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temeculaguy
Participant[quote=svelte][quote=Aecetia]This one probably has a low fatality rate, too:
“You know those days that are just so bad you wish you hadn’t even bothered to get out of bed? Well, the folks at Fisker Automotive had one of those recently when their sexy, expensive, award-winning, new sports car died in the parking lot of Consumer Reports before any quality tests could be conducted on it.”Anyone who expected a brand new design from a brand new car company to be bug free should pass me a lil of whatever they were smokin.
I still love that car…
http://www.carswallpapers.us/view/fisker_karma_pure_sensuality-1024×768.jpg%5B/quote%5D
I agree, I love fiskar too, I’m pulling for them. I also love that poster, I mean i really love it. It represents two things this country needs. sexy and fast eco friendly cars and thigh highs/garter belts to make a comeback for daily office wear. I don’t think it’s too much to ask. Not even an artists rendition would show that woman leaning into a prius, and that’s on of the problems.
This ad (albeit a parody from a movie)was the primary reason I started my recent car purchase looking at convertible jags
Participantif you don’t mind it being just outside of sd county, buy two these, if you can get one thats not pending.
http://www.redfin.com/CA/Temecula/31218-Taylor-Ln-92592/unit-1218/home/8172093
an example for rent on craigslist
http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/apa/2900491751.html
another craigslist ad for the 1/2 of the property that isn’t individually owned but rented out as apartments
http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/apa/2900127194.html
they sell for 120k, rent for about 1200-1300, taxes are 100, hoa is 220. you should be able to yield bout 900 mo per unit, or 1800 for 240k. since you are not local, take off another 100 mo per unit for a management co., so you’d get a flow of 1600 for your 240k, about 8% return after expenses and their bubble price is double what you’d pay now and they are rising at about 10% a year, so it may end up being a 18% yield (this rise in price is during a great recession, a classic overshoot). Since they are the cheapest in the zip code and one of the few rentals near the largest casino in the state with thousands of rental demographic employees and only a few hundred rentals close enough to not require a freeway commute to get home for those employees, I see them in a perfect position to be solid rentals for years to come. The only problem is, investors have bought almost all of them, but there are still some, yet ignore those that are asking for 140+, those are kinda for the out of town suckers, which they do find.
There are two complexes, with stores and shops in between, 1/2 is owned individually and the other half is an apartment complex which chose to not sell once the market crashed but was supposed to be sold when it was being built and may end up selling at some point. he first complex sold between 250k and 300k, when the prices dropped to less than half that but rents stayed the same, they pulled them and made them apartments, it made more sense. At some point I see them selling them at a certain price threshold, as an individual investor, doing the same is probably a good strategy. The only problem is there are 3 current actives that aren’t shorts or pending, and over 100 have sold in the last 24 months in a complex of 220. All 3 of those for sale are overpriced by 20-25k, so this was good advice last year and the year before when I gave it, right now it might just be waving from the docks at a sailed ship. Then again, the numbers still beat almost anything in SD.
Participanthttp://www.usatoday.com/news/military/2009-05-06-soldierriders_N.htm
“Pentagon brass got an eye-opener when they examined 2008 casualty figures: More Marines died stateside on motorcycles than were killed in Iraq or Afghanistan.”
ParticipantI should probably retract all my comments, I was looking at it from an egocentric position. If that car or any other car makes you happy, have at it. Just because it doesn’t make me smile seeing it in the driveway, doesn’t mean it doesn’t light your fire. Music, movies, food, sexual orientation, sports teams, politics, religion, cars and houses are such personal choices that I should take the same approach with cars that I do with the other categories and just respect the fact that my eyes and brain are just that, mine. There is no wrong answer. Except motorcycles, I really hate motorcycles, but I digress. If you love your prius, then love it, who am I to disagree.
ParticipantWith your attitude, I expect nothing less. While the data is imprefect, there is a direct correlation between attitude about beating it and beating it.
Perhaps this little tiny bit of info will add .5% to swing the pendulum, that info is…I need you. I’m not talking about car knowledge, but it has been helpful and your links have given me the ability to avoid the stealership and DIY some things I did not think I was capable of.
What I am actually referring to is your spirit in the face of this challenge has contributed to the way I’ve lived my life these last few years. Sometimes at a crossroads, when I’m deliberating about something and thinking about taking some sort of risk, a few stories pop into my brain, yours included. I will bet a round of drinks that I’m not the only one, there are probably many people who have never met you, yet you inspire them when they have to make decisions.
The specifics won’t change the world (should I buy this car, should I date that woman, should I travel wth my kids before they are grown and gone, etc.) but without you and a few others in similar situations I might have said no, staying in my comfort zone and not really living life. So when you looking for the strength to deal with the discomfort of chemo, just know there are probably hundreds of people out there who need you and love you, even some of your dork economics friends, self included.
Participantokay this even better
http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/155193/thanks
I couldn’t get the whole episode to play, but if you select “related clips” you can watch it in chunks.
But many of you have seen that episode, so this is the best, an interview with the creators about that episode. epic!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef-YWyG5TXw&feature=related
cars cause smog, hybrids cause smug.
I just couldn’t help but think of this south park episode after seeing brian’s comment about not getting “credit” in my backwards little town for being better than everyone else, but in more progressive places I could drive a prius and people might think I’m cool ( I know those aren’t your words, but that’s how they read). I also liked the commentary clip where they mentioned that the early honda hybrids didn’t sell as well as the prius because they looked like regular cars and not hybrids. Now it’s well known from the car threads that I recently bought a BMW, mostly for my own personal pleasure since a few posters here somewhat talked me into it after sharing their experiences, but I will readily admit it, part of it was because it’s an ass magnet. I personally think my selfish motivations are more pure, because I admit them. If someone told me they drive a prius because it’s an ass magnet for young eco chicks and they like women who don’t wear a lot of make up and use that shower razor a little more sparingly, I’d give them a high five. I’d say that I like a different type, I’m good with a couple of tattoos, a more liberal use of the shower razor and implants don’t bother me, therefore my sled is different but the same. Then I’d raise my glass to them for their ingenuity. We bait the hook based on our tastes, fortunately my sled is more fun to actually drive, but to each their own. But when someone gets all condescending about it, I think of that south park episode. I’m not alone. I’m not saying all prius owners are being smug, it’s likely the prius piggington folks are just doing what’s more frugal, that’s our nature. It’s just you are the minority, the rest are doing it for reasons that kinda bug the rest of us. Maybe that’s why I loved the tesla and was excited about the new foucus hybrid, because they looked sexy and fun, yet the hybrid part was just a bonus, driving a hybrid because it’s a hybrid it irritating. But then again you know what they say is the difference between a bmw and a porcupine? With a porcupine, the prick is on the outside.
ParticipantEmasculation on wheels, what’s next? Sitting down to pee?
March 8, 2012 at 12:32 AM in reply to: OT: Harvard Cheaper than Cal State – So Guess what CA Lawmakers are Doing? #739531ParticipantI may have figured out where that data came from, if you look at a 33 million dollar budget and 3 million in ticket sales, someone with an agenda could say they lost 30 million. I’m not saying captcha has an agenda, but someone played a game with numbers to trick you. Tickets are not a big part of the equation and students pay little or nothing. All sports other than a few are free for anyone to attend. As evidenced by my previous post, television revenue, naming rights, corporate sponsorships and money from boosters are where the real money is at. A single booster gave more money than all the ticket revenue combined for the year, and their ticket prices are fairly cheap for the sports they charge for. It would be like saying a movie cost 33 million to make and only made 3 million in the box office, thus lost 30 million, even if it made 25 million in dvd sales and cable tv revenue. That would mean it really only lost 6 million, not 30. That is the closest analogy I could figure out this late without referencing porn, sorry.
March 8, 2012 at 12:19 AM in reply to: OT: Harvard Cheaper than Cal State – So Guess what CA Lawmakers are Doing? #739530Participant[quote=captcha]
SDSU athletics program generated $30MM less than what the cost was in 2010.[/quote]
Where did this data come from? The SDSU athletic budget is 33 million.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2011/apr/26/sdsu-athletics-hopes-success-offsets-state-cuts/
And no they didn’t lose 30 million.
Here’s a rough estimate, ticket sales, tv contracts, corporate sponsors and donations cover more than half of the budget. Student fees cover about 1/4 and the university pays the other 1/4. So were talking 7 million would be a loss. The students get free or low cost admission for that fee, some may never go to anything, but then again, I never got my money’s worth from the library so were even.
Keep in mind I’m rounding all these numbers.
The new football tv contract is 5x more than the old one by moving to the big east, that will bring in another 4-5 million and some guy donated 5 million all by himself (because he likes the sports, not the library). Basketball and football are the only sports that bring in ticket revenue, it’s all the other sports that technically lose money. But seriously, are women’s lacrosse scholarships really ending the world? Because that’s where the losses are, women’s sports and sports that rarely get on t.v. It’s the reason some kids go to a division 1 school, it’s the reason alumni give money, we could argue for hours, but my real point is that the athletic department didn’t lose 30 million, not even close.
One side note, when the american women win gold in soccer or men win in hockey or any other sport where watching our kids do really well, the losses and the scholarships become suddenly worth it for me. Nobody is taking away a poor kids scholarship or an academic scholarship, why would you want to take away from the athletes, especially the ones that don’t sell tickets. I like watching golf, sdsu has a great college team. On Sundays, the last day of every tournament, Tiger wears red (stanford), Fowler wears orange (oklahoma), the euros wear whatever. Why? because wearing your college colors on the last day of the tournament matters, the announcers mention it every time and that is a source of pride (and donations) from dorks like me. Some people complain, but I don’t mind paying so that one day, the winner at augusta is rockin the red and black on Sunday.
March 7, 2012 at 11:31 PM in reply to: OT: Harvard Cheaper than Cal State – So Guess what CA Lawmakers are Doing? #739528Participant[quote=poorgradstudent]
California spends more on Prisons than Education. So yes, we do need to get our priorities straight.[/quote]Sorry, but this isn’t actually a fact, not sure where you got it.
I’m not saying that prison is better than school, nor do I want to get into some long drawn out argument, I just hate bad data.
http://www.sco.ca.gov/state_finances_101_state_spending.html
The controller’s website seemed to be the most accurate even though it’s a two year old pie chart, but looking at past years, nothing real dramatic changes. Don’t get your data from a teachers union.
Corrections/rehabilitation I assume includes prisons and parole, probably some other crap. It’s usually 9-10% of the budget.
K-12 is 28% of the budget and higher education is 12%, they combine to be 40%, thus 4 times what is spent on prisons. Health and human services (welfare and medical for the poor) another 40%. 80% of the budget is for school, welfare and medical.
Feel free to back to complaining about whatever it everyone is mad about or who they are mad at. But I actually pay these new higher fees, and no, princeton would not be cheaper for me, we aren’t poor, we are hopelessly white, my kids lack any particular athletic skill and their grades and test scores are near the top but aren’t the top, so the 7k a year for CSU and the 12k for UC still looks like a good deal for us.
Participantparamount, you are already taking advantage of the pea brains. You are probably living in their house, renting them your old house and driving their car that they leased. All things they just had to have new and couldn’t afford. We need these people, now we need to figure out what they are going to do next, then figure out how to get that too. I’m particularly fond of the wives they couldnt afford any more.
ParticipantWandering hobo is a young mans game. I can’t even stay in cheap hotels anymore. If the thread count of the sheets goes under 300 I’m miserable. I used to love backpacking for days/weeks and also camping, now my favorite part of camping is coming home.
Participantthanks henry, now I understand. My definition of a good tennant is different from yours, I have lower standards and our rentals are small or cheap. It would be harder to find people with over 700 fico and 80k income because they often just buy their own place.
paramount, I know you didn’t cherry pick the data, I just think you are overly pessimistic, but I’m overly optimistic so the reality is probably somewhere in the middle. I do not think your rental is a “stinker.” It’s not ideal, but it’s not terrible. That is how it often is, you lose a little money each month for a few years in the beginning. Even if values were to rise, rents don’t usually rise with values, so this will not get better quickly. But in my experience, I regret letting two houses go in the past that were very similar to your situation. I would have lost $200 a month for a few years on one of them and then broke even for a few years and then made a few hundred for a few years and it would get better and better. Had I kept it, right now the rent would be double what the payment was, I would only have 9 years left on the loan and I figure I would owe less on it than most people pay for their cars. In 1991 I paid 130k for that house, the value has ranged between 90k and 400k in those 21 years, it’s probably worth 180-200k now. It would have been a lot of work, there would be years of losing money, but that’s what rentals are about, they are an “investment.” But only you can decide if you can stomach a few years of losses. In the scenario I just gave, over the first four years I would have lost about 10k. By about year 10, I would have gotten that back. But right now I would be making 10k every year off the thing, I would owe less than 50k on a rental that rented for 1500, I would have 150k in equity. If I followed my dad’s theory, once it starts turning a profit, I’d put those profits into improvements and paying down the loan, in all liklihood it would be paid off by now and the real fun would begin. I think he has 2 or 3 with no mortgage, but it takes 20 years. In 20 years there are a lot of things that break, there will be bad tennants and there will be lots of carpeting. They are retired and older so they turned those rentals over to a management company, now they just get checks in the mail, but it’s a long road to get to that place.
The other house I regret not keeping was purchased in 1998, the bottom of the previous cycle, so that one would have been a winner from day one. That just would have been lucky, you don’t always get lucky. It is a rental right now, but I don’t get any money, my ex-wife does. If you ask her I’ll bet she’s real happy about it.
BG, unfortunately redfin usually drops the pictures once they’ve been sold for a while but almost all of the houses in this tract look like that inside, they were built during the era of excess. I agree paramounts house is easier to rent, I do not think the larger and nicer ones are good rentals, they do not pencil out as well. They rent for about 2000 to 2500 but there aren’t many for rent and there arent many renters in that price range that wouldnt just buy since it’s actually cheaper to buy. But to address your question of my value having risen, it is true mine was thrashed, I did fix it and improve it. I did the work myself, but if I paid someone else I’d guess 20-30k. I probably spent hundreds of hours and maybe 10k or so, hard to tell, I did it one thing at a time. But that’s not what prompted getting rid of my PMI. My longtime friend/college roommate who is in the mortgage biz and lives locally told me that he had done loans recently in my neighborhood and he said my house was up between 80 and 100k. That I should refi out of my fha and dump the pmi and get a rate of about 1% less. I told him he was nuts, he said his computer program is slightly better than zillow and it confirms it. I was afraid of risking the 3 or 4 hundred dollars on the appraisal if he was wrong. But I’ve trusted him for 25 years and he ended up being right, the appraisal came back showing I was up 90k or thereabouts. It is true I have made some improvements, nothing near 90k, but even if you take that out, it’s still makes me think the market is not dropping. At the very worst it’s flat.
ParticipantSomething stinks in denmark. The math doesn’t work. With all the taxpayer watchdog hype going on, I wonder if any of these watchdog agencies would look into this, that district at appears to be raping people. They pay between 1% and 6% and charge 9%, not to mention their ability to raise the rate to the residents while enjoying a fixed rate? They also charge a fee to give out info that probably takes them a few minutes at a computer? I’m not a conspiracy theorist but something is wrong with this picture. I’ll bet a nickel the district barely understands it, this is screaming for an audit if you can find an auditor that understands the premise that borrowing 60k per parcel at 2-6% does not amount to 5600 a year with possible rate hikes.
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