Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Somebody needs to explain to DeSantis that nobody needs to do anything to make him look bad.

Let’s show the world that autocracy can be defeated.

“Cheese and Kraken paired together for the appetizer trial.”

You don’t get to peddle hatred on saturday and offer condolences on sunday.

He really is that stupid.

There are more Russians standing up to Putin than Republicans.

Teach a man to fish, and he’ll sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

Republicans can’t even be trusted with their own money.

Hot air and ill-informed banter

It’s all just conspiracy shit beamed down from the mothership.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

The words do not have to be perfect.

Marge, god is saying you’re stupid.

When you’re a Republican, they let you do it.

Republicans want to make it harder to vote and easier for them to cheat.

Someone should tell Republicans that violence is the last refuge of the incompetent, or possibly the first.

When you’re in more danger from the IDF than from Russian shelling, that’s really bad.

Ron DeSantis, the grand wizard, oops, governor of FL.

It’s pointless to bring up problems that can only be solved with a time machine.

Let’s finish the job.

If you are in line to indict donald trump, stay in line.

‘Museums aren’t America’s attic for its racist shit.’

Democrats have delivered the Square Deal, the New Deal, the Fair Deal, and now… the Big Joe Biden Deal.

Every day Vance writes another chapter in the book called “Worst VP Pick Ever”.

You are here: Home / John Cole Presents "This Fucking Old House" / We Have Ignition!

We Have Ignition!

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Despite Adam’s attempts to jinx me, I picked up the car this afternoon and there were no problems. Pretty seamless all the way around. The Subaru broke down Wednesday, they called me and gave me the details on the repair costs and likelihood of success, Thursday morning, that afternoon I went and test drove it, put down the down payment Friday, and picked it up today. I’d spent the last couple months researching CRV’s and Lexuses, so when the CRV was available in that shapoe and with that mileage, it was a no brainer.

Mom took me down to pick it up, and afterwards I treated her to lunch at Avenue Eats in Wheeling (I think David Anderson went there once on my recommendation), and while there took some pictures for my sister which I will now share with you:

This is the first car I have ever had with bluetooth (I had to play itunes through one of those shit fm transmitters in the Subaru), and the CRV has this nice seven speaker system and sounds great, so that is a real plus. Mileage is really good and it rides well, and I don’t miss the HP the Subaru

Reader Interactions

162Comments

  1. 1.

    Omnes Omnibus

    Smaller nav/entertainment system screen than one on in my parents’ 2015 model, but otherwise very similar. I hope you enjoy it.

  2. 2.

    JMG

    It’s a fine car, and barring the random chance of getting one with a production defect, a chance that is so much lower than it used to be, you will be happy with it for years. A person with as many pets as you have really does need an SUV.

  4. 4.

    Cckids

    Congrats, JC, I hope you enjoy many adventurous miles together. As you said, the peace of mind alone is worth the price.

  5. 5.

    John Weiss

    Congratulations! We had a Honda Civic for thirteen years with only regular maintenance. No problems at all. I think you made a wise choice.

    jw

  6. 6.

    trollhattan

    The new car blessing: May you have many (as in a metric fuckton) boring (as in uneventful*) miles with your new motorcar.

    *No fields, no mustard, no stray dogs, no googlebux repairs.

  10. 10.

    JCJ

    Congrats! Hope it is a nice ride. My family had a few Hondas over the years that have all been great. Two Accords (85 and 89), a ’91 CRX, a Civic, and I am now on my second Insight. No problems with any of them.

  13. 13.

    Miss Bianca

    Damn, I think I dreamed about JC picking up his CRV…now the dream is real! Congrats – once you go Honda, you’ll never go back…

  15. 15.

    JGabriel

    Congratulations on the new car, John! Just don’t hurt yourself while naked mopping it.

    (Does one naked mop cars? As a New Yorker, I’ve never had one and wouldn’t know.)

  19. 19.

    Jeffro

    Congrats John! I was thinking about replacing our Outback with a CR-V sometime soon…hmmm…

  20. 20.

    jl

    Hope Cole enjoys a great experience with the new car.
    And he got a trip to big city too. Excitement.

    I’ll try the shrimp poor boy next time I get up to The City.

  21. 21.

    Olivia

    It’s very nice. That color looks great on a CRV. We had it on an Odyssey and it didn’t look so great, but the current Odyssey kind of looks like hearse so maybe it wasn’t the color. We have a dark blue 2015 CRV now and we really like it and have had great luck with it. I wish you many years and many miles with your new car.

  24. 24.

    Honus

    Can’t believe avenue eats gets ten dollars for a burger in wheeling. Louis hot dogs would never allow that.

  27. 27.

    Gravenstone

    @scottinnj: I don’t know what is more broken, the guy who mashed that up or you for inflicting it on an innocent world?

  28. 28.

    geg6

    Just can’t get excited about cars. They are utilitarian and that’s about it. Don’t car about Blue Tooth (I’ve heard of it but have no real idea what it is), I can read a map so I don’t need navigation and certainly not some robot voice yelling at me the whole time I’m driving. And I don’t give a shit what they look like (unless we’re talking a Pacer, a Bug or Mini–all too hideous for even utility). Now that I’ve found a good make and model (good mileage and low maintenance), that’s what I’ll buy until I die. The only thing I care about besides mileage, maintenance costs and price is heated seats and steering wheel.

    And OT, picked up the new Letterman bio the other day. If you’re a fan like me, I recommend it. Obviously, the author had good access and some insight into his humor. Very enjoyable read so far.

  29. 29.

    Downpuppy

    @Barbara: It’s a nice car, but wet asphalt is not a good color for a car.
    Paint on some flames, maybe a lion’s head – that’s a color

  32. 32.

    bl

    Hey guys, I sent an email to Anne Laurie about the lost dog I am holding on to for the moment, but I havent heard back (I used the contact at the top of the blog). Hopefully she or some front pager will notice this.

    I’ve had only one feeler and it wasnt the right dog so far, but at least the county shelter finally called back and will add Buddy to their found dog list. I feel most people would call the county shelter first, so that should increase his chances of getting home. The county shelter person agreed due to his age and possible health issues (the vet says he may have a heart condition) that it is best not to put him in the shelter.

  33. 33.

    Villago Delenda Est

    Sweet ride, John! Congrats! No Honda fields! No Honda fields! You’re the Subaru in the field!

  35. 35.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Barbara:

    My car is a kind of darkish-greyish-beigey colour.

    The specs call it “Mocha Steel,” which sounds like a stripper name to me.

  38. 38.

    Sab

    My FIT has Bluetooth. I won’t use it, so spouse set it up for his cellphone. If he is on the phone when I drive up to the house I can eavesdrop.I told him that. That’s part of why I won’t use it.

  39. 39.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Monala: “Confronted at his home on Staten Island”.

    One could see that coming like Snoopy down Broadway on Thanksgiving Day.

  40. 40.

    Montysano

    We were red-block Volvo people for years, but are now solidly in the Honda camp. I have an Accord Sport for work travel. My wife’s Pilot is like riding around in your living room.

  41. 41.

    Another Scott

    @bl: Thanks for the update.

    Is a dog sitter/walker an option while you’re away? Or is Monday-ish (IIRC) the deadline for you to figure out what to do with the poor fellow?

    (Anne Laurie covers the night shift. It’s still early for her.)

    Good luck!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  47. 47.

    Mnemosyne

    @geg6:

    Bluetooth is very handy for listening to music or podcasts from your phone when you’re out of range of most radio stations. And if I have to make an urgent call from the car (like when I’m stuck in traffic trying to get to my doctor’s office), it’s good for that.

  48. 48.

    ruemara

    @Monala: That giant puddle of shaved crap. How dare he whine and cry when confronted about his own behavior and for that fucker to say he doesn’t hate anyone, when he was out there spreading hate. Fuck him. Of course he’s on Staten Island. A little piece of Arkansas in New York City.

    Congrats, John. May you enjoy it as much as I enjoy mine.

  51. 51.

    Mnemosyne

    I sent poor G to the store to get cooked chicken (among other things). It … doesn’t seem to be going well, based on the text messages I’m getting. ?

  52. 52.

    Quinerly

    Congrats. The car is beautiful! Once you escape the cult of the Subaru, it’s all good. I did a little over a year ago. Have never looked back.

  54. 54.

    seaboogie

    @SiubhanDuinne: “Mocha Steel” could also be a gaze from a mixed race guy in a Zoolander movie. My Civic’s color is called “Ruby Pearl”, and I work in a jewelry shop/was born in July, so that works for me.

  57. 57.

    WaterGirl

    Cole, my 12-year old CRV asked me to pass on a message to you and yours: welcome to the neighborhood.

  59. 59.

    seaboogie

    John – you’ll probably love the big, easy to figure out knobs too…I’ve borrowed cars with an instrument panel that looks like something in a jet airplane and couldn’t figure out how to adjust the temperature on the fly, so I just rolled the windows down instead, even though it was raining.

  61. 61.

    debit

    @Sab: I have towels in the back for when I take the dogs swimming and for “just in case”, but I was actually thinking of Walter taking a giant dump in John’s Subaru and smushing it deep into the upholstery. Bless John for not holding it against him.

  62. 62.

    Mike in NC

    Looks exactly like my 2014 CR-V. Honda calls that color Polished Steel. Built in Ontario.

  63. 63.

    Debbie(aussie)

    Looks great! Enjoy!
    We purchased a Honda HRV new almost 12 months ago. Done just over 8000kms. We leave Tuesday for a trip to visit our daughter in Townsville,from Ipswich. We are planning to be away for a few weeks at least.

  66. 66.

    CaseyL

    That’s one sweet looking ride, John. Congrats, and may you have many, many happy miles together, devoid of drama and alarums.

    ETA: I can’t quite tell from the photo, but it looks like the gear shift is a straight line, yes? I infinitely prefer those to the ones that zig zag back and forth. Whose idea was that, anyway? Maybe one gets used to it, but I really dislike having to watch what I’m doing to make sure the thing is in the correct position.

  69. 69.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @amk: The cars i bought while i was married had to be formally named and the wheels baptized with wine.

  70. 70.

    Felonius Monk

    Nice looking ride, John. Just remember that Hondas like Subarus do not do well in corn fields or pastures.

  72. 72.

    OldDave

    @seaboogie:

    I’ve borrowed cars with an instrument panel that looks like something in a jet airplane

    Shortly after buying my current car I found myself muttering “Germans – they never use one button when three will do.”

  74. 74.

    bl

    @Another Scott: I have 3 dogs and 2 cats of my own, and the person who watches them while I travel is already stretched with a new job and hurt knee to just watch my pets. I need to keep Buddy away from the cats; he is ok with my dogs.

    I need to decide what to do on Monday, since I leave early Tuesday. A kennel is not a good idea – the kennels I use all (rightfully) want vaccinations and the bordetella has to be given 2 weeks in advance.

  75. 75.

    Sab

    @Omnes Omnibus: @Omnes Omnibus: My oldest dog, 14 year old lab mix, died a couple of months ago. She was kind of senile, quite arthritic, and often incontinent, but she loved car rides. I took her with me in the car whenever I could, and pretty much every time she did an oops.

    We found her hiding under a car in a blizzard in February in northern Ohio. Some monster dumped a six week old puppy off in a snowstorm.

  77. 77.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Is there a front-pager around? A while ago, I posted a comment that went through fine. Then I edited to add a link to a book I enjoyed as a child, and the comment got thrown in moderation. Sent another comment, which also linked to the same book, and again it went to mod. Then I posted a comment asking to be released from prison, and now every one of those posts has disappeared. I mean, WTF anyhow?

  78. 78.

    Mingobat f/k/a Karen in GA

    Congrats!

    A couple of months ago Mr. Mingobat finally traded in the 20th century Ford F-150 that his great grandfather rowed over from the old country, and got a Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. Good mileage, and heated seats that make his back happy when he’s leaving for work at 4:30 on cold mornings. I think the road noise is a bit much, and I drive a Civic, so it’s obviously not something I’m usually that worried about. It’s basically a tall econobox, but it’s great for what it is.

  81. 81.

    Aleta

    It’s beautiful. Also it’s got the reliability and safety for driving kids someplace.

  82. 82.

    Another Scott

    @Gin & Tonic: Could have bought 2-3 of Donnie’s cars for that…

    President Donald Trump’s 2007 Ferrari F430 F1 Coupe left the sale block before meeting reserve at auction on Saturday in Florida. Bidding on the car stopped at $240,000, $10,000 below its low estimate. Hours later, the auction house issued a statement saying “we can confirm it exchanged hands just minutes after it left the podium” for a final sale price of $270,000.
    […]

    Today’s results (and unfortunately for The Game) also add evidence that the F430 is not necessarily a superior investment, something the vintage car market has shown for some time. Average values at auction for this model have fallen 15 percent over the last five years, according to Hagerty, hovering near $120,000 to $130,000 for a car with an F1 (paddle-shifter) gearbox. The original MSRP ranged from $185,000 to $215,000.

    Of course it was a bad investment – Trump owned it.

    When I was in college in the early ’80s, I saw an ad in the paper for a 1969 Trans Am convertible for $2000.

    I knew they only made about 8 of them (I was a Pontiac gear-head then). Of course, I was broke.

    That auction house was expecting ~ $1.2M for one last January.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  85. 85.

    Another Scott

    @bl: Understood. I hope everything works out. I’m sure you have enough things to worry about for your trip without having to worry about Buddy’s future as well.

    Thanks again for doing what you can for him.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  86. 86.

    debit

    @bl: Crap. I hope his owner sees one of your outreach attempts before then. If not, you’re totally justified to turn him over to a shelter, even if the thought breaks my heart.

  87. 87.

    trollhattan

    @Downpuppy:
    That’s not Wet Asphalt, it’s Metallic Baby Shit Brown. Honda hired Frank Luntz for the consumer focus groups.

    In California it would take 2.5 hours to find yours in the mall parking lot.

  88. 88.

    efgoldman

    @Another Scott:

    President Donald Trump’s 2007 Ferrari F430 F1 Coupe left the sale block before meeting reserve at auction on Saturday in Florida.

    And, since he doesn’t drive, he obviously bought it for an investment.
    At his current age and shape, I’m pretty sure he couldn’t even climb in and out.

  89. 89.

    Morzer

    @Monala:

    ‘My life is ruined. Oh, my God, I’m so sorry,’ he cried as he broke down in tears, the newspaper reports.

    ‘There has got to be a lot worse out there than me,’ he said.

    Fox News will no doubt report that he received a commendation for services to the community and having a sunny disposition.

  90. 90.

    efgoldman

    @trollhattan:

    In California it would take 2.5 hours to find yours in the mall parking lot.

    In metro DC (where my daughter owns a seafoam green CR-V) and Eastern MA, as well. One day not long ago I passed/was passed by six or eight in a row on the highway.

  91. 91.

    sigaba

    I am a motion picture sound designer. Seven channel Dolby surround in a CAR is literally the bullshit of our age.

  93. 93.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @sigaba:

    I am a motion picture sound designer.

    So was my brother for many decades until he retired two or three years ago. A very important, and sadly undernoticed, part of moviemaking.

  94. 94.

    Mike J

    When you’re in love you know you’re in love, no matter what you try to do. You might as well resign yourself to what you’re going through. If you’re a hard man or if you’re a child it still might get to you. Don’t kid yourself you’ve seen it all before, a million mouths have said that too

  103. 103.

    Another Scott

    @SiubhanDuinne: The Amazon linky doesn’t work for me either.

    But one can shorten it to make it work.

    Big Loney Dog.

    HTH.

    Cheers,
    Scott.
    (Who still would give his kingdom for a decent Preview function… ;-)

  104. 104.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Cheryl Rofer:

    Thank you, Cheryl. I still, after a decade or more hanging around this place, don’t understand what does and does not trigger moderation. It always seems so arbitrary.

  106. 106.

    Kay

    .@KimDozier on CNN: the Saudi monarchy wants to show Trump “the pomp and circumstance and the respect he feels he doesn’t get at home.”

    Boo hoo. The giant spoiled toddler is unhappy with how he’s treated.. He should stay there. Relocate permanently.

  108. 108.

    amk

    @Kay: the saudi monarchy should see how their own citizens view their own tyrants’ pomp and pageantry.

  110. 110.

    Mnemosyne

    All you cooking Juicers can mock me for making risotto in the microwave, but when I discovered that my shredded Parmesan had gone bad, all I had to do was leave the microwave door shut while I ran to the store. Ha!

    It ended up a bit watery — not sure why. My measuring may be off, what with the mild fever and all.

  112. 112.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Kay: @amk: yeah, the good news is there’s never been any blowback from Americans appearing to be too close to dictators in the region

  113. 113.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    also, too: I guess this is a good thing, but… one more campaign promise down the tubes

    Hend Amry‏Verified account @ LibyaLiberty 8h8 hours ago
    Huh. Trump doesn’t say “radical Islamic terrorism” in his meeting with Saudi leaders. He uses Obama’s “violent extremism”.
    #ArmsDeal

  114. 114.

    Omnes Omnibus

    So apparently, the Kushners’ said they had authorization from their rabbi to travel on the Jewish Sabbath. It wasn’t true. He didn’t do it.

  115. 115.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    this should be a problem

    The Hill‏Verified account @ thehill 4h4 hours ago
    JUST IN: Trump refused court-ordered deadline to turn over Giuliani Muslim ban memo

  119. 119.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Millard Filmore: I couldn’t care less about the garden threads. I just don’t show up there and say that. i scroll through them at most to see if any open thread shit pops up. A big paragraph about not caring about cars in a car related means something.

  120. 120.

    Mnemosyne

    @Aleta:

    Not as fast as I’d like, but yes. My throat only feels like there’s needles being stuck in it instead of knives, and I sound slightly less like Harvey Fierstein.

  124. 124.

    GregB

    6 months ago getting money from Saudi Arabia meant Hillary hated women and gays. Now that Donnie Two Scoops is doing it, the rabid base is brimming with pride over it.

    This country is fucked.

  125. 125.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Wall Street Journal‏Verified account WSJ
    Saudi Arabia, U.A.E. have pledged to donate $100 million to Women Entrepreneurs Fund

    White House Deputy Whatever Ivanka Trump’s charity

    @GregB: “Donnie Two Scoops”, stolen

  126. 126.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @GregB: Then go shoot yourself. I am sick and tired of the fucking despair from the left of center. Fucking do something about it.

  127. 127.

    magurakurin

    @GregB:

    This country is fucked.

    proper fucked.

    I keep saying, Donald Trump is the symptom, not the disease. The disease is our neighbors, coworkers, family and “friends” who are supporting this. They are happy right now.

  128. 128.

    Yarrow

    This is insane:

    Priebus is said to be leaving the traveling White House caravan early, returning this week instead of staying the full foreign trip.— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) May 21, 2017

    He’s leaving after a day or two, not just “early.” Something’s not right with that.

  130. 130.

    magurakurin

    @Yarrow: nothing right about any of it. By the way, did people see that clip of Bannon starting DT’s surrounded by Saudi ministers? Holy hell, he looks like really, really NEEDS a drink. And not to unwind after a tough day kind of need. The real thirst kind of need.

  133. 133.

    Mnemosyne

    @magurakurin:

    I’m pretty sure Saudi Arabia is not the place to travel to if you need to do alcoholic-level drinking. I know the princes will have a glass or two of whiskey just because they can, but they would look down at Bannon for grabbing the bottle and chugging it.

  134. 134.

    Another Scott

    In other news, bird flu is cranking up in China again:

    China will shutter poultry markets in a district of southwestern Sichuan province after a man fell ill with the H7N9 bird flu, state-owned China News Service reported on Sunday.

    The 44-year-old man sold live poultry at a farmers’ market, China News reported, citing officials in Zigong city.

    Poultry markets in Zigong’s Ziliujing district will be closed starting from midnight on Monday, the report said.

    Cases of bird flu have been unusually high for China since last year, with three times more fatalities from H7N9 in the first four months of the year than in all of 2016, although deaths fell in April for the third consecutive month.

    Nearly 700 vacancies at CDC because of Trump’s hiring freeze

    What could go wrong??

    :-/

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  135. 135.

    Yarrow

    @magurakurin: I didn’t see that. That’s funny, though. I would figure they could somehow get him some alcohol.

    @amk: @amk: No idea. Speculation he has an interview with the FBI. Wouldn’t they have to announce it if they changed the Chief of Staff? That’s kind of a big job. People would notice.

  136. 136.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @GregB: You say we are fucked and you tend to not over do it with the gloom and doom? Your exact words.

  137. 137.

    Another Scott

    (sigh)

    I seem to have tickled the moderation monster too many times. Help?

    Thanks.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  141. 141.

    magurakurin

    @Omnes Omnibus: I mean, you’re right of course…despair doesn’t help…but I have that sort of soul. I skied this year after a long time without having gone. Went up to Hakuba in Nagano. It was really nice.

  142. 142.

    Mnemosyne

    DVR Alert:

    Billy Wilder’s A Foreign Affair is showing on TCM tomorrow at 8:45 am. If nothing else, tune in for Marlene Dietrich and Jean Arthur going toe-to-toe as an ex-Nazi and an American congresswoman fighting over the same man (who isn’t good enough for either of them, but that’s one of the movie’s flaws).

    The opening is a direct mockery of The Triumph of the Will, as Arthur’s plane flies through the clouds to expose the shattered ruins of Berlin. But it’s darkly funny, too, like Stalag 17.

  145. 145.

    fuckwit

    @magurakurin: They are growing fewer and fewer by the day. Disillusionment, abandonment, disgust, despair, outrage, and straight out attrition (look at the age range of Troll followers) are taking them out.

  146. 146.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    catching up on SNL– was Baldwin’s trump wearing a Russian flag pin?

    @fuckwit: removed from the National Security Council, I believe, but not the White House,

  147. 147.

    SectionH

    @SiubhanDuinne: I wouldn’t mind watching those from the start, but sadly, Acorn TV doesn’t seem to have them. (It streams some ancient BBC stuff I really wanted see, because, damn – $5 (US) a month.) I still have the hardback “collected” Yes, Minister book I’ve never found the time to read (bought it for $2 US, ok? Sadly, it still looks in Fine condition).

  148. 148.

    trollhattan

    Puppeh sneaked out of the house unbeknownst to us but eventually returned from his neighborhood roamings with a new friend that he lured out the front door of their house. (First HOT night of the year). And that’s how we came to have a strange pitbull roaming free-range through out house. Of course it was we who had to apologize to the critter’s owners because out dog is the bad influence in this encounter.

  151. 151.

    SectionH

    @SiubhanDuinne: Yes, they are.

    I’ve been considering other shows I remember, and think I’ll look harder at the other BBC streaming service, the new one, I forget what it’s called. (I get ads for it on Fb frequently, which of course has made me double-down on ignoring them, because I’m That sort of jackel).

    eta: if you’re remotely a Wodehouse fan, there’s USD 5 worth of the Blandings Castle thing…

  152. 152.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @SectionH:

    Other series I remember enjoying from that general era are Piece of Cake (about RAF pilots) and Danger UXB (about an Unexploded Bomb detonation unit). And of course all the big gorgeous costume dramas.

    eta: if you’re remotely a Wodehouse fan, there’s USD 5 worth of the Blandings Castle thing…

    Oh, yummy.

  154. 154.

    SectionH

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    Well, the Blandings thing… it’s kind of awful, actually. Except for the incredible awfulness of Jennifer Saunders playing Connie. And Freddie’s hair… and everything else. Except Beach, and the first season, Beach carries it. But I’m such a Wodehouse fan that watched it all anyway. Well, I think I have at least one episode I should pull the trigger on Real Soon Now. Still, it’s Plum on screen.

    I spent a great deal of my high school life in libraries looking at WW2 stuff one way or another. And rather a lot of it reading about Colditz, and all that. Escape, fuck yes! The Great Escape movie was kind of old hat, by the time I saw it on DVD, but I’ve become kind of fond of it, because they did (eventually) hit most of the actual things prisoners did – eta – both to escape and the things that got them caught again.

  155. 155.

    J R in WV

    @efgoldman:

    We saw a gorgeous fly yellow Ferrari in rural Tuscany, parked at a swanky Villa on the next ridge top over from our (much less swanky) Villa. We were looking for dinner on an evening when swanky Villas appear to not serve.

    Ruth noticed that the pretty Ferrari’s driver-side door was taped with extra wide packing tape across the top, apparently to keep water out, or to stop a wind whistle, or something. In Italy!!

    Not reassuring, not that I can afford one anyway. I guess you gotta do what ya gotta do, even if you’re driving a million dollar Ferrari. Did wonder how the driver wormed across from the passenger side, it’s hard enough getting in and out of those through the proper door.

  156. 156.

    NotMax

    @Mnemosyne

    Dietrich and Arthur are great; the central problem with the film is John Lund, who manages to evince less charisma and charm than the piles of rubble lining the streets.

  157. 157.

    Mnemosyne

    @NotMax:

    I think the quote on IMDb from Billy Wilder was something like, When you write a part for Cary Grant and Cary Grant isn’t available, you end up with John Lund.

    William Holden would have been great, but I don’t think his movie career had started yet and he may have been too young at that point. And there was a reference to Ray Milland being Lund’s stand-in for one scene, so I don’t know why he wasn’t used for the film. Lost opportunities!

  158. 158.

    NotMax

    @Mnemosyne

    Milland strikes me as a bit too sedate.

    IMHO, Fred MacMurray could have pulled it off.

    Had a time machine been available, James Garner would have been perfect.

  159. 159.

    Ella in New Mexico

    I think you’ll really enjoy the CR-V John. Solid and very comfortable choice. And it’s young enough that I’ll be you can still smell the “new car”! :-D

    LOVE my 2008 AWD version and I’ll never sell it. BUT, I must say that after having driven my husband’s 2017 Ridgeline, I am totally jealous of all the cool Bluetooth/Backup and Turn Cameras/Navigation action in my own car. Plus–thanks to our previous POTUS his frigging truck now gets better gas mileage than my little vehicle with all the new upgrades in fuel consumption! (Best I can do on the highway to ABQ is 25mpg–he easily gets 28 or better if he drives slower than 90)

    THANKS OBAMA-NOW I’VE GOT NEW CAR FEVER!!!!

  160. 160.

    Ella in New Mexico

    @Ella in New Mexico: correction to above : “I am totally jealous of all the cool Bluetooth/Backup and Turn Cameras/Navigation action I DON’T HAVE in my own car.”

  161. 161.

    SFAW

    So JGC –
    It’s been something like 10 hours since you posted this. Is the car still intact? No “unplanned off-roading”?

    Asking for a friend.

  162. 162.

    Watership

    Oh my. I must have been (mostly) lurking here for a while now. I think this is my third Cole car. Congrats, sir!

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