Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

ab348

stickguy said:

I had some black ones back in my HS/College days. Nothing like black vinyl in the summer, in a car with no AC.

Normally try to stay away from Black now. My Accord had black leather, and was often hot and somewhat cave like. Black cloth in my tC was not quite as bad.

no desire to get black insides again if i can help it. I like a lot of the browns, otherwise some sort of beige/gray will be fine.

the dark dash and carpets though really sets off the light seats and looks quite snazzy.

My '68 Cutlass has a black interior and it is really quite cave-like inside. Even the headliner is black. Unusually so for a '60s car there is very little chrome or bright trim inside. 1968 was the first year of some of the safety regulations and Olds at least seemed to err on the side of caution. In truth I would prefer it to have any other color inside.

My ATS also has a black interior and while it would not be my first choice it is far better than the Olds in terms of atmosphere. The headliner is a light shade and there is quite a bit of bright trim inside. It also has a sunroof which helps.

My preference for interior colors are pale beige and oyster, which is a very pale gray. My '09 Lacrosse had gray leather which was very light in tone and made it quite pleasant inside. The door panels were mostly light gray, so was the headliner. Even the carpets were light gray. Really nice inside. What I do not like are many new cars today which offer a color other than black inside but which in reality only offer seat and door panel inserts of the lighter color in otherwise an all-black interior. It still usually looks pretty black inside those cars.

Today I got a haircut and my barber was showing off his new-to-him 2012 Camaro V-6 convertible, metallic orange in color, with a black cloth interior. While black cloth is probably preferable to black leather/vinyl in a convertible, it still was pretty gloomy inside. Interesting story on the car: he bought it from a 78 year-old neighbor who bought it new and barely drove it because it was too hard to get in and out of. Less than 2000 miles on it, paid $25K Cdn.

jmonroe

driver100 said:

We are on page 1000....wow, how time flies!

I have been away in Pittsburgh for a few days. What a great city! We saw Frank Lloyd Wrights Falling Water...voted best designed house in the USA and possibly the world. Took the Ducky Tour and the Duquesne Incline, and ate at the fabulous Montery Bay restaurant overlooking the city. A remarkable city that is a great example of a city with a thriving downtown.

Roadburner, sounds like the perfect job for you...you will have passion for it. It sounds like fun, and it is exactly what I said dealers of premium cars should do....have classes or one on one is even better, to teach their customers how to get the most from their cars.

I'm glad you had a good time in the Burgh. If you came last Wednesday you would have been in the middle of the Pen's Stanley Cup victory celebration parade. As a Canadian you would have fit right in.

As for the Monterey Bay restaurant, the last time we went there, about 4 years ago for our anniversary, it was only average at best. When I was asked at work what we did for our anniversary, I said we went there and I did not think it was even close to what it used to be. Three people told me "welcome to the crowd". All of them told me if they knew we were going there they would have told me to save my money and go to Red Lobster. Needless to say what I just said because for what it costs, you have a right to expect more than what you got.

It sounds like they may be back to their old self. One thing for sure, you can't beat the view of the downtown area from that place. But then, nobody can eat the view.

jmonroe

stickguy

that Genius job sounds like a great gig for a semi-retirement position (AKA getting you out of your wife's hair).

Better than working the front door at Walmart.

driver100

jmonroe said:

driver100 said:

We are on page 1000....wow, how time flies!

I have been away in Pittsburgh for a few days. What a great city! We saw Frank Lloyd Wrights Falling Water...voted best designed house in the USA and possibly the world. Took the Ducky Tour and the Duquesne Incline, and ate at the fabulous Montery Bay restaurant overlooking the city. A remarkable city that is a great example of a city with a thriving downtown.

Roadburner, sounds like the perfect job for you...you will have passion for it. It sounds like fun, and it is exactly what I said dealers of premium cars should do....have classes or one on one is even better, to teach their customers how to get the most from their cars.

I'm glad you had a good time in the Burgh. If you came last Wednesday you would have been in the middle of the Pen's Stanley Cup victory celebration parade. As a Canadian you would have fit right in.

As for the Monterey Bay restaurant, the last time we went there, about 4 years ago for our anniversary, it was only average at best. When I was asked at work what we did for our anniversary, I said we went there and I did not think it was even close to what it used to be. Three people told me "welcome to the crowd". All of them told me if they knew we were going there they would have told me to save my money and go to Red Lobster. Needless to say what I just said because for what it costs, you have a right to expect more than what you got.

It sounds like they may be back to their old self. One thing for sure, you can't beat the view of the downtown area from that place. But then, nobody can eat the view.

jmonroe

I am glad we missed the Stanley Cup Victory celebrations actually. We were told to go to Altius by our hotel driver person (Stayed at the Priory - which was great), but we would have needed a reservation since they were voted in the top 10 restaurants in USA by someone. They sent us to Monterey. A little pricey but you are paying for the spectacular view and a very beautiful restaurant....very professional servers. Food was excellent, but, I am sure you could do better if you didn't need the view. Altius is #7 in Pittsburgh according to tripadvisor, and Monterey is #8, and I can believe it.

Red Lobster doesn't come close........manufactured food and not one bit creative!

I just can't afford the Monterey every weekend, but, once a year for a special occassion...it is excellent.

I had teriyaki Salmon with tri-color potatoes, it was amazing...and a Yeungling which completed the meal perfectly.

explorerx4

@jmonroe,
One of our hometown boys in the 'B' in the 'HBK' sandwich.
If I'm lucky, maybe I can get in a picture of him with the Cup.
Timing and friend of a friend kind of thing.

graphicguy

roadburner said:

It's now official; next week I begin work as a BMW Genius at my local dealer. I'm looking forward to it; I've talked with others in the position and I couldn't find anyone who wasn't pretty happy with the job. You can read more about it here.

How cool is that? Congrats! Sounds like fun!

oldfarmer50

roadburner said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Is that like an Apple Genius?

Hey since you're a genius what do you make of this:

http://albany.craigslist.org/cto/5648167514.html

It's a bit like Apple's model; I help match customers up with the right car, offer test drives and then hand off to a salesperson. After the sale or lease I may help with deliveries. There's also some training assignments to keep the sales staff up to date on new technology. One important thing that the Genius does is invite new customers back to the dealer under the "BMW Encore" program- Encore is designed to answer any questions a new customer may have. BMW does not want to get dinged on third part surveys due to a customer not being able to figure out the technology.

As for the Fahrenheits? I actually considered one a long time ago. Nice cars but I don't think they are nearly as valuable as that C/L seller thinks.

I think that's an ideal job for an enthusiast like you. Just as long as they don't try to make you push a particular model because they ordered too many. I wonder if other car dealers do that genius thing as well. The Ford dealer sent an old guy out with me on the second test drive who was obviously very knowledgeable on the product. He had no other role that I could determine.

oldfarmer50

B

ab348 said:

stickguy said:

I had some black ones back in my HS/College days. Nothing like black vinyl in the summer, in a car with no AC.

Normally try to stay away from Black now. My Accord had black leather, and was often hot and somewhat cave like. Black cloth in my tC was not quite as bad.

no desire to get black insides again if i can help it. I like a lot of the browns, otherwise some sort of beige/gray will be fine.

the dark dash and carpets though really sets off the light seats and looks quite snazzy.

My '68 Cutlass has a black interior and it is really quite cave-like inside. Even the headliner is black. Unusually so for a '60s car there is very little chrome or bright trim inside. 1968 was the first year of some of the safety regulations and Olds at least seemed to err on the side of caution. In truth I would prefer it to have any other color inside.

My ATS also has a black interior and while it would not be my first choice it is far better than the Olds in terms of atmosphere. The headliner is a light shade and there is quite a bit of bright trim inside. It also has a sunroof which helps.

My preference for interior colors are pale beige and oyster, which is a very pale gray. My '09 Lacrosse had gray leather which was very light in tone and made it quite pleasant inside. The door panels were mostly light gray, so was the headliner. Even the carpets were light gray. Really nice inside. What I do not like are many new cars today which offer a color other than black inside but which in reality only offer seat and door panel inserts of the lighter color in otherwise an all-black interior. It still usually looks pretty black inside those cars.

Today I got a haircut and my barber was showing off his new-to-him 2012 Camaro V-6 convertible, metallic orange in color, with a black cloth interior. While black cloth is probably preferable to black leather/vinyl in a convertible, it still was pretty gloomy inside. Interesting story on the car: he bought it from a 78 year-old neighbor who bought it new and barely drove it because it was too hard to get in and out of. Less than 2000 miles on it, paid $25K Cdn.

My Eclipse was the first car I owned with an all black interior and while I got used to it I never liked it. The interior really disappeared. The old Lincoln has white leather which is much brighter and let's you see what's inside. Combined with the lower belt line of the 90s cars it seems like it has better visability.

I think that's why I choose the Ford with the white seats in an otherwise black interior. Breaks up the monotony dispite the tendency to show dirt.



On the Camaro, a 78 year old has no business buying one. I had a highly modified 2000 era Camaro try to get me to race him today on the interstate. I had no intention of doing so in heavy traffic so he buzzed on down the road.

jmonroe

It's final, Son #1 sold his '08 T&C with around 180K miles on it. Here's the story:

A big reason why my son bought his van in '08 was because it came with an unlimited mileage lifetime power train warranty to the original owner. After he bought his '15 Kia van he put the T&C up for sale but since the transmission was not shifting like it should have, he didn't ask top dollar for it. Even with noting in the add about the transmission, he still got 4 nibbles. One was from a guy who sold transmission parts and was familiar with the problems with that transmission and told my son, "if it's what I think it is, that transmission can last for many miles before it goes out completely but I'd like to drive it before I know for sure".

My son meets the guy and they take a test drive. The guy said it was what he thought it was but he'd have to think about it and he'd call my son the next day. By the time my son got home he has a call from a guy in West Virginia and he wants to come the next day to see it but my son put that guy on hold waiting for the first guy to get back to him.

Then my son figured what the hell, he might as well take it to the dealer about the lifetime warranty and get an excuse of some kind but he was willing to try it. He calls the first guy and tells him what is going on and that he feels obligated to sell it to him at his asking price but he'd let him know how it works out after getting word from the dealer. Of course this guy likes that idea.

He makes an appointment and the service advisor says they'd have to drop it but if it showed signs of abuse the warranty would not cover it and he'd have to pay the labor for the work to reinstall the original transmission. This is exactly what my son thought would be the out for Chrysler but after a senior tech drove it he said it was the typical tranny problem and if he had to guess (not his money) he'd say the warranty would cover the full replacement cost. A little cute story here, the senior tech said he needed a water pump because he heard some noise and that for sure would be covered by the warranty. My son takes a deep breath and "says drop it and let me know".

Three days later after examining it they said it did not show any signs of abuse and that it would not cost him a penny for the replacement tranny. He damn sure wasn't expecting that because he thought for sure that they'd throw him a number that wouldn't be too bad and he'd bite just to be sure he could sell the beast and if the first guy didn't buy it he would relist it for a higher price than what he first listed it for.

He calls the first guy and tells him about the van now having a new Chrysler rebuilt transmission and this dope says, "that's great, how about dropping your price $400 and I'll buy it". My son can't hardly believe what the guy said and tells him, "there is no way I'm going to lower my price now". The dope says, "let me think about this and I'll call you back". My son told him not to bother and that ended the phone call. My son is still shaking his head about that.

My son relists the van at $1100 more and notes that it now has a new Chrysler rebuilt transmission along with the new tires and brakes that he put on it a few months ago before he thought he'd sell the beast.

His phone didn't stop ringing and he had to take the names/numbers of about 7 callers after he agreed to show it to the first guy who eventually bought it for his new asking price.

Now I ask you, has anyone ever come across an idiot like the first guy that didn't buy his van? I mean, c'mon man, how dumb can a buyer be?

jmonroe

explorerx4

When my oldest was looking for a real job, I recommended that she look at being a BMW Genius.
She could make iDrive dance and sing based on her experience managing a fleet of BMWs for the Resort Tour.

driver100

jmonroe said:

It's final, Son #1 sold his '08 T&C with around 180K miles on it.

He calls the first guy and tells him about the van now having a new Chrysler rebuilt transmission and this dope says, "that's great, how about dropping your price $400 and I'll buy it". My son can't hardly believe what the guy said and tells him,

Now I ask you, has anyone ever come across an idiot like the first guy that didn't buy his van? I mean, c'mon man, how dumb can a buyer be?

jmonroe

Love it....justice!

The moron lost out on a great deal that included a new rebuilt tranny....love those kind of stories.

oldfarmer50

jmonroe said:

It's final, Son #1 sold his '08 T&C with around 180K miles on it. Here's the story:

A big reason why my son bought his van in '08 was because it came with an unlimited mileage lifetime power train warranty to the original owner. After he bought his '15 Kia van he put the T&C up for sale but since the transmission was not shifting like it should have, he didn't ask top dollar for it. Even with noting in the add about the transmission, he still got 4 nibbles. One was from a guy who sold transmission parts and was familiar with the problems with that transmission and told my son, "if it's what I think it is, that transmission can last for many miles before it goes out completely but I'd like to drive it before I know for sure".

My son meets the guy and they take a test drive. The guy said it was what he thought it was but he'd have to think about it and he'd call my son the next day. By the time my son got home he has a call from a guy in West Virginia and he wants to come the next day to see it but my son put that guy on hold waiting for the first guy to get back to him.

Then my son figured what the hell, he might as well take it to the dealer about the lifetime warranty and get an excuse of some kind but he was willing to try it. He calls the first guy and tells him what is going on and that he feels obligated to sell it to him at his asking price but he'd let him know how it works out after getting word from the dealer. Of course this guy likes that idea.

He makes an appointment and the service advisor says they'd have to drop it but if it showed signs of abuse the warranty would not cover it and he'd have to pay the labor for the work to reinstall the original transmission. This is exactly what my son thought would be the out for Chrysler but after a senior tech drove it he said it was the typical tranny problem and if he had to guess (not his money) he'd say the warranty would cover the full replacement cost. A little cute story here, the senior tech said he needed a water pump because he heard some noise and that for sure would be covered by the warranty. My son takes a deep breath and "says drop it and let me know".

Three days later after examining it they said it did not show any signs of abuse and that it would not cost him a penny for the replacement tranny. He damn sure wasn't expecting that because he thought for sure that they'd throw him a number that wouldn't be too bad and he'd bite just to be sure he could sell the beast and if the first guy didn't buy it he would relist it for a higher price than what he first listed it for.

He calls the first guy and tells him about the van now having a new Chrysler rebuilt transmission and this dope says, "that's great, how about dropping your price $400 and I'll buy it". My son can't hardly believe what the guy said and tells him, "there is no way I'm going to lower my price now". The dope says, "let me think about this and I'll call you back". My son told him not to bother and that ended the phone call. My son is still shaking his head about that.

My son relists the van at $1100 more and notes that it now has a new Chrysler rebuilt transmission along with the new tires and brakes that he put on it a few months ago before he thought he'd sell the beast.

His phone didn't stop ringing and he had to take the names/numbers of about 7 callers after he agreed to show it to the first guy who eventually bought it for his new asking price.

Now I ask you, has anyone ever come across an idiot like the first guy that didn't buy his van? I mean, c'mon man, how dumb can a buyer be?

jmonroe

There's no figuring out the mental processes of a car buyer. Probably why car salesmen get so cynical. When I sold my son's Caddy I asked $500 because it had rusted sub frame mounts. You'd figure at just above scrap prices it would be a simple take it or leave it thing. Nope. Three people including the one who bought it asked if I would take $400 and one insisted on a test drive even though the car had no plates or insurance (sure, why not take it for a ride).

On Chrysler transmissions...a frequent problem is bad shift solenoid packs, about $250 repair. I frequently see Chryslers listed as having bad trannies that only need that repaired.

Oh I just remembered, we're retiring my school's two 2008 Chrysler minivans with about 175k miles on them so I guess they can go the distance. Impressive.

roadburner

Thanks for the(mostly) kind words. I'm looking forward to a change of pace. The dealer has to send me to a week long training course(hopefully at the Performance Center in SC) within four months- but I was told it will more likely be in two months.

Mr_Shiftright

It is often easier to sell an expensive car than a cheap one--at least that's been my experience.

28firefighter

Congrats @roadburner! Sounds like a fun gig.

driver100

This is why I wouldn't buy solar panels or windmills at this time. This young 19 year old is making personal nuclear reactors, that will provide lots of safe energy.
YOUNG GENIUS WILL MAKE MINI NUCLEAR REACTORS

Note: Video is 9 1/2 minutes....to get most go to minute 6, to get main idea go to minute 8.

stever

Yeah, but can he pair the phone with my car?

Reminds me of a Marc Laidlaw story from the 80s, Dad's Nuke. Every house had a nuke in their garage - no more grid. Wish the guy hadn't become a gamer, enjoyed his books.

houdini1

jmonroe said:

driver100 said:

We are on page 1000....wow, how time flies!

I have been away in Pittsburgh for a few days. What a great city! We saw Frank Lloyd Wrights Falling Water...voted best designed house in the USA and possibly the world. Took the Ducky Tour and the Duquesne Incline, and ate at the fabulous Montery Bay restaurant overlooking the city. A remarkable city that is a great example of a city with a thriving downtown.

Roadburner, sounds like the perfect job for you...you will have passion for it. It sounds like fun, and it is exactly what I said dealers of premium cars should do....have classes or one on one is even better, to teach their customers how to get the most from their cars.

I'm glad you had a good time in the Burgh. If you came last Wednesday you would have been in the middle of the Pen's Stanley Cup victory celebration parade. As a Canadian you would have fit right in.

As for the Monterey Bay restaurant, the last time we went there, about 4 years ago for our anniversary, it was only average at best. When I was asked at work what we did for our anniversary, I said we went there and I did not think it was even close to what it used to be. Three people told me "welcome to the crowd". All of them told me if they knew we were going there they would have told me to save my money and go to Red Lobster. Needless to say what I just said because for what it costs, you have a right to expect more than what you got.

It sounds like they may be back to their old self. One thing for sure, you can't beat the view of the downtown area from that place. But then, nobody can eat the view.

jmonroe

I have never had the pleasure of visiting Pittsburgh, but I have always had a good feeling about it. Back in the 70's, my boss in Oklahoma City was from Pittsburgh. He was one of the very best people I have ever known, and had the best sense of humor that I have ever come across. He knew how to handle people and could get the best out of anyone without even trying. Any time someone really screwed up, his favorite saying was "Judas Priest".

houdini1

We all have to drive to our Dr. appointments, so I thought I would ask some questions about health care. I have been going to the same doc for about 12 years. He is a great young man and I personally like him very much, though I can't say the same about his back office. Thankfully, I only have to see him once a year, primarily to stay on top of my type II diabetes.

Up until two years ago I had what is called an "Advantage Plan". Most of you older guys will know what that is. Whenever I called for an appointment I could usually get in to see him in just a couple of days. Two years ago I dropped the Advantage plan and went to straight Medicare. The reason my wife and I changed was because we were constantly barraged by phone calls and letters from our Advantage plan carrier to get a check up for one thing or the other. They even wanted to visit with us in our home to discuss our "well being", etc.

After going on Medicare, last year when I called for my annual appt. it took over a month before I could get in. Today when I called, the first available appt. is August 31st. Over two months from now. This is currently not a problem for us, but it could be if my health or my wifes' health took a turn for the worse. I know that many doctors will not accept Medicare patients, and I am wondering if my doc, or the corp. he works for, is trying to tell me that they could care less if I remain a patient or not.

I am thinking maybe we should go back on the Advantage Plan or find a new doc. What do you guys think?

stickguy

They prioritize based on type of coverage. You are now at the bottom of the totem pole.

28firefighter

This is very interesting. Both of my parents are physicians and neither of their offices prioritizes patients based upon insurance coverage. If they found out that was happening, my guess is they would fire the administrator responsible for it.

That said, their office staff DOES prioritize appointments based upon the urgency and type of visit. For instance, a sick patient visit will take priority over a chronic condition routine follow-up which will take priority over just an annual physical. As their respective practices have grown in size, scheduling for those routine physicals does take some planning as the number of sick visits goes up exponentially. But, the flip side is, that if something urgent arises, they can generally fit people in pretty quickly.

jmonroe

houdini1 said:

jmonroe said:

driver100 said:

We are on page 1000....wow, how time flies!

I have been away in Pittsburgh for a few days. What a great city! We saw Frank Lloyd Wrights Falling Water...voted best designed house in the USA and possibly the world. Took the Ducky Tour and the Duquesne Incline, and ate at the fabulous Montery Bay restaurant overlooking the city. A remarkable city that is a great example of a city with a thriving downtown.

Roadburner, sounds like the perfect job for you...you will have passion for it. It sounds like fun, and it is exactly what I said dealers of premium cars should do....have classes or one on one is even better, to teach their customers how to get the most from their cars.

I'm glad you had a good time in the Burgh. If you came last Wednesday you would have been in the middle of the Pen's Stanley Cup victory celebration parade. As a Canadian you would have fit right in.

As for the Monterey Bay restaurant, the last time we went there, about 4 years ago for our anniversary, it was only average at best. When I was asked at work what we did for our anniversary, I said we went there and I did not think it was even close to what it used to be. Three people told me "welcome to the crowd". All of them told me if they knew we were going there they would have told me to save my money and go to Red Lobster. Needless to say what I just said because for what it costs, you have a right to expect more than what you got.

It sounds like they may be back to their old self. One thing for sure, you can't beat the view of the downtown area from that place. But then, nobody can eat the view.

jmonroe

I have never had the pleasure of visiting Pittsburgh, but I have always had a good feeling about it. Back in the 70's, my boss in Oklahoma City was from Pittsburgh. He was one of the very best people I have ever known, and had the best sense of humor that I have ever come across. He knew how to handle people and could get the best out of anyone without even trying. Any time someone really screwed up, his favorite saying was "Judas Priest".

Oh yeah, I've heard that expression quite a bit but it's usually followed by expletives that I can't mention here but we have all heard them. That original expression is long lost due to the follow up rantings when someone screws up.

As for your medical question, we have been on Medicare as our primary coverage since we were 65 and we have our supplemental coverage with Aetna. Namely, Aetna Medicare Supplement Plan F. Nether of us have had any problems getting appointments when there has been the need for it due to some acute condition such as cold infections etc. The doctor has gotten us in right away when those conditions arise which fortunately have been pretty rare.

If we had a problem with how our doctor was handling any of our needs we would get a new doctor immediately. Living in the area where we live, and we are outside of the Pittsburgh city limits by about 12 miles, it's a real mecca for medical care of all types. I know not all locations are like that so I know we are pretty lucky where we are.

jmonroe

sda

My '68 Cutlass has a black interior and it is really quite cave-like inside. Even the headliner is black. Unusually so for a '60s car there is very little chrome or bright trim inside. 1968 was the first year of some of the safety regulations and Olds at least seemed to err on the side of caution

Our '69 98 had an all black interior. It had a black brocade and silk type fabric, and black velvet like headliner. Other than a little chrome here and there and the fake wood trim, it was a dark interior. It did have a neat feature where on the back of the front seat it had a tissue dispenser that had a lid that you pulled down which presented a tiltable make up mirror and lights on both sides. Thus the 98 lived up to the Luxury Sedan status.

My grandmother's 68 Cutlass S had the oyster white interior, with a black dash, steering wheel black kick panels of the interior door panels and black carpet. It had a nice look to it.

snakeweasel

stever said:

Yeah, but can he pair the phone with my car?

Reminds me of a Marc Laidlaw story from the 80s, Dad's Nuke. Every house had a nuke in their garage - no more grid. Wish the guy hadn't become a gamer, enjoyed his books.

I would think that the term "nuke" is a poor choice here as it invokes images of a nuclear weapon. That being said when I read "Every house had a nuke in their garage" my mind went to Gallagher's routine about the ICBMW (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Winnebago) as an alternative to the XM missile system (I think that was the name where the missile would be in underground tracks moving about so the Soviets wouldn't know where they are).

fordfool

houdini1 queried:

> I am thinking maybe we should go back on the Advantage Plan or find a new doc.
> What do you guys think?

Medicare Advantage plans cost more, but cover more usually with lower or no deductibles than Medicare alone. You are visiting a doctor only once a year, but injectable diabetes meds can be quite expensive, much more than oral meds such as actos or glyburide. Each person is different in which plan is best for him. Here is a government Web site that gives you a personalized comparison of the various plans available to you based on the your situation and location.

https://www.medicare.gov/find-a-plan/questions/home.aspx

To make an ordinary doctor's office visit I usually must call two months in advance,
but I can get an appointment in a day if it's an emergency. That's typical today.

stever

snakeweasel said:

I would think that the term "nuke" is a poor choice here as it invokes images of a nuclear weapon.

As I recall, Dad got mad at his neighbor and indeed made a nuke from the reactor waste that powering the gizmo in his garage.

The neighbor probably had loud pipes on his Harley or something.

ab348

jmonroe said:

If we had a problem with how our doctor was handling any of our needs we would get a new doctor immediately. Living in the area where we live, and we are outside of the Pittsburgh city limits by about 12 miles, it's a real mecca for medical care of all types. I know not all locations are like that so I know we are pretty lucky where we are.

Here's a perspective from Canada, at least Nova Scotia, where I am. In the early '80s I was out on my own in my early to mid-20s. I had not been to a doctor since I was maybe 12 years old - just didn't need one. The family doctor my parents took me to back then was about to retire and I wanted someone else anyway. I was working at a large hospital in the city and asked around about a good family doctor. Got some names, picked one, called his office and got in as a new patient with no problem. He was a wonderful doctor and I was with him for about 12 years until he packed it in in 1995 after being in practice for about 30 years.

At that time he sold his practice to another doctor who was just slightly younger than he was. This guy took on all his patients but he was nowhere near as good, though a nice enough guy, just a crummy doctor. He lost a lot of patients and by the time he retired 5 years ago he had bounced around to several successively smaller offices and by the end he was part of a multi-doctor clinic. When he retired the other doctors there would not accept any of the patients on his roster as they were full.

This revealed something to me I had been ignorant of until then - there is a severe shortage of family doctors here and most practices are not taking on new patients. Why that is is difficult to explain but it seems to be an issue of money, with our government-run medical system rationing access to care because of budget reasons and not approving new doctors opening practices. I had to really scramble to find one, and even at that it took me writing a letter on paper and sending it to her before she would agree to take me on. She is a good doctor, originally from Cuba, and very well-trained and high-tech. But the one thing that drives me nuts is that her practice is so busy that she has a 3-4 week lead time for appointments and does not accommodate urgent situations. If you come down with a contagious bug, a cut gets infected, etc., she sends you to one on the walk-in clinics here. They can do a diagnosis and write you a prescription or requisition tests. There is no continuity of course, as you get whomever is on duty that day, and will likely never see them again. Such is the nature of the public health care system here.

driver100

Ab, I find the same here in the GTA ....Greater Toronto Area. The number of doctors is limited, can only graduate so many a year, but, the population has grown. Doctors used to sell their practice to help them with their retirement fund....they can't do that any more. There are so many patients no need to pay for them. When a doctor retires they don't pass their patients on...they just say you are on your own.

I have paid into the system all these years and I hardly ever use the service, I hope it will be there if I ever need it.

driver100

jmonroe said:

houdini1 said:

jmonroe said:

driver100 said:

We are on page 1000....wow, how time flies!

I have been away in Pittsburgh for a few days. What a great city! We saw Frank Lloyd Wrights Falling Water...voted best designed house in the USA and possibly the world. Took the Ducky Tour and the Duquesne Incline, and ate at the fabulous Montery Bay restaurant overlooking the city. A remarkable city that is a great example of a city with a thriving downtown.

Roadburner, sounds like the perfect job for you...you will have passion for it. It sounds like fun, and it is exactly what I said dealers of premium cars should do....have classes or one on one is even better, to teach their customers how to get the most from their cars.

I'm glad you had a good time in the Burgh. If you came last Wednesday you would have been in the middle of the Pen's Stanley Cup victory celebration parade. As a Canadian you would have fit right in.

As for the Monterey Bay restaurant, the last time we went there, about 4 years ago for our anniversary, it was only average at best. When I was asked at work what we did for our anniversary, I said we went there and I did not think it was even close to what it used to be. Three people told me "welcome to the crowd". All of them told me if they knew we were going there they would have told me to save my money and go to Red Lobster. Needless to say what I just said because for what it costs, you have a right to expect more than what you got.

It sounds like they may be back to their old self. One thing for sure, you can't beat the view of the downtown area from that place. But then, nobody can eat the view.

jmonroe

I have never had the pleasure of visiting Pittsburgh, but I have always had a good feeling about it. Back in the 70's, my boss in Oklahoma City was from Pittsburgh. He was one of the very best people I have ever known, and had the best sense of humor that I have ever come across. He knew how to handle people and could get the best out of anyone without even trying. Any time someone really screwed up, his favorite saying was "Judas Priest".

Living in the area where we live, and we are outside of the Pittsburgh city limits by about 12 miles, it's a real mecca for medical care of all types

jmonroe

Our shuttle bus driver said the actual population of Pittsburgh is only 400,000. However, if you count all the surrounding areas with separate names it comes to about 2 million. Most big cities include their suburban areas in their population....in Pittsburgh they are not included.

Makes sense, because 400000 couldn't support major football, basketball, hockey, baseball teams.

ab348

I was fascinated by the stories about Oakmont Country Club that aired during last week's US Open golf coverage so I did some research on it and the community of Oakmont. What really surprised me was that it did not seem at all like the kind of ritzy community I would have expected to find. Looking at it on Streetview the golf club appeared to have just a 2-lane road providing access and the community looked like a lot of the towns around here that were booming decades ago but not doing so well now - not awful but certainly not affluent.

berri

Now I don't know about that French fries on a sandwich thing, but Pittsburgh is a nice area. Of course I don't understand French fries and gravy either driver

ab348

sda said:

My grandmother's 68 Cutlass S had the oyster white interior, with a black dash, steering wheel black kick panels of the interior door panels and black carpet. It had a nice look to it.

When I had my seats redone last year I was sorely tempted to change it to a white interior, but that would have involved getting new door panels, headliner, sun visors, armrests, etc at considerable expense.

jmonroe

ab348 said:

sda said:

My grandmother's 68 Cutlass S had the oyster white interior, with a black dash, steering wheel black kick panels of the interior door panels and black carpet. It had a nice look to it.

When I had my seats redone last year I was sorely tempted to change it to a white interior, but that would have involved getting new door panels, headliner, sun visors, armrests, etc at considerable expense.

It sounds like you didn't fall for the old line..."well, while we're in here".

As for Oakmont PA, there is a bakery there, Oakmont Bakery, (pretty original name, huh? ) that has a reputation about equal to the Oakmont Country Club and prices that just about match the clubs dues but their stuff is exceptional so they can get it. I haven't been to the bakery for a looong time. Never been to the country club but I passed under the bridge used by the golfers, that passes over the PA Turnpike to get them from one side of the course to the other. I did that twice a day every day when I was working out that way about 12 years ago.

jmonroe

snakeweasel

berri said:

Now I don't know about that French fries on a sandwich thing, but Pittsburgh is a nice area. Of course I don't understand French fries and gravy either driver

There is a restaurant in Geneva, IL that has french fries covered with shredded duck meat and duck gravy. Oh it is so good, I wonder if they are still open.

driver100

berri said:

Now I don't know about that French fries on a sandwich thing, but Pittsburgh is a nice area. Of course I don't understand French fries and gravy either driver

There are lots of things I don't get berri, and one is FFs and gravy. Sometimes my wife likes her FFs with vinegar, the British way, and Malt vinegar is preferred. Some restaurants in the US provide vinegar immediately, other places they just look at her like she was from Mars. If I eat FFs, which is about 4X a year, mine are with good old fashioned ketchup.

Then there is the great classic from French Canada....Poutine. I have had it once and I almost had a coronary attack. If you don't know;
Poutine (/puːˈtiːn/; Quebec French: [put͡sɪn] ( listen)) is a Canadian dish, originating in the province of Quebec, made with French fries and cheese curds topped with a light brown gravy.

bwia

Wow! In a 52% to 48% referendum Britain voted to leave the European Union. Prime Minister Cameron will step down and Scotland might leave the UK but stay in the EU.

No politics - but this story is hard to ignore. What this portend for the future, no one knows but according to a UK politician, “Dare to dream that the dawn is breaking on an independent United Kingdom,”
Read more at http://www.bbc.com/news/politics/eu_referendum/results

bwia

houdini1 said:

Up until two years ago I had what is called an "Advantage Plan". Most of you older guys will know what that is. Whenever I called for an appointment I could usually get in to see him in just a couple of days. Two years ago I dropped the Advantage plan and went to straight Medicare. The reason my wife and I changed was because we were constantly barraged by phone calls and letters from our Advantage plan carrier to get a check up for one thing or the other. They even wanted to visit with us in our home to discuss our "well being", etc.

I am thinking maybe we should go back on the Advantage Plan or find a new doc. What do you guys think?

Unforeseen medical expenses can rapidly deplete one's savings. Although Medicare Parts A and B are okay in some cases, nonetheless, it is a gamble going forward with such basic coverage. We have Medicare parts A, B, C, D and last week we purchased a supplemental dental plan. A little expensive yes, but our Advantage Plan is subsidized by my wife's former employer.

Not sure if an Advantage Plans will shorten the waiting time for a routine visit but we experienced no difference pre- and post- Medicare coverage. When we need non-critical urgent care, we may not be able to see our primary care physician but instead our Nurse Practitioner, who is always available on short notice. By the way, although my doctor is great, I prefer to meet with my Nurse Practitioner. She does basically everything my primary care physician does, including writing prescriptions, order tests, or schedule appointments with specialists.

Enjoy your retirement.

driver100

bwia said:

Wow! In a 52% to 48% referendum Britain voted to leave the European Union. Prime Minister Cameron will step down and Scotland might leave the UK but stay in the EU.

No politics - but this story is hard to ignore. What this portend for the future, no one knows but according to a UK politician, “Dare to dream that the dawn is breaking on an independent United Kingdom,”
Read more at http://www.bbc.com/news/politics/eu_referendum/results

Huge surprise...even the bookies got it wrong, and they are rarely wrong. Speaking about cars, maybe the cost of British made cars will drop. What is actually made in GB.....Rolls Royce?

ab348

driver100 said:

There are lots of things I don't get berri, and one is FFs and gravy. Sometimes my wife likes her FFs with vinegar, the British way, and Malt vinegar is preferred. Some restaurants in the US provide vinegar immediately, other places they just look at her like she was from Mars. If I eat FFs, which is about 4X a year, mine are with good old fashioned ketchup.

Then there is the great classic from French Canada....Poutine. I have had it once and I almost had a coronary attack. If you don't know;
Poutine (/puːˈtiːn/; Quebec French: [put͡sɪn] ( listen)) is a Canadian dish, originating in the province of Quebec, made with French fries and cheese curds topped with a light brown gravy.

Driver, you may remember this too, but when I was a kid in the 1960s and KFC first came to town, a family dinner from there used to consist of a bucket of fried chicken which came with a box of french fries, a container of coleslaw, and a cup of gravy inside the bucket on a layer above the chicken. That was where I first encountered fries with gravy as I would pour that KFC gravy over both the fries and chicken on my plate. When I visited the US and went to a KFC there I was astounded to see that mashed potatoes were the normal offering instead.

The poutine thing has lost all semblance of sanity. There are entire chains of poutine places here now. Instead of the cheese curds and gravy they are topping them with damn near every item imaginable. I have never been a fan. They cater to the generation that will spend a couple of hours a day in the gym or going to "bootcamps" as part of their obsession with fitness, who then leave those places and stuff their gob with this crap. It is a bit reminiscent of the women I used to see on my walk to work in the '80s and '90s who would come out of a morning aerobics class at a gym I would pass each day. Half of them would stop on the steps or in the parking lot and light up cigarettes.

stickguy

Will be interest to see the results after the pending upheaval in Europe. Mostly held together by mutual debt at this point most likely.

Michaell

driver100 said:

bwia said:

Wow! In a 52% to 48% referendum Britain voted to leave the European Union. Prime Minister Cameron will step down and Scotland might leave the UK but stay in the EU.

No politics - but this story is hard to ignore. What this portend for the future, no one knows but according to a UK politician, “Dare to dream that the dawn is breaking on an independent United Kingdom,”
Read more at http://www.bbc.com/news/politics/eu_referendum/results

Huge surprise...even the bookies got it wrong, and they are rarely wrong. Speaking about cars, maybe the cost of British made cars will drop. What is actually made in GB.....Rolls Royce?

Actually, there is quite a bit of production in the UK:

MINI and Rolls Royce (owned by BMW)
Land Rover and Jaguar (owned by Tata)
Bentley (owned by VW)

What this will do to the prices is anybody's guess. From what I've read, it's going to take some time to do the full separation - a couple of years at least.

What I found most interesting is that border checks will need to be erected between the Republic of Ireland (part of the EU) and Northern Ireland (part of the UK and eventually not in the EU). Tariffs and passport checks at the very least.

Mr_Shiftright

A weak pound will make British products cheaper for us, but if our dollar gets stronger (which it seems to be doing), that's bad news for U.S. manufacturers selling overseas.

I think MINI is also made in the UK.

driver100

Ab, I don't know about people buying poutine then going to the gym, but i always get a smile when I see someone with a plate with a burger and a huge pile of fries, and of course, they choose a Diet Coke....to try and undo all the bad stuff.

driver100

Mr_Shiftright said:

A weak pound will make British products cheaper for us, but if our dollar gets stronger (which it seems to be doing), that's bad news for U.S. manufacturers selling overseas.

I think MINI is also made in the UK.

My financial genius friend think the Brexit will be good for the US and Canada. Money that would have found a safe haven in GB will flow to more stable countries, like the US and Canada.......stable at least for awhile

Mr_Shiftright

driver100 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

A weak pound will make British products cheaper for us, but if our dollar gets stronger (which it seems to be doing), that's bad news for U.S. manufacturers selling overseas.

I think MINI is also made in the UK.

My financial genius friend think the Brexit will be good for the US and Canada. Money that would have found a safe haven in GB will flow to more stable countries, like the US and Canada.......stable at least for awhile

Well some aspects might be good, like keeping mortgage interest rates down and making holidays in the UK a downright bargain. But I'd suggest not looking at your IRA for the next few months.

Not sure if it's going to be bargain day at the Rolls Royce dealership, but might be a good time to buy a Morgan.

roadburner

stickguy said:

Will be interest to see the results after the pending upheaval in Europe. Mostly held together by mutual debt at this point most likely.

It wasn't that big of a surprise. The latest Leave/Remain polls were all within the MOE and there was also data to suggest that the leave voters were more likely to vote.

stickguy

Often the better PR campaign wins. And I heard that a lot of people voting didn't even understand if it was real (binding) vs. just being a poll question?

Mr_Shiftright

I think Cameron was reckless to stage a referendum because people hadn't really thought this through.

But at the moment the UK has kissed goodbye a customer who bought almost 50% of their exports. Ouch!

What effect might this have on British auto factories (most of which are not British owned)?

The only really British-owned companies I can think of are Morgan, Caterham and Mclaren.

ab348

driver100 said:

Ab, I don't know about people buying poutine then going to the gym, but i always get a smile when I see someone with a plate with a burger and a huge pile of fries, and of course, they choose a Diet Coke....to try and undo all the bad stuff.

I see it all the time on social media. 20-somethings or even 30-somethings boozing, eating all this really crappy food - I mean REALLY crappy - then bragging or complaining about dragging themselves to the gym. "Leg day" in particular seems to be a common complaint. Nuts.

graphicguy

I have two U.K. friends working here on a work Visa. They were vacillating on whether to apply for permanent status. They said this will make U.K, financials rocky. Plus, their standard of living here is much higher than it was in the U.K. So, this was the tipping point.

They want to stay permanently.