Cars in a bit…this CNBC article is about Japan Airlines showing the seats where passengers will be traveling with children age 2 or younger, presumably so other passengers can choose to sit somewhere not near those seats. AirAsia X has introduced a “Quiet Zone” on all of its flights, eight rows that cannot be occupied by children under the age of 10. IndiGo, a “budget” airline, calls its premium extra leg room areas “quiet zones” that cannot be occupied by children younger than 12.
Any thoughts from any of you on this? How about if I told you, in a somewhat related story, that over 90% of airline employees who are in “customer-facing” positions report having suffered verbal and/or physical abuse from passengers?
This is just my opinion, of course, but I think people are more rude, more selfish and more self-absorbed than ever before. This is also just my opinion, but I think that, in public spaces, the rights of people with children do not supersede the rights of people without. I have long thought that airlines should have certain flights that are entirely kid-free when possible.
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Six months ago today (!) my 2016 Corvette Z06 was delivered. Just as it is difficult for me to believe I’ve already had the car for six months, it is hard to believe that I’ve only driven it about 1,800 miles. That is very similar to my usage of the 2009 BMW Z4 I owned; I drove the Z4 8,500 miles in 29 months. Although I was sure I would drive the Z06 more I guess the nature of my life is such that I drive my primary car only about 300 miles a month.
Some minutia about the Z06: in this post I showed the build sheet for my car. I questioned why the interior color was shown as “BLK” when the color is really Dark Gray. Well, the code on the build sheet for the interior color, “12i,” was the code for Dark Gray. Live and learn…
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Before I present today’s Frugal Friday car, I ask that readers feel free to submit such cars. These submissions can either be requests for me to find inexpensive cars of a certain make or can be actual cars that you have found.
From this Hemmings ad a picture of a 2006 Maserati coupe in Blue Metallic over Beige. This car has about 68,000 miles on the clock. The seller is asking…$19,995.
This car is powered by a Ferrari-built 4.2-liter V8 producing 401 HP/333 LB-FT of torque. The engine is mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters. I mean, c’mon, a high-performance GT for less than 20 grand! I also happen to think the car is drop-dead gorgeous.
Yes, the car is not expensive to buy, but will probably be costly to maintain. The cost of ownership might explain why the car will sell for less than $20,000. Still, it’s a Maserati and it’s less than 20 grand! It even has four seats although I suspect the rear seats are for groceries only. Well, groceries and insurance. All other things being equal, it costs less to insure a car with more than two seats than one with only two seats.
#FrugalFriday
#TheRudeSociety
#2006MaseratiGT
#somanycarsjustonelife
#disaffectedmusings
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Disaffected Musings 
I absolutely agree that people are more rude, selfish and self-absorbed than every before. I have an idea about how this has come about but I’ll let you read between the lines on that!
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Thanks for the comment. I think much of the problem stems from bad parenting. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
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… and I agree that the Maser is a gorgeous car and seemingly a bargain – but I think you are quite right about the cost of maintenance. Looking at listings for Masers and Ferraris at Bring-a-Trailer, the cost of services listed in these offerings is breathtaking.
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Of course cost of maintenance matters. Cost of acquisition also matters, though.
I think these Maseratis are an unknown bargain, in relative terms, in the used car market.
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As someone who flies a lot for a living, baby free zones would be VERY welcome. The reason why noise cancelling headphones are best sellers are just for this reason. Young/new parents just don’t understand what pressurized air does to little ears, and the need to prep for this. My penultimate flight was four hours with a crying baby; fortunately the free video on SouthWest overcame the three hour and thirty five minutes of terror.
Re the Mas, anyone who doesn’t know the cost of admission for such a car deserves “to get the hose again”. The price of the beautiful car you showed is not $19K but $38K: $19K for the car, $19K for the repairs. Hoovie’s Garage did a nice job of documenting the trials and tribulations-and expense-of buying and owning such a car. But like the old joke “Why is a divorce so expensive?” Because sometimes divorce, like a Maserati, is worth it.
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Interesting to read your perspective on baby free zones on flights. I doubt it will spread to US airlines because it is not politically correct.
Yes, cars like the Maserati can be expensive to maintain, but I’ll take a $19k + $19k Maserati GT over a new $50,000 SUV any day.
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Oh, LOL on the divorce joke!
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There are those of us who are “aircommuters”. Many times I’ve done one day turnaround trips on planes. It’s the equivalent of catching a bus from Baltimore to Northern Virginia for work and back. That time when you’re not behind the wheel is for prepping or decompressing, not for praying the plane crashes to end your misery from the high pitched squeals of the “Little Prince”. There is a reason why charter flights and private planes have taken off.
I agree wholeheartedly re owning an interesting car. Spend another $15,000 for a used Lexus E350 or a Celica as a daily driver and life is good.
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Southwest may already do this the way they board planes, with families with kids boarding after the “A” group. I have paid the extra $40 to get into the “A” group, mostly to store my bag, but also avoid the crowd on the “Disney Express”. “C” stands for “Cut your throat” on SouthWest.
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Thanks for the insights. Again, I think a) US-based airlines should offer no-kid flights, b) people are incredibly rude and inconsiderate.
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