Sunday Says

OK, so there’s a cease-fire in the Middle East. Most world opinion is anti-Israel. No matter what I write, no matter the truth, that won’t change. Still, here is the truth as written in Why Evolution Is True:

“Remember that Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005 as a voluntary good-will gesture in connection with the Oslo Accords. PM Sharon also evicted 7,000 Jews from Gaza at that time, leaving it “Judenrein” (“Jew free”). The Jews didn’t want to leave, and many had to be physically carried out of their homes by Israeli soldiers, homes that were destroyed by the soldiers as well. However, the agricultural and industrial infrastructure of Gaza, previously owned by Jews, was donated by Israel to Gaza and the Palestinians, who promptly destroyed this infrastructure simply because it was Jewish. Have people forgotten this?

Let’s be clear here: Israel is not depriving Gaza of food, medicine, or other amenities and necessities of life. The blockade, which is enforced by Israel and Egypt (Egypt is stricter!) is meant only to prohibit the importation into Gaza of weapons or of material that can be made into weapons. The EU, the UN, and many GMOs pour millions and millions of dollars into Gaza (more is coming soon), and if there is a reason for a grim life for ordinary Gazans, let us remember that much of that is due not to the blockade of weapons, but to the appropriation of donated money to build rockets, tunnels, and to line the pockets of corrupt Hamas officials. Those who continually indict Israel for turning Gaza into an “open-air prison” often seem to forget that this is largely due to the leadership of Gaza by Hamas.”

“Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.”

– Aldous Huxley

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So, how many cars would be too many for Ultimate Garage 3.0? I could easily see myself listing 20-25 cars, but think that would be overkill. If I publish 3.0 I will try to limit myself to 14-15 cars.

Theoretically, I could just list four or five as the crème de la crème–there are cars that fit that description for me–but it’s less fun for me to do and probably less fun for you to read. Once again, any thoughts you have on this topic or the presentation of your own Ultimate Garage are very welcome.

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With my renewed interest in C6 Corvettes, I can’t help but think about the one I owned:

This picture was taken outside of our second home in Texas. This wasn’t a second home as in a place we only lived part of the year. Chronologically we lived in this house after our first Texas house. This is the only brand new house in which we’ve ever lived, we went to the site every day during construction, and will probably be the only brand new house that we will own.

Back to the car…at first I was not a fan of C6 styling because I liked the hidden headlights that were part of the Corvette for four generations (C2 through C5). The more I saw the car, though, the more I appreciated what I thought were material improvements in styling compared to the C5 like the reduced overhang at the rear.

In a previous post I listed my order of Corvette generations by styling only. I think the C6 would now rank third for me behind the C2 and C7. Does anyone care to share their ranking?

#SundaySays

#TheTruthIsOftenIgnored

#IStandWithIsrael

#UltimateGarage3.0

#C6Corvette

#My2007Corvette

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Frugal Friday, C6 Corvette Encore

On a personal note…this day in 1999 was my last as a full-time employee of a major league baseball team. I didn’t know that at the time. In normal baseball seasons July 31 was the trading deadline, the day after which it is more difficult, although not impossible, to trade players. I confess I don’t even know if this date is still the trading deadline and, if it is, if it is still possible to trade players after July 31.

I tendered my resignation in May, but offered to stay through the trade deadline. Two of my colleagues, apparently, had a bet as to whether or not I was really leaving the organization. The one who won the bet is now baseball’s “Wonder Boy.”

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Another personal “note”…

I have been waxing nostalgic for this car, my 2007 Corvette that I purchased new in February of 2007 and then sold in a panic in October, 2010 when I basically lost my baseball business. Earlier this week while running errands in my Z06, I saw a good-looking C6 convertible (a 2007 Corvette is a C6) with the top down. I am usually the first to make the “Corvette Wave,” but on this occasion the C6 driver beat me to the punch.

Although I wrote a Frugal Friday post about C6 Corvettes last September, I am compelled to do so again today. This is not the least expensive C6 I found on AutoTrader, but it was the least expensive convertible and this 2005 model allegedly has only 16,000-ish miles.

Maybe it’s inappropriate to write about buying cars as “toys” in light of current conditions including the largest quarterly GDP decline in US history. The opportunist in me thinks that this might actually be the best time to indulge oneself in such a purchase, if one is in a position to do so. The seller is asking $23,495, a price that AutoTrader calls a “Great Price” because it is in the lower half of the Kelley Blue Book® value range for this car. (A car with an asking price below that range is also called a “Great Price.”)

What do you think of this car? Is it inappropriate to buy expensive “toys” at this time? During the Great Depression many people of means refrained from buying expensive cars because they didn’t want to draw attention to themselves, not because they couldn’t afford it. Of course, at about $23,000 this Corvette is not expensive, as long as you’re still working and/or have a decent-sized nest egg.

#FrugalFriday

#C6Corvette

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Frugal Friday Returns: C6 Edition

In this article on classiccars.com the main point is that RM Auction’s fall sale at Auburn, Indiana saw a 23.5% decrease in gross sales compared to last year’s auction. That was true even though 90 percent of the lots offered this year were sold. Gord Duff, global head of auctions for RM Sotheby’s Group said, “…we’ve witnessed a softening in the collector car market in 2019…”

Is the general softening of “high-end” markets a signal of anything? No one really knows. It could, of course, mean that we might be about to enter a good period to buy collector cars if one has the means to do so.

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Comments by 56packardman, David Banner and others inspired the topic for the return of Frugal Friday. 56packardman wrote, “To underscore your point about the basic value a Corvette represents vs. an ‘exotic’ like a Ferrari, at the Bring-a-Trailer website, I routinely see Ferraris listed for sale there that have among their records maintenance receipts for $30,xxx of engine work, etc., often on very low-mileage cars.” (By the way, please read the comments as they add much to this blog.)

Instead of looking for Corvettes available for less than $30,000—the amount mentioned in regards to the cost of Ferrari engine work—I decided to be more specific and look for 2008-2010 Corvettes (C6 generation) that had fewer than 30,000 miles AND were listed for less than $27,000, 90% of the “Ferrari repair” cost. Hey, I’m an idiosyncratic guy. What can I say?

From autotrader.com comes this car:

Used 2009 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe FULTON, NY 13069 - 524541593 - 1

This 2009 Corvette is in Yellow over Black and is listed for $24,800. It has about 23,000 miles. The price might be a little misleading because the ad copy contained this disclaimer, “**Must qualify for all rebates to receive final pricing.**” The ad also contained this humorous bit, “Load your family into the 2009 Chevrolet Corvette!” Uh, a Corvette only has two seats…

A base 2009 Corvette was powered by a 6.2 liter/376 cubic-inch V-8 that produced 430 HP/425 LB-FT of torque. That’s a lot of oomph (an automotive technical term) for less than $25,000.

From cargurus.com comes this car:

This is a 2008 Corvette in Red over Black that has fewer than 12,000 miles and is listed for $25,995. CarGurus rates this as a “Good Deal.”

Life is short; enjoy yourself, within “reason.”

#DeclineOfCollectorCarMarket

#C6Corvette

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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