Let me finish popping my back and adjusting my office chair for the twentieth time today, and then I'll get right back to you.
What kind of car should I buy? I'm looking at cars now I'm not a car guy. Want something reliable, energy efficient, and can hold a bag of soccer balls and puggs and stuff.
I like the Honda Element, because it has a nice cargo area to carry sports equipment. And it's also easy to clean out. And my car gets dirty quick between soccer and baseball. So I dont' really want a nice new clear car where I worry about it getting dirty and dinged up. So maybe a used Honda Element, which is a utilitarian type of vehicle. Only thing is they only made these from 2005-2011. So they are all used and usually with high miles (150k or so). Will I run into a lot of problems with such high miles?
man... the thing is, yeah new cars are nice, but then I will be worried because it will get dirty quick and often. so, its almost like, i want a car that is ok to get dirty. like a old pickup or old subaru forester, or something like that that is kinda rugged and not a pretty car. but then it will be high maintenance. the thought of throwing soccer and baseball equipment in a brand new car is stressful.
I can lease a brand new Hyundai Ioniq 5 for $2000 down, $380/mo. All electric car. 300 mile range. thoughts?
Sam I spent the last 8 hours looking all across the US for a new 2001 Odyssey. You put me on a wild goose chase
right now, i'm analyzing the cargo space of all the vehicles. i think i need about 18 cubic feet of cargo. maybe i should have 2 cars. keep my current one which is fine for local driving (but its elec so low range). and have one for tournaments far away.
Drive to ALL conference games for my kid. Anything over 6 hours and it's just my daughter and me. I relish the time, even if we don't talk all of the time. She is u16 now, we're on the back nine here. So I'll just hold on to it. For showcase games, we fly, might consider driving to Florida and stay after the games are done. The biggest questions about showcases is just hoping we get a proper hotel. We can opt out of we have family or friends in the area, but we're all hesitant to do that because it separates the girls.
I'm been comparing a bunch of different lease deals. But... From what I just read the best deals on cars are in Oct/Nov/Dec. Not a fan of used cars... because they require special tools to do yourself, and I didn't bring tools with me when I moved across the country. So I have to pay someone and that gets very expensive. So I think its better to just get new and then I can avoid most of the maintenance. Every 3-4 years just get a new car. Would love to get an old Honda Element and refurbish it. Looks like a cool project, but man I just don't have the know-how or tools.
Leases are tough if practice is at all far away and if you drive any sort of distance to games. Lightly used cars have some benefits because the first owner has taken the biggest hit in depreciation but you still get most of the useful life of the vehicle and may even have some remaining warranty. You can more than offset the increased maintenance with the savings. Smart money says find a reliable model if you plan to own beyond warranty. Fun says go for something older or less reliable just because you like it, but best to take this option if you can do the repairs yourself or have a good (non-dealer) mechanic that you trust. P.S. I toyed with the idea of driving an RV to away tournaments. Would be hilarious to park it at the club's field so I could lounge during practice and home games. Don't think they would be thrilled with this though and frankly the cost of driving and operating seems kind of exorbitant.
Oh the stories when it came to Chicago Magic when it came to the old days. Happened all the time. Magic even paid for players and families to relocate to Illinois. One season they forgot to register these kids for school and it was a big hoop ha!
I’ve had some great experiences with traveling, especially when exploring more unique places. A few years ago, I took a trip to the Blue Mountains in Australia, and it was incredible. The scenery was breathtaking, and there were so many activities to do. I stayed at a wonderful place called the Fairmont Resort, which had amazing views and top-notch amenities. If you're planning a trip, you might want to check out fairmontresort.com.au for more info.
Australia is too far away for us. We have to stay in the continental United States. Hey... I had an idea for a invention. Since sleeper RVs are expensive... I want to create a kit that can be assmbled at one's home. So you buy the RV kit and assemble it yourself, like if you had bought it at Ikea. This is a simple RV or pull behind... so it does not have a kitchen. It has a bed and maybe a simple bathroom. And then a cooler for food storage. So essentially it has the functions of a hotel. I don't think and RV needs a kitchen because you can go to a restaurant. I would rather invest in the comfort of sleep. Like a hotel. I call it a hotel on wheels.
I know tent-campers aren't as ubiquitous as they used to be in the 70s when my family had one, but I had to read that twice and I'm still unsure whether NewDadaCoach was trolling us, or honestly doesn't know that campers exist.
I have seen people with RVs at tournament sites. But some sites don't allow overnight parking. AND the kid is going to need a shower, even if the adult doesn't.
I'm talking about a build your own trailer RV kit. It has hard panels and stuff. Trailer campers are expensive because the labor is done and you pay for it. But if you can do your own labor, like ikea furniture, then it will be much cheaper. And I'm sure its do-able to assemble, though not easy. But much easier than assembling your own house or car, and they used to sell kits for those too! right?
Staying at the hotel with the team is part of the whole bonding experience, IMHO. If the parents want to save money staying separately, that's fine but the kid is probably better off staying in a room with teammates. That said--on one travel team my son used to belong to, there was one family who traveled by RV. At the soccer complex, they would park it and allow all the other kids to use it as a hangout/rest station (they even had air conditioning). That was really nice.