What everyone here needs to understand

[jms]

omg, I can't believe the distances some of you guys have driven. I once went from Hamburg in the north of Germany, through Denmark, Sweden and back home to the west coast of Norway where I live. This was ~1400km. Took me 17 hours. Never gonna do that again. My knees where killing me the whole week after.

[gt40]

Nice car!

FYI, they do have an issue with the chrome coating inside the lens oxidizing and severly reducing the light output.
Got to love the air suspension - no need to worry about spring going weak, and the ride height is independant of vehicle loading.
I had a Mark VII and had two air springs leak on me. $90 and 10 mins later per spring and I was back on the road

[ND66]

omg, I can't believe the distances some of you guys have driven. I once went from Hamburg in the north of Germany, through Denmark, Sweden and back home to the west coast of Norway where I live. This was ~1400km. Took me 17 hours. Never gonna do that again. My knees where killing me the whole week after.

There is a fine difference between European and American made cars.

The Lincoln Mark VIII probably had more leg room in front the most European compact cars with the front raw of seats removed!
That car just “floated” on the road!
It's weight was 3780 lbs (over 1700 Kg)

At highway speeds and above, the Mark VIII is at home. The car feels solid. The engine allows for impressive high-end torque, and with 290 horsepower, you better believe that passing anyone is simply a matter of a little more right foot. We performed an unofficial (wristwatch) 0-60 time of just under 7 seconds.

[jms]

There is a fine difference between European and American made cars.

mm, off course. I went in this, a 150 bhp Nissan Primera. I'd say its a typical European car (10 years ago ).



Boy, I miss that car...

[ND66]

Boy, I miss that car...

So do I, jms so do I..... .

When my wife got pregnant, I traded it in for a minivan.

That was a very sad but necessary thing to do.

I just loved that car… .


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[gt40]

So do I, jms so do I..... .

When my wife got pregnant, I traded it in for a minivan.

That was a very sad but necessary thing to do.

I just loved that car… .


.

Yeh, had to do the same,
traded the Mark VII for a Taurus SHO
Then we had a second child, and a dog, and had to trade the SHO in for a Navigator

[gt40]

I just realized, this is probably the longest thread initiated by KvH, and the same one that led to his demise.
And it is no longer anywhere near on-topic

[cjolley]

I just realized, this is probably the longest thread initiated by KvH, and the same one that led to his demise.
And it is no longer anywhere near on-topic

SNAOTOM

Situation Normal All Off Topic On MURC.

[ND66]

I just realized, this is probably the longest thread initiated by KvH, and the same one that led to his demise.
And it is no longer anywhere near on-topic

Seems like me & Brian did hijack this thread and the he had to hit the bad…. .


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[Dr Mordrid]

My longest one way-one chunk drive happened when a friend and I were visiting New Orleans. He became quite ill and the Dr's at LSU recommended we get him back to Ann Arbor & check him into the U of M medical center.

1,100 miles (1,770 km) in 18 hours straight driving a custom Celica GT (tuned & tweaked etc.) only stopping for gas, fast food and potty breaks.

Highest velocity straight drive in Michigan was from Ann Arbor (U of M) to Kaamazoo (Western Michigan Univ) to attend a Supremes concert, which we were late getting on the road for.

110 miles in 1 hour 15 minutes in a custom Fiat 124 Coupe (1,608 cc bored/stroked to 1995 cc, DOHC, tuned Webers etc. etc.) doing 130 mph in spots. YES, we were lucky not to get pulled over

Then there was that trip through the west in my buddy's Ferrari 365 GTB4

[gt40]

Did 26hrs straight, non stop (other than gas and food) from Kitchener Ont to Ft. Lauderdale Florida in 1987 in a 1977 Chevy Monte Carlo.
And back a week later
but that was when I was young and stupid

[Umfriend]

Why does one need a minivan when his wife is pregnant??

[Dr Mordrid]

Minivans are the default family car in North America, and especially the US.

We have 2 and there's probably 16-20 on our block.

First you need a back seat with space, not an econo jumpseat, in order for the required kiddie seats. The ones sold here are not 'compact'. You also need a sizable cargo area for groceries & other shopping acquisitions. Add extra for a bag of pop bottles (return 'em for deposits) etc. and space requirements are in Caravan territory.

Have a 2nd kid, yours or his/her friend(s) for a trip to the movies/arcade/Chucky Cheeses and you really need one.

Then there is activities, where you might be pooling & drive your kids and those of your neighbors. Good thing our minivan has a 2nd rear seat we can put in so it can seat 7.

When we had more kids in the house and I was coaching baseball we had a 15 passenger Dodge B-350 full size van

[ND66]

Everything what Doc said and one more.....

If your kid happens to get motion sickness or anything like that, you can get to him without pulling over and opening the doors.

In my case, it was a 2 door car, not the best or easiest thing in the world to put a small kid in a car seat into. During summer it’s fine but in winter…. You see my picture?

Also, I’m not a big fan of SUV’s at all. To stiff of a suspension made for off road driving and I like the comfort for a longer drive!

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