Master Resource: General Public Discussions of men in heels

[Puffer]

20 hours ago, Shyheels said:

Our public transport still leaves much to be desired - Europe leaves us for dead - but you really can get just about anywhere by bus or train. Living on a boat, and without a car, I have to rely on it. It can be slow and inconvenient but it’s doable for most things. Obviously there are commuters who must have a car because the distance and complexity of the public transport options make getting to work on time and home at a reasonable hour almost impossible. But for most other purposes - shopping, etc - a car really isn’t necessary

In principle, I would prefer to do without a car.   I live in an urban area with good public transport and within walking distance of the town centre and principal amenitites.   But the preferred supermarkets are a little out of walking range and even a modest grocery shop is too heavy to carry in one go, so the car is needed for that and anything else bought on the (just) out-of-town trading estates.   Also, although retired, I am often doing 'advanced DIY' at various family properties, for which my estate car is essential for carrying tools and materials.   My nearest family (two sons) both live an easy 55 minute drive away - but almost two hours on the bus, excluding onward transit from their town centre - and no direct train service either.   My wife has a car too, and I do foresee the time when we will share a single car - but I doubt she will want the same type as me!   Meanwhile, we carry on, using the cars as sparingly as possible and endeavouring to avoid the ever-increasing parking charges and the draconian penalties for straying into a bus lane or low-traffic area, or for exceeding 20mph urban speed limits - all of which have removed any pleasure one might have had from driving in the past. 

[Shyheels]

Hard to imagine there used to be a time when people would go for a Sunday drive as a means of pleasure and relaxation

[mlroseplant]

5 hours ago, CrushedVamp said:

I hear that a lot and it just is not true, at least over here. Mechanically speaking, it always makes sense to fix a car up because the cost of repair is so cheap compared to making monthly payments.

I always pay cash for my cars anyway, but in doing the math on my current car it is easy to see why I am doing so well with it. I paid $7000 for it and repairs have cost me $4800 over the 4 years I have owned it. That means the car has cost me $11,800. If I was making payments on a new car, just the payments alone would have been $24,000. In 4 years I have saved $12,200 and my car is still in excellent mechanical shape meaning I have more years left of lief on it. I could put in a new engine or transmission, extend the life of the car by several more years, and still be WAY AHEAD of what a new car would cost.

But that is mechanically speaking. What kills cars where I live is rust.

But here is where paying cash for older cars really pays off. My car costs me $58 dollars per week in repairs which I also put in $35 a week in gas. So for roughly putting in $100 per week, I net a paycheck of $1800 per week. That is a return on investment of 1700%!!  Where the heck could I ever get that kind of return on any other investment. My stock investments average 11% most year and I am lucky to get that, and my real estate nets me 12% per year on average, so as much as people bemoan and wish they could retire, the truth is having a car and going to work will net a person the most possible money for the least outlay in cash.

Without question, with those kinds of returns on investment a new car pencils out too, but like most things in life, it is not what you make that matters but how much you spend. Keep the costs down on a 1700% ROI investment and you will reap incredible savings. The price to pay for that is driving around with an old car instead of one that is all shiny and new and has all kinds of new electronic gizmos.

In defense of Shyheels's assertion, it is generally a lot cheaper here in the U.S. to keep an older car. Although I know there are states that do require annual inspection, my state is not one of them. There is certainly not a nationwide test such as the MOT that exists in the U.K. Although I don't have personal experience, I understand that many older cars are junked because of the expense of getting them to pass the MOT. MOT stands for Ministry of Transport, which was the regulatory body in existence when these annual inspections were first implemented.

[Shyheels]

Yes often the cost of the MOT plus whatever repairs are indicated exceeds the value of the car. It may still be worth paying it if you think you can get another year or more out of the car - especially if you know it is basically sound. Everything costs more over here. Cars, repairs, taxes and petrol.

[pebblesf]

This "keep the old car and fix it" is a controversial topic indeed.  For many, it makes good sense.  The posts made here are from somewhat mechanical folks who know how to care for a car, and "listen to it", knowing when something isn't quite right, and get it in for service before a major breakdown/expense.  They keep up on maintenance also, without having to be reminded by their repair shop, let's say "proactive".   The other part of the equation is finding a good shop that is trustworthy and has had experience with your particular vehicle.  Shops like this can be tough to find, many car owners make the mistake of shopping for the lowest repair quotes and bouncing around from one facility to another.  It is important to have a bit of a "relationship" with your shop, they know you and your car, you can trust them.  Long time repeat customers are bound to get better service.  

Unfortunately, this is just not the reality for most folks.  Busy life styles with kids (especially kids who drive), tight schedules, lack of basic mechanical knowledge and skills are more the norm.  Many folks (especially with kids) don't have a lot of cash to spare, proactive car maintenance ends up taking a back seat.  Owners often end up going to second rate shops only to end up with ridiculous estimates, only to be followed up by more breakdowns even after forking over big bucks.   Sure, some cars are better than others.  But, even the most reliable cars can be taken down quickly by poor maintenance, driving habits, and inexperienced/uncaring repair facilities.  On the other hand, cars not known for great reliability can sometimes give good service to more proactive drivers and service shops that are familiar/experienced with their particular vehicle.  

Needless to say, pouring money into a rusted car is a waste.  Sometimes you just need to know when to give up on a car.  I can appreciate drivers who prefer to get new(er) cars, drive them for a few years doing only basic maintenance, then trading them in while they still have decent value.  More expensive, sure, but it is super easy these days to pour money down the drain continuously on their current car.  Needless to say, one needs to be in a good enough financial position to buy new and trade in after a few years.  This was "the norm" back in "days gone by" when I was a kid.  The problem is that folks who can least afford such a luxury are often forced to make poor financial decisions when the old car they have been driving and driving finally just "gives up".  

Many would wonder why I "gave up" on my 09 Camry.  Well, I did manage to get 220K miles out of the original 2.4L engine, the ones that are known for burning oil.  Toyota did have a campaign to rebuild them, but mine did not use enough oil to qualify, only because I am super proactive about oil and all fluid changes.  The only way to properly repair the engine at this point would be to install a factory fresh "short block" with all the improved bits/pieces that resolve the oil burning issues.  I would not trust most shops to "rebuild" my engine, and these modern engines can not be bored oversize.  I was amazed to learn that you should not even attempt to machine the block deck, because that will affect the timing chain's relationship to all those crazy cam shafts and gears causing computer issues.  Because I change my own oil, I  could see what the northeast winters have done to the underside of this car (replaced the rusted oil pan this fall).  If I was to go ahead with the new short block, I would certainly want a new clutch, water pump, alternator while the engine was out on a stand.  (Radiator and starter are new).  Needless to say, I would want the head gone through while it was off as well.   This repair would have to cost upwards of $7K, and I probably would have spent that money on it if was a car from the west coast/southern region.  

So, I made the decision to get a newer car, forked over the $20K.  Everyone said, and they are right, you should buy a new car.  I would have, but can't really justify spending $45-50K.  Wanted no part of a car that shuts at stop lights, has "direct fuel injection", and an 8 speed transmission. The jury is still out on whether or not I found a good used car.  Slowly discovering little things that upset me about how it was cared for, along with the fact that someone installed some idiotic "remote start" and alarm system, along with aftermarket tail lights.  Needless to say, I will have that system removed and eventually replace the tail lights with stock pieces.  I will probably invest another $2-3K to get this vehicle in the mechanical shape it would have been in had I owned it since new.  Oh well, don't have to drive back and forth to Boston anymore, so won't be racking up the miles, hoping this might be the last car I have to purchase.   

[Shyheels]

Much the same can be said about narrowboats - finding a competent marine engineer is a total crapshoot. And the relentless drive for more complexity and flashy new technology is making it harder than ever to maintain anything yourself, assuming you gave the tools, workspace and the aptitude for such things.

i am a qualified bicycle mechanic but most of my skills are becoming obsolete with the new fanged technology like electronic shifting etc. None of it is necessary or wanted by all. It is just being foisted on us by profit driven companies offering expensive solutions to problems that don’t really exist, and selling us in the idea that we must have these things. And raking away alternatives.

its nothing new though. Many years ago - decades - E.B. While writes charming essay called Farewell Model T, lamenting the fact that cars used to be repairable by anyone, and how you could just order whatever parts you needed through a mail order catalogue like Sears, roll up you sleeves and fix whatever needed fixing. That simplicity was vanishing even in his day. It’s gone forever now.

 

[CrushedVamp]

18 hours ago, Shyheels said:

Hard to imagine there used to be a time when people would go for a Sunday drive as a means of pleasure and relaxation

My wife and I still do this, but not always on Sundays. She will often say, "lets take the long way home", so we do, or go for an afternoon ride after church. It's fun, gets us out of the house and lets us explore new places we have not been before, or not been in a long time. With cars that get 35-40 miles per gallon, it really is not an expensive outing. But part of that is the different culture I think between the US and Europe. We just have limited public transport because of the size of the United States. I do not live in a state that is even considered big but yet my state and the entirety of Ireland is the exact same size.

Sadly, I do live in a state that has annual car inspections, and without question that is a HUGE factor of the lifespan of a car. For now its reasonable though because we do not have smog requirements so its only mechanical in nature. The sad part is the inspections really only hurt the poor because if a car does not pass inspection, they just drive it anyway, or go to a facility where they can bribe the mechanic to get it to pass. There is actually talk about the state doing away with inspections because it is such a scam for the populace.

And getting a good mechanic you can trust has been a huge reason I have pushed every car I have ever gotten past the 250,000 mile mark. I really rely on them, making sure they know I will invest money in my car as long as they think it will pass inspection for another year or more years. But even then, I have been told, "this will be the last year", but yet I have gotten two more years more after they said that. Part of that is keeping the car looking good. Taking care of any rust so it looks like a solid car.

 

1 hour ago, Shyheels said:

Much the same can be said about narrowboats - finding a competent marine engineer is a total crapshoot. And the relentless drive for more complexity and flashy new technology is making it harder than ever to maintain anything yourself, assuming you gave the tools, workspace and the aptitude for such things.

i am a qualified bicycle mechanic but most of my skills are becoming obsolete with the new fanged technology like electronic shifting etc. None of it is necessary or wanted by all. It is just being foisted on us by profit driven companies offering expensive solutions to problems that don’t really exist, and selling us in the idea that we must have these things. And raking away alternatives.

its nothing new though. Many years ago - decades - E.B. While writes charming essay called Farewell Model T, lamenting the fact that cars used to be repairable by anyone, and how you could just order whatever parts you needed through a mail order catalogue like Sears, roll up you sleeves and fix whatever needed fixing. That simplicity was vanishing even in his day. It’s gone forever now.

 

I feel your pain, but for us it is with airplane mechanics. We have a few small engine planes in the family and because of the rigorous requirements of aviation mechanics... and for obvious reasons... it is really hard to find a good airport with a reputable mechanic.

We have one now but honestly have no idea how long he will stay there or even keep working before he retires. He is worth his high pay, but also making him worth his value is the airport. One of our planes has floats, one has wheels, and one has both floats and wheels both, and this airport has both a river to land on, or adjacent to it; an asphalt runway. The airport is 1-1/2 hours by car from the house but still worth it to us because some of the camps we own are 6 hours drive by car. Its actually faster to drive to the airport and take the float plane in to some of the camps then drive to them because the lakes are big enough to land and take off on.

But I am sure it is the same way on the canals with your boat. You cannot just tie up anywhere so there are a lot of factors that go into your decision on where you tie up your vessel, who you have work on it, and where you take it. I fully understand how hard it can be to make everything work.

[Shyheels]

Actually I can tie up just anywhere - or nearly so. Life on the canals is one of the last vestiges of genuine freedom left to us these days. As a continuous cruiser - one with no home mooring - I can tie up along the towpath pretty much anywhere I like along our 2000-mile canal network, free of charge, as long as I move on every fourteen days. That can be the heart of London, Birmingham, Manchester or Leeds or some remote stretch of countryside in the Pennines or rural Wales. 

[pebblesf]

7 hours ago, Shyheels said:

Much the same can be said about narrowboats - finding a competent marine engineer is a total crapshoot. And the relentless drive for more complexity and flashy new technology is making it harder than ever to maintain anything yourself, assuming you gave the tools, workspace and the aptitude for such things.

i am a qualified bicycle mechanic but most of my skills are becoming obsolete with the new fanged technology like electronic shifting etc. None of it is necessary or wanted by all. It is just being foisted on us by profit driven companies offering expensive solutions to problems that don’t really exist, and selling us in the idea that we must have these things. And raking away alternatives.

its nothing new though. Many years ago - decades - E.B. While writes charming essay called Farewell Model T, lamenting the fact that cars used to be repairable by anyone, and how you could just order whatever parts you needed through a mail order catalogue like Sears, roll up you sleeves and fix whatever needed fixing. That simplicity was vanishing even in his day. It’s gone forever now.

 

Bicycles really come with electric shifting these days?  So, a battery is required?  Oh brother....

[mlroseplant]

I took the cargo van up to Des Moines yesterday (which we bought for my wife's business), and was noticing that it's getting pretty rusty. Luckily, my son's best friend's dad owns and runs a local body shop. The guy also happens to be a phenomenal trumpeter! Many of us blue collar guys have hidden talents. The reason that this relates to the larger topic is because this family is of a rather conservative Christian nature, but in the end have accepted me as I am because I guess they figure I'm an all right guy after all. Actions and character evidently speak louder than shoes.

[Shyheels]

19 hours ago, pebblesf said:

Bicycles really come with electric shifting these days?  So, a battery is required?  Oh brother....

Oh yes, and the prices of these setups are eye-watering. And integrated shifters that nobody can repair, 12-speed rear sprockets and delicate chains, and disc brakes - it’s all very complicated, expensive and designed with short service lifes. I am very old school. My bicycles are all lugged steel frames, with classic components - but I am in the minority and a lot of these elegant old components are no longer available or being phased out

Edited Tuesday at 08:50 AM by Shyheels

[Cali]

I buy new cars for myself and used cars for my kids. My daughter just bought a new car herself. I commute to work over a mountain, we call it a hill because it's only a little over 3000 ft) and I ski (8000+ ft). I need a good 4x4 that gets good mileage. Mine in now 7 years old with 92k. I have it maintained because I need that reliable SUV.

I have old school bikes, a double butted Reynolds road bike and a 1970ish Schwinn 10 speed for riding on beach paths.

And my "long boats" at 9 foot kayaks.😃

[mlroseplant]

It just goes to show you that everything is so specialized these days. I'm assuming that the electric shift bicycles are not for general public consumption--or maybe they are, because nobody rides a bicycle anymore for actual transportation. Not even kids. It's kind of sad, actually. Over in Vietnam, it's a different story. There are a tiny, tiny segment of the population who have "modern" bicycles, and those are the rich folks. Everybody else rides super heavy old school single speed bicycles. You don't go very fast on these things, but you could throw them off a cliff, leave them in the ocean for a year, and they'd still get you from Point A to Point B when you dug them out.

[Shyheels]

There are actually quite a few people who ride bikes for transport, at least in London, noticeably more than there were twenty years ago. And yes electronic shifting is very much for public consumption - although not many commuter bikes have it. It’s expensive and tend to be used for sport bikes, both road and mountain. It is technology that is being foisted upon us. And is working its way down the line to the less expensive bikes and group sets. 

[mlroseplant]

Pictured below is my Gitane circa 1980. Pictured riding said bicycle is my friend the shoe lady. While her footwear is not terribly high heeled, she always wears cute sandals in the summer, never Crocs, Birkenstocks, or rubber flip-flops. Although this picture is from over 10 years ago, I still have the bike. It is old school steel lugged frame, a 10 speed with stem shifters. My dad purchased this brand new for my mom back in the day, and as you can see, it's one of those hybrid frames to allow a skirt to be worn. I can't remember what that type of frame was called.

I dragged this thing out 12 years ago, did a lot of work to it, put new tires on it, and thought I was going to compete in a triathlon with it. Wrong! I didn't really know much when I started (still don't), but evidently this bike was built to a price point, and built so cheaply that I literally broke it in several places, pushing it in ways it was never designed to be pushed. It is virtually unrideable now, and you can't really get parts for it, being French and all. However, if I could get parts for it, it would be pretty easy to fix, even by a know-nothing like me.

[Shyheels]

That style of bicycle is called a mixte. Definitely not for racing. 
 

What parts can’t you find?

[mlroseplant]

Thank you for supplying that word. It had not been a part of my vocabulary for quite some time. I'm trying to remember everything that's wrong with that bike. For one thing, some part of the rear axle or cluster gear assembly is bent to the extent that the derailleur make noise no matter how to have it adjusted. It wobbles something fierce. It seems to me that something also went wrong in the crankcase area. I do remember we are missing several ball bearings, and I don't think I lost any during disassembly. I know one of the cotter pins is worn, so you've got a lot of slop in one of the crank arms. It's enough broken stuff that the thing will probably wind up in the scrap yard one of these days. I certain have other ways of spending my time and money. I did have fun with it for quite some time.

[Shyheels]

None of those things would be hard to repair, although collectively that may not be worth it unless the bicycle was special to you in some way. If we lived closer by I could probably fix a lot if that - some of those things do require specialist bicycle shop tools which I have but you may not. But Yorkshire is a ways off Iowa …

[mlroseplant]

Thanks for the thoughts about that. It does have some sentimental value, but not all that much. If I could somehow get the bike it replaced back, an old 3 speed planetary, Sears brand I believe, that would have a lot more sentimental value than the Gitane. After all, I got dumped out of that one at least once! Remember those old rear mounted child seats? Ha! Mom never really could get the hang of a 10 speed. I think it spent most of its early life in one gear.

I'll get in touch once we dig the bike out of its currently fairly buried spot in the garage in the spring. I might not be interested in rebuilding the thing, but my son might. He knows all wot's wrong with it, and why we haven't fixed it yet. He took over practically all that stuff some 10 years ago. Now, I'm his helper, rather than the other way around.