Κracus wrote:I've had one cop pull me over for going 115 once in a 110 zone (most of our highways are 110). I went to court over it and contested the charge, the cop didn't show up so I won and the ticket was dismissed, it's really unusual for them to do that though but I was in a country area that has next to nothing going so the cop was probably bored.
What? Is that really how it works there? The cop has to show up in person, and if he doesn't the ticket is automatically dismissed? Why doesn't everyone contest their tickets always and everywhere then? Cops would have a full time job just showing up in court.
Here it's a longwinded process to contest a ticket and it doesn't happen very often that you get it dismissed. Cops are infallible for our law so if a cop wrote a ticket, it's up to you to prove he's wrong, which is rather hard in most cases. I don't really agree with that system either but your system sounds like the wild west.
Basically yeah, it depends on the severity of the ticket and your reasons for challenging the ticket. I've heard there's a few reasons they might dismiss them, one is if it's a burden to your family to have to pay the ticket. Another is if the radars they use haven't been inspected in a certain period of time they can't be considered accurate and speeding convictions can be overturned. If I had been going 120+ I doubt the judge would have sided with me though. It's because I was only going a few km's over the limit and the cop wasn't there, those two things. Most people don't contest speeding tickets either, it's not common.
Dr_Watson wrote:Just get the right Mazda; mine has been a dream.
I actually really love the Miata and the RX7, RX8. I know I'm generalizing but it's more of a tongue in cheek comment.
The mazda 3 I drove though really did suck, easily as bad as a Kia Spectra I owned several years ago for a very brief period of time.
On Monday I drove a 2014 Hyundai Elantra and goddamn that car is good on gas. The first car I ever bought with my own money was a 2002 Elantra. Like most "first" cars I loved it and thought it was a great car even back then. I got in an accident with it though and then bought the infamous Tiburon involved in that club business scandal I posted about once upon a time.
The last gen 3 was a bit of a dud. The mazdaspeed is great, but the bare commuter car falls apart like it was made by Soviets. Dude at work has an 05 sedan that is always broken. Even the wheels are so fragile that on separate incidents he managed to bend them on pot holes. Sun roof leaks, interrupt rattles, brake problems, suspension problems, door problrms, bad rusting... It's the millennia all over again.
New 3 door looks Damn good though and the 6 has always been solid. Whatever though, my next car will be a 997.
So what you want? A Lotus Exige? Only 30 grand more.
I wouldn't class Lotus cars as exotic any more than a 911 Carrera. At least, not when you start considering a car to be "exotic" at Ferrari or Lamborghini price and prestige levels.
vesp wrote:lotus elise is a pretty naff car around here... there's a guy on every street in his 40s or 50s tooling around in one.
mid-life crisis car
I know someone who bought an Elise in his late 20's. I got to accompany him to a Lotus trackday. Pretty sweet, even though he drives the thing like my grandmother
Lotuses are relatively common here.
Lately all I see are Tesla Model S cars though.
I spent a few days at my in-laws' house in France and two doors down the road an Aston Martin Rapide S was parked there (next to an Audi TT roadster). Not sure if that's the "poor man's" Aston Martin or the sweet high end stuff, looked rather nice though. My in-laws drive an Opel Ampera though (and a 2nd hand Mercedes station and I traded them my old Clio). Unlike their neighbour, they're mostly practical people
Dr_Watson wrote:The last gen 3 was a bit of a dud. The mazdaspeed is great, but the bare commuter car falls apart like it was made by Soviets. Dude at work has an 05 sedan that is always broken. Even the wheels are so fragile that on separate incidents he managed to bend them on pot holes. Sun roof leaks, interrupt rattles, brake problems, suspension problems, door problrms, bad rusting... It's the millennia all over again.
Uhh that would make it the first generation 3 (2003-2008) which is an ugly rustbucket, but pretty damn durable. This I'm basing on the dozen or so people I personally know who have owned a Gen 1 for years so I have a feeling either your friend got unlucky or he drives like a retard. The Gen 2 on the other hand has been one of the highest-rated <$25,000 sedans for years. Best part is it's assembled in Japan and not Canada/USA/Mexico like its competitors. Gen 3 looks nice but I think my next car will be a CX-5, more suited for Finnish winters.
you apparently don't car shop much... a low mileage 3-4yr old 911 is barely more expensive than what I payed for my mx5 new. It's a mass produced sports car, not an exotic unicorn. Dentists lease them by the thousand and then drop them for the new model after eating up all the depreciation.
you apparently don't car shop much... a low mileage 3-4yr old 911 is barely more expensive than what I payed for my mx5 new. It's a mass produced sports car, not an exotic unicorn. Dentists lease them by the thousand and then drop them for the new model after eating up all the depreciation.
You're correct actually, I expected them to be a bit higher than they are. (just checked)
