This guy...

"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck) 07/08/2018 at 22:42 • Filed to: None

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Was the craziest minivan driver I’ve ever seen. I came across him on my way back to Houston for the week. I guess I should say he came across me. Our first encounter was in the left lane of I-69. I was stuck a few car lengths behind another car which was slowly passing traffic in the right lane. The minivan swooped in from the right lane, squeezing between me and the guy in the right lane.

So I did the only thing that seemed reasonable - I used him as my rabbit. I let him get about a quarter of a mile ahead and kept pace. He kept it somewhere between 80 and 90 most of the way and cleared traffic for me. Three hours later, his Odyssey was over. It’s hard to see in that pic, but the little minivan that could became the little minivan that couldn’t. It sprung an oil leak somewhere under the hood and it was smoking. Goodby little minivan. It was fun while it lasted!

Nibby > TheRealBicycleBuck 07/08/2018 at 23:03

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jokes on him, he has a 5 speed Honda auto from the early-mid 2000s

ttyymmnn > TheRealBicycleBuck 07/08/2018 at 23:04

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That’s the same vintage Oddy that I have. Like that guy’s is going to be, mine is on its second engine. I got it up to 95 on the way home this summer while passing a semi on some rural TX road south of Amarillo. That was a new top speed. I didn’t maintain it, though. It’s got a solid engine, V-TEC, yo.

wafflesnfalafel > TheRealBicycleBuck 07/08/2018 at 23:06

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Ha - I used a goof ball in a last gen Escalade as County Mountie bait coming back home today, “ No worries sir, y ou go right ahead - I’ll just hang back a few hundred yards...”  Sure enough - he didn’t slow up coming into a little town along the way and they lit him up.

winterlegacy, here 'till the end > wafflesnfalafel 07/09/2018 at 00:58

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I only wish the cops around here actually set up camp around half the electronic speed signs they place.

If you’re gonna place the “slow down” electronic sign park a cop up ahead for an easy ticket that they’re not really gonna be able to fight their way out of.

TheRealBicycleBuck > ttyymmnn 07/09/2018 at 06:16

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V-TEC? Really?

TheRealBicycleBuck > winterlegacy, here 'till the end 07/09/2018 at 06:19

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There are a ton of small town speed traps everywhere I go. Southern cops don’t screw around. If there’s a sign telling you  to slow down, it’s a guarantee that there’s a cop nearby watching and waiting. 

Long-Voyager > ttyymmnn 07/09/2018 at 07:17

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Solid engine...........On it’s 2nd?

Long-Voyager > TheRealBicycleBuck 07/09/2018 at 07:17

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Something something Honda reliability.........

ttyymmnn > Long-Voyager 07/09/2018 at 08:18

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First one lasted well over 100k before the head gasket took a dump. It actually made sense to give it a heart transplant instead of surgery. 

ttyymmnn > TheRealBicycleBuck 07/09/2018 at 08:20

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Yo .

TheRealBicycleBuck > ttyymmnn 07/09/2018 at 09:03

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Cool story, bro.

Long-Voyager > ttyymmnn 07/09/2018 at 10:07

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Hmmm, and here I am with 125k on my 3.8L, no issues.

The original 3.0 had 196k when I pulled it for the bigger upgrade, did HGs at 178k. This engine currently resides in my project car, still running like a champ.

Both of which have had the hell beat out of them.

I thought Hondas were supposed to be a pillar of reliability?

ttyymmnn > Long-Voyager 07/09/2018 at 10:24

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I thought Hondas were supposed to be a pillar of reliability?

I think that they are, in general. For whatever reason, mine started overheating. They changed thermostats and radiator and it didn’t fix it. My service rep said that in the 20 years he’s worked for Honda he has never seen a bad head gasket. And I believe him. He sold me the donor engine at or maybe even below his cost since the radiator he sold me wasn’t the problem. So, I ended up with new motor mounts, new main seal, transmission service, new radiator  and donor engine. I’m now on 196k and expecting a lot more. In some ways, this donor engine feels tighter and more responsive than the original, so perhaps I just got a rare bad one. Who knows? All in all, I love this vehicle and do not look forward to replacing it.

winterlegacy, here 'till the end > TheRealBicycleBuck 07/09/2018 at 11:11

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In Maine, you can tear around most back roads with no restraint and not even see a cop for 40-50 miles.

Long-Voyager > ttyymmnn 07/09/2018 at 12:07

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Kinda poking fun, kinda serious.

All honesty, I think most vehicles from the last 25 ish yrs are as reliable as their owners. Reliability being a direct result of how it’s driven and how it’s been maintained.