The 10,000 Post thread V3

[ROFLyoshi 1,760]

91. In my state, one can apply for their learners permit when they are 16 and go for their probationary license when they turn 18 (all other states say 17). If you go for your probationary license before you turn 21, you must log 120 hours on road. Once you do that, you will only be allowed to carry one passenger between the age of 15-25 AT ALL TIMES (not just night), and after a year passes you will be allowed to carry more. BAC must remain .00 for 4 years after getting your license.

Sound like a lot? Well in New South Wales, learners cannot exceed 80km/h (regardless of actual speed limit) and 1st year probationary holders no more than 90. Victoria has no such restrictions, allowing us to do the full 110km/h in some areas.

[astronelson 339]

92.

 

Queensland doesn't have special speed restrictions for L-platers either. The speed limit's what the speed limit sign says.

 

I think the required hours were raised to 120 for Queensland sometime recently. It was only 100 when I did it, and hours with a professional teacher counted triple (for up to 10 hours with a teacher counting for 30 hours). You had to log your start and end locations, times, odometer readings, the name and licence number of the person supervising you, and the registration number of the car you drove in.

[Chptrk 86]

93.

 

Pretty sure my state required 25 hours of driving time on your permit before you could get your licence.. but it might have been 50. All I know is that they doubled it  for new learners 2 years after me and I might have not actually done all of the required time.

 

Also my finals are all done so I don't have to think about school anymore for a few months. Yay!

[Larks2242 251]

94.

 

 

89

 

'91 Jeep Cherokee (coolest car I've ever had, driven for 4 months, killed by me on I75 in Saginaw in the sleet)

 

 

I don't think I could handle the idea of driving a car older then me

[Duke87 1,070]

(95)

 

The only car older than me that I ever remember being in was my parents' '87 Subaru Leone, and even that was only older than me by a couple months. The oldest car I have ever driven was from the 1994 model year, so I would have been 6 years old when it was made.

 

I can be an old-fashioned curmudgeon about things, but personally I hate the idea of babying new drivers with silly restrictions. As far as I'm concerned, a license is a license and once you get one full driving privileges should be granted immediately. Note that this does not preclude parents from placing restrictions on where when and how their children can drive, and I might even encourage it in some cases. But having legal restrictions is just nanny-statism run amok.

 

Also, reduced speed limits for new drivers? Yeesh. What a wonderful way to give cops an excuse to write more tickets. At least we don't have that in the US. 

[Muck308 55]

96

 

I have a 2002 Honda Civic. Good car. In the past I have driven;

 

1984 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. Brougham top.

1990 Pontiac Sunbird GT Turbo

1990 Acura Integra

1992 Buick Regal. At least I think it was a 92.

 

The Olds and the Pontiac were pieces of junk but my last 3 cars have been great. The Buick was actually my dad's but when he bought a new car I commandeered the Regal for a bit.

[NMUSpidey 3,956]

97

 

Wow, you sandwiched an Integra, quite the exciting car, between two pretty boring ones.  Too bad the Detroiters were rolling excrement, but oh well.

 

Many of the cars on my wish list are older than me by quite a bit, and would be nearly impossible to maintain here in Japan.  I have a pretty big soft spot for old muscle cars.

[Duke87 1,070]

(98)

 

Muck, I never quite saw you fitting the description of a stereotypical Honda Civic owner. You are not that much of a broski.

 

My 55 year old uncle drives a Civic, which I think is hilarious because he is completely the opposite of a stereotypical Honda Civic owner.

[astronelson 339]

99.

 

Looks like we're powering through the first hundred at a reasonable pace. We'll be finished sometime around 2 years from now if we can keep this rate up.

[NMUSpidey 3,956]

100!

What is the stereotypical Honda Civic driver like these days?

[Muck308 55]

101

 

Spidey, I loved that Integra with all my heart. Bit the dust with 191,000 miles.

 

Duke, I find that Civic drivers come in all shapes and sizes!

 

I'm just a really big fan of Hondas. They are great cars.

[Duke87 1,070]

(102)

 

What is the stereotypical Honda Civic driver like these days?

 

Honestly, I haven't heard anyone other than me say any such thing for quite a while, so I'm probably just holding onto thoughts of yesteryear at this point. But I know that when I was in high school (2001-2005), there was a stereotype that Honda Civics were the preferred vehicle of suburban white trashy guys. Y'know, the type that pulls up to a red light in his Abercrombie shirt with the windows down and the music blasting and asks the young lady standing on the corner if she wants to go for a ride... the kind of guy who thinks he's all that but really is just a tool.

 

Personally, I consider it a point of pride that I drive an American car, so I wouldn't be interested in a Honda of any sort.

[ROFLyoshi 1,760]

103. I find it rather ironic that the Holden Commodore, an iconic Australian car is in fact made by a company owned by the American General Motors.

[timmie 988]

104

 

Are there 'Australian cars'? I know Holden just sells cars from other companies (mostly Opel) with a different name on it.

[Duke87 1,070]

(105)

 

In the modern world that sort of thing happens. Budweiser, a beer which used to have the image of being an American classic, is now owned by a Belgian company.

[NMUSpidey 3,956]

106

 

All the Japanese restaurants in my hometown (Toledo, OH) are owned and run by Korean families.  But Holden was producing a few original models.  I think that the Commodore and the Monaro were Aussie products, both of which were rebadged as Pontiacs (the G8 and GTO respectively) and sold in the States before that brand was retired.  Reports out of Australia make it seem that the entire auto industry there is about to disappear.

[ROFLyoshi 1,760]

104

 

Are there 'Australian cars'? I know Holden just sells cars from other companies (mostly Opel) with a different name on it.

107. Yes. I believe also the Ford Falcon was Aussie designed too.

[Chptrk 86]

108.

 

If it wasn't for a random conversation I had with Astro years ago, I would have had no idea there were Aussie cars.

[Muck308 55]

109

 

(102)

 

What is the stereotypical Honda Civic driver like these days?

 

Honestly, I haven't heard anyone other than me say any such thing for quite a while, so I'm probably just holding onto thoughts of yesteryear at this point. But I know that when I was in high school (2001-2005), there was a stereotype that Honda Civics were the preferred vehicle of suburban white trashy guys. Y'know, the type that pulls up to a red light in his Abercrombie shirt with the windows down and the music blasting and asks the young lady standing on the corner if she wants to go for a ride... the kind of guy who thinks he's all that but really is just a tool.

 

Personally, I consider it a point of pride that I drive an American car, so I wouldn't be interested in a Honda of any sort.

 

Ha! I'm sure there are plenty of tools that drive Civics. I don't like being that guy who pulls up to a light with the music blasting. It seems... rude. I still see a lot of old ladies driving Civics around these parts. I bet some of them are tools too!

 

When I first went to Australia I was all "Hey! You have Fords here I've never seen before!"

[astronelson 339]

 

110.

 

Holden was a completely Australian car company, it is now a subsidiary of GM. It started off as a saddlery manufacturer.

 

There are 3 major companies and a few small ones that make cars here.

[Duke87 1,070]

(111)

There is a distinct difference between a car being designed/manufactured in a given country, and having its maker be of that country.

By my way of looking at things, for a car to count as "Australian", it would have to be made by a company founded and headquartered in Australia. Specific models of GM or Ford unique to the country do not count since those are American companies.

[NMUSpidey 3,956]

112

 

I really think that the only way you can say a car is a certain country's car is by the badge on the hood.  I mean, we're talking about an industry where parts are built all over the world, shipped all over the world, assembled all over the world, and bought and sold all over the world.  Most of the regulations that govern car safety and exhaust emissions, countries negotiate with each other to make them similar enough that the same car can be sold almost everywhere.

 

Fun facts: while the Imprezas I have driven were assembled near my wife's hometown in Gunma, the Outback I owned was assembled in Indiana.  Does that mean it's an American car?  Many GMs and Fords have been assembled in Canada, noteably the Ford Crown Victoria (police cars from Canada!) and the previous generation Pontiac Firebird and Chevy Camaro.  Toyota is using assembly capacity in the US to export cars to other foreign markets.  BMW has a huge factory in South Carolina.  Most Japanese companies have design studios in the US to design cars specifically for the US market that will only be seen in their "home country" of Japan as a specialty import model, like the current Camry and Accord, of which I see almost none here.  China builds a crazy amount of automotive supplies.  I say, you go by the badge on the hood, because once you look under the skin or into the car's history, the lines become blurred.

[ROFLyoshi 1,760]

(111)

There is a distinct difference between a car being designed/manufactured in a given country, and having its maker be of that country.

By my way of looking at things, for a car to count as "Australian", it would have to be made by a company founded and headquartered in Australia. Specific models of GM or Ford unique to the country do not count since those are American companies.

113: In that way, there is no Australian company at all, or car.

Ford was founded as a subsidary of the motor giant, whereas Holden started as an Adelaide company before being taken over by GM. The perception may differ Duke, as there are American made cars that were founded in the country (think Dodge, Lincoln etc.)

[Duke87 1,070]

(114)

 

I have seen written on computer equipment, "made in China, designed in USA". Obviously done in order to dampen the perception of the maker sending American jobs to China.

[The Avatar 1,089]

(114)

 

I have seen written on computer equipment, "made in China, designed in USA". Obviously done in order to dampen the perception of the maker sending American jobs to China.

 

115

 

Does the fact that the car is assembled in another country really make any impact on jobs in America? Aren't all cars made mostly by robots anyway?

[Muck308 55]

116

 

(114)

 

I have seen written on computer equipment, "made in China, designed in USA". Obviously done in order to dampen the perception of the maker sending American jobs to China.

 

Yes, I've seen that on Apple products only it reads "Designed in California." That statement irks me a little.

[simlink 1,098]

117

I saw one apple produce that said "Designed in California by Apple."

The first thought that came to mind was "No way! I thought this was designed by Pear!"   It had the apple logo on it, so the "by Apple" seemed redundant to me.

[Duke87 1,070]

(118)

 

Does the fact that the car is assembled in another country really make any impact on jobs in America? Aren't all cars made mostly by robots anyway?

 

 

Granted, I am speaking with an N of 1 here, but I have been to the Ford Rouge plant in Detroit and there are hundreds if not thousands of human workers there at any given time. Many tasks are indeed performed robotically but there are still plenty of people involved.

 

With regards to the idea of "buy American", though, it is important not just where it is made but where the company is headquartered. Japanese companies make cars in the US as well, but ultimately their boardrooms are in Japan and so the profits from selling them go overseas.

[Craig-Abcvs 1,595]

119

 

No NZ made cars...   just lots of Japanese ones.

[Larks2242 251]

120.

 

 

117

I saw one apple produce that said "Designed in California by Apple."

The first thought that came to mind was "No way! I thought this was designed by Pear!"   It had the apple logo on it, so the "by Apple" seemed redundant to me.

 

I like when they use pear laptops on TV shows since they can't advertise apple products.