Meet the Exploder's replacement.

First, a final farewell to the totalled Exploder, whose title I signed over to the insurance company on Thursday:

( I didn't take many photos of it at all, but there are a couple. )

The Exploder was purchased March 31, 1999 (the day before April Fool's) for $8800 plus TTL and finance charges (which put the final total well, well over $11,000). From the very beginning it was trouble- the car lot lied about the vibrations at highway speed being "bad tires." It turned out to be a known defect in the vehicle, weak front end bushings that were difficult to replace.

In the eleven years I owned the Exploder, it was inoperable for close to four years total- including a period from July 2003 to September 2005 when it was parked behind the house after blowing a major transmission leak. (We got it running, but without the transmission repair, two weeks before Hurricane Rita dropped a tree where it was parked.)

In that eleven years I put 135,000 miles on the Exploder. In that time:

* fuel pump replaced six times
* power steering pump replaced three times
* alternator replaced three times
* transmission replaced twice
* tie rods replaced twice
* radiator replaced once
* water pump replaced once
* air flow sensor replaced once
* rear antilock brakes died and partially repaired
* steering box replaced once
* air conditioning died once and fixed, died again and not fixed
* all power windows at various points died, fixed, fix didn't work in most cases
* one cylinder badly leaking/burning oil, injector gasket leaking on another cylinder: engine awaiting replacement at time of wreck

And that's not listing the usual expendables on any car- battery, tires, brake pads, hoses and belts.

In short, the Exploder was a pain. The only thing I liked about it was the pretty near perfect fit the front seat was for me- height, cushion, etc. Every single mechanical thing about the Exploder was either a disaster or a threat.

And now here's the replacement:



( More photos of the new car here... )

It's a Honda Odyssey 2003 LX with 135,000 miles or so on it.

The one issue- and it's a biggie- is the transmission. Honda Odyssey transmissions have a reputation for being unreliable. The 1999-2001 models in particular were recalled because of a defective bearing that would shred and put metal shavings into the transmission fluid, causing clogging and sudden shifts. It's got the major design problem of no supplementary cooling system- it's not much different from the Honda Accord's transmission, but it's being asked to move a MUCH bigger vehicle and much bigger load. Aftermarket rebuild kits are available to put an air cooling system on the transmission, and maybe down the road I'll try that.

But today I looked at the complaints... and, to someone who just got out of a Ford, they're a bit... amusing. "I only got 100,000 miles out of my transmission!" "My rebuilt transmission only lasted 60,000 miles!" "70,000 and it dies- I'll NEVER BUY HONDA AGAIN!"

And every other aspect of this vehicle- EVERYTHING- is rock-solid reliable.

So though I'm caught in buyer's remorse at the moment, that will pass- and I expect I'm going to love this van.

As you might see from the photos, it features three rows of seats. The rear bench folds down flat (as per the last two photos) and the middle row seats come out with only two switches per seat. The total cargo space, with the middle seats out, will be about 150% what I had in the Exploder... for the same gas mileage (20-23 MPH highway). It's also rated to carry more weight.

In the next month or so I'm going to go through the beast and make sure all the maintenance is done- including transmission maintenance. That starts Monday with a trip to Wal-Mart for tire balance and alignment... urgently necessary because one of the tires is BADLY low on air... and the plastic hubcap, held in place by the lug nuts, currently covers up the valve stem. (And I can't get my jack under the car, and I don't trust the jack included with the car.)

It doesn't have a name, yet- at least I haven't named it. That will await circumstances, as I learn what kind of personality it has.

But it cost me, after TTL and dealer fees, $6300... and a LOT of that was borrowed, one way or another.

So, I think a good deal... but now I've got to pay back the money I borrowed. More detail on that will be at wlp and the WLP Message Boards, once I add up the numbers.

Meet the Exploder's replacement.

First, a final farewell to the totalled Exploder, whose title I signed over to the insurance company on Thursday:

( I didn't take many photos of it at all, but there are a couple. )

The Exploder was purchased March 31, 1999 (the day before April Fool's) for $8800 plus TTL and finance charges (which put the final total well, well over $11,000). From the very beginning it was trouble- the car lot lied about the vibrations at highway speed being "bad tires." It turned out to be a known defect in the vehicle, weak front end bushings that were difficult to replace.

In the eleven years I owned the Exploder, it was inoperable for close to four years total- including a period from July 2003 to September 2005 when it was parked behind the house after blowing a major transmission leak. (We got it running, but without the transmission repair, two weeks before Hurricane Rita dropped a tree where it was parked.)

In that eleven years I put 135,000 miles on the Exploder. In that time:

* fuel pump replaced six times
* power steering pump replaced three times
* alternator replaced three times
* transmission replaced twice
* tie rods replaced twice
* radiator replaced once
* water pump replaced once
* air flow sensor replaced once
* rear antilock brakes died and partially repaired
* steering box replaced once
* air conditioning died once and fixed, died again and not fixed
* all power windows at various points died, fixed, fix didn't work in most cases
* one cylinder badly leaking/burning oil, injector gasket leaking on another cylinder: engine awaiting replacement at time of wreck

And that's not listing the usual expendables on any car- battery, tires, brake pads, hoses and belts.

In short, the Exploder was a pain. The only thing I liked about it was the pretty near perfect fit the front seat was for me- height, cushion, etc. Every single mechanical thing about the Exploder was either a disaster or a threat.

And now here's the replacement:



( More photos of the new car here... )

It's a Honda Odyssey 2003 LX with 135,000 miles or so on it.

The one issue- and it's a biggie- is the transmission. Honda Odyssey transmissions have a reputation for being unreliable. The 1999-2001 models in particular were recalled because of a defective bearing that would shred and put metal shavings into the transmission fluid, causing clogging and sudden shifts. It's got the major design problem of no supplementary cooling system- it's not much different from the Honda Accord's transmission, but it's being asked to move a MUCH bigger vehicle and much bigger load. Aftermarket rebuild kits are available to put an air cooling system on the transmission, and maybe down the road I'll try that.

But today I looked at the complaints... and, to someone who just got out of a Ford, they're a bit... amusing. "I only got 100,000 miles out of my transmission!" "My rebuilt transmission only lasted 60,000 miles!" "70,000 and it dies- I'll NEVER BUY HONDA AGAIN!"

And every other aspect of this vehicle- EVERYTHING- is rock-solid reliable.

So though I'm caught in buyer's remorse at the moment, that will pass- and I expect I'm going to love this van.

As you might see from the photos, it features three rows of seats. The rear bench folds down flat (as per the last two photos) and the middle row seats come out with only two switches per seat. The total cargo space, with the middle seats out, will be about 150% what I had in the Exploder... for the same gas mileage (20-23 MPH highway). It's also rated to carry more weight.

In the next month or so I'm going to go through the beast and make sure all the maintenance is done- including transmission maintenance. That starts Monday with a trip to Wal-Mart for tire balance and alignment... urgently necessary because one of the tires is BADLY low on air... and the plastic hubcap, held in place by the lug nuts, currently covers up the valve stem. (And I can't get my jack under the car, and I don't trust the jack included with the car.)

It doesn't have a name, yet- at least I haven't named it. That will await circumstances, as I learn what kind of personality it has.

But it cost me, after TTL and dealer fees, $6300... and a LOT of that was borrowed, one way or another.

So, I think a good deal... but now I've got to pay back the money I borrowed. More detail on that will be at wlp and the WLP Message Boards, once I add up the numbers.

The Twenty Most Evil? Really?

Apparently some right-wing blogger asked his friends to vote on who the most evil Americans in all history were. The results have Barack Obama being more evil than Timothy McVeigh, Richard Nixon, Benedict Arnold, and Jeffrey Dahmer (who didn't even make the list)... but slightly less evil than the worst man America has ever claimed for a citizen...

... Jimmy Carter.

This result so disgusted another conservative blogger that he made his own, saner list... which, of course, I find a bit incomplete myself.

Of course, this is a game anybody can play, so let's play it.

Who, in your opinion, are the twenty most evil Americans in history? You do NOT have to put them in order if you don't want to. If I get enough responses, I'll tally them, like that original blogger did, and rank them based on number of mentions in lists- not position in lists.

So, post! And forward the challenge, and let me know where to look! It's meme time (I hope)!

EDIT: How do I define "most evil?" For my part, there have to be three criteria involved. First, the person themselves must be, by their nature, evil- which I define as selfish to the point of completely ignoring the consequences to others of their actions. "What's good for me is good for America," "I am the voice of the American people," and "The ends justify the means," are all to me statements of evil intent.

Second, the person involved must have done significant harm to others- a LOT of others- and thus, with few exceptions, must have exercised power of some sort. Only truly egregious mass murderers (like Charles Manson, Jim Jones, or Jeffrey Dahmer) should even be considered (and I only put one on my personal list). By and large these should be people of great wealth, great authority, or both.

Third, the person involved should have few if any redeeming values or qualities. Despite his ruthlessness in creating and building his empire, I don't list Bill Gates because of his truly vast philanthropical works- ditto Andrew Carnegie (whose estate is still giving to charity almost a century after his death) and J. P. Morgan (who twice saved the country from a financial depression). The only exception should be if the act of evil that defines the person was so egregious as to wipe out all other considerations (for example Benedict Arnold).

That's what I judge by, anyway.

( Here's MY list, if you don't want to be influenced... )

The Twenty Most Evil? Really?

Apparently some right-wing blogger asked his friends to vote on who the most evil Americans in all history were. The results have Barack Obama being more evil than Timothy McVeigh, Richard Nixon, Benedict Arnold, and Jeffrey Dahmer (who didn't even make the list)... but slightly less evil than the worst man America has ever claimed for a citizen...

... Jimmy Carter.

This result so disgusted another conservative blogger that he made his own, saner list... which, of course, I find a bit incomplete myself.

Of course, this is a game anybody can play, so let's play it.

Who, in your opinion, are the twenty most evil Americans in history? You do NOT have to put them in order if you don't want to. If I get enough responses, I'll tally them, like that original blogger did, and rank them based on number of mentions in lists- not position in lists.

So, post! And forward the challenge, and let me know where to look! It's meme time (I hope)!

EDIT: How do I define "most evil?" For my part, there have to be three criteria involved. First, the person themselves must be, by their nature, evil- which I define as selfish to the point of completely ignoring the consequences to others of their actions. "What's good for me is good for America," "I am the voice of the American people," and "The ends justify the means," are all to me statements of evil intent.

Second, the person involved must have done significant harm to others- a LOT of others- and thus, with few exceptions, must have exercised power of some sort. Only truly egregious mass murderers (like Charles Manson, Jim Jones, or Jeffrey Dahmer) should even be considered (and I only put one on my personal list). By and large these should be people of great wealth, great authority, or both.

Third, the person involved should have few if any redeeming values or qualities. Despite his ruthlessness in creating and building his empire, I don't list Bill Gates because of his truly vast philanthropical works- ditto Andrew Carnegie (whose estate is still giving to charity almost a century after his death) and J. P. Morgan (who twice saved the country from a financial depression). The only exception should be if the act of evil that defines the person was so egregious as to wipe out all other considerations (for example Benedict Arnold).

That's what I judge by, anyway.

( Here's MY list, if you don't want to be influenced... )