Home at last...home at last!

[StuM]

Finally thought I'd found a good weather day this week to bring new '06 #411 home from the dealership. The drive up was great; dry and fairly clear.

But...The drive home included three thundershowers, about 4 SUV's cutting me off closely to get to an exit ramp they had to know was coming up soon, avoiding two items of road trash in my lane and finally running over a final piece of road trash. Luckily it was only a large sheet of foam insulation, laying flat on the road, near a larger pile on the roadside. Couldn't get around it on a heavily traveled one lane road and had traffic close behind. Thump, thump! No damage or dings, thank God.

I told my dealer, "you just watch, it is always my luck to get this type of initial treatment on every new car I buy and take home the first day." Sure enough........ (Maybe it's the "kick me" license plate holders!)

I suppose I can look back later and believe all that's out of the way now and I can enjoy the car forever during safe and carefree driving.

Anyway, the GT is wonderful. Tight, quick, fairly quiet and so easy to handle. I do see what you all mean by the limited visability issues. I put two small, stick on fish-eyes on the side mirrors before I started out and they helped a great deal. Yet, I felt like a gambler on some of my lane changes, even with my wife playing blocker behind me! I can now see that rear traffic management is more important in this car.

So, the journey and GT love affair begins. Now, where are my cleaning and detailing supplies......... :rofl

StuM

 

[analogdesigner]

Close calls!

StuM,

Congratulations!

It reminds me of many years ago when I had purchased my first new car. I get onto the freeway (two miles from the dealership) and with 10 seconds, whack! A rock from a truck had made a nice chip in my windshield. That event almost makes me superstitious when purchasing a new car.

Hope you enjoy yours as much as I have!
Jay

 

[AZGT]

StuM

Just remember, if you are not sure if someone is behind when you are going to change lanes, just step on the gas. No one will be behind you. :wink

I had the same weather problem on the trip home. I'm in the desert. No rain (were in a record no rain now). EXCEPT on the trip home when I said "I'll never drive it in the rain." I guess never say never. I needed my waders.

Enjoy.

 

[SteveA]

I do see what you all mean by the limited visability issues. I put two small, stick on fish-eyes on the side mirrors before I started out and they helped a great deal. Yet, I felt like a gambler on some of my lane changes, even with my wife playing blocker behind me! I can now see that rear traffic management is more important in this car.


StuM

Back when the car raced, what was behind them was not of much concern. :biggrin

 

[biffom]

Congrats Stu!

On the rain front: I drove it off the lot and into two days of solid rain storms when driving back from Tennessee!

BTW It also rains inside the engine compartment. The water even gets onto the inside of the all the glass surfaces. When opening the forward trunk - the radiator exhaust scoops are perfectly shaped so that all the standing water is channeled into anything you have been lucky enough to squeeze into the storage space!

 

[Neilda]

Stu, that's very exciting - congratulations! We look forward to reading about your adventures!! Mine still has a pathetic 400 miles on the dial due to the awful salty roads here in the UK...

Jay, your stone chip story is the same as when I bought my first ever (and brand new Jaguar) - on the way home from the showroom 'crack'! Nice spiders web on the windshield... :ack

 

[SLF360]

Yet, I felt like a gambler on some of my lane changes, even with my wife playing blocker behind me! I can now see that rear traffic management is more important in this car.


StuM

The best rear traffic management is to accelerate hard before changing lanes. That way 'rear traffic' management becomes fairly easy 'side traffic' management.
If you are faster than the surrounding traffic, only forward traffic visibility is required. Think it through, and try it, once digested. It's the way, forwardthinking :thumbsup !