Farewell, Old Friend.

[jonathan180iq]

I just bid farewell to the GZ.
While I'm a little sad about it, it is time for me to start thinking about my family a little more. I found a 1985 Saab 900s for $850 that I'll be replacing it with. This leave me enough cash for a ...[dare I say it]...scooter. Those 150cc sport scooters are pretty slick looking and have comparable performance to the GZ.

We'll see.

I'll still hang out around here, offering as much as I still can without having the bike for reference.

A fella named Kenny bought the bike for his wife. You may see them drop in here. Be nice to them.

Take care,
Jonathan

[Sarris]

Here's a cool scooter site for you. http://www.gekgo.com/

Don't be a stranger man. Good luck and make sure you fill us in on the new "scooter".

:)

[jonathan180iq]

Thanks for the reply Sarris. I'll certainly still be around. You guys can't shake me. I'm like an elementary school lice outbreak.

The prices are a little better here:
http://www.atvdiscounter.com/Scooters-22770-page3.aspx

[patrick_777]

Thanks for the reply Sarris. I'll certainly still be around. You guys can't shake me. I'm like an elementary school lice outbreak.

The prices are a little better here:
http://www.atvdiscounter.com/Scooters-22770-page3.aspx

The LORD OF THE FORUM throne will be kept toasty warm and smelly for you to return when you can.

[Dupo]

Well hell, you are the last person i'd think would be getting rid of his GZ. That sucks man, but i understand. Glad you will be hanging around here still .... didnt give you 'lord of the forum' for you to off your GZ and abandon the forum. :)

[jonathan180iq]

I know. I know. I just have bigger fish to fry right now.

I'm very reluctant about getting a gas burning automobile. I bought the Gz as a faster to way to get places when not on the bicycle. So, if you really look at it, I was car free for more than 2 years. It's going to be hard for me to justify $50 tanks of gas, not to mention the extra pollution that I'll be spitting out at every red light. I did a lot of searching for an electric car, or at least something a little more alternative, but it's just not in my price range. The cheapest thing that I came across was a $6,000 chinese electric car that is identical to the SMART. Too bad they have crap chinese batteries and only seat 2 people. It's difficult to find something like that to fit all of us.

[Mandachan]

Some people bought a 3 wheeled electric car from California offa ebay (we're in florida).


Funny thing is - in florida, anything with 3 wheels you need a motorcycle liscense for. So ...they were in my MSF class. It feels like a car, looks like a car, DRIVES like a car - yet it's considered a motorcycle.



They were thinking about owning a motorcycle as well after the class though! =p

[Jenny]

I know. I know. I just have bigger fish to fry right now.

I'm very reluctant about getting a gas burning automobile. I bought the Gz as a faster to way to get places when not on the bicycle. So, if you really look at it, I was car free for more than 2 years. It's going to be hard for me to justify $50 tanks of gas, not to mention the extra pollution that I'll be spitting out at every red light. I did a lot of searching for an electric car, or at least something a little more alternative, but it's just not in my price range. The cheapest thing that I came across was a $6,000 chinese electric car that is identical to the SMART. Too bad they have crap chinese batteries and only seat 2 people. It's difficult to find something like that to fit all of us.

Next year Honda is going to come out with a new Insight. It's expected to be about $18,000. It's still pricey, but it's good to see a hybrid under $20,000! We were planning on trading in this year, but we decided to wait one more year when we found out about the new Insight. The new Insight isn't like the old one - the old one was a two-door car, this will be a four-door hatchback hybrid :-)

[jonathan180iq]

The original Insight was far and away my favorite car of the last 20 years. But, when they first came out, I couldn't afford one and now the two seater wouldn't be enough for the 3 of us. My first car, which turned out to be equally frugal with gasoline consumption, was a 1994 Geo Metro that I picked up for $1,000.

Still, I'm not the kind of guy who buys new things. I also don't like credit. So, I won't be financing the thing. I might just see if I can find an old Metro Xfi in a junkyard somewhere. 55mpg and 4 seats.

Oh Geo, what happened to you? Why did the auto industry do away with lightweight, inexpensive, utility vehicles?
You know what else drives me nuts about the auto industry...It's thow they did away with the little triangle window that could blow wind right onto thr driver. If they had left thos intact, there would be no need for air conditioning, which also eats up fuel...

Geeze.

I hate cars. I'm really regretting this... :(

:)

[alanmcorcoran]

I'm not clear on the fish and the family and the switch and the house and the whole bit. You had something, you liked it, you got rid of it without any replacement (and yet your handle implies you are a genius.) Is it just me or is this confusing to anyone else? Does the GZ cause impotence or something? If I didn't know better, I'd say you've secretly gone zombie and should probably be dealt with before other people's brains start to go missing.

Come to think of it, I *don't* know better....

[Easy Rider]

I'm not clear on the fish and the family and the switch and the house and the whole bit.

Honestly, me neither. :??:
Unless maybe he is just dancing around the real reason........PW! :skull:
:biggrin:

[alanmcorcoran]

Perhaps you should transfer the "Lord" title to *Mrs.* IQ and Jonathan shall be known henceforth as "Lady of the Forum..."

..or maybe just "He That Doth Not Weareth Thee Breeches..."

[Moedad]

they did away with the little triangle window that could blow wind right onto thr driver.

Wind wing, you whipper snapper.

[jonathan180iq]

I don't know how a fish got thrown into the story....

Wind wing. Alright.
I miss the wind wing. It's like the loss of the kick start on small displacement bikes...

Sad, sad day for humanity.

[Moedad]

I don't know how a fish got thrown into the story...

You said you had bigger fish to fry.

I know. I know. I just have bigger fish to fry right now.

[jonathan180iq]

I can't continue to count on my wife to haul our son around on her own.
All of my liquid cash is going towards closing costs for our new place.
I need a car.
I sold the bike to get a car.
I found a cheap car so I can still have money for another bike.
I'm buying a scooter.
Having bigger fish to fry is a common idiom used in the English language.
http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/i ... o+fry.html (http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/bigger+fish+to+fry.html)
Also, it's getting cold again.
Cold can be dealt with.
We and cold is not much fun.

[Moedad]

All those add up to good reasons to make the switch. You'll get no disagreements from me.

[alanmcorcoran]

I can't continue to count on my wife to haul our son around on her own.
All of my liquid cash is going towards closing costs for our new place.
I need a car.
I sold the bike to get a car.
I found a cheap car so I can still have money for another bike.
I'm buying a scooter.
Having bigger fish to fry is a common idiom used in the English language.
http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/i ... o+fry.html (http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/bigger+fish+to+fry.html)
Also, it's getting cold again.
Cold can be dealt with.
We and cold is not much fun.

I'm familiar with the idiom, it just wasn't clear to me what the bigger fish was. I hesitated to respond to this as my interest is minimal, but I guess because I don't want to appear to be more of an idiot than I already am...

1) If your wife is hauling your son around, it implies you already have a car. Why not just drive that one when you need to?
2) Previous posts indicated you could neither find a car nor a scooter that met your criteria, yet you had already sold the bike. That may have changed in the interim.
3) I forgot where you live, but I'm guessing if it gets cold there, it has done so before. No "fish" there.
4) Re #3 I assume that the temperature will be the same on a scooter or a GZ.

In any event, all of this makes perfect sense to you which is all that matters. Good luck with the house. If you wait a couple more years you'll probably be able to get it for another 20% off.

[Water Warrior 2]

Life happens. Sometimes it gets in the way of owning a bike, a boat, a cottage at the lake etc. You gotta do what you gotta do.

[alanmcorcoran]

True that. Never had a hankerin' for a boat, but I've started thinking about a "hideout." Being on a lake might be nice 'cause water is a plus, but it's got to have a clear view of the road, case them zombies get any ideas.

I have a feeling there's going be a whole lotta stuff getting in the way of things over the next couple of years.

[Moedad]

I have a feeling there's going be a whole lotta stuff getting in the way of things over the next couple of years.

For sure. I'm glad now (mostly) that I got a budget bike I could buy outright rather than a bigger, badder bike that's costing me a monthly payment.

[Easy Rider]

I found a cheap car so I can still have money for another bike.


This is the only part of the plan that makes me a little nervous. I have seen WAY too many people, me included in my younger days, who went TOO cheap and ended up with an expensive lawn ornament. Hope you have better luck. :)

[jonathan180iq]

That's what this Saab may be turning out to be. It only needs a couple of things replaced but it's a headache right now. It gets me to where I'm going but it's not the family car that I had in mind when I first found it. I think I might have a bite on it though, to sell it for what I got it for. So, no harm done.

Alan,
I'm glad your interest is minimal.
1) Yes. My WIFE has a car. It's going to be pretty hard to drive that thing around when she takes it to work in the morning.
2) Upon closer inspection of my previous posts, I thought it was pretty clear that I had a car and a prospects of a scooter. I was simply explaining that I'm not happy about having to drive a car again, but that I was grudgingly accepting the role that I think is necessary.
3) & 4) Yes. It does get cold here. At least now, on those days when it's cold and wet, I have a second option. Having a scooter will give me the ability to stay on two wheels and, in turn, not use the gas of a car on days that I can stand it, which hopefully will still be most of the time. I simply now have the option of a second car, if the family ever needs it.

[alanmcorcoran]

I used to sell cars. New and used. The used-est I would ever buy is about 12K miles. I find that the maintenance and repairs about even out after that and given the high cost of insurance and gas, I might as well drive something decent.
I also know from my experience in the business that very few people sell good used cars. If they are good, they keep driving them.

For example:

I bought my 98 Camry in 98 with about 11K on it. Still driving it (has about 125K on it now.) Bought a 98 Suburban in '97 new. Still driving that too. Has only about 40K on it (drive it mainly for vacations/skiing.) Be stupid to sell either one of them until I have reason to believe they are soon to die. My daughter has a '95 Camry that is approaching death at near 200K. I won't sell that one either, because it will be trouble for whoever buys it. I will give it away. She drove a '92 before that until it shot a rod.

I generally don't drive much. Live about 6 miles from the office. But when I do go, I don't want to be wondering if I'm actually going to get there. Or have to drive around with a trunk full of tools, oil and spare parts. Been there, done that, hope I never have to go back.

[primal]

Okay, so one thing I can't figure out... why did you sell your GZ if you are just going to get a scooter? Surely the GZ is every bit as economical as a scooter would be, plus you already had it.

[5th_bike]

My brother had an old Saab in the late eighties. For a short while. It cost too much to maintain. I hope you have better luck with it. And that the scooter works out too. And the new residence as well.

It's sad to see you got rid of the GZ250, but that's life.

I have mine for a year now and still having a lot of plain fun on it. There are so many different ways to go through a curve...

[alanmcorcoran]

He sold the bike to buy a car.
He had to sell the bike, because his "liquid cash" was needed to buy a house.
He needed the car to drive his son around.
His wife can't drive his son around because she has already been driving him around.
He can't drive his son around in her car because she drives her car to work.
And it's cold now.
He bought a cheap car so he could buy a scooter.
Not sure if he's actually bought the scooter yet, but he wanted to buy the scooter to save money. On gas.
And to stay on two wheels.
Cold is not as bad as wet and cold.
He has bigger fish to fry.

Got it? Pretty simple really.

[primal]

I guess what I'm saying is that, since the GZ250 is such a cheap bike anyway, I don't see the benefit of selling it for $1500 only to buy a scooter for $1250 (or whatever). I certainly get why he did it, but the whole thing would make a bit more sense if he had a more expensive bike. Does that make sense?

[alanmcorcoran]

Failed attempt at humor above. Didn't make sense to me either, but we've been over it.... and over it and over it.

Part of the problem I think is that I don't have an innate ability to buy things cheaply and have them work out. I know other people have this ability (to find incredible bargains), but, within limits, I generally find the more I pay for something, the less trouble I have with it. I know this is neither rational or logical but ever since I have had this attitude, life has generally been a lot easier for me. Probably just dumb luck, but whatever the reason, I stopped looking for $2000 cars a long time ago. That being said, I think if Jonathan puts his mind to it, he'll make it work. If you have more time than money, your approach to solving problems is going to look different.

In the late seventies, I drove a moped for three years, in real winters too, and everyone I knew thought I was crazy. But with a suspended driver license, no ability to afford insurance or car payments, no money for campus parking (and, no space for campus parking) it was the only way I could figure out how to get to school and my job short of walking. My first one got ripped off, and I actually borrowed money to buy a second (cheaper!) one. I don't remember what happened to that one... I suspect something not good. I am grateful I don't have to choose between a decent car and a motorcycle and I hope I retain that option for as long as I can ride/drive.

(I also lack the ability to sell used things to third parties at a decent price and without entanglements. I can remember more than one of my "pre-owned" sales from when I was at "Garage de France" coming back to the dealership on the back of a flatbed.) (Yes, the name of the dealership was "Garage de France." It does not exist anymore, but it lived on Rt. 13 in Ithaca for many years. Peugeot, Mercedes, Datsun [Nissan.] Dude that owned it's first name was Jacques. French? Probably.)

[Easy Rider]

Okay, so one thing I can't figure out... why did you sell your GZ if you are just going to get a scooter? Surely the GZ is every bit as economical as a scooter would be, plus you already had it.

Some variation of this, I think:

$2000 GZ = $1000 car + $1000 scooter

[music man]

Failed attempt at humor above. Didn't make sense to me either, but we've been over it.... and over it and over it.

Part of the problem I think is that I don't have an innate ability to buy things cheaply and have them work out. I know other people have this ability (to find incredible bargains), but, within limits, I generally find the more I pay for something, the less trouble I have with it. I know this is neither rational or logical but ever since I have had this attitude, life has generally been a lot easier for me. Probably just dumb luck, but whatever the reason, I stopped looking for $2000 cars a long time ago. That being said, I think if Jonathan puts his mind to it, he'll make it work. If you have more time than money, your approach to solving problems is going to look different.

In the late seventies, I drove a moped for three years, in real winters too, and everyone I knew thought I was crazy. But with a suspended driver license, no ability to afford insurance or car payments, no money for campus parking (and, no space for campus parking) it was the only way I could figure out how to get to school and my job short of walking. My first one got ripped off, and I actually borrowed money to buy a second (cheaper!) one. I don't remember what happened to that one... I suspect something not good. I am grateful I don't have to choose between a decent car and a motorcycle and I hope I retain that option for as long as I can ride/drive.

(I also lack the ability to sell used things to third parties at a decent price and without entanglements. I can remember more than one of my "pre-owned" sales from when I was at "Garage de France" coming back to the dealership on the back of a flatbed.) (Yes, the name of the dealership was "Garage de France." It does not exist anymore, but it lived on Rt. 13 in Ithaca for many years. Peugeot, Mercedes, Datsun [Nissan.] Dude that owned it's first name was Jacques. French? Probably.)


With some people(Okay Me) whether to buy or not to buy and look for 2,000 dollar cars (or motorcycles for that matter) is not a choice, it is a survival skill. I personally wish I had the money so I didn't have to look for cheap transportation that I have to worry about and work on all the time, but I don't so I don't have a choice. I don't know Jonathan's money situation(nor do I want to) but I am assuming since he seems like he has a fairly good head on his shoulders, I would imagine despite the confusing way he put what he was doing, He has a very good reason for it.

If I thought I needed to to make my not so well oiled of a machine of life go smoother, I would sell my bike to somebody right this second, or this computer I am typing on or my T.V. or anything else I own, without a moment of regret, because that is life. I have went from having everything I have wanted (besides 10 million dollars) LOL, to having literally nothing but the clothes on my back, to having everything I wanted again so many times, that I have accepted it as reality. So I would say that when he sold his bike he thought he needed or had to for the good of his family, and as far as I am concerned there is no other explanation needed.

Later

[jonathan180iq]

I think the Man of Music nailed it.
To be honest, I didn't think this thread would cause such a detailed conversation. I expected you guys to come in here and tell me how life simply can't go on without me around or something sweet and tender like that. Then I would surprise you guys by telling you I hadn't really sold the GZ and your lives would return to a state of peace, only to be shattered again when I confessed of my lie. :)

I don't know how else to state the reason that I sold the bike. But I do think some of you are jumping ahead of my statements to assume that my intention was to sell the bike for both a car and a scoot. The fact of the matter is that I sold the bike for a car. Period. The fact that I found a decent enough car for a cheap enough price that I am able to get something with two wheels is a bonus. If I couldn't have done that. I wouldn't have.

I don't buy $1200 scooters. Those chinese bikes that non-mechanical people bought back in the summer and are sitting alone now in their front yards are selling between $600-$1000. Also, the GZ was worth a little more than $1500.

So, I found a nice, plush '85 Saab for $850. It had some problems like idling high and overheating at redlights when the A/C wasn't turned on. For all of $8, I have fixed those two problems, which were associated with each other. So my previous statement about the car being too much of a hassel was a bit premature. As long as I get a decent radio tuner in there, it's going to be everything I wanted... totaling $858 dollars.

So, that leaves how much money left over? Money that is not relegated to other things? Plenty.

I haven't purchased a scooter yet. If do, great. If I don't, not so great but not the end of the world. At least that money is available for one and it's earning me interest in the meantime.