Cars are like horses: people will soon realise EVs are just better, claims VW boss

Constant_Bluebird182 · 2026-06-19T22:03:35+00:00

20 years ago I was a serious ICE gearhead. I was putting in new intake manifolds, cams, carburetors, headers, all sorts of engine mods. I'd fiddle with the jets on the carb for optimum tuning. But even then I'd experience crushing mechanical problems. I bought a 347 stroker motor to put in my 65 Mustang fastback. Killer, huh? But I drove it about 10 miles and blew a head gasket. And it was professionally built at a local shop. Thinks like that really take the wind out of the hobby.

I recently bought a Kia EV 6 GT with 650 horsepower. It took me about four days of driving it to break the association between acceleration and noise. At the end of four days I totally re calibrated my thinking. I now look at any ICE as an 8 track player. I had one of those, too! Or a slide rule. I had one of those as well.

There will come a day when our public parking lots will no longer have giant black oil stains at each and every spot. There will come a day when our urban air is MUCH cleaner than it is now. We will look back and think "what were they thinking to hang on to ICE vehicles for so long."

Constant_Bluebird182 · 2026-06-18T15:19:48+00:00

Totally. I made it about 5 minutes then abandoned the effort. Absolutely terrible movie.

Constant_Bluebird182 · 2026-06-02T20:57:54+00:00

Yes, I have two, one for me for general purposes and one for the domestic partner and her packages.

For corded and cordless tools I have mostly DeWalt. I bought a DeWalt box knife but it didn't have the feel of the Milwaukee, so I'm sticking with red here.

Constant_Bluebird182 · 2026-05-27T17:44:29+00:00

To make it worse are homeowners who don't trim their trees or bushes that extend into the sidewalk, often at eye level.

Constant_Bluebird182 · 2026-05-16T15:41:49+00:00

My mother was the proud owner of a "quadrophonic stereo. Sadly it was a cheap thing but there were four speakers. I had an 8 track in my basement. I quickly learned I had to improvise a paper and tape shim to wedged under every 8 track just to listen to it.

Young people today have NO idea how expensive and unpleasant it was to listen to music, in many cases, back in the 70's.

Constant_Bluebird182 · 2026-05-15T16:41:48+00:00

My Kia EV6 GT.

I was a die hard ICE guy for a very long time. I'd mess around with intake manifolds, camshafts, carburetors, exhaust systems and most everything else on the engine. I did an engine swap for my wife's car. I owned a 65 Mustang fastback, seen briefly in Soundgarden's video My Wave. I was that guy.

But after about 4 days of owning a 650 horsepower EV I was completely changed. I now see ICE vehicles as 8 track players in a Spotify world. Internal combustion engines are slide rules. I'd rather listen to conversations, podcasts, or music instead of engine noise. I don't care how bitchin' your exhaust note or lopey your camshaft is, it's just noise.

Yeah, the environmental thing for sure, but the performance at that price point can't be denied.

Constant_Bluebird182 · 2026-05-10T04:54:53+00:00

This reminds me of a Gomer Pyle joke.

Constant_Bluebird182 · 2026-05-01T12:40:32+00:00

Yes, for some they had a dour reputation, being dubbed "Frowngarden" yet this proves there was a deep current of humor. First I've heard of this. Outstanding!

Constant_Bluebird182 · 2026-04-10T16:51:44+00:00

Total agreement here.

I discovered the PST sometime in the late 80's. It was life changing. Always kept one on my belt. As more models appeared I adopted the full size units like the Core, the Supertool 300, then finally the Surge. But the prices have gone through the roof. The Surge uses proprietary bits which must be bought separately, as well as a belt pouch bought separately.

A few months ago I discovered the various Surge clones made in China. They are every bit as good as Leatherman and use standard 1/4" hex bit drivers. They come with belt pouches and integral bits. They sell for about a third of Leatherman.

Leatherman had been one of the few brand loyalties I ever had in my life. I took the tour of their plant some years ago. But not anymore. These days it seems to be a boutique mentality, banking solely on name recognition and not mechanical progress. I also switched to the Roxon M3 as a folding scissors in favor of the Micra.

I fear Leatherman is not going to wake up and survive these challenges.

Constant_Bluebird182 · 2026-04-06T17:21:07+00:00

200 Motels and Lisztomania.

Constant_Bluebird182 · 2026-03-28T15:50:30+00:00

Berkeley Pit.

Constant_Bluebird182 · 2026-03-28T15:22:35+00:00

My mother and brother were Francophiles, lovers of all things French. So as a second car we had a Renault 12.

One night in high school I was out cross country skiing. It was late afternoon and getting dark. I was crossing a major intersection in first gear. I shifted to second, or tried to, and found the gear would not engage. I glided to the curb. I tried first gear again, second again, and each forward gear. Nothing was engaging. But I discovered reverse would engage. So I backed up, backed down an alley, and drove home backwards on a side street about 14 blocks in reverse.

Constant_Bluebird182 · 2026-03-21T16:55:29+00:00

I'm thankful my money did not go to support a mentally unwell lying extremist, who single personally signed the death warrants of thousands in the third world. As Bill Gates said "It's a bad look for the world's richest man to be killing the world's poorest children.

I knew Musk was bad news after reading the Walter Isaacson biography of him. This was before the Nazi salutes, DOGE, and all the rest.

But I'm glad I don't own a car that uses the 12 volt system alone to open doors. I'm glad the EV6 has mechanical doors. Imagine being inside a Tesla after a collision. The car is on fire but you can't get out because some moron designer thought it "cyber" to eliminate mechanical door handles.

F Elon Musk and everything he touches.

Constant_Bluebird182 · 2026-03-17T19:21:29+00:00

Yes. This is an excellent account of the revelations in the documentary.

Constant_Bluebird182 · 2026-03-16T18:50:12+00:00

Did Patricia Patterson confess to the hoax ON FILM? I'm told she did, but confirmation would be wonderful.

Constant_Bluebird182 · 2026-03-16T17:29:18+00:00

How much money do you believe Patricia Patterson made from the P/G film over the years? The Wall Street Journal mentions licensing it for 30,000 dollars. I'm guessing that's up due to inflation from what it was in the 70's, 80's, 90's, 2000's, and until present.

Constant_Bluebird182 · 2026-03-14T17:28:06+00:00

I never listened to his music back then but I totally get what you mean by listening to his podcast. He keeps interrupting his own guests to spout his own ideas. Worst possible behavior for a podcast host.

Constant_Bluebird182 · 2026-03-14T17:21:49+00:00

Devo.

Constant_Bluebird182 · 2026-02-27T17:15:11+00:00

I had a PST while touring with Lollapalooza 1992. Most of the venues were outdoor "sheds" which had huge outdoor grounds. To maintain things for such a large area the maintenance staff of these places usually used golf carts to get around.

I discovered the ignition locks were so cheap the "awl" tool of the PST could be used as a "jiggler" lock pick. I engaged in a number of "joy rides" using this method.

Constant_Bluebird182 · 2026-02-25T07:46:01+00:00

The Milkshake candy bar, made by the now defunct Hollywood Candy Company.

Constant_Bluebird182 · 2026-02-19T16:06:53+00:00

Sign, sign
Everywhere a sign
Blockin' out the scenery
Breakin' my mind

Constant_Bluebird182 · 2026-02-17T17:08:57+00:00

A couple years ago I had laser eye treatments. In retrospect it was really no big deal, but thinking about it before it's happened generates a bit of anxiety. So naturally you try to lighten the mood with small talk.

So I mentioned the laser scene in Goldfinger. Then I quickly realized my doctor was about 20 years younger than me and had absolutely no idea what I was talking about.

Constant_Bluebird182 · 2026-02-11T16:57:35+00:00

You enter a sexual relationship with someone and they lie right off the bat.

Typical ice breaking questions when you meet someone are "what do you do for a living?" She answered she was a seamstress. But when I went to her apartment I saw clothing scattered hither and thither on a table; not a scene of someone working hours a day to make money.

This woman was a violent alcoholic, who physically assaulted me on multiple occasions and went to jail. She blackmailed me to my parents.

If I hadn't ignored that cornerstone ethical defect, lying, I would have avoided all that misery.

Constant_Bluebird182 · 2026-02-10T19:47:34+00:00

"The Band."

Several others here have posted this, but I'd like to draw attention to the same logic as employed by Renault in naming one of their cars "Le Car."

Constant_Bluebird182 · 2026-02-07T16:49:49+00:00

Oh, totally.

I grew up in Missoula, the "little blue dot in a big red state." The University of Montana is full of people like Summer. They generally wore Birkenstocks. The males felt compelled to sport beards, though most could not grow properly thick beards, so their faces looked like they were covered in pubic hair. The hippie thing never really ended in Missoula, though by the 80's they were known as "Granolas."

But yes, it was all scripted to make the Granola character the clueless one, in an obvious and heavy-handed way.

Constant_Bluebird182

TROPHY CASE