Taking care of all these cars can really keep a guy busy. There are maintenance costs; keeping them garaged; make sure they are clean inside and out and shiny; paying the State inspections and payments to the tax assessor; and there's oil and gas to buy. Just keeping the right amount of air in the tires is a chore.
You used to able to go to your local gas station and they would fill up your car with gas, check the oil and water, make sure the battery was good to go, put air in the tires if needed, and wipe the windows clean. These days, you have to go to a convenience store like an Exxon Tiger Mart to get air for your tires. If you purchase gas and then walk inside and have them turn on the air compressor you can get free air for your tires, and then half of the time, the air unit is out of order. Otherwise, you have to pay.50 cents for air and be real quick about it. Go figure. The rent is too damn high! So, I bought me this handy item tool at Harbor Tool: [image: Inline image 1] On Thu, Dec 12, 2013 at 7:14 AM, Richard Williams <pundits...@gmail.com>wrote: > We've been drinking coffee for years. We know a couple that drive all the > way to the north side to get their beans. They claim that the beans they > get are fresher, roasted on the spot. And, it's true, the beans they get > are great, but they cost nearly $10.00. Whenever we're on that side of town > we get a bag of their beans. > > We're also pretty fond of Starbucks French Roast beans, available at > Starbucks and Target, which are both close by - $9.00. Most of the > Starbucks have a coupon and we get a free cup of joe when we return the bag > to Starbucks - a $2.00 value - sweet! And we love the free Wi-Fi and > reading the New York Times they provide. We also like the 360 beans at > Whole Foods - $8.00. > > We love to drink coffee, but at those prices, we could go broke before we > even get awake. Go figure. So, I bought a large can of Folgers ground > coffee for backup at the local grocery store, so we could drink as much > coffee as we wanted, all day and night, for cheap. > > The rent is too damn high! > > > On Fri, Dec 6, 2013 at 7:38 PM, Richard J. Williams > <pundits...@gmail.com>wrote: > >> Today we went to the grocery store to get a few things and return about >> a hundred plastic bags. In the parking lot I turned left to find a parking >> slot and there was this yahoo in a big truck heading toward me, GOING THE >> WRONG WAY, driving a Ford F-350 with dual wheels on back. >> >> At first I said "You **fukin **#@*&^^!!!#@&*%$#%@ SOB! >> >> Then, I realized the poor guy was not only real dumb and half blind and >> confused, but he was probably driving the only vehicle he owned and paying >> $600 a month in payments, just to go get a six-pack of beer and a carton of >> cigarettes at the store. Go figure. >> >> So then, in the Christmas spirit, I said: you **fukin >> **#@*&^^!!!#@&*%$#%@ poor bastard!" and backed up, causing a traffic jam in >> front of the store. >> >> Then, on the way home at a stop light, a guy dressed in overalls with a >> styrofoam cup in his hand tried to hit us up for some spare change. So, >> still in the Christmas spirit, I rolled down the window and said real nice: >> "We don't have any cash - we're living on credit cards. Sorry we can't >> donate anything - I know it looks like I'm rich because I'm driving a shiny >> new car, but this where all our money is going, just so we can get to the >> store to buy some beer and a few canned goods!" LoL! >> >> When we got home, the Salvation Army called on the telephone to ask if we >> could donate anything and to leave it on the front porch FRIDAY THE 13th. >> You can't make this stuff up! >> >> >> The rent is too damn high! >> >> On 12/6/2013 3:10 PM, Bhairitu wrote: >> >> >> >> I used to change the oil myself on my '77 Subaru wagon. But it is a >> messy job and required a custom oil filter. Current oil changes at the >> local shop up the street who now do my Subaru maintenance is $40. How much >> time depends on how busy they are but the longest wait would be about an >> hour. I watch the oil to see how dirty it is. However I have yet to reach >> the miles they put on the sticker a year ago. Everything I need is a short >> trip around here so I don't rack up miles and they always kid me about all >> the driving I do. >> >> I heard a report the other day on why car prices have exceeded inflation >> over the years and the bottom line was...... you got it... profit. Adding >> air bags do not add much to the price though companies use safety features >> as a reason. In 1973 I bought a new Datsun wagon for a mere $1800. I put >> the figure for my '77 Subaru wagon in an inflation calculator and my $2800 >> '77 should only cost around $11K these days adjusted for inflation. >> >> OTOH, the other day I ordered a new keyless remote for the '98 Subaru >> since the second of the original pair was beginning to fall apart. A few >> years back I looked online and found that the price for a remote was around >> $70. This time I found one online for my year and model for only $15 >> including shipping. It was easy to setup and works great. >> >> On 12/06/2013 11:40 AM, Richard Williams wrote: >> >> >> Our car dealer says we should be changing the oil in our new car every >> 3,000 miles, in order to insure the warranty. We can do this by driving out >> to the dealership, waiting in line, and either leaving the car, or wait in >> the waiting room, and then pay $55. It usually takes more than an hour, if >> you get there real early during the week. >> >> The last time I had the oil changed at 10,000 miles, I took the car to >> Jiffy Lube - it took only about twenty minutes and I paid them $65. They >> talked me into getting synthetic oil - Royal Purple. They tried to sell me >> an air filter for $18 - but I declined. >> >> According to Click & Clack, The Tappit Brothers, you can go over 6,000 >> miles between oil changes. I've always been fond of Texaco oil. I get >> almost all of my oil from either Spindletop or from the Permian Basin. Dad >> goes 5,000, because it's easy to remember the numbers. One guy, a car >> mechanic, once told me that oil never breaks down - all you have to do is >> change the oil filter and add a quart of oil. Go figure. >> >> So, this time I took the car to Pep Boys for the oil change: $19.95 for >> Pennzoil, with a discount coupon, and half an hour waiting. And, I bought >> my own filter for $12.95 and put it on myself. >> >> The rent is too damn high! >> >> >> >
