Student
(No More Classroom)
spaceman spiff said:
Even Dee Germans?
I'm told tech is a tradeoff. I disagree.
- Thread starter Brian Jackson
- Start date
Even Dee Germans?
GyroRon
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spaceman spiff said:
I think most of the american cars and trucks are just as good and will last as long as the counterparts made in Japan. But the American cars do not hold their resale value at all, especially thanks to the rebates, incentives, and other crap that the dealers have done to lower the values of used cars. The Japan cars are much better in this respect. I just bought my wife a new Camry, but I considered the new Chevy Malibu until I factored in resale value.
spaceman spiff
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Student,
Yaaa!, especially zee Germans! Ya!
A suprising on me too.
Ron, That resale thing is a killer, for what ever reason the used US cars just aren't viewed the same, but there might not be very much reason for it.
Yaaa!, especially zee Germans! Ya!
A suprising on me too.
Ron, That resale thing is a killer, for what ever reason the used US cars just aren't viewed the same, but there might not be very much reason for it.
Last edited:
John Henry
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Spaceman Spiff
I remember those tube testers. I used to make a quick buck taking them there for old ladies and getting replacements.
The transistor age put me out of business. 
(I was only 10 at the time. My first but not last job change.) Vegas were designed cheap (inexpensive fun driving) transportation not investments. Toyota, Honda, et.al. taught the American makers that better designed autos would sell and we got beat out of the market. Actually the big four had a lot of money tied up in those makers but thats another discussion. The bottom line is we as consumers can get what we want according to our needs and demands, if we want. I've had cheap tools last forever and Milwaukee drills last only one job. I didn't get what I felt I paid for, but it ballanced out. Learn what is of value, make the decision and plan for the worst. I remember my father buying a Craftsman drill and I still have it. It cost a fortune back in 1960 compaired to other makes. Actually if you figure in inflation it cost a lot more than the Milwaukee drill that I bought last year and crapped out on me. Many a businesses have become successful at meeting the demand for quality products/services when it was rewcognized. My Timex gives me good time but it's not a Rolex. Do I need a rolex to tell time? If I need to bend a wrench to make it useable in a tight place for a limited use, do I need to buy a Craftsman when a garage sale special will do? In the end we get what we demand or are willing to pay for. The market has demanded cheap inexpensive junk so we get it.
I remember those tube testers. I used to make a quick buck taking them there for old ladies and getting replacements.
The transistor age put me out of business. (I was only 10 at the time. My first but not last job change.) Vegas were designed cheap (inexpensive fun driving) transportation not investments. Toyota, Honda, et.al. taught the American makers that better designed autos would sell and we got beat out of the market. Actually the big four had a lot of money tied up in those makers but thats another discussion. The bottom line is we as consumers can get what we want according to our needs and demands, if we want. I've had cheap tools last forever and Milwaukee drills last only one job. I didn't get what I felt I paid for, but it ballanced out. Learn what is of value, make the decision and plan for the worst. I remember my father buying a Craftsman drill and I still have it. It cost a fortune back in 1960 compaired to other makes. Actually if you figure in inflation it cost a lot more than the Milwaukee drill that I bought last year and crapped out on me. Many a businesses have become successful at meeting the demand for quality products/services when it was rewcognized. My Timex gives me good time but it's not a Rolex. Do I need a rolex to tell time? If I need to bend a wrench to make it useable in a tight place for a limited use, do I need to buy a Craftsman when a garage sale special will do? In the end we get what we demand or are willing to pay for. The market has demanded cheap inexpensive junk so we get it.
Sonnyj said:
Your quite welcome, Sonny.
I could use a machine like that to smooth my driveway!
Brian Jackson
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Well put, John. I didn't mean to rag on "cheap" when cheap is suitable for the application. There's something for all jobs, but the costs of quality seem to have risen at an exponential rate to that of inflation.
It's almost comical, but last year I was shopping for a road case for some of my musical gear. Granted cases can be pricey, but they protect a serious investment. Anyway, I run across this case at a store that looks exactly like what I'm searching for. It's a few bucks cheaper and I'm thinkin' "hey, might be a bargain." It had all the nice brass corner guards, rivited construction, beefy hinges and a keyed lock. Looked great until I lifted it...
...Have you ever walked up a flight of stairs in the dark and, upon reaching the top, you thought there was one more step? It's the closest to zero-G I'd like to come while gyrating like an idiot to correct my posture. That's exactly how I felt lifting this thing. I think Loony Toons did it better in that Beach episode where He-Man Chicken prepared to lift barbells unknowing they were balloons and jetisoned himself into orbit.
Upon examining this 5-pound "road case" I discovered these "brass fittings" were tissue-thin stampings laminated with a tinted plastic wrap. The "rivets" were embossed in the foil edging, and the "lock", though dramatic and ominous in appearance, was merely a cosmetic detail. But the real kicker is all 6 side panels were paperboard. I kid you not.
In that moment I thought to myself: "What audacity the retailer and manufacturer must have to con us like this." And the ultimate slap in the face was it wasn't much cheaper in price than a "real" road case.
What truly angers me is three-fold: 1. As long as a product Looks like the real thing it's saleable. 2. The dumb public will never know the difference. And most importantly: 3. The manufacturer could have, for the same money, avoided the cost of the unnecessary cosmetic con-job and made a useful product out of the materials they had to work with. Hell, it might even have been better.
It's almost comical, but last year I was shopping for a road case for some of my musical gear. Granted cases can be pricey, but they protect a serious investment. Anyway, I run across this case at a store that looks exactly like what I'm searching for. It's a few bucks cheaper and I'm thinkin' "hey, might be a bargain." It had all the nice brass corner guards, rivited construction, beefy hinges and a keyed lock. Looked great until I lifted it...
...Have you ever walked up a flight of stairs in the dark and, upon reaching the top, you thought there was one more step? It's the closest to zero-G I'd like to come while gyrating like an idiot to correct my posture. That's exactly how I felt lifting this thing. I think Loony Toons did it better in that Beach episode where He-Man Chicken prepared to lift barbells unknowing they were balloons and jetisoned himself into orbit.
Upon examining this 5-pound "road case" I discovered these "brass fittings" were tissue-thin stampings laminated with a tinted plastic wrap. The "rivets" were embossed in the foil edging, and the "lock", though dramatic and ominous in appearance, was merely a cosmetic detail. But the real kicker is all 6 side panels were paperboard. I kid you not.
In that moment I thought to myself: "What audacity the retailer and manufacturer must have to con us like this." And the ultimate slap in the face was it wasn't much cheaper in price than a "real" road case.
What truly angers me is three-fold: 1. As long as a product Looks like the real thing it's saleable. 2. The dumb public will never know the difference. And most importantly: 3. The manufacturer could have, for the same money, avoided the cost of the unnecessary cosmetic con-job and made a useful product out of the materials they had to work with. Hell, it might even have been better.
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