Jul 08 2008
Buying a New Car —Part One
I will spare you the narrowing down process as it was exhausting to say the least. I will also disclose that all this happened in Feb-March of 2008—as gas prices were inclining, but still not skyrocketing.
(in my calculations of gas future costs I planned on $5 a gallon gas in the next couple of years, to which one of my colleagues chortled, “feeling a little bullish on gas prices are you?” This from a man who drives a V-8 Audi Super-Guzzler…) Well, I felt like gas prices will be there in the next couple of years anyway. And besides there’s no reason in the World that prices will be coming down anytime soon when so much money is being made from the something that costs no more to pull out of the ground then it did in the last few years… I believe it costs Saudi Arabia $2-3 per barrel—at current figures $137/barrel. $134 profit per barrel. What’s the percentage of profit here?!?!! Mother…
Not where I wanted to go. Okay, let me just say no one is chortling now except for you know them—Saudi Arabia and the US Government who makes more on taxes on gasoline than the profit by big oil over the last 10 years… I digress again. I am sorry. No, don’t drill here! No, don’t have new refineries here! No, don’t open more nuclear power plants! No! No! No! No! Don’t do that! Just complain that we have to defend a region of the world that’s crazy messed up because WE ALL USE too much oil from those foreign places when we do have an option right here! I am sorry for that.
The car. I wanted a Prius, but the extra expense of that car does not make economic sense even at $5 gas and 120,000 miles… Too damned expensive! The Honda Hybrid—Too freaken small and ugly!!!! Nice looking, little more room, less expensive alternatives—Too far away from today!
There it was roomy, stylish, decent mpg(—better than my current car), different, cool, and reasonably priced! The 2008 Scion XB!
Haggle-free, only one price regardless where you buy it anywhere in the country… Part Two coming soon…
Are you talking about the colleague getting divorced or the one who just got a house in Menlo Park?
Tito, Tito, Tito… Let’s just say that iChef’s prediction came to fruition much sooner then he was planning.
Were you in any way the inspiration for Michael’s brother name?