Modern User-Friendly Technology

In message , Spehro Pefhany writes

ISTR Ford and Vauxhall (GM) floated that in the UK a few years ago as well. Caused uproar in the independent motor trade.

Until you try to keep up with a BMW...

The environmental control s*** reduces engine power and driveability severely. Some minor modifications to kill the exhaust gas recirculation did wonders to my car.

Cars too?

John

Land of the Free ? LMAO !

Graham

How about London, where there's a fee for just driving through parts of it?

John

Ppl voted for the guy knowing full well ! Maybe next time......

Graham

For our Range Rover -- everything can be attacked with a screwdriver, plyers or wrench -- but the electrical system stinks and the rear hatch is almost rusted through.

Who puts cars in garages --- that's where the planer and contractor saw belong.

jack

Forget that, he's way out in front in the "2020" race. He's at least three laps ahead of anyone else. :(

When I bought my current house, I told the agent that a HOA was an unconditional deal-breaker. No matter how good the intentions of the founders, these organizations wind up being dominated by busybodies with too much time on their hands.

Can't they just interpolate over the bad pixels? Who's gonna notice?

John

It's got the 5-cyl Audi engine, so it's sort of a rocket already. It's averaging 15 mpg, 3.8 miles from home to work, all city driving on serious hills.

John

In the US Northeast, the burbs don't want the city riffraff around, so many places have laws against parking on the street, period. And beaches are for residents only. In California, we don't do silly stuff like that, and beaches along the entire coast are by law open to everyone, with access paths mandatory. Certain paragons of liberality in Malibu are fond of closing off beach access trails through or adjacent to their property, and it's a continuous struggle to keep them open. It's interesting how many people are liberal in theory but elitist in practice.

How's it work in the UK?

John

In message , dated Mon, 14 Aug 2006, John Larkin writes

Land between high and low tide belongs to the Queen, so it's not difficult to restrict landward access, but legally very difficult to prevent people walking along the beach.

In message , dated Mon, 14 Aug 2006, Stephen Rush writes

What is HOA? Harassment Over Anything?

Home Owners Association I believe, although your version is pretty appropriate. I guess we have institutionalised this over here with Building Regs. I had all sorts of problems getting a house extension design to fit the screwball ideas of the Planning/Building Regs on what a "traditional" Scottish cottage should look like. They also told me I would not have been allowed to replace the original sash windows with modern, properly draught proof types. Too bad I had already done that.

Regards Ian

In message , dated Tue, 15 Aug 2006, Ian writes

You are lucky that they did not insist you take them out and have replacement sash windows made at enormous cost. They can in England; they even did it to an MP!

Homeowners' Association. A good idea that went bad faster than unrefrigerated fish. The started out with property owners presenting a united front to the local government and utility companies, and ended up suing people for letting their grass grow half an inch too tall, painting their front doors the wrong color, or parking overnight in their own driveways.

It started out as a way for the builder/developer to keep buyers from painting their houses hot pink before they got the whole street sold. Later played-up to look "advantageous" to the neighborhood homeowners. Properly done, they are legally dissolved when the last property is sold by the developer.

We have Residents Associations. I am chairman of the local one. It was formed to oppose an unwelcome development which would have destroyed our 'edge of town' position. It doesn't do anything at present, because it doesn't need to, and for that I am grateful to the deity of your choice.(;-)