Off-topic thread - talk about anything

[tunnanxwd]

The richer they are the more frugal they are. I bought my Jeep from S. I. Newhouse, of the publishing company. The "grounds keeper" conducted the transaction for "the family".

The guys lived down the road from me and was worth 6.6 BILLION dollars.

The car only had automatic and air. They say that the rich stay rich buy just buying what they need and no more. A friend did a study of the "cars of the wealthy" along the "Main Line" in Philadelphia and found that the very wealth person owned a lower level Chevy or Ford with the basic options. A Rolls or Caddy were said to be the trapping of the "new money" and flaunting it was tacky.

Aside from AC and auto, this car had hubcaps and roll up windows with the exception of the tailgate window, no other options. You would never guess that it was the car of the 47'th richest man in America.

I think I paid $500 for it.

[Dave T]

The richer they are the more frugal they are. I bought my Jeep from S. I. Newhouse, of the publishing company. The "grounds keeper" conducted the transaction for "the family".
...
The car only had automatic and air. They say that the rich stay rich buy just buying what they need and no more.

Then I must be a billionaire! My Saab was ordered "stripped". No sunroof, no automatic transmission. Not really stripped because U.S. specs are quite generous with alloy wheels and a few other things that are optional in some other markets.

Warren Buffet used to drive a Lincoln Town Car, which isn't that expensive. He auctioned it for charity a few years ago.

Not everyone is like that (maybe the newly rich?). In Bill Gates neighborhood, there are a number of ordinary cars, even among the houses on the waterfront. There is an arms dealer that surprising has little security as he always keeps his garage door open. Inside are about 3 expensive cars, all black. I think there's a Bentley and a Ferrari and other car. No black Saab.

Changing the topic, in Vancouver, it snowed on Thursday night but the snow did not reach Seattle. Some people commented in a newspaper online comments section:

Islandgirl:
A note to drivers. DON'T stop on top of a hill to 'chat' when it is snowing heavily!!! Drivers behind you cannot stop half way up a hill on an unploughed road. If they don't slide backwards, they still can't get up enough power to accelerate up the rest of the hill once you move your crate out of the way. Unbelievable how people operate their vehicles in the snow. It's not the SNOW that concerns me.....It's the thoughtless and dangerous drivers!!!

Anon:
Why do reports on snow in Vancouver continue to persist in reporting snow accumulations in INCHES!??

Over three decades after metric was adopted, can't you get with the program!?? You don't use fahrenheit still when reporting temps!

[tunnanxwd]

You and I would order alike DaveT, two (count em') times I did not take deliver of a Mercedes, not money to spare but the base price was attractive. The advertised price of the 1984 190 as a base car with no sunroof or options was just a tick above the base Saab. 1984 through 1989 we never had alloys. The 1995 had alloy wheels but no sunroof, not a single option.

All of our new Saabs came without sunroof, roll up windows and such. Mercedes on the other hand would take the order and never make a base car despite the ads. I planned on keeping the car till the wheels fell off. Steel wheels too on the Saabs with just stainless manhole pattern caps.

I didn't even know there was an estate in that "patch of woods down the road".

[Dave T]

Last night, I started to think "what if my car were* totaled?". The answer is not pretty. If the inventory listed online is accurate, the two local dealers don't have a suitable 9-3. One has four, two of them 2010 models. Another has a few more. 9-3s can't be ordered but it is possible that another dealer might have one that was made early in the year. There are no 2012s.

The situation with Saab seems to be like a chronic illness. Of course, uncertainty is better than if Saab would have liquidated in April. It is possible that after months of uncertainty, Saab will either close up permanently or start producing after the new year. If so, they should just start making 2013 models. I heard that 2013 models can be sold if they are introduced after 1/1/2012.
--
EDIT: Maybe another off-topic. I think grammatically, it should be "if my car were totaled", not "was". I say this because JFK said "if I was President...." and he should have said "if I were President". Who know which is correct?

[tunnanxwd]

Gee Dave, now you have me wondering what and if there is a legal definition of a 2012 versus a 2013 and how the car is titled.

I know you can still (perhaps not today, but a few years ago), buy a brand new 1966 Shelby Cobra. This was in R&T so it was not rumor. It seems Carrol S, was thumbing through his file cabinets and discovered that of the (don't quote the number), say 1,000 DOT permits he applied for and was granted he only built like 713. He was a heart transplant survivor and pledged that if you bought one of those remaining cars all of the profits would go to the cause. They were emphatic it would be titled as a car of the 1960's and not newer.

[nordwulf]

I thought tunnan's signature was some kind of wise and clever expression..

"Sed semper ubi sububi in caput meum" = But I always wear my underpants on my head

[Aero]

I thought tunnan's signature was some kind of wise and clever expression..

"Sed semper ubi sububi in caput meum" = But I always wear my underpants on my head

Ha, ha!. Good one!.

[Hirsch]

And you all laughed at Visualize Whirled Peas!!

[tunnanxwd]

My cousin the Catholic Priest said it meant ....

[J-Rod]

Gee Dave, now you have me wondering what and if there is a legal definition of a 2012 versus a 2013 and how the car is titled.

I know you can still (perhaps not today, but a few years ago), buy a brand new 1966 Shelby Cobra. This was in R&T so it was not rumor. It seems Carrol S, was thumbing through his file cabinets and discovered that of the (don't quote the number), say 1,000 DOT permits he applied for and was granted he only built like 713. He was a heart transplant survivor and pledged that if you bought one of those remaining cars all of the profits would go to the cause. They were emphatic it would be titled as a car of the 1960's and not newer.

You can still buy brand new DeLoreans. Although, you can specify to have a V8 put in it so it will actually achieve the famous 88 MPH.