300K in a Corolla....I used to see those sorts of displays at the local Toyota dealership. I remember thinking the exact same thing.....who did this and why?
I often wondered if it were some college professor who only needed to go back and forth to class.....for 30 years. Or, it was a commuter, maybe driving 3 hours/day to and from work.
But again, why and who?
If you're going to do that, why not do it with some style? Why not do it with something that breaths a wee bit of excitement in the drive?
At the end of the Corolla's life, did the owner(s) look back and think.."now, that was worth it".
Considering in my area they'd probably want $7500 for a 2003 Corolla with 300K on it, probably worth it to some. The "car is an appliance" set is huge, or these things wouldn't sell at all. Those people just don't read this forum
Well, it's probably just me, but I like the "before."
There are any number of home "improvement" shows on TV in which what I consider beautiful, functional kitchens and other rooms are ripped to shreds so that whatever is popular this week/month/year can be installed because what's there now is "dated," just as the new stuff will be in 10 years.
Oh well, I guess it keeps the economy moving along.
300K in a Corolla....I used to see those sorts of displays at the local Toyota dealership. I remember thinking the exact same thing.....who did this and why?
I often wondered if it were some college professor who only needed to go back and forth to class.....for 30 years. Or, it was a commuter, maybe driving 3 hours/day to and from work.
But again, why and who?
If you're going to do that, why not do it with some style? Why not do it with something that breaths a wee bit of excitement in the drive?
At the end of the Corolla's life, did the owner(s) look back and think.."now, that was worth it".
The cars I own don't have to be hyper-fast or pull over 1g on the skidpad, but they do have to make me smile when I get behind the wheel. I can't even imagine spending 300k miles behind the wheel of a soul-numbing appliance.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
Yeah nice floor, but cleaning that backsplash would drive me crazy. Kitchens are funny things, maybe the part of the house that falls out of fashion fastest.
@michaell - when you're getting compliments on the "before" pictures, you know you could simply use that kitchen fund toward something like a GTI upgrade.
My backsplash doesn't get very dirty. The before pics aren't bad, but I like a cherry finish on stained cabinets, or paint them a color that complements the room.
Thanks - these are the "before" pictures. These are the original cabinets that were put in when the house was built in 2002. The floor tiles and countertops were done when we moved into the house 18 months ago.
We decided to go with white on the upper cabinets and a light grey for the lower, to tie into the dark grey floor tile and the quartz countertops (light grey on the perimeter and dark grey on the island).
Yes, I could have funded a nice toy to drive around for what this cost.
The refacing is only expected to take 3-4 days; no way could we live without our kitchen for the 2+ weeks it would have taken to rip out and replace. Plus, a whole lot cheaper.
This is, I think, the last major interior project we'll be doing for a while. I know we want to completely remodel the master bath, but that's a massive project that will require a lot of planning and saving.
Well, it's probably just me, but I like the "before."
There are any number of home "improvement" shows on TV in which what I consider beautiful, functional kitchens and other rooms are ripped to shreds so that whatever is popular this week/month/year can be installed because what's there now is "dated," just as the new stuff will be in 10 years.
Oh well, I guess it keeps the economy moving along.
Either way, good luck with it.
Agree. I cringe when they break up perfectly good cabinets that could be used in the basement or garage, etc.
Thanks - these are the "before" pictures. These are the original cabinets that were put in when the house was built in 2002. The floor tiles and countertops were done when we moved into the house 18 months ago.
We decided to go with white on the upper cabinets and a light grey for the lower, to tie into the dark grey floor tile and the quartz countertops (light grey on the perimeter and dark grey on the island).
Yes, I could have funded a nice toy to drive around for what this cost.
The refacing is only expected to take 3-4 days; no way could we live without our kitchen for the 2+ weeks it would have taken to rip out and replace. Plus, a whole lot cheaper.
This is, I think, the last major interior project we'll be doing for a while. I know we want to completely remodel the master bath, but that's a massive project that will require a lot of planning and saving.
With all the work that has already been done, your kitchen looks good. Those new white/grey cabinets will make it look great.
I'm always surprised when people say their neighbor got a new car and I ask what did they get, and they don't know. Or I'll mention a car I saw and they have ZERO interest and clearly no idea what it might be. For them cars are something you have to have to get around, and as long as it does that reasonably well they'll drive them forever. Most people would rather have a tooth pulled than go into a car dealership.
Re: 300K in a Corolla - if you've got a longish commute on a crowded freeway with tons of distracted drivers along with occasional rock haulers, a lot of people don't want to subject an expensive car to that abuse. That's why I drove a Civic for 12 years to work. Not as exhilarating experience, but at least I didn't mess up a nice car. YMMV, of course.
Thanks - these are the "before" pictures. These are the original cabinets that were put in when the house was built in 2002. The floor tiles and countertops were done when we moved into the house 18 months ago.
We decided to go with white on the upper cabinets and a light grey for the lower, to tie into the dark grey floor tile and the quartz countertops (light grey on the perimeter and dark grey on the island).
Yes, I could have funded a nice toy to drive around for what this cost.
The refacing is only expected to take 3-4 days; no way could we live without our kitchen for the 2+ weeks it would have taken to rip out and replace. Plus, a whole lot cheaper.
This is, I think, the last major interior project we'll be doing for a while. I know we want to completely remodel the master bath, but that's a massive project that will require a lot of planning and saving.
With all the work that has already been done, your kitchen looks good. Those new white/grey cabinets will make it look great.
Thanks! That's what we're hoping for, as well.
Although, after a few months, it will simply be "the kitchen". And the wife will start looking for the next project.
This is what we've done to the house since we took possession:
New flooring - tile everywhere but the bedrooms and stairs to the basement; new carpet for those spots Every surface got painted - walls, ceiling, doors, trim New stove New dishwasher New microwave New countertops in kitchen New light fixtures just about everywhere in the house Exterior of the house was painted Added switched exterior lights to the backyard New showerhead fixtures Customized my home office and the closets in both my office and my wife's office New door to the back patio Planted two aspen trees (side yard) and one apple tree (front yard)
And, for good measure - repairs to both the water heater and furnace
Yikes - typing it out makes me feel like we should have been featured on a HGTV show somewhere.
300,000 miles in a Corolla? Surprised she hasn't died of boredom
You do realize that, in the world of cars, we're the 1%'ers. We care about style, performance, handling, features, the deal we got, how soon we'll be trading in our current car for our next one, etc.
Most folks don't.
Most folks want something reliable, good on gas, comfortable, reliable, some nice tech, low maintenance costs, and, did I say, reliable?
You forgot, cheap, cheaper, and cheapest. People want cheap, but fully loaded, of course!
I guess I am part of the 1%; I'd rather have a stripper S4 to a tarted up A4, or an Audi A3 to a RAV 4 Limited/Sport fully loaded. If price is a barrier I'd much rather give up tech, bells, whistles, and other modern amenities to get a better car for the same amount of money. Also, I think safety sells; to a degree. Subaru pays for a lot of commercials where the main topic is the safety of their cars.
'18 Porsche Macan Turbo, '16 Audi TTS, Wife's '19 VW Tiguan SEL 4-Motion
You're giving me flashbacks to when we bought our house two years ago. New finished-in hardwood floors, new tile all over the house, repainted the entire interior, new counters, new lights, and more. Oh, and a new roof. And that was only the first six months. Pace yourself.
My future home projects for 2017 probably include re-roofing (it's time; though the main part of the house isn't leaking yet....). Re-insulating the ceiling/attic area; the old insulation is worn, dirty, and missing in a lot of spots, thin in other areas; it needs to be sucked out and new put in. Also, after all that's done, a repaint (interior and exterior) and re-floor are in order.
New duct-work put in Saturday to correct the F grade work the drug addict I inadvertently hired and got bad work from, then of course, he cheated me, and his warranty is worthless because he's incapable of doing the work correctly. So I learned my lesson about hiring the "cheap" guy from a 3rd hand recommendation at best. And the real estate agent that referred him to me 2nd hand won't be getting any more jobs from me thanks to this one issue of recommending a terrible AC guy. You just are not supposed to recommend or refer anyone you can't personally vouch for! So my agent is fired from future business.
It's tight in the attic, hot in the attic, and dark in the attic, but that is no excuse for attaching duct work to the register cans in a way where you might have 50% leakage. My new guy that did the work correctly said it was tough work, but no excuse for what the previous guy did.
'18 Porsche Macan Turbo, '16 Audi TTS, Wife's '19 VW Tiguan SEL 4-Motion
Hi, Folks: Been offline for a bit, just back from a ski week with my son in Maine. Tons of snow, unseasonably warm weather and, especially for a school vacation week, light crowds (but, it's a 7 peak resort, lots of lifts to spread the folks out). Great time!
But, that bit of joy was preceded by my introduction to the ghost of Mr. Lucas: Prince of Darkness. After an overnight ski trip with my girlfriend, who commented on what a wonderful ride my XF is, got up the next day and drove to work. Parked in the garage, hopped out and after grabbing stuff from the trunk, went to lock the doors....Nope. Nothing. Ruh roh.
To make a long story short-ish, took a couple of days to get the car towed out of the garage to local Jag dealer. Much time on the phone with Jag roadside, learned a lot, but bottom line is that the Keyless Vehicle Module had taken early retirement. I could do nothing with the car, the magic keys were just not being recognized (I could lock/unlock the car with the physical key in the magic key. But, couldn't turn on the accessory mode, much less start the car). I had again an LR Disco loaner. For some reason, this one bothered me less than the previous, I took it to Maine for the ski trip.
So, KVM and Antenna replaced, all covered under warranty and first time the beauty has left me stranded. But, wow, what a feeling of helplessness. Could have been worse, could have happened in New Hampshire. Good to have the XF back, 10 months of warranty left, still my favorite ride of all time. But, the rose colored glasses are off.
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
You're giving me flashbacks to when we bought our house two years ago. New finished-in hardwood floors, new tile all over the house, repainted the entire interior, new counters, new lights, and more. Oh, and a new roof. And that was only the first six months. Pace yourself.
Most of the list was done in the 3 weeks between signing the paperwork and moving in.
My future home projects for 2017 probably include re-roofing (it's time; though the main part of the house isn't leaking yet....). Re-insulating the ceiling/attic area; the old insulation is worn, dirty, and missing in a lot of spots, thin in other areas; it needs to be sucked out and new put in. Also, after all that's done, a repaint (interior and exterior) and re-floor are in order.
New duct-work put in Saturday to correct the F grade work the drug addict I inadvertently hired and got bad work from, then of course, he cheated me, and his warranty is worthless because he's incapable of doing the work correctly. So I learned my lesson about hiring the "cheap" guy from a 3rd hand recommendation at best. And the real estate agent that referred him to me 2nd hand won't be getting any more jobs from me thanks to this one issue of recommending a terrible AC guy. You just are not supposed to recommend or refer anyone you can't personally vouch for! So my agent is fired from future business.
It's tight in the attic, hot in the attic, and dark in the attic, but that is no excuse for attaching duct work to the register cans in a way where you might have 50% leakage. My new guy that did the work correctly said it was tough work, but no excuse for what the previous guy did.
Is there an HVAC licensing board you can complain to? Doubt they will do anything, but it wouldn't hurt.
Speaking of basic cheap cars, one of my young accountants came to me for some car advice. He's drawn to a small SUV, but has a $20k max budget, and seems to prefer to buy new. He looked at the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport and liked it - admittedly a lot of that had to do with the price. For a base model, FWD, manual transmission, the dealership is advertising $4,500 off, for a final price of $17,500.
Tried as I might, I couldn't really come up with an option he liked any better for the price. I encouraged him to look at a new Impreza hatch, which in base form he could get for a tad under $20k, and that would get him AWD. He kept on saying how he likes the added room and ground clearance of an SUV - I kindly pointed out that these compact SUVs are simply raised hatchbacks, but it would seem he's drawn to that SUV marketing.
I found a used CX-5 (FWD, manual) for around the same price of the Outlander Sport - but he sort of gasped at the 15,000 miles that were already on it .
Showed him the HR-V and CX-3, but those are all gonna be $2-3k higher than the Mitsubishi.
He did finally confide that the pricing on the Mitsubishi was the real draw, so I told him to take a good long test drive of it, and if he thinks it's comfortable, has enough oomph for passing, then he should just go for it. I warned him of all the add-ons they'll likely push on him in the financing office, and encouraged him to call me if he's uncomfortable with anything.
300K in a Corolla....I used to see those sorts of displays at the local Toyota dealership. I remember thinking the exact same thing.....who did this and why?
I often wondered if it were some college professor who only needed to go back and forth to class.....for 30 years. Or, it was a commuter, maybe driving 3 hours/day to and from work.
But again, why and who?
If you're going to do that, why not do it with some style? Why not do it with something that breaths a wee bit of excitement in the drive?
At the end of the Corolla's life, did the owner(s) look back and think.."now, that was worth it".
The cars I own don't have to be hyper-fast or pull over 1g on the skidpad, but they do have to make me smile when I get behind the wheel. I can't even imagine spending 300k miles behind the wheel of a soul-numbing appliance.
I concur.......!!!!
Just look at what one would miss out on....just in the past 5 years....in non-exoitcs.....
-Torque vectoring -DSG finally coming of age -300+HP 6 cyl, and even 4 cyl engines -rev matchng automatics -direct injection -first HID, now LED lights -cars that warn you, then keep you in your lane -cars that brake when you might be headed for a colission -OEM stereo systems fron the likes of Bose, Burmester, B&O, H/K, JBL, Panasonic, Lexicon (probably missing a few) that rival home systems -Electric models from every manufacturer -6 speed, 7 speed, 8 speed, 9 speed and now, 10 speed automatics
Lots that I'm overlooking....
Or, you can chug along in that 10 year old Corolla and miss all of that...
@breld - if he plans to drive the wheels off of it, that looks like a good deal.
Does Mitsu still offer the 10 year, 120K warranty?
Wonder how well it's optioned, compared to the alternatives you shared? I sat in a Mitsu sedan - can't remember the name of it now - at the auto show last year and was surprised at how bare bones it felt for a 2016 model.
USB/AUX, rear view camera - those would be my basic 'needs'.
I saw an Outlander Sport with temp tags on it the other day - I actually like the shape of them. Look to be quite utilitarian. Though not real good on gas, as is the case with most Mitsubishis.
Hi, Folks: Been offline for a bit, just back from a ski week with my son in Maine. Tons of snow, unseasonably warm weather and, especially for a school vacation week, light crowds (but, it's a 7 peak resort, lots of lifts to spread the folks out). Great time!
But, that bit of joy was preceded by my introduction to the ghost of Mr. Lucas: Prince of Darkness. After an overnight ski trip with my girlfriend, who commented on what a wonderful ride my XF is, got up the next day and drove to work. Parked in the garage, hopped out and after grabbing stuff from the trunk, went to lock the doors....Nope. Nothing. Ruh roh.
To make a long story short-ish, took a couple of days to get the car towed out of the garage to local Jag dealer. Much time on the phone with Jag roadside, learned a lot, but bottom line is that the Keyless Vehicle Module had taken early retirement. I could do nothing with the car, the magic keys were just not being recognized (I could lock/unlock the car with the physical key in the magic key. But, couldn't turn on the accessory mode, much less start the car). I had again an LR Disco loaner. For some reason, this one bothered me less than the previous, I took it to Maine for the ski trip.
So, KVM and Antenna replaced, all covered under warranty and first time the beauty has left me stranded. But, wow, what a feeling of helplessness. Could have been worse, could have happened in New Hampshire. Good to have the XF back, 10 months of warranty left, still my favorite ride of all time. But, the rose colored glasses are off.
Wow! I bet that was a helpless feeling. I think it's time for you to step up to the plate for a new ride!!!!!!
GG: Unless the lottery picks the 6 numbers I keep telling 'em to pick, me and the XF shall remain steadfast friends for the next ~10 months! Son enters college in the fall, four more years of tuition on the menu... But, no warranty? Hmmm... And I just spent $$$ on new brakes front and rear.
But, if anything else major goes wrong this year, I'll be looking with a truer eye to buy (and, darn it, I like the XE! Or, Giulia...yeah, reliability...) come that magical New Year's Eve time!
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
Speaking of basic cheap cars, one of my young accountants came to me for some car advice. He's drawn to a small SUV, but has a $20k max budget, and seems to prefer to buy new. He looked at the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport and liked it - admittedly a lot of that had to do with the price. For a base model, FWD, manual transmission, the dealership is advertising $4,500 off, for a final price of $17,500.
Tried as I might, I couldn't really come up with an option he liked any better for the price. I encouraged him to look at a new Impreza hatch, which in base form he could get for a tad under $20k, and that would get him AWD. He kept on saying how he likes the added room and ground clearance of an SUV - I kindly pointed out that these compact SUVs are simply raised hatchbacks, but it would seem he's drawn to that SUV marketing.
I found a used CX-5 (FWD, manual) for around the same price of the Outlander Sport - but he sort of gasped at the 15,000 miles that were already on it .
Showed him the HR-V and CX-3, but those are all gonna be $2-3k higher than the Mitsubishi.
He did finally confide that the pricing on the Mitsubishi was the real draw, so I told him to take a good long test drive of it, and if he thinks it's comfortable, has enough oomph for passing, then he should just go for it. I warned him of all the add-ons they'll likely push on him in the financing office, and encouraged him to call me if he's uncomfortable with anything.
I have no complaints with Mitsubishi products---they are long in the tooth but have proven over time to be as reliable as, or more reliable than, most other Japanese products. The only drawback would be a) resale and b) sparse dealer network.
Speaking of basic cheap cars, one of my young accountants came to me for some car advice. He's drawn to a small SUV, but has a $20k max budget, and seems to prefer to buy new. He looked at the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport and liked it - admittedly a lot of that had to do with the price. For a base model, FWD, manual transmission, the dealership is advertising $4,500 off, for a final price of $17,500.
Tried as I might, I couldn't really come up with an option he liked any better for the price. I encouraged him to look at a new Impreza hatch, which in base form he could get for a tad under $20k, and that would get him AWD. He kept on saying how he likes the added room and ground clearance of an SUV - I kindly pointed out that these compact SUVs are simply raised hatchbacks, but it would seem he's drawn to that SUV marketing.
I found a used CX-5 (FWD, manual) for around the same price of the Outlander Sport - but he sort of gasped at the 15,000 miles that were already on it .
Showed him the HR-V and CX-3, but those are all gonna be $2-3k higher than the Mitsubishi.
He did finally confide that the pricing on the Mitsubishi was the real draw, so I told him to take a good long test drive of it, and if he thinks it's comfortable, has enough oomph for passing, then he should just go for it. I warned him of all the add-ons they'll likely push on him in the financing office, and encouraged him to call me if he's uncomfortable with anything.
I have no complaints with Mitsubishi products---they are long in the tooth but have proven over time to be as reliable as, or more reliable than, most other Japanese products. The only drawback would be a) resale and b) sparse dealer network.
There are a few decent sized Mitsu dealerships here in Denver.
On the house front, I have done every repair/upgrade mentioned. Some twice. But that was spaced over 20 years. House is about 25 now. Pretty much done. Just need to recarpet the 3 spare bedrooms, and fix some rotted trim wood outside. Then sell the place before time to start over (hopefully by Q2 2018!). Though still convincing the wife that we do not, in fact, need this big a place to empty nest in! At least she agrees that a huge yard is probably not smart right now.
We have such particular needs/tastes, I doubt we ever find what we want turn key. So going to debate build from scratch, or (more likely) a major gut and remodel. Partly depends on where we go, but a new build does sound pleasant! Just not budget friendly. Or maybe we get lucky and stumble on a layout we like, and can keep upgrades to cosmetics!
Here's one for broke people that need basic local transport. Can't find much that runs and looks decent and not rotted out for this price. But man, someone liked driving it!
Here's one for broke people that need basic local transport. Can't find much that runs and looks decent and not rotted out for this price. But man, someone liked driving it!
Time bomb! And those headlights are going to be completely useless. Even though replacements are likely rather cheap, even $250 for a pair is 25% of the asking price!
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
Having the kitchen cabinets refaced this week. Looking forward to finally having the kitchen "unified", so to speak. Here are the before pictures:
When I bought my place the kitchen had been redone by the previous owner just a few years prior with similar mid-tone oak cabinets and I hated them after living with them for a short time, partly because of the look and partly because the layout of the kitchen was terrible. But man, those things were sure popular back in the 1990s and even later on. When I renovated it in 2002 I went with a slab door look in natural maple. The kitchen is tiny and has 4 doors so it is always going to be a challenge but what I came up with is very functional even 15 years later. It is going to get new counters and backsplash soon. Finally going to change the paint color on the walls too.
Home renovations have been hampering my CCBA habit the past couple of years. I had my kitchen gutted, then had the outside of my house painted last summer, then had a new garage door installed, followed by a complete gut and refinish of my basement which is still in progress. New carpeting is supposed to be put down this Friday.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
We moved to a small condo. Replaced all the flooring, all new appliances, replaced the mirrored closet doors with very nice sliding doors, new laundry room bifold doors, new patio door shade and new bedroom window shades. Also mostly all new furniture as the stuff we had was scaled too large for this place. New TV. And we just replaced the furnace. Fortunately no AC so that's ok. That's in 8 months. Last big project is a complete bathroom re-do. I am very tired of making decisions and spending $$!
My future home projects for 2017 probably include re-roofing (it's time; though the main part of the house isn't leaking yet....). Re-insulating the ceiling/attic area; the old insulation is worn, dirty, and missing in a lot of spots, thin in other areas; it needs to be sucked out and new put in. Also, after all that's done, a repaint (interior and exterior) and re-floor are in order.
New duct-work put in Saturday to correct the F grade work the drug addict I inadvertently hired and got bad work from, then of course, he cheated me, and his warranty is worthless because he's incapable of doing the work correctly. So I learned my lesson about hiring the "cheap" guy from a 3rd hand recommendation at best. And the real estate agent that referred him to me 2nd hand won't be getting any more jobs from me thanks to this one issue of recommending a terrible AC guy. You just are not supposed to recommend or refer anyone you can't personally vouch for! So my agent is fired from future business.
It's tight in the attic, hot in the attic, and dark in the attic, but that is no excuse for attaching duct work to the register cans in a way where you might have 50% leakage. My new guy that did the work correctly said it was tough work, but no excuse for what the previous guy did.
Is there an HVAC licensing board you can complain to? Doubt they will do anything, but it wouldn't hurt.
The last time I checked the state licensing board website, it was a comedic long list of ridiculous back and forth for him to even get his application to be licensed accepted for review! I knew he wasn't licensed; this one is on me; fell for the low price and the big firms were all colluding with greedy high prices.
On one hand.... I don't like the closed business model HVAC companies take with their equipment so that you can't get pricing information easily. On the other hand, I hate that a company (Goodman) is willing to sell to anyone that can breathe.
So if he ever does successfully get licensed, I could complain then, retroactively, which probably means I'll get ignored. I can't imagine this guy is functional enough to get legally licensed though. I'll have to check again.
So $2,200 later my duct-work is at least sized sufficiently and installed well enough that the new equipment seems to actually work better.
'18 Porsche Macan Turbo, '16 Audi TTS, Wife's '19 VW Tiguan SEL 4-Motion
We moved to a small condo. Replaced all the flooring, all new appliances, replaced the mirrored closet doors with very nice sliding doors, new laundry room bifold doors, new patio door shade and new bedroom window shades. Also mostly all new furniture as the stuff we had was scaled too large for this place. New TV. And we just replaced the furnace. Fortunately no AC so that's ok. That's in 8 months. Last big project is a complete bathroom re-do. I am very tired of making decisions and spending $$!
I just had most of my awful basement redone. They're just putting the finishing touches on it over the next day or so. Took a basically unfinished laundry area (it had framing with unfinished drywall) converted into a proper laundry/bathroom (it's behind the frosted glass door; unfortunately my toilet is not as fancy as @driver100 's) and had them rip out the 1960s paneling, stapled ceiling tiles and plywood floor with glued-down indoor-outdoor carpet "rec room" space which was exceptionally stinky and looked bad. Half of that was left as unfinished space for a workshop/storage area while the remainder was turned into a small sitting area for the adjacent guest bedroom which was the only good part of the whole thing (finished much later obviously). The smell is gone and it looks good.
@nyccarguy Glad I did make you laff. Thank You o the coment on siting in the pasanger seet of the pathfinder and that my mom would not let me drive it lol. we all have to laff everyday.
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I often wondered if it were some college professor who only needed to go back and forth to class.....for 30 years. Or, it was a commuter, maybe driving 3 hours/day to and from work.
But again, why and who?
If you're going to do that, why not do it with some style? Why not do it with something that breaths a wee bit of excitement in the drive?
At the end of the Corolla's life, did the owner(s) look back and think.."now, that was worth it".
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2016 Infiniti Premium 3.0T, dual turbos"
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Only one [ twinpower ] turbo, now ...
Having the kitchen cabinets refaced this week. Looking forward to finally having the kitchen "unified", so to speak. Here are the before pictures:
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There are any number of home "improvement" shows on TV in which what I consider beautiful, functional kitchens and other rooms are ripped to shreds so that whatever is popular this week/month/year can be installed because what's there now is "dated," just as the new stuff will be in 10 years.
Oh well, I guess it keeps the economy moving along.
Either way, good luck with it.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
2024 Audi Q8 e-tron - 2017 911 C4S - 2025 BRZ - 2023 A6 Allroad - 2024 Genesis GV60 - 2019 Cayman
'24 Chevy Blazer EV 2LT
And at least refacing is way cheaper than a gut and replaces.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
We decided to go with white on the upper cabinets and a light grey for the lower, to tie into the dark grey floor tile and the quartz countertops (light grey on the perimeter and dark grey on the island).
Yes, I could have funded a nice toy to drive around for what this cost.
The refacing is only expected to take 3-4 days; no way could we live without our kitchen for the 2+ weeks it would have taken to rip out and replace. Plus, a whole lot cheaper.
This is, I think, the last major interior project we'll be doing for a while. I know we want to completely remodel the master bath, but that's a massive project that will require a lot of planning and saving.
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2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R / 2024 Kia Sportage Hybrid SX Prestige
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
'24 Chevy Blazer EV 2LT
Although, after a few months, it will simply be "the kitchen". And the wife will start looking for the next project.
This is what we've done to the house since we took possession:
New flooring - tile everywhere but the bedrooms and stairs to the basement; new carpet for those spots
Every surface got painted - walls, ceiling, doors, trim
New stove
New dishwasher
New microwave
New countertops in kitchen
New light fixtures just about everywhere in the house
Exterior of the house was painted
Added switched exterior lights to the backyard
New showerhead fixtures
Customized my home office and the closets in both my office and my wife's office
New door to the back patio
Planted two aspen trees (side yard) and one apple tree (front yard)
And, for good measure - repairs to both the water heater and furnace
Yikes - typing it out makes me feel like we should have been featured on a HGTV show somewhere.
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2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R / 2024 Kia Sportage Hybrid SX Prestige
I guess I am part of the 1%; I'd rather have a stripper S4 to a tarted up A4, or an Audi A3 to a RAV 4 Limited/Sport fully loaded. If price is a barrier I'd much rather give up tech, bells, whistles, and other modern amenities to get a better car for the same amount of money. Also, I think safety sells; to a degree. Subaru pays for a lot of commercials where the main topic is the safety of their cars.
25 NX 450h+ / 24 Sienna Plat AWD / 23 Civic Type-R / 21 Boxster GTS 4.0
New duct-work put in Saturday to correct the F grade work the drug addict I inadvertently hired and got bad work from, then of course, he cheated me, and his warranty is worthless because he's incapable of doing the work correctly. So I learned my lesson about hiring the "cheap" guy from a 3rd hand recommendation at best. And the real estate agent that referred him to me 2nd hand won't be getting any more jobs from me thanks to this one issue of recommending a terrible AC guy. You just are not supposed to recommend or refer anyone you can't personally vouch for! So my agent is fired from future business.
It's tight in the attic, hot in the attic, and dark in the attic, but that is no excuse for attaching duct work to the register cans in a way where you might have 50% leakage. My new guy that did the work correctly said it was tough work, but no excuse for what the previous guy did.
But, that bit of joy was preceded by my introduction to the ghost of Mr. Lucas: Prince of Darkness. After an overnight ski trip with my girlfriend, who commented on what a wonderful ride my XF is, got up the next day and drove to work. Parked in the garage, hopped out and after grabbing stuff from the trunk, went to lock the doors....Nope. Nothing. Ruh roh.
To make a long story short-ish, took a couple of days to get the car towed out of the garage to local Jag dealer. Much time on the phone with Jag roadside, learned a lot, but bottom line is that the Keyless Vehicle Module had taken early retirement. I could do nothing with the car, the magic keys were just not being recognized (I could lock/unlock the car with the physical key in the magic key. But, couldn't turn on the accessory mode, much less start the car). I had again an LR Disco loaner. For some reason, this one bothered me less than the previous, I took it to Maine for the ski trip.
So, KVM and Antenna replaced, all covered under warranty and first time the beauty has left me stranded. But, wow, what a feeling of helplessness. Could have been worse, could have happened in New Hampshire. Good to have the XF back, 10 months of warranty left, still my favorite ride of all time. But, the rose colored glasses are off.
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
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2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R / 2024 Kia Sportage Hybrid SX Prestige
Tried as I might, I couldn't really come up with an option he liked any better for the price. I encouraged him to look at a new Impreza hatch, which in base form he could get for a tad under $20k, and that would get him AWD. He kept on saying how he likes the added room and ground clearance of an SUV - I kindly pointed out that these compact SUVs are simply raised hatchbacks, but it would seem he's drawn to that SUV marketing.
I found a used CX-5 (FWD, manual) for around the same price of the Outlander Sport - but he sort of gasped at the 15,000 miles that were already on it
Showed him the HR-V and CX-3, but those are all gonna be $2-3k higher than the Mitsubishi.
He did finally confide that the pricing on the Mitsubishi was the real draw, so I told him to take a good long test drive of it, and if he thinks it's comfortable, has enough oomph for passing, then he should just go for it. I warned him of all the add-ons they'll likely push on him in the financing office, and encouraged him to call me if he's uncomfortable with anything.
2024 Audi Q8 e-tron - 2017 911 C4S - 2025 BRZ - 2023 A6 Allroad - 2024 Genesis GV60 - 2019 Cayman
Just look at what one would miss out on....just in the past 5 years....in non-exoitcs.....
-Torque vectoring
-DSG finally coming of age
-300+HP 6 cyl, and even 4 cyl engines
-rev matchng automatics
-direct injection
-first HID, now LED lights
-cars that warn you, then keep you in your lane
-cars that brake when you might be headed for a colission
-OEM stereo systems fron the likes of Bose, Burmester, B&O, H/K, JBL, Panasonic, Lexicon (probably missing a few) that rival home systems
-Electric models from every manufacturer
-6 speed, 7 speed, 8 speed, 9 speed and now, 10 speed automatics
Lots that I'm overlooking....
Or, you can chug along in that 10 year old Corolla and miss all of that...
Does Mitsu still offer the 10 year, 120K warranty?
Wonder how well it's optioned, compared to the alternatives you shared? I sat in a Mitsu sedan - can't remember the name of it now - at the auto show last year and was surprised at how bare bones it felt for a 2016 model.
USB/AUX, rear view camera - those would be my basic 'needs'.
I saw an Outlander Sport with temp tags on it the other day - I actually like the shape of them. Look to be quite utilitarian. Though not real good on gas, as is the case with most Mitsubishis.
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2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R / 2024 Kia Sportage Hybrid SX Prestige
But, if anything else major goes wrong this year, I'll be looking with a truer eye to buy (and, darn it, I like the XE! Or, Giulia...yeah, reliability...) come that magical New Year's Eve time!
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
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2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R / 2024 Kia Sportage Hybrid SX Prestige
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
We have such particular needs/tastes, I doubt we ever find what we want turn key. So going to debate build from scratch, or (more likely) a major gut and remodel. Partly depends on where we go, but a new build does sound pleasant! Just not budget friendly. Or maybe we get lucky and stumble on a layout we like, and can keep upgrades to cosmetics!
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
http://www.royaleasing.com/detail-2004-chrysler-sebring-lx-used-16092930.html
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
'24 Chevy Blazer EV 2LT
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2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R / 2024 Kia Sportage Hybrid SX Prestige
The last time I checked the state licensing board website, it was a comedic long list of ridiculous back and forth for him to even get his application to be licensed accepted for review! I knew he wasn't licensed; this one is on me; fell for the low price and the big firms were all colluding with greedy high prices.
On one hand.... I don't like the closed business model HVAC companies take with their equipment so that you can't get pricing information easily. On the other hand, I hate that a company (Goodman) is willing to sell to anyone that can breathe.
So if he ever does successfully get licensed, I could complain then, retroactively, which probably means I'll get ignored. I can't imagine this guy is functional enough to get legally licensed though. I'll have to check again.
So $2,200 later my duct-work is at least sized sufficiently and installed well enough that the new equipment seems to actually work better.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
But these have aged pretty well.
25 NX 450h+ / 24 Sienna Plat AWD / 23 Civic Type-R / 21 Boxster GTS 4.0
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.