Vans, Bikes, Boats - my 'Others'

Discussions about other vehicles other than the Vibe & Matrix.
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KRR
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Location: Halfway between Chas and Myrtle, SC :)

Vans, Bikes, Boats - my 'Others'

Post by KRR »

'03 Chevy Astro Passenger Van - Love the Astro van, though the mileage is nowhere near as good as the Vibe, 22+ on the hwy isn't bad for a vehicle with the aerodynamics of a giant brick on wheels. :) It also has an enormous fan base of owners and thus great knowledge available online for fixing, fixing up, etc... Works awesome for a miniRV, or if you want/need to 'live' out of your vehicle. Mine has about 100K miles more on its odo than the Vibe, which is why I am switching, along with that I don't think fuel is going to stay as cheap as it is for a long time. Many many owners are driving around with over 1/4 million miles on the odo... Good vehicle! Up for sale right now, to offset the purchase of the Vibe, along with...

'09 Genuine Buddy Italia, 150cc scooter - Made in Taiwan by PGO, & rebadged for the US market. Way fun little ride, dependable, economical, very fast for being so small (65mph on 10" tires lol). Buddy Fans are rabid. :) I like it a lot, but it is For Sale because I also have a...

'09 Aprilia Sport City Cube, 250cc scoot - Aprilia, along with Vespa, is a child company of Italian bike makers 'Piaggio'. Awesome for city *and* highway usage, I've read that it'll do 95 mph or so. I have been up around 75 on it and that is plenty fast. :) Very stylish, very fun ride. The engine in the Cube is one that has been around for decades, and is known as a real workhorse and long-lived. During warmer months it is my daily driver, so easy to just jump on and go, so much fun, and super economical. The Vibe is similar in this way, much more so than the Astro, even if only psychologically, so I may put the Ape up for sale later this year, because I also have this...

'72 Honda CB350K4 - parallel twin, classic old metric bike. Only one owner prior to me, & less than 7K on the odo - she is cherry. A weekend and road trip ride, one of those vehicles where older folks get a wistful glee in their eye you can spot from a block away when they see you riding by. The only vehicle I have which can withstand an EMP pulse with no damage. :D No fancy computers or nothing electicamickal like that - twin carbs, gravity-fed fuel, points and a distributor. I don't ever plan to sell the old gal, if I can help it. Moving out on the water, there's...

'77 Islander 36, S/V Melelani - sloop-rigged 'modern classic' sailboat, and my home. I liveaboard her year 'round, and will begin voyaging with her this coming year. I picked her up just a year ago, after having spent the prior 8-9 years aboard...

'67 Pearson Ariel, 25' 5" Alberg sloop, S/V 'Katie Marie' - a true classic, lines as sweet as any sailboat out there, sails like a dream. Just a bit on the small size for year after year of living aboard, even though I did for 8 of 'em. Guess I am gonna have to sell her, but I sure am conflicted about that, I love her so. Her little 'sister' is...

'87 Hobie Power Skiff, 'Keiki' 15' and powered by an '87 Johnson 48SPL - my little runabout, for fishing and beer cruises and general easy fun on the creeks, rivers, bay, and ocean. Hobie was known best for their sailboats, but they nailed a homerun with this little powerboat. They sell these days for more than they cost originally, and are somewhat scarce. Other owners, like myself, find running them to be pure joy.

Used vehicles all, under $15K spent purchasing the entire lot over the last 10 years. Due to plans and that I don't need all of these, I'll be narrowing the list this year, down to just the Vibe, Honda, the Islander, and the Power Skiff.

In the past I owned a number of VW's - air breathers all, 3 bugs and a '79 Westphalia van. Other cars I have (kn)owned: '78 Honda Accord hatchback, '85 Plymouth Horizon, '89 Lebaron, '93 Mazda 323 wagon, '91 ForeRunner, '96 Saturn wagon.
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tpollauf
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Re: Vans, Bikes, Boats - my 'Others'

Post by tpollauf »

Nice outdoor living history ... sort of . When it comes to boating (done a lot of it on the great lakes) I 'll take a wooden Lyman, Richardson, Chris Craft, or Matthews any day over the modern boats. Built anywhere from the mid 50's to the late 60's. They are getting hard to come by but are some of the most sea worthy vessels ever made for the great lakes! ;)
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2009 Vibe GT (manual), 2009 G8Gt, 2009 Vibe GT (auto)
2014 Silverado, 2004 Vibe GT

"everything is modifiable"
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KRR
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Joined: Wed Feb 17, 2016 8:09 am
Location: Halfway between Chas and Myrtle, SC :)

Re: Vans, Bikes, Boats - my 'Others'

Post by KRR »

We have a really good and well-known Wooden Boat Festival here every fall, and get to see many of those old classics. And one of the guys who has a shed near mine, keeps both his old woodie Chris Crafts here. One is in mint condition, show ready, and he only pulls it out for the Boat Show, and maybe one other time of the year. The other is a hull and running engine/tranny that is all there but needs a restoration. If you are in the market, he's always selling. :)
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vibrologist
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Re: Vans, Bikes, Boats - my 'Others'

Post by vibrologist »

I can relate to the Honda CB 350. I had a CL 350 for a short time only. I found our central Iowa roads to boring for riding a motorcycle. I had bad luck with my engine rebuild and got rid of it.
I can relate to the air cooled bugs. I had 2 of them when I lived in Germany. I have mixed emotions about them. An '68 1300 was my first car.
Finally, I can relate to the Mazda. I had an '86 323 hatch. Hands down the simplest and most reliable, maybe even the most fun car I ever owned. The Vibe has a chance to take over for that distinction.

It would be nice if you could fill in with some pix.
Vibrologist
'05 Vibe

"It is important to know the difference between 'accurate' and 'precise' even if you are neither!"

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