When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
You are lucky that you don't work at Panda Express. Or Juice Island, where there is no ESOP. Profit sharing comes by way of getting stabbed in the back of the head.
I like special purpose tools. Certain tools are designed to do just 1 thing. My ex used to say, "that's just crazy!" Guys who work on their cars know what I'm talking about.
One of my favorite special purpose tools is a gallon size plastic milk container, which I cut open. It's the best thing ever for motorcycle oil changes on Harleys. Without it, the oil goes everywhere.
I wasn't smoking any 4Twenty. I bought some double walled, stainless steel bowls today. Keeps the hot food hot on the inside. And I can still pick up the bowl with my hands. Ideal for bowls of hot ramen. After all, I have a special pot for cooking ramen. And that pot does make a difference. The aluminum boils the ramen at just the right temperature, so that my egg still has a soft yoke and the noodles are al dente. And the cheap wooden handle means that I don't grab a hot pot handle. Why not have a special bowl for eating ramen?
Of course, the ex-girlfriend said, "that's just crazy". Well, I can justify a few hundred Yen, for enjoying steak ramen. Now I can hold the bowl of ramen and eat it while watching television.
I wonder if California has a lemon law for mobility scooters. The tech guy finally came out yesterday evening and replaced the "flat" wheel on my scooter. So after he left, I went to the bank, then to Walmart for some groceries. Worked great. I could finally travel at the scooter's top speed. Then I get home and try to go inside my apartment, and the scooter will not go over the door sill. The motors spin, but the tires don't. I back up and try again. Same thing. And of course, this happens after 5pm so I cannot call the VA. I finally had to get off the scooter and push it over the door sill. This thing is only three months old and I have already had two problems with it.
On a different note, two days ago I notified the city of Fresno that there was a leaking fire hydrant down the street from my place. Yesterday I got an email from them telling me it has been fixed and thanking me for letting them know. So on the way to the bank yesterday I took this photo
And told them it wasn't fixed.
I know the feeling. Since I am now in the search for a pickup, I cannot believe the prices of used vehicles these days. For a 2002 Ranger they want $9000! I went to a used car lot Saturday to check out a 2004 Dodge Dakota listed for $3,999 on Craigslist. They claim financing is available. Then they state the price includes a $1,000 cash discount. So the price is automatically $4,999, and then they add another $1,000 for tags, which are two years past due. So now this four-thousand-dollar truck is six thousand, and they want 50% up front. And it is not even in good shape. Interior looks good and the tires look new, but they body and paint have seen better days. It also has 200k miles on it.
My rent is going up another 10% next month. Social security gave us the biggest increase in January then it has in a long time, and four months into the year it is already been eaten up by inflation. I have lived in these apartments for five years, and the rent stayed the same for the first three. Now it has gone up twice in two years. With the end of the pandemic food stamps I will need to spend more of my check on food, and it sure does not help that the prices keep going up.
Jim
Good morning Jim and the rest of the Nor Cal group.
Jim, Too bad you weren't a little closure, we have a really nice 2004 Explorer with 128,000 miles for sale. Asking $5500 but I would make you a deal if you were only closure.
Let's see if you took off now on your little scooter you should be here by September and we can all get daily updates on your progress by watching the news.
If I were to buy your wife's daily driver, what would your wife drive?
I was able to get in touch with the VA to get a work order out to Respiratory Care Plus, and then called them to see if the tech can come out today. He said he would try to make it this evening before going home. He also stated that it might be something simple like a pin falling out, that engages the motor to the wheels, which he can fix tonight, or it might need a motor which he would have to order. I am going to pray it is the pin. Otherwise, I will be stranded in my own apartment until the motor arrives.
Gieco paid off your loan. So actually, you gained a few points on your credit score for paying off a loan without late payments or penalties.
EBay does auto financing. Buy Tim's truck on eBay, and let them finance it. You are only going to borrow $5,000. What would a 60 month loan cost? $99 a month?
Then get the VA shuttle van to take you to a medical appointment at a VA facility by Tim's house. Then you can pick up the car, and drive home.
Yes indeed. My credit score went from 424 to 438 when the insurance paid off my loan. Not exactly a "good" credit score. I wouldn't need a 5k loan as I have $1,200 left from the money I got from Geico. Had to pay my late rent, which cost me an additional $76, and $300 to PayPal because I maxed it out buying some of those gift cards. My plan is to add the $400 a month I would have used to make car payments to the $1,200 each month until I can get enough to finance something. If I were to buy Tim's vehicle I would probably fly up there and drive back. Wouldn't want to rent a U-Haul truck for that distance.
I was joking about buying the Explorer, we do have it for sale but surly you can find something just as nice a lot closure.
We bought a 2020 Explorer for my wife is why we have her old one up for sale. Right now, I have it in the shop waiting on all the parts to repair the AC. Here is the ad on Craigslist, how's it compare to rigs down there?
that is a nice Explorer. I have a soft spot for them. I miss the one that I used to have. A '97 with the 5.0 engine. Mechanically, it was in superb condition. I had an open cold air intake, an electric fan conversion, "custom" exhaust work, and the computer had a custom tune. All fluids were changed like I had ADD. Slightly lifted. Aggressive tread tires. Aftermarket shocks. The AC and heat worked perfectly. Leather seats. 6 CD changer. A Garmin GPS installed into the dash. High wattage headlights. Offroad lights. Moonroof / Sunroof.
I drove that across the country several times. The odometer eventually quit somewhere around 300,000 miles. I'm guessing that I got over 400,000 miles. The multifunction switch on the dash went out several times. The interior door handles broke off about a dozen different times. The leather seats were worn down with holes in the leather. The seat padding foam was exhausted. The sunroof leaked at the seals. The drainage channels were clogged. When it rained, water was sloshing around under the headliner and water would leak into the cabin. The roof rusted from under the headliner, from the inside out. Water under the carpet kit rusted out the floorboard. I just couldn't keep driving it. And it was almost impossible to imagine restoring it with that much rust damage to the body. I wasn't ready to find a junkyard Explorer with a pristine, rust free body, and spend tens of thousands of dollars.
They put your food on a tray. It's just a cafeteria with Tiffany lamps. The "menu" is disorganized, chaotic, and you really shouldn't even try to read it or order off of it. Just look behind the counter. Eat what you see. Don't ask for a menu item that you don't see in the service line. They're out of it. They don't have any. If they had any, you would see it. The food is just as frenetic as the menu. Random meat is everywhere, with side items finding space wherever they can fit it. On the opposite wall, is the bar. The bar menu is just like the food menu. People adding on different things, over years of being in business, makes it a mess. You are not going to read everything on the wall, and think it over. Just order what you see. And what you see is a confusing collection of liquor bottles, beer cans, draught dispensers, and an autographed photo from the band Metallica. Yes. They have been known to eat there.
You seat yourself. You bus your own table. Your food on a tray is not plated for a photoshoot. Like you find in a school, factory, hospital, jail...... The cashier said $19-something. 2 $20's were involved. The bartender wanted $5 a beer. 2 $5's were involved.
I don't know if my Dad is cheap like me. Or if I'm cheap like my Dad. We went to Costco today. For about the same price that we paid for 2 plates of brisket, we bought the entire brisket.
At my house, the roasting pan gets carrot, celery, onion, garlic, and ginger. The meat goes on top. The veggies steam the meat from the bottom, and flavor with the juices dripping off the meat. The meat is finished when it's juicy, tender, and it melts in your mouth. The meat juice drippings and veggies are blended into a thick, rich sauce.
Tim that Explorer is very nice. If you were closer, I might be more interested. However, I am looking for a pickup so the VA can install a scooter hoist in the bed, I miss not being able to take it with me when I go places. The Ranger should have been fitted with one, but Bruno (the hoist maker) said it wasn't strong enough. I still don't understand how a half ton pickup isn't able to have a 225 pound scooter and a 50 pound hoist in its bed. However, it is a moot point now as the Ranger is toast anyway. If your Explorer was in the Fresno area it would sell for a lot more than $5,500. I've seen Rangers half that good with twice the miles selling for that. Which is why I have been looking at Dodge Dakota's recently. The Rangers, Tacoma's, and even the GMC Canyons I have seen are just too expensive for me.
I found this one in Livermore.$3995. 4.7 liter SOHC V8, auto, power everything, tow package, limited slip diff, and dual AC. It has 238k miles and their website says they offer financing. So, a week ago Wednesday I filled out a credit application to get it. Even sent them an email explaining my low credit score and the issue with the Charger being destroyed. I hadn't heard back from them by this past Wednesday, so I called them. The salesman said his manager would be back in about an hour and would call me back. When he did, he told me they don't finance vehicles anymore. However, I could make an appointment to come see it and take a test drive then put it on my credit card. I told him the only credit card I have left has a $300 limit.
With the exception of the Charger, I haven't bought a vehicle from a dealer in over six years. It seems there is a new law regarding dealerships. Everyone states "by appointment only" You can't just walk in an buy a car anymore. The dealer where the above Dakota is located states on their website that due to county ordinances it is by appointment only. Then I find a Dakota right here in downtown Fresno 3 years newer than the one above, but with a manual transmission, slightly less miles at 218k, but with a V6 for the same price. I rode my scooter down there this past Saturday, only to find it all closed up. So I called them and found out it is by appointment only. Also found out the price was cash only and if I were going to finance it then it would be $6,000 not $4,000. One thousand extra for financing, and the other for the registration, taxes, etc. The tags are two years out of date which would explain that. With my bad knee I can't drive a manual transmission vehicle anymore, but I would have liked to sit in it just to see if I could actually fit in it and operate the pedals.
