balthazar

Here's just 3 future resto projects picked up at various estate/farm sales, a Pexto bead roller ($22), a Cummins hat initialer ($3) and a 1905 Champion Blower post drill ($180- had to have it) ~

My MIG is 110 - my whole shop is 50 amp / 110V. Only time I tripped a breaker is when I plugged in a 50+ yr old pedestal fan with a shorting motor. Olds, I'm not surprised you'd want the Buick there- you seem to like paying for things you can't use! ;)

• OK to the Quebec requirement- not the case in NJ. I can understand flooding prevention being required if a dishwasher IS installed (drain pan/drain line, I assume?), but are dishwashers a code requirement to be installed? Weird, if yes. • A 220V OUTLET is fine; I did say 'run the wire' above. That's a 'rough in' and truly relatively 'cheap'. My objection is being forced to buy a $2000 charging unit if I can't use said unit. • If $2000 is such a no big deal, I'll give you my PayPal addy and promise I'll put every dime of the $2000 you send me into the Buick! You won't be able to USE my Buick, but who cares, right? :D Ummm- define "a lot" if you care to take a stab. And are we merely talking about offerings... or actual sales?

Tahoe & Escalade don't look like they share ANYthing other than the only 2 things I ever see mentioned; window switches (just the actual button- the surrounds look different in the pics) and the shifter lever. Wow- I thought there was a laundry list of shared bits inside, more hater hyperbole I guess.

• Certain house features ARE mandated. You cannot build new construction withOUT water, or septic/sewer, or electricity. Not if you want to build it legally. • A dishwasher does NOT have to stay with a house. I've installed a dishwasher where one USED to be- that space had been converted to a cabinet. And that house was an occupied rental- so it had been inspected prior to it being rented. Dishwashers are not code-required. • A dishwasher doesn't have to be used, BUT IT CAN IF YOU WISH. • An EV charger CANNOT be used, even if you wish, on an internal combustion vehicle. If you paid for an EV charger you cannot use, you've wasted your money. It's like putting your solar panels in the attic (maybe down the road, you can have a bank of skylights installed). If you think a EV residential charger should be mandatory, then just advocate for mandatory EV vehicles / an immediate ban and confiscation of all IC vehicles. There's only 300 million to round up, should only take a week. I've stated it before; I have no issue with EV vehicles, despite they're not being viable for me. Some of the products are still interesting to me, conceptually & functionally. But the widespread refusal to look at the timeline of things is borderline delusionary. I'll offer a compromise; draft a new construction requirement to install EV chargers in every new home when EVs reach 50% of the market.

•• SIGH •• If you move into a house with a dishwasher, ASSUREDLY you own dishes and are VERY likely to use said dishwasher. Same for A/C - ASSUREDLY, as a human, you feel heat. At some point even the most thrifty break down, when it's 99 with 80% humidity. In both scenarios they have a functional use. With EVs being a scant 2% of the market, 98% of all homeowners have NO USE for an EV charger. Why force them to pay for it? And the idea that the cost is 'lost' in the overall cost of the house is exactly how the medical bill scenario in America has gotten where it is; who'll notice a single aspirin tablet was $19 when the total bill was $90,000?? It's just wrong (on both counts). It's fleecing, but politicians will push for it to 'look concerned'. Meanwhile, a fat, overpriced contract will go to cronies in the industry, who'll kickback to the politician. The homeowner, as usual, gets screwed.

And thusly the quartet is now complete; all 4 '58 Edsel models name have been reused by other brands. Probably unique in the annals of autodom. And I like 'Corsair' (it was first a GM concept) and Lincoln's names. Agreed I can't wait for Cadillac to go back to names.

That's exactly what I was talking about. - - - - -

That's crazy if true. I can see running the wiring from the panel to the garage, straightforward, but the charger should not be mandated- forcing people to pay for an expensive item (you guys don't think because it's 'standard' it's free, do you?) that the vast vast majority of which won't be utilized anytime soon - smells like a back room scam. It's like requiring solar cells be put on every roof of new construction, even (like my house) if it's primarily in the shade, or if it's not hooked up. Run the wiring, leave the unit for those that require it.

• I was schooled to be an artist, did graphic design professionally for 11 years, but I don't do much anymore. I say I'd like to do some painting, I did one oil 4 years ago and have planned the next, but haven't started. I'd prefer to build 3-D pieces; I started a mixed media sculpture I designed years ago, but have only built the structure. • I enjoy restoration, I did a pot belly stove and an antique floor lamp. I have a few dozen of the like projects sitting around, for when I ever get some time. I hear people talk/worry about having something to do once they retire- even aside from cars I have enough projects to last 20 years if I don't get anything else. • I would really like to get into some wood & metal-based projects (again: time). Right now I'm starting a live edge Elm countertop for a customer, so that should be fun. I have also sketched my own custom coffin and have some pieces I would use toward that (if I ever pull the trigger there - no pun intended!) • Haven't done much on my book in the last 6 months- it's probably 90% done in the raw, sitting at 93K words. That's on my short list- really want to finish that off. If I can morph my job into just 4 days a week, taking that 5th day to be productive on one or more of these fronts, that would be spectacular.

Yeah, MOST of consumer goods drop in price over time. The first Texas Instruments calculator used to be a capital investment; it was $150 in 1972 ($910 in 2018 dollars). Doesn't seem to happen with automobiles, however. Model S was supposed to come out in the mid-$50K range. Never happened. Then it was in the mid-$60K range. Then they dropped the 60kW in '17 and the 75kW last month, and the NOW minimum ante for a Model S --after 8 years on the market-- is $94K.

Sure it's optional. It's optional to buy an EV, too. But once the narrative is "everyone WILL be driving an EV" and 'within 10 or 20 years', it sure makes it sound like it's actually not optional, doesn't it? And if it's 'NBD', why would a manufacturer include a highly variable (and in some cases completely non-applicable) tax credit in the purchase price of their vehicle? After all, isn't spending another $7500, unexpectedly (after being told you won't have to), NBD?

What you term 'part of the experience' is really 'writing another check'. The crux of the EV vs. IC ownership discussion seems to always boil down to price. It 'saves' the owner so much here, here, and here. I forget which high-priced EV car is advertised at "$xx,xxx" where they deduct some large dollar amount for fuel you don't have to buy, right in the sticker price. Rivian is deducting the EV tax credit from the sticker price of their pickup, when that amount is FAR from guaranteed to everyone. Disingenuous. COST is the Prime Directive of vehicle ownership; it defines the tiers of vehicles, it's the crux of all 'buy vs. lease' discussions, it's the very definition of the Blazer RS narrative, it continues to dog the Corvette ('best sports car for the buck / competes with exotics priced much higher'), it spurs incentives on every. single. vehicle. sold. With EVs, its pertinent to be realistic on the cost; it matters. Why do you think Tesla logged 400,000 orders for a vehicle no one had seen but was merely described as 'a Tesla sedan costing $35,000'? Why didn't those people just buy the much better Model S? I'm fairly confident everyone on the planet is aware of oil changes for IC vehicles, but I'm far less so in some of the associated costs connected with EV ownership. How the tax credit scenario works is a real eye-opener.

I posted a Level 2 charger was $500-$700, and you posted it was $600-$700. That's not "almost half", it's actually MORE. I posted parts & installation was $1200-$2000, and you posted $65-85/hr, which doesn't address parts and doesn't address total installation cost. That again is not "almost half". If you take the average of the numbers I posted ($1600) and divided by the average of the hourly rate you posted ($75), you get 21 hours (with NO parts). Once you factor in plans, permits & inspections, plus the parts & actual work, I can easily see the $1600 for installation, parts & time being legitimate. - - - - - Each & every '53 Buick Skylark had the owner's name(s) handwritten in the steering wheel medallion. I've looked at a bunch of pics of this car and even the 'Customized for' is written differently in different cars. The vehicle in the very center is a representation of the 1st Buick, built in 1903.

I like how we're griping about the $53K sticker on the Blazer, but completely glossed over the $92K sticker on the Trackhawk.

Add $2200 average to the cost of your $75,000 Audi e-tron. Not buying $2.31/gal gas for your $38K Audi A4 that gets 30 MPG combined, leaving you only $39,200 to buy fuel... wait... nvrmd.

Lexus = 3 feet of obnoxious, bloated, mutilated frontal overhang. Wouldn't drive brand new for $10K out the door.

"They say" top fuel/funny cars develop 10,000 HP, but the actuality as I've heard it is that there's no dyno that can measure above that, so it's an estimate. I've also been to a monster truck event, and believe me- there is no comparison. At the top NHRA events, you can feel your skeleton vibrating inside your flesh.

The target for taxes is '$0'; you should aim not to owe anything, nor to get any refund. The closer to that mark you get, the better off you are. IMO, people who splurge spend their 'free money' refunds are self-deluding & fiscally irresponsible (unless wealthy of course). The tax bottom line is going to depend on the individual and their state/local taxes. My wife tells me the percent of people who itemize over the threshold of $12K is only between 10-20%. IRS said the average refund to date is only down by 8%, and think about it - those filing early are among those expecting the largest refunds. I think the 'effects' are going to be indiscernible, economy-wise.

• He looks pretty good for 83 (as of 2014). This is NOT a bash, but look at the actual fact of what you said, dave. Garlits was a Top Fuel driver, the fastest of the fast. The best run here of an EV 'top fuel' dragster was 184. Funny cars & Top Fuel have gone 330+. This vehicle -as is-, is neither amazing, fast, or exciting to watch. Top Fuel isn't exciting because it's nitro-powered, its exciting because it's going over 300. I'm sure EV dragsters will get faster, but just like EV car sales- they have a LONG way to go. And while I'm not particularly a fan of professional drag racing I've been to a Summernationals, and the noise was the highlight/takeaway of the event for me.