Mind Virus

[feren]

Okay, because I'm surrounded by other people doing it (Damn you takaza and roho!) I've decided to bow to the mind-virus, and I will participate in this week's Friday Five as well.

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Friday Five

1. What vehicle do you drive?

1998 Ford Expedition

2. How long have you had it?

I took delivery August 25th, 2003 but I didn't actually have pictures up until August 28th. I am so ashamed of myself.

3. What is the coolest feature on your vehicle?

It's a battle between the "Retained Accessory Power" that keeps the juice going to power windows even after the ignition has been turned off (Don't you hate it when you turn off the engine and remove the key, then realize you've left your window rolled down? This solves that problem! The downside is that the Ford implementation is not as cool as the GM version, as Ford doesn't leave power on to the radio and GM's implementation does) and the speed-sensing power steering. If I was forced to choose between the two I would have to go with the speed-sensing power steering, because I love how easy it makes the vehicle to drive at low speeds without compromising the feel of the road at highway speed.

4. What is the most annoying thing about your vehicle?

Without a doubt it's the gas mileage. I firmly blame the four-speed automatic transmission (3 speed + overdrive). My 1992 F-150 had a five speed manual... but Ford has never offered the Expedition with a manual, ever.

5. If money were no object, what vehicle would you be driving right now?

A Saab, without a doubt. I think I'd probably go with the 2003 9-5 Sedan Aero with the 2.3HOT engine since that puts out a very nice 250 horsepower. For exterior I'd naturally choose the black, and the interior would be leather sport ventilated seats in granite gray. Naturally I'd go for all the toys that they have optional (very few toys are optional with Saab, nearly everything is standard with the car), namely the Sentronic 5-speed automatic transmission, sport tech package and the touring package.

If you're gonna ride, you might as well ride in style. As far as I am concerned BMW, Lexus and Mercedes have nothing on Saab.

She's got a ticket to ride

Comments

[feren.livejournal.com]

I am bested by your antiquated technology!

By the way, it's been a long time since I've seen you around. How the hell are ya?

[ronbar.livejournal.com]

It's not antiquated, it's MANLY, dammit. As is the 2.4 liter powerhouse under the hood. It's a manly, two-wheel-drive, one-ton-capacity rice truck that gets maybe 17 mpg if I'm really lucky and I catch a lot of tail winds. I wish it was either a manual transmission or it had a lock-up torque converter. The engine-attached fan, non-overhead camshaft, non-variable-assist power steering, and plethora-of-belts instead of a serpentine belt probably don't help the mileage either.

What really makes it manly is the amateur radio license plate. That sucks the chicks in like mosquitoes to a bug zapper.

If you go offroad in a 4x4 with power windows and you roll over and down into a gully, how are you going to get out of your upside-down power-window-wussmobile when the BATTERY ELECTROLYTE IS DRIBBLING DOWN THE HILL??

[feren.livejournal.com]

[how are you going to get out of your upside-down power-window-wussmobile when the BATTERY ELECTROLYTE IS DRIBBLING DOWN THE HILL??]

Smash the window, naturally.

[and plethora-of-belts instead of a serpentine belt]

I've always had mixed feeling about this. On one hand it's a pain to maintain all those belts, and undoubtedly they represent a significant parasitic loss. On the other hand you can conceivably lose one of your many belts and still have a vehicle that you can -- should you have to -- drive for another 50 miles. That is not a possibility when you lose the serpentine.

[ That sucks the chicks in like mosquitoes to a bug zapper.]

I'm going to name my nightmares after you.

[ronbar.livejournal.com]

If you smash your window to get out, you have to drive home exposed to the elements and pay at least a hundred bucks to replace the window. If you drive a beater with a good roll bar, a high brush guard on the front, and crank windows, you might not have any notable damage. All you'd need to be on your way is a winch, replacement engine fluids, and a jumpstart or a spare battery (if you don't have a sealed or gel battery).

Most serpentine belts are rated for the life of the engine, and they typically last at least 100,000 miles. The serpentine belt on my 1986 Buick Skylark was the original belt and it lasted until 1997 at 170,000 miles when I junked the car because of a multitude of other problems. Every time I'd get the oil changed, they'd tell me I needed to have it replaced because it had tiny little cracks in it. Being a poor college student, I took more of a wait-until-it-snaps attitude toward it. It was still working fine, after all.

Serpentine belts are super-easy to replace yourself, too-- just pull back the idler and it falls off. Regular belts are a finger-crushing nightmare to install and remove. And you only have to keep one replacement belt instead of 4 or 6 different ones.