Off-topic thread - talk about anything

[Nathan 9⁵]

Yes it applies to the handset as well. That's vintage stuff there! Do you still use that phone? I can appreciate vintage electronics, but why not get a Motorola or Parrot bluetooth kit? And for me, when I see an older car with a setup like this, for some reason it seems to take away from the value. Kinda like when I see an aftermarket stereo.

I do want an XM radio for the 9-5. So, so badly.




Oh wow. I just realized that a Nokia similar to the one above was my very first cell phone. It was a Nokia 5165, and it was "Voicestream" Aww. 1998.

[nordwulf]

I don't use the 6310i here in the US because it doesn't have the 850 band which is mostly used now. But I still use it when in Europe. It's refreshing to hear these old phones ring. But the 6340 is similar and that one is 850/1900. But it doesn't have the cool blue screen like the 6310i. And the 6340 doesn't have Bluetooth. I actually hardly use my mobile phone at all so I don't really need it. But it is cool because it is vintage and unusual.

[Shazam]

My Dad's 1997 Audi A8 finally kicked the bucket. Just shy of 200,000 miles, the second transmission gave out. He tried to fix it himself after reading about a $150 fix (replace a couple seals in the transmission), and it worked for a week before some other seals blew. So he picked up a 2011 Jetta SportWagen TDI. I happened to catch a ride back home, and I got to drive it. It's a sharp car. I took it easy (less than 200 miles on it), but it had some pep. Start up just like a gasoline engine (wait literally .5 seconds with the key half turned for the plugs to warm, then start it), and nearly sounds like one too. Just weird to watch the RPMs stay so low all the time. All materials are extremely nice to the touch, with exception with whatever the steering wheel is wrapped in. Not horrible, but is clearly some synthetic/fake material. The doors give you that solid "thud" when you close them, and there are NO rattles or squeaks at all, and it's a very quite car... even with the panorama glass roof (which is awesome by the way). Plenty of room in the back for someone that is 5'10". Has clever little storage places all around too. Overall, if I had ~28k to spend on a car, I'd be getting that, no questions asked. We'll only know how it holds up over time, which tends to be VW's weak point... well, that or the fact they are turning their new cars into cheap crap. Sat in a new Jetta sedan, and it made a base model Hyundia seem comparable.

Oh, and the best part about working on a 14 year old A8... it was all aluminum. So NO rusted bolts, or rusted parts, or rusted anything! It was terrific! Only, every bit was as over-engineered as possible.

[euromobile900]

In light of the recent slew of posts nostalgic for awesome gear, I propose renaming this thread the "They don't make 'em like they used to" thread :p

Shazam, did you have any trouble with steel bolts seizing inside aluminum threads? That is the bane of any classic 900 cooling system job. Water + electrolytes + aluminum + steel = everything corroded together. I'm deathly afraid of breaking either a thermostat or water-pump bolt every time I go in there.

[Shazam]

Shazam, did you have any trouble with steel bolts seizing inside aluminum threads? That is the bane of any classic 900 cooling system job. Water + electrolytes + aluminum + steel = everything corroded together. I'm deathly afraid of breaking either a thermostat or water-pump bolt every time I go in there.

Actually, I did very little (read as almost none) of the work. I just happened to come home after an interview in the area while he was working on it, and I helped get a bolt or two unstuck. They were just two stainless bolts going through an aluminum heat shield (it was THE most over engineered heat shield I've ever seen... it looked like it could have been part of armor plating). There wasn't any corrosion, just "stuckness".

[Nathan 9⁵]

Look what Steven Wade gave Victor Muller at the Geneva show! A Kangaroo, with, what's that in it's pouch?? An old Nokia!

[Nathan 9⁵]

Shazam, it's funny you mention your dad's Audi death by transmission failure. My sister's '01 Turbo Beetle GLX I fear is about to kick the bucket. It has 130K on the clock, and the transmission is getting slower and slower to respond when shifting from P>R>D>R. Parallel parking is interesting. It's an 01M 4speed. I'm very familiar with VW's autotragics. I've had to replace every transmission in every VW I've owned. The 096 and 01M units are absolutely awful. The warning signs are obvious with this transmissions recent behavior. It's time to jump ship fast. Giving VW a little credit, this Beetle was the most reliable VW in my experience. But it was still crap compared to what I'm now accustomed to with the Saabs. I'm going to be getting her either a used Saab 9-3 2.0T, Mazda3, or a Scion tC.

[Shazam]

If you are in that category of cars, why not look for a 9-2x? Sure, it's not a real Saab, but they are dang reliable, with a cheap-ish interior (but it's got to be about par with the Scion).

[nordwulf]

Look what Steven Wade gave Victor Muller at the Geneva show! A Kangaroo, with, what's that in it's pouch?? An old Nokia!

Nokia 6310i Gold/Black edition! I wonder if that's Victor's phone?

[Nathan 9⁵]

I love the Subaru Legacy series. Always have. But I loathed that little "Saabaru". And I don't think it's on par with the Scion. The Scion is very nice. It might be better than an early 9-3 interior.