I thought @Triedaq lived in Indiana!
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I thought he lived in Mexico, Thinking gets me into trouble every time!
@jtsanders. Iâm not proud!
Years ago, when I was applying for a loan to build a house, I was asked where I had financed my car. I replied that I paid cash for my car and had never financed a car. The loan officer then asked what kind a car I drove, I replied â1965 Ramblerâ which was seven years old at the time. He replied ,âWhy do you drive an old car like that?â His comment really made me angry. I said, ,âSo I wouldnât have to borrow money from people like youâ. We had purchased five acres of prime real estate and had submitted the deed as as a down payment. There was no way the bank would lose. Both Mrs. Triedaq and I had professional positions. I told the loan officer I would go to another institution for a loan. He told me that without having established credit, I would never get a loan. Some years back, Mrs. Triedaq and I had bought some furniture from a locally owned store. The proprietor suggested we buy the furniture on the â90 days same as cashâ so we could establish credit The store held the note. That didnât satisfy the loan officer. I had a Standard Oil credit card I paid off every month. That wasnât good enough. I finally said, âIâll stay in my apartment. When I save enough money, Iâll have the foundation poured. After I have saved more money, Iâll have the house framed and enclosed. I can do wiring, plumbing and drywall work. I will finish the house room by room as I save the moneyâ. Suddenly, the bank gave us a loan to build the house.
Years ago, Consumer Reports had an article in one of its issues titled âBait the Hook With Merchandiseâ. I often think selling a car is of secondary importance. Itâs really the financing merchants want to sell.
As for me, if I have to drive an old heap to keep banks from getting my money, thatâs what Iâll do. Iâm not out to impress anyone.
After that, the bank wanted us to finance the appliances on the mortgage. I refused. If I financed the appliances on a 15 year mortgage and the refrigerator croaked after 10 years, I would be paying for a dead horse, or refrigerator, for five years.
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@Barkydog. I live anyplace where the law canât find me. Itâs the alumni office of the universities I attended that can always track me down.
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The university where I graduated lost my contact information when I demanded a refund for the âfreeâ membership in the alumni association that I never received.
A one year membership is supposed to be included for free when you buy your cap and gown, but I discovered on my receipt that itâs actually an itemized charge. After begging for my membership card for six months so I could get the discount at the dining hall, I demanded a refund. Three months later, I finally got it.
Why do I think you live in Mexico, did not get the fingerprint ID card for the kid in case she wanted to live a life of crime. 
But NRA will not honor my lifetime membership I bought in 1966 at summer camp 
3 of our cars have one, a Grand Prix, a Bonneville, and an Impala. Simple low-tech engine, really. I chose these cars based on that engine. We have an Impala with a 3.5L, also. Itâs been very good, too, but I am not fond of the meager oil capacity, 4 quarts! I like more volume. GM changed to a 3.6L with more oil volume just a bit later than our model.
CSA
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Thatâs exactly the prudent frugality I expected in your response.
And a chauffeur.
@jtsanders. My institution had a faculty dining room. I was sitting at a table with a colleague from physics and we were discussing nuclear reactors. A group of middle level administrators sat down at our table. These administrators began discussing the kind of car a person in an administrative position should drive. They thought a Cadillac was too showy. The president of the university drove an Oldsmobile, so the administrators at the table agreed that the Oldsmobile was the right car to drive. They were critical of one VP who drove a Mercury, but that VP had seen the light and replaced it with an Oldsmobile. One younger administrator said that he wasnât ready for an Oldsmobile. He had purchased a Pontiac which showed that he was a bright younger person on his way up. My colleague from the physics department looked at me and said, âTriedaq, do you still drive that beat-up Rambler?â âOh, yesâ, I replied. âIt gives me the scholarly imageâ.
Mrs. Triedaq had an administrative position before she retired. She drove a Toyota 4Runner. One reason we bought the 4Runner was her parents were in an assisted care facility 50 miles away. She also used it when the university was closed because of snow. The faculty and professional administrators didnât have to come to campus, but the staff either had to be there or lose a vacation day or a dayâs pay. Mrs. Triedaq didnât think that was fair. She would go pick up her staff and bring them to work so they wouldnât be docked a dayâs pay or vacation day.
Didnât you drive an Olds?
@jtsanders. Yes, I thought I wanted to be a big shot. I drove my 1978 Oldsmobile Cutlass to work for 33 years, but it didnât get me a high paying administrative job.
I find it really hard to believe that your colleague from the Physics Department called you âTriedaq.â
@Whitey. My colleague and friend from physics had a farm about 20 miles off campus. He drove a Corvair to work for years. (I have to keep my identity secret on this board).
Yes, that would change the job from âI might be willing to work hereâ to âtake your job and shove itâ. Under no circumstances would I ever agree to use a personal vehicle for any âwork purposesâ other than driving myself to the employerâs location at the designated time. If the job requires any driving, the employer needs to provide a work vehicle, together with the necessary commercial vehicle insurance.
I had a work truck, but people that had to use their own vehicle were compensated at 65 cents per mile.
I had a 1987 Olds Cutlass Ciera with the 3.8L engine. I couldnât afford the luxury model with the 3.8 or the Buick Century so I factory ordered a base model Ciera with the upgrade from the 3.3L those normally came with to the 3.8L. Loved the low end torque and quick acceleration when needed and how smoothly it ran. It did have a few repair issues but I got 20 years with 187k miles from that car before passing it along to a nephew.
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