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[biodiesel]

True story @biodiesel we lived so rural when I was a kid they didn't even have our local on a map . We just lived in one of those blank spots got our mail from another county. Which sounds like where you live

That's correct. It was just as cheap to buy a home in town than it was to commute back and forth. Our mortgage payment for the in-town home is $800 per month. We were spending that much just on fuel, tires, oil changes, and wear and tear. That doesn't count vehicle depreciation.

Plus, the time restraints of traveling back and forth was too cumbersome. There were mornings when had to wait for a herd of 75+ elk to cross the road. The winter months made traveling more difficult, too. So, we decided to have an in-town home that we stay at during the work week and go to the mountain property on weekends.

But yes, our nearest Costco or Sams Club is 150 miles away. It's 60 miles to get diesel fuel, groceries, etc. We actually sold our 1,200 sq. ft. log home and will be building another log home. The new property didn't have an address, so we had to call the county and request an address to be assigned to us. There are no landlines, no cell reception, water, etc. Thankfully, there's a powerline that runs in the back of the property, but it will cost $40,000 just to run power to the building site. We drilled a well and put in a septic, but that's about as far as we've gotten. It's expensive to build in remote areas. It's a long way to bring in concrete, construction materials, etc. To improve fire mitigation and prepare a building site, we've been thinning trees, removing trees, and mowing.

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[BourbonRunner]

But your favorite brand... It's special... it's not like those other brands... Before it assembles parts sourced from the same sources everyone else uses, it puts the most important ingredient of all in... Love.

You forgot the most important part of the assembly equation: soul.

But yes, its all Tier 1''s at this point because its cheaper for everyone to buy ZF's outstanding transmissions than spend the money on the R&D, tooling, manufacturing, staffing etc. BMW's B58 is such a great motor it's used in a Toyota Supra (!!!) AND the Ineos trucks. It's worth noting this has been going on for a long time.

And if you want to make a Eurosnob's head spin remind them the 4L80 was used in everything from Rolls Royces, DB7s and Jags to Chevy C/K trucks and their plumber's Savana work van. I think the TH400 wound up in Ferraris too. My e34 had a GM gearbox IIRC too.

 

[Deleted member 57233]

I think the TH400 wound up in Ferraris too.

Calling the Ferrari 400 Automatic a Ferrari is like calling the Chrysler TC a Maserati

 

[Hootbro]

Calling the Ferrari 400 Automatic a Ferrari is like calling the Chrysler TC a Maserati

Ferrari does make the heads and does final assembly on the Maserati 3.0 Twin Turbo Pentastar.

 

[biodiesel]

But yes, its all Tier 1''s at this point because its cheaper for everyone to buy ZF's outstanding transmissions than spend the money on the R&D, tooling, manufacturing, staffing etc.

I know that you liked Sergio Marchionne as much as I did. Sergio was a big proponent of shared technology, shared platforms, shared engines, shared transmissions, etc. as a way to cut costs, expand partnerships, attract investors, and reduce economic waste. He was remembered for his conference call titled, "Confessions of a Capital Junkie." His strategic approach to shared platforms and partnerships was a big reason for FCA's financial success.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I know that you liked Sergio Marchionne as much as I did. Sergio was a big proponent of shared technology, shared platforms, shared engines, shared transmissions, etc. as a way to cut costs, expand partnerships, attract investors, and reduce economic waste. He was remembered for his conference call titled, "Confessions of a Capital Junkie." His strategic approach to shared platforms and partnerships was a big reason for FCA's financial success.

A friend in the AMC world works at a Mercedes dealership in Germantown area.
He'd come to the fall races/swap meets each year and because he knew of my interest in keeping up and auto technology - and that we had Jeeps (Grand Cherokees, esp.), he's bring documents, fliers, even parts, from some vehicles and we'd discussed how things were shared, including the front suspension and so on.
The fobs were identical between Grand Cherokee and Mercedes save for chrome trim.

 

[Mr Miami]

That's correct. It was just as cheap to buy a home in town than it was to commute back and forth. Our mortgage payment for the in-town home is $800 per month. We were spending that much just on fuel, tires, oil changes, and wear and tear. That doesn't count vehicle depreciation.

Plus, the time restraints of traveling back and forth was too cumbersome. There were mornings when had to wait for a herd of 75+ elk to cross the road. The winter months made traveling more difficult, too. So, we decided to have an in-town home that we stay at during the work week and go to the mountain property on weekends.

But yes, our nearest Costco or Sams Club is 150 miles away. It's 60 miles to get diesel fuel, groceries, etc. We actually sold our 1,200 sq. ft. log home and will be building another log home. The new property didn't have an address, so we had to call the county and request an address to be assigned to us. There are no landlines, no cell reception, water, etc. Thankfully, there's a powerline that runs in the back of the property, but it will cost $40,000 just to run power to the building site. We drilled a well and put in a septic, but that's about as far as we've gotten. It's expensive to build in remote areas. It's a long way to bring in concrete, construction materials, etc. To improve fire mitigation and prepare a building site, we've been thinning trees, removing trees, and mowing.

Looks like beautiful country. Just doesn't sound like fun though when you need a 12 pack or two of beer.

 

[Stan H]

That's correct. It was just as cheap to buy a home in town than it was to commute back and forth. Our mortgage payment for the in-town home is $800 per month. We were spending that much just on fuel, tires, oil changes, and wear and tear. That doesn't count vehicle depreciation.

Plus, the time restraints of traveling back and forth was too cumbersome. There were mornings when had to wait for a herd of 75+ elk to cross the road. The winter months made traveling more difficult, too. So, we decided to have an in-town home that we stay at during the work week and go to the mountain property on weekends.

But yes, our nearest Costco or Sams Club is 150 miles away. It's 60 miles to get diesel fuel, groceries, etc. We actually sold our 1,200 sq. ft. log home and will be building another log home. The new property didn't have an address, so we had to call the county and request an address to be assigned to us. There are no landlines, no cell reception, water, etc. Thankfully, there's a powerline that runs in the back of the property, but it will cost $40,000 just to run power to the building site. We drilled a well and put in a septic, but that's about as far as we've gotten. It's expensive to build in remote areas. It's a long way to bring in concrete, construction materials, etc. To improve fire mitigation and prepare a building site, we've been thinning trees, removing trees, and mowing.

Simply love it dude!! Kudos.. but being very rural has its advantages too. No worries with people's of bad nature. And when one wants to hunt ,fish, hike , or practice some bird watching ya simply walk out the back door

 

[ShadowsPapa]

That's correct. It was just as cheap to buy a home in town than it was to commute back and forth. Our mortgage payment for the in-town home is $800 per month. We were spending that much just on fuel, tires, oil changes, and wear and tear. That doesn't count vehicle depreciation.

Plus, the time restraints of traveling back and forth was too cumbersome. There were mornings when had to wait for a herd of 75+ elk to cross the road. The winter months made traveling more difficult, too. So, we decided to have an in-town home that we stay at during the work week and go to the mountain property on weekends.

But yes, our nearest Costco or Sams Club is 150 miles away. It's 60 miles to get diesel fuel, groceries, etc. We actually sold our 1,200 sq. ft. log home and will be building another log home. The new property didn't have an address, so we had to call the county and request an address to be assigned to us. There are no landlines, no cell reception, water, etc. Thankfully, there's a powerline that runs in the back of the property, but it will cost $40,000 just to run power to the building site. We drilled a well and put in a septic, but that's about as far as we've gotten. It's expensive to build in remote areas. It's a long way to bring in concrete, construction materials, etc. To improve fire mitigation and prepare a building site, we've been thinning trees, removing trees, and mowing.

That would be paradise for my wife - a log cabin, out in an area like that. She'd say "so how soon do we move into it".

 

[biodiesel]

Looks like beautiful country. Just doesn't sound like fun though when you need a 12 pack or two of beer.

It's not for everyone, but if cabin owners plan ahead and stay stocked up, then it's actually pretty comfortable living.

 

[biodiesel]

Simply love it dude!! Kudos.. but being very rural has its advantages too. No worries with people's of bad nature. And when one wants to hunt ,fish, hike , or practice some bird watching ya simply walk out the back door

Absolutely. The advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. It's a paradise if you love the outdoors, wildlife, and solitude.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

It's not for everyone, but if cabin owners plan ahead and stay stocked up, then it's actually pretty comfortable living.

2 freezers, 2 refrigerators, pantry, grow lots of raspberries.............

I used to shop for most groceries once a month at a warehouse market before Sam's Club and Costco were even a dream. Milk and other things - more tricky, but we did ok.

 

[biodiesel]

That would be paradise for my wife - a log cabin, out in an area like that. She'd say "so how soon do we move into it".

Well, you're welcome to come and stay with us for a few days as soon as we get the home built. The last cabin (pictured below) was a 1-bedroom open floor plan, which worked for us. But we wanted to be able to house guests, so that's one reason why we're building a larger home.

 

[biodiesel]

2 freezers, 2 refrigerators, pantry, grow lots of raspberries.............

We had one refrigerator and two freezers. Gardening is difficult at this elevation (short growing season), but we had some success. Those who use greenhouses and/or hoop houses can grow more variety and longer into the season.

 

[BourbonRunner]

A friend in the AMC world works at a Mercedes dealership in Germantown area.
He'd come to the fall races/swap meets each year and because he knew of my interest in keeping up and auto technology - and that we had Jeeps (Grand Cherokees, esp.), he's bring documents, fliers, even parts, from some vehicles and we'd discussed how things were shared, including the front suspension and so on.
The fobs were identical between Grand Cherokee and Mercedes save for chrome trim.

If it's the infrared immobilizer fob, then yes, that was one of the best electronic gizmos Mercedes ever designed. It remains the only immobilizer that cannot be defeated as far as I know. The fob has an IR transmitter than must be plugged into the vehicle in order to start. There's no RF that can be cloned, no key to be cut. Either the car gets the signal direct from the fob or it's bricked.

However, I take issue with your position on the MB front suspensions. They may ride nicely but they can be the most needlessly complicated Rube Goldberg-esque contraptions possibly ever fitted to anything with wheels that isn't a BMW. (who also famously ran AWD model driveshafts THROUGH the oil pan instead of spinning the motor around)

W124 4matic insanity:

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