Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

abacomike

Leaving for my trip back to South Florida (300 miles) but I am up against some torrential rains and thunderstorms.  I am just going to take it easy - no rush.  The trip is usually about 5 hours due to construction on I-95, but with the predicted rains and storms, could take 6-7 hours.

driver100

28firefighter said:

Now that you’re back safely, I’ll simply share this article with you: 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ntsb-finds-probable-cause-of-deadly-seattle-duck-boat-crash/

Wow....scary. A few people here think I am obsessed with safety, apparently not. It looks like they made the changes needed. I am glad I didn't know about.

Taxi ride to airport was a flat rate $40.....I was going to give him $50. WHEN WE ARRIVED HE SAND IT COST $50. I said it says right on the door flat rate $40.....so he backed off. He has had a USA flag and a flag from another country on his instrument panel, which I found questionable. I took his number and phone number of cab company....debating whether to call them.

andres3

ab348 said:

Michaell said:

I wish the same could be said for the folks we bought our house from. A little backstory on it - the house is in a new development, only 2 years old. The husband got transferred out of state for work, which prompted the sale. We never met them - they signed the closing documents on Wedensday, and we did our part yesterday. The handoff has been less than pleasant - we got no codes for the garage or front door (it has a keypad, too). The fan in the laundry room doesn't seem to be working. No instructions on where the mailbox is (they are grouped in clusters around the neighborhood). And, once we had a chance to take a good look at it, we found it was pretty dirty.

Ah, that's unfortunate. Reminds me of when I closed on my house years ago. The sellers seemed very pleasant and accommodating before the closing, but on the day itself they (or their lawyer, not sure) suddenly got very difficult. I had movers loading my stuff into the van while I went to my lawyer's office for the closing, only for him to tell me they were balking about something to do with the transfer of funds from my bank to theirs and would not turn over the keys. After bunch of urgent phone calls to the bank and the respective lawyers it ended up with the movers parked out front waiting for me to arrive with the keys to let them in and cost me a couple of extra hours of their time before I could move in. And after all that half the keys I got did not even work. Really kind of soured me on the sellers.

I had a bad seller on my home.

1) They insisted the home inspector was incorrect, and that the garbage disposal was working. Something about using the wrong switch Turns out the inspector was correct, the Garbage Disposal was indeed DOA! Turns out when I had a plumber fix it, they had to move it to the other side of the sink, replace it (burned out motor), and rewire it correctly to an electrical outlet (was direct hardwired, a 2nd code violation (which is probably why it burned out despite not being an old model) in addition to putting it it on the wrong side of the sink). So he rearranged the drain pipes, was not a cheap job.

2) They had a million things all packed up in the small 2-car garage so that the house was uncluttered. There was so much stuff that no one, including the inspector, checked to see if the garage door worked. It didn't. DOA again! And this was upsetting and frustrating because I had a moving truck and 2 laborers ready to go to move in. Of course I could manually open it, but it was a delay. Turns out the motor had worn out plastic gears. It would spin and spin with no connection to the belt/chain to lift the old wood door. $250 repair job; so I just bought a new motor and garage door entirely. Better head clearance and modernized with electric "eyes" for safety (which the inspector did note was missing, but missed non-operational!).

3) They had put a big painting in front of an eyesore in the drywall of the kitchen. Surprise on move-in day!

4) There movers weren't the most careful moving their stuff out, some paint scuffs and scratches, but this wasn't that annoying as we repainted recently and knew we were going to.

5) We've added an Air Conditioning system (and 200 Amp Panel that was necessary for it). We've added dual pane Milgard Windows. We've put on a new roof. We've painted both outside and inside. Next project is flooring.

ab348

With a house it never ends. Of course I've been here 20 years but in that time I have done a new roof, new deck, new kitchen, several new windows, new light fixtures, new electrical service, added a heat pump, added attic insulation, main bath reno twice over, and redone the basement. Plus every room has been repainted at least once, most more than that. Next projects are removal of the last of the old carpeting, new counterops and backsplash in the kitchen, and something with the garage, not sure exactly what yet.

jmonroe

driver100 said:

28firefighter said:

Now that you’re back safely, I’ll simply share this article with you: 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ntsb-finds-probable-cause-of-deadly-seattle-duck-boat-crash/

Wow....scary. A few people here think I am obsessed with safety, apparently not. It looks like they made the changes needed. I am glad I didn't know about.

Taxi ride to airport was a flat rate $40.....I was going to give him $50. WHEN WE ARRIVED HE SAND IT COST $50. I said it says right on the door flat rate $40.....so he backed off. He has had a USA flag and a flag from another country on his instrument panel, which I found questionable. I took his number and phone number of cab company....debating whether to call them.

From what you described, I don't know why you haven't done it already.

jmonroe

suydam

The overcharging, for sure. I’m not sure why flags would be an issue.

28firefighter

The flags are irrelevant.

The overcharging is very much relevant. I rarely use any car services here in the city.

andres3

A couple days of overlap doesn't cost much, and being able to move in "increments" if you are not moving far, is nice!

I remember making maybe a half dozen trips over a couple weeks in the Sportwagon loaded up, which helped me keep my movers at their 4-hour minimum. I had them move everything I didn't want to move (think big and/or heavy), and I just moved my more valuable smaller items (like speakers and audio equipment).

I had extra time to "clear" the old condo, so we did so little by little. Next time I'll need 3 men for 4 hours though. I definitely got my monies worth from those 2 guys though!

pensfan83

They have those duck boats here in Pittsburgh too and I absolutely refuse to go on them.  Last summer my parents took all the grandkids on one of the Ducky Tours and I was a nervous wreck the whole time.  If anyone has ever seen one in the water they sit so low and look so unstable (to me) I'm deathly scared even a passing barge or riverboat will swamp them.

snakeweasel

pensfan83 said:

They have those duck boats here in Pittsburgh too and I absolutely refuse to go on them.  Last summer my parents took all the grandkids on one of the Ducky Tours and I was a nervous wreck the whole time.  If anyone has ever seen one in the water they sit so low and look so unstable (to me) I'm deathly scared even a passing barge or riverboat will swamp them.

The fact that they sit low in the water makes them more stable. The more weight above the waterline the less stable it is.  The most a passing ship or boat will do is put out a wake that would slop over the "deck" and might get some people wet. The boats do have pumps to take care of any water that spills into it.

PF_Flyer

They ride pretty low, but they're a pretty deep draft. They weigh about 14,000 pounds unloaded, so there's quite a bit under the surface. And the chassis and wheels give it additional stability.

I bet someone somewhere has one that they've modded

pensfan83

snakeweasel said:

The fact that they sit low in the water makes them more stable. The more weight above the waterline the less stable it is.  The most a passing ship or boat will do is put out a wake that would slop over the "deck" and might get some people wet. The boats do have pumps to take care of any water that spills into it.

That's true, that part escaped me but pumps or not I still would not get on one

jmonroe

pensfan83 said:

They have those duck boats here in Pittsburgh too and I absolutely refuse to go on them.  Last summer my parents took all the grandkids on one of the Ducky Tours and I was a nervous wreck the whole time.  If anyone has ever seen one in the water they sit so low and look so unstable (to me) I'm deathly scared even a passing barge or riverboat will swamp them.

If you are that concerned about the safety of those contraptions why would you allow your kids to go?

jmonroe

imidazol97

How would you feel if this accident were your Corvette blocking most of the highway on I75 today on our way to lunch...?

How would you feel if this were someone you paid to haul your classic Corvette on a trailer who jack-knifed on the interstate?

--most likely occurred because they were speeding into a section where some drivers obey the limits and there's a lot of quick braking because of the speed differentials of the speeders.

Radio reports made it sound like a commercial hauler. Might be the owner who was using a trailer.

pensfan83

jmonroe said:

If you are that concerned about the safety of those contraptions why would you allow your kids to go?

jmonroe

Because #1 I know my parents would never in a million years do anything with their grandkids that jeopardized their safety or well being and #2 I know my fears are largely exaggerated.

28firefighter

Ride the Ducks is a franchise. If the particular franchise you use is doing things on the up and up, then it really is pretty safe. If you use a franchise like Seattle's Ride the Ducks, may the odds be ever in your favor.

jmonroe

pensfan83 said:

jmonroe said:

If you are that concerned about the safety of those contraptions why would you allow your kids to go?

jmonroe

Because #1 I know my parents would never in a million years do anything with their grandkids that jeopardized their safety or well being and #2 I know my fears are largely exaggerated.

With that being the case, I don't know why you made the initial comment you did. And then you made this comment to @snakeweasel, "That's true, that part escaped me but pumps or not I still would not get on one".

jmonroe

laurasdada

We did the Boston Duck Tour many, many years ago. My mom got to pilot the duck while on the Charles. A lot of fun, funny patter from our driver, "The Sarge."

My HS graduation gift was a lovely Seiko automatic chronometer. I wore it almost daily for the next 16 years, truly took a licking and kept on ticking (and it still is!). I enjoy watches, still have the Seiko as well as a Tag Heuer, IWC and Omega. As well as a couple of "Made for TV" Invictas. The Omega is my current daily driver, the IWC a bit fancier, the Tag needs a tune up. I'm considering a Tudor Fast Rider as a gift to myself because if I'm not good to me, who else will be?!

Son is home from freshman year, staying with me for a bit along with the '02 Lexus RX300. Just put a couple of new Yoko Ono's on it, added a quart of oil (it's burning it, keep reminding boy to check the oil regularly). I used to take very good care of it (was the ex's DD for 10 years, the last 6 it's been our kids wheels), but since we split, it's become somewhat neglected. Still comfy and roomy, the engine sounds good and starts right up. Hopefully, with limited driving, it will get son through three more years of college.

Jag still lovely (gave it it's spring coat of polymer, shiny!), but almost 4.5 years old. Now, how long will the XF last!

jmonroe

imidazol97 said:

How would you feel if this accident were your Corvette blocking most of the highway on I75 today on our way to lunch...?

How would you feel if this were someone you paid to haul your classic Corvette on a trailer who jack-knifed on the interstate?

--most likely occurred because they were speeding into a section where some drivers obey the limits and there's a lot of quick braking because of the speed differentials of the speeders.

Radio reports made it sound like a commercial hauler. Might be the owner who was using a trailer.

How would I feel ? I'd feel a hellava lot worse if I got caught up in some trailer towing cowboy's inept driving.

This reminds me of about 6 months ago when I was on the PA Pike (speed limit of 70 MPH) when I was doing 75 MPH. I was in the right lane and had a pickup pass me going about 85 at least. I mean he flew by me. This pick up had a dirt bike in the bed AND was towing 2 dirt bikes on what looked like a homemade trailer made from pressure treated wood. He swerved out of the left lane because of a slow moving car so that he could pass on the right. I was in the right lane and saw it coming so I slowed down. By the time he gained control of his truck he was well onto the shoulder of the right lane with a good bit of fish-tailing but he made it.

The more you do things like that and get away with it the more of a menace you are to others. Sooner or later you won't "make it" and it usually involves an innocent family.

jmonroe

pensfan83

jmonroe said:

With that being the case, I don't know why you made the initial comment you did. And then you made this comment to @snakeweasel, "That's true, that part escaped me but pumps or not I still would not get on one".

jmonroe

I don't like them. They can sit high or low in the water or have pumps all over and I still wouldn't board one or be enthusiastic about my family riding one.

jmonroe

andres3 said:

ab348 said:

Michaell said:

I wish the same could be said for the folks we bought our house from. A little backstory on it - the house is in a new development, only 2 years old. The husband got transferred out of state for work, which prompted the sale. We never met them - they signed the closing documents on Wedensday, and we did our part yesterday. The handoff has been less than pleasant - we got no codes for the garage or front door (it has a keypad, too). The fan in the laundry room doesn't seem to be working. No instructions on where the mailbox is (they are grouped in clusters around the neighborhood). And, once we had a chance to take a good look at it, we found it was pretty dirty.

Ah, that's unfortunate. Reminds me of when I closed on my house years ago. The sellers seemed very pleasant and accommodating before the closing, but on the day itself they (or their lawyer, not sure) suddenly got very difficult. I had movers loading my stuff into the van while I went to my lawyer's office for the closing, only for him to tell me they were balking about something to do with the transfer of funds from my bank to theirs and would not turn over the keys. After bunch of urgent phone calls to the bank and the respective lawyers it ended up with the movers parked out front waiting for me to arrive with the keys to let them in and cost me a couple of extra hours of their time before I could move in. And after all that half the keys I got did not even work. Really kind of soured me on the sellers.

I had a bad seller on my home.

1) They insisted the home inspector was incorrect, and that the garbage disposal was working. Something about using the wrong switch Turns out the inspector was correct, the Garbage Disposal was indeed DOA! Turns out when I had a plumber fix it, they had to move it to the other side of the sink, replace it (burned out motor), and rewire it correctly to an electrical outlet (was direct hardwired, a 2nd code violation (which is probably why it burned out despite not being an old model) in addition to putting it it on the wrong side of the sink). So he rearranged the drain pipes, was not a cheap job.

2) They had a million things all packed up in the small 2-car garage so that the house was uncluttered. There was so much stuff that no one, including the inspector, checked to see if the garage door worked. It didn't. DOA again! And this was upsetting and frustrating because I had a moving truck and 2 laborers ready to go to move in. Of course I could manually open it, but it was a delay. Turns out the motor had worn out plastic gears. It would spin and spin with no connection to the belt/chain to lift the old wood door. $250 repair job; so I just bought a new motor and garage door entirely. Better head clearance and modernized with electric "eyes" for safety (which the inspector did note was missing, but missed non-operational!).

3) They had put a big painting in front of an eyesore in the drywall of the kitchen. Surprise on move-in day!

4) There movers weren't the most careful moving their stuff out, some paint scuffs and scratches, but this wasn't that annoying as we repainted recently and knew we were going to.

5) We've added an Air Conditioning system (and 200 Amp Panel that was necessary for it). We've added dual pane Milgard Windows. We've put on a new roof. We've painted both outside and inside. Next project is flooring.

Having a disposal hardwired vs. plugged into a receptacle is not why it burned out. Hard wired may not be code where you live but, again, that is not why it burned out. As for the disposal being on the wrong side, that is usually the owners preference unless there is a drain line concern. Our house has three 1 1/2 inch drain lines under the sink. Don't ask me why it has three but the unused one has a rubber cap on it.

As for home inspectors, they are like mechanics some are good and some are not. However, they are a necessary evil because if you did your own inspection and pointed out problems the seller would surely say, "who the hell made you an expert"? So, you have to have one to get results in your favor. When Son #1 bought his second house that was about 10 years old, he a had a very good one. That guy was there for 6 hours (both my son and I were there with him too) and he provided him with a very detailed report of his findings. I think the inspector charged him about $350. The guy wanted to know how my son found him because he said he was not on any of the realtors lists because he was too thorough. He said he works for the buyer not the seller and realtors don't want guys like him. When I bought my house in 1998 it was over 20 years old and the guy I had was OK, maybe. He caught most of the things but I had to point out a few. The one I can't believe he missed was the rusted out log starter. When I pointed it out he said, "do you really think it is that bad"? I said, "any time there is rusted out sections across 3 or 4 jets, to me that is bad". He agreed and wrote it up. I got no complaints from the seller for what was found to be in need of repair/replacement nor the dollar amount required for a "pro" to fix all the problems. I did all of it myself and used what was left to help offset the cost of hiring a couple of young strong backs like you did to carry my household items to a U-Haul I rented.

jmonroe

cdnpinhead

To each their own -- it's a (mostly) free country.

ab348

I've seen those duck boats (mostly in coverage of the Patriots Super Bowl parades!) and they are different from what is used here:




I understand these are US military surplus from the Vietnam era. They do a brisk business with tourists in the summer here, although the narrator/guide tells some pretty tall tales in the name of entertainment.

28firefighter

In some cities, they aren't using military surplus - they're actually using newly made duck boats that are based on brand new Chevy/GMC diesel heavy duty vehicles. Those are considerably safer (have seat belts, good structural integrity, etc.).

andres3

imidazol97 said:

How would you feel if this accident were your Corvette blocking most of the highway on I75 today on our way to lunch...?

How would you feel if this were someone you paid to haul your classic Corvette on a trailer who jack-knifed on the interstate?

--most likely occurred because they were speeding into a section where some drivers obey the limits and there's a lot of quick braking because of the speed differentials of the speeders.

Radio reports made it sound like a commercial hauler. Might be the owner who was using a trailer.

If you are paying attention and looking up far ahead as you are supposed to (and not being distracted) there is no reason that you have to "slam the brakes" even with wider speed differentials. The speed differentials are readily apparent even from 1,000 feet away. Also, I'm not a hauling/trailer expert, but I would think hard braking also has little directly to do with jack knifing. You have to introduce steering wheel movement for it to be a problem.

nyccarguy

cdnpinhead said:

To each their own -- it's a (mostly) free country.

Supposedly

andres3

jmonroe said:

imidazol97 said:

How would you feel if this accident were your Corvette blocking most of the highway on I75 today on our way to lunch...?

How would you feel if this were someone you paid to haul your classic Corvette on a trailer who jack-knifed on the interstate?

--most likely occurred because they were speeding into a section where some drivers obey the limits and there's a lot of quick braking because of the speed differentials of the speeders.

Radio reports made it sound like a commercial hauler. Might be the owner who was using a trailer.

How would I feel ? I'd feel a hellava lot worse if I got caught up in some trailer towing cowboy's inept driving.

This reminds me of about 6 months ago when I was on the PA Pike (speed limit of 70 MPH) when I was doing 75 MPH. I was in the right lane and had a pickup pass me going about 85 at least. I mean he flew by me. This pick up had a dirt bike in the bed AND was towing 2 dirt bikes on what looked like a homemade trailer made from pressure treated wood. He swerved out of the left lane because of a slow moving car so that he could pass on the right. I was in the right lane and saw it coming so I slowed down. By the time he gained control of his truck he was well onto the shoulder of the right lane with a good bit of fish-tailing but he made it.

The more you do things like that and get away with it the more of a menace you are to others. Sooner or later you won't "make it" and it usually involves an innocent family.

jmonroe

This is going too fast for conditions, entirely different than speeding.

I can vouch that I've never gone too fast for the condition of towing extra weight in a loaded trailer, because I've never hitched a trailer to any of my Audi's or Honda's.

When I had my Neon loaded to the gills with college dorm room stuff going back home for the Summer, I drove at appropriately lower speeds than I would have with the car empty except for the driver, which was me!

Failure to adjust and adapt to real-world active and current conditions is a driver error.

laurasdada

nyccarguy said:

cdnpinhead said:

To each their own -- it's a (mostly) free country.

Supposedly

There is no free lunch: Taxes!

xwesx

explorerx4 said:

@abacomike,
How will we recognize you? The one driving the Mercedes across the green?

The one with the umbrella!

isellhondas

driver100 said:

Had a great time in Seattle....In only 2 days we:
Went to Pikes Market a few times....saw them throw the fish
Saw Chilly blown glass exhibit. Indoors and great garden. Not normally my thing to see but this was amazing.
Rode the Monorail back to downtown
Did the underground city tour which was interesting and fun, and
The best was the Ride the Ducks amphibians trucks, great views of the city and our guide was a riot.

We passed a very modern looking Starbucks by the water and boats can pull up and stop. He said this is the very first Starbucks (remember, it was very modern),..................that you will see on this trip today.
Flight back at 7a.m. tomorrow!</blockquot

Well, I'm happy you were greetd by wonderful weather as you did all of the Seattle Things!

andres3

laurasdada said:

We did the Boston Duck Tour many, many years ago. My mom got to pilot the duck while on the Charles. A lot of fun, funny patter from our driver, "The Sarge."

My HS graduation gift was a lovely Seiko automatic chronometer. I wore it almost daily for the next 16 years, truly took a licking and kept on ticking (and it still is!). I enjoy watches, still have the Seiko as well as a Tag Heuer, IWC and Omega. As well as a couple of "Made for TV" Invictas. The Omega is my current daily driver, the IWC a bit fancier, the Tag needs a tune up. I'm considering a Tudor Fast Rider as a gift to myself because if I'm not good to me, who else will be?!

Son is home from freshman year, staying with me for a bit along with the '02 Lexus RX300. Just put a couple of new Yoko Ono's on it, added a quart of oil (it's burning it, keep reminding boy to check the oil regularly). I used to take very good care of it (was the ex's DD for 10 years, the last 6 it's been our kids wheels), but since we split, it's become somewhat neglected. Still comfy and roomy, the engine sounds good and starts right up. Hopefully, with limited driving, it will get son through three more years of college.

Jag still lovely (gave it it's spring coat of polymer, shiny!), but almost 4.5 years old. Now, how long will the XF last!

Hey, you'll love this story @laurasdada

I was driving through the hills from Escondido to Encinitas the other day, and I was at a stop light. I noticed a nice big blue Jag next to me, I beleive I saw a 3.5 Turbo badge on the back? Might have misread it as it was a blur as although I thought I was in a rush driving with a lead foot, he blasted by me and left me in the dust leaving the stop light. He did the same thing at the next light too (these lights are about 1 or 2 miles apart though).

He was really driving that thing.

I extremely rarely get dusted leaving a stoplight.

Disclaimer: I was in my Kia though.

jmonroe

andres3 said:

laurasdada said:

We did the Boston Duck Tour many, many years ago. My mom got to pilot the duck while on the Charles. A lot of fun, funny patter from our driver, "The Sarge."

My HS graduation gift was a lovely Seiko automatic chronometer. I wore it almost daily for the next 16 years, truly took a licking and kept on ticking (and it still is!). I enjoy watches, still have the Seiko as well as a Tag Heuer, IWC and Omega. As well as a couple of "Made for TV" Invictas. The Omega is my current daily driver, the IWC a bit fancier, the Tag needs a tune up. I'm considering a Tudor Fast Rider as a gift to myself because if I'm not good to me, who else will be?!

Son is home from freshman year, staying with me for a bit along with the '02 Lexus RX300. Just put a couple of new Yoko Ono's on it, added a quart of oil (it's burning it, keep reminding boy to check the oil regularly). I used to take very good care of it (was the ex's DD for 10 years, the last 6 it's been our kids wheels), but since we split, it's become somewhat neglected. Still comfy and roomy, the engine sounds good and starts right up. Hopefully, with limited driving, it will get son through three more years of college.

Jag still lovely (gave it it's spring coat of polymer, shiny!), but almost 4.5 years old. Now, how long will the XF last!

Hey, you'll love this story @laurasdada

I was driving through the hills from Escondido to Encinitas the other day, and I was at a stop light. I noticed a nice big blue Jag next to me, I beleive I saw a 3.5 Turbo badge on the back? Might have misread it as it was a blur as although I thought I was in a rush driving with a lead foot, he blasted by me and left me in the dust leaving the stop light. He did the same thing at the next light too (these lights are about 1 or 2 miles apart though).

He was really driving that thing.

I extremely rarely get dusted leaving a stoplight.

Disclaimer: I was in my Kia though.

That was one of your magistrates showing you how tame you are.

jmonroe

xwesx

andres3 said:

5) We've added an Air Conditioning system (and 200 Amp Panel that was necessary for it). We've added dual pane Milgard Windows. We've put on a new roof. We've painted both outside and inside. Next project is flooring.

Did you buy it as a fixer-upper?!

driver100

jmonroe said:

driver100 said:

28firefighter said:

Now that you’re back safely, I’ll simply share this article with you: 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ntsb-finds-probable-cause-of-deadly-seattle-duck-boat-crash/

Wow....scary. A few people here think I am obsessed with safety, apparently not. It looks like they made the changes needed. I am glad I didn't know about.

Taxi ride to airport was a flat rate $40.....I was going to give him $50. WHEN WE ARRIVED HE SAND IT COST $50. I said it says right on the door flat rate $40.....so he backed off. He has had a USA flag and a flag from another country on his instrument panel, which I found questionable. I took his number and phone number of cab company....debating whether to call them.

From what you described, I don't know why you haven't done it already.

jmonroe

I didn't have time to call while at the airport, and I wanted to mull it over. Still thinking about it. Also, about the flag....but, I will reply to the other post that mentions the flag.

driver100

28firefighter said:

The flags are irrelevant.

The overcharging is very much relevant. I rarely use any car services here in the city.

I wasn't comfortable about the flag and here is why.
He said he was from the Congo....I don't think I would mind as much if it was a Congo flag, though I don't think a taxi cab is the place to display a flag from your home country.
BUT,
the flag was not from the Congo....it is from a politically charged area of the world and I don't think a public taxi is the place to make political statements.

28firefighter

Taxis are not public in Seattle. They are privately owned entities that follow local regulations. Most taxi drivers here own/rent their cars from the parent company. Not the same as a Metro Transit Bus.

driver100

Even so, or there is something wrong with the system.
I shouldn't have to be subjected to the drivers political views or statements, while riding in a taxi....I still say it is public transportation.
But, I think I will report him for trying to scam $50 for the ride....I won't mention about the flag thing. Showing his political views and then scamming people isn't a good way to make an impression.

btw...it was a Chrysler van and I hate riding in a mini van...but, it was 4:30 a.m. and that was the car the hotel called.

28firefighter

driver100 said:

Even so, or there is something wrong with the system.
I shouldn't have to be subjected to the drivers political views or statements, while riding in a taxi....I still say it is public transportation.
But, I think I will report him for trying to scam $50 for the ride....I won't mention about the flag thing. Showing his political views and then scamming people isn't a good way to make an impression.

btw...it was a Chrysler van and I hate riding in a mini van...but, it was 4:30 a.m. and that was the car the hotel called.

Uber or Lyft next time.

driver100

About the Duck Ride. I wouldn't have missed that for anything. I have been on one's in Boston and Pittsburg and they were excellent too. Our guide, Phil Dburn if you do have the courage to go on was incredible. He had all these hats he would change into and had suitable music to go with what he was talking about. When we passed the hotel where the Beatles stayed he played I Want to Hold Her Hand. When the Duck came out of the water he played.......guess.....On the Road Again.

When he introduced the driver he said he was valedictorian in the school he attended.
After a pause....he was home schooled.

When a yacht went buy he told us to wave to the rich people.

These vehicles were work horses that went out to ships to bring supplies into the shore. When they are in the water they aren't too far from shore.......you could probably swim. It seems that they addressed a lot of the issues having a driver and guide was one....which is the only way it should be. Lack of seatbelts....well, lots of buses don't have them. The Duck never goes that fast, it only goes in the city. It seems there was an axle problem that has been addressed.

It was nice to see some of those $3 million homes in Lake Union. On Tripadvisor about 85% of the people rate it as excellent.

driver100

28firefighter said:

driver100 said:

Even so, or there is something wrong with the system.
I shouldn't have to be subjected to the drivers political views or statements, while riding in a taxi....I still say it is public transportation.
But, I think I will report him for trying to scam $50 for the ride....I won't mention about the flag thing. Showing his political views and then scamming people isn't a good way to make an impression.

btw...it was a Chrysler van and I hate riding in a mini van...but, it was 4:30 a.m. and that was the car the hotel called.

Uber or Lyft next time.

I was thinking that too....but, probably that would be worse.

explorerx4

@driver100,
You are giving the impression you are very intolerant person.
Maybe he said he was from the Congo because people gave him too much grief.
He could be a good person from a bad country.
Maybe everybody was stiffing him on his tips, so he decided to ask more and let you say 'No'.

andres3

xwesx said:

andres3 said:

5) We've added an Air Conditioning system (and 200 Amp Panel that was necessary for it). We've added dual pane Milgard Windows. We've put on a new roof. We've painted both outside and inside. Next project is flooring.

Did you buy it as a fixer-upper?!

That wasn't the original plan, but that's how it turned out. We did get it for almost 10% less than other homes we were looking at.

With my contracting background and contacts, it actually probably paid off this time around. If you hire good people for the right price, you get good value.

Hire the wrong people (at any price), like my AC guy, and you don't get great value. My roofer and painter were great.

abacomike

explorerx4 said:

@driver100, You are giving the impression you are very intolerant person. Maybe he said he was from the Congo because people gave him too much grief. He could be a good person from a bad country. Maybe everybody was stiffing him on his tips, so he decided to ask more and let you say 'No'.

And when did this epiphany about driver100 being an intolerant person first hit you, explorer?  Certainly not at 6:40 PM this evening - c’mon explorer - be honest - this can’t have just dawned on you this evening - there must have been other clues about driver’s intolerance - spill the beans explorer!  

abacomike

Got back home about 3:00 PM this afternoon - 7 hours of driving through unbelievable downpours and surface flooding.  The worst was on the Turnpike in North Palm Beach County where I had to pull over for 35 minutes because I could not see where I was going.  3” of rain here this afternoon and more is on the way.  And rainy season hasn’t officially started yet.  But good to be home.

driver100

explorerx4 said:

@driver100,
You are giving the impression you are very intolerant person.
Maybe he said he was from the Congo because people gave him too much grief.
He could be a good person from a bad country.
Maybe everybody was stiffing him on his tips, so he decided to ask more and let you say 'No'.

I am an extremely tolerant person...that is why I would not foist my values or values on others, especially if i am working with the public, which I have done for most of my life.
If the flag was representative of HIS country, it wouldn't be a big issue, though I think it is wrong - if he came to the US to live that should be his #1 country, and he can keep his own beliefs to himself, or display a much smaller flag.
The flag was from a part of the world where I don't need to know his editorial beliefs.
If everyone is stiffing him on his tips, maybe he should keep his political beliefs to himself - I considered not giving him a tip because of the flag....but, being the nice tolerant person I am I was ready to give him a 20% tip.

driver100

abacomike said:

explorerx4 said:

@driver100,
You are giving the impression you are very intolerant person.
Maybe he said he was from the Congo because people gave him too much grief.
He could be a good person from a bad country.
Maybe everybody was stiffing him on his tips, so he decided to ask more and let you say 'No'.

And when did this epiphany about driver100 being an intolerant person first hit you, explorer?  Certainly not at 6:40 PM this evening - c’mon explorer - be honest - this can’t have just dawned on you this evening - there must have been other clues about driver’s intolerance - spill the beans explorer!

 

I am the most tolerant person in the world....except when someone crosses me :@
Like I said....I always seek and usually get revenge when I want it.

oldfarmer50

28firefighter said:

The flags are irrelevant.

The overcharging is very much relevant. I rarely use any car services here in the city.

Why not use Uber or Lyft? My son could pick you up although there might be a slight upcharge for the 3000 mile pick up travel.

28firefighter

This topic is headed nowhere good. I still firmly believe the flag is irrelevant.

But, I'll leave one final thought for you, @driver100. What if he was borrowing/was assigned a cab from someone else who was from the country whose flag you saw? It is completely plausible.

abacomike

driver100 said:

@driver100, You are giving the impression you are very intolerant person. Maybe he said he was from the Congo because people gave him too much grief. He could be a good person from a bad country. Maybe everybody was stiffing him on his tips, so he decided to ask more and let you say 'No'.

I am an extremely tolerant person...that is why I would not foist my values or values on others, especially if i am working with the public, which I have done for most of my life. If the flag was representative of HIS country, it wouldn't be a big issue, though I think it is wrong - if he came to the US to live that should be his #1 country, and he can keep his own beliefs to himself, or display a much smaller flag. The flag was from a part of the world where I don't need to know his editorial beliefs. If everyone is stiffing him on his tips, maybe he should keep his political beliefs to himself - I considered not giving him a tip because of the flag....but, being the nice tolerant person I am I was ready to give him a 20% tip.

Driver, if I got into a cab and saw a big flag inside, I wouldn’t say a word.  Taxi drivers are a strange group of people - but they are exposed to the full gamut of our American Society - do I would just button my lip and tip him big time!!!

berri

I would just button my lip and tip him big time!!!

Why?