Weird News

[Griff]

Originally Posted by glatt

On today's episode of walkin' man, walkin' man sees yet another impractical vehicle. Takes a sloppy picture of it. Parked in front of the field office of the FBI.


Attachment 47243

Totally practical for running down citizens protesters. Love the Walkin' Man work btw.

[glatt]

Have you seen Comedians in Cars Drinking Coffee? You should. The DeLorean episode is great.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Comedians? You mean the guys that ridicule everything from soap to motherhood, for money? On a TV show they're getting paid to perform?
You've no basis for determining what's practical, so let comedians determine what you feel is impractical?

[glatt]

Actually, I think you, Bruce, would really enjoy this show. Seinfeld picks up his guest in a different interesting car in each episode and they go out for coffee.

[xoxoxoBruce]

I've seen the show. Comedians opinions about cars, or anything else, are just opinions. Being rich and/or famous doesn't confer any special knowledge, and even if they have a background like Leno, his opinions are just that, opinions. Some, may think a motorcycle is impractical, but much of the world would disagree.

Seinfeld fawning over an expensive, rare, ancient Porsche doesn't make it better or worse. While he may be more knowledgeable of the history, where it fits in the grand scheme of Porsche, his opinion has no more merit than yours or mine.

[glatt]

Yeah, sure. But isn't it cool seeing the different cars? He's driven a wide variety, from one of those a VW bus frame based pickup trucks to that tiny Fiat, I think, with the wicker seats. To the custom David Letterman Volvo that tends to catch fire because the exhaust is so close by the floor boards, to the DeLorean that breaks down and has to be towed away. The speeding ticket with Chris Rock in a supercar that I forget, and the honest but funny discussion about race and treatment by the police. It's all entertaining. It's not a car review show.

[glatt]

and back to the DeLorean being impractical, or course it's impractical. I didn't say it was terrible or that it should be banned, just that it was impractical. It's basically a Chevy, so you can probably find a lot of parts to keep the engine, transmission, suspension, etc. going, but what are you going to do if a meth head smashes a window to look for spare change in the glove box? It's a very rare car from a company that's out of business, and I can imagine that all the exterior and interior body parts would be extremely difficult to source. And it's low to the ground, so getting in and out will be just a little harder for most people. The doors open upward, so you have to stretch way up in order to pull them closed. If you are shorter than average, you may even have to sort of kneel on the seat as you reach up in order to grab the door handle and pull it closed. All that is doable, but I think 99% of the population would find it impractical. I actually knew somebody who was considering buying a used one, but he decided against it when he thought about how hard it would be to maintain it. This was back when they were common enough that you would occasionally see used ones for sale for an affordable price.

I think there are lots of impractical cars out there, but I'm glad they exist because they are interesting. Just because I think something is impractical doesn't mean I want to ban it.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by glatt

and back to the DeLorean being impractical, or course it's impractical. I didn't say it was terrible or that it should be banned, just that it was impractical. It's basically a Chevy, so you can probably find a lot of parts to keep the engine, transmission, suspension, etc. going, but what are you going to do if a meth head smashes a window to look for spare change in the glove box? It's a very rare car from a company that's out of business, and I can imagine that all the exterior and interior body parts would be extremely difficult to source..

Why not go to the DeLorean company since every fucking part is still made.

And it's low to the ground, so getting in and out will be just a little harder for most people. The doors open upward, so you have to stretch way up in order to pull them closed. If you are shorter than average, you may even have to sort of kneel on the seat as you reach up in order to grab the door handle and pull it closed. All that is doable, but I think 99% of the population would find it impractical.

Everything you've stated applies to every car on the road for "some people".
The only thing you can say for sure is it does or does not fit your wants/needs.

I actually knew somebody who was considering buying a used one, but he decided against it when he thought about how hard it would be to maintain it. This was back when they were common enough that you would occasionally see used ones for sale for an affordable price.

Knowing someone who made an uninformed decision is not unusual.

I think there are lots of impractical cars out there, but I'm glad they exist because they are interesting. Just because I think something is impractical doesn't mean I want to ban it.

So every coat that isn't your size is relegated to the impractical rack.

[infinite monkey]

There is nothing *really* in walking distance around here. Well, as Steven Wright said "everywhere is walking distance, if you have the time." Which I do, currently, but I'm still not walking 4 miles to the grocery.

I always thought I would love a city, walking around all the time. Then I spent 5 years working in downtown Dayton. *shudders* Nasty, nasty place.

There are those who think my car is impractical. Maybe it is, in that it's not the 4 door sedan with a trunk in which I can transport dead hobos, and I DO call it 'my mid-life crisis' (which is really more of me trying to be humble and self-effacing because I do get a lot of comments.) I know that I am not my car, my car is not me...but it reflects a part of me. And it does because I bought it because I could. Because I like fun cars and it's a fun car. So? I tried practical, got smashed into two weeks after purchase of practical, and bought the 'vertible when my brand new Astra was totaled by a punk ass on a cell phone.

AND...it isn't so impractical. It does better on snow than most SUVs, due to traction control and anti-lock brakes and probably some more technical stuff I know nothing about. It's zippy (not as zippy as zippyt, but zippy nonetheless.) I can park in tiny spaces.

This spring, when the weather finally broke for a couple days after a long winter, I fulfilled the tradition of picking up my buddy at work. We drove around with the top down, and people were waving and slug-bugging each other. It felt great, after the worst winter in my memory besides 1978.

There's a part of me that would like a different car. An impractical jeep or an SUV or truck that seems practical because I could actually haul stuff in it. But there are still enough days in the year that my car gives me joy that I may as well hang onto it for a bit. I like cars. Always have. So sue me.

Wait, what were we talking about? There was some weird news about a car?

[glatt]

I think your car is very practical for you.

What do you have to haul that you need a pick up truck? All those bales of hay?

[infinite monkey]

Originally Posted by infinite monkey

There is nothing *really* in walking distance around here. Well, as Steven Wright said "everywhere is walking distance, if you have the time." Which I do, currently, but I'm still not walking 4 miles to the grocery.

~snip~

Well, that's just weird. I just saw a cellar cookie with this quote. I don't always read the cookies, and I've skipped all over the place since I posted the above.

Does the cookie generator have some sort of googly eyes, like...um, errr...Google? Speaking of which I noticed on a game site that I frequent that on the changing ads I keep getting an ad about kicking heroin addiction. I've never done heroin, I don't have occasion to discuss heroin. Maybe I read too many articles about Philip Seymour Hoffman?

If I see a cellar cookie now that reads "Everything is heroin if you have the time" I will run away, screaming and flailing my arms. Then I will pause and consider the great powers I possess.

[infinite monkey]

Ha! Yes! And you should try relocating the still every time the revenooers show up! It ain't easy.

Oh, sometimes I want to load up some stuff to drag to the dump or something. And I've been acquiring stuff of my mom's so I have to stuff it all into a small car (then stuff it into a really small home...did I mention I also want a big old apartment in an old house?)

But yeah, for a single person it's practical enough.

[infinite monkey]

Well goldarnit...now I'm getting a Homer Simpson quote, after I posted in the 'learned today' thread, invoking Homer.

Cellar Cookies gots the googly eyes.

[infinite monkey]

OK, Tony. Now you're just messing with me! A two-fer:

"Ya know, one _needs_ beer to work on a VW. Its enough to make you WANT to get drunk."
- Corey Renner, VW lover/hater

[Gravdigr]

Damn!! How many lugnuts is that?! Not counting the ones inside the field office...