Eisboch wrote:
"Boater" wrote in message
...
Eisboch wrote:
"Boater" wrote in message
...

JohnH wrote:
Well, he's had it about six years, and it is used only to tow boats at
Breezy Point. Horse****.

You're really in it way over your head, Herring.

The 4Runner is in semi-retirement. It's been replaced as my daily
driver. And it's a 2004 model. Let's see...bought it in 2004, had it for
siz years, according to you...that means it is 2010.


Well, wait a minute. Not to be a nit, but:

You say it's a 2004 model.
You say you bought it in 2004.
That means it was new, or nearly new.
You say it's used to tow your boat.
It's now 2008.
You say it has 100,000 miles on it.
That's roughly 25,000 miles a year.

That's a hell of a lot of boat towing.

Eisboch


Prior to its retirement as a daily driver in mid-year, it was driven a
lot. We live in the boonies. It's about 35 miles from here to the nearest
decent shopping center. It's 50 miles to downtown DC, not that I drive in
that much. Miles add up.

Now, I just use it to tow the boat to and from the marina and to a couple
of close-by ramps, or to the dealership for maintenance.

You did see the part about "semi-retirement" and "replaced as my daily
driver," right?

Or are you depending upon Herring for reporting "reality?"



No, I just happened to remember when you first said you bought it. I
couldn't remember if it was a Tundra or not, but I know it replaced a Ford
P/U that you sometimes referred to. When someone here challenged your
choice of manufacturer (union vs non-union) and you responded with a
statement indicating that you only used it for towing your boat, yet it had
100,000 miles on it, it didn't quite make sense.

But, now I understand. Your daily driver for most of the last four years
was indeed, a non-union built, foreign made vehicle. I got it.

Eisboch



The Japanese have different ideas about the relationship between workers
and their employers. Workers are valued. The Japanese auto workers are
unionized, but the unions are "captive," they are part of the company.
I have a buddy who is an employee of Seiko Watch in Japan. He's paid
pretty well, has a nice -small- house, a national "white card" for
health insurance for the family and a guaranteed pension when he retires.

When employees are valued, and receive proper benefits from their
employers or through the government, there is less need for trade unionism.

In this country, though, where employees are discardable property, I am
hoping for a rebirth of much tougher unionism, hopefully a return to the
good old days.





I bought a 4Runner because Ford and GM didn't offer one that met *my*
needs. I wanted a smaller SUV with a small V-8 that would have the
capacity to tow my 25' Parker. At the time, neither Ford nor GM offered
such a vehicle. They had larger, heavier, more "gas hoggy" SUVs. I had
use of one of these for a short time. I felt as if I were driving an
aircraft carrier.