Hummer Owner Gets Angry Message

Washington Post ^ | July 18, 2007 | Allison Klein

[3AngelaD]

Vandals Batter D.C. Man's SUV, Slash Its Tires and Scratch In an Eco Note

On a narrow, leafy street in Northwest Washington, where Prius hybrid cars and Volvos are the norm, one man bought a flashy gray Hummer that was too massive to fit in his garage. So he parked the seven-foot-tall behemoth on the street in front of his house and smiled politely when his eco-friendly neighbors looked on in disapproval at his "dream car."

It lasted five days on the street before two masked men took a bat to every window, a knife to each 38-inch tire and scratched into the body: "FOR THE ENVIRON."

"The thought of somebody vandalizing it never crossed my mind," said Gareth Groves...

Now, as Groves ponders what to do with the remains of his $38,000 SUV, he has been the target of a number of people who have driven by the crime scene in his upscale neighborhood and glared at him in smug satisfaction...

Neighbor Lucille Liem, 37, who owns a Prius hybrid, said that a common sentiment in the neighborhood is that large vehicles are impractical and a strain on the Earth -- and Hummers in particular are a symbol of consumer excess... Liem added quickly that she does not condone violence...

Investigators said they are searching for the vandals but don't have many leads. Witnesses saw two men about six feet tall with bandanas or masks over their faces smash up the car about 3:30 a.m. Monday and then run off...

He bought the used 2005 vehicle a month ago from a dentist in Fairfax County..."I'm worried about what I do now," he said. "If I get it fixed, do I put it back in the same spot three weeks from now?"

[JenB]

Hehe, try being staff for an anime convention. Hubby and I might be the only conservatives, I’m not sure.

[ElkGroveDan]

No. You aren’t free to harrass people minding their own business.

[Xenalyte]

Oh, c’est moi . . . the mister doesn’t check out FR unless I send him a thread, and even then it’s a crapshoot. ;)

I too can be irrational and freakish in a womanly way. (I know y’all aren’t used to that. Maybe I should do it more.)

[xsmommy]

and here i thought you were chiming in on THIS response of mine ; )

[Xenalyte]

When did the anti-heckling law pass?

[Xenalyte]

In that situation, I’d bet you two are very likely the only conservatives in the entire building.

[JamesP81]

My dad has a C4 Corvette, a 96 model. The C4 was indeed from 84 to 96, but there's a lot of variation in there. The first year C4's had a special kind of ignition called Crossfire. I don't know how it works. Some people swear by it, others hated it. The rest of the C4s up to 1991 had the 5.7L L88 engine. 245 horsepower and 340 ft lbs of torque. Starting in 1992, they were available with the LT1 which was 300 horsepower and 340 ft lbs of torque. Both engines were 350cid chevrolet cast iron small blocks. Great engine. In 1996 all the manual transmission C4s had the LT4 engine, which represents the creme of stock production 350 small blocks. It had 330 hp and 340 ft lbs of torque.

In my searching I've found that L88 Vettes aren't much cheaper than LT1 Vettes. LT4s are collectible and generally more costly.

I know very little about the C3s. Do you have any opinions on their overall dependability and any info on how much power they have? I'm also interested in the overall quality of the ride. Despite the stiff suspension, my dad's C4 is easily the most comfy car I've rode in.

[Ditto]

I’ve also been known to cast aspersions on the manhood of middle-aged guys who drive Corvettes.

I personally would not want a Corvette, but I know a few 50 year old balding pot-bellied guys who drive them (and have driven them since they were 25 years old) and I have no doubt they could demonstrate their manhood to you, be you male of female.

It's never smart to jump to conclusions about people based on appearences. In fact, it can get you hurt.

[GatorGirl]

Didn’t get there yet...but you’re right!!

[Lx]

When the 1968 C3 came out, its quality was so bad that all the car magazines commented on it. Thus, Chevrolet made an effort to up the build quality. I also think that that is the time they made Zora Arkus Duntov the chief engineer of the Corvette.

In 1984 it wasn't the ignition but the injection. It used two throttle body injection units and was supposedly unreliable as hell. The next year and all after used point to point injection where there was one injector per cylinder.

LT1 Vettes aren't too expensive, they were made from 1970 to I think 1972 and are 350 small blocks. The L88 was a race engine in a street car; it was a 427 with I believe, aluminum heads. Chevrolet wanted to make sure that that is what you wanted. I think it was available from 1967? to 1969?

You want real expensive get a ZL1, and all aluminum 427 of which Chevy only sold 2 in a Vette.

[ReignOfError]

“if something’s too big to fit in the door or too tall for the back seat, you can just drop the top and bungie it in place in the back seat”

Yes, I’m sure that’s great in rain and snow.

I don't move all that much furniture. I can wait for the rain to pass and just avoid the couple of days every couple of years it snows. I'm in Atlanta; near-zero chance I'd be moving big stuff in the snow no matter what vehicle I have.

I'm not saying no one needs a truck. Just that I don't.

[Publius6961]

xena, hon. how bout us lawyers : )?

Hey!

No fair hijacking the thread.
... I can't resist...
What do you call a lawyer who uses viagra?

[JamesP81]

LT1 Vettes aren't too expensive, they were made from 1970 to I think 1972 and are 350 small blocks. The L88 was a race engine in a street car; it was a 427 with I believe, aluminum heads. Chevrolet wanted to make sure that that is what you wanted. I think it was available from 1967? to 1969?

We must be thinking of different engines. The LT1 was available in the Corvette from 1992 to 1996 and was a 350 cid small block. The L88 was available from either 84 or 85 to 91 or perhaps 92 and was also a 350 cid small block.

A correction to one of my previous statements: L88s with manual transmissions are about the same money as LT1s. L88s with auto transmissions are cheaper. It looks like good ones can be head for $8k-$10k.

[rockthecasbah]

Eco-terrorism is going to get a lot worse - there is a whole generation of these little punks being indoctrinated in the public schools right now.

[Publius6961]

Thank you. I been to "Foggy Bottom' and din't even know it.

Sounds like the area where the Taberna del Alabardero restaurant is...

[highlander_UW]

Why isn’t this being treated like the terrorist attack that it is? Eco terrorists can be just as dangerous as the taliban sort...they even use similar tactics.

[Publius6961]

I notice you forgot the snow and ice...

Just saying.

[Lx]

I think you're thinking of the ZR1 small block. It was made by Mercury Marine and was a DOHC 32 valve small block and yes they are expensive.

ZR1:

If you can find an L88 for $8k-$10k BUY IT.

L88 with side pipes a 1969 year option for the C3 only

[SuziQ]

He should put a big sign in the windows of the truck saying “Damage, courtesy of my ‘tolerant’ environment loving, neighbors”

[Cementjungle]

If these people ever went to Los Angeles and sat outside and had lunch on Sunset Strip they would probably have heart attacks. Every other car is either a hummer, huge Mercedes, stretch-limo, stretch-hummer or something of that sort.