Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

oldfarmer50

Drivingfool said:

OF, how many days a week are you working? Just curious as I'm thinking of possibly leaving Hertz and giving Enterprise a try. Seems like you do mostly long distance driving which I miss. We usually stay in the Ft. Lauderdale/Miami area with a few trips to Stuart/West Palm during the busy times. Hate driving in Miami, absolutely hate it! When I interviewed, was told Enterprise has a team for each county...Miami/Dade, Broward and Palm Beach, and one usually never leaves their county. They offered 25 hours/week but with my almost 30 at Hertz, was just too many. Now, am curious about a possible switch.
Do miss the driving over the state here but both of my original companies were really awful to work for as time went on and a lack of a schedule made me leave for Hertz. But again, not sure how much longer I intend to work as I'm hurting more and more as time goes on. But was curious if you're still at the 25 hours that they offered me?
Thanks and stay safe out there. Most folks don't realize that our job is a very dangerous one and we have to be super defensive because most other folks sure ain't!!!

The Sandman/Driving Fool

I work two days a week about 10-12 hours a day. I average about 23 hours a week.

Yes I do get a lot of long trips because I come to work at 5:30 am. If you come in later you tend to get local work, or so I’m told. I’d check with your local office to be sure of how things work down there.

My friend works nights at Hertz and it’s almost all shuttle work out of the airport to the cleaning facility. Very boring. The daytime Hertz crew does longer runs but not as far as we do.

Your best bet would be to talk directly with some Enterprise transporters in your area to see how they do things. Find out under what circumstances you’ll get the long trips.

I share your loathing of big city work. You should hear all the moaning and groaning whenever we go anywhere near New York City. Our favorite is anywhere in Vermont or where there are good delis for lunch.

oldfarmer50

“Alright, if you guys want me to quit posting about these cars, I certainly will. Just tell me.”

Yes, we’re tired of hearing about fantasy cars. We want more reviews of appliances and audio equipment.

One question. How could they find the Genesis first and the Stinger last if they are the same car?

oldfarmer50

tjc78 said:

Re: mattresses 

I feel like it’s a huge racket.   You can’t cross shop because all stores carry different variations of the same brands... then they all have “house” brands.   

Last year we just gave up, decided on Mattress Firm’s top of the line house brand.   You can deal with them a little and she brought the price down under 2k for king.    It’s like sleeping on a cloud and should be.   One similar in a name brand was 1,000 more at any store.  

Did we overpay?  Who knows.  We love it and it’s done now. 

We bought our last mattress cheap at Sam’s Club. We fall asleep on it so I guess it works. What else do you need?

Drivingfool

Bought a floor model at Mattress Firm 2 doors down from Hertz. It's an iSerta memory foam queen and love it. Wanted a Temperpedic unit but got a great deal on a very similar unit. Threw in a 2 year warranty and a nice mattress cover, asked for a pillow or two but they didn't care to do that. Still, got a great 2 piece queen unit memory foam and we love it. Must lie down on any unit I'd want to buy first, like to touch what I buy so I know first hand what I'm getting. And a correct bed is something super important to me with my spinal issues.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

“

"Quote">One question. How could they find the Genesis first and the Stinger last if they are the same car?

The genesis was 1st because they liked the exterior design, the interior, and the general nicer more classic look. I believe they chose the Stinger for 2nd place because of the value, more powerful engine, generally good handling, nicer interior and lower price than the bmw 340. The 340 was 3rd place, older design, not a very exciting interior, they didn't like the red seats in the BMW but that shouldn't be an issue....and the BMW was close to $60k, the others were around $52K.
What they don't tell you is what each will be worth in 3 or 4 years.

graphicguy

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

“

"Quote">One question. How could they find the Genesis first and the Stinger last if they are the same car?

The genesis was 1st because they liked the exterior design, the interior, and the general nicer more classic look. I believe they chose the Stinger for 2nd place because of the value, more powerful engine, generally good handling, nicer interior and lower price than the bmw 340. The 340 was 3rd place, older design, not a very exciting interior, they didn't like the red seats in the BMW but that shouldn't be an issue....and the BMW was close to $60k, the others were around $52K.
What they don't tell you is what each will be worth in 3 or 4 years.



Good point. My bet is the BMW’s resale will far eclipse both the Stinger and the Genesis. I like to say that matters to me. Not sure it does if I get a hankering for one particular model.

driver100

Mattresses: We went to a mattress store........we were checking out Temperpedic with memory foam.
I wanted to lie down on one to try it out.
I told the saleslady I better take my keys out of my pocket....have a fairly bulky MB key.
She said, don't take your key out, lie on them.
I did, and couldn't feel the keys...they sunk into the memory foam.
I wouldn't get anything else for home.
For the Florida ranch.....got a foam mattress from IKEA.......it is pretty good too!

andres3

oldfarmer50 said:

andres3 said:

Traffic Court Update:

Good lawyer batted a thousand, going 3 for 3 at getting positive results in my "Speeding ticket, failure to appear, failure to pay, license suspension, change of venue to County Seat, Case Dismissed" court saga.

I didn't get the paperwork yet, but got the phone call that at trial at the County Seat, the case got dismissed, so we can only assume with about 99.5% certainty that it was dismissed for lack of prosecution since I had said all along the case was won already when the Sheriff from Santee granted the County Seat at the time of writing the ticket. No way a Santee Sheriff goes out of their way to Kearny Mesa for a ticket they know they shouldn't have written in the first place.

It's a shame I had a to hire a lawyer to have a trial in the County Seat, but the net result was the same, the Court got $0.00 from me. In fact, I can only assume that they wasted postage on maybe 4 or 5 extra notifications, in addition to taking up maybe 5-10 minutes of the Court's time all together (95% of which was probably during the motion for change of venue).

Next up, the cheap "mr. ticket" lawyer and what he does to the "sign violation" citation case.

All those court people are lawyers, the only difference is which one of them you pay.

I pay the ones that earn it. Avoid at all costs paying the thieves.

graphicguy

Went to Macy’s and another larger furniture retailer locally to look at mattresses tonight. What a snake pit. Like the online sellers, there’s so much hyperbole (OK...let’s call it what it is.....BS) that it’s hard to seperate the truth from the slight of hand. A quick “lay down” test won’t tell you much in a store.

Online review sites aren’t much better. They obviously are shilling for online companies just as much as brick and mortar stores are for the established brands. Macy’s had $6k mattresses. Where they comfy? Of course! They better be. I ain’t paying what amounts to the dollar amount for a running/driving used car for a mattress, however.

The Sleep Number store sold mattresses even more expensive than that. Can’t say those would make me sleep better either (probably worse, knowing how much I paid for what’s essentially an air mattress).

Looked at 3 different online mattress reviews. Good luck finding any consensus with them.

So, seems like the ones that ship in a box and need to expand after unpacking are made overseas. Not sure if that means anything. But, there are online companies who are local (U.S. sourced). Those mostly are delivered as made of better materials, and unable to be shipped in a roll/box.

Saatva brands look interesting.

But, DANG....what an eye opening experience. I’ll never complain about car dealership experiences again when compared to the mattress industry.

fintail

I bought my most expensive mattress ever from Mattress Firm earlier this year. It does have kind of a used car dealer feeling, but there was a little wiggle room, and the service was good - I chose them because they are close and had decent reviews. I had no issues other than that the mattress cost as much as I paid for the fintail, and the total bill was a bit more after I bought a new foundation etc.

suydam

I like to try out a mattress so I’d never get one online. We went to a local store and got a fairly expensive pillow top mattress that we really love. I’m not so sure we would have spent so much if we hadn’t been sleeping on an air bed for a month! But as one poster said, it’s done now, we like it, and it’s very comfortable. I’m not a fan of the memory foam myself but each to his/her own.

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

“

"Quote">One question. How could they find the Genesis first and the Stinger last if they are the same car?

The genesis was 1st because they liked the exterior design, the interior, and the general nicer more classic look. I believe they chose the Stinger for 2nd place because of the value, more powerful engine, generally good handling, nicer interior and lower price than the bmw 340. The 340 was 3rd place, older design, not a very exciting interior, they didn't like the red seats in the BMW but that shouldn't be an issue....and the BMW was close to $60k, the others were around $52K.
What they don't tell you is what each will be worth in 3 or 4 years.



According to the posted article it was G70 first, then BMW with Stinger third. So it was just looks?

sb55

suydam said:

graphicguy said:

abacomike said:

xwesx said:

abacomike said:

I haven’t seen PUG prices this low in quite some time at Costco.  Costco continues to sell TOP TIER gasoline at 40 cents per gallon lower than any other retail gasoline station within 10 miles of where I live.  $2.59.9 a gallon yesterday and this morning $2.55.9.

I pay $60 for the Costco membership per year.  I purchase about 10 gallons per week at a savings of $4.00 per fill-up.  So the savings in gas alone more than pays for the membership.

Speaking of Costco.... the strangest thing. We finally.... FINALLY.... have a Costco here in Fairbanks. However, I stopped at the station last week, and they ONLY sell gasoline! What's up with that?! I suspect that a solid 20% of fuel sold in this town is diesel; every other Costco station I've ever seen has both, but not Fairbanks, where we probably have a higher diesel-per-vehicle ratio than nearly anywhere in the US, and no diesel?

Just sad.

They only sell gasoline at the 3 Costco’s I know about here in south Florida.  Never saw diesel pumped at a Costco and they only sell RUG and PUG, no mid-grade.

Never saw a “gasoline only” Costco. Here in the Midwest, They have the gas stations as part of their stores.....RUG and PUG only!

"Our Costco doesn’t sell gas! Never been able to figure that one out! "

Our Costco is supposed to sell gas. They built pumps 2 years ago and the pumps are still roped off. But up here in Northern Vermont there's a price fixing oil cartel, and they keep suing and appealing every decision that the court hands out in favor of Costco. It's very frustrating, as gas south of the Burlington area is cheaper by about $.20/gallon. I hear that prices are dropping nicely around the country, but not here! The price fixers are seeing to that. RUG is still around $2.79 and PUG is around $3.39.

[Deleted User]

graphicguy said:

So, seems like the ones that ship in a box and need to expand after unpacking are made overseas. Not sure if that means anything. But, there are online companies who are local (U.S. sourced). Those mostly are delivered as made of better materials, and unable to be shipped in a roll/box.

Saatva brands look interesting.

But, DANG....what an eye opening experience. I’ll never complain about car dealership experiences again when compared to the mattress industry.

Sounds miserable. Before the Purple, we purchased our last few mattresses through Costco so we avoided all those experiences and I didn’t realize what a weird sales process it is to buy one.

Just to clarify, the Purple is made in Utah.

snakeweasel

oldfarmer50 said:

tjc78 said:

Re: mattresses 

I feel like it’s a huge racket.   You can’t cross shop because all stores carry different variations of the same brands... then they all have “house” brands.   

Last year we just gave up, decided on Mattress Firm’s top of the line house brand.   You can deal with them a little and she brought the price down under 2k for king.    It’s like sleeping on a cloud and should be.   One similar in a name brand was 1,000 more at any store.  

Did we overpay?  Who knows.  We love it and it’s done now. 

We bought our last mattress cheap at Sam’s Club. We fall asleep on it so I guess it works. What else do you need?

We bought our mattress at a discount wearhouse place that's now gone. This was when we had the Hyundai Elantra station wagon so it was at least a dozen years ago and it has held up great. I was able to fit the two box springs in the back and strap the king sized mattress to the top for my 3 mile or so ride home. We sure could pack a lot into that small wagon.

The last mattress we bought was a par of twins for the spare bedrooms, we went to a discount place that had a sale. We went to get the big discounted ones, you know the bait in the bait and switch. The salesman then tried to upsell us but we told them they were for the spare rooms and might get used a few days a year so he stopped the upsell and we got the cheap ones. While I wouldn't want to use one nightly they really aren't bad for a few nights.

imidazol97

Mattresses. ? Compare similar ones with different names and different covers.?

Compare the pattern of the stitching of the mattress. That stays the same despite the changes in the appearance distractors. This was told to me by a store manager.

I'd suggest a cellphone photo.

snakeweasel

andres3 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

andres3 said:

Traffic Court Update:

Good lawyer batted a thousand, going 3 for 3 at getting positive results in my "Speeding ticket, failure to appear, failure to pay, license suspension, change of venue to County Seat, Case Dismissed" court saga.

I didn't get the paperwork yet, but got the phone call that at trial at the County Seat, the case got dismissed, so we can only assume with about 99.5% certainty that it was dismissed for lack of prosecution since I had said all along the case was won already when the Sheriff from Santee granted the County Seat at the time of writing the ticket. No way a Santee Sheriff goes out of their way to Kearny Mesa for a ticket they know they shouldn't have written in the first place.

It's a shame I had a to hire a lawyer to have a trial in the County Seat, but the net result was the same, the Court got $0.00 from me. In fact, I can only assume that they wasted postage on maybe 4 or 5 extra notifications, in addition to taking up maybe 5-10 minutes of the Court's time all together (95% of which was probably during the motion for change of venue).

Next up, the cheap "mr. ticket" lawyer and what he does to the "sign violation" citation case.

All those court people are lawyers, the only difference is which one of them you pay.

I pay the ones that earn it. Avoid at all costs paying the thieves.

Or, hear me out on this, you can avoid paying anyone by slowing down.

ab348

tjc78 said:

Re: mattresses 

I feel like it’s a huge racket.   You can’t cross shop because all stores carry different variations of the same brands... then they all have “house” brands.   

The mattress industry rivals SiriusXM as having a really crappy business model.

I have had back problems for years, mostly arthritis apparently. They have become more prominent in the last 10-15 years as I have gotten older. So I have been on the mattress train, having bought 5 sets in that time. None of them have been stellar despite none of them being cheap.

I have been burned a few times by buying something that felt great in the store that failed to hold up. The first two I got were Sears-O-Pedic, their house brand made by Simmons Beautyrest. I had always had firm mattresses but was talked into a plush model by the saleslady the first time because it felt great in the store, and that was when my back problems really began to emerge. It was too soft and didn't support me especially in the center section of the mattress. It went back after some back and forth that ended when I wrote to the CEO of Sears Canada in 2004. It was replaced with a very firm model that I still have in the spare bedroom now and which was probably the best of the whole bunch in retrospect.

Around 5 years ago I decided it was probably in need of replacement so I bought a Sealy set, also firm, from The Bay. It was great for about 6 months and then developed the same center sag issue. I went back to the store and the saleslady that time told me, "Yeah, they all do that so Sealy came out with one that's improved and doesn't do it". Just what you want to hear. But no consideration for those stuck with the bad ones. I toughed it out for a year before deciding it was junk and needed to go. This time I spent a lot of time in stores trying different ones after telling the salesguy I needed a firm mattress with back support. It came down to an iSerta hybrid or a Tempurpedic which was almost twice as much. In the store they felt almost the same but the Tempurpedic seemed nicer so I bought into the whole memory foam thing. Huge mistake.

The Tempurpedic felt firm and supportive in the store but what I didn't know was that the warmth from your body over the hours causes it to soften and conform. After a few months I could barely get out of bed in the morning as I was sunk way into the thing when I woke up, and usually awakened due to my back hurting. I then discovered that the model the guy sold me was in fact one of their softest models - he either didn't know what he was talking about or wanted to move some of them. Again, that store didn't want to do anything even though it was on them as far as I was concerned. Once again I went the whole @graphicguy route and went up the ladder demanding they take it back since they sold me something I told them I did not want. Finally they did. This last time I got the one I have now, which is a Marshall mattress, made in Toronto, and which is a company that makes stuff that can go way, way up there in price - they have "bespoke" mattresses that can cost $20K believe it or not. Mine was a little over $2K and so far it is just OK but I'm still not thrilled with it. It does, though, not seem to be prone to the dreaded center sag.

Even after the horrible Tempurpedic experience I am still sometimes tempted to buy one of the newer memory foam ones that come in firm or extra firm styles to see if they might help my back, but I have a hard time buying something like that for $1K that I know probably costs 1/10th of that to manufacture.

Sorry for the @jmonroe -sized post.

henryn

I like memory foam because it lasts. Being on the bigger heavier side, mattresses do not tend to hold up well, even expensive ones. But I have found no noticeable degradation in my 7 year old memory foam mattress, it seems every bit as good today as the day I bought it.

I had back problems when I was younger, which have gotten a lot better now. Exactly the opposite of most physical ailments which only get worse with age. For several years I slept on a very thin mattress, with the mattress sitting directly on a piece of plywood. That did not make for a comfortable bed, but it did my back a world of good.

driver100

graphicguy said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

“

"Quote">One question. How could they find the Genesis first and the Stinger last if they are the same car?

The genesis was 1st because they liked the exterior design, the interior, and the general nicer more classic look. I believe they chose the Stinger for 2nd place because of the value, more powerful engine, generally good handling, nicer interior and lower price than the bmw 340. The 340 was 3rd place, older design, not a very exciting interior, they didn't like the red seats in the BMW but that shouldn't be an issue....and the BMW was close to $60k, the others were around $52K.
What they don't tell you is what each will be worth in 3 or 4 years.

Good point. My bet is the BMW’s resale will far eclipse both the Stinger and the Genesis. I like to say that matters to me. Not sure it does if I get a hankering for one particular model.

Even more important,,,,,,,sometimes you buy it but after awhile you don't like it as much as you thought, and by then others feel the same way, and if you try to switch back to a brand you do like, they don't want to give you much for your trade-in.

driver100

oldfarmer50"
According to the posted article it was G70 first, then BMW with Stinger third. So it was just looks?

Check again OF. They definitely had the Genesis G70 in 1st place. I don't think they really picked a clear cut 2nd and 3rd, but, I got the impression the Genesis edged out the Stinger based on looks, interior, refinement, classiness, and it was the BMW that was left in 3rd based on they didn't think it was worth $8000 more.

ARTICLE AGAIN G70 VS Stinger VS BMW 340i

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50"
According to the posted article it was G70 first, then BMW with Stinger third. So it was just looks?

Check again OF. They definitely had the Genesis G70 in 1st place. I don't think they really picked a clear cut 2nd and 3rd, but, I got the impression the Genesis edged out the Stinger based on looks, interior, refinement, classiness, and it was the BMW that was left in 3rd based on they didn't think it was worth $8000 more.

ARTICLE AGAIN G70 VS Stinger VS BMW 340i

I don’t want to argue with you about it but the article definitely has the BMW second and the Stinger third. Maybe in the text they were ambiguous but the header said Stinger “Third Place”. From the article header: Third Place: Kia Stinger GT


Third Place: Kia Stinger GT
It may be a last-place finish for the Kia Stinger, but that’s only in relation to these three cars.



Am I missing something?

For what it’s worth, I like the G70s looks too.

tifighter

With some of the deals and offers that @graphicguy was seeing for the Stinger, I'd hardly call it a loser...

abacomike

Just got my Social Security letter indicating that I will receive a $42.00 a month increase in my benefit after the 1st of the year. That is the first halfway decent increase I've received from the SSA in several years. Last year I got $4.00 because most of the increase went to the raise in Medicare payments. The year before, there was no increase.

So I am going to spend the next several days deciding how I am going to spend this $42.00 windfall I am expecting next month. I could buy a decent bottle of single malt Scotch; I could go to a small mom and pop Italian restaurant and have dinner with a glass of cheap house wine and leave a measly 15% tip; I could order in a nice Chinese food dinner with all the fixings and still have a few bucks left over for a 6 pack of my favorite beer - oops, can't forget about the tip!; And I can do these things every month next year - wow! I'm rich!

abacomike

It is obvious that the Korean luxury entry to the U.S. - the Genesis - is going to make its mark on the American car purchasers this coming year. For about 25% less investment of one's hard earned money when compared to the German luxury cars, you can get yourself a G80 model of your choice. I test drove a G80 sport several months ago and found it to be an enticing vehicle for the money. The ride/handling is a bit lower in terms of my expectations of a luxury vehicle, but the interior and ergonomics are impressive. Engine is quite powerful (V6 Turbo) and responsive. Leasing is the way to go, I believe, to avoid the big hit in depreciation the Genesis undergoes at the end of 3 years. That G70 is a sharp looking vehicle, as well.

Genesis has come a long way from its debut in the early 2000's - they are making up for lost time, that's for sure.

snakeweasel

abacomike said:

Just got my Social Security letter indicating that I will receive a $42.00 a month increase in my benefit after the 1st of the year. That is the first halfway decent increase I've received from the SSA in several years. Last year I got $4.00 because most of the increase went to the raise in Medicare payments. The year before, there was no increase. So I am going to spend the next several days deciding how I am going to spend this $42.00 windfall I am expecting next month. I could buy a decent bottle of single malt Scotch; I could go to a small mom and pop Italian restaurant and have dinner with a glass of cheap house wine and leave a measly 15% tip; I could order in a nice Chinese food dinner with all the fixings and still have a few bucks left over for a 6 pack of my favorite beer - oops, can't forget about the tip!; And I can do these things every month next year - wow! I'm rich!

Well at least you got something, in the last 24 months all I got was a 10 cent an hour longevity increase. That's $17.33 a month before taxes. 

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50"
According to the posted article it was G70 first, then BMW with Stinger third. So it was just looks?

Check again OF. They definitely had the Genesis G70 in 1st place. I don't think they really picked a clear cut 2nd and 3rd, but, I got the impression the Genesis edged out the Stinger based on looks, interior, refinement, classiness, and it was the BMW that was left in 3rd based on they didn't think it was worth $8000 more.

ARTICLE AGAIN G70 VS Stinger VS BMW 340i

I don’t want to argue with you about it but the article definitely has the BMW second and the Stinger third. Maybe in the text they were ambiguous but the header said Stinger “Third Place”. From the article header: Third Place: Kia Stinger GT


Third Place: Kia Stinger GT
It may be a last-place finish for the Kia Stinger, but that’s only in relation to these three cars.



Am I missing something?

For what it’s worth, I like the G70s looks too.

You are very polite not to argue oldfarmer, are you partly Canadian? You are right, they had a headline for each car with its placement, I reviewed the summary which was definitely ambiguous. Based on looks, I would choose the G70 too. The Stinger is attractive, but, I don't know if that design will hold up over time.

Mr_Shiftright

abacomike said:

It is obvious that the Korean luxury entry to the U.S. - the Genesis - is going to make its mark on the American car purchasers this coming year. For about 25% less investment of one's hard earned money when compared to the German luxury cars, you can get yourself a G80 model of your choice. I test drove a G80 sport several months ago and found it to be an enticing vehicle for the money. The ride/handling is a bit lower in terms of my expectations of a luxury vehicle, but the interior and ergonomics are impressive. Engine is quite powerful (V6 Turbo) and responsive. Leasing is the way to go, I believe, to avoid the big hit in depreciation the Genesis undergoes at the end of 3 years. That G70 is a sharp looking vehicle, as well.

Genesis has come a long way from its debut in the early 2000's - they are making up for lost time, that's for sure.

I'd suggest a 90-year loan on a new Mercedes, Mike.

dino001

abacomike said:

Just got my Social Security letter indicating that I will receive a $42.00 a month increase in my benefit after the 1st of the year. That is the first halfway decent increase I've received from the SSA in several years. Last year I got $4.00 because most of the increase went to the raise in Medicare payments. The year before, there was no increase.

So I am going to spend the next several days deciding how I am going to spend this $42.00 windfall I am expecting next month. I could buy a decent bottle of single malt Scotch; I could go to a small mom and pop Italian restaurant and have dinner with a glass of cheap house wine and leave a measly 15% tip; I could order in a nice Chinese food dinner with all the fixings and still have a few bucks left over for a 6 pack of my favorite beer - oops, can't forget about the tip!; And I can do these things every month next year - wow! I'm rich!

You definitely need a new car, Mike

dino001

90x12x$42 = $45,360. Even interest free, would only pay for CLA.

ab348

abacomike said:

It is obvious that the Korean luxury entry to the U.S. - the Genesis - is going to make its mark on the American car purchasers this coming year.

Well, time will tell. They pretty much flopped in their first go-round and now are struggling with decisions re. what they want in a dealer network. They are pretty much trying to copy what Toyota did 25 years ago with Lexus. But do they have Toyota quality of materials, production and most importantly engineering and design? I think it will be a real test.

Mr_Shiftright

dino001 said:

90x12x$42 = $45,360. Even interest free, would only pay for CLA.

Well yes, but I was trying to be financially responsible on his behalf.

oldfarmer50

tifighter said:

With some of the deals and offers that @graphicguy was seeing for the Stinger, I'd hardly call it a loser...

$39k on a $52k sticker would have me running to the dealer.

oldfarmer50

snakeweasel said:

abacomike said:

Just got my Social Security letter indicating that I will receive a $42.00 a month increase in my benefit after the 1st of the year. That is the first halfway decent increase I've received from the SSA in several years. Last year I got $4.00 because most of the increase went to the raise in Medicare payments. The year before, there was no increase.

So I am going to spend the next several days deciding how I am going to spend this $42.00 windfall I am expecting next month. I could buy a decent bottle of single malt Scotch; I could go to a small mom and pop Italian restaurant and have dinner with a glass of cheap house wine and leave a measly 15% tip; I could order in a nice Chinese food dinner with all the fixings and still have a few bucks left over for a 6 pack of my favorite beer - oops, can't forget about the tip!; And I can do these things every month next year - wow! I'm rich!

Well at least you got something, in the last 24 months all I got was a 10 cent an hour longevity increase. That's $17.33 a month before taxes. 

I’m getting a 70 cent an hour raise in January courtesy of the vote buying politicians. It remains to be seen if that will price me out of the market and result in the company giving me a 100% pay cut.

pensfan83

While we're still on the G70 another message board I post on has a few dyed in the wool BMW fans that are genuinely upset at all the good press the G70 is receiving. They are already making defensive claims the G20 M340i will lay waste to the G70 and other unfounded generalizations. It's made for an amusing last few weeks if nothing else.

xwesx

sb55 said:

Our Costco is supposed to sell gas. They built pumps 2 years ago and the pumps are still roped off. But up here in Northern Vermont there's a price fixing oil cartel, and they keep suing and appealing every decision that the court hands out in favor of Costco. It's very frustrating, as gas south of the Burlington area is cheaper by about $.20/gallon. I hear that prices are dropping nicely around the country, but not here! The price fixers are seeing to that. RUG is still around $2.79 and PUG is around $3.39.

Boo! Sounds a lot like Fairbanks, except you still get cheaper fuel (RUG ~$3.40 currently. Not sure on PUG , but likely $0.30 higher).

xwesx

Mattresses now, is it?

I don't have one. We used a bedroll on the floor for the last eighteen years or so, and "upgraded" to some organic wool thing that my wife wanted about a year and a half ago. It's a "topper", so our roll is now about 3" thick or so.

This is certainly simpler for our constantly-under-construction environment, as we can simply roll it up and out of the way when needed, and real mattresses tend to cause me lower back pain. On the floor, I just have a few pillows that prop various areas to my liking; I sleep just fine and wake pain-free.

henryn

I received a 10% raise back in mid-October. First raise in 3 years, so probably puts me about even with inflation.

I will turn 68 later this month, and I don't plan to start taking Social Security until I turn 70 and max out the payments. Of course, that's just a plan, subject to revision. With the current politically current corporate environment, I may not make it another 24 months at work. I have a great inclination to tell bumbling incompetents that they are ...

oldfarmer50

Remember these?

https://youtu.be/XW8iAVwt_Yc

imidazol97

Re: testing mattresses for short time in showroom.

I think mattresses are like car seats. They may feel great when first settling down into them, but it really takes a drive of several hours to find out that one of them causes back pain.

Do mattress sellers offer 30-day return for another version or even refunds within 30 days?
My tire dealer does that for tires. I think they still have the 30-day guarantee...)

fintail

I think Mattress Firm has a 90 or 180 day exchange policy. When I got mine, I hated it the first few nights - it seemed too firm, and I was dreading having to exchange it. However, I am now quite fond of it, and find it to feel quite plush (it is a normal/gel hybrid). No regrets now.

The real impulse splurge was the foundation/base. A friend of mine had recently bought a very expensive (I think he has maybe 7-8K into the setup) adjustable bed, and I first thought it was dorky, but I thought about it more, and thought I'd look at some, but lesser models. I bought a Leggett & Platt adjustable base, and it is pretty cool - bluetooth enabled with an app as well as remote, light underneath, USB ports, many adjustments, and a vibrating/massage function. It still seems almost ashamedly extravagant compared to what I have had for my entire life up to that bed, but it is also enjoyable, and it wasn't really more expensive than many furniture style bed frames.

oldfarmer50

xwesx said:

Mattresses now, is it?

I don't have one. We used a bedroll on the floor for the last eighteen years or so, and "upgraded" to some organic wool thing that my wife wanted about a year and a half ago. It's a "topper", so our roll is now about 3" thick or so.

This is certainly simpler for our constantly-under-construction environment, as we can simply roll it up and out of the way when needed, and real mattresses tend to cause me lower back pain. On the floor, I just have a few pillows that prop various areas to my liking; I sleep just fine and wake pain-free.

Didn’t I see you in an episode of ‘Life Below Zero’?

abacomike

Mr_Shiftright said:

dino001 said:

90x12x$42 = $45,360. Even interest free, would only pay for CLA.

Well yes, but I was trying to be financially responsible on his behalf.

Shifty, that was so kind and benevolent of you to advise me as to what is best for me and my car-buying activities. I consider you to be a true "maven" when it comes to what's best for people when it comes to automobiles. As for the 90 year loan - if I could find a bank or anyone who would be willing to loan me $105,000 over a 90 year repayment plan at "0" % interest, I'm game. But until that materializes, I will continue to enjoy - no "love" - my 2018 Mercedes Benz S450. I get excited every morning when I am about to leave home and get behind the wheel of the Mercedes Benz flagship sedan with everything in it but a kitchen sink, a toilet, and the means by which I could cook my own meals. Everything else I need is right there at my fingertips and my right foot. Also remember that at my age, getting excited about anything is very difficult!

Feel free to fly down here and I'll demonstrate everything it has. I love this car! And no more cars for at least 2 more years - I promise!

suydam

Hmm. I think you said that about your last car — one day before you traded it.

[Deleted User]

abacomike said:

I get excited every morning when I am about to leave home and get behind the wheel of the Mercedes Benz flagship sedan with everything in it but a kitchen sink, a toilet, and the means by which I could cook my own meals. Everything else I need is right there at my fingertips and my right foot. Also remember that at my age, getting excited about anything is very difficult!

Feel free to fly down here and I'll demonstrate everything it has. I love this car! And no more cars for at least 2 more years - I promise!

Nice. I'm glad you found something that makes you happy and excited to drive. What's your favorite thing that makes it unique?

abacomike

tyguy said:

I get excited every morning when I am about to leave home and get behind the wheel of the Mercedes Benz flagship sedan with everything in it but a kitchen sink, a toilet, and the means by which I could cook my own meals. Everything else I need is right there at my fingertips and my right foot. Also remember that at my age, getting excited about anything is very difficult! Feel free to fly down here and I'll demonstrate everything it has. I love this car! And no more cars for at least 2 more years - I promise!

Nice. I'm glad you found something that makes you happy and excited to drive. What's your favorite thing that makes it unique?

The 6 variations of massage for the driver’s and passenger’s seats.  Exhilarating!

imidazol97

suydam said:

Hmm. I think you said that about your last car — one day before you traded it.

X2

ab348

I had an @abacomike sort of day today.

My new TV was scheduled to arrive today according to the tracking provided by Amazon. The shipper was Purolator. I had been tracking it for the last week or so ever since it left the warehouse in British Columbia, on the other side of the country. I was pleased to see when I checked it early this morning that it had arrived at Purolator's local depot at 1:42 this morning and was placed on a local truck for delivery at 8:14.

Since I was up bright and early I did my morning routine fairly quickly and was waiting for a knock on the door. At around 9:30 came the knock. But it was instead the home care worker for my elderly 94 y-o neighbor, who waved from their car at the curb, holding a package of a couple of small items that was in that same order but shipped via Canada Post separately. They had delivered it to her by mistake and left it on her back deck in the snow. I checked the address on the package and it was correct, so the postie screwed up. Hmmm. No harm done, it was nice of them to stop by on their way to buy groceries.

The morning passed and no knock. At lunchtime though, another knock, and it was the same home care lady, this time holding a delivery attempted slip from Purolator. They had gone to her house as well, while they were out shopping. Unreal. Since there was still plenty of time left in the work day, I tried to reach the local Purolator office to arrange a retry. Discovered that you cannot talk to anyone there as their phone number is a closely guarded secret. You can only use the national 1-800 number. This time of year you get a recording saying they are so busy you will be on hold a long time and might want to try to reach them by other methods. I reach out online and explain it was their mistake, they went to the wrong house, I was here all day and it seemed reasonable that it would still be on the truck and could be delivered today. Got a "we'll see what we can do" response with no promises, and of course I waited until 5PM for a delivery that did not come. It is now supposed to be here Monday. Blew the whole day, could not go out, could not take care of some business I wanted to do. Now we start again Monday.

Needless to say I would not recommend Purolator for any sort of freight services.

benjaminh

Anyone else around here watch old TV shows sometimes? I watch a mix of old and new shows, and a few years ago I got into watching Mannix, which is a private detective show set in LA that ran from 1967 to 1975. There are many things that are fun about the show even beyond the stories, including the period cars, the architecture and interiors of the era, as well as the manners and morals of another time (both for good and bad). As I was getting into the show I suggested to my son, who was then about 18, that I wished I could somehow learn
a little about video editing. My son tends to be more can-do than I am, and said, more or less, "Sure Dad. I'm sure you can do it if I help you." And the little project he helped me with was a 2-minute trailer that I made for an episode of Mannix first broadcast in 1968, featuring the great theme music by Lalo Schifrin. And so, for your possible amusement, here's that 2-minute trailer I made about 3 years ago...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcVyf75htto

xwesx

ab348 said:

I had an @abacomike sort of day today. Blew the whole day, could not go out, could not take care of some business I wanted to do. Now we start again Monday.

Needless to say I would not recommend Purolator for any sort of freight services.

Okay, but where's the part where the little old lady beats you over the head? I was looking for a climax to that story that never came!

Didn't only blow the day, but the whole weekend as well over a silly mistake.