Random Thoughts Thread

[ccap41]

I saw a '19 Denali last week at my local dealer and it MSRP'd for 67k. Pretty truck though. It's amazing how much better the Sierra looks than the Silverado.

[Robert Hall]

7 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

I saw a '19 Denali last week at my local dealer and it MSRP'd for 67k. Pretty truck though. It's amazing how much better the Sierra looks than the Silverado.

The grille, front fascia and front fenders have much simpler styling on the GMC.  The Silverado has way too many details, cutlines and contours, IMO..overwrought.  

The GMC could look better with a couple changes--make a flat bottom to the grille opening (get rid of the left and right tabs) and get rid of the slot in the top center of the grille surround by the hood....

Edited September 11, 2018 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[balthazar]

Just looking at the original window sticker of my wife's '87 Mustang. LX hatchback, 2.3L/ 4-spd auto. Base MSRP : $8690, destination charge : $374, as built : $10,512.

The 2.3L Mustang then had 90 HP, now it has 310.
2.3L/auto then was rated 22/28, now it's rated 21/32 - not much of a bump considering 31 years and 6 more gears in the trans. MSRP sure bumped tho.

[Robert Hall]

3 minutes ago, balthazar said:

Just looking at the original window sticker of my wife's '87 Mustang. LX hatchback, 2.3L/ 4-spd auto. Base MSRP : $8690, destination charge : $374, as built : $10,512.

The 2.3L Mustang then had 90 HP, now it has 310.
2.3L/auto then was rated 22/28, now it's rated 21/32 - not much of a bump considering 31 years and 6 more gears in the trans. MSRP sure bumped tho.

Today's 2.3 Mustang is probably 1000lbs heavier..I had a '86 Mustang LX notchback w/ the 4spd manual...was my college car from '88 until it was totaled in '94.   IIRC it was about $8k used when I got it in June '88 (had like 20k miles).   

My '87 Mustang GT hatchback was around $14k new in '87 IIRC. I think the original window sticker is filed away somewhere in my parents' house. Got it in June '87. 

[ykX]

29 minutes ago, balthazar said:

Just looking at the original window sticker of my wife's '87 Mustang. LX hatchback, 2.3L/ 4-spd auto. Base MSRP : $8690, destination charge : $374, as built : $10,512.

The 2.3L Mustang then had 90 HP, now it has 310.
2.3L/auto then was rated 22/28, now it's rated 21/32 - not much of a bump considering 31 years and 6 more gears in the trans. MSRP sure bumped tho.

According to inflation calculator $8690 in today's money will be $19277

Considering base MSRP for Ecoboost Mustang is about $26k prices definitely went up, but I guess much more technology goes into modern cars.

[ccap41]

5 minutes ago, ykX said:

According to inflation calculator $8690 in today's money will be $19277

Considering base MSRP for Ecoboost Mustang is about $26k prices definitely went up, but I guess much more technology goes into modern cars.

At full MSRP that's a significant difference but I've seen new 2.3 Mustangs for as low as 21-22k. 

[Robert Hall]

Sign of fall..pumpkin spice flavor dog treats. 

[ocnblu]

23 hours ago, balthazar said:

I am definitely intrigued (but it's got to be a CC) : 

That looks like the Elevation model, which is a sporty base model.  I think it is extended cab (double cab) only.

 

[balthazar]

Regularly searching local dealership sites for Sierras/SIlvies- very scarce still.
- - - - -
If one happens to ever read the Wikipedia entry for 'Pontiac Catalina' and notes the passage that states 'over 3.8 million were sold', this is where that tally came from; I added up the years it was a model series and edited the entry. BTW, I've seen conflicting info on whether the Cat made a 1 year return for '83, but the production total I saw is inconsequential either way WRT 3.8 million. 

Edited September 12, 2018 by balthazar

[trinacriabob]

21 hours ago, Cubical-aka-Moltar said:

Sign of fall..pumpkin spice flavor dog treats. 

 

I'm waiting for pumpkin pie, and even pumpkin pancakes.

I try to limit myself to 1 slice of Key lime pie when it's in season.  Unbelievable!

[Robert Hall]

Fresh locally-sourced Key Lime pie was one of things i enjoyed about growing in the Florida Keys. 

[trinacriabob]

Random thought of the day:

Humidification of the cabin and aircraft.  I had the opportunity to fly on the Boeing 747-8i, the last rendition of this beautiful aircraft.  It was meant to be Boeing's answer to the Airbus 380.  Its main features are more length (and passenger capacity), better noise suppression, better fuel economy, better bin space, and better humidification and illumination in the cabin.  I can't say that it delivered on quiet, and one passenger told me the A380 is the quieter of the two, but it must have delivered on humidification ... never have I gotten off the plane after the more arduous westbound trip and not felt like a wet noodle. The overhead bins in steerage are really spacious.  Very few airlines have opted to order and operate it in pax form.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner preceded it and has some of the very same features.  You can sample the 787 domestically and on fairly short hauls.  I'd sure like to know if the 787 makes for a better flight experience than the 767 it replaces.

[daves87rs]

On 9/10/2018 at 8:01 PM, ocnblu said:

It would not be so "nasty" with the chrome bumper/alloy wheel package and the 5.3.  It would be the one I'd buy.

True, might be something to add when they ramp up....

[balthazar]

[G. David Felt]

1 hour ago, balthazar said:

Sweet looking truck, yet like @Cubical-aka-Moltar said, just a few tweaks and it would be perfect. I have to wonder if the designers were watching Twilight when they decided to put fangs on the Grill.

Worthless, they should have just gone straight across.

No matter what, the GMC is way better looking than the Chevy version.

[balthazar]

Meh- to each, his own. I like the 'fangs'- GMC has done rectangular grilles ad naseum.

As the Elevation is limited to the Double Cab, it looks like to get something similar, appearance-wise, in a Crew Cab one has to go with the AT4.

[G. David Felt]

Have to say, I got the 6.2L V8 and like the over all package, shame that you cannot get the warm brown interior with the All Terrain package. Yet came in at $55K, I am gonna have to build up a Denali and compare to see what the differences are. I hate all the chrome crap, but am interested in what is in the Denali loaded package.

Weird, just reviewed the print option and they now only show it with the 5.3L V8. This makes no sense to me to not allow the buyer to have the engine of their choice with the packages of their choice.

[balthazar]

^ You can get the cocoa/dune interior tho.
• Very pleased to see the suite of safety nannys (forward collision, lane keep, etc) is line-item optional!
My build on the '18 1500 :

[ccap41]

2 hours ago, balthazar said:

This looks so damn good. 

I'm almost impressed with how well they made this look and then how bad they made the Silverado look. 

I have a very good feeling that if the bottom of the grille was flat people would then say,  "something looks too bland about it."

[ccap41]

1 hour ago, dfelt said:

Have to say, I got the 6.2L V8 and like the over all package, shame that you cannot get the warm brown interior with the All Terrain package. Yet came in at $55K, I am gonna have to build up a Denali and compare to see what the differences are. I hate all the chrome crap, but am interested in what is in the Denali loaded package.

Weird, just reviewed the print option and they now only show it with the 5.3L V8. This makes no sense to me to not allow the buyer to have the engine of their choice with the packages of their choice.

The 6.2 is optional on the '19's with the AT4 package.

[balthazar]

'18 Sierra CC/standard box, 5.3L/3.42 rear : tows 9100 lbs. 6.2L /3.23 rear : 9000. Add Max Trailering package and it goes to 10,700.
That's plenty- I can downgrade from my 2500HD with no worries. B-59 should be around 4100, car trailer is about 1500.

Maybe I can find a good deal on a 1-yr old '18.

[A Horse With No Name]

Damn fine looking truck.

22 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

Random thought of the day:

Humidification of the cabin and aircraft.  I had the opportunity to fly on the Boeing 747-8i, the last rendition of this beautiful aircraft.  It was meant to be Boeing's answer to the Airbus 380.  Its main features are more length (and passenger capacity), better noise suppression, better fuel economy, better bin space, and better humidification and illumination in the cabin.  I can't say that it delivered on quiet, and one passenger told me the A380 is the quieter of the two, but it must have delivered on humidification ... never have I gotten off the plane after the more arduous westbound trip and not felt like a wet noodle. The overhead bins in steerage are really spacious.  Very few airlines have opted to order and operate it in pax form.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner preceded it and has some of the very same features.  You can sample the 787 domestically and on fairly short hauls.  I'd sure like to know if the 787 makes for a better flight experience than the 767 it replaces.

I would say alnost universal yes.

[balthazar]

12 hours ago, ccap41 said:

I'm almost impressed with how well they made this [GMC] look and then how bad they made the Silverado look.

Silverado depends a lot on the trim and the lighting. It is a complex design up front, and it can take on a lot of different appearances. REALLY curious to see one in person. Until then, I can definitely find versions I would say I like enough to purchase.

[ccap41]

10 hours ago, balthazar said:

Silverado depends a lot on the trim and the lighting. It is a complex design up front, and it can take on a lot of different appearances. REALLY curious to see one in person. Until then, I can definitely find versions I would say I like enough to purchase.

My local Chevy dealer had one a couple weeks ago and I stopped by at night when I saw it and..it was unlocked. Lol.  

 

Overall, I really liked it but in that trim it was really ugly. Something I found odd was how tough the center console was to click shut and that there still aren’t holes in the bed for sitting water to drain out. 

They had a ‘19 Denali stuffed in the back of the lot. That looked great but it seemed odd they’d stick the 67k truck in the back of the lot but the one right out front was a lower end Silverado. 

[balthazar]

Maybe the Denali was spoken for/sold.
- - - - -
Believe it or not, someone did this to a '66 Corvette : 

[ocnblu]

A Custom Trail Boss Double Cab (extended cab for the uninitiated) with V8 and spray-in liner is around $43k.  To me that is a sweet spot when a Ram 1500 Big Horn with Hemi, Level 1 package and anti-slip rear end is $44k.

[balthazar]

[daves87rs]

After searching and deciding On a CUV, Ford comes by and offers a nice deal for a Fusion...almost hard to say no to.

#decisions

 

[balthazar]

Last night, after at least 3 hours on the compumachine doing research, got tired, shut down the machine, walked thru the kitchen and picked up my cell phone. Time was 1:11.

- - - - -
For Moltar; comparing the '15 to the '19.  :

Edited September 16, 2018 by balthazar

[trinacriabob]

On 9/15/2018 at 8:07 AM, balthazar said:

My mom knew an elderly lady who had one of these.  She had the cat glasses, too.  My dad and her husband knew each other through their work.  Her car was a cream or metallic bronze color.

She was from the East Coast, was a widow, and lived in a one story stucco ranch house.   A lot of the stucco ranch homes out West were built with mailboxes and their chutes wedged in between the studs so that the mail carrier could drop your mall in the flap in the wall outside and you could retrieve the mail from inside the house. 

We all know kids can be a-holes.  I don't think she was nasty to anyone in her neighborhood.  She sure liked talking to me.  At any rate, she went out of town to visit family and some neighborhood kids had put her garden hose into the mailbox and left it turned on.  She came home to find this.  It caused a lot of damage.  I can't see this car or think of that lady without thinking of that horrible prank.  It surpasses the horse laxative prank in "The Pope of Greenwich Village."

[balthazar]

^ I just read someone online talking about a current prank of feeding a hose into the dryer vent & turning it on.

[G. David Felt]

I just do not get the whole prank to cause big damage to people houses.

[Robert Hall]

My mailbox is like that, a flap set in the brick.. original 1967 I assume.   And my front yard hose & hose reel is about 5 feet from it (have outside faucets right below it). 

Edited September 16, 2018 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[trinacriabob]

17 minutes ago, dfelt said:

I just do not get the whole prank to cause big damage to people houses.

I don't either.  Toilet paper was a nuisance, but it could be cleaned up.  Eggs damaged the pigmentation of the paint or the siding of a house.  Then, kids did some interesting things with dog turds.  I think that a lot of this stuff was instigated by comedies of the '70s and '80s, like "Porky's" and others.  Kids in L.A. would constantly talk about a prank they saw in the latest TV show or movie.

[Robert Hall]

One thing I remember kids (presumably) doing to my folks when I was kid was filling the mailbox with corn kernels.  The mailbox was almost a mile from the house at the end of the driveway, so really couldn't see what was going on down there at night.   Another thing was running over the mailbox when it was on a thin post.  My Dad fixed that by mounting the box on a 4ft section of telephone pole set into concrete. 

[balthazar]

• In many areas, constructing an 'immovable object' at roadside can get you in legal troubles, tho how it's different than a boulder or a 24-in Oak; I don't know.

• In my neck of the woods growing up, mailbox baseball was common for years. The only thing that kept my father from completely blowing his stack after his mailbox was crushed the 2nd time, was that the 'players' had tossed a decent mailbox on the lawn that night. In fact, I know that the mailbox at my house must've came from Dad- I think he banged out mailbox #2 & kept 'freebie #3' on the shelf, and that's what I have. Has a bit of a crinkle at the rear panel. 26 years and going strong- apparently no 'players' around me.

[Robert Hall]

19 minutes ago, balthazar said:

• In many areas, constructing an 'immovable object' at roadside can get you in legal troubles, tho how it's different than a boulder or a 24-in Oak; I don't know.
 

Who knows; rural Ohio..it's been there 40+ years. 

[G. David Felt]

I remember Mailbox baseball and my dad fixed it by using a commercial I-beam in 4' deep cement along with welding a new mailbox out of 1" thick commercial sheet steel. The next time the kids tried, they ended up having damage to their car and and a we got a bat. I think the kid swung, hit an immovable object and the bat left the hands, hit the car and no more mailbox baseball attacks.  

[G. David Felt]

 

Floating islands of FireAnts in NC flood zones. Crazy!!! 

[Drew Dowdell]

Anyone ever just want to liquidate everything and go live in a cabin in the woods away from everyone?

[G. David Felt]

2 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Anyone ever just want to liquidate everything and go live in a cabin in the woods away from everyone?

Yes, I could so just live in the Yukon and off the land and enjoy the peace and quiet with no modern tech at times.

[Robert Hall]

4 hours ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Anyone ever just want to liquidate everything and go live in a cabin in the woods away from everyone?

Well, I have the cabin in the woods on 150 acres 90 miles from here... but I would need to remove it's current resident.    

I don't think I will ever live there again, though..too far from civilization...likely can't get high speed internet, no Starbucks within 25 miles, no Dunkin Donuts within 50 miles, no DoorDash service... 

[ocnblu]

Yuppie.  I bet you still pop the collars on your Izod shirts.

[Robert Hall]

41 minutes ago, ocnblu said:

Yuppie.  I bet you still pop the collars on your Izod shirts.

I never got into collar popping, but I did wear Izod and Polo Ralph Lauren from high school into my 30s..

Edited September 18, 2018 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[G. David Felt]

2 hours ago, ocnblu said:

Yuppie.  I bet you still pop the collars on your Izod shirts.

Yuppies do Tommy Bahama now. Swinging in the breeze!  

[Robert Hall]

8 minutes ago, dfelt said:

Yuppies do Tommy Bahama now. Swinging in the breeze!  

I have several Tommy Bahama shirts in my summer wardrobe.   Working from home, though, I usually wear gray hoodies and t-shirts, sweats or shorts and flip-flops.  Everyday more casual than casual Friday... I have a closet full of dress clothes for when I have to go back to an office...

[G. David Felt]

1 hour ago, Cubical-aka-Moltar said:

I have several Tommy Bahama shirts in my summer wardrobe.   Working from home, though, I usually wear gray hoodies and t-shirts, sweats or shorts and flip-flops.  Everyday more casual than casual Friday... I have a closet full of dress clothes for when I have to go back to an office...

I get that, when I was in sales, I was personally dressed at Nordstroms so that I hit everything right in the tech sales. Once I flipped to Engineering, my most casual dress is clean nice jean shorts and Polo shirts, I have a nice selection of Tommy Bahama as they are worth the coin. Last long and look good. I honestly get dressed up once a year now for our big trade show in Vegas and that is it.

[Robert Hall]

It's funny, my current client when I started there 4 years ago required business wear w/ ties in the office from Labor Day through Memorial Day on Mon-Thur...unusual in software engineering, esp. in Arizona which was usually pretty casual.  Eventually dropped the tie requirement. I didn't really enjoy wearing ties, esp. in Arizona's heat..now that I work remotely, I can ignore their dress codes...

[balthazar]

Clothing- a necessary evil.

[trinacriabob]

I know that Tommy Bahama exists but I don't know what their stuff is all about.  Is it even slightly Jimmy Buffett like?  I've just passed it by.  My suits are gone or, should I say, I'm down to 4 that I like.  They were bargains on good brands from the Nordstrom Rack.  I love to find bargains in ties, too.  I have both maroon and pale green mono-color ties in bas relief paisley that look sharp.  However, these days, I dress casual and feel too dressed up when I have the suit and tie on.  I certainly wouldn't walk into a car dealer's service department to have a service order written up looking like that.