XM vs FM

So, ever since I bought the G35, I’ve had a free subscription to XM radio with Traffic Nav.

At first, I didn’t really like it. I liked having my road updates every now and then when listening to the radio and I liked hearing the local news on the hour. But then I started playing with it more and more and I am in love with XM now. So many listening options that I can almost always find a song that fits my mood.

Traffic is a nice to have, but for some reason the G never seems to re-route me if there’s an accident or bad traffic ahead. It seems a lot of other people are having the same issues. So I’m not sure it’s worth paying for each month to get the traffic. Though, I do like being able to get in my car when I leave the office, hit “Go Home” and then have it tell me if I can expect any traffic. That way on the few occasions when there’s a bad accident, I can just re-route myself.

Its very annoying though that it can’t re-route you automatically via side streets, etc. It’s an expensive option! It should be able to do it.

Anyways, on Friday, my free subscription ran out. And I am DYING over here now. I cannot stand listening to FM radio any more. The constant annoying jabbering by the Djs, the stupid callers, etc. I just want to cut my ears out. And they are still playing music from 2 years ago and calling it. “New music from…. Snow Patrol!” blah blah blah. It’s NOT NEW any more!

I want my XM back! I’m very surprised that I did not get anything in the mail warning me that it would expire…

I’m the Biggest Asshole Ever

It’s ok. You can tell me.. I’m the biggest asshole ever.

I did get the G35… It was just such a great deal. I talked it over with Constantine before hand and gave him plenty of chances to say. “No don’t do it.” And if he had, I wouldn’t have done it.

Anyways, I ended up getting one from a different dealer. Which I’m glad I did look around because I found an even better deal then the one I talked about.

So the one I got is…
2007 Infiniti G35 Sedan
2,281 Miles
U01 – Navigation Pkg
– DVD-Based Voice Activated Navigation System w/Touch Screen and 9Gig Hard drive
– Plus XM Radio Feature.
P01 – Premium Pkg
– All Models Include Dual-Zone Automatic Air Conditioning
– Bluetooth Wireless Connectivity
– Garage Door Opener
– Driver’s Seat & Steering Wheel Memory
– Inside Automatic Day/Night Mirror
– Power Glass Moon Roof
– Bose Radio System.
– Power Tilt & Telescoping Steering Wheel.
– Heated O/S Mirrors w/Memory
– “Studio on Wheels” Radio System
– Power Driver’s Lumbar Seat Adjuster
– Heated Front Seats.
F01 – Technology Pkg
– Includes Brake Assist
– Adaptive Front Lighting System
– Reverse Backup Monitor
– Intelligent Speed Control.

It’s technically used, as it was a demo car at the Infiniti Headquarters here in SoCal, but it’s never been registered or anything, so get the full warranty and I got a GREAT deal on it!

I am having a little bit of buyers remorse and freaking out about the money, especially the gas money!! I kinda wish I had just gone with the Lexus IS250 which would have cost me a little bit more so that then I wouldn’t have this horrible feeling of taking Constantine’s car and I could probably enjoy it a little more.

I was sitting at the dealer and called him and talked for like 10 minutes making sure it was 100% ok with him. He did say that it’d be kinda cute, which I suppose it is. But I’m just getting Soooo much shit from everyone else. Which I suppose is well deserved.

The Adaptive front lighting system is really cool, when you go around corners it turns the headlights so you can see what’s there. But the Intelligent Speed control is a million times better.

This morning on my way into the office I got on the freeway and set it at 75, and then didn’t do anything the rest of the ride except for steer. Some guy at one point cut infront of me and then slowed down. My car, began braking and slowed down as well! It was fucking cooool! I had my foot ready and posed incase it didn’t do anything, but it did. Then as soon as that guy got out of the way, it was back up to 75. When we caught up to the cars in front of us, it slowed down again! Sooo neat!

The navigation on the other hand is dumber then bricks. I put in my destination this morning and instead of routing me directly to the freeway, it told me to take PCH all the way to long beach and then get on the 22 to the 405. Had I followed it, it would have taken me about 1.5 hours to get to work, instead of the 45 minutes it normally takes! I checked it to make sure it was set to use freeways and it was. So I’m not sure what’s up with that.

I’m also wishing that there would have been an option for a smaller engine. 306 HP is just too much, it would have been just fine with 200ish HP or so and would get much better gas milage.

List of reviews and awards

Anyways. Here’s a few media release pics:



Car Shopping

Sooo, everyone knows I’ve been car shopping. I have been doing that for like the last 2-3 years! Well I’ve been at it again. It seems that everyone I know has either already gotten a new car, or is looking at getting one. And they all have WAY newer cars then mine already! So I feel left out. Plus my car has been acting up lately. The Check engine light keeps coming on and then going off, and it’s been making really funny sounds after I get off the freeway.

Anyways, I also talked to my mom about buying one and she was like. “Just do it already. One of these days your car is just going to die on the freeway”. Another big factor is that this is the last year you can write off the sales tax on a new car purchase, plus I _think_ that the laws this year still allow me to write off the 50% depreciation as a business expense. (I can’t remember if it was this year or last year that the laws changed on that) This year I could really use all the write offs I can get.

Well I’ve been out test driving basically anything and everything that catches my fancy, here’s the list:

1) Honda Civic Hybrid – It’s a great car, don’t get my wrong. But I don’t think it’s what I want any more. A year ago, I would have bought it. But after driving it a few times, there’s just to many little things that would annoy me. The same as with my current Saturn. There’s these wierd little bumps and cubbies that make no sense and the seats just aren’t comfortable enough for me since I spend 2 hours a day in my car.

2) Saab 9-3 – Don’t get in this car… As long as you stand on the outside, it’s great. Great looking, Great warranty, great options and free maintenance for 3 years.. Just so fucking ugly once you get in. It’s like most great looking things… Nice on the outside and ugly on the inside. And plus why did they link the ONLY way to connect your phone to the car to be that you HAVE to have verizon wireless? WTF is up with that. So once I switch away from Verizon, there’s no point in having the OnStar shit. Though they did make me a great offer. A 2007 9-3 with 4,000 miles for only $23k. A demo car that is still basically new, never even been registered.

3) Saturn Aura Hybrid – Yes. I looked at another Saturn. I thought I’d give it a try and see how they’ve done in the last 7 years since I bought my car. The Aura is pretty nice overall. But it just still feels SO CHEAP still. And I’m not sure I could trust Saturn (aka GM) to build a hybrid that will last. Plus, for the price you’re paying for a “hybrid” you really don’t get THAT much better gas mileage.

4) Toyota Camry Hybrid – Another great car. I really like this one, however, I’m just not sure I could see myself driving it. It’s so big and feels very “old man”. Also, for the premium you pay for the hybrid, it’s really not worth it. I thought I had found a GREAT deal on a slightly used one, but the dealer… HUTCH wouldn’t fucking budge on the price. So I walked away.

5) BMW 3 series – The ultimate driving experience. That’s exactly what it is, but it’s just too much for me. Plus it seems like everyone here has a BMW. I want something at least a little different

6) IS 250 – I’ve loved this car since it came out in 2006. Back then, I was nearly ready to walk into a dealer and get one. But I just couldn’t bring myself to buy one at that point because I was making a lot less back then. I went in and talked to my local Lexus dealer and got them to come down $6,000 on a fully loaded IS 250 with navigation. Which would bring it into my price range that I’ve set and at 4.9% interest. I just can’t bring myself to spend that much money even though I could easily afford it.

7) Infiniti G35 – Yes, even though I gave Constantine sooo much shit for this car. It’s amazing. I went and test drove one the other day, just to see it and play with it for myself. I have to admit, I love this car now as well. I was never planning on even seriously looking at one after everything I said to Constantine. But my local Infiniti Dealer had an IS250 listed for sale on Cars.com or one of those sites. So I called him about it. We got to talking and he was like. “We also have a brand new G35 with navigation”. The deal is though that it’s anothe demo car, 3,000-4,000 miles on it and it’s a 2007. The final price he quoted me was under $30k which is exactly what I was looking for a year ago for a price range. 2.9% interest…. It’s the exact same color as Constantine’s too. I just can’t do that, I would be the biggest asshole ever. But it’s SUCH a fucking deal too.

8) Audi A3/A4 – I’ve loved the A3 since it came out, and the A4 is just a great car. However, I have a few friends who have A4’s and they say that once they hit 50k miles they just eat money in Maint. Which ever car I’ll buy, I’m going to keep for another 7-10 years. And the more money I spend on it, the longer I will probably keep it. Plus other friends are telling me that they are coming out with a new more fuel efficient engine “soon”. So I’m not sure how I feel about these.

9) Toyota Prius – Another great car and again, I probably would have bought one a year ago. But now they are just getting so old, they are in need of a major redesign.

10) BMW 1 series, A1, etc. – Oh! they aren’t out yet! But they both look like GREAT cars!

Edit:// Sorry forgot one:
11) Volvo C30 – It’s a great little cute car.. But really? It gets the SAME MPG as the Lexus or BMW, it’s smaller, and it costs about the same with fewer options… Are you serious Volvo? Comon! I know you _think_ you can compete, but you really can’t.

12) VW Jetta – This is another car I’ve heard lots of mixed reviews about. So I’m a little leary. Though I really did like it when I drove it.

13) Acura TSX – Another great car that is tops on my list. I don’t know how I forgot it! Really nothing wrong with it!

Ugh. Ultimately, I’ll probably keep the car I have for a while longer now… I’m just too indecisive about this, I need someone to just go out and buy it for me!!

So don’t be surprised when a blog post comes out about how I’m really pissed that I was stuck on the side of the I-405 for 2 hours waiting for someone to come pick me and my busted ass car up! 🙂

Trevor Hall and Other Stuff

So Thursday night I headed out of work about 2:30 and headed up to Santa Monica to meet Constantine up at the mall by his office. It took forever to get there, but traffic really wasn’t all that bad. Just a really long drive.

So I got there and we shopped around for a little bit. I bought one of the new flat apple keyboards there. I _love_ it! I would have liked to have the wireless one, but I don’t like how small it is. So I go the wired one. Which is ok, because it has 2 usb ports built in. So that’s good news. 🙂 I also love how soft the touch is.

From there we headed out to Cha Cha Cha’s It took us like an hour to go the 10 miles. lol. Damn LA traffic. Anyways, the place is really cool. They have this very funky decor. The food was good too and we got Sangria which was fun! I got Jerk Pulled Pork. It’s Fucking HOOOOTTTT! But it tastes good. I finished it for lunch Friday.

Left there and headed for The Derby to see Trevor Hall. The website said that he was supposed to start at 8 and some other guy was supposed to start at 7:30. So we get there at 7:30 and the doors are locked. So we go down the street to get Coffee Bean. Head back to the doors at 8 and they are just opening them. We get to the ticket lady and I had printed out the flyer that clearly said. “$8 W/flyer $12 without”. It didn’t say anything else about restrictions. So I hand it to her and say that I am paying for both of us. She then states that the flyer is only good for ONE PERSON. Excuse me? It doesn’t _SAY_ that anywhere! THEN! The flyer also clearly states “Free well drinks till 9pm”. So she hands us two coupons… Apparently “Free drinks” means. “One free drink”. UGH! What an annoying place.

Once we get in we find out that Trevor isn’t supposed to go on till 8:50 now. WTF? Why can’t they keep these things straight!

Anyways, the guys before him were ok. But Trevor was amazing. I enjoyed going.

Friday I worked and then came home, went to the gym for an hour to bike on a bike that I can’t crash. Then putzed around Torrance Toytota. Which had the EXACT Camery in stock that Cars Direct told me I would have to wait a month to get (If I could even get it at all, because I wanted navigation without leather). So I called Cars direct and bitched them out. And Torrance Toyota is still using the line. “Well hybrids are really hard to get your hands on.” LIARS! If you have 14 of them in stock, and Santa Monica Toyota has 50 in stock, that means they are NOT hard to get your hands on! So I walked out of there. Then today I get an email from them saying that they have a Red Prius, and they say they are willing to give me the exact price I wanted on Friday. Idiots!

Came home and did the dishes from the camping trip and then watched some TV.

Friday night we got some EXCELLENT thunderstorms and rain showers which was just great!

Saturday morning I got up and vacuumed and then got my hair cut. Constantine and I were supposed to go to the fair, but it was pooring down rain, so we went to Ikea and got lunch. Then out to one of his friends house to take pics. From there we went to The Getty. The views from there were AMAZING! You could see all the way past long beach! It was just breathtaking. You never get that clear of a day in LA!!!

Pics from the getty are here.

If every day in LA looked as pretty as it did on Saturday this place would be a lot nicer! That night we came back to my place, baked an Apple Pie and watched Fracture. It was a REALLY good movie.

Sunday we got up and made breakfast and then went to Barnes and Noble and got books about Vienna and Prague! YAY! After that we went to Home Depot and got stuff to make another giant painting! Went after that for a walk on the beach. LA was still very pretty and clear but not as nice as the day before.

Came back to my place after that and watched Shooter. Another EXCELLENT movie! Constantine left after that and I hung out at home the rest of the night.

Adios!

Snow Plows of Ames

Haha.. Go check out Ramsey’s two posts for today:

Not Riding Cy

and

In LIke a Liger?

Oh, I want snow!

I had made a date with this guy last Thursday for Monday night. I called him yesterday morning to confirm. I get home from work and spend like 45 minutes getting ready and shit. Then as I’m walking out the door he calls to cancel. Stupid fuckers. Probably a good thing anyways, I’m not feeling very good.

I really want an A3 now… But I’m sure that will change 100 times before I actually buy a car! Mine is starting to eat oil like crazy though, so perhaps it’ll be sooner rather then later. I’ll have to admit I’ve been driving it a little harder then normal.

The A3 I want:

– Red w/ black leather

– Convenience Package

– Sport Package w/All Season Tires

– Audi Navigation Plus & Sound Package

– Open Sky System

– Rear Side Airbags

Comes out to $32,235, but carsdirect.com has it listed at just over $30k. And I found a used one in Oakland for just over $28k with all the options, and it only has like 2k miles.. Question is why are they selling it?

Two Iowa people called me out of the blue yesterday asking if I was back in town or when I was coming… Someone is spreading word that I want to come back. And yes, I know those two people did _NOT_ read about it here.