147 & other Alfa owners

Bullshit. What you say about "size helping" is true, but what you
conveniently leave out is that the higher mass of the SUV inflicts
higher-than necessary damage on the other vehicle. With proper
engineering, people can be SAFER in a car than in an SUV, and NOT be
the danger to everyone else on the road that heavy trucks and SUV's
are.

I can understand why you feel that way, considering all the freaking
BARGES on the roads these days...

 

Exactly. It's an "arms war" mentality, where EVERYBODY loses, due to
all the wasted resources.

 

An '05 is "already rusting", huh? Yeah, that's real believable.

The quality of the steel is pretty much meaningless, in the short
term, when it's galvaneeled and painted.

 

Are Spanish made VW's as bad as Mexican made VW's?

I like the SEAT models, but they don't sell in the US...

 

Was it '88? '90? '92?Ford RS200 Rallye car. What a machine!
Um, this is what I meant...

I remember the Escorts. We had a different model here. The looked kind of
similar, but you guys got the GOOD looking one!

Gruppe B..the Killer B's. They cancelled for what, one year? Two years?

Killing off your spectators is NOT a good way to advance your sport!
Kinda like 'football' (soccer) or Rugby.

I remember watching a race from Spain and a car went off the road, into
the crowd, running over a Mother and her 12 YO son, killing the boy. Can't
remember the driver; if I said the name you'd know it.

Poor kid probably bugged his Mom for hours or days to get her to take him...

 

You've been reading my posts again, eh?
Plagarism...you'll be hearing from my Lawyers...

Honest to God true story: saw a woman on a rural highway (2 laner) about
to enter the highway, talking on the phone, eating a sandwich and doing
something that looked like drying her nails, while driving an Expedition.

 

Not really. I'd bet 3/4 of the SUVs in this country NEVER see ANY off-road
use, and prolly 1/2 of those never even see dirt roads. "I need it for
winter" (buy a Subaru...or a MAtrix AWD). I want my kids to be safe (at
the expense of someone in a Yugo...)

Nope...not necessary. I never saw the craze, myself. Who the hell wants to
maintain a 4WD vehicle when you only really need the 4WD maybe 6 times a
year? (he says after spending the weekend working on his AWD Grand Caravan...
But I use my AWD van to move the amps and drums to gigs in the winter)

Then why is is, EVERY SINGLE TIME I see someone on TV bitching about gas
prices, they are driving an Excursion, or an Escalade, or a Suburban?

Like the SUVs in places like NYC and LA?

Toyotas once used the Ford system, where the shoulder harness would glide
into place. After hangging out the window of a Camry when my BIL started
the car, I think I know why they stopped (GAG!)

 

the US had a law sometime in the ealy 90s or late 80s, requiring a
form of passive restraint system that didn't require the driver to do
anything. Many went for the airbags (and thats what is used
exclusively now) but early on, many distrust them, and went for a
system using seatbelts. When the door was closed, the seatbelt was at
the shoulder position, when it was open, it was somewhere on the
a-pillar. This meant you only had to get in, and sit down, and when
you closed the door you had a seatbelt which went from shoulder to
hip, no effort etc. There was then a second inertia reel belt usually
on the door side, by the hip, you brought across as a lap belt. Was a
simpler and easier solution than airbags, but easily circumventable -
just use the clip to undo th seatbelt (required for large packages and
other situatiosn when such a belt would be a hinndrence.

not sure when, but i believe airbags are now required, and the
motorised belt system can not be installed in cars any more.

(note, i'm a brit who only started driving in the US in 98, and only
moved here in 03 so i don't know the 'history' that well)

 

Rust was first visible in feb. Easy to remember, since i noticed it in
the road outside my house, and it was whilst we were moving.

Well, assumingits galvanised and painted right. But with all the
shakeups at all ifferent levels of the corp, the financial switching
arond and so forth, you'd be amazed. Amazing what you find out when a
reletive owns a company that supplies toyotas metal (or rather did,
and never got paid for it, and has been trying to get payment via the
courts for 5 years)

 

the RS200's were group B cars, and thus only made 82-84, I think.
Thats pretty much the entire time period for all the group B rally
cars, although the 6R4 was made until 85, iirc, because of the success
of the baby 250hp version in club-level rallyin.

they didn't look that good in 71-72 when they first came out.

Thats the risk that goes with every Rally, even nowadays. One of the
hardest parts too, because you have to ignore the spectators and hope
they WILL get out of the way in timeYou watch the covereage of some of
the WRC races now, and you'll see that sometimes the cars miss the
photorgaphers by a foot or two, as the guys scampering back to the
bank, after taking a head-on shot. It really does take all your nerve
to keep going, and not stop through sheer instinct to avoid 'possibly
hitting people'

WE all did (well, mine was more along the lines of 'can i be your
co-driver this time')

 

Not at all. It's personal experience in the oh-so-offroady SF Bay Area,
augmented by survival instinct (in my 88 Civic and on my bicycle in traffic,
both of which I know will leave me dead if an SUV decides to run over me).

*shakes head*...

 

75%? More like 98%+, especially those with the low profile tires and spinner
rims...

 

I've seen photogs get hit!

Must have been fun. My mom HATES cars! ('Cause i have so many?)

 

Cruising down the Freeway in LA county?

 

Exactly - bargain (subject to cam belt!)

Unfortunately I had to buy mine new (car allowance policy - so I probably
save taxwise anyway) - but I'm keeping it for the missus anyway when I
upgrade in 2 yrs!

 

Are Spanish made VW's as bad as Mexican made VW's?

I think that petty much all the VAG group of cars are well built and
reliable. VW, Audi, Seat and even Skoda to name four.

Some of the more recent Seat models have been designed by former Alfa
Romeo designers, as well as being influenced by Audi Concept designs.

Seat use the same parts used in a lot of VWs. Ibiza has the same
chassis and engines as the Polo, the Leon the same as the Golf. Often
the Seat counterpart to the VW outperforms the VW one. Of course the
VW has better interior etc.

I think the main differences between them, they are trying to make
Seat more of a sportier fun brand to appeal to younger people, VW more
practical, and maybe family or young professional orientated. Skoda
for families on a budget and Audi more classier, prestigious/
luxurious.

I believe the cars they have made in places like Mexico and Argentina
are completely different from what they make in Europe and not as good
in terms of quality.

Maybe someone else with more knowledge would like to input on this? I
am not any sort of expert when it comes to cars and don't work for any
of the VW/Audi group of companies.

John

 

Cite, please.

 

SKODA!!!!! OooooH.

They were actually pretty neat cars, but didn't hold up well to Canadian
winters. I liked the way the trunk (in the front) opened from the pavement.

Explains the nice designs.

Explains the Recalls and the repairs???

GOLFs have a terrible record here. They WILL go 300,000 Mi, but you'll
have to repair them a lot!

Hyave you seen the Polo commercial where the 'terrorist' straps a bomb
onto himself, jumps in his Polo, drives to a busy outdoor cafe and pushes
the button...

and the entire explosion is contained inside the car? I guess VW pulled
it, but I loved it!

I had a German Jetta that was a POS, and my old boss has a Golf that is in
constant repair. His is a 2002 GTi 1.8t. NICE CAR, if it could stay away
from the dealer! I liked my Jetta, too, but in 2 yers I had 4 or 5 times
the number of RO's as I had for a 5 YO Corolla!!!

 

Damn, man, you're starting to sound like bb...

 

Case is Pastafont Steel Vs Toyota - if you're able to get the
documents, you'll also know how to find them.