Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

driver100 · April 2017

Marcothecarguy1986 said:
@laurasdada hear you on getting the secand mottle year and on but we don't folo that around alwas so exciting when an new mottle comes out we have bin taking are chances for years and thank god have had no mager problems.

Marco...you have a picture of what I believe is a 1960 T-Bird by your signature. Is that your favorite car? It is one of my favorites....I also like the models before and after too.

murphydog · April 2017

fintail said:
You should drive around Seattle, slowest mergers I have ever seen. WB 90 at Factoria and Bellevue Way (the latter has a very long ramp) are notoriously bad, and much of 405 can be hilarious too. If someone is that scared, they need to stick to secondary roads.

andres3 said:

Being potentially rear-ended is why people merging onto the freeway at a lackadaisical 50 MPH where traffic is moving along at 75-85 MPH get the drivers behind them so upset. from the west side of Baker to Riverside. Worst dawdling I've ever seen in my lifetime getting onto a freeway due to the length of the merging on-ramp lane.

Fin

This is a requirement in the Washington drivers guide..."driver shall merge onto the free at least 20 MPH slower than prevailing traffic"

Drives me crazy how poorly people here enter the freeway...40 MPH followed by a three lane swerve to "fast" lane...

Mr_Shiftright · April 2017

isellhondas said:
Ultra Rare! 1957 Chevrolet 150! Three door model!

https://honolulu.craigslist.org/oah/cto/6080481332.html

Does someone want to tell me exactly how this was done?

Yeah---two cars cut longitudinally and mated together would be my guess.

Mr_Shiftright · April 2017

stickguy said:
I would like to see his claimed 1,300 HP. Good luck with that.

He says "capable" of 1300 HP---I have seen engines built that high but they are extremely radical affairs. I'm going to say that was "beer horsepower".

stickguy · April 2017

he mentioned the turbo being capable. That probably means on the box it said if you turn the boost up to 100, it could make that. With the fine print pointing out you need an engine built to handle it, Probably something you would find in a funny car!

graphicguy · April 2017

sda said:

isellhondas said:

cdnpinhead said:

isellhondas said:
Some people think that making a decent profit on a car sale is somehow wrong. This I will never understand. I was down to earth and honest with my customers. In my last few years, the bulk of my sales were to repeat and referral customers.
Craig, I was lucky enough to run into someone like you up at Shortline Subaru in Denver a couple of months ago.

Tom Pluemer is a square-shooter (I know, archaic phrase -- back from the "be square and obey the law of the pack" times [extra credit if you have a clue what I'm talking about]), and the deal I drove out of the store with was the same one he presented me via e-mail six weeks earlier. I was pleased (and surprised) all the way through, kept looking for the catch -- there wasn't one.

The sad part is that I (we, really, including my wife) don't buy cars all that often, so it's not likely that I'll get to deal with him again, but one never knows. I'll seek him out when the time comes. If he changes brands, I'll consider changing along with him.

I'm thinking you sold cars like Tom does, and that people came back to you for a reason. Stand tall. Loyalty matters, at least to me and hopefully to a few others.

Thank you for that.

Funny thing about loyalty. Somehow a rumor got started that Hondas were cheaper to buy in Oregon and, of course, that just isn't true. I once had a very "loyal" customer ALMOST take the three hour drive to Oregon and at the last minute he decided to call me. I told him to bring me anything he had and I would at least match it which we were able to do.

It's a tough market and some of the stores will sell a car for no profit just to make a mark and deprive the local store out of a sale. Guess who get's to do the warranty work? In some parts of the country the stores just hate one another and dealer trades are never done. I know the store I worked at refused to do trades with some of the other stores for that reason.
In the late 80's and early 90's I had a loyal relationship with a salesman at a VW dealership. He always took an interest in me and never pressured me in any way. He would send me a hand written note or call me about cars he knew I would be interested in and encouraged me to take an extended test drive without him riding with me. I bought 4 VWs from him and gave him some good referrals that also became repeat customers. I was disappointed when he retired and have not had that type of rapport since.

I've had the same relationship with my Acura sales person. He calls when the dealership is trying to "hit their volume bonus" and will make an even "better than skinny deal". I don't always buy a car from him when I'm in the market. But, I know if I'm headed his way, I'll get a great deal and he'll do whatever it takes to get me what I want.

He even invited me to his daughter's wedding a few years ago. I invited him to my wedding. He's always the "top guy" in sales and also customer satisfaction. Never works the floor. People ask for him and those are the only people he works with. Low pressure, laid back, knowledgeable. I even think they let him do his own deals. I think he's winding down his career, though.

iluvmysephia1 · April 2017

Thanks to all of you on my job search. I think I have two really good ones on the line.

Michaell - you're spot on about interviewing them as much as they do you. Exactly - I particularly wanna know about those nights where there's no scheduled studies in the Lab and a call comes in to rush down to the ER and help in a code blue. Those are not my forte, though I have helped with hundreds of them during my career. I'd prefer just being a Tech. specifically and specialize in helping people get a better night's sleep. Good sleep is so important.

fintail · April 2017

Funny, what you describe is exactly what I see at the Factoria on-ramp. A slow dawdly run-up to 42mph on the long ramp, then a beeline to the left lane where they eventually work up to the speed limit. Other cars on the road? Too bad. Bonus points if a Prius or Lexus RX.

murphydog said:

Fin

This is a requirement in the Washington drivers guide..."driver shall merge onto the free at least 20 MPH slower than prevailing traffic"

Drives me crazy how poorly people here enter the freeway...40 MPH followed by a three lane swerve to "fast" lane...

28firefighter · April 2017

murphydog said:

You should drive around Seattle, slowest mergers I have ever seen. WB 90 at Factoria and Bellevue Way (the latter has a very long ramp) are notoriously bad, and much of 405 can be hilarious too. If someone is that scared, they need to stick to secondary roads.
Being potentially rear-ended is why people merging onto the freeway at a lackadaisical 50 MPH where traffic is moving along at 75-85 MPH get the drivers behind them so upset. from the west side of Baker to Riverside. Worst dawdling I've ever seen in my lifetime getting onto a freeway due to the length of the merging on-ramp lane.

Fin This is a requirement in the Washington drivers guide..."driver shall merge onto the free at least 20 MPH slower than prevailing traffic" Drives me crazy how poorly people here enter the freeway...40 MPH followed by a three lane swerve to "fast" lane...

To drive 5 under the speed in the fast lane. Let's not forget that part.

oldfarmer50 · April 2017

Marcothecarguy1986 said:
@laurasdada yes it is an nice car from what I hear. no of sum one who got one not long ago. loves it. funny thing he is blind and from Itely has his brother drive it for him not shore who elce does drive it for him. I said go for it would do the same being that I am in the same boat being visually inpared. hope that everyone had an good weekand. weather is so nice finally. have an good upcumming week all. the new York auto show starts on Friday. going the 21th think Friday. anyone elce going to go to the show.

Unique perspective. So what features does the visually impaired person look for when selecting a car?

tjc78 · April 2017

graphicguy said:

Some people think that making a decent profit on a car sale is somehow wrong. This I will never understand. I was down to earth and honest with my customers. In my last few years, the bulk of my sales were to repeat and referral customers.
Craig, I was lucky enough to run into someone like you up at Shortline Subaru in Denver a couple of months ago. Tom Pluemer is a square-shooter (I know, archaic phrase -- back from the "be square and obey the law of the pack" times [extra credit if you have a clue what I'm talking about]), and the deal I drove out of the store with was the same one he presented me via e-mail six weeks earlier. I was pleased (and surprised) all the way through, kept looking for the catch -- there wasn't one. The sad part is that I (we, really, including my wife) don't buy cars all that often, so it's not likely that I'll get to deal with him again, but one never knows. I'll seek him out when the time comes. If he changes brands, I'll consider changing along with him. I'm thinking you sold cars like Tom does, and that people came back to you for a reason. Stand tall. Loyalty matters, at least to me and hopefully to a few others.
Thank you for that. Funny thing about loyalty. Somehow a rumor got started that Hondas were cheaper to buy in Oregon and, of course, that just isn't true. I once had a very "loyal" customer ALMOST take the three hour drive to Oregon and at the last minute he decided to call me. I told him to bring me anything he had and I would at least match it which we were able to do. It's a tough market and some of the stores will sell a car for no profit just to make a mark and deprive the local store out of a sale. Guess who get's to do the warranty work? In some parts of the country the stores just hate one another and dealer trades are never done. I know the store I worked at refused to do trades with some of the other stores for that reason.
In the late 80's and early 90's I had a loyal relationship with a salesman at a VW dealership. He always took an interest in me and never pressured me in any way. He would send me a hand written note or call me about cars he knew I would be interested in and encouraged me to take an extended test drive without him riding with me. I bought 4 VWs from him and gave him some good referrals that also became repeat customers. I was disappointed when he retired and have not had that type of rapport since.
I've had the same relationship with my Acura sales person. He calls when the dealership is trying to "hit their volume bonus" and will make an even "better than skinny deal". I don't always buy a car from him when I'm in the market. But, I know if I'm headed his way, I'll get a great deal and he'll do whatever it takes to get me what I want. He even invited me to his daughter's wedding a few years ago. I invited him to my wedding. He's always the "top guy" in sales and also customer satisfaction. Never works the floor. People ask for him and those are the only people he works with. Low pressure, laid back, knowledgeable. I even think they let him do his own deals. I think he's winding down his career, though.

Sounds like my Salesperson with Toyota. She has almost 100% repeat and referral business. We skip the manager back and forth and she just "does the deal".

I did a lease lease on a RAV 4 for my mom early this year and it was done during a lunch break and a good deal.

ab348 · April 2017

28firefighter said:

To drive 5 under the speed in the fast lane. Let's not forget that part.

We get those here a lot. Usually a Yaris or Prius with a "Mobile Speed Bump - I drive the limit" sticker on the back, distributed by the local enviro activist group.

houdini1 · April 2017

oldfarmer50 said:

abacomike said:
@driver100:

One of the major causes of air pollution is the gas excreted by beef cattle and dairy cows - mainly methane gas. Go figure! Maybe that's the reason I eat very little beef and try to stay away from dairy products.
Don't forget, people emit those same gases and there are a lot more people than cattle. EPA has already declared your very breath to be a pollutant and the Supreme Court has backed their authority to regulate it.

One day you may look back fondly to the time you didn't have to hold your breath 3 days a week.

They won't restrict your breathing. No money in that. They will just charge you a carbon tax each time you exhale. Joke used to be that some people had big noses because air is free, but not anymore.

PF_Flyer · April 2017

Speaking of speed bumps... there was a little internet speed bump this morning, but we're back on the open road now

fintail · April 2017

The "fast lane" thing irks me too, people here use the term a lot. Of course, the authorities claim they are cracking down on all this...LOLOLOL.

28firefighter said:

To drive 5 under the speed in the fast lane. Let's not forget that part.

driver100 · April 2017

The "Left Fastlane" means very little these days. Drivers try to use it if they want to go faster. In Florida the fast drivers use the left lane, but if the car in front isn't going fast enough they swerve into the middle or right lane....try to advance by one car, then swerve back into the left lane. It is like a game of chess, try to advance by one car length each time.

abacomike · April 2017

I am going to try to keep this post as short as possible - I sure don't want driver and jmonroe to think I was challenging them to a duel!

My older daughter (only one left) and her SO arrived at my condo at about 3:30 PM. We sat in the living room and talked about an hour before it was time to get dressed to go out for dinner. Her SO just took a job in the Palm Springs/Jupiter area of Palm Beach County with an Air-Conditioning/Heating Company out of the Port St. Lucie/Ft. Pierce area. Jupiter is about 55-60 miles north of me straight up the Florida Turnpike. He is trying to get my daughter to move down here with him in the next 12-14 months - many things to settle like a job and her house - but time will tell.

We then went downstairs and of course we drove in the new BMW 740i. My daughter asked me how I could drive such an expensive car while she is struggling - I merely ignored her statement. By ignoring her comment, it was not brought up again the rest of the evening - thank goodness!!! How someone could struggle on $85,000 a year in income is beyond me - but there are variables as we all know and I sure didn't want to go into them.

We got to the restaurant (NYY Steak House) and of course they both wanted drinks. So we stopped into the lounge and waited for our table to be set up. We then went in to the restaurant. I think both of them decided that if I can afford a 740i, I could sure afford twin lobster tails, shrimp cocktails, lots of side dishes, more drinks and double cognacs all around. I could never do that - even when I came to visit my mom and dad years ago, I always selected a moderately priced dinner and sides - never ordered alcoholic beverages unless my dad and/or mom asked if I would like to join them. But, we talked quite a bit about his new job and the prospects of my daughter moving down, and then dinner was over. The tab came to $498.00 without tip. So I pulled out my credit card, paid for the dinner, and just sat there and waited for him to offer to pick up the tip. After 20 minutes, I was afraid he would order something else, so I just pulled out my wallet and put down $75.00 for the tip and stood up.

We went straight home and then up to my condo so they could change into more casual clothes and off they went. They thanked me for dinner and drinks and I merely said, "...you are quite welcome..." and that was it. I will admit it was one of the more expensive evenings in my lifetime but seeing family is worth it especially when you don't see them often.

I will end it here - don't want to overstay my welcome on this forum thread.

oldfarmer50 · April 2017

abacomike said:
I am going to try to keep this post as short as possible - I sure don't want driver and jmonroe to think I was challenging them to a duel!

My older daughter (only one left) and her SO arrived at my condo at about 3:30 PM. We sat in the living room and talked about an hour before it was time to get dressed to go out for dinner. Her SO just took a job in the Palm Springs/Jupiter area of Palm Beach County with an Air-Conditioning/Heating Company out of the Port St. Lucie/Ft. Pierce area. Jupiter is about 55-60 miles north of me straight up the Florida Turnpike. He is trying to get my daughter to move down here with him in the next 12-14 months - many things to settle like a job and her house - but time will tell.

We then went downstairs and of course we drove in the new BMW 740i. My daughter asked me how I could drive such an expensive car while she is struggling - I merely ignored her statement. By ignoring her comment, it was not brought up again the rest of the evening - thank goodness!!! How someone could struggle on $85,000 a year in income is beyond me - but there are variables as we all know and I sure didn't want to go into them.

We got to the restaurant (NYY Steak House) and of course they both wanted drinks. So we stopped into the lounge and waited for our table to be set up. We then went in to the restaurant. I think both of them decided that if I can afford a 740i, I could sure afford twin lobster tails, shrimp cocktails, lots of side dishes, more drinks and double cognacs all around. I could never do that - even when I came to visit my mom and dad years ago, I always selected a moderately priced dinner and sides - never ordered alcoholic beverages unless my dad and/or mom asked if I would like to join them. But, we talked quite a bit about his new job and the prospects of my daughter moving down, and then dinner was over. The tab came to $498.00 without tip. So I pulled out my credit card, paid for the dinner, and just sat there and waited for him to offer to pick up the tip. After 20 minutes, I was afraid he would order something else, so I just pulled out my wallet and put down $75.00 for the tip and stood up.

We went straight home and then up to my condo so they could change into more casual clothes and off they went. They thanked me for dinner and drinks and I merely said, "...you are quite welcome..." and that was it. I will admit it was one of the more expensive evenings in my lifetime but seeing family is worth it especially when you don't see them often.

I will end it here - don't want to overstay my welcome on this forum thread.

If you would like to adopt me I would be an oh so grateful child!

nyccarguy · April 2017

I'm glad you got to spend time with your daughter and her boyfriend. Where does she live now?

Whenever we go out to dinner with my parents (birthday celebrations, anniversaries), they always pick up the tab with the tip. We order whatever we want. Now we also won't go completely crazy. We'll usually get 1 drink, split a salad and an appetizer between my wife and I, steak (my wife likes lobster sometimes), and always sides for the table.

When we go out with my in laws, I always offer to split the check with them (there are 2 of them vs. 5 of us). If they pay for dinner, I always insist on paying the tip.

laurasdada · April 2017

Marco, for some inexplicable reason (to me), I bought a first model year, domestic, Chrysler back in '99! Triple whammy... But, the 300M had no issues for 5.5 years and nearly 70k miles. But, I knew it wouldn't be inexpensive to keep it going forward (out of warranty), so I traded for an '05 Acura TL. A very fine car.

My experience with the 300M did somewhat restore my faith in the domestics. Although as a salesman with domestic company cars the prior few years, to be honest, other than a bad gas tank in an Olds 88, I had no real reliability issues with my Mercury Sable or Dodge Interpid. The Dodge, like the Chrysler, was rather poorly screwed together, but no issues that I remember.

Mike, glad you had some quality, if expensive, time with your daughter. I'll skip the drinks, that'll save you a few $ when next you treat the C&C members here to dinner. Your welcome.

thebean · April 2017

@abacomike, you are a really good father. I'm not sure I could have held my tongue as you did. I had an older sister who, through her own actions, had a pretty hard life. Every time she saw me, she would make snide little comments about how she couldn't make ends meet while I own a home and a new car. After a while, I just refused to see her. As I once heard at a funeral - you have two choices in life: you can be bitter or better.

Mr_Shiftright · April 2017

In some U.S. cities, you can easily struggle on not only $70K a year, but $130K a year if you are a couple with a child.

graphicguy · April 2017

To echo what LD said, Mike....glad you had some time to spend with your daughter.

I remember my Mother always telling me (her way of partially guilting me for not visiting her more often), that she never regrets any time she got to spend with me (and my sisters).

I feel the same way about my son, regardless of the dinner tab (which he feigns to pick up, but my wallet is the one that always hits the table first, for some reason.

stickguy · April 2017

thebean said:
@abacomike, you are a really good father. I'm not sure I could have held my tongue as you did. I had an older sister who, through her own actions, had a pretty hard life. Every time she saw me, she would make snide little comments about how she couldn't make ends meet while I own a home and a new car. After a while, I just refused to see her. As I once heard at a funeral - you have two choices in life: you can be bitter or better.

some of that in my family. Including implying that my kids going to better schools (and us contributing) was somehow unfair. In this case, the root cause did not like to look them self in the face and take any responsibility.

PF_Flyer · April 2017

Mr_Shiftright said:
In some U.S. cities, you can easily struggle on not only $70K a year, but $130K a year if you are a couple with a child.

Yea, when you hit the sweet spot where both the kids are in college at the same time...whew.

Mom always told me that when I grew up I'd learn the value of a dollar. I grew up and I'm not impressed

Mr_Shiftright · April 2017

Wages of U.S. workers haven't increased for decades, but productivity has gone up. Someone's gettin' rich, but it ain't us. I find economics fascinating because of all the interlocking factors.

fintail · April 2017

I like how the socio-economic gap is now greater than before the depression. Gatsby, where are you? This will have a wonderful ending - remember how the last Belle Epoque ended.

If someone is on the central FL coast, 85K a year is probably like 350K in SF or NYC. Pretty low cost of living there, not the best economy in the world.

When I visit my mom, we go out and I pay, unless she insists.

Mr_Shiftright · April 2017

I try to follow the dictum of Oscar Wilde: "When someone puts ice cream on my plate, I eat it".

andres3 · April 2017

murphydog said:

fintail said:
You should drive around Seattle, slowest mergers I have ever seen. WB 90 at Factoria and Bellevue Way (the latter has a very long ramp) are notoriously bad, and much of 405 can be hilarious too. If someone is that scared, they need to stick to secondary roads.

andres3 said:

Being potentially rear-ended is why people merging onto the freeway at a lackadaisical 50 MPH where traffic is moving along at 75-85 MPH get the drivers behind them so upset. from the west side of Baker to Riverside. Worst dawdling I've ever seen in my lifetime getting onto a freeway due to the length of the merging on-ramp lane.

Fin

This is a requirement in the Washington drivers guide..."driver shall merge onto the free at least 20 MPH slower than prevailing traffic"

Drives me crazy how poorly people here enter the freeway...40 MPH followed by a three lane swerve to "fast" lane...

I'm sure they are leaving a long trail of 40 MPH cars back to back behind them as well!

My idea to fix this is to put up signs that say "You Should be going 35 MPH by this Point" and then a few farther up "You should be going 45 MPH by this Point" , and then of course, 55, and 65 at the top of the ramp.

These would be advisory yellow (or could be white and black) as just because there's a speed limit (or minimum) it doesn't mean you have to go that fast in all situations; it is just advisory.

andres3 · April 2017

double post

roadburner · April 2017

abacomike said:

We then went downstairs and of course we drove in the new BMW 740i. My daughter asked me how I could drive such an expensive car while she is struggling - I merely ignored her statement. By ignoring her comment, it was not brought up again the rest of the evening - thank goodness!!! How someone could struggle on $85,000 a year in income is beyond me - but there are variables as we all know and I sure didn't want to go into them.

At that point I would have changed the dinner plans and taken her and her SO to Burger King. Nothing irritates me more than people-ESPECIALLY relatives-who try to send you on a guilt trip because you are doing better than they are. Grrrr...

carnaught · April 2017

@abacomike, if I had a somewhat ungrateful child (which I don't), I'd be treating him to Ouback or Red Lob. Yes, you are a great father.

jmonroe · April 2017

abacomike said:
I am going to try to keep this post as short as possible - I sure don't want driver and jmonroe to think I was challenging them to a duel!

My older daughter (only one left) and her SO arrived at my condo at about 3:30 PM. We sat in the living room and talked about an hour before it was time to get dressed to go out for dinner. Her SO just took a job in the Palm Springs/Jupiter area of Palm Beach County with an Air-Conditioning/Heating Company out of the Port St. Lucie/Ft. Pierce area. Jupiter is about 55-60 miles north of me straight up the Florida Turnpike. He is trying to get my daughter to move down here with him in the next 12-14 months - many things to settle like a job and her house - but time will tell.

We then went downstairs and of course we drove in the new BMW 740i. My daughter asked me how I could drive such an expensive car while she is struggling - I merely ignored her statement. By ignoring her comment, it was not brought up again the rest of the evening - thank goodness!!! How someone could struggle on $85,000 a year in income is beyond me - but there are variables as we all know and I sure didn't want to go into them.

We got to the restaurant (NYY Steak House) and of course they both wanted drinks. So we stopped into the lounge and waited for our table to be set up. We then went in to the restaurant. I think both of them decided that if I can afford a 740i, I could sure afford twin lobster tails, shrimp cocktails, lots of side dishes, more drinks and double cognacs all around. I could never do that - even when I came to visit my mom and dad years ago, I always selected a moderately priced dinner and sides - never ordered alcoholic beverages unless my dad and/or mom asked if I would like to join them. But, we talked quite a bit about his new job and the prospects of my daughter moving down, and then dinner was over. The tab came to $498.00 without tip. So I pulled out my credit card, paid for the dinner, and just sat there and waited for him to offer to pick up the tip. After 20 minutes, I was afraid he would order something else, so I just pulled out my wallet and put down $75.00 for the tip and stood up.

We went straight home and then up to my condo so they could change into more casual clothes and off they went. They thanked me for dinner and drinks and I merely said, "...you are quite welcome..." and that was it. I will admit it was one of the more expensive evenings in my lifetime but seeing family is worth it especially when you don't see them often.

I will end it here - don't want to overstay my welcome on this forum thread.

You didn't have to hang up so fast. We can take it as long as we ain't paying.

Sounds like you should have bought the Genny when you were looking at it. That way, pity would have prevented them from loading up on the meal.

Down side to that is I would have never spoken to you again.

There is always a choice...friends or family.

jmonroe

28firefighter · April 2017

@Mr_Shiftright - Seattle is quickly becoming one of those areas where a household making $150k a year is going to be cutting it close.

Whenever we go out with our parents, we try to pay - sometimes her parents will permit it, my parents never will. On more than one occasion they've threatened to throw my credit card in the trash can. EDIT: When I was traveling on business to Philadephia recently, my Dad let me pick up the tab because work was reimbursing my meal, and even then he spent days telling me how guilty he felt about it.

The point is, we don't take advantage and appreciate every minute. If I saw any of our siblings starting to, there is no way I'd be able to keep my mouth shut. Each set of parents lives far away from Seattle and we are acutely aware of how valuable it is to get to spend time with them - which is why we are schlepping Sam on his first trip here in two weeks so he can spend time with his grandparents.

abacomike · April 2017

oldfarmer50 said:

I am going to try to keep this post as short as possible - I sure don't want driver and jmonroe to think I was challenging them to a duel! My older daughter (only one left) and her SO arrived at my condo at about 3:30 PM. We sat in the living room and talked about an hour before it was time to get dressed to go out for dinner. Her SO just took a job in the Palm Springs/Jupiter area of Palm Beach County with an Air-Conditioning/Heating Company out of the Port St. Lucie/Ft. Pierce area. Jupiter is about 55-60 miles north of me straight up the Florida Turnpike. He is trying to get my daughter to move down here with him in the next 12-14 months - many things to settle like a job and her house - but time will tell. We then went downstairs and of course we drove in the new BMW 740i. My daughter asked me how I could drive such an expensive car while she is struggling - I merely ignored her statement. By ignoring her comment, it was not brought up again the rest of the evening - thank goodness!!! How someone could struggle on $85,000 a year in income is beyond me - but there are variables as we all know and I sure didn't want to go into them. We got to the restaurant (NYY Steak House) and of course they both wanted drinks. So we stopped into the lounge and waited for our table to be set up. We then went in to the restaurant. I think both of them decided that if I can afford a 740i, I could sure afford twin lobster tails, shrimp cocktails, lots of side dishes, more drinks and double cognacs all around. I could never do that - even when I came to visit my mom and dad years ago, I always selected a moderately priced dinner and sides - never ordered alcoholic beverages unless my dad and/or mom asked if I would like to join them. But, we talked quite a bit about his new job and the prospects of my daughter moving down, and then dinner was over. The tab came to $498.00 without tip. So I pulled out my credit card, paid for the dinner, and just sat there and waited for him to offer to pick up the tip. After 20 minutes, I was afraid he would order something else, so I just pulled out my wallet and put down $75.00 for the tip and stood up. We went straight home and then up to my condo so they could change into more casual clothes and off they went. They thanked me for dinner and drinks and I merely said, "...you are quite welcome..." and that was it. I will admit it was one of the more expensive evenings in my lifetime but seeing family is worth it especially when you don't see them often. I will end it here - don't want to overstay my welcome on this forum thread.
If you would like to adopt me I would be an oh so grateful child!

Consider it done!

Mr_Shiftright · April 2017

What happened was that as soon as people realized they weren't actually making a higher wage year after year---they still wanted the good life, so they started borrowing. That's where that $150K a year goes. And the people who didn't give you your raise in the first place are only too glad to lend you money.

And thus god made the world beautiful ---Mark Twain

PF_Flyer · April 2017

I think it's the combo of a slight head cold and allergies that has me going today, but...

Peeve... 4 spots is definitely a peeve

Mr_Shiftright · April 2017

I'll wait for the English translation of that post

PF_Flyer · April 2017

Perhaps the complete phrase "pet peeve" would help... but the head cold short circuited that

cdnpinhead · April 2017

roadburner said:
At that point I would have changed the dinner plans and taken her and her SO to Burger King.

There's nothing like people who feel entitled, especially if you're related to them.

Working for a living, saving and living within one's means appear to be things some "white privileged" males think are important. Others don't -- work really cuts into one's day. I may get my mind right sooner or later, but it hasn't happened yet.

Plus which, there's absolutely nothing wrong with Burger King. I'm looking forward to a whopper with cheese for dinner this evening while my wife is at yoga.

fintail · April 2017

In a place where the average detached house is 700K+ and daycare costs are insane, 150K/year doesn't go so far, indeed.

I like those on-ramp suggested speed signs. A 240D automatic can probably handle some of the long ramps here - if it can, a distracted RX also can.

4 spots and those black wheels - I bet that Ford truck driver is a joy to be around.

imidazol97 · April 2017

Is there someone sitting in the driver seat of the 150? If so, without knowing the location within the lot relative to the entrance, it might be someone waiting for someone to come out. And they just carelessly pulled up like that to wait... However, I've seen some of the longer trucks intentionally span 2 spaces so they don't extend into the driveway.

laurasdada · April 2017

My daughter graduates college next month, my son heads to college in the fall. Eight straight years of college to pay for, that wasn't the best plan... Could be worse (well, it is, I'm paying child support too!!!).

But, my problems don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. Truly, could be worse.

stickguy · April 2017

laurasdada said:
My daughter graduates college next month, my son heads to college in the fall. Eight straight years of college to pay for, that wasn't the best plan... Could be worse (well, it is, I'm paying child support too!!!).

But, my problems don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. Truly, could be worse.

almost like us, but we had a 1 year gap between the first and 2nd (that is when we got giddy and bought the RDX).

Learned too late the secrets to paying for college. Turns out that spreading them out is the wrong answer. Better to have them all in college at the same time (if you have 2 kids twins is the way to go!). Save a lot of money that way.

driver100 · April 2017

abacomike said:

oldfarmer50 said:

abacomike said:
I am going to try to keep this post as short as possible - I sure don't want driver and jmonroe to think I was challenging them to a duel!

My older daughter (only one left) and her SO arrived at my condo at about 3:30 PM. We sat in the living room and talked about an hour before it was time to get dressed to go out for dinner. Her SO just took a job in the Palm Springs/Jupiter area of Palm Beach County with an Air-Conditioning/Heating Company out of the Port St. Lucie/Ft. Pierce area. Jupiter is about 55-60 miles north of me straight up the Florida Turnpike. He is trying to get my daughter to move down here with him in the next 12-14 months - many things to settle like a job and her house - but time will tell.

We then went downstairs and of course we drove in the new BMW 740i. My daughter asked me how I could drive such an expensive car while she is struggling - I merely ignored her statement. By ignoring her comment, it was not brought up again the rest of the evening - thank goodness!!! How someone could struggle on $85,000 a year in income is beyond me - but there are variables as we all know and I sure didn't want to go into them.

We got to the restaurant (NYY Steak House) and of course they both wanted drinks. So we stopped into the lounge and waited for our table to be set up. We then went in to the restaurant. I think both of them decided that if I can afford a 740i, I could sure afford twin lobster tails, shrimp cocktails, lots of side dishes, more drinks and double cognacs all around. I could never do that - even when I came to visit my mom and dad years ago, I always selected a moderately priced dinner and sides - never ordered alcoholic beverages unless my dad and/or mom asked if I would like to join them. But, we talked quite a bit about his new job and the prospects of my daughter moving down, and then dinner was over. The tab came to $498.00 without tip. So I pulled out my credit card, paid for the dinner, and just sat there and waited for him to offer to pick up the tip. After 20 minutes, I was afraid he would order something else, so I just pulled out my wallet and put down $75.00 for the tip and stood up.

We went straight home and then up to my condo so they could change into more casual clothes and off they went. They thanked me for dinner and drinks and I merely said, "...you are quite welcome..." and that was it. I will admit it was one of the more expensive evenings in my lifetime but seeing family is worth it especially when you don't see them often.

I will end it here - don't want to overstay my welcome on this forum thread.
If you would like to adopt me I would be an oh so grateful child!

Consider it done!

Mike, about the dinner. Use it as a learning experience...next time assume you will be paying and go out for Chinese Food.
As bad as it is, not as bad as my SIL asking for an early inheritance.......can you imagine the gall? And what does that imply, he can use the money more than I can, so I should hand it over?
You will never win with that kind of person, learn how to play the game. If you are upset it only eats away at you, they don't think about it.
$85k is a good wage these days when many people don't have real jobs.
No business asking about the car. You don't spend money on drugs, fancy women or lose big amounts gambling...you are entitled to buy whatever car you want and can afford.

driver100 · April 2017

PF_Flyer said:
I think it's the combo of a slight head cold and allergies that has me going today, but...

Peeve... 4 spots is definitely a peeve

All for that ugly truck! :@

driver100 · April 2017

2 Senators are trying to lengthen the number of months Canadians can stay in the US, from 6 months to 8 months.

President Donald Trump has been single-minded when it comes to immigration, pledging to strengthen the United States’ borders and keep certain people out

A bipartisan bill introduced in the House of Representatives last month would actually open the door wider to one group: older Canadians who winter south of the border.

The Promoting Tourism to Enhance our Economy Act aims to let northern neighbours 55 and up who own or rent property in the States stay there an extra two months a year, on top of the 180 days allowed now

And Canadians who flee to warmer U.S. climes are something of an economic powerhouse.

Residents of Canada own more than 500,000 properties in Florida alone, while 700,000 of them spend at least 31 days at a time in that state every year, says Evan Rachovsky, research director at the Canadian Snowbird Association. Including the rest of the U.S. south, there are well over a million snowbirds, he said.

“There’s obviously a lot of questions surrounding immigration recently, but this is really a jobs bill; this is about stimulating the economy in the U.S.,” said Rachovsky. “I think it would definitely have a significant impact.

Mr_Shiftright · April 2017

PF_Flyer said:
Perhaps the complete phrase "pet peeve" would help... but the head cold short circuited that

I'm still not getting it...spots=places?

ab348 · April 2017

thebean said:
@abacomike, you are a really good father. I'm not sure I could have held my tongue as you did. I had an older sister who, through her own actions, had a pretty hard life. Every time she saw me, she would make snide little comments about how she couldn't make ends meet while I own a home and a new car. After a while, I just refused to see her. As I once heard at a funeral - you have two choices in life: you can be bitter or better.

+1. That would really bother me even if they were my kid and SO. Such a sense of entitlement.

People can be odd when it comes to such things. When I was working in the liquor business I had access to a lot of expensive wine. I wasn't a huge wine drinker but knew my way around it. So when I would get invited to dinner at someone's house I would always bring a nice bottle. In a certain household that wine would always be gladly accepted but they would serve cheap plonk at the dinner. That always bugged me to no end.

My friends who recently sold their house seem to be living off of advance inheritances from soon-to-be deceased parents of both the husband and wife. Money is being spent like water at a rate that far exceeds their known incomes. I dunno, maybe I'd do the same under those circumstances. But it feels wrong and isn't the way I was brought up.

PF_Flyer · April 2017

imidazol97 said:
Is there someone sitting in the driver seat of the 150? If so, without knowing the location within the lot relative to the entrance, it might be someone waiting for someone to come out. And they just carelessly pulled up like that to wait... However, I've seen some of the longer trucks intentionally span 2 spaces so they don't extend into the driveway.

Nope, nobody waiting. Driver was just going round the front to the driver's side. If you look close you can see that I blurred the right edge of the pic to protect the not-so-innocent

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