Well... it was about time to put that Honda money back into Honda i guess. I used my stored motorcycle fund as well as the money from the integra settlement to purchase this:






a Red 2008 Honda CBR 600RR

I managed to get this for a pretty low price considering that the '08 inventories were making room for the '09s. I was going back and forth between what to get for another vehicle so i don't rely on the truck too much and the idea of replacing my integra with a motorcycle sounded like a good plan to me. I also had the chance to look at what kind of motorcycle to get and decided to go with this new one for a lot of reasons. I like this bike and model year a LOT and the red color scheme was exactly what i wanted. I haven't had a chance to really ride this thing yet, but as soon as it warms up it's going for a spin and getting through the break-in period as soon as possible.

Have any of you guys heard of this, my roommate was telling me about it last night. apparently how it works is

all items start @ $0.00, with 15 seconds left in the auction.

bids are in 1 cent increments (some are 15 cent too)

everytime a bid is made another 15 seconds is added to the auction.

Apparently people are getting ridiculous deals through it.

the catch is, every bid costs 75 cents. so really every time you bid a penny its really 76 cents.

it seems like a pretty clever system. I don't really know all the ins and outs of it though.

NOTE: Many of you know that this was listed for sale in January, due to me wanting to get a more DD'able car...however, I decided to keep it. Now that I'm graduating soon I'm looking for a fun car that I won't mind DD'ing, so the Supra has to go!

Available to prospective buyers on or after June 13th!

NAME: David Goodspeed
PHONE NUMBER: PM Me
EMAIL: <!-- e --><a href="mailto:david.goodspeed@gmail.com">david.goodspeed@gmail.com</a><!-- e -->
LOCATION: Harrisonburg, VA
PAYMENT PREFERENCE: Cash

PRICE: $4250
ITEM: 1988 Toyota Supra Turbo Targa 5-speed w/ TEMS
DESCRIPTION: Clean, 3 owner, ~141k miles, clean title and all paperwork/receipts from new.



I purchased this car from the 2nd owner on August 31st, 2007 in Vienna, VA with 131, 535 miles on it. The car was owned from 1988 until 2004 by a couple from Virginia Beach, VA and they left it completely stock. The second owner purchased it with 117k miles on it, unknowingly with a BHG. As a result, the previous owner performed much of the maintenance and mods that are on the car currently. He sold it to me to buy a motorcycle.

Mileage, as of this ad, is 140,823 on 5/31/09. This will increase slightly as I continue to use the car. VIN available upon PM request.

How I treated the car:
I DDÔÇÖed it for perhaps the first few months after my purchase, and after that it was only driven when necessary. I am a university student and took to walking/public transportation to get to and from campus to keep miles off and needless wear to a minimum, not to mention keep the car away from parking garage dings and the like. I wash the car by hand roughly every week and vacuum, with a wax once a month. I am very anal about the car and took every minor rock chip or small scratch with a blow, but itÔÇÖs a car and thatÔÇÖs life. I kept it parked under a cover most of the time, even under two car covers during heavy rain/hail warnings. The car was subsequently driven for errand trips, highway trips to the DC area and pleasure (cruises and perhaps 3 autocrosses). IÔÇÖd like to see the car go to a mature, responsible owner that will appreciate and respect their purchase. I won't sell the car to any inexperienced, young kids looking for a fast car.

Mod List:
*Indicates mods I performed as the 3rd owner

Rebuilt 50-trim CT26
HKS 1.2mm MHG w/ ARP headstuds @ 85 ft-lbs.
3ÔÇØ Turbo Elbow, BIC DP, Cat, and custom catback with Magnaflow muffler
Ebay MBC
Bosch BOV
K&N FIPK Intake
Autometer 52mm Boost Gauge/Lotek dual pod
Lower hardpipe
Driftmotion Aeromotive AFPR kit*
Walbro 255lph Fuel Pump w/12V Mod*
Spec Stage 2 6 puck sprung hub clutch
Brembo rotors
Axxis Metal Master Pads
Goodrige Stainless Lines
Suspension Techniques Swaybars*
Sumitomo HTRZII 225/50/16*
Code/DEI Remote Alarm
Aiwa head unit (CD-R, iPod)/Aftermarket front speakers

Maintenance:
New radiator in 2004
Previous owner replaced all old rubber hoses with new silicone hoses, as well as accordian hose/TB coupler
Spark plugs were brand new installed at 131,535 miles (purchase)
Belts were almost brand new at purchase
New Fuel Pulsation Dampener installed shortly after purchase
New Rear tires installed, about 1500 miles older than fronts
New Alternator Belt
Merchant's Alignment unlimited 3yr. plan purchased Summer '08; car has had 3 alignments since then.
New Fuel Pump and bracket at 136,125 miles 7/15/08
Oil changed at 136, 283 miles 9/13/08 (every ~3k)
Rear end fluid changed at 136, 512 miles 10/1/08
New FPR installed at 136,999 miles 10/22/08
Almost brand new Optima Red Top battery (Dec. ÔÇÖ08 )
New Driver Side Tie Rod at 137,456 miles 11/24/08
New front tires at 137,681 miles 12/12/08
New Thermostat/Coolant @ 138,110 miles 12/23/08
New Valve Cover Gaskets and Spark Plugs @ 140,106 miles 5/8/09

Cosmetics:
Paint 8.5-9/10, Interior 9/10

I must stress how clean this car is. It was garage kept for 18 years; the previous owner had to take it with him to school in Richmond when his DD died and it was parked outside during his final year of ownership. Currently, the car is garaged but was parked outside for roughly two years, though at least 75% of the time it was under a car cover. The car was repainted in 2000 (factory color), and is visually very clean. In the interest of disclosure, there are a few reasonable flaws: 1) the front does have typical rock chips from highway travel since being repainted 2) the rear bumper cover has a spider-web crack In the paint from when the first owner backed into a concrete-base lightpole 3) There are perhaps one or two very small, unnoticeable dings that you would only find if you really looked for them in proper light. Other than that the car is exceptionally clean for its age, and many have commented to me that it is the cleanest MK3 they have seen.

In the interior, the steering wheel, shift knob, and center console cover show their age. There are a few knicks and small scrapes on parts of the hard trim, other than that, the interior is perfect.

Mechanical:
The car runs very strongly. Shortly after purchasing it, the car was dyno-tested and achieved 285 rwhp/ 313 rwtq at 13psi. I always, no matter the outside temp, let the car warm up to the C/below 1000rpm before setting off. There is a bit of smoke upon startup, probably the valve stem seals. There is some valve tick as is typical of an unopened motor of this age, but the car runs strong, doesnÔÇÖt overheat, and has never left me stranded and cruises like a champ on long highway trips in comfort.

Issues of possible concern:
-There is a some smoke upon start-up, probably due to the valve stem seals. Also, since moving to a dedicated garage with a lightly-colored floor, I've noticed it'll drop a few square inches of oil overnight (I always monitored the level and added when necessary). This could be due to a simple oil pain drain plug needing a new seal, or the rear main seal on its way out. I haven't had the time to thoroughly investigate, however.
-The targa top does leak, only from the driver side front corner. I hate driving in the rain and avoid doing so at all costs, and when it is raining and the car is parked its almost always under a cover, so it hasnÔÇÖt been a big issue for me.
-The brake master cylinder may need to be replaced at owner's discretion. Pedal feel is a bit soft and sometimes requires one or two pumps to get a firm feel, but braking is fine. There are a few squeaks here and there as it could probably use some new brake pads.

With the car, I will include various stock parts such as: head unit, misc. engine parts, stock a-pillar interior piece, Toyota re-man stock radiator in box, TSRM, factory floor mats (excellent shape) and swaybars. I also have a Greddy oil-filter adapter that I will include.

So, thatÔÇÖs it. $4250, and I am relatively firm on that price considering how clean, well kept, and cared for this car is and was. No part out requests will be entertained; no joyrides will be offered. No trades, thank you.

Thank you for looking!

So, I know I've done a lot of stupid shit involving cars over the years (there's no need to document those) but it has rarely done anything more than scare me for a little while. Recently, however, I actually managed to hurt myself. I figured I'd start a thread for people to share their experiences so that others can learn from their misery. So to kick it off, here's my first mentionable injury (aside from soreness/whiplash from prior accidents and thenormal small cuts and bruises)...


On the Sunday prior to Christmas, it was nice and warm outside and I was a little bored. The motor for the driver's side window on the truck has been slowly dying for a while, so I figured it was time to finally fix it.
The job was going really smoothly considering I had never done this before, and I was on track to be finished in a couple hours time. The last time I had a window problem was in my 240, and it was cheaper to replace the entire door :-). I had the window regulator out and the motor unbolted, but for some reason the motor wouldn't come out. Figuring it probably just needed some persuasion, I grabbed the regulator and gave it a good yank.
Well, I hadn't really taken any note of the surrounding mechanism or how the regulator worked. My yank worked like a charm and the motor popped right out. Unfortunately, I failed to notice the large, coiled spring at the bottom of the scissor-like regulator. The motor wasn't moving b/c of the amount of tension this spring was holding against the gear on the regulator. When I yanked it, the gear dissappeared and my hand was all that stood in the way of the spring + scissor as it released.

It really didn't hurt, more of just a snap and a crack. My hand was caught in the scissor and I was able to pull it back enough to release my hand. Some pain started to settle in in the next few seconds, but it still wasn't bad. At the moment I didn't know the regulator was broken, but I looked the situation over to see if maybe I could finish the job before I took care of my wounds. I quickly realized that would be stupid and went inside. A quick rinse made it clear that was worse than I originally thought, and then the adrenaline rush dropped off. We quickly headed for the hospital.

Long story short, I got three stitches for the cut and also managed to break the proximal phalanx of my index finger on my left hand at the knuckle. Basically, a big crack at the knuckle where the pointer finger meets the hand. Fot the 26 years prior to this, I had never had stitches or broken a bone, so this was like a 2-for-1 special. I was all wrapped up in a semi-rigid cast for 6 days due to the Christmas holiday and had the joy of a useless hand for one of the few times a year that I see all of my family :-).
I'm recovering well and the hand has been in a splint for a few weeks to prevent movement of the broken joint. The stitches are out and the scar is healing nicely and I'm now required to exercise the joint several times each day. I should hopefully be rid of the splint in a week or so and expected to have full mobility of the finger to resume its normal course of duties in about 3 weeks.

Let's take a moment to note the ingenious design of the regulator also. It is actually built so that if the motor is not working, you will not have to worry about the window dropping (defaults to "up"). The spring is actually strong enough that when it released it bounced off of its mount and the dealership is not equipped to coil the spring back up, so the part is essentially broken and must be replaced.

Moral of the story, take the time to look at WHY something isn't coming out, look at the whole system you are working with, and ALWAYS watch where you're putting your fingers. The past few weeks have sucked and I'm excited to get my finger back so it doesn't always look like I'm pointing at things :-).

Who here has taken it? What book(s) did you use to study? How much time did you spend studying? What would you do different?

Thanks

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/01/22/virginia.tech.death/index.html">http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/01/22/vir ... index.html</a><!-- m -->

So I have about 4 LCD tv's and a projector in the house. the only tv I do not mind having a box for is the projector, as it has the recievers and so forth.

all the other tv's are currently mounted on the walls, and have the cables hidden behind the walls, so it is a "floating" tv. They can NOT take boxes because i would have no where to put it.

I am wanting to quit my cable, any solutions? I thought about getting all the boxes down stairs, and getting RF remotes, but 3 floors and a RF remote doesn't work well.

TIA

I am thinking of purchasing a used RX-8.
I realize they aren't the most powerful car, with torque being so low.
They can be had for a reasonable price used, and are unique in appearance.
Not sure about reliability?

It will likely only see street duty, but who knows, maybe I will get back on the track again someday.

I am not sure if JMU has any D1 sports, and I know some went to other colleges, I need a few min. of your time for some information.

Any help is appreciated, if specifically in Soccer that would be even better.

TIA

Sorry for the Lounge spam. The last four digits of my phone number are now 7638. That is all.