Early Retirement Extreme Forums

jacob wrote:
For sidewalk riders, the most common problem are drivers that come up to the road to turn without stopping at the sidewalk when the sidewalk is recessed behind a few feet of grassy curb (common in the US). Practically all drivers will do this. If they see me, as a pedestrian---which I'm not really counting on since many of them aren't looking at me even as I'm looking at them---about 50% of them will stop in front of the sidewalk as they should behind the stop line on the road. The rest don't care.

The second most common problem are cars turning to the right while watching traffic to the left looking for an opportunity to pull in and completely ignoring anything from the right because they expect neither pedestrians nor cyclists on the sidewalk. That one happens regularly to me as a walker. Being on foot I can slap the hood to get their attention while jumping out of the way. On a bike, I couldn't get out of the way. (Hard to ride sideways or jump out of the way while sitting on a bike).

This is pretty much what I'd have to say about riding on the sidewalk. I've almost hit two cyclists riding on the sidewalk with my car in this exact situation. They are riding on the sidewalk against traffic cutting across driveways. It's not that I'm not looking ahead and don't see pedestrians stepping in front of my car when I make the right turn. It's that the bikes are moving three times faster than pedestrians and just "appear".

It's not that I'm not looking, but more that my buffer is calibrated for a 5mph walker and not a 15mph cyclist. Trees, landscaping, newspaper machines, bus stop shelters can obscure the two second glance buffer I give for that side (somehow I worry more about traffic coming up on my left when making a right out a driveway).

My knee jerk reaction (after braking ) is to remark on what a stupid thing they are doing. Riding the same direction with traffic would decrease surprise factor. Staying off the sidewalk would help further.

Guys, if you want to discuss riding a bike, start a thread on the subject. The subject of THIS thread is cars.

For me, having my paid-for Toyota Yaris 4 door is totally worth the expense. It saves me a lot of time and just convenience. I can't imagine going totally carless yet even though I bicycle a lot too.

Good shout on the Yaris, I had a 2005 model until Dec 2011 and it never broke down. Literally, the only work required was a change of wiper blades and one set of tyres!

I love micro cars like the Yaris and Fit. motorcycle efficiency with car versatility. Too bad we aren't forced to drive cars like this. Seriously we'd all become more defensive drivers, save a bunch of gas and learn to move around practically without bling. I have my fingers crossed for Googles self drive car project. The model so far is to have low speed micro cars pick up and drop people off if it gets off the ground.

Annual maintenance, taxes and insurance on my mid 90s Corolla/mid 70s truck is less than $500... They have appreciated in value since I got them (good care, low miles). They have enabled access to time sensitive investments/deals (auctions, building materials, appliances) I wouldn't have access to without a car...
I can go grocery shopping once every 2 months, gather all the firewood I need, hunt animals, etc. In other words, they make money... When they don't make money, they provide an incredibly amount of freedom and flexibility at low cost (at least for my vehicles).

The "ERE = no car" is a knee jerk that would deny many opportunities to many people. I agree with Jacob that car ownership in a dense urban area (where most here live?) would definitely not be worth it. Outside of that, I'd keep an open mind, a car is just a tool (not a lifestyle or statement of identity) and the cost can be brought very low via persistence and skill.

My car guidelines:
USED
near 100,000 miles
Near 10 years old.

Used to be 5 years and 50,000 miles, but cars got better.

If you don't drive a lot the miles per gallon aren't worth paying for.

Almost bought this Velomobile today. If not for Mrs. Ego nagging me about the small detail that it is impossible to get it down into my basement batcave, I would own it right now. She refuses to allow it into our studio apartment as there would be no room left for her. Hum.




Here is the craigslist ad.

https://sandiego.craigslist.org/ssd/bik/5460339029.html
Screenshot of ad here

I can't imagine it will not sell soon as the retail price in 1980 was $3800. They usually sell for upwards of $7000.

In truth, my intention was to pedal it over to the Earth Day celebration then set it up in the alternative vehicle section and subtly let people know it was for sale.

@Ego I oddly have $2000 in cash sitting next to me at the moment and I've been wanting a velo since I heard they existed! If I was in California it would be gone tomorrow

2005 Honda Civic coupe with manual transmission (45+ MPG on highway)

I passed a couple of those velomobiles a few weeks ago whilst riding my motorcycle home from work. I'd never seen one before. They didn't seem to be going very fast; we were approaching a hill I couldn't see over so I followed them up the hill and waited to pass safely. Very interesting. I see many recumbents but those were the first enclosed ones.

workathome wrote:2005 Honda Civic coupe with manual transmission (45+ MPG on highway)

I wish they hadn't quit making those cute hatchbacks. They can haul a lot of stuff.

Kriegsspiel wrote: ↑

Sat May 02, 2015 9:06 pm

I just want you to know, it may have taken 3 years, but I laughed heartily.

My new car



is the best, because

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbF4waWNepw

OTOH, not the best, because I just checked and Jacob does not use the word "cute" even once in the book.

I have some experience of classic cars. I follow british journal “Classic Mercedes”. I have 3 mercedes models listed as classics in thar journal. They are 1976, 1982 and 1988 model year. Only one of the cars is restored to original and “museum” certified. Rest are just road-legal inspected.

These pre-93 mercedes cars are non-computerized and do not need any diagnostics gear to be maintained. Generally all spare parts are available from dealer, generic carparts stores, ebay, mercedes-forum members, or junkyard. There are active enthusiast forums in the internet so all imaginable repairs are supported for DIY owner

Prices of 70-90 mercedes cars are rising as there are less of these cars available mainly due to rust.

Another brand with similar level support is Volvo rear-wheel models up to 1998.

That’s cool. What models?

I have some Mercedes W123 and 126 diesels. They’re pretty cheap compared to modern commuter cars. High quality and durable. Kind of a hobby. I spend a lot of time tinkering with them.

The parts are getting harder to find as time goes on. Luckily I’m in SoCal and there are plenty in the junkyards to strip parts from.

I don’t suggest them as ERE vehicles. They require some specific skills and knowledge to maintain. I know people who struggle finding a good mechanic then paying for his time when owning these cars. I take it you also maintain them yourself.

If you’re willing to do the work, they can be cheap and reliable cars. But so can a lot of other older models like Honda’s, Crown Victoria LTDs, Toyota or Ford pickups.

Sclass wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 04, 2019 12:15 pm

That’s cool. What models?

W123 300D manual 1976 (certified original condition); now in garage for rust repair on rear wheel arches & driver door bottom
S123 300TD turbodiesel automatIc 1982 (rare car in Europe); car I am using now till mid-Nov for commuting,
W124 260E automatic 1988 (I will use during winter months)
Volvo 940 turbo automatic 1998 (from April to Sept due to being only one of my classics with A/C)

I do all maintenance and repairs including welding and painting for rust repairs.

Nuuka wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 04, 2019 12:37 pm

W123 300D manual 1976 (certified original condition); now in garage for rust repair on rear wheel arches & driver door bottom

I do all maintenance and repairs including welding and painting for rust repairs.

Awesome. We rarely see a w123 1976 300d in the US.

If you do your own work these are great cars for ERE. My 82 240d was the four wheeled embodiment of my retirement plan - slow, deliberate, rebuildable and salvaged from someone else’s trash. Terribly underpowered at 50hp weighing in as a tank which made it useless in impatient hands. But extremely practical once I learned how to efficiently utilize the 50hp to push around a 3500 lb car. That’s kind of an ERE analogy. Burned waste fryer oil. Built from junkyard parts for $2000.

My S Class is all about stealth wealth too. Extremely comfortable and a joy to drive. Yet it looks like a 35 year old brick carrying around a pauper. People think I’m broke. I think these vehicles further confused ordinary people about how I managed to retire early.

So yes, I love these cars and they saved me a lot of money over the last twenty years. I basically drove around in $2000 cars that just drove longer than I wanted to look at them. I typically put 100k on in eight years and moved on to another when I got bored with a particular model. I also got interested in diesel and made some investments in Cummins and others that helped my retirement along.

The repairs can get expensive on neglected cars so I don’t recommend them enthusiastically around here unless people are good at wrenching and like spending their time doing that. And an affection for Mercedes helps since you can get similar money savings off other good quality makes.

I like driving these lazy diesels. Somehow you adapt a different driving style (cruising) along and I feel relaxed. I get often tumb-up signs and older people often come to talk and tell that they have owned mercedes as well.

My S123 touring I am currently driving, looks like a wreck since it has been driven already 650000 km (400000 miles) without repaint job.

Tata Nano. It went out of print before it went mainstream