h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

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If you live in America, and can afford a car, and your biggest need is to go from point A to point B, then an American car will do the job as well as any other. If your car seems absurdly put together at first, you will get used to it. Most people adjust over time. A lot of Americans need cars anyway, because distances are so great, and because public transportation is lacking in many places.

A lot of sports cars seem to be a waste anyway, because they can't carry much cargo or many passengers. Many years ago, I rode to music rehearsals with a friend whose sports car had no back seat, and there wasn't a lot of room even in the front seat. I don't remember whether the car was American or not.

Well empty, I guess you don't really care about the blight of those victims of Bush. If you did, you would have successfully removed him from power, or at least crippled the US. I guess you're just as complicit as me and Lentilla in all the atrocities of the Bush administration.

dave

what kind of mileage does an ordinary American family car do? I think most european family cars, or the ones in britain, are doing anywhere between 40 and 75 mpg. My old Fiat, my brother has it now, varied between 50 and 60 mpg and it's 13yrs old.

Maybe someone should find out why those same European cars get much worse mileage when they are reengineered and imported to the United States. The Mini Cooper, which can now be bought in the U.S. (thanks to BMW), only gets 25 to 35 miles per gallon. That's insane!

Mr. Honda once observed that a car is just a living room on wheels.
(At that time his company just made motorcycles.) Later, Honda Motors began making cars. In America, though, you don't want an uncomfortable car because you are apt to spend rather a lot of time in it. Some Americans go to the other extreme, though, with huge SUVs and glorified upscale trucks. They hate having the government dictate what kind of car to get (gas-mileage regulations, safety regulations, emissions regulations), so they avoid cars altogether and buy vehicles that aren't affected by the regulations. When the economy is robust, they have the money to pay more for a bigger vehicle. Bring on much higher gas prices, or a terrible economy, and more people would see the virtue in better gas mileage and more streamlined cars.

"The Mini Cooper, which can now be bought in the U.S. (thanks to BMW), only gets 25 to 35 miles per gallon. That's insane!"

I couldn't believe this, so I thought I'd check Mini UK's specs and Mini USA's specs, sure enough:

Mini USA28 / 37
Mini UK31.4 / 53.3

I'm genuinly shocked. What do they do to it to cock up the mileage so much?

I'm reminded of the 1973 MGB which the US cocked up so much they destroyed the company eventually. US regulations made them go from a dual carb to a single, raise the height of the vehicle, and try unsuccessfully to reduce emissions. I suspect the same is true of the new Mini.

The USA introduced the rubber bumper, eugh, to the MGB too.

I know nothing about cars, and the rest of the conversation still seems to be revolving around ES's racist little stereotypes, so I'll just and post later.

I am told that the modern Chevrolet Corvette still uses pushrods and leaf-spring suspension.

oh saying that, tonight they had Con Air on BBC1, and they trashe 2 chevy corvettes in that.

Personally, other than the mileage issue, I'd love a Chevy Blazer.

Yes the "modern" Corvette is the only car on the market, anywhere, that still uses leaf spring suspension (a suspension system that was pioneered for use in medievel handcarts).

That's an example of how out of touch with the rest of the world America is. And why no-one outside the US takes American cars seriously.

If no one takes them seriously Sky, why are three of the four largest carmakers and sellers in the world American. Honestly, these idiotic sweeping generalizations about the U.S. do nothing but spotlight your own blind prejudice.

"If no one takes them seriously Sky, why are three of the four largest carmakers and sellers in the world American."

The domestic market is the largest in the world. Remember I said no one "outside the US" takes them seriously.

SAT:
I know nothing about cars, and the rest of the conversation still seems to be revolving around ES's racist little stereotypes, so I'll just and post later.


That is a very unfair thing to say about ES, saturine. Change racist for bigotted though and your bang on.

Actually the Mistubishi L200, Kuda and Colt also feature leafsprings and up until september 2000 the Fiat 126bis did too. I can tell you from experience, lefsprings are way more fun than wishbones, rods and hydrolics.

The L200 is a van. The Kuda I've never heard of and the colt does not feature leaf springs. The fiat 126 is a 1960s design that hasn't been produced for many years. The chevy corvette is the only CAR on the market with leaf springs.


Leaf spring suspension is too utilitarian and unsubtle for cars. Since the 1980s most manufacturers have realised that it's only appropriate for trucks and vans.

the L200 is a twin cab pick-up, the Kuda is an SUV and the colt is a mini van. The Fiat 126bis went out of production in september 2000, I'd hardly call 3 and a half years many, it is still faily recent.