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About Me
As a man thinks, so he is. Some people are never. Recent Posts
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CarSpace Alternate RouteTurn off the nav system, crumple up that MapQuest printout, and let's find out where the next random turn may take us! Feb 13, 2008 - Sisyphus Lives!
For being a devious sort, Sisyphus was cursed by the gods and compelled to roll a large boulder up a hill. Every time he got the boulder almost to the top, he'd lose control and the boulder would roll back down the hill where he would start pushing all over again. Boulder pushing is alive and well. All you have to do is to check the Suggested Improvements section of many of the consumer submitted reviews of vehicles here on Edmunds. Wanting improved mileage from a car is a common theme, but consider this gem: I don't like the gas mileage. I am also not very happy with the remote starter as you only get to press the button twice and then you have to manually start the car. It only runs for 10 minutes at a time and has a range of 200 meters! Not very far! Imagine that. Your car will only run for 10 minutes when you start it from the next county and you're not happy with the gas mileage! It's an election year folks. Please give me some hope that people are still able to think!
Oct 19, 2007 - Omens and Portents?
Maybe just not as much anymore. Toyota slid from first place to fifth place in the 2007 Consumer Reports rankings which were just released, and Honda moved into the top spot. Toyota fell so far in the annual reliability survey that the magazine will no longer automatically recommend the company's new cars and trucks to readers. "Below average" ratings were given to two of Toyota's vehicles: the six-cylinder Camry sedan and four-wheel-drive Tundra pickup truck. The Lexus brand dropped from fifth place to sixth, and the all-wheel-drive Lexus GS also received a "below average" rating. Does this mark some kind of sea change in how consumers feel about Toyota? Time will tell, but Toyota has to be concerned when their product ratings drop like this after having always been average or better up to this point. Consumer Reports Read more at baltimoresun.com
Sep 2, 2007 - Brain Boofers
So for some light-hearted Sunday reading, let's take the Alternate Route and enjoy some of the funnier things that have been written by consumers reviewing their vehicles recently, along with the Alternate Route's reaction. Aside from a few initial fit/finish issues, car has been very reliable with no major fixes. I did recently have to have the rear differential rebuilt with new parts for >$2k ... The placement and size of cupholders is ridiculous! If you have a big gulp in them the slightest turn spills it everywhere!!! Is this a German plot to get back at Americans??? This is my first econo car since I bought a Pinto in 1978. I'm not crazy about FWD... ...transmisson problems, dashboard cracked to pieces, paint on the hood and roof lost clearcoat and started to rust, catalytic converter had to be replaced.....besides that, nice truck This vehicle is too slow in stop and go traffic and around town driving Driving stability is incredible thanks to ABC. The front is aggressive and the rear tends to grow on you after a while. What I meant to say
Aug 17, 2007 - Your Mileage May... be mangled!
Thank God it's Friday! We can relax and have a little fun. One of the tasks I perform for Edmunds on a weekly basis is to edit Consumer Ratings & Reviews that are submitted by owners who want to sing praises to their car or warn others about their ownership experience. This would hardly seem worthy of a blog entry, but these car reviews are a constant source of amusement and befuddlement as I try to figure out what the heck someone is actually trying to say. For supplying today's blog fodder, I owe them a tip of my hat! Right off the top, I'm convinced that "mileage" may be the single toughest word in the English language to spell. Variations have included: milage, millage, milliage, milealge, milledge, milesage, myledge, and a host of others including those who just give up and use MPG instead. Typos aside, some folks have some unusual recommendations on their vehicle based on their offerings in the Favorite Features and Suggested Improvements sections of the reviews. I should compile these in a book. A few modest examples: For ease of getting in and out, one owner felt their car could be improved if it had "bigger dowers". (Say it slowly) And finally, I know some folks love their cars and think they look great. A lot of them make sure to include in their review that they "get looks" or that their car "turns heads" when they drive it. The ultimate expression of this had to be when one reviewer tried to explain how much his car impressed people this way: (I'm paraphrasing here, car name redacted to protect the innocent...LOL) People are soooo impressed with the looks of my XXXXX convertible. The other day I was filling up at the gas station and when I came back out after paying, someone had left a bouquet of flowers on the passenger seat. Like I said, thank God it's Friday! Have a great weekend! I'll finish with a Haiku car review... Great car, I LUV it
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