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Deer Island, OR Car Consumer Discussions

Re: feel lucky punk? [stickguy]

by andre1969 on Thu Apr 10 05:25:54 PDT 2008

Even though the seller didn't quote an asking price, I get the feeling that he's realistic about what those two Peugeots are really worth, and really just wants to see them put to use and not wasted. I wonder if he'd be willing to just give them away, rather than see them get sent off to the junkyard. Or get in trouble with the town. And speaking of which, it sounds like that town needs a hobby, or something to keep itself busy. I know abandoned/junk cars are considered an eyesore, but heck, on a large piece of property like that, they're really more like lawn ornaments! I mean, who the heck ratted the dude out? The 'possums and squirrels? Did a deer get pissed because they were spoiling its view of the forest? Now I could understand if they were sitting in a parking lot, or on the front lawn in a finely manicured subdivision. But this sounds like the town is just sniffing for revenue (fines). Or maybe the guy just has a neighbor he quarrels with, and the guy ratted him out. Or maybe he just needs to hide his cars better. I should call him and give him some pointers. :P

Re: I thought of this discussion [nippononly]

by andre1969 on Thu Dec 27 11:32:06 PST 2007

I was always under the impression that collision only covers when you hit something with your car AND it is your fault. Something unavoidable like a deer or loose exhaust system running out in front of you...things that aren't your fault, are covered under comprehensive. I wonder, if you had been able to get the license plate of the car that dropped the exhaust system, if you could hold the driver accountable? I also have to confess that I did something like this with my pickup truck back in 2006. First, early on that year I overloaded it, and the only thing I can figure is that the frame sagged down so far on that the tailpipes got caught between the underside of the truck and the rear axle, and that popped them loose where they came off the muffler (single exhaust, but two tailpipes coming off the muffler). Well, they were wedged up in there pretty good, so I just left them there. Until one day I was on Route 50 driving into DC, and suddenly I hear this rattling sound. I pulled over, and the one support still holding those tailpipes on had finally torn, so they were basically dangling over the rear axle, dragging on the road. At that point I pulled them off and threw them in a nearby dumpster once I got into DC. A couple months later, I was driving into Baltimore with that truck, and all of a sudden I heard a dragging sound. Pulled off in front of the Ravens' stadium, looked up under. I guess, since the muffler was no longer supported at the rear, it was too much stress up front, so the pipe leading into it started to break, letting the muffler drop down until the trailing end of it dragged on the pavement. Stupid me, I my first instinct was to try to grab it with my bare hand. Warning: those things are hot! :blush: I ended up kicking it loose with my boot, grabbing a rag out of the truck, and using that to pick it up and throw it back in the bed until I could dispose of it properly. I'm just thankful that, both times, I was able to catch the parts before they actually came loose! I ran the truck like that for awhile...hey, it still had a catalytic converter on it, so it's not like it was polluting any more without a muffler! :P And oddly, it wasn't any louder than it had been with a muffler. In contrast, when the exhaust from the muffler back came loose on my '79 New Yorker, it suddenly sounded like a musclecar, even though it still had the converter on it. Unfortunately, the emissions test was looming ever nearer, so I did put a new exhaust system on the truck. They replaced everything from the catalytic converter back, for something like $240.00.

Re: I don't know about Europe [Mr_Shiftright]

by andre1969 on Sat Nov 10 06:46:34 PST 2007

Well they could learn not to hit a deer. They aren't that hard to miss most of the time and they never hit the grill anyway...all long-legged animals go over the hood. Now a hog---a brushguard would come in handy for THAT. Spoken like a city boy! :P My uncle's '03 Corolla has been hit by deer twice. Well, the first hit, I guess, you could consider a tie, as it sort of got him on the corner, and his car ended up looking like one of those NHTSA offet crash test cars. Somehow it managed to stop the Corolla dead in its tracks. Did roughly $4900 worth of damage. Deer hopped off into the woods like nothing even happened. No blood, gore, or anything on the car. All of his coolant leaked out, and the front was pushed in just far enough to limit steering, push the radiator and fan back far enough that the fan caught on something, and wedged one of the doors shut. You'd think he'd hit an Impala (the American kind, not the African kind) rather than a generic domestic deer! The second time, the deer hit my uncle's car on the side. Somehow that time, it didn't do any damage at all. And speaking of Impalas, back in the 1990's, one of my neighbors had a '65 4-door sedan. One day he drove it home wrecked. I asked him about it, and he said he hit a deer. Pretty bad hit, too. Driver's side fender and door were smashed, bumper was bent, grille messed up. Fender was messed up enough that it cut into the turning area for the front tire. I also knew somebody whose brother hit a deer with a 1986 or so Lincoln Town Car. Totaled the Lincoln...and not just because of low book value, either. Fairly recently, one of my coworkers hit a deer with a Dodge Durango. Did several thousand $ worth of damage. Biggest problem around here is a decline of natural predators, and at the same time, destruction of habitat so the deer just don't have anywhere to go. When I was a kid, it was VERY rare to actually see a live deer around these parts. I'd see a dead one along the road once in a blue moon, but by and large, there was enough habitat for them to just keep to themselves, and just not come into contact with humans that much. Nowadays, sometimes I have to be careful walking my dog in my yard, because there will be 6-7 deer out there, walking along the forest line, and when the dog sees them he goes ballistic. As of the 1980 census, there were about 2000 people living within the 12-13 square miles that comprise my zipcode. As of the 2000 census, it's more like 12-13,000 people. And the surrounding towns and cities have grown just as much. Seems like the deer get bolder too, as they get used to people. A few years ago, one of my roommates, in a not-so-wise moment, was walking in the woods behind my house and somehow managed to come right up to a deer. The deer didn't even flinch. He slapped it on the butt...his reasoning being that it would teach the deer to fear humans, and that would be for its own good. It took off, but I guess he's lucky that it didn't kick him!

Re: Money & Cars [bumpy]

by andre1969 on Fri Nov 09 11:22:35 PST 2007

Deer, rock, fender bender. If you keep a daily driver long enough, something will eventually get one or both of the headlights. And the windshield. I remember back in college, one of my friends had an '89 Z-24 and broke out one of the composite headlights. The dealer wanted an obscene $100 or so for a replacement. We got the bright idea to try finding one from the junkyard. Alas, at the time, just about every potential donor Cavalier in the yard was either smashed in the front, or had already had the front-end clip removed, headlights and all. I think we wasted about a day riding around to various junkyards, and my buddy finally gave up and just went to the dealer. And nowadays, you get the added "bonus" of plastic assemblies that deteriorate over time and cloud up, flake apart, crack, etc. So if it's a newer car you're looking for, chances are the front's either going to be smashed, or the front clip already removed and re-sold as a unit. And if it's an older car, one that went in for mechanical failure perhaps, chances are its headlight assemblies are shot, anyway. :sick: In contrast, I went to the junkyard in 1994 to pull the bumper/grille combination off of a 1969 Bonneville. The license plate on the bumper said "1978", so I'm guessing that's when it was "retired". Probably got junked around that time. When I put that assembly on my '69 Bonneville, three of the four headlights still worked! Sometimes the "bad old days", weren't TOO bad, after all.

Re: Ordering the 2008 this afternoon [cyclone4]

by ljflx on Mon Aug 27 08:12:04 PDT 2007

ljflx, how have you been? I have not communicated with you for a long time. There has not been much going in recent months. That is an amazing story you describe above about the deer hitting your beautiful LS and coming out of it without a scratch. Cyclone - Been dormant on Edmunds as there isn't much to post about and these fragmented boards remain a big turnoff to me. Having a great summer so far. Weather's been very good here in the northeast (save for last week) and I got back from vacation in North Myrtle Beach early last week. We are looking for land in the Southeast and are probably going to buy a lot on the intercoastal on Pawley Island. Key will be whether or not we are forced to build sooner than we want (about 3-4 years). The deer thing still amazes me. There isn't a scratch or indentation mark on the car. In fact the new Lexus paint method seems to ward off scratches a lot more than the earlier cars. The ride, braking, interior space and amenities are just all top shelf and it's the usual Lexus perfect execution. Handling is very agile, more than you need for a lux car like this. I'm also very satisfied with my gas mileage. The car resets itself to about 450 miles to empty everytime you fill up but it adjusts as you drive. Typically it ends up showing 480-520 miles once you get it rolling past 50 miles of driving - depending on type of driving you do and the actual mileage is better than the miles to empty. Overall I averaged 22mpg thru the first 2500 miles but I stopped keeping track. One pure highway stint I did was well above that though. Finally the much maligned brake issue that C&D created was pure fiction. The Brakes on this car are fabulous and I see almost all new reports are in the 110-112 feet range braking from 60-0. You are going to love this car. Best of luck to you with the purchase. My wait was just over 90 days. What's your color combo?

Re: Birthday on an Island [xwesx]

by fibber2 on Fri Apr 13 10:10:28 PDT 2007

Wes, we seem to have strangely parallel lives, don't we? Bloat is a horrible way to go, which only makes some of our efforts to save him seem a bit selfish. We are torn between our actions and letting him go. He just turned 8, and can still run with the deer when he feels like it. To be suddenly stricken seems so unfair. I thought last night was his last, but we carried him back into the hospital this morning for one last IV and (maybe) miracle drugs to see if we can restart his digestive tract, or if it has gone necrotic. Our vet briefly discussed going in again to look, but then quietly advised against it, so this is the final act. I appreciate the kind words from everyone. It is hard to say goodbye. Bad ending to a great vacation!! Steve