Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

nyccarguy

fintail said:

That's a good thing about being a goalie, cheaper. I've seen drop in/stick 'n puck be free for goalies at my local rink, and I think even some leagues offer reduced fees for goalies. It takes a special mindset to enjoy stopping chunks of rubber coming at you at 100 mph.

Youth hockey, which has developed tremendously here compared to when I was a kid, costs insanely more now though, maybe on par with real estate appreciation. As parents become hyper-competitive about "investment" and living vicariously through their children, there is a market for specialized programs (now using the term "elite", maybe a true sign of socio-economic devolution in the past generation or two). Some programs even here can be ~15K/year, and I have seen self-titled "academies" charging more than double that. This didn't exist here 30 years ago. For those outside Canada, MN, MI etc, it seems to have become a game for those lucky enough to have affluent families.

nyccarguy said:

No.  Hockey definitely isn’t free.  Compared to other programs in the area, the program my kids play for is quite reasonable.  I get a pretty healthy discount off of the tuition because my 9 year old is a goalie and the 2nd child.  

While the yearly tuition isn’t a fun payment to make, hockey actually works out to be cheaper “per time” than little league which only lasts 6 weeks (ish).  Hockey season goes from September until the 2nd week in March.

I promise you I don't pay anywhere NEAR $15K per year (That's maybe 3 years for 2 kids). I never played as a kid. My 12 year old saw a "learn to play hockey" flier after an elementary school "skate night" when he was 5. We signed him up for a "learn to play" program the next year that was relatively cheap and included equipment. He's one of the weaker players on the team, but he LOVES it. My 9 year old picked up the bug from his older brother, and my 7 year daughter plays on the house league team.

There are some surrounding towns that are extremely wealthy (hyper competitive/living vicariously) which have programs that cost about 2x what ours cost.

henryn

qbrozen said:

No HHR I liked showed up.

Just sent him a narrowed down list to peruse.

2007 Legacy Wagon, auto, 57k miles, $7990
2003 Protege5, auto, 40k miles, $5937 (not worth more than $4k)
2012 Focus 5-door, auto, 71k miles, $5995
2014 500L, manual, 15k miles, $7995

I'd suggest an MGM if I thought he could handle RWD and could fit his drums.

The Mercury Grand Marquis would be my favorite out of that list. Also fitting the category of cheap, great junk haulers, and easily capable of going 200k miles would be a used mini-van.

qbrozen

Is there any generation of 2.5 L subaru that DOESN'T have head gasket issues?

After watching him slowly destroy the lovely low-mileage 740 wagon I found for him, I think I learned that I should not get him something I like. hahah.

stickguy

What the heck does he do to cars?

Mr_Shiftright

roadburner said:

I budget $450/month to maintain all five cars. My budget app adds any leftover funds to the following month. This year the Wrangler has cost the most to run by a sizable margin.

No surprise there.

Mr_Shiftright

qbrozen said:

Is there any generation of 2.5 L subaru that DOESN'T have head gasket issues?

After watching him slowly destroy the lovely low-mileage 740 wagon I found for him, I think I learned that I should not get him something I like. hahah.

Get him that Saturn wagon. They are pretty good cars and not too expensive to fix. A Fiat 500L will be a disaster. Subarus generally don't blow their head gaskets until 90K--110K, in that range, and if someone diligently flushed out the coolant and used Subaru-recommended fluid, the gaskets would probably be okay. HHR is another disaster. Used Volvo wagon isn't a bad idea--plenty roomy.

ab348

I would think that a HHR would be more reliable than any of those others. Plenty of unmaintained Cobalts (which is what it is) still roam the roads here.

ab348

fintail said:

Youth hockey, which has developed tremendously here compared to when I was a kid, costs insanely more now though, maybe on par with real estate appreciation. As parents become hyper-competitive about "investment" and living vicariously through their children, there is a market for specialized programs (now using the term "elite", maybe a true sign of socio-economic devolution in the past generation or two). Some programs even here can be ~15K/year, and I have seen self-titled "academies" charging more than double that. This didn't exist here 30 years ago. For those outside Canada, MN, MI etc, it seems to have become a game for those lucky enough to have affluent families.

It is universal in N.A. I think. Here, which is by no means a wealthy region, we still have enough high income earners to support such academies. My niece is married to such a fellow, in the investment management game, who apparently makes a bundle based on their lifestyle. Their son is enrolled in an academy I never heard of before, which specializes in sports, and which has brand-new facilities. This is a change from a prior year when he was in a more traditional private academic school. This one has their own teams and travel around the northeast to presumably play against other similar teams (not public school teams). He is specializing in hockey and baseball, which makes his sports-crazed dad very happy. Just yesterday I was sent a link to a professionally produced Youtube video of him commissioned by the school which may be something they do to attract scouts, I'm not sure. The cost is a mystery to me but between the tuition and travel I am certain it is an enormous sum.

Mr_Shiftright

You'd think so but the stats don't seem to back that up. It's rated pretty much as mediocre when new, and so as it ages you can't expect much. I was looking at consumer reviews here on the Edmunds site and they vary so wildly from really good to horrifying that one has to suspect it's a crap shoot with this car. "Buy an HHR, and try your luck, ladies and gentlemen".

I'd call this one "iffy". I remember liking them when they first came out and I was shopping for a small hatch/wagon, but I recall that the reviews scared me off and I bought a Scion xA instead. (which was predictably flawless).

Never owned one, though, so my opinion is second-hand.

nyccarguy

Mr_Shiftright said:

You'd think so but the stats don't seem to back that up. It's rated pretty much as mediocre when new, and so as it ages you can't expect much. I was looking at consumer reviews here on the Edmunds site and they vary so wildly from really good to horrifying that one has to suspect it's a crap shoot with this car. "Buy an HHR, and try your luck, ladies and gentlemen".

I'd call this one "iffy". I remember liking them when they first came out and I was shopping for a small hatch/wagon, but I recall that the reviews scared me off and I bought a Scion xA instead. (which was predictably flawless).

Never owned one, though, so my opinion is second-hand.

Back around '05-ish when gas shot up, my friend who owns a few restaurants had a few Ford Econolines that were nearing the end of their usable lives. He decided to take a gamble on a couple of 4cyl HHRs (1 was an LS, I was an LT). I told him to look at the Fit. He said the HHRs were cheaper and they took a lot off of the sticker price. Fast forward 2-3 years and about 50,000 miles. The HHRs DID NOT age gracefully. He traded them in for basically NOTHING and bought 2 Fits (an '08 & an '09). They were indestructible. He traded them in and bought (2) 2015 Fits and then a 2017 Fit when he opened up his 3rd restaurant. The biggest issue with the FITs are the tires. No matter how much or how little he spends on tires, they are constantly getting flats. He also has a Smart Car as a delivery vehicle. The smart car has been as reliable as the sunrise.

stickguy

That’s another option for QBs brother. Scion xD (or is it xB still? The bigger cube shaped one). Those are cheap to run and hard to kill.

Mr_Shiftright

Oh, that's a real good suggestion on the xD. He could also find an xA pretty cheap. These are both excellent cheap haulers. If he can kill one of those, then no car is safe in his hands.

fintail

Normal rep leagues/teams here are about the same here as yours, more costs with travel teams. The "elite" programs can go to 5 figures, cases where I hope the kid loves it and it isn't about parental ego and abusive pressure, as I think the money might be better spent on tuition than aiming for the insanely competitive scholarship market (college is now the in-thing, where back in my day, going to major junior was the big dream). To be fair, the level of local and domestic development is far better than when I was a kid.

I was really into it when I was a kid, the only sport I liked, then we moved 2+ hours from the nearest rink, that was it - not that I am still bitter, just rehashing it 30+ years later, that's all I am back on the ice again, and now know I am a broken down old man. My niece wants to get into it, but I have told my sister to be sure before getting into the gear and the fees (as she also does horseback riding, another $$$ outlet).

To link it to cars, not having kids means I can use this hobby money for car expenses I am at 4 months until full lease end now, well within pull forward, nothing out there begging me to make a move.

nyccarguy said:

I promise you I don't pay anywhere NEAR $15K per year (That's maybe 3 years for 2 kids). I never played as a kid. My 12 year old saw a "learn to play hockey" flier after an elementary school "skate night" when he was 5. We signed him up for a "learn to play" program the next year that was relatively cheap and included equipment. He's one of the weaker players on the team, but he LOVES it. My 9 year old picked up the bug from his older brother, and my 7 year daughter plays on the house league team.

There are some surrounding towns that are extremely wealthy (hyper competitive/living vicariously) which have programs that cost about 2x what ours cost.

nyccarguy

fintail said:

Normal rep leagues/teams here are about the same here as yours, more costs with travel teams. The "elite" programs can go to 5 figures, cases where I hope the kid loves it and it isn't about parental ego and abusive pressure, as I think the money might be better spent on tuition than aiming for the insanely competitive scholarship market (college is now the in-thing, where back in my day, going to major junior was the big dream). To be fair, the level of local and domestic development is far better than when I was a kid.

I was really into it when I was a kid, the only sport I liked, then we moved 2+ hours from the nearest rink, that was it - not that I am still bitter, just rehashing it 30+ years later, that's all I am back on the ice again, and now know I am a broken down old man. My niece wants to get into it, but I have told my sister to be sure before getting into the gear and the fees (as she also does horseback riding, another $$$ outlet).

To link it to cars, not having kids means I can use this hobby money for car expenses I am at 4 months until full lease end now, well within pull forward, nothing out there begging me to make a move.

nyccarguy said:

I promise you I don't pay anywhere NEAR $15K per year (That's maybe 3 years for 2 kids). I never played as a kid. My 12 year old saw a "learn to play hockey" flier after an elementary school "skate night" when he was 5. We signed him up for a "learn to play" program the next year that was relatively cheap and included equipment. He's one of the weaker players on the team, but he LOVES it. My 9 year old picked up the bug from his older brother, and my 7 year daughter plays on the house league team.

There are some surrounding towns that are extremely wealthy (hyper competitive/living vicariously) which have programs that cost about 2x what ours cost.

Both my sons play on the travel team for that price.

fintail

Funny thing, the money spent on that would probably pay for tuition at a D1 school without going through all of the subsequent drama. The odds of going pro are still insanely remote even for those who attend such a facility (which may not be the best academically, not that it matters with many athletic scholarships), it is a questionable investment. These sports used to be a lot more of an egalitarian level playing field, I suppose this trend is a reflection of modern capitalism. At least in a few places, you can still get somewhere in these activities without a rich dad.

ab348 said:

It is universal in N.A. I think. Here, which is by no means a wealthy region, we still have enough high income earners to support such academies. My niece is married to such a fellow, in the investment management game, who apparently makes a bundle based on their lifestyle. Their son is enrolled in an academy I never heard of before, which specializes in sports, and which has brand-new facilities. This is a change from a prior year when he was in a more traditional private academic school. This one has their own teams and travel around the northeast to presumably play against other similar teams (not public school teams). He is specializing in hockey and baseball, which makes his sports-crazed dad very happy. Just yesterday I was sent a link to a professionally produced Youtube video of him commissioned by the school which may be something they do to attract scouts, I'm not sure. The cost is a mystery to me but between the tuition and travel I am certain it is an enormous sum.

Mr_Shiftright

I think those programs can turn a fair player into a good one but I don't think they can turn a good one into a great one. I don't think Bo Jackson needed them.

QUIZ: Who is the only athlete to win both an Olympic Gold medal and a Superbowl?

28firefighter

@fintail - are you just going to buy out your car or...?

fintail

Depends on the price. I like the car, but I will want it CPO'd and at a decent price - residual is just too out there. Given the muddled stories I have received about end of lease negotiation, I might not know until the last 6-8 weeks of the term. If I end up walking away, then the hunt will really be on.

28firefighter said:

@fintail - are you just going to buy out your car or...?

xwesx

breld said:

I just got an e-mail from Vroom stating that since my title isn't 30 days old, they can't buy it until next month (I put my friend's name on the title while he was renting it so he could insure it, and just got a fresh title with my name only on it yesterday).

I'm just gonna take the lower offer from Carmax and get it done this week.

Ouch. Will that title issue be a problem for Carmax, too, or is this a company policy rather than some sort of state vehicle regulation?

xwesx

qbrozen said:

Some brain power needed.

I’ve perused Autotrader and found a couple of options I’ll run by him tomorrow. The most intriguing to me is a 2014 500L manual trans with just 15k miles for $7995. Others I have tagged include another Legacy wagon, 2007, 57k miles, $7990; a 2000 Saturn wagon with just 37k miles for $3995; 2008 Vue XR woth 66k for $5500; and 2011 Soul with 50k for $7800. Opinions welcome.

Ford Escape, Chevy Equinox. Of course I would like to recommend Forester, RAV4, CRV, but those are going to be more than domestics given same miles/condition. How about a Ford Flex? Tons of space, nice driving characteristics. First gen models are pretty darn cheap (though you might have trouble finding them with relatively low miles). However, they're generally pretty tough cars.

A little long in tooth, but Freestyle / Taurus X could also be a good option, as well as minivans.... (if he could stomach the image).

xwesx

qbrozen said:

Is there any generation of 2.5 L subaru that DOESN'T have head gasket issues?

After watching him slowly destroy the lovely low-mileage 740 wagon I found for him, I think I learned that I should not get him something I like. hahah.

Answer? No. All the EJ25 (naturally aspirated) have gasket issues. Before 2006, the issue tended to be internal coolant / combustion gas blowby issues, which made them highly prone to over heating. After that, it was external oil leaks (though the earlier issues were still possible).

However, swapping to the FB25 block was not until 2011 for Forester and 2012 for the rest; far too new for the prices you're talking about.

PLUS, into 2014, the FB25 had oil consumption issues..... /sigh

xwesx

Mr_Shiftright said:

You'd think so but the stats don't seem to back that up. It's rated pretty much as mediocre when new, and so as it ages you can't expect much. I was looking at consumer reviews here on the Edmunds site and they vary so wildly from really good to horrifying that one has to suspect it's a crap shoot with this car. "Buy an HHR, and try your luck, ladies and gentlemen".

I'd call this one "iffy". I remember liking them when they first came out and I was shopping for a small hatch/wagon, but I recall that the reviews scared me off and I bought a Scion xA instead. (which was predictably flawless).

Never owned one, though, so my opinion is second-hand.

My mother bought one for using as a pilot car. She ran hers about 18 months, 160,000 miles, no issues until crunched by another driver who failed to heed her flagging.

qbrozen

I thought about a scion as well. But none turned up. Unfortunately, he is pretty much in a “I need a car now “situation.

After showing him what I found, he was basically dead set on the Legacy wagon because his other treated him well and he now knows how to work on it.

My father drove him to the dealership and I met them there. We were shown all of the paperwork.  That same dealer sold it new and serviced it it’s whole life. When the guy traded it in on a new Legacy, they put $1800 into servicing it to put it on their lot. New brakes, new tires, new front suspension bits, oil change, brake fluid flush, and on it went.

I looked it over,  we drove it, I had him beat on it a bit, then looked it over again when we got back. It drove very very nice, and very solid. So he bought it. It was a good price to begin with, and they would not come down off of that one penny. Considering the money they put into it, I can understand that, so I really did not fight very much. I did, however, Tell the salesman in no uncertain terms that their Vin etching add-on was complete [non-permissible content removed] and we would not pay that $400. He immediately dropped it. 

@stickguy, he has a habit of hitting many little things and just beating on them in general. To him, a car is a tool. He smokes in them, throws trash on the floor, etc. I think he drives somewhere around 25k a year, if not more. 

28firefighter

Sounds like it was a no brainer, @qbrozen. Sounds like a nice one - too bad he's going to kill it.

breld

xwesx said:

I just got an e-mail from Vroom stating that since my title isn't 30 days old, they can't buy it until next month (I put my friend's name on the title while he was renting it so he could insure it, and just got a fresh title with my name only on it yesterday). I'm just gonna take the lower offer from Carmax and get it done this week.

Ouch. Will that title issue be a problem for Carmax, too, or is this a company policy rather than some sort of state vehicle regulation?

Vroom said it was a company policy - I don’t anticipate the same issue with Carmax.  They were the ones that suggested it’d be easiest for me to get a fresh title with just my name on it. 

We shall see - I’m going in tonight. 

sda

xwesx said:

qbrozen said:

Is there any generation of 2.5 L subaru that DOESN'T have head gasket issues?

After watching him slowly destroy the lovely low-mileage 740 wagon I found for him, I think I learned that I should not get him something I like. hahah.

Answer? No. All the EJ25 (naturally aspirated) have gasket issues. Before 2006, the issue tended to be internal coolant / combustion gas blowby issues, which made them highly prone to over heating. After that, it was external oil leaks (though the earlier issues were still possible).

However, swapping to the FB25 block was not until 2011 for Forester and 2012 for the rest; far too new for the prices you're talking about.

PLUS, into 2014, the FB25 had oil consumption issues..... /sigh

IIRC you had oil consumption issues with yours and Subaru replaced the engine. Was it the entire engine, or block/heads. Hopefully that took care of the issue.

xwesx

sda said:

IIRC you had oil consumption issues with yours and Subaru replaced the engine. Was it the entire engine, or block/heads. Hopefully that took care of the issue.

Yes, I did. They replaced the short block (e.g., entire mechanical part of engine less the heads). The work cost me nothing other than 3.5 weeks of time without the car!

So far, no consumption of oil, so it is a promising start. My wife says that it occasionally makes a "weird noise" when she starts it, but I cannot verify, and she doesn't know how to describe the issue other than her "seat of the pants" feel for what it should do (after a bazillion starts).

laurasdada

Mr_Shiftright said:

I think those programs can turn a fair player into a good one but I don't think they can turn a good one into a great one. I don't think Bo Jackson needed them.

QUIZ: Who is the only athlete to win both an Olympic Gold medal and a Superbowl?

Bob Hayes? Dallas Cowboys...

au1994

Mr_Shiftright said:

I think those programs can turn a fair player into a good one but I don't think they can turn a good one into a great one. I don't think Bo Jackson needed them.

QUIZ: Who is the only athlete to win both an Olympic Gold medal and a Superbowl?

Agreed. There is either a certain amount of natural, physical ability or there isn’t.

We don’t do the travel teams but play our fair share of team sports. Lacrosse is the favorite sport now and its a blast to watch. He’s picked that over baseball. In the middle of basketball season now.

Anything to get him active and off Fortnite. We have a master on the main and we figured out at one point the kiddo was waking himself up a 5:30 am on school days to play. We put a screeching halt to that!

28firefighter

fintail said:

Depends on the price. I like the car, but I will want it CPO'd and at a decent price - residual is just too out there. Given the muddled stories I have received about end of lease negotiation, I might not know until the last 6-8 weeks of the term. If I end up walking away, then the hunt will really be on.

Retaining a lease car for the full term and then buying it? Blasphemy...

28firefighter

@au1994 I want Sam to get involved with sports not so much for the competition, but for the social/physical fitness aspect of it. Some of my cousin's kids are a bit older and live and die by video games like Fortnite, etc and scream at being forced to take a break.

stickguy

taking a big step Friday. Going to the dealer to get my plates put on. Might even have to finally get gas in it (haven't done that yet).

breld

28firefighter said:

@au1994 I want Sam to get involved with sports not so much for the competition, but for the social/physical fitness aspect of it. Some of my cousin's kids are a bit older and live and die by video games like Fortnite, etc and scream at being forced to take a break.

Both my boys love their video games too, especially the younger one.  I don’t get on them too hard about it since they’re both also heavily involved with their baseball programs.  So they’re out at the gym or indoor facilities much of the time in the winter and outside on the field in the spring and summer.  At least there’s some balance.  

breld

At Carmax now getting rid of the Prius.  Since we didn’t have it in our possession for the last several months, doesn’t feel like we’re down a car, but it is nice to get the check.  

henryn

As I recall, Carmax gives you a draft. Takes another 7 to 10 days to actually have the money in hand.

au1994

Thats all we are striving for is some balance. I don’t begrudge him his video games as they have become a bit of a social activity now but we limit it now after seeing how he would act unchecked. He gets some time after school and then from 8-9 before he gets off to wind down and go to sleep.

That’s one of the good things about sports. Just about guaranteed to have 2 nights a week minimum where there is a practice. Also teaches them some time management skills in order to get some game time chores and homework have to be done.

breld

au1994 said:

Also teaches them some time management skills in order to get some game time chores and homework have to be done.

Exactly right.  

sda

Fortnite has captured a lot of people and tends to be all consuming. My neighbor’s son and one of my nephews are addicted to it and grades are suffering. Not good. A hard stop is needed, but I’m not their parent.

Mr_Shiftright

laurasdada said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

I think those programs can turn a fair player into a good one but I don't think they can turn a good one into a great one. I don't think Bo Jackson needed them.

QUIZ: Who is the only athlete to win both an Olympic Gold medal and a Superbowl?

Bob Hayes? Dallas Cowboys...

Ding-Ding! Gold Star!

fintail

I'm expected to be banned from this forum if that ends up being my route

My options:
Buy out the current car
Buy another Bluetec, searching for a true full option car won't be easy
Buy a gasoline used car (likely 6cyl W213 E, S-class, still gotta drive a G-Wagen and get it out of my system)
Lease again, probably another E
Buy/lease a non-MB - not sure what I would want as little out there gets me going, but sometimes I think about something that doesn't need fussy cosmetic maintenance (aka trucky).

28firefighter said:

Retaining a lease car for the full term and then buying it? Blasphemy...

stickguy

any thought on something used?

fintail

The social aspect was what I liked most when I was a kid. Hockey can have a funny culture that I devoured. It's fun to try and improve, but more fun just to play and be with like-minded people. I wasn't in a program with any real chance of pro talent being developed (and none ever did), so just have fun. My parents were the polar opposite of jerky sports parents - they let me pick what I wanted and didn't pressure me - if I didn't want to do anything, they also would have been fine so long as I had some kind of hobby. My dad disliked organized sports aside from motorsport, and my mom wasn't into it. They'd drop me off rather than hang around and scream like some I see these days, which I didn't mind, as it lessened chances of embarrassment and performance anxiety. I knew they cared, but didn't go nuts on a 9 year old. I think about the idea a youth sports league where parents aren't there unless volunteering to do actual work. It would be good for kids, I think.

Regarding Fortnite, I know some people connected to major junior hockey, and via them know some teams have banned that game - not sure how they enforce it, maybe just a voluntary thing, but there are stories of kids staying up all night with it, and being exhausted the next day. I've never played it, I think I am just past the age demographic of video game obsessives. Too young for Atari, never got into Nintendo or Sega.

28firefighter said:

@au1994 I want Sam to get involved with sports not so much for the competition, but for the social/physical fitness aspect of it. Some of my cousin's kids are a bit older and live and die by video games like Fortnite, etc and scream at being forced to take a break.

fintail

High option W213 E, depreciating W222 S, G-Wagen, another E Bluetec, maybe a mainstream brand. For non-premium brands, some of them anyway, buying new or leasing seems to be no worse than used, especially if a heavier duty vehicle that might be abused.

stickguy said:

any thought on something used?

Sandman6472

Came on tonight and it said "Hello Stranger"! I know what this means. So had to get a new password and voila...seems I'm back! The Sandman is back it seems but, for how long? That is the big question tonight...for how long!!

roadburner

corvette said:

roadburner said:

I budget $450/month to maintain all five cars. My budget app adds any leftover funds to the following month. This year the Wrangler has cost the most to run by a sizable margin.

Which budget app are you using? I have Quicken, but use it mainly for balancing my checking account and tracking investments. It will do budgeting, but I've never used it for that. I used to track expenses pretty closely--now that there's "enough," I've gotten pretty lax, and could probably tighten things up a little.

I use EveryDollar; if you set an expense up as a "Fund" it carries the surplus of deficit over to the next month. I have it on my PC and my phone so I can enter expenses as I incur them.

roadburner

nyccarguy said:

And speaking of finances, I do have equity in a certain depreciating asset;)

@roadburner - what is this budgeting app you use?

EveryDollar; the basic version is free and easy to use.

stickguy

sandman_6472 said:

Came on tonight and it said "Hello Stranger"! I know what this means. So had to get a new password and voila...seems I'm back! The Sandman is back it seems but, for how long? That is the big question tonight...for how long!!

just cherish every day that you have.

must have been an update today. I got thrown off in the middle of a post, and had to log back in too.

corvette

28firefighter said:

@au1994 I want Sam to get involved with sports not so much for the competition, but for the social/physical fitness aspect of it. Some of my cousin's kids are a bit older and live and die by video games like Fortnite, etc and scream at being forced to take a break.

I had a ColecoVision as a young child--never got to play it much, because it was unreliable, but loved the Smurf game. I then got an Apple IIC computer, which was great, and had some games, and then got an original NES when it first came out. "Suffered" with the NES long after the SNES came out--even at my young age, I was extremely unimpressed that I wouldn't be able to just plug in my NES games into the SNES, as it was a differently designed platform and not backward compatible. Once I saw what a computer with a decent video card was capable of, I started gaming on the PC and never looked back. I never really had many competitive gaming skills and would often just load up a game like Duke Nukem in a mode where there were no adversaries, and just explore the map. I don't really game anymore, but still spend a lot of time on electronic devices (as everyone does nowadays).

I had really awful allergies as a child - spent time on my grandparents' farm and have fond memories there, but my nose was constantly running and I wasn't able to get much hands on experience. I never participated in any sports after 6-year-old t-ball. The allergies are generally much better now, and I've come to enjoy hiking quite a bit. I need to start hitting the gym again--I'm never going to be an Adonis, but it's nice to set reasonable goals and see progress.

roadburner

au1994 said:

Thats all we are striving for is some balance. I don’t begrudge him his video games as they have become a bit of a social activity now but we limit it now after seeing how he would act unchecked. He gets some time after school and then from 8-9 before he gets off to wind down and go to sleep.

That’s one of the good things about sports. Just about guaranteed to have 2 nights a week minimum where there is a practice. Also teaches them some time management skills in order to get some game time chores and homework have to be done.

My son played basketball and soccer from 6th Grade forward. He also was a member of his school's Robotics team the year they won the World Championship. Funny thing, he'd come home from practice, finish his homework, and then go downstairs and fire up my cheap and dirty Home Theater/Gaming system and join his team mates in playing some online multiplayer FPS.

Michaell

I tried little league for a few years. Turns out my lack of depth perception and below average hand eye coordination meant that I played a lot of right field. I think I had 2 hits in 2 full seasons.

Spent maybe 10+ years as a junior bowler. Met a lot of great people that way - some of whom I'm still friends with - and dated a couple girls I met. Each year there was a County tournament, and a few times we put a team together and competed at the state level. Never won anything there, but truly enjoyed the time.

In HS, Atari was the thing, and my cousins and I spent hours and hours playing all the latest games. Funny how rudimentary they are, today. As an adult, I believe I had a Nintendo 64 (wife's kids loved that when we first met), a PS3 (for Grand Turisimo) and a Nintendo Wii (the active controllers were fun for bowling and tennis).

My nephews are addicted to Fortnite.