We just recently picked up a new car and this is the front plate that was on it.

Any of you Spaceballs fans who may want this front plate before I toss it?

tags: cars & bikes, scifi

First of all - she's fine. Car's totaled.

She was sitting at a traffic light in a line of cars, and some guy on his way to work, exiting US Interstate 287 just didn't see that the cars were stopped, and instead of using his brakes just used the back of her car to stop.

Must have been pretty hard, because his airbag deployed on impact, and he was taken to the hospital (the police subsequently issued him a "careless driving" ticket).  The back end of her car was pretty smashed up, but it looked fixable.

Except for being shook up from the accident (she watched this idiot in her rearview mirror as he hit her, but there was nothing she could do), and having a bit of soreness, she's fine. Just angry.

She really liked the car, and wasn't planning to get a new one for a couple years - but the insurance company says the damage is approaching $20K, and the frame of the car is bent, so by the time it's fixxed it could actually cost more than the value of the car  -  so they "totaled" it.


I got this car in early 2003; it was one of the first G35 Sport Coupes that Infiniti brought to the US.  (For you not in the USA, this is the car that Nissan originally brought to the US instead of the Skyline GT-R).  I drove the car for a couple years, and in '05 when I ordered a Corvette, Rashmika moved into this car - don't be thinking she gets my "leftovers", because at the time she had her own Jaguar, but loved the Infiniti so much that she dumped the Jag for the Sport Coupe (she claimed the Jag didn't have any "zip").

We both really liked this car.  Too bad.  But the good news is . . .she's fine.

tags: cars & bikes

I'm pretty sure the neighbors think I'm nuts when they see me out in the rain, in my duster, washing the car . . .



The only time I ever wash the car is in the rain. The thing is, the only time any one else washes their cars is on sunny days, because I guess they like to wash it, and shine it, and admire it, and maybe drive around in the shiny car.

I have however noticed that I have what I think is called "hard water", which has a lot of minerals in it, and wherever it air-dries it leaves behind a white residue. This residue builds up on certain of our plumbing fixtures and, even with the chemicals that are supposed to remove it, is nearly impossible to remove.  So exactly what would this residue, or the chemicals, or the required compounding, do to a relatively fragile surface like the paint on a car?

I could spend a lot of time on this but I won't, because the easy answer is - - - I wash the car in the rain.  Then the rainwater washes away the hard municipal water.  And it looks fine.  And I never have to worry about whether it's going to rain after I wash the car.  Makes perfect sense to me.

tags: cars & bikes

After I posted a bunch of car and bike pix on Facebook, my friend Dennis Z. made a very nice comment that I am "the coolest dude on wheels", which of course is not true, but got me thinking - who is the coolest dude on wheels?

I need your help to decide; please answer the poll below.  IF YOU'RE NOT A REGISTERED LIVE JOURNAL USER, JUST GO TO THE "LEAVE A COMMENT" LINK AT THE BOTTOM, TELL ME WHO YOU'D VOTE FOR, AND I'LL TALLY YOUR VOTE.
Poll #1373987 The Coolest?
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 7

Who is the coolest dude on wheels?

tags: cars & bikes

We went to an F1 race with Grand Prix Tours (www.gptours.com) this summer, and I promised a couple other members of this community I would report back on Grand Prix Tours, and how it went.

( Click here to Read More... )

tags: cars & bikes

FINALLY! - yesterday we took the top off the car for the first time this year!

Funny, because we've had a pretty nice summer, but there's been showers every day or two all summer . . . and what I like to do is take the top off and leave it off.  So this is the first forecast we've had for a week of sunshine.

I loaded up the sound system with Beach Boys, Jan & Dean, Don Henley, etc.

tags: cars & bikes, personal

A fantastic trip to see our first Formula 1 race in Montreal . . . . where we got to party with Jackie Stewart, and see Robert Kubica win his first Grand Prix in the mighty BMW . . . . .

tags: cars & bikes

First we had no fall  -  then winter started early about a month ago, and we've had either bitter cold or some kind of frozen precipitation for maybe 4 wks.  Add to that, I've been a bit under the weather since our return from WorldCon Japan  - - which means I've hardly been on a bike since August.

Well today it was 45 deg and sunny, so I decided Rashmika's Buell needed to be ridden since it's been sitting for a month.  I took it out for about 45 minutes - felt so good that when I got home I fired up the Ducati and took that out.  Well, that 150hp chuga-chuga v-twin felt so good that when I got home I fired up the BMW and took that out for a ride.

Amazing how good a ride on a motorcycle can make you feel.  Amazing how gooder 3 rides makes you feel.    frankwu just posted his thoughts on how depressing winter is due to the lack of color - I agree, but offer the short-term cure . . . go for a ride! (or whatever is analogous for you)

tags: cars & bikes, personal