Merry Christmas to me

[Dakota]

My gear shift cover just arrived for my center console. I got a new car a few months ago and this particular cover was backordered.

It seems like such a trivial thing but it bugs me that every fingerprint or piece of lint shows on that shinny console so this will help mask that and it looks good, IMO. It is a hard plastic cover that snaps together and sticks in place.

 

[Dakota]

What is crazy is new cars, most new cars, are no longer sold with floor mats as standard equipment - they are considered upgrades.

Perhaps I had been out of the car market too long to notice this change.

I had my last vehicle for over 7 years. It was a 2017 I bought in 2016. It was in such great shape they put it back on the lot within 24 hours and it was sold by the end of the weekend - with the original floor mats I never used. I took them out - shoved them in a closet and put down weathertechs.

 

[Kyle]

Yeah, I spent on myself on Saturday getting a new phone to replace my 7 year old iphone. ( apps and iOS were no longer supported and things were getting buggy for a while. )

One trip to Verizon later... Merry Christmas to Me.

 

[Kyle]

I miss the old days when the damn phones were free.

 

[Dakota]

Sometimes, you have to invest in the most important person - yourself.

What phone did you end up with?

 

[Dakota]

I miss the old days when the damn phones were free.

They laughed at me at the dealership when I was shocked that floor mats were considered upgrades in vehicles - like what??? Wasn't it just yesterday they were included?

In fact, when I had to take my titles to the dealership, I gave them the original floormats to the car I traded in. They were shocked.

What was I going to do with them? Sure, I could sell 'em on FB marketplace but that requires people contact, ummm no.

 

[Kyle]

Sometime, you have to invest in the most important person - yourself.

What phone did you end up with?

15 Plus.

Damn thing was 1000 bucks. At that price, I'm damn well gonna keep this one for 7-8 years.

 

[Kyle]

They laughed at me at the dealership when I was shocked that floor mats were considered upgrades in vehicles - like what??? Wasn't it just yesterday they were included?

The truck I bought had floor mats with the package it came with, carpeted, but I pulled them out and bought weathertechs for front and back. Less headache.

 

[Dakota]

Yeah - 7-8 years seems to be my norm as well. Next year, a new phone is on my list.

It really is ridiculous how much cell phones costs.

 

[PrchJrkr]

I can't help it, but a grand is more valuable to me than a damned phone. The most I'll go is $300 and that's my high end. If it does what I need, I'm happy.

 

[Dakota]

The truck I bought had floor mats with the package it came with, carpeted, but I pulled them out and bought weathertechs for front and back. Less headache.

Yep - I had an orange Santa Fe and that sucker looked brand new thanks to the weathertechs. Well worth it, IMO.

Weathertechs were the 1st thing I bought for my new car when I got it also and one for the trunk.

 

[Dakota]

I can't help it, but a grand is more valuable to me than a damned phone. The most I'll go is $300 and that's my high end. If it does what I need, I'm happy.

Well... tough call on that.

I bought a $300 phone sometime back and I liked it but I was limited when it came to some apps I needed for work at the time. I have a relative that has dropped her damn phone in the water TWICE in the past 3-years paddleboarding. Thankfully, she had insurance.

 

[Kyle]

some may not know there are NO spare tires on a new one....


My last new car had a plywood floor, and a battery box under the gas tank...and an electric starter!!!! That Model A was a snap cracker by Golly!!

You need to get out more.

 

[Dakota]

some may not know there are NO spare tires on a new one....


My last new car had a plywood floor, and a battery box under the gas tank...and an electric starter!!!! That Model A was a snap cracker by Golly!!

Yep learned that also - I do have a spare though.

 

[Dakota]

I had cute decals on my Santa Fe, but decals, IMO, or any stickers for that matter, don't look good on a sporty car, which is what I have now. JMHO

On the little mini back windows of my old vehicle, I had a bald eagle on one side and a blue crab on the other.

Looked good! Bald eagles and crabs are among my favorite things.

 

[Kyle]

I can't help it, but a grand is more valuable to me than a damned phone. The most I'll go is $300 and that's my high end. If it does what I need, I'm happy.

I tend to use the hell out of one. Not jst for the phone part, but also email, texts, several apps tied to company stuff, streaming when I get bored on my commute, Sirius XM too and it has a damn good camera resolution so if I have to take a pic for something, it'll be sharper than ever.

That level of use was how I justified spending the money.

If I could eliminate the three highest demnd items among those, I'd have been happy with an armored flip-phone like I had 15 years ago. Really miss that phone.

 

[Dakota]

I use spotify for music and with this new vehicle, I can push a button and tell spotify what to play. I couldn't do that in my older car.

Speaking of Sirius XM, I am still under free trial with this new vehicle and their phone number pops up on my cell DAILY. Of course, they want me to extend my trial but meh - I don't drive enough.

 

[Sneakers]

I wanted a new phone, started looking at the Samsung Flip phones. Until I saw the price. Even one-back revision was still way too much for me. I live by my phone, calendars, contacts list, email, texts, NAV, weather, banking, airlines when I travel..... It was getting overloaded with apps, so got a tablet and moved all the blutooth apps onto that, the OBD scanner, home lights controller, infrared scanner, ...

If it dies, I'll be SOL, so I may have to bite the bullet on a new phone soon. Can't even remember when I got my current one.

 

[Grumpy]

I did break down and get a new phone 18 months ago but I continue to drive my 26, 22 and 14 yr old vehicles.

 

[Kyle]

I did break down and get a new phone 18 months ago but I continue to drive my 26, 22 and 14 yr old vehicles.

I broke down and bought a 2020 F150 but still have my 2004 with 200k+ on it.

Still runs like a top too.

Currently its being driven by one the nephews whose car died a miserable death a few months ago.