Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

oldfarmer50

ab348 said:

driver100 said:

A lot of jobs aren't worth $15 an hour...that will be the new minimum.

Those discussions are happening here too. What's interesting are the leaders of both public and private sector unions saying that if it happens, they will be demanding similar increases for their members across the board to keep the gap between their members and the minimum wage crowd the same as it now is.

In fact, here the union that was the main backer of a $15 minimum has many of it's contracts tied to the minimum wage. I'm sure their large donations to the ruling party had no impact on the raise. The useless union at my former employer just settled for 2% while resturant wait staff was given 50% by government edict.

May I take your order?

fintail

Kind of goes to show, there's no real progress with conservatives or liberals

For some of these expense claims, I would like to see an audit of the data. 30% in 2 years is a lot, but I'd want to see how it works in reality rather than take as gospel the cries of people who will now have to balance the books by slumming it with 2 less options on their new Range Rover. In terms of purchasing power, the US minimum wage is at least 20% lower than it was in the late 60s. This won't end well.

I agree with your "should be" idea, indeed, it should be. But as population continues to grow faster than living wage jobs, and the endless problems with AI and automation loom over us along with the ever insane cost of education, I don't know if it will be real.

driver100 said:

If minimum wage was tied to inflation index that would be fair. However, conservatives like to limit minimum wages to grow business (the theory goes), liberals like to raise minimum wage to gain votes.

Minimum wage should go up with the price index, but, few businesses can absorb a 30% increase in minimum wages over 2 years as we are seeing in Ontario Canada. Some day cares have calculated that will increase their expenses by about 45% because wages are a large part of their expenses.

No one knows how it will work out in the end, but, few small businesses can easily absorb such an increase, and small business has to be handled gently, as that is the real hope for jobs going forward.

I do repeat, a minimum wage job...and I have had them,,,,,should be a stepping stone to something better. And, maybe a job is only worth, what someone would pay to have it done....minimum wages are necessary, but, pretty arbitrary. A lot of jobs aren't worth $15 an hour...that will be the new minimum.

stickguy

Fin, I am glad that I am nearing the end of normal work years, and will have options for a transition type job to fill in the gap (between leaving the corporate grind, and fully retiring). And really glad that my kids are just about done school, with the older one all set (STEM paid off), and the baby has a good job lined up with solid pay and benefits. So crossing fingers we dodge that bullet of the new wave economy!

driver100

The best solution to the new economy is just to pay a minimum wage to everyone....$25 or $30k a year. If you break the law or cheat you lose your pay...or at least it is cut back.
Minimum wage jobs are good as a secondary source of income, as a training ground, or as a temporary stepping stone and to get experience. Many people start out with minimum wages just to learn how to work a cash register and to get some experience.

What ab said is true, all the other employees will want an equivalent pay raise. And, some companies will move or won't even come to your jurisdiction if wages are higher than other places. Ontario is going to sink further, highest electricity rates in North America and about max on minimum wage.... high tax rate, because of incompetent scandal filled government. It wouldn't attract me if I had a business I could locate anywhere!

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

fintail said:

There will be increased automation no matter minimum wage, as the automation is cheaper than any legit minimum wage, even the regressive one in the US. IMO, automation is a red herring when the pros and cons of minimum wages issues are discussed. This lag will just increase pressure for a guaranteed minimum income, as minimum wage already significantly lags what it was (adjusted) in the late 60s when the middle class was still strong and some lucky ones were getting started - and those basic CPI/inflation numbers don't adequately touch subjects like housing, education, and medical costs.

driver100 said:

Business owners say they will have to cut staff, some borderline businesses will go under, and places like grocery stores and McD's will do more automation.

Few people rely on a minimum wage job for a long term. It is hopefully a temporary job or a secondary job to go on to something that does pay a livable wage. Raising the minimum wage unrealistically will cause business to get by with fewer workers, and there will be fewer jobs.
We always paid our staff more than the minimum wage, except in the very early stages, when we had no idea if we would make it or not. It sounds great, pay people more........but, it isn't as simple as it sounds.
I do agree automation will happen no matter what, but, raising the minimum wage by 30% in two years like they are doing in Ontario Canada, is a real hardship for businesses. If you are doing it do it over 4 or 5 years, and then do it adjusted for inflation....not a big catch up.

I think there was a west coast tech company that waspraised in the media for offering everyone $75k a year as this was what the owner felt was "fair". I can't recall exactly what happened but the experiment was a failure.

Minimum in NY is 9.70 right now, slightly more if you work in a sector favored by the ruling party. When I depended on wages I could never support a family on that so I developed marketable skills that boosted my income. That seems to be a solution that is never considered by some.

I might, just might consider working for that rate in something I enjoy like driving cars but my dedication would be equal to the pay.

You did the right thing oldfarmer, used your minimum wage job to help get you going on your own. Minimum wages are an incentive to do better. Some people are happy to get their $10 an hour and don't aspire to more.

Two old guys ...about 85 rang through our groceries at Publix today...one was on cash, one was bagging. The guy on cash would call out a lot of the items that caught his eye, you're getting frozen chicken today I see, is this your skinny girl salad dressing?, which one has this teryaki sauce? The guy bagging had no idea what should go in what bag, and he used one bag per item for a lot of things that could be packed together.. They were slow but it was nice to see these guys gainfully employed......but.....$15 an hour!

snakeweasel

ab348 said:

A lot of jobs aren't worth $15 an hour...that will be the new minimum.

Those discussions are happening here too. What's interesting are the leaders of both public and private sector unions saying that if it happens, they will be demanding similar increases for their members across the board to keep the gap between their members and the minimum wage crowd the same as it now is.

I have a friend who owns a business and employes many people. He says that if they raise the minimum wage to $15/hr all his employees would have to get a raise regardless of how much they make now. 

Basically it's that the guy who makes $11/hr makes more money than the guy making $10/hr for a reason. So if the $10 guy starts making $15 the guy making $11 would have to be paid even more. And so on and so forth. 

roadburner

jipster said:

Sounds familiar. My son #1 has had his drivers permit for a couple of months now. I've gone completely gray and bald in that time. :-( One would think with the number of driving and racing video games he's played, he would be pretty good. Not so. Almost took out our mailbox pulling out of the driveway for the first time. Next day going too fast on a right turn...almost took out a stop sign. He's gotten much better since then. Mailboxes are fairly safe now. I'm starting to grow a few hairs back. 

But my son will be taking his driving test in a couple of months. If he continues with good grades we promised him the same deal we gave our daughter. That is keep good grades, and the summer before his senior year of high school, we would help him get a car in the $5k-$6k range. He's thinking 8 cylinder Mustangs. I'm thinking 4 cylinder Honda Civics. So the question for our panel of experts, which is a good middle ground car for that kind of money? Safe. Good visibility. Reliable. 4 cylinder. A bit sporty...maybe fool him with a do nothing spoiler. Looks fast but isnt. Coupes?  Any suggestions or comments appreciated. I've started looking at cars, and brushing up on "The Jipst Method of Used Car Buying", as I've gotten a bit rusty these past few years., Still about 7 months away, but wanting to get some ideas. Thx.

The car is less important than the driver training- my son got a 1975 2002 for his first car(that really stirred up the hand-wringing bedwetters). I sent him to the 2 day teen school at the BMW Performance Center as well as the one day Street Survival course. I realize not everyone can send their kid to SC(or CA) for training but I think Street Survival is mandatory. 99.999999% of high school drivers education and similar are useless, in my opinion.
As for a car, I'd get something smaller but not too slow. ABS and airbags are nice, I wouldn't care about the rest of the electronic nannies.

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

fintail said:

There will be increased automation no matter minimum wage, as the automation is cheaper than any legit minimum wage, even the regressive one in the US. IMO, automation is a red herring when the pros and cons of minimum wages issues are discussed. This lag will just increase pressure for a guaranteed minimum income, as minimum wage already significantly lags what it was (adjusted) in the late 60s when the middle class was still strong and some lucky ones were getting started - and those basic CPI/inflation numbers don't adequately touch subjects like housing, education, and medical costs.

driver100 said:

Business owners say they will have to cut staff, some borderline businesses will go under, and places like grocery stores and McD's will do more automation.

Few people rely on a minimum wage job for a long term. It is hopefully a temporary job or a secondary job to go on to something that does pay a livable wage. Raising the minimum wage unrealistically will cause business to get by with fewer workers, and there will be fewer jobs.
We always paid our staff more than the minimum wage, except in the very early stages, when we had no idea if we would make it or not. It sounds great, pay people more........but, it isn't as simple as it sounds.
I do agree automation will happen no matter what, but, raising the minimum wage by 30% in two years like they are doing in Ontario Canada, is a real hardship for businesses. If you are doing it do it over 4 or 5 years, and then do it adjusted for inflation....not a big catch up.

I think there was a west coast tech company that waspraised in the media for offering everyone $75k a year as this was what the owner felt was "fair". I can't recall exactly what happened but the experiment was a failure.

Minimum in NY is 9.70 right now, slightly more if you work in a sector favored by the ruling party. When I depended on wages I could never support a family on that so I developed marketable skills that boosted my income. That seems to be a solution that is never considered by some.

I might, just might consider working for that rate in something I enjoy like driving cars but my dedication would be equal to the pay.

You did the right thing oldfarmer, used your minimum wage job to help get you going on your own. Minimum wages are an incentive to do better. Some people are happy to get their $10 an hour and don't aspire to more.

Two old guys ...about 85 rang through our groceries at Publix today...one was on cash, one was bagging. The guy on cash would call out a lot of the items that caught his eye, you're getting frozen chicken today I see, is this your skinny girl salad dressing?, which one has this teryaki sauce? The guy bagging had no idea what should go in what bag, and he used one bag per item for a lot of things that could be packed together.. They were slow but it was nice to see these guys gainfully employed......but.....$15 an hour!

Well, the last time I actually worked for minimum wage was when I was a dishwasher when I was 16. That was one of the motivations to finish college and graduate school. When I left the corporate world and went into my own business I needed a side job but at that point I darn sure wasn't going to waste my limited time in a low wage job.

I once went on a job interview for what would have been my third job and when they told me that they only paid minimum, I told them I wouldn't even get out of bed for that pay.

oldfarmer50

snakeweasel said:

ab348 said:

driver100 said:

A lot of jobs aren't worth $15 an hour...that will be the new minimum.

Those discussions are happening here too. What's interesting are the leaders of both public and private sector unions saying that if it happens, they will be demanding similar increases for their members across the board to keep the gap between their members and the minimum wage crowd the same as it now is.

I have a friend who owns a business and employes many people. He says that if they raise the minimum wage to $15/hr all his employees would have to get a raise regardless of how much they make now. 

Basically it's that the guy who makes $11/hr makes more money than the guy making $10/hr for a reason. So if the $10 guy starts making $15 the guy making $11 would have to be paid even more. And so on and so forth. 

This cartoon was floating around a while back. Funny, as a business owner I couldn't afford to pay a higher minimum wage but as a retiree, I'm all for it. Your perspective changes according to how much skin you have in the game.

driver100

About minimum wages....you would think they would have statistics on what happens when they raise the minimum wage by about 20%. Are jobs lost, do companies cut back on hiring, do other employees make proportionately more. Those are the arguments and I think those things do happen, but, I would like to see some real and not fake proof.

driver100

Remember our toilet tank that leaked and water got on the drywall which cause mold? Also got on the vanity which absorbs water - compressed wood - and will swell and also grow mold.

Remember my brilliant idea about using tiles that curve up against the wall to hold water in, or the drain idea so water goes down the drain...not up the wall?

Two observations;
1. It is hard to find a new toilet in the Tampa area. Between rebuilding caused by hurricanes everywhere and the construction boom, it seems about 70% of the toilets shown online are out of stock. We did find one, it was our last hope.
2. A friend told me we were lucky....our bathroom remodel will cost about $2500. He knows of a broken toilet that caused $140000 worth of damage. If it happens and water goes through the ceiling or into another unit (Mikes) it can get very expensive. It would be nice to have water holding tiles or drains. Cost more in the beginning, but savings could be huge.

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

About minimum wages....you would think they would have statistics on what happens when they raise the minimum wage by about 20%. Are jobs lost, do companies cut back on hiring, do other employees make proportionately more. Those are the arguments and I think those things do happen, but, I would like to see some real and not fake proof.

I think a university out in Seattle did a study on the raise to $15 and it did have an effect on employment. Of course those with a different political perspective either ignored it or called it flawed.

Ok, back to cars. This has to be a scam, right? If not I'll be right over.



https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/d/low-mileage-toyota-camry-se/6366006915.html

roadburner

If when the minimum wage is increased expect to see a lot more self service kiosks at fast food restaurants and other retail outlets.

graphicguy

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

About minimum wages....you would think they would have statistics on what happens when they raise the minimum wage by about 20%. Are jobs lost, do companies cut back on hiring, do other employees make proportionately more. Those are the arguments and I think those things do happen, but, I would like to see some real and not fake proof.

I think a university out in Seattle did a study on the raise to $15 and it did have an effect on employment. Of course those with a different political perspective either ignored it or called it flawed.

Ok, back to cars. This has to be a scam, right? If not I'll be right over.



https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/d/low-mileage-toyota-camry-se/6366006915.html

Rebuilt or salvage title? That would be the first question I’d ask.

houdini1

ab348 said:

driver100 said:

A lot of jobs aren't worth $15 an hour...that will be the new minimum.

Those discussions are happening here too. What's interesting are the leaders of both public and private sector unions saying that if it happens, they will be demanding similar increases for their members across the board to keep the gap between their members and the minimum wage crowd the same as it now is.

If this happens it will open up some good investment options in the robot/automation industry.

fintail

You're going to get that no matter the minimum wage. Automation/self-service is cheaper than the wages in even the least developed locale.

roadburner said:

If when the minimum wage is increased expect to see a lot more self service kiosks at fast food restaurants and other retail outlets.

fintail

Scam. The pics look like a Georgia tract house orchard, interior pics show a key with an attachment that reminds me of something from a dealer, price is low even for salvage.

Another study went against the study you mention - that's the cool thing about studies, a few small differences can create vastly different conclusions.

oldfarmer50 said:

<
I think a university out in Seattle did a study on the raise to $15 and it did have an effect on employment. Of course those with a different political perspective either ignored it or called it flawed.

Ok, back to cars. This has to be a scam, right? If not I'll be right over.

https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/d/low-mileage-toyota-camry-se/6366006915.html

fintail

That's a company called "Gravity", based in Seattle, and it didn't fail - or if one thinks it did, please provide data. 75K in Seattle is probably the equivalent of less than 40K in flyover land.

Being able to develop those skills might be less attainable today than when the a certain generation got started, just saying. The cost of education has soared compared to the wages earned by most young workers.

oldfarmer50 said:

I think there was a west coast tech company that waspraised in the media for offering everyone $75k a year as this was what the owner felt was "fair". I can't recall exactly what happened but the experiment was a failure.

Minimum in NY is 9.70 right now, slightly more if you work in a sector favored by the ruling party. When I depended on wages I could never support a family on that so I developed marketable skills that boosted my income. That seems to be a solution that is never considered by some.

I might, just might consider working for that rate in something I enjoy like driving cars but my dedication would be equal to the pay.

fintail

You got going when the going was good Congrats to your kids, too. I am thankful I was able to start out when I did, rather than today - it can be rough out there especially if one isn't able to have parental help.

stickguy said:

Fin, I am glad that I am nearing the end of normal work years, and will have options for a transition type job to fill in the gap (between leaving the corporate grind, and fully retiring). And really glad that my kids are just about done school, with the older one all set (STEM paid off), and the baby has a good job lined up with solid pay and benefits. So crossing fingers we dodge that bullet of the new wave economy!

oldfarmer50

graphicguy said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

About minimum wages....you would think they would have statistics on what happens when they raise the minimum wage by about 20%. Are jobs lost, do companies cut back on hiring, do other employees make proportionately more. Those are the arguments and I think those things do happen, but, I would like to see some real and not fake proof.

I think a university out in Seattle did a study on the raise to $15 and it did have an effect on employment. Of course those with a different political perspective either ignored it or called it flawed.

Ok, back to cars. This has to be a scam, right? If not I'll be right over.



https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/d/low-mileage-toyota-camry-se/6366006915.html

Rebuilt or salvage title? That would be the first question I’d ask.

That's the first thing that occurred to me other than the car might not exist at all.

Looking at some of the ads down in Florida there are quite a few more cars in "excellent" shape with low milage that none of the power windows work.

oldfarmer50

fintail said:

Scam. The pics look like a Georgia tract house orchard, interior pics show a key with an attachment that reminds me of something from a dealer, price is low even for salvage.

Another study went against the study you mention - that's the cool thing about studies, a few small differences can create vastly different conclusions.

oldfarmer50 said:

<
I think a university out in Seattle did a study on the raise to $15 and it did have an effect on employment. Of course those with a different political perspective either ignored it or called it flawed.

Ok, back to cars. This has to be a scam, right? If not I'll be right over.

https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/d/low-mileage-toyota-camry-se/6366006915.html

Like I said opinions on minimum wages vary depending on if you're paying or receiving. I do know that business owners don't like uncertainty so a disruption of the wage paradigm will result in hesitation in hiring. If I was considering hiring and they did a dramatic hike like Seattle it would definitely have a chilling effect.

On the car I wonder if it is a dealer and when you call they tell you that it's $3200 down and $300 a month.

dino001

fintail said:

Scam. The pics look like a Georgia tract house orchard, interior pics show a key with an attachment that reminds me of something from a dealer, price is low even for salvage.

Another study went against the study you mention - that's the cool thing about studies, a few small differences can create vastly different conclusions.

oldfarmer50 said:

<
I think a university out in Seattle did a study on the raise to $15 and it did have an effect on employment. Of course those with a different political perspective either ignored it or called it flawed.

Ok, back to cars. This has to be a scam, right? If not I'll be right over.

https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/d/low-mileage-toyota-camry-se/6366006915.html

Things don't add up. Exterior pictures show it on a is a driveway, but on interior pictures you can see cars sitting in rows, like in a dealership.

qbrozen

i believe the rear plate partially shown in one of the pics may be North Carolina? And in the rear seat shot, it looks like there may be a box hanging in the window, a la Carmax.

ab348

I suspect the interior pics were lifted from another ad by a dealer. Who knows if the car is real or not...

jipster

roadburner said:

Sounds familiar. My son #1 has had his drivers permit for a couple of months now. I've gone completely gray and bald in that time. :-( One would think with the number of driving and racing video games he's played, he would be pretty good. Not so. Almost took out our mailbox pulling out of the driveway for the first time. Next day going too fast on a right turn...almost took out a stop sign. He's gotten much better since then. Mailboxes are fairly safe now. I'm starting to grow a few hairs back. 

But my son will be taking his driving test in a couple of months. If he continues with good grades we promised him the same deal we gave our daughter. That is keep good grades, and the summer before his senior year of high school, we would help him get a car in the $5k-$6k range. He's thinking 8 cylinder Mustangs. I'm thinking 4 cylinder Honda Civics. So the question for our panel of experts, which is a good middle ground car for that kind of money? Safe. Good visibility. Reliable. 4 cylinder. A bit sporty...maybe fool him with a do nothing spoiler. Looks fast but isnt. Coupes?  Any suggestions or comments appreciated. I've started looking at cars, and brushing up on "The Jipst Method of Used Car Buying", as I've gotten a bit rusty these past few years., Still about 7 months away, but wanting to get some ideas. Thx.

The car is less important than the driver training- my son got a 1975 2002 for his first car(that really stirred up the hand-wringing bedwetters). I sent him to the 2 day teen school at the BMW Performance Center as well as the one day Street Survival course. I realize not everyone can send their kid to SC(or CA) for training but I think Street Survival is mandatory. 99.999999% of high school drivers education and similar are useless, in my opinion. As for a car, I'd get something smaller but not too slow. ABS and airbags are nice, I wouldn't care about the rest of the electronic nannies.

oldfarmer50 said:

jmonroe said:

of course the guy in the black Camry behind me went directly into the right lane at full speed....fortunately I instinctively knew he would do that so I was able to move in front of him before he got too close....and then he swung back into the left lane to get around me on that side.....I am sure he thinks he is Stirling Moss but he doesn't have a clue about how to drive properly.

In this state he would be charged with an improper turn because he didn't go into the closest lane first then signal a lane change. When my son took his driver training and then did ride alongs with the local police, I was reminded of a lot of things and that was one.

I have a story about this. I don't think this will be too long. When Son#1 was learning to drive, I taught him to make a left turn and stay in the far left lane if he was turning onto a road that had two lanes. We did this countless times as he was learning to drive and he was very good at it. In fact, he was pretty good at everything, almost a natural. The week end before I took him for his test, I took him to the testing track and we walk the course like a lot of folks did back then. I pointed out that when he made his final left turn to head back to the last stop sign to finish the course, he should use his left turn signal, turn into the far left lane, put on his right turn signal on after a few seconds then move over into the right lane and be sure to turn off his turn signal. His response was, "Dad, I've done that hundreds of times. I know what to do"! I also pointed out a sign that said, "Keep Right Except to Pass". His response to that was, "OK I see the sign. I know what to do". Well the DOPE didn't know what to do. He passed everything EXCEPT pulling over into the right lane after making the left turn and because of that he failed the test. The next week when I took him for a retry, as he pulled up in line he saw the examiner that failed him walk towards the car and he said, "this otta be good". I got out of the car and said, "it damn well better be good this time because you're not coming back again for a month, at least, if this doesn't work today". While he saw the examiner, the examiner did not see him until he was about to get into the car. The examiner then said, "whoa, I'm not allowed to test you again because I have already failed you". The examiner walks over to another examiner and my Son sees them talking. After about a minute the other examiner gets in the car, looks at his permit that has a FAILED stamp on it and says, "I understand that you are a pretty good driver but your reading/comprehension skills need improvement. Let's try this again. Let's go". Fortunately, he passed on his second try. BTW, I have a tale about when I took my driver's test. I'll tell that later. Don't worry, I passed the first time but there is an interesting story that happened at the very end of my

Sounds familiar. My son #1 has had his drivers permit for a couple of months now. I've gone completely gray and bald in that time. :-( One would think with the number of driving and racing video games he's played, he would be pretty good. Not so. Almost took out our mailbox pulling out of the driveway for the first time. Next day going too fast on a right turn...almost took out a stop sign. He's gotten much better since then. Mailboxes are fairly safe now. I'm starting to grow a few hairs back. 

But my son will be taking his driving test in a couple of months. If he continues with good grades we promised him the same deal we gave our daughter. That is keep good grades, and the summer before his senior year of high school, we would help him get a car in the $5k-$6k range. He's thinking 8 cylinder Mustangs. I'm thinking 4 cylinder Honda Civics. So the question for our panel of experts, which is a good middle ground car for that kind of money? Safe. Good visibility. Reliable. 4 cylinder. A bit sporty...maybe fool him with a do nothing spoiler. Looks fast but isnt. Coupes?  Any suggestions or comments appreciated. I've started looking at cars, and brushing up on "The Jipst Method of Used Car Buying", as I've gotten a bit rusty these past few years., Still about 7 months away, but wanting to get some ideas. Thx.

You should fly me out and have me take over his driver's ed, my trainees have a 100% first time pass rate. That includes my son who crashed the car second time out.

Throw a $99 Earl Scheib paint job on that car, and I might buy it for myself oldfarmer! 

Thanks for the comments everyone. Little Jip will be taking some professional driving lessons and a 4 hour course. The 6 hours of lessons and classroom is about $350 thru AAA. Oldfarmer s deal sounds tempting, but transportation costs just too much. :-)I

Definitely have to look into insurance for coupes. Mazda 3 looks to be a good option . Craigslist looks to be about 90% rebuilt wrecks, so hopefully find something in the next 6 months. dealerships option open. Give me a holla when you ready to sell that Subaru jmonroe.
:-)
HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!

PF_Flyer

It IS Halloween tomorrow, and some people keep pushing self-driving cars, while forgetting about...

qbrozen

I was in charge of the trivia game for our office party and I had a question in there about her. I gave extra credit if you got the model year correct since it was advertised as a '57 but was really a '58.

Just a little extra tidbit: they collected 24 Furys, Savoys, and Belvederes to cobble together 17 complete cars to be used in the movie, mostly to show the different stages of construction as she healed.

driver100

dino001 said:

fintail said:

Scam. The pics look like a Georgia tract house orchard, interior pics show a key with an attachment that reminds me of something from a dealer, price is low even for salvage.

Another study went against the study you mention - that's the cool thing about studies, a few small differences can create vastly different conclusions.

oldfarmer50 said:

<
I think a university out in Seattle did a study on the raise to $15 and it did have an effect on employment. Of course those with a different political perspective either ignored it or called it flawed.

Ok, back to cars. This has to be a scam, right? If not I'll be right over.

https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/d/low-mileage-toyota-camry-se/6366006915.html

Things don't add up. Exterior pictures show it on a is a driveway, but on interior pictures you can see cars sitting in rows, like in a dealership.

$3200 and 48500 miles on it! I wonder....does anyone need new brakes after 42000 miles?

abacomike

The car is less important than the driver training- my son got a 1975 2002 for his first car(that really stirred up the hand-wringing bedwetters). I sent him to the 2 day teen school at the BMW Performance Center as well as the one day Street Survival course. I realize not everyone can send their kid to SC(or CA) for training but I think Street Survival is mandatory. 99.999999% of high school drivers education and similar are useless, in my opinion.
As for a car, I'd get something smaller but not too slow. ABS and airbags are nice, I wouldn't care about the rest of the electronic nannies.

oldfarmer50 said:

jmonroe said:

of course the guy in the black Camry behind me went directly into the right lane at full speed....fortunately I instinctively knew he would do that so I was able to move in front of him before he got too close....and then he swung back into the left lane to get around me on that side.....I am sure he thinks he is Stirling Moss but he doesn't have a clue about how to drive properly.

In this state he would be charged with an improper turn because he didn't go into the closest lane first then signal a lane change. When my son took his driver training and then did ride alongs with the local police, I was reminded of a lot of things and that was one.

I have a story about this. I don't think this will be too long.

When Son#1 was learning to drive, I taught him to make a left turn and stay in the far left lane if he was turning onto a road that had two lanes. We did this countless times as he was learning to drive and he was very good at it. In fact, he was pretty good at everything, almost a natural.

The week end before I took him for his test, I took him to the testing track and we walk the course like a lot of folks did back then. I pointed out that when he made his final left turn to head back to the last stop sign to finish the course, he should use his left turn signal, turn into the far left lane, put on his right turn signal on after a few seconds then move over into the right lane and be sure to turn off his turn signal. His response was, "Dad, I've done that hundreds of times. I know what to do"! I also pointed out a sign that said, "Keep Right Except to Pass". His response to that was, "OK I see the sign. I know what to do".

Well the DOPE didn't know what to do. He passed everything EXCEPT pulling over into the right lane after making the left turn and because of that he failed the test.

The next week when I took him for a retry, as he pulled up in line he saw the examiner that failed him walk towards the car and he said, "this otta be good". I got out of the car and said, "it damn well better be good this time because you're not coming back again for a month, at least, if this doesn't work today".

While he saw the examiner, the examiner did not see him until he was about to get into the car. The examiner then said, "whoa, I'm not allowed to test you again because I have already failed you". The examiner walks over to another examiner and my Son sees them talking. After about a minute the other examiner gets in the car, looks at his permit that has a FAILED stamp on it and says, "I understand that you are a pretty good driver but your reading/comprehension skills need improvement. Let's try this again. Let's go".

Fortunately, he passed on his second try.

BTW, I have a tale about when I took my driver's test. I'll tell that later. Don't worry, I passed the first time but there is an interesting story that happened at the very end of my

Sounds familiar. My son #1 has had his drivers permit for a couple of months now. I've gone completely gray and bald in that time. :-( One would think with the number of driving and racing video games he's played, he would be pretty good. Not so. Almost took out our mailbox pulling out of the driveway for the first time. Next day going too fast on a right turn...almost took out a stop sign. He's gotten much better since then. Mailboxes are fairly safe now. I'm starting to grow a few hairs back. 

But my son will be taking his driving test in a couple of months. If he continues with good grades we promised him the same deal we gave our daughter. That is keep good grades, and the summer before his senior year of high school, we would help him get a car in the $5k-$6k range. He's thinking 8 cylinder Mustangs. I'm thinking 4 cylinder Honda Civics. So the question for our panel of experts, which is a good middle ground car for that kind of money? Safe. Good visibility. Reliable. 4 cylinder. A bit sporty...maybe fool him with a do nothing spoiler. Looks fast but isnt. Coupes?  Any suggestions or comments appreciated. I've started looking at cars, and brushing up on "The Jipst Method of Used Car Buying", as I've gotten a bit rusty these past few years., Still about 7 months away, but wanting to get some ideas. Thx.



You should fly me out and have me take over his driver's ed, my trainees have a 100% first time pass rate. That includes my son who crashed the car second time out.



Throw a $99 Earl Scheib paint job on that car, and I might buy it for myself oldfarmer! 

Thanks for the comments everyone. Little Jip will be taking some professional driving lessons and a 4 hour course. The 6 hours of lessons and classroom is about $350 thru AAA. Oldfarmer s deal sounds tempting, but transportation costs just too much. :-)I

Definitely have to look into insurance for coupes. Mazda 3 looks to be a good option . Craigslist looks to be about 90% rebuilt wrecks, so hopefully find something in the next 6 months. dealerships option open. Give me a holla when you ready to sell that Subaru jmonroe.
:-)
HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!





Earl Scheib - that brings back many, many memories from the 50's and 60's - "...I'll paint any car, any color, any time for just $99.95..." Down here in the Miami area back in the 50's, there was a company that always matched what Earl Scheib would paint a car for - "JOHNNY AND MACK AT THE RAILROAD TRACK" was their company. They had a place at the Miami "Seaboard" Depot which, in the 50's, was busier than Miami International Airport in terms of the numbers of passengers coming into South Florida. The trains traveled on the same tracks that were first laid by Flagler back in the 20's. The "Floridian" and the "Miamian" were the two trains that traveled back and forth from Pennsylvania Station in New York City to Miami. That was the Golden Age of Miami.

carnaught

Ah, the jingle...“Johnny and Mack by the railroad tract, world’s finest and that’s a fact.” LOL

Michaell

There was an Earl Scheib in my hometown when I was a kid. IIRC, my grandmother had one of her cars painted there. I think it was the '62 Mercury Comet she owned.

Mr_Shiftright

Michaell said:

There was an Earl Scheib in my hometown when I was a kid. IIRC, my grandmother had one of her cars painted there. I think it was the '62 Mercury Comet she owned.

Some preferred the vacuum cleaner application from Scheib, or the discounted "broom-painting" with latex, but I thought the method of spitting a mouthful of paint at it from 10 feet away was equally effective.

fintail

It's interesting that in Seattle anyway, employment numbers haven't suffered via the higher (than most places) local wage. Although some other taxes are creating friction.

I love the ads with something crazy like 25K down and $99/month - some local dealers were playing that trick a while back.

oldfarmer50 said:

Like I said opinions on minimum wages vary depending on if you're paying or receiving. I do know that business owners don't like uncertainty so a disruption of the wage paradigm will result in hesitation in hiring. If I was considering hiring and they did a dramatic hike like Seattle it would definitely have a chilling effect.

On the car I wonder if it is a dealer and when you call they tell you that it's $3200 down and $300 a month.

driver100

Mr_Shiftright said:

Michaell said:

There was an Earl Scheib in my hometown when I was a kid. IIRC, my grandmother had one of her cars painted there. I think it was the '62 Mercury Comet she owned.

Some preferred the vacuum cleaner application from Scheib, or the discounted "broom-painting" with latex, but I thought the method of spitting a mouthful of paint at it from 10 feet away was equally effective.

How could you doubt guys called ""JOHNNY AND MACK AT THE RAILROAD TRACK"?

My brother in law painted his Ford Ranger truck pea soup green....with a paint roller....that looked reaaaaaal bad!

Mr_Shiftright

Actually if you had the skill to carefully prep a car, use the best grade marine paint and an expensive hair brush, and wet-sanded repeatedly between coats, you could end up with something quite decen by hand-painting--but the paint will look thick, as it does on a boat. Of course, paint that good and materials of top quality might end up costing you more than a job from Miracle.

driver100

When I get tired of having a white E400 I'll give that a try.

tbirdmarco

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=m2P8QAyIT1s

oldfarmer50

Interesting or awful, I can't decide?


https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/d/dodge-rampage/6367361706.html

stickguy

A Rampage! I love it, other than not being able to recline the seat enough most likely.

stickguy

Well, I read the ad. He might think he knows what it is worth, in that condition, but I doubt it is $3,500.

but based on the pictures, there is enough space behind the seat to recline a little bit.

Needs a stick shift though. Or a Hemi! Wonder if you could jam one in? Maybe a nice turbo set-up instead.

0patience

Michaell said:

There was an Earl Scheib in my hometown when I was a kid. IIRC, my grandmother had one of her cars painted there. I think it was the '62 Mercury Comet she owned.

I had an early 70s Monte Carlo painted by them when I was younger, cause I was broke and it sounded like a decent deal.
The dopes closed the doors right after painting it and when I went to open the doors, it peeled the weatherstripping.

imidazol97

How would the members here feel about subscribing to a car instead of leasing, renting, or buying.

About $1000 per month with a $500 start fee. You can describe the vehicle you need and their offering they have open closest to that type will be delivered to you. Insurance and maintenance all included. If you decide you need a pickup for a few days or a month, just ask and within a short time, one will be delivered if it's in stock.

When maintenance on the vehicle you have at the time is due, they will deliver you a different one and retrieve the one you have to the center for maintenance.

PF_Flyer

oldfarmer50 said:

Interesting or awful, I can't decide?


https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/d/dodge-rampage/6367361706.html

65/35 split

fintail

My sister had one of these for her first car in ~1997. She was very fond of it (red with a color matching canopy, the rig was in excellent condition). But she then moved to the city and wanted something newer - and she wasn't good at cosmetic maintenance. I think she got around 2K for it, and it sold in no time.

It was generally reliable, but I think had some hiccups with the primitive computer controls.

oldfarmer50 said:

Interesting or awful, I can't decide?


https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/d/dodge-rampage/6367361706.html

fintail

For that money, it would need to be a really nice car.

imidazol97 said:

How would the members here feel about subscribing to a car instead of leasing, renting, or buying.

About $1000 per month with a $500 start fee. You can describe the vehicle you need and their offering they have open closest to that type will be delivered to you. Insurance and maintenance all included. If you decide you need a pickup for a few days or a month, just ask and within a short time, one will be delivered if it's in stock.

When maintenance on the vehicle you have at the time is due, they will deliver you a different one and retrieve the one you have to the center for maintenance.

explorerx4

Quite a few people I work with lost power due to the storm yesterday.
One of my friends at work is one of those, so I'm lending him my generator.
It's a 2k watt model, so enough to run the fridge.
I have a heavy duty extension cord, about 3/8 of an inch thick, but not sure if it's needed or even efficient.
Any electrical guru's here that can provide some advice? Thanks.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

Interesting or awful, I can't decide?


https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/d/dodge-rampage/6367361706.html

Cute!
Looks nice when done up right.

driver100

Not sure why the hood is off center;

stickguy

I was hoping it was just not closed all the way. but with that car, could be as good as it gets.

ab348

jipster said:

Is that an early Honda prototype for the next Type R?