HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: jtchew@csa3.lbl.gov (JOSEPH T CHEW)
Newsgroups: rec.autos,rec.autos.tech
Subject: Re: Moving a car to California!
Date: 27 Aug 92 17:09:31 GMT
Organization: Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory - Berkeley, CA, USA
Reply-To: jtchew@csa3.lbl.gov
NNTP-Posting-Host: 128.3.254.198
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.3-4   

>There is a law on the books that such a car must have been operating outside
>of California for some period of time, like 6 months or so; that's probably
>the source of this urban legend. Its purpose was to discourage people from
>buying across-the-border cars with less-strict pollution controls and bringing
>them in - like on a buying spree in Nevada, driving across the country, etc.

I suspect that California's rather stinging sales tax also played a role.
In a variety of ways, they want to make sure that both current residents 
and newbies bend over.  For example, if you buy a new car just before your
move to California, they try to hit you for CA sales tax when you register.

A friend of mine had a downright Kafkaesque encounter with the DMV.  His
aged mother had to be institutionalized, and he got the brand-new car she
was no longer able to drive.  Unfortunately, she lived in Nevada, and he
fell between the cracks in the rulebook -- the paper-shufflers saw it as
a sales-tax or smog scam, albeit one they couldn't quite see the benefit of.

One of the ways out was to show more mileage on the odometer (I think 6000
miles was the magic number) so I jokingly suggested that he take a long
weekend and drive it a couple of laps around Nevada.  I forget just how he
ended up convincing them that he was dealing with family misfortune rather
than trying to cheat the guvmint, but he did. 

Anywhere else I'd have figured they were hitting him up for a bribe, but
the minor officialdom of California tends to err in quite the opposite
direction, enforcing the rules like a cross between a Shiite cleric and
an Eagle Scout.  I'm sure they thought they were defending us from something.

Ya SURE you wanna move here?  0.5 :)

--Joe
"Just another personal opinion from the People's Republic of Berkeley"
From: hontanon@a.cs.wvu.wvnet.edu (Ramon J. Hontanon)
Newsgroups: rec.autos
Subject: Re: Honda Civic Bashing continues...
Date: 25 Aug 92 16:32:51 GMT
Distribution: na

In article <1992Aug24.084705.302@doc.bmd.trw.com>, mcrosbie@doc.bmd.trw.com writes:
> 
> I am not happy with my 92 Civic.  Maybe it is because I also have a couple
> of Buicks that have been far superior in quality, reliability, and comfort.
> I bought the Honda because if was suppose to be even better....and it let me
> down.  I listened to this network and even read Consumer Reports/Digest (but
> I still don't give them much credibility).  I think Honda used to be
> bulletproof, but I don't think they are anymore.  Mine has let me down.  I
> wouldn't recommend doing what I did to anyone else.

Just like that? Those people are probably gonna wana know WHY you didn't
like your car. You have to admit comparing a Honda Civic to _any_ Buick
is a pretty dubious argument for convincing  someone not to purchase a Civic.

Ramon  
   -------------------------------------------------------------------
  | Ramon J. Hontanon  KE8SF  | "Life can only be understood backward,|
  | Flow Cytometry Lab - FDA  |   yet, it has to be lived forward"    | 
  | ramon@fdavax.cber.nih.gov |                                       |
  | hontanon@cs.wvu.wvnet.edu |            -- Soren Kierkegaard       | 
   -------------------------------------------------------------------
From: leonglaw@hpsgm2.sgp.hp.com (Lawrence Leong)
Newsgroups: rec.autos
Subject: Msg to Dave Hale
Date: 28 Aug 92 00:28:51 GMT
Organization: HP Singapore

To Dave Hale:

I tried to e-mail you but the message bounced.  To subscribe to the honda
mail list, send it to info-honda-request@cs.ucla.edu and have as the subject
"subscribe <your_account>@<your_address>".  To unsubscribe, type as before
but substitute "unsubscribe" for "subscribe."

hope this helps
lawrence
From: gregb@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (Greg Begay)
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1992 14:16:48 GMT
Subject: Re: TOYOTA's timing belt
Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Fort Collins, CO, USA
Newsgroups: rec.autos

>>No, you are not risking engine damage if your timing belt
>>breaks.  According to _Motor_ magazine (August 1991, page 22),
>>all Toyota gasoline engines with timing belts from 1981 through
>>1990 are "freewheeling".  
>>
>A Toyota dealer told me the same thing.
>
>>However, Toyota does recommend replacing the timing belt every
>>60,000 miles.
>
>I have a 89 Camry. As I remember, the owner's manual does not specify
>timing belt to be a maintenance item. In the service interval table,
>only inspection is required every so often.
>
>But I agree with you that replacing timing belt after 60k miles is 
>purdent thing to do.
>

I just had a 30K tuneup done on my 90 Camry (4cyl.16valve).  The dealer 
recommended that the timing belt be checked and "adjusted" for an 
additional $60.  I told'em to go for it.  They (dealer mechanic) claim 
that if you check and adjust the belt every 30K miles, then the belt will 
last until 90K-120K miles, then it must be replaced.

What do you folks think, did my dealer give good info or did I waste
$60.

>C. Jason Chen 
>jchen@flash.bellcore.com
>----------

Greg"Should've had the pwr windows/locks checked also..."B
From: sgupta@berdis.ecn.purdue.edu (Sameer Gupta)
Newsgroups: rec.autos
Subject: How to plead in Court
Date: 1 Sep 92 04:26:25 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Purdue University Engineering Computer Network


Hi folks,

I am the guy who received the reckless driving ticket in VA (81/65 mph).
I talked to the folks at the court house to see if I could avoid having to
make a personal appearance.  The response was a flat no (they would only allow
me to delay the court date to Oct.  No good).  Further, I was notified, the
judge can actually suspend my license since this is a reckless driving charge.

Here are the questions -

1.	Is it possible the judge will suspend my license ?  My last ticket  was
	over 3.5 years ago.

2.	How should I plead, guilty, not guilty or what ?  Can the judge grant
	me probation ?

The cop clocked me coming down a hill (if that can help).

Thanks a lot for your help.

Sameer Gupta
From: avk@hafnium.cchem.berkeley.edu (Tony Konashenok)
Newsgroups: rec.autos
Subject: California smog test with nonstandard fuel system, anyone?
Date: 27 Aug 1992 17:18:54 GMT
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
Distribution: ca
NNTP-Posting-Host: hafnium.cchem.berkeley.edu

Hello world:
I'm considering buying a '71 Porsche 914. It comes with a Weber carb, and the
owner honestly said all '71 914s were originally coming with fuel injection,
so I will have difficulties getting it smogged. 
 - Is it true that all these beasts were fuel-injected?
 - Is there any way to circumvent the problem?
 - What if I simply come to the dirtiest smog station with the dumbest
   smog mechanic and have him smog my car as is?
 - Any other suggestions (except swapping the carb)?
-- 
Tony Konashenok   avk@hafnium.cchem.berkeley.edu   (510)527-7524 (home)
University of California, Berkeley                 (510)642-5831 (office)

Strauss research group, Latimer Hall, UC Berkeley, Berkeley CA 94720, U.S.A.
From: pnelson@cobra.Tymnet.COM (Phil Nelson)
Newsgroups: rec.autos
Subject: Re: Caravan Advice needed
Summary: flame bait
Date: 28 Aug 92 01:51:45 GMT
Organization: BT North America (Tymnet)

In article <1992Aug27.211816.12496@geac.com> adb@geac.com (Anthony DeBoer)
 [from Organization: Geac Canada Ltd.]  writes:
>In article <2820003@iftccu.boeing.com> dallen@iftccu.boeing.com (Donald Dallenbach) writes:
>> ...  One more bit of information; the short 
>>wheelbase Caravan is made in Canada and the Grand Caravan is made
>>in St. Louis, Mo. U.S.A..  You make the call!
>
>So as I understand it, what you're trying to say is I should make a patriotic
>decision and buy the short wheelbase version?  ;-)

NO! NO! Everybody knows buying _American_ is patriotic.

Buying Canadian is, well, _foreign_!  :)

No wonder you foreigners have so much trouble understanding fair trade. :) :)


>Anthony DeBoer       adb@geac.com | uunet!geac!adb | GEM: ANTHONY.DEBOER



-- 
Phil Nelson . pnelson@tymix.Tymnet.COM . San Jose, CA, USA . 408-922-7508

  To make an apt answer is a joy to a man,
       and a word in season, how good it is!            Proverbs 15:23
Newsgroups: rec.autos
From: wwein@scott.skidmore.edu (warren wein)
Subject: RE:Lexus SC300
Organization: Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs NY
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1992 19:12:52 GMT


	If the SC300 is a stretch financially, then take a look at the
Subaru SVX.  I know that the image is nonexistant but the car is
smooth and is a great GT.  And costs up to $11,000, less.  My dad just
bought one with the Touring package for $26,000.  The stereo is
excellent, though I don't think that its 80 watts can even come close
to Lexus' 280 watts.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Warren Wein

'83 Audi 5000s: sport sedan from hell!!!
'86 Toyota MR2: a real sports car, fun! fun! and more FUN!
'90 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX: "Atomic M&M"  Is this thing glued to the
                                          road? 	

" Insurance in Brooklyn costs how much ?! "

e-mail: wwein@skidmore.edu
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: woody@praxis.co.uk (Paul Woodman)
Newsgroups: rec.autos
Subject: Re: How to clean windshield ??
Date: 25 Aug 92 08:56:20 GMT
Organization: Praxis, Bath, U.K.

tcheung@gandalf.rutgers.edu (Tak Cheung) writes:

>Can someone post or email me a good way to keep windshield clean ??

>I alway have problem with grime like buildup on my car windshield.

 I have never seen my particular method posted, so you may all know
 about it already, alternatively you will think I am completely 
 bonkers.

 First you have to clean the glass (inside and out). For this you
 need a bit of washing up liquid in some warm water with a sponge.
 Dry and polish the glass with a piece of newspaper. Yep, just use
 the front page of the New York Times or whatever, and if you
 have never tried this before, you will be amazed.

 Next you have to keep the windscreen clean. Forget all those fancy
 detergents, just try putting a dash of liguid sugar soap with 
 clean water in the washer bottle.

 Disclaimer and translation: 

 a: It works for me and no paintwork has come off yet.

 b: Washing up liquid is what you use for cleaning your plates in
    a sink if you don't have a dishwasher.

 c: Sugar soap is that stuff you use to clean the walls before you
    repaint them. 

                      Best wishes,
                        Woody.

                                Paul Woodman  

                                Praxis plc, Software Engineers,
 \          /           |       20 Manvers Street, Bath, BA1 1PX, UK.
  \        / ___  ___  _|       Tel +44 225 444700 xt228
   \  /\  / /  / /  / / | \  /  Fax +44 225 465205.
    \/  \/ /__/ /__/ /__|  \/   woody@praxis.co.uk
  _________________________/                           

-- 
This mail is guaranteed free of all irony, sarcasm and humour.
It is as grey and bland as I can possibly get it.
Newsgroups: rec.autos
From: eliot@stalfos.engr.washington.edu (eliot)
Subject: Re: Mitsubishi 3000GT-VR4, Toyota MR-2 Turbo
Organization: clearer than blir
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1992 01:51:20 GMT

In article <1992Aug31.222636.6335@datamark.co.nz> thomas@datamark.co.nz (Thomas Beagle) writes:
>Car magazine (UK) did articles on both.

>They praised the Ferrari for its excellent handling. It seems that the
>handling and steering was very direct and could easily be induced into
					   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^	
>serious oversteer, therefore proving that it was in the Ferrari
>tradition.

>They praised the MR2 for its excellent handling. They then abused it
>for being touchy at the limit.

>There's an inconsistency there that I can't quite place my finger
>on...

First of all I don't recall them ever calling the MR2's handling
"excellent".  It is possible that it has sharp turn in and minimal
roll when it is cornered within its adhesion limits.  To address your
question on their inconsistency, I think that you may have already
supplied part of the answer yourself.  Read the part that I
highlighted above.

The key is that the Ferrari can be driven to its limit and beyond
(where it oversteers) under full control of its driver because of its
benign and communicative chassis, precise and talkative steering and
also its delicate throttle.  The kind of oversteer in the Ferrari that
CAR is talking about is the kind where the driver is in control; there
is great pleasure to be had balancing a car on its knife's edge of
adhesion.  In the MR2 they are referring to a sudden, unexpected and
*uncontrollable* snap of its tail.  Very different situations but
referred to by the same word.

I have driven only the MR2, but nowhere close to its limits.  The
above is my interpretation of what CAR is saying and not personal
experience.


eliot

Newsgroups: rec.autos
From: twong@civil.ubc.ca (Thomas Wong)
Subject: Re: need info on all-new Ford Probe GT
Organization: Dept. of Civil Engineering, U.B.C., Vancouver, B.C., Canada
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 1992 20:22:09 GMT

In article <1992Sep1.205645.6310@nntp.hut.fi> jkosone1@vipunen.hut.fi (Jussi T Kosonen) writes:
>
>When is this car to be put on sale??
>I have seen some advertisements about it and I know that it is -93 model
>but usually next year models are released month or two earlier...
>

Well, we went to a local dealer about a month and a half ago to see the
new Probe and sure enough, they were out. It looks as good as it looks
in the mags. Haven't test drove one but it felt good having sat in
one in the showroom. The dash/control were well done. And the price
was very competitive too (I'm in Canada so I don't know the US price).
Since then, I've actually began seeing them on the road. So it's
here in Canada and in the US (I saw in the US when I went on my
vacation too). So I don't know when it'll be available in Finland
though.

Thomas.

Newsgroups: rec.autos
From: bowers@rigel.dfrf.nasa.gov (Al Bowers)
Subject: Re: Alfa vs. the world (was Re: HONDA CIVIC BASHING C
Organization: NASA Dryden, Edwards, Cal.
	<BOWERS.92Sep1103255@rigel.dfrf.nasa.gov> <9209011908.AA18775@worf>
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 1992 18:08:30 GMT

In article <9209011908.AA18775@worf> dlou@ECE.UCSD.EDU (Dennis Lou) writes:

>In article <BOWERS.92Sep1103255@rigel.dfrf.nasa.gov> bowers@rigel.dfrf.nasa.gov (Al Bowers) writes:
>>BMWs are the lowest of the low scum sucking yuppie mobiles on the face
>>of the planet!  :-)
>>
>>[in the intrest of maintaining the balance of power in the long
>>standing feud between Alfa Romeo (the best!) and BMW (the worst! :-)].

>Strange, I thought Alfa's traditional competitor was Porsche...

Well, it all depends on when you are refering to.  Before the `Big
Bang Up' ((tm) also known as WWII), Alfa campaigned long and hard
against Auto Union.  Usually to no avail, especially after 1933.  The
Geramns were running an all out propaganda campaign to prove to the
rest of the world they _were_ the master race.  money no object.
Prior to that Alfa was a very strong player in GPs.  In fact, Alfa won
the _first_ every world championship (points to the folks who identify
the _second_ place leader in 1925.  hint: the 2nd place factory won at
Indy that year).

Post WWII, things were a bit different.  Alfa needed to get back on
its feet and Italy needed affordable transportation.  Hence since
1950, Alfa has concentrated on building a very sporting chassis and
releasing a sedan on the new chassis first.  Sometime later a coupe is
released and then followed by a convertible sportscar.  this trend
continued until the Alfetta chassis (it appears there will _never_ be
an Alfetta based sportster).  In the GP world, Alfa retired at the end
of 1952 as world champion.  They have made limited forays back into GP
racing since, but with little sucess.

So, if you look at it this way, Alfa has campaigned long and hard
against anyone who has been anybody in the world of racing.  It should
be noted that Enzo Ferrari (yes, _that_ Ferrari) got his start as a
young man after WWI (the first big bang up (tm)) with Alfa.  Ferrari
rose through the ranks to lead the Alfa racing team through the '30s.
He left them in 1938, to found his own company (another story).

So.  Since Alfa is well known for their sporting sedans, their
competition is really BMW.  But their small bore sports coupes race
against Porsche, and their World Endurance championship cars raced
against Ferrari, and their recent F1 cars have raced against Lotus,
and...  And so on.

--
"But the fact that a 1938 touring bodied Alfa Romeo I once had is
worth $1 million sometimes bothers the hell out of me.  It's a
personal problem."                                     -Phil Hill
Iaido   Takamine   Hobie   Rossignol   Alfa Romeo  Ducati (DOD #900)
From: lstowell@pyrnova.mis.pyramid.com (Lon Stowell)
Newsgroups: rec.autos
Subject: Re: I love Saturn!
Date: 2 Sep 92 23:39:50 GMT
Reply-To: lstowell@pyrnova.pyramid.com (Lon Stowell)
Organization: Pyramid Technology Corp., Mountain View, CA
Originator: daemon@sword.eng.pyramid.com

>In rec.autos, joec@fid.morgan.com (Joe Collins) writes:
>
>> We own a 1991 Saturn SC and my wife called me said the brakes
>> failed, i.e. she had a problem stopping. The car has 12,100 miles
>> on it. We have had it for 14 months or so.
>
In article <51300036@hpscit.sc.hp.com> gw@hpscit.sc.hp.com (Gordon Wilson) writes:
>
>  It took me a few minutes to decide if this was sarcasm or positive remarks.
>It must be positive remarks.  But, why do the saturn brakes overheat,
>and "completely fail"?  Every car I have driven or read about does not
>have brakes that "completely fail", they just fade out.  Your intention
>may have been to make positive comments about saturn, but I am more
>cautious than before about buying a saturn.
>gordon

   Make that a Chev. Caprice as well.  The police department in
   Seattle uses the Capricio's and has an official policy that if an
   officer is involved in an "enthusiastic" chase, they are supposed
   to park the car afterwards and have it TOWED in...as the doggoned
   brakes overheat and fail.   [Seattle Post Intelligencer...]

   Perhaps GM's brake engineers are unaware that it is not "normal
   operation" to be able to heat up brakes so much that they
   momentarily fail?
From: tpickett@auspex.com (Tom Pickett)
Newsgroups: rec.autos
Subject: Re: SHO Shifter Kit
Date: 3 Sep 92 17:11:38 GMT
Reply-To: tpickett@auspex.com (Tom Pickett)
Organization: Auspex Systems, Inc.  Engineering

In article <1992Sep03.135900.11030@bnr.ca>, jcyuhn@crchh574.BNR.CA (James 
Yuhn) writes:
>  Back to the subject at hand... The shifter upgrade has been 
>   available any time now for the last six months or so. Price 
>   seems to be slowly creeping up. First I heard about $250, 
>   lately it seems to be about $325. 
>  

According to the dealer in Los Gatos and in Sunnyvale they both have
advisory letters dated this Summer saying that the shifter kit
will not be available until Fall.  The middle of summer is printed
in the SHO registry newsletter, and the price is given as $319.

They also give the name of a delaer in Las Vegas, Nv who is supposed to
give a discount to SHO Registry members.  Anyone in Las Vegas want to
call and see about it?  The dealer:

Mike La Dow @ Gaudin Ford in Las Vegas.

Tom Pickett 
tpickett@auspex.com
SHO  GOZE
From: shiv@cs.man.ac.uk (Shiv Sikand)
Newsgroups: rec.autos
Subject: What's a DOD number ?
Date: 3 Sep 92 15:34:20 GMT

Forgive my ignorance, but what is a DOD number often quoted by people and
what is its relevance to other people ?


Thanks.

--
_____________________________________________________________________________
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=   Shiv Sikand                          =  Eat, drink and be merry for     =
=   Department of Computer Science       =  tomorrow you may die.           =
=   University of Manchester             =                                  =
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
			I speak only for myself 
______________________________________________________________________________
From: gln@cs.arizona.edu (Gary L. Newell)
Newsgroups: rec.autos
Subject: Re: The Best time to Buy a Car?
Date: 27 Aug 92 05:46:38 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: U of Arizona CS Dept, Tucson




 Most of the books I have read indicate that December is a pretty good time
to try to deal. The reason has nothing to do with the next season's models
 (which for the most part have been out for months by December) but simply
due to the fact that sales die down around the holidays and salesmen like
most of us can use some cash for Christmas. 

Newsgroups: rec.autos
From: dclayton@bnr.ca (Don Clayton)
Subject: Re: I love Saturn!
Reply-To: dclayton@bnr.ca (Don Clayton)
Organization: Bell-Northern Research Ltd.
Distribution: na
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1992 13:17:08 GMT

In article <1992Aug31.210839.26010@fid.morgan.com>, joec@fid.morgan.com (Joe Collins) writes:
|> We own a 1991 Saturn SC and my wife called me said the brakes
|> failed, i.e. she had a problem stopping. The car has 12,100 miles
|> on it. We have had it for 14 months or so.
|> 
|> My wife is not car-savy, i.e. a consumer only, knows little
|> about cars. She didn't try the parking brake or see what brakes 
|> were really available. 
|> 
|> I called the Saturn Assistance Center and they immediately dispatched
|> a tow truck to where my wife was. They towed it some 25 miles or so to the
|> dealer. The dealer said the brakes had simply overheated (she was stuck 
|> in stop/go traffic). The brakes had recovered themselves automatically
|> but the dealer carefully checked the car out anyway. No problems found.
|> The brakes apparently are somehow self-adjusting and the brake system
|> recovered itself within 10 minutes or so. The dealer says the brake system 
|> cannot totally fail, due to its design. Normal recovery time when brakes
|> fade like this is about 10 minutes.
|> 
|> This cost me NOTHING although the car was out of action for 2 hours 
|> or so. While the car was there, they performed the normal 12000 mile
|> service as well (for the usual fee). Lastly, they noticed our passenger 
|> side door was damaged and said it would be fixed, for free. They would
|> replace it, not repair it, for free.
|> 
|> I have NO complaints - the service manager had said 'please bring it in -
|> Lets make SURE there are no problems'. All too often, a car dealer
|> might say 'tough' - this dealer and Saturn went out of their way to be
|> supportive.
|> 
|> Joe
|> joec@morgan.com

This is the exact same treatment I got from Isuzu when my Impulse Muli-Port
Fuel injection chip failed.  Free tow and no cost, BUT I also got a free
rent-a-car.

I'm glad to hear that Saturn is so much better than I remeber GM being in
1988.  I just hope that they don't get over powered by their big brother and
become yet another scum filled Pontiac.  Another couple of years of this and
I might just consider buying one...

Don
My brain, my thoughts, my words.
Let's pretend that protestants and catholics are friends.
   Northern Pikes