Those interesting drivers are still out there!

[Fat Charlie]

Back when I had a turbo the silver paint, right lane and no lights unless necessary were part of an overall plan: low-observable and nondescript give you a half a smidgen more time to spot the traffic cop and/or hide in the crowd. Besides, not many people came up behind me- and if you were in front of me, I was reacting to you.

And because those interesting drivers are still out there, I didn't expect them to use their mirrors no matter what I looked like.

[user removed]

I remember driving my wifes parents from Hampton Va to Ashburn and back in our then brand new 1999 Maxima. Both of them passed that same year .

When we were close to the end of the return leg of a 360 mile trip, which I had driven the whole way, my father in law complimented me on how well I drove. I told him I was going 80 most of the way, since that was the average speed of the traffic on I95 between DC and Richmond. I wasn't even thinking of driving economically 15 years ago.

His response was that he did not care that I had averaged 15 over the then posted 65 MPH limit and he meant it in amost respectful way. I misss him, because he would not let his daughter be disrespectful to her 3rd husband. One time at the dinner table she criticized my effort at cleaning my hands. He told her my hands were cleaner than hers were and she never responded with disrespect to him ( I wonder why ).

My driving techniques have not changed in any significant way in 15 years, but my average speed has gone from the top 10% to the bottom 10%. Predictable smooth transitions, situational awareness, and anticipating potential disasters has kept me out of any accident or serious confrontation regardless of theother drivers incompetence.

regards
mech

[Chrysler kid]

I averaged 31mpg highway in my 98 6 speed formula hard top tailgating my father in law in a uhual when my wife and I went out to college. Who knows what my tire pressure was but that damn uhual tore the front end of my firebird up with rock chips

In my 98 z28 with a cam long tube headers automatic with a 3500 torque converter on 15x3.5 skinnies up front I would get 24 mpg without trying. The car was raked, so lowered 2 inches in the front with 15-10 wheels out back.

Between dallas and lubbock I made the trip about 30 times always getting 24mpg which considering I get 12 city was amazing.

It got hairy one time half way through the 337 mile trip when we had a severe rain storm, I could not go faster than 30mph without hydroplaning the front and rear end, luckily the weather cleared up after about 30 minutes and I was good to go

I'll never forget driving on skinnies in rush hour traffic on George Bush going 80 and seeing lumber in the road ahead. No way to swerve no way to stop, just had to brace to see if I was going to bend a rim blow a tire or worse. Luckily I just bounced over the lumber without any damage

In college I remember paying 4.94 per gallon, I would drive the car twice a week to an outing or a party but I can remember paying $50 for a half tank of gas it was ludicrous

[Chrysler kid]

My wife had a hard time finding a job out of college while I immediately jumped into my career and lived with my parents. I was buying and selling my daily drivers and keeping the camaro.

My wife got a job teaching in arlington, the drive from plano to arlington was 60 miles each way. I bought a 96 eclipse gs show car with about 80k miles on it for a daily that she used. After her first month she said the low oil light came on, I got in the car and she had gone 5k miles in that 1-2 month window. She was getting 28mpg which was outstanding, at that time the most I had ever seen a dual over head cam engine get was 22-24 mpg

We sold it two years later after having persistent problems with timing belt tensioners. We loved that car but I have a strict 3 tow rule and it had broken down a few times around town so it was time for it to go












The other victim of my 3 tow rule, this one actually had 5 tows. *******....








The peak of my fleet hiding from a hail storm