HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
Newsgroups: rec.autos
Subject: Re: Lexus Commercials
From: johns@trident.datasys.swri.edu (Stephen Johns)
Date: 25 Jan 93 22:55:49 GMT
Organization: Southwest Research Institute

In article <1993Jan25.151538.18344@noose.ecn.purdue.edu> rjwade@rainbow.ecn.purdue.edu (Robert J. Wade) writes:
>In article <1993Jan24.054853.18849@scott.skidmore.edu> jdrout@scott.skidmore.edu (JTD is lost) writes:
>>
>>Does anyone remember the Nissan ad (my favourite) when the narrator

 Is it then one shown during halftime at the Superbowl 2 or 3 years ago?
 The one where he's being chased by cars, then motorcycles, then a plane?
 And before the plane can catch him "The turbo kicks in!"
 If that is it, I did not know it had ever been shown again.

 It has my vote for best car commercial of all time!

-- 
Stephen Johns, Research Analyst
Southwest Research Institute, SA, TX 78228 (512) 522-5751
---------------------------------------------------------
Toys:  1990 Supra Turbo       1992 Suzuki DR 250
From: tvervaek@col.hp.com (Tom Vervaeke)
Newsgroups: rec.autos
Subject: Re: trading in a high value car
Date: 26 Jan 93 17:46:17 GMT
Article-I.D.: hp-col.1k3td9INN5kn
Distribution: usa
Organization: HP Colorado Springs Division
NNTP-Posting-Host: itchub21.cs.itc.hp.com


We traded in a 1991 Honda Accord EX that we'd only had for about 6
months for a 1990 Jeep Cherokee when we moved to Colorado and saw all
the snow. We got more for the Honda than we paid for the Cherokee. It's
basically the same with all deals, you get as much for the Honda as you
can (use the NADA book for average trade-in and average retail, et..)
and as little for the Cherokee (same thing with the book). The dealer
just rebated the difference to us with a check at closing...

Simple!
Newsgroups: rec.autos
From: dearnshaw@worldbank.org (Darrell Earnshaw)
Subject: Supra: Hatchback Rattles?
Organization: The World Bank
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1993 19:05:39 GMT

I have an '89 Supra. Since the day I bought the car (new), I've been irritated
by the amount of noise that appeared to come from the rear suspension. I get a
mechnical knocking sound when I drive over even the slightest bumps in the
road. Toyota's response (from the Area Rep) was that the Supra had "an
aggressive suspension". In fact, the problem was traced to the hatchback
rattling. In order to fix this problem, Toyota's answer seems to be tighten the
locking of the hatchback (until the rubber bushes start to break). I still have
this problem today!

Do other Supra owners suffer from this complaint? Does anyone know if this is a
known problem with these cars (and if there's a fix available)?

Thanks, Darrell 
Newsgroups: rec.autos
From: kokerj@jec326.its.rpi.edu (James Matthew Kokernak)
Subject: Re: Why is US engine technology so retrograde?
Reply-To: kokerj@rpi.edu
Organization: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY.
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 14:56:29 GMT

In article <4606@unisql.UUCP>, wrat@unisql.UUCP (wharfie) writes:
|> In article <IfLw32G00ioW8Ns6J6@andrew.cmu.edu> jyri+@CMU.EDU (Jyri Virkki) writes:
|> >Large engines tend to be sluggish and low revving, thus no fun at all 
|> >on a sports car.
|> 
|> 	Yeah, like those 427's they used to put in Cobras, or the 454
|> in my old girlfriend's Chevelle SS, or those Corvette engines, or the
|> 383 I had in my long-lamented Charger...  No fun at all, nope...
|> 
|> 								wr

There is a big difference between a sports car and a muscle car. I`d have 
trouble finding an American made sports car. I don't think there are any.
Newsgroups: rec.autos
From: jd@sequent.com (Jim Duckering)
Subject: Corvetts
Organization: Sequent Computer Systems, Inc.
Distribution: usa
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 93 20:53:52 GMT

What years of corvetts are worth looking at and which ones should 
you avoid?  Any infomation on corvetts would be appreciated.

Thanks,

-jd

Newsgroups: rec.autos
From: surge@en.ecn.purdue.edu (PhD-in-Training)
Subject: Re: Honda perfection management
Organization: Purdue University Engineering Computer Network
Distribution: na
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 93 01:33:08 GMT

In article <ELI.93Jan20092614@glare.cisco.com> eli@cisco.com (Steve Elias) writes:
>
>regarding your scoffing at my "expectations", because i'm impressed
>with perfection after 35k and 15k miles.  drop some facts instead of
>attitude, guy.  

How about some facts from a Ford owner?  I have a realtively
cheap Tempo (1988) with 62K miles on it.  I have NEVER had to
have one of those several hundred dollar dealer visits.  I just
change the oil (usually myself, or go to Walmart and pay $15).
The fuel pump did go out and that cost $240.  Ford however had a
recall and thus I was reimbursded.  The only repair was a
suddenly dead ignition coil (at 50K) that cost a total of $125.  But I
seem to be way ahead of you since I never had to do any special
30K, 60K , etc dealer visits.  Of course, I have done the routine
maintenance like radiator flush, spark plug changes, ignition
wire change, air filter, etc.  These costs are pretty small.

The Hondas have a good reliability record as far as break down on
the road, I don't doubt that.  The point of this thread is that
most Honda owners conveniently seem to forget the ridiculously
high maintinence costs of their cars.  I don't have to have my
timing done (not till past 100K if ever, thanks to engine
management).  I don't have to have my valves adjusted routinely.
I don't have to have a rubber timing belt replaced (mine is
chain).  Wait till you have to replace your timing belts to the tune of a
couple hundred bucks (at 60K)....you will still be singing the
"reliability" song.  That's what annoys non-Honda owners.

So I paid $125 (after 50K miles).  I rather have that than several
special dealer visits that would have totalled more than that.
You Honda owners sound like all you've done is put gas in and
change the oil (and filters, etc).  I think this was the point of
the original poster.

--Serge
From: keys@starchild.ncsl.nist.gov (Lawrence B. Keys)
Newsgroups: rec.autos
Subject: Sources for DTM (German Auto Racing) Video's
Date: 21 Jan 93 13:45:11 GMT
Organization: National Institute of Standards & Technology



Does anyone know of any sources for video tapes of DTM (i don't know
the German name) racing.  Cable tv in my area only has NHRA, Stock car
and Indy.  If anyone lives in an area where DTM is broadcasted i would
be willing to pay for video's of these races.

Thanks
                                                  .  
                                                 /                
Larry                            __/    _______/_                 
keys@csmes.ncsl.nist.gov       /                  \               
                          _____     __     _____    \------- ===
            ----------- / ____/   /  /   /__  __/              \
         /     ___    /  / ___   /  /      / /    ____          |
        |    /      \/ /__ /  | /  /__  __/ /__ /       \      / 
        /___         \_______/ /_____/ /______/            ====OO
            \       /                           \       /         
                -                                   -
       ---------------- FAHRVERGNUGEN FOREVER! --------------------            
            The fact that I need to explain it to you indicates
            that you probably wouldn't understand anyway!
       ------------------------------------------------------------

Organization: Junior, Architecture, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: rec.autos
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1993 01:51:51 -0500 
From: "Jason M. Roth" <jr4q+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: What's Wrong with American Cars?

>I think the Europeans have got the styling fairly right.

Ah, I see, so in the Platonic world of Ideas, when one sees "car", it's
a Citroen?

I'm pretty sure that, of all the subjective issues in cars, styling is
perhaps #1, and therefore the most pointless to discuss.

Case in point:
 Whichever car mag has the "Counterpoint" boxes had, for the Olds 88,
the following [paraphrased] comments in consecutive notes: "the styling
is American Ornate, as bland as possible" and "something here has hit
the elusive style target", and the latter guy was referring to hip types
who drive Cherokees, etc.! So why mention it!?  When they discuss the
Lexus SC400, they spend half the article on styling (Porsche-derivative,
if you ask me), and let that be part of the reason for calling it
"perfect". But what if I find it only middling attractive? Should I buy
it? Hard to tell from them. 

Sorry, I've wanted that out of my system for awhile....

Newsgroups: rec.autos
From: CENG51@maccvm.corp.mot.com (Craig Witkowski)
Subject: Re: 36 Re: Worst Car Award
Organization: Motorola
Date: 26 Jan 1993 11:19:01 CST

------------------------- Original Article -------------------------
Ken Rothman <krothman.727987654@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu> writes:
> With all the advances in aerodynamics and ergonomics in design in the past ten
> years (mostly on the part of European and Japanese makers), this beast is an
         ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Apparently the Ford Taurus had little influence on the shape of cars today.
In my opinion there is no car that has had a greater influence on the vast
improvements of aerodynamics than the Taurus.

--
William R. Nau
Supercomputer Systems Engineering and Services Company (SSESCO)
511 11th Avenue South, Suite 216
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55415-1536
(612) 342-0003

nau@SSESCO.com

----------------------------- Reply -----------------------------
If beauty is only skin (sheetmetal) deep, then ugly goes right to the bone
(chassis) with the Taurus. Or IMNSHO the Ford CLIT-Taurus because you've
got to fiddle with the damn thing to get it moving! :)

Our company has a fleet of those "quality is job 1,234,978,795,001" derelicts
with a variety of failures within the first 25,000 miles.  My 92 wagon
tossed its engine mounts at 4k, snapped a CV joint at 6K and while that was
being replaced the dealer determined thaat the alternator was going south
and had to be replaced.  I have twice needed to add power steering fluid
due to a leaky hose connection and I only have 11k on this beast!

Other unfortunate Taurus drivers at work have had transmissions and A/C
compressors toss their cookies as well as alignments going out of whack
(and no, the drivers were not pretending they were 4WD or NYC taxi drivers!)
for no apparant reason.

I'll stick with my personal car - A 1987 Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe.
Rear wheel drivin', 4 barrel V-8 ass haulin' fun!


Craig Witkowski, CENG51@maccvm.corp.mot.com
Motorola Communications & Electronics Inc.
Glen Rock,  NJ

Let's Go Racin'!
**********************************************************************
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*        ***  **  ****      **   **  **    **  ****     **   **      *
*       ** * **  ** **       **     **        ** **    *******       *
*      **  ***  ******   **   **   **    **  ******   **   **        *
*     **   **  **   **  ********  ********  **   **  **     **       *
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**********************************************************************
                     AMERICA'S ULTIMATE MOTORSPORT!
Newsgroups: rec.autos
From: cka52397@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Chintan Amin)
Subject: Re: Toyota Sera
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1993 22:55:56 GMT

In article <1k6v8jINN9em@uwm.edu> qazi@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Aamir Hafeez Qazi) writes:
>In article <=tq3zwp@rpi.edu> kokerj@rpi.edu writes:
>>
>> ...stuff deleted...
>>
>>saying), but the Paseo is pretty stupid looking...as is the mx-3 and
>>the nx2000. But then again, people don't buy Japanese cars for their
>>looks. There must be some other reason but i haven't figured it out...8)
>>
>>--Jim
>>"If it's not German, it's not worth driving"
>
>--People buy Japanese cars for their exceptional reliability and quality
>  control, not for the way they drive (in general!!).  Yes, the Nissan 
>  NX 2000 looks weird, but find me a car in that price range that drives
>  better!  The steering is firm, meaty, and direct; the shifter is one of
>  the best you'll ever experience (can't say that about a GTi), the brakes
>  are excellent, and the handling is almost unreal for a fwd car.  German
>  cars, like the GTi, handle very well.  However, the Nissan handles well,
>  AND it feels racy, i.e. light on its feet, yet glued to the ground.  
>  GTi's are very stout, but they don't seem to want to fly thru the corners,
>  although they will with no hesitation.  German cars nowadays, from VW's 
>  to Mercedes and BMW's, seem to have teething problems now (read
>  rec.autos.vw  and see what I mean);
>  it wasn't like that too long ao.  BMW and Mercedes are becoming quite
>  Mitsubishi-like, now that they are offering ludicrous electronic gadgets
>  and gizmos to "improve" their cars, especially European market models.
>
>  Go drive an NX 2000 for an hour.  You'll be very surprised by how well
>  it drives.
>
>Aamir Qazi
>qazi@csd4.csd.uwm.edu

	I think that maybe the Saturn SC2 is the best handling car in its 
class, the throws of the shifter and feel in general are very refined.  The
new engine mounts have also lessend the osterizer effect of the twincam engine
for 1993, although two more cylinders might be interesting.  The Light on 
Their feet aspect of Japanese cars is something I hate.  I have driven two
cars of comperably the same size and purpose, a 88 Camry and gray market 84 
300D, which are my family's cars.  I'd just like to say that I'd much rather
drive that big lumbering deisel on that 25mph curve at 50 than the Camry 
precisely for the reason that it can do it, and although the Camry feels like
it can, as my dad's friend, a Jag dealer put it, it CAN'T DO ANYTHING.  Now,
I realize that the MB and Toyota aren't the same level of price and all that,
but, it goes to prove that just because a car feels like it can do something,
actually getting it to do it is a different story.


-- 
Chintan Amin		Internet:  c-amin1@uiuc.edu  ->EVERYTHING I.M.H.O.<-
The University 		NeXTMail:  cka52397@sumter.cso.uiuc.edu
of Illinois 	  "Do we have to be forgiving at last?  What else can we do?
Urbana   Do we have to say goodbye to the past?  Yes, I guess we do." <N.Peart
From: ebarbour@gmuvax.gmu.edu
Newsgroups: rec.autos
Subject: Removing dealer stickers:HOW?
Date: 26 Jan 93 21:08:07 -0500
Organization: George Mason University, Fairfax, VA.

A simple question....

Just bought a brand new SVX -- Great car.  However, the dealer attached a 
'blemish' on the back of the car in the form of an almost radioactive
gaudy 4x6 inch mirror sheen dealer sticker anouncing to the world where
I bought the car.  It's just a paper/plastic variety sticker glued onto
the back of the trunk....

Anyone know of a way to 'safely' remove this eyesore -- without damaging
the precious black paint/shine underneath?

ELB
Organization: Junior, Architecture, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: rec.autos
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1993 17:34:05 -0500 
From: "Jason M. Roth" <jr4q+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: Toyota Sera
	<1993Jan26.150234.1@mscf.med.upenn.edu>

>have a big following on this newsgroup. Interestingly I have
>yet to hear anyone say much about how Saturns look an awful
>lot like Olds Cutlass Supremes. So much for the so call "new"
>GM car.

Most of the car mags had trouble getting over this in discusing the
Saturns when they came out. First of all, lots of cars from entirely
diff. companies have resemblances (check the tails of Tercel FX16s,
MX-3s, Sprints, etc. Not just the overall form, but the _specific
styling cue_ of how the hatch meets the back is similar in all these
cars). Second of all, I _like_ the Cutlasses. Third of all, the
designers were outside GM bounds, and it's basically not that much more
than a coincidence. Given certain objectives regarding space,
aerodynamics, etc., similar shapes are predictable. Let's face it, 90%
of all hatchbacks ever made look virtualy alike, no matter what. 

Did the Mayans copy the Egyptians, and if they did, does it make a difference?


Newsgroups: rec.autos
From: philip@mentorg.com (Philip Peake)
Subject: Re: Jeep Grand Cherokee?
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 23:41:05 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Mentor Graphics
Keywords: SUV
Followup-To: 

In article <1993Jan22.142208.22560@cas.org>, cro69@cas.org () writes:
|> All in all, I think Chrysler has done America (and themselves) a good turn
|> on producing what appears to be a very good product that can compete with
|> the best the world has to offer.  It's about time!

Well .. it is a nice car (I have one), but remember that the engineering
and design differences between the Grand and traditional Cherokee models
is due to Renault ....

Philip
Newsgroups: rec.autos
From: tedebear@leland.Stanford.EDU (Theodore Chen)
Subject: Re: BMW M3 Inquiry
Organization: DSG, Stanford University, CA 94305, USA
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 93 03:36:50 GMT

In article <1993Jan21.084727.11007@sactoh0.sac.ca.us> mfolivo@sactoh0.sac.ca.us (Mark Newton-John) writes:
>In <tah3kvk@rpi.edu> dharma@isaac.its.rpi.edu (Andreas Budi Dharmawan) writes:
>>        4. How is the performance of the car compared to
>>           RX-7?
>
>Well, if you are talking about the current RX-7, the Mazda will
>smoke the M3. Twin-sequential turbo, rotary, lighter, better
							^^^
>suspension, etc. Actually, you can't compare the two, they are for
>different buying segments of the population. I would compare the
>performance of the RX-7 to a Porsche 968, or even Carerra 2, and
>the Nissan 300ZX twin turbo, and the Mitsubishi GTO (3000GT in the
>US).

"better" may be open to question.  there's no question that the
mazda's suspension will produce much better numbers at the race track.
the price you pay for that is a bone-jarring ride.  you'll regret
it if you drive on rough roads a lot.

>The M3's competition was the short-lived Mercedes-Benz 2.6-16.

it was the 190E 2.3-16, which had the 2.3 liter 4-cylinder
with a 16 valve cosworth head.  the 2.6 liter is a shrunken version
of the 3 liter inline-6 and has only 2 valves per cylinder (and
would not have 16 valves in any event).  the 190E 2.3-16 is no
longer sold in the U.S., but it's still available in europe.
didn't sell too well because of the 300E, which was bigger, faster,
and cost less.

>In actual racing, I think it was the Audi 200s that
>were "cleaning their chronometers", to borrow a phrase.

actually, i thought it was the ford sierra cosworths that were
the M3's toughest competition.

>Personally, I'd rather find an Audi 200 (turbocharged, AWD, more
>roomy) or maybe an Audi Coupe Quattro (harder to find, similar in
>size to the M3, AWD)

not all audi 200s are AWD, but they are all turbocharged.
get a 200 quattro.  the coupe quattro has a 20 valve engine but is
a little slow.  and the S2 (turbocharged) isn't sold here.
a 200 quattro will dust an M3 in a stoplight race and doesn't have
the boy racer look of the M3.  bet it costs less to insure, too.

-teddy
Organization: Junior, Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: rec.autos
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1993 20:32:49 -0500 
From: Sang-Yoon Oh <so0z+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: Taurus now #1 seller?
Distribution: usa

Excerpts from netnews.rec.autos: 26-Jan-93 Re: Taurus now #1 seller? by
Bill Norcott@tandem.com 
> The other thing to consider is that Ford chooses to market the same
> car as two different models: Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable.  The Sable
> sells almost half as many units as the Taurus.  In the U.S. market, 
> the Japanese companies sell only one model in each size/price class.
> Suppose they split their production and called 2/3 of them Honda 
> Accord and the other 1/3 Acura something.  Then the Honda Accord would
> be nowhere close to the Taurus in sales.  Or to put it another way,
> if you combine the sales of the Taurus and Sable, they far surpass
> sales of the Honda. By the way, in their home market the Japanese 
> companies sell a variety of models in the same size class, many of 
> them clones of each other.  For whatever reasons, they put all their
> eggs in one basket in the U.S. market.
>  


Well, according to my knowledge, they combine Tarus and Sable when they
count the yearly sales of Tarus.
Couple of magazines I have read has the list of top 10 sellers in US in
this format.

1.  Ford Tarus/Mercury Sable
2.  Honda Accord

I can't remember the number figure but I'm pretty sure that they combine
number of Tarus and Sable they have sold, since they are exactly same
car with different nose and interior.

--Sang
From: exuptr@exu.ericsson.se (Sunbird a la 400ci)
Newsgroups: rec.autos
Subject: Re: Is it OK to wash off the engine?
Date: 26 Jan 93 23:30:41 GMT
Organization: Ericsson Network Systems, Inc.
X-Disclaimer: This article was posted by a user at Ericsson.
              Any opinions expressed are strictly those of the
              user and not necessarily those of Ericsson.

In article <1993Jan24.232829.17970@rchland.ibm.com> alter@rchland.vnet.ibm.com (Eric Alter) writes:
>|> In my heartful opinion, you should not wash the engine at all,
>Since when does steam, another form of water, not cause rust?

>I would think that blasting a cool engine with water may drive some into place
>which may not dry out anytime soon.  This may cause problems 
>(electrical shorts???) when you start the car the next time.

I've done this plenty.  Cover your distributor and carb with plastic bags.
Wash the thing *warm* but not hot.  It should be cool enough to touch the 
block and the manifold before you wet it.

Once washed, start it up and run it for a while.  This will heat the engine 
and evap the remaining water.
 -----------Visit the SOUNDING BOARD BBS 214-596-2915, a Wildcat! BBS--------
 ObQuotes:
 "Quick to judge, quick to anger, slow to understand..."
 "Ignorance and prejudice, and fear go hand-in-hand..."

    Patrick Taylor, Ericsson Network Systems
    exuptr@exu.ericsson.se                    "Don't let the .se fool you"
From: aas7@po.CWRU.Edu (Andrew A. Spencer)
Newsgroups: rec.autos
Subject: Re: Worst Car Award
Date: 27 Jan 1993 02:09:25 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
Reply-To: aas7@po.CWRU.Edu (Andrew A. Spencer)
NNTP-Posting-Host: slc5.ins.cwru.edu


In a previous article, krothman@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu (Ken Rothman) says:

>zorro@picasso.ocis.temple.edu (John Grabowski) writes:
>
>
>>I'd like to conduct an informal poll here: what do the gentle readers of this
>>group think is the WORST car being made today???  (And why?)  It must be a 
>>car still being manufactured, so a 1975 Dodge Dart doesn't count.  :-)
>
>>This should generate some healthy debate...
>
>
>>John
>>zorro@picasso.ocis.temple.edu
>>^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
>My least favorite car these days has got to be the Chevy Caprice
>(and the Buick Roadmaster and the Cadillac Fleetwood)
>
>The design is just completely IRRESPONSIBLE.
>
>Ken

HERE HERE!!!
DREW
Newsgroups: rec.autos
From: ralf@iqsc.COM (Ralf)
Subject: 87-89 Nissan Stanza Brochures
Organization: IQ Software Corp.
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 20:00:01 GMT


  I am hoping that I can find some dealer brochures for any 87 to 89
Nissan Stanzas, the kind you find in the showrooms! If you have any 85 to
88 Nissan Maxima ones I would like those too, I will pay $$$!
Ralf

-- 
Ralf P. Loserth               UUCP: uunet!iqsc.com!ralf
IQ Software Corporation       Internet: ralf@iqsc.COM
400 N Loop 1604 E, Suite 100
San Antonio, TX  78232        (210) 490 6684 X23 Fax: (210) 490-3590