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Frankie_B

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  • Lexus Model
    98 ES300

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  1. Frankie_B

    I'm Back!

    Congats! I've come to think that this generation GS is one of the best cars on the market today. How soft is the ride though? Does it feel shabby around the corners at all?
  2. Another thing to factor in is the strength of the Dollar. I was just looking at the European gas prices. I was in France last summer, and gas would cost an average of EUR 1.35 per liter (EUR 5.13 per gallon). Today's price is floating at around EUR 1.55 a liter (EUR 5.89 per gallon). This gives us an increase of 15%, when dealing in Euro. Equivelent dollar prices would be $1.82/L ($6.92/Gal) a year ago and $2.44/L ($9.27/Gal) today, giving us an increase of 34%, which is the sort of increase we've seen in North America over the last year. What actually worries me is that if this were to continue, and gas reached unsustainable prices (over $2/L or $7.60/Gal), we wouldn't be able to simply follow the Europeans and settle for smaller cars, bicycles, mopeds or buses: the American city concept is fundamentally different than the European: lots of suburbia with little public transportation and vast distances to cover. For the most part, you can't even walk to the local Walmart. Europe, on the other hand, is much more compact and dense, and their public transportation system is much more developed. In Paris, I could easily take the Metro and a train to the Airport, arrive in rather short time and be happy. In Toronto, taking public transit to the airport would take me 2.5 hrs (vs. 30 minutes by car) AND the savings are rather small: I'd only save $2.50. My 2.5 hrs are definitely worth more than that! Personally, I don't see a feasible alternative to my ES: I can't comfortably fit in a Civic or Corolla, taking the bus would cost me an average 2 extra hours of the day, and I'm not within a walking distance to anything, really, especially in the winter. The only thing I can do is suck up the 30% higher gas bill, and spend less on other things. Which, as mentioned before, will have a ripple effect in the Economy.
  3. You know how some cars show current gas milage? I think it should be expressed in $/mile :D You step on the gas and voi-la, $0.4 per mile!
  4. That's the locksmith that took 3 attempts to clone the key. Make sure it's done by somebody who knows what he's doing rather than a new hire!
  5. Thanks everybody, sounds like all I have to do now is wait for a Black on tan GS400 to pop up on the market...Dream car ! :)
  6. I use the Hawk HPS pads with Brembo rotors on my 98 ES, and experience no dust/squeeks at all, and braking hard enough for ABS to kick in at 40 mph (did not try full braking at higher speeds).
  7. Frankie_B

    Car Tax

    In fact, $230 is only about EUR 150 or GBP 114. So, if anything, significantly lower than the poor folks on the other side of the ocean have to live through!
  8. I'm not sure if that would help. If they have evidence that you were in process of downloading the 'stolen' material, then it doesn't matter if you have it today or not. Similarly, if you steal a car and sell it, they can still charge you with theft even though you don't actually posses the vehicle. They have the evidence that your IP address was downloading the game. Do you have Wifi? Some people can hack into others' wifi networks so everything they do will come up under your IP in the eyes of the ISP.
  9. topless hot chicks oh boy, I want summer already
  10. Personally I don't see a problem in a kid driving an older Lexus. 6-8 year old ES models cost as much as a new Civic, so from the financial standpoint, what's the difference? If a kid is able to "afford" a new Civic, then he/she can similarly afford an older Lexus, would that not be teaching them better consumer habits, as in getting the best value for the buck? Owning an older car might also teach them some repair/maintenance skills, whereas they will take their new ride to the dealer to have it repaired under warranty. But I have to say I'm definitely against fresh-out-of-school kids driving NEW BMWs and Infititis.
  11. Atlanta is a bit far away from Toronto, I'm afraid!
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