Cars Again

[LesPalenik]

Les,  that also affects gasoline powered cars.   You can't pump gas without electric power.

True, but you can always have one or two gasoline canisters in your garage ready for emergency. I have always one 25l canister filled up which I use for my lawnmower.
And maybe some gas stations have a backup generators for such a situation.

[Alan Klein]

Hurricane Sandy knocked out electricity for a week.   I wasn't here at the time, fortunately. But for those who did live here it was a big inconvenience.  Many subsequently installed emergency generators.  So they would have power if they had electric cars to charge.  Then they could drive somewhere else and leave the rest of us sitting cold in our house with spoiled food in the refrigerator. 

[LesPalenik]

The last time we lost the power in Ontario, was a few years back, in the middle of the winter. It lasted several days, and although most homes here use gas furnaces, the homes stayed cold since the gas furnaces use electricity to activate their thermostats.

 

[Alan Klein]

It's not just the t'stat.  What about the electric fan that blows the hot air?  I have a gas range.  I suppose I could turn them on to get heat.  But frankly, I told my wife that if we get into this situation, we'll just drive to another area and check into a motel or go stay with relatives somewhere else.  The food would spoil in the fridge.  But that's cheaper than installing and maintaining a generator.  I suppose I could run an extension cord to my neighbor who has a generator.

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

Les,  that also affects gasoline powered cars.   You can't pump gas without electric power.

The return of the bicycle???

[Rob C]

The return of the bicycle???

The romantic return of the bicycle made for two! Romanic, unless the woman is less than a dancer, and sits up front.

Feet are still quite good means of transport, and about two years ago I rediscovered mine, and save quite a lot of silly car journeys down to the front to go for a walk! Now I walk down there to go for that walk, and get a double benefit. Thing is, about 90 mins is as much walking as I feel comfortable - and not bored out of my mind - doing. Unfortunately, my lunchtime favourite is a long way out of that comfort zone! For shopping, nothing beats the car, except the previous car, which had a better trunk/boot that took a lot more stuff in one trip.

Rob

[Rob C]

For anyone who is still wondering, the car was a Ford Taunus.

Never heard of it, but one of our Dutch friends we see in Greece said he remembers them well, in fact his father had one. Apparently they were manufactured in Germany.

You live and learn.

Your Dutch friend was right: check the emblem.

https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&channel=ipad_bm&source=hp&ei=l8mlXfTHGYHMaKfHrfgE&q=ford+taunus+logo&oq=ford+taunus+logo&gs_l=mobile-gws-wiz-hp.3..0i22i30j33i160.1386.13983..14615...6.0..0.108.1701.17j3......0....1.......8..41j0i131j46i131j0j46j46i131i275j0i10j46i10j0i13j0i13i30.nXguowSBgu

Rob

[Rob C]

Other than colour, memories are made of this:

 

[degrub]

where are my "blue suede shoes " ?

[Rob C]

If I can't have the '59 Coup de Villle, Santa, can I have this instead?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FpC92FMwxz8

[Rob C]

Other than colour, memories are made of this:

I note that this blue one doesn't have the two spots fitted; I never discovered how to switch them on, so in the end, the covers were just left on permanently. Neither was there a radio nor space for one. I would love that wee machine today, especially if it had the Alfasud engine instead. That said, living so close to the sea, it would rot even faster. The spoiler has also been painted; I remember mine as black plastic. There was also a cheap go-faster stripes system on the sides. A great opportunity squandered by Fiat.

[Rob C]

Thinking of the difficulties I find reversing my more or less current Fiesta, this early version - possibly one of the first on the island - was a piece of cake: you could see out the back! That said, it was very hard to park because there was no power steering; I think it was even heavier to turn the wheel than was the case on the larger XR3i that replaced it. That said, it was quite a potent litlle car and I quite enjoyed it.

Unlike the earlier model of Fiesta, where the rear seats folded flat, none of the later ones ever did: you were left with an inconvenient slope upwards.

I think, on balance, that I might prefer that old XR2 to my current ride.

Rob

[Craig Lamson]

Other than colour, memories are made of this:

My father in law had an X19. It was a blast to drive but it ate front wheel bearinga at an alarming rate.

[Rob C]

My father in law had an X19. It was a blast to drive but it ate front wheel bearinga at an alarming rate.

I didn't keep mine long enough to find out: I was washing it one day and discovered that the alloy wheels had started to rot: the factory had attached balance weights directly to the rims, metal to metal, inducing cathodic reactions that, had they used the normal sticky pad solution, wouldn't have happened. When I took the car back to the dealer, he told me that Fiat had been offering free replacement wheels, but that the period had run out. As I only saw two other such cars around my city, it beggars belief that he didn't contact me, especially as we were long-time clients on two sides of the family. They used to be Rootes dealers. When they dumped Rootes, they went to Fiat and Alfa, which is how I came to buy an Alfa as the means of losing the X1/9.

I didn't really drive that X1/9 properly: apparently, the engine was supposed to be run at very high revs, but I couldn't bring myself to do that, and so perhaps in trying to look after it, I never enjoyed it as I might.