HiFi Subjectivist ¦ Audio Forum ¦ NVA User Group

Nice one, mate.

Doing things the old fashioned way gives me a warm glow. A simple life makes me happy. Wish I could get rid of the cars, tractor etc etc. Plough the fields with a horse

One of the reasons why the cost of living is so high is we are told we need all this technology and if costs so bloody much.

karatestu wrote: ↑Sat Oct 01, 2022 4:12 pm Doing things the old fashioned way gives me a warm glow. A simple life makes me happy. Wish I could get rid of the cars, tractor etc etc. Plough the fields with a horse

One of the reasons why the cost of living is so high is we are told we need all this technology and if costs so bloody much.

Nail hit cleanly and firmly on the head Stu.
We don't "need" all the technology, I am typing this on a 2014 13" MacBook Pro. It works as well as the much more recent 15" version and if it weren't for my photographic requirements I would be happy with this one.

The government wants me, and you, to switch to an electric car. An electric car costs more than I want to pay and the petrol one I have does what I need of it. I don't watch TV very often so I don't need hundreds of channels, my Hi-Fi does what I need and I am very happy with FM radio, thanks.

Digital control can be very precise but analogue control will do almost as well at a lower price and isn't reliant on power to do so. Much modern technology can't be repaired easily, think surface mount, so it gets binned. My Leak Troughline Tuner can be resurrected for the cost of some new electrolytic capacitors and some valves.

Simplicity has its attractions.

Geoff.R.G wrote: ↑Sat Oct 01, 2022 8:56 pm

karatestu wrote: ↑Sat Oct 01, 2022 4:12 pm Doing things the old fashioned way gives me a warm glow. A simple life makes me happy. Wish I could get rid of the cars, tractor etc etc. Plough the fields with a horse

One of the reasons why the cost of living is so high is we are told we need all this technology and if costs so bloody much.

Nail hit cleanly and firmly on the head Stu.
We don't "need" all the technology, I am typing this on a 2014 13" MacBook Pro. It works as well as the much more recent 15" version and if it weren't for my photographic requirements I would be happy with this one.

The government wants me, and you, to switch to an electric car. An electric car costs more than I want to pay and the petrol one I have does what I need of it. I don't watch TV very often so I don't need hundreds of channels, my Hi-Fi does what I need and I am very happy with FM radio, thanks.

Digital control can be very precise but analogue control will do almost as well at a lower price and isn't reliant on power to do so. Much modern technology can't be repaired easily, think surface mount, so it gets binned. My Leak Troughline Tuner can be resurrected for the cost of some new electrolytic capacitors and some valves.

Simplicity has its attractions.

Well said Geoff. Simplicity has the bonus of often being the cheaper option, fewer working parts, easier to fix yourself and lasts longer.

Electric cars are all well and good but far too expensive. My 1998 Daihatsu Foutrak cost me £12k back in 2000. It was 18 months old when I bought it. It is a very simple vehicle but very good at pulling cows out of swamps. Never gone wrong and cost me £545 per year plus service items and exhausts, tyres, batteries etc.

I hear of people paying £1000 + for their car every month. Very expensive cars but really, does it have to cost that much ? It's all about image. One guy in the local pub years ago was asked why he had a really expensive car but his house was a shit hole. Answer was that nobody sees him in his house but when he cruises about in a obviously expensive car he gets noticed. How very sad and wallet draining at the same time. Image is very important to some people.

Does nobody pay cash for cars these days ? Is it always on the never never ? My dad always used tk say that those who looked like they had lots of money very often didn't. I was brought up to save for things that I wanted. I took it to the extreme in a way and very quickly got ahead of the game - everything bought with money I already had in the bank, no interest payments. Of course I couldn't do that with my house but I am now mortgage free and not yet 50 years of age.

So, no fancy cars, holidays or willy waving status symbols for me. I live in a very ordinary house and care little about what people think of me. In fact I drive around in an old car covered in cow shit on purpose. I am the king of inverse snobbery Apart from my recent mental health problems I am on the whole very happy with my simple existence. The recent passing of my dear old mum has underlined a few things .

Forgotten what my point was now

Still miss my mum so much it hurts.

I've had a lot of thoughts about my departed parents of late. What would they want me to do ? The farm where I grew up and my mother died is a place of great sadness now for me. I'm thinking of selling up.

karatestu wrote: ↑Sat Oct 15, 2022 7:17 am Still miss my mum so much it hurts.

I've had a lot of thoughts about my departed parents of late. What would they want me to do ? The farm where I grew up and my mother died is a place of great sadness now for me. I'm thinking of selling up.

I think it's better when major decisions in life are based on logic and not on emotion.

The farm where you grew up, what is the cold hearted, most logical decision right now?
Having made a decision based entirely on pure reason, it's then easy to feel good about your decision making process and coming to the optimum decision.

karatestu wrote: ↑Sun Oct 02, 2022 7:14 am
Does nobody pay cash for cars these days ? Is it always on the never never ?

I bought a car for cash a couple of weeks ago.

Not entirely sure if I'll keep it. I might reject it for a full refund. It needs a new EGR valve, which the seller will have to pay for in order for me to want to keep it...

I always pay cash for cars, but I never spend more than around £5k, once every 4 or 5 years.

I like a properly made motor with higher than average mileage but a full service history and a max of just a couple of previous owners.

I too always pay cash for cars. I have a standing order to a savings account which gets used for such things. People who lease expensive cars must have seen their repayments rocket recently ? Linked to bank base rates surely. Coupled with mortgage payments up at over 6% interest and general inflation how long before the house of cards comes crashing down ?

Nothing quite satisfies like the first cup of tea of the day.

You bet, Stu.

Had time for an English-style cuppa before starting on breakfast for 14 this morning.