Back From The Usa

[jsj24uk]

Just got back from my hols driving one of these across west USA

In temperatures in Death Valley at 5:50pm

On some roads like this.

Driving thin Lincoln on roads like that was like trying to get a concert Steinway up a loft ladder. I've got no idea how the wheels were attatched to the car, probably with sticky back plastic and alot of rubber bands, but it was a bit of a handfull.

It was a giggle though.

[WylieCoyote]

Shame about American cars - I think that Lincoln is very nice looking and I'm sure it's supremely comfortable. They're just made by people who can't build cars - and when they do, they do it badly.

I suspect for 'sporty' driving it would be a waste of time though!

[jsj24uk]

There was absolutly nothing sporty about that Lincoln at all. The steering was strange. You would turn the wheel, the car would lean, then it would turn. The traction controll was just a flashing light. It made no difference weather it was on or not. Turn it off, the back wheels would spin. Turn it on, the back wheels would still spin but it would flash a light at you. And the boinging noise. It would boing when you opend a door, boing when you closed it, boing when you started it, it was just irritating. It rattled, groaned, creaked, was just awfull. It only had a couple of thousand miles on the clock but it felt like it had done 200,000. It had a 4.6 litre v8 engine but all the get up and go of my 1.2 Micra automatic. It also had a 4 speed automatic gearbox and a column shift. I think it only ever used two of it's gears, but praise where it's due, driving through Death Valley where the outside temperature was nudging 50 degrees c, the temperature guage never moved from the middle. It didn't use a drop of coolant either and the aircon was ice cold. I don't know why though but I do kind of miss it. It had somthing that Alfa Romeo drivers bang on about (because they can't obviously talk about reliability) and that's character. My LS430 (touch wood) hasn't so much as farted since i've owned it but it's like a fridge. Works for years and years but can be easily forgettable but the Lincoln I doubt I will forget for many years.

[WylieCoyote]

You know, I know what you mean. Sometimes it's how badly a car does something that makes it good.

[Tango]

In Houston, Texas at the moment and driving a Herts Chevy Impala SS (super Sport)....it's a 5.3 litre V8 and FRONT WHEEL DRIVE...crazy.

You can watch the gas gauge go down as you floor the thing, but just filled it up again for just over $40 so can't complain too much. $3.25 for an American gallon for regular is the cheapest I've seen here.Just hope the tyres last out until I get it back to Hertz

[jsj24uk]

I know what you mean. I ran the Lincoln down to just under a quarter of a tank and filled it up for just under $60.00 which equates to about £30.00 ish which is probably about 80 litres odd of unleaded.

I do love that country though. Like the Lincoln, it's got character.

[shake]

i did the death valley run in toyota highlander 4x4. it was great fun! i remember a vista point which lead to a narrow path which ended with a circular view point... views were amazing!

[jsj24uk]

I think the point your on about is called Dante's View.

Here's a couple of pics.

That's me holding the cam, looking all British.

Here's a couple more pics of the view.

Enjoy.

[Mike_B]

I also did that run about 4 years ago, in a Chrysler Sebring. 2.7l V6 - was a nice car to ride in but an appalling gearbox. 3 speed auto, FFS... We did a week in San Fran, then rented the car and drove to Vegas through Yosemite National Park. After a few days there we came back through Death Valley rather than the more northern route we took previously.

Death Valley was amazing. One point we stopped at was a viewpoint alongside a steepsided valley which was obviously carved by some kind of tributary, so it was side on to the main valley. As we were stood there a fighter jet screamed along the floor of the main valley and turned up to come up the valley beside us. An F16 with full afterburners, level with you heightwise, and no more than a hundred yards away is something I'm not going to forget in a hurry.

I think we got up to about 45C as well, warmest point was at the bottom of the valley (Badwater Creek, I think it is?).

[shake]

we didnt go to that point, i'll dig a pic up :)

[Dan_Harris]

those pics remind me of the movie "the hills have eyes" lol