(no subject)
Hey all.
Been a while. Just thought I'd let y'all know what's been going on.
Hell, I'm not even sure who reads this any more - if you don't mind, please drop me a quick comment letting me know that you read this (or at least skimmed); I'd be interested to know. :)
Biggest news today is that the Vibe needs another $2000+ in repairs - this time a cracked manifold and broken front windshield wiper motor. And then I need to get it Drive-Clean certified. So... yeah. Fun.
I'm having it repaired because it's easier than going out an finding a new car right now... and driving with a cracked manifold ie. exhaust gases coming into the passenger compartment (I realized there was a problem when I could smell partly-burned gas whenever I cranked the engine) so... yeah, can't just ignore that, or you fall asleep at the wheel and never wake up. And they'd have noticed it during the Drive-Clean test anyways, since they check for exhaust system continuity and won't even test the emissions if that's not intact, never mind certify it - so not only would it be dangerous to keep driving it without repairing it, but also illegal once my renewal comes up in a month.
I vow that this is the last major repair it gets, though - I would like for it to last one more winter, but we'll see - it's been needing a major repair ($2000-ish each time) a couple or three times a year now, and that's almost as expensive as new car payments... and less predictable. So... I think it's essentially done. I need to start putting money away for the next vehicle and start doing a little more research into what that might be.
I've also been testing the mileage recently - I'm averaging 9.5L/100km (25mpg) which is actually pretty close to published numbers for this car... it gets as bad as 11.5L/100km (20mpg) which is a little worse than the "city driving" numbers. While I've been checking the mileage I've also been recording what I pay for gas as well as how much gas I buy... I average about $13.30 per 100km of travel... which is $26/wk to get to and from work alone... more than I thought.
So I'm considering a used Honda Element (2007-ish?) (automatic, and possibly 4WD) for my next vehicle. Less sporty, more functional, better for Alex's motion sickness, more space, capable of making the transition to the farm (what with lots of nice square space, with configurable rear cargo space that can be rinsed out with a hose), and gets only slightly worse gas mileage as the Vibe (and I won't be able to drive it as hard as I drive the Vibe). Anyone have any experience with / thoughts on the Element?
If you have other suggestions for something that would be a decent all-around vehicle, that could also handle light farm tasks (particularly moving vegetables around on the farm, and to and from market), I am interested to hear! Something with configurable cargo space, so it could carry 4-5 people and a little cargo, or 2 people and lots of cargo; that gets decent gas mileage; that has good ground clearance and suspension; plus all of the usual things you want in a car, like simple and inexpensive to maintain/repair, reliable, etc.
Garden: It's looking lovely! I harvested radishes yesterday, I have a lot of lettuce and spinach available... I have a lot of transplants already doing very well, and more plants from seed that I have just set out as well... all the herbs except the coriander are doing well, I have an awesome array of fresh herbs to choose from! I have a lot to learn, but I'm learning, and getting better.
House: It feels more lived in, even if we've not really made many changes to it. I really hope we can stay past this November... the landlord said that if we're happy, he's happy but... we've only got a lease up to November, and he's in his 80's so... I don't have a good feel for how much he remembers, or what might happen if he was suddenly incapable of making decisions about the house, or if he passed on... so yeah, I think we'll be gunning for a 3-year lease when the renewal comes.
Music: Halex and I have started a band called Tan Black & Tan! Something we've been talking about for a long time, we've finally started learning some songs, committed to doing some recording, and set up some places to promote ourselves and distribute our music. Things are going well so far, the first round of songs are coming together, recording is in just over a week...!
I guess that will do for now. Love to y'all, please say hi so I know who's still around. :)
B.
Been a while. Just thought I'd let y'all know what's been going on.
Hell, I'm not even sure who reads this any more - if you don't mind, please drop me a quick comment letting me know that you read this (or at least skimmed); I'd be interested to know. :)
Biggest news today is that the Vibe needs another $2000+ in repairs - this time a cracked manifold and broken front windshield wiper motor. And then I need to get it Drive-Clean certified. So... yeah. Fun.
I'm having it repaired because it's easier than going out an finding a new car right now... and driving with a cracked manifold ie. exhaust gases coming into the passenger compartment (I realized there was a problem when I could smell partly-burned gas whenever I cranked the engine) so... yeah, can't just ignore that, or you fall asleep at the wheel and never wake up. And they'd have noticed it during the Drive-Clean test anyways, since they check for exhaust system continuity and won't even test the emissions if that's not intact, never mind certify it - so not only would it be dangerous to keep driving it without repairing it, but also illegal once my renewal comes up in a month.
I vow that this is the last major repair it gets, though - I would like for it to last one more winter, but we'll see - it's been needing a major repair ($2000-ish each time) a couple or three times a year now, and that's almost as expensive as new car payments... and less predictable. So... I think it's essentially done. I need to start putting money away for the next vehicle and start doing a little more research into what that might be.
I've also been testing the mileage recently - I'm averaging 9.5L/100km (25mpg) which is actually pretty close to published numbers for this car... it gets as bad as 11.5L/100km (20mpg) which is a little worse than the "city driving" numbers. While I've been checking the mileage I've also been recording what I pay for gas as well as how much gas I buy... I average about $13.30 per 100km of travel... which is $26/wk to get to and from work alone... more than I thought.
So I'm considering a used Honda Element (2007-ish?) (automatic, and possibly 4WD) for my next vehicle. Less sporty, more functional, better for Alex's motion sickness, more space, capable of making the transition to the farm (what with lots of nice square space, with configurable rear cargo space that can be rinsed out with a hose), and gets only slightly worse gas mileage as the Vibe (and I won't be able to drive it as hard as I drive the Vibe). Anyone have any experience with / thoughts on the Element?
If you have other suggestions for something that would be a decent all-around vehicle, that could also handle light farm tasks (particularly moving vegetables around on the farm, and to and from market), I am interested to hear! Something with configurable cargo space, so it could carry 4-5 people and a little cargo, or 2 people and lots of cargo; that gets decent gas mileage; that has good ground clearance and suspension; plus all of the usual things you want in a car, like simple and inexpensive to maintain/repair, reliable, etc.
Garden: It's looking lovely! I harvested radishes yesterday, I have a lot of lettuce and spinach available... I have a lot of transplants already doing very well, and more plants from seed that I have just set out as well... all the herbs except the coriander are doing well, I have an awesome array of fresh herbs to choose from! I have a lot to learn, but I'm learning, and getting better.
House: It feels more lived in, even if we've not really made many changes to it. I really hope we can stay past this November... the landlord said that if we're happy, he's happy but... we've only got a lease up to November, and he's in his 80's so... I don't have a good feel for how much he remembers, or what might happen if he was suddenly incapable of making decisions about the house, or if he passed on... so yeah, I think we'll be gunning for a 3-year lease when the renewal comes.
Music: Halex and I have started a band called Tan Black & Tan! Something we've been talking about for a long time, we've finally started learning some songs, committed to doing some recording, and set up some places to promote ourselves and distribute our music. Things are going well so far, the first round of songs are coming together, recording is in just over a week...!
I guess that will do for now. Love to y'all, please say hi so I know who's still around. :)
B.