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Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2016 12:38:02 GMT -5
Three years ago I leased a brand new Toyota Prius. It took me a while to get used to the glass panel and there are still buttons on the panel I have never pushed because I don't know what they are for. I know it can link up with a smart phone but since I don't have a smart phone (I'm not smart enough to learn how to use one) it's meaningless for me.
My lease expired this month so this morning I went down to turn it in and lease another one.
I test drove the 2016 Prius and the panel had changed so much I got extremely confused. Different graphics and colors and positions. Why? Tthe old ones were quite satisfactory.
So instead of leasing a new one I just went ahead and bought the one I had just turned in. It has less than 7,000 miles on it and I know how it works and it's comfortable...it fits like an old pair of slippers.
I don't know why they have to keep changing things. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. If it works well don't try to improve it. One of the worst things about modern technology is change for the sake of change.
I long for the old cars. Standard transmissions (do they make them anymore?). Plain dial instruments for everything including oil pressure gauges and ammeters. Nice to know if the generator (not alternator) is still charging the battery.
And we used to spend Saturdays working on our own cars. Changing the oil. Cleaning and gapping the plugs. Putting in new points and condensers. Installing a carburetor kit a couple time a year. Have any of you ever lubricated a clicking speedometer cable? How about bleeding and adjusting the drum brakes?
End of an old man's rant.
Noel |
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Post by Bushpounder on Jul 22, 2016 18:30:13 GMT -5
Standard trannys - sure do. My car is a 5-speed. Many cars come with standard as standard. Yep - did all those repairs and more!
BP;)
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Post by penzoil3 on Jul 22, 2016 19:09:51 GMT -5
LOL One of my main wishes, when I was still a rental car agent; was for the manufacturers to put things in the same spot 2 years in a row. I got so tirred of having to tell a customer, I know where it was last year, but they moved it. After a couple of weeks, we'd get the new models figured out, but those first couple of weeks were embarassing as all get out !
I still have an '85 Dodge Ram van I use for fishing and camping. I still change the oil, clean the plugs, rebuild the carb as needed etc. It has a standard transmission. A couple of years ago, going through emmissions testing, I got a kid who didn't know how to use a four on the floor. Dumb SOB put it in reverse at around 40 mph on the dynomometer, and backed it right off the rollers. Almost ran into the little booth I was waiting in. I got my test free that year. Now I make sure the guy knows a four on the floor, asking for the foreman first !
Sue
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Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2016 20:28:24 GMT -5
In 2005 I bought a Toyota Matrix. I wanted a standard transmission. The dealer told me it would have to special ordered and would take 3 to 4 months to get it.
My Prius has planetary gear system to switch automatically from the gasoline engine to the electric motor or both at the same time as well as using the electric motor as a generator to recharge the battery. It has no shifting points.
I don't think standard family cars come with standard transmissions anymore unless special ordered.
The last car I had with a standard transmission was a Volkswagen Scirocco.
I remember the annual emissions tests when I lived in Colorado Sue. They don't have them in New Mexico.
Noel
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Post by pivo11 on Jul 23, 2016 1:28:20 GMT -5
Living in Colorado I had a '47 Chevy with the long stroke six. I put a four speed V8 box in it and, man, it would pull tree stumps! Top speed suffered, though. Dropped to 55 mph.  |
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Post by olderndirt on Jul 23, 2016 21:14:40 GMT -5
A sixteen year old high school senior, I got my license at Golden, CO and bought a '41 Chevy coupe. Smooth running, very torquey inline six. Had the old scoops on the crank oiling system so we bought it 'rerefined', in thirty gal drums, from Monkey Ward. Ran on fumes and gas was 25c a gallon.
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Post by pivo11 on Jul 24, 2016 1:25:14 GMT -5
That's the engine, you bet. The 235, introduced in '41; 235 cu in. Those old sling oilers were something else. Mine had 265,000 miles on it when I left and it was still running five years later. Mind you, the main bearings were a little noisy.
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Post by penzoil3 on Jul 24, 2016 2:46:57 GMT -5
Didn't have enough leather under the bearings.
LOL
Sue
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