I've got it covered

Literally. I think I've finally entered into adulthood with the purchase of a truck bed cover off craigslist. First question, does it give you better gas mileage? No. Does it allow you to keep a stroller, dirty diapers, and puked on clothes out of the truck cab? Yes. Mission accomplished...

Get Smart

I keep seeing more and more of the Smart cars running about town. Their US model, named the FourTwo (which either refers to the four-wheels/two-passengers or the actual height/width of the car in feet) looks like a coffin on wheels. They tout an advanced safety frame similar to an F1 car, but I don't think F1 cars would hold up too well under an 18 wheeler. Houston is a dangerous city for drivers, especially motorcyclists, and now add Smart FourTwo owners to the mix. Today one was parked at the stoplight waiting for the light to turn and I wanted to knock on his window and ask "Why? Why did you buy this? A Nissan Sentra is 2 grand less, has a back seat, is not a coffin, and get the same 35mpg." Buying a Smart car is like smoking in high school. Sure it's cool and it draws attention to your rebel ways, but it will kill you.

Long lost family member?

I think I might be related to this guy...I even like the name of his blog....

I'll admit it....I went to CarMax

Even though I've slammed CarMax for their straight markups over blue-book prices, I've found them useful for something - pressure free test drives. Doing a quick online search (and CarMax's new website is perfect - it has the simplest search algorithm and refinement process - it just works) I found that the local CarMax had a number of GTO's that I could walk in and test drive, and here's the good part - then I could leave without being hassled.

So behind the wheel of the GTO for the first time, the interior is really simply, tight finish lines, feels sturdy. Many of the reviews praise the GTO for being "squeak-free" even after 50K miles. Other highs - lots of legroom, INCREDIBLE seats with heavy bolstering, and overall really comfortable in the front seats. Not so sure about the back seats, but at this point who cares.

Now the test drive began, and I have to say that in comparison to the F-Body cars (Camaro, Trans Am), the GTO got everything right except the outside styling. It has a more cab-forward feel, with a windshield that has a normal pitch instead of the F-Body's 2 degree windshield and three-mile long dash. The only drawback I found as I moved from 1st thru 5th was how long the shift throws were. It was a mile between gears, which left the 2-3 and 4-5 shifts in no man's land and gave a first time driver nervous twitches of "I hope this isn't reverse...oh well, here we go...."

In the end, great performer, very comfortable, but not a looker like it's namesake. I showed Susan two GTOs on the road the other night, and I felt underwhelmed as they passed by. Not sure if you want a muscle car that could be confused for a G5 coupe....

My past is for sale

If you wanted to purchase a part of my pre-baby past, here it is:
Wakeboard
Exhaust
Guitar
Bike

My fight against Hallmark

No more shall we pay $3.50 (or $3.99 Canadian) for a piece of paper with a joke that no one thinks is funny, Hallmark! Yes, I'm talking to you Hallmark, you paper-pushing price-gouging peddler of chicken soup for the soul messages which are marked up 3,000% and sold as greeting cards. It ends today. I vow to make all my own greeting cards, and I will not be stopped.

Here's a sampling..... (click to read)

The Disc is Dead

I've talked about BluRay and HD-DVD before, and advised everyone to wait and see who wins (BluRay did), but I realized the other day that both have lost. Digital media on spinning discs is soon to be dead. When's the last time you bought a CD? Probably been a while. Pretty soon you'll be thinking the same thing about DVD's. With HD movie downloads from iTunes and Amazon, there's no need for a $500 BluRay DVD Player. 'But what about 1080P?' you ask - Dish Network now has 1080P on-demand pay-per-view, and this is just a taste of things to come. Although we are years away from 1080P coming over the free airwaves, it will soon be available for download purchasing as bandwidth becomes faster and cheaper...

There's even economic and environmental factors at play. Downloads in contrast to DVDs have no transportation cost and no packaging (no more using your car keys, a hanger, butter knife, and non-stick cooking spray trying to pry open the DVD case!)

Your email is open.....

I just realized today that reminding someone that their "Out of Office" email reply is still on is the office equivalent of "your fly is open" or "there is toilet paper on your shoe" or "there is something in your teeth/hair/face/whatever".....

Car of Choice

Car of Choice

In line with a previous post on always being one-up'd in H-town, I have started to compile a list of "dream" cars that I would really enjoy. Please notice that I indeed dream small. No need to buy a DB9 when a cruise down Westheimer will yield a DBS...

I am really looking for something that is unique, with a V8 engine and manual transmission, and has some staying power. Here's the list:

2005-2006 GTO - 6.0L V8 / 2004 GTO - 5.7L V8 - $14k-$23k
Highs: Unique - only a 3 year production run; great handling, huge power numbers for the price (400HP)
Lows: G6 styling....it's a muscle car wrapped in Grand Am packaging

1998-2003 Camaro SS (F-Body) - 5.7L V8 - $10K-$19K
Highs: I had the Z28 variant of this car, and would love to reprise it with an late model SS; mods are cheap
Lows: New Camaro is on the horizon, and this generation was prone to transmission and differential problems (which I attribute to people ragging them out...)

2005+ Mustang GT - 4.6L V8 - $14k-$19k
Highs: Reliable, plentiful mods allow you to create a custom ride, plus a 2010 redesign is due out soon, and will push the value of the 2005 models lower, plus plus I could challenge my father to a race...
Lows: the Shelby GT500 is to GT as an orca whale is to a seal (thank you SAT prep), dash hits my knee, less horsepower than the above cars, but how much do you really need? I feel like less of a man for asking that question

2002 Corvette Z06 / 2003-2005 Corvette Z06 - $20k-$29k
Highs: Track ready car for a bargain price - my European counterparts couldn't get a car like this for under $75K...wait for it....EUROS!
Lows: I would be "that guy with the corvette", I would need to wear a windbreaker or leather jacket, possibly a mustache

The New Breed....

2009 R/T Challenger - 5.7L Hemi V8 - $29K-$33K
Highs: Head turning design, and I could put two Hemi's in my garage
Lows: constantly telling people "no, I bought a CHALLENGER not a Charger....it has two doors, I promise", knowing that an SRT model might find me and make me feel insignificant

2010 Camaro SS -$30K?
Still a glimmer in Chevrolet's eye, although the V6 has already been out and about for press runs. I'm afraid Transformers may have ruined it for me...

Grey Market

I love new terms from the internets (correction, this is universally know as the Parallel Market). First and foremost is the Grey Market. These are "retailers" who setup websites to sell products they may or may not own and are certainly unlicensed to sell, but offer such great deals you can't resist giving them a try. If you've ever used Google Shopping, your search for a name brand product ultimately gives way to some interesting results. Let's say you search "Playstation 3"....this would give you some of the following hypothetical hits:

$399 - Sony Style
$449 - Best Buy
$378 - Computer City USA
$284 - Refurb Depot

Those last two are Grey Market - unauthorized retailers who offer savings on usually fixed priced products. Shopping grey market can be a mixed bag, but if you follow a couple rules you can shop successfully:

1) First off, never use a check or money order - look for Google Checkout, PayPal, or other 3rd Party credit app service
2) If you use a credit card, make sure you are protected against fraud - this means your credit card company not only has a fraud policy, but have a history of acting quick and siding with the consumer
3) Another credit card tip - some credit cards offer additional warranty protection on certain purchases (i.e. electronics). Here's a list...
4) Don't pay any outlandish shipping/handling fees - if you pay $50 for the iPod and $50 for shipping, and the iPod never shows up - you may only get back your purchase price, not the shipping
5) Check seller ratings on Google or Yahoo shopping. Also do a quick search of the company's name followed by "fraud" or "scam".

As of late, my favorite Grey Market site is Meritline.com.They have scores of accessories for all sorts of devices, and they often ship for free....

Reverse Materialism

If I've learned anything from Houston (I like to think I've learned at least 3 things), it is that no matter what you buy, someone will always have something better. Whether its a house, or the location of the house, or a car, or a phone, or anything - someone always has something better. This is a great lesson in materialism, for as much as I focus this blog on stuff you buy, I try to keep it under the guise of "how to buy stuff as cheap as possible, then sell it on eBay when you're done and break even". My materialism does not take the form of having the most expensive item, but from finding the largest percentage savings on an item you would personally enjoy...

Here's some great examples
42" Panasonic Plasma + 5.1 Phillips DVD + Install for $690
Razr batteries for $.99
JVC MP3/CD Car Stereo with built-in HD Radio for $30

Truck Rehab Step #2

The new exhaust has arrived and has been installed. Overall, it is nearly as loud when you put the pedal to the floor, but the cruising and start-up are much more quiet and smooth. It has a straight-thru design with fiberglass insulation to deaden the sound. The old Flowmaster setup had welded chambers that redirected the exhaust to reduce drone/resonance. The biggest difference is that the new setup exits behind the rear wheel, and putting the sound well behind the cab.

Want a piece of history, it can be yours for $250.....I just need to find a big enough box to ship it in.

And this post wouldn't be complete without some before and after video:

Learn to merge...

I have a couple pet peeves on the roadway, and for the most part you've heard them before, but #1 seems to come up every day now...

3) Cell phone talker driving 10 under the speed limit

2) No blinker random lane change guy

1) But my most passionate gripe is MERGING TOO EARLY! If you decide to merge 1/2 a mile before the merge point, don't straddle the lanes and penalize me for using COMMON SENSE. Utlilize the entire lane until it merges, keep every one queued properly, and stop the madness!!! Here is a someone who saw the light...