REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS

For less then $2,000 you can own a cheap piece of crap

POSTED BY: WHOZIT
UPDATED: Wednesday, March 25, 2009 01:48
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VIEWED: 1568
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Monday, March 23, 2009 1:14 PM

WHOZIT


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7957671.stm

And when your sick of looking at it you can throw it away. It's disposible, like BIC lighters.


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Monday, March 23, 2009 5:18 PM

FREMDFIRMA


I actually like the thing, sure, it's a cheap piece of crap... but at least it's a CHEAP piece of crap, as opposed to a $45,000.00USD piece of crap that is in the end not built any better.

We got stuck with a Ford Focus as a rental while our GM product was in the shop for a mandated lemon law repair... AGAIN...

And everything they flame the Tata for, you could flame the Focus for just as easily, and yet the Focus costs ten times as much.

I'd buy one, cause it's exactly what I need, the bare freakin minimum to get around town, run errands, and get groceries - and the engine is small enough that my scooter and moped toolset will work just fine to maintain and repair it.

Hell, if they could sell it over here they'd make a damn mint, cause teens needing a first car and college students could actually AFFORD it, or families who'd like a second car so that junior doesn't make them twitch nervously when he borrows their $30,000.00 minivan.

It's a good idea who's time has long since come, but since you can't tell american automakers anything since they know damn well no matter what stupidity they get up to, the Gov will come bail em out, right ?

Sure, it's a tiny piece of crap, but at least it's a CHEAP, tiny piece of crap.

-Frem
It cannot be said enough, those who do not learn from history, are doomed to endlessly repeat it

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Monday, March 23, 2009 7:40 PM

GINOBIFFARONI


Quote:

Originally posted by Fremdfirma:
I actually like the thing, sure, it's a cheap piece of crap... but at least it's a CHEAP piece of crap, as opposed to a $45,000.00USD piece of crap that is in the end not built any better.

We got stuck with a Ford Focus as a rental while our GM product was in the shop for a mandated lemon law repair... AGAIN...

And everything they flame the Tata for, you could flame the Focus for just as easily, and yet the Focus costs ten times as much.

I'd buy one, cause it's exactly what I need, the bare freakin minimum to get around town, run errands, and get groceries - and the engine is small enough that my scooter and moped toolset will work just fine to maintain and repair it.

Hell, if they could sell it over here they'd make a damn mint, cause teens needing a first car and college students could actually AFFORD it, or families who'd like a second car so that junior doesn't make them twitch nervously when he borrows their $30,000.00 minivan.

It's a good idea who's time has long since come, but since you can't tell american automakers anything since they know damn well no matter what stupidity they get up to, the Gov will come bail em out, right ?

Sure, it's a tiny piece of crap, but at least it's a CHEAP, tiny piece of crap.

-Frem
It cannot be said enough, those who do not learn from history, are doomed to endlessly repeat it




And for a parent buying their child a first car....


it is one they would likely not get into too much trouble with


I remember burying the speedo needle in my Ford Galaxie 500... ( thing burned more fuel than some countrys )



" They don't hate America, they hate Americans " Homer Simpson


Lets party like its 1939

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Tuesday, March 24, 2009 1:57 AM

KWICKO

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." -- William Casey, Reagan's presidential campaign manager & CIA Director (from first staff meeting in 1981)


Frem:

Completely off-topic, but you mentioned scooters, and it reminded me...

What do you know about the Piaggio MP3? Saw one the other day, and it really threw me for a loop.

For the uninitiated, I think you can see why:



Anyhoo, I was intrigued. Looks fun, looks stable. Hell, I bet even my wife could ride it!

Oh, and to get back on topic, don't worry too much about Tata and their tiny Nano. I'll bet they sell the living shit out of them. India's quite to growth market, ya know... And they've got something a bit nicer for when their customers outgrow the Nano - Tata also happen to own Jaguar as of last summer!

WhoZit, keep on NOT taking them seriously. It's the same reaction most people had to Honda, Datsun (Nissan), Toyota, VW, Hyundai, etc. when they started making cars. I had the same reaction, until the first time I drove a Honda Civic, and realized what they'd accomplished.

Mike

A baby seal walks into a club...



The "On Fire" Economy -
The Dow closed at 10,587.60 on January 20, 2001, the day GW Bush took office. Eight years later, it closed below 8000 on the day he left office - a net loss of 25%. That's what conservatives call an economic "success".

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Tuesday, March 24, 2009 5:30 AM

FREMDFIRMA


Well, the MP3 comes with a hefty $9000.00USD sticker price, mind you.

It's also a Hybrid with regenerative braking, in case you were unaware of that fact.

Your other option in that price range is the Honda Silverwing, which is WAY too much bike for a newbie, 582cc worth of it, with a very long wheelbase which makes low speed cornering seriously difficult even for someone who does know what they're doing.

The advantage to most scoots is the lack of gears as most are run on a CVT transmission, the Ex-Fremgirl just got a lecture after I had to clean out her gunked up carb and get her a new battery for her Roketa Road Queen since she failed to drain the tank, use a fuel stabiliser or remove and trickle charge the battery.

The new trikes, double wheel front, are far safer and easier to handle than a two wheel or double-rear trike, the latter of which kills far too many inexperienced riders cause it handles NOTHING like a car or motorcycle at all, and many have paid the final price in learning this the hard way.

Of course, if you wanna get, yanno... SERIOUS...
There's the Can-Am Spyder, at about $16k
http://spyder.brp.com/en-US/See/Can-Am/Showroom/Spyder-SM5.html

As for the MP3 mechanically, Vespa/Piggy is a BITCH to work on, you'd best find a really patient mechanic in advance, cause even a legend like me will give you crap about having to work on one (If you bring me a Ciao for repair, I'll ask if I can beat the crap out of you in lieu of payment.)

So if you buy it, find a good mechanic and get every warranty extension you possibly can.

-Frem

It cannot be said enough, those who do not learn from history, are doomed to endlessly repeat it

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Tuesday, March 24, 2009 5:33 AM

FREMDFIRMA


This is a Can-Am Spyder


And THIS, is my ride.


Kinda sad, in comparison, but I can carry more loot.

-F

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Tuesday, March 24, 2009 6:08 AM

WASHNWEAR


Quote:

Originally posted by Kwicko:
Frem:

Completely off-topic, but you mentioned scooters, and it reminded me...

What do you know about the Piaggio MP3? Saw one the other day, and it really threw me for a loop.

For the uninitiated, I think you can see why:



Anyhoo, I was intrigued. Looks fun, looks stable. Hell, I bet even my wife could ride it!



Damn - it's like if The Dark Knight™ owned a scooter (as is the one Frem showed)...



It was like that when we got here!

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Tuesday, March 24, 2009 6:37 AM

FREMDFIRMA


Actually the original Batcycle was a 1966 Yamaha Catalina.

The 2005 model seems to be based off the Dolmette
http://www.wyldsyd.com/dolmette.htm

And the new Batpod? seems a variation on the Tomahawk.
http://www.allpar.com/cars/concepts/tomahawk.html

Of course, the coolest Batbike ever was 1966 batgirls.
http://tomztoyz.blogspot.com/2008/06/hot-wheels-1966-batgirl-bat-cycle
.html


Course it ain't the bike I was wantin to ride, but I digress...


-F

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Tuesday, March 24, 2009 7:00 AM

PIRATENEWS

John Lee, conspiracy therapist at Hollywood award-winner History Channel-mocked SNL-spoofed PirateNew.org wooHOO!!!!!!


Cheap cars are GREAT. In England in the 1980s we bought a base model Ford Fiesta for $3,500 (never sold in USA), and base Ford Transit van for $5,500 (not sold in USA). Paid cash, no loan sharks.

Hi-compression Fiesta would run 100 mph on 97 octane premium (not sold in USA).

Both were used as tow vehicles for our race team, 4-hour max to cross the nation.

We only paid $1/gal for gas on the military base (monthly ration cards). We only paid $4/gal for avgas (1/2-price racefuel).

Yugo and FSO were even cheaper, until Clinton-Blythe (Rockefeller) bombed Yugoslavia and genocided the factories.

Cheapest car in USA today is $9,999 for a Chevy Cavalier (made in Italy, Canada, Mexico), unless you want Korean for $1,000 less.

Piaggio reverse trike is stable but much more expensive than 2-wheel scooters, which are also overpriced (unless you by from Commie China).




pre-owned Piaggio

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Tuesday, March 24, 2009 7:40 AM

KWICKO

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." -- William Casey, Reagan's presidential campaign manager & CIA Director (from first staff meeting in 1981)


Quote:


Your other option in that price range is the Honda Silverwing, which is WAY too much bike for a newbie...



That gave me a grin - my wife may be a noob when it comes to bikes, but I was darn near born on the things. Bought my first - a Kawasaki G4 100cc 2-stroke enduro - when I was in 7th grade, with money I made mowing lawns. Kept it 'til 9th grade, when I upped it to a Yamaha 175, which I kept for another year, 'til I upgraded that to a Honda 250 4-stroke enduro. My senior year, I went for a Yamaha 850 Special - that crap-tastic 3-cylinder with two exhausts and two carbs. Damned thing never did seem right. It shoulda warned me off odd numbers of cylinders right there, but I had to go and buy a damned CAR with odd cylinder count, too - an Audi 5000S Turbo with a crappy 5-banger that you couldn't bribe to run right!

Motorcycles and scooters aren't in the game plan for me anytime soon, since my dog goes to work with me (one of the benefits of working at a company that makes dog grooming products!), and she doesn't do bikes. Yeah, she's a li'l on the spoiled side, which is entirely my fault, because I've tried my damnedest to spoil her, given that she was abused and neglected before she was dumped as a pup. I figure humanity owes it to her to prove that we're NOT all complete shit-heels, and I've been working towards that goal for 5 years now.

There are days I think she *almost* trusts me...



Mike

A baby seal walks into a club...



The "On Fire" Economy -
The Dow closed at 10,587.60 on January 20, 2001, the day GW Bush took office. Eight years later, it closed below 8000 on the day he left office - a net loss of 25%. That's what conservatives call an economic "success".

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Tuesday, March 24, 2009 7:43 AM

KWICKO

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." -- William Casey, Reagan's presidential campaign manager & CIA Director (from first staff meeting in 1981)


PN, you're right - cheap gars are a blast.

You might be somewhat heartened to know that the new Ford Fiesta will indeed be coming to the USA, and they're supposedly not going to completely neuter the damn thing in the transition. We'll see.

Mike

A baby seal walks into a club...



The "On Fire" Economy -
The Dow closed at 10,587.60 on January 20, 2001, the day GW Bush took office. Eight years later, it closed below 8000 on the day he left office - a net loss of 25%. That's what conservatives call an economic "success".

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Tuesday, March 24, 2009 2:01 PM

WHOZIT


Bad news for the new 2009 Piece of Crap

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7588482.stm

Now America will have to wait longger for the plastic car that is glued together, and can't go over 43 mph....sad.

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Tuesday, March 24, 2009 2:25 PM

KWICKO

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." -- William Casey, Reagan's presidential campaign manager & CIA Director (from first staff meeting in 1981)


Quote:

Originally posted by whozit:
Bad news for the new 2009 Piece of Crap

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7588482.stm

Now America will have to wait longger for the plastic car that is glued together, and can't go over 43 mph....sad.



Don't worry - if you really need a plastic car that won't run, you can still pick up a used Pontiac Fiero.

Or a new Chevy Corvette...

Mike

A baby seal walks into a club...



The "On Fire" Economy -
The Dow closed at 10,587.60 on January 20, 2001, the day GW Bush took office. Eight years later, it closed below 8000 on the day he left office - a net loss of 25%. That's what conservatives call an economic "success".

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Tuesday, March 24, 2009 2:30 PM

WHOZIT


Quote:

Originally posted by Kwicko:
Quote:

Originally posted by whozit:
Bad news for the new 2009 Piece of Crap

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7588482.stm

Now America will have to wait longger for the plastic car that is glued together, and can't go over 43 mph....sad.



Don't worry - if you really need a plastic car that won't run, you can still pick up a used Pontiac Fiero.

Or a new Chevy Corvette...

Mike

A baby seal walks into a club...



The "On Fire" Economy -
The Dow closed at 10,587.60 on January 20, 2001, the day GW Bush took office. Eight years later, it closed below 8000 on the day he left office - a net loss of 25%. That's what conservatives call an economic "success".

A new Vette can go from 0 - 60 in less time it took you to read this.

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Tuesday, March 24, 2009 3:42 PM

KWICKO

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." -- William Casey, Reagan's presidential campaign manager & CIA Director (from first staff meeting in 1981)


IF you can get it running.

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Tuesday, March 24, 2009 6:04 PM

KAREL

Flying on duct tape and a damaged registry.


I drive a 1998 Longsince Paidfor.

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Tuesday, March 24, 2009 11:32 PM

FREMDFIRMA


99 Alero GLS 4D - Fair, AC don't work, heater don't work, radio don't work, rear defroster don't work, hell the only thing that DOES work right is the engine, trans and brakes, but THOSE work as well as the day she rolled off the line.

Est Blue Book Value ?
$950.00USD
You'd practically have to PAY someone to tow it away.

And yet, she can still throw down a quarter mile in 16.6, which has left a bad taste in the mouth of a couple import-pushers who tried revving on me at the light, meh.

Nice engine, if only GM had built a decent car around it.. *sigh*

-F

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Wednesday, March 25, 2009 1:48 AM

KWICKO

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." -- William Casey, Reagan's presidential campaign manager & CIA Director (from first staff meeting in 1981)


No A/C is a deal-killer here in hot, humid Central Texas. Anything with working A/C is worth at least a grand.

And yeah - I *like* cheap cars, ones that are long since paid for, as mentioned above. I bought a '91 Honda Accord station wagon (with a 5-speed manual transmission - try finding THAT combination!) more than ten years ago for $4000 cash. It had 90,000 miles on it then. Today, it's still going, A/C still blows ice cold, she's more than 220,000 on the clock - which quit working 3 years ago - and I could sell her for around $2500 today. So depreciation works out to a little over $120 per year. Sure beats the shit out of a car payment!

Another bonus with cheap cars paid for with cash: Insurance. Since I don't finance the car's purchase, I'm not forced to carry full coverage; I carry liability only, and keep my money in MY savings account instead of paying the insurance company money that I'll never get back. Insurance on that Accord runs me $440 per year. For some odd reason, insurance on my '91 CRX (a two-seater that used to be insured at the same rates as a Corvette, because they considered it a "sports car") runs me only $168 per year. Go figure...

Mike

A baby seal walks into a club...



The "On Fire" Economy -
The Dow closed at 10,587.60 on January 20, 2001, the day GW Bush took office. Eight years later, it closed below 8000 on the day he left office - a net loss of 25%. That's what conservatives call an economic "success".

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