Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

driver100

Mike, what a thing to happen! Sorry to hear about it...you had a fairly long spell without an incident, maybe 2 or 3 weeks since the guy ripped the bumper off.

Mike....I just saw on the news they were looking at making texting a primary offence in Florida..........for car drivers.
I guess they should make it an offence for people driving shopping carts as well.
Hope you are feeling better soon.....what an experience - that is crazy!

abacomike

stickguy said:

you do have an awfully exciting existence. Who says retiring to Florida is boring! Glad you are relatively OK.

BTW, relatives had nothing to do with this event or my condition - thank goodness? 

oldfarmer50

fintail said:

I've always wondered how hard it is to remove window tint - I don't want it either. Looks bad on most cars, fairly useless in this region, but still popular due to misguided ideas about looking cool. I have a suspicion tinting laws aren't enforced around here, either. People in AZ and FL, go for it. People in suburban Seattle, why?

I've seen used cars with tint that I didn't bother to look at just because of the windows.

isellhondas said:

Mods usually kill the value and salability on used cars. Window tint was the worst! When a car cam in with tinted windows our UCM immediately had the tint removed. This isn't always an easy thing to do. I remember at least two rear windows that were broken when professionals at that job had them shatter!

Maybe in Arizona or Texas it's a different story.

My son's Sable had a problem with the rear window defogger not working and when I took it to a repair shop they said it was damaged beyond repair by somebody removing the heavy Florida tint. Who'd thought.

In other news my SIL and husband are moving to Florida and she wants to sell her 2012 Nissan Sentra with only 21k miles. Very well maintained, garaged and not driven much in winter. In other words my kind of dream car.

The books say private party value of about $8500.

I don't need another car but I'm having cravings.

abacomike

oldfarmer50 said:

I've always wondered how hard it is to remove window tint - I don't want it either. Looks bad on most cars, fairly useless in this region, but still popular due to misguided ideas about looking cool. I have a suspicion tinting laws aren't enforced around here, either. People in AZ and FL, go for it. People in suburban Seattle, why? I've seen used cars with tint that I didn't bother to look at just because of the windows.

Mods usually kill the value and salability on used cars. Window tint was the worst! When a car cam in with tinted windows our UCM immediately had the tint removed. This isn't always an easy thing to do. I remember at least two rear windows that were broken when professionals at that job had them shatter! Maybe in Arizona or Texas it's a different story.

My son's Sable had a problem with the rear window defogger not working and when I took it to a repair shop they said it was damaged beyond repair by somebody removing the heavy Florida tint. Who'd thought. In other news my SIL and husband are moving to Florida and she wants to sell her 2012 Nissan Sentra with only 21k miles. Very well maintained, garaged and not driven much in winter. In other words my kind of dream car. The books say private party value of about $8500. I don't need another car but I'm having cravings.

I know the feeling! 

abacomike

Well, I estimated my income for next year and applied the new tax brackets - no tax reduction for me!  So I guess this was not a middle class tax reduction proposal after all.  Now if I was married filing jointly - that would be a boon!

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

you do have an awfully exciting existence. Who says retiring to Florida is boring!

Glad you are relatively OK.

If he sues it's a slam dunk and can move right into her trailer.

andres3

stickguy said:

Depends on what they are and what part breaks.

And on how customer unfriendly the company feels like being (or just plain cheap).

andres3

abacomike said:

stickguy said:

you do have an awfully exciting existence. Who says retiring to Florida is boring!

Glad you are relatively OK.

Could have been worse.  I was lucky - could have broken my arm or a leg.  Yes - my life is not exactly uneventful!

I recently broke (okay fractured) both of my radial bones by my elbows. Not a pleasant experience. Very painful... very long recovery.

Your accident sounds like a low speed accident. I know I always say speed isn't a factor in accidents. However, in my case it probably was. I was jogging, but it was on a downhill stretch, so I was more like running than jogging, carrying a pretty good pace when I tripped and fell and hit the concrete hard. Never broke a major bone before (little toe was about it). Guess I'm getting old. After a week using a sling on the worse side they told me to stop, because I'd heal my bone with old man elbow syndrome. Basically, you get a very stiff elbow and have no range of motion.

I've had a bad foot injury before where walking was difficult and painful.

Having both arms damaged is the worst. I'd rather have leg/foot injuries than a double arm injury any day of the week!

imidazol97

abacomike said:

I now remember why I love living here in South Florida - the weather during the winter and spring.  It was 58 degrees this morning when I went walking so I put on a sweater.  By 10:00 AM, it was 72 degrees and took off my sweater - not a cloud in the sky.  It is now 76 degrees, barely a breeze, and I have all the windows wide open.  Had the sunroof open in the car for the first time.

I went for a walk this morning at 21 deg F and realized why I love living in Ohio and that's having no hurricanes and no humidity for 3 seasons of the year... LOL

Well, actually, I just made that up. I'm ready for Spring after a few days of sharp cold.

Get better Mike. Gotta watch out for those other drivers even in the stores. Some drive in our stores same as they drive their Odyssey's on the streets and parking lots. In another world often with a cell phone in their hand or a bluetooth in their ear talking to themselves while walking in the store.

But I did hit Kroger up a few days ago in the morning and it was like a nursing home had let out the residents for a shopping trip. They'd stop in the middle of the aisle with their cart like they had forgotten what they wanted to get next. They park their cart on one side of the aisle and stand in the other half looking at the shelve to pick their item, blocking the whole aisle.

andres3

andres3 said:

abacomike said:

stickguy said:

you do have an awfully exciting existence. Who says retiring to Florida is boring!

Glad you are relatively OK.

Could have been worse.  I was lucky - could have broken my arm or a leg.  Yes - my life is not exactly uneventful!

I recently broke (okay fractured) both of my radial bones by my elbows. Not a pleasant experience. Very painful... very long recovery.

Your accident sounds like a low speed accident. I know I always say speed isn't a factor in accidents. However, in my case it probably was. I was jogging, but it was on a downhill stretch, so I was more like running than jogging, carrying a pretty good pace when I tripped and fell and hit the concrete hard. Never broke a major bone before (little toe was about it). Guess I'm getting old. After a week using a sling on the worse side they told me to stop, because I'd heal my bone with old man elbow syndrome. Basically, you get a very stiff elbow and have no range of motion.

I've had a bad foot injury before where walking was difficult and painful.

Having both arms damaged is the worst. I'd rather have leg/foot injuries than a double arm injury any day of the week!

To top it off, it was to cap one of the worst days of my life. It happened in the evening after work. That same morning on my way to work, was the day I got my last speeding (or any traffic) ticket. I was probably running extra fast blowing off some of the steam from that pull-over, but man, what a horrible end to a horrible start of a day.

I did finish the rest of my jog. You don't need your arms to jog and being loose and warmed up prevented the real pain from starting until my body cooled down, and then the injury became clearer.

suydam

So sorry to hear what happened! She must have been going at quite a clip to knock you over like that. She was probably asking someone at home if she needed an item. I always try to stand out of the way when I do that. No excuse. Hope you heal before New Years!
I was just in Ohio last week. It was really cold with a stiff wind. How quickly one forgets!

oldfarmer50

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abacomike said:

I now remember why I love living here in South Florida - the weather during the winter and spring.  It was 58 degrees this morning when I went walking so I put on a sweater.  By 10:00 AM, it was 72 degrees and took off my sweater - not a cloud in the sky.  It is now 76 degrees, barely a breeze, and I have all the windows wide open.  Had the sunroof open in the car for the first time.

But, I then realized why I dislike living here - the traffic and the people.  I was doing my bi-weekly food shopping at Walmart when a woman who was texting on her smartphone hit me with her shopping cart and caused me to fall on my back.  She looked down at me and told me to watch out where I was walking.  Luckily, an employee came running over to help me off the floor and told the lady to stop texting when she was walking in the store because she pushed her shopping cart right into me and could have severely injured me.  I was unable to stand up - my arm hurt be so bad and I was bleeding from the back of my head. 

The employee called the the manager on his walkie-talkie and asked him to call for an ambulance.  During all this commotion, the woman (had to weigh 200 pounds - at a minimum) tried to walk away but the employee had the store security stop her from leaving until the police arrived.

Yep, ended up in the hospital.  Police investigators took down my account of what happened while I was in the emergency room and assured me they had the eye witness account from the Walmart employee - that the woman was at fault because she was texting and was not watching where she was walking - and that she walked right into me with her shopping cart.

I was just released from the hospital and had to take a cab home.  My car is still parked at Walmart.  The store manager is coming over to get my car keys and will drive my car to my condo and park it in my spot.  The police charged her with battery which caused me serious injuries.  I have 6 stitches in the back of my head, a mild concussion, and my left arm is in a sling.  I have a nurse coming over later to watch me for 8 hours to make sure I am OK.  That was the only way they would release me from the hospital - I hate that place!.

I have to have my doctor take the stitches out next week - they are supposedly staples.

The police said I might not have to be called in to testify since the woman said she was texting at the time and was not paying attention and she agreed with what the store employee said about the accident.

Never a dull moment in my life. 

oldfarmer50

Ignore above. Site is glitching.

stickguy

explorerx4 said:

@abacomike,
When I read the beginning of you post, I was all about telling how I went for my walk this morning when it was 17 degrees, but it certainly took a bad turn from there.
Glad you are out of the hospital but kind of waiting for the rest of the story because you are handing over your keys to someone you don't know.

I'm getting a Ferris Beuller vibe off of that.

tbirdmarco

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

venture

Holy cow Mike! Hopefully you heal quickly with little pain. Never a dull moment.

jmonroe

explorerx4 said:

@abacomike,
When I read the beginning of you post, I was all about telling how I went for my walk this morning when it was 17 degrees, but it certainly took a bad turn from there.
Glad you are out of the hospital but kind of waiting for the rest of the story because you are handing over your keys to someone you don't know.

@explorerx4, I see you said what I was thinking.

Mike, only you could have something like this happen to them. Hope you don't have too much pain and you're back to your old self very soon. Look at the bright side of having your car delivered to you, don't let @explorerx4 scare you. You might get a rear bumper cover out of the deal and maybe the front cover won't feel like it was being picked on.

jmonroe

tjc78

@abacomike
Hoping for a speedy recovery!  What an event, just can’t imagine. 

dino001

Get well quick, Mike. The woman was clearly negligent and careless, but battery? Isn’t that a bit overkill?

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

fintail said:

I've always wondered how hard it is to remove window tint - I don't want it either. Looks bad on most cars, fairly useless in this region, but still popular due to misguided ideas about looking cool. I have a suspicion tinting laws aren't enforced around here, either. People in AZ and FL, go for it. People in suburban Seattle, why?

I've seen used cars with tint that I didn't bother to look at just because of the windows.

isellhondas said:

Mods usually kill the value and salability on used cars. Window tint was the worst! When a car cam in with tinted windows our UCM immediately had the tint removed. This isn't always an easy thing to do. I remember at least two rear windows that were broken when professionals at that job had them shatter!

Maybe in Arizona or Texas it's a different story.

My son's Sable had a problem with the rear window defogger not working and when I took it to a repair shop they said it was damaged beyond repair by somebody removing the heavy Florida tint. Who'd thought.

In other news my SIL and husband are moving to Florida and she wants to sell her 2012 Nissan Sentra with only 21k miles. Very well maintained, garaged and not driven much in winter. In other words my kind of dream car.

The books say private party value of about $8500.

I don't need another car but I'm having cravings.

Do you really want a 2012 Sentra?
I haven't been in a Sentra for a long time but unless they have improved they are just transportation to get from A to B.
The real question would be, what is the better buy, a 2012 Sentra with 2 years of driving on it for $8500, or a new Ai for $14000 that is brand new, with latest electronics and safety features, and a 3 year warranty?

stickguy

you had to mention an iA. Going to wake Iluv up.

My dad has a Sentra of that vintage. Might be a year or 2 older. Actually not a bad little car, but not something I would really want to drive every day. But cheap and reliable.

roadburner

oldfarmer50 said:

fintail said:

I've always wondered how hard it is to remove window tint - I don't want it either. Looks bad on most cars, fairly useless in this region, but still popular due to misguided ideas about looking cool. I have a suspicion tinting laws aren't enforced around here, either. People in AZ and FL, go for it. People in suburban Seattle, why?

I've seen used cars with tint that I didn't bother to look at just because of the windows.

isellhondas said:

Mods usually kill the value and salability on used cars. Window tint was the worst! When a car cam in with tinted windows our UCM immediately had the tint removed. This isn't always an easy thing to do. I remember at least two rear windows that were broken when professionals at that job had them shatter!

Maybe in Arizona or Texas it's a different story.

My son's Sable had a problem with the rear window defogger not working and when I took it to a repair shop they said it was damaged beyond repair by somebody removing the heavy Florida tint. Who'd thought.

In other news my SIL and husband are moving to Florida and she wants to sell her 2012 Nissan Sentra with only 21k miles. Very well maintained, garaged and not driven much in winter. In other words my kind of dream car.

The books say private party value of about $8500.

I don't need another car but I'm having cravings.

I remember a Car and Driver road test of a Sentra from long ago;
Pros were, good fuel economy, decent handling, low price.
Cons was: Having to tell people "I bought a Sentra."

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

fintail said:

I've always wondered how hard it is to remove window tint - I don't want it either. Looks bad on most cars, fairly useless in this region, but still popular due to misguided ideas about looking cool. I have a suspicion tinting laws aren't enforced around here, either. People in AZ and FL, go for it. People in suburban Seattle, why?

I've seen used cars with tint that I didn't bother to look at just because of the windows.

isellhondas said:

Mods usually kill the value and salability on used cars. Window tint was the worst! When a car cam in with tinted windows our UCM immediately had the tint removed. This isn't always an easy thing to do. I remember at least two rear windows that were broken when professionals at that job had them shatter!

Maybe in Arizona or Texas it's a different story.

My son's Sable had a problem with the rear window defogger not working and when I took it to a repair shop they said it was damaged beyond repair by somebody removing the heavy Florida tint. Who'd thought.

In other news my SIL and husband are moving to Florida and she wants to sell her 2012 Nissan Sentra with only 21k miles. Very well maintained, garaged and not driven much in winter. In other words my kind of dream car.

The books say private party value of about $8500.

I don't need another car but I'm having cravings.

Do you really want a 2012 Sentra?
I haven't been in a Sentra for a long time but unless they have improved they are just transportation to get from A to B.
The real question would be, what is the better buy, a 2012 Sentra with 2 years of driving on it for $8500, or a new Ai for $14000 that is brand new, with latest electronics and safety features, and a 3 year warranty?

I guess I'm thinking of buying it to give to somebody who needs A to B. My son already told me he was happy with his Sable so there's really no reason.

Thanks to all you guys for talking me down.

Maybe iluv would want it.

ab348

Geez Mike, the craziest things happen to you. I was out shopping this afternoon in a big box store and people were possessed. Totally ignoring their surroundings and other people, no self-awareness, just being total jerks. And it wasn't even Walmart! I can see how what happened to you could happen. Heal quickly.

28firefighter

I like having window tint on the GTI to contrast with the white paint a bit. It’s very light tinting (well within the legal limit) but is UV reflecting - useless in winter but during summer is very nice. 

roadburner

Wow Mike, if it wasn't for bad luck...

isellhondas

abacomike said:

I now remember why I love living here in South Florida - the weather during the winter and spring.  It was 58 degrees this morning when I went walking so I put on a sweater.  By 10:00 AM, it was 72 degrees and took off my sweater - not a cloud in the sky.  It is now 76 degrees, barely a breeze, and I have all the windows wide open.  Had the sunroof open in the car for the first time.

But, I then realized why I dislike living here - the traffic and the people.  I was doing my bi-weekly food shopping at Walmart when a woman who was texting on her smartphone hit me with her shopping cart and caused me to fall on my back.  She looked down at me and told me to watch out where I was walking.  Luckily, an employee came running over to help me off the floor and told the lady to stop texting when she was walking in the store because she pushed her shopping cart right into me and could have severely injured me.  I was unable to stand up - my arm hurt be so bad and I was bleeding from the back of my head. 

The employee called the the manager on his walkie-talkie and asked him to call for an ambulance.  During all this commotion, the woman (had to weigh 200 pounds - at a minimum) tried to walk away but the employee had the store security stop her from leaving until the police arrived.

Yep, ended up in the hospital.  Police investigators took down my account of what happened while I was in the emergency room and assured me they had the eye witness account from the Walmart employee - that the woman was at fault because she was texting and was not watching where she was walking - and that she walked right into me with her shopping cart.

I was just released from the hospital and had to take a cab home.  My car is still parked at Walmart.  The store manager is coming over to get my car keys and will drive my car to my condo and park it in my spot.  The police charged her with battery which caused me serious injuries.  I have 6 stitches in the back of my head, a mild concussion, and my left arm is in a sling.  I have a nurse coming over later to watch me for 8 hours to make sure I am OK.  That was the only way they would release me from the hospital - I hate that place!.

I have to have my doctor take the stitches out next week - they are supposedly staples.

The police said I might not have to be called in to testify since the woman said she was texting at the time and was not paying attention and she agreed with what the store employee said about the accident.

Never a dull moment in my life. 

Mike, if it wasn't for bad luck you wouldn't have any luck at all!

So who do you sue? Wal Mart or the clueless lady?

roadburner

The lady- she was clearly negligent.

isellhondas

roadburner said:

The lady- she was clearly negligent.

I hope he does! I am so sick of people walking or driving while texting!

Window tint CAN be easy to remove or it can be a real b***h! The rear windows are the worst and, yes, there is a good chance your rear defrost grids will be destroyed. Sometimes the tint film comes off in nasty chunks leaving a miserable glue film behind that can be vexatious to remove. It can be a VERY nasty job!

nyccarguy

OYE! Mike! Damn!

driver100

Mike....report in...how are you doing today?

sb55

@abacomike
Wow, so sorry to hear about your "accident'". At least it wasn't car related!
I try to avoid Wal-Mart, but when I do go it is such a zoo to maneuver. They seem to have so much stuff piled in the aisles that it causes traffic jams.

tjc78

dino001 said:

Get well quick, Mike. The woman was clearly negligent and careless, but battery? Isn’t that a bit overkill?

No it’s not... people need to start to be responsible for their actions.   At the very least the woman should pay any medical expenses (deductibles, etc) that Mike would incur.  

oldfarmer50

Marcothecarguy1986 said:

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

That's some really fascinating tech but can you imagine trying to fix it if something breaks?

snakeweasel

andres3 said:

andres3 said:

graphicguy said:

I don’t get it. How many times do speed cameras have to be declared unconstitutional? What am I missing given these things are still around? RB....your thoughts?

RB's in the wrong state... Ohio has "home rule." Somehow the cities say that means they can do as they please about giving out bills for speeding without due course as in a hearing before being pronounced guilty. Our legislators, so called, passed a law that there had to be a policeman present for each photo billing taken from a speed or red light camera. A few cities saw $$$ flying away and won a suit that went to the supreme court. They gleefully have announced they have turned back on their cameras--Dayton and Trotwood. And every citation about their reasons by the story-writers in the local media carries the pronouncement that the cameras stop red light running and slow cars down, magically, somehow. And that the cities are only doing this for safety. My own legislator, an insurance salesman guy, responded when I asked what was being done about these rogue cities by saying the State is withholding money they dole out to local entities equal to what they collect in "bills" to the criminals running and speeding. Then he also said that the cities say it reduces accidents and is for safety.

A camera can not be cross examined. Again, with no one observing the alleged crime to testify against you, how is this constitutional?

The camera, or the picture, is not a witness or the complanted, it's simply evidence. By your logic any evidence cannot be admitted in court because you cannot cross examine it. 

The one you cross examine in the officer or technician who examined the picture and made the determination. 

I'm getting too good at this If I hold-up and commit robbery at a liquor/convenience store, you better bet my Defense Attorney worth 2 cents will call in the Store Manager (or Subcontractor) that installed and setup the security system and video the prosecution is using to help convict me. They know how the camara system operates and can be questioned on that. In every Traffic Court I've ever heard of, they don't allow this. In my opinion, this makes the video hearsay evidence as no one is in court to testify where the camera was positioned, when it was installed, ect. A random police officer testifying to those facts is hearsay (they would just be reading the City records on that data. They assume you are guilty instead of innocent. The presumption is the video is accurate and has not been altered or doctored in some manner. I'm not questioning the mechanics/engineering process of how video tape works, but I would sure be worried about how many hands and computers had access to the USB drive that video was stored on before reaching the courtroom on the trial date!

No traffic court you have heard of? Me thinks you never heard of a traffic court then. I have been able to request similar stuff in traffic court. 

Go run your nearest red light camera and get a ticket. Without the help of a lawyer, if your able to summon and cross examine the camera installers & operators for your ticket I'll pay for your ticket. The whole point of camera enforcement is to slime around due process rights. Do you really think they would let you slow down the revenue by questioning authority? The same legislative assembly bills that try to label camera citations as "civil infractions or administrative infractions" also usually include language that says the camera evidence will be accepted by the Courts as prima facie accurate evidence without laying an iota of ground work or substantiation. In other words, making hearsay evidence not hearsay.

Since I don't run red lights I don't get tickets from red light cameras. But I have requested documents in traffic court to fight a speeding ticket and had the judge supeona them. I had the ticket tossed when the police department couldn't produce the officers certification on the radar gun. But then again it's all about the money. 

houdini1

qbrozen said:

graphicguy said:

Just had this conversation with my son a few days ago. He’s thinking of investing in bitcoin. As I mentioned to him, it’s very high risk. As of now, you have to convert those bitcoins into a widely accepted currency in order to use it (except where crypto currencies are accepted as legitimate payment, of which, none exist to my knowledge).

It is totally unregulated, which is the whole reason it exists. And, to turn it into “ordinary” money that is accepted everywhere, it becomes a trading nightmare.

Will it exist for anything more than illegal payment schemes (rumor has it that North Korea pays for goods with crypto currency to sidestep sanctions)?

There sure are a lot of cyber trading of the crypto currencies, to the point where they’re building computer cluster farms to mine crypto currencies (of which there are literally hundreds of).

At least, that’s the argument I presented to my son against him investing in crypto currency.

No way in hell would I touch something that has no real-world value and is basically a work of fiction. He'd be better off making up his own form of currency and convincing people it is worth something. I honestly don't comprehend this whole bitcoin business. Seems to me like it is just people selling the Brooklyn Bridge back and forth.

Somebody will make a ton of money on bitcoin, but it won't be the small investor.

houdini1

driver100 said:

PF_Flyer said:

My brain is on a tangent today (shocking, I know) but this seems to be one heck of a garage

Is it just me or is that thing U-G-L-Y? I can't imagine anything much more boring than riding around on that barge. But, here is the rest of the story;

A spectacular super yacht inspired by 17th century pirate ships has been created and comes with its own heliport, reception bar, pool and garage.

The impressive ship, called Caronte, was made by Italian company Lazzarini Design Studio and has three bedrooms and six extra sub cabins below.

Doors to the private garage, which open so the owner can show off their luxurious vehicles, create a diving platform which thrillseekers can use to jump into the sea.

The stylish 200ft vessel was designed on a ship from the 1600s also has an upper deck which includes a number of sunbeds and a huge seating area.

Looks like a photoshop to me.

houdini1

abacomike said:

Well, I estimated my income for next year and applied the new tax brackets - no tax reduction for me!  So I guess this was not a middle class tax reduction proposal after all.  Now if I was married filing jointly - that would be a boon!

Looks like you will have to find a nice rich widow woman to marry next year !

Get well soon Mike, and look on the bright side. If this foolish woman hadn't knocked you down, you might have gone out into the parking lot and got hit by a truck. You never know.

snakeweasel

qbrozen said:

driver100 said:

The seller provided a USPS tracking number (who the hell uses the postal service for a TV?), but the number comes up with no information on the USPS website (nor any other shipper). When I checked to make sure my claim was entered with Amazon, a note in there indicated the seller is no longer on Amazon's site. And it was a NEW seller when I purchased. So I think that probably dashes any hope of it actually being sent. .

What happened to your credit card charge? Maybe someone was trying a scam or just posing as a vendor? Was the TV being shipped from Nigeria or Russia?

Amazon finally decided on refunding my TV money. Sadly, I can't find anything for anywhere close to the $588 deal this originally was. The same TV is currently $699 on their site from other sellers.     

------------

That reminds me of a rather expensive purse my wife wanted for Christmas several years ago. I ordered it online in early November. It didn't arrive by mid December and I tried to get a hold of their customer service and could never get through. Christmas came and went with no purse so in early January I called my credit card company and challenged the charge and they reversed the charge. 

The purse arrived in July. 

breld

houdini1 said:

qbrozen said:

graphicguy said:

Just had this conversation with my son a few days ago. He’s thinking of investing in bitcoin. As I mentioned to him, it’s very high risk. As of now, you have to convert those bitcoins into a widely accepted currency in order to use it (except where crypto currencies are accepted as legitimate payment, of which, none exist to my knowledge).

It is totally unregulated, which is the whole reason it exists. And, to turn it into “ordinary” money that is accepted everywhere, it becomes a trading nightmare.

Will it exist for anything more than illegal payment schemes (rumor has it that North Korea pays for goods with crypto currency to sidestep sanctions)?

There sure are a lot of cyber trading of the crypto currencies, to the point where they’re building computer cluster farms to mine crypto currencies (of which there are literally hundreds of).

At least, that’s the argument I presented to my son against him investing in crypto currency.

No way in hell would I touch something that has no real-world value and is basically a work of fiction. He'd be better off making up his own form of currency and convincing people it is worth something. I honestly don't comprehend this whole bitcoin business. Seems to me like it is just people selling the Brooklyn Bridge back and forth.

Somebody will make a ton of money on bitcoin, but it won't be the small investor.

My wife is a bit obsessed with bitcoin and crypto currency, after a neighbor tipped her off to it months ago. We've "played around" with it a bit, investing small amounts of money in it and then pulling it back out after some gains. Like, I threw $300 into it and then pulled $400 out a couple weeks later to help fund my new iPhone purchase.

She was monitoring the prices so frequently that I told her to just go and put some money into it so she was "participating." Enough to have some fun, but only enough that she wouldn't care if it all went away.

breld

@abacomike - quite a story! Hopefully you're already feeling better and healing up.

snakeweasel

driver100 said:

I just watched a UTube video where a young guy took his 1 yo highly modified (supercharged, exhaust, bagged, ground effects, wing etc) Mustang to Carmax to see what it was worth. He didn't say what it all cost but said he paid $32k to start. Figure at least another $10k for the goodies, so maybe $42k. Car had 11,000 miles. CarMax offered $22k. A lesson for anyone who thinks modifications will make a car more valuable.

The car lost half of it's value in one year...not even counting the modifications? Mustangs must really depreciate fast. It probably has to do with Carmax not getting customers who want modified Mustangs.

It didn't really lose half it's value. Car Max likely went of the value of an unmodified car which means it lost about 1/3. Just for fun I checked Kelly Blue Book and ran a one year old GT with standard equipment and it came back with Just under 23K at the low end and about 25K at the top end. Add the fact that they have to make a profit when they sell it the value doesn't drop that much. 

Now modifications can ruin a cars value. 

abacomike

houdini1 said:

abacomike said:

Well, I estimated my income for next year and applied the new tax brackets - no tax reduction for me!  So I guess this was not a middle class tax reduction proposal after all.  Now if I was married filing jointly - that would be a boon!

Looks like you will have to find a nice rich widow woman to marry next year !

Get well soon Mike, and look on the bright side. If this foolish woman hadn't knocked you down, you might have gone out into the parking lot and got hit by a truck. You never know.

That's one approach to looking at the brighter side of things.

As for marriage in my future - not a chance. Who would marry a guy who is not too swift on his feet (literally), had two heart attacks, had part of his liver taken out due to cancer, has lived with Hepatitis C since 1980 (and hopefully is free of the virus after many years of drug therapies), lives in a 55+ community where there are no kids and only retired folks for over a mile in any direction, has recurring DVT's (Deep Vein Thrombosis or Blood Clots) in his left femoral vein, walks on a titanium left knee, and has a Parrot perched on his right shoulder (Long John Silver) ? Only the last one is a stretch!

iluvmysephia1

abacomike - it's not just you, man. Please read andres3's comments about his fractured bones. I have broken the humerus bone of my right arm falling down the stairs. It was at a townhome Mrs. iluvmysephia1 and I rented while I went to college in Rolla, MO. The place was in St. James, MO. Cute, quiet little town. The event happened like this.

"Dinner, iluv!"

"OK!"

I was in my stocking feet and upstairs, where there is a bathroom and a bedroom. I was taking a nap when I heard her call out for dinner, so I was quite drowsy, and college made me sleepy, anyway.

I grabbed our 6 1/2 pound Pomeranian, Rocky, and headed down the stairs. Ooops. Big time. The ball of my right foot stepped on the edge of the carpeted stairs, and...slipped. All the body dynamics were just right at that particular moment in time to put maximum pressure on that foot, because the force exerted on that foot was big and large. I was counting on making that first step as a big 'ole push-off down the stairs successfully. Didn't happen, car nuts. Oh, no - it did not happen. As I slipped, my right elbow came down to break my fall. The right elbow hit hard on that same stair edge. I heard a "Snap!" sound.

Then I bumped on my butt down the remainder of the stairs. I threw the Pom Rocky back behind me on the stairs. I didn't want to risk crushing him with any of my body parts! He was fine for the weather through this all.

Meanwhile, my sight grew dim. I sat there at the bottom of the stairs in extreme pain. I saw stars, literally. "Mrs. iluv!!!!!" Wilma!!!!

I called a cab to drive me to the nearest hospital - I could not shift the gears of our 2001 Kia Sportage 4X4 with what was most likely a broken arm. Later, after the arm was stabilized, a really dear friend lent me his Ford Interceptor ex-police car, that had an automatic transmission. What a nice gift to me to borrow that rig from him!

"Hey, take it easy over the bumps, OK?"

"Yes, I will," was the cabbies response.

At Phelps County Memorial Hospital in Rolla, MO, the verdict came in quickly.

"You, Mr. iluvmysephia1, have a broken humerous bone."

Great. Right during Respiratory Therapy college. We were coming down the home stretch, too, getting ready to graduate in March of 2005. This broken arm occurred in December of 2004.

Long story short - I retained the services of a Rolla bone doctor and went through recovery. I was told I couldn't go to my clinicals because, as my teacher told me, "I've never heard of a one-armed Respiratory Therapist!"

Thanks, teach. So, I was allowed to stay in school, only ta go to daytime classes with the rest of the students. Once my arm was sufficiently healed up, I was allowed to start up clinicals again. So I did this. All of this.

And ended up graduating college one month and 25 days after everyone else in school. But at least I did.

abacomike - you're not alone, man! These nasty things do happen to other people. Other people like iluvmysephia1. And bone breaks are absolutely awfully painful.

abacomike

Well, I'm still sore, but my head isn't hurting as bad and the nurse stayed all night and just left. It sure was strange having someone in my condo all night whom I did not know. So, I really didn't sleep much - kind of had one eye open as she sat in the recliner in my bedroom listening to her smart phone's music collection with her ear plugs. She checked my blood pressure every hour and had me track her little flashlight with my eyes. She said my pupils were reactive and even which means the concussion was really very minor.

She kept asking me how I got pushed on the ground by a lady pushing a shopping cart and texting on her phone. I just said that I had lost my balance and there was nothing to hold onto to keep me from going backwards. If only I had been holding onto my shopping cart instead of looking through the freezer to find my frozen entrees.

People walk in the malls nowadays texting and having absolutely no way of knowing where they are going or care if they walk into someone. I've seen videos on TV of people texting while walking and ending up in a fountain pool in the mall. Same with drivers who text.

In the late model cars (I know of BWM and Mercedes), with Apple Play, Siri will read your emails for you aloud and respond to the emails without your having to pick up the iPhone - all done through car's computer and the phone's capabilities. Same for texts. If I get a text while driving, Siri asks me if I want him to read the text aloud for me and when finished, asks if I want to send a response. Amazing what can be done in a car today with technology.

roadburner

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

I just watched a UTube video where a young guy took his 1 yo highly modified (supercharged, exhaust, bagged, ground effects, wing etc) Mustang to Carmax to see what it was worth. He didn't say what it all cost but said he paid $32k to start. Figure at least another $10k for the goodies, so maybe $42k. Car had 11,000 miles.

CarMax offered $22k.

A lesson for anyone who thinks modifications will make a car more valuable.

The car lost half of it's value in one year...not even counting the modifications?

Mustangs must really depreciate fast.

It probably has to do with Carmax not getting customers who want modified Mustangs.

It didn't really lose half it's value. Car Max likely went of the value of an unmodified car which means it lost about 1/3. Just for fun I checked Kelly Blue Book and ran a one year old GT with standard equipment and it came back with Just under 23K at the low end and about 25K at the top end. Add the fact that they have to make a profit when they sell it the value doesn't drop that much. 

Now modifications can ruin a cars value. 

I think it depends on the modifications; I passed on a gorgeous 2013 Boss 302 because the owner had replaced the OEM exhaust and installed a one piece driveshaft. I wanted the OEM exhaust because it had side exits that could give the car a truly wicked exhaust tone by just removing a couple of baffles. The only reason to R&R the driveshaft was to make it more suitable for drag racing.
The car also had an aftermarket cold air intake, but I was fine with that because it had received uniformly good reviews on the Boss 302 forums.
Likewise, if I was looking at a BMW with Dinan or Turner upgrades on it I would still consider it as long as the mods suited my planned uses for the car; for example, I wouldn't want a lowered car with coilovers if I was looking for a DD that would never see the track.

iluvmysephia1

People walk in the malls nowadays texting and having absolutely no way of knowing where they are going or care if they walk into someone. I've seen videos on TV of people texting while walking and ending up in a fountain pool in the mall. Same with drivers who text.

I saw a picture on the net of a young man torn asunder. He was driving while texting. So, if one doesn't stop that texting while driving, bad things can happen to them. Really, really bad things. I was on a Mitsubishi blog and this guy says "GRAPHIC PICTURE - I AM SERIOUS - VERY GRAPHIC!!" There was a link to click on to see the picture. I am not kidding you - the picture showed his body cut in half. He had a weird look on his face.

On TV I saw a video of a woman texting while walking. She walked right in to a bus that was jammin' right by - and it showed her being knocked senseless to the ground. I have graphically seen enough to get the message - put your cellphones down when you should not be looking at them!

roadburner

I've been following the Mustang 6G forum to learn whats new to keep tabs on the 2018 as well as to learn about the upcoming Bullitt. I have to admit that I was more than a bit disheartened to learn that the Ford engineers don't consider the Performance Package 1 and Performance Package 2 cars to be track ready. On top of that, the manual/order guide states that you need to equip the car with additional oil cooling for track use. So...

A 2018 Mustang GT optioned to my specs(and that is before adding PP2 and oil cooling) has a MSRP of $51,960.)

A 2018 GT350(that Ford says is track ready is $61,405 equipped with the Convenience Package.

A 2018 M2 with the Executive Package is $56,595

I DO like the GT350, but not for nearly $5,000 more than the M2. Now to wait and see what used values are in a year or so- although holding on to the 2 Series and adding the M Performance diff and a tune looks better and better as a long term strategy.

iluvmysephia1

2015 and/on Toyota Yaris

Finding one of these with a standard transmission is a real treasure venture. Whew!

iluvmysephia1

2015 Toyota Yaris 4-door 5-speed

Found me one. Anyone wanna head over to Atlanta , buy this for me, and drive it over to eastern War-shing-ton for me? This one is selling for only $7,979 ($4,579 below market valuation) and only has 32,322 miles on it. Was a rental car, though.

Inspect it real good for me, now. It passed the dealer's 'Auto-Check' inspection. The roof rack is cool. A roof rack on a rental car? Huh?


VIN: VNKKTUD31FA043249


http://newsroom.toyota.eu/new-2017-toyota-yaris/


The Yaris has a strong European heritage, having been manufactured at Toyota Motor Manufacturing France’s Valenciennes factory since 2001. Production passed three million units in 2016, with cars not only supplied throughout Europe, but also sent for export around the world, including Africa, North America and Middle East markets in Asia.