HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: greg.roberts@dwarp.sccsi.com (Greg Roberts) 
Newsgroups: rec.autos
Subject: Passat - to buy or not to
Date: 25 Dec 92 19:55:00 GMT
Distribution: world
Organization: Data Warp Premium BBS - Spring/Houston, TX - 713-355-6107
Reply-To: greg.roberts@dwarp.sccsi.com (Greg Roberts) 

JS}Newsgroups: rec.autos
JS}From: seymour@bnr.ca (Jeffrey Seymour)
JS}Subject:  Passat - to buy or not to buy
JS}Reply-To: seymour@bnr.ca (Jeffrey Seymour)
JS}Organization: Bell-Northern Research Ltd.
JS}Date: Wed, 16 Dec 92 13:48:17 GMT

JS}I am looking at a 91 passat GL.  Are there any horror stories out there.
JS} Anyone know of particular problems to look for?

I have a 1990 Passat GL, bought new 3/91. The only changes between my
car through the 92 model were slight cosmetic changes (automatic
transmission shifter cover, switch to change from Economy to Sport
automatic transmission settings).  It has been an excellent car for me
and my family.  Just recently the right rear power window has gotten
weak, and the electric motor is going to have to be replaced (car is
still under warranty, barely).

Car has 21K miles, has averaged 27.9 mpg total.  Maintenance has
consisted of replacing one torn CV joint boot (under warranty), the
aforementioned electric window, along with regular oil & filter changes
& tire rotation.  Oil consumption dropped to less than 1 qt/4000 miles
about the 14K mile mark (I assume it has finally gotten broken in).

This has been an excellent road car, with great brakes and outstanding
handling for a sedan.  I have three kids, 5'4" to 5'8" and they don't
fight over who has to sit in the middle of the back seat.  The trunk is
roomy, with all of the volume useable (no wasted odd shapes). The seats
are comfortable, and very adjustable (including the slightly reclining
rear seats).  Acceleration off the line is adequate, but once the 2.0l
four gets out on the road it is really in its element, with very good
passing ability from 50-80 (I have the electronic 4-speed automatic).
The car loves to cruise the interstate at about 82 mph, and I have run
it for fairly long periods at speeds up to 100 mph without anything
seeming to be in a bind.

The car is much narrower than you would expect from the interior room,
which is about equal to a Chevy Lumina or Olds Cutlass Supreme
(according to the tape measure) though it feels larger than either of
these when seated in the car.  The standard Dunlop 60 series tires hold
the road and wear well, and are a good match for the 4 wheel disc
brakes.  The suspension is much firmer than the American cars we looked
at and test-drove, though it is not harsh.  Perfect for my desires.
There is a noticably buzz from the engine compartment, but it is not
intrusive to me. Fit and finish were excellent, except for a small dent
in the right front fender that slipped through factory scrutiny.

We really like our "Big Bug" (my first VW product since a Type 411 in
Europe) and I would heartily recommend it as an excellent sporting
family sedan.
---
 . SLMR 2.1a #796 . I did all that with EDLIN.  No, really!
                        
Newsgroups: rec.autos,misc.consumers,misc.wanted,ne.general,ne.wanted
From: weisman@ninja.osf.org (David Weisman)
Subject: Short-term auto lease???
Originator: weisman@macaroni.osf.org
Organization: Open Software Foundation
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1992 22:26:14 GMT

I'm trying to find a rental or leasing company which will lease
cars on a short-term (6 month) basis.  Weekly rental is quite
expensive, and a two or three year lease is longer than I need.

Any ideas?  Please reply via email.  Thanks very much.

Dave
-- 

-- Dave
Newsgroups: rec.autos
Subject: Re: Pickup Toppers
From: stubbs@hawk.cs.ukans.edu (Jerry Stubbs)
Date: Mon, 28 Dec 1992 14:01:37 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: University of Kansas Computer Science Dept

You can get them for as little as $100, and you can remove them when you
want to use the pickup like a pickup.
From: twong@civil.ubc.ca (Thomas Wong)
Newsgroups: rec.autos
Subject: Re: '91 Eagle Talon
Date: 27 Dec 1992 05:47:21 GMT
Organization: Dept. of Civil Engineering, U.B.C., Vancouver, B.C., Canada
Distribution: usa
NNTP-Posting-Host: sam.civil.ubc.ca

In article <1660@ncrclm.ClemsonSC.NCR.COM> hruo@ncrclm.ClemsonSC.NCR.COM (Hiro Ruo) writes:
>i am an owner, and i was just wondering.... .has anyone had trouble with this
>car?  
>
>my transmission seems to stick more than on other cars i've driven, AND my
>cruise control is broken for the SECOND TIME (the car has just a little over
>32K on it).  AND at notchy higher speeds (around 70), the steering wheel
>vibrates some.
>
>anyone else have similar experience?
>
>hiro.ruo@clemsonsc.ncr.com



I'm not sure if you already know but there is a mailing list for the
Diamond Star cars (Talon/Laser/Eclipse) filled with owners and
owners-to-be. We talk about everything from pricing to car modifications. 
You can get on the list by emailing to "diginst!todd@radius.com". Todd is 
the list manager and he'll send you all that you'll need. There is also a 
parallel archive that goes along with this list with lots of info filed.

I'm also a member of the MDSOG (Mitsubitshi Diamond Star Owners Group).
This one needs $$$ but you get discounts on a lot of things from
resorts to after market performance upgrades (like the famous HKS stages
or the Archer brother who have took their Archer Talons into the winner
circles many years in a row, from 24 hrs endurance to ralleyes). There
is also a newsletter and it's nationwide. If you're interested, let me
know.

Thomas.

--
    /*----------------------------------------------------------------------*/
   /*   Thomas Y. K. Wong            BITNET:        usercedl@ubcmtsg       */
  /*   Civil Eng., U.B.C       INTERNET:     thomas_wong@civil.ubc.ca     */
 /*   Van, B.C., Canada    UUCP:   ...!van-bc!civil.ubc.ca!thomas_wong   */
/*----------------------------------------------------------------------*/
Newsgroups: rec.autos
From: me@a81 (A.A. (Tony) Briggs)
Subject: Re: Honda struts
Organization: MOTOROLA 
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1992 04:40:49 GMT

In article <1992Dec21.133805.5398@mwhhlaw.uucp> jim@mwhhlaw (James P.  
Cavanaugh III) writes:
> 	Every now and then I am vividly reminded why I like 60 era US  
> cars so much more than these "high tech" wonders of today.
> 	While getting some new tires on the wife's 88 Accord, I checked  
> into the cost of shock/strut replacement.  At AutoSource (Canadian  
> Tire's venture into the USA - I think Indianapolis is their first site,  
> and I have found their prices to be very competitive) the parts alone  
> are about $150.  Their book shows labor for the job at over 5 HOURS,  
> for labor cost of over $200!!!  (Struts on the rear too? How  
> wonderful.)  We are talking nearly $500 for new struts all around!!!  I  
> told the man that I would wait, thanks.
> 	Has anybody else done this job recently?  The Haynes manual  
> describes this job in a way that does not look particularly fun.
> 	Don't get me wrong - this Honda has been a wonderfully reliable  
> car, with not a single non-scheduled repair.  But this experience fits  
> with what has become my belief: Although US cars may be somewhat less  
> reliable than their Japaneese counterparts, this advantage is  
> outweighed by the higher costs of maintenance and repair.
> 	REAL cars have 4 shocks that cost maybe $15 apiece, and I can  
> install all 4 in an hour (or pay $10 each to let the mechanic do it).   
> REAL cars DO NOT cost $500 to replace such mundane things as shocks.   
> To one raised on US cars, $500 is the range of a major repair, not  
> routine maintenance.  Jeeeze, I once got a whole Torqueflite rebuilt  
> for $350 (and that was at well over 100k miles).  I guess the only good  
> news is that this car doesn't have ABS.  Arrrrgggghhhh!
> 
> Jim Cavanaugh


Jim, I recently replaced the struts (all 4) on my daughter's Honda. The  
cost? About $170 for 4 struts (from dealer would have cost nearly $300!),  
plus almost 7 hours of labor of which 85% was spent in doing the 2 front  
struts (the rear ones are easy).  However, the labor need not be nearly so  
much if you have the right spring compressors. The only pair I had were  
too large to fit through the upper control arm ... Honda front suspension,  
on some models, could bring to mind a rejected design for a pteradayctl  
wing! Without good spring compressors, used properly and SAFELY, it's  
probably not a job you'd want to do yourself.

Note that I said it was my daughter's car. Personally, I prefer the  
simpler vehicles, even if that means driving an old one. My current  
vehicle is an '89 4WD Mazda pickup (with shocks, not struts!), and I like  
everything about it except the fact that it uses a computer. Before that,  
I drove a wonderfully dependable '69 car.
From: Harv@cup.portal.com (Harv R Laser)
Newsgroups: rec.autos
Subject: Re: CB Walkie-Talkie
Date: Mon, 28 Dec 92 17:53:49 PST
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
  <72357@cup.portal.com> <1992Dec28.192317.17129@ulysses.att.com>

>|> So I said "Hey, Joe, let's try my CB and see if we can get the CHP
>|> or an auto-club driver to respond for help." So for about 15 mins
>|> he stood there trying to raise someone on the "help" channel #19.
>|> (Joe's a pilot and knows how to converse on radios). 
>
>Was he aware that Channel 9 is used more often for "emergency" calls?  
>In the Northeast, you'll see signs all over the place that "Police monitor
>CB Channel 9 for emergencies" or some such, but it's always channel 9.
>Channel 19 was more the "trucker's channel" as faar as I remember.

My error. Channel 9 is what I m eant. Channel 19 is what I typed. 
But my story still stands... 15 minutes of trying to raise someone
on the channel got us nowhere except drunken verbiage. Yes we
tried other channels. AFter a while in that 20 degree weather in
the dead of night at the side of a Reno interstate, we decided 
to just drive to his house, call the AAA, and meet them back at
his crippled car, where they changed the tire for him and we were
on our way.

I shudder to think of what might have been the case had we not
been in a relatively civilized part of town as opposed to being
stuck in the Sierras or desert wasteland in Nevada somewhere 
and had the same thing happen. I mean, ya keep yyour ca in
top shape, drive at or under the limit, watch your Ps and Qs 
and then out of the blue, some idiot's ladder is sitting in the
fast lane waiting to eat your tires. 

To wrap this tale up, when we got back to his car to wait for
the AAA truck, there were 3 or 4 other cars behind his, all with
flat tires, all from having hit the same ladder. 

Harv
Newsgroups: rec.autos,rec.autos.tech
From: alan@ctsx.celtech.com (Alan Dahl)
Subject: REPOST: Looking for Ford Sierra owners
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1992 18:18:19 GMT
Organization: cts

[My e-mail link has been down the last few days so if you've sent
 me mail and it bounced it should work OK now. I'm including the
 orignal message again for those of you who may not have seen it.
 Thanks to the 2 people (from the USA and Finland) who have already
 responded]

I just purchased an '88 Merkur XR4Ti (Ford Sierra XR4) and I'm
looking for Ford Sierra owners in England or wherever to correspond
with.

I'm looking for sources of performance and non-US spec parts. Parts here
in the US are not always easy to come by and are very expensive when
they are available.

One specific part I'm looking for is a UK speedometer (well, just the face
actually). Here in the US the cars came with 85 MPH speedometers. But
instead of making a new speedo they just changed the face so that
all the numbers above 85 are missing, but the tick marks are still
there!

Since it is a little hard to have to count tick marks at speeds over
85 (not that I would *ever* do such speeds :-) I'm looking to replace
the speedo face with the face from a UK 150mph speedometer from a
wrecking yard or such.

I'm also looking for books, manuals, sales brochures, etc. There doesn't
seem to be much information available on this side of the pond.

For those of you in the US: I have nothing but good things to say about
the folks at Rapido in Portland, Oregon. They have been very helpful and
consistantly beat the prices at my local L-M dealer on new parts.

-- 
    ___   ____   ____    Alan Dahl                    |
   /       /    /___     Cellular Technical Services  |   alan@ctsx.celtech.com
  /___    /    ____/     2401 4th Ave., Suite 808     |         -or-
                         Seattle, WA 98121            |   uunet!ctsx!alan
From: Larry.Mc.Donald@ofa123.fidonet.org
Newsgroups: rec.autos
Subject: Re: emblems & names
X-Sender: newtout 0.02 Nov 17 1992
Date: 22 Dec 92  11:43:06

 klf@druwa.ATT.COM 
 
 (FranklinKL):
 
 > Actually, the RR logo for Rolls-Royce has had two iterations.  The
 > original logo was two silver R's colored with red enamaling.  When one
 > of the founding partners (I believe it was Royce) died, the enamaling
 > was changed to black and it has remained so 'til this day.

 I had read that the original RR emblem had both Rs enamelled 
 red, but only one turned black on the death on one partner. The 
 remaining R turned black on the death of the remaining partner.



... Larry.Mc.Donald, N6ZMB, Fullerton, California!  <cough, cough>
___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.10

--- Maximus 2.01wb
Newsgroups: rec.autos
From: wesf@boi.hp.com (Wes Fujii)
Subject: Re: Garage Door opener. Rec. Needed
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1992 19:16:27 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Hewlett-Packard / Boise, Idaho
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1.4 PL6]

Bernard O'Dell (odell@oasys.dt.navy.mil) wrote:
: How about the Stanley Model 3200---1/2 hp model--???--$147.50.

I had one of those once.  DOA when I first got it.  Took a month to get
a new PC Assembly.  Malfunctioned consistantly 3 months later.  Started
squeaking regularly after about a year.  I sold it with the house when
I moved...

Go get a Chamberlain or Chamberlain OEM (Sears).

Wes Fujii
________________________________________________________________
      ___   ___ ___ 
     /  /  /  //  /
    /  /__/  //  /    A real motor is an Oldsmobile Rocket 455
   /  HURST //  /     "This is NOT the new generation of Olds"
  /  /  /  //  /_______ 
 /__/  /__//  //  ___  \
          /  //  /   \  \       Wes "BANZAI" Fujii
         /  //  /OLDS/  /          Boise, Idaho
        /  / \  \___/  /      wesf@hpdmd48.boi.hp.com
       /__/   \_______/
Newsgroups: rec.autos
Subject: Re: Anti-Lock Brakes makes stopping SAFER?
From: johns@trident.datasys.swri.edu (Stephen Johns)
Date: 29 Dec 92 21:14:18 GMT
Organization: Southwest Research Institute

In article <1992Dec29.174640.23508@progress.com> matth@progress.COM (Matthew J. Harper) writes:
>johns@trident.datasys.swri.edu (Stephen Johns) writes:
>
>>I have rarely, if ever, had the ABS system kick in on dry/normal road
>>conditions.  An exception is when your cruising about 80, not watching where
>>you are all that closely, and notice the road you want to turn on is 20 ft in
>>front of you, hit the brakes and throw the car into the corner, the ABS will
>>keep you from sliding sideways through the intersection.  Without ABS your
>>only option would be to not turn.
>
>  And this is supposed to be an example of how ABS makes driving *SAFER*?

  I never made the statement that I drove softly, but I think the above
  example demonstrates that even under "extreme" situations the ABS system
  keeps you under control.  Less aggressive drivers will enjoy the same
  benefits from ABS, albeit less often. :)

  ABS moves keeping the wheels from locking, a skill most drivers are not
  very good at, to the car/computer.  The computer detects when the wheels
  are ABOUT to lock, most drivers aren't going to notice anything is wrong
  until they are alreay starting to skid.  Think about it, why should you,
  the driver, have to brake any differently just because the road is wet?
  Isn't this something the car should deal with?  I think so.

>
>  I'm soooo glad I don't live where you do!

  I behave myself when others are around, most of the time anyway.
  The last thing I would ever want is to scratch/damage my car!

>
>-Matth

Life's short, drive hard!
  --Steve
-- 
Stephen Johns, Research Analyst
Southwest Research Institute, SA, TX 78228 (512) 522-5751
From: johnl@pcx.ncd.com (John Light)
Newsgroups: rec.autos
Subject: Re: Anti-Lock Brakes makes stopping SAFER?
Date: 30 Dec 92 21:36:49 GMT
Article-I.D.: pcx.1992Dec30.213649.5034
Organization: Graphic Software Systems, Beaverton, OR

In article <16105@auspex-gw.auspex.com> tpickett@auspex.com (Tom Pickett) writes:
>I was going downhill, around 35 - 40 mPH in the hills above Redwood City.
>As I approached an intersection on a curve and on a steep hill, a person
>decided to run the red light and made a left in front of me.  It was 
>raining at the time.  I did what comes naturally to me -- I expected a
>collision, and decided to put the car sideways into the other car.  To
>do this, I applied heavy brakes and steered hard left.
>
>Normally this would put the car into a skid sideways and would result in
>lessened impact with the other car (spreads the impact over a larger 
>area).  The ABS kicked in and I simply came to a stop in a half-completed
>left turn.  No collision.  Seems like a good idea, but what if the car
>could not have stopped in time using the ABS?
>
>If the ABS had not been sufficient to stop me, I would have certainly
>been prevented b\from using the skid to lessen the impact.  The skid
>would have:
>
>	1. scrubbed speed off from the drag produced thereby reducing
>		impact.
>	2. Spread the impact over a wider surface area, causing the car to
>		take the impact instead of the human body.
>	3. Might have allowed me to steer around the other car had they come
>		to a stop, by converting the skid into forward motion allowing
>		me to "drift" around the other car.
>
>I don't know if ABS is always a good thing or not.

I had composed a lengthy treatise on why a sideways skid is a terrible idea,
but pnews got "bus error -- core dumped", and I lost it.  Here's the short
version.

1) Skidding (sideways or frontways) is the worst way to stop.  It converts
   energy into molten rubber, which makes beautiful marks on the ground but
   doesn't do much to stop a car.

2) The best thing you can do in a collision is let the front of your car
   crumple.  In even the worst designed car the front crumpling will to more
   to dissapate energy than a side impact.  The side isn't designed to
   take much an impact, and the seat belts and air bags don't work well
   sideways.

3) In a sideways skid, you give up control of the car.  You have no choices
   after that one.

You said you have ABS.  The best thing you can do is slam on the brakes.
If you want to try to get around the target (or avoid the baby stroller
that suddenly appears), you can still steer a little bit *while you are
braking*, though braking is reduced while you are turning.

Without ABS, good luck.  Try to modulate the brakes.  Don't turn the
steering wheel.

I'm writing this because I don't want anyone to get the idea that a
sideways skid is a reasonable driving maneuver in any but the most
peculiar circumstances.

John Light
Newsgroups: rec.autos
From: yavo@sdosrv1.gvl.unisys.com (Steve Yavorski)
Subject: Re: Emblems, names and meanings...
Organization: Paramax Systems, Ivyland, PA
Distribution: na
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1992 20:30:56 GMT

>Honda - they don't have a blurb!
>
>Anybody want to add more to the list?

-  the car that sells itself.

Steve

Stephen Yavorski			internet - yavo@ivy.paramax.com
NEXRAD Integration			phone    - (215) 443 - 7500
Paramax Systems Corporation
Ivyland, Pennsylvania
Newsgroups: rec.autos
From: tim@unislc.uucp (Tim Morrison)
Subject: Re: Porsche 911 Recommendations?
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]
Organization: Unisys Corporation SLC
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 21:34:33 GMT

Claude Noshpitz (claude@cse.ucsc.edu) wrote:
: Hello Net!  I'm getting ready to find a good used 911, and am
: wondering what folks' opinions might be regarding good/bad years,
: design bugs, general things-to-look-for, and so on.  Any publications
: that might be of interest I'd be interested in too.  Thanks!!!
: 

	A couple of thoughts to consider while looking for a used 911:

		- 196X thru 1973 (I can't remember if 1974 models have old
		  or new) have the old style bumbers (1975
		  on up have the 5mph crash bumbers which IMHO
		  is better looking)

		- Up thru 1975 911's are not rust proof - be careful!
		  (especially on the European models)

		- 1976 on up models are rust proof'd and shouldn't
		  have too much of a problem

		- 1975/76/77 models are very similar in that they all
		  have the 2.7 litre engine and the fenders are not
		  really flared. Depending on the model (911 vs. 911S),
		  you can get up to 175 horse.

		- 1978 thru 1983 are the SC models which are supposed
		  to be the best bang for the buck. They also have a
		  flare on the wheel wells, which is nice because it
		  accommodates a wider tire.

		- Beware of the '74-77 2.7 litre engine. Although they
		  are pretty fast (especially the "S"), they have weak
		  studs and should be replaced with Dilivar (if you 
		  don't know what this means - you better do more
		  homework - it could be very expensive) especially on
		  the '75.

		- Excellent article on 911SC's (78 thru 83) in Dec. 92
	 	  issue of Road and Track.

		- Good Reference Books:

			1) 911 Restoration and Rebuild
			2) Used 911 Story

		  Both books are available from "Automotion" which
		  is an ecxellent source for Porsche parts and 
		  memorabilia. Automotion, 3535G Kifer Rd, Santa Clara,
		  CA 95051 - 800-777-8881 (order desk)

		- Porsce magazine publications include:

		  	1) European Car, PO BOX 454, Mount Morris, Il.
			   61054-7872 (No Phone avail).

			2) Excellence, PO BOX 1529, Ross CA, 94957-9987


	VERY IMPORTANT TO DO LOTS OF HOMEWORK BEFORE PURCHASING! A
	hidden problem can be very costly, especially engine work and
	rust repair. 

	Good luck, and happy Porsche hunting. I found that doing research
	and looking at all the different 911's around is almost as fun
	as having one!
From: koziarz@halibut.nosc.mil (Walter A. Koziarz)
Newsgroups: rec.autos
Subject: Re: toyota trucks
Date: 27 Dec 92 14:46:16 GMT
Organization: Naval Ocean Systems Center, San Diego

In article <1992Dec24.214649.11370@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> jnielsen@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (John F Nielsen) writes:

>The only way to seriously compare prices is to check Invoice prices.
>Those prices on the sticker are totally bogus. 

naw, 'invoice' is bogus too...  the *only* way to compare is by *actual*
*price* *paid*...

>I really doubt they sell for that much.

I don't doubt it...  remember P.T. Barnum...  he was a little early, but he
adequately described the typical TOYota-buyer...

>john

Walt K.
From: jeet@point.cs.uwm.edu (Jitendra Kavathekar)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.vw
Subject: winter tires and steelies question
Date: 31 Dec 1992 19:49:04 GMT
Organization: University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.89.2.5

Hello Folks,

  This was discussed before on this newsgroup but I would like some
recomendations from vw owners on a cheap set of steel rims and good snow
tires for a 92 Jetta gli(16v).  Right now the car is on BBS wheels with
MXV2's (about as good as  skiis on snow).  Is there anything to look out for 
when buying the above items? Does VW recommend any particular brands?  How 
much will a set of 4 cost?

I'll also consult the dealer but I wanted opinions from people that have
done this also. 

than you and if anyone would like a copy of the responses I get just let
me know.

jitendra
Newsgroups: rec.autos.vw