Early Retirement Extreme Forums

Your boss sounds like an ass. I'd suggest a full out motorcycle but really look for another job.

Sound like idiot business owners who don't understand liability. Driving from site to site in personal vehicle is a tricky game if there is an accident. The fact they don't know this, and they'd let you ride a bicycle eight miles on company business suggests they're idiot operators.

Company cars use company insurance and there is a reason for this. They're idiots. I don't know who you work for but my guess is they're losers and you are wasting your time trying to perform for them.

Move on.

Sclass wrote:Your boss sounds like an ass. I'd suggest a full out motorcycle but really look for another job.

+1

Prima facie this does not sound like a job worth investing in.

Setting that aside, a used 100-250 cc motorcycle or scooter in very good condition is probably the cheapest way of solving this problem. An ugly but mechanically solid $2-3k craigslist Toyota is probably a close second. The optimal solution depends on your web of goals (e.g. how inclined you are to do repairs and whether the vehicle could help with other projects).

Yes, I've considered that they may be trying to get me to quit. But remember that we are all viewing this situation through my paranoia. At this point, I think it is just as likely that this is some sort of power play, and I stepped out of line by making a request. Since I'm not above brown-nosing a narcissist for the right price, I will try to play the subservient role a little better before making the request again.
Dealing with this type of person strengthens my resolve toward FI, so a consumer solution (buying a car) to appease a D-bag employer ... causes me some cognitive dissonance.

Alternatively, I may just get more defiant until somebody breaks and I walk.

I think Ego had the best idea. Since it didn't work, I suggest shopping for a new boss. Either at your current employer, or a different one.

To me, today very strongly reminds me of 2007. If I were boss shopping right now, recession resistance would be on my list of desired features...

Good luck.

http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/08/ ... -scooters/

Cheapest option. And an FU. (:

@Olaz. Scooters have all the safety issues of a motorcycle and none of the cool. I suppose I should consider it. How do you mean its an FU?

I haven't read the post too much in detail, but If one of the ways they're looking to push you around is by making you get a car to reach a destination in 30 minutes, you can still get to the destination in time via scooter (which tend to be slower than motorcycles) while not getting the car. I suppose if this is intentional, they'll likely find some other way to push you around, at which point you can find some other way to creatively solve their challenge, or ultimately tell them off.

scooters are much cheaper to purchase and maintain than motorcycles. but yea, not nearly as much cool and fun factor.

Post by ThisDinosaur » Sun, 07 Aug 2016, 17:23

Alternatively, I may just get more defiant until somebody breaks and I walk.

+1 Walk across town once or twice, and they will think a bike is plenty fast by comparison.

I know that walk wasn't what you meant.
Good luck with a loaded situation.

Post by ThisDinosaur » Sun, 07 Aug 2016, 17:23

Alternatively, I may just get more defiant until somebody breaks and I walk.

+1 Walk across town once or twice, and they will think a bike is plenty fast by comparison.

I know that walk wasn't what you meant.
Good luck with a loaded situation.

Scooters are cool. And functional.

I suspect you can get more bang for your buck with a full out motorcycle. I ride a $1500 Honda 400 currently that I bought on Craigslist this Xmas. Scooters are scary over 50 mph with bumps and turns.

I do my own work. It is easier than a car. Get a Chiltons manual and some courage. My guess is the hourly mechanics rate down at the Honda dealer is the same for a a
Scooter or motorcycle. But he doesn't get my dime. I insure for $90 a year. Reg is $75 a year. I'm not sure you're saving much on a scooter...fundamentally they are the same thing as a motorcycle unless you're talking about those scooters that you stand on that don't require a plate.

In your shoes maybe I'd do your job and enjoy a motorcycle ride between sites. Take the money. I stayed with a boring and humiliating job because it paid very well during the tech downturn. Not my first choice but I banked every nickel.

The Corolla is another good idea. I see a lot of youngster driving 10 yo beater toyotas in my town. Keep oil in it and beat it.

Good luck.

I think a vespa style scooter is pretty cool if motor is required, although I think an ebike with a 1000 watt motor would be better suited to these occasional sub 100 mile round trips and doesn't carry all the baggage that goes with licensing and insuring a motor vehicle.

a used motorcycle is only a reasonable solution if ThisDinosaur learns to do all the basic maintenance himself, like Sclass said. mechanics might charge the same rate for scooters and motorcycles, but scooters are much simpler mechanically and have much greater maintenance intervals, to there will be much less time spent at the mechanic. tires every few k miles. oil. valve checks. spark plugs. cam chain. brake pads and clutch cable. for brute, working on motorcycles turned into a hobby. but if that's not desired, brute would suggest sticking to a scooter or used car. or maybe e bike, brute hasn't tried those.

Hey I got interested in scooters after reading this. They are cheap. First I was thinking no way Brute, scooters have valves, tires, spark plugs and oil change intervals just like motorcycles. But I started looking at scooters on CL

You know, the two stroke ones don't have valves. Some have cable operated front brakes. They don't have chains either. The 50cc models (useless in my hilly area) are dirt cheap on CL.

Isn't California outlawing 2-strokes for emissions?

@GtOO - Yup. If you want to do this [conversion] in CA, you need to buy the special CA-approved model.

George the original one wrote:Isn't California outlawing 2-strokes for emissions?

Two strokes above 50cc have been unavailable a long time in CA. Up till recently you've been able to get some 50cc scooters like the Yamaha Zuma in two stroke. So there are still two stroke scooters out there on CL. Cheap. Easy to maintain.

I'm not sold on them because I prefer real motorcycles. It just looked very cheap especially if you live in a flat area with things close by. But then my new $40 bicycle works well for that.

Motorcycle maintenance shouldn't scare anyone. A solid Japanese make will require chain lube, oil changes and yearly? valve adjustments. All easy things to do.

I recently sold my Suzuki RM250 two stroke dirtbike. Off road only. Gardeners use stinky two strokes to trim my hedges too. So yes, in general two stroke motorcycles are going away. Shame considering how easy they are to keep going. I just did a multi angle valve cut on my four stroke Honda and set its valve lash twice since January. But it was old and roasted.