# Cars.. the death of me. lol



## Ciddian

LOL!!

So as I type this its now 10:30 pm. Bob and I had a great day out but the car! Ohhh the car... its lucky I love it so.

At the beggining of the month I had to get the plates done and needed to do that drive clean test. So I figured it would be a good time for a tune up.. I have an older car so they hit me bad. It ended up to be around 400 bucks to do a lot of the stuff I had put off.

Then a week later the lights come on saying to check the gauges and the engine light popped on. I couldnt figure out why because the car was running great. It wasn't laggy or anything..

Took it to midas and it died right there! XD We ended up leaving it and thankfully I work with my mom and she was able to take us in to work that day. Come back and they tell us that none of the parts they ordered fit because they had put the VIN number in incorrectly, so instead of coming up as a 92 it came up as an 89.

They had also been short some other belt that never got dropped off that day. Spent another day car-less and mom was nice enough to drive us again.

They got it all together the 2nd day but what a bill! about 400 bucks more than the quote. Ate up all of our savings.. 

Now I come to today.. only a week later and we had gone down to pick up some awesome plants from Ameekplec. We stopped for some dinner at around 6, came out to leave and the car is dead again!  Turned over once and then would click a little... 

We called my dad who was nice enough to come and try to help us get it going with no luck  After the tow and a cab ride we are finally home 4 hours later. u_u;

Sorry for my car rant... makes me feel better when I can gripe and sigh about it on here instead of at bob all night. lol  

Anyone have bad car luck or such this month too?


----------



## bigfishy

What year and model of your car???

^^

Maybe I can help you fix it ^^ (I got a few months off, lotta free time on my hand)



I learned a thing or two when I did a summer job at the car mechanic shop ^^


----------



## Ciddian

Oohh its a 92 dodge spirit. Its basically had just about everything replaced in it. I really shouldnt complain as we've had it for a few years now and only dropped maybe about...5 grand into it? I only paid a thousand for it when we got it off a guy who couldnt pay for all the repairs.

It just had a new battery put into it, new belts (3 of them) and the altinator (sp). I think the starter is cooked on it now.

Its had new seals done in the engine because of an oil leak, all new break lines and fluids. It also has a new set of tires on too.

the transmission was also cleaned out and fixed up a year or so ago... new water pump... Ohh! And we also had to get new shocks and struts in the front with the usual break job. lol

Its at midas now. I really hope they dont expect me to pay another 89 bucks to put a new battery in. I'll friggin put it in myself.. :S


----------



## bigfishy

*shrugs*  

I am speechless

I am just curious...

American car is £$^%£.. why wasted so much money on a car like that??? Is that car have some special meaning to you??? 

any regrets?



You should've consider a newer model and a Jap car ^^

----------------

You never mention about changing spark plug ^-^;;


----------



## Ciddian

Nawww... no regrets. Just always an issue of not having 5-6 thousand at a time in a big clump to buy a nicer car.

Heck.. You know, I cant wait for the day to get a car thats actually over the year 2000 LOL

I've always paid my own way for cars and its hard to get cash together in my line of work ya know? Just a laborer.. Things are getting better thou


----------



## Ciddian

Oohh but man... ever since a few of the car dealerships closed up I definatly agree there are some great deals out there now. O_O Just wish I had the cash all at once.


----------



## bigfishy

Ciddian said:


> Nawww... no regrets. Just always an issue of not having 5-6 thousand at a time in a big clump to buy a nicer car.
> 
> Heck.. You know, I cant wait for the day to get a car thats actually over the year 2000 LOL
> 
> I've always paid my own way for cars and its hard to get cash together in my line of work ya know? Just a laborer.. Things are getting better thou


I understand

but if you need another car, or need a better mechanic, pm me..

I can help you with that too!


----------



## bigfishy

Ciddian said:


> Oohh but man... ever since a few of the car dealerships closed up I definatly agree there are some great deals out there now. O_O Just wish I had the cash all at once.


Don't need the cash...

JUST...

Loan!!!!

^^

I heard from my friend.. like $400 a month for 60 months.. you can own a brand new 2009 Honda Civic



-----------

Anyway,

GOOD LUCK on your car!!

^^ and pray for me on the lottery

I'd buy you a BMW X5, if I ever win!


----------



## Ciddian

LOL I know i know.. I wish I could. I was a stupid kid and wrecked the hell out of my credit 

Yea I'll give you a shout if I freak out on the midas people tomorow


----------



## bluekrissyspikes

it's stuff like that that makes me appreciate my dad being a mechanic.


----------



## redclove

mmm autoshare..


----------



## Ciddian

that is one neat program.. I wish they had more locations near me. I would have to buss it or something and I hate the subway. Been followed home wayyy to many times. lol

I'll show it to bob for sure thou.. thanks red


----------



## UnderTheSea

bigfishy said:


> ;66056
> American car is £$^%£..
> 
> You should've consider a newer model and a Jap car ^^


I love my GM vehicles (Saturn SC1 & Chevy Impala), why bash american cars?

My 99 saturn we purchased in mid 98, it has 225,000 Km's on it. Besides routine maintenance (oil changes, tune ups), we've changed all 4 tires once and have now done the front brakes twice (no back brakes yet). Paid it off in 4 yrs and no over priced import parts  Whenever this thing decides to kick the bucket, my next vehicle will be between an F150 or Shelby Convertible.

Sorry about your luck there Cid, hopefully the repairs are done now and you can go on enjoying your vehicle again.


----------



## wtac

Sorry to hear you car troubles, Cid.

There's an OLCO garage @Greenwood/Sammon that I take my '03 Mazda Tribute for my bi-annual alternator replacement...this Japanese model has design flaws as well . Convoluted manner of how we know each other but it's based on university, business and family connections and word gets around .

Ask for Maurizio (sp) or Peter who owns the garage for future reference. If you do go there...drop me a line...I'm a stones' throw away .


----------



## Ciddian

Oohh thanks you guys  Ya wilson if we do ever drop by I'll for sure give you a ring. ^^

I talked to bob who is dealing with the car issues and he said it was the starter..

Well gosh.. Its basically a bran new car now. Hehe.

I do love the saturns! That was going to be our next car actually


----------



## Calmer

I am sorry to hear about your car troubles and I am also sorry that there isn't any way I can help you. Hopefully the starter is the end of your car troubles.


----------



## Ciddian

It very well should be  Thanks calmer, its okay ^^ 

My daddy was all upset too he couldnt get it going, after looking at the starter it seemed pretty cooked. 

The smart thing would to get that underside all treated and sealed up for the winter. I think thats what kills most of my cars.


----------



## hojimoe

lol I pay 388.76 a month in insurance...ah to be a 22yr old guy lol....

sorry about the car troubles cid, but I agree, time to move to another car, doesn't have to be new, but not american



bigfishy said:


> Don't need the cash...
> 
> JUST...
> 
> Loan!!!!
> 
> ^^
> 
> I heard from my friend.. like $400 a month for 60 months.. you can own a brand new 2009 Honda Civic
> 
> 
> 
> -----------
> 
> Anyway,
> 
> GOOD LUCK on your car!!
> 
> ^^ and pray for me on the lottery
> 
> I'd buy you a BMW X5, if I ever win!


----------



## Abner

Strange how it took me so long to jump on this post seeing as i sell cars for a living...but i have to agree with getting a another car just not worth it sinking 6-7 greand into a car u paid $1000 for i mean it is no saltwater tank..if you are planning on financing then i would suggest getting a new car. Great interest rates right now and if you get a Hyundai or Kia great warranty plus they are amongst the least expensive cars to buy right now...i just moved from a Kia store to Hyundai so i can tell you about both. Now if you are thinking to pay cash then you can go used try to get a good little honda civic or something similar ideally you should get it from a dealer cuz if anything goes wrong they are obligated to fix with a reasonable amount fo time from the sale but if you look on kijiji or craiglist u can find these private sales where people are selling cars for like $1000 or $2000 and some of them are in good shape just a lot of clicks on them.....Good luck with whatever you chose to do(hopefully it's not puttin more money into that car)


----------



## conix67

I guess 92 dodge spirit isn't particularly a reliable car, but did Midias clearly explain what went wrong and how possibly those things may have happened? It sounds a lot like coincidence that things started to fall apart after the *tune up* job but they may have messed up something along the way...

I know, it should never happen that way but a lot of bad things happen in auto repair shops. Not a name brand midas, but one of my dad's friend took his Cadillac in for oil change to a small shop, and few days later he was told he needed a new engine!! The car was not too old at the time (5years) was running fine until the oil change job..

I personally would take my car to Canadian Tire instead of Midas, if I'm not taking it to the dealer's service center.


----------



## Sunstar

Give up the car, Get a bike. Cheaper and better for you


----------



## Ciddian

the goal was to get a new car, I had a little over a grand saved up but this comes to that. Baby.. had to move LOL Ya know? 

I would love to get a new car but then all this crap came up at once. Now i've put so much money into the car I dont wanna turn around and sell it and maybe not make my money back.

I personally loathe the subway and the people drive like idiots around here sunstar. I wrote off riding a bike a long time ago unless it was for fun and on a path with no cars. Also. living in toronto and working in pickering makes it hard to bike... Its a hard sell for me. lol

I know what you mean about the going in for one thing and then boom all this other stuff breaks down. The midas we go to is usually not bad but since they changed up their staff I really dont trust them anymore. Esp. after all of this. they called me 10 mins to 6 (they close at 6) to come get the car.. .. They had the whole day.

I've been to canadian tire and will never go back again. I took my airostar in for breaks and they installed the ones in the back backwards. They also missed something that they should have taken my van away. I told them to check out the clunking noise I was always hearing when I would break or go over speed bumps. 
It turned out that my back axil had shifted and had about 4-5 inches of play, I lost my breaks that week too. I could have used the heads up from them before they blew on the way to an apt. lol

thanks thou guys. The advice really helps.


----------



## Sunstar

We basically been repairing our bikes, which, as you know, has broken down on me a few times. We decided to keep them as beaters and get a pair of decent road bikes.


----------



## bigfishy

Ciddian said:


> I personally loathe the subway and the people drive like idiots around here sunstar..


Where where??? Greenwood?



You should've seen me drive and you will NEVER EVER want to be in my car again lol

55 on my local street...

70 on a 60 road (14th Ave) on a snowy day (last winter)

100 on a 80 road (Woodbine Ave) with heavy rain (just did it this afternoon)


----------



## Abner

hahaha..most people drive like that. Cid that is the mistake most people make a car is not an investment it will never appreciate unles u got 69 chevelle with that one of a kind interior..you are never gonna get that money back that you put into it..wish i knew about fixing em would be glad to help you out but i'll keep an eye out for a good $500 dollar one for you..my first car was an 1987 prelude i paid $500 for although i had to sink about $1000 into it i got a couple years outta it before i had to give it up when the baby came along..


----------



## Ciddian

ha ha.. I know i know 

I still feel better than my cousin who picked up a new car for 10 grand and in three years had to sink another 7.


----------



## hojimoe

bigfishy said:


> Where where??? Greenwood?
> 
> 
> 
> You should've seen me drive and you will NEVER EVER want to be in my car again lol
> 
> 55 on my local street...
> 
> 70 on a 60 road (14th Ave) on a snowy day (last winter)
> 
> 100 on a 80 road (Woodbine Ave) with heavy rain (just did it this afternoon)


lol depends on the driver and the car....

I was doing 70-80 on 60 streets last night in the heavy rain... at night lol... .and 60 in 50's..... but my car is great in rain/snow (well at least supposed to own the snow) I've had it for like 2 months.... it's an audi a4 quattro.... all time 4wd so it hasn't slipped on my once, I've even tried to skid it on roads, not yet to happen, only on dirt roads - but that's normal

I got waved at to slow down in my car last friday on my street by some loser who doesn't live there... then once she saw my car in my driveway, she yelled something so I could hear her from my house, so I went to the door, opened it and as she walks with her back to me gives me a "thumbs down".... I told her to get out of my neighborhood because she doesn't belong

I was only doing 55 in a 50...I think she figured it was a 40 - willowdale is a 50 people!


----------



## Abner

I think you are too pleased by your new car is all..be careful though cuz you will be very sad if you crash it..i don't get a thrill anymore from driving fast when u get to drive different cars everyday it kinda gets old fast unless of course u have a brand new 3.8 genesis coupe on a windy road in manual of course. Two weekends back i was driving my brothers car up around huntsville, we have a cottage in dorset, man those windy,hilly roads are awesome.....anyways i digress Ciddian if you can fix the car without spending over $1000 then sure why not but if not i would suggest getting a little something for like $2000 and put one of the "mechanics" that we have here to work and go over it for you....yes i did donate your services but i dare y'all to say no !! lol


----------



## Ciddian

awee thanks for the advice abner, I am not putting more cash into it thats for sure. 

I dont speed anymore.. I used to like an idiot and did a lot of stupid stuff. I'd race too and win with my van a couple of times. LOL 

When I came close to flipping the van one day when I clipped a curb with my little sister in the car I finally saw that I was a selfish person and really shouldnt act like an asshole just because I am behind a wheel.

But thats jmho.


----------



## Chris S

You boys need to slow down, people get killed by guys like you - every day.

Not to mention the insurance, and ticket prices for speeding are pretty hefty.

55 on a local street? Well, you have perfect control until a 7 year old kid on a bike accidently slips out onto the street. Whether it is your fault or not, you will have to live with the result. It just isn't worth it.


----------



## ameekplec.

I like to walk places. Sometimes it's ad absurdum though - York Mills station to York University is REALLY far. Especially in December.


----------



## bigfishy

Chris S said:


> You boys need to slow down, people get killed by guys like you - every day.
> 
> Not to mention the insurance, and ticket prices for speeding are pretty hefty.
> 
> 55 on a local street? Well, you have perfect control until a 7 year old kid on a bike accidently slips out onto the street. Whether it is your fault or not, you will have to live with the result. It just isn't worth it.


We understand, (we are the risk takers) and I like these ads... 











Played too much Need for speed games, always want to try it out in real life. Before the imposed 50km/h above speeding law.. Used to joke with friends of how fast we can go.

Used to drive like 170, 180 in the morning hours (4am - 5am) in the upper part of Markham Rd (dual lane).

Its dangerous, but it is something you can't get from the video games, the G-force, the steering wheel shakes at 140 and the car frame shakes at 160+

Not recommended!


----------



## overleaf

bigfishy said:


> We understand, (we are the risk takers) and I like these ads...


Actually... careless driving creates risk for other innocent people, not just yourself. Watch those videos and you'll see that the victims are lovebirds, family members, not the irresponsible drivers. You cause the crumbling of people's worlds.

The 50 over stunt driving laws need to be harsher. Anything more than 20 over is outright irresponsible and you should lose your license.

I know you guys all think you know your cars, you know your limits, your capabilities. That all may be true until the elements you don't control are thrown into the mix. They could be:

A child on a bike
A pregnant mother of 2 on her way to pick up her kids from school
A youngster darting onto the road
Your own relative out for a walk
<insert any other element here>

Then your control becomes irrelevant. The worst part... the drivers usually survive 

I hope for your sakes that you don't encounter a scenario like this, although I know a person who did... he lost control of his vehicle and pinned a girls legs against the wall. The legs were amputated... the girl permanently disabled. The guy? Well, nothings changed for him. He's still a shithead who drives without a license like a madman.

Be larger than that.


----------



## hojimoe

overleaf said:


> The 50 over stunt driving laws need to be harsher. Anything more than 20 over is outright irresponsible and you should lose your license.


I have to agree to disagree, should the end result be harsher? yes and no.... yes because people who go 100km/h over the limit do deserve to get their arses in trouble, but no because of senario's like this ...

wednesday I went to my works other office which is in newmarket vs markham... I took the 404 north obviously (bayview/401 to davis/404) and seemingly enough the speed of traffic was at least 140.... I was cruising at 125 and was feeling slow in the right lane with people getting mad at me....

going too slow to the flow is more dangerous sometimes!

The offices in this province and city, have to worry less about people just doing 25+ over (which is what's usually ticketed) - except on the 404, where 150 seems to be the target - almost like they're pushing ppl to get "street racing" ticketed.....anyway they have to worry less about the large tickets (25+over) and worry more about just getting the general speed DOWN! I don't like having to do 130 on the highway, but frankly it's unsafe not to when you're being flown by

stricter enforcement over the lower range of speeding should bring safer roads vs heavy fines... more patrol/radar etc...

as far as "us boys have to slow down" I have to say most of us, won't be doing that crap when there's kids around people walking... etc... most of us...

as for the "cars limits" are, that's what test tracks are for... and parking lots in the winter ...you have to learn it - otherwise you loose it

powerful cars - as far as that goes, unless if you've driven the best of the best, most dangerous etc... you don't know anything, I can say this knowingly as I have driven cars from all walks of life, from a freaking forklift - ok not really a car but proves my point) - to v8 of a boat in a cadillac sts, to a older BMW's, to my current audi, to ferrari's...yes at 22 I've driven 4.....

Also being born around cars helps, having my dad work in insurance/theft recovery vehicles helps as well...I've seen the nasty of the nasty wrecks...I know what can be done


----------



## hojimoe

Chris S said:


> You boys need to slow down, people get killed by guys like you - every day.
> 
> Not to mention the insurance, and ticket prices for speeding are pretty hefty.
> 
> 55 on a local street? Well, you have perfect control until a 7 year old kid on a bike accidently slips out onto the street. Whether it is your fault or not, you will have to live with the result. It just isn't worth it.


55 wasn't local street, willowdale is a major street, it's a 50...makes 55 not speeding ticket worthy, perfectly normal...the women was just a moron


----------



## Abner

I always drive at a safe speed limit...i know my car and it's capabilities and anyone who knows about cars will tell you that the only time you are truly in control is when you are throttling up or braking...the one thing that irks me is when people know they are not able to drive i.e drunk or high and they get behind the wheel...if you can't handle then don't do it period. Jail time is the punishment that should be metted out to people who get into accidents when they are impaired whether or not anyone gets hurt.


----------



## hojimoe

Abner said:


> I always drive at a safe speed limit...i know my car and it's capabilities and anyone who knows about cars will tell you that the only time you are truly in control is when you are throttling up or braking...the one thing that irks me is when people know they are not able to drive i.e drunk or high and they get behind the wheel...if you can't handle then don't do it period. Jail time is the punishment that should be metted out to people who get into accidents when they are impaired whether or not anyone gets hurt.


Great point about jail time IMO


----------



## conix67

*Ontario Traffic regulation is flawed!!*

Well all these talks about safe speed limits, on local streets (usually speed limit of 40Km/h), keeping the speed under the limit *DOES NOT GUARANTEE SAFETY* !! Going over the speed limit is more dangerous, but if you ignore your surroundings, you can still have major accidents.

Residential areas should have speed limits below that, something like 20-30Km/h, especially where the road is shared between cars and people (no side walk), and the speed limit should be enforced strictly! On my street, many kids play on the road - they really shouldn't but that's beside the point - but there are some idiots drag racing on this street (I mean run through at high speed).

Is driving 20Km/h over the speed limit on major highways dangerous? Not on most routes. Even police officers themselves would advise you to go with traffic, even if it means driving at 120Km/h which is well over the speed limit.

Ontario is a funny place. You get a traffic ticket and you can still argue, hire some ticket fighter and usually reduce it down to almost nothing. This should NOT be allowed, and police officers should really go out and catch those reckless drivers rather than conveniently trapping naive speeders (mostly at zones where speed is reduced, from 100->80 for example). All these tickets don't do much other than creating/maintaining critical business sector for them (ticket fighters) after they leave the force or retire.

Government is lazy, and cut the crap about "privacy" concerns on cameras catching speeders. They really need to work diligently to make road systems safer and efficient. People's mind must also change, although not easy.

You guys know about Germany's autobahn. They have sections without speed limits. Yet, it's one of the safest highways in the world. It doesn't mean the highway was built any differently from others. I never drove on it, but had chance to get a ride there.. very interesting experience. Few points I'd like to share

* driver was relatively young German guy, about 24years old. Driving a JETTA wagon full of passengers (5 adults), 2 liter 4 cyl engine, averaging 200Km/h, at times (Downhills) it would hit 240Km/h. I didn't know this car can go that fast...
* as soon as you enter "speed restricted zone - usually 100Km/h", the driver would keep it UNDER the speed limit!
* there are cars running at below 100Km/h at no limit zones, but THEY ALL stay on the right most lanes (mostly large trucks, I believe they still have limits)
* people don't use passing lane except for passing there
* they use signal lights ALL THE TIME (changing lanes, turning, etc), it's also the law in Ontario but MANY drivers here don't even know that

It's the road rules that make sense, and the people who respect the rules - the combination makes the road safer and efficient..

The stunt driving law - 50Km/h - I'm yet to hear some solid proof this law made road safer. It's true people shouldn't be allowed to drive at this insane speed, but there are MANY OTHER things that should be considered first !!

I listen to radio every morning, and I hear way too often 400, 401 being blocked due to accident. They need to work on avoiding those accidents, or accidents in general!!

The people in public sector are too lazy for any of these challenges, since they have no incentive to make changes. Just look at city worker strike. A good example. I wonder if there are other places in the world where you can bring in 6 figure income for picking up garbage. It's a tough job, but hardly qualifies for that level of compensation.


----------



## overleaf

Abner said:


> I always drive at a safe speed limit...i know my car and it's capabilities and anyone who knows about cars will tell you that the only time you are truly in control is when you are throttling up or braking...


Anyone who's conscious outside of their own actions knows you're never in control. As I said before - people use these false beliefs as comfort blankets. When you open your eyes you realize you have control of everything until something unexpected and uncontrolled happens.

The bottom line is: you have more time to react to the unexpected at lower speeds. No matter which way you dice it, there is always the unknown.



conix67 said:


> Well all these talks about safe speed limits, on local streets (usually speed limit of 40Km/h), keeping the speed under the limit *DOES NOT GUARANTEE SAFETY* !! Going over the speed limit is more dangerous, but if you ignore your surroundings, you can still have major accidents.


You're right, the only guarantee in life is... death. The reason why people say speed is a factor is because you have less reaction time. You are right though, you can increase your reaction time by being alert - but you're never going to make the difference of 50km/h up.



conix67 said:


> On my street, many kids play on the road - they really shouldn't but that's beside the point - but there are some idiots drag racing on this street (I mean run through at high speed).


A comforting thought: They know their vehicles and their own capabilities.... *frightening*.



conix67 said:


> Is driving 20Km/h over the speed limit on major highways dangerous? Not on most routes. Even police officers themselves would advise you to go with traffic, even if it means driving at 120Km/h which is well over the speed limit.


120km/h is pretty normal on the 400 series highways. The reason it cannot be the limit is because people would push to 140km/h. There is no doubt however, 120km/h introduces greater risks than 100km/h. You reaction time is reduced and the potential for fatal/life long injuries is higher.

I'm a pretty comfortable driver with no fear of speed. But I appreciate my license... I paid the penalties for being a young responsible driver... the exorbitant premiums to cover idiots. For 2 years I paid $468 per month for my insurance on a 4 door Chevy Malibu. That's the price I pay for being young, male, and stuck in a game of graduated licensing/insurance gouging. Thanks to all the irresponsible people out there 

I also like my cheap insurance *now*. The tickets is not an issue, it's a one time penalty. The increased insurance rates/being dropped from your insurer is the issue.



conix67 said:


> Ontario is a funny place. You get a traffic ticket and you can still argue, hire some ticket fighter and usually reduce it down to almost nothing. This should NOT be allowed, and police officers should really go out and catch those reckless drivers rather than conveniently trapping naive speeders (mostly at zones where speed is reduced, from 100->80 for example).


You want to stay away from authoritarian behavior. No good comes from that.

I agree... the traps picking off people for 10 over immediately after a speed decrease are just silly. Those police just need to get on a highway for 5 minutes and they'll have a 'stunt driver' pulled over.



conix67 said:


> Government is lazy, and cut the crap about "privacy" concerns on cameras catching speeders. They really need to work diligently to make road systems safer and efficient. People's mind must also change, although not easy.


Privacy is cited as a major concern for ridiculous things. Really, it's a mega blocker to progress. Off topic, but I love throwing this out there. Most people have seen Idiocracy where they have the scanner that sets of the alerts. Privacy nuts think that this technology is a horrible thing but consider this: You have a medical history, say heart/stroke. You have a small rfid chip in your arm that paramedics read and get your entire history/medication list/emergency contacts etc... That's an incredible life saving chip that will likely never become reality because people would be up in arms about it.



conix67 said:


> Driving a JETTA wagon full of passengers (5 adults), 2 liter 4 cyl engine, averaging 200Km/h, at times (Downhills) it would hit 240Km/h. I didn't know this car can go that fast...


This is by far not the norm. He was whizzing by everyone for sure. The average speed on the autobahn is under 140km/h.

Check this out: 






conix67 said:


> It's the road rules that make sense, and the people who respect the rules - the combination makes the road safer and efficient..


There is one thing that makes roads safe, and one thing only. Predictability. The rules on the road exist so that I know what to expect from you and vice-versa. Without predictability you would have crashes everywhere.



conix67 said:


> The stunt driving law - 50Km/h - I'm yet to hear some solid proof this law made road safer. It's true people shouldn't be allowed to drive at this insane speed, but there are MANY OTHER things that should be considered first !!


That's the problem with laws like these. The benefits aren't seen directly nor quickly. You need to take a 5 year span and measure fatal accidents with a contributing speed factor and then see the drop or spike.

I can tell you that these folks would probably still have their lives if people weren't driving nuts:

http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_1166.aspx
http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_11482.aspx

That list could go on forever... Higher speed, higher damage, higher risk of fatality. It's not rocket science.

I've spent too much time on this post!! Cid, we stole your thread too! How is the beast?


----------



## bigfishy

Even if you kills a person, its not serious. The most harsh punishment you will get is a fine + lose your license and no jail time

40 and 55 sounds reasonable, there are no ways to trace of how fast your travelling at. They can measure the distance of the tires mark, but there always will be +1 / -1 errors (its not accurate, unless the car was excessively speed)

Can always argue in court about the person jumped out at the last min and so on...

if you've never gotten a speeding ticket, and the driving record is clean, you can pretty much get away with it with no consequences

just like if you kill a person and you can convince the jury that you did it as a self-defense, your free to go



I am not irresponsible, I am not slipping thru the crack of laws, its just an accident, nobody wants it to happen

but if it did happen (highly unlikely)

it shouldn't be a problem...


----------



## Ciddian

Its running good  I havent hit anyone yet! Whew.


----------



## overleaf

Good stuff! Sorry for the humongous speed posts!


----------



## bigfishy

Ciddian said:


> Its running good  I havent hit anyone yet! Whew.


good to hear! about your car running smoothly!!!

me neither!

no speeding ticket yet!


----------



## conix67

overleaf said:


> The reason it cannot be the limit is because people would push to 140km/h.


All due to failure to enforce the rules and failure to respect the rules. Like on German highways, people should interpret "limits" as "limits".



overleaf said:


> He was whizzing by everyone for sure. The average speed on the autobahn is under 140km/h.


He was whizzing by a lot of cars, like I said many cars were running very slowly. But this is NO stunt driving by any means. Yes, I was not comfortable sitting in that car running at 200Km/h, but the road conditions were well controlled with respect to other drivers. For example, you never see a car in passing lane driving at 100Km/h, or cars passing on your right.



overleaf said:


> Check this out:


This is weather related accident, not one caused by anything unique about Autobahn. I heard some people were seriously injured in this accident, but none died at the scene. Autobahn is not accident free, recent incident about a guy driving at 300Km/h scaring off a lady driver with baby causing deadly crash raised a lot of controversy over the no-limit rule again. The bottom line is that the drivers are much better disciplined over there. There are idiots anywhere you go, but that's just part of human nature.



overleaf said:


> There is one thing that makes roads safe, and one thing only. Predictability. The rules on the road exist so that I know what to expect from you and vice-versa. Without predictability you would have crashes everywhere.


This is what outrages some people who are against the stunt driving law. It's those who are into racing (not just some kid with fast cars) who understands limits of the machine (car), road and understand rules and in control regardless of speed. For that matter, regular drivers who are trained, understand simple physics and have common sense have much less chance of getting into accidents. On the other hand, those mindless drivers, fast or slow, who knows how to operate vehicle but knows nothing about rules, physics, and no common sense at all are those who makes road even more dangerous.

This is not about defending those speeders in general, but more about what really matters, prioritywise, to make road system safer.

I met few speeders, reckless drivers, on the road but rarely I need to worry about them, because I don't see them that often at all. However, I always watch out for those who enter the main road, while there's oncoming traffic at full speed, or those who ignore stop signs, or those who don't check blind spots, or those who are texting or making phone calls while driving..



overleaf said:


> I can tell you that these folks would probably still have their lives if people weren't driving nuts:
> 
> http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_1166.aspx
> http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_11482.aspx
> 
> That list could go on forever... Higher speed, higher damage, higher risk of fatality. It's not rocket science.


It's true on both occasions the speed may have been the factor. But I consider reckless driving, not just speed, was the cause. Both articles fail to mention exact speed at the time of accident, which should be a relatively easy thing to estimate.

The second article fails to mention exactly what happened during the accident. Was he running red light? Did the taxi driver make appropriate left turn? My dad's car was T-boned by a VAN running red light in Scarborough, a similar accident, but speed was not a direct factor. The driver had no license, no insurance, and no brain..

A lot of articles seem to suggest or speculate *speeding* being the major contributer to major accidents, without stating the fact. I don't think this is a good thing at all either.

Sorry to make another long post...


----------



## redclove

cars shouldn't be made to go any faster than need be, its as simple as that.

If the fastest we allow in Canada is 120-140km, then the cars we sell should be regulated to not go any faster than that. Anyone who argues that is missing the big picture of overall public safety. It doesn't matter if you are a better driver and 'can handle it'..


----------



## conix67

redclove said:


> cars shouldn't be made to go any faster than need be, its as simple as that.
> 
> If the fastest we allow in Canada is 120-140km, then the cars we sell should be regulated to not go any faster than that. Anyone who argues that is missing the big picture of overall public safety. It doesn't matter if you are a better driver and 'can handle it'..


Again, speed is not the one biggest factor of problem. What's much more important than speed is better drivers and better road regulations. It gives false impression when people talk about speed, and thinking that limiting speed solves all these problems is absolutely not true.

It does matter that you are a better driver, and better driver doesn't mean someone who can handle higher speed. Someone who is aware of surroundings at all times, someone who understands and respect the rules on the road, someone who has some common sense when it comes to driving and basic concept of physics (time vs speed), someone who understands what a "STOP" sign really means, someone who understands "RED" light means, someone who is aware that there are many bad drivers on the road, combination of all these make you a better driver.


----------



## redclove

conix67 said:


> It does matter that you are a better driver, and better driver doesn't mean someone who can handle higher speed. Someone who is aware of surroundings at all times, someone who understands and respect the rules on the road, someone who has some common sense when it comes to driving and basic concept of physics (time vs speed), someone who understands what a "STOP" sign really means, someone who understands "RED" light means, someone who is aware that there are many bad drivers on the road, combination of all these make you a better driver.


yes all that is a given, being a better driver is obv. better etc., but there is no reason to go that fast if you are not a part of emergency services. Its not that if car developers avoided allowing high those speeds it would solve everything, but its a very simple fix that would help.


----------



## conix67

redclove said:


> yes all that is a given, being a better driver is obv. better etc., but there is no reason to go that fast if you are not a part of emergency services. Its not that if car developers avoided allowing high those speeds it would solve everything, but its a very simple fix that would help.


It's not the manufacturers. Many cars already have speed governers that limits top speed but physically capable of higher speed.

It's the government and public interest. Just like the "privacy" argument of speed cameras, no one wants to buy cars limited to 100Km/h in Canada.

Many argue that many part of Canadian highway should allow higher speed limits, but it will be very dangerous because Canadians are not Germans.


----------



## bigfishy

Its raining again...



time for fun 



conix67 said:


> It's not the manufacturers. Many cars already have speed governers that limits top speed but physically capable of higher speed.
> 
> It's the government and public interest. Just like the "privacy" argument of speed cameras, no one wants to buy cars limited to 100Km/h in Canada.
> 
> Many argue that many part of Canadian highway should allow higher speed limits, but it will be very dangerous because Canadians are not Germans.


Many cars are not capable of higher speed (the top speed in your speedometer, its something you can't reach, even if you press it HARD on the pedal, I personally tried it)

Just like mini-van, many mini-van have 200 to 220km/h as their top speed, but if you reach that speed, a slight breeze of wind will make the van flip

Not just in Canada, but to anywhere in the world...no one will buy a car that is limited to 100km/h



-----------------

Ciddan's car thread...

have become ....

a debate zone ...

xD


----------



## Ciddian

I agree with you Red...


----------



## AquaNeko

Ciddian said:


> the goal was to get a new car, I had a little over a grand saved up but this comes to that. Baby.. had to move LOL Ya know?
> 
> I would love to get a new car but then all this crap came up at once. Now i've put so much money into the car I dont wanna turn around and sell it and maybe not make my money back.
> 
> I personally loathe the subway and the people drive like idiots around here sunstar. I wrote off riding a bike a long time ago unless it was for fun and on a path with no cars. Also. living in toronto and working in pickering makes it hard to bike... Its a hard sell for me. lol
> 
> I know what you mean about the going in for one thing and then boom all this other stuff breaks down. The midas we go to is usually not bad but since they changed up their staff I really dont trust them anymore. Esp. after all of this. they called me 10 mins to 6 (they close at 6) to come get the car.. .. They had the whole day.
> 
> I've been to canadian tire and will never go back again. I took my airostar in for breaks and they installed the ones in the back backwards. They also missed something that they should have taken my van away. I told them to check out the clunking noise I was always hearing when I would break or go over speed bumps.
> It turned out that my back axil had shifted and had about 4-5 inches of play, I lost my breaks that week too. I could have used the heads up from them before they blew on the way to an apt. lol
> 
> thanks thou guys. The advice really helps.


Can.T for service. ;; I've heard enough horror stories and one that hit a little closer to me for someone I was working with she had her car taken to Can.T and one (or I think two fuzzy memory now but for sure the wheel(s) came off) of the wheels came off while driving in traffic. I think what I remember hearing in the staff room was that the wheel was finger tightened. After hearing that one I got out tire iron and gave a check on all my wheels a check.

Yah a bike would be nice being downtown (I'm in the 'burbs) as whenever I go downtown I can't seem to beat a bike down there in speed/movement and advantage being stuck in traffic. Not to mention it's like $2/1hr (IIRC or $2/30min? ) at the parking meters down there. Where I live and after some riding training I can make it downtown on top gear just shy over an hours time (~1h5m) on my bike while if I took the DVP turning rush time I end up ~40mins to get where I want to go and finding parking is another 10mins circling and paying out the waaazoo. I know the trail system and going downtown is all downhill hill mostly so I can fly down there on the bike. I maintain about 22kph AVS average for my trip on my bike comp and this is coming from a mountain bike.

I was going to mention concider looking into a petrol scooter or electric bicycle but then you mentioned you working in Pickering (I think you live downtown right?). Have you ever considered part-bike commuting? Like bike it to say the GO station then lock up and take the train to work or get a folding bike and take it with you to work? $5000 on a $1000 purchased car.  You really must love that car.  We have a 1998 Ford Escort ZX2 or something of that designation I forgot and for it used in 2000-2001 I think. Still working and running today. I think it was $5000 for that car buy out end of lease from the owners. Turned out to be a good car given it's working strong ~130,000km. I've heard or people saying the car working to 250,000km so lots of life on it. Brakes, tire rotate, fluid flushing, clutch (manual here), and I think the car maintance so far has been ~$1000 not factoring in the 4 winter tires.

With a e-bike well you can ride normally then turn the power on when you need to take a hill or carry a load or personal security and need the extra speed. I've heard from reading a number of forums they can 30kph on the motor alone for the speed without pedaling and have about a 20km range batter alone or about 40-50km if you use something like 20/80 motor-use/pedal effort to extend your range and maintain about 20km speed. Not bad. Tho lifting those bikes is HEAVY unless you can drop the coinage for li-po batteries. I've heard that some downtown bike shops will retrofit a motor to your bike if you want a motor on it and have a bike already.

There are kits out there such as the BionX, Crystalite (sp?), and Ebike kits. ~$500 for a kit add on.


----------



## AquaNeko

bigfishy said:


> We understand, (we are the risk takers) and I like these ads...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Played too much Need for speed games, always want to try it out in real life. Before the imposed 50km/h above speeding law.. Used to joke with friends of how fast we can go.
> 
> Used to drive like 170, 180 in the morning hours (4am - 5am) in the upper part of Markham Rd (dual lane).
> 
> Its dangerous, but it is something you can't get from the video games, the G-force, the steering wheel shakes at 140 and the car frame shakes at 160+
> 
> Not recommended!


Umm I think there is a speed track up north in Woodbine. Molson SpeedPort I think. Forgot the name. IIRC having seen some news on that on the news with people talking about it. I think it's like $40 for track fees. Want to speed? Go there and drop the hammer till the engine bolts loosen. Just remember.. a game is a game. IRL has NO RESPAWN POINTS.


----------



## AquaNeko

overleaf said:


> I hope for your sakes that you don't encounter a scenario like this, although I know a person who did... he lost control of his vehicle and pinned a girls legs against the wall. The legs were amputated... the girl permanently disabled. The guy? Well, nothings changed for him. He's still a shithead who drives without a license like a madman.
> 
> Be larger than that.


Liquid fire, nuff said. Grrr..........

Edit: Give that girl a flamethrower and put that guy in the same room. Grrr...


----------



## bigfishy

AquaNeko said:


> Umm I think there is a speed track up north in Woodbine. Molson SpeedPort I think. Forgot the name. IIRC having seen some news on that on the news with people talking about it. I think it's like $40 for track fees. Want to speed? Go there and drop the hammer till the engine bolts loosen. Just remember.. a game is a game. IRL has NO RESPAWN POINTS.


I don't have a fancy car like a bentley or a benz or a bmw

People will laugh at me 

so I will just stick it to open road for the time being


----------



## Abner

Most people with nice cars don't really go racing them around on city streets or highways it's the guys with the little civics and integras so if that is what you got then you can take it up there...my buddy has and integra and he goes to the track and i think he does that late night back road street racing thing but i can't say for sure...but yeah IMO driving fast to get to where you going and racing is two different things...keep the racing on the track and if you driving fast make sure you are alert to whats going on around you


----------



## bigfishy

Abner said:


> Most people with nice cars don't really go racing them around on city streets or highways it's the guys with the little civics and integras so if that is what you got then you can take it up there...my buddy has and integra and he goes to the track and i think he does that late night back road street racing thing but i can't say for sure...but yeah IMO driving fast to get to where you going and racing is two different things...keep the racing on the track and if you driving fast make sure you are alert to whats going on around you


I have something worst than a civic but better than Ciddan's car

that's why I said American car is "^%$£!^&" I kept telling my dad not to buy American car, but he wouldn't listen

As for me, I lost pretty much everything in stocks, so I am stranded too


----------



## Ciddian

Hey.. I love my car. LOL 

The other issue coming up for avoiding bikes is, well being pregnant makes me not trust other drivers even more. Esp with the way some of you guys talk just blows my mind. O-o

The other is my other half works at the same place I do and sometimes my mom will carpool with us. We depend on the car.. I am not some sunday driver or anything like that. I have a car because I need it. 

We are even better now that we picked a place to move where we don't need to drive much anywhere except for work and camping. Everything is walking distance


----------



## AquaNeko

Ciddian said:


> Hey.. I love my car. LOL
> 
> The other issue coming up for avoiding bikes is, well being pregnant makes me not trust other drivers even more. Esp with the way some of you guys talk just blows my mind. O-o
> 
> The other is my other half works at the same place I do and sometimes my mom will carpool with us. We depend on the car.. I am not some sunday driver or anything like that. I have a car because I need it.
> 
> We are even better now that we picked a place to move where we don't need to drive much anywhere except for work and camping. Everything is walking distance


Cid,

Ahh I didn't know that you're pregnant. Boy or girl? Hmm.. a recumbent is also a good choice as well if you're game for riding for fun.


----------



## Abner

yeah you can get anything from Sun Valley or the chinese supermarket across the street there so no need to drive and the school has an ok park...yeah i used to live at Birchmount and St.clair too lol


----------



## Ciddian

Yup yup you got it abner lol

Yup going to have my first in dec, not sure if its a boy or girl yet


----------

