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Bethlehem, PA Car Consumer Discussions

Re: UAW [imidazol97]

by cooterbfd on Mon Nov 17 14:34:39 PST 2008

".....The retirees need to take a cut in their lush pay checks and health care plans to help the company they bled for so many years. While other companies have cut retiree healthcare and checks, UAW has kept theirs high." What companies have CUT retiree healthcare and checks????? Bethlehem Steel??? Kaiser Aluminum?? US Air??? Polaroid or Kemper insurance??? Sorry Charlie, but they ALL get their pension monies from YOU AND ME, courtesy of the PBGC. If the Big 3 go belly up, guess who pays the retirees?? Yep, YOU AND ME!!!! And there is no renegging on that, because PBGC is an INSURANCE POLICY, and it will HAVE to be PAID OUT Like the old Fram commercial: Pay a "little" now, or pay a LOT later.

Thanks all!

by jad376 on Sun Jul 01 21:29:30 PDT 2007

Saturday morning, I took delivery of my brand-new '07 Leggy, Diamond Grey Metallic w/black leather. $339/month, 39 months, 15k/year. That's it. Thanks to you all - I couldn't have done it without reading this forum all this year! Although my car is a bit hard to get used to after seven years of PT Cruisers, the Leggy is winning me over slowly. It's much, much quieter than our Audi. I plan to get a Tornado for the naturally aspirated four-banger (although I did average 27 mpg on the way from Morristown, NJ to Bethlehem PA, not bad for day one), and next up will be a portable, dockable aftermarket nav system. I'm thinking of rigging a removable holder in the space between the air vents - you Subaru owners sure like to write about your cars on the discussion forums, so I won't have a problem finding advice in that area. Next up will probably be a bike rack for the low-profile roof rails. Again, thanks a ton and eventually come and Google over to the other Legacy forums (probably in the "Diamond Grey Thread"?) for pictures. Ciao!

Bringing this discussion back to life, maybe...

by shipo on Tue May 20 17:51:53 PDT 2008

A year ago I was faced with an almost certain increase in my monthly mileage from 2,000 miles to 3,000 miles, and as such I drove my trusty minivan down to a local Honda dealership and drove a Civic EX 5-Speed. I was impressed. Fast forward a year, a couple of contract changes, and lots of trials and tribulations, and I'm once again faced with the possibility of driving an easy 3,000 miles per month. The minivan now has 160,000 miles on the clock and while it runs as good as it did the day we drove it off the showroom floor in 1998, it's beginning to rust in locations were body work has been performed, and it's still only getting about 23 mpg on the highway. Long story short, I took another test drive in a Civic EX, a drive in a Mazda 3 5-Door, and then a drive in a 2-Door Rabbit (all three cars equipped with 5-Speed manual transmissions). Impressions follow: - The Civic continued to impress in pretty much every way except power and some of the interior plastic bits that feel cheap and seem to scuff up real easy. This is a car that I could live with; however, I'd have to stash our 75 pound Lab "puppy" in the back seat when schlepping him around. Hmmm, too bad Honda doesn't offer a hatchback version like I saw (or think I saw) in Hong Kong last summer. - The Mazda has a lot to like about it; however, the driver's seat ain't one of them things. My back and thighs were hurting after only a short test drive, and given that much of my driving is likely to be between southern New Hampshire and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, I quickly came to the conclusion that I'd never be able to spend six hours in the seat of that car. Cross the Mazda off the list. - The Mazda dealership had a sister VW dealership in the same building, and with a Jetta Sportwagon TDI in mind, I went over to kick a few tires (yes, I know that the TDI won't be out until fall at the earliest). Taking a look at a Rabbit 2-Door, I could see that it was reasonably likely that not only would my wife and two kids (14 & 11) fit comfortably in the Rabbit (even the 2-Door), but I could fit the barkus in the hatch area as well. Hmmmmz. I went and fetched the kids, popped them in the back and had the 6' 3" salesman ride shotgun, and away we went. Folks, I've got to say it, the Bunny 2.5 rocks, it's not as fast as the A3 that I drove just recently, however, I'm thinking that it's more than fast enough to keep me happy for a couple of years. So, what happens in two years? That fourteen year old will be sixteen, and I'm thinking that it'll make a good first car for my kids so that I can do my duty by raising another generation of stick-shift drivers. Long story short, the only things that I feel that could be improved in the Rabbit are the fuel economy (I'm figuring it'll probably get about 5 mpg less than a Civic in real world driving, errr, if I can keep my foot out of it), and the crappy plastic shift knob and steering wheel. Not sure I can do too much about the fuel economy except drive easy; however, I found these items for fixing the plastic issues: http://www.namotorsports.net/detail.cfm/part_cd/RIV05R-07R (for the shift knob) http://www.wheelskins.com/index.php (for the steering wheel) So, assuming that I get the project that I'm bidding on, I'll be ordering a 2009 Rabbit 2-Door 5-Speed (in either Black or Reflex Silver), with Mangy Cours wheel package, Cold Weather package, iPod Adaptor, and the Protection Kit. I'll keep y'all posted. ;) Best Regards, Shipo

Re: If you weren't [dieselone]

by lemko on Sun Jan 20 10:49:20 PST 2008

Well, one thing that made a difference for a lot of WWII vets was the GI Bill. My girlfriend's father and my Grandpop took advantage of it and did well as a result. I ended up in my career pretty much the way you describe. I was laid-off when my company folded in 1991 and retrained for another job. I'm doing pretty well now. I very much agree that one needs marketable skills these days to get ahead. Maybe the 1950s and 1960s were the Glory Days for a guy just getting his high school diploma or coming out of the armed services. I remember a lot of guys making the commute to the Allentown-Bethlehem area to work at Bethlehem Steel or to Fairless Hills to the U.S. Steel works. My Dad did alright until he was laid-off in 1998 at the age of 60. He did take advantage of retraining as an electrical technician and actually graduated at the top of his class. He got a job at Quaker Oats as a maintenance electrician and then retired. Funny thing Dad told me is that he wasted 24 years of his life at the job he had prior to Quaker. If he had worked for Quaker the entire time, he'd have had an awesome retirement package.

Chrome Wheels

by barr62 on Mon Aug 20 05:40:48 PDT 2007

I just Noticed on my rear Left chrome wheel on my Spicy Red GTO ..The film coated is starting to Peel ..Check your chrome wheels you 06 Owners , and does Any one have info on the default Weld behind the fenders? that they are weak specialy upon Impacted :cry: I also hear a Lifter Tappng when i shes cold and fades away , But? i hit a phone pole with it i am just hoping i get her back the same

Crashed 06 GTO

by barr62 on Sun Aug 19 09:19:22 PDT 2007

I wrecked my 06 Spicy Red chromed Wheel'd GTO ..all 's i did was pulled out on wet road Hit 2nd gear and she Snapped Losed with out warning ( Pictures avalable ) how ever at thsi date and time i was told from the DEALER where it is at now said it did More damage bcause of the following" The facory weld or welds Under the front fenders are incoorect or weak ! So as of 08/19/2007 the Car has over $13200.93 damage done to it .. i have also have hardshifting issues Prior with this car and when you start it up cold? ..theres a Lifter Tap then it fades away but as far as Strut issues go? , i have None , i just hope i get this car Back Like it was Brand New //Barry from PA !