This cb price gouging has got to stop

Slowmover said:

Automotive Business Expense: (consideration of buy/sell as income for a tech).

As an aside — borrowing the above example — folks rarely think of the true operating cost of an automobile. It’s always at least as high as the IRS business deduction per mile.

See EDMUNDS True Cost of Ownership. AAA.

At a 50-mph average (probably higher than in the above), a 90-minute round-trip of 75-miles costs

$38.00

when all owner & operator costs are included on a typical car (5-years ownership from new plus 15k miles/year).

Fuel is less than half the expense. $15.00 IS NOT the representative expense. (And nothing at all to do with lost income for time expended).

That $38.00 is actually cheap. The guys you see with 4WD diesels passed $1.00/mile long ago.

The number needed is CPM (cents per mile). It’s basic. There’s no accounting otherwise. (Records, records, records = Fuelly phone app).

Control of vehicle cost is freedom. What changes one might make are simply those one is willing to make permanent. Not otherwise.

1). Combining trips is the only way to offset the cost to match paying shipping cost.

2). Combining needed trips with another man or men with the same motivation means savings for all.

3). Hobby expense is an IRS line item. Same for insurance liability and vehicle registration. Don’t cross the line. YOU aren’t allowed a start in this world. Know your place. (Americans have already died off as a species).

I once made a 400-mile roundtrip to another city to buy a $1k air conditioner to save packaging & shipping. But made several OTHER stops to have truck service done at three shops not possible locally.

Controlled every factor of driving,
and just barely broke even on out-of-pocket expenses.

Bypassing the cost of shipping isn’t really possible against a volume carrier. (To put it kindly). Cover contingencies, is the answer.

This, in a diesel pickup where I know how to achieve 25-27 highway MPG on a regular basis. Had the entire day + expenses planned out ahead (as a truck driver, this is par).

The “answer” most give to “extra” vehicle use is that they throw it into the mix. I get it. But it’s indication their transportation costs are so out-of-control that plan & discipline there would underwrite most hobbies ANNUALLY.

With a travel trailer, I learned I could have 5,000/miles of FREE fuel with which to travel by controlling my use the rest of the year. At that time the 340-gallons represented would have retailed at $1,200. (One has to know Annual Gallons, not just miles).

The day-to-day is where a personal vehicle is abused. The difference between highway & city fuel MPG should be 15%, give or take. Tires & brakes should last 70k miles or better. These three are indicators of economical (also, safe) operation.

Fixed costs versus variable. Finance, Depreciation, Insurance + Tax & Fees is the highest portion. Scheduled Maintenance added to that is what tips the balance. Fuel is NOT one-half.

Overhead can’t really be changed.

But 1/3 of the total per mile can be reduced with conscious fuel planning (I ran a business years ago where interest in this subject was paramount).

High Average MPH (is key). Engine Hours divided into Odometer Miles. Must be 27-MPH or higher.

$100 “free” per month (per my personal example above; 25-gallons) pays a pretty fair amount of “extra” travel for someone not new to a hobby (capital expense already covered). Sure as hell this savings covers driving & buying junked equipment (a “given” that a personal vehicle is owned and used; already a very high drain on net income). Again — per my example — at my Annual Average MPG it’s 500-miles monthly.

Same annual gallons purchased, but based on real numbers AND A PLAN EXECUTED its over 6,000-miles at my average.

Intelligent versus Unintelligent Use. I’m now receiving HIGHEST value for the same annual ownership + operational expense. (My hobby is “who” I am; not what’s engraved on my slave collar).

Next, about the only vehicles which are economical enough on fuel to disregard its expense have a combined EPA Average well above 20-mpg when fuel prices are low.

Safety per design, size & capacity, a fleet-spec V6 Dodge Charger meets the mark all-around. Use it as default to plan the next vehicle. No smaller, no lighter, no shorter, no less-sophisticated in design. (Scrimping on safe design has bad life-changing consequences. Takes but ONCE).

At higher cost per gallon, it’s still “economical”.

Pulling a trailer NO TALLER than the vehicle roofline is the other piece of magic. Loaded to a combined gross of 13,000-lbs I’ve seen 18-mpg in thousands of miles of use with the U-Haul 6x6x12.

Your family benefits where a trailer is available, WITH CORRECT SPEC.

Back to records: several cars in a family mean greater savings. Use FUELLY or similar to get annual records in place. And, as 90% of trips are to the same places 90% of the time, there’s your start.

1). No cold starts (combine all errands)
2). Never idle (dress appropriately)
3). Once moving, never stop (best routing)

The closer one comes to fulfilling these, the better.

The 4WD diesel Dodge crowd is sure that I’m a liar in claiming I can hit 22-mpg in the city reliably. Ha! As they don’t break 18 on the highway. (And I’m carrying 1,200-lbs above curb weight).

If you followed me around you’d not notice anything unusual except I’m a bit slower. No stunt driving. You accelerate and then at stop at the next light. I just glide along.

But I’m nowhere near the numbers achieved by the guys who are serious about MPG.

It’s not a technical problem to be solved. It’s emotional. There’s a sixteen year old in the drivers seat. Be patient with him

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Rwb said:

WHEW, How much fuel you burn writing this? But no you are correct

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groundwire said:

Hahahaha, thats pure insanity. These buyers are fools. $900, hahahaha omg!

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Slowmover said:

Waiting outside a Peterbilt shop for warranty work. The ThermoKing TriPac (genset) burns literally nothing compared to that big 6 up front.

32k miles.
645-hours.
8% idle time on big motor.

$200 fuel, idled, on main engine (roughly).

Idle time is worse than zero as engine wear rate accelerates.

If I owned it, that’s the better part of net income for a day. Every 90-days. Just fuel. Maintenance & repair intervals grow shorter with every engine hour wasted thus.

This is a low idle time percentage.

At the other end is Total Fuel Consumed.

I’m at 3,950-gals. 8.1-mpg.

Engine Life is by gallons burned.

My pickup has a B50 engine life of 350,000 miles (where Ford & GM at that point in time were 250k).

Or, 10,000-hrs. Assuming an Average MPH of 35 (mines 41; meaning 350k = 8,500-hrs).

I’m just below 6,000-hrs nearing 250k. Just over 11,000-gallons burned.

The average CTD owner is past 16,000-gals at the same mark. Already at 10k engine hours. (Second or third owner gets screwed).

His low average mph and low average mpg means he’s unlikely to hit 350k before rebuild. (Engine so tired it can’t work harder than moving itself).

Which wipes out diesel “savings”.

He might get 100k more from a diesel than from a gasser. (Maybe).

That doesn’t pay the freight.

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Rwb said:

my kw has a c 16 and i m9ve our grain off farm little idle time cept in harvest. We never figure fuel because our 4 trucks are a must have. Cant outside hire,time spent setting in field will eat us up plus if we break down nobody but us are on the hook. But i kinda eye fuel milage ,if driven correct that c 16 dont burn fuel so bad ,average 6.5 mpg

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Slowmover said:

Oilfield we trip planned at no greater than 5-mpg. High idle time plus running a blower. Low miles, comparatively.

Blew me away getting 2,000-miles from 201-gals on a light load when I got into this.

“Load it on Sunday, and shoot it all week”. (Henry rifle in Civil War).

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Tokin said:

Ill be more than happy to buy all the Cobra 2k's you have for sale in similar condition for $150 each. Feel free to message me
Honestly I see many sell for under $200 but the condition is extremely questionable.

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red97k1500 said:

If it’s on eBay, maybe 200.00 plus 150.00 for shipping, and it’s listed as for parts not working, like 5 crappy pictures all with the covers on. The description in the listing is like 5 words that tell you nothing about whether the radio works or not. This is not the case with every 2k listed on eBay, but a whole lot of them are listed this way.

If you message the seller and ask any kind of question about it, there like how dare you. You have to buy it to find out, you never know what’s under the hood, it may actually be a junked out parts radio with 15 parts missing off the board.

I’m happy for you though, that you sold it for a lots off money. I won’t ever fault somebody for selling something for more than they payed for it. It was a mint condition cobra 2000, of course it’s going to bring a higher price than an old junk one.

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Slowmover said:

32k miles.
645-hours.
8% idle time on big motor.

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Rwb said:

E bay flea bay sleaze bay.
I got screwed couple times from ebay sellers but ebay took care of me. I bought a scanner off guy on ebay,listed n showed all accessorys,box manual in excellent operating order.when it arrived was in a box third bigger than radio NO PACKING just the radio all beat to hell busted lcd .i opened box didnt even pick it up but called ebay n told them how it arrived. The seller claimed it was sent correct. I got my money back then week later he sends me the correct scanner packed well. I said i will pay for it n he was quick to reply HELL NO.i often wonder what ebay told him?i called ebay n they said dont pay him a cent.

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Tokin said:

He probably got his wrist slapped with higher fee percentages by lowering his seller status for a while.
I had one issue with a buyer over a f#cking matchbox car wheel. I told him everything was documented in the pics and description and ebay refused his return.
I tend to over pack and ive also been temporarily burned by ebay sellers shitty packing.

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Tokin said:

Now, the douche bag who bought a vintage Starduster on ebay for $250 several months later and now has it for sale for $369 needs a vist lol. I remember the stained box as I was looking at it also. Seems to be this particular seller/buyer modus operandi...

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