(Car thread again) Whoops, wrong gear...

[refractor]

Found this funny, even though I can't drive and have zero interest in cars (many big piccies):

http://www.importclassifieds.ca/cgi-bin ... 6;t=011808

[James S]

LOL, what a complete ass. My RSX is the first stick I've EVER driven, and it's difficult to miss a gear. The stick slides to either side or springs back to the middle. He'd have to be abusing that thing so much to miss a gear. I bet he was going 90-110 mph when that happened, too, and 4th gear only goes up to 80mph anyway. He's an ass for even trying to get into 4th, as it would have blown up in 4th, too.

He'd also have to have the pedal literally to the metal with so much gas in the chamber that the pump would be sucking it through uncontrollably, because the engines has locks to prevent stupidity like that.

It takes something to blow up an RSX... That guy should be proud he managed it.

[David Horn]

Hmmm, yeah, on my car I've never missed a gear. Like James said, all gearboxes are spring loaded to prevent this happening. It doesn't work, though, if someone is shoving the gear lever around the box.

I know someone who accidentally went from 4th to first at 60 mph - on his driving test. It sure woke the gearbox up... and the examiner, come to think of it.

[Warren]

Well, got in my first accident today, here's the stupid details:

I was waiting in line to exit the school. The car behind me is RIGHT against my ass. After a little bit (the buses were passing, so we couldn't get out yet), I felt him hit me in the back. I honked and got out very pissed off. I started yelling at him, saying that he hit me from behind, and that there's damage to my bumper (two holes and a scratch from his license plate). He sits there scowering like a coward. I tell him to get out of the car to look at the damage (there was no damage to his car, it's an old rust bucket Volvo). He refused, and I told him that he's entirely responcable, and he just kept saying "yeah yeah". A teacher came and yelled at me to leave, so I had to. When I got home, my mom contacted his mom, and his mom said that it was ENTIRELY MY fault!!! Claiming that I rolled back into his car! I KNOW I didn't, he was so close to me, I pressed the brake extra hard to make sure!!! She had already reported it to police, saying that it's all my fault, then she went into saying that she's seen me before, and yelled in the phone that I'm a complete maniac, and that my mom should be more responcible in taking care of me!! WHAT NERVE OF THIS WOMAN!!!!! So we went and got it appraised, because the mechanic is a friend of ours, we can get it for only $150, instead of the usual $250. Then I contacted a witness, and they said is obviously their fault, that even if I rolled back, they were WAY too close, and that everyone knows I have a standard, and should give me room in case I do roll a little. So, with this, we contacted them again, and suddenly they go crazy yelling that I caused it all, and that they think there may be suspension damage to their car!! It was less than 1mph!!!!! We just said that we'd split the cost of $150, but they refused, they want to go through insurance, risking a HUGE surchange and well over $1000 extra over 7 years, instead of paying $75... What idiots!! And this woman calling me a maniac, and calling my mom an irresponcible mother! AHHH!!! I mean, there's only 1 witness, and they say it's extremely obvious it's their fault, they can't win!! Ugh, New Englanders....

[James S]

I'm SO sorry about your car, Warren. I know how shitty it feels to have stuff like that happen to you. Just don't get irrate, be better than them.

I HATE people, especially people when they're in cars. I just can't stand how stupid they are. MANY, MANY... MANY times some asshole that has NEVER heard of a manual transmission comes within inches of me. Luckily I live in Florida and few lights have any incline at all except from the little elevation from the roads crossing over each other. There's not much I can do except roll back and then squeel on the gas, but then that makes them think I'm some crazy teenager when they're the ones that don't understand the least thing about cars and the process of operating them. How is it that people are so careless in cars? They can walk just fine. I mean, if some retarded handicapped kid were weaving all over the street I'd just go on about my business, but these people act like they're physically handicapped when they get in a car!

Anyway, I was going to post this in the Italian Job thread, but this brand icing new MINI came roaring up beside me in the left hand lane when we were both coming up to the tightest turn in my entire county where Main merges into SR 80. I pop it into second at 45 mph and take that turn faster and smoother than he did absolutely no question, I didn't even feel any roll in my car like I usually do, I guess the extreme downshift (60 is the highest 2nd goes, and that's 8k RPMs) really helped out. But it was BRAND new, light blue, black stripes, black top, I'm pretty sure it was an S but can't say for sure. The Temp Tag was dated TODAY. He had the windows down cruizing like a bi-atch at 80mph on SR 80. I hit it out of the turn to give him a little incentive, but when I reached 60 in the 45 zone I wasn't willing to go any faster, he was out of my sight after 2 maybe 3 miles.

[David Horn]

[James S]

Ya, those are the two methods I'm acquainted with as well. But I guess I'm lazy since Florida is completely and totally flat (and a couple feet below sea-level at that).

Oh, and Warren, if anything like that ever happens again get out your PocketPC and start recording before you get out of your car. Then go confront the person that hit you. If they say "Oh, I'm SOOO SORRY!" that's admission of fault which means they have to pay for all damages (or atleast their insurance company does). Also, ask them to step out of the car to take a look at the damage and describe the damage so the PocketPC (casually in your hand, unconspicuously so they don't know they're being recorded) can pick it up, and then if they claim anything didn't happen during the accident or something happened to their car that didn't then you have proof. Be sure at the end of the verbal examination you say something like "that looks like the only damage, would you agree?" And they're just going to say "ya," like everyone does, and then the damage has already been assessed and it will give them a hard time to claim any other atleast visual damage. Be sure to write their phone number and everything down on your PocketPC so they don't think you're some weirdo that holds their pocketpc in hand all the time, too. But that recording could then be used in court, since it's only against the law for an attorney to covertly record a conversation without the person's permission it will be allowed as evidence.

Another reason to keep a PocketPC at hand... to prevent insurance fraud.

[Chris Edwards]

Weird,

I rear ended a guy yesterday.

I felt sooo bad... I still do.

I'm gonna have to pay for everything, and the damage on his car was pretty bad.

No one was hurt, so that's good.

I just pray that I don't have to give up my life savings because of one stupid mistake.

[Jaybot]

[Chris Edwards]

18 year old male? It'll be cheaper for me to just pay for it than to pay for a higher insurance rate for the next 5 years.

[James S]

[soatari]

[eminefes]

[soatari]

[Chris Edwards]

I have insurance... but I don't have to claim it thru them.

It's also law to have insurance here.