TOTALLY GEEKED!

Members Login
Username 
 
Password 
    Remember Me  
Post Info TOPIC: Car Talk brings you the stamps you really want


Guru

Status: Offline
Posts: 9186
Date:
Car Talk brings you the stamps you really want
Permalink  
 


Car Talk brings you the stamps you really want

  RSS
Ray
You may have seen that the U.S. Postal Service unveiled a new series of stamps honoring classic American trucks. The stamps portray some real beauties.

But that got us thinking ... shouldn't there be stamps for the vehicles that you and I have actually had to drive? Shouldn't there be a set of stamps for cars on whose dashboards we've pounded our fists in frustration? You know, as Lady Liberty says, "Give me your scratched, your dented, your heap with a dead battery yearning for a tow truck in this thunderstorm." So we asked our pals at BestRide to help us create our own set of Car Talk automotive stamps. These stamps might never be canceled by a U.S. postal worker, but we feel confident in saying that the cars they honor probably should've been canceled by their manufacturers. The Car Talk Automotive Stamp Collection:

  • 2001 Pontiac Aztek: If you asked 100 people on the street to name the ugliest automobile ever produced, 99 of them would say the Aztek. And the 100th guy would turn out to be visually impaired. Its only redeeming quality was its ironic appearance on "Breaking Bad," as the perfect car for a high-school science teacher hitting rock bottom.

  • 1970 Chevy Vega: According to one reviewer, the Vega featured "slothful performance, woeful reliability, and build quality that gave the Vega the permanent falling-apart-at-the-seams appearance of an abandoned shack."

  • 1995 Ford Explorer: The Explorer made up for its high center of gravity with tires prone to exploding at random. Add to that drivers disinclined to check tire pressure, and the results usually involved a high-speed visit to a highway ditch.

  • 1960 Chevrolet Corvair: A name synonymous with "automotive scandal," the Corvair singlehandedly shook America's faith in car companies and gave birth to finger-wagging consumer advocates nationwide. 

  • 1982 Audi 5000: The Audi 5000 was at the cutting edge of design in 1982, when "60 Minutes" ran an expose on its willingness to take off on its own, usually through the garage door.

  • 1988 Suzuki Samurai: If a topless, doorless, Jeep CJ-7 seemed too safe, there was always the Suzuki Samurai, which looked like a third-generation Xerox copy of the Jeep, with the added ability to end up on its roof at any given moment.

  • 1980 Ford Pinto: One of the most infamous and conflagration-prone vehicles ever manufactured, the Pinto actually wasn't too bad. It only exploded when its rear bumper came into contact with other cars, leaves or a light breeze.

If these cars are any indication, putting its stamp on a letter would virtually assure that letter would never reach its destination. What cars did we miss? What other stamps do you want to see? Let us know by visiting bestride.com/cartalk-stamps. (Stamp illustrations courtesy of Bestride.com).


__________________

The Principle of Least Interest: He who cares least about a relationship, controls it.

Always misinterpret when you can.



Guru

Status: Offline
Posts: 9186
Date:
Permalink  
 

    The Audi 5000 doesn't belong in this "expose"; it did not take off on its own. Drivers who were not used to the brake - accelerator pedal placement were the problem, thinking they had pushed on the brake when they actually hit the accelerator pedal. Brakes will hold against the accelerator every time. Shame on Ray for this falsehood.

  • 1

        I worked at an Audi dealer during the time of this happening. In the shop I bypassed the idle valve. so it had all the air it wanted. The brakes held it just fine.

      You forgot the AMC Pacer, Matador and Gremlin.

      The 1995 Explorer stamp is a photo of a 2006-2010 Explorer. This was a completely different platform than the 1995 model. It had independent rear suspension, stability control and TPMS standard, all of which were not available on the 1995 model.

      LOVE IT!!!



    __________________

    The Principle of Least Interest: He who cares least about a relationship, controls it.

    Always misinterpret when you can.



    Guru

    Status: Offline
    Posts: 9186
    Date:
    Permalink  
     

    The problem with the Audi, and with the Jeep Wagoneer,

    was that the transmission bump between the front seats was

    very, very W-I-D-E.

    So the gas pedal was placed where the brake pedal should have been,

    the brake pedal was where the clutch should have been.

     

    A woman we knew had the Audi, and discovered

    "sudden unexplained acceleration" when she went to back out of her garage one day,

    and seconds later found herself and her car in the garage of the house across the street.

     

    While I was waiting for the Valet parking guy at Robert Woods Johnson Medical Center (NJ)

    one day, the attendant got into the Wagoneer in front of me, put it in Drive,

    and accordion-folded the three cars in front of him.

     

    Same thing, they both were SURE they were stepping on the brake pedal. (Nope).



    __________________

    The Principle of Least Interest: He who cares least about a relationship, controls it.

    Always misinterpret when you can.



    Guru

    Status: Offline
    Posts: 9186
    Date:
    Permalink  
     

    I drove a co-worker's Pinto once, it was fun.

     



    -- Edited by ed11563 on Wednesday 20th of July 2016 03:22:51 PM

    __________________

    The Principle of Least Interest: He who cares least about a relationship, controls it.

    Always misinterpret when you can.



    My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

    Status: Offline
    Posts: 38325
    Date:
    Permalink  
     

    I've driven all kinds of cars.

    Of all ages.

    Love cars.

    __________________

    A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.

    Page 1 of 1  sorted by
    Quick Reply

    Please log in to post quick replies.



    Create your own FREE Forum
    Report Abuse
    Powered by ActiveBoard