Recent content by Beachboy

I live in a small town, and the only internet provider is the phone company through their DSL. They won't allow you to drop the landline if you want to keep DSL. So you're kind of trapped. They also have the cable TV franchise, and cable internet is not available. Plus, being of the older...

Even back when I had my new '84 BMW 325E, the dealer recommended going by the oil change monitor, which for my style of driving, indicated needing oil changes at around 9,000 mile intervals. I was chastised (in writing) by the service manager once for asking to have the oil changed before the...

My internet service will not support streaming, so I'm a DVD-only customer. I merely dropped the streaming option, saving me a couple bucks a month. I like to stay as low-tech as possible, so the one-at-a-time DVD by mail option is best for me.

I started with Amoco Motor Club, then switched to AAA when Amoco went out of business. I commute 100 miles a day to work, through wide open prairies, with no service stations or other towns in between. At the time, my dealership was 50 miles from my house (and no qualified mechanics in my home...

Even as a 16 year old, I drove like a granny. Still do at age 60. As a kid, I knew if I broke my car due to aggressive driving, it was going to stay broken until I could pay to have it fixed. As an adult, I have better places to spend money than on unnecessary car repairs. My last car went...

Lately, I've been having mixed emotions at how well to take care of my cars. My previous car was a '99 Mercury which I took excellent mechanical care of (not so much for appearance care) and put 325,000 troublefree miles on it. When I traded it in, it still ran like new, but I was just tired of...

My brother put 80 acres of flat unirrigated central Kansas farm land on the market for $1200/acre about five years ago, and had a signed contract in less than 24 hours! I thought he was asking a bit much, but evidently not! I have around 400 acres of my own crop and pasture land that I hope to...

My first three DVD players were Toshiba's and seem to be good quality, BUT they date back to the early days of DVD's and newer build quality may be not nearly as good. I've purchased four Panasonic DVD recorders, but record very little, as recording DVD's is a royal pain compared to VHS. Three...

Originally Posted By: Slick17601 Your internet speed is the problem. You need at least a 6 meg connection for HD quality. Yikes!!! That's going to keep me out of the streaming video lifestyle! My only internet availability is DSL and to get a 6.0 Meg speed would cost $100/month. The internet...

Originally Posted By: Spazdog I thought just maybe our old Copperclad Revereware would be ferrous enough, but no. (Yes, I still use the copperclad Revereware. Yes I know it's caveman cookware. I like it so I don't care ) But they do sell a ferrous "induction disk" that I can use my cookware...

I planned to retire at 55, but obscenely low interest rates destroyed my retirement income. I'm 59 now and have decided to pull the plug on employment in a few months. I don't know if the economy is any better, but I hate my job with a passion and nobody is going to hire me three years away from...

I only watch sitcoms, and 2½ Men is one of my favorites, but when is the world going to get salaries of pro athletes and entertainers back to reality? I'm tired of people who make more in 5 minutes of work than I do in a year.

I don't know why there is so much hysteria over singing the National Anthem. It's an outmoded and lousey tune, and needs to be replaced. But I'm not a flag waver, and and don't worry about outmoded patriotic songs.

I was surprised to see that my new '11 Mercury Milan calls for the first coolant change at 105,000 miles, then every 45,000 miles thereafter. Also, I can find NO recommendation to ever change the fuel filter or automatic transaxle fluid. I'm currently changing the oil at 5,000 mile intervals...

My last two vehicles: 1984 BMW 325e, purchased with 9,000 miles on it, drove it for 15 years. It had 253,000 miles on it when I traded, and absolutely looked and ran like new. Used Pennzoil 10W-40 oil and Fram filters exclusively. 1999 Mercury Mystique with the 2.5L Duratec engine. Purchased...