Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations

Sandman6472

Sent my daughter-in-law a birthday card last Saturday morning and it got there yesterday afternoon. Figured 6 days was enough to get it there but it came on her birthday, so I was happy. Still, no rhyme or reason to how the p o works. I once sent two letters to the same address and they got there on different days...gave up trying to figure it out. Luckily, they don't send my pension check in the mail or I'd never know when it would get here! Nice to know the first business day of the month, it's in my checking account.

snakeweasel

I saw somewhere that it was 52 below (F) in Fairbanks sometime in the last few days. Is that for real? The coldest I ever had to deal with was 46 below or so in Edmonton, but that was fifty years ago, and I was much better able to endure such madness in my 20s than I am now. Either way, hang in there.

————————————————- Both of those fridgid temps blow me out of the water. Worst I ever experienced was minus 20 back in the early/mid 70’s. Never want to come near that temp again. jmonroe

here is my dashboard on January 31st 2019

xwesx

cdnpinhead said:

I saw somewhere that it was 52 below (F) in Fairbanks sometime in the last few days. Is that for real? The coldest I ever had to deal with was 46 below or so in Edmonton, but that was fifty years ago, and I was much better able to endure such madness in my 20s than I am now. Either way, hang in there.

No, not even close this year, yet. We had -25F for a few days surrounding Thanksgiving, but it has since warmed up to above zero. I saw -4C on my car one of those days, which is getting pretty close the wrong side of freezing (for this time of year)! Most years, we'll never see a temperature that cold any more. I think we've had maybe a handful that have dipped that low since the millennium, Including a few in the first few days of January, 2000!

jmonroe1

I’ve already told you guys about the -20 F we had here in the early/mid 70’s but I just remembered this…when I got to work that day about mid morning I talked to one of our field engineers who was doing a job for a customer in Minnesota. I told him how cold it was here and he said, “I hope I get home to see that”. When I asked him why he said, “it was -40 F when I got to the trailer this morning”. There was a loooong pause and he said, “jmonroe, jmonroe are you still there”? When I finally replied, kind of shakenly, I said something like, “yeah, I’m still here. I just didn’t think folks could talk when it got that cold”.

jmonroe

cdnpinhead

xwesx said:

cdnpinhead said:

I saw somewhere that it was 52 below (F) in Fairbanks sometime in the last few days. Is that for real? The coldest I ever had to deal with was 46 below or so in Edmonton, but that was fifty years ago, and I was much better able to endure such madness in my 20s than I am now. Either way, hang in there.

No, not even close this year, yet. We had -25F for a few days surrounding Thanksgiving, but it has since warmed up to above zero. I saw -4C on my car one of those days, which is getting pretty close the wrong side of freezing (for this time of year)! Most years, we'll never see a temperature that cold any more. I think we've had maybe a handful that have dipped that low since the millennium, Including a few in the first few days of January, 2000!

Thanks for getting back. Looks like someone cherry-picked a photo from who knows how long ago to post. Glad I asked.

sda

Remember these? At the time they received favorable reviews. The smaller pair with real walnut case are still used for surround sound and do the job well. The larger black speakers were used as speakers in the dining room but, alas, one started to sound blown. Not bad for a purchase made in 92!

stickguy

I had a set of realistic speakers back in my college days.

laurasdada

Realistic cassette player and speakers in the '71 Saab 99. A gift from Dad as I got my driver's license and he allowed me to use that car, originally just am radio.

kyfdx

That's a Radio Shack brand, right?

abacomike

My daughter bought a 2 bedroom 2 bath house in a 55+ gated community up in Port St. Lucie last month. It’s about a 70-80 minute drive up the turnpike from me. So since I don’t think I could make the round trip with my back pain being so bad, I told her to pick out something she needs for the house as a “housewarming gift” - something she could remember me by every time she saw it or used it.

So this afternoon, she called me from the appliance store and informed me she picked out the housewarming gift I promised her - a new 25 cubic foot refrigerator and she needed my credit card info so she could get it delivered to her house to replace the 18 year old refrigerator that was in her kitchen.

So my innocent gesture for a housewarming gift for the “apple of my eye” just put a $2,000 dent in my budget for this month. I gotta learn to be more specific about gifting things for my daughter - like communicating the dollar amount next time - like “pick out something for a few hundred dollars sweetheart!!!” Unfortunately, it’s too late for this gift 🎁. But next time…..!

abacomike

I am now driving a Gensis for awhile! A Gensis you guys might query? Yep, a Gensis. It seems that the second “E” in the chrome “GENESIS” on the back of my trunk disappeared yesterday or the day before so I had to have my dealership’s parts department order a replacement. I can’t just buy the “E” - I have to buy the whole word as a replacement. Go figure! It won’t be cheap - well over $150 according to the parts department. It’s turning out to be a very expensive month! 🥵

stickguy

for that much I would be perfectly happy driving a Gen Sis. Though if I ever got a Toyota PU I would have blacked out the first 2 and last 2 letters on the tailgate!

For the kids, I don't mind getting them things to help out if it isn't going to make me worry about running out. They are going to get it eventually anyway!

venture

abacomike said:

My daughter bought a 2 bedroom 2 bath house in a 55+ gated community up in Port St. Lucie last month. It’s about a 70-80 minute drive up the turnpike from me. So since I don’t think I could make the round trip with my back pain being so bad, I told her to pick out something she needs for the house as a “housewarming gift” - something she could remember me by every time she saw it or used it.

So this afternoon, she called me from the appliance store and informed me she picked out the housewarming gift I promised her - a new 25 cubic foot refrigerator and she needed my credit card info so she could get it delivered to her house to replace the 18 year old refrigerator that was in her kitchen.

So my innocent gesture for a housewarming gift for the “apple of my eye” just put a $2,000 dent in my budget for this month. I gotta learn to be more specific about gifting things for my daughter - like communicating the dollar amount next time - like “pick out something for a few hundred dollars sweetheart!!!” Unfortunately, it’s too late for this gift 🎁. But next time…..!

It will turn out to be something you will never regret.

sda

kyfdx said:

That's a Radio Shack brand, right?

kyfdx said:

That's a Radio Shack brand, right?

Correct

nyccarguy

@abacomike said:
My daughter bought a 2 bedroom 2 bath house in a 55+ gated community up in Port St. Lucie last month. It’s about a 70-80 minute drive up the turnpike from me. So since I don’t think I could make the round trip with my back pain being so bad, I told her to pick out something she needs for the house as a “housewarming gift” - something she could remember me by every time she saw it or used it.

So this afternoon, she called me from the appliance store and informed me she picked out the housewarming gift I promised her - a new 25 cubic foot refrigerator and she needed my credit card info so she could get it delivered to her house to replace the 18 year old refrigerator that was in her kitchen.

So my innocent gesture for a housewarming gift for the “apple of my eye” just put a $2,000 dent in my budget for this month. I gotta learn to be more specific about gifting things for my daughter - like communicating the dollar amount next time - like “pick out something for a few hundred dollars sweetheart!!!” Unfortunately, it’s too late for this gift 🎁. But next time…..!

If it makes you feel any better, we had my daughter’s bat mitzvah last night;).

Michaell

@stickguy said:
for that much I would be perfectly happy driving a Gen Sis. Though if I ever got a Toyota PU I would have blacked out the first 2 and last 2 letters on the tailgate!

I know I’ve mentioned this before, but our local Toyota dealer when I was a kid was owned by a guy named Lunsford.

Family friends bought a Corolla and ditched the first four letters of his name and the last three letters of the brand, leaving:

FORD TOY

jmonroe1

abacomike said:

I am now driving a Gensis for awhile! A Gensis you guys might query? Yep, a Gensis. It seems that the second “E” in the chrome “GENESIS” on the back of my trunk disappeared yesterday or the day before so I had to have my dealership’s parts department order a replacement. I can’t just buy the “E” - I have to buy the whole word as a replacement. Go figure! It won’t be cheap - well over $150 according to the parts department. It’s turning out to be a very expensive month! 🥵

————————————————
@Mike, every time I used to visit my late brother in Delray Beach there were almost as many Genesis as there were Mercedes in any parking lot I was in. So, the next time you make a trip to Publix you should see plenty of Genesis that have the Genesis “E” you need and the price will not set you back anything if you do it right. Could be that’s how you lost yours.

jmonroe

28firefighter

Mazal Tov, @nyccarguy !

jmonroe1

sda said:

Remember these? At the time they received favorable reviews. The smaller pair with real walnut case are still used for surround sound and do the job well. The larger black speakers were used as speakers in the dining room but, alas, one started to sound blown. Not bad for a purchase made in 92!

————————————————
A couple months after I got married in 1967, I bought my first stereo system from Lafayette Electronics and they called their speakers Criterion. The reason I bought them is because I thought they sounded pretty good and the walnut cases were real lookers. A few months later they got very high reviews from a couple audio rags back then.

Fast forward to the mid 80’s when I thought I’d make an upgrade to my system so I got Cerwin Vegas. They sounded different but not better as far as I was concerned even though they were a LOT more expensive. That taught me not to fix something that wasn’t broken.

jmonroe

corvette

My parents had a pair of very nice JBL speakers, which were basically the consumer version of their "studio monitor" line and sounded great (this was before JBL became knows as "junk but loud"). The cones finally rotted after 25+ years, and they weren't cost effective to repair.

roadburner

The Realistic Minimus 7 had a cult following after a couple of high-end magazine reviewed them- kind of like how the Magnavox CDB-473 CD player (with the acclaimed Phillips TDA-1541 DAC) was the hot ticket after a columnist at The Absolute Sound went nuts after auditioning it. As an aside, my Rotel player uses the same DAC.

nyccarguy

@28firefighter said:
Mazal Tov, @nyccarguy !

Thanks!

jmonroe1

28firefighter said:

Mazal Tov, @nyccarguy !

————————————————
I’ll second that. I missed the post where @nyccarguy told us that. I think he’s now done with all of those events.

jmonroe

nyccarguy

@jmonroe1 said:
————————————————
I’ll second that. I missed the post where @nyccarguy told us that. I think he’s now done with all of those events.

jmonroe

Thank-you!

abacomike

@nyccarguy said:

@28firefighter said:
Mazal Tov, @nyccarguy !

Thanks!

Same wishes from me to you. You must be so proud of her, but temporarily financially depleted!

sda

jmonroe1 said:

sda said:

Remember these? At the time they received favorable reviews. The smaller pair with real walnut case are still used for surround sound and do the job well. The larger black speakers were used as speakers in the dining room but, alas, one started to sound blown. Not bad for a purchase made in 92!

————————————————
A couple months after I got married in 1967, I bought my first stereo system from Lafayette Electronics and they called their speakers Criterion. The reason I bought them is because I thought they sounded pretty good and the walnut cases were real lookers. A few months later they got very high reviews from a couple audio rags back then.

Fast forward to the mid 80’s when I thought I’d make an upgrade to my system so I got Cerwin Vegas. They sounded different but not better as far as I was concerned even though they were a LOT more expensive. That taught me not to fix something that wasn’t broken.

jmonroe

I think I shared this before, but not recently. After researching Consumer Reports in 1971, dad bought a Lafayette receiver, Lafayette 8 track which could record, Gerrard record changer, Dynaco primary speakers and Criterion speakers for the B channel. They were in use for 20+ years.

sda

abacomike said:

My daughter bought a 2 bedroom 2 bath house in a 55+ gated community up in Port St. Lucie last month. It’s about a 70-80 minute drive up the turnpike from me. So since I don’t think I could make the round trip with my back pain being so bad, I told her to pick out something she needs for the house as a “housewarming gift” - something she could remember me by every time she saw it or used it.

So this afternoon, she called me from the appliance store and informed me she picked out the housewarming gift I promised her - a new 25 cubic foot refrigerator and she needed my credit card info so she could get it delivered to her house to replace the 18 year old refrigerator that was in her kitchen.

So my innocent gesture for a housewarming gift for the “apple of my eye” just put a $2,000 dent in my budget for this month. I gotta learn to be more specific about gifting things for my daughter - like communicating the dollar amount next time - like “pick out something for a few hundred dollars sweetheart!!!” Unfortunately, it’s too late for this gift 🎁. But next time…..!

Good advice as my daughter graduates from Winthrop University this Saturday and will soon-be on her own. I am sure we will contribute in many ways to get her set up. And I thought the bank account was now safe!

kyfdx

My only child will be 31, next month.. The financial support never ends.

tjc78

@roadburner said:
The Realistic Minimus 7 had a cult following after a couple of high-end magazine reviewed them- kind of like how the Magnavox CDB-473 CD player (with the acclaimed Phillips TDA-1541 DAC) was the hot ticket after a columnist at The Absolute Sound went nuts after auditioning it. As an aside, my Rotel player uses the same DAC.

I had a pair of 7s… used them as surrounds, shed speakers, center channel when my kid destroyed the tweeter, etc. Great little speaker. Somehow now I only have 1. Must have lost it in the move or it’s buried in a box somewhere.

I remember the Magnavox CD player too. I kept thinking it can’t be that good!

Also have another set of Realistic speakers. Same size as the 7s but in a wood case. No idea where those came from. Someone must have given them to me.

abacomike

@kyfdx said:
My only child will be 31, next month.. The financial support never ends.

Nope - it never ends. 3 years ago, my daughter borrowed $8000 from me to buy a new Honda Civic because she broke the axle on her 10 year old car. I have yet to see a dime of the loan. On top of that, she told me she bought a RAV-4 last month on top of buying a house. Do you think I might have been snookered?

Sandman6472

Mazel tov NY. I remember when I had mine back in 1967. Since I was a twin, only had to do half of the Haftorah. But it was a lot of time & hard work learning my part & then getting on the bema in front of the congregation, friends & family. The party afterwards was a blast, think it was at Colonial Terrace in Croton New York. And now, all these yeas later...time does go fast!

Again, mazel to her & the family!

roadburner

abacomike said:

@kyfdx said:

My only child will be 31, next month.. The financial support never ends.

Nope - it never ends. 3 years ago, my daughter borrowed $8000 from me to buy a new Honda Civic because she broke the axle on her 10 year old car. I have yet to see a dime of the loan. On top of that, she told me she bought a RAV-4 last month on top of buying a house. Do you think I might have been snookered?

Is this the same daughter who a few years back complained that you had a nice car and she did not?
If so, with all due respect, the only housewarming present I would have given her is a Molotov cocktail.

suydam

abacomike said:

@kyfdx said:

My only child will be 31, next month.. The financial support never ends.

Nope - it never ends. 3 years ago, my daughter borrowed $8000 from me to buy a new Honda Civic because she broke the axle on her 10 year old car. I have yet to see a dime of the loan. On top of that, she told me she bought a RAV-4 last month on top of buying a house. Do you think I might have been snookered?

Think of it as a gift. That money is gone.
My kids have always been pretty responsible so I don’t mind helping them out. My parents helped us buy our first cars and house. I remember my mother saying, I’d rather help out now when you really need it, rather than after I’m gone and you’re already established. I follow the same principle. Mine really don’t take advantage. When you consider how expensive cars and houses are now, it’s pretty difficult for those starting out.

stickguy

Neither of my kids asked for money once they left the nest right after college. We did (and will) chip in for the weddings though as a 1 time deal. Hopefully it is just early inheritance because if I run out of money before it’s time for that something went horribly wrong!

explorerx4

My wife dedcided the cabinet tops were a great place to display some of her nutcracker collection.

imidazol97

That's really nice.

Michaell

explorerx4 said:

My wife dedcided the cabinet tops were a great place to display some of her nutcracker collection.

Some?

You mean, there's more?

explorerx4

@michaell,
Yes, several boxes more.

venture

The envelope I mailed to my grandson from central Pennsylvania to eastern Maryland on Dec. 2, is now in Kansas City, MO. In the last 3 days it went from Kansas City, KS to Kansas City Mo.

At least it's going in the right direction now.

jmonroe1

venture said:

The envelope I mailed to my grandson from central Pennsylvania to eastern Maryland on Dec. 2, is now in Kansas City, MO. In the last 3 days it went from Kansas City, KS to Kansas City Mo.

At least it's going in the right direction now.

————————————————
Don’t brag on them until he gets it.

jmonroe

abacomike

@stickguy said:
Neither of my kids asked for money once they left the nest right after college. We did (and will) chip in for the weddings though as a 1 time deal. Hopefully it is just early inheritance because if I run out of money before it’s time for that something went horribly wrong!

Now a wedding is something I would definitely part with my money for - but my daughter has been husbandless and is now 55 years old - much too late to expect more grandchildren from her. At least I have two grandsons from my son.

abacomike

@abacomike said:
I am now driving a Gensis for awhile! A Gensis you guys might query? Yep, a Gensis. It seems that the second “E” in the chrome “GENESIS” on the back of my trunk disappeared yesterday or the day before so I had to have my dealership’s parts department order a replacement. I can’t just buy the “E” - I have to buy the whole word as a replacement. Go figure! It won’t be cheap - well over $150 according to the parts department. It’s turning out to be a very expensive month! 🥵

Just an update on my missing “E” - Genesis is going to cover the cost of the new “GENESIS” lettering on my trunk lid, including installation of the 7 letters, under my warranty. My service manager called me this morning with the good news. They have to replace all 7 letters because the replacement letters come in an alignment sheet for proper installation.

Yeah!🤪😜👍

stickguy

Should be warranty claim anyway. Must have been defective adhesive!

abacomike

@stickguy said:
Should be warranty claim anyway. Must have been defective adhesive!

That’s why they are replacing the lettering - I am not the only one who has experienced this loss of lettering on the trunk lid - defective adhesive.

oldfarmer50

abacomike said:

I am now driving a Gensis for awhile! A Gensis you guys might query? Yep, a Gensis. It seems that the second “E” in the chrome “GENESIS” on the back of my trunk disappeared yesterday or the day before so I had to have my dealership’s parts department order a replacement. I can’t just buy the “E” - I have to buy the whole word as a replacement. Go figure! It won’t be cheap - well over $150 according to the parts department. It’s turning out to be a very expensive month! 🥵

Maybe somebody with a C class Mercedes is a poser and stole it to upgrade his car to an E class.

oldfarmer50

kyfdx said:

My only child will be 31, next month.. The financial support never ends.

Better to give your kids money while you’re around for them to thank you.

ab348

Busy week here at the homestead. Renovators began work this AM on my kitchen project which also involves rebuilding the old deck (it was 20 years old and shabby) to relocate the rear door. Deck structure is OK but decking, railings and steps need renewing along with a new rear door. Inside the kitchen will be expanded slightly and will be all new except for the stove and fridge (maybe). A couple of days after we agreed on that, the window company called and wants to install my new windows in 2 bedrooms on Thursday. Such fun.

Michaell

Painting updates!

Master bath is getting a fresh cost of paint today and tomorrow. Stepdaughter and her best friend relocated the original mirror (probably 5’ x 4’) to the basement, as new mirrors will be put up. Other new hardware to follow, including possibly new faucets.

stickguy

if you ignore the hit to the bank account, in the end, it is really nice to have a spiffy new space to enjoy.

jmonroe1

Michaell said:

Painting updates!

Master bath is getting a fresh cost of paint today and tomorrow. Stepdaughter and her best friend relocated the original mirror (probably 5’ x 4’) to the basement, as new mirrors will be put up. Other new hardware to follow, including possibly new faucets.

————————————————
Sounds like the redo will be ready in time for Christmas. All you need now is a bow and some drinks to toast the new project. OK, you could forgo the bow but not the drinks.

jmonroe