Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

qbrozen

Michaell said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

sda said:

qbrozen said:

Working on my retirement plan today. lol.
Flipping Camaros and day trading options. If I can make this work, I'd be pretty damned ecstatic. Taking a class tonight and tomorrow night for the whole options thing.

Though dated now a saying in the industry was 'Pigs don't drive Cadillacs'.

The way I heard it was "Bulls make money, bears make money and pigs get slaughtered."
It is so true. Trading can work, I have a friend who lives off trading. One day he lost $30000 on a stock and I felt bad for him, but he says he made $50000 the day before so no big deal....I can't live that way.

Investing at that level is really just gambling.

You want to talk about gambling?

Been reading articles about the debacle in Texas - turns out the utilities are so deregulated that some companies were offering variable rate electricity. Folks who were able to keep their lights on are now seeing 4 and 5 figure bills for those few days. And, one company has it tied to the customer's debit or credit card, which then wiped out bank accounts and maxing credit cards.

That's gambling - but never in a million years did these customers expect this to happen to them. And, these are necessities, not like a Netflix subscription that can be cancelled with minimal inconvenience.

I saw an article about that. And the power company bankrupting these people is blaming the regulators for allowing them to do it. HUH?! It is a crazy crazy world.

imidazol97

fintail said:

Surprised you let him in the showroom I think I've mentioned in the past, in the small town where my mom lives, up until maybe no more than 10 years ago, Toyota and Chevy actually shared the same showroom. Now Toyota has its own building, but it is adjacent.

Is this the blue?



The more blue cars out there, the better.

imidazol97 said:

Something I thought I'd never do. Spent an hour and half in a Toyota showroom earlier this evening. They wouldn't even let me sit in the Supra GR. It was locked. Black.

Beautiful car. Spotlight blue with boulder (grey) tones in the interior. Even has "Venza" lighting up on the door sills. They missed "Venza" in the puddle lights. LOL.

That's it. With a two-toned grey interior called Boulder.
Where do they get these names.

And for @driver100,
so far it's been very dependable. No failures.

stickguy

Michaell said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

sda said:

qbrozen said:

Working on my retirement plan today. lol.
Flipping Camaros and day trading options. If I can make this work, I'd be pretty damned ecstatic. Taking a class tonight and tomorrow night for the whole options thing.

Though dated now a saying in the industry was 'Pigs don't drive Cadillacs'.

The way I heard it was "Bulls make money, bears make money and pigs get slaughtered."
It is so true. Trading can work, I have a friend who lives off trading. One day he lost $30000 on a stock and I felt bad for him, but he says he made $50000 the day before so no big deal....I can't live that way.

Investing at that level is really just gambling.

You want to talk about gambling?

Been reading articles about the debacle in Texas - turns out the utilities are so deregulated that some companies were offering variable rate electricity. Folks who were able to keep their lights on are now seeing 4 and 5 figure bills for those few days. And, one company has it tied to the customer's debit or credit card, which then wiped out bank accounts and maxing credit cards.

That's gambling - but never in a million years did these customers expect this to happen to them. And, these are necessities, not like a Netflix subscription that can be cancelled with minimal inconvenience.

Lots of people love capitalism. Until it hits their wallet, then suddenly they are big fans of government intervention. I feel bad for them, but they really don’t have a right to it back. Know what you are signing before you do it.

stickguy

Love that color. Could probably convince my wife to get one of those.

ab348

driver100 said:

Nice garage....but why doesn't he at least paint the little one to the left?

When he bought the property that was what passed for a garage. No foundation except for some stones, wooden floor, everything mostly rotted. His plan was to tear it down after building the new one but when it was finished, the space he had planned to use for the lawn tractor and other stuff that was in the old building got filled up with his car stuff, so he still has it. I think leaning a ladder on it to paint might make it fall down.

ab348

snakeweasel said:

My experience is that wifes don't seem to have a very good sense of humor. Case in point today while I was cooking dinner like I do every day I told my wife that if I wanted to cook every day I would have stayed single. My wife didn't find that funny, but on the plus side the doctor says I should be out of the hospital by Wednesday.

This made me really laugh for quite a while.

ab348

imidazol97 said:

Beautiful car. Spotlight blue with boulder (grey) tones in the interior. Even has "Venza" lighting up on the door sills. They missed "Venza" in the puddle lights. LOL.

Would be interested in his driving impressions after he's had it for a while. It sounds like that one is in the exact color combo I would get too.

dino001

qbrozen said:

Michaell said:

You want to talk about gambling?

Been reading articles about the debacle in Texas - turns out the utilities are so deregulated that some companies were offering variable rate electricity. Folks who were able to keep their lights on are now seeing 4 and 5 figure bills for those few days. And, one company has it tied to the customer's debit or credit card, which then wiped out bank accounts and maxing credit cards.

That's gambling - but never in a million years did these customers expect this to happen to them. And, these are necessities, not like a Netflix subscription that can be cancelled with minimal inconvenience.

I saw an article about that. And the power company bankrupting these people is blaming the regulators for allowing them to do it. HUH?! It is a crazy crazy world.

Not crazy, actually quite predictable. If you let people/companies do "whatever" they will do exactly that, you just need to wait long enough. Utility deregulation always sounds attractive from point of view of the free market, the problem with this one these people had no real warning regarding the rates they were accepting when turning on the lights and heaters, so main premise of the free market did not work. Essentially there should have been circuit breakers, like a big warning email/phone call message when the accumulated charges crossed something like a double of the average bill from last year, or some other reasonable threshold that gives people real choice. The high price is not a problem per say, when the good is so rare, lack of transparency of that price certainly is. Sometimes all it would take is to crank the heat down, wear warm clothes and pay only what's really necessary, even if too much. Also, seems like some kind of a rate cap would have been a right thing to do, too. But again, if not required, why bother trying to run some severe scenarios. Black swans don't exist, right?

explorerx4

@fintail,
I didn't realize nyccarguy put his house on he market.

snakeweasel

stickguy said:

Michaell said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

sda said:

qbrozen said:

Working on my retirement plan today. lol.
Flipping Camaros and day trading options. If I can make this work, I'd be pretty damned ecstatic. Taking a class tonight and tomorrow night for the whole options thing.

Though dated now a saying in the industry was 'Pigs don't drive Cadillacs'.

The way I heard it was "Bulls make money, bears make money and pigs get slaughtered."
It is so true. Trading can work, I have a friend who lives off trading. One day he lost $30000 on a stock and I felt bad for him, but he says he made $50000 the day before so no big deal....I can't live that way.

Investing at that level is really just gambling.

You want to talk about gambling?

Been reading articles about the debacle in Texas - turns out the utilities are so deregulated that some companies were offering variable rate electricity. Folks who were able to keep their lights on are now seeing 4 and 5 figure bills for those few days. And, one company has it tied to the customer's debit or credit card, which then wiped out bank accounts and maxing credit cards.

That's gambling - but never in a million years did these customers expect this to happen to them. And, these are necessities, not like a Netflix subscription that can be cancelled with minimal inconvenience.

Lots of people love capitalism. Until it hits their wallet, then suddenly they are big fans of government intervention. I feel bad for them, but they really don’t have a right to it back. Know what you are signing before you do it.

Not sure that this is a issue with capitalism, capitalism is when if Kroger is charging to much I just move along to Piggly Wiggly or to Stickguy's vittles and oil change shack. A utility that you are locked into and usually don't have a choice of isn't really capitalism, it's actually the opposite end of the spectrum.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

Another example of why I like horse power.
I was entering a highway where the cars are going 70 to 80 mph. I had a long ramp but a guy in a pickup truck was speeding up in the right lane of a 2 lane highway (2 lanes each way), he may have been trying to get ahead of me but he also seemed to be trying to cut me off so I wouldn't get on the highway or maybe in front of him. I was still in COMFORT mode, but I would say I used about 328 of the 339 horses to take off and got in front of him. Falling back behind him was an option, but the way he was driving he may have stayed directly beside me making it harder to get on the highway.

I saw another E class in a ditch today. Two inches of snow just like the other day. I’m not slamming MB but I’m curious as to what’s going on.

After a snowfall I see more JEEPS in the ditch than anything, the drivers think they are invincible. Did you notice if the Es were AWD models, that makes a bit of a difference. But, on ice, that might not help. It could be that E drivers tend to be older and there reactions aren't as good, or the cars have too much power for the conditions. Maybe they don't know and they have the car in SPORT mode....the car really takes off in SPORT mode....that should only be used on dry roads for sure.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

sda said:

qbrozen said:

Working on my retirement plan today. lol.
Flipping Camaros and day trading options. If I can make this work, I'd be pretty damned ecstatic. Taking a class tonight and tomorrow night for the whole options thing.

Though dated now a saying in the industry was 'Pigs don't drive Cadillacs'.

The way I heard it was "Bulls make money, bears make money and pigs get slaughtered."
It is so true. Trading can work, I have a friend who lives off trading. One day he lost $30000 on a stock and I felt bad for him, but he says he made $50000 the day before so no big deal....I can't live that way.

Investing at that level is really just gambling.

Normally I would agree but he gets up at 4 a.m. to follow the European markets and he reads all kinds of newsletters. When he invests in something he really knows what he is doing.

dino001

snakeweasel said:

stickguy said:

Michaell said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

sda said:

qbrozen said:

Working on my retirement plan today. lol.
Flipping Camaros and day trading options. If I can make this work, I'd be pretty damned ecstatic. Taking a class tonight and tomorrow night for the whole options thing.

Though dated now a saying in the industry was 'Pigs don't drive Cadillacs'.

The way I heard it was "Bulls make money, bears make money and pigs get slaughtered."
It is so true. Trading can work, I have a friend who lives off trading. One day he lost $30000 on a stock and I felt bad for him, but he says he made $50000 the day before so no big deal....I can't live that way.

Investing at that level is really just gambling.

You want to talk about gambling?

Been reading articles about the debacle in Texas - turns out the utilities are so deregulated that some companies were offering variable rate electricity. Folks who were able to keep their lights on are now seeing 4 and 5 figure bills for those few days. And, one company has it tied to the customer's debit or credit card, which then wiped out bank accounts and maxing credit cards.

That's gambling - but never in a million years did these customers expect this to happen to them. And, these are necessities, not like a Netflix subscription that can be cancelled with minimal inconvenience.

Lots of people love capitalism. Until it hits their wallet, then suddenly they are big fans of government intervention. I feel bad for them, but they really don’t have a right to it back. Know what you are signing before you do it.

Not sure that this is a issue with capitalism, capitalism is when if Kroger is charging to much I just move along to Piggly Wiggly or to Stickguy's vittles and oil change shack. A utility that you are locked into and usually don't have a choice of isn't really capitalism, it's actually the opposite end of the spectrum.

Especially if that kWh today is 100 times of that yesterday and nobody gave you even a peep of warning. All was needed an email or phone call, hey Mr. Customer, we have to charge you this much today cause were bringing power from these 1000 cyclists we had to hire and put on a saddle to keep you warm. Oh, we also noticed you're already owe us a double of what you owed us last month and it's only three days in the cycle. Have a nice day.

snakeweasel

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

Another example of why I like horse power.
I was entering a highway where the cars are going 70 to 80 mph. I had a long ramp but a guy in a pickup truck was speeding up in the right lane of a 2 lane highway (2 lanes each way), he may have been trying to get ahead of me but he also seemed to be trying to cut me off so I wouldn't get on the highway or maybe in front of him. I was still in COMFORT mode, but I would say I used about 328 of the 339 horses to take off and got in front of him. Falling back behind him was an option, but the way he was driving he may have stayed directly beside me making it harder to get on the highway.

I saw another E class in a ditch today. Two inches of snow just like the other day. I’m not slamming MB but I’m curious as to what’s going on.

After a snowfall I see more JEEPS in the ditch than anything, the drivers think they are invincible. Did you notice if the Es were AWD models, that makes a bit of a difference. But, on ice, that might not help. It could be that E drivers tend to be older and there reactions aren't as good, or the cars have too much power for the conditions. Maybe they don't know and they have the car in SPORT mode....the car really takes off in SPORT mode....that should only be used on dry roads for sure.

Around here is usually more pick ups in the ditch than anything else. Either way they are both usually 4WD and unlike AWD 4WD cannot be driven at higher speeds with 4WD engaged. This could be a reason for them being in the ditch more often.

driver100

Maybe certain things such as necessary utilities should be regulated to some degree. I am sure these people signed the contract thinking they could save money if they only paid for the electricity needed....didn't see the fine print or didn't understand the legalize. It's easy to say people have to know what they are signing, but when you are up against top level con men it is best that the government provide some rules.

imidazol97

The electricity was being purchased on the "spot market" whatever that is. I keep seeing references to something from the government that restricted TX from purchasing electricity on a sharing basis in an emergency because they were staying independent as a state on this. Perhaps someone else can explain.

Imagine filling up your Leaf or Tesla at these rates if even more people had electric only vehicles.

Gasoline refineries also had gone off line which affected the gasoline prices here. They're down 10 cents already from the peak. Everything froze up.

snakeweasel

dino001 said:

snakeweasel said:

stickguy said:

Michaell said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

sda said:

qbrozen said:

Working on my retirement plan today. lol.
Flipping Camaros and day trading options. If I can make this work, I'd be pretty damned ecstatic. Taking a class tonight and tomorrow night for the whole options thing.

Though dated now a saying in the industry was 'Pigs don't drive Cadillacs'.

The way I heard it was "Bulls make money, bears make money and pigs get slaughtered."
It is so true. Trading can work, I have a friend who lives off trading. One day he lost $30000 on a stock and I felt bad for him, but he says he made $50000 the day before so no big deal....I can't live that way.

Investing at that level is really just gambling.

You want to talk about gambling?

Been reading articles about the debacle in Texas - turns out the utilities are so deregulated that some companies were offering variable rate electricity. Folks who were able to keep their lights on are now seeing 4 and 5 figure bills for those few days. And, one company has it tied to the customer's debit or credit card, which then wiped out bank accounts and maxing credit cards.

That's gambling - but never in a million years did these customers expect this to happen to them. And, these are necessities, not like a Netflix subscription that can be cancelled with minimal inconvenience.

Lots of people love capitalism. Until it hits their wallet, then suddenly they are big fans of government intervention. I feel bad for them, but they really don’t have a right to it back. Know what you are signing before you do it.

Not sure that this is a issue with capitalism, capitalism is when if Kroger is charging to much I just move along to Piggly Wiggly or to Stickguy's vittles and oil change shack. A utility that you are locked into and usually don't have a choice of isn't really capitalism, it's actually the opposite end of the spectrum.

Especially if that kWh today is 100 times of that yesterday and nobody gave you even a peep of warning. All was needed an email or phone call, hey Mr. Customer, we have to charge you this much today cause were bringing power from these 1000 cyclists we had to hire and put on a saddle to keep you warm. Oh, we also noticed you're already owe us a double of what you owed us last month and it's only three days in the cycle. Have a nice day.

It stinks of price gouging in order to make up for lost revenue due to the blackouts. It's not like they had a heat wave and electric usage went up so they had to start up additional power plants to meet demand thus incurring more costs.

driver100

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

Another example of why I like horse power.
I was entering a highway where the cars are going 70 to 80 mph. I had a long ramp but a guy in a pickup truck was speeding up in the right lane of a 2 lane highway (2 lanes each way), he may have been trying to get ahead of me but he also seemed to be trying to cut me off so I wouldn't get on the highway or maybe in front of him. I was still in COMFORT mode, but I would say I used about 328 of the 339 horses to take off and got in front of him. Falling back behind him was an option, but the way he was driving he may have stayed directly beside me making it harder to get on the highway.

I saw another E class in a ditch today. Two inches of snow just like the other day. I’m not slamming MB but I’m curious as to what’s going on.

After a snowfall I see more JEEPS in the ditch than anything, the drivers think they are invincible. Did you notice if the Es were AWD models, that makes a bit of a difference. But, on ice, that might not help. It could be that E drivers tend to be older and there reactions aren't as good, or the cars have too much power for the conditions. Maybe they don't know and they have the car in SPORT mode....the car really takes off in SPORT mode....that should only be used on dry roads for sure.

Around here is usually more pick ups in the ditch than anything else. Either way they are both usually 4WD and unlike AWD 4WD cannot be driven at higher speeds with 4WD engaged. This could be a reason for them being in the ditch more often.

Pickups have no weight in the back so seem to slide off the road. I think the 4WD guys think they are invincible. My AWD really helps, but it isn't going to get me through snowbanks like a JEEP, so I basically drive like it has RWD.

stickguy

dino001 said:

snakeweasel said:

stickguy said:

Michaell said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

sda said:

qbrozen said:

Working on my retirement plan today. lol.
Flipping Camaros and day trading options. If I can make this work, I'd be pretty damned ecstatic. Taking a class tonight and tomorrow night for the whole options thing.

Though dated now a saying in the industry was 'Pigs don't drive Cadillacs'.

The way I heard it was "Bulls make money, bears make money and pigs get slaughtered."
It is so true. Trading can work, I have a friend who lives off trading. One day he lost $30000 on a stock and I felt bad for him, but he says he made $50000 the day before so no big deal....I can't live that way.

Investing at that level is really just gambling.

You want to talk about gambling?

Been reading articles about the debacle in Texas - turns out the utilities are so deregulated that some companies were offering variable rate electricity. Folks who were able to keep their lights on are now seeing 4 and 5 figure bills for those few days. And, one company has it tied to the customer's debit or credit card, which then wiped out bank accounts and maxing credit cards.

That's gambling - but never in a million years did these customers expect this to happen to them. And, these are necessities, not like a Netflix subscription that can be cancelled with minimal inconvenience.

Lots of people love capitalism. Until it hits their wallet, then suddenly they are big fans of government intervention. I feel bad for them, but they really don’t have a right to it back. Know what you are signing before you do it.

Not sure that this is a issue with capitalism, capitalism is when if Kroger is charging to much I just move along to Piggly Wiggly or to Stickguy's vittles and oil change shack. A utility that you are locked into and usually don't have a choice of isn't really capitalism, it's actually the opposite end of the spectrum.

Especially if that kWh today is 100 times of that yesterday and nobody gave you even a peep of warning. All was needed an email or phone call, hey Mr. Customer, we have to charge you this much today cause were bringing power from these 1000 cyclists we had to hire and put on a saddle to keep you warm. Oh, we also noticed you're already owe us a double of what you owed us last month and it's only three days in the cycle. Have a nice day.

I used capitalism in the loose way, since most people in this country have no idea what capitalism or socialism actually are, and use the terms incorrectly. And seem to miss the point that not all government regulation or intervention is inherently evil.

And, you really can’t have it both ways.

roadburner

imidazol97 said:

Something I thought I'd never do. Spent an hour and half in a Toyota showroom earlier this evening. They wouldn't even let me sit in the Supra GR. It was locked. Black.

I drove him over to the store, and I stayed around in case he didn't get to drive his prize home.

Son had been negotiating over an instock Venza that fit his wants with an extra he didn't want. But they came down substantially. So he picked it up this evening after applying for Toyota's financing with instant approval. LOL

Beautiful car. Spotlight blue with boulder (grey) tones in the interior. Even has "Venza" lighting up on the door sills. They missed "Venza" in the puddle lights. LOL.

I love how some Toyota dealers treat the Supra like it’s some uber expensive rare exotic; Oxmorons Toyota wouldn’t allow a test drive without a buyer’s order- even though I had scheduled a test drive online.
The Toyota dealer I’ve been talking with is offering a significant discount and I think they would probably let me take one home overnight. When I went to that dealer no one was looking at the Supra in the middle of the showroom- every other customer was either looking at a truck or else an anodyne transport appliance.
I will say that I have been impressed with the sales staff at that dealer. I just need to decide between the Supra and the M2 Comp. The Supra is actually a tick faster than the M2C- on both the drag strip and a road course. My primary concern is the ability of Toyota’s service departments to properly maintain the car.

snakeweasel

driver100 said:

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

Another example of why I like horse power.
I was entering a highway where the cars are going 70 to 80 mph. I had a long ramp but a guy in a pickup truck was speeding up in the right lane of a 2 lane highway (2 lanes each way), he may have been trying to get ahead of me but he also seemed to be trying to cut me off so I wouldn't get on the highway or maybe in front of him. I was still in COMFORT mode, but I would say I used about 328 of the 339 horses to take off and got in front of him. Falling back behind him was an option, but the way he was driving he may have stayed directly beside me making it harder to get on the highway.

I saw another E class in a ditch today. Two inches of snow just like the other day. I’m not slamming MB but I’m curious as to what’s going on.

After a snowfall I see more JEEPS in the ditch than anything, the drivers think they are invincible. Did you notice if the Es were AWD models, that makes a bit of a difference. But, on ice, that might not help. It could be that E drivers tend to be older and there reactions aren't as good, or the cars have too much power for the conditions. Maybe they don't know and they have the car in SPORT mode....the car really takes off in SPORT mode....that should only be used on dry roads for sure.

Around here is usually more pick ups in the ditch than anything else. Either way they are both usually 4WD and unlike AWD 4WD cannot be driven at higher speeds with 4WD engaged. This could be a reason for them being in the ditch more often.

Pickups have no weight in the back so seem to slide off the road. I think the 4WD guys think they are invincible. My AWD really helps, but it isn't going to get me through snowbanks like a JEEP, so I basically drive like it has RWD.

Most people I know with pickups are aware of this and usually load up the bed of their trucks with some bags of sand, dirt or rocks to get the weight. The problem with 4WD is that it locks the transaxle and the wheels all turn at the same rate which can cause issues if you try to make a turn at higher speeds with 4WD on.

roadburner

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

Another example of why I like horse power.
I was entering a highway where the cars are going 70 to 80 mph. I had a long ramp but a guy in a pickup truck was speeding up in the right lane of a 2 lane highway (2 lanes each way), he may have been trying to get ahead of me but he also seemed to be trying to cut me off so I wouldn't get on the highway or maybe in front of him. I was still in COMFORT mode, but I would say I used about 328 of the 339 horses to take off and got in front of him. Falling back behind him was an option, but the way he was driving he may have stayed directly beside me making it harder to get on the highway.

I saw another E class in a ditch today. Two inches of snow just like the other day. I’m not slamming MB but I’m curious as to what’s going on.

Probably a typical operator(“driver” is probably far too generous a term) who believed that AWD repeals the laws of physics. He probably just learned that AWD doesn’t shorten a vehicle’s stopping distance.
A RWD car on winter rubber will outperform it’s AWD counterpart wearing all-season tires.

snakeweasel

stickguy said:

dino001 said:

snakeweasel said:

stickguy said:

Michaell said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

sda said:

qbrozen said:

Working on my retirement plan today. lol.
Flipping Camaros and day trading options. If I can make this work, I'd be pretty damned ecstatic. Taking a class tonight and tomorrow night for the whole options thing.

Though dated now a saying in the industry was 'Pigs don't drive Cadillacs'.

The way I heard it was "Bulls make money, bears make money and pigs get slaughtered."
It is so true. Trading can work, I have a friend who lives off trading. One day he lost $30000 on a stock and I felt bad for him, but he says he made $50000 the day before so no big deal....I can't live that way.

Investing at that level is really just gambling.

You want to talk about gambling?

Been reading articles about the debacle in Texas - turns out the utilities are so deregulated that some companies were offering variable rate electricity. Folks who were able to keep their lights on are now seeing 4 and 5 figure bills for those few days. And, one company has it tied to the customer's debit or credit card, which then wiped out bank accounts and maxing credit cards.

That's gambling - but never in a million years did these customers expect this to happen to them. And, these are necessities, not like a Netflix subscription that can be cancelled with minimal inconvenience.

Lots of people love capitalism. Until it hits their wallet, then suddenly they are big fans of government intervention. I feel bad for them, but they really don’t have a right to it back. Know what you are signing before you do it.

Not sure that this is a issue with capitalism, capitalism is when if Kroger is charging to much I just move along to Piggly Wiggly or to Stickguy's vittles and oil change shack. A utility that you are locked into and usually don't have a choice of isn't really capitalism, it's actually the opposite end of the spectrum.

Especially if that kWh today is 100 times of that yesterday and nobody gave you even a peep of warning. All was needed an email or phone call, hey Mr. Customer, we have to charge you this much today cause were bringing power from these 1000 cyclists we had to hire and put on a saddle to keep you warm. Oh, we also noticed you're already owe us a double of what you owed us last month and it's only three days in the cycle. Have a nice day.

I used capitalism in the loose way, since most people in this country have no idea what capitalism or socialism actually are, and use the terms incorrectly. And seem to miss the point that not all government regulation or intervention is inherently evil.

And, you really can’t have it both ways.

In explaining capitalism vs socialism vs communism I use the mouse trap example. If you build a better mouse trap;

in communism the government takes your mouse trap and people stand in line to use it.
In socialism the government tells you how to make it, who to hire, what supplies to use and how much to sell it for.
In capitalism someone comes along and builds a better mouse.

roadburner

qbrozen said:

Michaell said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

sda said:

qbrozen said:

Working on my retirement plan today. lol.
Flipping Camaros and day trading options. If I can make this work, I'd be pretty damned ecstatic. Taking a class tonight and tomorrow night for the whole options thing.

Though dated now a saying in the industry was 'Pigs don't drive Cadillacs'.

The way I heard it was "Bulls make money, bears make money and pigs get slaughtered."
It is so true. Trading can work, I have a friend who lives off trading. One day he lost $30000 on a stock and I felt bad for him, but he says he made $50000 the day before so no big deal....I can't live that way.

Investing at that level is really just gambling.

You want to talk about gambling?

Been reading articles about the debacle in Texas - turns out the utilities are so deregulated that some companies were offering variable rate electricity. Folks who were able to keep their lights on are now seeing 4 and 5 figure bills for those few days. And, one company has it tied to the customer's debit or credit card, which then wiped out bank accounts and maxing credit cards.

That's gambling - but never in a million years did these customers expect this to happen to them. And, these are necessities, not like a Netflix subscription that can be cancelled with minimal inconvenience.

I saw an article about that. And the power company bankrupting these people is blaming the regulators for allowing them to do it. HUH?! It is a crazy crazy world.

Back in the 1980’s I was involved in a complex(multiple properties and multiple lenders) farm foreclosure case. The debtors’ defense was that the lenders should have known that the debtors couldn’t pay off those large loans and mortgages.

graphicguy

roadburner said:

I’d build one like Mike Valentine’s- it looks like a colonial carriage house. His garage holds 12 cars- and even has a heated floor.

Is he still associated with his namesake radar detectors? I met him once at a business soirée I was invited to. We sat at the same dinner table together. Nice guy. His wife, on the other hand...........????!!!!!!!

driver100

snakeweasel said:

stickguy said:

dino001 said:

snakeweasel said:

stickguy said:

Michaell said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

sda said:

qbrozen said:

Working on my retirement plan today. lol.
Flipping Camaros and day trading options. If I can make this work, I'd be pretty damned ecstatic. Taking a class tonight and tomorrow night for the whole options thing.

Though dated now a saying in the industry was 'Pigs don't drive Cadillacs'.

The way I heard it was "Bulls make money, bears make money and pigs get slaughtered."
It is so true. Trading can work, I have a friend who lives off trading. One day he lost $30000 on a stock and I felt bad for him, but he says he made $50000 the day before so no big deal....I can't live that way.

Investing at that level is really just gambling.

You want to talk about gambling?

Been reading articles about the debacle in Texas - turns out the utilities are so deregulated that some companies were offering variable rate electricity. Folks who were able to keep their lights on are now seeing 4 and 5 figure bills for those few days. And, one company has it tied to the customer's debit or credit card, which then wiped out bank accounts and maxing credit cards.

That's gambling - but never in a million years did these customers expect this to happen to them. And, these are necessities, not like a Netflix subscription that can be cancelled with minimal inconvenience.

Lots of people love capitalism. Until it hits their wallet, then suddenly they are big fans of government intervention. I feel bad for them, but they really don’t have a right to it back. Know what you are signing before you do it.

Not sure that this is a issue with capitalism, capitalism is when if Kroger is charging to much I just move along to Piggly Wiggly or to Stickguy's vittles and oil change shack. A utility that you are locked into and usually don't have a choice of isn't really capitalism, it's actually the opposite end of the spectrum.

Especially if that kWh today is 100 times of that yesterday and nobody gave you even a peep of warning. All was needed an email or phone call, hey Mr. Customer, we have to charge you this much today cause were bringing power from these 1000 cyclists we had to hire and put on a saddle to keep you warm. Oh, we also noticed you're already owe us a double of what you owed us last month and it's only three days in the cycle. Have a nice day.

I used capitalism in the loose way, since most people in this country have no idea what capitalism or socialism actually are, and use the terms incorrectly. And seem to miss the point that not all government regulation or intervention is inherently evil.

And, you really can’t have it both ways.

In explaining capitalism vs socialism vs communism I use the mouse trap example. If you build a better mouse trap;

in communism the government takes your mouse trap and people stand in line to use it.
In socialism the government tells you how to make it, who to hire, what supplies to use and how much to sell it for.
In capitalism someone comes along and builds a better mouse.

.....and they will find a way to make it cheaper and sell it on Amazon and you will get one the next day.

graphicguy

Michaell said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

sda said:

qbrozen said:

Working on my retirement plan today. lol.
Flipping Camaros and day trading options. If I can make this work, I'd be pretty damned ecstatic. Taking a class tonight and tomorrow night for the whole options thing.

Though dated now a saying in the industry was 'Pigs don't drive Cadillacs'.

The way I heard it was "Bulls make money, bears make money and pigs get slaughtered."
It is so true. Trading can work, I have a friend who lives off trading. One day he lost $30000 on a stock and I felt bad for him, but he says he made $50000 the day before so no big deal....I can't live that way.

Investing at that level is really just gambling.

You want to talk about gambling?

Been reading articles about the debacle in Texas - turns out the utilities are so deregulated that some companies were offering variable rate electricity. Folks who were able to keep their lights on are now seeing 4 and 5 figure bills for those few days. And, one company has it tied to the customer's debit or credit card, which then wiped out bank accounts and maxing credit cards.

That's gambling - but never in a million years did these customers expect this to happen to them. And, these are necessities, not like a Netflix subscription that can be cancelled with minimal inconvenience.

Spoke with a former guy who used to report to me and lives in Katy, TX last night. What a cluster. He was one who was hit with a large utility bill. Called to complain and got the “free market” jumbo jumbo every company spouts when they’re screwing their customers. He’s now to the point where he’s seriously considering moving out of TX given the “screw job” he feels the utilities have done on Texans. He asked me what it was like living in Cincinnati.

“Fine.....as long as you don’t mind the occasional snow every couple of years.”

graphicguy

roadburner said:

imidazol97 said:

Something I thought I'd never do. Spent an hour and half in a Toyota showroom earlier this evening. They wouldn't even let me sit in the Supra GR. It was locked. Black.

I drove him over to the store, and I stayed around in case he didn't get to drive his prize home.

Son had been negotiating over an instock Venza that fit his wants with an extra he didn't want. But they came down substantially. So he picked it up this evening after applying for Toyota's financing with instant approval. LOL

Beautiful car. Spotlight blue with boulder (grey) tones in the interior. Even has "Venza" lighting up on the door sills. They missed "Venza" in the puddle lights. LOL.

I love how some Toyota dealers treat the Supra like it’s some uber expensive rare exotic; Oxmorons Toyota wouldn’t allow a test drive without a buyer’s order- even though I had scheduled a test drive online.
The Toyota dealer I’ve been talking with is offering a significant discount and I think they would probably let me take one home overnight. When I went to that dealer no one was looking at the Supra in the middle of the showroom- every other customer was either looking at a truck or else an anodyne transport appliance.
I will say that I have been impressed with the sales staff at that dealer. I just need to decide between the Supra and the M2 Comp. The Supra is actually a tick faster than the M2C- on both the drag strip and a road course. My primary concern is the ability of Toyota’s service departments to properly maintain the car.

Interestingly, when I did my last transport, while picking up the LAnd Cruiser to be transported, the Toyota dealer had the same Supra sitting in the showroom, roped off, that had been there 2+ months previously, which was the last time I did a transport for them.

I guess they think it will get more valuable the longer they keep it in stock.

imidazol97

graphicguy said:

roadburner said:

I’d build one like Mike Valentine’s- it looks like a colonial carriage house. His garage holds 12 cars- and even has a heated floor.

Is he still associated with his namesake radar detectors? I met him once at a business soirée I was invited to. We sat at the same dinner table together. Nice guy. His wife, on the other hand...........????!!!!!!!

https://www.rdforum.org/threads/69070/

I'm not clear on which of the 3 guys started Escort in Tipp City. A brother of a lady friend way back knew the guy in Tipp City. He actually took the brother out on the adjacent interstate to look for radar to show him the effectiveness and sensitivity of the Escort unit they built there.

graphicguy

Dishwasher shopping....went to the locally owned store last night. They have next to no stock. They did have some that just weren’t to my liking, so it was understandable why they were the only units they had.

I was actually talking to one of the store managers, who was working the store. I casually mentioned that the whole COVID thing had messed up most retail. Curiously, he said his business is down, but only because he can’t get stock. Not sure what this means, but he said he can get better stock from a brand made in Turkey (he showed me one of them, which was nice, but it was made...well....in Turkey) than he could from units made in the U.S. (Bosch and Whirlpool). Even the GE brands, made 100 ,miles from me in KY, were in short supply.

There’s a new retailer locally called Appliance Factory. They’re just another retailer. But, walking into their store, I felt like I had to take a shower before leaving....dirty, sales people who should be wearing white patent leather shoes and belts. NO THANKS!

Lowes had some stock. Looking at Best Buy today. We’ll see how they work out.

kyfdx

graphicguy said:

Dishwasher shopping....went to the locally owned store last night. They have next to no stock. They did have some that just weren’t to my liking, so it was understandable why they were the only units they had.

I was actually talking to one of the store managers, who was working the store. I casually mentioned that the whole COVID thing had messed up most retail. Curiously, he said his business is down, but only because he can’t get stock. Not sure what this means, but he said he can get better stock from a brand made in Turkey (he showed me one of them, which was nice, but it was made...well....in Turkey) than he could from units made in the U.S. (Bosch and Whirlpool). Even the GE brands, made 100 ,miles from me in KY, were in short supply.

There’s a new retailer locally called Appliance Factory. They’re just another retailer. But, walking into their store, I felt like I had to take a shower before leaving....dirty, sales people who should be wearing white patent leather shoes and belts. NO THANKS!

Lowes had some stock. Looking at Best Buy today. We’ll see how they work out.

I was in Home Depot in Florence, yesterday. They had a big stock of dishwashers. They don't carry Bosch.

It's a little ways away, but I've had good luck with Hagedorn in Erlanger, KY. (Dixie Highway).
They've been in business longer than even R&B. Maybe give them a call?

A lot of the places I used to shop appliances are long gone (HHGregg, Sears, Steinbergs, Swallens)

For high end stuff, Keidel is knowledgeable, but not sure of their stock or pricing. I received a lot of good, free advice there, though.

Michaell

graphicguy said:

Michaell said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

sda said:

qbrozen said:

Working on my retirement plan today. lol.
Flipping Camaros and day trading options. If I can make this work, I'd be pretty damned ecstatic. Taking a class tonight and tomorrow night for the whole options thing.

Though dated now a saying in the industry was 'Pigs don't drive Cadillacs'.

The way I heard it was "Bulls make money, bears make money and pigs get slaughtered."
It is so true. Trading can work, I have a friend who lives off trading. One day he lost $30000 on a stock and I felt bad for him, but he says he made $50000 the day before so no big deal....I can't live that way.

Investing at that level is really just gambling.

You want to talk about gambling?

Been reading articles about the debacle in Texas - turns out the utilities are so deregulated that some companies were offering variable rate electricity. Folks who were able to keep their lights on are now seeing 4 and 5 figure bills for those few days. And, one company has it tied to the customer's debit or credit card, which then wiped out bank accounts and maxing credit cards.

That's gambling - but never in a million years did these customers expect this to happen to them. And, these are necessities, not like a Netflix subscription that can be cancelled with minimal inconvenience.

Spoke with a former guy who used to report to me and lives in Katy, TX last night. What a cluster. He was one who was hit with a large utility bill. Called to complain and got the “free market” jumbo jumbo every company spouts when they’re screwing their customers. He’s now to the point where he’s seriously considering moving out of TX given the “screw job” he feels the utilities have done on Texans. He asked me what it was like living in Cincinnati.

“Fine.....as long as you don’t mind the occasional snow every couple of years.”

I've been thinking about this .... really, no different than an adjustable rate mortgage. Everybody like the idea, and all they think about is the upside to them. Rates go down, mortgage payment goes down.

Nobody thinks about the scenario when the rates go up. This is exactly what's happening in TX. Everybody signed up, didn't read the fine print (which, apparently, makes the credit card offers look like 2nd grade books), and then scream and complain when the once in a 100 years storm hits and drives the rates up.

Either you're for regulation, or you're not. If not, then you don't have a right to complain when the circumstances work against the consumer.

andres3

bwia said:

This 1989 Lexus LS 400 advert brings back memories when a Lexus was truly an aspirational automobile. Replicated in 2021 with the LS 500 I think the test is not as impactful because at the same 145 mph dyno speed it suggests there is no improvement in refinement over the last 30 years. They should repeat the test but at perhaps 175 mph, that would certainly get some attention. Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32w76TaRaRY

I think I remember a commercial where they drive over railroad track perpendicular to the wood planks at a relatively high speed. They made it seem like the suspension would soak all that up and you could hold a full glass of water without spilling easily (or it was probably Champagne).

nyccarguy

explorerx4 said:

@fintail,
I didn't realize nyccarguy put his house on he market.

I was trying to remain anonymous I apple mapped the address. Its a little less than 3 miles from my house;)

roadburner

graphicguy said:

roadburner said:

I’d build one like Mike Valentine’s- it looks like a colonial carriage house. His garage holds 12 cars- and even has a heated floor.

Is he still associated with his namesake radar detectors? I met him once at a business soirée I was invited to. We sat at the same dinner table together. Nice guy. His wife, on the other hand...........????!!!!!!!

He sold his interest in Cincinnati Microwave in the late ‘80s and formed Valentine Research. He sold an ingenious device known as the G-Analyst until his covenant not to compete expired, and at that point he unveiled the Valentine One.
My wife and I have seen Mike and Peg several times over the years. She always seemed very nice.

dino001

It's a very good example, cause ARMs have caps on rates, typically can't raise the rate by more than certain amount within each year. These caps are probably not voluntary, but forced by consumer protection/Fed. Something similar should have been in place here, but again, black swans don't exist, do they? Except they actually do.

The sad part is no matter how much we warn people against signing such open-ended contracts, prospect of saving 10 or 20 bucks per month for number of years at risk of giving back twentyfold of the savings in "unlikely" event are just too tempting. And if that happens, we can always call local media and scream bloody hell. If these guys took these 10 bucks and put them into a "rainy/freezing day fund" then this can actually be worth doing, but we all know that's not how people think. This is a reason why some may need to be protected from themselves, OR we all have to watch the consequences of their lack of foresight and learn to err on side of caution and perhaps take that higher fixed price contract.

tjc78

@graphicguy
This mirrored my experience. Supply was very short on desirable models. HD, Lowes, BB all had none available. I got really lucky with a local outfit that was able to grab one in a few days.

jmonroe1

ab348 said:

snakeweasel said:

My experience is that wifes don't seem to have a very good sense of humor. Case in point today while I was cooking dinner like I do every day I told my wife that if I wanted to cook every day I would have stayed single. My wife didn't find that funny, but on the plus side the doctor says I should be out of the hospital by Wednesday.

This made me really laugh for quite a while.

Only a bachelor would think that’s funny. :@

jmonroe

dino001

graphicguy said:

Dishwasher shopping....went to the locally owned store last night. They have next to no stock. They did have some that just weren’t to my liking, so it was understandable why they were the only units they had.

I was actually talking to one of the store managers, who was working the store. I casually mentioned that the whole COVID thing had messed up most retail. Curiously, he said his business is down, but only because he can’t get stock. Not sure what this means, but he said he can get better stock from a brand made in Turkey (he showed me one of them, which was nice, but it was made...well....in Turkey) than he could from units made in the U.S. (Bosch and Whirlpool). Even the GE brands, made 100 ,miles from me in KY, were in short supply.

There’s a new retailer locally called Appliance Factory. They’re just another retailer. But, walking into their store, I felt like I had to take a shower before leaving....dirty, sales people who should be wearing white patent leather shoes and belts. NO THANKS!

Lowes had some stock. Looking at Best Buy today. We’ll see how they work out.

Here in Tampa Bay there is a local chain called Famous Tate. Great store, at least near my house, knowledgeable people, transparent pricing (although today everything is priced same everywhere these days). They're part of Brand Source, some kind of association of independent retailers that gives them a decent leverage in price negotiations with manufacturers, financing deals, too (store card).

There is short supply of pretty much all kinds of industrial goods, from cars (chip shortage), to appliances, to spare parts, to whatever else.

roadburner

imidazol97 said:

graphicguy said:

roadburner said:

I’d build one like Mike Valentine’s- it looks like a colonial carriage house. His garage holds 12 cars- and even has a heated floor.

Is he still associated with his namesake radar detectors? I met him once at a business soirée I was invited to. We sat at the same dinner table together. Nice guy. His wife, on the other hand...........????!!!!!!!

https://www.rdforum.org/threads/69070/

I'm not clear on which of the 3 guys started Escort in Tipp City. A brother of a lady friend way back knew the guy in Tipp City. He actually took the brother out on the adjacent interstate to look for radar to show him the effectiveness and sensitivity of the Escort unit they built there.

Tipp City was the home of Electrolert, the company that made the Fuzzbuster. Mike and his partner approached Electrolert and offered to sell them the rights to their unique design (which utilized a Gunn oscillator). Electrolert conceded that it was a superior design, but believed that people wouldn’t pay $250 for a radar detector. Mike and his partner founded Cincinnati Microwave and began to sell the original Escort; sales skyrocketed when Car and Driver tested it and reported that it was the next best thing to diplomatic immunity. The Escort outperformed every other detector, even when located in the glove box. My future wife bought me one for my law school graduation, and she had to order it early as there was a four month waiting list in 1982.

andres3

fintail said:

Not sure if I'd be much of a match for Hellcats and Superstangs/Camaros, but it still has a sub-5 second 0-60 and is a white station wagon with non-sporty wheels and a hood ornament to throw people off. At least on paper it's very slightly faster 0-60 than both of my prior V8 AMG cars - time marches on.

andres3 said:

You should definitely hit your local drag strip to troll some American muscle in your sleeper. I think you'd do just fine.

Is your wagon AWD? That'll help you at the 1/8 mile strips for sure. Not every youngster can afford a Hellcat, you'll see plenty of regular Camaro SS and Mustang GT's.

andres3

oldfarmer50 said:

roadburner said:

driver100 said:

roadburner said:

driver100 said:

fintail said:

I am younger than many here, and I already feel way too old for such a car. Maybe when I was 14 I might have thought it was more desirable - far too "look at me" now, not to mention the likely ride/handling/comfort.

driver100 said:

I would say I like a car that balances driving experience and comfort. I know the Yaris is a great handling/driving car for what it is, but I couldn't drive something that looks like this;
.....and that I have to wedge myself into.

I think the key words are " Maybe when I was 14 I might have thought it was more desirable".

I’d rather drive a car that made me feel like I was14 as opposed to a car that made me feel like I was 114.

I just try to act my age.....but on the youngish side of what I am. Being immature (14) doesn't make me any younger than what I am.

My philosophy has always been:
Growing old is inevitable.
Growing up is optional.

Mr. Roadburner waving to his neighbor as he leaves for work.

https://youtu.be/ouhmPg4PTmk

I'm sure they were only going that fast due to the lack of a posted speed limit sign confusing them.

venture

roadburner said:

imidazol97 said:

Something I thought I'd never do. Spent an hour and half in a Toyota showroom earlier this evening. They wouldn't even let me sit in the Supra GR. It was locked. Black.

I drove him over to the store, and I stayed around in case he didn't get to drive his prize home.

Son had been negotiating over an instock Venza that fit his wants with an extra he didn't want. But they came down substantially. So he picked it up this evening after applying for Toyota's financing with instant approval. LOL

Beautiful car. Spotlight blue with boulder (grey) tones in the interior. Even has "Venza" lighting up on the door sills. They missed "Venza" in the puddle lights. LOL.

I love how some Toyota dealers treat the Supra like it’s some uber expensive rare exotic; Oxmorons Toyota wouldn’t allow a test drive without a buyer’s order- even though I had scheduled a test drive online.
The Toyota dealer I’ve been talking with is offering a significant discount and I think they would probably let me take one home overnight. When I went to that dealer no one was looking at the Supra in the middle of the showroom- every other customer was either looking at a truck or else an anodyne transport appliance.
I will say that I have been impressed with the sales staff at that dealer. I just need to decide between the Supra and the M2 Comp. The Supra is actually a tick faster than the M2C- on both the drag strip and a road course. My primary concern is the ability of Toyota’s service departments to properly maintain the car.

Get a pencil and write this down.

Stay with what you know.

oldfarmer50

imidazol97 said:

The electricity was being purchased on the "spot market" whatever that is. I keep seeing references to something from the government that restricted TX from purchasing electricity on a sharing basis in an emergency because they were staying independent as a state on this. Perhaps someone else can explain.

Imagine filling up your Leaf or Tesla at these rates if even more people had electric only vehicles.

Gasoline refineries also had gone off line which affected the gasoline prices here. They're down 10 cents already from the peak. Everything froze up.

Our gasoline prices continue to skyrocket. I saw one station at $2.72 for RUG this morning.

oldfarmer50

roadburner said:

qbrozen said:

Michaell said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

sda said:

qbrozen said:

Working on my retirement plan today. lol.
Flipping Camaros and day trading options. If I can make this work, I'd be pretty damned ecstatic. Taking a class tonight and tomorrow night for the whole options thing.

Though dated now a saying in the industry was 'Pigs don't drive Cadillacs'.

The way I heard it was "Bulls make money, bears make money and pigs get slaughtered."
It is so true. Trading can work, I have a friend who lives off trading. One day he lost $30000 on a stock and I felt bad for him, but he says he made $50000 the day before so no big deal....I can't live that way.

Investing at that level is really just gambling.

You want to talk about gambling?

Been reading articles about the debacle in Texas - turns out the utilities are so deregulated that some companies were offering variable rate electricity. Folks who were able to keep their lights on are now seeing 4 and 5 figure bills for those few days. And, one company has it tied to the customer's debit or credit card, which then wiped out bank accounts and maxing credit cards.

That's gambling - but never in a million years did these customers expect this to happen to them. And, these are necessities, not like a Netflix subscription that can be cancelled with minimal inconvenience.

I saw an article about that. And the power company bankrupting these people is blaming the regulators for allowing them to do it. HUH?! It is a crazy crazy world.

Back in the 1980’s I was involved in a complex(multiple properties and multiple lenders) farm foreclosure case. The debtors’ defense was that the lenders should have known that the debtors couldn’t pay off those large loans and mortgages.

A lot of farmers got into that situation mainly through over leveraging their farms to buy expensive equipment or additional land. The international export market was booming and they were trying to take advantage of that. Then we had some international dispute with Russia (I think) and a lot of export contracts got canceled leaving farmers with over priced assets and no markets. Almost overnight a lot of farmers found they owed more than they were worth with no way of paying the loans.

The lenders got caught just as flat footed as the farmers due to federal government politics that no one could have foreseen.

fintail

Posh hipster ad creative types. But at least the exterior color selection is more than black/white/beige/grey,

imidazol97 said:

That's it. With a two-toned grey interior called Boulder.
Where do they get these names.

jmonroe1

Michaell said:

graphicguy said:

Michaell said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

sda said:

qbrozen said:

Working on my retirement plan today. lol.
Flipping Camaros and day trading options. If I can make this work, I'd be pretty damned ecstatic. Taking a class tonight and tomorrow night for the whole options thing.

Though dated now a saying in the industry was 'Pigs don't drive Cadillacs'.

The way I heard it was "Bulls make money, bears make money and pigs get slaughtered."
It is so true. Trading can work, I have a friend who lives off trading. One day he lost $30000 on a stock and I felt bad for him, but he says he made $50000 the day before so no big deal....I can't live that way.

Investing at that level is really just gambling.

You want to talk about gambling?

Been reading articles about the debacle in Texas - turns out the utilities are so deregulated that some companies were offering variable rate electricity. Folks who were able to keep their lights on are now seeing 4 and 5 figure bills for those few days. And, one company has it tied to the customer's debit or credit card, which then wiped out bank accounts and maxing credit cards.

That's gambling - but never in a million years did these customers expect this to happen to them. And, these are necessities, not like a Netflix subscription that can be cancelled with minimal inconvenience.

Spoke with a former guy who used to report to me and lives in Katy, TX last night. What a cluster. He was one who was hit with a large utility bill. Called to complain and got the “free market” jumbo jumbo every company spouts when they’re screwing their customers. He’s now to the point where he’s seriously considering moving out of TX given the “screw job” he feels the utilities have done on Texans. He asked me what it was like living in Cincinnati.

“Fine.....as long as you don’t mind the occasional snow every couple of years.”

I've been thinking about this .... really, no different than an adjustable rate mortgage. Everybody like the idea, and all they think about is the upside to them. Rates go down, mortgage payment goes down.

Nobody thinks about the scenario when the rates go up. This is exactly what's happening in TX. Everybody signed up, didn't read the fine print (which, apparently, makes the credit card offers look like 2nd grade books), and then scream and complain when the once in a 100 years storm hits and drives the rates up.

Either you're for regulation, or you're not. If not, then you don't have a right to complain when the circumstances work against the consumer.

I’m not siding entirely with the the customer here because you should know what you’re getting yourself into. It’s amazing how people who know almost nothing about finances and how to run their lives, think they have the “bull by the horns” when dealing with companies who have “a deal” for them. However, it is different than a variable rate mortgage because they always let you know how often and how much the increase would be and I admit they never missed their chance to bump their customers at the first opportunity to do it.

Back in the early ‘80s I worked with two guys who had variable rate mortgages and they were holding their breath in anticipation of their next bump. These guys knew how to add 2+2 and knew what they were getting into but felt a variable rate mortgage was the way to go for them. I never agreed with that line of thinking but then again I never had to have more than I could afford at that particular time. Whereas, some people felt “in time”, I’ll be able to “catch up” and then I’ll be able to afford it.

jmonroe

fintail

I found it most amusing that those not in the ERCOT group had far less problems. Seems typical for this economic reality though, go it on your own and claim to be independent until something hits the fan, then hands are out.

qbrozen said:

I saw an article about that. And the power company bankrupting these people is blaming the regulators for allowing them to do it. HUH?! It is a crazy crazy world.

fintail

All E wagons have been AWD for several years - it's a thing now, finding a RWD late model E of any model in my region will not be easy. AWD is now an expectation even in rainy areas.

You'll get some coddled types who can throw around that kind of money at age 25, but around here they seem to usually go for lifted brotrucks when spending daddy's money. Might be more fun to convert an E63 wagon to non-AMG trim (would cost $$$) to really throw people off.

andres3 said:

Is your wagon AWD? That'll help you at the 1/8 mile strips for sure. Not every youngster can afford a Hellcat, you'll see plenty of regular Camaro SS and Mustang GT's.

fintail

I am pretty sure he's not one of the vicarious living screamer sports parents who would spend untold sums just for status, as seems to be a big trend in some activities these days. I bet in the northeast especially, private family-owned ice surfaces are not unknown. Maybe a reflection of the economy as a whole, something once somewhat egalitarian (at least in terms of opportunity) is now quickly moving away from that ideal.

But that place would be a fun hangout, especially if you were rich enough to not need to actually work and had the free time.

explorerx4 said:

@fintail,
I didn't realize nyccarguy put his house on he market.