Before I forget, public service announcement for any of you that still use radar detectors.
The Valentine 1 2nd Gen received a fantastic software update. You download it through the app and transfer by Bluetooth. It does away with 95%of the false K band beeps that come from other cars. I've been trying it out the last few weeks and it makes the V1 usable in heavy use areas.
They were gifts from my old business partner in the clinic... at one point he had five cars and had V1s in all of them. When he went down to three cars, I took two. Haven't actually run a radar detector in a car since 2009, which was the first time in a decade that I didn't have power for a V1 run into the headliner with each new car.
Ah, but lasers are far from universal, and even in Ohio, which is basically the Dosadi Experiment for speeders, being aware of radar can save your bacon on the two-lanes.
I drive 5 under in the right lane through your hot dog water smelling state. If I could put my car on a transport at a rest area in Indiana and get back in at Pennsylvania, I’d buy that ride both ways!
They already revoked it! A ways back, but they pulled me over so many times in one night and wrote so many 5 mph over tickets that my license was suspended in 1 hour while driving thru your state… so absurd.
I have a circa 1995 first-gen model and somehow the windshield mount broke. Valentine sent me another, but they’d make a modification to the height of the case, so it took an act of Congress to keep the detector on the windshield. So I probably haven’t used it in about ten years, and I’ve only gotten one ticket back in 2018 where a detector likely wouldn’t have worked, and with as much of an asshole as that OHP trooper was that morning, it probably would have been worse had a detector been present.
I wonder how that new generation would react to the Honda suite of driver’s aids, both before and after that software update? I can get $150 off the cost of a new one with a trade, if memory serves.
I’ve gone by enough OHPs with the ACC on 74mph in a 65 and no preceding traffic slowing things down that they’re going after the bigger fish. That despite having the Radiant Red (candyapple) Metallic Accord that you’d think would attract them like moths to a flame.
totally depends on your state.... some use laser, some still KA. laser detection only tells you if you got got... you need a laser defeat system to be totally covered these days, which arent wildly expensive ($1200 or so)
Im pretty sure those are highly illegal where i live. Although i should probably look into the punishment. I speed a lot less than i used to. Getting old i guess
The double knickle should be double 8's at this point. At a minimum, a 3-4 lane interstate should have an 80mph speed limit. In the Chicago metro land, the speed limit is defacto 80 in a 60. It's ridiculous. But if you go 81, you're 21mph and menace to society
One of the worst things about Chicago, IMO. Either raise the limits to thhe 85th percentile (Michigan Statute) or consistently enforce them. Don't make me be simultaneously a criminal AND an impediment to traffic.
I drive between the NW suburbs and Norther IL University frequently for my kid’s competitions, and I88 west of Aurora is a literal racetrack. Three abreast going 90-95mph is normal. Not sure what the speed limit is out there, but I think that makes us all felons. No one cares though. I count on nondescript SUVs to keep me out of trouble.
I love how every current year assumption is this shit technology is going to work forever. "Oh, we bricked your car because we're having GPS issues and we're not sure if you're going 10mph over the speed limit" "Sorry, you're going 18mph on the highway because our latest update has the speed limits in kph instead of mph"
I stopped subscribing to C/D last year and decided to put my disposable income towards a subscription to this here Substack. No regrets of course, but I have to confess something that I never thought I would ever admit to: I miss reading those advertisements for Stauer and Daniel Steiger watches.
I mean, if you didn't know any better you'd plunk down $89 for a watch that was estimated by a watch expert at $2500!
if - no WHEN - you get Stauer - on board I would be willing to buy one of their Special Edition J.B. watches. Perhaps matte black with fluorescent green trim and a skull & crossbones motif?!
I guess I'm the same then. I like a nice looking watches, and have a few decent ones that my father's given me (an old TAG that I always wanted of his, and his old 1980s Hamilton field watch). I'd never call it a hobby though, they're accessories just like my glasses. Plus who'd spend $10k+ on one, that's bike or car money to me.
Part of it is the idea of being obsessed with machines and craftsmanship. A watch is like a little machine you can carry around with you and play with at your desk. But there's also a weird cargo culture around watches and cars that I don't understand.
Pretty soon I'll be disclosing my most goofy and humiliating watch purchase EVER -- it wasn't expensive, and that's all the justification I'll have for it.
I understand the machine or engineering side of it, but I think the cargo culture has become more visible than what you describe. That's what throws me off.
10k would by me part of one of the guns I want. But it is absolutely the mechanical aspects of it. I enjoy taking them apart and putting them back together every bit as much as shooting them.
You used to buy a 10k item because it was cool and had engineering and manufacturing to at least somewhat justify a 10k price tag. Now you buy a 10k item because it is a 10k item.
I like nice watches in theory. I bought an $80 watch to see if I could wear a watch day to day. If I could do it for a month, I figured maybe spending the money on a nice watch would be worth it. I lasted a day.
I wish that any and all of you who don’t “get” high end watches could have the opportunity to test drive a Royal Oak - a deeply seductive, desirable watch. The finishing, the movement, the history, etc. are all profoundly satisfying.
That's one high end watch I could get used to visually. The look and size is perfect, and I'm sure the finish is incredible.
For what they go for, I'd just rather have an old Audi or BMW to rip around in. I guess I understand why people would want one or like watches, it's more the gauche culture around them that I puts me off. I guess it's why they go so well with the new school Porsche crowd.
The two dimensional depiction of ANY Audemars Piguet severely understates what’s it’s like to see it in person, let along have it on your wrist.
Unfortunately, there is a gauche culture around them, as well as many other things I enjoy (fast cars, fine tobacco, Gucci loafers, etc.) - I’m misunderstood!
I once say a tweet (think it was GSElevator) that “no one would run a marathon if they had to sign an NDA first.” I wonder how much of that applies to high end watches. My Apple Watch Ultra is the most expensive watch I’ve ever bought at $700, I mean $19.44/mo to VZW.
It’s the same as any other hobby I have. The only people you will truly impress are other men who are also deeply into your shared nerdy passion.
I have a handful of friendships that began based purely on a shared love for high end watches. Those people are pretty interesting. One of them has a Patek perpetual calendar but drives an old Volvo with no A/C, and it’s not an old money display (real or cosplay). He’d rather have a six figure watch (he has a lot of watches, but that’s the centerpiece of his collection) than a car that won’t boil him alive during the summer.
The whole describing deep interests as "autism" could be a really fun think piece, that I have no time to write. It seems to have become the common excuse for people to deflect parts of their personalities or hobbies lately. I think younger folks even think it's trendy to say they're autistic which is terrifying - especially as someone who grew up as the smart, nerdy type
The problem with having a trait, isn't having the trait. Thinking you can do nothing to change it is a problem. It took me a lot of work to be able to look people in the eyes and do small talk. "I'm autistic so I can't do something" should be "I'm autistic so I have to learn how do do it better" lotta guys on the mild autism spectrum
I mainly wear an Apple Watch these days (I know, I know). That said, I bought myself a Seiko Turtle "Blue Whale" edition for myself as a reward for completing a particularly challenging project for work that ended up being a success. When I wear it, it helps me remember the project and be thankful for what I've got. YMMV
That's a really slick looking watch! Definitely a worthy way to celebrate and remember a milestone. There's definitely something great to buying yourself a quality item as a reward to remember a big accomplishment.
I had the pleasure of smoking a cigar last night with Mr. Motoman TV, George Notaras, who was in town to film something about Porsche’s new EV Macan, which will break cover on Thursday.
He is pretty burned out on the state of automotive media.
Edit:
For those so interested, here are two recent Motoman interviews with the CEO of YASA, the battery startup that Mercedes bought a few years ago. YASA - which, again, is owned by Mercedes Benz - makes the electric motors found in the Ferrari SF90 and 296, the McLaren Artura, and the Lamborghini Revuelto (shockingly, Lambo isn’t using Bugatti / Rimac motors).
Is anyone not burned out on the state of trade press in any industry?
It's just become more and more transparent how bought and paid for all of it is lately. I say that as I have 4 interviews booked with the trad mags in my business next week...
Threatening to move to Abu Dhabi if the Tan Man doesn’t prevail over Biden.
George is also pissy that some OEMs wont play nice with him and would prefer to give a car to big league content creators like Kimatni Rawlins, who has less than zero viewers.
I mean, he's not the only one feeling that way. It seems like the backlash is building, but the media will come last.
The influencer thing is happening everywhere, and I think it comes down to two parts - control and fear. It's easier to get someone who knows less and is more excited by the access to say what you want. The fear is around avoiding the backlash from the loud Twitter crowd that can wreck your corporate reputation, and that is a resume generating event for most PR people.
I agree with you 100% on that. Sure, I'll bitch about it on here, but I'm always looking for ways to work around it to my advantage or to uncover something I prefer.
George Notaras has been blacklisted by several manufacturers because he acts like an asshole, disappearing with cars and sometimes even engineers and executives. He demands twice the attention of other outlets and yet commands a small percentage of the readers. Car PR is a business, get as many eyeballs as you can in the time you can. George demands to be treated like the big outlets but for years he didn't have the numbers. And now that he has somewhat OK numbers, he doesn't understand that years of bad behavior has piled up on him. He is greatly disliked, but what's kind of sad is that he doesn't know how many of the people who smile to his face actually loathe him. Also, have you watched his videos? There's a man who never met a car he didn't like.
I want to hear more about the kidnapping engineers and executives. You'd think that would make the news. Or is Lonny implying something sexual is happening? Like Mark Reuss wants a shot at polishing Motoman's hawg?
Reading between the lines, that probably refers to Motoman interviewing execs - apparently he has an offer in hand to chat with Ola Källenius - without paying sufficient obeisance to the PR team or going through the appropriate chain of command.
I will also say that the interviews with the YASA founder I linked above are quite interesting. The videos performed poorly, because the typical YouTube car video audience is watching drag races or Doug videos instead.
"sex in the city" and its consequences have been a disaster for the human race. poor farago is finding this out now, while the rest of us at least had the benefit of learning to navigate this wasteland in our youth.
I've been out of the dating market for 8 years and it hasn't gotten any better since then. I double booked the night I met my wife because I had three last minute cancellations that week. I booked so many per week hoping half of them would cancel. The ladies rarely disappointed me in that department.
it boils down to this: women in general mostly lack the ability to conceptualize how virtual communications and plans will translate into real world events. they cannot place themselves in a state of mind that, hey, i made plans with this person and i will be SEEING them, for real, next tuesday at 7 PM, until approximately tuesday at 4 PM when they need to start the process of showering, adorning themselves with makeup, etc. and so that is when the actual decision gets made to bail or not bail. its related to the "women know if they will fuck you in the first 10 seconds they meet you" deal, but different in that they don't even know if they want to show up until the reality of the date is upon them. all the talk and build up means nada, if when push comes to shove, they think to themselves "why am i even going to bother? i probably won't want to fuck the guy anyway" and thats that
There's a reason a lot of young men go through a "I hate women" phase. The flakiness is not in our DNA. Once you realize "It's just how they are and you can't change it" it gets easier, not any less annoying, but easier.
i always saw the flakiness as a feature, not a bug, in my process. if a woman bailed on plans more than once, i knew she would just continue to likely bail, and i could double book her in the future. sometimes those girls just needed the pursuit for a bit longer, sometimes they would get upset over how unbothered i was over yet another cancellation and become more interested, and sometimes they just continued to bail. gotta use this stuff to your advantage as you run your game
Again, you get used to it but as a young man who no success, it tries on you quickly. It's like you need experience to get a job. How does one get experience when no one will give him a job? Basically, and I've said this before, it's like job searching cause the HR girls are the same girls! Literally.
many people get caught up in the emotional masturbation exercise before they even go out on the date. the key is a healthy amount of detachment before the date happens.
its easier to get a "job" when you have a "job". how do you get a "job"? do the background work. in jobland that is training or education. in dating world it is getting fit, having direction, staying disciplined, and having command over your emotions.
bah. dont excuse it. i get its the path of least resistance forward. i fell into the trap of surfing the kali yuga, as it were, for many many years. it took me improving myself until i was worthy to be a father and husband that i realized i had a higher calling.
I "returned from the pussy war" around the time it was about to jump the tracks. Now - with modern 100+ notch women - it's got to be simultaneously easier, yet also less rewarding than ever.
I've been with my wife since 03. We were chatting with each other via AIM because there wasn't even widely available texting at that point. I absolutely dread the possibility of dating in today's marketplace.
I somewhat fondly remember stumbling into my dorm room at 2am after a night of partying, firing up AIM and sending "you up?" messages to a freshman girl who lived two buildings over hoping she was in her room/awake/her computer speakers where on. Kids these days don't know the struggle.
But if you’re 50. In good shape. Full head of hair. And your insta looks like a 20 years olds account... it’s like a never ending well of dopamine. I just wish one could weld. Or drive. Or wrench. Or liked motorsport. Or...😂😂😂
It’s been interesting that the car blogs were all over the news about C&D cutting its publication to six times yearly, when MT doing the same thing was hardly mentioned, if at all. I guess the difference is that C&D must have done a press release, whereas MT announced the change in its own pages at least a week before. And the bloggers don’t read MT?
I didn’t read it in print either, not exactly. As a retired guy with an inexplicably insatiable appetite for reading about cars, I have a Magzter subscription which gives me access on my iPad Pro to digitized print editions of MT, C&D, Autocar, Auto Express, Top Gear magazine, plus Stereophile and various camera and computer mags. Some of the British mags actually still take more than a few minutes to read …
I haven’t groked whether the new versions of MT and C&D will be coming out on the same months or they’ll at least alternate so as not to divide their limited audience …
Or more likely no one gives a shit about MT. I remember when I was about 10 I bought my first three car magazines, AM, R&T, and MT. Even then I could tell MT kinda sucked and I didn’t buy more.
I used to sign up for the freebie MT at the WV Auto Show. First signed up when I was 6. My mom got me C&D when I was 7, I read Phillips and Robinson. At the time, David E. Davis was writing a little bit at C&D too. Even at that age, I was more endeared to C&D. I think when the Volt was named COTY was when I sorta gave up.
MT was always the magazine when you were in the market for a new car (even if the Car of the Year as bought). The others were more about "Passion" for cars.
Motor Trend (or at least their masters) got on the video bandwagon early in an attempt to stay relevant. They might fail but at least they acknowledged where everything was heading.
I finally flipped through the latest flimsy issue of MT on my grocery's ever-shrinking newsstand. MT's actually going QUARTERLY! They're trying to spin it as a move upscale. Because that's working out so well for Road & Track...
C&D, to their credit, has been publishing * 10 * issues per year for the past few years, so it's not as big a loss as it appears. Only four less issues.
So I came here right after seeing the C&D news, thinking to comment and hear your thoughts Jack since the whole future of a car magazine comes up for a lot of us here. I'd vote for you to run it, but I agree those days are gone. Most of the money folks are too risk averse to let anyone with "personal magnetism and a bit of memorable presence≤" as you describe it, actually run a businesses nowadays. We all claim to worship the innovators, but when it comes down to it, get pushed to just following the same path that "worked" last time to squeeze a few bucks out.
I'm happy to see how much of a following you've built here. Maybe by the end of this, you'll have more subscription revenue than a new C&D
I have an S4 just waiting for a review next time Jack comes out my way as long as he says nice things about it. I have a Telluride too to be reviewed. I didn't pick that one so I don't care if he says nice things about it.
I'll have an Expedition and an X3 for review if he's in my area. Would be fun to get a "used" car review with an owner perspective, since it'll show what the car is like after being lived in for a bit.
I'm fine with any negative review of either of our cars, since I like them for me. I bought my Expedition because I thought it was the best full sizer available new. The X3 was my wife's thing. She thought it drove better than her old XC60 back in 2018, it was newer/nicer inside than a 328i wagon, and there was not a 328d wagon available anymore.
The metallic grey. I didn't actually pick anything out, a guy who ordered the car and bailed before it came in did. He checked off every option of the Prestige trim. The dealer offered me probably the highest MSRP S4 around. So I tacked on the factory carbon fiber spoiler and mirror caps but declined the puddle lights.
If not actually better than yours, then my car has clearly
I don't have the spoiler but I do have the puddle lights. It was the only s4 within a few hundred miles so I bought what they had. I'm not too worried about depreciation. I plan on keeping this thing 3 months past the "Damnit, I should've sold it" date.
Me neither. So far I've been very happy with it, 11,000 miles no issues. I bought the prepaid service, it shouldn't cost me anything the next three years. I'm gonna hardwire the Valentine 1 into the sun visor and leave it alone. If it's like all other Audis it will start to fail at about 60,000 miles.
Speaking of Audi’s I have a 2018 TT RS. Way fun. Hauls. Will keep regardless of maintenance expenses. It truly is 1/2 of an R 8. It’s R8 ish. You all should get one.
Oh it set my wallet and I on fire last year, but since then its been an absolute abuse-sponge. I can drift it at 35-40mph and 7000rpm all day long when it's 90f out, and it just needs an occasional run down the road and back to cool the oil down and stop the (new) lifters clattering. No more overheating, no more leaking.
They are hideous. E36s are actually pretty simple and easy to work on, but there are certain jobs where you need to pay CAREFUL attention to YouTube videos or you'll bend your intake valves (like I did, not fun). Other than VANOS and timing chain stuff, they're easy. Pulling the engine was easy, the subframes are pretty easy to drop, and the suspension is super easy to rebuild. I've been thru every mechanical system in the car, and the cam timing and VANOS stuff is by far the hardest thing to deal with. 46s are similar in suspension, the engines are slightly more complicated, but not too too much, but once you get into the N series engines I'm out. The e90 rear suspension is also more complex for seemingly little gain. The trailing arms of 36/46 are fantastic.
Sorry to disappoint but it's a lowly 328i with a 3.93 diff swapped in. I did put the m50 intake on it and a shorty header from ebay, and a tune to change the vanos setting and turn the rev limit up to 7200. It probably make 200bhp on its best day, but it sounds very good over 4500.
Thanks for pointing out that Harris review. I'd never read it, but that really is a pen drop.
I'd still want to see Jack's take on it, since depending on how a few things shake out a 6cyl 2-series may be in my future as a commuter car. I had really enjoyed his 2-series showdown in R&T a few years back, and always have my father in law in my ear who preferred the X3 M40i over the full M version.
You have a point. We discussed it in another thread, but it's absolutely baffling that Elon and a 77-year-old Trump are the only rich dudes with the balls to do what they want. What's the point of having "fuck you" money if you're going to cower in front of and cater to an ever-changing and more demanding mob?
I think the other big reason that publications aren't hiring guys like you and Jack mention is the lack of such fellows in the talent pool. I don't think a lot of today's limited batch of young men's men really got into writing. I was in high school from '04-'08, and the creative writing club met when the "cool guys" were either at football practice or in a hot tub with the cwc member's sisters. Now those writing weenies are in charge of some of our favorite IP. They're both in a position to, and society actively roots for them to keep those spaces safe from the real men that were so toxic back in the day while glossing over the fact that the mags were at their most successful under those dangerous masculine thinkers.
The worst part is that it's partially our fault for being short sighted with our grades and extra curicular choices.
Is it being short sighted with grades and choices, or did we all focus on getting real, productive jobs that allowed us to buy the cars that we wanted?
It seems like the guys into cars that I know have gravitated more towards places like this, social media pages, or forums to interact with others who share the interest. We've kind of let these new folks kill the traditional magazines by creating better, more interactive content elsewhere.
It's a lot of creative destruction, but we're all just nostalgic for our youth. I'm a year behind you in schooling, and when I look back at some of the C&D stuff I read in high school I'm amazed at how bad it was. It was just all we had then.
I, personally, could have done better academically. My comment was mostly a reflection of that. At the same time, I don't think I'd change anything if I could go back.
I 100% remember being in high school, dreaming of being a car writer, and then doing the math of “4 main magazines x 20? 30? Spots at each = not much opportunity” and figuring I should just get a job that pays me well enough to do what I want. I mostly got there.
I think there are many more rich dudes doing whatever the hell they want, they just don't want the publicity like Elon, Trump, Bezos, or a Gates do. Most want to be left alone to do their thing in their own little worlds.
"My wife is a multiple divisional/regional champion and people don’t even know she’s a woman because of her name"
...I know we're all supposed to be everything-blind, but you would think seeing "Danger Girl" written on the leaderboard would somehow clue people in...
Mine had to practice spelling it (much longer than her maiden name). Now she has to sign it a couple dozen times a day. Claims she didn't realize how much extra ink she would be going through.
I think you could raise the subscription price if you let your wife do an occasional stack that sheds some domestic truth to your tales. You're welcome.
She is an intensely private person. My entire existence as a writer is a constant source of annoyance for her. She'll talk to her co-workers, her competitors, and the township officers. Other than that I've never heard her engage in voluntary conversation.
and it's always done wrong; maiden name should be last. learned that from dad's patent attorney, g. mallet-prevost. he was in a fullpage booze ad in time once
Car Talk once did a joke about Bill Clinton ordering an emergency airdrop of vowels into the former Czechoslovakia. They quoted some farmer as saying, "Help! I have six children, and I can't pronounce any of their names!"
I know it’s arguable but motorsport at ANY level requires a significant financial commitment along with time and ability to travel - even if only 30 minutes. It’s a bit of a rich man’s hobby or a poor man who focuses every last cent towards it. Much goes back to your article about “selection” and whether you are socially fit for the role or not. Even the lowly levels I see on the regular, which has been primarily straight line as of late ; it’s a race of wallets and not talent.
The F3 idea sounds a lot like the plot from the Gran Turismo movie. Just the same the danger is real as are lawsuits. Still it’d be awesome to see.
I caught the Liberman excerpt in my Facebook feed last night to which I also chuckled. Sniveling is never a good look for anyone.
But not virtual reality racing! All you need is a beefy PC, various pricey PC attachments, a spare room to assemble it all, and the spare cash to upgrade all of the above whenever there's a new release of any of the relevant software.
My C&D subscription should be lapsing any moment. It wasn’t worth the $0.36 refund for the last few issues after I gave up on it. I’m sorry to see it’s decline and, always the optimist, hope a new car magazine can find a way now that all of them are cutting issues (MT did also, right? Or am I imagining that?).
I bought a Trax for my daughter about 7 months ago when a 10-15 year old used car with 150k miles was $20k. We paid about $24k out the door, and it is a great vehicle if you are not looking for an enthusiast-type experience.
I don't see it as a manufacturer sales effort. It's more like the WNBA, that's funded by the NBA. It has never been profitable, losing $10 to $12 million a year for the past 25 years since it was founded. Even though the NBA is largely unwatchable now, it has about 11 million viewers for its last finals. The WNBA's entire playoffs were 370,000.
My obvious point is enterprises like this are guilt taxes on stuff men like to do and see. Nobody wants to see 7 foot lesbians play basketball. But we get it so one or two of them can be stuck in Nike commercials. What's pathetic is, there is no physical circumstance under which an WNBA player can legitimately compete in the NBA. In racing, being small is an advantage; a woman with good reflexes and priapic sense has as good a chance to competitively race as a man.
lol. just a few years older than the movie in question. that said, Deliverance is a cultural and cinematic landmark that's included in the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress, so it's worth seeing regardless of one's age now or when I was released in 1972.
I saw it because my friends all wanted to laugh at poor Ned Beatty when we were teenagers. I'm pretty sure I did not experience its artistic merits during that watching. Now I'm old and time is precious and if I'm going to watch old movies I'd rather they were Hitchcock or Kurosawa.
agree 100 percent. I saw Deliverance in my 20s when I went through a phase of watching canonical films from the 30s through the 70s. Having seen it, I don't need to see it again. Too many other great films and too little time.
I tell you what, I watched Citizen Kane and North by Northwest on my flight to Japan last year and they were FANTASTIC. I loved NXNW and I can't believe I haven't seen more Hitchcock, but I don't know much about Orson Welles' career outside of Citizen Kane besides the creators of Magnum PI wanting him to be Robin Masters. I also watched Dr. Strangelove, but it struck me the same way Kubrick's other movies struck me. Or rather, I should say it didn't strike me because I was bored the whole time waiting for it just to end already, please, any minute now (although George C Scott was delightful). I don't think I'll be watching any more of his movies.
I have seen The Seven Samurai twice in my life and I've never been so captivated by a movie. It turns out they shot a lot of it in Izu near where I used to live. I watched some of his other movies in my middle 20s but I think they deserve to be watched again since I'm older and more experienced (particularly Ikiru since I'm a gov't bureaucrat now too).
Before I forget, public service announcement for any of you that still use radar detectors.
The Valentine 1 2nd Gen received a fantastic software update. You download it through the app and transfer by Bluetooth. It does away with 95%of the false K band beeps that come from other cars. I've been trying it out the last few weeks and it makes the V1 usable in heavy use areas.
I'm sitting on at least two of those. I should go out and find them.
Same!!!! Awesome!
and send one to me
and send one to me
How in the hell did you manage to drop $400 twice, and lose track of them? Sheesh!
They were gifts from my old business partner in the clinic... at one point he had five cars and had V1s in all of them. When he went down to three cars, I took two. Haven't actually run a radar detector in a car since 2009, which was the first time in a decade that I didn't have power for a V1 run into the headliner with each new car.
Do you think that they really help very much now that lasers are used?
Ah, but lasers are far from universal, and even in Ohio, which is basically the Dosadi Experiment for speeders, being aware of radar can save your bacon on the two-lanes.
I drive 5 under in the right lane through your hot dog water smelling state. If I could put my car on a transport at a rest area in Indiana and get back in at Pennsylvania, I’d buy that ride both ways!
Sir, if you keep on disrespecting the Buckeye State, aka "the heart of it all", I'm going to revoke your Ohio privileges with excessive force.
Or I'll call the state troopers and tell them you're smuggling a kid on the turnpike.
Just say you're on you way to DC or Delaware. You'll get an escort the rest of the way.
They already revoked it! A ways back, but they pulled me over so many times in one night and wrote so many 5 mph over tickets that my license was suspended in 1 hour while driving thru your state… so absurd.
That's why, with Michigan plates, I never go faster than 4mph over the limit whenever I'm in Ohio, even if the flow of traffic is faster than that.
Ohio does suck for driving. I zombie it through Youngstown and then speed up in Pa.
What fault is there of Ohio that the keystone state does not also possess??
In the northwest corner of the state, it’s “nine you’re fine, ten you’re mine!”
The problem is that most denizens of this part of the state don’t realize that! And to make matters worse, they don’t move out of the left lane!
"...the Dosadi Experiment..."
(Had to look that one up.)
1977 Science Fiction novel? Mayhaps some few of the literary references here *are* just a wee bit obscure.
All part of the fun though, innit?
: )
Are Valentines still the gold standard?
I have a circa 1995 first-gen model and somehow the windshield mount broke. Valentine sent me another, but they’d make a modification to the height of the case, so it took an act of Congress to keep the detector on the windshield. So I probably haven’t used it in about ten years, and I’ve only gotten one ticket back in 2018 where a detector likely wouldn’t have worked, and with as much of an asshole as that OHP trooper was that morning, it probably would have been worse had a detector been present.
I wonder how that new generation would react to the Honda suite of driver’s aids, both before and after that software update? I can get $150 off the cost of a new one with a trade, if memory serves.
I don't know!
That or whatever the high-end Escort is.
I’ve gone by enough OHPs with the ACC on 74mph in a 65 and no preceding traffic slowing things down that they’re going after the bigger fish. That despite having the Radiant Red (candyapple) Metallic Accord that you’d think would attract them like moths to a flame.
I’d like to see some statistics to PROVE that this stuff makes a difference to safety. We are told it does, but...
totally depends on your state.... some use laser, some still KA. laser detection only tells you if you got got... you need a laser defeat system to be totally covered these days, which arent wildly expensive ($1200 or so)
Im pretty sure those are highly illegal where i live. Although i should probably look into the punishment. I speed a lot less than i used to. Getting old i guess
Only if you get caught, which if you'll remember, is the only real crime.
The double knickle should be double 8's at this point. At a minimum, a 3-4 lane interstate should have an 80mph speed limit. In the Chicago metro land, the speed limit is defacto 80 in a 60. It's ridiculous. But if you go 81, you're 21mph and menace to society
One of the worst things about Chicago, IMO. Either raise the limits to thhe 85th percentile (Michigan Statute) or consistently enforce them. Don't make me be simultaneously a criminal AND an impediment to traffic.
I drive between the NW suburbs and Norther IL University frequently for my kid’s competitions, and I88 west of Aurora is a literal racetrack. Three abreast going 90-95mph is normal. Not sure what the speed limit is out there, but I think that makes us all felons. No one cares though. I count on nondescript SUVs to keep me out of trouble.
It has laser detection too, but you only get half a second warning usually. I use it mostly for secondary roads where the lazy cops still use K band
I'm too cheap for a Valentine so I guess I'll keep relying on my Stellantis Detector.
Meanwhile California would like to just put a limiter on your vehicle.
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/car-speed-governors-bill-18624126.php
At the same time as they zero-bail a guy for killing another motorist in a crash while evading the cops.
I love how every current year assumption is this shit technology is going to work forever. "Oh, we bricked your car because we're having GPS issues and we're not sure if you're going 10mph over the speed limit" "Sorry, you're going 18mph on the highway because our latest update has the speed limits in kph instead of mph"
Must of been an immigrant of the not so lawful persuasian or a POC.
Same politician who authored the bill which decriminalized INTENTIONALLY INFECTING SOMEONE WITH HIV.
He also pushed a bill that would empower CPS to take your kids if you didn't consent to their desire for sex change.
First one to make a comment - wow! Another great article - congrats on all the subscribers!
This kind of post has tremendous historical legitimacy via Slashdot -- the famous FIRST POST!
So no Cybertruck with free room service escargot and complimentary Rolex for a certain person? Oh noes!
It amount to cruelty, doesn't it?
Maybe they could get a consolation prize of two weeks in Bayonne?
"Take him to Detroit"
😂🤣🤣
Escargot is surprisingly good. Caviar is over rated.
escargot covered in garlic butter tastes kinda like mushrooms covered in garlic butter
Formula Broke sounds like something I would have killed for as a child, or even to get behind the wheel of anything to race.
i mean id still fight someone for a seat now but still
I stopped subscribing to C/D last year and decided to put my disposable income towards a subscription to this here Substack. No regrets of course, but I have to confess something that I never thought I would ever admit to: I miss reading those advertisements for Stauer and Daniel Steiger watches.
I mean, if you didn't know any better you'd plunk down $89 for a watch that was estimated by a watch expert at $2500!
I'm working on getting Stauer on board. I feel they compare favorably to the smoking tire watch.
if - no WHEN - you get Stauer - on board I would be willing to buy one of their Special Edition J.B. watches. Perhaps matte black with fluorescent green trim and a skull & crossbones motif?!
Same
a squid, not a skull and crossbones. otherwise, shut up and take my money.
Skull & crossbones, or skull and artificial joints?
Why is it that every car guy seems to also want to be a watch guy?
Is it because everyone gets hooked on the high end lifestyle cosplay?
Not me, but then, I'm not a Real Car Guy.
I guess I'm the same then. I like a nice looking watches, and have a few decent ones that my father's given me (an old TAG that I always wanted of his, and his old 1980s Hamilton field watch). I'd never call it a hobby though, they're accessories just like my glasses. Plus who'd spend $10k+ on one, that's bike or car money to me.
Part of it is the idea of being obsessed with machines and craftsmanship. A watch is like a little machine you can carry around with you and play with at your desk. But there's also a weird cargo culture around watches and cars that I don't understand.
Pretty soon I'll be disclosing my most goofy and humiliating watch purchase EVER -- it wasn't expensive, and that's all the justification I'll have for it.
I understand the machine or engineering side of it, but I think the cargo culture has become more visible than what you describe. That's what throws me off.
don't be ashamed of the Hello Kitty watch. Wear it with pride.
Ten thousand bucks would buy me every gun I've ever wanted.
See I'd be lost there. I only really want two, maybe three guns.
Bicycles or cars on the other hand are a problem.
10k would by me part of one of the guns I want. But it is absolutely the mechanical aspects of it. I enjoy taking them apart and putting them back together every bit as much as shooting them.
The problem is you have to spend as much on the glass as you did on the gun. I guess that mainly applies to long range and tacticool guns, but still.
I have spent $3,500 in guns in the last 2 weeks and I'm not even close.
point is supposed to be, you buy a 10k watch because that shit is drops in the bucket and it in no way impacts your car or house planning.
thats why we have the cargo cult mentality around watches now. they've made a derivative of wealth the focus, which is obviously a set up for failure.
You used to buy a 10k item because it was cool and had engineering and manufacturing to at least somewhat justify a 10k price tag. Now you buy a 10k item because it is a 10k item.
You buy a $10K watch because you can't take your Porsche into the bar
I like nice watches in theory. I bought an $80 watch to see if I could wear a watch day to day. If I could do it for a month, I figured maybe spending the money on a nice watch would be worth it. I lasted a day.
I wish that any and all of you who don’t “get” high end watches could have the opportunity to test drive a Royal Oak - a deeply seductive, desirable watch. The finishing, the movement, the history, etc. are all profoundly satisfying.
That's one high end watch I could get used to visually. The look and size is perfect, and I'm sure the finish is incredible.
For what they go for, I'd just rather have an old Audi or BMW to rip around in. I guess I understand why people would want one or like watches, it's more the gauche culture around them that I puts me off. I guess it's why they go so well with the new school Porsche crowd.
The two dimensional depiction of ANY Audemars Piguet severely understates what’s it’s like to see it in person, let along have it on your wrist.
Unfortunately, there is a gauche culture around them, as well as many other things I enjoy (fast cars, fine tobacco, Gucci loafers, etc.) - I’m misunderstood!
The reason men buy $25,000 watches is because it's not socially acceptable to dress like Louis XIV.
It's Jewelry for Wasps. If you're Italian, you're allowed to wear an obnoxious chain with a giant cross on it.
I once say a tweet (think it was GSElevator) that “no one would run a marathon if they had to sign an NDA first.” I wonder how much of that applies to high end watches. My Apple Watch Ultra is the most expensive watch I’ve ever bought at $700, I mean $19.44/mo to VZW.
It’s the same as any other hobby I have. The only people you will truly impress are other men who are also deeply into your shared nerdy passion.
I have a handful of friendships that began based purely on a shared love for high end watches. Those people are pretty interesting. One of them has a Patek perpetual calendar but drives an old Volvo with no A/C, and it’s not an old money display (real or cosplay). He’d rather have a six figure watch (he has a lot of watches, but that’s the centerpiece of his collection) than a car that won’t boil him alive during the summer.
Mild autism.
dammit.
it does explain a lot
at least for me
Autism. Because sometimes, being an asshole is a disease.
Ha
No but some of us enjoy mechanical objects
It's the autistic portion of our brains.
HAHAHA I read the other comment at the same time.
The sequence is wonderful.
The whole describing deep interests as "autism" could be a really fun think piece, that I have no time to write. It seems to have become the common excuse for people to deflect parts of their personalities or hobbies lately. I think younger folks even think it's trendy to say they're autistic which is terrifying - especially as someone who grew up as the smart, nerdy type
The problem with having a trait, isn't having the trait. Thinking you can do nothing to change it is a problem. It took me a lot of work to be able to look people in the eyes and do small talk. "I'm autistic so I can't do something" should be "I'm autistic so I have to learn how do do it better" lotta guys on the mild autism spectrum
It's like how we say "I'm OCD" when we're really just detail oriented.
I mainly wear an Apple Watch these days (I know, I know). That said, I bought myself a Seiko Turtle "Blue Whale" edition for myself as a reward for completing a particularly challenging project for work that ended up being a success. When I wear it, it helps me remember the project and be thankful for what I've got. YMMV
That's a really slick looking watch! Definitely a worthy way to celebrate and remember a milestone. There's definitely something great to buying yourself a quality item as a reward to remember a big accomplishment.
Yeah that's cool. Both the watch and the reason.
Any ideas on what you want it to look like?
Definitely like an Invicta
is the joke that invicta is its own line of watches
Invicta is a Home Shopping Network watch that looks like other, more famous watches.
so were all going to buy jack baruth edition daytonas
got it
I had the pleasure of smoking a cigar last night with Mr. Motoman TV, George Notaras, who was in town to film something about Porsche’s new EV Macan, which will break cover on Thursday.
He is pretty burned out on the state of automotive media.
Edit:
For those so interested, here are two recent Motoman interviews with the CEO of YASA, the battery startup that Mercedes bought a few years ago. YASA - which, again, is owned by Mercedes Benz - makes the electric motors found in the Ferrari SF90 and 296, the McLaren Artura, and the Lamborghini Revuelto (shockingly, Lambo isn’t using Bugatti / Rimac motors).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoqCG0w8AjI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHFq74jfT4M
Motoman also makes videos that review press fleet cars, just like every other car YouTuber in LA.
Is anyone not burned out on the state of trade press in any industry?
It's just become more and more transparent how bought and paid for all of it is lately. I say that as I have 4 interviews booked with the trad mags in my business next week...
He was whining about DEI, woke politics, etc.
Threatening to move to Abu Dhabi if the Tan Man doesn’t prevail over Biden.
George is also pissy that some OEMs wont play nice with him and would prefer to give a car to big league content creators like Kimatni Rawlins, who has less than zero viewers.
I mean, he's not the only one feeling that way. It seems like the backlash is building, but the media will come last.
The influencer thing is happening everywhere, and I think it comes down to two parts - control and fear. It's easier to get someone who knows less and is more excited by the access to say what you want. The fear is around avoiding the backlash from the loud Twitter crowd that can wreck your corporate reputation, and that is a resume generating event for most PR people.
I understand you (and George), of course.
My point of view is that I’d do something else rather than bemoan the state of the industry -what good is that?
I agree with you 100% on that. Sure, I'll bitch about it on here, but I'm always looking for ways to work around it to my advantage or to uncover something I prefer.
After all, how else are we going to get ahead?
That'd be a great name for a rap duo!
Bawt n' Payd Fo.
That’s an album. What’d they name their first 3?
George Notaras has been blacklisted by several manufacturers because he acts like an asshole, disappearing with cars and sometimes even engineers and executives. He demands twice the attention of other outlets and yet commands a small percentage of the readers. Car PR is a business, get as many eyeballs as you can in the time you can. George demands to be treated like the big outlets but for years he didn't have the numbers. And now that he has somewhat OK numbers, he doesn't understand that years of bad behavior has piled up on him. He is greatly disliked, but what's kind of sad is that he doesn't know how many of the people who smile to his face actually loathe him. Also, have you watched his videos? There's a man who never met a car he didn't like.
I know George rather well; we have been friends since ~2017 or so.
We discussed many of the items you touch on above last night.
I do watch some of his videos.
Edit: Oh, and for the record, I don’t work anywhere near automotive media, fortunately.
I want to hear more about the kidnapping engineers and executives. You'd think that would make the news. Or is Lonny implying something sexual is happening? Like Mark Reuss wants a shot at polishing Motoman's hawg?
Reading between the lines, that probably refers to Motoman interviewing execs - apparently he has an offer in hand to chat with Ola Källenius - without paying sufficient obeisance to the PR team or going through the appropriate chain of command.
Oh, like when Jonny wants to have the press kit read to him by Ulf Wakenius* but he can't do that because George is having a sidebar?
* I know that's not the name, Ulf is a musician, but you know who I mean.
Per George, he and Jonny get along well enough to smoke a cigar together when they cross paths on events.
I will also say that the interviews with the YASA founder I linked above are quite interesting. The videos performed poorly, because the typical YouTube car video audience is watching drag races or Doug videos instead.
didn't Ulf Wakenius play on a Scorpions album after Uli Jon Roth left but he quit to join Udo Dirkschneider in Accept?
I'm sorry. I've been ill all week.
Maybe Lonny IS Mark Reuss!
Jack to Mark http://www.quickmeme.com/img/5d/5df470d983dce38dd7f4eccef46846c73e947c0027a3f20dac40bc233eb3efe9.jpg
By powerful I meant poor
Dumping this in the comments here in case anyone forgot:
https://web.archive.org/web/20220427023523/https://www.hagerty.com/media/news/this-is-the-2024-corvette-nomad-a-conversation-with-general-motors-leadership/
Still LOLing at this one
That’s awesome! Don’t know how I missed that one
I'd believe a lot of that guy, but not a weird passive-brokeback series of posts like this.
They blacklisted him for acting like a winner?
Good article, Jack.
I thoroughly enjoy hearing about your increasing numbers of readers and subscribers. Best wishes to you for further success!
Thank you for being a part of it.
"sex in the city" and its consequences have been a disaster for the human race. poor farago is finding this out now, while the rest of us at least had the benefit of learning to navigate this wasteland in our youth.
I've been out of the dating market for 8 years and it hasn't gotten any better since then. I double booked the night I met my wife because I had three last minute cancellations that week. I booked so many per week hoping half of them would cancel. The ladies rarely disappointed me in that department.
it boils down to this: women in general mostly lack the ability to conceptualize how virtual communications and plans will translate into real world events. they cannot place themselves in a state of mind that, hey, i made plans with this person and i will be SEEING them, for real, next tuesday at 7 PM, until approximately tuesday at 4 PM when they need to start the process of showering, adorning themselves with makeup, etc. and so that is when the actual decision gets made to bail or not bail. its related to the "women know if they will fuck you in the first 10 seconds they meet you" deal, but different in that they don't even know if they want to show up until the reality of the date is upon them. all the talk and build up means nada, if when push comes to shove, they think to themselves "why am i even going to bother? i probably won't want to fuck the guy anyway" and thats that
There's a reason a lot of young men go through a "I hate women" phase. The flakiness is not in our DNA. Once you realize "It's just how they are and you can't change it" it gets easier, not any less annoying, but easier.
i always saw the flakiness as a feature, not a bug, in my process. if a woman bailed on plans more than once, i knew she would just continue to likely bail, and i could double book her in the future. sometimes those girls just needed the pursuit for a bit longer, sometimes they would get upset over how unbothered i was over yet another cancellation and become more interested, and sometimes they just continued to bail. gotta use this stuff to your advantage as you run your game
Again, you get used to it but as a young man who no success, it tries on you quickly. It's like you need experience to get a job. How does one get experience when no one will give him a job? Basically, and I've said this before, it's like job searching cause the HR girls are the same girls! Literally.
many people get caught up in the emotional masturbation exercise before they even go out on the date. the key is a healthy amount of detachment before the date happens.
its easier to get a "job" when you have a "job". how do you get a "job"? do the background work. in jobland that is training or education. in dating world it is getting fit, having direction, staying disciplined, and having command over your emotions.
Overall, it's probably better for all concerned if I fly solo.
Oh sure, it's lonely at times, but at least I only have to deal with my own bullshit and unfixable problems.
bah. dont excuse it. i get its the path of least resistance forward. i fell into the trap of surfing the kali yuga, as it were, for many many years. it took me improving myself until i was worthy to be a father and husband that i realized i had a higher calling.
Improving myself to THAT level would be like turning a rusty old dump truck into a fighter plane.
No matter how low an opinion of yourself you might have, chances are you could make a wonderful difference in the life of a typical "cat lady".
What did Groucho Marx say about not belonging to any club that would have HIM as a member?
But how many of these cat ladies want that difference?
It seems like most of them lack the self awareness to realize that they are half of their own problem, and hating men is just an excuse
And here I am 9 years later having outlasted the cats; I had to promise not to vomit on the new carpet.
Women, can't live with em, don't want to sleep with men.
this was good. i had a friend in college who used to say "i'd be gay if women weren't so damn sexy"
I bet dealing with gay guys isn't nearly the picnic straight guys think it is.
Harry ;
You have it wrong, I'll fix it for you :
WOMEN : can't live with 'em, not allowed to shoot 'em .
You're welcome .
-Nate
I "returned from the pussy war" around the time it was about to jump the tracks. Now - with modern 100+ notch women - it's got to be simultaneously easier, yet also less rewarding than ever.
honestly? unless you are dead set on wanting a family, it's a pretty good deal.... for men.
Yeah. Thinking of my friends, they're all searching for different things -
But one or two of those friends are searching for meaning. True commitment
IE, they're fucked
You can’t find it until you’re not looking for it. Truly fucked.
Imo, It gets old fast.
I've been with my wife since 03. We were chatting with each other via AIM because there wasn't even widely available texting at that point. I absolutely dread the possibility of dating in today's marketplace.
How's dating in 2024?
https://cdn.pastemagazine.com/www/blogs/lists/assets_c/2014/04/mad-men-gif-not-great-bob-1-thumb-500x274-107287.gif
And rightly so
mackin' on biddies with AIM and the art of the enticing away message. truly a better time
I somewhat fondly remember stumbling into my dorm room at 2am after a night of partying, firing up AIM and sending "you up?" messages to a freshman girl who lived two buildings over hoping she was in her room/awake/her computer speakers where on. Kids these days don't know the struggle.
Broke up with a girl via AIM at one point... High drama!
I was there Gandalf!
https://tenor.com/view/elrond-lotr-lord-of-the-tings-lord-elrond-3000years-gif-13229890
But if you’re 50. In good shape. Full head of hair. And your insta looks like a 20 years olds account... it’s like a never ending well of dopamine. I just wish one could weld. Or drive. Or wrench. Or liked motorsport. Or...😂😂😂
It’s been interesting that the car blogs were all over the news about C&D cutting its publication to six times yearly, when MT doing the same thing was hardly mentioned, if at all. I guess the difference is that C&D must have done a press release, whereas MT announced the change in its own pages at least a week before. And the bloggers don’t read MT?
I say this in all seriousness -- nobody in the business reads MT in print.
I didn’t read it in print either, not exactly. As a retired guy with an inexplicably insatiable appetite for reading about cars, I have a Magzter subscription which gives me access on my iPad Pro to digitized print editions of MT, C&D, Autocar, Auto Express, Top Gear magazine, plus Stereophile and various camera and computer mags. Some of the British mags actually still take more than a few minutes to read …
I haven’t groked whether the new versions of MT and C&D will be coming out on the same months or they’ll at least alternate so as not to divide their limited audience …
Is MT still in print? I truly did not know.
Or more likely no one gives a shit about MT. I remember when I was about 10 I bought my first three car magazines, AM, R&T, and MT. Even then I could tell MT kinda sucked and I didn’t buy more.
I was of the same opinion, at the same age.
I knew Lieberman was a bad writer when I was in junior high. I hated MT for hiring him.
I used to sign up for the freebie MT at the WV Auto Show. First signed up when I was 6. My mom got me C&D when I was 7, I read Phillips and Robinson. At the time, David E. Davis was writing a little bit at C&D too. Even at that age, I was more endeared to C&D. I think when the Volt was named COTY was when I sorta gave up.
MT was always the magazine when you were in the market for a new car (even if the Car of the Year as bought). The others were more about "Passion" for cars.
Motor Trend (or at least their masters) got on the video bandwagon early in an attempt to stay relevant. They might fail but at least they acknowledged where everything was heading.
They also got a helping hand from YouTube in the early years, but couldn't maintain the pace once that money disappeared.
I finally flipped through the latest flimsy issue of MT on my grocery's ever-shrinking newsstand. MT's actually going QUARTERLY! They're trying to spin it as a move upscale. Because that's working out so well for Road & Track...
They're in worse shape than C&D then.
C&D, to their credit, has been publishing * 10 * issues per year for the past few years, so it's not as big a loss as it appears. Only four less issues.
So I came here right after seeing the C&D news, thinking to comment and hear your thoughts Jack since the whole future of a car magazine comes up for a lot of us here. I'd vote for you to run it, but I agree those days are gone. Most of the money folks are too risk averse to let anyone with "personal magnetism and a bit of memorable presence≤" as you describe it, actually run a businesses nowadays. We all claim to worship the innovators, but when it comes down to it, get pushed to just following the same path that "worked" last time to squeeze a few bucks out.
I'm happy to see how much of a following you've built here. Maybe by the end of this, you'll have more subscription revenue than a new C&D
I have an S4 just waiting for a review next time Jack comes out my way as long as he says nice things about it. I have a Telluride too to be reviewed. I didn't pick that one so I don't care if he says nice things about it.
I'll have an Expedition and an X3 for review if he's in my area. Would be fun to get a "used" car review with an owner perspective, since it'll show what the car is like after being lived in for a bit.
I'm fine with any negative review of either of our cars, since I like them for me. I bought my Expedition because I thought it was the best full sizer available new. The X3 was my wife's thing. She thought it drove better than her old XC60 back in 2018, it was newer/nicer inside than a 328i wagon, and there was not a 328d wagon available anymore.
I'm not letting that guy touch my S4, which BTW is better than yours in every way.
What color did you get?
The metallic grey. I didn't actually pick anything out, a guy who ordered the car and bailed before it came in did. He checked off every option of the Prestige trim. The dealer offered me probably the highest MSRP S4 around. So I tacked on the factory carbon fiber spoiler and mirror caps but declined the puddle lights.
If not actually better than yours, then my car has clearly
depreciated more. I looked at for sale used
2023 S4s and they are between 48 and 55,000.
I don't have the spoiler but I do have the puddle lights. It was the only s4 within a few hundred miles so I bought what they had. I'm not too worried about depreciation. I plan on keeping this thing 3 months past the "Damnit, I should've sold it" date.
Me neither. So far I've been very happy with it, 11,000 miles no issues. I bought the prepaid service, it shouldn't cost me anything the next three years. I'm gonna hardwire the Valentine 1 into the sun visor and leave it alone. If it's like all other Audis it will start to fail at about 60,000 miles.
Speaking of Audi’s I have a 2018 TT RS. Way fun. Hauls. Will keep regardless of maintenance expenses. It truly is 1/2 of an R 8. It’s R8 ish. You all should get one.
You're right!
Oh, I'd just LOVE to read a review of my e36! And the 5.7 hemi swapped Dakota, if it ever gets finished.
I can start it for you:
"It is a beautiful car, but it's ticking time bomb for maintenance" I have been burned by an old BMW
Oh it set my wallet and I on fire last year, but since then its been an absolute abuse-sponge. I can drift it at 35-40mph and 7000rpm all day long when it's 90f out, and it just needs an occasional run down the road and back to cool the oil down and stop the (new) lifters clattering. No more overheating, no more leaking.
If I had any wrenching skills, i'd be more inclined to get and keep an old BMW. The new ones are ugly but anything 1990-2010, I like.
They are hideous. E36s are actually pretty simple and easy to work on, but there are certain jobs where you need to pay CAREFUL attention to YouTube videos or you'll bend your intake valves (like I did, not fun). Other than VANOS and timing chain stuff, they're easy. Pulling the engine was easy, the subframes are pretty easy to drop, and the suspension is super easy to rebuild. I've been thru every mechanical system in the car, and the cam timing and VANOS stuff is by far the hardest thing to deal with. 46s are similar in suspension, the engines are slightly more complicated, but not too too much, but once you get into the N series engines I'm out. The e90 rear suspension is also more complex for seemingly little gain. The trailing arms of 36/46 are fantastic.
What are you driving Wyatt? Tell me an M3/4/5 !
Sorry to disappoint but it's a lowly 328i with a 3.93 diff swapped in. I did put the m50 intake on it and a shorty header from ebay, and a tune to change the vanos setting and turn the rev limit up to 7200. It probably make 200bhp on its best day, but it sounds very good over 4500.
I have a brand new M2 for jack to review, but much ink has already been spilled, and the Harris review kind of took all the air out of the room.
Thanks for pointing out that Harris review. I'd never read it, but that really is a pen drop.
I'd still want to see Jack's take on it, since depending on how a few things shake out a 6cyl 2-series may be in my future as a commuter car. I had really enjoyed his 2-series showdown in R&T a few years back, and always have my father in law in my ear who preferred the X3 M40i over the full M version.
You have a point. We discussed it in another thread, but it's absolutely baffling that Elon and a 77-year-old Trump are the only rich dudes with the balls to do what they want. What's the point of having "fuck you" money if you're going to cower in front of and cater to an ever-changing and more demanding mob?
I think the other big reason that publications aren't hiring guys like you and Jack mention is the lack of such fellows in the talent pool. I don't think a lot of today's limited batch of young men's men really got into writing. I was in high school from '04-'08, and the creative writing club met when the "cool guys" were either at football practice or in a hot tub with the cwc member's sisters. Now those writing weenies are in charge of some of our favorite IP. They're both in a position to, and society actively roots for them to keep those spaces safe from the real men that were so toxic back in the day while glossing over the fact that the mags were at their most successful under those dangerous masculine thinkers.
The worst part is that it's partially our fault for being short sighted with our grades and extra curicular choices.
Is it being short sighted with grades and choices, or did we all focus on getting real, productive jobs that allowed us to buy the cars that we wanted?
It seems like the guys into cars that I know have gravitated more towards places like this, social media pages, or forums to interact with others who share the interest. We've kind of let these new folks kill the traditional magazines by creating better, more interactive content elsewhere.
It's a lot of creative destruction, but we're all just nostalgic for our youth. I'm a year behind you in schooling, and when I look back at some of the C&D stuff I read in high school I'm amazed at how bad it was. It was just all we had then.
I, personally, could have done better academically. My comment was mostly a reflection of that. At the same time, I don't think I'd change anything if I could go back.
I 100% remember being in high school, dreaming of being a car writer, and then doing the math of “4 main magazines x 20? 30? Spots at each = not much opportunity” and figuring I should just get a job that pays me well enough to do what I want. I mostly got there.
I think there are many more rich dudes doing whatever the hell they want, they just don't want the publicity like Elon, Trump, Bezos, or a Gates do. Most want to be left alone to do their thing in their own little worlds.
That's a valid point. I was addressing people in the public eye, but you're probably correct from a macro standpoint.
"My wife is a multiple divisional/regional champion and people don’t even know she’s a woman because of her name"
...I know we're all supposed to be everything-blind, but you would think seeing "Danger Girl" written on the leaderboard would somehow clue people in...
I'll see myself out.
I was thinking, "Well, I suppose "Danger" is kind of a unisex name..."
At least it isn't "Hunter" or "Chloe."
"Hunter Girl Baruth" sounds weird and "Chloe Girl Baruth" sounds redundant.
Hunter seems more to the male side.
If I ever had a boy (highly unlikely as I’m not married, nor trying), I’d want to name him Hunter or Ryan. Dunno why.
danger they
hahahaha, shut up, Speed!
Literally, not figuratively, lol'ed
my favourite response to the comments i make
Good old Chuck Baruth dominates his class again
Charley's got more balls than half the field on any weekend. So... yeah.
I seem to recall someone coming up to Jack at Mid-O thinking he WAS his wife to congratulate him. He might have longer hair.
Ah, the reflected glory of being the SCCA STU Divisional Champion!
the scca is full of very progressive people
At least there's no hyphen...
I don't permit that bullshit, we have the patriarchy in Morrow County.
I had an ex who I contemplated marriage with who "Wouldn't take my name" it took me longer than it should have to realize "What am I even doing here?"
You know you're with a keeper when they're practicing writing your last name.
Or with a looney.
Mine had to practice spelling it (much longer than her maiden name). Now she has to sign it a couple dozen times a day. Claims she didn't realize how much extra ink she would be going through.
I think you could raise the subscription price if you let your wife do an occasional stack that sheds some domestic truth to your tales. You're welcome.
She is an intensely private person. My entire existence as a writer is a constant source of annoyance for her. She'll talk to her co-workers, her competitors, and the township officers. Other than that I've never heard her engage in voluntary conversation.
She sounds perfectly lovely. You did well.
and it's always done wrong; maiden name should be last. learned that from dad's patent attorney, g. mallet-prevost. he was in a fullpage booze ad in time once
I love it when a woman hyphenates a multi-syllabic unpronounceable Polish name. How that was not a red flag to the spouse is beyond me.
I think my all time favorite hyphenated female name was Farmer-Jones. I always wanted to laugh when I saw the nameplate on her desk.
Car Talk once did a joke about Bill Clinton ordering an emergency airdrop of vowels into the former Czechoslovakia. They quoted some farmer as saying, "Help! I have six children, and I can't pronounce any of their names!"
I know it’s arguable but motorsport at ANY level requires a significant financial commitment along with time and ability to travel - even if only 30 minutes. It’s a bit of a rich man’s hobby or a poor man who focuses every last cent towards it. Much goes back to your article about “selection” and whether you are socially fit for the role or not. Even the lowly levels I see on the regular, which has been primarily straight line as of late ; it’s a race of wallets and not talent.
The F3 idea sounds a lot like the plot from the Gran Turismo movie. Just the same the danger is real as are lawsuits. Still it’d be awesome to see.
I caught the Liberman excerpt in my Facebook feed last night to which I also chuckled. Sniveling is never a good look for anyone.
In the final analysis, you're racing cars. It's about the cars. And the cars cost money.
Life is expensive and cars are life.
something something racing
everything else is just waiting
-that one guy with the green mustang
But not virtual reality racing! All you need is a beefy PC, various pricey PC attachments, a spare room to assemble it all, and the spare cash to upgrade all of the above whenever there's a new release of any of the relevant software.
Oh wait ...
It's not about the cars in NASCAR.
It's about horseshit like human drama and getting their precious photo-finishes.
muh cautions
Yeah that's more like American Gladiators or something.
My C&D subscription should be lapsing any moment. It wasn’t worth the $0.36 refund for the last few issues after I gave up on it. I’m sorry to see it’s decline and, always the optimist, hope a new car magazine can find a way now that all of them are cutting issues (MT did also, right? Or am I imagining that?).
I bought a Trax for my daughter about 7 months ago when a 10-15 year old used car with 150k miles was $20k. We paid about $24k out the door, and it is a great vehicle if you are not looking for an enthusiast-type experience.
I don't see it as a manufacturer sales effort. It's more like the WNBA, that's funded by the NBA. It has never been profitable, losing $10 to $12 million a year for the past 25 years since it was founded. Even though the NBA is largely unwatchable now, it has about 11 million viewers for its last finals. The WNBA's entire playoffs were 370,000.
My obvious point is enterprises like this are guilt taxes on stuff men like to do and see. Nobody wants to see 7 foot lesbians play basketball. But we get it so one or two of them can be stuck in Nike commercials. What's pathetic is, there is no physical circumstance under which an WNBA player can legitimately compete in the NBA. In racing, being small is an advantage; a woman with good reflexes and priapic sense has as good a chance to competitively race as a man.
I’m just glad the WNBA is still around for the jokes. https://babylonbee.com/news/analysis-wnba-games-found-to-be-last-place-on-earth-where-you-can-safely-social-distance/
I’m just waiting for the WNBA to allow trans players and thereby make Juwanna Mann real.
"I'm a Navy SEAL! I'm the toughest motherfucker on Earth!"
"Yeah? I watched 'Juwanna Mann' three times in a row."
"R-really?"
The Trax ad is the updated version of the old secretary Mustang ad.
"enjoyed by Mr. Lieberman, one of the industry’s prettiest mouths."
Ewww, F@#K NO!
visions of Ned Beatty in Deliverance
! Just how old are you guys ? .
-Nate
lol. just a few years older than the movie in question. that said, Deliverance is a cultural and cinematic landmark that's included in the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress, so it's worth seeing regardless of one's age now or when I was released in 1972.
I saw it because my friends all wanted to laugh at poor Ned Beatty when we were teenagers. I'm pretty sure I did not experience its artistic merits during that watching. Now I'm old and time is precious and if I'm going to watch old movies I'd rather they were Hitchcock or Kurosawa.
agree 100 percent. I saw Deliverance in my 20s when I went through a phase of watching canonical films from the 30s through the 70s. Having seen it, I don't need to see it again. Too many other great films and too little time.
I tell you what, I watched Citizen Kane and North by Northwest on my flight to Japan last year and they were FANTASTIC. I loved NXNW and I can't believe I haven't seen more Hitchcock, but I don't know much about Orson Welles' career outside of Citizen Kane besides the creators of Magnum PI wanting him to be Robin Masters. I also watched Dr. Strangelove, but it struck me the same way Kubrick's other movies struck me. Or rather, I should say it didn't strike me because I was bored the whole time waiting for it just to end already, please, any minute now (although George C Scott was delightful). I don't think I'll be watching any more of his movies.
I have seen The Seven Samurai twice in my life and I've never been so captivated by a movie. It turns out they shot a lot of it in Izu near where I used to live. I watched some of his other movies in my middle 20s but I think they deserve to be watched again since I'm older and more experienced (particularly Ikiru since I'm a gov't bureaucrat now too).