New to the site, from Orlando

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ptsmith24
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Joined: Sun Apr 26, 2009 1:35 pm

New to the site, from Orlando

Post by ptsmith24 »

Hey all. I came across this site in my quest for learning to drive a standard transmission. I live in East Orlando and am in the need of a new car before too long. I'd like to learn stick shift so that my options aren't as limited (and it will be a good skill to have). I started to learn in a Ford Ranger 7 or 8 years ago, but it wasn't much of a lesson. So, everyone can assume I don't have any experience. I have the mental picture of how things are supposed to work, but marrying that up with practice might prove to be a challenge. I look forward to poking around on the forums and hopefully I'll be up and running before too long! Thanks for reading my introduction. See you in the forums! :D
Rope-Pusher
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Re: New to the site, from Orlando

Post by Rope-Pusher »

Welcome to the site.
'08 Jeep Liberty 6-Speed MT - "Last of the Mohicans"
watkins
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Re: New to the site, from Orlando

Post by watkins »

Välkomnande
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wannabe
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Re: New to the site, from Orlando

Post by wannabe »

welcome! its not hard. srsly. i learned from an autotragic. lol

i'm one of the resident females, btw
2003 Chrysler town and country

Crafting and stuff
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jomotopia
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Re: New to the site, from Orlando

Post by jomotopia »

welcome to the site :)
2013 Subaru Impreza WRX in Orange
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RITmusic2k
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Re: New to the site, from Orlando

Post by RITmusic2k »

Welcome welcome! New members are usually hounded to post pictures of their car when they join up, but since you haven't made the purchase yet, I'll accept a drawn picture of what you want your car to look like. Have you got a model or category of vehicle in mind, or are you pretty open at this point?
ptsmith24
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Posts: 7
Joined: Sun Apr 26, 2009 1:35 pm

Re: New to the site, from Orlando

Post by ptsmith24 »

Thanks for the welcomes everyone.
RITmusic2k wrote:Welcome welcome! New members are usually hounded to post pictures of their car when they join up, but since you haven't made the purchase yet, I'll accept a drawn picture of what you want your car to look like. Have you got a model or category of vehicle in mind, or are you pretty open at this point?
I'm still pretty open at this point. I think I'm going to drive my current vehicle until: 1) it catches fire or 2) I light it on fire. It's at ~205,000 miles and still chugging on along.

I was looking at the 09 Civic Si, but the premium fuel requirement and insurance at my age might be a problem. I'm kind of shopping around now so that I'm ready for when my car meets its maker.

As always, I'm open to suggestions. It doesn't have to be new, but there seems to be some good deals out there now.
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RITmusic2k
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Re: New to the site, from Orlando

Post by RITmusic2k »

Don't let premium fuel cost scare you. Gas is about the cheapest thing you have to put into/onto a car, and the more expensive gas gets, the better a relative deal the premium is...

Insurance is a toughie... but also, it's cheaper to insure a brand new car, since it has its entire service life ahead of it... insuring a ten year old car will cost you a bit, just because it's expected to break down in some way sooner or later...
ptsmith24
Junior Standardshifter
Posts: 7
Joined: Sun Apr 26, 2009 1:35 pm

Re: New to the site, from Orlando

Post by ptsmith24 »

RITmusic2k wrote:Don't let premium fuel cost scare you. Gas is about the cheapest thing you have to put into/onto a car, and the more expensive gas gets, the better a relative deal the premium is...
Yea, the way I "justified" it, at least in my head, is that it's about $2-3 more per tank, which is definitely not a problem in my budget.
Insurance is a toughie... but also, it's cheaper to insure a brand new car, since it has its entire service life ahead of it... insuring a ten year old car will cost you a bit, just because it's expected to break down in some way sooner or later...
My insurance is roughly 4-5 times what it was in Georgia. That's with no tickets and no accidents. I'm sure it'll go down after this first term runs up next month. Plus, when I hit that magical age of 25, it should also drop a good bit. My current vehicle is 20 years old with no real "safety" features that I'm aware of, besides defensive driving.

I have liability insurance now, but will get full coverage if I must take a loan out for my next vehicle.
ptsmith24
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Re: New to the site, from Orlando

Post by ptsmith24 »

paul34 wrote:<-- East Orlando-ian

welcome
Thanks. I work in the Research Park next to the school and live down Curry Ford.

I like your signature, by the way :D
ColJessip
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Re: New to the site, from Orlando

Post by ColJessip »

Welcome to SS, I am the resident Porkchop.
Bemvindo a SS, eu sou o residente Porkchop.
watkins
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Re: New to the site, from Orlando

Post by watkins »

ptsmith24 wrote:
RITmusic2k wrote:Don't let premium fuel cost scare you. Gas is about the cheapest thing you have to put into/onto a car, and the more expensive gas gets, the better a relative deal the premium is...
Yea, the way I "justified" it, at least in my head, is that it's about $2-3 more per tank, which is definitely not a problem in my budget.
And you actually get enough of a fuel economy increase that its actually cheaper cost per mile than running regular in your car. At least for many cars. My car fits in that category.
Warner
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Re: New to the site, from Orlando

Post by Warner »

Welcome!

Having the basic idea of how things work in your head before actually putting the theories to practice helps flatten the learning curve tremendously compared to starting from scratch in the driver's seat. I'm sure you'll get the hang of it in no time.
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AHTOXA
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Re: New to the site, from Orlando

Post by AHTOXA »

And here's another welcome! Enjoy your stay and post up anything you have questions about.
'19 Toyota 4Runner TRD ORP
'12 Suzuki V-Strom 650
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