Video of my latest Boxster squirt...
 

Here's yet another silly video I shot while being in Los Angeles for a week:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_MwhsUH3uk

Although the Box behaved nicely the entire time -- even when doing 135 on I-5 (just kidding, I've never gone above the posted speed-limit in my life) -- I still sometimes wish I had a ratty car instead. You see, just as we were about to leave a public parking, I discover that a station-wagon parked next to me had bumped into the wheel-skirt of my car. My black paint was on his bumper, and his white paint on my car... along with a soft bump.

So what did I do? Nothing.
You see, I'm a yellow belly. Besides, his ****************ty car was plastered with bumper-stickers of NRA membership, 'US Army Reserve', 'I support the troops', 'Love it or Leave it', 'I'm Proud to be American', including some over-the-top hateful ones. Also, the inside of his car looked like a dumpster -- littered with fast-food wrappers & crap, including flyers for escort services. It wouldn't surprise me if he also slept in the car.

As I was debating what to do, the owner approached across the parking lot -- and man, he did not look like believing in diplomacy. It started to dawn on me that he had purposely bumped into my foreign made vehicle just to pick a fight. Hence, we scrambled and took off.

People like that remind me of something my mother use to say; "The human race -- the most inhuman there is."

Other than that -- everything perfect -- even stopped by James Dean's crash site on the way up -- 2am & at full moon.

-- peer

Once, when I was much younger, I went to a Theme Park in Florida with the girl I was dating at the time. Normally I park as far away from everyone as I can but in their parking lot you are herded to a spot not of your choosing. I parked as far away from the car that pulled in before as I could but then the next car pulled so close that my passenger could not easily get out. I backed up and re-centered myself between the two cars. As soon as I stopped, the guy's son in the back seat kicked his door open and hit my car (my 84 300ZX that I still own and still has the original paint, including this ding!) I confronted the guy and told him my displeasure and even explained that I had to re-center my car because of his inconsiderateness. He apologized but said he was in a rental and that I have no recourse. :mad:

The entire day I stewed over the incident and we I got back to the car his was still next to mine. Since I knew he was in a rental I knew causing any damage to his car would not impact him very much (plus, even though I was young, I didn't want to permanently damage anyone else vehicle even in retaliation.) Sooooo I removed the tool to remove the center pin out of the tire stem that was on my temporary spare and removed all 4 of the pins on his car. I didn't cause any permanent damage, but I'm sure he was severely inconvenienced when he came out (from a long day at a theme park) to find 4 flat tires.

As a much older adult, I doubt I would do anything like that today but it did make me feel much, much better back then.

My knee-jerk reaction to someone carelessly dinging my door is to put my foot into their driver's door so they can see a huge dent to remind them of their own carelessness. However, two wrongs don't make a right and I never act upon these ill-willed feelings. I sure do think the thought though!

A friend in Germany told me that one day he came out of a grocery store to find a man and his 8 year old boy standing next to his car. The boy was sobbing and the father had a somewhat blank look on his face.

As he hit his remote and the car's doors unlocked, the man and his son came over and the man said, "my son has something to tell you". The little boy said, "My father taught me to be careful opening the car door so as not to damage another car. Today I did not do what I was told and I scratched your car door. You must let me pay for the repair."

My friend said it wasn't that great of a car and not to worry, and there was another good sized ding on the other side, feeling really bad for the little boy who must have been serverly scolded at the very least when this happened.

The father then switched to broken English and said, "Please do not refuse my son's offer. If he does not learn this lesson now, he will grow up to be disrespectful of other people's property. Take your car to this man (had the name of a body shop on his own business card) and he will repair your car at my expense. My son will reimburse me as he earns the money in the coming year or two."

While Germans are seriously anal about far too many things in my opinion, this is one area where I wish Americans would be more particular... especially when it comes to raising our kids to both appreciate and respect the EXPENSIVE property of other people.

looks like a nice drive. why didn't you have your passenger hold the camera?
When driving on a twisty road you should make an effort to hold the wheel at 9 and 3 or 10 and 2.
My misus always yawwwwns when I tell her that keeping one hand on the wheel and one hand on the shifter is a "chick move". I know its really an 'amateur' move rather than anything sexist but I know it gets under her skin enough to drive the safe way. She isn't so bad, her girlfriend is much worse, she spends half the time looking in the rear view at herself or to look her rear passengers in the eye while having a conversation...hello!! you are driving the car!!

p.s.
if you ever get a guy looking for some road rage or parking lot rage, whip out your camera phone and let him/her see you taking a picture of their license plate. That usually quiets people down right away. If it doesn't jump in the car right away get out of there (lunatic)...

Definetely looked like a nice day...love the roadside stop. Funny, I was looking for pics of boxsters with some kind of racing stripe or graphics....your car looks great with the silver.

That's cool it didn't spoil your day.


The next time, I wonder if making a note, taking a pic, and calling the cops would've help put that a-hole in his place...? I know it sounds petty, but if this guy was looking for trouble I can't stand the thought of dirtbags getting away with it.

Perfectlap wrote:
> why didn't you have your passenger hold the camera?

That's what I did when the pace picked up. As the bike started chasing us, I handed her the camera.

-- peer

boxsterz wrote:
> I know it sounds petty, but if this guy was looking for trouble
> I can't stand the thought of dirtbags getting away with it.


Well, frankly, I was afraid that he was looking for a reason to pull a gun on me. For all I know, he could've been an Iraqi war-veteran psycho, or maybe someone who just detest black Boxsters. In any case, that guy gave me the creeps...

-- peer

I know you meant to say a Veteran of the U.S. Armed Services, right?

definitely a shaky weird video.
what the hell made you put stripes on the car? sorry to say, but that definitely looks horrible. but then again, if you like it its all that matters

Peer, that's a crazy video! I am still dizzy! If I am ever driving in Cali and see a nice Boxster with racing stripes, I am going to give it a ton of space on the highway! :D

Grizzly wrote:
> I know you meant to say a Veteran of the U.S. Armed Services, right?

Yes, of course.
And, besides, I didn't mean to put down the U.S. troops in any way with my remark (if someone read it that way). The thing I tried to convey was that he could be a psycho dischargee of the war (a not so uncommon thing these days) and perhaps carry a gun.

-- peer

bmussatti wrote:
> Peer, that's a crazy video! I am still dizzy! If I am ever driving in
> Cali and see a nice Boxster with racing stripes, I am going to give
> it a ton of space on the highway!

Well, since my mother always told me that it's only people who lack a specific ability who feel the need to brag about it. Hence, I won't start bragging about my driving skills, but just hint that there's no need to be afraid that I'll cross over in your lane of travel ;^)

-- peer

986speedster wrote:
> Funny, I was looking for pics of boxsters with some kind of racing
> stripe or graphics....your car looks great with the silver.

Oh, thanks. Actually, I've put stripes on all my cars; gray SAAB (white stripes), red Eunos (silver stripes), and most recently silver on the black Boxster. Here's a pic of me striping the Eunos:
http://ccrma.stanford.edu/~peer/roadster-stripes.html

-- peer

djomlas wrote:
> what the hell made you put stripes on the car?
> sorry to say, but that definitely looks horrible.


I bet there're a few of us who'd say the same about your girly turquoise thingee.

-- peer



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_MwhsUH3uk

I don't care how good your driving skills are. I just don't see how your can drive a sports car, on a winding road, with manual tranny, shift gears, steer, and video tape... with only 2 hands! Good thing your friend was there to assist you.

Please be careful.

bmussatti wrote:
> I don't care how good your driving skills are.

Although if you don't care, I'm sure most other fellow drivers do.

-- peer

Your "Eunos" looks a lot like a Miata. What's the difference?

John V wrote:
> Your "Eunos" looks a lot like a Miata. What's the difference?


Scissored from Wikipedia:
"In Japan, the car was not badged as a Mazda, as the company was experimenting with the creation of different marques for deluxe models, similar to Nissan's Infiniti and Toyota's Lexus. Instead, the Mazda MX-5 was sold as the Eunos Roadster in that market."

-- peer

Ok, so it's a Miata?