Oct. 26 Weekly Open Thread

As always, use the comments for random conversation.

I've been thinking "Ask Car Lust" might be an interesting feature--just send in your questions to our e-mail address in the right column and we will do our best to give you some good answers. Everything from opinions on cars, buying advice, questions about the blog, why we ban conversation about politics/religion--ask whatever you'd like!

--Chris H.

Comments

[Chris Meirose on October 26, 2009 at 04:12 PM]

We don't answer religious and political questions because I'm right. Always. Dissent is not allow, opposition will be crushed. :-)

--Big Chris

[Locutis on October 26, 2009 at 04:34 PM]

And resistance is FUTILE!

[Gene on October 26, 2009 at 07:25 PM]

OK, I've been waiting endlessly for a Car Lust (or Disgust) for my first car--a 1969 Chevy Nova coupe--or some other "no-go." Kind of surprised there's been only one Nova post (and that one for the earlier and cooler mid-60's Nova/Chevy II). Considering how ubiquitous these babies were all through the 1970s, where's the love?

[That Car Guy on October 27, 2009 at 10:45 AM]

Gene, a 1968-1974 Chevy Nova post is under construction as we speak. Please stay tuned!

[David Colborne on October 27, 2009 at 11:40 AM]

Random thoughts that ran through my head over the weekend:

- Am I a hypocrite because I think we lost something by no longer having access to truly terrible cars like British iron or Yugos even though I'm not rushing to the Dodge dealership to pick up a new Nitro?

- If a Chevy Volt died in a forest and nobody was around, would it make a sound?

- If there is a God, why does He allow GM to live?

- If we had to represent political parties via cars instead of animals, what would we come up with? I would imagine the GOP would be something like a Lincoln Navigator, since it's elephantine and generally bad for the environment, while the Democrats would be a Smart Fortwo, since it's great in theory but surprisingly expensive and inconvenient in practice. Libertarians, meanwhile, could be a Tata Nano (a bit too minimal for most) and the Greens could be one of those solar powered pedal cars.

Now we find out if I'm bending the rules or just brazenly braking (ha!) them...

[Anthony Cagle on October 27, 2009 at 05:02 PM]

We could talk about gas. . . .err, the petrol variety. Why? Every now and then I see/read a news segment on how bargain gasoline is just the same as big brand gas. Well, my Mustang was running really really rough and liked to stall out at first startup. . .until I switched from the cheap Sam's Club gas to Shell. Now it purrs like a kitten. The old engine -- I put a '89-'93 5.0L in it -- was the same way with cheap gas.

[Tommy's Dad on October 31, 2009 at 01:21 AM]

Anthony, I had that exact same problem with my 2003 Suzuki Forenza and costco gas. Bad idling, sputtered, stalled while making a left turn (with oncoming traffic closing fast, something that made me swear with more feeling than I've ever have before or since).

Turned out it was a bad ECM chip, 2 bad spark plugs, and bad costco gas. The first two were fixed by warranty repairs, and the last by going to a regular gas station. Still a miserable little car with a voracious appetite for those ECM chips (3 replaced in six months!), but I solved THAT problem by replacing it with an 06 Legacy. Much better.

Oddly though, all the subarus and toyotas in mine and my parents' fleets, not a one has ever had problems with low grade gas, they seem to run just as well regardless. All I can figure is it's either the build quality and refinement of their engines, or else my Forenza was just an extra-special dud of a car.