs work and looks like shit, but not too very bad." I love that guy.

I look over to where is wife is standing, on the other side of the parking lot, yammering away. I wasn't sure how much time I had. "Alright, I'm going to stop screwing around. $170,000 in cash, right now." "Cash?" He looks at me, surprised. "Yep, hundred dollar bills. Well?" He looks back where his wife is still on the phone and thinks a couple seconds. "Okay, uh, how about 190?" he counters, finally I was getting somewhere. I shake my head, "Sorry, can't do that, it's going to cost a lot to get this car sorted out. All things considered, $180k is completely, absolutely as high as I'll go." He looks at his wife again. "I need to speak to her." I smile, "Really?" Then I go to the trunk of my car, unlock it, and take out an attache case after leaving behind 2 bundles, since I'd brought $200k. I set the case on the hood and open it for the fella. His eyes bulge and he actually asks me if it's legal. That makes me laugh, "Of course it's legal, I just like being prepared. Checks don't have as much impact. So, $180k, right now. Deal?" Silently I count; one, two, thr... "Deal", and he holds out his hand and I shake it.

He retrieves the title from the car, then checks the cash, I don't blame him because I would too. While Sarra gets the bill of sale and title filled out, though, his wife comes back (uh-oh). No surprise, she has a fit and then starts crying. He tries to calm her down, he shows her the case, but it doesn't seem to make any difference. I'm completely fed up at this point, "Lady, either you sell the car today or the court takes it later. At least this way you're going to get money out of it." I put the papers in front of the man, he signs them, and then Sarra gets out her seal and notarizes it (that's handy). After that the woman just walks away, still going on and crying, then sits on the bench in front of the place and sulks. The seller quickly cleans the woman's stuff out of the car, shakes my hand, and walks over to her with her purse in one hand and the case full of money in the other. After that, Gerard walks over to me. "Was a good deal, yeah?" I nod, "Sure was." He keeps standing there. I look at him, "What is it, you want something?" He looks around, "Well... I, uh..." and he shifts his feet. "I'm just messing with you." Then I hand him $300. That was a lot of work, I was tired.

-----------

Of course we do take it out and drive it, it runs great and my wife went crazy over it. It's very, uh, conspicuous. We left it at the shop, they're going to fix the paint/finish issues, fully service it, put on new Michelin Pilot Sport meats, and detail it. I'm pretty excited, though. I've wanted one ever since I first saw them.

[andi*pandi]

That was a fun read! Felt a bit like a tv show plot.

[subego]

@Shaddim

What's your method for getting suitcases of cash? Dumping securities?

[Waragainstsleep]

Aren't the 458s the ones that are prone to spontaneous combustion?

[imitchellg5]

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

****, that sucks. They dart out so fast they can take you by surprise. I've nailed Bambi in the Bronco, actually it was a 4-pointer, but in that thing it was almost like hitting a small dog. We threw the carcass in the back and I hosed the truck off when we got home. I always have to be careful around here, we have a Whitetail explosion due to lack of hunting. If you only see one, there are 3-5 more that you're missing.

I've come so close to hitting a few before, especially in the middle of the night. The ironic thing is that I probably wouldn't have hit him if I hadn't slammed on the brakes, his antlers caught my front end which slammed him around to the driver's side of the car. His butt did most of the damage, ha ha. Anyway, my girlfriends' boss' husband owns a body shop that works on super high-end cars (there was a Gallardo Superleggera, Veyron with a parking accident, and a Tesla Roadster when I was there) and he was nice enough to try to pull out the dents without an appointment, but unfortunately, the deer hit his noggin just RIGHT above the driver's side headlamp, which pushed the entire front bodywork of the car down! So in effect, the whole of the front 3/4 is kind of just warped, so when he popped the dent out, I can't get the door open. He could fix it I'm sure, but it isn't worth it to go through all the trouble for a 13 year old car with 240k miles that's already been totaled by hail damage. Anyway, a couple pics for those interested.

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5453/width/350/height/700[/IMG]

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[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by Waragainstsleep 

Aren't the 458s the ones that are prone to spontaneous combustion?

That was probably what the one service recall was about.

They replaced the insulation mats on all cars due to flammable adhesives.


That *was* an entertaining read, Shaddim.

And that 458 coupe is one of the very few recent "super cars" that I really adore.

Yes to the yellow.

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

That was probably what the one service recall was about.
They replaced the insulation mats on all cars due to flammable adhesives.
That *was* an entertaining read, Shaddim.
And that 458 coupe is one of the very few recent "super cars" that I really adore.
Yes to the yellow.

That is correct, Ferrari stripped the old adhesive and installed new flame-retardant mats. Also, according to the work order they replaced a defective rear parking sensor. Yeah, the yellow is very attractive. IMO, they should only sell them in giallo or Rosso Scuderia (and maybe white). These should be bright bright, loud and proud. You want a dark, brooding Ferrari? Get a 599 or one of the new F12berlinettas, they look good in Nero.

We went and picked it up this morning and my wife drove it around the west side of Knoxville, and then we went back up towards the mountains. We received honks and smiles, people enjoyed seeing it. Oh, and it IS loud, loud enough to probably get a ticket in our sleepy town, if we let the rev counter go too high in the evening. But, dear God, what a beautiful noise. Clarkson is dead-on right here, it is God's plumbing. You can feel it resonate through the seats, for cripes sake. The SC'd Gallardo is faster, handles better, is more comfortable, quieter (below 6000RPMs), and has the amazing electric roof. But it doesn't have the soul, or stir nearly as much excitement.

Originally Posted by subego 

@Shaddim
What's your method for getting suitcases of cash? Dumping securities?

I hold up the local BP at 3am, very effective.

Actually, I fill out a form at the credit union and they get it in. I have a "slush" account there for things like this. Then I fill out another form to let the nosy Feds know that I have it. Because, you know, it's their business to know what I'm doing with my money.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

Actually, I fill out a form at the credit union and they get it in. I have a "slush" account there for things like this. Then I fill out another form to let the nosy Feds know that I have it. Because, you know, it's their business to know what I'm doing with my money.

I don't know about the US, but here, the requirement to report cash amounts over 10,000 € has to do with money laundering and tax evasion.

[Shaddim]

Same here, but also it's to help them with their "war on drugs".

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

Same here, but also it's to help them with their "war on drugs".

well, that's part of the "money laundering" bit.

The ability to confiscate anything more than 10,000 € in unexplained cash makes it significantly more difficult (in some ways) for drug dealers to dissipate their income inconspicuously.

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

well, that's part of the "money laundering" bit.
The ability to confiscate anything more than 10,000 € in unexplained cash makes it significantly more difficult (in some ways) for drug dealers to dissipate their income inconspicuously.

In the past I have just signed cartoon character names, you thinking that was a bad idea?

Originally Posted by imitchellg5 

I've come so close to hitting a few before, especially in the middle of the night. The ironic thing is that I probably wouldn't have hit him if I hadn't slammed on the brakes, his antlers caught my front end which slammed him around to the driver's side of the car. His butt did most of the damage, ha ha. Anyway, my girlfriends' boss' husband owns a body shop that works on super high-end cars (there was a Gallardo Superleggera, Veyron with a parking accident, and a Tesla Roadster when I was there) and he was nice enough to try to pull out the dents without an appointment, but unfortunately, the deer hit his noggin just RIGHT above the driver's side headlamp, which pushed the entire front bodywork of the car down! So in effect, the whole of the front 3/4 is kind of just warped, so when he popped the dent out, I can't get the door open. He could fix it I'm sure, but it isn't worth it to go through all the trouble for a 13 year old car with 240k miles that's already been totaled by hail damage. Anyway, a couple pics for those interested.

It doesn't look too bad, I imagined much worse.

[andi*pandi]

But not being able to open the driver's side door is a huge PITA, even if it's driveable. I managed about a month before I got sick of it and had to get a new car. The first week it was kind of funny climbing over the passenger seat.

My folks lost a few cars to deer/moose. Did you get to keep the meat?

[Shaddim]

BTW, want your own 458? Got $75k? Well, this one actually runs, and if you're good with a wrench you can likely whip it back into shape. It might make a decent winter project car.

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I'm told this is sitting at the Memphis municipal impound.

Edit: Oh, uh, hmm... it might be tougher than I thought.

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[subego]

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

I hold up the local BP at 3am, very effective.
Actually, I fill out a form at the credit union and they get it in. I have a "slush" account there for things like this. Then I fill out another form to let the nosy Feds know that I have it. Because, you know, it's their business to know what I'm doing with my money.

Still sounds like you're asking for a colonoscopy from multiple federal agencies.

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by subego 

Still sounds like you're asking for a colonoscopy from multiple federal agencies.

Ah, but I'm much more slippery than that! They'll be on the hunt for "Wile E. Coyote S.G.", not me. The tellers never actually read what you put on there, they just tuck it in with the withdrawal papers.

This last time I didn't have to sign a CTR, actually. I'm not sure if that's a change of policy or the girl slipped up. She was a little flustered that day.

[subego]

They can't match the amount on the CTR with your withdrawal?

[subego]

Not to mention committing a federal crime with the intent of making the Feds stay away?

You're trolling, right?

[imitchellg5]

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

But not being able to open the driver's side door is a huge PITA, even if it's driveable. I managed about a month before I got sick of it and had to get a new car. The first week it was kind of funny climbing over the passenger seat.
My folks lost a few cars to deer/moose. Did you get to keep the meat?

Oh, I can get out, just not if I choose to pop the dents out. With the dent in, the door does only open like halfway though, which is annoying. It just sucks that my car looks like crap now, especially since I have to give clients rides occasionally.

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by subego 

They can't match the amount on the CTR with your withdrawal?

Likely so, I'm not sure how many people withdraw $250k at a time from the CU. Not that I care, really, I don't have anything to hide. It just galls me that they feel it's any of their business. George Washington would have told them to stick it in their pucker.

[subego]

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

Likely so, I'm not sure how many people withdraw $250k at a time from the CU.

If there was a question, they could pretty easily eliminate the people who didn't falsify their CTR.

I don't have anything to hide either, and it galls me as well, but I don't need the hassle.

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by subego 

If there was a question, they could pretty easily eliminate the people who didn't falsify their CTR.
I don't have anything to hide either, and it galls me as well, but I don't need the hassle.

Oh, relax. The form is automatically filled out with my real name, address, DOB, SSN, and all that crap. It's only the signature that I've messed with.

Well, I do come up with creative occupations sometimes (ie. think tank lifeguard, mojo maker, etc.).

[Jens Peter]

Shaddim> Nice story and pictures!

I just sold the first car I've ever owned. It was a Smart, had it since 2008 but since getting a baby we need at least 3 seats.

I've lived in Germany in 1999, when they were brand new and revolutionary, and I have wanted one ever since. It was sad watching it drive away with the new owner, but the cash is nice, and goes to a new Volvo V40 that should arrive this week too.

[Shaddim]

You know, I like the Smart fortwo coupe. Likely because I dig small hatchbacks and the Smart is the smallest. They even make turbo kits and neat suspension upgrades for them. I imagine a fortwo with 115whp would haul a good deal of ass.

[mattyb]

Think that it was in some French car mag that the Smarts are only manufactured to do up to 100,000km (that's 62,000 miles). It was an article about which 2nd hand cars are worthwhile. Basically they said that big, old diesels are the way to go. Modern diesels have too much new tech which hasn't really proved its reliability yet.

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by mattyb 

Think that it was in some French car mag that the Smarts are only manufactured to do up to 100,000km (that's 62,000 miles). It was an article about which 2nd hand cars are worthwhile. Basically they said that big, old diesels are the way to go. Modern diesels have too much new tech which hasn't really proved its reliability yet.

That's... not good.

[Waragainstsleep]

Properly serviced 7 series Beemers from the 80s are supposed to be good for 350,000 miles plus.

[angelmb]

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

You know, I like the Smart fortwo coupe. Likely because I dig small hatchbacks and the Smart is the smallest. They even make turbo kits and neat suspension upgrades for them. I imagine a fortwo with 115whp would haul a good deal of ass.

^^ Needs Smart Roadster V6 biturbo.

[Wiskedjak]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

Depends on your speed and the vintage of your air conditioning.
In stop-and-go traffic, windows are fine. IIRC, the drag and AC even out around 50 kph.
Of course, in stop and go traffic, you should probably be on a bus or other public transport (such as it exists where you live).

Mythbusters did an episode on this one.
http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/videos/air-conditioning-vs-windows-minimyth.htm

[Shaddim]

Too many variables on the AC vs windows down test. Had both vehicles been properly tuned and serviced? Same amount of miles on each? Same tires? Same weight? Same equipment packages? etc. etc. Also, does it vary by the type of vehicle? How much does the HP to weight ratio factor in?

In my own testing, on a longer trip at average interstate speeds, it's a little more efficient to run with the AC on, in a regular to small size car. In town, with lots of stop and go and at lower speeds, it's more efficient to roll the windows down.

[mattyb]

I hired a convertible for a trip once. Never again. AC gets my vote every time.

Lost a nice cap as well.

[subego]

I prefer the safety of a non-convertible, but much prefer open windows to climate control.

[mattyb]

Try a motorbike.