Idiots giving our Hobby a bad Rap!

[Ron H]

He can call his car insurance agent and say he hit some black ice...in July...

 

[joe smith]

The statement that 40% of drivers on the road should be on a bus is generous, I think it should probably be much higher based on what I see on the road frequently.[/QUOTE]

I was being gracious...

I was told when I moved from Oregon to Florida 9 years ago that everyone on the east coast drove like they were in Nascar... I had seen the kalifornicators that moved to Oregon who drove like ****, so I thought " been there done that". No I was wrong, Its much worse than that as they have NO ability to drive like nascar, but still do..
Daily here I say " where the hell did these morons learn how to drive"....

 

[69a100]

I love my old & slow /6! I couldn't burn rubber if I tried, I like that, and that's just fine by me!

 

[Ron H]

Share a comical story (I thought it was) – I used to have to drive the IL tollway to visit an office in the Chicago burbs. I still drive it on occasion for trips south. Nothing’s changed in 30+ years…some drive 85-90mph and zig-zag the lanes like crazy, never using a turn signal. One time had a meeting with a client I worked with in Milwaukee meeting with a group of Chicago biz people for their insurance. For some reason was in a mood as I was to start the meeting. I asked the IL folks if their cars came with a lever on the left side of the steering column. Silence as I’m sure they were confused…when one piped up “What do you mean, the blinker lever?” I said “Yeah, that’s it…the directional signal”. They stayed confused. I said “Just wondering because when I drive in your state, I rarely see people using their turn signals”. This went ok with a couple of people and not so much with the others as they weren’t amused. I laughed and said “Hey I’m just jerking your chains…just my way to break the ice to start the meeting.” I’m sure some told their friends they encountered a typical WI cheese-head asshole. Lol

 

[Dipstick]

It sucks .low performance driver driving a bad *** machine!

And a "look at me" mentality.

 

[alfaitalia]

A 700 horse car now (with all the electronics, far superior handling, braking, stiffer chassis etc etc and built to get that sort of power to the ground) is a very different animal to a classic 60s or 70s Mopar (or any other classic really) with that sort of power grafted into it....and as such takes rather more skill to drive fast. I used to have a 3 litre Ford Capri when I was young....bored and tuned, triple carbs etc etc.....was probably 250 horse absolutely maximum (just 140 horse as stock)....the leaf springs and live axle combined with skinny rear tyres made it quite a handful to drive. Move forward 35 years and my friend just picked up a Merc AMG63 (2014 model with the 5.5 Twin turbo V8 rather than the earlier 6.2 V8 na lump). Stock is 550 ish horse....but that was not enough for the previous owner who had it tuned and mapped to 700 horses! "Fast" does not really cover it..."vicious" is more like it.....on the motorway it smeared the rears from 100mph and got slightly snaky...but the stability control soon got on top of it and it was off up to 160 on a flash (well over 200mph top speed!).......but it is probably easier to drive than my old Capri!

 

[Moparmann]

A friend of mine asked if I was going to get one of the new Challengers (I have a'74) I told him no, and he wanted to know why not. I stated that I was not impressed; as the horsepower ratings kept going higher and higher, I could only think, WHY?!? You can't really do anything LEGAL on the streets with all of that horsepower. IIRC, one buyer of the first of these high powered Challengers wrecked it less than a mile from the dealership! With crowded road conditions and no driver training, it's sometimes hair raising just to drive our old cars in traffic! A lot of the younger buyers of these cars do little more than put a coating of rubber on asphalt road surfaces, as noted by the proliferation of circles/figures eights/streaks/etc. on the roads. Just check out YouTube for idiots who can't maintain a lane/don't know how to merge/can't judge distances, and then couple that with 700+ horsepower and a "look at me" mentality. If I were to buy a new Challenger, I think the 392 Hemi would be more than enough for me. As has been stated earlier, being able to afford it, doesn't equate to knowing how to handle it!

 

[70chall440]

With great power comes great responsibility...

 

[Cranky]

A 700 horse car now (with all the electronics, far superior handling, braking, stiffer chassis etc etc and built to get that sort of power to the ground) is a very different animal to a classic 60s or 70s Mopar (or any other classic really) with that sort of power grafted into it....and as such takes rather more skill to drive fast. I used to have a 3 litre Ford Capri when I was young....bored and tuned, triple carbs etc etc.....was probably 250 horse absolutely maximum (just 140 horse as stock)....the leaf springs and live axle combined with skinny rear tyres made it quite a handful to drive. Move forward 35 years and my friend just picked up a Merc AMG63 (2014 model with the 5.5 Twin turbo V8 rather than the earlier 6.2 V8 na lump). Stock is 550 ish horse....but that was not enough for the previous owner who had it tuned and mapped to 700 horses! "Fast" does not really cover it..."vicious" is more like it.....on the motorway it smeared the rears from 100mph and got slightly snaky...but the stability control soon got on top of it and it was off up to 160 on a flash (well over 200mph top speed!).......but it is probably easier to drive than my old Capri!

I like being able to pass on a two lane road and do it without wondering if my POS is gonna make it before the next rise in the road so having some power is good with me. Do I need 700? Most likely not but 550 is pretty nice. Btw, a Merc over on this side of the pond is a Mercury

 

[gooser]

in the 70s we had a saying young & dumb i would guess a lot of these kids never had a fast car in there life just get in and hit the gas wrong

 

[Tomcat]

Hellcats are awesome novelties, and fun I'm sure, but even the best and most notorious drivers on the planet stick it in the wall sometimes.....ever seen the Riggle and Leno rollover?......crazy! This is just far too much car for the street. I've had the most (vehicular) fun of my life with 340's. 300 horses is about all a driver can manipulate successfully on D.O.T. asphalt .....that's just the truth!.....otherwise, the car is manipulating you.

 

[glen e gates]

 

[glen e gates]

u know in my day late 60s i ran a 57 with a 327 and a paxton u had to hold on to it at 60 my RR 4 speed is just fine for a old man like me

 

[Ron H]

Well - some good debates about HP. My old ride after resto gets around 330 hp. Not quite the extent of power I had been looking for even as a senior citizen now. Then again, thought about what I was going to do with my car: not racing, legal or otherwise, those days are behind. Cruising out in the country with bud's in their old rides and going to shows - yep. Occasional errands when the weather is nice - yep. The extra HP would be nice for a better throwback in the seat and burn outs. Some have and want ultra horses - if I was 30 years younger, no doubt that's what I'd be thinking; but still not what a Hellcat provides. I had a couple 400hp rides back in the day and my share of tickets and losing my license. If I have the extra hp (as I had) was always tempted to use it. Like if I didn't, I was wasting something. Of course, back when who'd a thunk you could buy 700-800 horses from the factory? It was something around 450 max in the day and enough trouble for those who didn't handle it, lol. Guy I know had his 600HP car up to 180MPH on a freeway on an early Sunday morning - he shared a pic of his speedo doing it. He got stopped; luck for him on his way slowing down getting clocked at around 90 in a 70 zone. 180? Oly **** that's getting handcuffs, a lost license, massive fine, and best a luck with the auto insurer. WDF?

 

[1toolguy]

"IIRC, one buyer of the first of these high powered Challengers wrecked it less than a mile from the dealership! "

When the Hellcats first came one of my son's friends called and asked if I wanted a good deal on a Hellcat engine. Because I agree with a lot of the folks here and think the 400+hp I've got can get me in enough trouble I passed but, I did ask why. Seems a relative, cousin in think, bought one the day before and totaled it before he got it home that evening.

 

[Dennis H]

We have lots of straight roads out West. Road to Trona, 25, and more. If the whine of the Blower isn’t addictive in these cars then check your pulse. Just be careful with the goddam thing. Time. Place. Safe - for conditions.

PLUS, they’re damn near 80k to boot.