New Car Blues
Mayor Sam is going to head over to Galpin Motors to look into buying a new car. Unlike Boi from Troy, I'm not looking at joining the crowd and getting a BMW.So, what of a car is respectable enough for an old, dead Mayor to tool around in?
Posted by Mayor Sam @ 1/24/2006 12:02:00 PM
17 Comments:
dont buy a used one
Flooded Autos
Used Car Buyers Warned About Autos Flooded in Gulf Hurricanes
Eds: Carol Thorp or Jeffrey Spring of the Automobile Club of Southern
California can be reached at (714) 885-2333. Gary Gartner of Garamendi's
office can be reached at (415) 533-2003.
LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Southland residents shopping for a used car were warned
today to beware of vehicles flooded during last year's Gulf hurricanes,
something unscrupulous sellers might not disclose.
In all, an estimated 300,000 to 600,000 vehicles were damaged in hurricanes
Katrina and Rita, according to figures cited today by California Insurance
Commissioner John Garamendi and the Automobile Club of Southern California.
``It is estimated that at least half of those will end up on the used car
market instead of being scrapped,'' Steve Lenzi, who heads the Auto Club's
public affairs department, said in a statement today.
The dried-out and cleaned-up vehicles are showing up at used car lots and
auto salvage auction lots, or listed on ads for auto salvage networks,
according to Garamendi's office.
Sellers will likely try to pass off the cars in states far from the Gulf,
buyers are warned.
To avoid unwittingly becoming the buyer of a car that was flooded, the Auto
Club and Garamendi's office recommend checking for signs such as mud or
residue under the dashboard, musty odors inside the car or in the trunk, and
mud or grit behind under-hood components. A high-water mark on the engine
block or rusted wires or other components can also be indicators the car was
once flooded.
Although some states require dealers to disclose known flood damage,
refurbishers intent on deception can clean up the more obvious evidence.
Even if obvious problems such as mildewed carpeting or a ruined alternator
are fixed, however, flooding can permanently damage sensitive electronics that
manage the engine's operation or control such safety components as air bags
and anti-lock brakes. Such damage might not show up until months after the
flooding occurred, Lenzi said.
Other tips for checking on a car's history include:
-- Accessing history information online via Carfax, a firm that provides
background checks on used vehicles. Prospective buyers enter a vehicle's 17-
character vehicle identification number (VIN) and check if it was registered
in a disaster area. Its Web site, www.carfax.com, also shows if the vehicle's
title is marked ``flood damaged.''
-- Checking the database of the National Insurance Crime Bureau,
www.nicb.org, which contains a list of vehicles and watercraft affected by the
recent hurricanes. This information is free.
-- Buying a certified used car or truck -- one warranted by the automaker,
not just an individual car dealer -- because automakers exclude flood-damaged
cars from their certified-car programs.
-- Thoroughly test driving a used vehicle and having it inspected at an
auto-body shop and a repair shop.
``Don't let a washed-up car take you to the cleaners,'' Garamendi said in a
statement today.
``If you're in the market for a used car, remember that hundreds of
thousands of flooded vehicles are out there. Make sure you run a thorough
background check before you purchase a pre-owned car.''
Any hybrid will be fine. Do your part for the environment. Boekmann doesn't really need the money.
get a toyota, they last forever!
Do NOT waste your money on a hybrid. You spend $10,000 extra to "save fuel." But for $10,000, you could buy 4000 gallons at $2.50 per gallon. If your car gets, say, 15miles per gallon, that translates into 60,000 miles. In other words, for the extra $10,000, you could drive the first 60,000 miles free.
If you want to save gas, buy something cool, like a huge motorcycle. Arnold may have one for sale, but for God's sake, cut off the side car. Who is he, Sergeant Freakin' Schultz? If you want to buy a car, you can get a great lease deal on a Ford Explorer. Plus, it'll hold a bunch of dogs, which is important.
Mayor Sam, here's your new ride:
http://powersports.honda.com/motorcycles/cruiser_standard/model.asp?ModelName=VTX1800&ModelYear=2005&ModelId=VTX18C15&ModelStyle=VTX18C15
Mayor Sam, here's your new ride, fuel-efficient yet cool, and you can ride it in the car pool lane legally even without a passenger:
http://powersports.honda.com/motorcycles/cruiser_standard/model.asp?ModelName=VTX1800&ModelYear=2005&ModelId=VTX18C15&ModelStyle=VTX18C15
Thank God Walter Moore will never be the Mayor of our City.
Nobody who lives here with the worst air quality in the state (besides San Joaquin) and is more interested in gas prices than the quality of our air... will never be our Mayor. Ever.
Those antiquated ideas about the environment wouldn't even fly with the Republicans in this City.
An SUV indeed. What an ass. You surely aren't trying for the young votes, eh? Nothing trendy for you. Yep yep, then go for the SUV.
I didn't even notice this part before, Walt.
You are against car pool lanes. Nice.
What kind of tree would you be?
What's your favorite color?
What's your sign?
Pfffffffffffffffffff
Hey, I'm all for the environment, but hybrids are a gyp. If you want to prevent pollution AND reduce traffic jams, do what I do: live close to work, and drive a motorcycle whenever possible. What's wrong with that?! I've arranged my life so as to drive about 3000 miles per year. So you tell me: which of us releases more poison into the air?
P.S. Motorcycles get 40-50 mpg. Does your car get that? Plus, they're FUN!
P.P.S. As for car pool lanes, what I said is the law: you can ride a motorcycle in one, alone. The reason for this law is that motorcycles are much more fuel-efficient than cars, so riding alone on your bike provides at least as much benefit as riding with a passenger in a car.
Nobody knows car pool lane laws more than I do. I do have my motorcycle license too.
I drive a Prius though and I say YOU generate more pollution just by telling someone to go purchase a Ford Explorer.
Although I appreciate your environmental sentiment in buying the Prius, let's look at the math:
The MSRP for a Toyota Prius is $21,725.
The MSRP for the comparable, non-hybrid Toyota Matrix is $15,110, and it gets 30-36 MPG. So you could have bought one for $6,615 less than the Prius.
Therefore, if you had bought a Matrix, and spent the $6,615 on gas at at $2.50 per gallon, you could have driven between the Matrix 79,380 miles and 95,256 for the same amount it cost you just to drive your Prius off the lot. Imagine never having to pay for a drop of gas for 80,000 miles!
So whether you buy and Explorer, or a Matrix, or Harley, hybrids are gyps. But if it makes you feel better, hey, maybe it's worth the extra six grand.
Of course, for that same money, you could have gotten a motorcycle. (Can you tell I like motorcycles?)
Typo: meant to say, ". . . you could have driven the Matrix between . . ."
I bought a Mazda3 hatch from Galpin in '04. Their service department is great enough to make it worthwhile for me to go from Palms to North Hills. (Plus, Culver City Mazda shut down, and I sure ain't goin' to Santa Monica.)
Well that insane truck comment proves that Tofu girl is from CD 12. Rednecks, white men and Republicans.
Sorry though, the vegan thing doesn't compute.
If you want to sit next to Mayor Sam in a black truck, he's gonna want a gun rack for his deer on it.
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