Basses, Laptops And Cars?

[Bizman]

I don't know anything about cars, especially not in 'MERICA! where kids can get driver's license at the premature age of 16. Oh, well, 'MERICA! is so vast that on average it should be comparable to a lottery win to hit a youngster behind the steering wheel. On the other hand, I suppose people also over there live in bunches... Anyway, get a cheap car. One that has the lowest insurance costs, the lowest accident rates etc. The main purpose should be to conveniently take you from one place to another. The smaller mid-class underpowered japs have here a reputation that their mechanics never fail, they just rot away. If you live in the dry parts of 'MERICA! such a vehicle should be a safe bet. Besides, in a car next to a doghouse you'd learn to drive carefully because you can't rely on iron rail construction and puffy thingies to protect yourself.

What I do have experience in is young people gaming with cheap laptops. To describe that in one word: Pathetic. Your friend says he can play those games just fine with his $349 Pavilion. Alright, almost any game can be installed on any computer if the Operating system is supported. That doesn't guarantee they would play nicely. The graphics have to be cut down to the minimum and the frame rates will still be mediocre at best. The examples I've worked on have had a gazillion of rogue optimizer programs installed, slowing the laptop down even more and adding a plethora of browser helper objects, bars, search engines etc. alongside them.

I have an Ibanez FG100 archtop electric guitar, somewhat of a copy of a Gibson. There are Ibanezes and there are Ibanezes... For what I've heard, way back in the early 70's they used to make quality copies of famous instruments. In the 80's they had somewhat of a success making their own models which were used by #1 bands all over the world. Later they moved their production to cheaper countries and that's basically the reason of their bad name nowadays. If you find one, of any brand, that plays good, sounds good, and if it's important to you, looks good - and of course, if you can afford it - buy it. Instruments should be played, not admired on the wall. Very few musical instruments gather value lying untouched in their plush upholstery coffins.

[homersipes]

  my neighbor has an 89 chevy s10 he's planning on selling for around 200  with the low mileage of........................... ............................. ............................. .... 34k   the truck has no rot and a new clutch.  I had a truck just like it when I started driving, very reliable and around 25 mpg.  I wanted a truck cuz I had a 4wheeler and stuff, so a car wasnt practical.  the s10s are good trucks and get decent mileage

[skorpx1]

my neighbor has an 89 chevy s10 he's planning on selling for around 200  with the low mileage of........................... ............................. ............................. .... 34k   the truck has no rot and a new clutch.  I had a truck just like it when I started driving, very reliable and around 25 mpg.  I wanted a truck cuz I had a 4wheeler and stuff, so a car wasnt practical.  the s10s are good trucks and get decent mileage

Chevy makes some good trucks. I sure as hell don't want a Dodge for a truck though, I can't understand why anyone would - but to each their own.

I'd probably get an F-150 or a Silverado if I decide to get a truck.

What I do have experience in is young people gaming with cheap laptops. To describe that in one word: Pathetic. Your friend says he can play those games just fine with his $349 Pavilion. Alright, almost any game can be installed on any computer if the Operating system is supported. That doesn't guarantee they would play nicely. The graphics have to be cut down to the minimum and the frame rates will still be mediocre at best. The examples I've worked on have had a gazillion of rogue optimizer programs installed, slowing the laptop down even more and adding a plethora of browser helper objects, bars, search engines etc. alongside them.

His graphics are set at medium/high, but once he gets to maximum or very high he'll start noticing some FR issues.

All I need is medium/high graphics. I don't need something to run a game at full detail for the best quality when that doesn't even matter.

[phatzo]

I got sick of throwing money at vehicles a while back so I let my bike run out of rego, sold my just out of warranty Kia Rio (big waste of money that was) and bought a 1989 Nissan Pulsar for a bit less than a grand, everything worked, sort of and it traveled about 700 miles a week. Admittedly I had a Ford Ranger at work that I could use anytime I liked if I had to move crap. I instantly noticed an increase in disposable income which I then managed to spend on a few guitars after a drunken night on e-bay. I've since upgraded to a ten year old Falcon and it's pretty good on expenses. I had to replace a coil pack and that wasn't even $200.

[Rondar]

go ahead and get the BMW or Mercedes.  Skip all the old beaters and money savers and get right to the instant gratification.    

ps  if its gas mileage... my bmw gets over 30 mpg on the highway.  Im 55 and drove beaters and such until my family was  raised then saved and got a decent car.

[APDrone]

I wouldn't advise getting a gaming laptop, even if you could afford it.  They get hot. Very hot. Then they fry themselves.

Do you NEED a laptop, or do you just think the portability is nice to have?

For gaming, get a desktop.  If you NEED a laptop ( it probably won't be for something as hardware intensive as gaming ) get a used one that does the bare minimum of what you NEED it to do.  Heck, you can take notes just fine on old Win 95 laptops.. assuming the batteries are still any good.

As far as cars go, have your folks ask people they work with for some kid that is upgrading to a new car from their beater.  1998 Hondas, Toyotas, Nissans are probably in the ballpark.  You're 16.. you shouldn't be worried about woooing women until you're out of college.. then you can get a decent ride with all the money you didn't spend on dating.  

[John Galt]

Sounds like someone likes to have money spent well before they get it.

[skorpx1]

Sounds like someone likes to have money spent well before they get it.

There's a difference before spending money I don't have and planning ahead.

[Masherbrum]

go ahead and get the BMW or Mercedes.  Skip all the old beaters and money savers and get right to the instant gratification.    

ps  if its gas mileage... my bmw gets over 30 mpg on the highway.  Im 55 and drove beaters and such until my family was  raised then saved and got a decent car.

Amen Rondar.

[Curval]

How much will your insurance be on that Firebird?

Hell, I paid $500 for my first car and $1,500 a year for the insurance to be able to drive it.

[Dragon]

go ahead and get the BMW or Mercedes.  Skip all the old beaters and money savers and get right to the instant gratification.    

ps  if its gas mileage... my bmw gets over 30 mpg on the highway.  Im 55 and drove beaters and such until my family was  raised then saved and got a decent car.

Bring Money With or a vehicle named after a cash sucking biattch prolly not a good first car despite the gratification.


Now, a nice used Jaguar can offer everything a youngin needs in one tidy little package.

 

[Zoney]

Bring Money With or a vehicle named after a cash sucking biattch prolly not a good first car despite the gratification.


Now, a nice used Jaguar can offer everything a youngin needs in one tidy little package.

 

And...................you get to learn to work on cars or develop a relationship with a mechanic.

[skorpx1]

Now, a nice used Jaguar can offer everything a youngin needs in one tidy little package.

 

How about no. U.K. made cars are held together with Elmers glue and Scotch tape.

For the same price i'd much rather get a nice German made car - Preferably a Mercedes Benz or an Audi. BMWs and Porsches are way too overrated.


Getting 170k for an SLR 722 or R8 5.2 would have to be my goal though. Might take a good 40+ years but i'll get it done.

[Bizman]

If you want a good Mercedes, the W124 series (1985-1995) was the last without built-in computerizing. I suppose they cost only hundreds over there, and at least their diesel engines last forever. Besides their spare parts are cheap.

There was a review in a local consumer computer magazine about different types of computers and their suitability for young university students living alone. For universal use at home the desktop was a clear winner: Lots of power for both gaming and studying (I once met a student of chemistry whose single calculations could take three days!), possibility to upgrade or replace parts etc. An Ultrabook or Macbook would be a good choice, if the computer would be carried along all day for making notes in places without electricity, lightweight, sturdy and a long battery life. All of the others were more or less considered as secondary computers, if one could afford two or more. One student said he'd need a tablet, because his way home takes eight hours during which both his laptop and his cell phone used as a modem would run out of battery. I'd like to see the specs of your friend's laptop to better determine its capability of running games, but anyway, as APDrone said, gaming laptops get hot and fry themselves. Besides, wouldn't you be playing AH on the computer you're talking about? Read through the hardware and technical support forums on this board to see how people manage in playing AH with cheap laptops.

[skorpx1]

If you want a good Mercedes, the W124 series (1985-1995) was the last without built-in computerizing. I suppose they cost only hundreds over there, and at least their diesel engines last forever. Besides their spare parts are cheap.

There was a review in a local consumer computer magazine about different types of computers and their suitability for young university students living alone. For universal use at home the desktop was a clear winner: Lots of power for both gaming and studying (I once met a student of chemistry whose single calculations could take three days!), possibility to upgrade or replace parts etc. An Ultrabook or Macbook would be a good choice, if the computer would be carried along all day for making notes in places without electricity, lightweight, sturdy and a long battery life. All of the others were more or less considered as secondary computers, if one could afford two or more. One student said he'd need a tablet, because his way home takes eight hours during which both his laptop and his cell phone used as a modem would run out of battery. I'd like to see the specs of your friend's laptop to better determine its capability of running games, but anyway, as APDrone said, gaming laptops get hot and fry themselves. Besides, wouldn't you be playing AH on the computer you're talking about? Read through the hardware and technical support forums on this board to see how people manage in playing AH with cheap laptops.

I won't be playing AH on the laptop, I don't have the time to do so and it'd be a waste of money only to get in about 20 hours a month. Not sure about my friend's laptop specs, i'm sure I could find it on google if I gave it a quick search.