Topic: Roger Back in the Hospital

[Achim]

Bit shocked when I saw the headline, glad to see that things are resolved already. Awesome nurse!

[Rogmeister]

Yes, I think they all are.  I'm having other problems now but not medical.  My car is having problems and has been out of commission for a few days.  I managed to get it to a repair shop today and they'll work on it Monday as they're off on Sundays.  The problem may be a short of some kind.

[Dragonfire]

I hope they get your car fixed soon.  I know how much of an inconvenience car trouble can be. 

[Kathy]

One thing great about Buffalo is that everything is so close. If my car dies I can walk to most places or ride my bike to the rest.

If my brother didn't live so far away, I've often thought how much money I would save if I just got rid of the car.

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

If my brother didn't live so far away, I've often thought how much money I would save if I just got rid of the car.

Ever calculated how often you could rent a car before you get only close to the purchase price?
Come to think of it, how much more you could do this if you calculate the costs for maintenance and repairs too?

[Najemikon]

If my brother didn't live so far away, I've often thought how much money I would save if I just got rid of the car.

Ever calculated how often you could rent a car before you get only close to the purchase price?
Come to think of it, how much more you could do this if you calculate the costs for maintenance and repairs too?

My dad could always do most of his own repairs, so it was easy for him to keep an imperfect car running, but I can only do small stuff and actually, cars of the last ten years are harder to mess around with anyway. The one I have at the moment is pretty good, the engine has never let me down. However the electrics are prone to failure and the brakes needed a major overhaul to get through the last MOT. I worked out that over the two and half years I've had the car, I've spent about the same as my friend who had a brand new one on a finance deal. All he has to spend on it, beyond the monthly payments, is fuel, tyres and insurance. Doesn't even need tax because it's very low emissions. He's a got a brand new shiny car, yet if mine had any serious failure, it would have cost three times as much over his two year deal.

[Kathy]

If my brother didn't live so far away, I've often thought how much money I would save if I just got rid of the car.

Ever calculated how often you could rent a car before you get only close to the purchase price?
Come to think of it, how much more you could do this if you calculate the costs for maintenance and repairs too?

I never did any real calculations - just thought about it.

I don't really want to know how much money I'm throwing away for the convenience of having my car.

[RossRoy]

I hate electronics in a car, especially here in Quebec where it can get pretty darn cold in the winter. Case in point, my car (you may remember I bought a shiny new Jeep Patriot back in 2008)..

First winter, first day at -35C (that's -31F for you "imperials" ) - the car wouldn't start. Why? Not because the engine was frozen, or because the oil was too thick, or because gas had frozen, or whatever other reasons a "normal" car wouldn't start in winter.

No.

It was because the chip controlling the theft control - which identifies my key and allows the car to start or not - had failed!

And now there's all that talk of fancy electric, jammed packed full of electronics, cars with fancy LCD dashboards and whatnot .. can't wait to see them in -35C/-31F weather!

Case in point, a friend of mine has an hybrid (can't remember which model sorry .. but it's a sedan type, keep in mind mine's a SUV). Wonderful car in the summer. Costs him almost nothing in gas. In the winter? It costs him more than mine in gas to run .. why? Because the electric motor doesn't generate heat. So how does the car heat? Yeah, it runs the gas engine! Whoop-dee-doo! .. (bear in mind here in Quebec winter last 10 months a year! slight exageration

[Halo2]

(bear in mind here in Quebec winter last 10 months a year! slight exageration

Sébastien, not that much of an exageration. I spent 4 years in Rome, NY (30 miles east of Syracuse) and we often still had pockets of snow hanging around into June-July.

[Kathy]

...and Buffalo gets the bad weather rap!