What R you doing today?

[ChuckD]

I'm aiming for 50 years / 400 k miles.

I’m at 300,000 on my 24yo suburban but salt use in winter really eats up the body. Just back from the shop for new ball joints and brakes. My wife complains about the repair bills, then I remind her that an average annual $500 in repairs compares very favorably to a $500 monthly payment on a new truck!

 

[jswordy]

Chopped off the 12 6x6 deck support posts to the final height. Construction will be delayed by a calf sale roundup and a kidney stone procedure, and then will resume. The post work and any ground covering are the hardest parts of deck construction. After that, it's just general framing work. I might get some post notching done before the lithotripsy procedure, dunno. I pray it works so they don't have to go up inside me again. That option really sucks and basically screws ya up for 3 weeks or a month. Plus the pain. Last time, lithotripsy did not work. Fingers crossed.

We're under a frost warning here tonight, 7 days beyond our average last possible frost date. Two days ago, it was 84. Wacky weather, indeed. But I didn't mind working in 48 degrees. Beats 95 and humid, which it probably will be by the time this deck is done.

 

[jswordy]

I’m at 300,000 on my 24yo suburban but salt use in winter really eats up the body. Just back from the shop for new ball joints and brakes. My wife complains about the repair bills, then I remind her that an average annual $500 in repairs compares very favorably to a $500 monthly payment on a new truck!

If you buy a basic truck for the $48 grand (gulp!) I don't think you can pay it off at $500/month before you have 300,000 on it. Might want to up your example to $750/month. You can always fix cheaper than buy. I want a new one bad, but my 2001 F150 still runs fine and it cost me $18,500 brand new, factory ordered like I wanted it, in December 2000. The interior is great, it's just the outside that is showing wear. I just can't wrap my head around $48K for a stripped truck. $60K to get something worth having. But I'll be buying one eventually.

 

[winemaker81]

I’m at 300,000 on my 24yo suburban but salt use in winter really eats up the body. Just back from the shop for new ball joints and brakes. My wife complains about the repair bills, then I remind her that an average annual $500 in repairs compares very favorably to a $500 monthly payment on a new truck!

MSRP on a new Suburban is $62,000 USD -- with no money down, you're looking at over $1,000/month.

Last year we considered getting a new Tacoma -- the model I looked at had MSRP $43,000, and these days there's still no dickering on price. With a trade in for my Camry, the monthly payment would be nearly $500.

I typically spend $300 to $800 per year in repairs on the truck, not including oil change and tires (I put < 2,000 miles per year on the truck, so the tires will dry rot before they wear out), so keeping the old one for what we need is a far better choice.

 

[jswordy]

MSRP on a new Suburban is $62,000 USD -- with no money down, you're looking at over $1,000/month.

Last year we considered getting a new Tacoma -- the model I looked at had MSRP $43,000, and these days there's still no dickering on price. With a trade in for my Camry, the monthly payment would be nearly $500.

I typically spend $300 to $800 per year in repairs on the truck, not including oil change and tires (I put < 2,000 miles per year on the truck, so the tires will dry rot before they wear out), so keeping the old one for what we need is a far better choice.

I'm only driving Ford trucks, period. They have always performed for me, why change. My '01 has 200K on it, sits outside all the time and starts and goes anytime I need it. Zero outlay except for normal wear and maintenance (brakes, oil, plugs, filters, etc,.) Here's the price for the cheapest base model with a V6. I've "built" them online and it's about $48K if you want a V8 and tow kit in a truck that has a few creature comforts.

 

[Mcjeff]

I'm only driving Ford trucks, period. They have always performed for me, why change. My '01 has 200K on it, sits outside all the time and starts and goes anytime I need it. Zero outlay except for normal wear and maintenance (brakes, oil, plugs, filters, etc,.) Here's the price for the cheapest base model with a V6. I've "built" them online and it's about $48K if you want a V8 and tow kit in a truck that has a few creature comforts.

View attachment 100652

I have a 2013, It runs good, but is getting rust on the fenders, so I used the online tool to price a new one $75k. I was at the Cadillac dealer the other day, a new CT5 with a lot of options only $52k. Trucks have gotten crazy expensive. I’ll keep driving my old one.

 

[winemaker81]

I'm only driving Ford trucks, period.

Some years back I read an article regarding self-made millionaires in the USA. The most common vehicle driven was the Ford F-150.

The '98 Tacoma was a good purchase for me. It's big enough to do 98% of what I need, while being relatively economical to commute in (27-28 MPG). Yeah, it's a 4 cylinder, which explains the 2% I needed help with.

My only regret is buying the Xtra cab instead of a Dual cab -- the difference is the Xtra cab is roomy if you're 8 yo or younger ... adults, not so much. [Xtra cab technically has a back seat, while Dual cab has a real back seat.]

My son's '21 Tacoma is a completely different truck -- it looks like my truck's parent, it's so much larger. He ordered special to get a manual transmission, which he loves. They're hard to find in the USA.

 

[ChuckD]

MSRP on a new Suburban is $62,000 USD -- with no money down, you're looking at over $1,000/month.

NEW? NEW? Who said anything about new. I paid $6,000 for the Suburban about five years ago… it was the most I ever spent on a truck! My wife gets a new car every decade or so but I doubt my behind will ever be cradled by new truck seat. I just cannot bring myself to spend that kind of money on a vehicle!

And yeah. I know guys who’s truck payment is larger than their house payment… insanity!

 

[winemaker81]

@ChuckD, I'm doing you a favor. When your wife complains about the cost of repairs, show her my post, ignoring the fact that I mentioned a new vehicle. All arguments should cease.

This discussion reminded me of a situation when I was a newbie out of college. I was the kid with no experience, in a large group of older people (10-30 years older than me). One guy (maybe 15 years older) was complaining about repairs on his car, a 10 yo Ford sedan. It was costing him ~$400/year to keep it running. He was going to buy a new car that was going to cost him $300/month for 5 years.

I asked if the car was generally reliable, and it was. It was 10 yo and the wear-n-tear was normal for the time.

So I asked why he was going to pay $3,600/year to replace a car that was reliable and cost less than $500/year to keep it running.

He kept the Ford. I was young and certainly made my share of stupid mistakes, but I could do math .....

 

[vinny]

This place us huge! The Lois hole centre in Edmonton.
This is the area above that not accessible to the public.

The centre area is, and is huge. There is another wing that is another growing area cut off from the public and i didnt even touch k. The size of this place. Grocery stores, restaurants, and all kinds if excitement.

 

[Jovimaple]

View attachment 100682
This place us huge! The Lois hole centre in Edmonton.

I had never heard of Lois Hole before. Now I need to check out her gardening books!

 

[BigDaveK]

The Universe likes to mess with me.

Couple weeks back high winds downed 3 trees. Cool, free firewood. Then my chainsaw was acting funny. Find out the sprocket was badly worn, ordered part, waited, replaced. Fine, everything is cut into rounds. Yesterday I'm splitting, splitter sputters and dies so today I'll start by cleaning the carb. More delays.

And as a kicker - I have 6 pawpaw trees with blossoms. Freeze warning tonight. Of course. Sigh.

 

[vinny]

I've done Skeeter Pee and DB, but this my first country wine to get bottled.

Paradajz is the bosnian translation of tomato. This wine is surprisingly good, so I needed a name that I can use to play with people.

The label is grey and was intended to be darker to match the caps, but there's only 4. The test print made the cut!

 

[Dwerth]

Our new property is still pretty much a blank slate. On the docket for today was building a new chicken brooder for the chicks that arrive next week.

4'x6' with the ability to pick it up with forks on the tractor.

 

[vinny]

The creativity is low on the gallon batches, I dont want to use up my good designs on four bottles, but again leaving room for games, literal translation in Portuguese...

Carrot blood!

 

[vinny]

I know enough about literature to identify a quote, even play on it, but I've never read the book. So! Amazon to the rescue.


@balatonwine

 

[BigDaveK]

Cleaning the carb fixed my splitter. Hallelujah!

And I have a Husqvarna chain saw, used an OEM part, and if anyone is curious the sprocket assembly is called a "kopplingstrumma".

Can't do anything about the freeze warning, darn it.

 

[vinny]

I couldn't help but chuckle to myself thinking back to the day I decided to make a raspberry wine with the frozen berries.

A Couple of days ago I spent some hours racking all my country wines. Then today I split some kits into 3 gallons and bottled.

I have wine in the front closet. Bottles in the spare bedroom closet. More bottles in an outdoor cabinet. Carboys under the desk. A cabinet full of country wines and supplies. Fermenters and corkers stuffed in corners..

The bar is full of bottles to label, and I did it all just so I can get more going.

I needed to free up gallon jugs to make my rose petal wine and I've had a kit on hold for some time.


I'll just make it into a raspberry wine... Who knew!

 

[ChuckD]

I have wine in the front closet. Bottles in the spare bedroom closet. More bottles in an outdoor cabinet. Carboys under the desk. A cabinet full of country wines and supplies. Fermenters and corkers stuffed in corners..

Are you complaining here? Because I don’t see any issues… in fact that’s situation normal at my place

 

[Jovimaple]

Our sump pump died a few weeks ago and we haven't put the basement back together again after we cleaned up the minor flood. So all my empty wine bottles are still upstairs, I have carboys in the kitchen as well as the laundry room and the main floor bathroom shower, and I have 3 kits sitting in the living room waiting to get started. Not to mention the fruit in the freezer that will be made into a Dragonblood wine when I get a chance!

So, yeah, situation normal.