Beta Don

That's because you live in California - For the cost of enough ground for you to put up a carport, I can buy 5 acres here ? Don

For many years I’ve bought tires online usually because they were not available locally. I’ve used a couple of local shops which do good work who mount the tires for me. Before they were a big name I ran Yohahama ultra performance tires on my BMW. Never had a problem. I’m picky about tires and brakes as they help avoid accidents. I agree 100%. I never buy cheap tires and always try to use OEM or better quality. No matter what you pay for them, tires are cheaper than fenders and the difference between hydroplaning into a ditch at high speed is often just a matter of how great (or not) your tires are. I never run them very close to the wear bars either for the same reason I usually buy from Tire Rack or Amazon and I have a local shop install them - Sometimes, the total cost is about the same in the end as having a dealer install whatever el-cheapo tires he's promoting at the moment Don

Sure he did . . . . but Florida has this law that protects him, so he doesn't have to think about it - All he must do is say "I felt my life was in danger" and then he can LEGALLY kill the guy without having to worry about being charged with ANY crime Trayvon Martin was unarmed, about half the size of George Zimmerman and that one went to trial and he was found INNOCENT due to 'Stand Your Ground' - You don't have to retreat or think about it . . . . you can just shoot and the law will protect you. Now, prosecutors are not bothering to take any cases to trial and waste a bunch of the county money, because any half brained lawyer can get anybody off, citing that law and the precedents already on the books Don

Yes, the rear bench in the SWB and the LWB models are completely different in that they can be completly removed from the SWB model in just a couple minutes, where they can't in the LWB models Don

My 2014 SWB cane with the removable 60/40 split bench. The seat backs fold flat to the bottoms and then the entire seat flips up 90 degrees and stows vertically, resting on the backs of the front buckets - The headrests don't need to be removed as they end up stowed in the footwell area when flipped up vertically. Flip a pair of little levers and you can lift wither the 60 or the 40 portion (or both) out of the van and stow them at home when you need the extra room. The seat belts are built into the seats (both halves of the center belt) so they come out with the seats. Certainly the neatest seating design I've ever seen But . . . . I am 90% sure these would only fit a SWB van which was designed for them, as the mounting system is a part of the van floor, so I doubt you could install them in a LWB model. I mention this only to warn you that if you were to buy a set of these used, I think you would have a very difficult time mounting them in your van Don

It's been many years, but I've had head gasket leaks which did exactly what the OP says he has - Blowing water out of the radiator - and never had any sign of water in the exhaust. How can water leak back into the cylinder when the engine is running?? . . . . and how can any water leak into the cylinder when you shut it off when all the water has been blown out of the cylinder head?? Maybe some engines DO put water in the exhaust with a blown head gasket, but I can tell you for sure, it's not always the case Don

Head gasket?? Don

He was pretty violently thrown to the ground . . . . when he had posed no threat at all to anyone in the car . . . . he didn't even get within three feet of the car As the law is written all he needs is to feel threatened for his life and then he is legally OK to use deadly force, plain and simple. If that guy had thrown me on the ground like that, where my head could have easily been split open, I would sure feel threatened for my life and it doesn't matter a lick if the guy who did it is standing still, backing up or coming forward, to me - I feel threatened for my life because he just showed me what he can do and I'm not going to give him a chance to finish the job!! Terrible law, but until it's rewritten (or better yet, just wiped off the books) these sorts of scenarios are what you're going to get. He just needs to say he feels threatened and he's off the hook, no ifs ands or buts! Don

$30K for a new diesel TC - I paid exactly half that for my 2014 with 12,000 miles on it two years ago. For me, the difference in cost would never work out in my favor, unless I kept the diesel for about 30 years - Problem is, I won't last that long ? Don

A diesel is a big winner in low end torque, so if you're buying a tow vehicle, getting a diesel makes good sense. If you run the freeways putting on 50K per year, a diesel can outlive a gas engine by 2X or 3X assuming the vehicle built around it lasts as long as the engine . . . . but modern gas engines are starting to live as long as the vehicle they came in too. A diesel gets better mileage, but it pollutes more and the fuel costs a bit more. Almost all new diesels now have a urea tank which you have to keep up with, which can get expensive enough to almost offset any fuel cost advantages. For me, if I drove it a LOT and/or if I was buying it primarily to tow a heavy load, I would look to a diesel, otherwise the modern gas engine would get my vote. In actuality, I would rather have an electric vehicle than either one . . . . and I do own three ? Don

Ford is just plain STUPID if they don't properly repair your TC quickly and on their dime . . . . but then, I've had some pretty stupid interactions with two dealers near me since I bought mine, so I wouldn't hold my breath - My TC is very likely my first and last Ford Don

It's amazing how short sighted a company can be . . . . . and still expect to stay in business. I'm feeling really good that I made the decision not to let either of my nearby dealers do that recall! Many years ago in Ft Walton Beach Florida a guy bought a Lincoln that he had to return to the dealer half a dozen times to get things fixed and the fixes were all poor, and he got nothing but arguments when he compained. After a time, he got really frustrated. The city had parking meters on the main street right in front of the dealership and he went to the city and got a long term lease on the spot right in front of the dealers driveway . . . . I think he made a deal to rent that spot for a YEAR. He parked the Lincoln there, with lemons painted all over it and of course that made the local television news and then the national news too. The newspaper interviewed him and he told the whole story and that made the national news AGAIN. The dealer sued (unsuccessfully) to get the car moved, but he left it sit there for months on end . . . . I was TDY there to Eglin AFB for several months and it was still there when I left. They sure messed with the wrong customer that time! Don

Still, 400K+ on a FWD platform without any front wheel bearing or CV joint issues is remarkable - I know lots of RWD vehicles that have more problems than that Don

What's the sticker price on a rig like that?? Don

I'm VERY impressed that the trans outlasted the engine!! . . . . . and that you haven't had any front wheel bearing issues like those plaguing the Gen 1 TC's You say you drive it 'hard' but I suspect you're actually easier on your equipment than most drivers Don

Yup - When an 8 year old car with 275K on it starts eating up large chunks of cash, keeping it and pouring even more money into it could rightly be called insanity I do feel for you, but I've not made a car payment for more than 20 years. I only buy what I can afford to pay cash for and as the years have passed I've eventually got to the point where I can pay cash for whatever I want, new or used Don

My 2017 Volt is full electric drive and runs on gasoline generated electricity for long distance freeway driving. It's a 4,000 pound car and gets 45 mpg or better on a typical drive Don

I like my share of 'retro' things, but there are certainly downsides from a maintenance standpoint. My CBX has six carburetors which need to be kept pretty closely in sync. At least there are no points to mess with, but the alternator brushes are almost a bigger maintenance problem than points - A few guys have managed to fuel inject the old six . . . . there are also a few single carb turbocharged CBX's out there too - Six exhaust pipes fed into a single turbo. When I get to feeling sorry for myself, I always think of Andreas - He made himself a V-12 CBX . . . . complete with twelve carburetors! https://thekneeslider.com/honda-cbx-v12-by-andreas-georgeades/ Don

I don't think there's any 'speculation' left - You can stick a fork in them . . . . they're DONE The largest store in Chicago (where they began) has closed. The HUGE store at one end of our local mall has been completely torn down and they are building a big movie theater in it's place. There won't be a single store still open by 2020. I was gonna say "you heard it here first" but that's not true. It's been common knowledge for quite some time now. We're just watching the death throes as they sell off everything they once owned, piece by piece Don

I suspect it's because of the mileage, but it could be that it's been in there for almost a year We don't drive our TC that much - We have two electric Mitsubishi's and a 2017 Chevy Volt, so the TC is only used when we need to haul or tow something. Mostly it gets used for vacations where we take our two Segways with us, as they don't fit well in the Volt. My oil light is on now after on;y 5500 miles and I think that's because it's been a year - The oil is still as pretty and clean as the day I put it in there and it's Castrol Edge Extended Life Full Synthetic, which they say is good for 15,000 miles, so I'm not changing it any time soon. If the car was a daily driver where it was making lots of short trips and/or sitting out in the elements, I would probably change it every year no matter the miles, but virtually ALL of those 5500 miles were done on long trips at freeway speeds It will be interesting to see if my Volt wants an oil change after a year even though the engine will probably have very few miles on it - We'll see Don

For the first 3 or 4 years we were with Page Plus, there were zero taxes and fees . . . . until some other carriers complained. They're still minimal. The total is less than $30. A $35 plan which gives you nothing but unlimited calling doesn't compare well to one $5 cheaper which gives you unlimited calling, texting and data. But, if it meets your needs and you get a free phone now and then, maybe it's worth it Don

That's certainly not a spectacular deal on a phone I have unlimited talk, text and data (first 2 gig at 4G, after that 2G) on my Smartphone for $27 per month. You do need to own your own phones. I buy mine used on eBay for $50 to $75 or so and 'upgrade' when the older models get cheap . . . . like me Currently using a Samsung Galaxy S4 that I bought a couple years ago. Does everything I need and I use the data a lot. It gets way more use than my laptop, because I don't carry a laptop with me everywhere. Not sure how I'd get by without text and e-mail on my phone . . . . but I have 5 grandkids and I assume your dogs don't text you very often Page Plus - https://www.pagepluscellular.com/plans/ Don

Glad your questions was only about tires, Loafer - If you had asked about anything else, it could have gone off the rails pretty quickly! Don

They paint all the plastic moldings on the XLT and Titanium series wagons body color, so it can be done. But . . . . they don't use the same paint as they do on the metal parts. They put a flex agent in the paint used for plastic parts so the paint won't flake off as the plastic 'moves' when heated and cooled. I would suggest you take off one of your plastic parts and take it to an automotive paint shop where they mix paint and those guys can advise you what you need to add to your paint to make it stay on the plastic Don

I'll never have to worry about that happening here When our first grandchild (who is now 21 and in college) had her first birthday, my wife called to see if she could have her party at McDonalds because they had the kiddies playroom . . . . even though most of the kids were too young to use most of the toys. 7 or 8 kids invited and we would be buying all the food there, except . . . . my wife had baked a big birthday cake and wanted to be sure she could bring the cake in and serve it too. No problem the manager on duty when she called said - Happy to have you The day of the party, a different manager came by and saw the cake and said it couldn't be in the restaurant - Did not matter to him at ALL what another manager had told us on the phone. Thankfully, the party hadn't begun, (not all the kids had shown up yet) so we hadn't bought any McDonalds food yet. I ran across the street and checked to see if Burger King had any objections to our party and they said "Come on over!" . . . . so we did. Tons of pictures of her first birthday there at Burger King and dozens of people have heard this story while looking through the photo album. We haven't had a McDonalds meal since . . . . and that was 20 years ago! No telling how much business that idiot manager cost that particular restaurant and dozens of others too - My wife has no problem holding her rage against every McDonalds in the world for the sins of that one. We've bought tons of meals for 5 grandkids in a dozen different fast food restaurants since then, but heaven help me if I even suggested going to McDonalds - My wife would kill me! Don