[quote=joedabrkr] [quote=BondGuy]

  That's a very long way to say I'm currently bikeless. Well not quite completely bikeless if you count Skippy the Honda Reflex Scooter. Fun, but probably not an Iron Butt machine.  [/quote]

With your chops, I think Skippy has at least one IBA ride in him.  Just think....being able to add that to your brag sheet along with the rest.  I say go for it!
[/quote]   Thanks Joe, but there's a reason the IBA banishes scooters to the Hopeless Class.   Back in 2001 one IBR rider did ride a Honda Reflex scooter, just like skippy in the IBA. The rally started in Madison Alabama went to the west coast, and then up to Washington State before turning east for maine on the third leg. From there it was finally back to Madison. On the third leg, coming back east bound riders were given an option of going to Maine or Alaska as a third leg. The Reflex rider went to Alaska. He finished 52 out of 113 riders. That includes 20 DNfs. He clocked 8700 miles in eleven days.   The IBA considers scooters hopeless because the lack of of horsepower starts to grind away at the rider leading to fatigue. The bike can do the ride, but most riders can't.  Yet, when I look at that ride, I think it's doable. Then i ride Skippy for an hour and my back starts to ache, the seat gets hot from low speeds with an air cooled engine, my head is getting buffeted by wind making its way over the too short windscreen and I know it's not happenin'. So Skippy is relegated to commuter/fun duty.

[quote=norway401]BondGuy and Indyone - this morning on our local newscast they announced the arrival of the new BMW Hydrogen 7 Car in to Canada. Interesting concept and of course an even more interesting price tag.

Not bad mileage ( regular gas / hydrogen ) , as I watched the news clip , I wondered great idea/concept but not sure where the local Hydrogen station is located. Take a look a the vehicle. [/quote]   Back in the pre bubble days I invested in the company that is supplying BMW with the drive system for that car, Ballard Power. At least back then they were the supplier. I've been out of the stock for years. Rode it from 6 to 140. It's down around 5 or 6 again.   Fuels cells are a long way off. Heavy and expensive.

Remember Ballard Power well …the darling of the Canadian Investment community and of course Investors. The stories about Ballard were really something at the time as you recall?

The next generation of energy source for cars , the Auto Companies and Oil Companies were secretly buying them out to stop the technology from becoming viable. Hey BondGuy , thanks for my morning smile.

[quote=joedabrkr]

 

Sounds to me like all you need is to find a way to extend the windscreen and cool your buns...maybe raise the bars a hair, and then you're set!  Geez...you don't have to do the 8700 mile mega ride to get the patch!
[/quote]   I've already got the patch, the license plate frame, my IBA number, and all the rest of the junk they send you for doing the rides. Of course the cool thing about this stuff is that you can't buy it for any price. You have to do the rides to get it.   I did my first IBA ride ten years ago and countless more since. I've also paricipated in several IBA Mini rallies. Most these rallys attract 80 to 125 riders. My best finish to date is 4th. My worst finish is 9th. So, I still have the no win monkey on my back.   On the 4th place finish weather did me in. Heavy fog in the Cacoctin mountains at 2am slowed me enough to knocked out a slew of bonus locations. Riders who went further North beat me. On the ninth place ride my plan just wasn't a winner. It was good, just not good enough. And it was well executed. Everything went right. That was the Diners of America Rally. A fun ride!   A funny story from the DOA ride: The rally required us to plan a ride from a list of about 400 bonus locations. The locations, almost all were diners with some national parks and other historic sites mixed in. Some bonus locations had point values much higher than others. Planning the ride, which was 36 hours from start to finsh required stringing together a route that was both ridable in the alloted time and that maxed out the bonus points. Starting and finishing in York Pa, those locations went as far west as Minnesota, south to Key West, north to Maine, and Canada. The rally was run on a holiday weekend, Memorial Day, just to add heavy traffic to the mix.     I started the ride at 6am and all day I'm walking into diners asking for menus or for the serial number of the diner or whatever the bonus required. And all day I was hearing the same thing, "Here comes another one" from the employees seeing me in my Aerostich riding suit and helmet. I looked like a cross between an astronaut and the Michilen tire man. That it was in the mid nineties made the suit look more ridiculous. Buttt, sweat or bleed, I soldiered on. At 3am after a daylong swing through New England I found my self  in Hasbrouck Heights  NJ. I walked into the diner bonus location to get the answer to the bonus question. There were a few patrons and one guy manning the register. I looked at the guy and thought something was wrong about him, but I couldn't pick what it was out of the 3 am haze clogging my brain. And he's the only person all day who didn't comment that he'd seen other riders. SO, I asked the guy "How many guys dressed like me have you seen today?" He replied "I'm blind sir, I haven't seen anyone today." Yep that was it, that was what was wrong about the guy. I knew it was something! On I rode towards my nineth place finish arriving in York 6 minutes ahead of the 3pm DSQ.   At least I didn't have to deal with trying to find the ass-kicking machine in some forgotten town in West Virginia. That one tripped a bunch of riders, or i should say, kicked their butts.

$750 a month lease for a car?  $750 A MONTH!?!?!?!? 

Sorry, just sticker shock from a young, much poorer, guy.

Prolly an Aston Martin DBS. I’m surprised at that payment. Seems about % bills a mont too high. Butttt, anything is possible.

   The E350 is a really pedestrian car. it's much like a Lexus ES. My question for buyers of these cars is why?   The 350 has exactly zero going for it. It's used as a taxi cab in europe. Remy Julienne now wrecks them in his stunts instead of Volvos. When I see one I picture an owner who couldn't pony up for an S class.   On top of that they're expensive to own and operate.   Buy a Smart Car or a S class and call it done. Or, buy a 5 series BMW. Even the most benign 5 series is a real car.   The car I really don't get is the Lexus ES. It's a Camry. It's on a Camry platform. I'll bet anyone that if I show you a picture of each car and cover the nameplate badges most couldn't pick out the Lexus. I can, but I'm a car guy. Inside, the Lexus is more luxurious. it's a nice car. But for 8 grand less you can a loaded to the gills Camry with a six cylinder engine that more fuel efficient and runs on regular.   Step up to the GS, now that's a car that can give BMW a run for it's money.    

[quote=BondGuy]

When I see one I picture an owner who couldn’t pony up for an S class.  
[/quote]

350Z’s have known tranny probs, so did my '02 WRX (awesomely fun car, but broke constantly).

  This whole topic is very near and dear to me, I'm an unabashed car-guy.  In the past 5 years I've had a WRX (big turbo, race tranny, etc), 93 5.0 Mustang notch back (big choice for drag cars, light, moddable), a '68 camaro (I had a bunch of toys for it, then they all got stolen, still came out ahead because I timed the market...haha, yeah right... I miss it though), and I now have a '93 lexus sc400 that I have been too busy to do a 1jzgte swap on.  Just always thought they were pretty cars, and I have buddies with 2j cars with upwards of 800hp, so I have a good support base on the motor.   ...At any rate because a huge part of my natural market are people that are into cars I've been struggling with this.  I personally would have a hard time driving a ferrari or something that would make me cry if it got a tiny ding from bad parking lots, I'm not that into super flash, and I loathe SUV's (just for the lack of driving experience).  e36 on up m3's just don't float my boat, sti's are a little too boy racer, as are evos.  Which leaves me thinking what cars have serious car guy cred, but don't make you come across as some stuck-up type?   My short list... to this point: e30 m3 (if you can find one, and don't mine giving it some tlc) c5 z06 (true drivers car) GN (if you can get past the 80's nascar shape) 993 Porsche (except the whole porsche thing) 70ish BMW 3.0cs (except for the fact they are a bit tough with up keep) Mini S (most fun FWD car I've ever driven)   ...then again a guy I know got his hands on a lancia delta integrale, which is amazingly cool, but won't turn any heads other than those in the know.   ...some other fellow in town that rubs elbows within my 'natural market' is rocking a mosler mt900.  Not exactly discreet....

Yeah, 100mph trap, 120mph trap, and 140mph trap.  Lots of fun on the highway though.

...you just got cred knowing that haha... As for other stereotypes I have a buddy with a 7m that is constantly broken, and a few friends that have finally given up on their low 11 sec DSM's that work for one week a year.   Turbo mustangs are really big out here too   My BM told me to pretty much suck it up, and realize I need to go to some circle track races, I know there is a lot of money there, but it's just so boring.

[quote=joedabrkr] [quote=IsOldSpiceRightForMe]

$2k a month, that's insane.  What is it, a Bentley, Aston Martin...?

[/quote]

The big Aston Martin convertible...embarassed to say I'm too tired to remember which model that is.  Apparently each oil change is about 2k, and they come pick the car up on a flatbed and take it to the dealership.
[/quote]   In today's paper a half page add for one of the area's luxo car dealers advertised an 08 Aston Martin Vantage Roadster, list price $127,000, for $1552 a month for 84 months with $15,000 down.   Based on this a 2k a month lease payment is probably in the ballpark depending on the up front out of pocket cash.