Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

Mr_Shiftright

driver100 said:

Only 60k miles. Looks like new. Beautiful. You would think you should get at least 5 or 6 years of pretty good driving.....for $6000!

Blood-curdling maintenance and repair costs.

I suppose if the car passed a PPI with flying colors, and you were well connected to an excellent independent BWM shop that would consent to work on the car, and if you met every maintenance schedule and did everything required. you could survive ok. I would put aside maybe $200 a month for normal things coming up during the year, but be prepared to bail if a major component were to fail.

Mr_Shiftright

roadburner said:

isellhondas said:

Oh, what the heck! If a person wants a wallet draining BMW why not reach for the sky?


https://seattle.craigslist.org/est/cto/6139416803.html

What could possibly go wrong?

I'd take an E32 with a V12 over a V8 all day long. The motors are stout and if you are a DIY guy and know where to get the electronic ancillaries repaired (rather than replaced) they aren't bad to run.

Fabulous motor and plenty of power. You know, it's a high end luxury car, so $1800 brake jobs are normal. You gotta pay to play. These cars are dirt cheap for a reason.

driver100

bwia said:

Hasn't Wayne Newton heard of lip syncing? It has extended the career of many performers to the enjoyment of their fans who can't tell the difference. If he can't do that, then it's time to hang it up.

Frankie Valli must be around 80 and he can't hit those high notes anymore, so one of the Four Seasons covers for him for those. He puts on a great show and is a nice guy....always thankful for the success he finally found. What impressed me was he worked hard touring and he paid back all the debts - about $1million one of the original members rung up. You don't see too many people who would do that!

roadburner

Mr_Shiftright said:

Fabulous motor and plenty of power. You know, it's a high end luxury car, so $1800 brake jobs are normal. You gotta pay to play. These cars are dirt cheap for a reason.

$1800? Seriously? I can get genuine BMW pads and rotors-front and rear-from several online vendors for less than $600; throw in another $25 if you want new parking brake shoes and $32 if you need a set of pad wear sensors. And all E32s use conventional floating calipers, so changing them is simple.

driver100

Mr_Shiftright said:

driver100 said:

Only 60k miles. Looks like new. Beautiful. You would think you should get at least 5 or 6 years of pretty good driving.....for $6000!

Blood-curdling maintenance and repair costs.

I suppose if the car passed a PPI with flying colors, and you were well connected to an excellent independent BWM shop that would consent to work on the car, and if you met every maintenance schedule and did everything required. you could survive ok. I would put aside maybe $200 a month for normal things coming up during the year, but be prepared to bail if a major component were to fail.

Would not buy without a PPI....whatever that stands for (some kind of pre....something....inspection). With all these LMAO, IMHO, IIRCs soon we will just write this sentence as; WNBWPPIWTSFSKPSIWATLMAOIMHOIIRCSWWJWTSA

(should make JMonroes posts much shorter)

abacomike

I did some checking myself on reports of Wayne Newton's recent appearances (last 5-6 years) and have decided to skip the show next week. I want to remember him like he performed in the late 80's and early 90's. Most people I've spoken to who saw him at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, FL said it was a waste of their time - many people walked out on his performance. If he's appearing in my local casino here in Coconut Creek, then he must really be hard up for money. His audience will be made up of retired folks, mostly in their 80's, oohing and ahhing no matter how bad he looks or how off key his singing is. It's not difficult to please an audience like that.

So, I think I'll just have dinner out since I've already invited the "Frozen Yogurt" acquaintance to the show. She agreed that we should skip the show and just have dinner out - she said she was never a Wayne Newton fan, but was pleased to accept my invitation just so we could see each other. Hmm!

abacomike

I just returned from the casino where I had been invited to a new restaurant they just opened up - kind of a Chinese and Tai Food place. The food was outstanding. I can tell you I will be frequenting that place now that we have a great Chinese/Asian restaurant in town. I had their Lo Mein, Teriyaki Steak, General Tao's Chicken, egg rolls, dumplings, rice, and several other "tastes" of food which I had no idea what they named the dishes.

Free food for certain level players - but when you invite people from this area to a restaurant (especially Chinese) for free food, the line starts a mile away. Luckily my player's card moved me to the front or I would have left. Why people would wait in line for hours just to sample some food is beyond me. I guess - to each their own!

dino001

roadburner said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

Fabulous motor and plenty of power. You know, it's a high end luxury car, so $1800 brake jobs are normal. You gotta pay to play. These cars are dirt cheap for a reason.

$1800? Seriously? I can get genuine BMW pads and rotors-front and rear-from several online vendors for less than $600; throw in another $25 if you want new parking brake shoes and $32 if you need a set of pad wear sensors. And all E32s use conventional floating calipers, so changing them is simple.

Then add 50% markup on the pads and 10 hours of labor at dealer rate (never mind it's same 10 hours of the same mechanic that are charged to five other cars are charging to other customers) and voilla - $1800 "is barely covering the cost" of the dealer, cause you just drunk the cappuccino while waiting for final touches and perhaps used a loaner, too.

Mr_Shiftright

roadburner said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

Fabulous motor and plenty of power. You know, it's a high end luxury car, so $1800 brake jobs are normal. You gotta pay to play. These cars are dirt cheap for a reason.

$1800? Seriously? I can get genuine BMW pads and rotors-front and rear-from several online vendors for less than $600; throw in another $25 if you want new parking brake shoes and $32 if you need a set of pad wear sensors. And all E32s use conventional floating calipers, so changing them is simple.

That's what it costs when you bring it to an indy shop in my zip code. I don't assume most owners of these cars are going to do their own work or run around sourcing parts.

imidazol97

abacomike said:

Why people would wait in line for hours just to sample some food is beyond me. I guess - to each their own!

It's one of those four letter words--"FREE."

driver100

Now GM is accused of cheating on diesel engines emissions:

GM Diesels

Reuters Reports

dino001

To be fair, this is ambulance chasers with a civil suit. Quite a bit of a difference.

imidazol97

abacomike said:

. I want to remember him like he performed in the late 80's and early 90's.

When I watch some of the old groups from my misspent youth on public TV where they do the fund raisers, I wonder if they're lip syncing or actually singing. The voice just doesn't hold up for most people.

fintail

I was going to say, if I could have work done for the price of parts, I'd treat the fintail to a full engine rebuild and suspension just for the heck of it

Mr_Shiftright said:

That's what it costs when you bring it to an indy shop in my zip code. I don't assume most owners of these cars are going to do their own work or run around sourcing parts.

Mr_Shiftright

You can't give your 750iL to monkeys for repairs. So if you aren't doing it yourself, you have to rely on skilled people.

suydam

imidazol97 said:

abacomike said:

. I want to remember him like he performed in the late 80's and early 90's.

When I watch some of the old groups from my misspent youth on public TV where they do the fund raisers, I wonder if they're lip syncing or actually singing. The voice just doesn't hold up for most people.

Depends on what kind of voice they had and how they did or didn't take care of themselves. Eric Clapton actually sounds better than he did when he was younger, and his guitar playing, as always, is amazing.

andres3

abacomike said:

I did some checking myself on reports of Wayne Newton's recent appearances (last 5-6 years) and have decided to skip the show next week. I want to remember him like he performed in the late 80's and early 90's. Most people I've spoken to who saw him at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, FL said it was a waste of their time - many people walked out on his performance. If he's appearing in my local casino here in Coconut Creek, then he must really be hard up for money. His audience will be made up of retired folks, mostly in their 80's, oohing and ahhing no matter how bad he looks or how off key his singing is. It's not difficult to please an audience like that.

So, I think I'll just have dinner out since I've already invited the "Frozen Yogurt" acquaintance to the show. She agreed that we should skip the show and just have dinner out - she said she was never a Wayne Newton fan, but was pleased to accept my invitation just so we could see each other. Hmm!

Do hearing aids even pick up high notes for people in their 80's to hear? Maybe that's why they don't miss or mind the bad high notes!

Certainly, smoking doesn't seem to do singers any favors on their voice over the years.

roadburner

Mr_Shiftright said:

You can't give your 750iL to monkeys for repairs. So if you aren't doing it yourself, you have to rely on skilled people.

My indie shop is skilled, and I'll bet I'd pay no more than $900, tops. The brakes aren't some unique or exotic design- they are the same type of calipers used on every BMW of the era(save the M cars). If you can do pads and rotors on an E36 318i you can do pads and rotors on an E32 750i.

jmonroe

abacomike said:

Just got a call from my gastroenterologist's office.  The blood tests I took last Monday show no detectable Hepatitis C in my blood.  That is good news - however I had the same results when I took Harvoni 2 years ago.  The real proof is when the virus remains undetectable 4, 8, 16 and finally 24 weeks after I finish the regimen.  But at least I heard some promising news today.

I see the doctor next Thursday.  I have to take blood tests every 4 weeks for the next 8 months.  I have 7-1/2 more weeks of taking the pills.

Just getting back in here after vacation and I've got a lotta posts to read. I still haven't unpacked completely.

Good news about the tests Mike. Keep up the good work.

I have an idea about all the future vials of blood you will be giving as you go through more testing. Give me the name of the person in charge so that I can place a bid for your blood drawing supplies. I know I can win the contract and I'll cut you in for 10% of my profits.  

jmonroe

abacomike

imidazol97 said:

. I want to remember him like he performed in the late 80's and early 90's.

When I watch some of the old groups from my misspent youth on public TV where they do the fund raisers, I wonder if they're lip syncing or actually singing. The voice just doesn't hold up for most people.

I have that problem - but it isn't my voice! 

abacomike

jmonroe said:

abacomike said:

Just got a call from my gastroenterologist's office.  The blood tests I took last Monday show no detectable Hepatitis C in my blood.  That is good news - however I had the same results when I took Harvoni 2 years ago.  The real proof is when the virus remains undetectable 4, 8, 16 and finally 24 weeks after I finish the regimen.  But at least I heard some promising news today.

I see the doctor next Thursday.  I have to take blood tests every 4 weeks for the next 8 months.  I have 7-1/2 more weeks of taking the pills.

Just getting back in here after vacation and I've got a lotta posts to read. I still haven't unpacked completely.

Good news about the tests Mike. Keep up the good work.

I have an idea about all the future vials of blood you will be giving as you go through more testing. Give me the name of the person in charge so that I can place a bid for your blood drawing supplies. I know I can win the contract and I'll cut you in for 10% of my profits.  

jmonroe

Good you got home safely and got away from here before the storms and heavy rains.  Feels like summer here - humidity is gruesome as are the 93 degree temps.

Mr_Shiftright

roadburner said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

You can't give your 750iL to monkeys for repairs. So if you aren't doing it yourself, you have to rely on skilled people.

My indie shop is skilled, and I'll bet I'd pay no more than $900, tops. The brakes aren't some unique or exotic design- they are the same type of calipers used on every BMW of the era(save the M cars). If you can do pads and rotors on an E36 318i you can do pads and rotors on an E32 750i.

The OEM parts alone from BMW cost more than that. We're talking about two different approaches to solving the problem I think--one is how you or I might personally cope with it, the other (the one I mentioned) is what happens when some guy who owns a 750iL takes it to a shop or dealer. Where I live that's what he pays.

driver100

My friend in Florida keeps his 84 BMW on the road with an indie mechanic....and he thinks it is worth it.....he has had the car for over 30 years. BMW won't do most repairs...they would have to special order parts and it is too far outside of their mainstream business. Young kids probably wouldn't know how to work on it anyway. He says the indie mechanic charges regular rates - not BMW rates, he doesn't find it is a problem and it is well worth it to keep his car going.

bwia

Don't know how  it happended but for the last three weeks i have been receiving Quora Digest, an online semi-scientific blog.

Readers post STEM related questions which are answered by "experts" for the most part. One such question: "How does Germany produce so many great engineers and scientists? 

Answer. Germany produces two types of engineers. One similar to American universities and the other a 3 year degree at a technical university. The tech university degree program  is more hands on and more in-depth. As a result, these graduates are highly skilled and inhigh demand. By the way,  this is not voch tech, it is merely a specialized engineering track where students can earn their PhD in as little as five years to six years. 

That in a nutshell is German engineering.

fintail

German engineering is often complexity for the sake of complexity. Their post-secondary education system has a lot of merits, and doesn't leave so many behind.

I keep my 50++ year old MB on the road with the help of an indy mechanic. He's not much older than me I think, and he's not afraid of it, and he has techs who will look at it. But this is an affluent area, and the rates are probably the same as dealer rates in middle America.

roadburner

Mr_Shiftright said:

The OEM parts alone from BMW cost more than that. We're talking about two different approaches to solving the problem I think--one is how you or I might personally cope with it, the other (the one I mentioned) is what happens when some guy who owns a 750iL takes it to a shop or dealer. Where I live that's what he pays.

Wrong. MSRP(which virtually no one pays) Per DCSnet:

Front Rotor(2): 34116756090 $236.74
Front Pads: 34111162535 $117.42
Guide Bushes: 34216869617 $40.78
Rear Rotor(2): 34211162967 $174.34
Rear Pads: 34211160198 $98.68
Guide Bushes: 34211158578 $33.13
Pad Sensors(2): 34351179820 $37.22
Rotor Screw(2): 34111123072 $2.10
$740.58
So you are saying that a dealer or good indie shop in your area charges $1060 labor for a simple brake job?
That is way beyond insane.

ab348

bwia said:

Don't know how  it happended but for the last three weeks i have been receiving Quora Digest, an online semi-scientific blog.

I started getting a daily digest from Quora a while ago. I think it tailors what you see to the questions you click on. I had to stop it because it started to drive me crazy with the idiotic high-school-type questions and the very slanted answers people provided. It became a measure of how stupid its readers (and perhaps the public at large) actually are.

driver100

I got these today....I shortened them to the best but from what I hear around here they seem pretty accurate;

You can move to Colorado where...
1. You carry your $3,000 mountain bike atop your $500 car.
4. The top of your head is bald, but you still have a pony tail.

You can retire to Nebraska or Kansas where...
2. Your idea of a traffic jam is three cars waiting to pass a tractor.
3. You have had to switch from "heat" to "A/C" on the same day.

FINALLY you can retire to Florida where..
1. You eat dinner at 3:15 in the afternoon.
2. All purchases include a coupon of some kind - even houses and cars.
3. Everyone can recommend an excellent cardiologist, dermatologist, proctologist, podiatrist, or orthopedist.
5. Cars in front of you often appear to be driven by headless people.

graphicguy

driver100 said:

I got these today....I shortened them to the best but from what I hear around here they seem pretty accurate;

You can move to Colorado where...
1. You carry your $3,000 mountain bike atop your $500 car.
4. The top of your head is bald, but you still have a pony tail.

You can retire to Nebraska or Kansas where...
2. Your idea of a traffic jam is three cars waiting to pass a tractor.
3. You have had to switch from "heat" to "A/C" on the same day.

FINALLY you can retire to Florida where..
1. You eat dinner at 3:15 in the afternoon.
2. All purchases include a coupon of some kind - even houses and cars.
3. Everyone can recommend an excellent cardiologist, dermatologist, proctologist, podiatrist, or orthopedist.
5. Cars in front of you often appear to be driven by headless people.

LOL! More truth to that than most think.

Just returned from Orlando for work. Storms were pretty severe there this week. I was staying at the Hyatt Grand Cypress. Grounds were beautiful. But, they were trashed by the storms on Wednesday. Power was out most of the afternoon and evening.

Pretty much a mess.

Had a Dodge Dart rental. I can't say much good about it, and will jeer FCA for bringing it to market. I applaud them for killing it off quickly, too.

driver100

GG, I didn't have retirement for Ohio but I think Michigan will work,

You can retire to Michigan Ohio where...
1. You only have three spices: salt, pepper and ketchup.
2. Halloween costumes have to fit over parkas.
3. You have seventeen recipes for casserole.
4. Sexy lingerie is anything flannel with less than eight buttons.
5. The four seasons are: almost winter, winter, still winter, and road repair.

FCA does a great job of disguising crappy cars. They make a nicely designed car, and throw it together, with little engineering or R&R. You can fool some of the people.........

murphydog

driver100 said:

GG, I didn't have retirement for Ohio but I think Michigan will work,

You can retire to Michigan Ohio where...
1. You only have three spices: salt, pepper and ketchup.
2. Halloween costumes have to fit over parkas.
3. You have seventeen recipes for casserole.
4. Sexy lingerie is anything flannel with less than eight buttons.
5. The four seasons are: almost winter, winter, still winter, and road repair.

FCA does a great job of disguising crappy cars. They make a nicely designed car, and throw it together, with little engineering or R&R. You can fool some of the people.........

That is pretty funny stuff, was the state of Washington mentioned?

berri

I saw in the Detroit newspaper than recently released Ford CEO Mark Fields is getting quite the potentially large payout reward for presiding over a large drop in company stock value. Demand performance from the workers while providing golden parachutes to senior executives that leave regardless of their performance.

explorerx4

Ford hourly workers got $9,300 profit sharing bonus checks based on 2016 results.

dino001

explorerx4 said:

Ford hourly workers got $9,300 profit sharing bonus checks based on 2016 results.

Never let truth stand in a way of a good story.

fintail

Washington (Seattle metro):
You drive a Subaru, Prius, or Tesla, with bumper stickers or a personalized plate
You know at least one trust fund hipster from CA or the east coast
You know at least one transplant who often tells people how much better things were back "in Cali" etc.
Unable to participate in a speculative boomer-enriching housing price explosion led by black money laundering, you buy in the suburbs where your 15 mile commute averages 85 minutes
You gladly trade the dreariest winters in the world for the best summers in the world
Temps above 60 = time to wear shorts
Umbrellas are for wimps

fintail

It was probably in his contract no matter how the company performed. They have to attract and retain talent, dontcha know. It'll trickle down! We should just praise him for paying taxes.

berri said:

I saw in the Detroit newspaper than recently released Ford CEO Mark Fields is getting quite the potentially large payout reward for presiding over a large drop in company stock value. Demand performance from the workers while providing golden parachutes to senior executives that leave regardless of their performance.

driver100

murphydog said:

driver100 said:

GG, I didn't have retirement for Ohio but I think Michigan will work,

You can retire to Michigan Ohio where...
1. You only have three spices: salt, pepper and ketchup.
2. Halloween costumes have to fit over parkas.
3. You have seventeen recipes for casserole.
4. Sexy lingerie is anything flannel with less than eight buttons.
5. The four seasons are: almost winter, winter, still winter, and road repair.

FCA does a great job of disguising crappy cars. They make a nicely designed car, and throw it together, with little engineering or R&R. You can fool some of the people.........

That is pretty funny stuff, was the state of Washington mentioned?

Didn't get Washington....but here are the others mentioned. You will probably see yourself here....maybe Calif.

You can retire to Arizona where...

1. You are willing to park three blocks away from your house because you found shade.
2. You've experienced condensation on your rear-end from the hot water in the toilet bowl.
3. You can drive for four hours in one direction and never leave town.
4. You have over 100 recipes for Mexican food.
5. You know that "dry heat" is comparable to what hits you in the face when you open your oven door at 500 degrees.
6. The four seasons are: tolerable, hot, really hot, and ARE YOU KIDDING ME??

-OR-

You can retire to California where...
1. You make over $450,000 and you still can't afford to buy a house.
2. The fastest part of your commute is going down your driveway.
3. You know how to eat an artichoke.
4. When someone asks you how far something is, you tell them how long it will take to get there rather than how many miles away it is.
5. The four seasons are: Fire, Flood, Mud and Drought.

-OR-

You can retire to New York City where...
1 You say "the city" and expect everyone to know you mean Manhattan.
2. You can get into a four-hour argument about how to get from Columbus Circle to Battery Park, but can't find Wisconsin on a map.
3. You think Central Park is "nature."
4. You believe that being able to swear at people in their own language makes you multilingual.
5. You've worn out a car horn. (IF you have a car.)
6. You think eye contact is an act of aggression

driver100

fintail said:

Washington (Seattle metro):
You drive a Subaru, Prius, or Tesla, with bumper stickers or a personalized plate
You know at least one trust fund hipster from CA or the east coast
You know at least one transplant who often tells people how much better things were back "in Cali" etc.
Unable to participate in a speculative boomer-enriching housing price explosion led by black money laundering, you buy in the suburbs where your 15 mile commute averages 85 minutes
You gladly trade the dreariest winters in the world for the best summers in the world
Temps above 60 = time to wear shorts
Umbrellas are for wimps

Well done!

graphicguy

Stick....some '18 TLX video reviews. Maybe a little lame, but still interesting. This guy gets on it pretty well in the rain.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LAo7bNTGo8

The guy in this vid is...I don't know....seems more like a radio announcer than a car reviewer. The female is a little better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0aq8rB-JqA

Overall, pretty positive impressions!

28firefighter

fintail said:

Washington (Seattle metro):
You drive a Subaru, Prius, or Tesla, with bumper stickers or a personalized plate
You know at least one trust fund hipster from CA or the east coast
You know at least one transplant who often tells people how much better things were back "in Cali" etc.
Unable to participate in a speculative boomer-enriching housing price explosion led by black money laundering, you buy in the suburbs where your 15 mile commute averages 85 minutes
You gladly trade the dreariest winters in the world for the best summers in the world
Temps above 60 = time to wear shorts
Umbrellas are for wimps

#nailedit

jmonroe

cdnpinhead said:

It's another Forrest Gump moment. I've had several worthy episodes in my 68 years, but can't hold a candle to some here.

When I was a "kid" of 68 I also had my share of episodes like you have mentioned. Believe me, they come fast and furious the older you get.

jmonroe

nyccarguy

You can retire to New York City where...
1 You say "the city" and expect everyone to know you mean Manhattan. - very true
2. You can get into a four-hour argument about how to get from Columbus Circle to Battery Park, but can't find Wisconsin on a map. - this one I disagree with
3. You think Central Park is "nature." - Central Park is Beautiful
4. You believe that being able to swear at people in their own language makes you multilingual. - I personally consider this an art form.  Although when it comes to cursing, EVERYBODY understands English
5. You've worn out a car horn. (IF you have a car.) - I've heard far too many dying car horns
6. You think eye contact is an act of aggression - You got a problem with that?

isellhondas

Mr_Shiftright said:

roadburner said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

You can't give your 750iL to monkeys for repairs. So if you aren't doing it yourself, you have to rely on skilled people.

My indie shop is skilled, and I'll bet I'd pay no more than $900, tops. The brakes aren't some unique or exotic design- they are the same type of calipers used on every BMW of the era(save the M cars). If you can do pads and rotors on an E36 318i you can do pads and rotors on an E32 750i.

The OEM parts alone from BMW cost more than that. We're talking about two different approaches to solving the problem I think--one is how you or I might personally cope with it, the other (the one I mentioned) is what happens when some guy who owns a 750iL takes it to a shop or dealer. Where I live that's what he pays.

So, are OEM parts THAT big of a deal and if so, why is that? Not too many years ago the general thinking was that a lot of the aftermarket stuff was in fact of better quality than the stuff that came on the cars from the factory.

I remember the old guys talking about Grey Rock lining Grizzly Silvertip etc just being better. Now, it seems everyone want OEM stuff! A rotor is a rotor. right?

jmonroe

driver100 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

driver100 said:

Only 60k miles. Looks like new. Beautiful. You would think you should get at least 5 or 6 years of pretty good driving.....for $6000!

Blood-curdling maintenance and repair costs.

I suppose if the car passed a PPI with flying colors, and you were well connected to an excellent independent BWM shop that would consent to work on the car, and if you met every maintenance schedule and did everything required. you could survive ok. I would put aside maybe $200 a month for normal things coming up during the year, but be prepared to bail if a major component were to fail.

Would not buy without a PPI....whatever that stands for (some kind of pre....something....inspection). With all these LMAO, IMHO, IIRCs soon we will just write this sentence as; WNBWPPIWTSFSKPSIWATLMAOIMHOIIRCSWWJWTSA

(should make JMonroes posts much shorter)

And more understandable too.

jmonroee

explorerx4

The main issue is that Wall Street feels that Tesla is the future and most other manufacturers not a growth opportunity.
Ford does have a lot of older designs for their cars.

berri

NY - I think you are wrong on #2. The correct answer is they don't care where Wisconsin is on the map

jmonroe

abacomike said:

I did some checking myself on reports of Wayne Newton's recent appearances (last 5-6 years) and have decided to skip the show next week. I want to remember him like he performed in the late 80's and early 90's. Most people I've spoken to who saw him at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, FL said it was a waste of their time - many people walked out on his performance. If he's appearing in my local casino here in Coconut Creek, then he must really be hard up for money. His audience will be made up of retired folks, mostly in their 80's, oohing and ahhing no matter how bad he looks or how off key his singing is. It's not difficult to please an audience like that.

So, I think I'll just have dinner out since I've already invited the "Frozen Yogurt" acquaintance to the show. She agreed that we should skip the show and just have dinner out - she said she was never a Wayne Newton fan, but was pleased to accept my invitation just so we could see each other. Hmm!

Suggestion:

Why not use the time you would have spent seeing the Wayne Newton show on something else. If I have to explain, you are a goner.

jmonroe

berri

I think some of the money betting on Tesla has perhaps more to do with battery technology.

oldfarmer50

fintail said:

It was probably in his contract no matter how the company performed. They have to attract and retain talent, dontcha know. It'll trickle down! We should just praise him for paying taxes.

berri said:

I saw in the Detroit newspaper than recently released Ford CEO Mark Fields is getting quite the potentially large payout reward for presiding over a large drop in company stock value. Demand performance from the workers while providing golden parachutes to senior executives that leave regardless of their performance.

I would be willing to lose money for Ford for half his salary.

roadburner

isellhondas said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

roadburner said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

You can't give your 750iL to monkeys for repairs. So if you aren't doing it yourself, you have to rely on skilled people.

My indie shop is skilled, and I'll bet I'd pay no more than $900, tops. The brakes aren't some unique or exotic design- they are the same type of calipers used on every BMW of the era(save the M cars). If you can do pads and rotors on an E36 318i you can do pads and rotors on an E32 750i.

The OEM parts alone from BMW cost more than that. We're talking about two different approaches to solving the problem I think--one is how you or I might personally cope with it, the other (the one I mentioned) is what happens when some guy who owns a 750iL takes it to a shop or dealer. Where I live that's what he pays.

So, are OEM parts THAT big of a deal and if so, why is that? Not too many years ago the general thinking was that a lot of the aftermarket stuff was in fact of better quality than the stuff that came on the cars from the factory.

I remember the old guys talking about Grey Rock lining Grizzly Silvertip etc just being better. Now, it seems everyone want OEM stuff! A rotor is a rotor. right?

You were the one who brought up OEM parts and their alleged prices. Me, I'd have no problem putting ATE, Brembo, or Pagid rotors on any of my cars. Ditto for brake pads from those same manufacturers- and Jurid or Textar as well. There are quality aftermarket parts, you just have to be able to identify them- or at least know a good indie shop that can.