Covid19 Spare time

KARNUT · June 15, 2022

36 minutes ago, garagerog said:

Before I dive to far down this rabbit hole, let me just clarify one point. CAFE and emissions are 2 separate EPA issues, the manufacturers have done a decent job except for some of the diesel issues with emissions, meeting FEDERAL GOVERNMENT EPA CAFE standards will be impossible without EV's. Only industry driven motive I see is survival, comply or go out of business. I'm not gonna bite on getting into any political discussion.

I will add to put a period on it. Once electric vehicles become more prevalent or even hybrids there will be a extra tax. Our government will (need) to replace the gas tax.

Donstar · June 16, 2022

21 hours ago, KARNUT said:

The radio program I listen to on Saturday. Car-pro. Sees more Tesla percentage wise with low mileage than any other at auction. Ain’t cutting it.

I watch for Teslas in a manner reminiscent of our childhood game of counting VW bugs. We live in a small North American city which I believe is pretty typical and my eyes tell me Tesla is a cutting it pretty good! Maybe Car-pro sees them well represented at auctions because they are so popular! Anyway, we know we can find media to support our likes or dislikes in all things and people. I had to laugh during the news last night. It is sometimes like watching Coronation Street. You think people will be happy because their protests have have resulted in positive change but now these changes are problematic and resulting in equally strong protests. One unfortunate thing happened in the news in my favor and that was the story regarding a major recall of gas powered Fords. My wife had previously lost interest in the Mach E because of a recall and in turn kept the purse closed. I tried to convince her that a "recall" is not necessarily a deal breaker and is a very common event.

shakenfake · June 16, 2022

Pretty sure my neighbor just got rid of their Mach-E. That guy goes through vehicles like no other though. He is back in an F-250 power stroke.

OnTheReel · June 16, 2022

They can’t even legally sell Teslas in my state since they are direct to consumer. So needless to say there aren’t a ton around here but quite a few over the border in IL.

Don’t trust anything about the EV market right now. Seems entirely driven by government force, hype, and the automotive bubble in general. Too many people living high on the hog. When they realize money ain’t gonna be so easy anymore, I wouldn’t be surprised if half or more of the reservations for these things don’t make good a year from now.

KARNUT · June 16, 2022

1 hour ago, Donstar said:

I watch for Teslas in a manner reminiscent of our childhood game of counting VW bugs. We live in a small North American city which I believe is pretty typical and my eyes tell me Tesla is a cutting it pretty good! Maybe Car-pro sees them well represented at auctions because they are so popular! Anyway, we know we can find media to support our likes or dislikes in all things and people. I had to laugh during the news last night. It is sometimes like watching Coronation Street. You think people will be happy because their protests have have resulted in positive change but now these changes are problematic and resulting in equally strong protests. One unfortunate thing happened in the news in my favor and that was the story regarding a major recall of gas powered Fords. My wife had previously lost interest in the Mach E because of a recall and in turn kept the purse closed. I tried to convince her that a "recall" is not necessarily a deal breaker and is a very common event.

It gets really hot where I live. I think that and AC use cuts the range. I understand cold does too. In a truck I’d would carry generator to lessen range worries. 90 percent of my driving is less than 300 miles. 80 percent is under 150 miles. 70 percent is under 20. My wife too. Like most things price drives my purchases.

Donstar · June 17, 2022

Waiting in lineups is a new normal for me. I am reverting to many of my pre-pandemic routines and appear to have acquired a lot more company! I know much of this is due to staffing shortages but not all. People are buying more and paying more. I'm shopping for a new or used single axle cargo trailer to carry my trike on future road trips. They are scarce and double the pre-pandemic price. However there are a lot of people looking for the same thing and good deals are taken in minutes. The ironic thing is a road trip hauling a trailer will never happen at current fuel prices. If my Silverado EV becomes a reality, this could be a two year wait. A lot can change in two years particularly in my demographic!

txab · June 17, 2022

Start a new thread if you wish to go done the "E" vehicle path. It would be more appropriate

Donstar · June 17, 2022

50 minutes ago, txab said:

Start a new thread if you wish to go done the "E" vehicle path. It would be more appropriate

The E path is not the direction I was heading but current fuel prices has put such alternatives front and centre. All through the pandemic we were waiting for things to get back to the way they were. My wife and I had mapped out two road trips, one to Saskatchewan and one to Houston. Part of this preparation process was making sure our house and other obligations were ready for a multi-week absence. A fill-up for my pickup is too significant of an amount of our uncommitted income. The fuel demands of a long road trip would be unmanageable at this time. For now our travel plans have to be put on hold until my expenses and income achieve a pre-pandemic balance!

KARNUT · June 17, 2022

12 minutes ago, Donstar said:

The E path is not the direction I was heading but current fuel prices has put such alternatives front and centre. All through the pandemic we were waiting for things to get back to the way they were. My wife and I had mapped out two road trips, one to Saskatchewan and one to Houston. Part of this preparation process was making sure our house and other obligations were ready for a multi-week absence. A fill-up for my pickup is too significant of an amount of our uncommitted income. The fuel demands of a long road trip would be unmanageable at this time. For now our travel plans have to be put on hold until my expenses and income achieve a pre-pandemic balance!

I would think that looking for an electric vehicle during your spare time would qualify. As well as the opinions associated with. I’m very interested in your experience with the topic. If it doesn’t qualify please start one.

txab · June 17, 2022

40 minutes ago, Donstar said:

The E path is not the direction I was heading but current fuel prices has put such alternatives front and centre. All through the pandemic we were waiting for things to get back to the way they were. My wife and I had mapped out two road trips, one to Saskatchewan and one to Houston. Part of this preparation process was making sure our house and other obligations were ready for a multi-week absence. A fill-up for my pickup is too significant of an amount of our uncommitted income. The fuel demands of a long road trip would be unmanageable at this time. For now our travel plans have to be put on hold until my expenses and income achieve a pre-pandemic balance!

Yeah you were just having a discussion about your vehicle hunting. so you can disregard my suggestion, if you wish. But a thread discussing E vehicles might be a good

Edited June 17, 2022 by txab

Donstar · June 20, 2022

Happy Belated Fathers' Day! My youngest of three fledged about 20 years ago. All three called yesterday from their respective far-away homes and it was good to hear them share a childhood memory or two. In every example given by my kids yesterday, their fondest memories centered around time together. I bet twenty years from now many Dads will hear about the extra time shared during Covid! Most projects can be done while employing a young helper. I know they'll often slow you down or not do a perfect job but the long term rewards are priceless!

KARNUT · June 20, 2022

On 6/17/2022 at 10:57 AM, Donstar said:

The E path is not the direction I was heading but current fuel prices has put such alternatives front and centre. All through the pandemic we were waiting for things to get back to the way they were. My wife and I had mapped out two road trips, one to Saskatchewan and one to Houston. Part of this preparation process was making sure our house and other obligations were ready for a multi-week absence. A fill-up for my pickup is too significant of an amount of our uncommitted income. The fuel demands of a long road trip would be unmanageable at this time. For now our travel plans have to be put on hold until my expenses and income achieve a pre-pandemic balance!

I listen to a podcast on Saturday called Carpro USA while walking. I listen to the prior week. The host is an ex dealer owner and has been doing this 20 years. He test drives a couple vehicles a week. A retired diesel truck owner from California called asking his advice on electric trucks. He’s only had his hands on the lightning amusingly it was during the big freeze and he hooked it to his house. His advice was a hybrid truck. He says electric is still too new. Adding the many electric vehicles he’s tested not one from any brand went the distance advertised. He did add he like all he tested. He would subtract at least a third advertised distance to eliminate range worries.

Donstar · June 23, 2022

The calendar has us in summer. The weather is giving token attention but I know it can change dramatically on short notice. I have enough summers on my resume to appreciate that typical weather has changed. I know/believe my behavior is linked to this change and I will continue to reduce my personal contribution. Covid upset many activities and routines we took for granted. Most of us discovered we could shed some wasteful habits and still maintain a happy life! One routine that got axed was our daily "Sunday drives". I found that I could often substitute this wasteful pleasure with a ride on my motorcycle. However, this was a selfish behavior. This ended yesterday when my wife joined me on my trike yesterday for the first time. It was actually her first time on a motorcycle or trike in 50 years! She absolutely loved the experience! I could say, "Be careful what you ask for"...

KARNUT · June 23, 2022

52 minutes ago, Donstar said:

The calendar has us in summer. The weather is giving token attention but I know it can change dramatically on short notice. I have enough summers on my resume to appreciate that typical weather has changed. I know/believe my behavior is linked to this change and I will continue to reduce my personal contribution. Covid upset many activities and routines we took for granted. Most of us discovered we could shed some wasteful habits and still maintain a happy life! One routine that got axed was our daily "Sunday drives". I found that I could often substitute this wasteful pleasure with a ride on my motorcycle. However, this was a selfish behavior. This ended yesterday when my wife joined me on my trike yesterday for the first time. It was actually her first time on a motorcycle or trike in 50 years! She absolutely loved the experience! I could say, "Be careful what you ask for"...

Growing up our going out for a Sunday ride was a big deal. And pretty rare event usually with a stop to Geno’s, KFC here. Being in the site prep business the summer time was peek business, winter time we were in school. When I got married to an army brat that was a penny pincher. The first time I said let’s go for a ride was met with, to where? I said to see the sites pick a road. That’s a waste of money she would say. Ultimately we usually would end up going to my parents farm. About 15 minutes away. She would help my mother with the Sunday dinner and watching the animals was her favorite thing. I grew up around that so it wasn’t a big deal. I drove a lot for work anyway. Just going for a ride became a thing of the past. I got roads right around me I’ve never been on.

Grumpy Bear · June 24, 2022

We lost a aged cousin on the wife's side to complications from COVID-19 yesterday. He cleared the virus but the pneumonia it gave him he gave in to. Got the news this AM.

Please, continue to be careful.