Well, you guys got them all (all 6), but no single person person got more than 3.I'll figure something out. That Subaru dune buggie is a must, what killer build quality for something most people would have ignorantly thrown in the trash. My wife was literally freaking out, "That's my golf cart! That's my golf cart!"
There's probably no way we can leave that auction without it.
The Zonda chronicles continue. It's now going back to Modena. We believe, and Pagani concurs, that the overtightening of the bolts to the chassis was only part of the problem, the monocoque itself is slightly warped. Whether from initial treatment (most likely) or from torsion from the over-tightening (less likely), we can't say. Either way, it's their fault, and they're even admitting it in writing (after my lawyer had a frank talk with their lawyer). Oh, and I threatened to have the whole thing crushed, video it, and post it on Youtube to recoup my losses. Of course I'd never do that, the outcry from the public would make my life a living hell, but I'd say the fear that I could be serious is part of what prompted Horatio to acquiesce. He loves each and every one of these and likely the thought of one of them being destroyed bothers him on a personal level. BTW, his English is perfectly fine, except when he gets upset.They're paying for transport, to and from, and all required repairs to bring it back to specification (like replacing the tub). I'm going to pay for factory upgrades to bring the car up to the last chassis/powertrain revision (the same as the real Roadster Final Edition, except mine will be keeping its 6-spd MT). Yeah, I'm going to have to fork out even more money on the damned thing, but I felt I had to throw them a bone to keep this from becoming a protracted legal entanglement. Getting it back in the USA, that could be tricky... One thing's for sure, I can't begin to describe how frustrating this has been, the amount of man-hours that have been put into that car to figure out and fix what's wrong... I wouldn't know where to start in tallying it all up. I wish I could go back in time and tell myself not to buy it, I know the guys at the shop feel that way. Every time I saw them working on it I felt like apologizing.
Then you're very lucky and have a good legal team.
Maybe the previous owner screwed it up.
Headphones, amps, and cars. Oh my!
Wait a second! What's this thread about? It's about me, and like-minded individuals, discussing; high-end audio gear, fast cars, and the people we live with. Personally, it's about me trying to keep my hobbies and marriage in a state of balance, which doesn't always happen. Feel free to come in and talk about audio and autos, or how your spouse or partner doesn't understand you. We can often relate or sympathize, and if not, at least you can vent a little. Basic forum rules apply, of course, which means leaving the "7 words you can't say on TV" outside and treating others as you'd like to be treated.
Also, we talk about expensive things a good bit of the time, so negative comments about people with "more money than sense" can be left at the door as well. We know such things are over the top, we're aware that $250,000 supercars aren't the best value, we just don't care.
Edit: The below has long since been sorted out, now there are much bigger fish to fry!!
My wife is becoming unreasonable. She doesn't mind new CDs or LPs, it's the arrival of headphones, speakers, amps, and the like that irritates her. You know, the things that take up space. I asked her about it and she just said, "you don't need more stuff". She calls all my audio equipment "clutter" and says it's a waste of money. Now, I'm semi-retired, we have no financial problems, a large home, no kids, but for some reason she's getting hostile over new gear. I keep it organized, all of my stuff is neatly arranged in the family/audio/HT room and the "overflow" goes in my workshop space in the basement, it's not like it's laying all over the house or where company can normally see it. Also, she constantly reminds me of my hobby budget, but I usually stay under it. In fact, I went a whole year where I barely spent any at all out of it, so the money had been building up.
The other day I mentioned that I wanted to pickup a set of T1s, and she asked how much they were. I told her ~$1000 and she hit the roof and said that was stupid. I'd call her somewhat frugal, but she isn't cheap. If she wants something, like her new $1500 sewing machine, she sees that as practical and will buy it in a heartbeat.
I thought it was because I was spending more time with my hobbies, but I started making myself available and hanging out more and she still goes off. Then I thought it was because I hadn't been spending much on her, but getting her flowers and gifts doesn't seem to make much of a difference either. I recently suggested talking with someone, maybe getting some marriage counseling, and she said I just needed to stop collecting "junk". The thing is, she knew I was a hardcore audio guy when she married me, but now it's like she just wants me to change and not pursue what I enjoy. I'm starting to get pissed.
I suppose I'm at a loss. Anyone here experience this? Got any ideas how to smooth this out?
Update:
Well, the initial problems have smoothed over, now I just need to stay out of trouble. ESTD.
Once I repurposed the den as my mancave and took everything there, the fussing stopped... more or less. She still likes to argue sometimes, but that's just for recreation.
It wasn't the money, it was the "clutter". I had boxes and stereo stuff scattered around the house, in typical male fashion. I had to stop looking at it from my perspective, boxes and stacked amps don't bother me, and see it from hers, "why are these big metal things on my antique coffee table?"Once I repurposed the den as my mancave and took everything there, the fussing stopped... more or less. She still likes to argue sometimes, but that's just for recreation.
