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Message |
    
Arnomation
Citizen
Username: Arnomation
Post Number: 97
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 31, 2003 - 11:14 am: |     |
...but not without incident. After taking four months and nine trips to the DMV to switch my license over (because of someone in Jersey City with the same name and birth date as me had a suspended license) I finally got around to doing the registration and plates.
Luckily, I decided to pay the thirty-five dollars to the DMV Service next to the DMV to wait in line for me because it took the entire day. Apparently, my VIN number wasn't valid (although the car had previously been registered in PA and NY) so I had to make a pencil rubbing of it and take it down there to prove the car existed. What an unbelievable hassle it's been to become a NJ driver.
The funny thing was, as soon as I put the NJ plates on my car, I began driving badly. I was cutting people off, driving too fast and honking my horn. I've become a New Jersey driver at last!!!
Mike |
vor
Citizen
Username: Vor
Post Number: 116
Registered: 9-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 31, 2003 - 11:33 am: | |
sigh |
Brett
Citizen
Username: Bmalibashksa
Post Number: 548
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 31, 2003 - 11:39 am: | |
The four month ordeal is really there just to piss you off enough to drive like us.
Welcome to the Garden State.
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emmie
Citizen
Username: Emmie
Post Number: 205
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 31, 2003 - 11:51 am: | |
I've been a NJ driver for 28 years and it is always a hassle doing anything there! Once when my kid was a teen he drove my car, got a parking ticket and didn't tell me. A few months later I got a letter from the DMV saying that my driver's license had been suspended because of an unpaid parking ticket in Maplewood Center. I remembered my kid driving my car and I knew he was the culprit. After I killed him I had to take a day off from work to head to the DMV in Wayne, in the middle of a snowstorm. Wayne is the only DMV around here that will restore a suspended license. Now mind you, I am driving out there with no valid driver's license, and driving very carefully I might add. I was pleasantly surprised that they didn't ask me how I got there so they could give me a double whammy! Anyway it was an all day adventure of waiting in several lines, one of which was to find out which line to get into to do what I had to do there!  |
notehead
Citizen
Username: Notehead
Post Number: 815
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 31, 2003 - 12:20 pm: | |
This seems like a good place to vent... I was speeding in a 65 mph zone the other day, and got a speeding ticket. Every car on the road was going 65 or faster, and I had my cat in the car, and she was absolutely freaking out in her carrier and it was making me very upset and I wanted to get where I was going as quickly as possible. But yes, I was speeding, and I am not saying that the ticket was undeserved.
Now, fines for speed violations in a 65 mph zone are DOUBLED. I can see how that can be effective in preventing some people from driving particularly fast. I don't have a problem with that, either. But I just got something in the mail from the State of NJ, fining me an ADDITIONAL $100!! What the **** ?! Why can't they make the true cost of a speeding ticket known beforehand... is the idea to prevent speeding, or to simply take more money from people?! |
United Strawberry of America
Citizen
Username: Strawberry
Post Number: 1674
Registered: 10-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 31, 2003 - 12:24 pm: | |
Notehead,
65 in an electric car??
"and I'm p*ssed that I'm on the list, just so some p*ssant can say that he gave me a lower score than the last time (whenever that was)"
The above post was the last of many unpunished personal attacks committed by Nohero.
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bobk
Citizen
Username: Bobk
Post Number: 4184
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 31, 2003 - 12:29 pm: | |
and wait until you get your new insurance bill. I believe this may cost you as much as} $3,000 over the next three years, unless things have changed, which I doubt. 
somewhere around here on mol is a good recipe for cat} |
Kenney
Citizen
Username: Kenney
Post Number: 250
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 31, 2003 - 12:29 pm: | |
solar panelled and it was very sunny.
The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today..FDR..
Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth...G.W.
Everyone wants a voice in human freedom. There's a fire burning inside of all us...L.W.
Dave Ross is the coolest!!(being banned sucks) |
notehead
Citizen
Username: Notehead
Post Number: 816
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 31, 2003 - 12:40 pm: | |
The Prius is not an electric car, it's a gas/electric hybrid. It goes over 100 mph. And by the way, both Motor Trend and Auto Week named the 2004 Prius "Car of the Year". The demand for the Prius is so great that, according to Caldwell Toyota, anyone who orders one now will end up getting a 2005 because it will take around 8 months to fill the order. |
United Strawberry of America
Citizen
Username: Strawberry
Post Number: 1677
Registered: 10-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 31, 2003 - 2:07 pm: | |
Let me ask you a serious question Notehead,
There must be drawbacks to the vehicle. Can you tell us some negatives (if any)
"and I'm p*ssed that I'm on the list, just so some p*ssant can say that he gave me a lower score than the last time (whenever that was)"
The above post was the last of many unpunished personal attacks committed by Nohero.
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notehead
Citizen
Username: Notehead
Post Number: 818
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, January 1, 2004 - 5:08 pm: | |
The 2003 Prius did not have power & handling comparable to, say, a Camry. However, my understanding is that those issues have been thoroughly resolved in the 2004 model, which gets about 50 mpg. Also, the styling of either model may be off-putting for some drivers. Perhaps the biggest concern is with the batteries that store the electrical energy used by the car. There are 18 or so of them, and, one at a time, they will ultimately lose their ability to recharge properly. The warranty should cover replacement of the first set, but since the car has an expected lifespan of 20 years, the owner will sooner or later (perhaps 10 years from now) have to shell out at least a couple grand for the 3rd and subsequent sets. I'm not aware of any other signficant concerns with Prius as compared to other sedans. I haven't had a single problem with my 2003 in the year that I've owned it.
The 2004 has split fold-down seats so it has a LOT of cargo room if there are only 2 passengers... a voice-activated navigation system... airbags all the way around the cabin... Bluetooth connectivity to run your cell phone thru the stereo... very powerful air conditioning... it's an amazing car. I'm hoping to trade mine in for one when supply catches up to demand and I don't have to pay MSRP. |
Earlster
Citizen
Username: Earlster
Post Number: 94
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, January 1, 2004 - 8:33 pm: | |
Straw,
why do think that something new and advanced has to have drawbacks? Had you lived a 100 years ago, would you have said "I like my horsedrawn carriage, I don't need no stinkin car."
Or is it because it has a 'green' touch to it, and that just has to be bad.
Happy new year! |
bobk
Citizen
Username: Bobk
Post Number: 4188
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, January 2, 2004 - 5:33 am: | |
I think this is a developing technology. Comparing a Prius to a Camry or Accord is not fair. The size of the car is more in the class with the Corolla, Sentra, Civic, Protege, etal.
The one ride I had in an early Prius, probably a 1991 or 1992, was different. The gasoline engine turns off at stop lights, it has a CVT transmission, etc. The guy whose car I rode in likes it and only complained about grabby brakes, because the car charges the batteries while under braking. He bought it because he had a 100 mile a day commute and the slightly higher cost was more than offset by the gas mileage.
I believe that Ford is working on a dual fuel Escape and maybe an Explorer as well. One way or another it seems to be a usable technology, unlike pure electric cars which have limited utility because of range issues.
And Notehead, sorry about the cat recipe comment, sometimes I am not as funny as I think I am.
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notehead
Citizen
Username: Notehead
Post Number: 819
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, January 2, 2004 - 12:51 pm: | |
Bobk, no problemo. I wanted to respond with something prurient, but figured this wasn't the place. 
And, by the way, Toyota is deliberately using the Camry as the yardstick to measure the Prius by. The 2004 is almost as large and compares pretty well in other metrics, too. |
johnny
Citizen
Username: Johnny
Post Number: 796
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, January 2, 2004 - 2:57 pm: | |
Notehead,
If the Prius only gets 50 mpg, why not just buy a Civic and get 40 mpg and not have to worry about replacing/charging batteries?
In my opinion, the mpg is not high enough to justify the higher price/small size. |
ligeti
Citizen
Username: Ligeti
Post Number: 36
Registered: 7-2002
| | Posted on Friday, January 2, 2004 - 5:48 pm: | |
Arnomation - Welcome to the bizarre, inscrutable world of NJ motoring. Get used to:
1. Missing, confusing and/or unreadable street signs. Try reading a street sign as you drive down Ridgewood Road at night. Also, good luck explaining to an outsider how to find Vauxhall as they drive south on Valley back to Route 78.
2. Highways and roads that have 3 or 4 different names and numbers, which can change without notice or warning.
3. Intersections that must have been designed by the DMV's pet mice and hamsters.
4. Panic attacks as you drive down streets, especially at night, where NJ drivers have seemingly parked in the middle of the road.
5. Houses with no street #s on them. It's a weird NJ thing.
6. SUVs that roar around the streets like tanks, always demanding the right of way no matter the circumstances. Usually the drivers are shrieking into their cellphones about the toppings they want on their pizzas or the new sex positions they plan to try.
7. The words North, South, East and West are meaningless in NJ. Even the compass I have in my car is totally confused.
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Montagnard
Citizen
Username: Montagnard
Post Number: 329
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Friday, January 2, 2004 - 9:45 pm: | |
Earlier this year, in the big snowstorm, I saw drivers just stop under bridges in the middle of the road, without even pulling over to the side.
Some of these clowns were lucky they weren't killed. |
spw784
Citizen
Username: Spw784
Post Number: 433
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, January 3, 2004 - 12:57 pm: | |
ligeti - I agree with number 7 on your list..."West South Orange Avenue" confused me at first, because there is no EAST South Orange Avenue. |
notehead
Citizen
Username: Notehead
Post Number: 821
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, January 4, 2004 - 12:11 am: | |
Ligeti - the Prius also emits less smog-forming emissions than any other car with an internal combustion engine (with a SULEV rating). As someone who prioritizes on environmental issues, that was definitely a factor. Also, the Prius has a super-cool nagivation system, and I like the look and feel of the car. I expect to trade it in long before buying a new set of batteries is a concern. It's not for everyone, but I've been VERY happy with it. |
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