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bearishgurl
Participant[quote=all][quote=bearishgurl]
Oh, and btw, I’ve slept in my vehicle at numerous rest stops in my life (sometimes alone, sometimes not) and have never had a “predator or crazy person” or anyone, for that matter, so much as knock on my window.[/quote]That’s because you are not as cute and defenseless as paramount.[/quote]
Well I dunno. I might be cuter than paramount but I’m usually covered up with a sleeping bag, jacket, sweater or beach towel (depending on weather) so a potential “predator” can’t really tell how cute I am :=0
Participant[quote=no_such_reality][quote=paramount]
There are a lot of predators and crazies out on the roads.[/quote]Predators and crazies aren’t the danger. The distracted and tired are…[/quote]On the open road, I’d surely rather be surrounded by my tank of a car (or ER’s tank of a car) or a tank of an SUV (Toy Landcruiser/Lexus LX, etc) in case of a mishap. Examples abound: something falling off a vehicle, an opposing driver falling asleep at the wheel and crossing the median, a tractor trailer jacknifing in a sudden whiteout or a downhill tractor trailer whose granny gear went out and didn’t quite make it into the brake-check hill. Yes, all these things have happened to me at one time or another. Sh!t happens, especially when road conditions are not optimal. You have a lot of drivers out there who have wildly varying levels of experience with driving in adverse conditions. Put them all together on a two laner in the mtns in the winter and anything can happen.
For a winter road traveler, safety comes before gas mileage, IMO.
Professional drivers aren’t the ones falling asleep at the wheel. They’re the easiest and most polite to drive alongside. It’s Joe and Jane6p who just got home at 6:00 pm from working all day and week and who left at 9:00 pm for their 2-week vacation after packing their vehicle for 3 hrs that you have to worry about in the middle of the night out there. And then there are the wackos in low-to-the-ground Miatas, etc who deliberately cut the professional drivers off who are playing Russian roulette with everyone on the road (including themselves) by their erratic show-off behavior.
Oh, and btw, I’ve slept in my vehicle at numerous rest stops in my life (sometimes alone, sometimes not) and have never had a “predator or crazy person” or anyone, for that matter, so much as knock on my window.
ParticipantMy bad. Subaru Forresters have “on-demand AWD.”
http://www.subaru.com/vehicles/forester/features.html
It appears they are all 2.0L four-cylinder models. This explains the much better mileage than the 4-Runner. They don’t appear to be bigger inside … maybe the same size. The latest models do have a quieter engine. They are quite a bit cheaper than Toyotas. There has to be a reason for that.
I still wouldn’t trade a 4Runner for one. It’s not the same vehicle at all.
Participant[quote=kev374]How about the 2014 Subaru Forester? it’s 24/32 and has plenty of space. I have heard that diesels are pretty expensive to maintain, especially with the German marques so any savings in fuel is quickly eaten up in other costs.[/quote]
I’ve ridden in the 2010 model and it was very nice and spacious. They also come in 4WD, I believe. Good choice.
Participantparamount, if you currently drive an “Excursion,” you have the “gas-eater extraordinaire.” Sure, it has the “ultimate in cargo space” but you are paying $80-$100 for ONE fillup.
Different strokes for different folks. I drive an older Lexus “luxury” sedan which floats like a boat and gets 27-29 mpg on the road. Its trunk is plenty big enough to store all you would need for a road trip and then some (except, of course, bikes standing up and 2-75 lb dogs, lol … :))
Oh, and btw, my car’s engine is rated for 500K miles. I’m slowly working my way there, with regular maintenance, of course 🙂
My car will officially be 20 yrs old next month :=D
Participant[quote=paramount]Are you being serious?
1st of all a 4Runner is not a truck, it’s a grocery getter disquised as a truck. The front bumper of my Excursion has more steel than a complete 4runner.
I looked at 4Runners last year, they are cramped and drive and handle like crap (compared to more modern similiar class vehicles).
A Suburban is much better for most, probably gets better mileage and has much more room.
I’ve never understood the market for mid-size SUV’s and pickups – the gas mileage is really no better than a real full size truck or SUV only you get a lot less room.
Besides, for most SUV buyers a modern CUV is a much better choice than a 4Runner – you get better handling, more modern/advanced safety systems and suspensions, better MPG and on and on…
4Runners were great….20 years ago.[/quote]
Yeah, I’m serious. 4Runners are on a light truck chassis. Currently, they are built on a “Tacoma” chassis (formerly “Hi-Lux” chassis). They were mostly 6-cylinder vehicles, which, in the past, was mostly 4WD with a std 5-spd transmission. Yes, they “bounce” more in traffic in comparison to an AWD passenger car such as the Toy Highlander. They are now sold with mostly 2WD transmissions which are automatic. I erred when I said that it was “rare” to find a new or used 4Runner for sale in SoCal. I meant that it was “rare” to find a 4WD for sale (the 2WD’s are plentiful). Why are they so “rare?” Because their owners (all the way back to 1987) don’t sell them. Hello?? They keep them for life. For good reason. Because they last well past 300k miles if maintained. For off-road, it doesn’t get much better than than a 4Runner or Toy HiLux/Tacoma (Jeep and Toy Landcruiser excepted).
The 2013 4Runners are a pricey $40K to $50K, depending on options.
Yes, most (4WD) 4-Runners have been further modified over the years… for off-road. That is where they belong, IMHO.
Yes, I would agree that there is less cargo space in a Toy 4Runner than a full-size SUV (ex Suburban or Tahoe, etc). 4Runners are a mid-sized TRUCK. The Toy Landcruiser is built on a Tundra chassis. It is a whole different animal.
I’d take a 4WD 4Runner any day of the week or year if I could afford the weekly gas fillup (I can only afford ONE vehicle at a time). I would MUCH PREFER a 4WD to an “on-demand AWD button on the console” as is featured in the Lexus RX.
I drive in snow, mtns (very high altitude) and am a long-haul road driver when I hit the road.
Participant[quote=JohnAlt91941]My 2009 Jetta TDI had a failure of the high pressure fuel pump. VW had to replace the entire fuel system due to metal shavings from the pump grenading. Mine wasn’t the only one for this generation of the TDI.
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=299854
I think Audi diesels use the same fuel pump.
Additionally, the turbo failed on it twice and I kept getting a check engine light for the exhaust temperature sensor despite NUMEROUS attempts at repair by the dealership.
I also owned a 2003 Jetta TDI that was the best car I ever had. I wish I still did. 45 mpg, 650 miles to a tank. But the clean diesel I bought in 2009 was a mess.[/quote]
Good info, JohnAlt91941. Thank you for your post.
ParticipantI agree with ER that the “system” is broken in MX and has been for a VERY long time.
However, I agree with davelj in that I know several Americans (NOT Mexican or of Mexican descent) that possess “Sentri Passes” who have been crossing the border 1-5 times per week with no incident for YEARS. They live on one side of the border … or both (they have a “vacation home” and/or “business” in Baja … no, folks, it’s NOT drug trafficking).
I agree that if you mind your own biz, speak Spanish passably and/or perhaps have a Mexican spouse, child, relative or friend with you who is FROM Baja, CA, then this category of Americans has less chance of being victimized.
In desmond’s video, the family was hauling a flashy fifth-wheel trailer. I only watched a few minutes of it but in the comments section, the first comment was that the family was driving a former Baja racecar trailer previously owned by the (very locally prominent) McMillin’s (of McMillin Development and Realty – HQ’d in Nat’l City, CA) with the name obliterated. I took a close look at it on the video, all the while knowing and remembering the particular nearby acreage where the family stores their racecar trailers. It is likely true that it was a former McMillin trailer which is a “red flag” to thugs “pretending” to be “law enforcement” who believe they will get to “steal” a racecar worth hundreds of thousand of dollars if they can frighten the driver and passengers enough to detain them and possibly “carjack” them. Ask yourselves where the scrapped law enforcement vehicles from CA agencies end up. You guessed it. Wrecking yards in Otay Mesa (SD), CA, where they are first stripped of their CA gov’t plate and then bought up at auction by the dozens by Mexicans who take them across the border. I know because I myself bought a Honda Prelude at one of said auctions back in the day for $700 – yes, running. Only a fraction of these partially-painted-over former US law-enforcement vehicles end up in the hands of legitimate law enforcement agencies down there. Hence, you have your “fake cops” pulling over “flashy” Americans down there.
I myself have not been to MX since before 9/11 (when border security was tightened up and an American needed documents to return to the US). In the eighties I went several times per month and have even traveled by car hundreds of miles beyond Ensenada. I let my passport expire and would have to renew it to obtain a Sentri Pass and/or travel abroad. I have no desire to do either at present.
My advice is to buy a Ford 150 pickup stateside, the older the better and if it doesn’t have any bondo on it, put some on it somewhere. Put a couple of Mexican blankets on the bench seat and a towel over the cracked dash and use it for all your Mexican forays and camping trips which are within 150 miles of the int’l border. I don’t care WHAT you see Mexican Nationals wearing down there … DITCH the designer clothes, handbags and jewelry and just hang out in Levis, shorts and flip flops or tennis shoes. Bring only ONE credit card in your shoe or belt and store additional cash in your belt or sock.
A Mexican resort 2500 miles away and reached by air is a different story. Follow your travel agent’s advice about where to stay and where to go and don’t rent a car. Walk to recommended establishments near your hotel. If you will be visiting Las Pyramides or other rural attraction out on lonely roads, go with a bus of Americans which was booked by a US-based travel agent.
Participant[quote=EconProf]Don’t obsess over gas mileage. Once you run the numbers, it is seldom worthwhile to sell your car just to get one with better mileage.
At 15,000 miles per year, a 5 MPG improvement saves you less than $500 per year in gasoline. A 10 MPG improvement, which is a huge difference in size of vehicle, gets you under $1,000. Weigh safety, convenience, comfort, etc. And transaction cost is too often neglected: time and trouble to sell a vehicle and buy another, wholesale vs. retail, sales tax, etc.[/quote]I agree with this, EconProf. And NSR suggested the Lexus RX450h. I’ve researched past years of those vehicles and found them to be prohibitively expensive. And the cargo space in them is very small compared to the 4-Runner. I haven’t checked but the the 2013’s have got to be around $50K.
treehugger seemed like she loved the 4-Runner (what’s NOT to love?) except for it’s everyday gas mileage (17-18 mpg?). I think the best solution is for her to keep it and buy a nice used Camry or Honda Civic/Accord for $4000-$6000 to drive to work and back. Grandma’s car with under 50K miles is out there … for patient buyers 🙂
Participant[quote=bearishgurl on July 21, 2012 – 11:07am.][quote=spdrun]
Prick was a coward. Should have shot himself.. Only upside, I hope they put him in general population…
I think Colorado (at least theoretically) still has the chair. As much as I dislike the death penalty, a death sentence in this case wouldn’t make me too upset.[/quote]
My prediction is that Holmes will be advised to cop a plea that he was legally insane at the time of the shooting and in the weeks leading up to it. He can’t really go to trial. It’s a huge waste of time and money. There were hundreds of witnesses who saw his hair colored red as “the Joker” and that was exactly the way he was arrested. He even told cops, “I am the Joker.” Even his own mother said that “they got the right person” and she wasn’t even there!
If found legally insane, he will likely end up at a state psychiatric facility, at least for the first year.
What is most troubling to me is that Holmes entered the theatre as an unarmed regular customer and no alarm was set off when Holmes exited the emergency exit to get his body armour and weapons. Had there been, it would have likely alerted theatre security to the door and he would have never made it back in to do the shooting. I think this issue could end up being a cause of action in civil proceedings against the owners of the theatre.[/quote]
Well, it took a little longer than I thought it would so I guess his defense counsel has been shopping for a “cooperative” psychiatrist all these months.
I expect “SD homie” Holmes to be changing his plea in the coming days. Of course, living in the Colorado Psych Hospitals (with “professionals” to talk to) would certainly be preferable to spending one’s life at the state pen at Canon City :=0
Participanttreehugger, I would LOVE to have your 4Runner and KNOW what a strong truck they are. However, I too can’t afford to buy $80 tank gas for “city driving” when I only need a mtn vehicle maybe four weeks per year at most … that is … as long as I haven’t moved to the mtns yet, lol.
Good used 4Runners (and even new ones on a lot) are quite rare in SoCal so I’m sure you won’t have a problem unloading it at all.
With your two big dogs and your need to stand bikes up, all I can think of are Suburbans, Tahoes, Escalades and the like. However, your 4-Runner is better vehicle than all of these and probably gets better mileage, IMHO. Why don’t you keep it and just buy a cheap used city kick-around car for $4K to $6K? Your spouse might not always be with the same company and thus you may not always have access to his company truck. If I were you, I might just keep the 4Runner for life. You never know … it could actually outlive YOU.
Just kidding ;=]
May 9, 2013 at 10:50 AM in reply to: Best zip for sect 8 rental for son -any 1 br owners out there? #761884Participant[quote=TemekuT]BG – that was very kind of you to take the time to post such a comprehensive reply to help someone you don’t even know.
‘In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’
-Acts 20:35 ESV[/quote]Well, TemekuT, we all tried to help birmingplumb’s son find a Section 8 unit the first time around, when he moved out here from Michigan.
Some areas, such as Chula Vista, have many complexes which accept these vouchers and the rent level is such that the tenant holding the voucher doesn’t have very much (if any) out of pocket. Urban Chula Vista just happens to be set up for seniors and disabled people. That’s the way it’s always been. And part of the beauty of this location is that it is just a mere 10 miles from dtn SD, which can be reached by trolley or bus (no hills or other geographic obstacles). It’s a straight shot.
May 9, 2013 at 10:19 AM in reply to: Best zip for sect 8 rental for son -any 1 br owners out there? #761882ParticipantSorry to hear your son’s (noisy) unit was sold, birmingplumb. That speaks volumes about what people are willing to buy just to be in/invest in North Park :=0
You won’t find too many “quiet” areas in 92115 as most of its rental units are full of SDSU students. In addition, prostitution, no-tell motels and seedy bars can be issues out there if the unit is too close to EC Blvd.
I recommend your son rent a rental unit in an established apartment building where all units are owned by the same owner to avoid having to move repeatedly when the (individual) owner feels it’s a fine day to list the unit for sale. Chula Vista 91910 and 91911 have several complexes which allow small dogs but I would recommend 91910 for more “quiet” living and more “stable” tenants. Some of the complexes in 91910 have average tenancies of 8+ years, especially those which accept Section 8 vouchers. 91910 attracts more singles and seniors and 91911 attracts more families, which often turn out to have a larger number of people than what the applying tenant initially tells the mgr will actually move in.
Almost all of the rental complexes in 91910 are on 4th Ave or west of that with a couple of them just east of that. Dozens of ground floor units have accessibility features. The average security deposit runs $600-$800 and a small pet deposit is likely $500 and up. In this area one can walk to everything, incl many mom/pop stores and a Starbucks. The 709 bus runs on H St to a large mall, Vons and the trolley, the 705 runs on E St to a different large mall, a different Vons and the trolley. Route 701 serves Hilltop Drive around to F St thru dtn CV. Route 704 serves 4th Ave east on Naples (Castle Park) to Sharp Hospital. The E/Bayfront and H St trolley stations (blue line) are a very short walk to several apt complexes but those tend to be more noisy, due to proximity to I-5 and the trolley tracks. The trolley ride to downtown from Bayfront/E Stn is about 12+ mins (incl a longer stop at Trolley Tower, the MTS Transfer Stn across from Petco Park). In addition, the SD MTS Route 929 serves North Fourth Ave and then Third Ave thru dtn Chula Vista. This is a longer ride to Broadway in dtn SD but its riders can embark/disembark at several stops in National City and Naval Stn 32nd St to shop (incl a HUGE 99-cent store :)).
Northwestern Chula Vista is built to be accessible to disabled people and features 4-5′ wide sidewalks on most streets with wheelchair ramps on the corners. Dog walking is a BIG sport here. I’m sure you might have seen this site where you can search who will accept a small dog.
Also, the Villages at Bonita Glen (first on the list below) accept small dogs (not sure about accessibility, though). This complex is in a GREAT area but is off the beaten path (more suburban). There is a strip mall and a Circle-K store in front, Burger King across the st and is a short walk to the 705 bus route which would take him to a large indoor shopping mall in 5 mins or the trolley in 6+ mins.
http://www.apartmentlist.com/ca/chula-vista#
birmingplumb, I think your son would feel right at home in urban Chula Vista and would likely never want to leave. And the weather’s GREAT here, btw 🙂
Let me know if you have any more questions about Chula Vista.
Participant[quote=The-Shoveler]Whatever
Inland Empire second fastest in growing high-tech jobs in US
Interesting, shoveler. Do you know the names of any high-tech companies which have moved into the IE?
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