| |
Subject |
Author |
Date Posted |
Forum
|
 |
RE: Any LEO retired or currently sworn here!
Three weeks in and only just now starting PT? Times have changed. We started PT on day one. Hopefully though you've known it was coming and you've already started on the treadmill!
|
msmith1199
|
05/23/13 05:10pm |
Around the Campfire
|
|
RE: Health insurance
I can't directly answer your question, but I can tell you I'm in California myself and I've never heard of medical insurance for $3500 a month. The most I've heard talked about in the various complaints I listen to at the coffee shop, is $1800 a month and that included having an adult kid still on the plan. I'm retired and my wife still works and right now I'm on her plan. He employer pays $1600 a month and it's a Cadillac plan with only small copays, no deductible. When she retires I can go back through my retirement plan and right now the cheapest insurance they offer is $1200 a month for 2 of us and that plan has a $1500 annual deductible per person. I think Kaiser for two of us through my retirement system is $1500 a month and that's no deductible, but with copays. So your $850 a month doesn't sound completely out of line, but I'd want to know more about the fine print.
|
msmith1199
|
05/23/13 05:08pm |
Around the Campfire
|
|
RE: Taking advantage of the stupid!
Not to mention who is this evil "The Bank?" People are very quick to judge this huge corporations as evil and only getting richer while the rest of us get poorer. Did you ever stop to think that "The Bank" is actually people, most of which are just like the rest of us collecting a paycheck? Sure there's some at "The Bank" that are making huge salaries but 98% of them that work for the bank are the middle class. But what about those huge profits "The Bank" makes at the expense of the rest of us? Most it goes to share holders, some of whom are very rich people, but most of whom are not. Most of those share holders are again you and me. My pension system owns a lot of those shares as does my 401k. So I for one like to see it when the bank makes a good profit.
|
msmith1199
|
05/23/13 09:21am |
Around the Campfire
|
|
RE: Taking advantage of the stupid!
Arguably the most controversial choice on the list is the iconic Jeep Wrangler (including its stretched four-door equivalent the Wrangler Unlimited). While the Wrangler has few equals as a rough-and-tumble go-anywhere off-road vehicle, it’s lacking in refinement, comfort and road manners as a pavement-planted daily driver.
I can't believe how ridiculous the people writing these articles can be. It's a Jeep people, it's supposed to be that way. And when I had my Wrangler although it felt weird at first, once I got used to it it was a very comfortable vehicle.
|
msmith1199
|
05/22/13 10:02am |
Around the Campfire
|
|
RE: Vin and Serial number versus title
Vehicles are not titled until sold. So the chassis could have been made in 2004, shipped to HR (Monaco?) for a build in 2005 and then delivered to a dealer and sold to a customer in 2006. It's first use would have been in 2006 hence the title year.
I imagine it's quite common for a MH to sit at a dealers for 6 months before being sold. This is like saying my pick up was made in 2003 but it didn't sell of the dealers lot until 2005 so now its a 2005. Vehicles of all kind are titled from the date of build. In the case of rv's the build date is when the coach was built not the chassis. Even HR says it is a 2005.
Call it whatever you want, I was explaining why the title was 2006, HR said it was 2005 and why the chassis was 2004
As a title is a 'registration of ownership' and is issued by the DMV, it is only issued when the vehicle is sold for the first time. Of course some dealers will title vehicles in their own names to skew the sales figures.
Then how come toward the end of the year dealers start having end of year close outs to get rid of the previous model year cars? No reason to get rid of the previous models if you can just change the model year on them when the calendar changes. All those unsold 2012 models all the sudden became 2013 models on Jan 1? That didn't happen.
What does happen is just like has been explained. The model year of your motorhome is going to be the year the house was attached to the chasis and it was shipped out of the factory. My motorhome is a 2004 model, but my chasis is a 2003 and my VIN will indicate the chasis is a 2003. But my model year is a 2004 and that is what is listed on the title. All a little confusing, but perfectly legal.
I'm sure that years ago the motorhome manufacturing groups must have lobbied for this otherwise because of build time they would often be a model year behind. If somebody buys a new motorhome in 2013 they generally want it to be a 2013. I'd venture to say that most of the 2013 motorhomes sitting on the dealer lots today are sitting on 2012 chasis. By October or November that may not be true, but it is now.
|
msmith1199
|
05/21/13 05:04pm |
Class A Motorhomes
|
 |
RE: Why is gas 60 cents more in same state
Huge price differences like that are the norm in California and like already pointed out a lot of things effect it. One thing that I see that seems to have the most effect on prices is location, location, location. Gas stations right off the Interstate are almost always way more expensive than the stations in town. I think the theory being people getting off the freeway are going to go to the easiest station they can versus driving around and looking for better prices, while if you live in the town you're going to go to the station with the best prices.
|
msmith1199
|
05/21/13 04:54pm |
Class A Motorhomes
|
|
RE: Seems like they all do this
Be sure to check out the in dash GPS before you buy it. I paid a lot of money for a built in unit in my wife's Mercedes and it is a terrible unit. It has very little detail on the screen, it's very hard to use, and it almost constantly has errors in its routing. I can't believe Mercedes even puts this unit in their cars. A friend has a Lexus and the unit she got was a hundred times better than what Mercedes had. When we're taking a long trip in my wife's car I take the Magellan GPS and don't use the built on one.
|
msmith1199
|
05/20/13 03:18pm |
Around the Campfire
|
|
RE: Off brand ATV's
Also before you turn your kid lose on the ATV I'd make sure he read every story at the website linked below. He needs to know the ATV isn't a toy and what can happen if you aren't responsible on it. I've only read a few of these stories but in every one I read it was the riders fault with kids just doing stupid stuff that kids do.
http://atvsafetynet.org/stories.php
|
msmith1199
|
05/15/13 04:05pm |
Around the Campfire
|
|
RE: Off brand ATV's
I'm just speculating here, but if I were you I'd do some research on safety of these off brands. These four-wheelers are already plenty dangerous, but I can see more potential danger that something that isn't built with good suspension or good balance or good steering etc. I'm not saying they are any more unsafe than the name brands because I've never really considered this, but if I was going to put my 9 year old on a four-wheeler I'd want to know that it is at least as safe as it can be. I have a Polaris and an Artic Cat and both are high end with very good suspension, but if you're not careful these things will dump you on your rear before you know it.
|
msmith1199
|
05/15/13 04:01pm |
Around the Campfire
|
|
RE: Boondocking at Walmart
Staying in a Walmart lot isn't always about just saving money. I've actually only done it once myself and that was on a cross-country trip from California to Wisconsin and back. I did a Walmart one night but did Cabellas, Cracker Barrel and several nights of just parking on the street in a business area. The main reason being it was just easy to pull off the freeway and park and go to bed and then get up in 8 hours and get back on the road. There was no need for water or charging the batteries. Just a need to get some sleep and head out. No reason to try and find a campground and get checked in and pay $20 to $50 just to get 8 hours sleep.
Isn't that what it IS all about?
When I traveled on the circuit in my van the economy motels where are around $30 to $60 plus tax per night to "get 8 hours sleep".
Fast forward a few years and now these run down economy motel chains start at $100 plus a night!
So IMHO $30 bucks a night for a CG to get a nice clean, safe, in my own MH, 8 hours of sleep, IMHO is a pretty darn good deal. :C
Then do it if that's what you want to do. What I don't understand is why people feel the need to be so critical of others for not staying in a CG.
|
msmith1199
|
05/14/13 09:04pm |
Class A Motorhomes
|
|
RE: Boondocking at Walmart
Staying in a Walmart lot isn't always about just saving money. I've actually only done it once myself and that was on a cross-country trip from California to Wisconsin and back. I did a Walmart one night but did Cabellas, Cracker Barrel and several nights of just parking on the street in a business area. The main reason being it was just easy to pull off the freeway and park and go to bed and then get up in 8 hours and get back on the road. There was no need for water or charging the batteries. Just a need to get some sleep and head out. No reason to try and find a campground and get checked in and pay $20 to $50 just to get 8 hours sleep.
|
msmith1199
|
05/14/13 07:07pm |
Class A Motorhomes
|
|
RE: Golf???
Actually if you want to go watch golf, I like watching the LPGA much better than the PGA. The LPGA tournaments generally aren't as crowded and even though the girls don't hit the ball as long as the guys, their accuracy is simply amazing. It's just as fun to watch. Last time I was at an LPGA event I got to hold a rope up for Paula Creamer and Natalie Gulbis both to walk under. They both said thank you. Made my day!
|
msmith1199
|
05/14/13 03:27pm |
Around the Campfire
|
|
RE: Golf???
With so many people flooding the grounds at every PGA event, I have to wonder if the economy is all that bad. Think what is costs to attend at the current ticket prices.
The ones I've been to the tickets are cheaper than most other sporting events. I went to the AT&T at Pebble Beach a couple of months ago and I think the ticket price for Saturday was $40. It was a little cheaper on Thur and Friday and I think something like $10 for the practice rounds. I paid about $80 a ticket last time I went to a Giants game and $100 the last time I went to an A's game, and I can't even afford 49er tickets so I don't even check those.
|
msmith1199
|
05/14/13 03:25pm |
Around the Campfire
|
|
RE: 2001 National Tropical????
I have a National Tropical in the Diesel pusher version, and I'm happy with it. It's never give me any major problems. I don't know about their gas models, but in the DP they used an all steel frame and a one piece fiberglass roof. Most other motorhomes in the similar price range that I looked at had an aluminum frame and a rubber roof. This was the main reason I chose the Tropical.
|
msmith1199
|
05/14/13 02:15pm |
Class A Motorhomes
|
|
RE: I-5 or CA99?
I live north of Sacto. If going south beyond Bakersfield, I take 5. I remember when there were just a few stations on I5. Plenty of stops now. One issue with 99 is all of the side roads which cross the freeway and merge onto the highway. In the winter, fog is much worse on 99 then 5.
When was the last time you were on 99? There is only one very small stretch of 99 just South of Merced that has cross traffic. I think it's maybe a few mile stretch and I've been through it hundreds of times without a problem.
|
msmith1199
|
05/14/13 01:54pm |
Class A Motorhomes
|
|
RE: I-5 or CA99?
Unless you're looking to shake down your ride and a few years off its' life, do yourself a HUGE favor and don't take either one.
I ALWAYS, ALWAYS take 126 west to Ventura, then the 101 North and when you get near the south bay area, you have several options to cut over. Advantages are scenery, cooler temps in the summer, smoother roads and pure enjoyment! Of course this comes with extra fuel costs and additional time to drive it but as the saying goes, it's not just the destination it should always include the journey!
A LOT of extra time. Over 100 miles further that way.
|
msmith1199
|
05/14/13 09:01am |
Class A Motorhomes
|
|
RE: Boondocking at Walmart
If you own a motorhome, you should be able to afford a RV park or to stay at a place where they allow or encourage such things. But not Wal-Mart.
Or if you own a motorhome maybe all you can still afford is a free parking space at Walmart.
|
msmith1199
|
05/13/13 09:42pm |
Class A Motorhomes
|
|
RE: I-5 or CA99?
Harris Ranch is good, but I wouldn't do I-5 just for it. There's plenty of places along 99 too. I like the McDonald's in Chowchilla myself. :)
Pretty tough to compare Harris ranch to a Mcdonalds resturant
In fact a bit insulting to harris ranch in my opinion
I found I5 ok but pretty dam rough in some areas north of bakersfield through to sacremento.Ok north of Sacremento
You're kidding?
|
msmith1199
|
05/13/13 09:36pm |
Class A Motorhomes
|
|
RE: I-5 or CA99?
Harris Ranch is good, but I wouldn't do I-5 just for it. There's plenty of places along 99 too. I like the McDonald's in Chowchilla myself. :)
|
msmith1199
|
05/13/13 07:50pm |
Class A Motorhomes
|
|
RE: I-5 or CA99?
We came north on I-5 with fog most of the way, man that was monotonous. I would like to try 99 just for something different.
No fog this time of year, but even without the fog it's still monotonous.
|
msmith1199
|
05/13/13 07:40pm |
Class A Motorhomes
|
