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Apparently, and not to my surprise, I'm confused about what is and what is not Texas BBQ. Fitz-Hume over at Begging the Question, one of the finer blogs around, explains it all to me. Slowly, so's I can understand.
"I may not be a smart man, Fitz-y, but I know what yum is."
So, the @ssclown who hit me is sponsoring a rental car for me while my truck is being fixed. I drive a 1998 Ford F150, as stripped as any automobile can be: manual (won't drive stick), basic cab, manual locks, manual windows, cassette player only (I'm generally a radio guy). The truck doesn't even have a tachometer, for crissake.
I pick up the rental car, a Dodge Intrepid, and like a bullet it hits me that the car is appreciably nicer to drive than my truck.
Obviously, this won't do at all.
Being highly financially risk-averse, I'm loathe to sink funds into a depreciable asset like a car, but as a friend of mine remarked, 'you can't drive a mutual fund.'
How true.
My truck is all paid off, is highly reliable, and everything like that, but it is so basic and so simple. Maybe I'm becoming more of a puss in my old age? My dream car still is, was, and always will be a loaded Jeep CJ-7, but seeing as how I'm going to be sitting in traffic for ages next year in the commute, I think I need something a little bit more luxurious to drive.
Ms. TP and I ran the numbers, and we're good to go. So, I have narrowed it down to 2-3 cars. Advice welcome and desired, keeping in mind I have not test-driven any of these cars.
The frontrunner right now is the 2004 Acura TL. Acura completely redesigned the TL for 2004, and it is bad@ss. It boasts a 270-HP 3.2L V6, with Honda/Acura's kick@ss VTEC vvt, stiffer suspension, and an impressive 238 lbs-feet of torque. It's an @sskicker on the roads. The exterior underwent a complete transformation, and only by looking directly at the back can you see the Honda Accord basis for the design. The car sits on its haunces a little bit more, with a raised back, a tapering front, and headlamps aggressivly shuttered, almost like a predator's eyes.
Cool.
The interior, however, is where the Acura makes its hay. Acura's sales strategy is clever, IMO. Everyone who knows beans about new cars knows that options are where car dealers really make money; the price can go up all too quickly, especially if you want a near-luxury feel to the car. Acura knows this, and offers consumers an alternative by loading up their cars with awesome standard features. As one review I read put it, the Acura TL only comes one way: LOADED.
Standard features on the car: moonroof, plush grain leather seats with 10-point power memory, dual zone climate control, in-dash 6-disc CD changer, eight speaker SURROUND SOUND capable of playing DVD-audio (only production car of its kind with surround sound), Bluetooth mobile technology (get a Bluetooth mobile phone and your car becomes your phone, you talk into the steering wheel--no headsets here), and XM satellite radio (standard!). That all of this is standard is mindboggling.
There are really only two options for the car: manual or automatic, navigation system or no-nav (if you get this, it includes voice recognition software that responds to about 293 different commands).
TP does not drive automatic cars, because they suck. The six-speed manual version of the car also includes 17-inch wheels (TP wants 18s) and, even cooler, bad@ss Brembo brakes at no extra cost.
Downside to the TL: it's a front-wheel drive car, based on the Accord platform. Adding a 270-hp engine to a FWD car is definitely pushing the envelope. Torque steer is a problem when cornering fast (car leans to the right because the back wheels lag behind the front, driving wheels in turns), and it just isn't as tight and clean as some of the RWD sport sedans.
Running a close second right now is the Infiniti G35. Performance-wise, it's easily #1. Utilizing the awesome Nissan front-midship engine placement (in which the engine is located behind the front two wheels), coupled with AWD, and a 280-HP 3.7L V6 (in the coupe), the Infiniti freaking MOTORS. All of the car magazines rank it as their favorite sports sedan, which is unsurprising, as the the G35 is tops in driving performance, and the reviewers are professional drivers.
Added to which is the fact that I love the way the coupe looks. Smooth, very aggressive, reminds me of a chiseled football player in a four-point stance, ready to burst off the line.
Problem is that Infiniti skimped out on the interior. Even people who love their G35 admit that it doesn't compare to the TL. Plus, when you add options (satellite radio, 6-disc changer, leather seats, moonroof, etc.), the price goes up by at least $1500 over the TL. Not chump change.
Running a distant third to either of these is the Audi A4, a longtime favorite of TP's. Base A4's start cheaply, but prices goes up rapidly with options. The A4 is a beautiful looking car, and though it has a fine engine, is seriously underpowered compared to the G35 or the TL (1.8L T inline V4 pushing 170-hp). The 3.0 V6 adds 6k to the price tag--no joke. The interior is probably the best of the 3, though the TL is, for the first time, really challenging it. But the A4 is surely the least reliable of the 3 (Audi is good, it just isn't Acura or Infiniti-reliable), the most underpowered, and it's a German car (TP inherited this prejudice from his parents. It's not that TP won't buy a German car; if he had 100k to spend on a car, he'd buy a Porsche 911 Carrera tomorrow; but other things being equal, TP will buy a different brand of car).
No BMWs. Amazing cars, but everyone and their mother has a 3-series. If and when I got a Bimmer, it's going to be at least a 5-series, or better yet, the amazing new 645c. What a sweet car.
I'm leaning heavily towards the TL. It's interior and features are unparalleled, and that's where I'm going to be spending most of my time. It's got a sweet engine, and in 95% of the driving I do, I'll never notice the FWD problems, and the 5% of the time I do notice it, I'll get used to it.
I have a friend who just bought one, and based on my analysis (TP has some experience negotiating prices of new cars; he is very good at it), I should be able to get one including TTL for sub 33.
And don't talk to me about leases. Most people lease cars because they wouldn't be able to afford them otherwise. Can't afford that Mercedes you want? Don't worry; just lease it. And in 3 years, you've got nothing to show for it. Yes yes, cars are depreciative assets, but that doesn't change the fact that in 3 years, I will have equity invested in a nice car that runs well, and you won't.
Leasing does make sense for some people in some situations, and I'm not criticizing those who understand the business and the advantages and disadvantages of leasing. My statements here are cast directly towards the fiscally irresponsible.
Thoughts, criticisms, suggestions all desired.
The 2004 NFL Draft is less than 20 hours away. The fact that I am counting down the hours til I get to see Mel Kiper's head should tell you something about the severity of my post-NFL season depression. Alas, Milton was spot on when he noted that the draft marks the NFL fan's descent into Hell. But we're not there yet. So before we descend, I offer some free advice to Jerry Jones: TRADE DOWN!
The #22 slot is first round No Man's Land, especially given the talent available to fill Dallas' many needs. The worst need is at running back (restricted free agent Troy Hambrick hasn't even been signed yet), but O-Line and cornerback are not far behind. Oregon State's Stephen Jackson is the best RB available, but he'll be gone by the time Dallas picks. Kevin Jones will probably be available at 22, but Botman doesn't think he's a "Parcells guy." Breaks too many runs outside, and generally just isn't a "tough" runner.
That said, Kevin Jones is markedly better, IMO, than the Chris Perrys and Greg Joneses of the draft, who should both be available later in the first round. Jerry's draft day choice, it seems to me, will be whether to take Kevin Jones at 22 (Arkansas' O-lineman Shawn Andrews will probably go to Miami at 20), or trade down for an extra pick and hope Perry and/or Greg Jones fall to #29 or so. I say go with the latter.
Chris Perry has much better hands than Kevin (or Greg) Jones, and is a bit more of the bruiser Parcells traditionally looks for. At 22, Perry is a reach. At the bottom of the first round, he's a great value. In the second round, Jerry will probably be able to select Shawn Andrews' brother Stacy, who may end up being a better pro than his brother anyway. Stacy is a rather large individual, standing 6'4", and weighing in at 366 pounds. Yikes.
Many Cowboy draftniks think Larry Allen will get packaged with a pick so Jerry can move up. But move up for what? Stephen Jackson? Please say it ain't so. LA is still the glue holding the Cowboys' line together. I, for one, can't help but think our record will suffer next season without him on the roster. As it stands, without LA the 'Boys will have Pro Bowl left tackle Flozell Adams and a bunch of warm bodies (DeMingo Graham, Matt Lehr and Andre Gurode for the two guard spots; Kurt Vollers, Javiar Collins, and Torrin Tucker duking it out for RT). Uninspiring, to say the least.
So here's my fearless prognostication for the first two rounds:
#22 Dallas trades with #27 Tennessee, picks up Tennessee's fourth (maybe fifth) round pick (can't go below Philly at #28, as the Iggles may take a running back).
#27 Dallas selects Chris Perry, RB, Michigan.
#20 (second round) Dallas selects Stacy Andrews, OT, Ole Miss.
BTW, the NFL season starts in 142 days. I may start crying.
Couple of notes from the blogosphere that struck my fancy. First is a Quote of the Day from Alex Knapp over at Heretical Ideas, courtesy of our man Voltaire:
"All history is little else than a long succession of useless cruelties."
That's damn right, IMO. Or at least, and I suspect V would not disagree with me on this, all human history can be so described.
Feeling jovial after this, please make your way over to Tom Kirkendall's blog, which is an outstanding contribution to the Houston blogging community. I can't say enough good things about his blog, Houston's Clear Thinkers. He has a particularly insightful post up about health care today.
If you don't know what a health savings account is, you ought to go and take a look at his post. I think he is right on.
Highlights:
One example of self-insurance that is an attractive alternative to many current health insurance products is the woefully underpublicized Health Savings Account (“HSA”) concept that was enacted into law last year. To introduce the concept, it is helpful to review how American health care costs are currently financed.Every dollar that an employer pays in employee health insurance premiums avoids income and payroll taxes. For the employee with average income, this generous tax subsidy means that government is effectively paying for almost half the cost of the employee’s health insurance.
On the other hand, if the same employer tries to deposit that same dollar into a savings account for the benefit of the employee from which the employee could control the payment of medical expenses, then the government taxes the dollar and grabs almost half of it before it reaches the savings account.
Accordingly, America’s tax laws provide a generous subsidy for third-party insurance and none for individual self-insurance. In so doing, our tax laws promote use of third-party bureaucracies to pay for even minor discretionary health care expenses despite the fact that such expenses would be managed much more efficiently if patients paid them on their own.
The new HSA legislation addresses this defect in the health care finance system, at least to an extent. The legislation gives deposits into HSAs the same tax advantages as those granted to an employer’s health-insurance premiums. In so doing, individual self-insurance can now compete with third-party insurance on the same financial basis and individuals can now control some of their financial investment in health-care without a tax penalty.
Great stuff.
I told you so. I really did. You'll have to take me word for it, b/c the proof was on TP v. 1.0 (RIP), but certain several of the good interlocutors 'round these here parts can affirm that I did tell y'all so.
Namely, that the difficulty with tort reform is the fact that there is no evidence--none, zip, zilch, niente--via independent regression analysis that supports tort reform advocates' contentions that large jury verdicts are a substantial cause in high medical malpractice insurance premiums. My point has always been that if jury verdicts only have a small or even, as I suspect, a negligble effect on med mal premiums, then capping those verdicts simply can't have the desired effect (because the causal impact is so small).
I explained that insurance is an investment vehicle, and when the market tanks, investors lose money. Insurers are no different in this capacity. Some insurers, like some investors, engage in high-risk investments, and lose more money. To some extent, the raising of premiums is an attempt to pass the losses onto physicians (and ultimately, of course, onto patients and other payors).
If true, this also explains why med mal premiums in states which have enacted such laws universally fail to demonstrate any significant differences in either the med mal rates, or the trajectory such rates take over time, as compared to jurisdictions without such laws.
Much to my amusement, then the Chronic published the following article today:
In the seven months since voters approved Proposition 12, the Texas Medical Liability Trust is the only major carrier to agree to reduce rates. Others have tried to raise rates. About 60 percent of Texas doctors have not seen a rate decrease, the commissioner said. Montemayor came under tough questioning about a letter he sent to committee members in March 2003 that estimated rate reductions of up to 19 percent if the legislation passed.
Hilarious.
1. What time do you wake up on weekday mornings?
7:30. TP is a night owl.
2. Do you sleep in on the weekends? How late?
Hopefully. If I'm not up by 10 I feel wretched.
3. Aside from waking up, what is the first thing you do in the morning?
Curse the fact that I'm a night owl and never get to bed early enough.
4. How long does it take to get ready for your day?
35 minutes, because my @ss drags in the mornings. I can, of course, get ready much quicker. This morning was really slow b/c I got jacked up in F.I.G.H.T. class last night. My left arm is seriously scratched up, with a 3-inch cut that was bleeding, unnoticed by me, during sparring. I also walked right into a cross (stupid) that staggered me. 'Battle' scars rule.
5. When possible, what is your favorite place to go for breakfast?
People go out to breakfast? Huh. Le Peep or maybe Buffalo Grill.
Friday evening, after the frightening car accident and a hellabusy week of work, among other stressors, TP was in need of some high quality vittles. Ms. TP and I headed out to the Galleria, as Ms. TP had some girly shopping to do (which, I am proud to report, she completed in--not joking--15 minutes). Having done that, we debated where to eat, until Ms. TP casually mentioned California Pizza Kitchen. TP instantly went to a happy place.
This one was really easy. The Baltimore Sun did it for me. Excerpts:
Welcome to the First Annual TPFL 2004 Draft. If you don't like football, go away. If you don't like sports, go away. Otherwise, continue on with the highest quality TP, which you will need after working a great @ss groove on your sofa this weekend, as the NFL Draft commences. For us desperate football fans, the NFL draft really signifies our descent into Football-less hell. Spring camps are over for college football, recruiting is relatively quiet, training camp doesn't open until mid July in the NFL. We refuse to go gentle into that good night, however, and so we present our Mockery of the 2004 NFL Draft.
Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.
Some of you seem not to like me much. While this pains me greatly, I have decided to create my own interactive website in response to the slings and arrows. You can now boss me around AND see what I look like just by clicking here. Enjoy.
David Cordingly: Under the Black Flag: The Romance and the Reality of Life among the Pirates
Charles Homer Haskins: The Renaissance of the Twelfth Century
R. A. Fletcher: Bloodfeud: Murder and Revenge in Anglo-Saxon England
Bruce Feldman: 'Cane Mutiny: How the Miami Hurricanes Overturned the Football Establishment
