MacGyver

Yeah, the modern car dealership will actually tell you there are two separate business models in their dealership. First they "sell" you a car, then the real selling happens after you agree on a price. At that point they "help" you figure out a few way to pay for the car. Most of the profit a dealership makes its in that second model where they bundle all types of products in and likely mark up your loan. If you're not familiar with markup, basically a bank will sell them a loan for two points. Then, they can mark it up to whatever you'll agree to. So you might well have been able to get a 2.25% APR loan, but they mark it up to 4.5% and split the profit with the bank. Most dealerships today make about 40% of their money via markup. This is why if you're planning on financing a car, you should always bring your own financing with you. You might later agree to go with their captive for some incentive, but at least you'll have a floor on what your loan should cost.

Double Cab TRD Off Road Long Bed. Black. With a moon roof of all things. The long bed model 7568 was the tough part. Apparently almost all of those get allocated out west where someone might actually put something in the back or something. I like the fuel economy of that new Atkinson cycle 6 cylinder they're putting in them. With the tow package, I'll barely strain it to pull my boat. While I don't expect to use that crawl control that they're putting on them that much, I'm in sand enough that it might come in handy.

I actually bought a truck today at Toyota of Murfreesboro. They worked with me to source the truck I wanted and I got a good deal. It was a cash deal, so it was quick and pretty painless. It's interesting when you talk to several dealerships in a short period of time. You can tell the ones that really want to sell a truck. You can also clearly tell the ones that just don't care. Oddly enough knowing exactly what you want seems to do more harm than good on the typical lot. You really have to find someone who realizes, that while they may not make quite as much money, they also don't really have to do any actual work,

Do trucks even come without bed liners anymore? I mean, what do you expect if you drop a bunch of blocks from 6 feet?

@raildog I'm not opposed to that, and I've got dealers as clients in Missouri and Wyoming that would be glad to get me exactly what I want. I'd love to keep it here in middle Tennessee - so I thought I'd give it a shot here before I go that route. @btq96r I'm planning on paying cash for it unless I can talk them into letting me put it on my Amex. But it's worth a shot - maybe call Amex and Costco, too.

Thanks! I've got two Nissans right now and they've been great trucks - over 175K on both. Every time I get in them though, I find myself thinking I'm ready to be back in a Toyota again. As an American engineer, I find myself pulling for Ford. I just can't bring myself to buy a F-150, though. @KahrMan has one and it's like riding around in your living room. It's super nice, but I've got some legacy Ford ownership issues I'd have to work through.

So, I'm buying a new truck. I want a specific model Tacoma that will likely need to be shipped in as most of the allocation of this specific model goes out West. I'm not overly impressed with our dealers in middle Tennessee thus far, as most of them appear to be opposed to doing actual work to find a truck - though all of them want to sell me one they've already got on the lot. Anyway, if any of our members work for Toyota, let me know. I'm happy to provide details and let someone here earn the commission on the sale.

Here's some more reading on the lunge mines: http://www.lonesentry.com/articles/jp_tankhunters/

Here's some brief reading on the Giretsu units with what looks like the source of that picture: http://forlornhopesui.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-giretsu-airborne-unit-on-okinawa.html?m=1

Those guys were intended to be sent to Saipan to destroy B-29s that were wreaking havoc. That was a 4 lb charge on the end of a stick called a lunge mine - specially designed since magnetic mines wouldn't stick to the aluminum skin.

That's a heck of a bargain. Done. Thanks!

I'll be in.

Their content must be pretty good, because their business model amazes me.

Yeah, I wonder how much of the secondary market exists because of the supply line troubles Yeti created for themselves by letting every gear store and boutique in the world be a dealer and not being able to keep up with demand? It ought to be a cautionary tale about small companies taking their manufacturing to China. The price per piece looks great, but the total cost of getting it here - measured in dollars and time is totally different. You couldn't get a 20oz. Rambler back in the fall to save your life.

Will one subscription port between devices, or would you have to pay for two subscriptions?

Learning how to properly pack a cooler is really important, and will extend the service of any cooler you might use. Likewise, you need to have an honest conversation with yourself and figure out if the primary reason you typically buy a new cooler is because the old one mildewed with all of the stuff you left in it after your last outing. There are some great coolers on the market that aren't as expensive as the new cool kid coolers. The Coleman Extreme line performs pretty well when packed appropriately, and aren't nearly as expensive as some of the "cooler" ones. I've got a Yeti, and it's great. Truthfully, had it been available years ago, it would have likely saved me from buying a few dozen coolers over the years. I like the fact that they can be pressure washed. I also like the fact that you can throw some dry ice and popsicles in there and not have a huge mess on your hands. I've got a friend that will pack two on 10+ day canoe trips. The secret here is that you don't open the second one until the first one is empty. It really just depends on your use case.

Neat!

I'll try to merge them tomorrow when I'm in front of a computer. Is the email address on this account current?

The current generation of Lowrance models with side scanning technology is really nice, and seems to be a decent value. I've got an older one on my boat, but am about to buy one of the newer ones for my kayak.

Man I'm sure sorry to hear that Dave. I've missed him the last couple of years. Seems like he had a pretty tough time after the accident.

The Strider is a classic. I wouldn't mind seeing it with a polished blade.

Nah, you'd just hit him in the jimmies instead of the heart when you take that super-tactical shot at 800m with an unmagnified optic.

That's awesome! I know you're super proud.

Are they using a computerized system to do the background checks? I'd be willing to bet if you checked a printout of the form you'd see a mismatch on either your name or address vs. what they're expecting via your SSN. I expect the feds are using at least some of the same structure that the banks and credit bureaus use to do identity validation. An address mismatch will throw a flag. They've got your information saved and as such, it's throwing the same error every time. I bet you could get them to correct it next time you go in. My future patronage would depend on it.

I don't know how I managed to miss this on Tuesday. http://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2016/05/17/guy-clark-dead-74/80932338/ Man, what a loss!