Reviving an oldie but a goodie thread from the old Autos forum.
Cracked open my last bottle of bourbon this evening. Been mainly drinking Canadian whiskey since the LCBO took the US booze off the shelves, but had a craving this evening. Hopefully this tariff war ends soon, or the LCBO decides to sell off their stock soon before it goes bad. Heck, it's paid for & why not recoup the money. I'll be in Alberta in February, so a couple bottles might come home with me.
At least it's a good one!
I definitely feel your pain. I hadn't stocked up, so I grabbed a bottle of Elijah Craig when I was in Saskatchewan.
While there are some good Canadian whiskeys, they can't match the value of US bourbon.
Quote from: Tortoise on Nov 18, 2025, 07:54 AMAt least it's a good one!
I definitely feel your pain. I hadn't stocked up, so I grabbed a bottle of Elijah Craig when I was in Saskatchewan.
While there are some good Canadian whiskeys, they can't match the value of US bourbon.
I did stock up a bit, but went thru it fairly quickly figuring this BS wouldn't have lasted this long :D
Quote from: Gurgie on Nov 17, 2025, 08:28 PMReviving an oldie but a goodie thread from the old Autos forum.
Cracked open my last bottle of bourbon this evening. Been mainly drinking Canadian whiskey since the LCBO took the US booze off the shelves, but had a craving this evening. Hopefully this tariff war ends soon, or the LCBO decides to sell off their stock soon before it goes bad. Heck, it's paid for & why not recoup the money. I'll be in Alberta in February, so a couple bottles might come home with me.
The liquor store here in NB recently chose to sell off their inventory of US spirits and maybe other things.
Why not take the opportunity to try some products from other countries. I'm a fan of Irish Whiskey and have heard good things about Japanese Whiskey but haven't tried any yet.
I think there are other countries who use bourbon barrels to age their whiskey so those might be a decent substitute.
Quote from: Johnnymac on Nov 18, 2025, 05:26 PMWhy not take the opportunity to try some products from other countries. I'm a fan of Irish Whiskey and have heard good things about Japanese Whiskey but haven't tried any yet.
Mostly because bourbon is delicious and sits at a reasonable price point compared to other whiskeys. IMO, a $60 bourbon is a similar value to a $120 bottle of Scotch. But I agree, there are other good whiskeys out there.
Quote from: Tortoise on Nov 18, 2025, 05:49 PMQuote from: Johnnymac on Nov 18, 2025, 05:26 PMWhy not take the opportunity to try some products from other countries. I'm a fan of Irish Whiskey and have heard good things about Japanese Whiskey but haven't tried any yet.
Mostly because bourbon is delicious and sits at a reasonable price point compared to other whiskeys. IMO, a $60 bourbon is a similar value to a $120 bottle of Scotch. But I agree, there are other good whiskeys out there.
Totally get it. There are good values from other countries. Here's a couple that I found on our liquor store website.
https://www.anbl.com/casks-of-lindores-bourbon-700ml-42446
https://www.anbl.com/jura-bourbon-cask-750ml-40140
Those do look like good options. Unfortunately the LCBO doesn't carry them.
I did recently grab a bottle of Bowmore 12 that was $10 off. I forgot how much I love an Islay Scotch.
Quote from: Johnnymac on Nov 19, 2025, 09:37 AMQuote from: Tortoise on Nov 18, 2025, 05:49 PMQuote from: Johnnymac on Nov 18, 2025, 05:26 PMWhy not take the opportunity to try some products from other countries. I'm a fan of Irish Whiskey and have heard good things about Japanese Whiskey but haven't tried any yet.
Mostly because bourbon is delicious and sits at a reasonable price point compared to other whiskeys. IMO, a $60 bourbon is a similar value to a $120 bottle of Scotch. But I agree, there are other good whiskeys out there.
Totally get it. There are good values from other countries. Here's a couple that I found on our liquor store website.
https://www.anbl.com/casks-of-lindores-bourbon-700ml-42446
https://www.anbl.com/jura-bourbon-cask-750ml-40140
Have always heard that ANBL punches above its weight with its whiskey selection and pricing.
Quote from: Oliver on Nov 20, 2025, 08:28 AMQuote from: Johnnymac on Nov 19, 2025, 09:37 AMQuote from: Tortoise on Nov 18, 2025, 05:49 PMQuote from: Johnnymac on Nov 18, 2025, 05:26 PMWhy not take the opportunity to try some products from other countries. I'm a fan of Irish Whiskey and have heard good things about Japanese Whiskey but haven't tried any yet.
Mostly because bourbon is delicious and sits at a reasonable price point compared to other whiskeys. IMO, a $60 bourbon is a similar value to a $120 bottle of Scotch. But I agree, there are other good whiskeys out there.
Totally get it. There are good values from other countries. Here's a couple that I found on our liquor store website.
https://www.anbl.com/casks-of-lindores-bourbon-700ml-42446
https://www.anbl.com/jura-bourbon-cask-750ml-40140
Have always heard that ANBL punches above its weight with its whiskey selection and pricing.
Yeah, that Jura seems like a very good price, I usually get their 12yr old scotch when it goes on sale at the LCBO https://www.lcbo.com/en/jura-12-year-old-single-malt-38927
I have enjoyed this whiskey as well, it's been in my flask in my golf bag for most of the fall season as my go to "birdie juice" https://www.lcbo.com/en/wayne-gretzky-red-cask-whisky-472332
And cognac is on sale right now, so I might have to grab a bottle this week https://www.lcbo.com/en/remy-martin-vsop-cognac-4101
There is a Canadian Straight Cut Whiskey called John Sleeman & Sons. It's a corn mash whiskey. They can't call it bourbon because of the US naming requirements, but it's basically Bourbon. I would say it's similar quality to Maker's Mark.
$55 here at the LC in Manitoba.
https://www.liquormarts.ca/product/spring-mill-john-sleeman-sons-canadian-traditional-straight-whisky/750-ml
Quote from: GreatBigAbyss on Nov 21, 2025, 08:50 AMThere is a Canadian Straight Cut Whiskey called John Sleeman & Sons. It's a corn mash whiskey. They can't call it bourbon because of the US naming requirements, but it's basically Bourbon. I would say it's similar quality to Maker's Mark.
$55 here at the LC in Manitoba.
https://www.liquormarts.ca/product/spring-mill-john-sleeman-sons-canadian-traditional-straight-whisky/750-ml
Thanks GBA, just checked & the LCBO near me have some in stock... might a purchase this weekend :D
I'm about to lose my Dad. He fought hard since the diagnostic back in 2018, but fucking cancer won. The last chemo was too much for his liver, as the doctors had warned, but as usual he did not take the advice and got the procedure. That was late October, and he spiralled fast since. He's choosing the where and when, not wanting to suffer more. Friday.
My condolences. How old is he?
That's tough, my condolences.
My condolences Blueprint.
My heart sank when I read "Friday". That's incredibly difficult. My condolences to you and your family.
That's tough news Blueprint. Condolences.
Quote from: Blueprint on Dec 09, 2025, 10:07 AMI'm about to lose my Dad. He fought hard since the diagnostic back in 2018, but fucking cancer won. The last chemo was too much for his liver, as the doctors had warned, but as usual he did not take the advice and got the procedure. That was late October, and he spiralled fast since. He's choosing the where and when, not wanting to suffer more. Friday.
I lost my dad a year ago. Cancer started half the size of a pinkie nail on his head. 99 percent curable.
However, his doctor had a god complex and suggested some questionable treatments (with his own poor technical operating skill) and basically stepped on his dick at every turn and things worsened...
I admire your dad for having the courage to go out on his own accord.
Sending good thoughts your way...
Quote from: HannibalSmith on Dec 09, 2025, 10:23 AMMy condolences. How old is he?
Thank-you ! 84, same as my Mom :'(
Quote from: Tortoise on Dec 09, 2025, 12:42 PMMy heart sank when I read "Friday". That's incredibly difficult. My condolences to you and your family.
Thank-you!
Quote from: RRocket on Dec 09, 2025, 03:12 PMQuote from: Blueprint on Dec 09, 2025, 10:07 AMI'm about to lose my Dad. He fought hard since the diagnostic back in 2018, but fucking cancer won. The last chemo was too much for his liver, as the doctors had warned, but as usual he did not take the advice and got the procedure. That was late October, and he spiralled fast since. He's choosing the where and when, not wanting to suffer more. Friday.
I lost my dad a year ago. Cancer started half the size of a pinkie nail on his head. 99 percent curable.
However, his doctor had a god complex and suggested some questionable treatments (with his own poor technical operating skill) and basically stepped on his dick at every turn and things worsened...
I admire your dad for having the courage to go out on his own accord.
Sending good thoughts your way...
My condolences, and thank-you for your thoughts!
Quote from: Gurgie on Dec 09, 2025, 12:53 PMThat's tough news Blueprint. Condolences.
Thank-you! It's odd to plan so many things with him and my Mom in advance, but talking about it is what makes it real and allows my emotions to shove aside the estate stuff for a moment - and I need that.
Oh man, that's tough. My deepest condolences during this difficult time.
Fuck cancer
Quote from: Johnnymac on Dec 09, 2025, 05:35 PMOh man, that's tough. My deepest condolences during this difficult time.
Fuck cancer
Thanks, and Amen brother.
After my Dad's passing, the admin stuff that I had to do - and still doing - kept my mind busy, but still I feared the empty chair at XMas. Turns out fate an idea to keep my mind busy. Water heater broke late on Christmas Eve, spilling water from the top. We caught it just in time before the water reached the finished part of the basement, but man I did not need this.
Had to empty the entire workshop. lift the vynil flooring and install fans after mopping everything. The gas water heater was only 8 years of age, did not see this coming. Of course, we're in the middle of the winter construction holidays, but I managed to find a sub of a sub of a sub that works in this period.
Plumbers are here now - we have been without hot water for 6 days now, one extra day because of a f!cking ice storm we did not need.
When I had the house built I modified the plans so the technical stuff was all in the same area and not spread out to make things easier for the trades. But damn trades leveled the floor like business as usual and despite having a floor drain 5' from the water heater, the slope goes to my office space, where the furnace usually is with the builders.
This time I'm having a pan installed under the tank with a permanent drain tube, I'm done with water spills.
Prices have gone up. Our install in 2017 was $1.6+tx, the neighbour's 3 years ago was $2.2k and now it's $2.8k, always for the same 50 gal natural gas unit.
So I'm sad, angry and upset, but looking forward to a long hot shower this afternoon.
Man, I am sorry to hear that it's been a tough run. 6 days without hot water would be rough. Hopefully things turn around and you can start the New Year in a better place.
Our house has two hot water heaters, I think it was setup that way for capacity, but when one goes down you still have hot water from the other one. I had a pilot light turn off on one of them randomly for some reason (restarted fine....) and didn't notice for days. Course, the downside is when they go, I'll get twice the bill.
Shit Blueprint, it's certainly been a rough go of it. Let us hope that 2026 is a much better year for you and your family.
Quote from: Johnnymac on Jan 01, 2026, 12:42 PMShit Blueprint, it's certainly been a rough go of it. Let us hope that 2026 is a much better year for you and your family.
Thanks! The way my luck was going, I feared the included test drive at the end of the Crosstrek service might end up with a major fender bender, with all the ice we got... Turns out nothing else bad happened, but just in case I spotted a WRX in their showroom... Only bad thing to happen was that they forgot to call me that the car was ready at the end of the day.
Parents who let their children run wild and scream in the grocery store... There is NO way I would have been allowed to behave that way in public as a kid.
Quote from: Blizzard on Feb 16, 2026, 10:03 AMParents who let their children run wild and scream in the grocery store... There is NO way I would have been allowed to behave that way in public as a kid.
Man parenting nowadays must be so hard. Such a balance of not doing something wrong and not spoiling your kids to the point they are little cunts.
Yes the worst is when someone else's kids are running wild where they shouldn't be.
I'll tell you something I do like to see, a black family moved into the neighborhood last summer, young family from Africa and their kids born in Canada. Well they have two boys, maybe age 7 & 9 and they are always outside playing, riding their bikes, playing sports, etc, and it made me remember how it was when we were kids. Was such a happy sight and pretty rare nowadays.
Most of the families on my street are New Canadians, and their kids are always outside playing when the weather is nice. The parents of the really young'uns are usually standing outside supervising.
Quote from: Johnnymac on Feb 18, 2026, 06:09 PMMan parenting nowadays must be so hard. Such a balance of not doing something wrong and not spoiling your kids to the point they are little cunts.
Nope, not hard at all. At least we didn't think so. Was easy to set rules and boundaries and to reinforce them. We weren't his "friend" or "pal". We were his parents. We were firm with the rules and boundaries but fair. Just simple repetition from a very young age. It was his "normal".
The biggest issue I see these days is parents being totally incapable of saying "No" to their kids.
I know I shared this story before but it's always stuck with me. On the boy's Grade 8 overnight field trip when we droppeded him off, of the 100+ kids there he was the ONLY one carrying his own luggage. Every other kid there had their parents carrying their stuff as if the parents were their porters or servants.
Gross.
Quote from: RRocket on Feb 18, 2026, 09:58 PMQuote from: Johnnymac on Feb 18, 2026, 06:09 PMMan parenting nowadays must be so hard. Such a balance of not doing something wrong and not spoiling your kids to the point they are little cunts.
Nope, not hard at all. At least we didn't think so. Was easy to set rules and boundaries and to reinforce them. We weren't his "friend" or "pal". We were his parents. We were firm with the rules and boundaries but fair. Just simple repetition from a very young age. It was his "normal".
The biggest issue I see these days is parents being totally incapable of saying "No" to their kids.
I know I shared this story before but it's always stuck with me. On the boy's Grade 8 overnight field trip when we droppeded him off, of the 100+ kids there he was the ONLY one carrying his own luggage. Every other kid there had their parents carrying their stuff as if the parents were their porters or servants.
Gross.
I tend to think that you and IQ have a bit more will power than a lot of people when it comes to being disciplined parents. Me and my wife just chose to skip the whole parent thing altogether as we didn't feel like it was a role either of us ever aspired to take on. Could we have had kids and been good parents, probably, but that isn't the main reason to have kids.
Quote from: Blueprint on Dec 30, 2025, 11:36 AMPrices have gone up. Our install in 2017 was $1.6+tx, the neighbour's 3 years ago was $2.2k and now it's $2.8k, always for the same 50 gal natural gas unit.
So I'm sad, angry and upset, but looking forward to a long hot shower this afternoon.
I'm sorry you had such crappy luck with it. We recently got lucky, I noticed a slow drip from the drain valve of our 20ish year old natural gas fired 40 gallon water heater. I warned my wife hot water would be down soon, thought we'd have a few days and I could put a pan under the drip...nope, within a few hours it was a fine spray.
I had to find a narrow unit, got a made-in-Canada Giant brand, $1500 plus tax.
Quote from: blur911 on Feb 28, 2026, 12:12 AMQuote from: Blueprint on Dec 30, 2025, 11:36 AMPrices have gone up. Our install in 2017 was $1.6+tx, the neighbour's 3 years ago was $2.2k and now it's $2.8k, always for the same 50 gal natural gas unit.
So I'm sad, angry and upset, but looking forward to a long hot shower this afternoon.
I'm sorry you had such crappy luck with it. We recently got lucky, I noticed a slow drip from the drain valve of our 20ish year old natural gas fired 40 gallon water heater. I warned my wife hot water would be down soon, thought we'd have a few days and I could put a pan under the drip...nope, within a few hours it was a fine spray.
I had to find a narrow unit, got a made-in-Canada Giant brand, $1500 plus tax.
Yes made in Canada and at one time a Canadian company. Recently bought out by A O Smith.2021 ? Sad. At least still manufactured here for now. Lay's chips anyone ? ;) We have to start making our own beer cans. :o
Toilet repair kits and toilets period!! We have our half bath on the main floor that gets the most mileage out of all the ones in the house. Since we've moved in 2009, I've replaced the toilet twice, and replaced the guts in it 3 or 4 times, its keeps leaking, not externally, but internally, stupid things keeps running. Are there any toilets or overhaul kits that aren't made from the finest chineseum?!?! Please help, I'm about to take the toilet out and do a Office Space beatdown on it in the front yard.
Quote from: Fobroader on Mar 06, 2026, 01:11 PMToilet repair kits and toilets period!! We have our half bath on the main floor that gets the most mileage out of all the ones in the house. Since we've moved in 2009, I've replaced the toilet twice, and replaced the guts in it 3 or 4 times, its keeps leaking, not externally, but internally, stupid things keeps running. Are there any toilets or overhaul kits that aren't made from the finest chineseum?!?! Please help, I'm about to take the toilet out and do a Office Space beatdown on it in the front yard.
Good to know it's not just me... my toilet is 4-5 years old and last year the filler valve was getting stuck, so the tank wasn't filling up (you had to open the lid and move it to get the tank to fill). Worst part is it's a Neptune toilet with a large ceramic base affecting access. I was worried I'd have to remove the toilet to replace the part (I'm not the most handy) but luckily I have smaller hands so I was able to fit my hand in the back and work blindly. I bought the premium filler valve so hopefully it'll last longer than the original one...
Yeah, like most things, they gotten cheap and just don't last. My old house, built in 1989, original toilets worked fine the 10 years we were there, think I replaced the guts in one once. New house, built in 2006, been here 2.5 years, I've replaced the guts in 2/4 of the toilets and replaced one whole toilet entirely, and there's one that I will likely replace soon as the tank bolts are really rusty.
Driving home on Friday I thought I got the mother of all rocks stuck in my tire, nope, a chunk of metal that basically took a biopsy of the tire. Toonie sized hole, in my studded Hakka with about 9-10/32s of tire left. Luckily Kaltire gave me road hazard warranty and instead of it costing about $450 for the tire balanced and installed,it was $170 all in. Still, not what I wanted to do on my Saturday.
20260314_104332.jpg
Quote from: Fobroader on Mar 16, 2026, 04:17 PMDriving home on Friday I thought I got the mother of all rocks stuck in my tire, nope, a chunk of metal that basically took a biopsy of the tire. Toonie sized hole, in my studded Hakka with about 9-10/32s of tire left. Luckily Kaltire gave me road hazard warranty and instead of it costing about $450 for the tire balanced and installed,it was $170 all in. Still, not what I wanted to do on my Saturday.
That's what you get for leaving your butt plug on the driveway! LOL 😆
You really should be more careful! LOL 😆
Quote from: RRocket on Mar 16, 2026, 04:38 PMQuote from: Fobroader on Mar 16, 2026, 04:17 PMDriving home on Friday I thought I got the mother of all rocks stuck in my tire, nope, a chunk of metal that basically took a biopsy of the tire. Toonie sized hole, in my studded Hakka with about 9-10/32s of tire left. Luckily Kaltire gave me road hazard warranty and instead of it costing about $450 for the tire balanced and installed,it was $170 all in. Still, not what I wanted to do on my Saturday.
That's what you get for leaving your butt plug on the driveway! LOL 😆
You really should be more careful! LOL 😆
:o ;D
Hey!!! I went through 12 years of catholic school without any of those shenanigans, I'm not going to take up those kind of extracuriculars now hahaha
lmao ;D
That's irritating for sure. I've had quite a few road hazard related flats lately. Living in the GTA, driving 15+ years there, only once. Been driving into Memphis for 2.5 years, 3 road hazard related flats. Not sure if it's just bad luck, or there's legitimately more junk laying on the roads for some reason, iunno. Fortunately all of mine have been patchable....1 in the Sonoma, 2 in the DTS.
Just over six years. That's how long we had our loudmouth Ameraucana Rooster. Spotted scattered piles of feathers leading off into the woods this afternoon. Think I'm the only sad one in the entire house, kids are rather happy the old grump finally got his.
Quote from: Revelations on Mar 27, 2026, 02:48 AMJust over six years. That's how long we had our loudmouth Ameraucana Rooster. Spotted scattered piles of feathers leading off into the woods this afternoon. Think I'm the only sad one in the entire house, kids are rather happy the old grump finally got his.
You have hens? Blue eggs?
My favorite breed is Jersey Giant.
Quote from: RRocket on Mar 27, 2026, 05:35 AMQuote from: Revelations on Mar 27, 2026, 02:48 AMJust over six years. That's how long we had our loudmouth Ameraucana Rooster. Spotted scattered piles of feathers leading off into the woods this afternoon. Think I'm the only sad one in the entire house, kids are rather happy the old grump finally got his.
You have hens? Blue eggs?
My favorite breed is Jersey Giant.
We had 15 ameraucana's, only one hen left. We would get light green and blue eggs. We have a small flock of red production hens now.
Propagandhi is playing at The Burt in September, and tickets went on sale today. I made plans with some friends to go see them, so I was queued up online at 10AM to buy 4 tickets right as they went on sale. They sold out within seconds, and I didn't get even a single ticket.
Just for fun, I went and checked StubHub an hour later, and there are a BUNCH of tickets listed - $50 tickets going for $275+ ea. This practice should be illegal. This process was intended for legitimate fans who can no longer attend to be able to offload their tickets. Instead it's been co-opted by scam artists and scalpers looking to make a buck. Fucking despicable.
Yeah, that's really annoying.
Radiohead didn't allow reselling during their last tour. Tickets that couldn't be used were put back into the pool and resold for the original price. I think they are the only band to successfully so something about it.
Quote from: Tortoise on Apr 10, 2026, 05:37 PMYeah, that's really annoying.
Radiohead didn't allow reselling during their last tour. Tickets that couldn't be used were put back into the pool and resold for the original price. I think they are the only band to successfully so something about it.
Wow, good on Radiohead for having such a setup to help their true fans to attend their shows.
This doesn't really make me angry or upset, but I don't know where else to put it.
I guess gas is going up to 1.88/l, and most stations have already changed. The Mobil near my house is usually 20c/l cheaper than most other places (yay me). Anyway, as of an hour ago when I stopped in at SuperStore (same parking lot), that Mobil was still at $1.45/l, so a good 44c cheaper than anywhere else.
Holy Crap, the pandemonium this has caused. There must be 150 cars lined up in three directions - down my local collector street (which is causing a two block traffic jam on its own), and 2 massive lines through the Superstore parking lot.
Like, I get that if you're filling up an average CUV, you'll save about $17, and a truck probably about double that, but is the hour you're going to wait in line there really worth it? Most people probably make quite a bit more than $17/hr.
Compound that with the frustration the lineups and congestion and people cutting in line would cause to your mental wellbeing, etc, and it's really not worth it.
That would be really annoying and you are right, it isn't really worth it when you do the cost of your time. It's a wonder they didn't adjust the price quickly when this started to build up.
Ground frost warnings in May >:(
I 'know' the guy who works at the counter, and by that, I mean I'm friendly and stop in to talk whenever I get gas or other sundries. I popped round yesterday to chat, and he told me that on an average day, they sell about $15 000 worth of fuel. On Wednesday, they sold $50 000!!!!!
Quote from: GreatBigAbyss on May 01, 2026, 08:55 AMI 'know' the guy who works at the counter, and by that, I mean I'm friendly and stop in to talk whenever I get gas or other sundries. I popped round yesterday to chat, and he told me that on an average day, they sell about $15 000 worth of fuel. On Wednesday, they sold $50 000!!!!!
He doesn't know costs though. When my daughter worked at the local Pier 1 store, they would sell ± $15k per day.
I was just saying that to compare how busy it was that day, to how busy it usually is.
Quote from: GreatBigAbyss on Apr 29, 2026, 07:54 PMThis doesn't really make me angry or upset, but I don't know where else to put it.
I guess gas is going up to 1.88/l, and most stations have already changed. The Mobil near my house is usually 20c/l cheaper than most other places (yay me). Anyway, as of an hour ago when I stopped in at SuperStore (same parking lot), that Mobil was still at $1.45/l, so a good 44c cheaper than anywhere else.
Holy Crap, the pandemonium this has caused. There must be 150 cars lined up in three directions - down my local collector street (which is causing a two block traffic jam on its own), and 2 massive lines through the Superstore parking lot.
Like, I get that if you're filling up an average CUV, you'll save about $17, and a truck probably about double that, but is the hour you're going to wait in line there really worth it? Most people probably make quite a bit more than $17/hr.
Compound that with the frustration the lineups and congestion and people cutting in line would cause to your mental wellbeing, etc, and it's really not worth it.
I see this at Costco all the time. Like, I get it, I have a 140L tank in the Tundra, so I can feel the difference a bit, but the people in little Corollas and hybrids and crap, is a half an hour to an hour worth of waiting to save a double double worth of money worth it?? Even I will say the hell with it if the lineup is over 10 cars long.
Bit of old man yelling at cloud rant here. Since when did everyone decide to renovate their homes in 10 shades of grey/white and actually think it looks good? I don't want my house to look like my dentists office. When did this become a thing? When we bought our starter home in early 2000's the base kitchen was white or grey, that's what you got in a cheap new build. Want oak or anything that resembled real wood? Big $$$ upgrade. Sad to see nice, traditional homes being "upgraded" like this. End rant/
Quote from: Revelations on May 17, 2026, 11:23 PMBit of old man yelling at cloud rant here. Since when did everyone decide to renovate their homes in 10 shades of grey/white and actually think it looks good? I don't want my house to look like my dentists office. When did this become a thing? When we bought our starter home in early 2000's the base kitchen was white or grey, that's what you got in a cheap new build. Want oak or anything that resembled real wood? Big $$$ upgrade. Sad to see nice, traditional homes being "upgraded" like this. End rant/
I guess it depends how it's done.
I've seen big $$$$ real wood houses that looked like a hunting lodge inside...wood everywhere!
Quote from: Revelations on May 17, 2026, 11:23 PMBit of old man yelling at cloud rant here. Since when did everyone decide to renovate their homes in 10 shades of grey/white and actually think it looks good? I don't want my house to look like my dentists office. When did this become a thing? When we bought our starter home in early 2000's the base kitchen was white or grey, that's what you got in a cheap new build. Want oak or anything that resembled real wood? Big $$$ upgrade. Sad to see nice, traditional homes being "upgraded" like this. End rant/
Agreed, it's terrible.
Quote from: Revelations on May 17, 2026, 11:23 PMBit of old man yelling at cloud rant here. Since when did everyone decide to renovate their homes in 10 shades of grey/white and actually think it looks good? I don't want my house to look like my dentists office. When did this become a thing? When we bought our starter home in early 2000's the base kitchen was white or grey, that's what you got in a cheap new build. Want oak or anything that resembled real wood? Big $$$ upgrade. Sad to see nice, traditional homes being "upgraded" like this. End rant/
I think white is generally fine – it's a clean, classic, timeless look. All the grey is awful though. Back in 2013 when we renovated our last house we put in white kitchen cabinets and we also did grey cabinets for this little nook off of our kitchen towards our dining room that we used as a little bar area. At the time I thought it looked great because grey was not yet quite in fashion.
Now everyone does crap like this.
(https://preview.redd.it/the-most-millennial-gray-house-ive-ever-seen-v0-o02l8tqzy8nd1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=73aac409a3cc31326e05b19bb86765b0ebb86273)
I generally prefer neutral coloured walls, dressed up with wood floors and cabinetry, wood furniture or fabrics with some colour. The all grey is a fad that's passing.
I'm currently refinishing some living room and bedroom end tables. Solid wood constructed by my FIL. The bedroom end tables had been painted at one point. I spent the afternoon Saturday stripping the paint and will hit them with the sander next. The living room end tables are getting sanded down and simply stained a different colour. This past winter I refinished a couple dressers. I refinished the wood tops, and painted the bottoms in a nice olive green. I think they turned out great, but part of me was like "I'm going to regret painting these". But for those, they are kind of throw away pieces anyway.
My wife figures that with neutral walls, you can make any floor work and dress things up with furniture and decorations. Sure hon, whatever you figure ;D
I like neutrals too, but prefer the warm neutrals...most grey shades are really cold. Most of the furniture in our 'nice' rooms (i.e anything that isn't a kids bed or play room) is 18th or 19th century...some of it legit, some of it repo stuff. Similarly with artwork too, went through a phase where we were really into collecting old oil paintings, so lots of big gold gilded frames and dark oil colors. That sort of stuff looks out of place against cooler greys/neutrals IMO.
Unfortunately, most of this house was painted in greys when we moved in, so I've been slowly repainting to our tastes. Still have a long way to go though.
When I moved into my place almost 5 years ago now, I painted most of it in Benjamin Moore's OC-23 Classic Gray. Contrary to the name, it's more of a very warm grey bordering on beige, or at least that's how the lighting makes it appear in my place. Very neutral and you match many kinds of furniture, rugs, fabrics, etc. to it... I still like it a lot and would choose the same colour today. On the other hand, I painted one bedroom in a more specific green-ish colour, and I'm tired of it already and thinking of changing it.
Definitely a fan of neutrals over here... I also find it jarring when you go into someone's home and every room is a different colour, cuts off the flow a lot I find.
Quote from: Blizzard on May 19, 2026, 05:01 PMWhen I moved into my place almost 5 years ago now, I painted most of it in Benjamin Moore's OC-23 Classic Gray. Contrary to the name, it's more of a very warm grey bordering on beige, or at least that's how the lighting makes it appear in my place. Very neutral and you match many kinds of furniture, rugs, fabrics, etc. to it... I still like it a lot and would choose the same colour today. On the other hand, I painted one bedroom in a more specific green-ish colour, and I'm tired of it already and thinking of changing it.
Definitely a fan of neutrals over here... I also find it jarring when you go into someone's home and every room is a different colour, cuts off the flow a lot I find.
We have neighbors that just had their entire house painted a few years ago. Every room is a different color, it is quite jarring walking through their house with all different greens, reds, yellows, and such.
In my parents house the rooms are different colors but they're just different shades of white. ;D
We're officially looking for a replacement for Junior #2's 2013 Nissan Altima. As I mentioned in another thread, I believe the CVT is on its way out.
Found a 2010 Civic locally for sale. Looks clean. LX coupe, which are decently equipped and not many around. 210k kms. So not terrible. Junior 1's 2012 Civic is currently running strong with 285k kms. Priced at 7k, which is a really great price in this area (I know, still seems like robbery for a 16 year old car).
Lady says no problems with the car, and previous owner told her no accidents. I ask for the VIN. There's 3 total loss accidents on record. Lady legitimately seemed shocked, so I'm guessing she believed the previous owner wasn't lying. The accidents were within the last 5 years, so I figure it wouldn't take much to write off an older Civic and its still worth a look. If it drives straight and solid, and runs well might be worth the risk.
Its a 35 minute drive one way to see the car. She messages just after I leave to go see it and says she likely won't make it home in time but the kids are home and I can have a look at it. I said I need to drive it, and asked if she's OK with that with just the kids being home. She replies with "ya, but only a short drive as its not plated". She's out on a farm yard and was willing to let me drive it a mile down the gravel road but not on the highway.
WTF? Who tries selling a car with no insurance/registration and doesn't want anyone taking it for a legit drive? Anyway, I told her I'm not interested any longer so the search continues. Man, there sure isn't a lot out there for under 12k. Once you get into 15k price range there's a lot more options. I thought I overpaid for the 2012 Civic three years ago at $7500. That thing was a bargain. Prices continue to rise on these compacts.
Good Luck. It's a real tough market for the cheap, affordable car.
If you need to widen your search to the Winnipeg market, I could take a look at some out here for you.
We're actually travelling West on July 3rd, if a deal happens, I could quite easily drop the car off in Regina for you.
^ Thanks GBA, I'll keep that in mind, appreciated.
Quote from: Bridgecity on Jun 22, 2026, 04:38 PMWe're officially looking for a replacement for Junior #2's 2013 Nissan Altima. As I mentioned in another thread, I believe the CVT is on its way out.
Found a 2010 Civic locally for sale. Looks clean. LX coupe, which are decently equipped and not many around. 210k kms. So not terrible. Junior 1's 2012 Civic is currently running strong with 285k kms. Priced at 7k, which is a really great price in this area (I know, still seems like robbery for a 16 year old car).
Lady says no problems with the car, and previous owner told her no accidents. I ask for the VIN. There's 3 total loss accidents on record. Lady legitimately seemed shocked, so I'm guessing she believed the previous owner wasn't lying. The accidents were within the last 5 years, so I figure it wouldn't take much to write off an older Civic and its still worth a look. If it drives straight and solid, and runs well might be worth the risk.
Its a 35 minute drive one way to see the car. She messages just after I leave to go see it and says she likely won't make it home in time but the kids are home and I can have a look at it. I said I need to drive it, and asked if she's OK with that with just the kids being home. She replies with "ya, but only a short drive as its not plated". She's out on a farm yard and was willing to let me drive it a mile down the gravel road but not on the highway.
WTF? Who tries selling a car with no insurance/registration and doesn't want anyone taking it for a legit drive? Anyway, I told her I'm not interested any longer so the search continues. Man, there sure isn't a lot out there for under 12k. Once you get into 15k price range there's a lot more options. I thought I overpaid for the 2012 Civic three years ago at $7500. That thing was a bargain. Prices continue to rise on these compacts.
Meh, I don't think I've ever driven a car a mile before buying it...Maybe around a parking lot, or around the block, certainly never driven anything on the highway. Even when the seller is cool with it, I don't like it...you never know what their insurance situation is, what's in the car, etc. I'd rather take the risk on buying a lemon than the liability of driving a strangers car on the highway.
Quote from: Firm on Jun 22, 2026, 08:42 PMQuote from: Bridgecity on Jun 22, 2026, 04:38 PMWe're officially looking for a replacement for Junior #2's 2013 Nissan Altima. As I mentioned in another thread, I believe the CVT is on its way out.
Found a 2010 Civic locally for sale. Looks clean. LX coupe, which are decently equipped and not many around. 210k kms. So not terrible. Junior 1's 2012 Civic is currently running strong with 285k kms. Priced at 7k, which is a really great price in this area (I know, still seems like robbery for a 16 year old car).
Lady says no problems with the car, and previous owner told her no accidents. I ask for the VIN. There's 3 total loss accidents on record. Lady legitimately seemed shocked, so I'm guessing she believed the previous owner wasn't lying. The accidents were within the last 5 years, so I figure it wouldn't take much to write off an older Civic and its still worth a look. If it drives straight and solid, and runs well might be worth the risk.
Its a 35 minute drive one way to see the car. She messages just after I leave to go see it and says she likely won't make it home in time but the kids are home and I can have a look at it. I said I need to drive it, and asked if she's OK with that with just the kids being home. She replies with "ya, but only a short drive as its not plated". She's out on a farm yard and was willing to let me drive it a mile down the gravel road but not on the highway.
WTF? Who tries selling a car with no insurance/registration and doesn't want anyone taking it for a legit drive? Anyway, I told her I'm not interested any longer so the search continues. Man, there sure isn't a lot out there for under 12k. Once you get into 15k price range there's a lot more options. I thought I overpaid for the 2012 Civic three years ago at $7500. That thing was a bargain. Prices continue to rise on these compacts.
Meh, I don't think I've ever driven a car a mile before buying it...Maybe around a parking lot, or around the block, certainly never driven anything on the highway. Even when the seller is cool with it, I don't like it...you never know what their insurance situation is, what's in the car, etc. I'd rather take the risk on buying a lemon than the liability of driving a strangers car on the highway.
Yea, but your're not a young kid where $7500 is all the money in the world and they quite literally can't afford to buy a lemon....
I was, and I still didn't test drive anything.
I am probably missing some details on the Altima, but why not just fix it? Those prices for miled out 15 year old Civic are kinda silly....What's a transmission job on the Altima going to cost, $4K? $5K max? Might be a better option than a $7500 Civic with 3 wrecks on it.
Quote from: Firm on Jun 23, 2026, 12:24 AMI was, and I still didn't test drive anything.
Yea, but you were mechanically inclined as was your bro and dad.
So you guys quite literally could have realistically fixed anything.
We forget...but that's a big luxury!
Quote from: RRocket on Jun 23, 2026, 09:17 AMQuote from: Firm on Jun 23, 2026, 12:24 AMI was, and I still didn't test drive anything.
Yea, but you were mechanically inclined as was your bro and dad.
So you guys quite literally could have realistically fixed anything.
We forget...but that's a big luxury!
That's how I learned to mechanic, being young and poor. Between a Chilton manual, youtube and a good tool kit, what else do you need??
Quote from: Firm on Jun 23, 2026, 12:24 AMI was, and I still didn't test drive anything.
I am probably missing some details on the Altima, but why not just fix it? Those prices for miled out 15 year old Civic are kinda silly....What's a transmission job on the Altima going to cost, $4K? $5K max? Might be a better option than a $7500 Civic with 3 wrecks on it.
Fixing it is something I need to dig more into. My initial search on costs to replace with new are in the 6-7k range, but honestly I haven't called anyone. I need to get pricing on new or rebuilt. I'd rather not replace with a used CVT, that's just a total gamble. My younger boy is not a car kid at all, so I'll be figuring this out.
If we could get a few grand for the Sentra, then moving into a Civic for 4-5 more grand is worth it to me. The Civic is a far better car, no comparison. There's a reason they are priced the way they are.
Firm, I don't understand your rational on not test driving. I would never take that gamble. A short burst on the highway can reveal a lot. That's my real experience.
Test drives are nice and do reveal a multitude of surprises good or bad. Take it from someone who has bought 100's of vehicles via auction in the past few years with zero test drives.
I'd definitely at least do some research on fixing the Nissan (is it a Sentra or Altima?). There's gotta be some poor soul out there who's business is rebuilding CVTs, and I bet a specialist like that would be more cost effective than a generic chain transmission shop.
I use the test drive thing as a bit of a negotiation tactic, making the deal as easy as possible for the seller gives you the best chance of getting a lower offer accepted. In that situation with the $7500 Civic and the lady who was struggling to accommodate a proper meeting & test drive; I'd have gone to the house, looked at the car quickly, called her back and said "I'll give to $6K right now as it sits and I'll come take it away tomorrow". Most People hate selling cars and see the whole thing as a big inconvenience, if you make it easy for them, more often than not they'll take the deal just to get out of having to make any additional effort.
My last experience with a Nissan CVT was on a 2016 Murano. Beauty of a SUV, dealer serviced since new with impeccable records and only 140k. Yes, broken CVT.
Two options: New from Nissan or used. I went used. New was 16K. Bought a transmission from a recycler in Calgary with 76,000 km, cost $4200 for the trans and $2000 install. Sold the unit to an older couple and they thankfully bought a warranty. That transmission died 3 months later. My thoughts? The recycler sold me a transmission that A- Had way more miles or B- Was patched together. I called shops from here to Washington state. Nobody rebuilds them because nobody wants to guarantee them. There was a shop in Abbottsford that was offering rebuilt units for $5,000, they stopped selling them as the return rate was really high.
Many in that dilemma. Roll the dice on used or pay for new.
I know two people that have been screwed royally by Nissan CVTs. Both have Nissan CUVs, a Pathfinder and a Murano from the mid 2010s, both have payments left, both do not/cannot afford to repair them. I wouldn't be rolling the dice on a Nissan CVT unless I was left the car in a will or something.
Man, what a mess. Opportunity for someone though, collect the junk cores, rebuild them and sell for $5K with a 6 month warranty. I say that having no idea how difficult they are to rebuild, but I assume it's doable.
Quote from: Revelations on Jun 24, 2026, 04:30 PMMy last experience with a Nissan CVT was on a 2016 Murano. Beauty of a SUV, dealer serviced since new with impeccable records and only 140k. Yes, broken CVT.
Two options: New from Nissan or used. I went used. New was 16K. Bought a transmission from a recycler in Calgary with 76,000 km, cost $4200 for the trans and $2000 install. Sold the unit to an older couple and they thankfully bought a warranty. That transmission died 3 months later. My thoughts? The recycler sold me a transmission that A- Had way more miles or B- Was patched together. I called shops from here to Washington state. Nobody rebuilds them because nobody wants to guarantee them. There was a shop in Abbottsford that was offering rebuilt units for $5,000, they stopped selling them as the return rate was really high.
Many in that dilemma. Roll the dice on used or pay for new.
Thanks for the background Rev. 16k, ouch! I'd be willing to pay up to 4k for a new/rebuilt that had some warranty. Anything over that and the car is gone.
Anyone want a nice little Sentra with a waivering CVT? hahaha
Quote from: Firm on Jun 24, 2026, 06:09 PMMan, what a mess. Opportunity for someone though, collect the junk cores, rebuild them and sell for $5K with a 6 month warranty. I say that having no idea how difficult they are to rebuild, but I assume it's doable.
Found a shop in Saskatoon (chain) that advertises as rebuilding them. I'll give them a call and see what they have to say. I'll also call Nissan just to see how high the price is.
Quote from: Bridgecity on Jun 24, 2026, 06:30 PMQuote from: Firm on Jun 24, 2026, 06:09 PMMan, what a mess. Opportunity for someone though, collect the junk cores, rebuild them and sell for $5K with a 6 month warranty. I say that having no idea how difficult they are to rebuild, but I assume it's doable.
Found a shop in Saskatoon (chain) that advertises as rebuilding them. I'll give them a call and see what they have to say. I'll also call Nissan just to see how high the price is.
I'd be curious what they say. I too found a few places that advertised rebuilding them but hit dead ends when inquiring. Even my warranty company was trying to go the rebuild route with no success.
With regards to the Nissan Sentra CVT, I called Nissan this morning. $8800 for new. I then called Mister Transmission who advertises as rebuilding CVTs on their website. Ballpark rebuild price is $6500.
My brother in law is a car guy and is going to call a couple shops that he has contacts with and see if they'll touch it and/or what the pricing is like.
I think I have my answer.
Quote from: Bridgecity on Jun 26, 2026, 01:47 PMWith regards to the Nissan Sentra CVT, I called Nissan this morning. $8800 for new. I then called Mister Transmission who advertises as rebuilding CVTs on their website. Ballpark rebuild price is $6500.
My brother in law is a car guy and is going to call a couple shops that he has contacts with and see if they'll touch it and/or what the pricing is like.
I think I have my answer.
$8800, so for a Nissan, anything over 3 years old is a mechanical write off. Any way to swap in a manual??
Quote from: Fobroader on Jun 26, 2026, 01:58 PMQuote from: Bridgecity on Jun 26, 2026, 01:47 PMWith regards to the Nissan Sentra CVT, I called Nissan this morning. $8800 for new. I then called Mister Transmission who advertises as rebuilding CVTs on their website. Ballpark rebuild price is $6500.
My brother in law is a car guy and is going to call a couple shops that he has contacts with and see if they'll touch it and/or what the pricing is like.
I think I have my answer.
$8800, so for a Nissan, anything over 3 years old is a mechanical write off. Any way to swap in a manual??
Anything can be done with unlimited time/money, haha. That's not in my wheelhouse. I can only imagine what that would entail. Might be a project on a cool car, not on a POS economy car.
Quote from: Fobroader on Jun 26, 2026, 01:58 PMQuote from: Bridgecity on Jun 26, 2026, 01:47 PMWith regards to the Nissan Sentra CVT, I called Nissan this morning. $8800 for new. I then called Mister Transmission who advertises as rebuilding CVTs on their website. Ballpark rebuild price is $6500.
My brother in law is a car guy and is going to call a couple shops that he has contacts with and see if they'll touch it and/or what the pricing is like.
I think I have my answer.
$8800, so for a Nissan, anything over 3 years old is a mechanical write off. Any way to swap in a manual??
Hmmmm....new business opportunity? ;D Manual swapping all these garbage CVT's from various car brands. Some of these cars are well worth saving, but no way to justify the cost to fix. Manual swap and drive for the next 10 years plus.
Quote from: Bridgecity on Jun 26, 2026, 01:47 PMWith regards to the Nissan Sentra CVT, I called Nissan this morning. $8800 for new. I then called Mister Transmission who advertises as rebuilding CVTs on their website. Ballpark rebuild price is $6500.
My brother in law is a car guy and is going to call a couple shops that he has contacts with and see if they'll touch it and/or what the pricing is like.
I think I have my answer.
BIL spoke to a buddy at a tranny shop. They don't want to touch it, but if they did they said $6500-7500.
As soon as we find the kid another car it will be going up for sale. I want to get rid of it ASAP as it still is drivable, no error codes. Kid is driving it daily and for the most part its fine to drive. I will fully disclose the reason for dumping it in the ad.
What would you guys think a reasonable price for it is? Its an SL (highest trim with leather, nav, etc) and in better condition than most 2013 economy cars, save for the tranny. 169k km on it. My "hope" is that I can find someone that will buy it and has the ability to swap the tranny with a used one on the cheap. I was thinking of starting at 4k and going from there. Seems ridiculous, I know, but need to consider that if the tranny was in good condition, I'd be listing this thing for around 9k, likely getting 8k out of it.
Sadly, with the tranny issue, it's probably a $1500 unit...Figure someone has to put about $5-6K into it, plus their labor (assuming it's someone that can swap themselves), assume a retail of $8K, there's gotta be some incentive for them to do it.
Quote from: Firm on Jun 29, 2026, 08:06 PMSadly, with the tranny issue, it's probably a $1500 unit...Figure someone has to put about $5-6K into it, plus their labor (assuming it's someone that can swap themselves), assume a retail of $8K, there's gotta be some incentive for them to do it.
You're being far too logical Firm. ;D
I have dreams of 4K. Maybe I can get somewhere in the middle, haha.
For $1500 Ill keep it and drive it back and forth to work until it dies and save the kms on my truck
Keep it. Milk it for whatever it has left to give. Save yourself the painful agony of dealing with selling a vehicle online. You'll get flooded with offers of $500 or less (I think even $1500 is lofty), and the people who buy stuff like this are usually the seediest, scuzziest bottom feeders around. I find nobody wants to fix stuff anymore, even if its cheap, you practically have to give it away. Buyers will be looking at the same dilemma, buy a used trans (total crapshoot) and spend the time and money installing it, or buy a new unit.
If you happen to live near an auction that might be an option too.
^ I like the auction idea. A friend has his dealers license and uses the auctions quite frequently. I should touch base with him.
What are the ethics on saying 'runs and drives' and not bringing up the failing CVT at all at an auction.
I feel like because things are less personal at an auction, the term 'buyer beware' applies more?
I dunno, how scuzzy is that? Is it scuzzy at all? Is it accepted?
I feel like anyone buying a 13 year old (can't believe 2013 was already 13 years ago....wtf) Nissan with a CVT at an auction should be wary to begin with, right? Just assume that the CVT is probably failing, without being told it directly?
Isn't that why auction prices are lower than private or dealer sales to begin with? Because there's an element of risk that's just accepted as a cost of doing business?
There is ZERO ethics with auctions, especially dealer auctions. Unless its a blatantly obvious problem (loud knock, doesn't move or run at all) anything goes. It's buyer beware. Bridge has a friend with a dealer license so he can run it on TradeRev (instant 45 min live dealer action) providing he has access to it.
At auction as-is is exactly that. Some mom and pop auctions will ask you if there are any known issues prior to listing.
Buddy suggested I put it on PBR (local auction), but suggested I keep the description accurate as anyone can bid on vehicles from those auctions. He didn't make any other suggestions so guessing he doesn't want to deal with it. I'm not going to push him.
The last hailstorm damaged our roof a fair bit. I was up there looking around yesterday, and there are definitely some broken/holed shingles, and the plastic flashing around our main stack took a direct hit, with a 2" hole through it. Any water going in there will head straight for the attic. A pro would probably be able to see more.
So, we're going to need a new roof. Great, we've got insurance. Except, no. Apparently, because we can't prove how old our roof is (it was replaced before we bought the house, and it's in good shape, but we didn't get any receipts or proof verifying it's age), our insurance company is only covering 20% of the cost of our replacement. And that amount is just below our deductible.
The annoying part is that my insurance company sent me a letter a few years ago telling me that this was happening, so it's not exactly a surprise. But did they reduce my rates because now they have less risk? Hell no. My premiums have actually doubled over the last few years, despite no claims.
So, fuck, we're going to be completely out of pocket to replace the roof.
Typical insurance scamminess, dealt with the same thing when a windstorm wrecked the roof at our old place. Fortunately, I had paperwork from when we purchased the house that proved the roof was only 6 years old, so they covered it. Even then though, they covered a pro-rated amount to account for the 6 years of life the roof provided.
Quote from: GreatBigAbyss on Jun 30, 2026, 05:29 PMThe last hailstorm damaged our roof a fair bit. I was up there looking around yesterday, and there are definitely some broken/holed shingles, and the plastic flashing around our main stack took a direct hit, with a 2" hole through it. Any water going in there will head straight for the attic. A pro would probably be able to see more.
So, we're going to need a new roof. Great, we've got insurance. Except, no. Apparently, because we can't prove how old our roof is (it was replaced before we bought the house, and it's in good shape, but we didn't get any receipts or proof verifying it's age), our insurance company is only covering 20% of the cost of our replacement. And that amount is just below our deductible.
The annoying part is that my insurance company sent me a letter a few years ago telling me that this was happening, so it's not exactly a surprise. But did they reduce my rates because now they have less risk? Hell no. My premiums have actually doubled over the last few years, despite no claims.
So, fuck, we're going to be completely out of pocket to replace the roof.
Did you have a PPI done on the house prior to purchase? Surely something would be noted in there?
Quote from: RRocket on Jun 30, 2026, 07:25 PMQuote from: GreatBigAbyss on Jun 30, 2026, 05:29 PMThe last hailstorm damaged our roof a fair bit. I was up there looking around yesterday, and there are definitely some broken/holed shingles, and the plastic flashing around our main stack took a direct hit, with a 2" hole through it. Any water going in there will head straight for the attic. A pro would probably be able to see more.
So, we're going to need a new roof. Great, we've got insurance. Except, no. Apparently, because we can't prove how old our roof is (it was replaced before we bought the house, and it's in good shape, but we didn't get any receipts or proof verifying it's age), our insurance company is only covering 20% of the cost of our replacement. And that amount is just below our deductible.
The annoying part is that my insurance company sent me a letter a few years ago telling me that this was happening, so it's not exactly a surprise. But did they reduce my rates because now they have less risk? Hell no. My premiums have actually doubled over the last few years, despite no claims.
So, fuck, we're going to be completely out of pocket to replace the roof.
Did you have a PPI done on the house prior to purchase? Surely something would be noted in there?
No PPI. To be fair, Im on the construction industry, and could tell it had good bones. It's been pretty good in the twelve years we've owned it. This is the first major expense, and was caused by hail
We had a small hailstorm when we lived in Alberta. Neighbor got a new roof and suggested I get mine checked. Called insurance and they sent a guy out who confirmed the roof had taken some damage from the hail. Insurance gets back a few weeks later denying any roof coverage as the roof is "aged out" and needs replacement due to age and not damage. They then said if we don't fix it, they won't cover ANY exterior issues or water leaks/damage. House was 11 years old. Insurance company was also who held our mortgage. Yeah, out of pocket wasn't cheap. Same roof was completely replaced again last year due to another hailstorm!
11 years old is BS. The shit insurance goes through to deny claims!
Stupid question but is there any type of roof that is more resistant to hail damage? I just assume you are all talking about asphalt shingled roofs.
Here in NB hail isn't overly common, at least the type that causes this sort of damage. I switched our roof to metal about a decade ago as it should out last us before having to be replaced.
Odd about all these CVT issues. The Mentor has a 10 y.o. Murano now with high mileage and it's going strong. ex-MIL's and now SIL's 2009 Rogue still looks and drives new with about 90,000 km on it. My Mom's 2015 Sentra SV with Lux pkg has all of 25,000 km and looks / drives new. Has had all the expensive CVT services.
The Sentra's engine is solid, as is the rest of the car. Manual models go for cheap, could be much better than a duct-taped, thrice wrecked end-of-life mileage Civic.
^ My friend that I mentioned earlier with the dealer license has bought many Nissan's with the CVT and currently his wife and daughter drive Nissan's with the CVT. He said he's never had a problem. His experience was one of the reason's I bought this Sentra.
Anyway, last night a 2011 Mazda3 sport popped up on marketplace. Had only been listed for 26min, looked good so I immediately messaged the owner and went and looked at it this morning. We'll be picking it up later this week as there's no insurance brokers open today. The car has 170k kms, second owner, all service records from new, new tires this spring, new AC compressor this spring, and overall has been very well taken care of. It literally drives like new, very solid and no suspension noises whatsoever. I'm aware of the rust issues with these cars and will do my best to keep it at bay. At this time is has some very minor rust on the under lip of the driver's side rear fender.
A person doesn't get much of a chance at cars like this in this market. The owner said they can't keep up with messages on the car. He had no idea of the demand for compact cars. As another example, I tried to look at a 2011 Accord that was in good shape. Ad was posted for a day. When I messaged the seller they had 5 people coming to see it that evening. List price was 10.5k. The first potential buyer bought it.
I'll list the Nissan and see what happens. If it doesn't sell for anything that's worth it, I'll drive it until it fails and save the kms on my truck.
Sweet find!
I was helping friends finding a car for their daughter, budget 14k$ and yet I found her a low-km (that's 30,000 km around here, not 130,000 km) 2022 Hyundai Venue manual for $13k.Also had a few Civics, Mazda3's in the 2017-2019 years or Jettas for her budget. Compacts must really be scarce out west...
Quote from: Blueprint on Jul 01, 2026, 08:22 PM. Compacts must really be scarce out west...
That plus population density.
Its why I buy my cars in Toronto, Ottawa, Quebec, etc Huge selection compared to local.
I recently picked up a 2016 Ford Focus with 132,000 km for a fantastic price. Seems this gen Focus has a bad rep for the powershift transmissions habit of blowing up. That's why I bought this one, its a 5 speed MANUAL! I believe the entire powertrain is largely Mazda (2.0 n/a 4 cyl). It's a great car to drive and I think its an absolute bargain compared to the imports it competes with.
Compact cars are indeed hard to find. The used values are insane, especially here in BC. Congrats on the Mazda, they are awesome little cars.
Quote from: Blueprint on Jul 01, 2026, 08:22 PMI was helping friends finding a car for their daughter, budget 14k$ and yet I found her a low-km (that's 30,000 km around here, not 130,000 km) 2022 Hyundai Venue manual for $13k.Also had a few Civics, Mazda3's in the 2017-2019 years or Jettas for her budget. Compacts must really be scarce out west...
I think Quebec also trends more towards small cars than the western provinces, where pickup trucks and large SUV's reign supreme.
Quote from: GreatBigAbyss on Jul 02, 2026, 08:57 AMQuote from: Blueprint on Jul 01, 2026, 08:22 PMI was helping friends finding a car for their daughter, budget 14k$ and yet I found her a low-km (that's 30,000 km around here, not 130,000 km) 2022 Hyundai Venue manual for $13k.Also had a few Civics, Mazda3's in the 2017-2019 years or Jettas for her budget. Compacts must really be scarce out west...
I think Quebec also trends more towards small cars than the western provinces, where pickup trucks and large SUV's reign supreme.
It's also where the used EV deals are
Quote from: Revelations on Jul 02, 2026, 01:40 AMI recently picked up a 2016 Ford Focus with 132,000 km for a fantastic price. Seems this gen Focus has a bad rep for the powershift transmissions habit of blowing up. That's why I bought this one, its a 5 speed MANUAL! I believe the entire powertrain is largely Mazda (2.0 n/a 4 cyl). It's a great car to drive and I think its an absolute bargain compared to the imports it competes with.
I rented one of these a while back and really liked how they drove. The handling was great and they were surprisingly refined. It had the powershift transmission that was pretty jerky at low speeds, but find when you were moving.
The hits just keep coming. I got my insurance renewal letter this week for the Prius. My premiums jumped by $470/yr, a 20% increase. I've had no accidents, no claims (other than the recent hail claim), no tickets, etc. I called MPI to question the increase, and apparently the Prius Prime has jumped up two spots in the C.L.E.A.R. risk group.
I guess the explanation is that hybrids are getting more and more expensive to fix, therefore they cost more to insure. I guess MPI conveniently ignores the fact that a small hit would write off my car due to its age and mileage, therefore it wouldn't cost them anything to fix, because they won't fix it.
Even more insulting is, once my car gets written off due to hail, and I buy it back, the car will only worth that buy-back amount (let's say $4k) in the event that it gets written off again.
BUT, they're the only game in town, so I'm stuck with it. I can't say my experience with private insurance for the house is any better, though. They're also a buncha crooks.
Mosquitos, holy crap, they are brutal this year. We have two zappers, a propane mosquito vac, wife sprays the boundary spray every other day, and we have thermacells running every time we step outside and still, lose a few pints of blood mowing the lawn or bbq-ing. I am at my wits end and looking how to make deet at home lol
We have some property out in the country and when I mow out there I always hear pants, long sleeve UV shirt with hood, ball cap, sunglasses, and about a gallon of bug spray. I feel ya.
At home we have a screened in gazebo that does a good job of keeping the bugs at bay, but we also put bug screen under the deck boards to keep the fuckers from coming up from below. After about 7pm we will light one of those old school mosquito coils.
Quote from: Johnnymac on Jul 06, 2026, 03:49 PMWe have some property out in the country and when I mow out there I always hear pants, long sleeve UV shirt with hood, ball cap, sunglasses, and about a gallon of bug spray. I feel ya.
At home we have a screened in gazebo that does a good job of keeping the bugs at bay, but we also put bug screen under the deck boards to keep the fuckers from coming up from below. After about 7pm we will light one of those old school mosquito coils.
We left NB just as the mosquitos were starting...and they can be crazy on the island. We'll go back when they've calmed down.
Have you heard of this stuff https://puregard.ca/ It's from Nova Scotia, alternative to DEET
Quote from: blur911 on Jul 06, 2026, 06:53 PMQuote from: Johnnymac on Jul 06, 2026, 03:49 PMWe have some property out in the country and when I mow out there I always hear pants, long sleeve UV shirt with hood, ball cap, sunglasses, and about a gallon of bug spray. I feel ya.
At home we have a screened in gazebo that does a good job of keeping the bugs at bay, but we also put bug screen under the deck boards to keep the fuckers from coming up from below. After about 7pm we will light one of those old school mosquito coils.
We left NB just as the mosquitos were starting...and they can be crazy on the island. We'll go back when they've calmed down.
Have you heard of this stuff https://puregard.ca/ It's from Nova Scotia, alternative to DEET
Cool, no I haven't seen that but it certainly would be a better solution as DEET is quite toxic, especially for pets.
I did see this different mosquito trap thing, not sure I like that it's sort of subscription based, but does sound decent.
https://pestproofco.com/products/biteshield
We live in the woods, in the humid south, and two sides of the property are bordered by creeks. Bugs & Mosquitos are probably our largest inconvenience...It's a real PITA. Recently someone told me about 'Spartan Mosquite Tubes'. Basically you hang them in the trees around the perimeter and they've suppose to be really effective. Started using them in the spring and probably a 60-70% reduction in mosquitos. Not perfect, but definitely way better. These things are vicious though, some will bite right through your clothing if you've got thin enough clothing on.
Sentra saga is over. Listed for $4900 and was gone within the hour. I was fully transparent about the CVT. Buyer didnt care. That's where the compact market is in SK.
That's wild. I can buy junk like that all day long down here for $1000-1500, should just start sending them up to you ;D
Quote from: Firm on Jul 08, 2026, 11:51 PMThat's wild. I can buy junk like that all day long down here for $1000-1500, should just start sending them up to you ;D
Could probably make a go of it honestly. 15-18 year old civics with 300k are 7-8k cars.
Quote from: Bridgecity on Jul 08, 2026, 08:55 PMSentra saga is over. Listed for $4900 and was gone within the hour. I was fully transparent about the CVT. Buyer didnt care. That's where the compact market is in SK.
Well that's great that you were able to get out of it so easily. Am I wrong to say that it has been replaced by a Mazda 3?
Quote from: Johnnymac on Jul 09, 2026, 07:36 AMQuote from: Bridgecity on Jul 08, 2026, 08:55 PMSentra saga is over. Listed for $4900 and was gone within the hour. I was fully transparent about the CVT. Buyer didnt care. That's where the compact market is in SK.
Well that's great that you were able to get out of it so easily. Am I wrong to say that it has been replaced by a Mazda 3?
That's right Johnny.
Quote from: Bridgecity on Jul 08, 2026, 11:57 PMQuote from: Firm on Jul 08, 2026, 11:51 PMThat's wild. I can buy junk like that all day long down here for $1000-1500, should just start sending them up to you ;D
Could probably make a go of it honestly. 15-18 year old civics with 300k are 7-8k cars.
Wonder how much the import duties would be & shipping, probably still worth it, would almost need a dealers license.
Quote from: Gurgie on Jul 09, 2026, 08:33 AMQuote from: Bridgecity on Jul 08, 2026, 11:57 PMQuote from: Firm on Jul 08, 2026, 11:51 PMThat's wild. I can buy junk like that all day long down here for $1000-1500, should just start sending them up to you ;D
Could probably make a go of it honestly. 15-18 year old civics with 300k are 7-8k cars.
Wonder how much the import duties would be & shipping, probably still worth it, would almost need a dealers license.
I would assume to make it worth while you'd have to bring in a truck load and be very proficient with the paper work to import them. Then you'd want whatever vehicles you bring it to be easily "certified" in the province that you are bringing them, some cars require a bit more work than others to be "certified" for Canada. At least that's how it used to be.
Quote from: Johnnymac on Jul 09, 2026, 09:53 AMQuote from: Gurgie on Jul 09, 2026, 08:33 AMQuote from: Bridgecity on Jul 08, 2026, 11:57 PMQuote from: Firm on Jul 08, 2026, 11:51 PMThat's wild. I can buy junk like that all day long down here for $1000-1500, should just start sending them up to you ;D
Could probably make a go of it honestly. 15-18 year old civics with 300k are 7-8k cars.
Wonder how much the import duties would be & shipping, probably still worth it, would almost need a dealers license.
I would assume to make it worth while you'd have to bring in a truck load and be very proficient with the paper work to import them. Then you'd want whatever vehicles you bring it to be easily "certified" in the province that you are bringing them, some cars require a bit more work than others to be "certified" for Canada. At least that's how it used to be.
On second thought, with all that outlined above, probably not worth it. Although, you do see quite a few vehicles from out of province that state "requires out of province inspection". Regardless, the difference in markets is interesting.
I stopped in at a dubious shop a couple weeks ago prior to buying the Mazda3 to look at an older Accord. Talking to the owner, he sends a bunch of the cars he buys at auction from Saskatoon down to a lady in Regina. He said she makes her money by financing the cars at 18% and doesn't mark them up much over what he sold them to her for. He said he sends about 10 cars per month to her. Crazy.
From what I've been told, it's now a massive pain in the ass to bring a car in from the US.
If you recall, a few years ago our in-laws were going to give us their US spec 2015 BMW X3 as they were moving to Canada and getting a new one. My father in law looked into it and concluded that there was no straight forward way to do it, and was advised to just sell it in the US.
Quote from: Tortoise on Jul 09, 2026, 11:27 AMFrom what I've been told, it's now a massive pain in the ass to bring a car in from the US.
If you recall, a few years ago our in-laws were going to give us their US spec 2015 BMW X3 as they were moving to Canada and getting a new one. My father in law looked into it and concluded that there was no straight forward way to do it, and was advised to just sell it in the US.
For starters, you need an IRS number now. So you'd first have to apply for one.
Its still doable..but a bigger PITA now.
Quote from: RRocket on Jul 09, 2026, 07:35 PMFor starters, you need an IRS number now. So you'd first have to apply for one.
Its still doable..but a bigger PITA now.
I'm guessing that would be if you were re-selling? Or even if I just wanted to buy something down in the States & bring it up for my own personal use? When I bought my 944 in Grand Rapids, it was a bit of a pain, but not too bad, just had to make sure I had all of the paperwork ready & sent to US Customs to export the car, that was the hardest part. On the Canadian side it wasn't too bad, but the car was 28yrs old at the time too, so I think that made it a bit easier.
We needed IRS numbers when we imported our cars into the US when we moved, really just a bunch of forms to fill out, nothing too complicated if you're OK with reading and understanding government docs.
Not sure why you'd need an IRS number if you're exporting the car into Canada...I'd expect that any duties/taxes/customs would be from the Canadian side at that point. That said, it's been probably 10-15 years I imported a car into Canada, and it was always older cars, nothing new enough to require RIV inspections.