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News From Away
May. 27th, 2012
10:00 pm - Thursday 27 May 1669
http://www.pepysdiary.com/archive/1669/0
At the office all the morning, dined at home, Mr. Hollier with me. Presented this day by Mr. Browne with a book of drawing by him, lately printed, which cost me 20s. to him. In the afternoon to the Temple, to meet with Auditor Aldworth about my interest account, but failed meeting him. To visit my cozen Creed, and found her ill at home, being with child, and looks poorly. Thence to her husband, at Gresham College, upon some occasions of Tangier; and so home, with Sir John Bankes with me, to Mark Lane.
03:51 pm - Happy Birthday, Golden Gate Bridge!
http://blog.flickr.net/en/2012/05/27/hap
http://blog.flickr.net/?p=36301
The Golden Gate Bridge has been a landmark of San Francisco since its completion in 1937. The love affair with the bridge started prior to it even being built. It was desperately needed to alleviate the traffic from the ferries. Despite the Great Depression, the areas surrounding San Francisco voted and passed the bond measure to pay for the bridge by using their homes and businesses as collateral.
Today, May 27th, 2012, marks the 75th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge. If you are in the San Francisco area celebrate the Golden Gate Bridge’s anniversary in person and watch it glow.
If you would like to find other Golden Gate Bridge photos take a look at our beautiful Golden Gate Bridge groups.
07:00 pm - Sunday Salon: Cooper And Norton – An Unlikely Marriage
http://www.curbsideclassic.com/slideshow/s
http://www.curbsideclassic.com/?p=35051
I was supposed to work on the fence today but it rained last night and the ground was soggy. It takes a lot less than that for me to postpone fence work but that’s the current excuse. I decided to do research for a story. While I was doing that I ran across a little story that explained why Triton/Norvin motorcycles became so popular and what started the movement to rear engined race cars such as the Porsche Formula 1 above.
If you are like me, you probably never thought much about what you would do to power a race car. It must be even harder if you are stuck in a situation where there are more shortages than anything else. Into this situation comes John Cooper in war ravaged post WW2 England. He’s smart and he wants to go racing. There is a major shortage of cars, but there are some choices. Please read on if you’re so inclined.
Charles Cooper founded the Cooper Car Company. He did this with his son, the aforementioned John and his son’s boyhood friend Eric Brandon. They began building racing cars in 1946. The first cars built by the Coopers were single seat 500cc Formula 3 cars that were driven by John and Eric.
They were powered by a JAP (J. A. Prestwich) motorcycle engine. The prototypes were built, according to Wikipedia, by joining two Fiat Topolino front ends together. To me, many of the pictures look like the same belly tank we used to see on the land speed record cars.
According to John Cooper the engine was put behind the driver because it seemed logical as it was run with a chain. Eric won the first postwar race and quickly created demand from other drivers such as Stirling Moss, Bernie Ecclestone, and others.
Because they were inexpensive, Cooper quickly became the worlds first and largest post-war specialist manufacturer of racing cars for sale to privateers.
Cooper built over 300 500cc F3 cars and dominated the category. They won 64 of 78 major races between 1951 and 1954. Because of the volume they quickly got into the senior circuit competition and names like Brabham and Moss kept winning. Numerous efforts with bigger engines were created. Cooper ran front engine configurations too. The front engined cars made them realize how well the rear engined car handled.
Many say that Jim Clark’s 1965 Indy 500 win in a rear engined Lotus was just part of an ongoing evolution that started with the first Cooper Formula 3. All Indy winners since then have had rear engines.
Okay, so what does a baby race car have to do with a Triton or Norvin motorcycle and for you readers who are not bike nuts – what is a Triton or Norvin anyway? Norton developed the popular double downtube type frame. One of the early riders said it was just like riding a featherbed, and it became known as the featherbed frame as a result. It was developed primarily for racing and it handled very well.
Cooper-Norton
The Norton Manx engine fit the same basic category as the JAP. The car above is powered by a Norton. The Manx had a 500cc single cylinder engine with a four speed transmission. The only problem was that Norton wouldn’t sell an enterprising racer just a motor. You had to buy the whole bike, therefore, there were a lot of excellent Norton frames that could be had cheaply.
Norton Manx Engine
Triumph evidently would sell an engine without a bike, so the first known Triton motorcycle was a featherbed frame with a 500cc Triumph engine. Triumph and BSA both had engines that were cheap for the time and as always, bikers have wrecks, resulting in a wide variety of parts bikes and engines: Triumph, BSA, Vincent. Doesn’t seem to matter what you put it a Norton frame, it makes an excellent handling bike with a decent engine. I have even seen a Honda four. Hybrids before it was cool.
People still race these little cars. I am also told you can buy Norton Manx engine clones. I think I would rather write about it than buy one.
Hope you enjoyed the story. I personally learned things about which I had no clue.
06:59 pm - Curbside Roadways: Happy 75th Anniversary Golden Gate Bridge
http://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/curb
http://www.curbsideclassic.com/?p=36682
This cold, foggy morning marks the 75th Anniversary of the International Orange symbol of San Francisco, The Golden Gate Bridge. For 8 decades this marvelous steel structure has wowed commuters and tourists each day, connecting the Marin County suburbs to the north with Baghdad by the Bay with 6 lanes of traffic and 2 pedestrian lanes.
Traffic was much lighter 65 years ago in this 1947 shot than it is today, before the growth of a number of Marin cities into actual commuter suburbs during the 1950s and 1960s.
This shot from 50 years ago shows how the suburban flight in the Bay Area was leading to some interesting possibilities, political controversies and some plans many of us currently living in the Bay Area wish came to reality.
While adding a lower deck would have deprived one direction of drivers of spectacular views of entering the city or entering the Marin Headlands, it would have negated the decades long debate over the moveable central barrier to prevent head on collisions.
But the truly epic “could have happened” was that when the Bay Area Rapid Transit System, or BART was in the planning stages in the 1950s. One idea to serve Marin Country was to run tracks on a lower deck of the bridge. But that fantastic public transit voyage was gone when Marin County pulled out in 1962.
So we’re left with 6 lanes of capacity that became the symbol everyone associates with a city that welcomes everyone no matter what with open arms (whether that’s true or not).
And trust me, it’s even more epic to behold in person than it is in pictures. I still have to focus REALLY hard driving across. Hence why this picture I took is from the passenger seat of a friends car. I like to rebel every so often, but driving at the center of an undivided bridge with a camera in hand is a bit dumb. And yes I’m calling every tourist that’s done that dumb.
I guess I should count myself lucky that I see such a engineering marvel and thing of beauty on my way home, and on super clear days from the roof of my house. For something that has an innate purpose of just getting me over a body of water in my car, it’s a beautiful thing to behold.
04:00 pm - Automotive History: Indianapolis 500 Pace Cars (Part 4 1960-1964)
http://www.curbsideclassic.com/?p=36310
We will resume our Curbside Classic retrospective on Indianapolis 500 Pace Cars with the Swingin’ 60s. From the Rat Pack to the Beatles, the period from 1960 to 1964 saw the beginnings of a lot of changes. It was no less so in the choices of cars chosen to pace the Indianapolis 500 in those years.
As in almost every area of life, 1960 was almost indistinguishable from 1959. And so it was with Pace Cars. 1960 brought General Motors’ third effort in a row. After the Pontiac Bonneville (1958) and the Buick Electra 225 (1959), it was Oldsmobile’s turn with this big Ninety Eight convertible.
Although Oldsmobile would pace the race multiple times, this would be the only time that the big C body Ninety Eight would get the honor. Oddly, it does not appear that Oldsmobile made any Pace Car replicas, and as is so often the case in this era, the whereabouts of the actual Pace Car is not known.
The Ford Motor Company finally broke GM’s seeming stranglehold on Pace Car honors in 1961, with a different kind of anniversary. 1961 marked the 50th Anniversary of the first Indianapolis 500. The occasion would be marked by a special gold Thunderbird convertible. The ’61 Thunderbird was notable for a heavy restyling and the debut of one of Ford’s best engines of the 1960s, the famous Thunderbird 390.
The color on this Pace Car was unique to cars used for the race. This color was not one of the colors offered on any other production Thunderbird. I knew someone in the 1980s who was trying to restore one of these, and the paint formula was (at least then) a mystery lost to time. In the years since, the mystery has either been solved or worked around.
There were 34 cars used this year. The official Pace Car was the only car with parchment leather interior. The backup Pace Car and the 32 “Festival Cars” that were driven during the month of May by the race drivers and used in the annual parade were equipped with black interior, some leather and some vinyl. The disposition of the actual Pace Car is another mystery. A. J. Foyt won the car. Some say that he later gave it to his mother to drive, but nobody really knows. Very few of the golden Thunderbirds survive today, somewhere around five or six are accounted for.
1962 would mark another milestone: the last time an independent manufacturer would supply a Pace Car for the race. Studebaker had paced the race before, and under the new and revitalizing leadership of Sherwood Egbert, the plan was hatched for the new Avanti to pace the 1962 race.
Alas, the Avanti would not be ready in time, so a Lark Daytona convertible was a last-minute substitution. The race winner would, however, receive a free upgrade to an Avanti. As for the Larks, the actual and backup Pace Car were equipped with the 4 barrel 289 V8 rated at 225 horsepower, mated to a 4 speed stick. Both of these white cars with blue interior seem to have disappeared as well.
There is a dearth of available photos of this car, almost as though nobody could get enthusiastic about the stopgap Lark at Indianapolis. Sadly, the only surviving vehicle manufacturer in the native state of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway would not survive much longer. In all, Studebaker fielded four Pace Cars, going back to 1929. As of this, its final year, twice as many Studes as Chevys had paced the 500. This would not be true for much longer.
1963 is a year in America that many consider the end of the era called “the 1950s.” So wouldn’t it be appropriate that the car that defined performance in 1950s America be chosen as the Pace Car?
Why had it taken so long for Chrysler to bring a 300 to the party? We may never know. But the 300 Pacesetter convertible painted Pace Car Blue (called Holiday Turquoise on other Chryslers) would unfortunately fail make the cut before the letter-series 300 would give rise to the sport series (that serious 300 fans would deride as all hat and no cattle). The Pacesetter was not technically a 300J, as the J was built only as a hardtop that year.
A big block 413, a pushbutton Torqueflite and new styling showing the final influences of Virgil Exner – what’s not to like here? This would be the last eight cylinder Chrysler to pace the race. Chrysler is reported to have built 1,864 Pacesetter convertibles to commemorate its 1963 role in the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, along with another 308 hardtops.
The winds of change would start to blow in 1964 when the most significant car of a generation would pace the field. The 1964 1/2 Mustang was chosen. At the time, many considered the Mustang to be a cute little compact that would be popular for a short time. It was certainly not in the same tradition of big, luxurious cars that had paced the race for eons. But times change.
Three Wimbledon White Mustang convertibles with consecutive serial numbers were specially prepared by Holman & Moody for Pace Car duty with modified 289 4 barrel V8 engines to replace the 260 V8s that the cars were built with. Another thirty five convertibles were provided for the Speedway. Because the car was in such short supply, Ford supplied thirty five Galaxie convertibles to the Speedway in March and replaced them in early May with the Mustangs, which were pulled from the stocks of various Ford dealers in the Indianapolis area. This is why the Mustang festival cars that survive have such variation in interior color, transmission, and other options. Another 190 white hardtops were built as Pace Car Edition specials that were made available to Ford Dealers as part of a sales incentive program.
The original Pace Car was won by A. J. Foyt, and only one of the three actual Pace Cars is accounted for today. The other Festival cars are difficult to account for because Ford took them back after the race (contrary to the Speedway tradition of making them available to Festival Committee members) and auctioned them to Ford Dealers for eventual resale. Because they were pulled from regular production, they have been virtually impossible to trace.
Looking back to 1946 where we started this series a few weeks ago, it is quite a lot of ground that was covered by the U.S. auto industry in only eighteen years. The transition covered high end luxury cars to pony cars, and from flathead engines (and even a few sixes) to race prepared modern V8s. It gives us a sense of scale that in the few weeks that it has taken us to look at nineteen Pace Cars, we have but scratched the surface of the total, which numbers nearly one hundred. Perhaps next May when the sound of racing is in the air, we will look at some more of these Indianapolis 500 Pace Cars. But for now, let’s listen for Mari Hulman George’s famous invitation: “Gentlemen, Start Your Engines,” and enjoy the big Race.
12:49 pm - richard florida's supersized-airport theory
Richard Florida has discovered that as cities get bigger, airport traffic goes up disproportionately, i.e. faster than population. Here's his interpretation:
As with other features of metropolitan life, such as productivity or invention, airport passenger traffic increases disproportionately with population size. This is yet another manifestation of the overall acceleration of social and economic life that occurs in urban population centers—a phenomenon that has been dubbed “superlinear scaling.”
OK, but how much of this is what transport planners call the network effect? Just as transit planners try to locate connection points at already-active locations, airlines are motivate to locate their hubs in major cities, so that the city and the hub support each other in creating the largest possible market for flights in and out.
For example, ask: what's the biggest metro area in the US that is NOT an airline hub? Using this table (and setting aside greater Riverside which is not really separate from Los Angeles) I get all the way down to San Diego, the 17th largest, before I encounter one where hub effects have little role in the airport's function. So it doesn't surprise me that the scaling of big city airports is "superlinear" (a fancy word for "curving upward") compared to population, for the same reason that boardings at major transfer points in a transit network are superlinear compared to their immediate surroundings.
This is a nice example of the very common tendency of people with social science training to overread demographics and economic indicators while underreading the effects of network structure, and how it determines the actual utility of transport service. It comes up in transit all the time.
02:46 pm - uncultured: Local Muslims must foolishly be assuming that just because The Church agreed to let me l
uncultured: Local Muslims must foolishly be assuming that just because The Church agreed to let me live with them that I'm somebody of consequence.02:44 pm - uncultured: The other thing I noticed - and it's only happened a couple of times - is Muslims rushin
uncultured: The other thing I noticed - and it's only happened a couple of times - is Muslims rushing to greet me and/or stand up in my presence.02:43 pm - uncultured: My local rep as a joker may have contributed to this. Must be perception-changing to see
uncultured: My local rep as a joker may have contributed to this. Must be perception-changing to see a Muslim making a bunch of priests laugh.02:42 pm - uncultured: The first thing I noticed is a slight change in body language that Muslims have towards
uncultured: The first thing I noticed is a slight change in body language that Muslims have towards the priests. Less business-like, more casual.02:41 pm - uncultured: So word has spread amongst the Muslims in this area that there is a Muslim (me) living a
uncultured: So word has spread amongst the Muslims in this area that there is a Muslim (me) living amongst the Catholic Priesthood.04:00 pm - Who Do You Root For?
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/unreasonabl
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/unreasonabl
Fred Phelps vs. Nickleback:
Frankly, I see this as a win-win situation.
04:53 pm - Subaru Increasing Japanese Production Despite Exchange Rate Fears
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/?p=4463
Rather than expand production in North America, Subaru is taking a contrarian route and expanding their manufacturing in Japan – even as everyone is scrambling to get out.
According to Automotive News
The move comes with a planned 28 percent boost in Japanese output by March, 2013 while cutting U.S. output by 1 percent. Subaru is betting that a weakening yen will help increase profitability – Takahashi’s own outlook is of a drop in the yen over the next decade – but as of now, Japanese automakers can’t build North American factories fast enough.
Subaru recently lost a bid to begin a joint venture with Chery in China, and will now be forced to import cars and face a 25 percent duty on each one. That resulted in Subaru shifting their focus to American, where the brand has seen strong growth. Although Subaru has a U.S. manufacturing presence (and Subaru decided that, even with the strong yen, it’s more cost-effective to expand in Japan) an erratic yen could wreak havoc on Subaru’s profitability, ala Mazda – but by the same token, Subaru’s bet on a weaker yen could also pay off handsomely. The nature of the auto business in today’s world is that long-term decisions must be made in a world where events like last year’s tsunami can turn one’s world upside down in a very short time frame. We’ll just have to sit tight and watch how Subaru’s bet pans out.
04:52 pm - Review: 2012 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500 Cargo Van 170
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2012/05/r
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/?p=4463
“Could I get hold of a Sprinter?” Alex was putting together a review series on cargo vans, but wasn’t able to get one from Mercedes. Perhaps I could? Perhaps, but I wouldn’t have a clue about how to evaluate such a beast. Then Alex posted his series, and commenters lamented the absence of the Sprinter. So here you go, my best shot, courtesy of the good folks at Mercedes-Benz of Novi…
Offered for a few years as a Dodge, the Sprinter introduced Americans to Europe’s idea of a proper van, which is quite different from traditional American vans. Get used to this big foreign-looking box: Ford and Ram (remember, it’s now a brand) have similar vans on the way. Soon GM and newcomer Nissan will be the only players offering traditional American vans.
The European van concept has some clear advantages, beginning with the driving position. The driver sits high behind a minimal instrument panel and huge windshield. The engine intrudes into the passenger compartment, but much less than in the GM vans, so foot room is only slightly constricted. From the knees rearward there’s no engine cover (GM) or massive console (Nissan) to get in the way. The seats, much firmer than you’ll find in other vans, look and feel German, though more VW than Mercedes (this is a commercial vehicle, after all). Shaped to provide good support, as the hours accumulate they’d likely prove more back-friendly than the mushy seats in other vans. An option package includes front height, rear height, recline, and lumbar adjustments. These manual adjustments might be a little less convenient than the power controls in other vans, but they also have no motors to break.
Mercedes offers the Sprinter in four body styles: 144-inch wheelbase regular roof, 144-inch wheelbase high roof, 170-inch wheelbase high roof, and 170-inch wheelbase extended length high roof (cargo van only). Even the regular roof offers a higher ceiling than you’ll find in a GM van, 60.6” vs. 52.9”. The high roof adds another foot, such anyone up to six feet in height can walk around inside without fear of hitting their head on the ceiling. For people who actually work inside the van, this is a major selling point. Among current competitors, only Nissan also offers this feature from the factory. The rear cargo opening is also wider, 61.6” to 57.0”, and this width is maintained floor to ceiling by nearly vertical body sides (American vans are jelly beans in comparison). Cargo length is 128.5”, 169.3”, or 185.0”, depending on the body length, compared to 124.6” or 146.2” in the GM vans. In terms of cubic feet, the Sprinter’s 318, 494 or 547 easily beats the GM van’s 270 or 314. Even the short, regular roof Sprinter can hold more than the long GM, and over twice as much as the typical minivan.
Bottom line: there’s a lot more usable space inside the Sprinter. This volume is easily accessed through wide, floor-to-ceiling door openings (right slider standard, left slider optional). The rear doors can be opened 270 degrees. The Sprinter 3500 can carry up to 5,375 pounds (vs. 3,992 in the GM van) and tow up to 7,500 pounds (vs. 10,000). The tested 2500 has a 2,872 pound payload, vs. 3,009 in the GM 2500 van.
Passenger capacity ranges from two to twelve people—the Sprinter can be equipped with one, two, three, or four rows of seats. Even with four rows installed, there’s over six feet of cargo space in the 170-incher. Theoretically, Mercedes could fit a couple more rows, but has ceded the 15-passenger market to the domestics. Passenger-pleasing factory options are limited to roof-mounted rear HVAC vents; this Mercedes isn’t remotely about luxury.
With such high cargo and towing capacities, you might think the Sprinter has a monster engine lurking under its stubby, steeply sloped hood. But the sole engine option, a 188-horsepower (at 3,800 rpm), 325 pound-feet (at 1,400 rpm) 3.0-liter turbocharged diesel V6, is much smaller and far less powerful than the V8 engines offered by GM, Ford, and Nissan. The only available transmission is Mercedes’ tried-and-true five-speed automatic. Is this somehow enough? Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to adequately test powertrain performance. During my test drive this powertrain accelerated the van as quickly as I’d desire in such a vehicle, with no apparent strain, even at 80 on the highway. Thirteen seconds to sixty might seem sluggish in a contemporary car, but this is a box big enough to swallow the contents of 3.5 minivans. Unless you’re up to no good (white vans being the preferred conveyance of TV terrorists) or out to stop people up to no good (SWAT, the A-Team), you’re not seeking an AMG variant. The problem: sixty arrives in 13 seconds with no add-ons, no passengers, no cargo, no trailer, and no big hills. Add one or more of these and the relatively small diesel might seem overwhelmed. The engine is obviously a diesel only when idling and at low speeds. There’s not much engine noise even with the accelerator pressed to the floor. The transmission could be quicker to react. Surprisingly, shift paddles are not an option.
Fuel economy is a major selling point. Craig Astrein, Sprinter specialist at Mercedes-Benz of Novi, claimed that the Sprinter manages low 20s around town and mid-20s on the highway. Given the vehicle’s size and 5,545-pound curb weight, this seems hard to believe. But following a 2/3 suburban, 1/3 highway loop with a few foot-to-the-floor acceleration runs the trip computer reported 17.6, which is better than my family’s 7-passenger, 85-cubic-foot Ford Taurus X in similar conditions. Adblue is required, but this isn’t nearly as expensive or as hard to find as it used to be.
Having never driven such a large vehicle before, I was most concerned about handling. Thankfully, the view forward could not be more open, especially compared to the Nissan. Looking through the huge windshield, there’s little sense of the big box behind you. The view rearward depends on whether the Sprinter in question is a cargo, passenger, or crew (two-row) van, as the first can have no windows behind the first row. Large dual-element mirrors compensate. For operating in close quarters, front and rear obstacle detection is an option. The steering is, no surprise, slow and very light, but seems almost natural after just a few minutes on the road. Body motions are more tightly controlled than in the typical van, yet the ride is just a touch jiggly even without a load, at least in the 2500. (A Nissan NV 3500 rides like the truck it is in comparison, but it’s likely not fair to compare a 2500 with a 3500.) Stability control is standard, but with visions of a big white box on its side I didn’t push the Sprinter hard enough to test its operation.
The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter starts at $37,285 for the 144 and $42,395 for the 170. The high roof (standard on the 170) bumps the price upward by $2,670, the extended wheelbase adds $2,440, and the extended rear overhang tacks on $950. Basic amenities (such as the seat adjustments, power mirrors, cruise control, and a trip computer) add about $895. For vehicle wearing the three-pointed star, this is cheap. For a cargo van, not so much. A Chevrolet Express 2500 extended length van with the 280-horsepower 4.8-liter gas V8 and similar features lists for $31,740. Opt for the 260-horsepower 6.6-liter Duramax diesel, though, and the GM van’s price advantage entirely disappears. The choice then becomes one between cubic inches and cubic feet.
Until the new Euro-sourced Ford and Ram vans arrive, the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is in a class by itself, with a high roof, huge cargo volume, well-behaved suspension, and efficient (if possibly inadequate) diesel engine. According to Craig, tradespeople who visit wealthy clients’ homes also value the prestige conveyed by the three-pointed star. Even if their actual client is a dog.
Craig Astrein at Mercedes-Benz of Novi (MI) provided the tested vehicle. He can be reached at 248-426-9600.
Michael Karesh owns and operates TrueDelta, an online source of automotive pricing and reliability data.
12:01 pm - My tweets
- Sat, 13:03: RT @FrankConniff: Mitt Romney shouldn't just denounce Donald Trump, he should pin him to the floor and forcibly cut his "hair."
- Sat, 13:23: The Invincible is an awfully slow airship. #finalfantasy3
- Sat, 15:47: Do Munchkin comedians work blue?
- Sat, 15:58: RT @brokenglasseye: Donald Duck's Family Tree: http://t.co/QDZvbiw2
- Sat, 15:59: RT @kidicarus222: Legit question: Why do rap songs feature guest vocals so much more often than rock songs?
- Sat, 16:00: RT @jlbellwriter: @VoVat I tell this hot blonde from the Emerald City, "Look me up." And she says, "How can I look you up when I'm looki ...
- Sat, 18:26: Sometimes I wish there were a mozzarella stick platter, but it would probably cause instant heart attack.
01:30 pm - How to Buy a Used Car in Three Not So Easy Steps or Do as I Say, Not as I Do- Part Three
http://www.curbsideclassic.com/?p=36520
As frequent readers will recall, in my last post I talked about researching and inspecting your prospective purchase. In this, the final post, I will talk about test driving and bargaining.
Once you have thoroughly gone over the car, if you are still interested, it’s time to look at some service records, if they exist. Ask the owner if she/he has records, where he/she has had it serviced, when and where the oil was changed? Take a look at the receipts, and also at the owner’s manual service book. If you ran, or hopefully they ran, an online car report; piece it into the puzzle with the records and service book. Taken together you should be able to get a good picture of how many people have owned the car, how and when it’s been serviced, if it’s been severely damaged, etc. The old story goes; I went to look at a one owner car owned by a little old lady who only drove it to the grocery store and back. I thought, wow, what a find! But when I got to look at the car it was a total piece of crap. The engine was all carbon-ed up from never being allowed to get to full temp/speed, the tires were original and cracked, and the oil was sludge. I asked, “hasn’t it given you any trouble”? And she said “nope, I never even had to have the oil changed”.
Test Driving:
Now if everything checks out, it’s time for a test drive. be prepared to show your drivers license and insurance proof, after all, it is still their car. Get in and before you start it up, turn the key to the power-on position. Check all the dash warning lights and make especially sure the Oil, Check Engine, Temp, and Brake warning lights are working. Turn on the windshield wipers and go through all of their settings, front and back, with the sprayer. I once bought a car and did not check that. It started raining on the way back and when I went to turn them on I had nothing. It was a very difficult replacement job on that particular car as well, so assume nothing. Now go ahead and start the car. Watch the rear view mirror for any smoke at start up. That could be in indication of worn valve guide seals. Most likely the radio will be turned on, turn it off, you can evaluate the sound system later, but right now you need to hear the car. Toward that end, roll down the windows all the way to make sure they work and then roll them all up except yours, leave it open a little so you can hear the engine and tires. Now before you drive it, turn on all the lights including the hazard flashers. Get out and have the owner sit in the driver’s seat. Now go around the car and check for proper operation of the lights. Have him/her actuate the brake, reverse, and high beam lights as well whilst you look on. Now check all the seat belts and interior door handles, window switches, etc. for proper operation.
Now that you have performed the necessary pre-trip check, it’s time to actually drive the car. Start by turning the steering wheel from lock to lock (don’t hold it locked to one side for more than a second, it can damage the power steering system), what you are doing is feeling for any thumps, knocks, grinding, in the steering wheel. You should also listen and try to discern any undue groaning, grinding, grrring etc. Certain cars will have different “normal” sounds, Fords from the 80′s-90′s for instance tend to be pretty noisy but can go on like that for a long time. Also be aware of the parts costs for various parts of the car you are interested in. That way you will know if the need for a new power steering pump is a fifty dollar problem or a four hundred dollar problem. Rock Auto is a great resource for researching parts costs, as well as your local parts house.
Now it’s time to put it in gear, if it’s a manual transmission, depress the clutch and hold it there for a few seconds. Listen for unusual sounds which may indicate a worn out release or pilot bearing. Now let the clutch out and then put it in again and shift into gear; all throughout your test drive, be on the lookout for gears that engage with difficulty, grind into gear, pop out of gear, or whine/moan when in that gear. Try each gear, accelerate at a normal rate and then let off the gas quickly without depressing the clutch. Does it pop out of gear, does that gear make bad noises? Now do the same thing but get up to cruising speed for that gear selection and let off the gas slowly causing the vehicle to gradually slow down and then bring it up to cruising speed again. Often a bad fifth gear or overdrive gear will moan under these conditions. But once again you should know what is acceptable for each vehicle. My work truck grinds into third gear sometimes and makes plenty of noises, but it has been doing that on it’s Spicer transmission for well over one hundred thousand miles. On the other hand if you were test driving a Volkswagen type 3 and it did that, you might not get many more miles out of it before it got a lot worse.
For an automatic transmission one wants to listen/feel for each gear change. Count them and figure out if they are all working. Also feel for slow, harsh, slipping, or rough shifts for each gear. If you are test driving a GM from the 80′s with a 700-R4 transmission and it is a little slow to engage overdrive, you have a problem. However, if you are test driving a “built” hot rod and the shifts are harsh and seem late, it is probably just fine. Once again, do your research, test several of the same make/model cars to get a feel for them if you can. Continue to monitor the transmission functionality as the car warms up and throughout the test drive.
To properly test drive a car you will need to get it up to highway speeds for at least a few minutes. Once you have driven it around a bit and it has reached full operating temperature take it unto the highway or a long smooth stretch of straight road. Let the owner know that you are going to accelerate to highway speed briskly. Don’t burn rubber or anything like that, but once you get above surface street speeds, put the pedal to the floor to get up to cruising speed. No need to red line it, but do give it the gas. Acceleration should be smooth and swift, unless it’s a Citroen 2CV! If you are test driving a very fast car, more preparation, talking and insurance might be necessary or in some cases you could just let the owner do the accelerating under power part. You should still be able to hear and feel any problems. Listen for rattles indicative of worn engine bearings and other nasty sounds. Watch the oil pressure if you have a gauge, it should rise with the engine RPM and go down at idle. Learn what normal oil pressure is at idle and at cruising for this car. Too low could indicate a badly worn engine, too high could indicate additives put in to mask a problem or other bad things. You do need to be at the wheel during highway cruising. Many times the car has felt great at lower speeds but on the highway the wheel shakes violently due to many things such as; unbalanced drive shaft, bad CV joint, bad ball joint, bad tie rod end, unbalanced tire, etc. Just ask James Pembroke Tenneson!
Keep all your senses open during your test drive, feel for unusual vibrations, smell for the sulfur smell of a bad catalytic converter, the burnt smell of oil, listen for rattles and knocks, look for steam and leaks.
Now once you have gone down the highway for a few minutes and nothing has self destructed, pull over somewhere safe, set the parking brake, pop the hood and have a looksee at the works under there while it’s still running. Look for things amiss; is there steam coming out of the coolant reservoir, oil dripping on the ground, smoke rising from the engine? Let it idle for a couple of minutes and then check the automatic transmission fluid if so equipped. Too high is just as bad as too low on the dipstick here. Now, look at the color of the fluid, in most cases it should be a nice ruby red. If it’s grey-ish or has flecks of stuff in it, you may have some real problems. If it’s brownish but not muddy, smell it. Does it smell like varnish, if so it may be very old but not necessarily a sign of impending failure. If on the other hand it smells burnt or nutty, that’s a bad sign.
Let the car idle for at least ten minutes and watch the temperature gauge if it has one. If not, just look at the coolant reservoir and dash lights. What we don’t want to see is signs of overheating. such as steam or water coming out of the coolant overflow hose or dash warning lights coming on or the temp gauge going to high. A diesel vehicle will often be more prone to overheating at highway speed whereas a gasoline car (or especially propane) will be more prone to overheat at extended idle.
Now get back in and find a nice wide parking lot where you can drive it around in circles. First turn the wheel all the way one way and accelerate at moderate speed to describe a half circle. Next do it the other way. Did you hear any clicking, grinding, rubbing from the front end? If so than you may have a CV joint going bad. Or did the steering wheel track unevenly, or give rough, bumpy feedback? If so you may have bad ball joints or worn steering components. On your way back to the owner’s house, run the heat at full set it to defrost. It should of course blow hot. If the window fogs up or you smell the sweet smell of antifreeze, your going to need a heater core. On a VW Rabbit, it’s a cheap, easy fix, on a Volvo 240, begin the grieving process early, or don’t buy it. Run the air conditioning, it should blow cold. If it does not and the owner says it just needs a recharge, it does not. It most likely will not work again without a sizable investment, though I have got lucky with a AC clutch problem or the occasional recharge. But we are trying to eliminate luck as much as possible here, so if you need AC, either count the cost, or don’t buy this car.
Now once you arrive back at your starting point you can test out the sound system and other on board equipment such as seat heater, seat function, DVD player, etc. If everything is good, ask to look at the title. The vehicle title should be in the name of the person present. Ask to see some identification, tell them they can cover up their driver’s license number if they are concerned, you just need to verify that they are who they say they are. Now make sure the title matches the vehicle. Look at the VIN on the title and the VIN plate on the vehicle. There will usually be one on the driver’s side dash, visible through the windshield and one on a sticker on the driver’s side door jamb. If you are especially leery you might find out from a body shop friend or the internet where other VINs are located. Most vehicles have a VIN on the frame or sub-frame, and several located in hard to reach spots. The VIN plate should be secured with it’s original fasteners, the sticker should be unmolested. If there is anything amiss or if it is a very old car with non-standard VIN protocols, you will have to do some research to figure out how to verify you are buying the car on the title.
Step Three; The bargain:
Presumably you brought along the full asking price of the car when you came, or for security purposes have quick access to it. If not, then perhaps this car is out of your price range. The difference in price that you may try to get out of the seller is not so you can afford the car (you should be able to if you are looking at it), it is for necessary repairs, maintenance, registration, etc. If you are having to talk the seller down just to afford the purchase price of the car, then you are reaching to far. Step back – save your money, or get something less expensive because if you can’t afford to put anything into it, it will depreciate rapidly before your eyes. More so than anywhere else, the second law of thermodynamics (in all energy exchanges, if no energy enters or leaves the system, the potential energy of the state will always be less than that of the initial state) is in effect on cars. The energy that must enter the system to keep entropy at bay is from you, and your pocketbook.
Photo pmorgan
So determine first if the seller is willing to haggle at all; simply ask something like, “are you at all flexible on the asking price”? If he/she (and women are almost never willing to haggle) says no, don’t argue, just think it over. If they say yes, a little, etc. then the door is open to a sort of game we all know the rules to. But just in case you got left behind when the rules were handed out here is how they go; if the seller is asking say; forty five hundred dollars for the vehicle and is willing to bargain, the five hundred is what he has usually put up for bargaining leverage. He is expecting to get four thousand dollars out of the sale, but would be happy to get more. If you are a real capitalist you will see that it is your job to pay as little as possible and it is his job to get as much as possible. If on the other hand you are buying from a friend or relative, it would just be better to speak honestly with each other and come to an amiable price over a cup of coffee (unless it’s a relative you really don’t care for).
If you have determined that the seller is willing to deal, then have a walk around the car with the hood up. Nicely point out it’s good and bad features, throwing in estimated repair costs along the way. Mind you, you must sound nice and don’t sound as if you are picking the car to pieces. Presumably you want the vehicle, it’s OK to act like it, just act like you have a few small reservations, that once cleared up, will allow you to purchase the vehicle. This is assuming that there are a few small things that do need attention. If there is not and the car is really, nearly perfect, and the price is right, don’t waste each others time haggling over nothing. Either pay what the owner wants or make an offer that’s only a few bucks off the asking price. I have often just paid what the owner asked because the vehicle was worth it and they could have asked for more.
As you complete your walk around of our theoretical four thousand five hundred dollar car, do some math with the owner that subtracts the estimated repairs from the asking price until you get a couple of hundred dollars below four thousand. And then ask them if they will take that amount for the car. They will most likely say no, and might say that they are not willing to go below four thousand two hundred and fifty. Now you can offer the four thousand, that’s how the game works. If they really wont go below the four thousand two hundred and fifty just pay it.
Step three B; That new used car smell:
Well, now you have a new (to you) car. The first thing you should probably do before you take all your friends joy riding in your new ride, is get the oil changed and perhaps have the tires rotated. If you are not doing these things yourself, have a competent mechanic do it, not some teenagers working for minimum wage at a quickie shop! If you are going to be taking to a shop and not doing your own repairs, take it to a good shop with a trustworthy mechanic. If you are buying something other than a Japanese or American vehicle, I strongly advise you to take it to a shop that specializes in the make of your car. Sure, maybe Bill at Bill’s Auto Repair has been your family mechanic for as long as you can remember. But has your family mostly owned say, American cars? If you are buying an American car then Bill is your man. If however, you are buying a Mercedes, you might want to take a good look at what Bill works on most. You really will need a Mercedes specialist. If the car is in good repair and has a service record, it would probably pay to continue to take it where it has been going. Yes, specialists usually cost more, but you are paying for years of knowledge gained by years of experience with that particular make/type of car. If the car is in good repair due to that specialist and you are not doing your own work, be prepared to do whatever he asks you to do. Remember the proof is in the pudding, so even if he tells you something odd like, never use synthetic oil, or put it in gear and floor it once a month, trust him, you have to!
If you are going to be doing your own work, I suggest you ask yourself if you are really up to the task; that’s a decision only you can make. I suggest that you do buy a factory service manual though. The manuals you can buy in most auto parts stores are good, but they are rather limited in their scope. Sure the factory manual costs more, but it will have several pages devoted to things like installing new seat heater switches and grids, or adjusting sliding door mounting tracks that the other ones will not. For most makes and models of car there are forums on the internet these days. Such forums can be a great resource for learning about all the dos and do-nots of your particular model of car. It’s always fun to learn from the mistakes of others!
So now that you have a good mechanic picked out or are armed with the knowledge and tools to do it yourself, get out and enjoy your new ride!
11:12 am - COAL: 1978 VW Rabbit Diesel – Bunny Tales
http://www.curbsideclassic.com/auto-biog
http://www.curbsideclassic.com/?p=36664
One of the good things about being associated with the car business is that you will never be without wheels for any length of time; there is always something kicking around for you to drive. When the 1974 Corolla finally met its maker, I needed a car to drive me and my stuff to the lake or the ski hill and I needed it fast. My parents had a garage and there were always cars on Garage Liens there. It was a strange quirk of life that more often than you might think, people just walked away from their car, sometimes because they could not pay the bill or for some other reason. At this point, I still loved cars and I wanted a good driver.
I was far more interested in motorcycles at this time in 1986 than I was in cars (that installment will come later) so a car for me was something that kept me dry, had a nice interior, was cheap and didn’t need much wrenching. Even though I grew up working on stuff, I was never terribly happy with getting greasy, so any car I had must be reliable.
At the back of the lot we had a really ugly 1978 Rabbit Diesel L four door. It had been brought to us by a hippie-granola woman who complained of brake problems, had them done and then couldn’t pay the bill, which was like $300. The car was covered with surface rust and was that horrid “safety orange” (PN: All I could find was a yellow one; sorry) that the Germans loved that the time.
The good points were the engine was excellent, with 400+psi in each cylinder and it started up cold with no drama. The interior was brown mouse fur but it was German mouse fur and it was the L model, so it looked good. It also had new brakes all around, which is what the unpaid bill was all about. I ran it around the block and it was very tight and peppier than I thought it would be. The surface of the body looked awful but the underside was fine, no problems in any areas at all. The rust had formed on stone hits, as the car had been living on a gravel road in Sooke. It was the first drive of a long love affair with Rabbit Diesels.
The Rabbit has been discussed on COAL more than once before but I will add my impressions of them. The 1975-76 models had many teething problems and were best avoided but by 1977, most of the early glitches were ironed out and the ones that were not were easy to take care of. The Rabbit had a great body structure and excellent suspension. Nothing available at the time in the class drove better. The seating position was exceptionally good, with high seats and the steering wheel and shifter were in the right places. With the rear seat folded you could get tons of stuff in the back.
Finally, the cars were very easy to repair; all the parts from a 1977 model were the same as a 1980 and thus cheap and easy to get. The diesel model made all of 48 hp in the 1.5 litre but it did not feel slow. The torque of the diesel was amazing in how it could pull you around town in third gear. It was really not any slower than anything else and it got like 50 mpg. One tank would last three weeks for me and cost less than $20 to fill on those days.
Rabbit Diesels were very popular in Soviet Canuckistan and they sold well; this despite the price tags on them. A Rabbit Diesel L four door was priced at over $8000 in Canada when it was new in 1978, which at the time would have bought you a really well equipped Impala. Clearly, many people were not thinking dollars per pound and there were loads of wrecks around for anything you might need. Anyway, my Rabbit was in need of body and paint so over to my body guy we went. When you are in the car business, you get to know many rather “odd” people and “Wham-bam-thank-you-Ma’am-Bodyman-Sam” was one of those. Sam, when not on an extended drunk, could make anything look good, even a Rabbit as bad as mine was. The secret to Sam was getting him right off a big bender, when he was broke and had to pay back his loan shark. By chance I did; Sam was hard up for cash, so I made a deal for $500 cash for bodywork and paint. I would drop the Rabbit off Friday afternoon and pick it up on Monday.
When I picked up the car, it looked like new. All the rust was gone and the paint was perfect. Sam was beaming at the work (no doubt done by the twenty cousins from India who worked there illegally) and all was good. I now had a very nice Rabbit for the total cost of $150 (what we had into it) to clear the lien and $500 in body and paint. Not bad for a good ride. In fact, it was an excellent little car. It drove very nicely and was really cheap to run. The interior was also very nice for the era.
I drove that Rabbit for almost a year and I don’t have many memories of it because I treated it like a disposable appliance but I do have one interesting vignette from it. In the fall of 1986, my girlfriend and I were really tired and stressed from working and studying at the same time. We decided to rent a cabin on the West Coast of Vancouver Island, in Tofino. It is a beautiful place in summer but we were going in November, the stormiest month in these parts. We loaded up the Rabbit and headed out from Victoria. It is only about 350 km but the road is very twisty, windy and narrow. The rain was coming down in torrents the whole way but the Rabbit never missed a beat. On some really steep stretches, second gear was required but really, 48 hp was all that were necessary.
When we got to the resort, I gingerly went down the long driveway. Half way through there was a huge lake. We pondered what to do; I reasoned that there was no ignition to short out and the air horn was high, so I put in in low gear and had right at it. The drag of the water slowed the car down quite a bit so I stomped it and it kept pulling. The water was splashing up the window sills and I was afraid the car would float and sink but low and behold, we made it. The owner of the place was watching and was amazed we had done it. My skeptical girlfriend laughed like hell and at the moment christened the car, “Scuba-Bunny.” The name stuck for the rest of the time I had it.
When it comes to cars, I cannot stand success at all and cars never meant much to me anyway. Motorcycles were what mattered so if I could flog a car at a profit before having to fix anything, I was always happy. In fact, I did the same thing with motorcycles; I would buy one with fresh tires and recent service, ride it for a season and sell it. It was cheaper than tires and service. Anyway, the next riding season came up and I need to get rid of Scuba-Bunny to get a nice bike to ride. She still looked good (I always thought she was female for some reason) and Rabbit Diesels were really easy to sell. It went into the paper and sold the first day for $2000. I had driven it for a year and made $1350, a tidy profit. It was always nice to drive at a profit, which I usually managed to do in those days, until my next car, which was a horror story.
Rabbits were far and away the best small car on the market in their heyday, 1977-1980. I had quite a few more over the years because I could always make money on them but what struck me was how easy they were to work on and how cleverly they were designed for home maintenance. Things like changing heater motors took minutes, same with anything else on the cars like starters. Three wrenches would take most of the car apart and there were tons of used parts around. The American (Westmoreland, PA-built) Rabbits were never as good and were totally shunned in Victoria. The 1977-80 models soldiered on far longer than you could think possible. I recall when I returned to Victoria for a visit in 2003 there were still a surprising number of them on the road. And every Bunny has a Tale.
(photos by Paul Niedermeyer)
12:34 pm - uncultured: @RufusisDrumming In this case? Both.
uncultured: @RufusisDrumming In this case? Both.09:52 am - uncultured: @blueskies What the hell have you been up to?
uncultured: @blueskies What the hell have you been up to?09:34 am - uncultured: How poor does a place have to be to get one genuinely excited at a donation of screen ne
uncultured: How poor does a place have to be to get one genuinely excited at a donation of screen nets?09:32 am - uncultured: A priest got excited when I said I want to donate (from UP's equipment fund) the funds t
uncultured: A priest got excited when I said I want to donate (from UP's equipment fund) the funds to buy their home some screen nets for their windows.09:00 am - Secret Atheist Handshake
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/unreasonabl
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/unreasonabl
James McGrath has finished his trip to the holy land, and now he’s back with us in the … erm, unholy land? profane land? how does that work exactly?
Anyway, someone over there must have let slip some of our dark kabbalistic secrets, because now hew’s teaching Jim West how to recognize the secret atheist handshake.
No, wait, it’s Mike Stanfill at The Far Left Side that’s telling our secrets now. Man, what kind of clandestine operative puts his name on the secret documents? We have got to find ourselves a better class of enemies.
11:39 am - Tata Safari – Is It The Indian Land Rover?
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2012/05/t
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/?p=4460
Ever heard about the Tata Safari? It is the first SUV that was designed and developed entirely in India. The Safari went on sale in 1998, since then there haven’t been many changes to the styling of the vehicle.Tata Motors changed the engines, bringing in better powertrains over a period of time. The Safari has managed to create a cult following and still sells in-spite of its dated styling. The first generation Safari used the engine from Tata’s truck line-up (Tata 407 truck).
The Tata Safari is an SUV, which is based on a body-on-frame layout. The first generation model was too heavy and suffered from high body-roll. The second generation model has been revealed in India (not yet on sale though), and has drastic improvements. The design remains more or less the same but some styling cues have been borrowed from Land Rover. Called the Safari Storme, it borrows its elder sibling’s, the Aria’s X2 platform, which is made of hydro-formed chassis sections. The vehicle also features dual-mass fly-wheel and has been made to comply with EuroNCAP norms, so you can expect to buy one in the near future.
The Tata Safari has good amount of interior room. The vehicle will seat 5 in comfort, but the last row of seats are best for children. The interiors have vastly improved too (in terms of quality) but the dashboard layout is not to everyone’s taste. Power comes in from a 2.2-litre DiCOR diesel engine which is equipped with VTT (Variable Turbine Technology). This engine has been developed in collaboration with engine experts AVL and produces 140 BHP of power output at 4000 RPM, along with 320 Nm of torque at 1700 RPM. The engine is mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox.
The Tata Safari competes with the Mahindra XUV500 (a vehicle which we reviewed earlier, you can find the story here). It costs around $20,000 (at today’s exchange rates,) its standard features include alloy wheels, reversing camera, ABS, front airbags, DVD system, LCD screen, climate control, leather seats, electronic shift on the fly 4-wheel drive, etc. The Safari has a tremendous fan following in India and the brand name itself is strong enough to attract many to buy one.
Faisal Ali Khan is the owner/operator of MotorBeam.com, a website covering the auto industry of India.
12:00 am - Comic for May 27, 2012
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DilbertDa
http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2012-05-2
07:48 am - uncultured: "I'm not Christian but The Catholic Church hires Muslims, Hindus, and Christians. I was
http://twitter.com/uncultured/statuses/2
05:19 am - uncultured: Despite the monsoon rains, all these kids showed up to learn http://t.co/SI2LhFTr
http://twitter.com/uncultured/statuses/2
05:14 am - uncultured: Car got stuck in the mud that got wet by the monsoon rains. Uh oh.
uncultured: Car got stuck in the mud that got wet by the monsoon rains. Uh oh.05:07 am - uncultured: We're trying out best to navigate through the towns that are not currently doing a "hart
uncultured: We're trying out best to navigate through the towns that are not currently doing a "hartal" (political protest/strike).05:06 am - uncultured: On the way to one of the village schools I saw previously. If the monsoon rains weren't
uncultured: On the way to one of the village schools I saw previously. If the monsoon rains weren't bad enough, there are political protests & strikes.05:05 am - uncultured: @Nerdfighterlife Project fund :) Without more donations to that fund, #JGS will never ha
uncultured: @Nerdfighterlife Project fund :) Without more donations to that fund, #JGS will never happen.04:52 am - uncultured: @Reuben_Walton I'm in rural Bangladesh. These were poor village kids unfamiliar with ris
uncultured: @Reuben_Walton I'm in rural Bangladesh. These were poor village kids unfamiliar with rising in cars and they got carsick.03:31 am - uncultured: Rural Catholic school teachers are the most dedicated in the world. Reports coming in th
uncultured: Rural Catholic school teachers are the most dedicated in the world. Reports coming in they are on site but taking shelter from the rain.03:11 am - uncultured: @Scratchingcat Ahh yes... my typo ridden blog posts :P
uncultured: @Scratchingcat Ahh yes... my typo ridden blog posts :P03:06 am - uncultured: @Scratchingcat I don't know yet but I could yeah
uncultured: @Scratchingcat I don't know yet but I could yeah03:05 am - uncultured: @Scratchingcat And that's not how it works. Each Congregation is supposed to raise the f
uncultured: @Scratchingcat And that's not how it works. Each Congregation is supposed to raise the funds it needs to serve the poor in their communities03:04 am - uncultured: @Scratchingcat Well I don't have The Pope's number and neither do any of The Priests :P
uncultured: @Scratchingcat Well I don't have The Pope's number and neither do any of The Priests :P03:02 am - uncultured: @Scratchingcat Monsoons end around September...
uncultured: @Scratchingcat Monsoons end around September...03:02 am - uncultured: @Scratchingcat If this parish had money, they wouldn't need me :) Exact figures on schoo
uncultured: @Scratchingcat If this parish had money, they wouldn't need me :) Exact figures on school cost still being worked out.03:01 am - uncultured: @Scratchingcat So we'd need to find the purchase of any land for a school.
uncultured: @Scratchingcat So we'd need to find the purchase of any land for a school.03:01 am - uncultured: @Scratchingcat Oh I can clarify that. The Church *is* finding land for this. But land do
uncultured: @Scratchingcat Oh I can clarify that. The Church *is* finding land for this. But land donations are sparse or inadequate.02:32 am - uncultured: Every inch of land that isn't a raised building is flooded. The aid blogger notion that
uncultured: Every inch of land that isn't a raised building is flooded. The aid blogger notion that children can simply study under a tree is ludicrous.02:17 am - uncultured: Heavy monsoon rains at the parish http://t.co/u1pVHwnu
http://twitter.com/uncultured/statuses/2
02:16 am - uncultured: Villagers pleaded with me that I help build them a school before the monsoons hit. I fai
uncultured: Villagers pleaded with me that I help build them a school before the monsoons hit. I failed them. Each and every one of them.02:15 am - uncultured: Massive monsoon rain pouring down. Stuck indoors. All villages that have no school build
uncultured: Massive monsoon rain pouring down. Stuck indoors. All villages that have no school buildings have had their studies disrupted today.07:14 am - At the Edge of NGC 891
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap12052
At the Edge of NGC 891
05:00 am - Holiday Weekend Car Porn: A BMW, As Unobtainable As A Penthouse Pet
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/?p=4461
In case you did not get your tickets to the 2012 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, held at the Lake Como in Italy, or if you did not want to trade barbecue for bietole, there is a monster gallery of the Zagato Coupe after the jump.
Zagato is the only automotive body manufacturer still in independent ownership. The car is a one-off, but ity is reassureing to know that it is street-legal.
Neither motor nor money were mentioned.
If you want to know more, the press release in all its wordiness can be found here.
12:00 am - Captain Tidy vs. the Litter People
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/05/27/27
It's 10:36 on a Thursday morning in downtown Miami. The suspect is standing at a bus stop on Biscayne Boulevard, smoking a cigarette. There's a tough-looking crowd around him. A street crowd. This could get sticky.
03:00 pm - Donkey Hokey
City boy turns a neat profit by raffling off a dead donkey to country folk.01:16 am - The First Moscow Rail Depot
http://englishrussia.com/2012/05/26/the-f
http://englishrussia.com/?p=101011
In May, 15, 1935 the first trains began to operate in Moscow. They started from the depot “Severnoye” (“Northern”), the first depot of the Moscow metropolitan. It has been serving the metro passengers for 77 years already. The big territory … Read more...Navigate: (Previous 50 Friends)
