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The transmission is actually kind of a neat setup. You have the engine and motor sandwiched together using planetary gears, like most other hybrid cars. Instead of the output being connected to a conventional CVT setup and driving the front wheels, Lexus made a new, ultra-compact rear-mounted four-speed automatic that directly drives the rear wheels. I'm all for the replacement of CVT's, especially in Hybrids.

How true on the first thought about OEMs making it easier... I wonder why they complicate things today? I mean, engineers design the car, dont they think about the "KISS" theory? Keep it simple, stupid... And...other engineers engineer how to manufacture it...you would think that the "KISS" theory would kick in at this level if not at the initial car design stage... On the second part...I forgot about how expensive batteries still are today. So...in other words, although I dont do any work myself on my cars, I at least sympathize with you if I dont fully understand how difficult things get get...you know...because I dont do any mechanics for myself, so I dont really know how complicated things are... Heeeelllloooooooo I'm right here! Cars are complicated, but the trucks I work on are much more complicated, at least electrically. I get to work on these bad boys:

I will have another Volvo one day, that's for sure. If they keep coming out with awesome products like this, it'll be hard to resist.

What was it doing that it felt bad? Mainly, it didn't feel planted. Especially over bumps mid-corner. Plus the steering wheel was off-center. Now that it's done, the car feels totally transformed. It feels like how everyone describes a Miata. It feels so sure-footed and just more eager. $130 well spent. Here's the before and after. Like I said, the alignment before was just terrible.

What was it doing that it felt bad? Mainly, it didn't feel planted. Especially over bumps mid-corner. Plus the steering wheel was off-center. Now that it's done, the car feels totally transformed. It feels like how everyone describes a Miata. It feels so sure-footed and just more eager. $130 well spent.

Getting the Miata aligned to my specs. They're going to get it within 1/32 of my requests. It should transform the car, the alignment felt terrible from the factory.

I saw the new Camaro last night at a local car meet. Even up close it was hard to distinguish between the last generation car. It just didn't have much sex appeal for being a completely new car. Sounded good, though.

So are you saying that on days when the banks, postal, schools, pretty much all gov employees have off that you would not like to be off also on that day? Other than gas, hotel, grocery and restaurants why not have everyone off spending time with family? Well, I'm my own boss, but that said; I work on plenty of holidays, at my choice. Other than a handful of the holidays, they aren't really 'family time' days by nature, anyway. Columbus Day- pffft! In fact, working on holidays insures a lot better commute. Just seems to me we have a pretty good list of holidays as it is, and I still prefer if private companies made their own call. I can and do respect the ability to allow companies to choose their holidays especially when your self employed. I just feel that major holidays like Thanks giving, it sucks that retail opens up and pulls people away as well as has people work those days. Everyone needs some down time. The easiest way to insure down time is to have everyone take the same holidays off for the most part and like all rules, there is always a need for addressing the little businesses. So for self employed and small businesses under 100 people, I would say this is not needed. Yet I do agree with the easier commute on the holidays when you do need to drive. My company only shuts down three days a year: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. The trucking industry never stops, so we cannot either.

It would have been cool if you somehow managed to buy my old Volvo.

Put some new shoes on Leah She so purrdy!!!

The amount of failure from the Bengals was epic, for many reasons. They had several opportunities to ice the game away as soon as they picked off the Steelers, but all they did was choke.

My Chiefs got it done in Houston today. And the Bengals should be ashamed of themselves for what happened late in their game. That Jones hit was unacceptable.

El Nino gave me perfect convertible weather, so I wasn't complaining when I had the top down on Christmas day.

Was coming into town yesterday and got to play with a Maserati Grand Turismo on the highway. Oh my god the noises it made, it was eargasmic. I was so surprised that the Miata was able to keep up with it when he gave it the beans. It was an awesome time to have the top down!

Those rims are waaayyyy too big. Still can't get around the styling, especially the interior. To each their own...

I sold my Continental wagon for a Miata, thank you very much.

#nailedit So is that not an Audi? Ford coping Audi? Volvo V50, as in the car I used to have. It just looked so shockingly familiar.

#nailedit

Boring

Hey Casa, HMU if you decide to go to Virginia to test drive that V. I might be able to drive up there

This. I say the same damn thing about Buffalo sauce. If it doesn't taste good, than all you're doing is torturing yourself.

Different styles of convertible tops. The Bosxters come with normal soft-tops. The Bosxter Spyders come with this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3Ddq-8HzeI Looks like a fancy style soft top still... Basically that's all it is, a cooler-looking soft top with a different tonneau cover.

Different styles of convertible tops. The Bosxters come with normal soft-tops. The Bosxter Spyders come with this:

Spill the story! Try to find a house for sale in Franklinton, NC and see if it's the one I'm looking at. Remember, I'm a single, young, first-time buyer, so keep it reasonable.

Every time you make your mortgage payment, it's like part of that payment is going into a long term savings bond. Every time you make a rental payment, it's like flushing money down the toilet. Just make sure you can handle the payments. The payments would actually be lower than my rent for the place I'm looking at. I'm tired of living in an apartment. I want my own free standing house with a damn garage. Buy a House, real estate is the only long term wealth one can count on. Good point.