eaf

And the things are so freaking out of season that even snakes are out everywhere. I ran into a garter, boa and a sign warming me that it's not the end of it. In short, I'm sorry, GSS, I have totally failed you. There's nothing to write home about, for I am too late.

The only kind of trees to ski here between must be this

I'll admit, there was snow here at some point. Chains on this tractor couldn't be just for mud, but that point has expired months ago!

I'll tell you more... The only mountains I saw in the light of the day had this suspicious red tint on them and were completely unskiable. I won't risk taking my Monsters on top of them even if it meant to never ski again.

Whoever said that there's tons of snow in Colorado was a big fat liar! There's not a speck of it anywhere. Only endless green hills.

I agree with this based on my observations of a friend's Passat. They had to glue some elements of the internal trim many-many times, and they would still fall off. It burns oil like crazy, had issues with O2 sensors, suspension, electrics, torn radiator hoses. But one awesome thing that that particular Passat has is 100% corrosion-free body. It's 2001, 2 years older than the Accord that I own, and while it has some pretty bad rust on the hood and rear wheels arches, the VW is completely spotless.

Noooooooooo! Whom will I write from Loveland to now? 😫

That's hardly an indication of anything. I see plenty of soccer moms in their minivans. Doesn't make those vans a good buy. I have no knowledge of RAVs, but was toying with the idea of getting an Outback or a Crosstrek. Of course, their main selling point are numerous videos about how Outback can climb those rollers while Toyotas and Hondas are limiting torque going nowhere or sliding side-to-side. People rave about symmetrical AWD, engines with the second harmonics balanced out due to the opposed cylinder layout, love the clearance and how they can get in the middle of a swamp and then get out. But then if you browse through Forester of Outback forums you'll find plenty of concerns about reliability of CVT, about TSBs, dealer reprogramming, consequences of transmission overheating, extended warranties and what not. I was kinda surprised to find many people calling mileage like 100-150K high and bragging about their cars going that long with minimal repairs. Interestingly, if you look at other manufacturers, like Honda, you'll find that their Acura variants whether TLX or RDX all have 6, 8 or 9-speed automatics whereas the more consumer-oriented Accords and CRVs are stuck with CVTs. The Outback owners that I talked to in person generally like the eyesight assist, dislike increased noise level (partly transmission, partly rack on the roof), some are picking on the quality of assembly, and all comment about lousy performance of the 4-cylinder. So at least get yourself a 3.5L.

These cars were designed in 70s. Carburetor, I4, stick, RWD, something like 100hp and 30mpg. Best part about them was that folks could fix most of the (numerous) issues right in the garage if not on the streets. And not too many things that could go suddenly wrong anyway.

IDK, there is just too much controversial stuff coming from different vehicles that have CVT. Some implementations may be better, some worse, but I know first hand that Nissans were plagued with CVT failures and Jeeps went as far as to say that certain CVTs in them were not designed for highway driving due to overheating. So take reliability issues, then pair them with increased noise levels and unusual driving sensation, and here ya go.

I would try to avoid anything that has CVT in it. Which eliminates CRV, RAV4 hybrid and even Subaru, unless you import a stick from Canada.

Wow, so many men with power here... Heeeey, why not to give Salty mod rights for a month instead of a ribbon on his RTMs?

Promise to give this as a discount to your next customer, and I'll leave you alone till next fall.

Is that what's on your mind during hot and sticky PA summers?

Yeah, gone are those days when he could be lured to a one-trail opening day with just cookies and cocoa and then ski on it till the end. Pocket beers and fights for the first chair is what lies ahead.

Is that because you skied while others partied and argued about whole day vs night only?

So who won? Salty beat ya all losers with his verticals hands down? Does he get a prize? A ribbon on RTMs? A patch on his chest?

Oh those good old days... Some quality paper it was. How old?

Ooooh, PASR stickers. That sounds like an interesting piece of history. What were they?

If you don't know, then don't comment.

Well, if we're into behavioral advices now, don't post double-sided statements on a public board and expect people not to read and comment on them. As for your particular situation, how do I know what you're up to? GSS expressed some interest in being a ski bum lately. I don't think he was joking though.

Piss off. She forgot her italics this time, and you're hardly much younger than I am.

He was stretching one-day memories into a week. Finally found some strength to start letting it go and write about it. How were the 108s compared to 88s?

It rains, duh.