Re: IML: Imperial Rush hour

["Klebert L. Hall" <swampyankee@xxxxxxx>]

> Subject: RE: IML: 1962 LeBaron
> From: "Hall, Marc F" <marc.f.hall@xxxxxxxxxx>
>
> I too ply the highways and byways of the Seattle/Puget Sound area, but
> am reluctant to use the '66 Crown Coupe for commuting due to:
> o  Floating down the road in a 5,200+ LB car with drum brakes
> o  Most cars on the road have modern disc brakes
> o  Most drivers on the roads are not aware of the stopping distances my
>      lovely behemoth requires
> o  Numerous negative experiences on roads where the above facts are not
> considered by other drivers

    I would never suggest that you do anything that you're not comfortable 
with, and I'm not casting any aspersions, nor is any offense intended.
    I'm always surprised though, when people find their Imperials poor 
choices for serious highway / daily use. I always found my '62 & '63 very 
competant at hard highway work, and I drove my '62 both cross-country and 
(on highways and city streets) in major metropolitan areas known for their 
bad traffic, high speeds, and aggressive driving (metro Boston, Hartford, 
NYC and the N.Y. - Philly corridor, Baltimore, D.C, Chicago, San Francisco, 
Portland, Detroit). When driven 'with the pack' as is neccessary in these 
circumstances, I found people gave my Imperials plenty of room and respect. 
My '69 needs more work before I'd take it into the most severe of these 
circumstances, but I don't hesitate to drive it into Boston outside of the 
Rush.

   In some ways, current traffic favors Imperial commuting more than it did 
in the time of my '62. There are now plenty of other 5000+ pound cars on the 
road (luxo sport-utes, mostly) and many of them stop as long or longer than 
an Imperial. Now might well be the first time in many decades when a 
significant fraction of the (private automobile) traffic is out-handled and 
out-stopped by 40-year old Imperials.

> I used to commute, but too many close calls due to lack of consideration
> by fellow commuters.  A couple near misses and near death experiences
> convinced me to drive a car with disc brakes when driving into Seattle
> on I-5.

  I'm amazed at just how quickly Seattle is turning into L.A., 
traffic-wise. When I first drove in Seattle in '85, it was a calm, quiet 
place. By the late '90s the traffic was pretty bad, and when I was there 
last in '02 it was as bad as Boston.

      -Kle.
     '69 Crown 4DHT 




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