Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

snakeweasel

oldfarmer50 said:

snakeweasel said:

Gas price check. I am seeing $4. for RUG and $4.80 for PUG.

Wow! Did Russia invade your neighborhood? It’s up to about $3.80 for RUG around here.

Well I am in the Peoples Republic of Illinois so yeah.

About 20 years ago we went to Hawaii and when I filled up the rental car I kept the receipt so that if I ever thought we had high gas prices I would whip out that receipt and say to myself "at least I am not paying this price" That receipt has long since lost its usefulness.

snakeweasel

Fun day at the tax office today. I had 8 appointments each one hour apart. Five showed up and of those five one didn't like my quoted fee and two we couldn't do because they were n0n residents and needed forms our system cant do. So expecting a real busy day I only did two returns.

And to make matters worse yous guys have been quite on this forum today.

jmonroe1

snakeweasel said:

Fun day at the tax office today. I had 8 appointments each one hour apart. Five showed up and of those five one didn't like my quoted fee and two we couldn't do because they were n0n residents and needed forms our system cant do. So expecting a real busy day I only did two returns.

And to make matters worse yous guys have been quite on this forum today.

You shouldn’t have tried to sell that one customer the full mop and glow package and you should have cheated on the forms for those other 2 sales you lost. It could have been a profitable day but you blew it.

jmonroe

snakeweasel

jmonroe1 said:

snakeweasel said:

Fun day at the tax office today. I had 8 appointments each one hour apart. Five showed up and of those five one didn't like my quoted fee and two we couldn't do because they were n0n residents and needed forms our system cant do. So expecting a real busy day I only did two returns.

And to make matters worse yous guys have been quite on this forum today.

You shouldn’t have tried to sell that one customer the full mop and glow package and you should have cheated on the forms for those other 2 sales you lost. It could have been a profitable day but you blew it.

jmonroe

I lose "sales" every year because I wouldn't "fudge" on a tax return. But it also means that I haven't been fined and I can still get paid to do taxes.

abacomike

@oldfarmer50 said:
That must have been a small school system. We had well over 200 buses and a separate transportation department with at least a dozen office staff. Of course we moved 10,000 students twice a day. I seldom wrote kids up for behavior unless someone got injured or pulled a gun.

We had over 50 buses in our school district with staggered starting times with a separate department that managed the drivers and assignments. But school principals were responsible for discipline on the buses and for deciphering the master student bus assignment lists generated by the transportation department. We had 2 high schools, 4 middle schools and 10 elementary schools with a total student population of 15,000+.

For the first 4 years I was a principal, the district was on a year-round-calendar which means that the schools were on a 4 track system with 3 tracks in school and 1 track on vacation. Every 3 weeks, a track would go on vacation and a track would return from vacation. It was named “45-15” - 45 days of instruction and 15 days off. Very complicated but our district was forced to go on this program because of 10-15 percent increases in student population every school year and not enough schools.

We went on a regular school calendar (9 months in school for kids and summers off) for my remaining tenure there before I moved to California.

oldfarmer50

abacomike said:

@oldfarmer50 said:

That must have been a small school system. We had well over 200 buses and a separate transportation department with at least a dozen office staff. Of course we moved 10,000 students twice a day. I seldom wrote kids up for behavior unless someone got injured or pulled a gun.

We had over 50 buses in our school district with staggered starting times with a separate department that managed the drivers and assignments. But school principals were responsible for discipline on the buses and for deciphering the master student bus assignment lists generated by the transportation department. We had 2 high schools, 4 middle schools and 10 elementary schools with a total student population of 15,000+.

For the first 4 years I was a principal, the district was on a year-round-calendar which means that the schools were on a 4 track system with 3 tracks in school and 1 track on vacation. Every 3 weeks, a track would go on vacation and a track would return from vacation. It was named “45-15” - 45 days of instruction and 15 days off. Very complicated but our district was forced to go on this program because of 10-15 percent increases in student population every school year and not enough schools.

We went on a regular school calendar (9 months in school for kids and summers off) for my remaining tenure there before I moved to California.

How did you manage that many students with only 50 buses?

jmonroe1

@snakeweasel said:
I lose "sales" every year because I wouldn't "fudge" on a tax return. But it also means that I haven't been fined and I can still get paid to do taxes.

That’s old fashioned thinking.

jmonroe

tjc78

Long Beach has been better so far than expected. Nice place to hang out for a few days. No shortage of good food and drink!

driver100

@tjc78 Glad you are enjoying Long Beach. Is that a cruise ship? Are cruise ships actually operating right now?
We just got tickets for Wimbledon at the end of June....took the insurance package, we can cancel up to 48 hours in advance.......you never know these days!

stickguy

looks nice. nicer weather than here, though might be chilly the way everyone is bundled up (relatively speaking of course).

tjc78

There were several cruise ships at anchor. Guessing they are out of service. I know many ships have begun sailing again

@stickguy
It was 70 degrees. People were all bundled up like it was 40.

Michaell

tjc78 said:

There were several cruise ships at anchor. Guessing they are out of service. I know many ships have begun sailing again

@stickguy

It was 70 degrees. People were all bundled up like it was 40.

It can get downright chilly at the water.

jmonroe1

@tjc78 said:
There were several cruise ships at anchor. Guessing they are out of service. I know many ships have begun sailing again

@stickguy
It was 70 degrees. People were all bundled up like it was 40.

Well, after the near 90 degree temps around Super Bowl time a few weeks ago, 70 could feel a little chilly.

jmonroe

ab348

Watching the NASCAR race at the tourist mecca that is Auto Club Speedway in Fontana CA amongst the warehouses and industrial plants, the wind was blowing 30mph, the temp was reported as 60 degrees, and the commentators in the pits were complaining about being cold.

kyfdx

It's amazing the temperature change in SoCal between oceanside, and five miles inland. When we were in San Diego, the downtown area, Coronado Island, etc.. were all in the high 70s (in July). Inland, high 80s, low 90s.

snakeweasel

@tjc78 said:
There were several cruise ships at anchor. Guessing they are out of service. I know many ships have begun sailing again

@stickguy
It was 70 degrees. People were all bundled up like it was 40.

I remember one Christmas we were spending with the kids in Orlando when on the TV we heard a cold weather warning, it was going to get down in to the mid 60's. The next day we were walking around without jackets while people around us were all bundled up.

snakeweasel

@kyfdx said:
It's amazing the temperature change in SoCal between oceanside, and five miles inland. When we were in San Diego, the downtown area, Coronado Island, etc.. were all in the high 70s (in July). Inland, high 80s, low 90s.

You can get that temperature change with any large body of water. The cooler water acts as a natural air conditioner. Cooler near the lake is a common phrase with weather reports around here. The range can depend on several factors but it can be significant.

abacomike

@oldfarmer50 said:
How did you manage that many students with only 50 buses?

High schools started at 7:30 AM and dismissed at 1:45 PM; Middle schools started at 8:00 AM and dismissed at 2:30 PM; Elementary schools staggered starting and dismissal times between 8:45 AM/9:30 AM and 2:45 PM/3:30 PM. So the 50 buses were constantly on the road from 7:00 AM to 4:15 PM with lunch breaks, field trips, and special activities transportation for athletics and clubs at the high schools, etc. Several elementary schools had 1 or 2 buses daily because most students could walk to those schools.

abacomike

@kyfdx said:
It's amazing the temperature change in SoCal between oceanside, and five miles inland. When we were in San Diego, the downtown area, Coronado Island, etc.. were all in the high 70s (in July). Inland, high 80s, low 90s.

Yep! I lived in Rancho Bernardo for a while in the early 1990’s and I remember the coastal air inversions which caused heavy clouds at the beaches until 12:00-1:00 PM but 4-5 miles inland, it would be clear and hot.

Michaell

abacomike said:

@kyfdx said:

It's amazing the temperature change in SoCal between oceanside, and five miles inland. When we were in San Diego, the downtown area, Coronado Island, etc.. were all in the high 70s (in July). Inland, high 80s, low 90s.

Yep! I lived in Rancho Bernardo for a while in the early 1990’s and I remember the coastal air inversions which caused heavy clouds at the beaches until 12:00-1:00 PM but 4-5 miles inland, it would be clear and hot.

June gloom.

My sister and her family live in RB; fun fact - Eric Weddle, recent SB winner for the LA Rams, will become the head football coach for Rancho Bernardo HS this fall; two of my nephews played on the team. My youngest nephew was pressed into service last season as an emergency QB. All 5'5" and 120 pounds of him.

He also just competed in the state wrestling tournament this past weekend.

Great article about him in the SD newspaper

abacomike

@tjc78 said:
Long Beach has been better so far than expected. Nice place to hang out for a few days. No shortage of good food and drink!

Also not far from Newport Beach and Fashion Island Shopping Center. Great restaurants down there, as well.

driver100

snakeweasel said:

@tjc78 said:

There were several cruise ships at anchor. Guessing they are out of service. I know many ships have begun sailing again

@stickguy

It was 70 degrees. People were all bundled up like it was 40.

I remember one Christmas we were spending with the kids in Orlando when on the TV we heard a cold weather warning, it was going to get down in to the mid 60's. The next day we were walking around without jackets while people around us were all bundled up.

That happened this week. Tampa has had record breaking temps lately, mid 80s most days this month. But, they announced a cold front is moving in.....sounds scary, it will only be in the mid 70s next week. The natives are in panic mode!
Mid 70s sounds good to me when it will probably be below 30 back home!

jmonroe1

@Michaell said:
June gloom.

My sister and her family live in RB; fun fact - Eric Weddle, recent SB winner for the LA Rams, will become the head football coach for Rancho Bernardo HS this fall; two of my nephews played on the team. My youngest nephew was pressed into service last season as an emergency QB. All 5'5" and 120 pounds of him.

He also just competed in the state wrestling tournament this past weekend.

Great article about him in the SD newspaper

That is some nephew you have. Being his size I’m sure he’s had work his tail off to make the team. That kind of hard work is good preparation for the life ahead of him. He’ll never have to take a back seat in life with that mind set.

jmonroe

Michaell

jmonroe1 said:

@Michaell said:

June gloom.

My sister and her family live in RB; fun fact - Eric Weddle, recent SB winner for the LA Rams, will become the head football coach for Rancho Bernardo HS this fall; two of my nephews played on the team. My youngest nephew was pressed into service last season as an emergency QB. All 5'5" and 120 pounds of him.

He also just competed in the state wrestling tournament this past weekend.

Great article about him in the SD newspaper

That is some nephew you have. Being his size I’m sure he’s had work his tail off to make the team. That kind of hard work is good preparation for the life ahead of him. He’ll never have to take a back seat in life with that mind set.

jmonroe

Thanks for the kind words. His older brother (Jonny, referenced in the article) had been accepted to West Point, but a nut allergy caused him to decline the commission. He's working on getting hired as a federal fire fighter now (in honor of his grandfather, my dad).

laurasdada

$3.60/PUG at Costco before leaving on a jet plane. Now in San Francisco, first gas stations i saw were $5.150 & $5.30 for PUG. But, In & Out remains a reasonable meal deal.

mjfloyd1

Leavin on a jet plane. Don’t know when I’ll be back again

abacomike

@laurasdada said:
$3.60/PUG at Costco before leaving on a jet plane. Now in San Francisco, first gas stations i saw were $5.150 & $5.30 for PUG. But, In & Out remains a reasonable meal deal.

$3.85 a gallon for PUG and $3.34 a gallon for RUG at my Costco. Last year, I was paying $2.47 a gallon for PUG at Costco. Up $1.50 a gallon over last year.

Regular gas stations are charging $4.25+ for PUG. It is what it is!

jmonroe1

@abacomike said:

@laurasdada said:
$3.60/PUG at Costco before leaving on a jet plane. Now in San Francisco, first gas stations i saw were $5.150 & $5.30 for PUG. But, In & Out remains a reasonable meal deal.

$3.85 a gallon for PUG and $3.34 a gallon for RUG at my Costco. Last year, I was paying $2.47 a gallon for PUG at Costco. Up $1.50 a gallon over last year.

Regular gas stations are charging $4.25+ for PUG. It is what it is!

What it is, is price gouging and no one is better at it than the oil companies. They’re trying to beef up their bank accounts before the worm turns.

jmonroe

driver100

What I'd like to know is this, whenever there is a shortage of oil/gas, the price rises.....and there is still enough to go around......do we actually cut back on driving because gasoline goes up 20 or 30 cents? I doubt if people travel less, but they raise the price and we still have enough to go around. The so called shortage is just an excuse to gouge!

driver100

I had a telephone call about 20 minutes ago from an area code I didn't recognize. I was skeptical when I picked up, and I said "Hello" (and not yes which they can record and paste in so it sounds like you agreed to something).
The caller said, "Hi, this is Andrew and how are you doing today sir?"
And that is when I hung up....I don't know an Andrew and I didn't like the way this was going with a friendly guy from out of nowhere asking me how I am today....when obviously he couldn't care less or he wouldn't be calling me.
Now that I think of it, I should have said I was doing great until I got your scam phone call.

stickguy

Yes it is

laurasdada

mjfloyd1 said:

Leavin on a jet plane. Don’t know when I’ll be back again

Next Saturday, actually.
65 and sunny. Not sure what to do without snow and high winds. Think I'll nap in the sun.

carnaught

I’m getting 30+ mpg in mixed, mostly city driving with my BMW. Wish it would do well with RUG, but my son’s new ‘22 A3 uses RUG, recommended (not counted as a punch cause he doesn’t live with us). Domestic and international geo-politics definitely play a role in current pricing.

jmonroe1

@driver100 said:
What I'd like to know is this, whenever there is a shortage of oil/gas, the price rises.....and there is still enough to go around......do we actually cut back on driving because gasoline goes up 20 or 30 cents? I doubt if people travel less, but they raise the price and we still have enough to go around. The so called shortage is just an excuse to gouge!

Really? Where did you hear that?

jmonroe

driver100

carnaught said:

I’m getting 30+ mpg in mixed, mostly city driving with my BMW. Wish it would do well with RUG, but my son’s new ‘22 A3 uses RUG, recommended (not counted as a punch cause he doesn’t live with us). Domestic and international geo-politics definitely play a role in current pricing.

The 2014 C250 gets about 29.2 mpg.....I can't quite get to 30 mpg....but then around here, you're either in stop and go driving, or you're going 85 mph on I-75. No 60 mph sweet spot.....if I did that I think I could eke out 30 mph.....or if I got in the slipstream of a big truck.

snakeweasel

driver100 said:

What I'd like to know is this, whenever there is a shortage of oil/gas, the price rises.....and there is still enough to go around......do we actually cut back on driving because gasoline goes up 20 or 30 cents? I doubt if people travel less, but they raise the price and we still have enough to go around. The so called shortage is just an excuse to gouge!

It can cause a reduction in consumption and usually does when the price does climb rapidly. But rises in price do create more supply due to the fact that producing the item is more profitable. Higher prices mean oil that is harder and more expensive to get becomes profitable to extract.

snakeweasel

driver100 said:

carnaught said:

I’m getting 30+ mpg in mixed, mostly city driving with my BMW. Wish it would do well with RUG, but my son’s new ‘22 A3 uses RUG, recommended (not counted as a punch cause he doesn’t live with us). Domestic and international geo-politics definitely play a role in current pricing.

The 2014 C250 gets about 29.2 mpg.....I can't quite get to 30 mpg....but then around here, you're either in stop and go driving, or you're going 85 mph on I-75. No 60 mph sweet spot.....if I did that I think I could eke out 30 mph.....or if I got in the slipstream of a big truck.

The 4 series is getting around 26 driving among the suburbs, I have been getting 23/24 with the Sonata but if I really baby it and don't take to many short cold weather drives I can get close to 30 in the suburban driving. The Honda I normally get 64 suburbs but can break 70 easily on back country roads maintaining 55 - 60 MPH (don't ask about high speed Interstate driving).

driver100

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

What I'd like to know is this, whenever there is a shortage of oil/gas, the price rises.....and there is still enough to go around......do we actually cut back on driving because gasoline goes up 20 or 30 cents? I doubt if people travel less, but they raise the price and we still have enough to go around. The so called shortage is just an excuse to gouge!

It can cause a reduction in consumption and usually does when the price does climb rapidly. But rises in price do create more supply due to the fact that producing the item is more profitable. Higher prices mean oil that is harder and more expensive to get becomes profitable to extract.

That sounds logical....but is it? For example when they switch from summer to winter grade the price goes up because there is a shortage of product as they convert the refinery....but, everyone keeps buying, and they don't have excess capacity because that is the reason for the shortage. In some cases I would agree...but not all cases.

stickguy

when the producers and the retailers are the same, it is a lot easier to rig the prices.

recent quarters oil companies have made record profits. It wasn't costing them more to produce.

US produced more oil (and natural gas) in 2021 than it did in 2020. And is on budgeted to produce more in 2022 and 2023 than in 2021. So can't blame domestic supply for the job.

so partially just world wide supply/demand imbalance, with a healthy dose of price gouging that happens any time there is anything scary happening (weather, political, whatever).

domestic producers are also happy to put the US output on a ship and send it elsewhere if they can get a better price. So the idea of making enough gas in the US for what we use isn't necessarily going to keep prices here low if there is a shortage and price spike elsewhere (but on the flip side, if they can buy it cheaper in the middle east and ship it back they will).

venture

Greed. The bane of humanity.

tifighter

Filled up the car this morning. 8 cents/kWh here. Same as 2015.

28firefighter

@tifighter said:
Filled up the car this morning. 8 cents/kWh here. Same as 2015.

My rate went up a bit to 10 cents last summer. Brutal.

oldfarmer50

tifighter said:

Filled up the car this morning. 8 cents/kWh here. Same as 2015.

Thanks to some political decisions in the past our electricity costs 20.4 cents per KWh. 41% higher than the national average.

henryn

oldfarmer50 said:

tifighter said:

Filled up the car this morning. 8 cents/kWh here. Same as 2015.

Thanks to some political decisions in the past our electricity costs 20.4 cents per KWh. 41% higher than the national average.

Ouch! That would definitely hurt. The cost of natural gas has gone up quite a bit here this winter. Still a lot cheaper than electricity for heating the house, hot water, clothes dryer, etc, but quite a bit more than last winter.

ab348

We pay 17 cents per kw/h here in Nova Scotia and people scream that we have the most expensive electricity around. That 17 cents is in worthless Canadian dollars too, so it equates to a little over 13 cents per kw/h in USD.

Michaell

Looks like I'm paying about $0.14 per KwH here in CO.

tifighter

tifighter said:

Filled up the car this morning. 8 cents/kWh here. Same as 2015.

The 8 cents is the local utility rate. I have a 7kW solar array, so the real costs are considerably lower.

driver100

venture said:

Greed. The bane of humanity.

But greed is a double edge sword. Because of greed we get entrepreneurs who make new inventions or who open a business etc....without greed we'd be living in caves and we'd be riding horses.

carnaught

Question for the handyman, electrician guru poster buddies. This is for if/when I go EV: my electric box is on the opposite side of the house from my garage but my laundry room is behind the back wall of my garage. Must I tap into the box to set up a garage 220/240 volt charger or can I tap into the laundry room much closer to the garage?

qbrozen

carnaught said:

Question for the handyman, electrician guru poster buddies. This is for if/when I go EV: my electric box is on the opposite side of the house from my garage but my laundry room is behind the back wall of my garage. Must I tap into the box to set up a garage 220/240 volt charger or can I tap into the laundry room much closer to the garage?

Do you have a 220 in your laundry room? What size breaker and wire go to it? If it is there, and if sized properly, you can certainly T off it; however, if you try to run a 220v dryer while your car is charging, you'll have a problem.