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By Design News Staff -- Design News, December 5, 2005
NOT OUR PROBLEM
Like Karen Field's recounting of buying pirated software on eBay, I recently had a rather unpleasant experience myself. I bid for and won the auction for some Arturia Moog Modular software (an emulation of the great Moog Modular analog synthesizer). The description did not include any words to the effect: "This is an obvious illegal ripoff of the Arturia software that I copied onto a 10 cent CD-R disk, plus I'm not going to send you the software license or even the manual with the package." It should have, though, because that is exactly what I got.
I complained to eBay. They neatly sidestepped any entanglement by saying that I needed to take up the issue with PayPal, since that is who I used to transfer the money to eBay. PayPal said "Yep, everything looks fine with that transaction." If that's a legal transaction, I guess the doors are wide open for me to copy every music CD, movie DVD, and software app I own and sell them on eBay.
Though I was hopping mad at the time, I have since cooled down somewhat—that is until I go to use that Moog Modular software. It has an extremely complex GUI and the manual is over 300 pages long. I don't have the manual and I can't order it separately without buying the software all over again. That's when I get all riled up again! Can you imagine trying to figure this thing out without the manual??? Yikes.
John Volanski, San Diego, CA
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The user interface from hell and no manual! |
ASK QUESTIONS FIRST, THEN BID
Karen Field's complaint about having to pay shipping and currency exchange for the software she bought on eBay is totally bogus. Every item I've ever bought on eBay did not include shipping. But yes, there are issues with some items on eBay. The seller should certainly have stated his item was a student version with no manuals. But of course no one is going to advertise that he burned some image to a blank CD, and that's unfortunate. Even if the description seems okay, it's a good idea to inquire about things like support contracts, software license transfers, product upgrades, manuals, etc.
Bill Toner, Columbia, MD
AROUND THE BLOCK A FEW TIMES
Read your editorial where you related engineers' stories about their cars, http://rbi.ims.ca/4402-536. I have one, too. Recently, I was in the market for a mid-sized reliable four-door transporter in the $7 to $9K range. In the midst of my research, I came across a 1999 BMW 528i. Of course, I was interested and wondered what the catch was. I called the owner and learned that the car has 200,000 miles on it. Okay, THAT's why it was so cheap! I thought I would check it out anyway.
Well, I was surprised to find a well-maintained vehicle in very good condition. After taking it for a test drive, I became entranced by the handling, the smooth acceleration, and by how well the 2.8L I-6 ran. Without looking at the odometer, I'd guess the car had 60,000 miles on it. Nothing else I drove came close to it. I visited a BMW dealership where they willingly gave me the entire service history of the vehicle after I gave them the VIN. I checked JD Powers for the long-term reliability of the car, and found it to be well above average. I discussed the maintenance and repair costs with mechanics I knew. Yeah, it can be expensive to repair. In the end, I bought it. I know it was somewhat of a gamble, but I couldn't resist. Never thought I'd ever buy a car with 200,000 miles on it. And, I never thought I'd ever be able to own a BMW, either.
Craig Condon, Farmington Hills, MI
LOVE MY LEXUS
I just finished reading the cover story on Lexus reliability http://rbi.ims.ca/4402-537 and your column in the October 10 issue of Design News. Here's my two cents:
I own a 1998 Lexus GS300 that I purchased new. My odometer is about to hit 190,000 and I have only praise for the car. I use synthetic fluids throughout and perform most of the routine maintenance myself. Other than the normal wear and tear items (brakes, tires, belts, battery, shocks), and the recommended 120,000 mile timing belt/water pump replacement, I have only had to replace the starter and the radio unit (LCD display went partially blank even though the unit still functioned). I drive the car pretty aggressively and it has taken everything I can dish out. And, it still runs nearly as quiet and smooth as the day I picked it up.
By comparison, my wife's 2000 BMW 323 Convertible didn't even make it to 100,000 miles before the transmission went out to the tune of over $5,000 (big ouch!). In addition we have had to have the transmission mount, differential mount, and the control arm bushings replaced, all of which were fairly pricey. And as you probably know, even the routine maintenance for any BMW is expensive.
Bill Katata, Los Angeles, CA
"NEW" AT TEN YEARS OLD
Just read the article in Design News on the Oldies and found it very informative. I have a 1994 Lexus I bought used, with very low mileage. I now have a little over 60,000 actual miles on the car and my husband won't even consider selling it because he says I have a practically "new" 1994 car. The car runs great and I love it. However, I would like to have a newer Lexus for my retirement years.
Barbara Wilbanks, Greenville, SC
WHAT'S THAT SMELL?
I really enjoyed your editorial. I believe in the "Oldies but goodies" principle. You asked about our experiences . . . here is mine. I own a 1988 Toyota Corolla. I bought it used in 1995. It has close to 200,000 miles on it and the biggest problem I have ever had was a dead starter motor which I was able to replace myself since it is easy to access. The car runs like a charm without any rattles or noises. In 1999, we moved from Canada to the U.S. and we wanted to sell it since it was a bit of a problem to import the car. Our daughter told us that we couldn't sell the car because it smelled like us. I don't know if that is good or bad. I have been driving the car in Texas and in doesn't have A/C (it came like that from the factory). I do get hot but I refuse to give up such a reliable automobile.
They sure knew how to build them then!!!
Denis Langlais, Sugarland, TX
IT'S A STATUS THING
I get a real kick out of those readers with their overpriced Lexus cars and proud of the fact that they have high mileage on them. I bought only one Japanese car in my life— a 1981 Honda Accord. It was supposed to be a great car and reliable. I did own it 12 years and put 150k on the clock, but during that time the gas tank rusted out and the rear wheel came off due to the suspension rusting away, in addition to many other problems. I bought a new 1991 Chrysler Lebaron Convertible that now has 189K on it and drive it every day. It has been one of the most reliable cars I have ever owned—no rust at all and only regular maintenance. We had a 1987 Buick Century that also ran for 187K until we traded it for a new one.
Come on people, most of you buy those imports because you "think" they are going to be better but really it's because you think it is a status symbol. As long as I am an American and there are American-manufactured cars to buy I will not sell out our country's industrial back bone by buying a foreign car. Where would our economy be if everyone went out and bought foreign cars like you did? In the economic tank is where we would be.
Murray DeLamoreaux, Libertyville, IL
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