Tag / Toyota

by admin

Farewell, Old Friend

On November 22, 2008, I stumbled in to Planet Toyota with a falling apart 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix, with 187,864 miles, and left with a brand spanking new Prius.  8 1/2 years, and 247,500 miles, later, it is time to say goodbye.  Later on today, I will be selling the Prius and coming home with a new Tesla Model S.

Aside from 8 years of going back and forth to work and local baseball games, this car took me to West Lafayette, Detroit, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Toronto, and Cooperstown.  I’ve shed tears and had wonderful times in the car.  We’ve been through a lot together, but it is time to move on.  I’d hoped to pass the 250,000 mile mark before shopping for a new car, but the lure of the Tesla, and the 1.49% interest rate, were too much to ignore.  I hope someone else continues the car’s journey and that they have as much luck with it as I did.

by jim

Car Troubles

carproblemsLast night’s drive home from work started out very uneventful, but things quickly fell apart as every warning light turned on as my ability to accelerate went away about 7 minutes in to my trip.  Thankfully, I was able to get over to the shoulder and, eventually, off the tollway.  After an initial stop at the local Meineke, I found a nearby Toyota dealer that was able to squeeze me in.

A few hours later, after having gotten a ride home, I got a call with the news: the auxiliary battery needed replacing, for the low, low fee of $500.  If you had asked me the day before if the car even had an auxiliary battery, I would have told you no.

This brings the grand total of car charges in the last month or so to $1500, which seems kind of excessive.  I was hoping to make it to at least 200,000 miles, which hopefully will be possible with all of these expensive fixes out of the way.  If things continue down this path, though, then it may be time to start looking for a new car.

by jim

A Wrigley Deal

CTH Proposed renovations to Wrigley FieldAfter months (years?) of waiting, the Cubs have reached a deal with the city of Chicago for the renovation of Wrigley Field.  in addition to the better player facilities and fan amenities announced in January, the Cubs also got approval for:

  • A 6,000 square foot video screen in left field
  • A 1,000 foot sign similar to the current Toyota sign in left field
  • Pushed out outfield walls, taking over the current sidewalks on Waveland and Sheffield
  • Restoration of the current scoreboard, with a new LED board beneath it
  • New LED ribbon boards along the upper deck
  • Up to 10 additional night games
  • A potential 3:05 start time for Friday games
  • The ability to host up to 4 concerts a year without them counting against the night game count
  • Street fairs on Sheffield for weekend games between Memorial Day and Labor Day
  • A new hotel on the current McDonald’s site
  • The long-awaited triangle building at the corner of Clark and Waveland

The Cubs hope to get things started as soon as this season ends, but may still face a lawsuit from the rooftop owners over the new jumbotron blocking their view.  The pushed out outfield walls are a hedge against that, as the large video screen can be pushed further back in order to lessen the effect on the rooftops.

Time will tell if the Wrigley Field renovations ever get off the ground, but the initial hurdle, after months of legal wrangling, have been passed.