Minor Win thread - Life is good!

$70k near me buys... Maybe a studio apartment without a parking spot. 

EDIT: Just looked, you actually get a parking spot! 300sq ft, Includes a fridge, maybe a stovetop, but no oven or microwave or place to put one. Oh, it is also an age restricted building to 55+, not allowed to rent it... So $70k in my town basically gets you a bedroom, toilet, parking spot, and a fridge.

In reply to dculberson :

Real estate prices are just as wild here as they are elsewhere. Before the idea to sell it to me came up, the son had called a real estate agent to come appraise it as-is and she said it was worth $109k, and in today's market could easily command $75k, so I got a pretty hefty discount. I'm getting a "best of both worlds" situation where I'm getting today's low interest rates but not the current inflated housing prices.

In reply to NickD :

Congratulations!

I got to spend last Saturday, Sunday and Monday with my oldest son, he turned 18 earlier this year, doing a bunch of work to what will end up as his first car.  We dropped the front subframe and changed the bushings, drilled out two broken bolts that held down the swaybar bushings and changed those out. Changed the radiator, AC compressor, expansion valve and receiver/dryer and swapped out the wiring harness in the trunk.  He has helped out with small car stuff in the past but this time I was able to let him go at things and not have to watch over him, it was more like wrenching with a friend.  Even though I am a little worse for wear after three partial days of laying on concrete it was really nice to just hang out with him, no distractions, having adult conversation.  Man they grow up fast.

In reply to NickD :

That price is awesome no matter where you are.  Plenty of meat on that bone for you to take advantage of.  Get moved in and settled and take on one room at a time renovating it.  Redo floors, replace outlets, remove wallpaper and get a fresh coat of paint on everything, new light fixtures.  Nothing terribly difficult or technical and it'll look like a whole different place in short order.    Then, when you are ready to sell and move on you'll have built tens of thousands of dollars in equity.  It's amazing how bamboozled most buyers are buy cosmetic updates.

I have a line on a 1993 BMW 325is (WBABF3318PEF39072) which is rust free, priced well below Challenge money and was posted for sale in a public Facebook group.
 

I'm going to look at it tomorrow. I swore the next BMW I'd own would have an M badge on it, but this seems like a great starting platform to build something with M3 levels of performance for a fraction of the cost.

I kind of want a Miata, though.
 

Been aiming to replace the crusty old pot metal flag bracket attached to a column on my front porch.  You know, something Stainless Steel, Made in the USA that would last forever and look good doing it.  Found Gallagher Metal Works in Sebastian, Florida makes exactly what I'm looking for.  Should be here in days.  Life is good!

https://gallaghermetalworks.com/product/flag-pole-holder-bracket-for-1-pole-45-deg/

Stopped at a new donut shop by my house before work (dangerous thing for me...), 19yr old golf player doing his thing.  He posted a few days ago an offer for Vet's today for a free donut and coffee.

Walked in and he sees me : "Hey you're the Star Wars guy!".  Best compliment I've had in awhile.  (He saw my comment on Facebook earlier after my first visit Monday.)

Insurance company just called to tell me that the car is a total loss and to, in their words,  make the first offer.

That offer is 50% more than I paid for the car a year and a half ago.

Mr. Peabody said:

Insurance company just called to tell me that the car is a total loss and to, in their words,  make the first offer.

That offer is 50% more than I paid for the car a year and a half ago.

Try not to blush as you grind them.

It's snowing!

Picked up a carcass of an 85 Honda Rebel for $250. With any luck, the Murdercycle will have a big block and 12 volt electrics by spring.

mtn said:

It's snowing!

This is the minor WIN thread.  Get that snow crap over to rants please. 

KyAllroad said:

mtn said:

It's snowing!

This is the MINOR win thread.  Being November, that makes this a MAJOR win, and not appropriate for this thread.

FTFY

KyAllroad said:

mtn said:

It's snowing!

This is the minor WIN thread.  Get that snow crap over to rants please. 

Don't worry, KyAllroad, I got this added over in Minor Rants, for you.

I had never successfully drilled out a broken exhaust stud.

Until this afternoon.

My first ever non dfl dfl autocross today was actually second in class out of four, including my instructor!!!

I purchased some non-BBS Club wheels for my ND2 Club this afternoon. I got a great deal and found out ahead of time that they will fit Brembo equipped MX-5s with a 10mm spacer, which I'm fine with (these will be my street setup to save the 245 A052s for fun).

I had to see for myself, so I pulled the Titan 7 TR-8 off of the front driver's side. Yep, they won't clear the Brembo caliper. But I discovered the PO installed a Karcepts front swaybar. He didn't mention this when I bought the car. It was a nice surprise!

I filed paperwork with Washington State for 'The Swap Shop, llc' and it seems to have gone through. I now have a UBI.

I finally got the motherberkeleying berkeleyedy berkeley berkeley quick connect fuel lines unhooked and the filter put in.

Never in my life have I has such a bitch of a time with such a simple thing

In reply to Antihero (Forum Supporter) :

Toyota or Ford?

Streetwiseguy said:

In reply to Antihero (Forum Supporter) :

Toyota or Ford?

Ford.

I don't know what was wrong with the older style of connectors. It worked fine

This could be a rant but it did end up a net win.

After getting completely ignored, and pretty much told to go berkeley myself by the local used tire shop, I did what I didn't want to do and went to my regular tire guy. I know how crazy busy they are this time of year, but I didn't have a choice. 

Insurance is taking my car, I need the stock rims back on, can you swap the tires I bought from you a month ago on to the stockers?

Shop foreman says no way, too busy. So I go to the owner, hey Greg, I need a favour... You're just giving it back to the insurance? Why don't we see if we can't find something out in the pile so you can keep your new tires?

We found a set and after they were done I asked, so what do I owe you? $40 he says. So I give him 50 bucks, turn to the shop foreman who's none too impressed with me at this point, give him 50 bucks too, and thank him for his help.

The used tire shop wanted $80 to do the swap, so for $20 more I got them swapped, got to keep my new tires, the set of snows I was going to turn it over with, and kept the shop happy too.

Win

In reply to Mr. Peabody :

I bought tires at Costco and tried to tip the guys as I was impressed with the work - buy the guys lunch I tell the tire guy.     

They wouldn't take it and other customers were looking at me and all of a sudden since I'm Italian I look like Joe Pesci with big pinky rings on and a bank roll in my pudgy hands.   

In reply to Datsun310Guy :

Trust me, they appreciated the offer. Places like that often have a no tips accepted policy. Taking that tip could cost them their job. Probably because someone, years prior, abused it to the point where corporate made a rule.

Just saying "Thanks, I appreciate it," is more than a lot of customers do.