Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

pensfan83

The PPP has been my life outside of Edmunds for the better part of 2 weeks, let's not bring it up on here too

imidazol97

I used to be a Mac afficiado. Started with Apple II. Then went to Mac Plus. Then to a later tower type Macintosh. Drove the "tech" guy at work crazy because he wanted everyone to use the PC's then, but he had to accomodate my Mac.

As PCs became even faster and the software was cheaper and much more efficient, the high price of the Macs and the high cost of modifications as well as the higher cost of software, at the least applications or games that were available for the Mac, compared tot he lower cost for PCs.

I switched. I bought a PC custom built at the plant east of Piqua on Route 36. Midwest Micro was the company IIRC.

The advantage to Macs before the iPhone business was that additional programs worked. Few conflicts to troubleshoot as there were with PC programs because the environment in an Apple was all controlled by Apple and was consistent. But you paid more.

stickguy

funny thing is I use PC computers (desktop and laptops, both personal and work) and prefer them, but I use Apple for phone and tablet (iPad). I had a windows tablet at one point and hated it. once I got the iPad to replace it, could never go back. No intention of giving up my iPhone either.

but if my laptop dies, will either get another PC or a Chromebook.

28firefighter

I am largely platform agnostic at this point. I’m a heavy O365 user (personally and professionally), so I store nearly everything in backup on OneDrive.

Right now I have a 5 year old Surface Pro that is more than adequate for personal use and a Lenovo ThinkPad for work. For mobile we are heavy Apple users in part because we don’t want to learn something else, but easily switch both without losing much.

nyccarguy

pensfan83 said:

The PPP has been my life outside of Edmunds for the better part of 2 weeks, let's not bring it up on here too

Ok. I won’t bring it up. But a few have asked. We did apply for a PPP loan. Our business bank is Chase. Their site wouldn’t accept what we inputted. The branches are all closed and their “customer service” reps wouldn’t answer any questions. My parents have a brokerage account with Morgan Stanley. Their financial advisor put us in touch with the company they hired specifically for PPP loans. Hopefully we will get some of the money from this round.

Rumor is that the “big banks” are only processing claims for PPP loans of $1,000,000 or more. I’ve spoken to some colleagues around the country who use local banks and have had better success.

nyccarguy

Mulch time. Lowe’s ran out of their $2 mulch. HD isn’t putting anything on sale to avoid crowds. Friend of mine found mulch on sale at Wal Mart for $1.97 per bag. I paid for their generic mulch. Pulled my truck up and the woman asked what color? I said brown. So she started loading me up with the Scott’s Vrand mulch that was over $3.33 per bag. Stuffed my truck with 26 bags, then came back for another 14.

oldfarmer50

nyccarguy said:

Mulch time. Lowe’s ran out of their $2 mulch. HD isn’t putting anything on sale to avoid crowds. Friend of mine found mulch on sale at Wal Mart for $1.97 per bag. I paid for their generic mulch. Pulled my truck up and the woman asked what color? I said brown. So she started loading me up with the Scott’s Vrand mulch that was over $3.33 per bag. Stuffed my truck with 26 bags, then came back for another 14.

You should just get a small dump truck load. Many of the mulch companies around here will even dye it the color of your choice.

nyccarguy

oldfarmer50 said:

nyccarguy said:

Mulch time. Lowe’s ran out of their $2 mulch. HD isn’t putting anything on sale to avoid crowds. Friend of mine found mulch on sale at Wal Mart for $1.97 per bag. I paid for their generic mulch. Pulled my truck up and the woman asked what color? I said brown. So she started loading me up with the Scott’s Vrand mulch that was over $3.33 per bag. Stuffed my truck with 26 bags, then came back for another 14.

You should just get a small dump truck load. Many of the mulch companies around here will even dye it the color of your choice.

I’ve thought about that, but then I’d have to put the mulch in a wheel barrow (which I don’t own) and ferry it around to where I want it. I just drop the bags, cut them open, & spread.

xwesx

graphicguy said:

I’ve got one hand in the Windows world (Lenovo) and another in the Apple world. Been that way for quite some time. Until I see any evidence that Windows machines are more durable and less likely to break or support any hardware or software changes, my personal tech will continue to be Apple.

Well, that's definitely true. Apple certainly takes the easy road on that one, as they push the purity of hardware in order to avoid the challenges that other OS face in terms of being able to handle anything, anywhere, anytime. It certainly works wonders for their image. I recall a brief period in the late 90s when Apple allowed "clones" to run their software for a short period of time. IIRC, Jobs put the kibosh on that when he came back to run the company.

xwesx

suydam said:

You just don’t like them. To each his/her own. It’s like cars. You have a bad experience (or 2) with a Ford, you hate them forever.

Hahaha, no, not really. I don't like the business model. The products themselves are pretty good, they are just hamstrung by the business itself. I choose to not spend my money on their laptops or desktops (I have an iPod... that counts!) because I can spend half the amount for far more longevity on those devices. However, I have no issues at all with using them, as long as they are new enough to be current.

It may be an appropriate comparison to cars, though, given the recent behavior of Tesla.

corvette

nyccarguy said:

Ok. I won’t bring it up. But a few have asked. We did apply for a PPP loan. Our business bank is Chase. Their site wouldn’t accept what we inputted. The branches are all closed and their “customer service” reps wouldn’t answer any questions. My parents have a brokerage account with Morgan Stanley. Their financial advisor put us in touch with the company they hired specifically for PPP loans. Hopefully we will get some of the money from this round.

Rumor is that the “big banks” are only processing claims for PPP loans of $1,000,000 or more. I’ve spoken to some colleagues around the country who use local banks and have had better success.

Sorry you didn't have good luck with your primary bank. I use a regional bank, and the branches have open drive-throughs but the lobby and safe deposit box access are via appointment only. They didn't make a big splash encouraging people to apply for subsidized loans, though. I've heard a lot of applicants have received approval for loans far less than what they would reasonably need.

corvette

nyccarguy said:

oldfarmer50 said:

nyccarguy said:

Mulch time. Lowe’s ran out of their $2 mulch. HD isn’t putting anything on sale to avoid crowds. Friend of mine found mulch on sale at Wal Mart for $1.97 per bag. I paid for their generic mulch. Pulled my truck up and the woman asked what color? I said brown. So she started loading me up with the Scott’s Vrand mulch that was over $3.33 per bag. Stuffed my truck with 26 bags, then came back for another 14.

You should just get a small dump truck load. Many of the mulch companies around here will even dye it the color of your choice.

I’ve thought about that, but then I’d have to put the mulch in a wheel barrow (which I don’t own) and ferry it around to where I want it. I just drop the bags, cut them open, & spread.

Nah, just park the Tacoma where you want the mulch to go, and shovel it out there. Wheel barrows are cheap, as well - I think mine was only $30 or $40.

I will need some mulch at some point--prefer the pine bark because it seems to last longer, but in this environment, will take whatever I can get easily without having to fight a crowd. The gas station near my house usually carries a limited selection, although the price is a bit high. Their stock seemed low the last time I was there, and I didn't pay attention at all today when I filled up the Tundra.

stickguy

nyccarguy said:

oldfarmer50 said:

nyccarguy said:

Mulch time. Lowe’s ran out of their $2 mulch. HD isn’t putting anything on sale to avoid crowds. Friend of mine found mulch on sale at Wal Mart for $1.97 per bag. I paid for their generic mulch. Pulled my truck up and the woman asked what color? I said brown. So she started loading me up with the Scott’s Vrand mulch that was over $3.33 per bag. Stuffed my truck with 26 bags, then came back for another 14.

You should just get a small dump truck load. Many of the mulch companies around here will even dye it the color of your choice.

I’ve thought about that, but then I’d have to put the mulch in a wheel barrow (which I don’t own) and ferry it around to where I want it. I just drop the bags, cut them open, & spread.

I just hire "the guys". I had enough of hauling bags around years ago. And I even own a wheelbarrow! Actually, that was not the worst part. Cleaning the beds out and cutting them in, that was horrible.

corvette

stickguy said:

funny thing is I use PC computers (desktop and laptops, both personal and work) and prefer them, but I use Apple for phone and tablet (iPad). I had a windows tablet at one point and hated it. once I got the iPad to replace it, could never go back. No intention of giving up my iPhone either.

I detested the first iPad because it weighed almost two pounds, which meant you couldn't hold it for a long period of time... I've had two iPad minis (first gen had a display which went bad, replaced it with a refurb iPad mini 2, which I still have). I use tablets for games and to watch streaming video. Also have a couple of Fire tablets, which work just as well for that and are much cheaper. Doubt I'll buy another iPad given the price difference.

The iPhone, on the other hand... I bought an iPhone 6s when they first came out, which was the highest end model at the time, and will probably buy an iPhone 12 or whatever the equivalent is when I'm ready to replace it. I'm pleased with five years of longevity from a phone, because I remember when they only lasted 2-3 years before they were obsolete.

qbrozen

I use both. I was anti-apple for the longest time, then caved to the iphone. Tried android first and found it awful.

As for computers, I was all PC till maybe 5-6 yrs ago. My work situation was such that I wound up needing both a macbook and PC laptop. My biz trips involved me going through airport security with more electronics than should be allowed, yet I was never stopped. Go figure.

When I moved onto my next job, they asked what I wanted. I asked if I could have a PC with the entire Adobe suite and Office. Nope, had to be a powerbook in that case. Got used to it. Found that it runs the same speed and reliability year after year without needing to call IT to fix one problem or another. With my newest job, they gave me a PC, but after I went through 3 of those in my first year, the IT guy offered up a powerbook. No, I didn’t break the PCs. They have some crazy security setup that would lock me out every time it required a new password and they could not figure out how to unlock it without a whole new machine. Again, go figure.

So I’m mostly converted; however, usually when I’m attempting to do something with unproven software (usually freeware), I have to jump on my PC desktop to get it done.

xwesx

I have this crazy thing with my work laptop where it has a good video card and the onboard graphics, but the machine works in such a way that it uses onboard for basic stuff, then is supposed to jump over to the good card when it has need. Problem is, it never uses the good card, even when the need is dire! I tried working with our internal IT and Dell, and neither could get it to work.

Sandman6472

Started out with a PC and android phone. Found them to be awful over time so switched to a Mac and iPhone and have never looked back. Better quality, hands down. My first android tablet crapped out within 11 months and luckily I had a full return year policy. Got my money back and bought an iPad and again, it's been flawless going on three years now.
I just know from my experience with android phones, PC's and android tablets, always had issues but after switching to Apple, no more issues. Your experiences maybe different which is o k to, but I have to go with what I've seen first hand and not what some else says.

pensfan83

nyccarguy said:

pensfan83 said:

The PPP has been my life outside of Edmunds for the better part of 2 weeks, let's not bring it up on here too

Ok. I won’t bring it up. But a few have asked. We did apply for a PPP loan. Our business bank is Chase. Their site wouldn’t accept what we inputted. The branches are all closed and their “customer service” reps wouldn’t answer any questions. My parents have a brokerage account with Morgan Stanley. Their financial advisor put us in touch with the company they hired specifically for PPP loans. Hopefully we will get some of the money from this round.

Rumor is that the “big banks” are only processing claims for PPP loans of $1,000,000 or more. I’ve spoken to some colleagues around the country who use local banks and have had better success.

That was a mostly tongue-in-cheek comment. It's been as maddening on the back end as it has been on the front end with those loans and getting them processed. I can't speak for Chase but I can tell you that my company has been working non-stop to try and get things processed for our customers. Late night conference calls, executives processing applications, etc The SBA portal opened back up this morning so it will start anew today and continue again until funds are exhausted. I hope you get some good news on your application.

I can also confirm that rumor is not true, at least not in my experience. I have seen requests as low as 5 figures come through.

nyccarguy

pensfan83 said:

nyccarguy said:

pensfan83 said:

The PPP has been my life outside of Edmunds for the better part of 2 weeks, let's not bring it up on here too

Ok. I won’t bring it up. But a few have asked. We did apply for a PPP loan. Our business bank is Chase. Their site wouldn’t accept what we inputted. The branches are all closed and their “customer service” reps wouldn’t answer any questions. My parents have a brokerage account with Morgan Stanley. Their financial advisor put us in touch with the company they hired specifically for PPP loans. Hopefully we will get some of the money from this round.

Rumor is that the “big banks” are only processing claims for PPP loans of $1,000,000 or more. I’ve spoken to some colleagues around the country who use local banks and have had better success.

That was a mostly tongue-in-cheek comment. It's been as maddening on the back end as it has been on the front end with those loans and getting them processed. I can't speak for Chase but I can tell you that my company has been working non-stop to try and get things processed for our customers. Late night conference calls, executives processing applications, etc The SBA portal opened back up this morning so it will start anew today and continue again until funds are exhausted. I hope you get some good news on your application.

I can also confirm that rumor is not true, at least not in my experience. I have seen requests as low as 5 figures come through.

I know you and a lot of people are working hard. It is frustrating for me because all of the bank branches are closed except for drive through. The local branches haven't been answering the phones.

Thanks for the good luck wishes. We need it.

oldfarmer50

nyccarguy said:

pensfan83 said:

nyccarguy said:

pensfan83 said:

The PPP has been my life outside of Edmunds for the better part of 2 weeks, let's not bring it up on here too

Ok. I won’t bring it up. But a few have asked. We did apply for a PPP loan. Our business bank is Chase. Their site wouldn’t accept what we inputted. The branches are all closed and their “customer service” reps wouldn’t answer any questions. My parents have a brokerage account with Morgan Stanley. Their financial advisor put us in touch with the company they hired specifically for PPP loans. Hopefully we will get some of the money from this round.

Rumor is that the “big banks” are only processing claims for PPP loans of $1,000,000 or more. I’ve spoken to some colleagues around the country who use local banks and have had better success.

That was a mostly tongue-in-cheek comment. It's been as maddening on the back end as it has been on the front end with those loans and getting them processed. I can't speak for Chase but I can tell you that my company has been working non-stop to try and get things processed for our customers. Late night conference calls, executives processing applications, etc The SBA portal opened back up this morning so it will start anew today and continue again until funds are exhausted. I hope you get some good news on your application.

I can also confirm that rumor is not true, at least not in my experience. I have seen requests as low as 5 figures come through.

I know you and a lot of people are working hard. It is frustrating for me because all of the bank branches are closed except for drive through. The local branches haven't been answering the phones.

Thanks for the good luck wishes. We need it.

This whole system is frustrating. I just read that for me I will have to choose between a PPP grant or unemployment insurance. This creates a quandary for me as the UI will be potentially more than the $1000 grant from PPP but I can’t get UI to respond. I’ve tried every method but smoke signals and nothing.

So I’d hate to pass up the small business grant only to find that I’m not getting any UI.

Sandman6472

UI is impossible to get through to on the phone. My last day of work was March 21st but applied on April 5th, so that's the start date they put. Trying to get to talk to someone to say they've got the wrong start date in the system. But have tried over 300 times these past few days and no luck whatsover!

Michaell

Happy birthday, @stickguy!

stickguy

Thanks! I’m celebrating by doing absolutely nothing. But I did put on real clothes for a change, just to feel special.

Michaell

Sandman6472 said:

UI is impossible to get through to on the phone. My last day of work was March 21st but applied on April 5th, so that's the start date they put. Trying to get to talk to someone to say they've got the wrong start date in the system. But have tried over 300 times these past few days and no luck whatsover!

Sandy, I've read a lot of reports about how the UI system in Florida is a complete mess. Was partially dismantled a few years back, specifically with the goal to make it harder to qualify.

Colorado is starting to open things up - curbside delivery for most stores this week, and a more general relaxation starting 5/1. Restaurants at 50% capacity, posted processes about social distancing, etc.

We are planning to open the kids cooking studio for one event on 5/15, then have our summer camps starting the week after Memorial Day. Starting to get phone calls from parents inquiring about our plans. We already have good hygiene protocols in place, but will add a few new procedures to give folks piece of mind about bringing their kids to us.

We figure it will be all or nothing - some parents will be more than ready for their kids to be out of the house, while others will not be comfortable putting them into a social environment for some time.

nyccarguy

@stickguy HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

oldfarmer50

Sandman6472 said:

UI is impossible to get through to on the phone. My last day of work was March 21st but applied on April 5th, so that's the start date they put. Trying to get to talk to someone to say they've got the wrong start date in the system. But have tried over 300 times these past few days and no luck whatsover!

My buddy up here who works for Hertz just got called back in for a few days. I guess there are some cars that need to be moved around a lot somewhere so a couple of guys got a little bit of work.

stickguy

That could be a problem if they managed to get signed up for UI.

tjc78

Happy Birthday Stick!

[Deleted User]

Happy Birthday @stickguy!!!

qbrozen

happy bday, stick!

28firefighter

happy birthday, @stickguy!

graphicguy

HBD.....Stick!

pensfan83

Happy Birthday time to stickguy!

breld

Happy Birthday stick!

tifighter

For today's random craigslist find, I give you a silver German convertible. Like they all are. Hope you like some motor.

Michaell

tifighter said:

For today's random craigslist find, I give you a silver German convertible. Like they all are. Hope you like some motor.

Good time to own one of those, with gas prices as low as they are.

fintail

And potential head bolts. But with cheap gas, maybe this is its time to shine.

28firefighter

I was going to say - why is it only 20k? How much is it to fix the achilles heel?

explorerx4

"Stick' another candle in the cake!

fintail

For that CLK, I think that's not an insanely low price for a nice one. Head bolt repair is a few grand, not the worst. Car is at that in-between stage of being too new to be old, too old to be new.

And happy birthday, stick.

28firefighter

That isn't terrible, other than it being an old Mercedes - anyone see Tyler Hoovers E63 wagon video series? That car was a never ending disaster.

laurasdada

Have a happy, Stick! Buy yourself something nice, now what should he buy...

28firefighter

Friends - you folks are experienced with decking and materials, right?

Our backyard is very small - roughly 775 sq feet of mostly rectangular, usable space total - a bit of a hodgepodge right now of grass (that doesn't really survive), builders grade concrete pad, and some DIY pavers from the previous owner. From a landscaping perspective, nothing will meaningfully grow (like grass) because our house is too tall and there is too much tree cover, so direct sun is very limited.

We're looking at two options:
(1) Ripping everything out (including the concrete pad), excavating, and installing pavers.

(2) Leaving most everything in place but putting in a composite deck. We should be able to leave most of what is there now and build over it without too much trouble to give us a walk-out deck.

We're in the process of getting some bids, but what experience do you have with deck materials - say Azek vs. Trex vs. Fiberon vs. Timber Tech?

We are torn here because we much prefer the look and feel of a deck, especially given how we think we'd use the space. Cost wise pavers will most certainly be cheaper, but based on the bids I'm getting, not exponentially so because there is a ton of labor involved.

andres3

corvette said:

I've noticed an uptick in the number of "superspeeders" on the intertstate - no enforcement and less traffic encourages some people to drive flat out.

Flat out in the TTS would be 155 MPH, and while I haven't taken it up quite that high, based on some track testing I'm sure it could get up there.

stickguy

I am not a huge paver fan. have to worry about fading, moving, and weeds in the cracks. If I had to do it over again, I would do our patio in stamped concrete. Not sure though how that compares cost wise.

28firefighter

stickguy said:

I am not a huge paver fan. have to worry about fading, moving, and weeds in the cracks. If I had to do it over again, I would do our patio in stamped concrete. Not sure though how that compares cost wise.

We can't do stamped concrete for two reasons:
(1) Our yard does not have the ideal accessibility for pouring concrete - no way to get a truck back there, so the labor would be crazy high.

(2) Concrete is impervious and we are already at our cap, so need something that allows water to pass through.

stickguy

thanks all for the good wishes. Apparently my B'day present was the kitchen sink hose (the faucet has one of the sprayers that pulls out of the stalk, not a separate unit) decided to crack. spraying all over when you pull the hose out, and if you leave it in, water runs down the spout and floods the cabinet. So right now, I have it pulled all the way out, tape and a towel wrapped over the break, and vise grips on the hose to keep it from retracting.

not really what I needed in the middle of a pandemic lockdown. I have the installation instructions, so does not look too horrible to replace (I really hate the idea of doing it myself, but looks like I can do it if I have to, but might just call a plumber now that I am old!)

my big worry is getting a new hose quickly. Covered under Moen warranty, but they are on reduced hours and who knows how long it will take. Will call plumbing supply house I got it from in case they stock the part. Though of course will have to likely pay for that!

I really need to get out of this place before anything else goes wrong, but at this point, I can't see that being a possibility for a long, long time. Unless the depression leads to the bank taking it!

Good thing the wife made a Boston Cream pie for dessert. I really need something good today.

28firefighter

stickguy said:

thanks all for the good wishes. Apparently my B'day present was the kitchen sink hose (the faucet has one of the sprayers that pulls out of the stalk, not a separate unit) decided to crack. spraying all over when you pull the hose out, and if you leave it in, water runs down the spout and floods the cabinet. So right now, I have it pulled all the way out, tape and a towel wrapped over the break, and vise grips on the hose to keep it from retracting.

not really what I needed in the middle of a pandemic lockdown. I have the installation instructions, so does not look too horrible to replace (I really hate the idea of doing it myself, but looks like I can do it if I have to, but might just call a plumber now that I am old!)

my big worry is getting a new hose quickly. Covered under Moen warranty, but they are on reduced hours and who knows how long it will take. Will call plumbing supply house I got it from in case they stock the part. Though of course will have to likely pay for that!

I really need to get out of this place before anything else goes wrong, but at this point, I can't see that being a possibility for a long, long time. Unless the depression leads to the bank taking it!

Good thing the wife made a Boston Cream pie for dessert. I really need something good today.

Bummer - we had the same thing happen when we first moved into our house. Ended up having to duct tape the entire length of the hose and the faucet head until I could get a replacement. Install is thankfully pretty straightforward.

stickguy

electirc tape not doing much. maybe duct tape will work better. need to see what I got downstairs.

carnaught

@stickguy, Happy Birthday. Save me a piece of that cake - ummm!