Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

snakeweasel

oldfarmer50 said:

snakeweasel said:

henryn said:

His son starts to apologize, and I say (loudly), “No problem, I’ll just forge his signature on another sales tax affidavit.”

Snakeweasels tax tip for today; when planning to commit tax fraud don't loudly announce your plan.

And I thought I was paranoid.

Not paranoia just plain common sense. Any tax pro will tell you that if your bound and determined to cheat on taxes don't tell anyone, that is after they tell you not to do it. You wouldn't believe the number of people that the IRS gets simply from disgruntled family members blowing the whistle. I once knew a lady whose husband's family owned a very successful restaurant. As you know restaurants deal with a lot of cash and in this case a lot of that cash went unreported. Well this lady was going through a messy divorce with her husband until she threatened to go to the IRS then she got everything she asked for.

I know an ex-IRS agent who has told stories of people at parties boasting to him of how they got one over on the IRS.

oldfarmer50

snakeweasel said:

oldfarmer50 said:

snakeweasel said:

henryn said:

His son starts to apologize, and I say (loudly), “No problem, I’ll just forge his signature on another sales tax affidavit.”

Snakeweasels tax tip for today; when planning to commit tax fraud don't loudly announce your plan.

And I thought I was paranoid.

Not paranoia just plain common sense. Any tax pro will tell you that if your bound and determined to cheat on taxes don't tell anyone, that is after they tell you not to do it. You wouldn't believe the number of people that the IRS gets simply from disgruntled family members blowing the whistle. I once knew a lady whose husband's family owned a very successful restaurant. As you know restaurants deal with a lot of cash and in this case a lot of that cash went unreported. Well this lady was going through a messy divorce with her husband until she threatened to go to the IRS then she got everything she asked for.

I know an ex-IRS agent who has told stories of people at parties boasting to him of how they got one over on the IRS.

And yet the IRS still has time to bug us Edmunds posters with bogus charges. Actually I was kidding with you (note emotorcon). I don't know how many farmers have told me not to report cash transactions. Maybe I'm dumb but I report everything. Personal honesty and not actually doing much business any more makes that possible.

explorerx4

Last weekend when I went to look at the Chevy SS, there were a bunch on Camaro's and Corvettes on the lot, too.
Something about the Corvettes stuck with me, but I wasn't sure what it was at first.
Then I figured out it was that they seemed really wide.
I looked up the width on the Chevy website, 74 inches.
A Tahoe, including the side mirrors is 80 inches wide!

snakeweasel

Reason why you shouldn't leave your dog alone in your car.

tjc78

At least the Dogs have taste and were driving a Grand Marquis (incorrectly noted as a Crown Vic on the video). I'm going to post this on my Panther forum, they will love. Thanks Snake

jmonroe

imidazol97 said:

driver100 said:

:@ Come to think of it, I think @imidazol97 won a car so he should know something about this.

Yes, indeed. A Mustang Pace Car 4-cyl Turbo, '79. I don't remember how any sales tax was handled. I recall I didn't pay anything to the dealer who had the car for me. I didn't pay anything when I registered the car, so sales tax must have been included in the value the dealer/contest holder declared. The car had been used as a demo since the 4-cyl were slow sellers compared to the V8s. LOL

My new CPA handled the declaration of value for tax purposes very well. He had done a contest winner's reporting earlier and thought it was interesting as a specialty. My dentist had referred me to his CPA--best thing anyone did for me.

The college-aged daughter of a friend of ours was on Price Is Right a few years ago. She had to pay outrageous California taxes on her winnings. Then there was the federal taxes. IIRC, the California taxes had to be paid before she was allowed to receive anything. CA made sure they got theirs.

Hey @imidazol97 do I look like @driver100. I'm the one that asked the question not @driver100. While I might be older than him I sure as hell ain't that ugly. I owe you big time for that. :@ Anyway, thanks for the answer. Sounds like what I expected of CA.

jmonroe

henryn

jmonroe said:

henryn said:

My favorite story on the sales tax finangling goes like this.

In 2001 I purchased a 1997 F150 from a young man. His father bought the truck for him new, when he started college, and he had just graduated, got a good job, and bought himself a brand new truck. The dealer had offered him $9,500 on the trade, and with the sales tax advantage it would have been worth $9,500 * 1.0625 = $10,093. I offered him $10.5 cash, he agreed, and we met up that evening in a parking lot to finalize the deal.

His father was there to sign papers, as the title was in his name. Dear dad was griping and complaining and carrying on that I was paying too little, ripping off his gullible son. I was just going to walk away, but the son told his father to be quiet and sign the papers. So dear old dad signs the title, and then the sales tax affidavit. His last gesture was to fill in $12,500 as the sales amount. He then glares at me and walks away.

His son starts to apologize, and I say (loudly), “No problem, I’ll just forge his signature on another sales tax affidavit.”

You really really shouldn’t embarrass your children, especially not when they’re grown. But people do it all the time, and then wonder why their children only visit them once a year at Christmas.

Here's my favorite car sales tax story and you may remember it.

Back in May of this year we were on this very same subject about taxes on cars. You and poster @js06gv who also lives in Texas (Frisco) had a discussion about sales tax on used cars and I chimed in with the post below about what happened to me in a private sale in 1977.

"In PA you pay sales tax on a car every time it is sold just like in Texas.

Let me tell you a story about this:

In 1977 I bought a '75 Grand Prix as a private sale. When we agreed on the price, I told the guy that when we do the paper work at the bank I wanted him to say that he sold the car to me for less than the actual agreed upon price so that I would save money on taxes. He was very hesitant about doing this but I assured him it's done all the time and as long as he wasn't saying he sold it for some ridiculous low price there would be no problem. I bought his car for $3800 and I'm pretty sure I wanted him to say he sold it to me for $2800 because he should say the car was only in fair condition vs. the very good condition that it was in. Like I said the guy was hesitant but he finally agreed.

Fast forward to when we are sitting at the bank and the loan guy pushes himself away from his desk and says to me and the seller, "now, I'm not supposed to hear what you say to each other but what price do you want me to show as the selling price. This is a pet peeve of mine because the state will get tax money on this car until it goes to its grave. They have already collected taxes when it was sold the first time and now they want more and they are going to get more. So, it's up to you two to determine how much they get this time". The seller looks at me and says, "I guess this does happen all the time" and he tells the bank guy $2800.

This is my favorite story when it comes to collecting taxes on a car."

As for not embarrassing your children, I don't think I do that since both of my Sons and their families always seem to be mooching a meal from us on weekends. I guess this falls into the category of... "no good deed goes unpunished".

jmonroe

Going a long way back, maybe 1982, I sold a 1976 Trans Am to a young girl. She had just turned 16, gotten her driver's license, and saved her money from working at a fast food place. Back then you had to notarize a car title here in Texas, so we stopped by a car dealer to do the title transfer. The notary (a fairly young woman herself) advised the 16 year old to lie about the amount she was paying for the car. The girl would not do it, she was too young and too unsure of herself. She really needed an older relative to teach her the ropes, but ...

oldfarmer50

explorerx4 said:

Last weekend when I went to look at the Chevy SS, there were a bunch on Camaro's and Corvettes on the lot, too.
Something about the Corvettes stuck with me, but I wasn't sure what it was at first.
Then I figured out it was that they seemed really wide.
I looked up the width on the Chevy website, 74 inches.
A Tahoe, including the side mirrors is 80 inches wide!

My Eclipse was also 74 inches wide. Smaller than the Ford but had better hip room.

Saw this weird coincidence in the news. Don't open if you don't like stories about fatalities. I'll feel better the next time driver100 posts.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/lone-suspect-killed-in-anti-terrorism-operation-in-southern-ontario-1.3023694

driver100

It's OK oldfarmer....I am still around. That's one thing for sure I won't be doing is joining ISIS. It isn't my idea of a good time.


btw...I gave you an lol....by accident, I meant to do a smiley face
(for those who missed it, the terrorist's name who was shot was Driver)

driver100

jmonroe said:

imidazol97 said:

driver100 said:

:@ Come to think of it, I think @imidazol97 won a car so he should know something about this.

Yes, indeed. A Mustang Pace Car 4-cyl Turbo, '79. I don't remember how any sales tax was handled. I recall I didn't pay anything to the dealer who had the car for me. I didn't pay anything when I registered the car, so sales tax must have been included in the value the dealer/contest holder declared. The car had been used as a demo since the 4-cyl were slow sellers compared to the V8s. LOL

My new CPA handled the declaration of value for tax purposes very well. He had done a contest winner's reporting earlier and thought it was interesting as a specialty. My dentist had referred me to his CPA--best thing anyone did for me.

The college-aged daughter of a friend of ours was on Price Is Right a few years ago. She had to pay outrageous California taxes on her winnings. Then there was the federal taxes. IIRC, the California taxes had to be paid before she was allowed to receive anything. CA made sure they got theirs.

Hey @imidazol97 do I look like @driver100. I'm the one that asked the question not @driver100. While I might be older than him I sure as hell ain't that ugly. I owe you big time for that. :@ Anyway, thanks for the answer. Sounds like what I expected of CA.

jmonroe

You should have taken the mix up as a complement....it was such an intelligent comment imid assumed it was from me

jmonroe

henryn said:

jmonroe said:

henryn said:

My favorite story on the sales tax finangling goes like this.

In 2001 I purchased a 1997 F150 from a young man. His father bought the truck for him new, when he started college, and he had just graduated, got a good job, and bought himself a brand new truck. The dealer had offered him $9,500 on the trade, and with the sales tax advantage it would have been worth $9,500 * 1.0625 = $10,093. I offered him $10.5 cash, he agreed, and we met up that evening in a parking lot to finalize the deal.

His father was there to sign papers, as the title was in his name. Dear dad was griping and complaining and carrying on that I was paying too little, ripping off his gullible son. I was just going to walk away, but the son told his father to be quiet and sign the papers. So dear old dad signs the title, and then the sales tax affidavit. His last gesture was to fill in $12,500 as the sales amount. He then glares at me and walks away.

His son starts to apologize, and I say (loudly), “No problem, I’ll just forge his signature on another sales tax affidavit.”

You really really shouldn’t embarrass your children, especially not when they’re grown. But people do it all the time, and then wonder why their children only visit them once a year at Christmas.

Here's my favorite car sales tax story and you may remember it.

Back in May of this year we were on this very same subject about taxes on cars. You and poster @js06gv who also lives in Texas (Frisco) had a discussion about sales tax on used cars and I chimed in with the post below about what happened to me in a private sale in 1977.

"In PA you pay sales tax on a car every time it is sold just like in Texas.

Let me tell you a story about this:

In 1977 I bought a '75 Grand Prix as a private sale. When we agreed on the price, I told the guy that when we do the paper work at the bank I wanted him to say that he sold the car to me for less than the actual agreed upon price so that I would save money on taxes. He was very hesitant about doing this but I assured him it's done all the time and as long as he wasn't saying he sold it for some ridiculous low price there would be no problem. I bought his car for $3800 and I'm pretty sure I wanted him to say he sold it to me for $2800 because he should say the car was only in fair condition vs. the very good condition that it was in. Like I said the guy was hesitant but he finally agreed.

Fast forward to when we are sitting at the bank and the loan guy pushes himself away from his desk and says to me and the seller, "now, I'm not supposed to hear what you say to each other but what price do you want me to show as the selling price. This is a pet peeve of mine because the state will get tax money on this car until it goes to its grave. They have already collected taxes when it was sold the first time and now they want more and they are going to get more. So, it's up to you two to determine how much they get this time". The seller looks at me and says, "I guess this does happen all the time" and he tells the bank guy $2800.

This is my favorite story when it comes to collecting taxes on a car."

As for not embarrassing your children, I don't think I do that since both of my Sons and their families always seem to be mooching a meal from us on weekends. I guess this falls into the category of... "no good deed goes unpunished".

jmonroe

Going a long way back, maybe 1982, I sold a 1976 Trans Am to a young girl. She had just turned 16, gotten her driver's license, and saved her money from working at a fast food place. Back then you had to notarize a car title here in Texas, so we stopped by a car dealer to do the title transfer. The notary (a fairly young woman herself) advised the 16 year old to lie about the amount she was paying for the car. The girl would not do it, she was too young and too unsure of herself. She really needed an older relative to teach her the ropes, but ...

Talk about innocence.

jmonroe

jmonroe

driver100 said:

jmonroe said:

imidazol97 said:

driver100 said:

:@ Come to think of it, I think @imidazol97 won a car so he should know something about this.

Yes, indeed. A Mustang Pace Car 4-cyl Turbo, '79. I don't remember how any sales tax was handled. I recall I didn't pay anything to the dealer who had the car for me. I didn't pay anything when I registered the car, so sales tax must have been included in the value the dealer/contest holder declared. The car had been used as a demo since the 4-cyl were slow sellers compared to the V8s. LOL

My new CPA handled the declaration of value for tax purposes very well. He had done a contest winner's reporting earlier and thought it was interesting as a specialty. My dentist had referred me to his CPA--best thing anyone did for me.

The college-aged daughter of a friend of ours was on Price Is Right a few years ago. She had to pay outrageous California taxes on her winnings. Then there was the federal taxes. IIRC, the California taxes had to be paid before she was allowed to receive anything. CA made sure they got theirs.

Hey @imidazol97 do I look like @driver100. I'm the one that asked the question not @driver100. While I might be older than him I sure as hell ain't that ugly. I owe you big time for that. :@ Anyway, thanks for the answer. Sounds like what I expected of CA.

jmonroe

You should have taken the mix up as a complement....it was such an intelligent comment imid assumed it was from me

I'm not buying it. More like something was offered under the table. Maybe even an offer to pick up his dues for next month.

jmonroe

imidazol97

@Correct name please! said:

Hey @imidazol97 do I look like @driver100. I'm the one that asked the question not @driver100. While I might be older than him I sure as hell ain't that ugly. I owe you big time for that. :@ Anyway, thanks for the answer. Sounds like what I expected of CA. jmonroe

I apologize! You're exactly right on that. I knew you asked and yet I parsed out the html markers to shorten things and kept the wrong name. Maybe I need to take more of that herbal remedy that is supposed to improve memory.

jmonroe

imidazol97 said:

@Correct name please! said:

Hey @imidazol97 do I look like @driver100. I'm the one that asked the question not @driver100. While I might be older than him I sure as hell ain't that ugly. I owe you big time for that. :@ Anyway, thanks for the answer. Sounds like what I expected of CA. jmonroe

I apologize! You're exactly right on that. I knew you asked and yet I parsed out the html markers to shorten things and kept the wrong name. Maybe I need to take more of that herbal remedy that is supposed to improve memory.

Apology accepted.

About the 'herbal remedy" thingy...I guess it wouldn't hurt.

jmonroe

sda

imidazol97 said:

driver100 said:

:@ Come to think of it, I think @imidazol97 won a car so he should know something about this.

Yes, indeed. A Mustang Pace Car 4-cyl Turbo, '79.

I seem to remember that the turbo 2.3 that they used in the Mustang was around 140hp. That was pretty good in '79, when may V8s at the time were 105-125hp. Those were the days!

roadburner

sda said:

imidazol97 said:

driver100 said:

:@ Come to think of it, I think @imidazol97 won a car so he should know something about this.

Yes, indeed. A Mustang Pace Car 4-cyl Turbo, '79.

I seem to remember that the turbo 2.3 that they used in the Mustang was around 140hp. That was pretty good in '79, when may V8s at the time were 105-125hp. Those were the days!

Back in 1980 I was looking for a small sporty car that got decent gas mileage. My local Lincoln-Mercury dealer had a Capri RS Turbo company car at a very attractive price- I would have bought it except for the fact that it was equipped with every conceivable option except air conditioning.

graphicguy

RB....an old boss had one of those Capris....bought new. It was a lemon from the day he drove it from the dealer to our office. One of the pieces for the convertible top broke, and he couldn't get the top back up. Compunding the problem, he put the top down driving from the dealer to the office. Once at the office, a quick, but torential downpour happened, making the new Capri interior a fish bowl.

He kept it a couple of years but finally bit the bullet and traded it in, losing a ton of money because he could never rid it of electronic gremlins or that wet, musty smell.

imidazol97

sda said:

I seem to remember that the turbo 2.3 that they used in the Mustang was around 140hp. That was pretty good in '79, when may V8s at the time were 105-125hp. Those were the days!

I kept the car for about 6 months.
I fixed the loose rear suspension main bolts.
I found and fixed the cracked alternator bracket.
I fixed the electrical wire that broken during a rain when I did a quick turn on a city street in Newport KY. It died in the area of the fireworks factory on a side street near a phone booth, remember those? IIRC. Had it towed home where I found the broken wire due to motor movement without enough slack in the wire.
Also had a noisy strut in front replaced under warranty.
Fun to drive on the other hand.

bwia

With cheap gas prices it appears Buick and Mercedes Benz are approaching CAFE standards from different perspectives. The 2017 Buick LaCrosse comes with a standard 3.6, V-6, eight-speed automatic and stop and go technology. The 2017 MB E300 on the hand uses a nine speed 4 cylinder engine with turbo charging.

To be fair, the Buick Lacrosse shed over 300 pounds using high strength steel, as well as cylinder deactivation from six to five to four--but is that good enough. Not sure if it offered in the 2017 model but perhaps the E300 will come with a diesel option to meet CAFE standards which are expected to be 33 mpg in 2017.

jmonroe

@driver100, any update on Mikes status?

I'm sure all of us in here would like to know.

jmonroe

driver100

jmonroe said:

@driver100, any update on Mikes status?

I'm sure all of us in here would like to know.

jmonroe

I haven't been given permission to give details, but, I think I can say he will be having surgery done in the near future, and the outlook if that is done is pretty good. He has low energy at this time and a lot to work out, but your good wishes were passed on, and were much appreciated.

jmonroe

driver100 said:

jmonroe said:

@driver100, any update on Mikes status?

I'm sure all of us in here would like to know.

jmonroe

I haven't been given permission to give details, but, I think I can say he will be having surgery done in the near future, and the outlook if that is done is pretty good. He has low energy at this time and a lot to work out, but your good wishes were passed on, and were much appreciated.

Thanks for the update.

We're all rooting for him and let us know when you have more info.

jmonroe

oldfarmer50

sda said:

imidazol97 said:

driver100 said:

:@ Come to think of it, I think @imidazol97 won a car so he should know something about this.

Yes, indeed. A Mustang Pace Car 4-cyl Turbo, '79.

I seem to remember that the turbo 2.3 that they used in the Mustang was around 140hp. That was pretty good in '79, when may V8s at the time were 105-125hp. Those were the days!

I think I remember reading that in 75 a big block Corvette only made 175 horses. Yikes! Dark days indeed.

houdini1

imidazol97 said:

@Correct name please! said:

Hey @imidazol97 do I look like @driver100. I'm the one that asked the question not @driver100. While I might be older than him I sure as hell ain't that ugly. I owe you big time for that. :@ Anyway, thanks for the answer. Sounds like what I expected of CA. jmonroe

I apologize! You're exactly right on that. I knew you asked and yet I parsed out the html markers to shorten things and kept the wrong name. Maybe I need to take more of that herbal remedy that is supposed to improve memory.

Jack Daniels is a good remedy. Your memory won't improve after a big swig, but you won't care !

jmonroe

houdini1 said:

imidazol97 said:

@Correct name please! said:

Hey @imidazol97 do I look like @driver100. I'm the one that asked the question not @driver100. While I might be older than him I sure as hell ain't that ugly. I owe you big time for that. :@ Anyway, thanks for the answer. Sounds like what I expected of CA. jmonroe

I apologize! You're exactly right on that. I knew you asked and yet I parsed out the html markers to shorten things and kept the wrong name. Maybe I need to take more of that herbal remedy that is supposed to improve memory.

Jack Daniels is a good remedy. Your memory won't improve after a big swig, but you won't care !

You're right about that Dr. Houdini.

jmonroe

imidazol97

houdini1 said:

Jack Daniels is a good remedy. Your memory won't improve after a big swig, but you won't care !

Maker's Mark for me.

berri

You tell Mike I'm expecting him to get well and start spouting off again shortly. Miss his insight and his humor!

snakeweasel

roadburner said:

sda said:

imidazol97 said:

driver100 said:

:@ Come to think of it, I think @imidazol97 won a car so he should know something about this.

Yes, indeed. A Mustang Pace Car 4-cyl Turbo, '79.

I seem to remember that the turbo 2.3 that they used in the Mustang was around 140hp. That was pretty good in '79, when may V8s at the time were 105-125hp. Those were the days!

Back in 1980 I was looking for a small sporty car that got decent gas mileage. My local Lincoln-Mercury dealer had a Capri RS Turbo company car at a very attractive price- I would have bought it except for the fact that it was equipped with every conceivable option except air conditioning.

Back in '82 I bought a new '81Mustang with every conceivable option except air conditioning. But this was when I was in Alaska where a hot summers day was 70 degrees so it was no loss.

henryn

Back roughly the same time frame (1981 or so), we hired a kid fresh out of the University of Chicago. His parents had bought him a brand new Ford Fairmont as a graduation gift. The car was a stripper, no options, no AC, no nothing, but it was his first new car and he loved it. After his first week here in Houston, average afternoon highs of 98 or 99 with a heat index of 110 or more, he asked for a day off. He was going to have an aftermarket AC installed.

Michaell

henryn said:

Back roughly the same time frame (1981 or so), we hired a kid fresh out of the University of Chicago. His parents had bought him a brand new Ford Fairmont as a graduation gift. The car was a stripper, no options, no AC, no nothing, but it was his first new car and he loved it. After his first week here in Houston, average afternoon highs of 98 or 99 with a heat index of 110 or more, he asked for a day off. He was going to have an aftermarket AC installed.

I'm pretty sure I've told this story before ....

Growing up on the coast in CA, AC wasn't really a necessity. Temps rarely got out of the 80's.

My senior year of HS in '82, I bought a '79 Sunbird coupe. Tan, with tan vinyl interior. Iron Duke engine and a 4-speed transmission. Added an aftermarket stereo (with a cassette deck!) and an aftermarket sunroof, which my cousin and I installed (this is where I really understood the meaning of "measure twice, cut once").

A year later, the opportunity came up for me to attend college ... in Phoenix. I moved there in February, so all was well with my non-AC car and vinyl seats for a few months.

Then, it became "warm" - in Phoenix, I think the weather folks on TV were contractually obligated to call any day where the high temp was only 2 digits as "warm". Only when the temp was 100 or higher could they utter the word "hot".

Anyway, the Sunbird became more and more uncomfortable to drive. I really liked it, and finding a good used car with AC wasn't something I was prepared to do. Talked with my folks about it - I had priced an aftermarket AC system at between $1-2K, or I could get real sheepskin seat covers for under $500. The folks went with option B.

Surprisingly, I survived three summers with those seat covers, the windows rolled down and the sunroof open. Yeah, I was young and dumb, but I enjoyed that Sunbird, even though it was somewhat unreliable. I totaled it about 2 months before graduation .... and got $2000 from the insurance company for it.

Since then, I've only owned a couple of cars without AC, even though I moved back to SoCal after graduation. One was the car I owned when I moved to Denver, and the other was the car I got shortly after moving to Denver. I was older, but still dumb, apparently.

Never again...

driver100

Michaell said:

henryn said:

Back roughly the same time frame (1981 or so), we hired a kid fresh out of the University of Chicago. His parents had bought him a brand new Ford Fairmont as a graduation gift. The car was a stripper, no options, no AC, no nothing, but it was his first new car and he loved it. After his first week here in Houston, average afternoon highs of 98 or 99 with a heat index of 110 or more, he asked for a day off. He was going to have an aftermarket AC installed.

Surprisingly, I survived three summers with those seat covers, the windows rolled down and the sunroof open. Yeah, I was young and dumb, but I enjoyed that Sunbird, even though it was somewhat unreliable. I totaled it about 2 months before graduation .... and got $2000 from the insurance company for it.
Never again...

What I would like to know....and you should give lessons, how do you roll a car at the exact time it is falling apart and you need to get rid of it, and you get a huge amount back from your insurance company? People would be willing to pay for that info.

Michaell

driver100 said:

Michaell said:

henryn said:

Back roughly the same time frame (1981 or so), we hired a kid fresh out of the University of Chicago. His parents had bought him a brand new Ford Fairmont as a graduation gift. The car was a stripper, no options, no AC, no nothing, but it was his first new car and he loved it. After his first week here in Houston, average afternoon highs of 98 or 99 with a heat index of 110 or more, he asked for a day off. He was going to have an aftermarket AC installed.

Surprisingly, I survived three summers with those seat covers, the windows rolled down and the sunroof open. Yeah, I was young and dumb, but I enjoyed that Sunbird, even though it was somewhat unreliable. I totaled it about 2 months before graduation .... and got $2000 from the insurance company for it.
Never again...

What I would like to know....and you should give lessons, how do you roll a car at the exact time it is falling apart and you need to get rid of it, and you get a huge amount back from your insurance company? People would be willing to pay for that info.

@driver100 - it's (sort of) funny, that last accident. I was on the way to the mechanic to deal with a persistent transmission problem when I rear ended someone in a 70's era land barge. A small dent to her bumper; major front end damage to my car.

It wasn't my intention to wreck the car so close to graduation. I didn't have a job lined up, so I took half the insurance money and bought a '77 Pontiac Ventura for the last 6-7 weeks. Sold it the day I graduated college (I had a job back in CA by that time) and used the money to rent a big station wagon to move my things.

driver100

Michaell, sometimes these things work out for the best. A friend had a 10 year old Accord, pretty good shape but it was going to need major repairs. Got rear ended, got $4000 from his insurance company, leased a Honda Fit - with a/c which he has really needed this year, and he is on his way to owning a good reliable car.

driver100

Guys, Mike appreciated your well wishes. Here is an update, he said was OK for me to pass on;

It is liver cancer
Will have surgery, scheduled for 7 to 10 days from now
6 or 7 hour operation
5 to 7 days in ICU in hospital, then a week in rehab
No driving for 2 months
Hopefully, they can remove all cancer, and won't reach lymph nodes

I know we all will be wishing and praying for the best possible results.

sda

As I've shared before, I had a '76 Sunbird coupe, with V6, (Buick 231, 105hp), 5 sp, PS, PB, AC, pretty much loaded. I drove it during my college years and traded it in late '83 for an '80 Mazda 626 coupe. In '87 I bought an '80 Sunbird hatchback, Iron Duke, 4sp, PS, AC for my sister for $700. It was gold with a tan vinyl interior. What struck me about both cars is how heavy the clutch was. The AC on both cars was GM cold, but it really drained the engine of power, felt like driving it with the parking brake was engaged. I paid $2900 for the '76 with 18k mi, and got $2700 in '83 with 82k mi. My sister received $1k from insurance for hers after someone rear ended her Sunbird. It was still drivable and she kept the car. Traded it on a '86 Civic 4dr, and got another $300--at least on paper!

jmonroe

driver100 said:

Guys, Mike appreciated your well wishes. Here is an update, he said was OK for me to pass on;

It is liver cancer
Will have surgery, scheduled for 7 to 10 days from now
6 or 7 hour operation
5 to 7 days in ICU in hospital, then a week in rehab
No driving for 2 months
Hopefully, they can remove all cancer, and won't reach lymph nodes

I know we all will be wishing and praying for the best possible results.

Thanks for the update although we wanted to hear better news than that. Just be sure to let him know he is in our prayers.

jmonroe

roadburner

My '02 lacked air, and the contemporary dealer-installed units weren't that great. Nowadays you can actually install a decent system if you have the time, money, and patience to track down and install the bits and pieces.

stickguy

That poor guy had been through the wringer the last few years. Hope it goes according to plan.

Michaell

sda said:

As I've shared before, I had a '76 Sunbird coupe, with V6, (Buick 231, 105hp), 5 sp, PS, PB, AC, pretty much loaded. I drove it during my college years and traded it in late '83 for an '80 Mazda 626 coupe. In '87 I bought an '80 Sunbird hatchback, Iron Duke, 4sp, PS, AC for my sister for $700. It was gold with a tan vinyl interior. What struck me about both cars is how heavy the clutch was. The AC on both cars was GM cold, but it really drained the engine of power, felt like driving it with the parking brake was engaged. I paid $2900 for the '76 with 18k mi, and got $2700 in '83 with 82k mi. My sister received $1k from insurance for hers after someone rear ended her Sunbird. It was still drivable and she kept the car. Traded it on a '86 Civic 4dr, and got another $300--at least on paper!

Prior to the Sunbird, I drove a '66 Baja Bug my parents had bought, so the difference in the clutches between it and the Sunbird were pretty large. No way were you going to speed shift the Sunbird with that heavy clutch.

And, my car didn't have a tach, so I had to shift by sound.

sda

jmonroe said:

driver100 said:

Guys, Mike appreciated your well wishes. Here is an update, he said was OK for me to pass on;

It is liver cancer
Will have surgery, scheduled for 7 to 10 days from now
6 or 7 hour operation
5 to 7 days in ICU in hospital, then a week in rehab
No driving for 2 months
Hopefully, they can remove all cancer, and won't reach lymph nodes

I know we all will be wishing and praying for the best possible results.

Thanks for the update although we wanted to hear better news than that. Just be sure to let him know he is in our prayers.

jmonroe

Sorry to learn and miss his posts. He will be in my prayers.

murphydog

Ghia update - NO SALE

I am a little surprised about the lack of interest in the Ghia - dropped the price to $16.5K and have it on Samba, Auto-trader and Craig's list. Really expected a lot of flakes from Craig's list - but so far crickets...

The only interest is from The Samba, one guy looked at it and really liked it but was also shopping a vintage Datsun roadster - never heard back. Second guy reached out from Reno - traded several emails and phone calls, but at the end of the day wife decided kitchen remodel took priority.

Thinking of dropping the price again - $14.5K, and updating all the listings. I continue to drive it around Seattle on the weekends, and the Triple XXX Rootbeer in Issaquah has a VW show in September. Hope to have it gone before the end of summer....

bwia

driver100 said:

Guys, Mike appreciated your well wishes. Here is an update, he said was OK for me to pass on; It is liver cancer Will have surgery, scheduled for 7 to 10 days from now 6 or 7 hour operation 5 to 7 days in ICU in hospital, then a week in rehab No driving for 2 months Hopefully, they can remove all cancer, and won't reach lymph nodes I know we all will be wishing and praying for the best possible results.

My prayers go out to Mike for a successful surgery and speedy recovery. 

andres3

snakeweasel said:

andres3 said:

I think any reasonable judge would interpret "Slower Traffic Keep Right" and "Keep Right Except to Pass" as essentially the same thing. One maybe being more lenient to allowing use of the left lane when no one else is around. Otherwise, "slower" is a relative term that has nothing to do with slow. If someone is going faster than you, by definition you are slower. Pretty simple if you ask me.

The "no one should go faster" than me crowd has failed to comprehend the English language and has failed to read the sign. They enjoy being a rolling roadblock.

I would think any reasonable judge would not interpret a sign but rather interpret the actual traffic code.

"Slower traffic keep right" does not mean "keep right except to pass", "slower traffic" implies that traffic that is not "Slower" does not have to "keep right". And most laws are written defining "slower traffic" as that which is going slower than the normal flow of traffic.

Traffic is slower if someone else is going faster. There is no way around it. You can apply all the definitions you wish, but in the real world we must use the reasonable person standard. No reasonable person can calculate to any accuracy whether someone is beyond the norm when they are going faster, so it is reasonable to keep right except to pass, and also reasonable to assume someone going faster is the "normal flow of traffic" since proving otherwise would be difficult. Therefore all slower traffic would keep right except to pass.

The signs are in black and white. They are not advisory yellow.

roadburner

jmonroe said:

driver100 said:

Guys, Mike appreciated your well wishes. Here is an update, he said was OK for me to pass on;

It is liver cancer
Will have surgery, scheduled for 7 to 10 days from now
6 or 7 hour operation
5 to 7 days in ICU in hospital, then a week in rehab
No driving for 2 months
Hopefully, they can remove all cancer, and won't reach lymph nodes

I know we all will be wishing and praying for the best possible results.

Thanks for the update although we wanted to hear better news than that. Just be sure to let him know he is in our prayers.

jmonroe

Ditto!!!

andres3

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

Jersey taxes every sale (but you do get trade in credit). But on private sales, or dealer with no trade, every buyer pays tax so they dip as many times as the car gets sold.

And I do like Audis for the tire reason. Yes, first thing I do in the showroom is pop the trunk and see what is in there under the cover! That is how I discovered that the Acura (with a "mobility kit") could have a tire put in (actually an accessory on at least the ILX) because the well was still there, complete with the bracket to bolt the tire down. literally they just took out the spare and jack, stuck an inflator and fix a flat can into the styrofoam insert, and called it a day.

Have the same thing in the Mustang. Saves some weight.

Saves a measly few pounds by not having a spare.....would much rather have a real spare tire. How much does a tire and rim weigh........30 pounds at the most? How much gas does that save?

With tires and wheels typically being so big and wide these days on modern cars, and the spare being usually steel and not alloy, your probably looking at closer to 40 pounds on that spare tire. The jack and wrench are heavy steel too.

For track days, I'll take it all out of the car, but otherwise, I do like having my spare and non-RFT tires.

andres3

murphydog said:

Ghia update - NO SALE

I am a little surprised about the lack of interest in the Ghia - dropped the price to $16.5K and have it on Samba, Auto-trader and Craig's list. Really expected a lot of flakes from Craig's list - but so far crickets...

The only interest is from The Samba, one guy looked at it and really liked it but was also shopping a vintage Datsun roadster - never heard back. Second guy reached out from Reno - traded several emails and phone calls, but at the end of the day wife decided kitchen remodel took priority.

Thinking of dropping the price again - $14.5K, and updating all the listings. I continue to drive it around Seattle on the weekends, and the Triple XXX Rootbeer in Issaquah has a VW show in September. Hope to have it gone before the end of summer....

Dropping the price will open up your market. My friend sold his BMW in one day using Craigslist, so I copied him and pretty much did the same with my Audi A3. The right price will sell the car in one day.

oldfarmer50

Talk about bad luck.

http://videowall.accuweather.com/detail/videos/trending-now/video/5081136279001/truck-carrying-raw-sewage-explodes-on-street?autoStart=true

berri

That's a tough one for Mike. But miracles do happen sometimes. My best wishes for him.

houdini1

Who would have thought that could even happen. Good thing his windows were up!!

28firefighter

Wishing the best for Mike, and definitely miss him around here.