Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations

explorerx4

Got my wife the kitchen faucet she wanted for xmas and finally installed it today.
It didn't come with any directions but was the same as the one we already had, other than the style.
The new one is a pretty good match to the pot filler.
Took me a while to get up my courage to remove the old one and install the new one.
A couple of minor gotcha's on the install but it's in and doesn't leak.

imidazol97

Want to help disaster victims?
I personally donate to Matthew 25 Ministries, based in Cincinnati. They are always responding to disasters and get mentioned on my morning talk radio show through the years as they solicit for materials and money as they left for relief help. Their truck was a couple miles away after the Memorial Day tornado went through our area a few years ago.

And there's Samaritan's Purse that I've trusted to get money and help where needed in the past.

If you chose to help, pick carefully. There are scams everywhere.

stickguy

oldfarmer50 said:

I found stickguy’s next beater truck.

https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/d/bennington-miles-4x/7816698372.html

not bad. Still Vermont, but at least not northern VT! But a 1999 in VT with no rust? I will believe that when I see it up on a lift.

explorerx4

Bennington is Southern Vermont.

oldfarmer50

explorerx4 said:

Bennington is Southern Vermont.

Less than an hour from stickguy’s place. If you go have lunch at Your Belly’s Deli. Pretty good.

I was looking at CL in the by owner car section for bargains and I was shocked at what people were asking for junkers. There was one guy with a 200k miles 20 yo Subaru that did’t run that was half sunk into the ground who was asking $2,000. It’s depressing.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

I found stickguy’s next beater truck.

https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/d/bennington-miles-4x/7816698372.html

Never heard of an ford f159

stickguy

probably the Canadian version.

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

I found stickguy’s next beater truck.

https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/d/bennington-miles-4x/7816698372.html

Never heard of an ford f159

Ever heard of a typo?

tjc78

@stickguy said:
probably the Canadian version.

150/159… whatever it takes

nyccarguy

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

I found stickguy’s next beater truck.

https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/d/bennington-miles-4x/7816698372.html

Never heard of an ford f159

It is Ford's internal code for F150's not equipped with a backup camera.

cdnpinhead

Could have been a Fargo pickup, then you'd know for sure it was Canadian. It was a Dodge, but the Fargo name was only used in Canada as far as I know. This was back in the '70s, and I don't know when they were discontinued.

ab348

cdnpinhead said:

Could have been a Fargo pickup, then you'd know for sure it was Canadian. It was a Dodge, but the Fargo name was only used in Canada as far as I know. This was back in the '70s, and I don't know when they were discontinued.

I believe it was also used by Chrysler's Turkish subsidiary in the 1960s/'70s. Fargo lasted in Canada until 1972 when Chrysler-Plymouth dealers began selling Dodge trucks instead of Fargos.

We also had Ford trucks here badged as Mercurys until at least the late 1960s.

I'm old enough to remember C-P dealers having pylon signs that looked like this:

cdnpinhead

ab348 said:

We also had Ford trucks here badged as Mercurys until at least the late 1960s.

I'm old enough to remember C-P dealers having pylon signs that looked like this:

You and me both. I'd forgotten about the Mercury trucks, but saw them as well out in Alberta back in those days.

imidazol97

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

I found stickguy’s next beater truck.

https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/d/bennington-miles-4x/7816698372.html

Never heard of an ford f159

Ever heard of a typo?

Is that related to crypto?

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

I found stickguy’s next beater truck.

https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/d/bennington-miles-4x/7816698372.html

Never heard of an ford f159

Ever heard of a typo?

Usually, when you advertise your car for sale....you check it over to see you got it right, a Ford F-159 would seem to stand out for most people

driver100

The Fargo truck brand was named after the city of Fargo, North Dakota, and the name was inspired by the city's reputation for hard work. The name was also chosen to evoke the sense of adventure associated with the Old West



I thought they were called Fargo's because you didn't know how far it would go!
Bought by Chryco in 1928.

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

I found stickguy’s next beater truck.

https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/d/bennington-miles-4x/7816698372.html

Never heard of an ford f159

Ever heard of a typo?

Usually, when you advertise your car for sale....you check it over to see you got it right, a Ford F-159 would seem to stand out for most people

You’d be amazed at the number of typos you see in CL ads. Perhaps in the rush to post folks don’t proofread.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

I found stickguy’s next beater truck.

https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/d/bennington-miles-4x/7816698372.html

Never heard of an ford f159

Ever heard of a typo?

Usually, when you advertise your car for sale....you check it over to see you got it right, a Ford F-159 would seem to stand out for most people

You’d be amazed at the number of typos you see in CL ads. Perhaps in the rush to post folks don’t proofread.

I don't check very often. Maybe not at the head of the class for grammar.

explorerx4

Why are they racing Miata's at Daytona? It's a disaster.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/massive-wreck-at-daytona-takes-out-majority-of-field-to-start-mazda-mx-5-cup-race/ar-AA1xO1QL?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=6b7ef835a107433aaa719137a0a47348&ei=19

qbrozen

Ouch. Tough to see but it looked to me like the car in the 2nd row had a malfunction, maybe broken tie rod? For a split second, I think I see the driver-side front tire turned full left while the car is plowing right.

But, I agree that Miatas on a high-speed oval track seems dumb.

ab348

A Miata is not a vehicle I would want to be in if there was a wreck.

Michaell

qbrozen said:

Ouch. Tough to see but it looked to me like the car in the 2nd row had a malfunction, maybe broken tie rod? For a split second, I think I see the driver-side front tire turned full left while the car is plowing right.

But, I agree that Miatas on a high-speed oval track seems dumb.

Remember, they're using the road course this week, not the full oval.

explorerx4

To me, that looks like the classic 'Help from behind' scenario.

driver100

Here you go @oldfarmer50
Ford unveiled two new Mustang models, the Mustang RTR and the Mustang GTD Spirit of America, in mid-january. Both high-performance models will go into production. That “RTR” badge on a Mustang indicates it was created in conjunction with performance company RTR Vehicles. Little else was said about the car, including any specifications or price. The Mustang GTD Spirit of America is a special edition of the GTD, retaining its supercharged 5.2L V8 making 815 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque, and with a top speed of 202 m.p.h. while still remaining street-legal.

stickguy

that should do some impressive wipe-outs out of cars and coffees.

roadburner

driver100 said:

Here you go @oldfarmer50
Ford unveiled two new Mustang models, the Mustang RTR and the Mustang GTD Spirit of America, in mid-january. Both high-performance models will go into production. That “RTR” badge on a Mustang indicates it was created in conjunction with performance company RTR Vehicles. Little else was said about the car, including any specifications or price. The Mustang GTD Spirit of America is a special edition of the GTD, retaining its supercharged 5.2L V8 making 815 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque, and with a top speed of 202 m.p.h. while still remaining street-legal.

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

Here you go @oldfarmer50
Ford unveiled two new Mustang models, the Mustang RTR and the Mustang GTD Spirit of America, in mid-january. Both high-performance models will go into production. That “RTR” badge on a Mustang indicates it was created in conjunction with performance company RTR Vehicles. Little else was said about the car, including any specifications or price. The Mustang GTD Spirit of America is a special edition of the GTD, retaining its supercharged 5.2L V8 making 815 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque, and with a top speed of 202 m.p.h. while still remaining street-legal.

I could get to work extra fast in one of those. Seriously, who needs that kind of horsepower outside of the track? My guess is they all get bought up by collectors for twice the sticker price and then locked up in a garage for 20 years.

roadburner

@oldfarmer50 said:
I could get to work extra fast in one of those. Seriously, who needs that kind of horsepower outside of the track? My guess is they all get bought up by collectors for twice the sticker price and then locked up in a garage for 20 years.

oldfarmer50

LOL!😂

ab348

oldfarmer50 said:

Seriously, who needs that kind of horsepower outside of the track? My guess is they all get bought up by collectors for twice the sticker price and then locked up in a garage for 20 years.

Good news for Ford if true though, since they won't need to deal with warranty claims when the engine blows up real good.

tjc78

Hey gang!

It’s been a crazy crazy month or so here in my household.

I hinted at the group and a few of you probably realized but on Dec 20th the retailer I worked for decided to file bankruptcy and dump 95% of the corporate office with no severance. The stores were immediately moved to liquidation. I had a little advance knowledge but not much.

During all this my wife had been interviewing too as she wanted out of corporate retail as well.

Long story short she landed an amazing remote gig and starts Monday. I was able to land very quickly as well for a manufacturer doing a 4/1 hybrid schedule and start Feb 3 (70 mile round trip commute)

My new role is more of an individual contributor rather than a people leader like I was. Cool thing is it’s a small company that is growing. I’ll have a dotted line right to the president and a lot of purchasing and P&L responsibility. May even have to travel oversees to visit factories. They are happy to have my retailer experience as I’ll relate to their customers being from that side.

Wife and I are very happy to be away from brick and mortar retailers as riding that wave is done for us.

sda

@tjc78 said:
Hey gang!

It’s been a crazy crazy month or so here in my household.

I hinted at the group and a few of you probably realized but on Dec 20th the retailer I worked for decided to file bankruptcy and dump 95% of the corporate office with no severance. The stores were immediately moved to liquidation. I had a little advance knowledge but not much.

During all this my wife had been interviewing too as she wanted out of corporate retail as well.

Long story short she landed an amazing remote gig and starts Monday. I was able to land very quickly as well for a manufacturer doing a 4/1 hybrid schedule and start Feb 3 (70 mile round trip commute)

My new role is more of an individual contributor rather than a people leader like I was. Cool thing is it’s a small company that is growing. I’ll have a dotted line right to the president and a lot of purchasing and P&L responsibility. May even have to travel oversees to visit factories. They are happy to have my retailer experience as I’ll relate to their customers being from that side.

Wife and I are very happy to be away from brick and mortar retailers as riding that wave is done for us.

Congratulations to you both. My wife and I would love to shed the corporate life.

stickguy

Congrats! Glad it worked out for the best.

oldfarmer50

I’m glad you landed on your feet so fast. Didn’t something similar happen to you a few years ago? Did you complete that store in my backyard before this happened? Seems strange that a company would be redeveloping outlets while on the verge of bankruptcy.

driver100

@tjc78 Glad it all worked out. Losing my last 3 jobs in 4 years was the best thing that ever happened to me......started our own business, made a lot more money, and had a lot of fun running my own show. Some things happen for the best, it sounds like this will too.

graphicguy

@tjc78 Congrats to you and your wife!

tjc78

@oldfarmer50 said:
I’m glad you landed on your feet so fast. Didn’t something similar happen to you a few years ago? Did you complete that store in my backyard before this happened? Seems strange that a company would be redeveloping outlets while on the verge of bankruptcy.

Thanks everyone!

Yes this was round 2 of retailer demise.

OF - it’s a long story of how it all ended. Essentially everything was ok right up until Thanksgiving. The private equity owners asked for an inventory evaluation on the inventory coming out of our busiest season. Well naturally it came in low and they froze the credit line (asset based) Cash became tight. Vendors stopped being paid and the owners forced us to shut down.

We had a full schedule for Q1, a store built and ready to open in NJ and a store I just opened in Stamford CT (near @nyccarguy) that literally has grand opening banners along with store closing now. Wild

corvette

@tjc78 - glad you both found something so quickly! I understand wanting to get out of brick & mortar retail. It's not going to go away completely, but it's not going to get any easier for them to stay afloat.

qbrozen

@tjc78 said:
Hey gang!

It’s been a crazy crazy month or so here in my household.

I hinted at the group and a few of you probably realized but on Dec 20th the retailer I worked for decided to file bankruptcy and dump 95% of the corporate office with no severance. The stores were immediately moved to liquidation. I had a little advance knowledge but not much.

During all this my wife had been interviewing too as she wanted out of corporate retail as well.

Long story short she landed an amazing remote gig and starts Monday. I was able to land very quickly as well for a manufacturer doing a 4/1 hybrid schedule and start Feb 3 (70 mile round trip commute)

My new role is more of an individual contributor rather than a people leader like I was. Cool thing is it’s a small company that is growing. I’ll have a dotted line right to the president and a lot of purchasing and P&L responsibility. May even have to travel oversees to visit factories. They are happy to have my retailer experience as I’ll relate to their customers being from that side.

Wife and I are very happy to be away from brick and mortar retailers as riding that wave is done for us.

Congrats!
So which way is your hybrid schedule? 1 home or 4 home?
Can you share which you were with? Party city? Big lots? Or one of the other 43 that bailed in 2024?

tjc78

4 in office. A big change for me. At least the home day is Friday so I won’t have to fight shore traffic in the summer and I’ll already be down there.

It was Party City. What a wild ride I had there.

driver100

Retail is brutal.
I was a store manager for 3 different retail chains.
My father was a sales rep and he told me to get out of retail asap, or I'll be working weekends, nights, holidays etc.
So, I applied for a job as a sales rep, the retail experience helped get me the selling job.......glad I listened to his advice.

ab348

Glad things seemed to have worked out OK for you and your wife, @tjc78.

I didn't know Party City was going away. Up here they are either owned by or have some sort of affiliation with Canadian Tire. I've never been in a PC store so I don't know much about their business.

The liquor board I used to work for here took over a huge retail space that was vacated by BB&B after they went bust. They've been renovating it for a very long time with not much progress visible from outside. I can't imagine how they can fill such a big space with their pitiful product assortment currently. Maybe it'll force them to improve it.

jmonroe1

@tjc78, let me add my name to the others that have wished you and your wife well.

I had a tooth pulled yesterday (a big one with three roots) so I stayed in bed to the point where I was getting hungry. I was told not to eat anything that took too much chewing so I used that as an excuse to eat one of the large blueberry muffins I picked up at Sam’s Club last week. Tasted pretty good too. Not sure I could have eaten anything that took more chewing than that.

I think this is the start of things that are going to fail when you get older.

Again, congrats to both you and your wife on the bounce-back.

jmonroe

kyfdx

@tjc78 Glad things worked out!

tjc78

@ab348 said:
Glad things seemed to have worked out OK for you and your wife, @tjc78.

I didn't know Party City was going away. Up here they are either owned by or have some sort of affiliation with Canadian Tire. I've never been in a PC store so I don't know much about their business.

The liquor board I used to work for here took over a huge retail space that was vacated by BB&B after they went bust. They've been renovating it for a very long time with not much progress visible from outside. I can't imagine how they can fill such a big space with their pitiful product assortment currently. Maybe it'll force them to improve it.

About 4 years ago PC sold all their Canada stores to Canadian Tire with the caveat that they continue to buy all the inventory for something like 15 years. There are also a handful of franchises left in the US as well. Problem is Amscan which is owned by PC and produced the overwhelming majority of the products is also going out (from what I was told)…. So not sure how that’s going to fare.

Also PC is the largest user of helium in the world outside of the medical field so that’s going to change that whole operation as well. Ripple effect for sure

stickguy

A commute again? That would be a shock to my system! Going to use the EV to save on gas (can't see a Ram being very fuel efficient for that).

Knowing the area, 35 miles doesn't sound bad. But that depends on which direction. My 45 from Jersey to Malvern was hell. Up 295 to Princeton would not have been nearly as bad.

tjc78

Thanks again everyone. It was very fortunate that I was able to find something so quickly. My wife getting a new role was just the icing on the cake.

As noted brick and mortar retail is tough right now. I couldn’t even imagine being in the stores. The managers are worked like dogs because the hours allotted for the team is so low they have to do so much themselves and spend 70+ hours in the store each week.

driver100

tjc78 said:

Thanks again everyone. It was very fortunate that I was able to find something so quickly. My wife getting a new role was just the icing on the cake.

As noted brick and mortar retail is tough right now. I couldn’t even imagine being in the stores. The managers are worked like dogs because the hours allotted for the team is so low they have to do so much themselves and spend 70+ hours in the store each week.

Management tells the workers they will be OK, they just have to work a bit harder and longer and everything will be OK. Then they merge and tell you that will make them stronger and it will save jobs, but they'll cut duplicate jobs asap. Or they shut down like they did in this case....and life goes on.
Retail.......jewelry, flooring, Big Box hardware, dollar stores, maybe furniture, appliance, TV stores and shoe stores can make a go of it.......most stuff is easier to find online.

stickguy

after a lot of digging through fb marketplace listings, and some interesting messenger conversations, went and looked at one today and made a deal. so will pick up a used one next Saturday AM. Conveniently, less than a mile from my house which will make it vastly easier since I have to import labor (my son) to get it into the house. The guy that has it offered to come and help get it off the truck (after helping load it at his house) and into the garage, which was nice of him but not really useful. If we need help to get up the steps into the house I will go knock on the neighbor's door.

definitely the cost-effective way to go. about 15% of the cost of buying a comparable new unit. Like buying beater cars. If it only lasts 1-2 years, just keep buying replacements!

nyccarguy

@tjc78 said:
Thanks again everyone. It was very fortunate that I was able to find something so quickly. My wife getting a new role was just the icing on the cake.

As noted brick and mortar retail is tough right now. I couldn’t even imagine being in the stores. The managers are worked like dogs because the hours allotted for the team is so low they have to do so much themselves and spend 70+ hours in the store each week.

@tjc78

First and foremost, I am glad both you and your wife landed on your feet and what sounds like a better place.

2nd, as a small business owner I am constantly amazed by how these large chains operate and manage to stay in business for so many years. It just baffles me that they closed the one store, opened up in a new location in the same shopping center, then closed the doors for the whole operation. There had to be someone higher up on the corporate food chain that should have said; “maybe we should hold off on the Stamford store until after the new year.”