[PRCo] Re: Gas Prices

[John Swindler]

> Date: Mon, 29 Dec 2008 15:07:59 -0500> From: shadow at dementia.org> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org> Subject: [PRCo] Re: Gas Prices> > On Mon, 29 Dec 2008, Schneider Fred wrote:> > > Ah but it isn't just Japan where we focus on doing things right. We> > have a quality of furniture called "early marriage." It is low> > grade, plywood and pine crap furniture. The Germans, on the other> > hand, believed that you put your money in the bank and accumulated it> > until you could buy something good. As I remember, they didn't have> > that inferior grade of merchandise. It's us always trying to get> > something for less. It is also an American dream that everything> > has to be new ... new camera ... new cell phone ... new car ... new> > furniture.
 
Obviously you haven't been to Goodwill lately, Fred.  Our German exchange student enjoyed it, as have sister-in-laws relatives from China and Japan.  And we are talking about the wives of stockbrokers and mechanical engineers.  The Japanese, Germans and Chinese are just like the rest of us - they like bargains too.  
 
 
> > I have furniture which was used, cheap or free, mostly. A bookcase my > father made me, a bedframe which was bought "new" at IKEA, but everything > else is used. I'm a stingy b****d. New matters, sometimes. When it > doesn't, why bother?> > > at 300,030 miles. My old '59 Ford would have quit running at at> > 40,000.> 
 
 
I got 12 years and 142,000 miles out of a '72 Dodge Dart.  More recently went through three Ford Taurus', deciding that reliability was becoming an issue at 200,000 miles.  The Honda is around 155,000 miles and am hoping it is only at the half way point.  Fred knows Howard White, who once commented that the best thing you could do for a car is frequent oil changes.
 
I'd rather visit a travel agent then a new car dealer or a furniture showroom.
 
Cheers
John
 
 
> had the first issue with my 2002 Chrysler, at 103k miles. tube for coolant > cracked. i could have fixed it myself, but that's what my mechanic is for.> > cheap is good. reliable is better. affordable reliability is better yet. > but i try to stick to sustainable, whether that means "new from somewhere > i know it wasn't slave labor" or "someone else's castoffs", or something > else.> > this is not political, and i'm not going to push it at you. i don't live > frugally, i just prefer to use money on things which are more exciting > than a new couch, or a new car.> > 
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