[SilverMax_04]

Originally Posted by lightonthehill

SilverMax - Sorry to let you down, but, after two decades of always opting for the Maxima with the firmest suspension, I have entered my 'Buick' phase; I own an SL.

Light: You are certainly not a let down. When I get to your age, I too may go for Senior Luxury. Also, I've driven a Buick, and the SL certainly is not a Buick.

Originally Posted by lightonthehill

I suppose that is a strong indication my next decision will be whether to go with senility or dementia. That could be tough, as I may soon enter that phase where I no longer have the ability to make decisions.

My guess is that when you get to this condition you will likely be dead, or nearly so. What the young don't realize until later is that none of us will live forever.

Originally Posted by lightonthehill

I have another 'letdown' for you; my 'expertise' on Maximas is little more than parroting what I have learned from over fifty-six years of driving. The last twenty have been in Maximas, but the first thirty-six were in Studebakers, Hudsons, Chevys, Pontiacs, Oldsmobiles, Datsuns, etc. I actually got to drive a TerraPlane passenger car for one day back in the 1940s. I knew folks who drove Pierce-Arrows, Tuckers and Henry Js.

You at least have the ability to remember what was worth knowing and parrot it back to us in a style that makes sense and tells us something. I remember our exchange here about double clutching, for example. Because you have me on age, I only remember (being a kid at the time) when the "step down" Hudson was first introduced -- that configuration became the norm for all cars a few years later -- and remains so to this day. I also remember when the new Studebaker style came out in the late 40s and you had to look closely to see which end was the front.

Originally Posted by lightonthehill

So always remember that any 'sage' advice I may post here just might be four or five decades out of date. Don't be surprised if your service manager laughs at a suggestion I may give you.

Might happen, but you also seem to be up on whats new in cars, too. I do remember that I recently taught you something about "parking brakes" in cars with 4-wheel disc brakes, but then none of us knows it all. And when it come to Max's you certainly have me beat.

Originally Posted by lightonthehill

The SL, on the other hand, floats down the Interstate forever without churning my innards. Great for long trips with my wife. I told my wife that 'SL' stands for 'Senior Luxury'.

I run 35 psi in my new Michelin tires and the SE does not churn my innards -- unless the road surface is terrible -- like I 76 in NE Colorado. When the road is like that, I drive in the left lane because the trucks have done a good job of tearing up the right lane much more than the left.

Originally Posted by lightonthehill

As for a manual tranny, that was all there was back 'in the day'. The first auto trannie I experienced was in my '55 Pontiac Bonneville. They were fairly primitive back then.

Well, the first car I drove was a 55 Olds that belonged to my father. It had a Hydromatic trannie, which was a very dependable trannie and was better than the slush box (Dynaflow) that GM had in their Buicks. The Hydromatic was so good (for its day) that it was used by Rolls Royce in their cars. Rolls did take the GM-made trannie and rebuild it. But the technology remainded the same.

Originally Posted by lightonthehill

While driving Datsuns (which, in case there is someone who doesn't know, was the brand name used by Nissan until 1983/84) back in the 1970s, I always opted for manual trannies. But I counted the shifts on my way to work in Atlanta traffic one time back in the early 1980s (driving a 5 speed manual '78 Datsun 200SX), and realized I was changing gears over 1,000 times just getting to work and back (stop and go for over an hour each way). I decided that was more exercise for my right arm and left leg than I needed.

Have to admit that would be a pain (in the leg). But I still find that the manual trannie is a thinking trannie -- because you the driver are thinking. An auto trannie can't see what is coming, so can only do what it is programmed to do.

I enjoyed our little conversation.