Post Gordon ~ Thoughts, Commentary & Reflections

Double Yellow takes a li'l translating:

arbitrage = taking advantage of the difference in value of an item (usually currency) between different geographic locations (such as difference in value of pesos, for example, in Tokyo versus NY, so buy in Tokyo and sell immediately in NY)

"automotive arbitrage opportunities in Southern California" vis-a-vis (compared to) "Northern California or Southern Oregon"

"bought my Tundra for $3800... in San Diego and could probably get $6K"

Actually, I need PHX > IND. Might work better the other way, from IND > Southern California/Arizona because rural Indiana cars have relatively lower mileage (two-lane, 55 mph roads compared with 65-70 mph, multi-lane, non-stop freeways). And you need something popular enough to sell for certain and will pass emissions. (Indiana doesn't have a requirement, AZ and CA both do.)

A few years ago an Indiana used car dealer in Bloomington, Indiana suggested shipping me Indiana cars he bought at auction in Indy and we'd sell them at the San Bernadino auction.

The rub was I'd have to come back to Southern California...

No-no-no.

(Not. Getting. Married. Either. In case anyone wants to know.)

 

Some good observations there, Bright One. Recall a Jeep brought in to a performance shop to have clutch adjusted. After looking at it, the mechanic informed the shop owner and the shop owner brought the Jeep owner over to his Jeep.

"See, we can't adjust your clutch. That's not your problem. You've got no metal here (that supports the pedal). It's all rusted away and when you push down on the clutch, what's left of the panel above the floorboard just flexes, clutch itself doesn't move. We can try weld in some new metal. Might help but can't guarantee it..." Rust's a major problem in Indiana. Car and truck bodies virtually rust away.

Why not drive down and fly back?

Original thought was drive down and drive back in my own car. $300 gas each way plus gas between AZ and California and back. $600-$800 or more in gas. Wear and tear. Risk of breakdown. Here's how trip penciled out:

Round-trip airfare IND-PHX/PHX-IND $342. Dodge Avenger rental $315 Oct 1-13 (original return). $342 + $315 = $657. Let Hertz worry about breakdowns. ($85 more to Hertz--$22/day--for 2nd trip to West Los Angeles.)

Flying from IND-PHX gave me much needed week to work on property in Indiana before departure (while would have been driving). Not much done all summer. G-R-R-R-R. That STILL pisses me off. Wasted whole summer.

Problem with drive down, sell car and fly back is too many variables. Time consuming. No assurance car will sell. Car breaks down. Where to stay. What to do with car camping 'stuff' while trying to sell. The whole nine yards of dealing with buyers. Once you start to get a little desperate, you're toast. Probably end up driving back. Ticket changes cost $200, more than ticket.

Would likely interfere with getting things done. Better to get things done, then spend a little time looking for a bargain. Got a great deal in PHX ($1100) for 97 Mercury Sable in 2012.

'Best' would have been to have found a good, rust-free 4x4 to take back. Probably a little out of my budget this trip. Set CraigsList max price of $1875...

 

Away from Constantly Rolling Oil Burners and Endless Pavement

Got frame for new glasses adjusted. Don't want to stick around until 3 pm until they're ready and lenses made. Send 'em, please. Ordered another pair, too.

No way to tell someone in Indiana about the streets and freeways all full of vehicles, rolling here and there all hours of day and night burning dinosaur blood like it were an endless resource.

Peak oil? Apparently not.

Who knew Elvis had such a massive body of work? Gospel, country, blues, ballads, pop and rock. From the serious to the trivial.

Amazing. Well, in my brown '97 Merc Sable wagon (if it's still at Aver Pizza across the road from airport shuttle stop in Bloomington, IN, tomorrow), there's almost ALWAYS a 25 cent Best of the Doors cassette in the player. Just never seem to get tired of it...

Tercel seller didn't answer. Probably my last 'possible'. No problem.

It's all good.

 

Absolutely correct, Blu. Used to quote 2 million or so in Orange County with the equivalent economic muscle of a top-tier GDP nation. The Golden Triangle (John Wayne Airport area--not sure exactly, Irvine-Newport-Santa Ana), I call Golden Bubble, but geez! What a powerhouse! More jobs there than the entire state of Minnesota, maybe a little less than Indiana total, but that's just the Golden Triangle.

Yes, you can see the ancient, 15,000-year-old water line up in Rancho Mirage, La Quinta foothills.

 

The cabovers (2 of them) are on hold. Keep hearing of deals under $10K on 2000-2003 trucks, better mileage, better engines. If possible, I plan to spend time with Gary the Mechanic. Yard Boss and I have to start a conversation and he's not going to like it. We did it his way for six months and I got screwed out of all the projects I could have gotten done this summer if had been 1x week to Prairie du Chien as I signed on for. I'm determined to get these projects done. My health is a factor, too, which I'm going to be talking about here.

Plan to take the pulse oximeter home again ASAP, see what change, if any, after my intravenous vascular treatments in Algodones. They weren't intended to address sleep apnea but I expect (I feel like) there's a difference.

Hey! I need to lose weight! Still have cough...

How are you doing, by the way?? Gotta thread to keep us posted??