Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

Mr_Shiftright

houdini2 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

isellhondas said:

snakeweasel said:

fintail said:

People in FL get what they pay for, maybe like that part of the country in general. Low taxes, low amenities, other issues. I like in an area invaded by transplants, and I know nobody who moved to FL and didn't come running back.

stickguy said:

nice house. and cheap per Zillow. I can see why people move to FLorida if can get that house for that price, and negligible property taxes (and cheap state taxes). I just know that my wife would never live there year round.

Strange, I know nobody who moved to Florida that didn't stay.

I do! The BUGS and the humidity got to them and they bailed out of Florida!

Wait until the serious flooding starts to get worse. St Petersburg, Tampa, Miami, Miami Beach and Panama City are predicted to be seriously compromised. Zillow advises buyers that 1 in 8 homes in Florida will be underwater by 2100 and NOAA says that Miami streets will flood every year after 2070. Nothing for US to worry about unless you are a baby checking into the Forums.

All this has been predicted before, but was supposed to happen by 2020. OOPS !

Seeing is believing?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7gbjOEsXAg

If nothing else, don't own an EV in those cities.

houdini2

Mr_Shiftright said:

houdini2 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

isellhondas said:

snakeweasel said:

fintail said:

People in FL get what they pay for, maybe like that part of the country in general. Low taxes, low amenities, other issues. I like in an area invaded by transplants, and I know nobody who moved to FL and didn't come running back.

stickguy said:

nice house. and cheap per Zillow. I can see why people move to FLorida if can get that house for that price, and negligible property taxes (and cheap state taxes). I just know that my wife would never live there year round.

Strange, I know nobody who moved to Florida that didn't stay.

I do! The BUGS and the humidity got to them and they bailed out of Florida!

Wait until the serious flooding starts to get worse. St Petersburg, Tampa, Miami, Miami Beach and Panama City are predicted to be seriously compromised. Zillow advises buyers that 1 in 8 homes in Florida will be underwater by 2100 and NOAA says that Miami streets will flood every year after 2070. Nothing for US to worry about unless you are a baby checking into the Forums.

All this has been predicted before, but was supposed to happen by 2020. OOPS !

Seeing is believing?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7gbjOEsXAg

If nothing else, don't own an EV in those cities.

I doubt a little CO2 is the cause of all that. Swamp land to begin with, high tide after rainstorm, underlayment and ground sinking, poor municipal planning, uncontrolled population growth. These are all REAL problems that we maybe could fix, but eliminating cow farts and spending tax dollars on more global warming studies won't help much.

Mr_Shiftright

No point discussing this further. The controversy is political, not scientific.

isellhondas

Gotta listen to Al Gore! Don't forget, it was he who invented the Internet!

Mr_Shiftright

He never said that either, and Tony Curtis never said "Yonda lies da castle of my fodder, da' caliph!"

Which reminds me--can an EV actually plow through water like a ICE car? What happens?

ruking1

Climate warming “religion/religious” tenants! This is not to deny that religious or religion has its place or utility.

A scant 50+ years ago, a Stanford professor predicted a global WINTER, lasting years killing/starving to death billions of the worlds people. China & India, etc. were considered two of many basket cases, not worth saving. No doubt, Chairman Mao Zedong the esteemed communist/democratic socialist huge farming policy mistake contributed to 24 M Chinese starving to death, factored into this Stanford professors treatise. If it did, it was profoundly wrong.

When I lived in Miami, FL the house I bought was 11 feet above sea level. One day, it literally rained 14 inches within 5 to 8 hours. It was obvious (@ the time & not on this board) the rains overwhelmed the drainage systems by 2.5 ft. The rains and the back up to the drainage systems were enough to cause panic in many parts of Miami, Florida.

I’m reminded of the high-priced condominium (leaning tower now) built in San Francisco, CA (in an area that was probably once underwater during the 1849 gold rush, 170 years ago) There are long story shorts. Pilngs need to be sunk to BEDROCK. Then a “table”/bathtub can then be built. So in the case of the San Francisco luxury condominiums, for any number of reasons, the pilings were NOT sunk to bed rock (now leaning) & the table/bathtubs integrities are in extreme question.

No, I’m not saying I don’t see the wetness in the streets due to sea water incursion. One really have to say this has a lot to do with shortsighted planning & engineering.

laurasdada

My parents did the retirement/snowbird thing well; bought a nice condo (builder went bankrupt, dad got a great bargain from the bank!) in Boca across the street from an undeveloped beach in the late '70s. Rented it out to the same couple from NYC every year Jan-March. Town eventually developed the beach (right on the Intracoastal inlet), folks eventually retired to the condo, then bought a bigger one in the same complex. Every June, drove back up to New England and rented a condo in NH or VT, back to FL after Labor Day.
I could do that.

henryn

graphicguy said:

....and lastly.....my sister bought a new ‘69 Corona, which just about put my Father (who was ALL IN on BUY AMERICAN at the time) into cardiac arrest. She kept it 12 years and put 180K miles on it. I bought it from her for $400 and kept it another 18 months and sold it with 200K miles for $250. Just routine maintenance, tires, belts, batteries, fuel....that was about it. Most reliable car she and I had ever known. At the time I sold it, the only thing wrong was some rust on the bottom of the rocker panel and the driver’s seat had a 2” tear in one of the seams (which I fixed with duct tape). Great car.

What's that saying? "If duct tape won't fix it, then you need more duct tape."

Mr_Shiftright

Buying real estate in coastal Florida would be extremely risky, unless it were a short term flip. One or two more big storms like Florence and people are going to be heading for the exits I think. The problem with instituting technology as the problem-solver, such as raising roads, shoring up sea walls, adding pumps and drainage upgrades, beginning dredging projects, and offering complex insurance plans is that it really raises the issues of vulnerability in buyers' minds. Real estate is a huge economic driver in Florida. Nobody wants to talk about what's coming. This is totally understandable. It's a very complex issue that can't be reduced to buzz words.

driver100

stickguy said:

I am the opposite. I don't mind heat but have trouble dealing with being freezing cold. Especially since I spend a lot of time outside regardless of the weather, thanks to walking the dog 2x daily.

I don't know how I would manage with a 2 to 6 month old puppy in the North......walking her and taking her out in blizzards and a few feet of snow, or a layer of ice. Breeders in the North usually time it so dogs are born for Spring raising. It gets tiring now taking Trixie out every 60 to 90 minutes.....imagine if I had to put on boots, a coat, and a hat every time she had to go out? And, I would be freezing my butt off a good part of every day. Most days here, no jacket even, just put on the leash, take some treats, a baggy and go!

ruking1

While complex, it’s along the concept like Jack Nicholson’s lines in the “Joker” if you are gonna make an omelet, expect a few broken eggs.

More to the point, if one is going to build/rebuild in the rain and hurricane, etc. country, don’t be surprised if it rains a lot or there are hurricanes?

qbrozen

Mr_Shiftright said:

Which reminds me--can an EV actually plow through water like a ICE car? What happens?

do you mean when the battery or motor gets submerged? good question.

jmonroe1

ab348 said:

I had lunch with a group of 60-somethings today and the unanimous opinion was that tolerance for winter weather decreases exponentially with increasing age. 

I couldn't agree more. Thinking back on it, putting up with miserable Winters in my younger days, I was either tough or stupid...now I'm neither.

jmonroe

Mr_Shiftright

qbrozen said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

Which reminds me--can an EV actually plow through water like a ICE car? What happens?

do you mean when the battery or motor gets submerged? good question.

Of course, in "flooding" we wouldn't expect any car to survive very well--but what about those big puddles, just under the rocker panels? I presume EVs aren't waterproofed underneath?

jmonroe1

explorerx4 said:

I'd rather have cold than hot and humid. Of course, not cold all the time.
Shoveling/Snow blowing snow can be a lot of work, but I don't really mind it.
The other day, several of my neighbors didn't mind it either since they were cleaning other neighbor's sidewalks.
We had someone who used to live around the corner visit for the weekend.
They kept looking out the back of the house and saying there is nothing like that where they live in Florida.
It's all homes, apartments and shopping areas. Nothing nice to look at.

Oh, I wouldn't say that. When I visit my late brothers wife, who has chosen to stay in Delray Beach after his death, I see tons of good looking women of all ages. More than I see in the Burgh. Maybe all that sun has played tricks with my eyes but I doubt it. In any case, I like it down there. Especially when I visit when it's Winter time in the North.

jmonroe

ruking1

qbrozen said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

Which reminds me--can an EV actually plow through water like a ICE car? What happens?

do you mean when the battery or motor gets submerged? good question.

A Tesla/Elon Musk design/concept would not let us get shocked to death? 😱😉

henryn

qbrozen said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

Which reminds me--can an EV actually plow through water like a ICE car? What happens?

do you mean when the battery or motor gets submerged? good question.

Submarines, the old fashioned kind, before the days of nuclear, always ran on electrical power (batteries) when they were submerged. So basically all you need is good waterproofing.

Of course, taken to the extreme, you do have a boat and not a car. Or perhaps a submarine?

qbrozen

I believe the battery is in a sealed compartment under the car, but what about the motor? I know in the Leaf we had, I could pop the hood and see exposed electrical connections. The splash shields underneath are reinforced cotton, or some such nonsense. I do wonder now how much water they could take. But I suppose it is probably no worse than most cars with low air intakes.

ab348

Mr_Shiftright said:

Buying real estate in coastal Florida would be extremely risky, unless it were a short term flip. One or two more big storms like Florence and people are going to be heading for the exits I think.

Funny thing. When I think of places that I would be afraid to buy into, all sorts of different parts of California are top of mind for me. Either tumbling into the sea after the big one, burning up, flooded, buried in mud, or drought-stricken with no water available.

ruking1

ab348 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

Buying real estate in coastal Florida would be extremely risky, unless it were a short term flip. One or two more big storms like Florence and people are going to be heading for the exits I think.

Funny thing. When I think of places that I would be afraid to buy into, all sorts of different parts of California are top of mind for me. Either tumbling into the sea after the big one, burning up, flooded, buried in mud, or drought-stricken with no water available.

Got to love all this news! At different: times, places, conditions, deals, etc., it drives prices up/down/side ways !? Life is good!

driver100

People still choose to live in Kansas and it is always getting hit. You make your decisions to the best of your ability at the time and then hope for the best,
If we get hit with a hurricane now I still made the right decision, 8 years of spending winter in the sun and warmth.
Not much gain without some risk!

houdini2

Changing the subject to a very funny guy, Charles Barkley. He said that he recently interviewed Tom Brady and that Brady was just too good looking. Barkley said he couldn't even look the guy in the eye and just had to glance at him now and then. He said no wonder he had won all those super bowls. The opposite team just took one look at Brady and gave up. It loses something with me telling this, but Barkley was hilarious. I think he was halfway serious.

ruking1

houdini2 said:

Changing the subject to a very funny guy, Charles Barkley. He said that he recently interviewed Tom Brady and that Brady was just too good looking. Barkley said he couldn't even look the guy in the eye and just had to glance at him now and then. He said no wonder he had won all those super bowls. The opposite team just took one look at Brady and gave up. It loses something with me telling this, but Barkley was hilarious. I think he was halfway serious.

I hope you are not highlighting latent tendencies? 😜🧐

imidazol97

henryn said:

graphicguy said:

....and lastly.....my sister bought a new ‘69 Corona, which just about put my Father (who was ALL IN on BUY AMERICAN at the time) into cardiac arrest. She kept it 12 years and put 180K miles on it. I bought it from her for $400 and kept it another 18 months and sold it with 200K miles for $250. Just routine maintenance, tires, belts, batteries, fuel....that was about it. Most reliable car she and I had ever known. At the time I sold it, the only thing wrong was some rust on the bottom of the rocker panel and the driver’s seat had a 2” tear in one of the seams (which I fixed with duct tape). Great car.

What's that saying? "If duct tape won't fix it, then you need more duct tape."

A coworker had one of those early foreign cars. He agreed that they had nothing on them to break, at least in his case. It was a manual transmission toyota. Period. Engine drive belt? Clutch? Manual windows. Manual steering. Manual brake system. That's not to say that the break rate on many of the features on other cars was higher than it \should have been. But he laughed about how a neighbor in the low income hood around him bought the car when he was done with it over a hundred thousand and continued driving it.

venture

Since there's a wealth of information here. Has anyone been through buying a backyard playset? Brand, where to buy, how to get assembled, and anything else.

It would be used two days a week during May, June, July, and August. Size and price is not an object other than I'm not looking at a gigantic plastic set that costs $25k and up.

I've looked at Lowes and Home Depot. They both offer interesting examples.

berri

I dunno, looks like it is a nice idea, but kids tire quickly of stuff. Might be cheaper to buy them cell phones and monitor it.

suydam

We got ours from the Amish back when. Very sturdy and cheap too.

qbrozen

we got one of those metal/cedar deals with the clubhouse up top, picnic bench underneath, swings and monkey bars ... bought it 2nd hand for like $100. That was at the previous house, and it barely got used. At this house, we bought a Lifetime brand all-metal set. It is better suited to bigger kids, unlike our old one, and it gets used far more. This is the one here: https://www.overstock.com/Sports-Toys/Lifetime-Monkey-Bar-Adventure-Swing-Set/16393237/product.html

[Deleted User]

Mr_Shiftright said:

Of course, in "flooding" we wouldn't expect any car to survive very well--but what about those big puddles, just under the rocker panels? I presume EVs aren't waterproofed underneath?

Many submarines are battery electric and they do pretty well :-)

It all comes down to how well the electrical systems are sealed and if water could short some connections. In theory the system doesn't have to breath like an ICE, so submerging a sealed system would be no problem. Current crop EVs drive through big puddles all the time without issue and driving in the rain pushes the water up the chassis under pressure. Tesla owners have reported going through water deep enough to get into the passenger compartment without any electrical issues. I think it's a non-issue, but if there were a break in the sealed system, I bet a fuse might trip.

[Deleted User]

qbrozen said:

I believe the battery is in a sealed compartment under the car, but what about the motor? I know in the Leaf we had, I could pop the hood and see exposed electrical connections. The splash shields underneath are reinforced cotton, or some such nonsense. I do wonder now how much water they could take. But I suppose it is probably no worse than most cars with low air intakes.

I don't know much about the leaf, but Tesla uses a combined motor/diff sealed drive unit. The batteries are housed in a sealed "tub" of sorts that acts as armor against road debris strikes. It can be penetrated, of course, which led to the first Tesla fire, but that takes quite a bit of effort. The connections I've seen in YouTube disassembly videos are sealed.

sda

My wife and I had the pleasure of staying in St. Petersburg, FL over the weekend. I was born there and we moved away when I was 9. My last visit was 11 years ago. Wow, is what I say about how the area has improved. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit. The weather was perfect and we ate most meals outside. I am just now catching up on all the posts. Ab348, sorry to learn about Rusty. It was about a 600 mile drive each way and I am continually amazed by how congested the Interstate has become, in poor condition and drivers that don't have a clue. The Pilot did well, averaged around 23mpg, which is ok, not great. When I have an opportunity I will post a few pics. It is good to be back home!

[Deleted User]

ruking1 said:

qbrozen said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

Which reminds me--can an EV actually plow through water like a ICE car? What happens?

do you mean when the battery or motor gets submerged? good question.

A Tesla/Elon Musk design/concept would not let us get shocked to death? 😱😉

Given a long range EV has enough capacity to power a house for days, you definitely don't want be exposed to the full amperage. I worry more about untrained first responders helping with accidents. There are visible cut points in my 3 to disable power, but still, I wonder what would happen if they used one of those saws to extract someone without first cutting power, and accidentally hit a main power line. That could get turn ugly real fast.

stickguy

I built a couple. I think the first one (shared with a neighbor) might have been a kit we mostly assembled. all wood, had a "fort" and a swings extension bar. Heavy but durable.

I built another one at the next house (current house). What a beast. Came with a lumber list, and took a lot of cutting and drilling. Totally from scratch other than hardware. Probably sturdier (certainly built with more attention to detail) than the house. Good size clubhouse with roof, slide and I think 3 swing positions, and a beam off the other side for a climbing rope. I seem to recall it took a while to build mostly by myself. And a long time to disassemble and get rid of when the kids got too old for it!

If you go that route, I would get a fully pre-cut kit you just have to assemble. Try your local club store (BJs or Costco) to see if they offer deals.

something like this.

https://www.bjs.com/product/backyard-discovery-somerset-wood-swing-set/267856

[Deleted User]

So I'm feeling a bit dumb. I'm in Germany and Netherlands this week, and my German colleagues had to teach me how to pronounce Volkswagen. Turns out it should be said like "Folksvagen". Oops. Now I know. This isn't my first trip here but I think they were being polite in the past and ignoring my mispronunciation.

28firefighter

They should send a memo to literally every Folksvagen dealer in the country.

venture

qbrozen said:

we got one of those metal/cedar deals with the clubhouse up top, picnic bench underneath, swings and monkey bars ... bought it 2nd hand for like $100. That was at the previous house, and it barely got used. At this house, we bought a Lifetime brand all-metal set. It is better suited to bigger kids, unlike our old one, and it gets used far more. This is the one here: https://www.overstock.com/Sports-Toys/Lifetime-Monkey-Bar-Adventure-Swing-Set/16393237/product.html

Never thought of Overstock. I'll have to look closer. Thanks.

This will be for siblings of players in our Miracle League. While their brother or sister is playing baseball, they can play on the playset.

www.pamiracleleague.com

venture

stickguy said:

I built a couple. I think the first one (shared with a neighbor) might have been a kit we mostly assembled. all wood, had a "fort" and a swings extension bar. Heavy but durable.

I built another one at the next house (current house). What a beast. Came with a lumber list, and took a lot of cutting and drilling. Totally from scratch other than hardware. Probably sturdier (certainly built with more attention to detail) than the house. Good size clubhouse with roof, slide and I think 3 swing positions, and a beam off the other side for a climbing rope. I seem to recall it took a while to build mostly by myself. And a long time to disassemble and get rid of when the kids got too old for it!

If you go that route, I would get a fully pre-cut kit you just have to assemble. Try your local club store (BJs or Costco) to see if they offer deals.

something like this.

https://www.bjs.com/product/backyard-discovery-somerset-wood-swing-set/267856

I've been looking at Lowes and Home Depot. They both have a large selection.

I won't be putting it together. I've been down that road. I'll hire someone to be frustrated for a few days.

qbrozen

venture said:

we got one of those metal/cedar deals with the clubhouse up top, picnic bench underneath, swings and monkey bars ... bought it 2nd hand for like $100. That was at the previous house, and it barely got used. At this house, we bought a Lifetime brand all-metal set. It is better suited to bigger kids, unlike our old one, and it gets used far more. This is the one here: https://www.overstock.com/Sports-Toys/Lifetime-Monkey-Bar-Adventure-Swing-Set/16393237/product.html

Never thought of Overstock. I'll have to look closer. Thanks. This will be for siblings of players in our Miracle League. While their brother or sister is playing baseball, they can play on the playset. www.pamiracleleague.com

I believe we bought ours from this place:
https://www.shedsforlessdirect.com/playground-playsets-c-60.html

Also bought my Lifetime shed there.

explorerx4

@tyguy,
'Folksvagen', that's how my mom pronounced it.

explorerx4

Many years ago, I bought a really nice cedar swing set for my kids.
Had 3 swings, a fort, slide, and fireman's pole.
It was an assemble yourself and it showed up in 23 boxes!

oldfarmer50

Mr_Shiftright said:

houdini2 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

isellhondas said:

snakeweasel said:

fintail said:

People in FL get what they pay for, maybe like that part of the country in general. Low taxes, low amenities, other issues. I like in an area invaded by transplants, and I know nobody who moved to FL and didn't come running back.

stickguy said:

nice house. and cheap per Zillow. I can see why people move to FLorida if can get that house for that price, and negligible property taxes (and cheap state taxes). I just know that my wife would never live there year round.

Strange, I know nobody who moved to Florida that didn't stay.

I do! The BUGS and the humidity got to them and they bailed out of Florida!

Wait until the serious flooding starts to get worse. St Petersburg, Tampa, Miami, Miami Beach and Panama City are predicted to be seriously compromised. Zillow advises buyers that 1 in 8 homes in Florida will be underwater by 2100 and NOAA says that Miami streets will flood every year after 2070. Nothing for US to worry about unless you are a baby checking into the Forums.

All this has been predicted before, but was supposed to happen by 2020. OOPS !

Seeing is believing?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7gbjOEsXAg

If nothing else, don't own an EV in those cities.

Looks like bad infrastructure construction to me. Also the statement about 8 inch sea level rise in the last 60 years is factually incorrect. Then the projection of another 8 inch rise without supporting proof is also suspect.

abacomike

explorerx4 said:

Many years ago, I bought a really nice cedar swing set for my kids. Had 3 swings, a fort, slide, and fireman's pole. It was an assemble yourself and it showed up in 23 boxes!

When I was a school principal, I always purchased “Big Toys” brand wooden playground apparatus because they were safe, sturdy and multi-purpose.  Never ever had to repair or replace equipment.

I selected the equipment from their catalog.  “Big Toys Playground Equipment” - I found it online.  

oldfarmer50

.

venture

explorerx4 said:

Many years ago, I bought a really nice cedar swing set for my kids.
Had 3 swings, a fort, slide, and fireman's pole.
It was an assemble yourself and it showed up in 23 boxes!

Yikes

oldfarmer50

jmonroe1 said:

explorerx4 said:

I'd rather have cold than hot and humid. Of course, not cold all the time.
Shoveling/Snow blowing snow can be a lot of work, but I don't really mind it.
The other day, several of my neighbors didn't mind it either since they were cleaning other neighbor's sidewalks.
We had someone who used to live around the corner visit for the weekend.
They kept looking out the back of the house and saying there is nothing like that where they live in Florida.
It's all homes, apartments and shopping areas. Nothing nice to look at.

Oh, I wouldn't say that. When I visit my late brothers wife, who has chosen to stay in Delray Beach after his death, I see tons of good looking women of all ages. More than I see in the Burgh. Maybe all that sun has played tricks with my eyes but I doubt it. In any case, I like it down there. Especially when I visit when it's Winter time in the North.

jmonroe

Maybe they look better because you can see more of them in the warm climate.

venture

qbrozen said:

venture said:

we got one of those metal/cedar deals with the clubhouse up top, picnic bench underneath, swings and monkey bars ... bought it 2nd hand for like $100. That was at the previous house, and it barely got used. At this house, we bought a Lifetime brand all-metal set. It is better suited to bigger kids, unlike our old one, and it gets used far more. This is the one here: https://www.overstock.com/Sports-Toys/Lifetime-Monkey-Bar-Adventure-Swing-Set/16393237/product.html

Never thought of Overstock. I'll have to look closer. Thanks.

This will be for siblings of players in our Miracle League. While their brother or sister is playing baseball, they can play on the playset.

www.pamiracleleague.com

I believe we bought ours from this place:
https://www.shedsforlessdirect.com/playground-playsets-c-60.html

Also bought my Lifetime shed there.

I sort of like this one: https://www.shedsforlessdirect.com/lifetime-adventure-tower-deluxe-swing-earthtone-p-829.html

but...regularly $1,999.99, buy now for $2,129.95?

Actually none of them are big enough. We have the Captains Loft now. They kept taking the telescope.

oldfarmer50

venture said:

Since there's a wealth of information here. Has anyone been through buying a backyard playset? Brand, where to buy, how to get assembled, and anything else.

It would be used two days a week during May, June, July, and August. Size and price is not an object other than I'm not looking at a gigantic plastic set that costs $25k and up.

I've looked at Lowes and Home Depot. They both offer interesting examples.

I built a play fort for my kids up in a tree when they were little. Just did it freehand and it came out pretty good, ladders, ropes, swings etc.

Why not sit down with the kids and see what comes up?

explorerx4

@oldfarmer50,
What kind of wood did you use?

Mr_Shiftright

henryn said:

qbrozen said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

Which reminds me--can an EV actually plow through water like a ICE car? What happens?

do you mean when the battery or motor gets submerged? good question.

Submarines, the old fashioned kind, before the days of nuclear, always ran on electrical power (batteries) when they were submerged. So basically all you need is good waterproofing.

Of course, taken to the extreme, you do have a boat and not a car. Or perhaps a submarine?

Yeah but subs are double-hulled! And when they did leak, the batteries sent chlorine gas throughout the boat!

Mr_Shiftright

driver100 said:

People still choose to live in Kansas and it is always getting hit. You make your decisions to the best of your ability at the time and then hope for the best,
If we get hit with a hurricane now I still made the right decision, 8 years of spending winter in the sun and warmth.
Not much gain without some risk!

Well that's a bit different. If a tornado ripped your house apart every two years, you'd probably move, at least away from that alley.