I may be AWOL for a few weeks.

[Gofirstclass]

Here we are in what's Sedona, AZ which might just be the most scenic town in America. We're going to be here for 2 more days so I'll have time to share more videos. I took these three on the afternoon of our arrival and will take more. Enjoy

 

[Gofirstclass]

Here are a few photos I shot on our way into and around town.

On a somewhat related note, I did my good deed for the day. I found a young lady's purse with her ID in it. She apparently had lost it at a parking lot for a trailhead and I found it when we pulled in. There was no phone number in it but I noticed that she was from a small town in MO. I called the police dept from that town and told them the circumstances and asked if they would see about getting ahold of the family.

The lady from the PD got in touch with the father who happened to be out here on vaca with his kids. I had the lady from the PD give him my phone number and asked to have him call me so I could get it back to them.

About 2 minutes later he called me, came back to the trailhead parking lot and I returned her purse to the dad. Dad wanted to give me $20 for my trouble but I told him to pay it forward and do a good deed for someone else. Feels good to do a good deed now and then.

 

[highslice]

I love Sedona. One of my favorite places on the planet. Have you been to the chapel on the cliff? It is worth a look. Have fun!

 

[Gofirstclass]

Have you ever heard the expression "This day was so f'd up"?

It started with the Airbnb we rented. It didn't match the photos whatsoever. There was a huge pile of construction materials sitting in the driveway that looked like it had been there for years. Then we walked inside, accompanied by the owner's wife who walked us through the place, as if we were not able to find a bedroom on our own. It would take pages of posts to describe the place so I'll cut to the chase.

There was no heat in any rooms except the living room and that was a wall unit. It was too freakin' cold to even take a shower. There were windows in every room except the living room. The place was advertised as having wonderful views of the hills. NOT.

It was advertised as "sleeps 6". NOT. There was 1 queen bed. Oh, and 3 futons. The advertised breakfast was a package of bagels. The place was dirty and did not smell clean at all.

We had rented it for two nights but packed our shit and left. I found a hotel room for tonight and that was great.

So then as we're riding around Sedona we started hearing a funny sound. Stopped at a Big O tire store for a diagnosis--bad bearing. Can't get to it until tomorrow morning and likely will take till 1:00 p.m. to fix. $400 parts and labor (estimated on the labor).

Lest you think the day was ALL bad, it wasn't. The Bloody Mary with lunch was great. But other than that, this day is shot to shit but I did get more video and some more pics. Enjoy.

Just so you don't think this whole day has been down the toilet, I'm sitting here on the patio of our hotel room with a cold brewski in my hand and I can't wait for it to get done so I can grab another.

Adios Amigos

 

[JHornsby3]

FUBAR is the term.

You really need to stop with the photos. It's making us sad. Miss the SW so bad. And with all the rain wind and cold, it just really sucks. I'm not ready for winter in the PNW.

We have always had the best of luck with Pep Boys. Always had the parts and only one time couldn't get us in for 45 minutes. Great warranty too.

 

[Gofirstclass]

Just so y'alls don't be thinkin' that yesterday was all bad, the lady who owns the place we rented called me last night to ask why we'd checked out. In the morning when we were packing the car I explained the reasons to her husband who happened to be outside. Apparently they don't talk because she said she had no idea why we were disappointed.

I gave her a litany of reasons why we were disappointed and left. She seemed to be more concerned about me leaving her a bad review on the Airbnb website than our discomforts and asked what she could do to make sure we wrote a positive one. She mentioned giving us back the money she made off the rental and (knowing Airbnb keeps a percentage of what I paid for it) I told her that still left us short of what we paid. She then said she would give us a refund of the whole amount we paid. I agreed that my review would say that there were items we were not happy about but that she took are of us. We left it at that.

Then we ordered a pizza from a local place and had it delivered to the room. It was great pizza.

We were watching the NLCS game and I was happy Atlanta won, Tina not so much.

This morning a bit before 8:00 I took the truck back to Big O for them to work on it. The manager gave me a ride back to the hotel and said he would call me when it was done. I checked emails and other stuff on the puter, had a couple pieces of pizza and now we're all packed and just waiting for the call from Big O.

So I'm sorry there are no pics to share right now. Pics of our hotel room wouldn't be too exciting, to say the least.

We had planned on taking a long way home, passing through several old western towns on the way, but given our late start out of here that had to be put aside.

Buenos dais(sp?) mi amigos.

 

[Gofirstclass]

Well this day also turned to sh!t. Just got a call from Big O. It's not a wheel bearing that we first thought, it's the rear transfer case and they can't fix it. So it has to be towed home (~120 miles), repaired there and then probably sell it ASAP. Oh, and we need to rent something to get US home to Sun City West where the condo is.

That first paragraph was written a couple hours ago. Since then things have gone from bad to worse. There is only one car rental place in town (Enterprise) and they will not do a 1-way rental. No way, no how.

So I called UHaul to see about renting a truck and trailer so we could haul the Terrain home. Nope.

Oh, and the wrecker not only charges and arm and a leg, they can't do the haul until tomorrow. So after extending our hotel stay for another night what's going to happen is the wrecker is going to pick us up at the Big O place because they don't allow dogs to ride in the wrecker. That is only about a mile so not a big deal. But then Sailor has to ride in the Terrain while it's being hauled 120 mile to Sun City West.

It's now 1:00 p.m., the whole morning has been spent on the phone and every time I made a turn I ran into a concrete block wall. To say this has been a frustrating morning would be a gross understatement of the situation as it currently exists.

Fuggoff Amigos.

Just kidding.

 

[Gofirstclass]

Today was expensive but not unexpected. The wrecker picked up the Terrain promptly at 0900 at the Big O store. We were pleasantly surprised that the manager of the Big O tire store refused to charge us anything for their time in inspecting the Terrain.

Sailor had the pleasure (?) of riding inside the Terrain the ~120 miles from Sedona to Sun City West and when we got to our destination he seemed none the worse for the trip.

We paid the wrecker driver then went inside the repair center to pay the bill for the replacement fuel filter on the Exploder. Between that and the tow bill we were out about $1400. OUCH!!!

After unloading all our junk out of the Terrain into the Exploder we tried to load Sailor into the Exploder. No luck. The area he had to fit through between the front and back seat was a lot smaller and he wasn't having it.

Picking up an 88 pound dog who was uncooperative and loading him into the car was a challenge but we finally did it. And we didn't get bitten in the process. Thanks, Sailor.

After a quick stop for some fast food (Note: Arby's chicken sandwich bears absolutely no resemblance to the photo!!) we got home, unloaded the Exploder and I'm now ready for a well deserved nap!

 

[Gofirstclass]

It's Saturday evening
, 10/23 and today was a waste of time. We hit a couple of estate sales then went car shopping. Having worked in the car biz for several years as an F&I (finance and insurance) manager I knew the lingo to spout off to the salesmen who approached the car as we cruised the lots.

Tina said it's her turn to pick the SUV we get since I picked the last one. I set out some of the criteria (size, age, miles, price, AWD/4WD) but will let her make the choice. She's gravitating toward a Cadillac or a Lexus.

We won't be able to do anything until the Terrain is fixed so at this point we're spinning our wheels. Oh well.

Buenos Nachos amigos.

 

[Pirate Lady]

It's Saturday evening
, 10/23 and today was a waste of time. We hit a couple of estate sales then went car shopping. Having worked in the car biz for several years as an F&I (finance and insurance) manager I knew the lingo to spout off to the salesmen who approached the car as we cruised the lots.

Tina said it's her turn to pick the SUV we get since I picked the last one. I set out some of the criteria (size, age, miles, price, AWD/4WD) but will let her make the choice. She's gravitating toward a Cadillac or a Lexus.

We won't be able to do anything until the Terrain is fixed so at this point we're spinning our wheels. Oh well.

Buenos Nachos amigos.

Dear god GFC, get a Lexus or you will repeat this scenario in the future.

 

[Gofirstclass]

Yeah, that's kind of what my son has been telling me. He's a lead tech at a Chebbie dealer in TX and told me he'd disown me if I bought a GM product.

What do you guys think of Lincoln SUV's? Specifically the Nautilus?

 

[Pirate Lady]

Yeah, that's kind of what my son has been telling me. He's a lead tech at a Chebbie dealer in TX and told me he'd disown me if I bought a GM product.

What do you guys think of Lincoln SUV's? Specifically the Nautilus?

Its your dollar. On that note wont tell what to do, i grew up with GM. Family tradition. Had all GM, then tried Ford, Dodge, Asian long time now. Just me. You couldn’t give me a Big 3 product, just me, its your money.
My dad grew up striving to get Cadillac. If you got a Caddy you made it. At 60k miles his Eldoradro blew a head gasket. He bought asian, never looked back.
Ford- had a nice 5.0 mustang, the AC NEVER blew cold from day one. Dealer “its normal”. Just before warranty expired the compressor exploded. They replaced every single component on the system, 3 years of bitchin that this ac dont work, its normal. Fk ford.
What do I know, it’s your dime.

 

[Gofirstclass]

Pirate, the same could happen with Asian. My bro bought a new Toyota Pilot and the tranny went out at 20K.

IMHO they all make lemons.

On a somewhat related note, have any of you ever bought from Carvana or Vroom or any of those other "We deliver it to you" outfits? Are they any good to work with? Can y'all negotiate the price of the rig you're buying?

 

[Pirate Lady]

Sure it could, but it dont. 2013, 98k miles, oil, 1 battery, tires.
Wife 150k, oil, tires, battery.
Ya you can get that from GM maybe.
But asians offer 10 year 100k warranty.
GM 3 years 36k. If they wont back their product, why should I buy it.

 

[Pirate Lady]

Pirate, the same could happen with Asian. My bro bought a new Toyota Pilot and the tranny went out at 20K.

IMHO they all make lemons.

On a somewhat related note, have any of you ever bought from Carvana or Vroom or any of those other "We deliver it to you" outfits? Are they any good to work with? Can y'all negotiate the price of the rig you're buying?

When i look at Carvana, they are way over price from what local dealers are asking. Do they offer a warranty?even 30 day?

 

[Pirate Lady]

Pirate, the same could happen with Asian. My bro bought a new Toyota Pilot and the tranny went out at 20K.

IMHO they all make lemons.

On a somewhat related note, have any of you ever bought from Carvana or Vroom or any of those other "We deliver it to you" outfits? Are they any good to work with? Can y'all negotiate the price of the rig you're buying?

PS, at 20k it was prolly a warranty repair. At 60k, GM told dad go pound salt.
Just my opinion and my dollar, wont criticize anyone for spending theirs.

 

[JHornsby3]

Carvanna and Vroom can be good. Read where someone got more for a car than what they were paying for it. As for buying, I have heard horror stories.

Foreign cars are good. I have owned a good Dodge. Piss poor mileage but it was a good rig. I owned a furd for about 10 minutes. What a turd and the cost of repairs are way more than any of the others. I have owned a GMC Burb for 15 years now. Bought it from a mechanic, so that means it was poorly cared for. Got it with just under 100k and it now has over 300k. Been a great rig that has taken us all over the PNW and all over the SW then back here again. And I have had a few diesel GM trucks that have all been great. The Burb is parked now due to the fuel in the PNW being so bad. To go from 18 plus MPG to less than 10 was a killer. Fuel on this side of the range is just stupid. Hell I'd give you the burb for cheap just to see it used. Moss and Lykin are taking over it.

Like everything, you have to research what there is. Some motors are good and some not so much.

Oh and as far as American vehicles, I have owned a few too. The Datsun I owned was awesome. The Honda not so much. And I have owned a few Isuzu and those too are awesome rigs. Go for ever and take a beating.

 

[Christo]

Here are a few photos I shot on our way into and around town.

On a somewhat related note, I did my good deed for the day. I found a young lady's purse with her ID in it. She apparently had lost it at a parking lot for a trailhead and I found it when we pulled in. There was no phone number in it but I noticed that she was from a small town in MO. I called the police dept from that town and told them the circumstances and asked if they would see about getting ahold of the family.

The lady from the PD got in touch with the father who happened to be out here on vaca with his kids. I had the lady from the PD give him my phone number and asked to have him call me so I could get it back to them.

About 2 minutes later he called me, came back to the trailhead parking lot and I returned her purse to the dad. Dad wanted to give me $20 for my trouble but I told him to pay it forward and do a good deed for someone else. Feels good to do a good deed now and then.

That is a very kind deed, especially in this busy world we live in. I left my wallet on the truck bed cover one day and never realized it, when I got home that night, it was at my back door with a note from the lady who saw it on the highway…I, like young lady you helped, was very grateful ps…gorgeous pics.

 

[Gofirstclass]

Well this problem with vehicles is almost behind us. I bought an Infiniti QX50 today but there are a couple hitches in the get-along. First the title to the Terrain is home in the gun safe. Second, many years ago I put a freeze on my credit at all 3 credit bureaus so nobody can pull a credit report on me without my knowledge or permission. Third, I planned on putting $15K down payment on a credit card so I could earn the points.

To solve problem 1 I'm having my next door neighbor (little old lady type) go over to our house, I'll give her the combo to the safe so she can get the title out and overnight it to me.

#2 was a bit more time consuming. I put the freeze on decades ago and couldn't recall my login or password stuff. I ended up going to Annual Credit Report dot com, got my free report, saved it as a pdf then printed the pdf. I also emailed the pdf to my personal banker so she'd have it.

#3 was easy. I put $5K on the card and wrote a check for the other 10K.

So, I brought the new car home tonight. I have to take it back tomorrow to get these loose ends tied up then I'll be done fugging around with vehicles for awhile. Tina didn't know I'd been able to seal the deal so she was expecting me to bring the Terrain home. To say she was surprised would be an understatement. She fixed me a very good gin and tonic, we did Door Dash for dinner. Now I'm sitting here watching the Seahawks trying desperately to give away another game. Oh well.

 

[highslice]

Pirate, the same could happen with Asian. My bro bought a new Toyota Pilot and the tranny went out at 20K.

IMHO they all make lemons.

On a somewhat related note, have any of you ever bought from Carvana or Vroom or any of those other "We deliver it to you" outfits? Are they any good to work with? Can y'all negotiate the price of the rig you're buying?

I think I see the problem. He bought a Toyota Pilot. He probably would have had a better experience with a Honda Pilot. Just bustin your chops.

I put 175,000 miles on a Honda Pilot. The trans was always a bit wonky, hard shifts but never enough to throw a code. But at 175,000 miles it started hesitating on shifts and slipping in 3rd gear, so it was time to trade it in.