Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

jpp75 · October 2016

stickguy said:
Henry, I am a little younger than you, but pretty sure if I found myself single again, I would just get another dog instead of wading back into the dating pool.

+1

Same for me.

jpp75 · October 2016

nyccarguy said:
Following up on the story I told you guys about a month ago where my best friend's sister in law was a passenger in that Infiniti. A few things didn't add up. The fact that it was 4:30 in the morning and the guy wasn't drunk and wasn't speeding. He said he was going 50 in a 55. The speed limit was 35, so yes going 15 mph over isn't THAT fast, but how does this guy remember exactly how fast he was going? My friend's mother in law is a nurse and practiced at the hospital the her daughter was taken to after the crash. She asked some of her former colleagues to "look the other way" while the driver's stats were on the screen. The guy was definitely drunk. Very drunk. The 4 people in the car got their phones back from the police. The phones had been wiped clean. The driver's father was a deceased, well known, Sheriff in the county. My friend's sister in law is recovering (which is the most important part), but it is just terrible that he's going to get the insurance money, put it down on a new car, go out, get drunk, and crash again.

@graphicguy - I know you've mentioned before about a friend of yours who has 2 children, one of whom is a complete addict. In addition to that, there are thousands just like it. I read about a 7 year old girl who got on the bus in McKeesport, PA and told the bus driver that her parents wouldn't wake up. They ODd with a 5 year old, 3 year old, & infant in the house.

My parents recently ran into the parents of a friend of mine at Rosh Hashanna services who I went to High School with (we are still friends on facebook). My parents were with my niece who is 6 years old. These people too had their 6 year old grand daughter with them. They start to chat. Ask how I am and How I'm doing. My parents ask about their son who I was friendly with (lives in FL with his wife and 2 kids, doing well). They then begin to tell my parents that they are at temple with their 6 year old grand daughter whom they have full custody of. Their daughter has been in and out of rehab close to 20 times over the past x amount of years. She is permitted 2 supervised visits per month that she misses half the time. She has 2 other children from a previous marriage that her ex-husband has full custody of. My friend's Dad had retired, then had to open his dental practice back up to start raising their grand daughter with his wife (the girl's grand mother). Growing up these people were so warm, so giving, and so kind. This has to stop.

Bradd, what a terrible story. I'm watching one of my best friends drink himself to death and it's awful. He's been in rehab multiple times, had 2 DUIs, lost multiple good paying jobs, lost most of his friends, etc. Thankfully he hasn't hurt anyone else yet but it's hard to see this end well. It's hard to watch for sure.

nyccarguy · October 2016

@jpp5862 - sorry to hear that.

driver100 · October 2016

snakeweasel said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Some bean counter must have figured that if they wear people down long enough a certain number will just give up and the savings will outweigh the ill-will generated.
Not a bean counter but an adjuster who figured that out. It's their performance that is gauged on the results here.

I get the impression this is exactly what has happened. The customer service person at the insurance company is paid to stonewall me. My broker says he talked to the insurance company and they agreed to pay for the Tech Package. On Tuesday I wrote to customer service rep and she writes back you had a premium package and that is all you are getting. I wrote to her on Wednesday and said your company agreed to pay for the Tech Pkge so send me a new form reflecting that. She writes back I have told you, you had a Premium Pkge and that is what we will give you.

I write Premium Pkge for 2015 E400 was $5000. Premium Pkge on 2017 has been split in two, Premium Pkge is now $3000 and adding Tech Pkge $2600 makes the two cars the same. Can I explain it any better? Now I have to call my broker back and find out what is going on!

dino001 · October 2016

driver100 said:

snakeweasel said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Some bean counter must have figured that if they wear people down long enough a certain number will just give up and the savings will outweigh the ill-will generated.
Not a bean counter but an adjuster who figured that out. It's their performance that is gauged on the results here.
I get the impression this is exactly what has happened. The customer service person at the insurance company is paid to stonewall me. My broker says he talked to the insurance company and they agreed to pay for the Tech Package. On Tuesday I wrote to customer service rep and she writes back you had a premium package and that is all you are getting. I wrote to her on Wednesday and said your company agreed to pay for the Tech Pkge so send me a new form reflecting that. She writes back I have told you, you had a Premium Pkge and that is what we will give you.

I write Premium Pkge for 2015 E400 was $5000. Premium Pkge on 2017 has been split in two, Premium Pkge is now $3000 and adding Tech Pkge $2600 makes the two cars the same. Can I explain it any better? Now I have to call my broker back and find out what is going on!

Did you write itemized content for each package?

nyccarguy · October 2016

Since we are talking Mercedes here, I swear I cannot tell the difference between the rear end of a C,E,or S class from less than 5 feet away. Now that "all" the Es are E300s, it makes it that much more difficult. The E & the S have an almost identical front fascia. I saw an S 5550 & an E300 on the back of a car carrier last week. Both black. They looked like twins.

Mr_Shiftright · October 2016

snakeweasel said:

Mr_Shiftright said:
That would make an excellent first line for a Blues song...
Some days I feel like a 1950 Studebaker
Filled with rust and creaks
Headed for the potholes of life
Been feeling this bad for weeks
I've got those Studebaker, those 1950 Studebaker blues

My fan belts frayed
My tires are bald
The spark plus need a changing
And last night I even stalled
I've got those Studebaker, those 1950 Studebaker blues

[insert awesome saxophone solo here]

Oh yeah!.....Sing it, Studie brother, sing it!

PF_Flyer · October 2016

Hmm.. we may have to work out a tune to this

stever · October 2016

Sorry, my Selmer alto is under my sister's bed back in Virginia.

andres3 · October 2016

driver100 said:

snakeweasel said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Some bean counter must have figured that if they wear people down long enough a certain number will just give up and the savings will outweigh the ill-will generated.
Not a bean counter but an adjuster who figured that out. It's their performance that is gauged on the results here.
I get the impression this is exactly what has happened. The customer service person at the insurance company is paid to stonewall me. My broker says he talked to the insurance company and they agreed to pay for the Tech Package. On Tuesday I wrote to customer service rep and she writes back you had a premium package and that is all you are getting. I wrote to her on Wednesday and said your company agreed to pay for the Tech Pkge so send me a new form reflecting that. She writes back I have told you, you had a Premium Pkge and that is what we will give you.

I write Premium Pkge for 2015 E400 was $5000. Premium Pkge on 2017 has been split in two, Premium Pkge is now $3000 and adding Tech Pkge $2600 makes the two cars the same. Can I explain it any better? Now I have to call my broker back and find out what is going on!

The customer service rep probably owns a Cadillac and is offended you chose to go foreign.

Would be funny if they tried to tell you that you should just accept a CTS as equivalent. At the rental agency, they didn't even give you that as equivalent. Cool thing is their delay tactics ended up costing them more money in rental fees. That definitely makes them play ball more, without money on the line, they are happy to kick the can a year or two down the road writing letters back and forth.

graphicguy · October 2016

Drugs....Bradd alluded to me friends' son who is into heroin. My friends kicked him out of the house. Tough to do to your own flesh and blood. He contacted me (unbeknown to his patents) looking for me to loan him money. I didn't. I did offer him some work he could do to earn money....clean the gutters, yard work, etc. He worked about 3 hours and finished the jobs I gave him. I made him lunch and gave him $50 and told him if he came back the next day, I'd give him another $50 if he helped me wash/wax the CTS and the Cobra. He agreed.

This was a few weeks ago. As you might imagine, he didn't come back to do the wash/wax job. His parents found out about the work he did for me. They wanted to give me the $50 I paid him. I refused and told them he worked for it. Problem was, he used it for Heroin. He was busted for drugs, and is in jail today. The parents feel it's best given at least he's not using. I felt bad about it as I thought I had enabled him.

Going to school when most of us did, we were scared to death of something like heroin, and junkies were painted in the most despicable light possible. Hell, I wouldn't have even know where to find heroin even if I had wanted to try it.

Today, it's available and it's cheap. I've heard some say it's that way because of the clamp down on South American cocaine cartels to replace the profits they lost during the coke wars.

Who knows what the answer is? Only thing we can do is prepare our kids with as much information to the dangers as we possibly can. I count my blessings every day that my son has turned out as well as he has.

Dating.....little bit younger than some of you in here. Stuck my toes in the dating waters a little bit....not much, though. I've found there are two sets of parameters I've been faced with....those who are 10+ years younger than me who want to go out with me, or those 5+ years older. Plenty of those women out there for what I've observed. Not much in between.

Not ready for anything steady, though. That seems to be the gating factor....they want the relationship. I don't!

driver100 · October 2016

dino001 said:

driver100 said:

snakeweasel said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Some bean counter must have figured that if they wear people down long enough a certain number will just give up and the savings will outweigh the ill-will generated.
Not a bean counter but an adjuster who figured that out. It's their performance that is gauged on the results here.
I get the impression this is exactly what has happened. The customer service person at the insurance company is paid to stonewall me. My broker says he talked to the insurance company and they agreed to pay for the Tech Package. On Tuesday I wrote to customer service rep and she writes back you had a premium package and that is all you are getting. I wrote to her on Wednesday and said your company agreed to pay for the Tech Pkge so send me a new form reflecting that. She writes back I have told you, you had a Premium Pkge and that is what we will give you.

I write Premium Pkge for 2015 E400 was $5000. Premium Pkge on 2017 has been split in two, Premium Pkge is now $3000 and adding Tech Pkge $2600 makes the two cars the same. Can I explain it any better? Now I have to call my broker back and find out what is going on!

Did you write itemized content for each package?

Can't be much clearer;

Here are the package listings for 2015 and 2017.

2015-E400 4Matic Sedan Premium Package
Panoramic Sunroof

360 Camera

Media Interface

Adaptive High Beam Assist
Active LED High Performance Lighting System

Harmon/Kardon LOGIC7 Surround Sound System
Hands-Free Access
Heated Rear Seats
EASY-PACK Power Trunk Closer
KEYLESS-GO

2017 E400 4Matic Sedan-Premium Package
Panoramic Sunroof
12.3” Instrument Cluster Display
Burmester Surround Sound System
Hands Free Access
EASY-PACK Power Trunk Closer
KEYLESS-GO
Enhanced Heated Front Seats
Heated Armrests-Front

2017 E400 4Matic Sedan-Technology Package
Heads-Up Display

360 Camera
Active MULTIBEAM LED Lighting System
Adaptive High beam Assist

My salesperson: I have highlighted 3 features in the technology package that were in the premium package for 2015. In order for you to have the same car that you had, you will need to order the technology package on the 2017 model.

driver100 · October 2016

nyccarguy said:
Since we are talking Mercedes here, I swear I cannot tell the difference between the rear end of a C,E,or S class from less than 5 feet away. Now that "all" the Es are E300s, it makes it that much more difficult. The E & the S have an almost identical front fascia. I saw an S 5550 & an E300 on the back of a car carrier last week. Both black. They looked like twins.

I agree! Usually they don't do that, annoying to person who buys the more expensive car. I guess they want to keep a theme going, which makes sense too. This way you know what it is, and it is a great design.

28firefighter · October 2016

The problem with the drug epidemic (and it is an epidemic), at least here in Seattle, is that public health and criminal justice system workers are having a difficult time trying to identify folks in the population who are open to receiving help and those that are simply content to live on the street fix-to-fix.

We have a significant transient problem in Seattle as of late and unfortunately the city leadership is not doing nearly enough to address it. The folks I've encountered fall into one of three categories:
(1) Addicts who are happy to live out their days as addicts on the street, begging, stealing, and fighting their way to their next fix.

(2) Mentally ill who are using drugs as a way to self-medicate due to lack of programs available to help them.

(3) Addicts who want help, but continually are sucked back in by those who are in (1) and to a lesser extent (2).

We are never going to be able to help those that fall into the first category because you cannot help people that do not want to help themselves. But I truly believe if we can figure out a way to identify and isolate those in the second and third categories and funnel them away from the justice system and into rehabilitation programs, we will have a fighting chance at curbing the problem.

A couple of months ago I was out walking my dog near a local pocket park, and SPD was there arresting a couple who had been shooting heroin near some small children playing on the jungle gym. The woman was crying hysterically, but her significant other was furious and throwing every manner of swear and racial epithet at the arresting officers. It became pretty clear listening to the conversation that the woman's SO fell into category (1) and that she was in category (3) but is continually brought back into contact with a temptation she cannot resist. I felt for her and I felt for the Officers whose hands were tied - you cannot shoot heroin in front of kids and avoid jail.

We have to do better.

qbrozen · October 2016

graphicguy said:
Problem was, he used it for Heroin. He was busted for drugs, and is in jail today. The parents feel it's best given at least he's not using. I felt bad about it as I thought I had enabled him.

Someone like that is going to find a way to get the money one way or another. You probably saved him from getting into a different and possibly more dangerous situation.

henryn · October 2016

stever said:
Sorry, my Selmer alto is under my sister's bed back in Virginia.

Well, go get it then! ROAD TRIP!!!!

And on the subject of dating, if this wasn't a "G" rated site, I could tell some stories.

stever · October 2016

We were supposed to be on a fly/drive back there this week in fact, but stuff happened. Been jonsing for some cruising.

houdini1 · October 2016

stever said:
The one I knew about was just south of there in Verona. Let me guess, and then y'all went to Dudie's Diner for ten cent hamburgers, or went looking for Elvis at Sherer's Drive-In?

Are you kidding, 10 cents for a burger in those days? We didn't have enough money to share one. I was thinking Miss State beat us 41 to 0, but looked that particular game up, and the actual score was only 38 to 0. Almost 55 years ago today. Oct. 13, 1961.

ab348 · October 2016

graphicguy said:

Today, it's available and it's cheap. I've heard some say it's that way because of the clamp down on South American cocaine cartels to replace the profits they lost during the coke wars.

There was an interesting article in Esquire magazine a month or so back that tried to trace it to the legalization of (or lack of enforcement of laws against) marijuana, claiming that the drug cartels lost a big chunk of that business to large producers in the USA, and so switched to the growing of opium products and flooded the US with them through their pre-existing supply chain. I cannot imagine sticking a needle in my arm or even smoking anything these days. It is all just disgusting.

Michaell · October 2016

ab348 said:

graphicguy said:

Today, it's available and it's cheap. I've heard some say it's that way because of the clamp down on South American cocaine cartels to replace the profits they lost during the coke wars.
There was an interesting article in Esquire magazine a month or so back that tried to trace it to the legalization of (or lack of enforcement of laws against) marijuana, claiming that the drug cartels lost a big chunk of that business to large producers in the USA, and so switched to the growing of opium products and flooded the US with them through their pre-existing supply chain. I cannot imagine sticking a needle in my arm or even smoking anything these days. It is all just disgusting.

Here in Colorado, "edibles" are becoming the new method of getting high. Though a lot of folks still smoke or inhale through various methods.

jmonroe · October 2016

henryn said:

stever said:
Sorry, my Selmer alto is under my sister's bed back in Virginia.
Well, go get it then! ROAD TRIP!!!!

And on the subject of dating, if this wasn't a "G" rated site, I could tell some stories.

Our dues package entitles us to go up to "X", so tell away before it changes.

jmonroe

stever · October 2016

This poster could use some help with "rough riding metrics". I could do the big wheels, little tires, sport suspension routine but would rather enlist help from some real car people. Thanks!

imidazol97 · October 2016

On the business of my 1950 Studebaker comparison, I was viewing it from the glass-half-full viewpoint.

It runs well. A little heavy. Considered a premium vehicle in its time. Gets great gas mileage at 30 mpg with overdrive installed. Labors on with an L-head 6-cylinder engine and 3-on-the-tree while all the folks with the cool, perfect cars have V8's and 4-speed transmissions. Chrome a little pitted.

I can hear the song lyrics in the voice and style of Janis Joplin (yeaaaa!) and I like the saxophone.

"Lord, won't you give me a '50 Studebaker" and on and on! I'm sure @snakeweasel can work those lyrics much better than I can. LOL

And those those observant folks, I missed that the picture of the two-door I used had rain louvers over the side windows AND had painted chrome around the headlights. It was not completely stock.

https://youtu.be/7tGuJ34062s?t=45

driver100 · October 2016

I have reached the limit of the insurance company paying for my rental car. The limit was $1800. I called Discount to see what it would cost to keep the BMW X1 for 3 weeks. They said $99 a day! I asked how much for a full size like a Fusion, they said $50 a day.

My dealer will get me a full size car from Enterprise for $226 a week. Enterprise website says I can get a full size car for $250 a week. The BMW would have been about $2000 for 3 weeks, a full size car about $1200.

Sure can make a big difference....you really have to do your homework.

I just got an email from the insurance company looking into the $2600 I would like for the Tech Package. All it said was, "We are looking into it".

oldfarmer50 · October 2016

nyccarguy said:
Following up on the story I told you guys about a month ago where my best friend's sister in law was a passenger in that Infiniti. A few things didn't add up. The fact that it was 4:30 in the morning and the guy wasn't drunk and wasn't speeding. He said he was going 50 in a 55. The speed limit was 35, so yes going 15 mph over isn't THAT fast, but how does this guy remember exactly how fast he was going? My friend's mother in law is a nurse and practiced at the hospital the her daughter was taken to after the crash. She asked some of her former colleagues to "look the other way" while the driver's stats were on the screen. The guy was definitely drunk. Very drunk. The 4 people in the car got their phones back from the police. The phones had been wiped clean. The driver's father was a deceased, well known, Sheriff in the county. My friend's sister in law is recovering (which is the most important part), but it is just terrible that he's going to get the insurance money, put it down on a new car, go out, get drunk, and crash again.

@graphicguy - I know you've mentioned before about a friend of yours who has 2 children, one of whom is a complete addict. In addition to that, there are thousands just like it. I read about a 7 year old girl who got on the bus in McKeesport, PA and told the bus driver that her parents wouldn't wake up. They ODd with a 5 year old, 3 year old, & infant in the house.

My parents recently ran into the parents of a friend of mine at Rosh Hashanna services who I went to High School with (we are still friends on facebook). My parents were with my niece who is 6 years old. These people too had their 6 year old grand daughter with them. They start to chat. Ask how I am and How I'm doing. My parents ask about their son who I was friendly with (lives in FL with his wife and 2 kids, doing well). They then begin to tell my parents that they are at temple with their 6 year old grand daughter whom they have full custody of. Their daughter has been in and out of rehab close to 20 times over the past x amount of years. She is permitted 2 supervised visits per month that she misses half the time. She has 2 other children from a previous marriage that her ex-husband has full custody of. My friend's Dad had retired, then had to open his dental practice back up to start raising their grand daughter with his wife (the girl's grand mother). Growing up these people were so warm, so giving, and so kind. This has to stop.

Sounds like a real cover up and felonies were committed. Time to sue and get those medical records in discovery.

oldfarmer50 · October 2016

28firefighter said:
The problem with the drug epidemic (and it is an epidemic), at least here in Seattle, is that public health and criminal justice system workers are having a difficult time trying to identify folks in the population who are open to receiving help and those that are simply content to live on the street fix-to-fix.

We have a significant transient problem in Seattle as of late and unfortunately the city leadership is not doing nearly enough to address it. The folks I've encountered fall into one of three categories:
(1) Addicts who are happy to live out their days as addicts on the street, begging, stealing, and fighting their way to their next fix.

(2) Mentally ill who are using drugs as a way to self-medicate due to lack of programs available to help them.

(3) Addicts who want help, but continually are sucked back in by those who are in (1) and to a lesser extent (2).

We are never going to be able to help those that fall into the first category because you cannot help people that do not want to help themselves. But I truly believe if we can figure out a way to identify and isolate those in the second and third categories and funnel them away from the justice system and into rehabilitation programs, we will have a fighting chance at curbing the problem.

A couple of months ago I was out walking my dog near a local pocket park, and SPD was there arresting a couple who had been shooting heroin near some small children playing on the jungle gym. The woman was crying hysterically, but her significant other was furious and throwing every manner of swear and racial epithet at the arresting officers. It became pretty clear listening to the conversation that the woman's SO fell into category (1) and that she was in category (3) but is continually brought back into contact with a temptation she cannot resist. I felt for her and I felt for the Officers whose hands were tied - you cannot shoot heroin in front of kids and avoid jail.

We have to do better.

Most addicts have to hit bottom before they will seek help. Sometimes the bottom is death. It's sad and frustrating.

http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Colonie-police-find-man-passed-out-with-baby-in-9864569.php

sb55 · October 2016

Heroin has touched our family in a bad way. My wife's nephew od'd and was buried 7 years ago and my sister's stepson has been in rehab, then jail, then rehab again. My sister jumped through hoops to get him out of jail and back into rehab. Unfortunately he's an angry young man who thinks that he's smarter than everyone. I think that he's back using now and my sister has pretty much given up until he asks for help or kills himself.

My son is a hippie who pretty much tries to live off of the grid. He lives in a shack, heats with wood and uses an outhouse. But like most millennials he does need internet! He won't put any foreign substance in his body. When he visits he brings all his own food and even spring water that he bottles himself. It drives my wife crazy, but at least we know his lifestyle probably won't kill him.

driver100 · October 2016

sb55 said:
Heroin has touched our family in a bad way. .

My son is a hippie who pretty much tries to live off of the grid. He lives in a shack, heats with wood and uses an outhouse. But like most millennials he does need internet! He won't put any foreign substance in his body.

I sometimes think I am really glad I had pretty normal friends when I was growing up, and I kind of turned out fairly normal. I like to know what I am doing so I can't imagine taking drugs, I wouldn't have more than one drink (I was going to say at a time but that would be like Bill Clinton language) at an event, dinner, party etc. No judgement on taking recreational drugs (I have friends who use them), I just think I only have one life and I want to be aware of it as much of it as possible - probably why I can't sleep on a plane - if something happens I want to know what went wrong!

I think a big part of it comes from peer influence etc. when growing up. Fortunately, most of the guys were pretty normal. I get together with the guys from the old neighborhood once a year....almost all of them I hadn't seen for over 40 years - usually 14 to 16 of the guys show up. Most became teachers or are principals, one is a high profile judge, a few engineers, sales, and only one I know of who had a troubled life but he doesn't come and hasn't been invited...he murdered his girlfriend and he killed a friend by driving while drunk.

PF_Flyer · October 2016

A lot of good points. Something that has struck me ever since my kids (now 24 & 28 and just fine) started school, is that we've raised a generation who has been told every day and in every way that if they turn on that light bulb or use that piece of paper, or eat a hamburger that we're going to kill the planet and we'll all die. Everything is presented as a "crisis", and we're now surprised that large numbers of people think there's no hope and resort to extremes?

Before we get rid of the lawyers, I'd start with the Weather Channel, who will probably start naming rain showers any day now

(Summer shower Luigi "impacts" over 8 MILLION in NYC)

Michaell · October 2016

PF_Flyer said:
Before we get rid of the lawyers, I'd start with the Weather Channel, who will probably start naming rain showers any day now (Summer shower Luigi "impacts" over 8 MILLION in NYC)

Funny you should mention that ... I think some of the winter storms are starting to get named here in Colorado.

stever · October 2016

Meh, yellow journalism really had its heyday in the 1900s. A couple of guys named Pulitzer and Hearst were some of the most notorious practitioners. And before there was Photoshop, there were composographs.

houdini1 · October 2016

driver100 said:
I have reached the limit of the insurance company paying for my rental car. The limit was $1800. I called Discount to see what it would cost to keep the BMW X1 for 3 weeks. They said $99 a day! I asked how much for a full size like a Fusion, they said $50 a day.

My dealer will get me a full size car from Enterprise for $226 a week. Enterprise website says I can get a full size car for $250 a week. The BMW would have been about $2000 for 3 weeks, a full size car about $1200.

Sure can make a big difference....you really have to do your homework.

I just got an email from the insurance company looking into the $2600 I would like for the Tech Package. All it said was, "We are looking into it".

Meaning, they are in the process of chewing your broker out and implicitly threatening him. Telling him to stick to selling and leave the claims handling to the claims dept. Hopefully, he will stick to his guns. Be careful though, claims people are vindictive and they will try to make it up somewhere else if they have to cave on this issue. I'm sure you know the drill !

fintail · October 2016

I grew up in an area with a lot of pot use (legal here now), I knew tons of kids who played with it in high school, in the 90s. The area has now devolved into a lot of heroin and meth - but I don't know of any of the kids I knew turning into addicts. I think the hopelessness of the poor economy in the area adds to it. My brother partakes quite a bit, but he has never touched anything harder - he doesn't even drink. He'll be fine. It makes him kind of unmotivated, but I think that would be the case even without the wacky tobacky

Maybe the oh so competent and accountable authorities need to redo their strategy

Mr_Shiftright · October 2016

I knew a few junkies in NYC rather...ahem...intimately. Had to "deal" with them. One thing people who have little experience with this drug have to understand is that 99% of all heroin addicts will do ANYTHING---yes, including the proverbial selling your grandmother--to get the fix. Standing between the addict and their supply can be as dangerous as standing between a mother bear and her cubs. The power of heroin is never to be underestimated. Fortunately I can also relate some "success" stories concerning friends' children, but quite honestly, the recovery rate isn't that high, so nobody should get their hopes up too unrealistically.

ab348 · October 2016

PF_Flyer said:
A lot of good points. Something that has struck me ever since my kids (now 24 & 28 and just fine) started school, is that we've raised a generation who has been told every day and in every way that if they turn on that light bulb or use that piece of paper, or eat a hamburger that we're going to kill the planet and we'll all die. Everything is presented as a "crisis", and we're now surprised that large numbers of people think there's no hope and resort to extremes?

I think a good part of the problem comes from the reality that people now, and especially the younger generation, are constantly plugged into social media, news sites, and everything else that the internet brings. So every activist, every group, every person with an axe to grind gets a much louder, more amplified voice, and there is no "quality control" or filter or editor for a lot of it. It can become overwhelming if people let themselves be bombarded with this. If a person does not have very good judgement or a frame of reference to assess it, they can be taken in by all the outrage and crisis reports, and end up believing that a lot of totally ridiculous stuff is true.

Mr_Shiftright · October 2016

It is shocking what some people believe without questioning the data. Be a skeptic, that's my advice...which is not the same at all as a "cynic". The skeptic basically says: "Oh, that's interesting. Can you prove it to me before I believe it"?

I think the "self-esteem" movement is somewhat responsible for these high levels of gullibility, because it encourages people to "trust their own judgment" or "personal experience"----which is more often than not, pretty unreliable compared to cold hard facts. Ask any law enforcement person about "eye witness testimony".

ab348 · October 2016

fintail said:
I grew up in an area with a lot of pot use (legal here now), I knew tons of kids who played with it in high school, in the 90s. The area has now devolved into a lot of heroin and meth - but I don't know of any of the kids I knew turning into addicts. I think the hopelessness of the poor economy in the area adds to it.

I thought the economy was red-hot there? Crazy property values, etc.?

Michaell · October 2016

ab348 said:

fintail said:
I grew up in an area with a lot of pot use (legal here now), I knew tons of kids who played with it in high school, in the 90s. The area has now devolved into a lot of heroin and meth - but I don't know of any of the kids I knew turning into addicts. I think the hopelessness of the poor economy in the area adds to it.
I thought the economy was red-hot there? Crazy property values, etc.?

That's Seattle .. eastern Washington is very different in many ways.

28firefighter · October 2016

Eastern Washington is much more like the midwest than it is the west coast.

ab348 · October 2016

fintail said:
Maybe the oh so competent and accountable authorities need to redo their strategy

That is pretty whacked-out. Meanwhile there are probably 40-foot trailers full of the stuff entering Massachusetts from Colorado. It clearly does have some medical uses although I think a lot of the med MJ activists I see in the media are only in it to try to get high at an insurer's or the gov's expense. I would have a lot more faith in it as medicine if it didn't need to be smoked and if there were actual legit clinical trials of compounded meds like all other prescription drugs have to go through. But if someone wants to grow a couple of plants, fine.

The flipside is what my older brother is facing now. He lives in a 1960s subdivision with mostly modest bungalows on good-sized lots. Because of the age and style of the development the houses there are somewhat more affordable. For years the neighbor on one side of him had a lovely house, but as things go, they aged and eventually died. The house was sold and rented out, and the property went into decline. A few years ago he realized there was a grow-op in the basement, evident mostly by the stink. Turned out the owner had been given some kind of permit by Health Canada to be a designated grower in their med MJ program. Apparently he was supplying a dozen or so people with their prescribed weed.

About a month ago an excavator rolled in and started knocking down an old garage, trees, and grubbing a big part of the lot. Apparently high on the money he made out of the basement, the owner is constructing a much bigger grow op now. Right next door. The neighbors are up in arms, trying to get the city by-law people to shut it down. But of course the entire industry is barely legal at best so what are a few building bylaws?

Mr_Shiftright · October 2016

Dry and relatively poor.

fintail · October 2016

Not just western WA, but Seattle metro in particular. It is often a lot less prosperous in the west when you stray about 40 miles out. Uneven wealth gains in the nation as a whole are seen on a smaller scale in WA, a microcosm of the new economy. Eastern WA doesn't seem to boom or bust, just keeps working along. A lot of westerners cringe at it, but as I spent a bit of my youth there, I wouldn't cry if I was relocated. I don't mind the weather, and housing is often literally 25% of the cost of the trendier western areas.

ab348 said:

I thought the economy was red-hot there? Crazy property values, etc.?

fintail · October 2016

It's legal here, and there have been endless wars about where facilities can be located. I think there are laws stating x feet from schools and residential housing, etc. The incentive for personal growing seems to decline when there are retail shops every mile or two.

ab348 said:

About a month ago an excavator rolled in and started knocking down an old garage, trees, and grubbing a big part of the lot. Apparently high on the money he made out of the basement, the owner is constructing a much bigger grow up now. Right next door. The neighbors are up in arms, trying to get the city by-law people to shut it down. But of course the entire industry is barely legal at best so what are a few building bylaws?

ab348 · October 2016

fintail said:
Not just western WA, but Seattle metro in particular. It is often a lot less prosperous in the west when you stray about 40 miles out. Uneven wealth gains in the nation as a whole are seen on a smaller scale in WA, a microcosm of the new economy. Eastern WA doesn't seem to boom or bust, just keeps working along. A lot of westerners cringe at it, but as I spent a bit of my youth there, I wouldn't cry if I was relocated. I don't mind the weather, and housing is often literally 25% of the cost of the trendier western areas.

In '04 I drove from Seattle (which I quite liked aside from the traffic) to the Tri-Cities area to visit some of the wineries out that way. It was interesting to dodge the tumbleweeds. I like that sort of semi-desert terrain but have to say I preferred Idaho to that part of Washington. We had a stop in Yakima and it was kind of depressing. Although we pulled into a state park/rest area in Easton (I think) where the local church ladies were offering free homemade chocolate chip cookies and cold drinks, so that was nice.

driver100 · October 2016

PF_Flyer said:

Before we get rid of the lawyers, I'd start with the Weather Channel, who will probably start naming rain showers any day now (Summer shower Luigi "impacts" over 8 MILLION in NYC)

I think 24/7 news contributes too......everyone is on edge all the time. Then there is the disease of the week. The pharmacist says he dreads when 20/20 or 60 Minutes has a segment about some drug either being good or bad...he has too much business the next day.

driver100 · October 2016

houdini1 said:

driver100 said:
I have reached the limit of the insurance company paying for my rental car. The limit was $1800. I called Discount to see what it would cost to keep the BMW X1 for 3 weeks. They said $99 a day! I asked how much for a full size like a Fusion, they said $50 a day.

My dealer will get me a full size car from Enterprise for $226 a week. Enterprise website says I can get a full size car for $250 a week. The BMW would have been about $2000 for 3 weeks, a full size car about $1200.

Sure can make a big difference....you really have to do your homework.

I just got an email from the insurance company looking into the $2600 I would like for the Tech Package. All it said was, "We are looking into it".
Meaning, they are in the process of chewing your broker out and implicitly threatening him. Telling him to stick to selling and leave the claims handling to the claims dept. Hopefully, he will stick to his guns. Be careful though, claims people are vindictive and they will try to make it up somewhere else if they have to cave on this issue. I'm sure you know the drill !

There is a good question for you. Actually, I really think the broker has some clout with the insurance company. We are in a pretty big group, and |I am sure the broker's opinion has to be considered.

The last I heard, my broker has reapplied for the Tech Package ($2600) option, and the adjuster from the insurance company wrote that she is now reviewing it...before it was just a flat NO.

But, the question is, isn't better to deal with a broker rather than just buy directly from say a State Farm or Allstate? I hadn't thought about it before, but who do you have fighting for you if you are with one of those direct companies.

Speaking of insurance, I am glad we are on the West side of Florida this time.

stever · October 2016

A reporter is working on a story about buggy infotainment systems and is looking to speak with car owners who've had issues with their systems. If you'd like to share your experience, please reach out to pr@edmunds.com by no later than Monday, October 10, 2016.

isellhondas4 · October 2016

Appreciate the update on Mike. Please add my best wishes to the others!

I try to peek into this forum once in awhile and although I have tried really hard to get my old identity back I have had no success and have given up (sadly) on these forums. I miss all of you and I'll try to at least take a look in this thread from time to time.

Craig

houdini1 · October 2016

driver100 said:

houdini1 said:

driver100 said:
I have reached the limit of the insurance company paying for my rental car. The limit was $1800. I called Discount to see what it would cost to keep the BMW X1 for 3 weeks. They said $99 a day! I asked how much for a full size like a Fusion, they said $50 a day.

My dealer will get me a full size car from Enterprise for $226 a week. Enterprise website says I can get a full size car for $250 a week. The BMW would have been about $2000 for 3 weeks, a full size car about $1200.

Sure can make a big difference....you really have to do your homework.

I just got an email from the insurance company looking into the $2600 I would like for the Tech Package. All it said was, "We are looking into it".
Meaning, they are in the process of chewing your broker out and implicitly threatening him. Telling him to stick to selling and leave the claims handling to the claims dept. Hopefully, he will stick to his guns. Be careful though, claims people are vindictive and they will try to make it up somewhere else if they have to cave on this issue. I'm sure you know the drill !
There is a good question for you. Actually, I really think the broker has some clout with the insurance company. We are in a pretty big group, and |I am sure the broker's opinion has to be considered.

The last I heard, my broker has reapplied for the Tech Package ($2600) option, and the adjuster from the insurance company wrote that she is now reviewing it...before it was just a flat NO.

But, the question is, isn't better to deal with a broker rather than just buy directly from say a State Farm or Allstate? I hadn't thought about it before, but who do you have fighting for you if you are with one of those direct companies.

Speaking of insurance, I am glad we are on the West side of Florida this time.

Yes, much better. If he is an independent broker, he works for you, not the insurance company, and they do have some clout.

iluvmysephia1 · October 2016

Appreciate the update on Mike. Please add my best wishes to the others!

I'll second the above emotion - we're pulling for you, Mike. Hope you stay safe during this storm, too.

I try to peek into this forum once in awhile and although I have tried really hard to get my old identity back I have had no success and have given up (sadly) on these forums. I miss all of you and I'll try to at least take a look in this thread from time to time.

Craig

I'm confused but hurry back, isellhondas4. All from forgetting password...issues?

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