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infinitenexus
infinitenexus HalfDork
12/24/20 6:48 p.m.

In reply to Sonic :

I've read good things about diatomaceous earth, though I've never used it personally. The ant baits seem to be working, about an hour after setting them I saw ants all in them, so they're taking the bait back. It'll be good to be ant free. 

OHSCrifle
OHSCrifle GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
12/24/20 9:54 p.m.

Perhaps you should drive it (like you stole it) until it, um, has a fire under the hood.

infinitenexus
infinitenexus HalfDork
12/25/20 8:42 a.m.

In reply to OHSCrifle :

My luck it would just rocket a rod through the side of the block after a quarter mile. 

mfennell
mfennell Reader
12/25/20 8:52 a.m.
captdownshift (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to FatMongo :

There's a lot of assumption on financial things improving. We know that the day-to-day life is going to get more expensive with a child coming. And if the monthly expense is currently $350 between car payment and insurance, You're robbing Peter to pay Paul and hurting cash flow in the process. He can't put just storage insurance on it as payments are being made, most financial institutions don't allow that it has to be full coverage. if the car was paid in full what you're suggesting makes sense, but it's not so it's a bad idea, and that's the stress of having to deal with something later. In 18 months he's looking to move out of the country. you don't want to have to be dealing with fixing a car that's sat around for nearly 2 years that you have no passion or energy for, when attempting to move out of the country with a toddler. Deal with it now swallow the lumps and move on. 

All this.  And the car is not going to get any more desirable sitting out on a dirt driveway 24/7.

I've done this several times, just with far lower stakes.  My V70R has been mostly sitting since I bought my VW Sportwagen 15 months ago.  It was a solid runner with broken AWD  (electronics - I fixed the mechanicals) and a couple rust bubbles.  I did not sell it immediately because ...reasons?  I love the exhaust note?   Anyway, now the rust bubbles are bigger, the AWD is still broken, there are all kinds of new squeaks in the front and, and it's in some kind of limp mode.  I'm not sure it has any value when it can't even be driven away.  I've driven it perhaps 20 times in the last year.  

jfryjfry (FS)
jfryjfry (FS) Dork
12/25/20 8:57 a.m.

Are we 100% sure there is no warranty available for this thing?  From the seller, credit company, etc?

Mndsm
Mndsm MegaDork
12/25/20 9:10 a.m.
infinitenexus said:

Another problem is popping up. People are testing positive for Covid at my wife's work. She's pregnant and asthmatic so that's something we're trying to take very seriously and be very careful with. Unfortunately most people in this county aren't taking it seriously and don't think it's real. It's a e36 m3 situation. We can choose between money to put food on the table or her safety.  I guess we'll start looking for remote jobs or something.  I dunno. 

It's not just there. It's all of florida.

infinitenexus
infinitenexus HalfDork
12/25/20 9:15 a.m.
jfryjfry (FS) said:

Are we 100% sure there is no warranty available for this thing?  From the seller, credit company, etc?

Could I order one of those aftermarket warranties that covers things like this, wait a month, and then pull an "oh noes, my engine blew!" Or do they require an inspection first?

Steve_Jones
Steve_Jones HalfDork
12/25/20 10:34 a.m.
infinitenexus said:
jfryjfry (FS) said:

Are we 100% sure there is no warranty available for this thing?  From the seller, credit company, etc?

Could I order one of those aftermarket warranties that covers things like this, wait a month, and then pull an "oh noes, my engine blew!" Or do they require an inspection first?

Most require an inspection, and it's a pretty lousy thing to do anyway. 

Dusterbd13-michael (Forum Supporter)
Dusterbd13-michael (Forum Supporter) MegaDork
12/25/20 10:45 a.m.

I know the one my buddy got for his jag required 500 miles and 30 days minimum before the ability to file a claim.

His transmission missed it by 12 miles. 

NOT A TA
NOT A TA SuperDork
12/25/20 11:15 a.m.

Extended warranties are insurance products, so insurance fraud?

captdownshift (Forum Supporter)
captdownshift (Forum Supporter) GRM+ Memberand UltimaDork
12/25/20 11:49 a.m.

In reply to NOT A TA :

But, if extended warranty companies go under, less robocops. Modern times call for modern solutions. 

dj06482 (Forum Supporter)
dj06482 (Forum Supporter) GRM+ Memberand UltraDork
12/25/20 12:56 p.m.

I've been following along for an while, but don't think I've jumped into the fray yet. I'm really sorry to see the metallic chunks in the oil filter, I was hoping the timing chain TSB would get you back to 100%.  I think the advice here is sound, see if you can dump it as-is and get some money back, or bite the bullet and have another engine installed. 

What's the cost difference between the truck 5.0 vs the Mustang 5.0 (all Coyotes, of course)? If the cost difference isn't too much, I'm thinking out loud that you may recoup your money easier if it's a Mustang motor that's swapped in. Mustang buyers can tend to be enthusiasts, so they may quickly spot the truck motor, and that would decrease the value of the car.  It's a pretty tight knit Mustang community around where I am (I've owned 3 - two fox bodies and a New Edge), that once one guy knows it has the wrong motor, they all do.  That sort of situation may make it tougher to sell locally.

Brett_Murphy (Ex-Patrón)
Brett_Murphy (Ex-Patrón) GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
12/25/20 2:11 p.m.

My two cents is to contact JesseSpiker after the holidays. He's read the thread, saw the glitter and could give you an expert's viewpoint on the most cost effective way to get this running (which will probably be truck engine, but if he's doing HiPo engines, he might have takeoffs or something in his shop that will get it running well enough to *get rid of it.*, though that's kind of tough with bearings. I'm not sure how far away you are from his shop (lazy Christmas, not wanting to look it up) but there are GRMers in the area with trailers.

My point is, you've got some support from folks here. Use it- nothing is ever free, but goodwill tends to make it less expensive. 

Edit: I've no affiliation with Jesse. 

infinitenexus
infinitenexus HalfDork
12/25/20 3:12 p.m.

In reply to Brett_Murphy (Ex-Patrón) :

That's a really valid point. I'll definitely hit him up after the holidays are done. Actually, I just have a ton of phone calls in general to make once the holidays are done. 
 

my wife also brought up a good point - we want to move away from here sooner rather than later. We were initially thinking just to Gainesville or Jacksonville, but what's stopping us from moving to a different state instead?  Assuming this google IT certificate lands me a job, which the interwebs tells me it will, then I could apply somewhere where we'd be happier, and we could spend a few years there saving for Canada. I'm mostly just thinking out loud here. 

joey48442
joey48442 PowerDork
12/27/20 9:05 a.m.
captdownshift (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to NOT A TA :

But, if extended warranty companies go under, less robocops. Modern times call for modern solutions. 

Less robocops?  I don't like that idea

infinitenexus
infinitenexus HalfDork
1/22/21 1:04 p.m.

Not sure if anyone really cares about an update but it's been about 3 weeks and my wife told me I should update this post, so here goes.

 

I finished the Google IT Professional Certificate thing about a week ago.  It's supposed to take 6-8 months and I did it in 3 weeks, so that's good.  Updated my resume and uploaded it to several job sites in preparation of an upcoming job search.  I'm currently taking 4 courses on computer networking and ethical hacking and it's pretty tough but I'm keeping a 95-100% in all classes so far.  For one of the classes I have to take the Security+ exam, so I'm pretty worried about that as I've heard it's difficult and I don't have an extensive IT background, but I have some good study materials so I'll do my best.  

Still living in the tiny little crack house and doing our best to turn it into a crack home.  Fortunately there's an Ollie's up the road, so for about $100 I've repainted about half of the interior from various shades of brown and tan, to nice gray walls with white trim and ceiling, and also added blinds and curtains.  Some may see me spending money on this as a waste, but I don't want my family living in a total e36m3hole, and at least the place looks more livable now.  It looking better helps my wife's mood also, which is important.  We'll probably be breaking the lease and moving in about 2 months to move to Cleveland, at least that's our goal.  We have some good friends that live there and the cost of living is right, and Cleveland is getting lots of new IT jobs so it'll be great for that.  

I just got the Mustang back.  It was about $6200 total, but I have a new (used) motor installed in it now, and it runs great.  Now I'm just waiting on a few parts to come in the mail and I want to fix a small hole in the front bumper, and I'll be selling it.  The sooner the better.  I'll also be selling my challenge Civic once I finish fixing a few things on it as well.

I finally got all my unemployment backpay, which was awesome.  I'm still getting the weekly payments and I'm trying to time it so that I'll get a job around the time it runs out.  Why wait, I know some will ask.  Because I'm taking 4 very difficult courses right now that take up all of my time, and I want to be able to concentrate on them as much as possible.  Once I'm working 8 hours a day that's going to be very, very difficult.

We're 10 weeks pregnant!  It's a boy, and we've decided to name him Avi.  We've been carefully frugal and have gotten a lot of awesome free baby stuff from places such as Target, Amazon, and Buy Buy Baby or whatever it's called.  Plus a brand new crib/mattress/sheets for free.  Really all we have left to get are a good car seat and a jogging stroller, and of course a bunch of diapers.  

So right now the plan is finish tidying up a few things on the Mustang and Civic and sell them both, try to get a few weeks ahead in my college courses (they're all online so it's definitely possible), and start consolidating our stuff and packing up.  We know of a great apartment opening up in Cleveland here soon, so our goal is to get into there, and then from there I'll start working an entry level IT job, or whatever I'm able to get initially.  Probably how it'll work out is we'll have most things packed up and ready to move and I'll start applying for jobs in Cleveland, and once I get one we'll finish packing up and move immediately and grab a place and start our new life.

I think that's all.  I dunno, it's been a very busy few weeks.  I still need to finish rewiring one of my guitars, too.  Oh, and we managed to find a good home for an adorable little stray cat that we found around here, so that's good.

Lof8 - Andy
Lof8 - Andy GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
1/22/21 1:11 p.m.

Sounds like you've turned things around in short order!  Great job!

Streetwiseguy
Streetwiseguy MegaDork
1/22/21 1:17 p.m.

All sounds good.

Did the shop take the old engine apart to locate the source of the (rod bearing, I say) noise?

infinitenexus
infinitenexus HalfDork
1/22/21 1:52 p.m.

In reply to Lof8 - Andy :

I've done my best to, yes.  We would be able to save roughly $1,000/month extra if this stuff hadn't happened so I'm still not thrilled about it, but I'm doing my best.  Finally getting unemployment helped a lot with money, and I've been careful with my cash so we should be okay, fortunately.  Thank you.

infinitenexus
infinitenexus HalfDork
1/22/21 1:54 p.m.

In reply to Streetwiseguy :

Honestly, I didn't ask.  Whatever it was I know it would have been something major, as there would have been metal shavings all through the engine.  I'm just grateful it's done, and I can move on now.  I'm really going to miss this Mustang!  It feels like it has infinite power.  I'll be glad to free up that much money per month though.  

John Welsh
John Welsh Mod Squad
1/22/21 2:00 p.m.

In reply to infinitenexus :

Wow, big update.  Glad to hear the Mustang is running again.

No longer to Canada and now to Cleveland?  Cleveland, Ohio?  

I'm located an hour west of Cleveland, Ohio.  There are some decent suburbs but I don't find the city itself compelling.  Mostly because urban is not my thing.  Cleveland proper has some real "grit" to it.  I don't mean that as hating on Cleveland but  you have a Baltimore background.  Maybe not as much of a grit as Baltimore but all I know of Baltimore I learned on The Wire.  

infinitenexus
infinitenexus HalfDork
1/22/21 2:28 p.m.
John Welsh said:

In reply to infinitenexus :

Wow, big update.  Glad to hear the Mustang is running again.

No longer to Canada and now to Cleveland?  Cleveland, Ohio?  

I'm located an hour west of Cleveland, Ohio.  There are some decent suburbs but I don't find the city itself compelling.  Mostly because urban is not my thing.  Cleveland proper has some real "grit" to it.  I don't mean that as hating on Cleveland but  you have a Baltimore background.  Maybe not as much of a grit as Baltimore but all I know of Baltimore I learned on The Wire.  

Our long-term goal is still Canada, 100%.  That's a big, difficult move though so that's basically a 5-year goal for us.  Before our kid starts kindergarten.  That'll give me time to build up an IT career and have better job skills when I move instead of slipping in as a student.

Baltimore definitely could be described as gritty, haha.  Some areas look like a warzone for certain, and some areas were very nice, but what we loved about it (and about cities in general) was all the amazing food and drink and culture and arts/music available there.  What we didn't like was the insane housing costs.  From all the people I've spoken to, Cleveland has a very similar feel to Baltimore, but with much more affordable housing.  My wife's best friend lives in Cleveland Heights, over on the eastern side fo the city in the suburbs, and we're looking in that general area.  Plus with us being Jewish, there's a big Jewish community right nearby, so that would be neat.  And I've been reading a lot of stories about the huge efforts to improve Cleveland and bring a lot of IT jobs there, so I think it'll be a good place to live for 5 years or so.  If by chance we end up not moving to Canada, then I think we could still be happy there.  

Also I do really enjoy being able to wear shorts and a tshirt every day of the year here in south florida, but I miss mountains and snow and wine country.  I want to go back up north.

Saron81
Saron81 HalfDork
1/22/21 2:30 p.m.

Keep it up! 
That's a great update! 

matthewmcl (Forum Supporter)
matthewmcl (Forum Supporter) HalfDork
1/22/21 2:32 p.m.

Glad to hear that you are getting everything sorted. It sounds like you have gotten a lot of tricky situations turned around pretty quickly. Awesome work.

John Welsh
John Welsh Mod Squad
1/22/21 3:10 p.m.
infinitenexus said:
but I miss mountains and snow and wine country.  I want to go back up north.

No Mountains in Cleveland.
Plenty of snow in Cleveland (and the included road salt) espacially on the east side of Cleveland (snow belt)
The wine around here tends to be the Lake Erie Island, Put-In-Bay, "get ya drunk" variety.  

Glad to hear you have a trusted tour guide on the ground in Cleveland.  I'm sure they will steer you to the right areas.  I will agree that the suburbs on the east side of Cleveland (Cleveland Heights, Shaker Heights, Beachwood, etc) have a very eastern states sort of vibe.  The west side of metro Cleveland then has a midwestern vibe.  Steroetypically, you will find your chosen people in Beachwood.  

One of my best friends grew up in Sharker Heights and still to this day lives on the Shaker/Beachwood boarder.  I am sure he will never leave the area.  

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