Robert Hall

Had to make an impromptu road trip to Louisville, KY and back this weekend for a funeral..drove down Friday evening (dry and sunny) and back yesterday (constant heavy rain up I-71`). Saw a few interesting cars out and about-- a dark colored AMG GT cabriolet and dark Aston Martin DB 12 convertible near Columbus, a couple new generation Mustangs (a bright blue Dark Horse, a bright red convertible). Louisville and Cincinnati were easy to get around, Columbus was a mess--soggy and sloggy, tons of construction and closed ramps to other freeways--couldn't get on the 270 belt line going north from the southwest on 71 so had to go all the way across the city to 270 northbound on the east side--took an hour to traverse the city (3 lanes narrowing to 1 for construction, accidents everywhere in the heavy rain). Once again, the CT6 proves itself as a great road trip car..750 miles round trip, averaging 29.5 mpg. Felt solid and secure in fast traffic in heavy rain. When I filled up Friday as I was leaving, it said my range was 525 miles. Not sure it's quite that good, but yesterday after driving about 375 miles since filling up yesterday morning I still had about 1/4 tank.

And the Browns, predictably suck as usual. Off to a 2-7 start.

Listening to the new The Cure album, first album in 16 years..has a similar sound to 1989's classic Disentegration...several of the new songs were premiered on the tour in 2023 when I saw them at Blossom. Great band, still making great, gloomy atmospheric music...love the new track 'Alone'..great long intro. Good November music.

Didn't Ford put their giant EV truck plant plans in the Memphis area on hold? Sometimes it seems some automakers EV plans are reminiscent of a classic South Park meme.. 1. Invest heavily in new EVs 2. ? 3. Profit

Working from home, I'm at about 7k miles for the year..and that was inflated by my 2300 mile road trip. I think I'm set for winter w/ my 10 yr old 4WD Jeep Grand Cherokee and 5yr old AWD Caddy CT6. Both have all season tires. And both paid for, so I'm content. Next car purchase down the road will be for fun.

Back on track, the Mach-e Rally looks good. I like the changes compared to a standard Mach-e.

With the usual dealer 'market adjustments' they will probably start at $75k or more.

That doesn't seem likely. Anything metal is going to be susceptible to corrosion, and wiring, etc don't do well being submerged. Best to recycle such damaged vehicles.

Water and electronics don't mix well....think about the cabin electronics...it's scrap. .isn't any flood damaged car usually issued a salvage or scrap title in most states?

Random aside, I'm not into Costco, never saw the appeal.(buying in bulk would make sense for families, though)....there is one a couple miles from me, and they always seem to have long lines at their gas pumps on Sat/Sun mornings..couldn't imagine waiting in line to get gas, I'm in and out of my local Shell in a few minutes..

Yeah, I remember spending a lot of time in local non-chain coffee shops in Ann Arbor and Colorado Springs in the 90s and early 00s..in grad school spent hours in one w/ friends when preparing for exams, and in the 00s planning the launch of an ill-fated startup w/ some friends. In the mid-00s, it was the 'company pub' next door to my office in Denver..had so many late afternoon work meetings that became happy hours there. Good times.. seems like a lifetime ago.. Just can't see hanging out at a convenience store/gas station/EV station or a big box retailer like that...

The profile reminds me a lot of the Taycan. The Taycan is the shortest of the 3, the Model S the longest, though all 3 are within a couple inches of overall length.

The profile reminds me a lot of the Taycan.

The Xiaomi Speed Ultra 7 Farley is driving has a mix of McLaren and Porsche styling cues, with Lincoln MKZ-inspired taillights.

Yeah, this is what I'm used to...cupholders, room for my cell phone, nav screen and Apple Car Play.. all the usual modern conveniences. But sometimes I'd like an '80s interior w/ bench seat and column shift and those comfy sofa seats...

It's a novelty...I suppose some would like it, I'd prefer have buckets and a center console with storage space.

3rd space..even 2nd space feels like an alien space at this point in time. Working out of my house I find myself going out far less than I did in my 30s 20 years ago...when I had an office (2nd space) and the bars (3rd space) where I'd hang out w/ my work team for happy hour or w/ friends... much more insular now than when I was young. As I lurch towards retirement within a decade, I see the 2nd space and 3rd space being an RV or maybe a vacation lake house here in Ohio and/or a winter condo somewhere warmer...

Took a drive in the beautiful rolling hills of Geauga County then up to the North Coast of Lake County, to Grand River for a late lunch of clams at Pickle Bills then a walk on the beach at Fairport Harbor. Love the clouds.

I do love fall in Ohio. Nice cool sunny day, going for a scenic drive in a bit.

Good looking truck and SUV...definitely some Rivian vibes in the shape. Will be interesting to see how it does as a new brand w/ a retro name and a few small retro details....probably very few shoppers today remember the old International Scouts considering they have been gone over 40 years.

There is a new version of the Meyers Manx being built with a 3 cyl radial engine...pretty wild. They are also doing an EV version. https://meyersmanx.com/pages/tarmac-touring-edition

Beautiful fall weather here in NE Ohio this weekend...lots of color. Took a drive out in nearby Geauga County--lots of rolling hills, lakes, rivers..beautiful part of the state. Saw a brown Ferrari F488 Pisa spyder, a bright blue Lotus Emira, and a bright blue C8 Corvette convertible on the same hilly stretch of road, out enjoying the fall sun. Also saw a ghastly Pepto-Bismol Pink Cybertruck. A couple pics of the lake at Punderson State Park and a pic of my back yard.

Catching up on this thread after not checking it for a while...loving the Cadillac and Corvette pics, and the 80s cars...

Houses on stilts are pretty common in the Florida Keys, remember them from 40 years ago growing up there. I saw a bunch built that way recently in the NC Outer Banks and in SC--Myrtle Beach, Garden City, Surfside Beach. The Outer Banks and coastal SC remind me so much of the Keys. (Have insomnia this morning.. up doing random tasks..checking server logs, filling out vote-by-mail ballot, looking at maps, watching hurricane coverage, etc..)

The bumpers in that generation were kinda awkward...the rear bumpers were ok for '73, but the fronts were huge...I like how the Grand Am and Laguna had the integrated plastic bumpers. Some of the '73s I like the rear more than the front, like the '73 Cutlass had a great rear but a gawky front, IMO. The later '76-77 cars w/ the rectangular lights looked better, IMO.