Economy is great! Half ton Ram $74k

[menhadenman]

This country is so broke couples can't afford babies anymore , stop sending money to Ukraine and take care of young couples medical bills for new babies .

Half agree with you… socialism never has worked and never will. Paying for babies is better than sending money to a stooge but still not the answer.

Interest on our debt (paid to private banks!) now exceeds the cost of the greatest military the world has ever seen.

Ironic that my first brand new half ton gasser was a stick shift short box Silverado I bought after coming back from Alaska in 2000.

It was $13k. No AC which sucked in eastern NC but dang it was a good truck for a young man. I was really proud of that truck and paid it off in there years making about $25k/year.

 

[jdgator]

I know a couple property management companies that trying to hire maintenance techs. They want experienced folks with HVAC certs and their own trucks and tools. The advertised pay is 14 an hour.

In my head, those two things don’t equal each other. I’m thinking if you want your employee to bring their truck to work you’re gonna have to pay a couple hundred extra each month. It’s the reality of inflation.

 

[buckmanmike]

bring their truck to work you’re gonna have to pay a couple hundred extra each month. It’s the reality of inflation.

A couple of hundred???? more like a couple of thousand, or a high mileage rate. but the $14/hr for a skilled tech is an insult.

 

[Geffellz18]

The $14/hr for a skilled tech is an insult.

Insult is an understatement here-We start our entry level team members at $15/hr just to man the front register with no discernible skills needed, and STILL have issues in certain areas with staffing.
It’s unreal.
I made less than that coming up through the management ladder, busted it everyday and loved it.
That doesn’t happen so much with the workforce today. There are some, but not in #’s!

 

[transfixer]

I know a couple property management companies that trying to hire maintenance techs. They want experienced folks with HVAC certs and their own trucks and tools. The advertised pay is 14 an hour.

In my head, those two things don’t equal each other. I’m thinking if you want your employee to bring their truck to work you’re gonna have to pay a couple hundred extra each month. It’s the reality of inflation.

They will never get anyone close to competent at that pay scale and requiring their own truck and tools, if someone has their certs and tools they can easily start somewhere at twice that pay or very close to it !

all they will get are those that have been fired from multiple places because they don't know what they should , if they even get anyone to inquire at that pay scale !

 

[Jimmypop]

My first truck was bought new for $2532 and delivered to my office. That included the rear bumper which was an add on in those days. It was a long wheel base and had a slant 6 engine. I kept it 17 years. We drove cars to our job and used trucks for hauling things. Wish we had those days back.

 

[livinoutdoors]

This country is so broke couples can't afford babies anymore , stop sending money to Ukraine and take care of young couples medical bills for new babies .

Howabout naw on both. Things always work best when the person needin a thing pays for that thing. Babies too.

 

[transfixer]

Howabout naw on both. Things always work best when the person needin a thing pays for that thing. Babies too.

yes, I don't want any of my tax money paying for people to have babies ! one major problem we have in this country is people having kids they can't afford, if they can't afford the cost of having a kid, including doctor's visits and hospital costs then they have ZERO business having a kid ! on top of that they won't be able to properly provide for the kid without some form of Government assistance chances are,

 

[BeerThirty]

yes, I don't want any of my tax money paying for people to have babies ! one major problem we have in this country is people having kids they can't afford, if they can't afford the cost of having a kid, including doctor's visits and hospital costs then they have ZERO business having a kid ! on top of that they won't be able to properly provide for the kid without some form of Government assistance chances are,

Delivering a child is CRAZY expensive. The hospital cost alone runs $20k+, I can't imagine having a child if you don't have insurance. That is a debilitating cost for a young family

 

[specialk]

Delivering a child is CRAZY expensive. The hospital cost alone runs $20k+, I can't imagine having a child if you don't have insurance. That is a debilitating cost for a young family

daddy told me he had to pay 700.00 in '64 to the hospital for me......i told him it was the best money he ever spent!

 

[transfixer]

Delivering a child is CRAZY expensive. The hospital cost alone runs $20k+, I can't imagine having a child if you don't have insurance. That is a debilitating cost for a young family

Without insurance, (cash price) would likely be less than half that cost , as it is with every other medical procedure .

 

[LTZ25]

I did get to rambling on , but trucks can be purchased for reasonable price just buy one like we had in the past . $ 10,000.0 extra for a diesel engine that is no better than a gas engine is going to be a thing of the past .

 

[livinoutdoors]

Delivering a child is CRAZY expensive. The hospital cost alone runs $20k+, I can't imagine having a child if you don't have insurance. That is a debilitating cost for a young family

Well then do like hippies n have em at home. Save a bundle.

 

[DannyW]

I'm done with new automobiles, last one I purchased was in 2004.

My wife's car is a 2003 Infinity with 213,000 miles on it. The last new one I bought in 2004, was a 4Runner. When it was totaled last year by a hit-and-run driver, it had 221,000 miles.

I used the insurance settlement, plus a little extra, to purchase a 2015 Lexus with 148,000 miles.

My general rules are buy from a private owner, buy quality vehicles, and always pay in full with cash, no financing. Works for me.

Haven't had a car payment in 16 years yet still have been driving nice cars. An 80-90k truck with a $1,000 monthly payment just seems foolish for me. But if you can truly afford it, meaning it doesn't cause you to struggle to buy groceries, pay for medical needs, or skimp on your retirement saving, by all means fire away.

 

[jdgator]

Insult is an understatement here-We start our entry level team members at $15/hr just to man the front register with no discernible skills needed, and STILL have issues in certain areas with staffing.
It’s unreal.
I made less than that coming up through the management ladder, busted it everyday and loved it.
That doesn’t happen so much with the workforce today. There are some, but not in #’s!

These are the same companies who say nobody wants to work.

 

[transfixer]

My general rules are buy from a private owner, buy quality vehicles, and always pay in full with cash, no financing. Works for me.

Smart man ! I have only once bought a vehicle from a dealer , and it was a 3yr old traded in Toyota pickup, every other vehicle I've owned I've bought from individuals, normally one owner vehicles they've kept maintained and taken care of , just wanted something newer, so decided to sell what they had.

Being in the repair field I know what to look for and what to avoid, so its a bit easier for me than someone who isn't in the field, but its still the best way to have good reliable vehicles in my opinion, I generally buy vehicles that are between 4 and 8yrs old when I buy them, and then I drive them until they get close to 300k and then sell them, exception being my 01 Silverado 2500, I'm keeping it till the wheels fall off, and then I'll fix it and put new ones on ! lol

 

[menhadenman]

Well then do like hippies n have em at home. Save a bundle.

Midwife delivered all three of mine! Now 9, 10, and 12 and healthy as goldfish. Probably because we keep ‘em away from the hospital

 

[livinoutdoors]

Midwife delivered all three of mine! Now 9, 10, and 12 and healthy as goldfish. Probably because we keep ‘em away from the hospital

See! There ya go. Good for yall!

 

[earlthegoat2]

My 2000 F-250 V-10 is a relic of a different era.

It’s a single cab 4x4 Lariat which something unheard of in todays truck market.

Every time I think I might want something different, I apparently forget for a second that I already have my perfect truck (well, would like a 5 sp but that really doesn’t matter) and it is a truck that doesn’t exist anymore in modern guise.

I priced out a 2021 F-250 7.3 gas single cab 4wd XLT and it cost more than the 30 acres I had bought the year before. I’m sure glad I bought that 2000 F-250 for $4500 and my 30 acres instead of the new truck.

It used to be you could by a used truck and some land and never have to be in a hunting lease ever again. However, most just bought the new truck and then griped about their lease. Now used and new trucks are very high and so is land.

 

[Kev]

yes, I don't want any of my tax money paying for people to have babies ! one major problem we have in this country is people having kids they can't afford, if they can't afford the cost of having a kid, including doctor's visits and hospital costs then they have ZERO business having a kid ! on top of that they won't be able to properly provide for the kid without some form of Government assistance chances are,

The middle working class cannot afford kids but the government dependent can. Thats our problem.