Gas prices got ya down? Look at the bright side with me....

[jdc]

Originally Posted by Uncle-AJ

That would be giving away too much information. Suffice to say, I do alright.

BTW It's Adrian, the Steve bit came a long time ago when some members started calling me Steve Martin because of our resemblance.

Thanks Adrian, must agree with Dan that the blog is wonderful, congratulations. My wife and I recently went on a 5 am dawn chorus walk run by a bunch of twitchers. They could recognise all the birds by their birdsong - very difficult to see any of the buggers though, so you must have incredible skill and patience to get those photos.

BTW love Steve Martin in The Jerk, hope they named you because of a physical resemblance

[infoe]

thats pretty amazing...I wanted to get a tahoe....and I like the truck very much..I'm in the beer industry and am on the road alot in Miami and carry alot of cases of beer and decoration material...wanted a tahoe for the space and maybe wanted to do a vehicle wrap on it...I don't think I'm going to get the tahoe anymore, unless I can pull off an outrageous deal like that. I was actually waiting for the 09's was it? with the new perks they have like bluetooth and cooling seats etc...any recommendations clarence? send me a pm

[Clarence]

I think we need to start a bird thread for Uncle AJ and jdc.

Originally Posted by infoe

thats pretty amazing...I wanted to get a tahoe....and I like the truck very much..I'm in the beer industry and am on the road alot in Miami and carry alot of cases of beer and decoration material...wanted a tahoe for the space and maybe wanted to do a vehicle wrap on it...I don't think I'm going to get the tahoe anymore, unless I can pull off an outrageous deal like that. I was actually waiting for the 09's was it? with the new perks they have like bluetooth and cooling seats etc...any recommendations clarence? send me a pm

No need to send ya a pm in my TAHOE thread.

The only problem I see with waiting and buying an 09 is that they wont be available prowned for at least a year, we are just starting to see used 08's right now.

I highly doubt GM with throw $10k rebates at their SUV's, but hey, ya never know!!! That would be the only way I would buy a new one... Think about my 07 that has depreciated almost $25k in a year and 18,000 miles!

[infoe]

Can you lease the preowned? if so hows the warranty on that...I'm coming off a bmw 05 m3 lease that i turn in august 9th...ive never had to pay anything on that car cept gas and tires..warranty is fantastic

[Uncle-AJ]

Originally Posted by jdc

Thanks Adrian, must agree with Dan that the blog is wonderful, congratulations. My wife and I recently went on a 5 am dawn chorus walk run by a bunch of twitchers. They could recognise all the birds by their birdsong - very difficult to see any of the buggers though, so you must have incredible skill and patience to get those photos.

BTW love Steve Martin in The Jerk, hope they named you because of a physical resemblance

Cheers Martin.

[Ashley]

Gas prices don't affect me because I rely on transit to get around, but I sure hope that the prices of monthly passes don't increase. They're already $75 now!

[BiG JeEzY]

Originally Posted by pwrslider

Here they are....not my car or photos...but I've been in contact with the actual owner to see if I could do the same with my suburban...

Ehhhhh....

Looks good but personally I'm not a fan of the black on black look. There should be more color than that. Unless the SUV has really strong headlights, it will still be pretty hard to see during the night. I found white to look pretty awesome with black rims...

[Clarence]

Well here's a couple pics! Sorry the truck is dirty, it's getting Simonized today so maybe I'll use these as before shots...

[East Bay Rider]

Nice truck.I'll be curious to hear what the actual mileage is. I know it will be better than what my truck is getting.

There isn't much that's as exciting as getting a new car/truck.

[Clarence]

Originally Posted by East Bay Rider

Nice truck.I'll be curious to hear what the actual mileage is. I know it will be better than what my truck is getting.

There isn't much that's as exciting as getting a new car/truck.

Averaging 12.8 Might try synthetic, other than that it is what it is.

[DSJ]

Steve, if you're going to tint the front glass or darken the rear more, I know a good tint place in Campbell, California Auto Polishing & Tinting.

[East Bay Rider]

Ok then, it's about the same as what my truck is getting. My truck - '97 GMC 1500 4x4 Z71.
Ouch.
I do like your truck very much. I also have been thinking a lot lately about getting something else. So many trucks I like (FJ Cruiser at the moment) but will probably get something for the wife and just take her car or get something utilitarian like a Honda Element or used Jeep Cherokee classic.
Yup not much more exciting than a new car.

[Travis]

Originally Posted by Clarence

we are at the bottom of the market.

Many analysts disagree. If oil hits 200/barrel, the large SUV market will continue to rapidly depreciate.

[Ursa Major]

Well played, Ed. It's an interesting phenomenon when you run the numbers (most people don't). If you drive 15,000 miles/year (I think that's still the national average), you're using 1,000 gallons per annum at 15mpg. If you dump your guzzler and pick up something that gets 25 mpg (hard to find a family vehicle that'll do that in the real world) you're using 600 gallons. Even at $4/gallon, that's $1600 per year in incremental spend. I know people willing to dump vehicles they'd planned to keep for several more years and take $10-20k in unplanned depreciation to save $1600 a year in gas. Apparently, math is hard. There are some sweet deals on '06 and '07 Range Rovers out there in panic-land.

Originally Posted by Clarence

In keeping this thread on track....

I have an intimate relationship with the wholesale values of used vehicles. From my perspective, watching 2007 Expeditions with 20's on the miles selling in the $17000's, 2008 Tahoe LS's with teen miles selling in the short $20,000's, we are at the bottom of the market. As we creep towards winter again, prices will only stabalize and may possibly increase, especially in the Northeast markets. Happens every spring with convertibles and sports cars, and every fall with SUV's and pickups. People still need these vehicles, folks!


Just a quick lesson on the used car biz...
At least in my market, now is the time to buy the "Heavy Riders"

[Travis]

Originally Posted by Ursa Major

Well played, Ed. It's an interesting phenomenon when you run the numbers (most people don't).

Great point. Like 0% financing, high gas prices give people a warped justification to buy a new/different car even though the depreciation hit is usually more than the percieved savings.

[Clarence]

Well here's the pics once it was detailed and Simonized... that stuff does wonders on black paint!

Got my first scratch today, I backed into my Avalon in the driveway...

[Travis]

Originally Posted by Clarence

Well here's the pics

Looks great

[East Bay Rider]

Originally Posted by Clarence

Got my first scratch today, I backed into my Avalon in the driveway...

Glad you that first scratch out of the way... Now enjoy that truck. It's very nice.

[Clarence]

Man I did enjoy that truck, until my miserable ex decided to run around in it...

Doesn't take much to spoil a good vehicle..

[East Bay Rider]

Originally Posted by Clarence

Man I did enjoy that truck, until my miserable ex decided to run around in it...

Doesn't take much to spoil a good vehicle..

Very sorry to hear.
I did enjoy re-reading this old thread.