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Belmont, MS Car Consumer Discussions

MPG on Recent Trip

by leo2633 on Thu Jul 03 05:10:48 PDT 2008

My wife and I just returned home to New Jersey from a 1300 mile round trip to North Carolina. We took my 5 speed 2001 Forester, which now has 176K miles. On the trip down, I got 30.6 MPG, which was great, considering all the stop and go traffic we encountered along I-95. Coming home, when traffic was much lighter, I got 34.5 MPG and 450 miles (exactly) on one tank, which took me from Belmont, NC to Annapolis, MD. That was the highest MPG and longest distance per tank I've ever gotten, and I've tracked MPG for every tankful since purchasing the car new 7 years ago. Upon refueling, I still had 2-point-something gallons left, which gave me a (theoretical) cruising range of over 500 miles. Not that I would ever take it that low, but it was interesting to see that. Speeds were kept at 60-65 MPH for most of the trip, cruise control was used whenever possible and the A/C was on the entire time. Not too shabby for a car that was rated about 28 MPG on the highway when new. Len

All around issues with my '97 expedition

by miahyatt on Sun Jul 20 21:51:13 PDT 2008

:confuse: First I want to start out by saying that Ford is a car that I will never buy ever again. I purchased my car with 70k miles on it. The first problem was the brakes that had to be replaced two months after purchase. Come to find out the brakes where forced on and they where on backwards. I did not purchase my car at a buy here pay here place. It was purchased at Keith Hawthorn Ford Dealership. I said that because dealerships say that they do 12 point inspection before they sell their cars. Not True. Second, three months after that i had to replace my ball barons ( if I am saying this right) on both sides of my car. Costing more than1,000.00. Third, the curse control had to be fixed twice because of a recall. Forth and so on and so on my spark plugs ( if i am naming the right item again) was constantly misfiring and I was continusly replacing. Then the bracket that holds the windshield wipers broke 6 times since i have had this car for the past 4 years. My windshield wipers are always going out. I have had a full tune up twice in one year , this is the first year of the purchase. The first year and a half of having my 1997 expedition i forked out 3,500.00 or more. The repairs never and still have not stopped. This car was not worth 17k and never have received a phone call from the owner of Keith Hawthorn. I have been calling him from day one and till tis day I haven't heard a thing. I even go up there and sit and wait ............nothing. Who else has had this problem and what should I do? To save some time. I can't trade it in because of the miles ( i kept the oil changed on or before time because of my traveling) everywhere I go I find myself fixing something else. Tune ups where done more than need the car will be paid for by the end of this year. :mad: :cry:

Re: Human Activity does NOT Cause Global Warming [larsb]

by tidester on Thu Mar 06 10:48:20 PST 2008

You seem to be focusing on the incorrect models. These ARE the models that are used to make the case for global warming. Forget that for a second. I can't do that when those models are the pillar of global warming theory. The FACT (not guess, not estimate, not computer calculated) is that we are in an upward trend on temps. The FACT is that the long term trend is toward cooling. We're in an interglacial period where warming is transient. Additionally, temperatures are up and down practically from year to year. That cannot be denied. There you go again with with the "D" word! Think of it as a refutation of sloppy science, cherry picked data and miserably deficient modelling. The question is: Is man playing a part? Are cars playing a part? What should be done if so? The IPCC uses climate change models to address those questions. The models fail to match reality. The models are therefore seriously flawed and, at best, there is no answer to the question of whether mankind is playing a part. Given that, it would be beyond foolhardy to even pose the question of what should be done. We do know that global warming and global cooling happen quite independently of mankind's influence. You just cannot have it both ways. The only support, and I use that term loosely, for anthropogenic climate change is the computer models and you cannot dismiss questions about the veracity of the climate change models when their track record is inconvenient. Let's talk about THAT for a while, because THAT is the main issue here. What you are saying is that I should bet on a particular horse in the fourth race at Belmont but should not question the fact that the recommendation is based on reading tea leaves. The question remains; why should we believe the models when their performance is wanting?

Re: Outback 2.5 I Limited VDC PZEV price [dules]

by dules on Sat Dec 22 15:34:43 PST 2007

Thought I'd follow up on this. Very happy with our experience. Got the 08 Outback 2.5i Limited w/VDC, PZEV engine, in the color of our choice (blue) today at the dealer I referenced in my original post, for 23,499 + sales tax and doc fee (don't have paperwork in front of me but it was under/right around $200 for registry, inspection, new plates, etc.). The original price (24,200) was so good that no one wanted to match it, then a south shore dealer ran an ad for 23,499 which I asked them to match. They matched it no questions asked, but when we were leaving they told us that the other dealer is notorious for tacking on fees at the end (true or not, I have no idea - they ran a nice ad though!). ;) All contact was handled over the Internet and this sales person was incredibly nice, professional, not pushy, knew his product, responded promptly, etc. This was Cityside Subaru in Belmont, MA, and I highly recommend checking with them if you're in the market for a new Subaru. Thanks to everyone here and on all the Subaru forums - we now have an 03 Forester and 08 Outback - an all-Subaru family. lol. ---M

shhhhh sahara

by aball69 on Thu Dec 13 18:29:27 PST 2007

yeppers mine rattles too! I kept accusing my boyfriend of not putting the doors back on right...haha :) If you live in the Gastonia/ Belmont North Carolina area then you can go to the chevy dealership(McKenny) they are in Belmont they are the best!!! I love my four door and everyone looks at it.....I get a lot of attention!!!! My biggest complaint is that the head rests are so hard and the backseat is very uncomfortable.(((glad I don't have to ride back there))) check out my pics @ aball69@aol.com Love the black too!!!! But most of all I love my lift kit and my Nitto tires.....haha....who says girls can't have cool toys! Bonnie">link title

Re: FORD DEMONSTRATES WHY IT DOESN'T PAY TO GO GREEN [mecheng1]

by sampsr on Sun Nov 04 06:54:17 PST 2007

I ordered my 2008 Escape Hybrid from Hawthorne Ford in Belmont, North Carolina in early June. Delivery was scheduled for mid-August, but it had not arrived by mid-October. They could not give me a VIN number, or any information at all about when it would be scheduled to be manufactured. In fact, they could not even say if I would ever get the car. I demanded and received a refund of my $1,000 non-refundable deposit and cancelled the order. With such high demand why doesn't Ford increase their manufacturing schedule?